Kalman Rubinson

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Revel Ultima Studio2 loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 22, 2008  |  2 comments
This is my fourth review of a Revel loudspeaker, and I was even more excited by the arrival of the Ultima Studio2s ($15,999/pair) than I was when their predecessors, the original Ultima Studios ($10,799/pair when first reviewed; $15,000/pair when last listed in "Recommended Components"), were delivered in 2000. (See my review in the December 2000 Stereophile, Vol.23 No.12.) After all, the Studios were my reference speakers for years and, along with the larger Ultima Salons, were statement products that were the product of the talented designer Kevin Voecks and the considerable resources of Harman International, parent of Revel as well as of JBL and Infinity. Over the years, I've also reviewed Revel's Performa F30 (May 2000, Vol.23 No.5) and Concerta F12 (July 2006, Vol.29 No.7), each outstanding at its price point. If, after all these years, Voecks and his team were ready to reconsider their statement products, they should be something special.
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Rives Audio PARC 3-Band Parametric Equalizer
MiscellaneousRoom Treatment Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Jul 20, 2003  |  0 comments
Last January, the Stereophile website conducted a poll asking readers what they thought was their audio system's weakest link . The results indicated that 24% thought that their room was the most problematic component. What this says is that, though often accused of being obsessed with hardware, we audiophiles are aware of what a potent effect the speaker-room setup has.
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Rogue's P5 Preamp
CES 2015
Kalman Rubinson  |  Jan 11, 2015  |  1 comments
For years, I have greeted Rogue's Mark O'Brien with the question, "Anything new in digital?" fully knowing that Rogue Audio is committed to vacuum tube-based analog. This time I asked "Anything new that is not digital?" and Mark beamed. Finally, I had asked the right question...
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Rotel RB 1080 power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 30, 2002  |  0 comments
What could be easier to review than a power amplifier? No features or functions aside from inputs, outputs, and a power switch. So when Jonathan Scull asked if I could help out by taking on the Rotel RB 1080, which another reviewer hadn't been able to get to, I accepted the assignment. Before I could click my heels and say "FedEx!" twice, Rotel's 200Wpc RB 1080 had appeared.
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Ruark Equinox loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Jul 09, 2006  |  First Published: Feb 09, 1997  |  0 comments
Ever since the 1960s, when I built a pair of Altec A7 clones, I've had a preference for relatively big speakers. Yes, I was seduced by the Stax F-81 electrostatics because of their incredibly low coloration, but inevitably I felt the need to return to something that would move more air. Regardless of the type of music (I do like the big stuff) or the sound levels, unless the sound has solidity and size, I can't easily suspend disbelief.
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Schiit Freya + line preamplifier
Budget Component ReviewsTube Preamp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 25, 2022  |  12 comments
What am I doing with a vacuum tube preamplifier? I haven't owned a tubed preamp since I bought a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamplifier at the turn of the century. I set that aside within a few years as I moved into multichannel because multichannel tube-based electronics were, and still are, rare. My last home experience with a vacuum tube was with a PS Audio Stellar M1200 monoblock power amp, which is a hybrid with a 12AX7-based input stage.

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Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Nov 12, 2006  |  0 comments
The P-8 ($11,000) is the second of Simaudio's Moon Evolution series that has passed through my system, following on the heels of the Moon Evolution W-8 power amplifier, which I reviewed in March 2006. Fortunately, the P-8's arrival preceded the W-8's departure, so I was able to use them together as well as with other components.
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Simaudio Moon Evolution W-8 power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 17, 2006  |  0 comments
The W-8 ($10,200) is the first of Simaudio's Moon series to incorporate the new Evolution cosmetics and new circuitry. I loved its predecessor, the Moon W-5, which was one of the first power amplifiers I reviewed for Stereophile (March 1999, Vol.22 No.3). I also loved the "new and improved" W-5 when I wrote about in the May 2001 issue. In the September 2005 issue, Brian Damkroger praised Simaudio's monstrous Moon Rock monoblock, a contemporary of the Moon Evolution W-8 stereo amp.
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Simaudio Moon P-5 preamplifier & W-5 power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp ReviewsSolid State Preamp Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 07, 1999  |  0 comments
I first saw and heard SimAudio's Moon amp and preamp at WCES two years back, and something about their aesthetics appealed to me: Canadian ruggedness coupled with a decidedly French panache. I remember that those attributes also characterized the demo's sound, although I can't recall the speakers or the sources involved. At succeeding shows, it gradually dawned on me that the Moon components were the fixed elements in a succession of impressive demos.
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Soliloquy 5.3 loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Kalman Rubinson  |  Sep 02, 1999  |  0 comments
"Gotta get my hands on these!"
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