From the March 2004 issue, Kalman Rubinson files his report on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/304adcom">Adcom GFA-7805 five-channel power amplifier</A>. KR notes, "It was easy for me to decide on their top-of-the-line five-channel powerhouse, the GFA-7805, because it embodies the same spirit that the GFA-555 did in its time: lots of power, no frills, good value."
The <A HREF="http://www.homeentertainment-expo.com">Home Entertainment Show</A> (HE2004), the largest and most comprehensive showcase of consumer electronics and imaging products in America, returns to New York City May 20–23, 2004 at the Hilton New York Hotel—the site of two popular HE Shows held in 2001 and 2002. Over 15,000 attendees are expected to visit the NY Hilton, optimized for the ultimate user experience. Unlike typical trade shows, HE2004 provides visitors with the opportunity of seeing and hearing the finest products in upscale hotel rooms, creating the best-sounding environments for demonstrating high-performance gear.
From the March 2004 issue, Michael Fremer goes a couple rounds with the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/304theta">Theta Digital Enterprise monoblock power amplifier</A>, exclaiming, "Monoblock power amplifiers seem to be moving in and out of my listening room faster than green-onion salsa from Chi-Chi's." So how does the Theta stand up to the competition? MF lays it out.
From the March 2004 issue, John Atkinson finally gets to listen to the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/304sonus">Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker</A> and explains, "it took rather longer than I had expected to set the Cremonas up in my listening room. But, like everything worth experiencing, the wait was worth it."
Bits is bits? In the December 1990 issue, John Atkinson explored in <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/reference/1290jitter">"Jitter, Bits, & Sound Quality"</A> why digital audio turns out to be a complicated process. He writes, "As my violin teacher used to say, 'The right note in the wrong place is the wrong note.'" And so it is with digital data, as JA explains in this groundbreaking report.
John Atkinson headed to the Midwest last year to record another audiophile disc. In <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/304deep"><I>Deep River</I>: the Cantus Spirituals Project</A>, JA describes the process of capturing a chorus of male voices with high-rez digital equipment. Atkinson notes, "Presented with the magnificent acoustic of Sioux Falls' 1500-seat Washington Pavilion of the Arts & Sciences, the question facing me was how to present what are still fairly intimate works while taking advantage of that supportive acoustic."
Audiophiles may bemoan the convergence of computers and high-fidelity equipment, but it's a trend apparently as unstoppable as the earth's progression around the sun.
Does the SLP in the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/204cary">Cary SLP-98P tube preamplifier</A>'s name stand for "sweet little preamplifier"? Art Dudley sets out to determine if Cary's latest version in the SLP preamp series lives up to the moniker.
This week we have two John Atkinson speaker reviews from the February 2004 issue. First, JA gets his hands on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/204bw">B&W 705 loudspeaker</A>, commenting, "When I heard about the company's new 700 series of speakers, based on the technology featured in their cost-no-object Nautilus series but priced to sell in the real world, I asked to review the $1500/pair 705."
Pure technology developments don't often have an audiophile angle, but a February 9 announcement from <A HREF="http://www.inphase-tech.com">InPhase Technologies</A> caught our attention.