Tabla de contenidos para November 2021 en Stereophile

I’ve got a music problem. Specifically, I’ve got a rock music problem. It’s a true cliché—that is, a cliché that happens to be true: Rock music, in almost all its forms, is young people’s music. It’s about new, fresh experiences—new love, new sex, consciousness sought or attained, rebellion, drugs—and when you’ve reached a certain age, those experiences don’t feel so fresh anymore. That’s a fact about which it’s hard not to feel some regret. You don’t have to share their sentiment to realize that there’s a reason Pete wrote, and Roger sang, “Hope I die before I get old.” Despite Pete and Roger’s proclamation, only the drummer died young. But many other musicians have also done it: Buddy Holly. Ritchie Valens. Jim Morrison. Janis Joplin. Bob Marley. Otis Redding. Lowell…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website devoted to you: stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, email Chris Vogel at vgl@cfl.rr.com. (Please note the new email address.) Please note that it is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless it is associated with a seminar or similar event. Note: Due to the ongoing pandemic, Stereophile recommends confirming that events are still taking place. CALIFORNIA Saturday and Sunday, October 16–17: The Burning Amp Festival is back … but now it will be held online via Zoom. The scheduled presentations will go forward as planned, according to a recent press release. It’s an event for audio hobbyists and DIYers to connect, learn, and share…

DS Audio 4-50-40, Kamitsuruma-Honcho, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0318, Japan. Tel: (81) 427-47-0900. Web: ds-audio-w.biz. US distributor: Musical Surroundings 5662 Shattuck Ave. Oakland, CA 94609 Tel: (510) 547-5006. Web: musicalsurroundings.com. EMIA Web: myemia.com. E-mail: info@myemia.com. K&K Audio 579 Tanager Ln., Chapel Hill, NC 27517, (919) 869-7547. Web: kandkaudio.com. Lundahl Tibeliusgatan 7, 761 50 Norrtälje, Tel: +46 176 13930, Email: office@lundahltransformers.com. Sculpture A 75020 Paris, France. Web: sculpture-a.com. Authorized US resellers: Artisan Fidelity, Tel: (219) 933-8115, Web: artisanfidelity.com. Sonare Coeli, Tel: (715) 4124139. Chris Sommovigo. Web: stereolab.shop. Koetsu Web: koetsuaudio.com. US distributor: MoFi Distribution. Web: mofidistribution.com.…

Description Solid state class-AB mono power amplifier. Inputs: XLR. Outputs: Custom binding posts. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Output impedance: 0.1 ohms. Power: 550W into 8 ohms, 1100W into 4 ohm, 2200W into 2 ohms (all 27.4dBW). Frequency response: 1Hz–80kHz, –1dB; 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.01dB. S/N ratio: 105dB unweighted, 75dB A-weighted. Distortion: 0.15% @1kHz at 550W into 8 ohms. Power draw at idle: 80W. Dimensions 17.875" (454mm) W × 9.0" (230 mm) H × 23" (584mm) D. Weight: 115lb (52.2kg). Finish Silver or Black; custom finishes upon request. Serial numbers of units reviewed PM0506P, PM0507P. Manufactured in the United States. Price $44,950/pair. Approximate number of US dealers: 27. Warranty: Three years from date of retail purchase or four years from date of manufacture for original purchaser of a new product from an authorized…

LOUDSPEAKER Exactly five years ago as I write these words, I reviewed an elegant-looking and elegant-sounding tower loudspeaker from Canadian manufacturer PSB: the Imagine T3.1 Priced at $7498/pair before it was discontinued, the T3 combined three woofers, each housed in its own vented subenclosure, with a 5.25" midrange unit mounted above a 1" tweeter. As I write these words I am listening to a pair of PSB’s new Synchrony T600 loudspeakers, which cost $7999/pair and were designed, like the T3, by a team led by PSB founder and chief acoustic designer Paul Barton.2 Also like the T3, the T600 houses each of its three woofers in its own vented subenclosure, married to a 5.25" midrange unit and a 1" titanium-dome tweeter, again with the midrange unit mounted above the tweeter.…

Analog source Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier. Digital sources Roon Nucleus+ file server with its switching supply or an HDPlex linear power supply; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QB-9 Twenty D/A processor; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter. Power amplifiers Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks. Loudspeakers Canton Reference 7K. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest K2 and Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers’ own. Accessories Target TT-5 equipment racks; AudioQuest JitterBug (with Ayre QB-9 Twenty), Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System (amplifiers)…

Description Three-way standmount loudspeaker with “Radialstrahler” radial carbon-fiber omnidirectional tweeter and midrange drivers and two side-firing 6.5" woofers with aluminummembrane cones in a rearported enclosure. Sensitivity: 79dB/2.83V/m into 8 ohms, 80.5dB in-room. Crossover: fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley crossing over at 600Hz and 3.5kHz and with a secondorder high-pass filter below the port-tuning frequency. Frequency response: 48Hz– 15.5kHz –6 dB in-room. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended amplifier power: 200W into 4 ohms. Dimensions 11.8" (300mm) W × 23.6" (600mm) H (27.4" w/grille; 47.7" on stand) × 15.3" (389mm) D. Weight: 33lb (17kg); 61.7lb (28kg) w/stand. Finishes Piano Black, Piano White, Piano Silver with chrome or gold accents on any color cabinet. Serial numbers of units reviewed 44940, 45040. Designed and built in Germany. Price $21,400/pair; matching stands $1630/pair. Approximate number of US dealers:…

Analog sources Garrard 301 turntable in a Box Furniture Co. plinth; Thomas Schick 12” tonearm; Hana Umami Red cartridge; Ortofon SPU Classic G cartridge; Zu/Denon 103 cartridge. Digital sources Denafrips Terminator DAC; Denafrips Iris digital-to-digital converter; Sonore opticalRendu; Roon Nucleus+; Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5 server running Roon Core. Preamplification Shindo Aurieges preamplifier; Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono preamplifier; Auditorium 23 SPU stepup transformer. Power amplifiers Shindo Montille; Line Magnetic LM-845IA; SET amplifier with triode-wired 307A output tubes built by Oliver Sayes. Loudspeakers Altec Valencia 846A. Cables Interconnect: Auditorium 23; Speaker: AudioQuest William Tell Silver, Auditorium 23; AC: AudioQuest Thunder and Hurricane; USB: AudioQuest Diamond; Ethernet: AudioQuest Diamond. Accessories Box Furniture Co. Heritage stand; AudioQuest Niagara 3000 power conditioner; Sonore opticalModule; Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supplies, DJM Electronics GigaFOILv4-INLINE Ethernet…

I asked Sheinman to comment on the Gearbox Audio Note system—see the components list, below. “I believe in low-powered, low-distortion, class-A amplification feeding highly sensitive and efficient speakers,” he replied. “This way, one gets less distortion and a purer sound. We can resolve to 0.5dB with our equipment, across the frequency spectrum.” Turntables Audio Note TT-Two; EMT 948; Dual HS130; Braun PC3 SV; Rega RP1. Tonearms Audio Note Arm Two; Vintage Ortofon RMG 309 12" tonearm; Jelco TS-550L 12". Cartridges Audio Note IO1; EMT TSD15; EMT TND65 for 78rpm records; Denon DL-103; Vintage Ortofon S15-T; Vintage Ortofon SPU mono; assorted vintage Ortofon mono and stereo MC cartridges. CD Audio Note CD4.1x. Cassette Nakamichi DR-2. Amplifiers Audio Note Tomei stereo power amplifier (211 valves), M6 Phono preamplifier, and Meishu integrated amplifier…

Tweaking the POÄNG After several recent mentions in your magazine of the IKEA POÄNG chair, the secret is out. My local audiophile consortium would like to share our recommendations. The chair’s minimalist architecture certainly gets out of the way of the music, and its size allows an unusually generous two or three people to share a sweet spot. Slightly rockable natural wood complements the “pace, rhythm, and timing” (PRaT) of either the recording or the listener (especially for solo headphone listening). Wide, flat armrests easily accommodate the four or five remotes required to control components in even a modest system, plus a cell phone. There was concern that the chair’s Scandinavian design would make it compatible only with European speakers, but our testing finds good response with a wide variety…

Rex Hungerford, Edward DeVito, and Craig Bradley rode into town last week and, together with Audioquest’s Garth Powell, solved all the electrical problems that have plagued my audio system for years. Garth Powell, a name familiar to many Stereophile readers, is Audio-Quest’s electricity guru and designer of the Niagara series of power conditioners; he is also responsible for the company’s line of AC and signal cables. Bradley is a local electrician and audio enthusiast who has done electrical work for me in the past, including replacing dedicated lines—one for the low-power signal components and another for the amplifiers—with a single line, hoping that might solve years of annoying ground hum and other noise issues. You’d think the ground potential would be almost nothing between two sets of adjacent AC jacks…

LOUDSPEAKER You’ve got your 2001: A Space Odyssey speaker, which of course is a tall, black, featureless monolith. Then there’s your wooden “Who’s buried inside?” speaker, your “R-I-C-O-L-A” speaker,1 your enema bag or double-inverted enema bag speaker, your menacing hooded-Klansman speaker, your “looks like a robot, praying mantis, or Transformer” speaker (mine), and your “Does it leave a slime trail?” speaker (looks like a snail). You’ve got your “Is that a room divider?” speaker, your “looks like you stepped on a duck’s head” speaker, and your “whipped cream dollop suspended in time” speaker. That’s just a few of the many loudspeaker “looks” on display at your typical large hi-fi show. Some are imaginative, some are farfetched, some are just weird, and some are deadly boring. Brand names available upon request.…

Analog sources OMA K3, SAT XD-1 turntables; SAT CF1-09, CF1Ti-09, Schröder OMA, Kuzma 4Point tonearms; HiFiction X-quisite ST, Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, A95, A90, Grado Epoch3, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono), Grado Epoch (mono) cartridges. Digital sources dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Roon Nucleus server; Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
 Preamplification darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, and MC-20L and X-quisite SUT X-20 step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100 phono stage, CH Precision P1 phono stage with X1 PSU. Power amplifiers darTZeel NHB 468 monoblocks. Loudspeakers Wilson Chronosonic XVX. Cables Interconnect: TARA Labs Zero Gold, Zero Evolution, Zero and Air Evolution, Analysis Plus Silver Apex, Stealth Sakra & Indra, Luminous Audio Technology Silver Reference, interconnect. Speaker: AudioQuest Dragon, TARA Labs Omega Evolution SP.…

Description Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 1" (25.4mm) titanium-dome tweeter; 5.25" (133mm) woven carbon-fiber–cone midrange unit; three 6.5" (165mm) woven carbon-fiber–cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 450Hz (B3), 1.8kHz (LR4). Frequency response: 24Hz–23kHz ±3dB on-axis, 30Hz–20kHz ±1.5dB onaxis, 30Hz–10kHz ±1.5dB 30° off-axis. LF cutoff: 20Hz. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 89dB anechoic, 91dB room. Power handling: 20–300W recommended, 300W program. Supplied accessories: IsoAcoustic GAIA II isolating feet, port-blocking plugs. Dimensions 41.25" (1048mm) H × 9" (228mm) W × 13.5" (343mm) D. Weight: 77lb (34.9kg) each. Finish Walnut or high-gloss black. Serial numbers of units reviewed V211T600001129 & ’1135. “Designed and Engineered in Canada. Made in China.” Price $7999/pair. Approximate number of dealers: not disclosed. Warranty: five years. Manufacturer PSB Speakers International 633 Granite Ct. Pickering, Ontario L1W…

Analog sources Thorens TD 124 turntable, Jelco 350S tonearm, Clearaudio Concept MC cartridge. Digital sources Asus laptop running Roon and Tidal. Preamplification Sculpture A Mini Nano Step-up, Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono preamp. Integrated amplifier Parasound Hint 6 Halo, Schiit Ragnarok 2. Loudspeakers DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96, Klipsch Forte IV, Golden Ear BRX. Cables RCA interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Shindo Laboratory. Digital: AudioQuest Forest. Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: manufacturers’ own. Accessories Kuzma Plastis 65 isolation platform, IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius line conditioner, Salamander five-tier rack (2); IKEA Aptitlig bamboo cutting boards (under preamp, turntable, power amps); mahogany blocks (2" × 2" × 0.5") under boards. Listening room 12' L × 10' W × 12' H, system set up along long wall; suspended wood floor, 6"-thick walls (plaster over 2×4),…

Description 24-bit, nonoversampling digital/analog converter with volume control. Digital inputs: AES3 on XLR, S/PDIF electrical on RCA, S/PDIF optical on TosLink, choice of either USB or I2 S (the latter over RJ45). Analog outputs: 1 XLR, 1 RCA. Maximum output level: 4V balanced, 2V single-ended. Output impedance: 100 ohms (balanced and singleended). Frequency response (44.1kHz sample rate): 1Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.25dB. Channel separation: 120dB. Dimensions 11.4" (290mm) × 2.4" (60mm) × 9.8" (250mm). Weight: 7lb (3.2kg). Finish Silver or black. Serial number of unit re  viewed 21-11-09. Manufactured in the Netherlands. Price $3399. Approximate number of dealers: 3. Warranty: 2 years. Manufacturer Sonnet Digital Audio Bv, Daviottenweg 9, 5222 BH ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Tel: +31(0)36-7856259. Web: sonnet-audio.com.…

EVERY YEAR, A PANEL OF JUDGES FROM THE EXPERT IMAGING AND SOUND ASSOCIATION CONVENES AT SOME EXOTIC LOCALE TO HEAR PRESENTATIONS BY COMPANIES VYING FOR THE AWARDS IN A RANGE OF CATEGORIES—HOME THEATER (AUDIO AND VIDEO), PHOTOGRAPHY, MOBILE DEVICES, IN-CAR ELECTRONICS, AND HI-FI—TO LISTEN, AND TO VOTE. IT’S A GATHERING OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SPECIALIST PUBLICATIONS WORLDWIDE, FROM THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, INDIA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA, CANADA, AND HONG KONG. Except that this year, just like last, COVID-19 rendered international travel unwise and often impossible. So, for the second straight year, we all stayed home, and the contending components came to us. Manufacturers delivered their product presentations over Zoom—often, due to time-zone differences, at absurd hours. We listened, deliberated, and voted. The results are presented here. Several of…

Two new reissues in Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl series—Grant Green’s Idle Moments and Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue—capture peaks of jazz guitar’s possibilities at a juncture when modernism was primed for a shift to something else. Both albums were recorded in 1963; both sport “the Blue Note sound,” which engineer Rudy Van Gelder had refined to its high point. But the two albums lay out very different musical paths. Green’s album follows the modal outlines that Gil Evans and George Russell had traced a few years earlier, though Green’s sextet imbues the harmonies with a still-cooler blues and a jauntier swing. Green was influenced by Charlie Christian, one of the first electric guitarists to be influenced by Charlie Parker; and, like Christian, Green unfurled single-note melodies—I don’t know if I’ve ever…

US AND CANADA (AND WORLDWIDE) Julie Mullins The novel coronavirus variants aren’t through with us yet. Most audio shows—and many concerts, festivals, and other in-person events—have been canceled again this year. Recent casualties include AXPONA and the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF)—the latter, perhaps, forever. AXPONA canceled its 2021 show, which had already been rescheduled from the spring to October, announcing that the next show will take place April 22–24, 2022. “Exhibitors and attendees travel to AXPONA from throughout the United States and from more than 40 other countries,” the AXPONA announcement read. “Over the last few weeks, citing concerns over personal health, the unpredictability of international travel restrictions and reinstated companywide travel bans, many community members have told us they are unwilling or unable to commit to AXPONA in…

Description Four-way, sealed-box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) Accuton inverted diamond dome tweeter, 8" (203mm) CELL aluminum sandwich midwoofer, 7" (178mm) CELL ceramic membrane midrange, 2 11" (279.5mm) woofers. Crossover frequencies: N/A. Frequency range: 25Hz–60kHz. Impedance: 3 ohms (minimum 2 ohms @42Hz and 110Hz). Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Recommended minimum amplifier power: 20 watts. Dimensions 66" (1676mm) H × 24" (610mm) W × 27" (686mm) D. Weight: 330lb (150kg) each. Finishes White or Black Pearl Gloss, Black Matte, Dark Silver Liquid Gloss, Ocean Mystery. Serial numbers of units reviewed 016A/016B. Price $149,000–$163,000/pair (depending upon finish). Number of US dealers: 15. Warranty: limited 5-year, nontransferrable, parts and labor (90 days if not registered within 30 days of purchase) including return shipping and insurance. Manufacturer Alfred & Partners OÜ Kukermiidi 6, Tallinn, 11216, Estonia. Web:…

Digital sources dCS Rossini DAC and Clock and Transport; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Roon Nucleus+ music server, Uptone Audio etherRegen, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModules (2) and Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys routers (2), and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 four-component linear power supplies (3) and HDPlex 200 LPS; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 Macbook Pro laptop with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM. Preamplifier Dan D’Agostino Momentum HD. Power amplifiers Dan D’Agostino Progression monoblocks. Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2 with Acoustic Diode Spikes. Cables Digital: Nordost Odin 1, Odin 2, and Valhalla 2 (USB); Frey 2 (USB adapter); Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet) and OM1 62.5/125 multimode duplex fiberoptic cables. Interconnect: Nordost Odin 2. Speaker: Nordost Odin 2. AC: Nordost Odin 2, AudioQuest Dragon, Dragon HC,…

Description Stereo integrated amplifier with class-AB output stage, headphone output, and remote control equipped with optional DAC with streaming capability. Analog inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 2 single-ended (RCA). Digital inputs: Coaxial (1) and TosLink S/PDIF (2), PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP; AES3, PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP; USB, PCM to 24/384, DSD up to DSD128 via DoP; Ethernet, PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP. Outputs: 1 pair speaker binding posts; XLR and RCA preamp out; 2 3.5mm balanced headphone output, 1 6.3mm single-ended headphone outputs. Continuous power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW), 170Wpc at 4 ohms (19.3dBW). Frequency range: DC–250kHz. Input impedance: 2M ohms, balanced; 1M ohm, unbalanced. Power consumption: 120W operating, no signal; 60W in low-current-consumption mode. Line output: 4.5 Vrms balanced, 2.25 Vrms singleended. Headphone…

LOUDSPEAKER You never know when an idea might hit you, maybe when brushing your teeth, standing in the shower, or stirring the stew. Have you ever flexed a playing card (or a few) back and forth close to your ear? They generate a little sound. According to MBL company lore, that action and sound sparked the design idea for the original Radialstrahler omnidirectional driver. Omnidirectional speakers are rare. I can think of only a few companies that make them: German Physiks. Morrison Audio. Ohm Acoustics. Duevel. MBL.1 The MBL 120’s design, like the design of most other omnidirectional speakers, is visually distinctive. More than one visiting friend who saw them in their piano-black finish (with grilles on) called them “the Darth Vader speakers.” With the grilles off, or in piano…

Digital source MBL N31 CD player/DAC. Analog sources Clearaudio Performance DC Wood turntable with Tracer tonearm and Talismann v2 MC cartridge; MoFi Electronics UltraDeck turntable with UltraTracker MM cartridge. Amplification VAC Sigma 170i iQ integrated amplifier; MBL Noble Line N51 integrated amplifier; Soulution 330 integrated amplifier with phono stage. Cables Ansuz Acoustics D2, AudioQuest NRG, and Morrow Audio (some interconnects). Accessories AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power Noise-Dissipation System with NRG 10 power cord and Vodka Ethernet cable, Critical Mass Systems Maxxum equipment racks, Record Doctor VI record cleaning machine, AudioQuest Anti-Static Record Brush, Onzow Zerodust stylus cleaner. Room treatment Zanden Audio AT-1 proprietary foam bass traps/tubes (2), AP-1 proprietary foam acoustic panels 35.5" × 23.75" × 1.5" (4). Room 18.5' × 17.5' ×12'.…