Tabla de contenidos para November 2024 en The Absolute Sound

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: TAS, 2500 McHale Ct., Ste. A, Austin, Texas 78758 Longtime Maggie Fan I'm a longtime subscriber (close to 40 years) from Quebec as well as a longtime owner of Magnepan speakers (initially MGIII and currently the MG1.7i). I, and I assume many TAS readers, would like to see a review of Magnepan's X Series speakers, preferably of an older model such as the 1.7i, and by the same reviewer to facilitate comparisons. Pierre A. Cartier Robert Harley replies: Magnepan's new “X” Series are hot-rodded versions of the existing line, with upgraded crossover parts, premium wiring, and other refinements. Longtime Magnepan owner Wayne Garcia will write a review of the MG1.7x that includes a comparison with the MG1.7i, which he has owned for many years. Watch this…

SWITCH-MODE POWER SUPPLIES (SMPS) are commonly used in a wide range of consumer products for their efficiency and low-heat dissipation. They are also favored because they work with varying AC wall voltages around the world. But only recently have switch-mode supplies found their way into high-end audio electronics. Switch-mode supplies have been viewed as compromising sound quality for their cool-running operation and lightweight components. But some power amplifiers that can be considered contenders for the state of the art are built around SMPSs. Notable examples include the Soulution amplifiers and those from David Berning (Berning has been using SMPSs for decades). Both the SMPS and the traditional supply (called a linear supply) convert the 120V 60Hz alternating current (AC) voltage from the wall outlet to low-voltage direct current (DC) that…

Output power: 333Wpc into 8 ohms, 666Wpc into 4 ohms, 1100Wpc into 2 ohms Output impedance: 0.015 ohms Bandwidth (–3dB): 0.1Hz to 350kHz Power supply filtering: 2x 68,000uF Gain: 38dB Subwoofer output gain: +12dB Input impedance: 50k ohms, balanced (20– 20,000Hz) Input impedance: 30k ohms, unbalanced (20–20,000Hz) Dimensions:18.4” x 9.66” x 18.6” Net weight: 112 lbs. Shipping weight:148 lbs. Price: $24,900 (optional internal DAC 3 card, $7600; optional internal phonostage 3 card, $6000)…

Type: 3-way sealed floorstander Drivers: 11” woofer, 7.25” midrange, 1” tweeter Impedance: 4 ohms nominal Power requirement: 25W min Sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m Frequency response: 20Hz–40kHz Weight: 200 lbs. each Dimensions: 13” x 48” x 21” Price: $68,000 yg-acoustics.com Associated Equipment Analog source: Lyra Etna cartridge, Goldmund Studietto turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm Digital source: Bryston BCD-3 CD player Electronics: CH Precision I1 universal amplifier (phonostage, DAC, streamer, linestage, power amplifier) Speaker: Wilson Sasha V Cables and cords: Empirical Design Footers: Goldmund Cones…

Patrick Leonard: It All Comes Down to Mood. Ruddy 6. Vivid imagery that jogs the imagination, world-class players, and rock-solid production conspire to create an engaging and great-sounding album. Three-time Grammy-nominated composer, music producer, singer, and keyboardist Patrick Leonard, 68, has collaborated with such acts as Madonna, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, and Michael Jackson. This enigmatic two-LP set harbors a concept built around “iconic rock legends” and two projects that Leonard felt “weren't right” for him. These rock, pop, and power ballads have a Floydish prog rock edge, often delivered in talking-singing style a la Roger Waters, with whom Leonard co-produced 1992's Amused to Death. The stellar cast includes Ian Anderson and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull; Wendy Melvoin of Prince; bassist and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin…

“The challenge is, was, and is likely to remain spreading the gospel of high end beyond hobbyists.” How and when did you become involved in high-end audio? I've been addicted to music and records practically since birth. My parents bought me a phonograph, and I have clear memories of requesting Beatles records for birthdays and holidays. I could spend hours watching records spin, mentally tracing the path from the grooves through the tonearm and the speaker. (I never said I was a normal kid.) Ultimately, I wanted to learn more about how the music was embedded in a plastic disc. What components made up your first “true” high-end system? My Bar Mitzvah system was my first high-end system, consisting of multiple components and sounded so much better than the phonographs…

For many years we've published our Editors’ Choice Awards in the March issue and our Buyers’ Guide in this issue (November cover date). These two features included many of the same products, leading to a good deal of duplication. I'm happy to report that we have now eliminated the Buyers’ Guide issue and overhauled how we present the Editors’ Choice Awards. Editors’ Choice Awards will now be divided into two parts. The first part, published in this issue, focuses on “shared space” components—that is, those products we believe best fit into a living-room system or another domestic space that isn't used exclusively for music listening. The other half of the Editors’ Choice Awards, which will be published in our March issue, is devoted to those products that are best suited…

Inspiration 2 Preamplifier Inputs: XLR (3x), RCA (3x), USB (control) Outputs: XLR (2x), RCA (2x), 12V trigger THD+N: <0.001% 20Hz–20kHz at 2V output S/N ratio: >105dB, A-weighted Input impedance: 20k ohms balanced, 10k ohms unbalanced Output impedance: 50 ohms Volume control resolution: 0.5dB from 0dB to 90dB Weight: 25 lbs. Dimensions: 17” x 5.5” x 15” Price: $15,000 Inspiration 2 Stereo Power Amplifier Output power: 240Wpc into 8 ohms, 420Wpc into 4 ohms Inputs: XLR, XLR Constellation Direct, RCA (2x) Frequency response: 10Hz–80kHz ± 0.05dB Gain: 12dB (Constellation Direct input), 25.2dB (standard input) Input sensitivity: 15V (Constellation Direct), 3V (standard input), 8 ohms Damping factor: 80 (8 ohms) Output impedance: 0.1 ohms S/N ratio: 125dB at full power, A-weighted, DC–90kHz Weight: 43 lbs. Dimensions: 17” x 8.5” x 19” Price:…

YG Acoustics Hailey 3 Loudspeaker We would like to thank Alan for taking the time to listen to the Hailey 3, and we are pleased that he enjoyed them so much. We are, as he says, in the business of “making magic.” While human hearing is well studied, most research has more practical aims than ours. Our goal is understanding that elusive visceral involvement which generates goosebumps and makes addicts of us audiophiles. The good news is that there seems to be an answer, even if we are only scratching the surface. Alan comments on the technology and engineering in the Hailey 3. Almost every part has changed from the previous version, driven by what we have learned, as well as new materials and manufacturing capabilities. The changes range from…

… women only. YuWen Huang. Acoustical Systems. (yuwenhuangmusic.com) Acoustical Systems, a German manufacturer of ultra-high-end turntables, tonearms, and cartridges, has sponsored the debut recording of pianist YuWen Huang. Recordings devoted to women composers are nothing new—there are labels that specialize in it—and Huang joins that tradition with an album representing seven well-known female practitioners active during the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, including Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, Mel Bonis, Augusta Holmes, Lili Boulanger. and Amy Beach. The CD includes Mendelssohn's substantial 20-minute Sonata, but most of the material is slighter stuff, undermining somewhat the plea in the liner notes to take these composers more seriously. Still, even the shorter works are expertly constructed. The two by Chaminade, her Thème varié in A major and…

THE CHANNEL-BALANCE CONTROL, once a standard feature on all preamplifiers, has in recent years largely fallen out of favor. That's unfortunate because I find the balance control to be essential. I'm glad to see that Constellation Audio thinks so as well; all its preamplifiers offer a balance control as a front-panel knob, as well as on the remote control and as a configurable setting on each input. I also like that Constellation's balance adjustment is in very fine steps of 0.1dB, allowing you to perfectly center the image. The late David Wilson used to call the balance control a “soundstage control,” and I couldn't agree more. A slight adjustment can make the difference between a symmetrical soundstage with a perfectly positioned central image and one that sounds a bit skewed…

YG Hailey 3 Loudspeaker early in the gestation of any new speaker, its designer must deter mine the product's mission. What is this speaker meant to accomplish? Who is it for? What will its listening environment be? For the bulk of its 22-year existence, YG Acoustics speakers shared a mission instigated by its founder and chief designer, Yoav Geva. Regardless of a particular model's size or price point, Yoav uniformly aimed to create products that excelled in specific technical metrics. In particular, Geva was fanatical about reducing sonic impurities, as measured by conventional means. Chief among the impurities he targeted was cabinet vibrations. This explains the trademark materials and shape of YG speakers. They are made of billet aluminum, complemented by extensive bracing and other techniques to increase stiffness and…

To listen to the hype, you might think Beyoncé Knowles is the first Black R&B artist to conquer the country charts. And it's true that Cowboy Carter (Parkwood/Columbia), her landmark, chart-topping 2024 album, has put the singer in the history books as the first Black female artist to top the country charts. That's quite an achievement, though not without controversy—in a recent Guardian UK article, Virginia-born guitarist and student of American vernacular music Yasmin Williams argued, “Despite Cowboy Carter‘s use of funk, psychedelia, and even Jersey club, Beyoncé's flagrant leaning on country aesthetics to establish this album as being markedly different from her previous records suggests an artist conforming to the standards of [using genre to promote sales] in order to cash in on the growing popularity of country music.”…

Franco Ambrosetti: Sweet Caress. Enja (Atmos TrueHD MKV file). Sweet Caress, the follow-up release to 2022's Nora that features the 83-year-old Swiss trumpet and flugelhorn master Franco Ambrosetti, is an all-star production from both musical and production standpoints. Backing Ambrosetti, who has played with such jazz luminaries as Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderly, and Michael Brecker, are John Scofield (guitar), Scott Colley (bass), and Peter Erskine (drums)—the same trio heard on Nora. The orchestral arrangements are again by Alan Broadbent, who also occupies the piano chair. The album includes four compositions of Ambrosetti's plus four others, by Broadbent, Mal Waldron, J. Russel Robinson, and Charlie Haden. It was engineered by Jim Anderson, known to audiophiles for his work with Patricia Barber, with post-production contributions from Ulrike Schwarz, Gregg Calbi, and Morten…