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AS WE BY JON IVERSON
SEE IT
MQA: Benefits and Costs
E
nough has been said by now about the techni-
cal details of how Master Quality Authenticated
(MQA) works to fill several books. But the techni-
cal details are only part of the story, and probably
not the most interesting part—and they’re certainly not what
provokes the extreme emotional responses of many to the
format. So let’s jump into the business and practical aspects
of MQA to which so many audiophiles are reacting.
From the point of view of MQA Ltd., what might success
look like?
“Success” would be achieved when MQA is used to mas-
ter most, if not all, new releases and back catalog of recorded
music for streaming, downloading, or other uses. The higher
the percentage of recordings mastered and released MQA
encoded, the better. Nor must MQA be restricted to record-
ings of music—all sound recordings, including podcasts and,
eventually, audio accompanying all forms of video, would be
likely targets. Low-resolution and multichannel versions of
MQA are probably already waiting in the wings.
More recordings released in MQA means more money
in licensing fees for MQA Ltd. And somewhere is the
tipping point, when enough recordings have been released
only in MQA and it becomes the de facto standard. Then,
as other formats such as FLAC and WAV slip away, MQA’s
hegemony snowballs. When Spotify and Apple Music come
aboard, game over.
How can MQA accomplish this?
To entice music stakeholders, MQA offers the record
industry significant benefits. First, its clever lossy compres-
sion scheme reduces bandwidth overhead, which translates
to lower costs to store and distribute files. Second, MQA
combines multiple resolution payloads into a single package,
thus reducing the need for multiple inventories—master
once and off you go. And to seal the deal, a third and final
benefit: Since the MQA file is a lossily compressed version
of the actual master recording (albeit a very clever one em-
ploying crippleware1), and not an exact reproduction of the
master recording stored in the record label’s vaults, no more
releasing the family jewels straight to the public.
Once securely in place in the industry, MQA would be
very difficult to dislodge, and its very dominance would
deter the development of newer, possibly better formats—
or even discourage the retaining of such current alternatives
as WAV, FLAC, etc., as viable choices in the marketplace.
What does all of this look like from the consumer’s point
of view? In a nutshell, allegedly better-sounding music in
a reasonably small stream or file. But here the benefit gets
tricky, depending on what type of consumer you are. MQA
realizes this, and has added a spoonful of sugar to help the
compression medicine go down.
If you’re an audiophile who dislikes anything that smells
of compression, MQA has added a “deblurring” feature.
At the same time, they’ve sincerely done what I consider
a good job of creating a compression scheme that looks
stereophile.com Q April 2018
THERE ARE AS MANY OPINIONS
AS THERE ARE EXPERTS
THIS ISSUE :
Why the two aspects
of MQA encoding cannot be
independently examined...
transparent on paper, even at the high resolutions where
audiophiles dwell.
There’s one problem: We have no way of separating
MQA’s deblurring sweetener from its compression medi-
cine, and thus no way to critically listen to and test each pro-
cess in isolation from the other. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if
we could hear and test each process under ideal conditions
to assess what, if any, effect each has on the signal, and thus
verify or refute the claims made for MQA?
Of course, that would open up a nightmare scenario for
MQA Ltd.: audiophiles deciding that the deblurring is good
and the compression is bad. We would then demand that
the compression scheme be scrapped, and that deblurring be
offered as a feature attached to noncompressed files.
Gone, then, would be the benefits to record labels and
streaming companies, and it would actually require even a
new inventory SKU: MQA Deblurred, or something like
that. MQA’s crippleware aspect—partial resolution with
non–MQA-licensed playback, full resolution with MQA-
licensed playback—would also go out the window.
So MQA will bind compression to deblurring tighter than
white on rice, and make it tough to objectively or subjec-
tively evaluate the compression scheme. This makes the job
of the rational reviewer impossible: If, in comparing MQA
to non-MQA files made from the same master, we hear any
differences, we won’t know what has caused them. We will
be forced to assume that any differences we hear are the
results of the synergy between deblurring and compression.
In my book, that’s not good enough.
There are two issues here, and with their PR campaign
MQA Ltd. has done a great job of focusing our attention on
one—sound quality—and not the other: the hazards of a for-
mat monopoly. If MQA succeeds, I predict that it will lock
in for a decade or two, or even longer. That will mean that
all high-resolution files from the major labels during those
decades will be formatted in MQA. No alternatives.
Some smaller distributors will undoubtedly continue
to offer old-fashioned uncompressed masters for sale in a
variety of formats, perhaps even via a boutique non-MQA
streaming service. But with the major labels committed to
MQA, such efforts will remain at the margins.
Which brings us back to sound quality. A possible format
monopoly is all the more reason we should be absolutely
sure that MQA is a format whose sound quality we can
accept for the long term. But without the ability to even
evaluate the format’s compression scheme separate from its
deblurring component, I don’t believe that, over the long
term, MQA is in the best interests of audiophiles. I just hope
it’s not too late. Q
Jon Iverson launched Stereophile’s website in December 1997 and
has been responsible for its content and growth ever since.
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/more-mqa and www.stereophile.com/
content/mqa-tested-part-2-fold.
3
 APRIL 2018 Vol.41 No.4
p.155

p.135

p.110

p.105

p.145

FEATURES
47 Recommended Components
p.125
Stereophile’s editors and writers rate the best-sounding audio
components that have been revirewed in the magazine.
105 Moby: Sound of Mind FOLLOW-UP
One of the most innovative minds in the history of electronic 21 Kuzma CAR-50 and CAR-60 phono
music discusses mankind’s perilous path, seeing both sides cartridges
of the loudness wars, and his latest recording, Everything by Michael Fremer
Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt. By Robert Baird.
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Stereophile (USPS #734-970 ISSN: 0585-2544) Vol.41 No.4, April 2018, Issue Number
135 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0 459. Copyright © 2018 by TEN: Publishing Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published
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155 Harbeth Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary

such mailings, please send your current mailing label, or an exact copy, to: Stereophile,
Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Subscription
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stereophile.com Q April 2018 5

 APRIL 2018 Vol.41 No.4

p.39

p.21
p.31

p.15 p.165 p.21

p.173

3 As We See It Toneff & Steve Dobrogosz’s Fairytales: Original Master

Jon Iverson wonders why the two aspects of MQA encoding, Edition (MQA). In Classical this month we have a review of
audio origami and temporal deblurring, cannot be indepen- the latest recording by American violinist Rachel Barton
dently examined. Pine. In Rock/Pop, the deluxe reissue of Fleetwood Mac’s
epochal 1975 album, Fleetwood Mac, gets a critical listen.
11 Letters G
YOUR ET ON And in Jazz, new recordings by pianist Stefano Bollani and
Readers comment positively and VISIT THSOAPBOX! trumpeter Bill Warfield are reviewed.
negatively on our MQA coverage. AT WWWE FORUMS
.STEREO 179 Manufacturers’ Comments
PHILE.CO -
15 Industry Update M Robyatt Audio, Kuzma, Bel Canto, Ypsilon, Constellation,
High-end audio news, including and Harbeth respond to our reviews of their products.
the shows and dealer-sponsored
events taking place in March and April 2018, plus a music- 186 Aural Robert
related book review, blind tests that indicate listeners can Say it ain’t so! The cassette tape is making a comeback?
hear the emotional benefit of hi-rez recordings, and news Robert Baird muses on the unlikely nostalgia for those little
on the vinyl resurgence. plastic cartridges.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? GO TO THE

“NEWS DESK” AT WWW.STEREOPHILE.COM
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE INFO.
21 Analog Corner
INFORMATION
Michael Fremer gives a second listen to the Kuzma CAR 184 Audio Mart
cartridges and first listens to the Miyajima Madake Snake- 183 Manufacturers’
wood and TechDAS TDC01 Ti moving-coil phono cartridges. Showcase

31 Listening
183 Dealers’ Showcase
Art Dudley lives with Zu’s latest rebuild of Denon’s DL-103 182 Advertiser Index
phono cartridge.
39 Gramophone Dreams p.171
Herb Reichert auditions high-performance phono cartridges
from EMT, Koetsu, and Miyajima.
Follow Stereophile on Facebook:
171 Record Reviews www.facebook.com/stereophilemag.
For April’s “Recording of the Month,” we’ve chosen Radka

stereophile.com Q April 2018 7


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 LETTERS
FEEDBACK TO THE EDITOR
There’s still hope for integrity
Editor:
John Atkinson’s “As We See It” in the
February issue—“More on MQA,”
www.stereophile.com/content/more-
mqa—was the most full-throated political-
sociological statement/cri de guerre
we’ve ever seen from him. Well said,
and an impassioned higher purpose is
clearly evident to all. Currying favor with
the corporate interests Atkinson has to
dance with doesn’t at all appear to be his
reflexive go-to fallback . . . Bravo! In this
age of ever-more-frequent advertorials
and related, someone of depth and stature
has to show how it’s done. —John Penturn
jpen@rogers.com
More on MQA
Editor:
I really appreciated John Atkinson’s “As
We See It” in the February 2018 issue.
It is great to see Stereophile acknowledge
the restrictive nature of MQA and the
potential for that to cause harm.
If I were a manufacturer of consumer
DACs and I had invested a great deal in
learning how to get the best performance
from my equipment, I think I would be
concerned about the knowledge I might
have to exchange as a part of any licensing
deal with MQA. I would also be con-
cerned about how licensing and adopting
someone else’s patented technology
might limit my ability to innovate.
Conversely, look at the wonderful state
of today’s consumer DAC market apart
from MQA—the open nature of PCM
and, more recently, DSD has contributed
to a blossoming of excellent technology
at all price levels.
When leading designers such as
Charles Hansen (may he rest in great
peace), John Siau, Jason Stoddard, and the
good people at Linn all say they aren’t
comfortable with moving to MQA, I feel
it’s wise to carefully consider their reason-
ing, regardless of the apparent technical
merits of MQA itself.
Just because we can do it doesn’t mean
we should. —Chris Hermansen
clhermansen@gmail.com
Rubbish about MQA
Editor:
Please edit the rubbish out of these
pseudo-technical articles before publica-
stereophile.com Q April 2018
tion. John Atkinson wrote, in his February
“As We See It,” “If an MQA file is played
without MQA decoding, the sound qual-
ity will be that of the baseband file—ie, the
same as a CD—meaning that the record
company need stock only a single inven-
tory.” This is complete demonstrable rub-
bish. Plenty more I could underscore with
a red pen. I suppose the Age of Trump
means we are all supposed to be gullible
24 hours per day. “Into the Fold,” Jim
Austin wrote in the same issue (p.125)?
More like “Down the Rabbit Hole.”
High-resolution audio is about high
sampling rates, minimizing filtering,
minimizing processing, and being lossless.
MQA delivers none of the aforemen-
tioned. The main disadvantage is that, for
the huge majority of listeners without
MQA decoding, the sound will probably
be worse, not equivalent, let alone better—
and prices will reflect the extra overhead
of paying MQA royalties.
We already have plenty of the other
stuff. Much as I dislike MP3 and AAC,
the lossy packing does serve a rational
purpose and the decoder is available to
all. —Tony Faulkner
green.room@btconnect.com
Who controls what is marketed?
Editor:
I noticed with interest a quote in the
February 2018 “As We See It.” Specifi-
cally, MQA’s Spencer Chrislu indicated
“the goal” as having all digital music
MQA-encoded.
Despite being a pioneer (2006) in
creating audiophile computer-audio
software, and despite having a face-to-face
meeting with Mr. Chrislu and Bob Stuart
in our exhibit room at the 2015 Rocky
Mountain Audio Fest expressing interest
in supporting MQA (if only to support
our user requests, not necessarily endors-
ing its merits), we have been given the
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be sent
as faxes or e-mails only. Fax: (212) 915-
4167. E-mail: STletters@enthusiastnet-
work.com. Please note: We are unable to
answer requests for information about
specific products or systems. If you have
problems with your subscription, call
(800) 666-3746, or e-mail Stereophile@
emailcustomerservice.com, or write to
Stereophile, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast,
FL 32142-0235.
TAKE HEED! Unless marked otherwise, all letters
to the magazine and its writers are assumed
to be for possible publication. In the spirit of
vigorous debate implied by the First Amendment,
and unless we are requested not to, we publish
correspondents’ e-mail addresses.
cold shoulder, only to see competitors an-
nounce MQA support in their products.
Mr. Chrislu implies that not only does
MQA get to decide who has access to
their technology, but also who gets to
play and who doesn’t in the digital-audio
music-playback market, period. In other
words, a manufacturer that won’t (or
can’t) support MQA may be shut out of
this business.
It strikes me that there is something
sinister about that. —Rob Robinson
Director of Engineering, Channel D
Who controls what is real?
Editor:
The question posed by MQA, “Who
controls what is heard?,” is actually the
dark question of the digital age, “Who
controls what is real?”
Real is the live performance of a
symphony, jazz/blues club, or arena rock,
though mixing engineers shape even the
live performance until you wonder, is it
the band or the engineer? But once you
move the performance into the digital
domain, all parameters of how the sound
is captured, changed/shaped, and then
processed for sale are choices never made
in reality—see the compression wars and
dead loud music. But if you control the
digital domain, as do the tech giants/mu-
sic industry, it does not matter, because
with their control comes the ability to
create what is real.
It’s a neat trick—MQA is the sound
of everything—and as we have passed
through LPs to reel-to-reel to cassettes to
8-track to CD to SACD to high-resolu-
tion downloads, we once again must buy
new gear just to play back a single song
already sold to us seven times.
So maybe the answer is the beginning:
Go to live music, buy direct from the per-
formers, and say to hell with the record
industry. They’ve certainly said that to
the performers and to us, the customers.
Kind of refreshing, the thought that I
control what is real. —Bert Paul
waldenpond@comcast.net
We have more to say about MQA in this issue’s
“As We See It,” “Recording of the Month,” and
Follow-Up. See also Jason Victor Serinus’s
and my comments on MQA at 18:37 in
our 2018 CES report at www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HJ4jq6iDHFI. —John Atkinson
11
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 INDUSTRY
UPDATE
EVERYWHERE:
BOOKSTORES
Paul Messenger
Regardless of who wrote it, a book
titled The Music Shop will tempt any
music lover. Evidence of this novel’s
eclecticism is presented early: It begins
with an epigraph by Nick Drake, and
the first chapter is titled “The Man
Who Only Liked Chopin,” followed
by “Oh No Not My Baby.”
Rachel Joyce has written, essentially,
a romance set in 1988. Frank, who
runs a music shop in a rundown part
of town, has a special gift. He applies
his deep knowledge of music as a
kind of psychotherapy, helping, with
considerable patience and expertise,
a motley crew of neighbors as well as
Ilse Brauchmann, a mysterious Ger-
man woman. Frank is also battling
a local development company, and
record-label reps who are trying to
persuade him to stock CDs instead of
his beloved vinyl.
Joyce clearly knows her music. She
combines old and new, in part with
flashbacks to a childhood strongly
influenced by Peg, the protagonist’s
bohemian mother. Indeed, the musical
references are considerable and fasci-
nating, especially in how the author ig-
UK: SHEFFIELD, LONDON
Jim Austin
Recently, while prowling the audio-
related scientific literature, I stumbled
on a conference paper that should have
gotten more attention than it did. At
the 2014 International Conference
on Music Perception and Cognition,
Victoria J. Williamson, of the UK’s
University of Sheffield, and Michael
South and Daniel Müllensiefen, both
of Goldsmiths, University of London,
presented the results of two studies.1
In the first, the authors write, “par-
ticipants rated the sound quality of
continuous 30-second song segments,
presented randomly across the three
resolution levels”: 320kbps MP3,
16-bit/44.1kHz PCM, and 24/192
PCM. “We replicated the well-estab-
lished failure to discriminate mp3 and
CD. ...”
Full stop. Several studies, appar-
stereophile.com Q April 2018
AUDIO NEWS & VIEWS
seminars, shows, and meetings should e-mail
the when, where, and who to JAtkinson@
enthusiastnetwork.com at least eight weeks
before the month of the event. The deadline for
the June 2018 issue is March 20, 2018.
Author Rachel Joyce
clearly knows her
music.
nores the usual barriers between rock,
classical, and jazz. In one example, the
music of J.S. Bach is mentioned along
with the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and
Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew.
ently—including some with expert
listeners—have failed to establish an
audible difference between music at
CD resolution and MP3 at 320kbps—
or even 256kbs. Listeners have done
better with 128kbps MP3, but still
not that well: In a study by Sean
Olive, of Harman International, 14%
of “expert” listeners failed, under test
conditions, to distinguish between CD
and 128kbps MP3. Untrained listeners
did worse.2
For the studies by Williamson et al,
listening was done in a soundproof
booth via an all-Linn system that in-
cluded Linn Majik 109 loudspeakers.3
1 See https://tinyurl.com/y7qte8s7.
2 See https://tinyurl.com/yar4xkrv.
3 The Linn Majik 109 features a supertweeter, and
so, presumably, an extended ultrasonic response. See
Robert J. Reina’s review of this speaker in the May
2009 issue: www.stereophile.com/standloudspeak-
ers/linn_majik_109_loudspeaker/index.html.
SUBMISSIONS: Those promoting audio-related
CALENDAR OF
INDUSTRY EVENTS
ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES:
We have a page on the Stereophile
website dedicated solely to you:
www.stereophile.com/audiophile-
societies. If you’d like to have your
audio-society information posted on
the site, e-mail Chris Vogel at info@
XLinkAudio.com.
Please note that it is inappropriate
for a retailer to promote a new product
line in “Calendar” unless this is
associated with a seminar or similar
event.
california
] Sunday, March 18, 2–5pm: The
Los Angeles & Orange County Audio
Society will hold its monthly meeting
at Upscale Audio (2058 Wright
Avenue, La Verne). Focal, Nordost,
and PrimaLuna will be featured at
this event. Nordost will perform
product demonstrations and cable
comparisons while offering special-
event–only pricing. Additionally, any
attendee wishing to trade up a lower-
model Nordost cable to a Heimdall 2,
Frey 2, or Tyr 2 model will be offered
a trade-in value of 80% of the last
published retail price for the lower-
cost cable. Representatives from
Focal and PrimaLuna will be on hand
to give product demonstrations, and
Eastwind Import will offer personally
selected vinyl and CDs for sale. A
raffle is planned, an extraordinary
lunch will be served, and free parking
is nearby. Guests, visitors, and new
members are invited. For more
information, visit www.laocas.com,
or call Bob Levi at (714) 281-5850.
] Sunday, April 22, 12–4pm: The
Los Angeles & Orange County
Audio Society will hold its monthly
meeting at the Holiday Inn Buena
Park (7000 Beach Boulevard). Our
host, Ozan Turan, from High End by
Oz, will present brand-new, top-of-
the-line audio products from Aavik
Acoustics, Ansuz Acoustics, Raidho
Acoustics, Scansonic HD, and Vitus
15
 INDUSTRY UPDATE
Interestingly, the authors used just one
genre of music: four songs by the same
singer, Carol Kidd, accompanied by the
same acoustic guitarist, Nigel Clark.
In the comparison between CD and
MP3, the scientists got the same result
others have gotten. These untrained
test subjects—20 graduate students, 12
men and 8 women, average age 27.8—
failed to discriminate between CD and
320kbps MP3. The same listeners were,
however, able to discriminate between
high-resolution recordings and both
CD and MP3 versions, and statistically
rated 24/192 as being significantly
higher in sound quality.
In the second study, Williamson
et al staged a head-to-head matchup
between 24/192 and 320kbps MP3
recordings, and added a new wrinkle:
In addition to rating the sound quality,
listeners self-reported their emotional
response using a standardized, quan-
titative scale. Linn’s “Studio Master”
recordings received an average sound-
quality rating of 5.6 on a 7-point scale,
while MP3 earned just 4.35. Listen-
ers self-reported stronger emotions
with the 24/192 recordings—which,
Müllensiefen says, was the study’s
strongest result.
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“For me the main finding from the
study is the significant effect of high-
rez on emotional music perception
while the explicit distinction between
formats is rather weak,” he wrote in
an e-mail. “This means that you might
be able to feel the effects of high-rez
before you are consciously aware
of them. This is in line with other
research that found a primacy of emo-
tional processing in tasks where people
have to reason under uncertainty.”
UK: HIGH STREET
STORES
Paul Messenger
This longstanding vinyl enthusiast wel-
comes the ongoing revival of a format
that once was all but moribund. The
Guardian, a well-respected UK daily
newspaper, recently published a piece
that pointed out that vinyl was back,
even in the mainstream mass market
that is the normal constituency for a
large-circulation newspaper.
The statistics quoted are unquestion-
ably favorable. Electronics retail chain
Richer Sounds reports a 70% increase
in turntable sales “in recent years.”
Department-store chain John Lewis
states that eight of the 20 turntable
MARK LEVINSON No 515
from $10,000
CLEARAUDIO Innovation Compact Wood
from $7,999
Audio. There will also be a raffle:
three lucky members or guests of
the Society will win a signed copy of
world-renowned jazz drummer Ferit
Odman’s vinyl boxed set! Eastwind
Import will be on hand to offer
personally selected LPs and CDs for
sale. A special lunch will be served,
and parking is free. Guests, visitors,
and members alike are invited. For
more information, visit www.laocas.
com, or call LAOCAS president Bob
Levi at (714) 281-5850.
] Saturday, May 5, 5–8pm: The
Los Angeles & Orange County
Audio Society will hold its monthly
meeting at Brooks Berdan Ltd., in
Monrovia (110 W. Olive Avenue).
Brooks Berdan will be celebrating
its 30th Anniversary, featuring
exciting examples of both analog
and digital audio sources. Please
join Sheila Berdan, her colleagues,
and industry representatives, who
will feature select premier audio
components as well as many
audiophile records. New turntables
to be featured include the Mark
Levinson No.515 turntable with
REGA RP10
$5,495
PRO-JECT The Classic SB
(eucalyptus) $1,495
800-449-8333

the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
phono cartridge. Brooks Berdan
also features turntables by Oracle,
Pro-Ject, Scheu Analog, Thorens,
and VPI. Cartridges available will
include Acoustical Systems from
Germany, Lyra, Ortofon, Scheu
Analog, and Soundsmith. Sheila
will also feature the new Magico
A3, priced just under $10,000/pair,
in black brushed aluminum, and a
cable line from TARA Labs. Eastwind
Import will also be on hand to offer
personally selected LPs and CDs for
sale. Another feature is our annual
software raffle, dubbed the “Greatest
Software Raffle Ever,” in which over
200 new and reissue LPs and CDs
will be raffled off. Marine Presson,
president of the Los Angeles Audio
Show Orange County, will reveal all
the amazing details of that gigantic
high-end “Extravaganza!” (June
8–10). An extraordinary dinner will
be served and free parking is nearby.
Guests, visitors, and new members
are invited. For more information,
visit www.laocas.com or call Bob Levi
at (714) 281-5850.
Now Playing in
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models it stocked have sold out, and
that in the last year there has been a
20% increase in the sales of its more
costly turntable models. Record-store
chain HMV claims that it will have
sold some 60,000 turntables in 2017,
compared to 50,000 in 2016—sales vol-
umes larger than those of headphones
or speaker docks.
Sales of LPs themselves have also
shown substantial growth. Projected
sales of 4 million units in the UK in
2017 represent a 30% increase over
2016, not to mention the far larger
growth over the LP’s low point of
205,000 units, in 2007—a nearly twen-
tyfold explosion. And while the early
years of the vinyl revival may have
been driven by baby boomers reliv-
ing their youth with new reissues of
classic albums, according to the British
recorded music industry’s trade orga-
nization, the BPI, the latest stats show
that nearly one quarter of the LPs sold
today are bought by people under 35,
and a similar proportion by women.
Those last two facts alone suggest
that the recent increases in sales of
record players and LPs are more than
a bubble, and that would seem to be
confirmed by my own experiences as
COME SEE OUR MASSIVE
SELECTION OF THE
BEST ‘TABLES
INDUSTRY UPDATE
well as those of Roy Gandy, founder
and owner of Rega Research, a leading
UK turntable manufacturer. According
to Gandy, who reports that the upturn
in sales of Rega turntables began ten
years ago.
The future of hi-fi
could well be a
combination of
streaming and vinyl.
I was recently chatting with my
brother and nephew, both of whom
live in Sweden, stream music via Spo-
tify, and also hold vinyl in high regard.
On a recent visit here, my nephew
spent hours going through my ex-
tensive collection of LPs, pulling out
all sorts of things, either to play or to
laugh at me. Neither he nor his father
has, as yet, properly organized his
vinyl capability, but both regard the
entire era of the Compact Disc as a
con perpetrated by the music industry
to persuade people to replace their
vinyl collections at high expense, and
consider the large covers and artwork
of LPs to be a vital part of the vinyl
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experience.
As I see it, the future of hi-fi could
well be a combination of stream-
ing and vinyl: the former a means
of exploring music, the latter for a
more permanent collection of favorite
recordings. Roy Gandy is skeptical of
this, feeling that streaming is under-
mined by YouTube. That’s as may
colorado
] Monday, April 9, 6pm: Audio
Alternative (1849 Michael Lane, Fort
Collins 80526) will host an evening
with Richard Vandersteen, who will
demonstrate Vandersteen’s System
Nine (Model Seven Mk.II, Sub Nine,
and M7-HPA). Audio Alternative will
provide refreshments. Space is limited;
RSVP to (970) 221-1496 or sales@
audioalternative.com.
georgia
] Sunday, March 18, 2–5pm: The
Audio Video Club of Atlanta and
Patchwerk Recording Studios (1094
Hemphill Avenue, West Midtown
Atlanta 30318) are hosting a special
event. Senior production engineers
Kenny “Mixx” Daniels and Curtis
Daniel will host a complete studio
tour featuring live recording, editing,
mixing, and mastering processes
for club members and guests. For
more information, contact John
Morrison, president, at (770) 330-
3919 or jhm3@bellsouth.net; or Chuck
Bruce, VP, at (770) 550-1434 or
chucksaudio@mindspring.com. For
latest details, visit the club’s website:
www.a-vcoa.org.
illinois
] Friday–Sunday, April 13–15: AXPONA
2018 takes place at the Renaissance
Schaumburg Hotel and Convention
Center (1551 N. Thoreau Drive,
Schaumburg 60173). More information
at www.axpona.com/default.asp.
minnesota
] Tuesday, March 20, 6:30–8:30pm:
The Audio Society of Minnesota will
present our monthly meeting, hosted
by Warkwyn/MISCO (2637 32nd
Avenue S., Minneapolis 55406), the
Twin Cities’ premier loudspeaker
design and manufacturing facility.
Warkwyn is also the sales and support
agent for Klippel GmbH, a leader in
acoustical and electromechanical
vibration testing and measurement.
stereophile.com Q April 2018
INDUSTRY UPDATE
be—whether streaming or YouTube,
it seems likely that hi-fi’s future
might well combine a convenient
smartphone-compatible digital format
with vinyl. My reasoning has much
to do with the attraction of the LP
cover, alongside the simple fact that
people seem to be becoming better off
financially. Q
Founded in 1949, MISCO is
recognized as a global leader in OEM
loudspeaker production. A tour of
the manufacturing and test facilities
will be preceded by an overview of
the company’s history and current
activities. Guests, visitors, and new
members are welcome to attend.
For the most up-to-date information
about this meeting, please visit
https://sites.google.com/site/
audiosocietyofminnesota.
] Monday, April 16, 7–9pm: The Audio
Society of Minnesota will present
Stereophile’s longtime editor-in-chief,
John Atkinson. JA put together his
first audio system 50 years ago—he
will discuss how his system and his
tastes in audio have evolved over the
years since. The meeting will be held
at the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting
(3517 Raleigh Avenue, St. Louis Park
55416). Refreshments will be served,
and guests, visitors, and new members
are always welcome to attend. For
the most current information, please
visit https://sites.google.com/site/
audiosocietyofminnesota.
new jersey
] Sunday, March 18: Rogers High
Fidelity will host the New Jersey Audio
Society for a tour of the Rogers factory,
in Warwick, New York. For more
information, visit www.njaudiosociety.
com.
] Sunday, April 15: The New Jersey
Audio Society will be the guest of
Stereodisk, a vinyl record-pressing plant
in Kenilworth. Stereodisk has restored
several record-pressing machines to
their original, unmodified operational
condition. For more information, visit
www.njaudiosociety.com.
canada
] Friday–Sunday, March 23–25: The
Montréal Audio Fest takes place at
the Hotel Bonaventure Montréal (900
de la Gauchetière Ouest, Montréal,
Québec H5A 1E4). More information:
http://en.montrealaudiofest.org.
 INSIDER VIEWS ON EVERYTHING VINYL

ANALOG BY MICHAEL FREMER

CORNER
THIS ISSUE : A second listen to the Kuzma CAR
cartridges and first listens to the Miyajima Madake
Snakewood and TechDAS TDC01 Ti cartridges.

More Cartridges

A
t Stereophile, we don’t generally allow Mulligans—review do-overs. Usu- record, ascertained that the flattest
ally, we take a second look at a product we’ve reviewed only when the response was produced with a loading
first sample turns out to have been defective, especially if it was dam- of 70–100 ohms. So I listened that way,
aged in shipping—and we rarely do even that. as well as into Ypsilon Electronics’
In my March 2018 column I reviewed two new cartridges from Kuzma VPS-100 Silver Edition phono preamp,
Ltd.: the CAR-50 ($5895) and the CAR-60 ($12,995). Presumably, CAR is an using Ypsilon’s MC-16L step-up trans-
abbreviation of cartridge, but for $12,995 you could buy a car you could climb former. I also listened again through
into and drive home—so the CAR-60 had better be a damn great cartridge. The one of the CH Precision’s current-
CAR-60’s qualities of parts and construction were certainly great, as were both amplification inputs.
its published specifications and the measurements I took of it. (See last month’s As the Transfiguration Proteus
column for details.) D was still installed in my Swed-
Although I described the CAR- nal impedance of all low-output mod- ish Analog Technologies tonearm, I
50’s overall sound as “bland,” I wrote els was 6 ohms, which would indicate again compared it with the CAR-60
very positively about both cartridges’ <100 ohms. It turns out the symbol in Kuzma’s 4Point arm—and, as the
spectacularly wide and appropriately used in the instruction sheet was the D was going back to the distributor,
deep if somewhat distant soundstaging. opposite of what was intended. So if and to be thorough to a fault, I finally
I described the CAR-60’s strengths as you own a CAR, please try loading it installed the CAR-60 in the SAT arm.
transparency, liquidity, and freedom with less than 100 ohms. I’d already recorded, at 24-bit/96kHz
from such artifacts as hash, grain, and But because I used the current- with the Proteus D, the Who’s song
edge. But I concluded that the CAR-60 amplification–based CH Precision P1/ “Bargain,” from the Classic Records
lacked the slam or bass grip or low-end X1 phono stage, the loading should reissue of Who’s Next, cut by Chris
extension delivered by Transfigura- have been irrelevant. Scot Markwell, Bellman at Bernie Grundman Master-
tion’s somewhat less expensive Proteus a spokesperson for Kuzma’s US im- ing (LP, Decca/Classic DL79182).
D.1 The only differences between the porter, Elite Audio Video Distribution, After installing the CAR-60 in the
$6000 Proteus and the $10,500 Proteus asked if I’d be willing to listen again, SAT arm, I recorded the track again,
D are the rhomboid-cross-section, this time using a more traditional which allowed me to A/B the two
solid-diamond cantilever and specially voltage-amplification–based phono needle drops in real time, with no
designed dual dampers of the Proteus D preamplifier. I agreed. So back came variable other than the cartridges. The
and their recommended vertical track- the two CARs for another listen. things we do for love! By the time this
ing forces (VTFs): 1.9gm for the Pro- column is printed, both 24/96 files of
teus, 2.05–2.07gm for the Proteus D. THE KUZMA CARS REEVALUATED “Bargain” will be posted on Analog-
I haven’t heard the original Proteus While a subsequent e-mail from Franc Planet.com for you to compare.
since 2014, so it’s difficult to pre- Kuzma conceded that the CAR-60 I used other records, too, including a
cisely pin down the audible differences should perform well into the CH Pre-
between it and the D, but I still feel cision P1/X1’s current-amplification 1 I reviewed the original Transfiguration Proteus
($6000) in the October 2014 “Analog Corner”:
that it was among the handful of best- input, I ran it into the P1/X1’s voltage www.stereophile.com/content/transfiguration-
performing cartridges I’ve heard—and, input and, using the CH-supplied test proteus-mc-phono-cartridge.
at $6000, a bargain (don’t hit me!)
compared to the far more expensive
competition. However, when I com-
pared the Proteus D with the Kuzma
CAR-60, the Proteus D was the clear,
diamond-cantilevered winner.
To Franc Kuzma’s credit, his reaction
to my review of the CAR-60, while not
happy (how could it be?), was 100%
adult. Accepting my opinions as just
that, he added, “In Slovenia there is an To Franc
old saying which roughly translates as
‘100 people will have 100 opinions.’” Kuzma’s credit,
In last month’s column I noted that his reaction to
Kuzma’s instructions recommended
loading the CARs with “ >100 ohms,” my review was
which I found surprising, as the inter- 100% adult.
stereophile.com Q April 2018 21
 ANALOG CORNER
45rpm edition of Duke Ellington’s Mas-
terpieces by Ellington (Columbia Master-
works ML 4188/Analogue Productions
AAPJ 4418-45)—which I also played for
The New Yorker’s David Denby in a New
York audio shop, along with a variety of
classical, jazz, and rock.2
It was reassuring that the differences
between the CARs that I heard in
my listening for last month’s column
consistently reappeared in my listening
for this month’s. But I’m glad to have
had another listen. While I stand by
my observations of last month, I feel
that I injected my personal tastes into
my conclusions.
Preferences for specific cartridges
are among the most personal and most
strong that an audiophile can hold—
even more so than for loudspeakers.
I have a friend in this business who
thinks that if it’s not a Koetsu Coral-
stone, you’re not hearing music. Oth-
ers prefer the spherical-stylus Denon
DL-103R, which can’t possibly trace
the information in the grooves with
accuracy. Some people—I’m one of
them—love the house sound of Lyras;
others hate it. I love detail and resolu-
tion—but what I hear from Lyras as
detail and high resolution, others hear
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as analytical and just plain unnatural.
I am also very much in favor of Or-
tofon’s A90 and A95, with their Rep-
licant styli—the shape for a playback
stylus that’s closest to that of a cutting
stylus. I’m less enthusiastic about the
smoother-sounding cartridges from
My Sonic Lab, and thus about the
Air-Tights as well—although, of course,
these are top-shelf cartridges in terms
of both design and execution, and the
folks who love them do so absolutely.
So I’m not here to tell you which
products to like, but how they sound.
I wrote that both CARs “were real
smoothies, and coherent from top to
bottom within that smoothness and
wholeness. But they sounded smooth
without ever sounding soft—smooth
like skating on ice.” I’m sticking with
that assessment. “The visual perspec-
tive was on the distant side, with small,
finely drawn, delicate images. Tran-
sients were super-clean on top, deli-
cately drawn on bottom.” I’m sticking
with that, too, along with: “Delicacy
trumped muscularity in every item on
my sonic checklist.”
What I shouldn’t have written was
that without the recommended
loading, the CARs’ smoothness and
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freedom from “etch, edge and grain . . .
prevented percussive transients on top
and bottom from developing excite-
ment-generating bite and textural
grip.” My “excitement” is someone
else’s ear-bleed. Rather, I should have
written that the CAR-60’s transient at-
tacks were supple, its sustains generous,
its decays precise. So let me try again:
Tonally, the CAR-60 was as neutral-
sounding a cartridge as you’ll find. It
was neither tipped up nor rolled off
on top, and its bottom-end extension
and resolution of low-level detail were
what you should expect from a car-
tridge costing in excess of $10,000.
That said, I also must stick with my
original conclusion: that regardless of
phono preamp or gain circuitry, while
the CAR-60 will be a great choice for
all genres of acoustic music, and cast an
airy, sensuous, luxurious sonic spell, its
overall polite attacks produced, in the
lower octaves, less than what I consider
to be the amounts of slam and grip
needed to effectively communicate
rock music’s muscular drive. I would
write, and have written, similar things
about many other cartridges.
In the Who’s “Bargain,” Keith
Moon stomps all over his bass drum,
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hitting insistent eighth-notes that the
Proteus D and some other cartridges
fully deliver, producing a head-snap-
ping effect the CAR-60 misses. Once
my needle drops are posted, you’ll be
able to judge for yourself.
MIYAJIMA LABORATORY MADAKE
SNAKEWOOD CARTRIDGE
In the December 2014 installment
of this column, I reviewed Miyajima
Laboratory’s unusual Madake cartridge
($5895); later, I bought it. The Ma-
dake’s cantilever is made of a particular
strain of bamboo (madake in Japanese)
said to grow only on the mountains
surrounding Kyoto. I hear your bullshit
detectors going off. I’m just passing
it on (but I have no doubt it’s true).
Essentially, the Madake is a Miyajima
Kansui fitted with a bamboo cantilever.
But the Madake’s cantilever is not
made entirely of madake; rather, it’s a
bamboo shaft fitted inside an alumi-
num ferrule, and to which is attached a
Shibata stylus. The Madake’s motor is
a cross-ring design unique to Miyajima
cartridges (they all have it), in which
the cantilever’s fulcrum is centered
within the coil former.3
Like all Miyajimas, the generator is
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The
Madake’s
cantilever is
made of a
particular
strain of
bamboo.
housed in a curvaceous body, this one
made of Snakewood instead of the
standard Madake’s African Blackwood.
Snakewood (Brosimum guianense) is
extremely dense and quickly blunts a
cutting blade; it’s also brittle, and easily
splinters. According to Robin Wyatt
of Robyatt Audio, Miyajima’s US
importer, machining snakewood is so
difficult, and the failure rate is so high,
that it takes months to produce a single
usable body. This is why the Madake
Snakewood costs $7500—about $1600
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more than the standard Madake.
Like the standard Madake and the
Kansui, the Madake Snakewood
weighs 9.7gm, has an output of
0.23mV, an internal impedance of
2 Read Denby’s account of our encounter at www.
newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/audiophilia-
forever-an-expensive-new-years-shopping-guide.
3 For an animation that usefully explains the cross-
ring motor and its benefits without getting tripped
up in the clumsy Japanese/English translations that
hobble the rest of the website, and especially the
instructions accompanying the Madake, see
www.miyajima-lab.com/e-stereo.html.
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SKY
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16 ohms, and a low compliance of
9x10–6cm/dyne. Its severe, detail-grab-
bing Shibata stylus sounded best with a
VTF of 2.5gm, and with its stylus rake
angle (SRA) set to approximately 92°.
Miyajima cartridges require long
screws that pass through the cartridge
body and are secured with brass nuts.
I used to think the screw heads had to
be at the bottom of the cartridge and
the nuts secured to the headshell, but
it works more easily the other way
around. Still, securing these is more
difficult with Miyajima cartridges,
and even more so with the Madake
Snakewood: Care must be taken not to
overtighten the bolts, lest you shatter
the body—not my idea of a smashing
good time!
In Miyajima’s video you can see that
centering the cantilever’s fulcrum with-
in the coil former should produce a
fast, certain response. For some reason,
probably by design, the Shilabe and
other models in the line produce sonic
signatures that I’ve described as having
“understated but not dull” top ends and
a “meaty” midrange. Those qualities
appeal to many, but they’re probably
inappropriate for a reviewer’s system,
where the goal is greater neutrality.
The original Madake shattered
(oops!) this generalization about
Miyajima’s house sound by having a
faster, more neutral sound with a very
well-extended top end; a less gener-
ous and, in my opinion, more neutral
midrange; and a faster, cleaner bottom
end. As I wrote of the original Madake
in my December 2014 column, it
produced the sizzle of more analyti-
cal cartridges and the steak of some
warmer, richer-sounding cartridges.
This made the Madake something I
couldn’t get enough of—as I wrote, “I
couldn’t stop listening to it.” Which is
why I bought it.
The Snakewood is a meth-infused
Madake. As good as the Madake is, the
Snakewood was faster, leaner, cleaner,
and a definite notch more transparent,
without losing any of the Madake’s
coherent appeal. However, the Snake-
wood had neither the Kuzma CAR-
50’s or CAR-60’s generous spatiality or
refined smoothness, nor the Trans-
figuration Proteus or Proteus D’s slam,
image specificity, or—especially—the
last two cartridges’ (or the Lyra Atlas’s)
wide dynamic contrasts.
However, the Madake Snakewood’s
overall organization of space, har-
monic and textural generosity, wide
and smooth bandwidth, and snappy
stereophile.com Q April 2018
ANALOG CORNER
bottom-to-top transient response free
of hyper-edged detail, make it a car-
tridge that got out of the way and left
me thinking not about the cartridge
but the music. Unlike cartridges that
are better suited to one musical genre
than others, the Madake Snakewood
delivered well with every kind of music.
The supply of snakewood is appar-
ently limited; my appreciation for this
cartridge is not.
TECHDAS TDC01 TI CARTRIDGE
The top of the TechDAS cartridge
line, the TDC01 Ti, has a gleaming,
egg-shaped housing and a complex
mounting plate, both parts machined
from titanium and subjected to what
TechDAS calls “special processed
hard surface treatment.” At 17gm, the
TDC01 Ti, like Kuzma’s CAR models,
is on the heavy side. It costs $16,000,
for which you also get a set of lead
wires of 99.999999%-pure copper, a
pair of nonmagnetic tweezers and a
screwdriver, titanium mounting screws,
and a digital stylus-force gauge.
Built to TechDAS’s design speci-
fications by My Sonic Lab’s Yoshio
Matsudaira—he has done the same for
Air Tight, Haniwa, and others—the
TDC01 Ti combines an unusually
low internal impedance of 1.4 ohms
with an output of 0.45mV—unusu-
ally high for such a low impedance.
Despite that low impedance, TechDAS
recommends loading the TDC01 Ti
with something between 100 and
200 ohms. A semi-line-contact stylus
with a tip of familiar proportions (3 by MBL’s
30μm) is affixed to a boron cantilever.
Cartridges of ultra-low internal Radialstrahler…
impedance usually have few turns
of coil wire and/or nonferrous coil legendary
formers. In the TDC01 Ti, the former
is probably made of hi-mu SH-uX performance
metal, which is used in the relatively
high-output, low-internal-impedance, since 1979.
low-inductance cartridges built by
Matsudaira for Haniwa—though the
Haniwa’s internal impedance is even
lower: 0.8 ohm. For that cartridge, the
recommended load is but 8 ohms,
including the resistance of the phono
cable. Such a load is impossible with
most phono preamps, which is why
Haniwa makes its own—a review of
their latest is in the works. unique high end audio
Fewer coil turns and/or nonferrous
formers usually produce very little
output. TechDAS doesn’t specify how mbl-northamerica.com
the TDC01 Ti manages to produce info@mbl-northamerica.com
0.45mV with so low an internal im- (561) 735-9300
pedance, but it must have something to
25
 ANALOG CORNER

do with powerful neodymium magnets

used in a high-efficiency circuit. Much
of the TDC01 Ti’s 17gm mass must be
the magnets.
As with the Haniwa, getting the
most from the TDC01 Ti requires a
very low loading value—so TechDAS’s
Fathom® IWS recommendation of 100–200 ohms
surprised me. I avoided the issue en-
In-Wall Subwoofer Systems tirely by running the cartridge into one
of the CH Precision P1/X1 current
amplification inputs, which loves to see
low internal resistance and inductance.
I evaluated the TDC01 Ti by
installing it in the Graham Engineer-
ing Phantom III and Swedish Analog
Technologies tonearms, alternating
between the CH Precision P1/X1 One person’s
phono preamplifier and an Ypsilon “polite” is another’s
Electronics combo of VPS-100 Silver
Edition phono preamplifier and MC-
“just right.”
16L step-up transformer.
I measured the review sample. The edgy.” We can all get along! Q
TDC01 Ti met its specified chan- Michael Fremer (fremer@analog-
nel balance of 0.5dB (1kHz) and its planet.com) is the editor of AnalogPlanet.
channel separation of more than 30dB com, a Stereophile website devoted to all
(1kHz). I achieved an SRA of 92° with things analogical.
the tonearm almost parallel with the
record surface, which is as it should be
for a cartridge costing $16k. Build qual- CONTACTS
ity, too, was as high as you’d expect for
that kind of money. Kuzma Ltd.
The sound of the TDC01 Ti Hotemaze 17/a
combined the satiny top-end sheen SI-4205 Preddvor
for which Matsudaira’s cartridges Slovenia
are famous, regardless of brand, with Tel: (386) 4-253-54-50
an authoritarian dynamic slam and Fax: (386) 4-253-54-54
impressive transparency for which Web: www.kuzma.si
the line is somewhat less known. The US distributor:
TechDAS also produced a blend of the Elite Audio Video Distribution
best of the Kuzma CAR-60 and the PO Box 93896
Transfiguration Proteus and Proteus Los Angeles, CA 90093-0896
D. Soundstages were deep and wide Tel: (323) 466-9694 x22
where appropriate, and the transpar- Fax: (323) 466-9825
ency was similar to what the CARs Web: www.eliteavdist.com
delivered—but the TDC01 Ti also Miyajima Laboratory/Otono-Edison
produced Proteus-like overall dynamic 1-45-111, Katae 5-chome
“slam” along with transient sharpness Jounan-ku, Fufuoka 814-0142
on the bottom and in the mids. On Japan
top, though, there was more of the Web: www.miyajima-lab.com
sheen of Matsudaira’s house sound—a
US distributor: Robyatt Audio
pleasing smoothness that made strings
Web: www.robyattaudio.com
sing, revealed buttery-rich textures in
women’s voices, and produced well- TechDAS
burnished brasses. Stella Inc.
Still, I’d describe the TechDAS 51-10 Nakamarucho, Itabashi-ku
TDC01 Ti’s super-refined reproduction Tokyo 173-0026, Japan
of transients as somewhat on the polite US distributor: Graham Engineering
Available as single or dual side overall, and better suited to jazz 25M Olympia Avenue
subwoofer systems, with and classical than to harder-edged rock, Woburn, MA 01801
outboard DSP and amplification. soul, and blues. Of course, one person’s Tel: (781) 932-8777
“polite” is another’s “just right,” and Fax: (781) 932-8782
© 2017 JL AUDIO, Inc. For more information on our complete what I call “detail” and “transient clar- Web: www.graham-engineering.com
line of subwoofers, please visit your local authorized dealer
or www.jlaudio.com. Authorized JL Audio Dealers do not sell ity” might be your “rips-your-head-off
via the Internet. Subwoofers pictured with grilles removed.
Customers in Canada should contact GemSen Distribution:
www.gemsen.com.
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
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GoldenEar’s Triton One is one of the best selling high-end
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 IN SEARCH OF THE EXCEPTIONAL

LISTENING BY ART DUDLEY

THIS ISSUE :
Zu updates its rebuild
of Denon’s DL-103 moving-coil
phono cartridge.

The Motor Within: Zu’s New Denon Mod

O
n at least one occasion that I can recall—in 1996, in the early days of please allow me to quote from that
Listener magazine—a US publicist for the Japanese manufacturing com- December 2007 review: “It’s a reso-
pany Denon told me that they planned to discontinue their DL-103 lutely old-fashioned pickup in which
moving-coil phono cartridge, an enduringly popular model that had a two-piece aluminum cantilever
been in production since 1962.1 At the time, neither the DL-103 nor any of their drives a cross-shaped armature wound
other cartridge models appeared on Denon’s US price lists, and neither English- with several turns of exceptionally
language promotional materials nor even a basic spec sheet was available to fine-gauge copper magnet wire. The
American consumers or press. (All of this is charbroiled into my memory because armature rests against a sky-blue rub-
the young woman in question was almost perversely unpleasant, a characteristic ber damper, under tension from a taut
normally regarded as a disqualification for her line of work.) And near the end of length of the sort of piano wire once
this century’s first decade, an audio-industry veteran who didn’t work for Denon used by spies to strangle each other.
but was otherwise well connected assured me that production of the DL-103 was The magnet is oblong and apparently
being phased out, and that, after a certain date, all units sold as “new” would actu- of no exotic composition, and its flux
ally be rebuilds of used units. Imagine!
Happily, neither of those awful
things came true. Indeed, in contrast
to the last time I looked—around 2011,
I think—the DL-103 is now proudly
featured on Denon’s website, alongside
three other cartridge models and the
three Denon turntable models cur-
rently in production. (All three of the
latter are belt-driven, which seems odd
for a company that made its name de-
signing and manufacturing direct-drive
turntables. Then again, no one ever
said these things have to make sense.)
Today, if only because it’s one of the
vanishingly few domestic-audio prod-
ucts that has been in continuous pro- It makes sense to lines are channeled by a pole piece
duction for over half a century, the De- of the usual shape.” Specs include a
non DL-103 deserves to be considered spend the smallest weight of 8.5gm, a spherical stylus tip,
a classic. But, as I observed in this space amount on the chain’s a recommended downforce of 2.5gm,
in the August 2017 Stereophile,2 the DL- most fragile link. an internal resistance of 40 ohms, and
103 has earned that status in another an output of 0.3mV. The last two,
way: by being among those products taken together, are a bit of an oddity:
around which has sprung an entire able in magnesium, aluminum, or an so high a coil resistance, suggestive of
aftermarket industry. In particular, note aluminum-lithium alloy; I reviewed many turns of very fine wire, seldom
the increasing number of companies a sample of the latter and came away goes hand in hand with so low an
making DL-103 replacement bodies impressed. (MusiKraft sells that body, output.
intended to improve sound qual- with a new, preinstalled Denon DL- If nothing else, that irony com-
ity, sometimes by providing a more 103, for $429.) In that same column plicates the selection of a step-up
rigid cartridge-to-headshell mounting I made reference to an earlier review transformer for use with the Denon—
scheme than the stock cartridge offers, of mine, of the Zu Audio DL-103: an complicates but does not obviate. In my
and just as often through a selection of aluminum-bodied version of the same experience, the use of a transformer
materials intended to fine-tune the De- great Denon cartridge, sold not as a kit remains the only way to get the best
non’s resonant behavior. This morning but as a finished product.3 In 2007 the sound out of this or any other MC
I counted five companies selling such Zu Denon DL-103 sold for $399—and
1 All of Stereophile’s reviews of the Denon DL-103,
things on eBay; a quick Google search I thought it was one of the greatest from 1975 to 2017, can be found at www.stereophile.
turned up at least three others. bargains in all of audio. com/content/denon-dl-103-phono-cartridge.
In the August 2017 Stereophile I 2 See www.stereophile.com/content/listening-
176-musikraft-cartridge-bodies-emia-phono-
wrote about one such company, Irony core transformer.
Montreal-based MusiKraft, whose For those of you not yet acquainted 3 See the December 2007 issue: www.stereophile.
DL-103 replacement body is avail- with Denon’s stock DL-103 cartridge, com/phonocartridges/1207zu/index.html.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 31

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cartridge. Fortunately, there remain
some excellent choices for use with the
DL-103, none better than the EMIA
Phono transformer ($2400), in a ver-
sion wound for higher-impedance MC
cartridges, also reviewed in my August
2017 column.
The only other obstacle to enjoy-
ing life with a Denon DL-103 is the
cartridge’s need for what seems to me
a longer-than-average break-in period,
prior to which it sounds edgy, fussy,
and too easily perturbed by dirt and
damage in the groove. At least 100
hours of record play—for me, two or
three weeks of daily use—are required
to alleviate those flaws, after which the
sound continues to appreciably jell, if
more slowly.4
That last characteristic in particu-
lar has been on my mind in recent
weeks, during which time I’ve put a
great many hours on a sample of the
latest Denon mod to cross my path:
Zu Audio’s Zu/DL-103 Mk.II ($459),
which aims to enhance further still the
performance of the original Denon
and the first Zu mod. It does this in a
couple of ways: For the new Zu, the
company’s precision-machined aircraft-
aluminum body has been reshaped in
a manner claimed to further prevent
unwanted resonances, and at the same
time to ensure even better contact with
the motor within. (A side benefit of
the new shape: the stylus guard sup-
plied with the stock Denon cartridge
fits it to a T, whereas Zu’s previous
cartridge body did not.) The Mk.II’s
body is also hard-anodized in a manner
similar to many tonearm headshells
in common use: Zu suggests that this
can help avoid mechanical impedance
reflections and mismatches between
tonearm and cartridge. Finally, the
high-metal-content epoxy used to
bond Denon’s motor to Zu’s body is
more advanced than that used for the
first Zu/DL-103
Although all of Denon’s original
specs are preserved, for this new mod-
el, Zu Audio has devised a way to offer
customers a significant improvement in
one of them. A stock DL-103 is speci-
fied as having left- and right-channel
coil impedances that are within 6% of
each other, but Zu buys Denon car-
tridges in bulk and hand-selects them,
which makes it possible for them to
guarantee a lower tolerance for the
Zu/DL-103 Mk.II: 2.5%. (Higher-tol-
erance samples are sold by Zu as stock
Denon cartridges.) Zu then takes their
culling three steps further, offering
stereophile.com Q April 2018
Grade 1 cartridges with a 1% tolerance
($559), Grade 2 cartridges with a 0.5%
tolerance ($699), and Grade 2 Pre-
mium cartridges with a 0.1% tolerance
($999). On their website, Zu observes
that those differences chiefly affect the
cartridge’s spatial performance.
New Zu review
Last November, Zu Audio’s Sean
Casey sent me a sample of the Zu/
DL-103 Mk.II in its Grade 2 Premium
incarnation, and I set about breaking
it in. Before doing so, I spent an hour
each with my own stock Denon DL-
103 ($2995) and my lingering sample
of the aforementioned MusiKraft
DL-103. It’s always pleasant to be
reminded how good that cheap little
plastic-bodied Denon can sound,
and how much music it delivers for a
tiny fraction of the price of my other
favorite cartridges: I could live the rest
of my life with nothing fancier than a
Denon DL-103, as long as I can have
with it a transformer as good as the
Auditorium 23 ($1550) or the EMIA.
Not only is the idea of pairing a $299
cartridge with a $2400 transformer not
absurd; to me, it makes sense to spend
the smallest amount on the chain’s
most fragile link, which may want
replacing from time to time.
I re-auditioned the MusiKraft with
the recording of Beethoven’s Violin
Concerto by David Oistrakh and the
French National Radio Orchestra,
under the direction of André Cluytens
(EMI Centenary SAX 2315). The
cartridge’s strengths, well known to me
now, were all there: the timpani taps
that open the piece were temporally
taut yet endowed with a realistically
resonant tone and generous die-away.
Oistrakh’s entrance came across with a
degree of nuance that seemed unlikely
to be artifice: he pulled back, almost
imperceptibly, against the tempo set by
Cluytens, seemingly to let the listener
know precisely who’s in charge, then
poured a sea of tone from his 1702
Stradivari violin and André Richaume
bow. It was a wow moment and an
I could be happy with my present system
forever moment, all in one.
By the time the Zu/DL-103 Mk.II
seemed more or less broken in—one
day, it simply found its voice and its
ability to shrug off surface noise and
static pops—I revisited Oistrakh’s
Beethoven and heard a slightly differ-
ent take on it. Those kettledrum taps
weren’t quite as taut, but the sea of
tone was now an ocean of tone, with
LISTENING
slightly richer colors and textures. Mu-
sical timing, evident in the ensemble
playing and in the nuances of Ois-
trakh’s soloing, were as sure as with the
MusiKraft.
Soon after that, I used the Zu/DL-
103 Mk.II to play an excellent reissue
of Hans Knappertsbusch and the Mu-
nich Philharmonic performing Bruck-
ner’s Symphony 8 (Westminster/
Speakers Corner WST 235). Apart
from all of the individual sonic distinc-
tions—pizzicato strings in the Scherzo
were pleasantly tactile if not quite as
plucky as with the MusiKraft, while
string tone was again marginally more
intoxicating—the thing that struck me
was the manner in which the Zu made
Bruckner sound more like Bruckner.
Pauses were more certain, and the
silences within them were darker,
enhancing the music’s episodic quality.
Chords were wilder and more colorful,
timpani rolls more like thunder out of
a clear, sky blue sky.
And darned if Neil Young didn’t
sound more like Neil Young, especially
in songs such as “Out of My Mind”
and “Sugar Mountain,” from Sugar
Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968
(Reprise 512563-1). The vulnerability
in his voice seemed more pronounced,
even during his often hilarious
between-song spiels, and the sounds of
his acoustic guitar and his characteristic
strumming style also seemed more
distinctive than usual, notwithstanding
a somewhat dead set of strings. It was
easy to hear that Young was using a
thin pick, and was aiming at the strings
from a bit of a distance—ie, his pick
wasn’t hovering just over the strings, as
with some players—and I didn’t need
a pitch pipe to tell me that his strings
were tuned down a full step.
At one point I again turned back to
the MusiKraft Denon, and heard more
rhythmic surety in Young’s playing
on those numbers—a better sense of
attack, and clearer timing, especially
in the bass notes in his upbeats. And
going back to that Knappertsbusch
Bruckner, with the MusiKraft Denon
it was easier to discern pitch in the
plucked bass notes at the beginning
of the Adagio. Still, with the Zu, string
4 Some readers may regard that with skepticism, and
I don’t suppose I blame them. Product break-in is the
crazy aunt in perfectionist audio’s attic—something
we mention only furtively, while studiedly avoiding
its technical backstory. Perhaps I should come back
to this . . .
5 This price represents a late-2017 increase. Before
that, and for a commendably long time—well over a
decade—it had been a crazy-low $229.
33
 LISTENING
tone—and harp tone!—were richer and
more colorful. Indeed, as was made
even more clear when I played “Cop-
pin’ the Haven,” from Dexter Gordon’s
One Flight Up (Blue Note/Cisco Music
84176), and “Armadillo Breakdown,”
from Country Cooking’s 14 Bluegrass
Instrumentals (Rounder 0006), the
Zu Denon II is quite the little tone
monster.
As to whether the Zu/DL-103
Mk.II sounded more spatially accom-
plished than the MusiKraft version of
the same cartridge—although I tried
to keep an open mind, I was precondi-
tioned to hear just such a thing—the an-
swer is: not really. Did Sandy Denny’s
voice in “The Sea,” from Fotheringay’s
eponymous debut album (Island ILPS
9125), sound bit more present? Could
I say the same of tenor Peter Pears’s
voice in his recording of Benjamin
Britten’s Serenade, with hornist Barry
Tuckwell and the composer conduct-
ing the London Symphony Orchestra
(Decca SXL 6110)? I listened to those
and other voices, and spent a little time
listening for soundstage depth and
accuracy of image placement in other
recordings, and came away thinking
that the two Denon mods sounded
more alike than different in their pre-
sentations of space. In any event, stereo
imaging is not among the Denon’s
trump cards: stock or modified, it’s the
sort of cartridge that encourages listen-
ing for tone and touch more than for
location, location, location.
The distinctions I did hear between
MusiKraft’s and Zu’s takes on the DL-
103 formula were slight, and became
apparent only after I made an effort
to listen for such things—all the while,
the very musical Denon, in both of
its borrowed bodies, just wanted to
hold my attention with momentum
and clarity of line and touch and tone.
And I pretty much went along with
it. Yes, I do think the MusiKraft was
more capable of sounding taut, the
Zu of sounding colorful. From there,
it was a bit of a toss-up: both were
brilliantly well crafted and solidly
recommendable.
Of course, the audio enthusiast on
an even stricter budget simply can’t go
wrong buying a stock Denon DL-103.
As for those dire predictions of 20
years ago . . . well, I guess there’s noth-
ing wrong with buying and putting
away one or two spares, just in case.
The only thing keeping me from doing
so today is the fear that I’ll forget hav-
ing done so tomorrow.
34
YOU’RE PAYING TOO MUCH
FOR INSURANCE
A month ago as I write this, I shipped
a 43-lb power amplifier from one side
of the US to the other. Because there’s
a UPS Store only six blocks from my
new house, I decided to give them a
try. I packed up the amp and took it
there, and paid for the shipping and
insurance fees with my credit card.
But when I returned home, it
dawned on me that the total fee—ap-
proximately $250—was a good bit
more than I’d paid, in previous dealings
with UPS, to ship items of comparable
weight and value over comparable dis-
tances. I called the amplifier’s manufac-
turer to confirm this, and was told that,
for $250, the amp could have been
hand-delivered to a customer in Japan.
I returned to the UPS Store, receipt
in hand, and asked to speak with the
manager; I was told that he was out to
lunch. (It was 4pm.) I explained the
reason for my visit, left my number,
and asked for him to call me back.
Three days later, not having heard
back, I tried calling him on the phone,
and was told the manager wasn’t in.
The next day, I got lucky and reached
him. (Actually, I got cagey and reached
him: I called and asked the familiar-
sounding person who answered the
phone if he was the manager. After a
longish pause, he said that he was.)
In the meantime, I’d scoured UPS’s
website and found their official sched-
ule of insurance rates—online referenc-
es to which studiedly avoid the word
insurance, also cagily. It turns out that,
although I’d paid only slightly more
than expected for shipping my parcel,
I had paid nearly three times the stated
rate for insuring my parcel. I mentioned
this to the manager, who observed
without apology that the charge was
not an error, and that he, like any retail
merchant, was free to charge me what-
ever he felt like charging me.
Shocked to the core, I reminded him
that, as a subsidiary of UPS, he could
do so only by notifying his customers
in advance that they would be charged
higher prices than those stated on
UPS’s website. He replied by saying
that that rule didn’t apply, because the
UPS Store is “a completely different
company” from UPS—a defense that
I would hear from at least one more
UPS Store representative in the days
to come, when I called their corporate
offices in an effort to retrieve the more
than $100 they owed me.
That proved to be a bigger waste of
time than I could have imagined. In
the American business environment
of today, in which corporate-level
employees regard consumers with a
level of contempt once reserved for
airline passengers traveling with goats
and caged chickens, the UPS Store,
Inc.—which, as it turns out, is indeed a
subsidiary of UPS, Inc.—is perhaps the
greatest offender. It took me about 90
minutes to reach a human being who
was in a position to assist—and when
I did, she was combative, not helpful.
She, too, told me that UPS Stores are
free to charge whatever they wish for
insurance fees, up to a limit—yet when
I asked her what the limit was, she
refused to answer. When I tried to tell
her that I wasn’t informed ahead of
time of the rates I was being charged,
she interrupted me and said that I was.
And when I asked her to supply proof
in the form of a URL where their
apparent predilection for padding
insurance fees is posted, she sighed,
said she was going to put me on hold
for a moment—and disconnected me.
(I realized this only after a minute or
two, when I heard the dreaded If you’d
like to make a call, please hang up and try
again ...) I called back, ran the same
gauntlet, asked for a supervisor, was
put through to the voice mail of
someone named Candace, and left a
message. She never called back.
At a time when bricks-and-mortar
hi-fi stores are less than abundant and
online sales of some domestic-audio
products appear to be on the rise, one’s
choice of shipping company is ever
more critical. Given the premium they
charge for value-added services, their
reluctance to acknowledge what ap-
pears to be padding and/or make pub-
lic their schedule of fees—and, most
of all, the shoddy customer service I
experienced from their corporate-level
staff—I consider the UPS Store an
extremely poor choice. Q
Art Dudley (ADudley@Enthusiast-
network.com) mounts his phono cartridges
on an EMT tonearm fitted to a restored and
refurbished Thorens TD 124 turntable.
CONTACTS
Zu Audio
3350 S 1500 W
Ogden, UT 84401
Tel: (801) 627-1040
Fax: (800) 516-8925
web: www.zuaudio.com
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
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 EXPLORING THE ANALOG ADVENTURE

GRAMOPHONE
DREAMS
THIS ISSUE :
High-performance
BY HERBERT REICHERT phono cartridges from EMT,
Koetsu, Miyajima.

Moving Coils

I
spent a snowy New York City evening at Rhapsody Music & Cinema, talk- angles (SRAs) to where I felt each car-
ing with the proprietor, Bob Visintainer, and watching my friend Michael tridge come into focus and locked in at
Trei install a Lyra Etna SL moving-coil cartridge in a Graham Engineering a point of apparent lowest distortion.
Phantom III tonearm mounted on a TechDAS Air Force 3 turntable teth- Correct azimuth was dialed in with a
ered to a Zesto Tessera phono stage. Every wall was lined with big, floorstanding Musical Surroundings Fozgometer.
speakers, all of them expensive. On the main stage that day were Alta Audio’s Antiskating bias was set so that the
Hestia Titaniums ($32,000/pair).1 tonearm would progress slowly toward
the label of a blank—ie, grooveless—LP.
Installation complete, Michael put tridges is not as neutral as some boring I then subtly tweaked that bias until all
on an original pressing of Duke El- middle-of-the-road cartridge. If what three cartridges did equally good jobs
lington’s Blues in Orbit (LP, Columbia you say is true, then name a cartridge of tracking the heavily modulated in-
CS 8241). The soundstage was wide, in the middle.” ner and outer “Tracking Ability” bands
extending past the speakers’ outer He couldn’t. of Hi-Fi News’s Analogue Test LP (HFN
side panels, and reaching high toward On the subway, I said to Sphere, “If 002), the 2002 reissue of that maga-
the ceiling in front of me. The just- forced to distinguish between what zine’s original Test Record. I don’t usu-
installed Lyra placed the musicians Lyra and Koetsu bring to any music- ally optimize antiskating for the navi-
on that stage with uncanny preci- listening party, I would say that the gation of highly modulated grooves—I
sion: some were 6’ tall and standing Lyra Etna SL is more spatially descrip- believe it leads to over-biasing, causes
conspicuously in front of the speakers. tive, but less accurately toned, than the uneven wear of the stylus; but for the
I could sense the walls of Columbia’s Koetsu Rosewood Standard presently sake of this column, I wanted to feel
famous 30th Street Studios. (Except in my system.” confident that inconsistent tracking
for their woofers, the Alta Hestias are In my mind, neither cartridge would not prejudice my comparisons.
open-baffled dipoles, which undoubt- sounds warm, cool, romantic, or ana- All three cartridges were connected
edly contributed to the spectacular lytical. Both deliver copious amounts to Tavish Design’s Adagio tubed phono
soundstage.) The sound was not only of pleasure and insight. The Lyra Etna SL stage, with the necessary additional
supersized, it was moving, exciting, delivers these estimable qualities with gain provided by an appropriate step-
and alive. overtly sculpted forms, precise spatial up transformer. The latter included the
As I listened, I silently speculated: coordinates, and understated color—I EMT-specific version of the Audito-
What does it take to make a system call this sort of sound linear, mascu- rium 23, the Bob’s Devices CineMag
image like this? Then my friend line, designo. In my system, the Koetsu 1131, Dynavector’s SUP-200, and my
Sphere whispered in my ear, “The Rosewood Standard delivered pleasure old workhorse, an EMIA Phono trans-
sound is frickin’ amazing!” Moments and insight via supple drawing, highly former wound with a 1:10 ratio and
later, he whispered again: “But the textured forms, palpable atmosphere, supplied in its pre-weathered “Drug-
system sounds cool—right?” and a more saturated tonal palette—a Through-the-Hudson” casework—as
“Compared to what?” I whispered sound I shorthand as painterly, femi- well as the Adagio’s internal Jensen
back. nine, colorito. JT-44K-DX MC step-up transformer.
“To your Koetsu!” He was referring I returned home, inspired, and The rest of the system consisted of
to Koetsu’s Rosewood Standard MC began writing this account of three the PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium
cartridge. extraordinary moving-coil cartridges, preamplifier feeding a Pass Labora-
As we trudged through slush to each with a unique sound: the EMT tories XA25 stereo amplifier driving
the subway, Sphere explained how, TSD 75 SFL ($1990), the Miyajima the Harbeth Monitor 30.2 speakers
in audio, there is a spectrum of audio Laboratory Saboten ($2475), and the reviewed elsewhere in this issue.
colorations, with Lyra cartridges on the Koetsu Rosewood Standard ($3495).
cool, analytical side, and Koetsus on Each, in its own way, delivered a ma- EMT TSD 75 SFL
the warm, romantic side. He finished jority of the pleasure and insight of the Elektro-Mess-Technik (EMT) was
his spiel with “Neutrality is somewhere best cartridges at any price. founded in Germany in 1940, to
in the middle.” I listened to each MC on both the manufacture test instruments. The
I told Sphere I understood what AMG Giro G9 record player and on name alone tells you more than I could
he was saying, but I rejected that type my Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with ever explain about the engineering and
of comparison. “Of course Lyras and SME M2-9 tonearm, and took consid- manufacturing prowess of this maker
Koetsus sound different—all cartridges erable care in getting their styli seated of turntables, tonearms, and phono
sound different!” As he rolled his eyes, comfortably and effectively in the slots
1 See Jim Austin’s review of the Alta Hestia in the
I continued: “But that’s no reason to of black discs. I adjusted their vertical January 2017 issue: www.stereophile.com/content/
suggest that either of these exotic car- tracking angles (VTAs) and stylus rake alta-audio-hestia-titanium-loudspeaker.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 39

 GRAMOPHONE DREAMS
cartridges. For 30 years I’ve
pined and whined for the cool-
est turntable on the planet, the
EMT 927. Unfortunately, Santa
never brought me one.
But I’m happy now, listening
to LPs whose grooves are being
measured by EMT’s 75th-anni-
versary MC cartridge, the TSD
75 SFL ($2150).
What took me so long to
join EMT’s phonography party
was my longstanding love/
hate, yes/no relationship with
conical styli, which I ignorantly
assumed all EMT cartridges
possessed. But I’ve studied
EMT’s entire line of products,
and now I know better. They still
make the coolest-looking, most seri-
ous, professional-style tonearms and
phono stages, plus massive amounts of
diverse, exotic MC cartridges—only a
few of which have conical styli. They
even make a CD player—but, sadly, no
more turntables.
The TSD 75 weighs 12gm, is of
high compliance (12x6–6cm/dyne), has
an output impedance of 24 ohms, and
generates 1mV output. I’ve been load-
ing it almost exclusively with Audito-
rium 23’s SUT.
Antony and the Johnsons’ I Am a
Bird Now (LP, Secretly Canadian SC
105) is as tonally complex and informa-
tionally dense as any recording I know,
presenting itself as a finely articulated
vibrating wavefront of poetic human
expression. Cartridges that generalize,
blur, or overstate this album’s densely
encoded data erase the entire point of
its deeply felt ballads. To its extreme
credit, the TSD 75 SFL recovered
every tiny, bending, quivering tone and
every subtle inflection of Anoh-
ni’s (aka Antony) voice, which
is sometimes double- or even
triple-tracked. When Anohni
changed rhythms on her piano,
the TSD 75 SFL revealed each
shift as a distinct, observable
bending of momentum and
shift in musical intent. The
TSD 75 SFL reproduced I Am
a Bird Now with what seemed
a unique ability to reveal not
only minuscule sounds and
rhythm changes and micro-
scopic textures, but also how
the recording was conceived
and executed.
Consider the majesty of the
London Ambrosian Singers and the
Vienna Renaissance Players, directed
by John McCarthy, chanting, singing,
and playing in the 13th-century Cathe-
dral of Notre Dame in Reims, France.
Imagine hearing every singer’s breath
and, during each pause, visually track-
ing the thick clouds of reverberation
as they expand toward the stone walls,
reflect off those walls, and describe the
volume of the nave. I could occasional-
ly sense the height of the microphones.
The ability to observe these phenome-

na in grainless, sharp-focus 3D, is what
made Guillaume de Machaut’s Notre
Dame Mass (LP, Nonesuch H-71184)
sound so tangible and emotionally
accessible with the EMT TSD 75 SFL.
I mention this recording in particular
because neither of the other cartridges
dug deeper or recovered more of the
vibratory essence of Machaut’s finest
sacred composition, performed in a
cathedral where, in the 14th century,
Machaut himself must have heard it.
Over the past six months the TSD
75 SFL has proven a perfect match for
the AMG Giro G9 record player and
in particular its 9W2 tonearm. It may
look like a snowplow, but in the 9W2
the TSD 75 SFL was faster than light-
ning, punched like a boxer, and sang
like a siren. Its tone was a little pale,
but it excelled at rhythm and texture.
It pointed out melodies better than any
cartridge I know. Connected primarily
to the Auditorium 23 SUT, the EMT
TSD 75 SFL has become my everyday
reference cartridge.
KOETSU ROSEWOOD STANDARD
Koetsu’s Rosewood line comprises
four models: the Signature Platinum
($7495), the Signature ($4995), the
Mono ($3495), and the Standard
($3495). I chose the Standard, thinking
it would be more ukiyo (anti-bourgeois
world of dreams and sensuous play),
less Imperial Palace than Koetsu’s more
expensive Rosewoods. All four are
moving-coils with a rosewood body,
a 0.4mV output, a mass of 9gm, an
output impedance of 5 ohms, samari-
um-cobalt magnets (the Platinum has
platinum magnets), boron cantilevers,
hyperelliptical stylus tips, and a low
dynamic compliance of 5x6–6cm/dyne.
GRAMOPHONE DREAMS
When I returned home from that
snowy evening at Rhapsody Music, I
immediately played a reissue of Elling-
ton’s Blues in Orbit (Columbia/Music
On Vinyl MOVLP443) with the
Koetsu Rosewood Standard (connected
to the EMIA Audio SUT) and the
Harbeth Monitor 30.2 speakers. The
Koetsu-Harbeth combo seemed only
slightly warmer in tone than the Lyra-
Alta pairing. The Koetsu generated a
vivid soundstage that was beautiful to
behold, but nowhere near as enor-
mous as what I’d experienced with the
Alta Titanium Hestias and Lyra Etna
SL. But! The Harbeth-Koetsu sound
was considerably more supple—less
android, more human. The musi-
cians were shorter, but there was
something akin to human flesh inside
their outlines. Through the Alta-Etna
system, the space around the players
felt unnaturally vacant. In contrast, the
Koetsu Rosewood generated a sense
of charged energy moving the air that
surrounded the musicians.
The Alta-Etna’s big-room sound
was a wide-eyed audiophile spectacu-
lar. But so what? In my small room,
the Koetsu-Harbeth combo deliv-
ered its own brand of tight imaging,
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coupled with heaps of slam-dance
excitement. Most impressive was
how the Koetsu exposed extremely
subtle, almost subliminal instrumental
textures—eg, xylophone wood, snare
wires, piano-hammer felt—while
making nearly imperceptible changes
in these instruments’ tonalities seem
beautiful and important. More than
the Miyajima Saboten or EMT
TSD 75 SFL, the Koetsu Rosewood
Standard delivered what felt like a mi-
croscopic, LSD-type view of musicians
playing their instruments.
It wasn’t difficult, but I actually had
to learn to enjoy the EMT TSD 75
SFL—whereas, in my 100 years, I have
never experienced any Koetsu, mine or
a friend’s, that didn’t give me pleasure
just by being there, screwed onto the
end of a nice tonearm and playing re-
MIYAJIMA LABORATORY SABOTEN
People sometimes ask, “Herb, what’s
your favorite DAC?”
Snarky and sarcastic, I can’t resist the
truth: “I like really tiny ones, made of
rosewood, African Blackwood, Cam-
eroonian ebony . . .”—or, like Miyajima
Laboratory’s new Saboten phono car-
tridge, of extremely hard lignum vitae,
which my dictionary defines as “the
very hard heavy wood of any of several
tropical American guaiacums.” If the
aforementioned DAC is equipped with
a bamboo cantilever like Miyajima’s
Madake, or a cactus-spine cantilever
like their Saboten (saboten is Japanese
for cactus), then words like earthy, natu-
ral, and organic start floating through
my mind—and well they should. As
I always say, “Everything sounds like
what it’s made of . . .” Even DACs.
Like all Miyajima cartridges, the
Saboten is a low-output MC that
employs the cross-ring generator de-
signed by Noriyuki Miyajima. Instead
of a cantilever held in position by the
conventional taut wire tied through
a perpendicularly wound, iron-cored
armature positioned ahead of the
cantilever’s fulcrum, Miyajima’s cross-
ring strategy positions an armature of
nonmagnetic resin wound precisely
and circularly around the cantilever’s ful-
crum. By replacing the armature’s iron
core with a nonmagnetic material and
centering the coil over the fulcrum,
Miyajima believes he has increased the
symmetry and linearity of the relation-
ship of moving coil to magnetic field. I
suspect he is correct.
The Saboten’s cantilever is an
stereophile.com Q April 2018
cords. Unfortunately, it had been more
than 20 years since I last had one in
my system. So it was no surprise that
when I played a fresh copy of Edgard
Varèse’s Poème électronique (six-eye LP,
Columbia Masterworks MS 6146), I
immediately realized that this cartridge
is my ex-lover—the one I should never
have left, and now, maybe, the one I
can’t live without.
Varèse created this ebullient, eight-
minute-long recording himself, directly
on magnetic tape, for the Le Corbus-
ier–designed Philips Radio Corpora-
tion pavilion at Expo 58, the Brussels
World’s Fair of 1958. Obviously, Poème
électronique was composed to inspire fu-
turistic feelings in an international au-
dience—which it does very well. Less
obvious or remembered is that Poème
was composed to be projected, by no
aluminum pipe with a cactus-
spine tip, to which is affixed
an elliptical stylus. Despite its
hardwood body and chunky
look, the Saboten weighs only
8.4gm and has a medium com-
pliance of 9x10–6cm/dyne, an
output impedance of 15 ohms,
and a relatively low output of
0.18mV.
Audiophiles who believe
that analog is inferior to digital
have never owned a great
cartridge. Likewise, LP-cling-
ers who ignore digital have
never owned a great DAC.
Of course, we’ve all heard
inexpensive phono cartridges
that sound like Satan tied to the end of
a stick, and countless run-of-the-mill
DACs that sound like monkeys on
crack—but when either type of source
is truly superb, you get angels hover-
ing, singing lullabies.
And that is what Hungarian mezzo-
soprano Julia Hamari sounded like
singing two song cycles by Béla Bartók,
Opp. 15 and 16, with pianist Konrad
Richter on the superbly recorded Vil-
lage Scenes (LP, Deutsche Grammophon
2530 405). These songs are lyrical and
innovative in the extreme, the plainly
structured Hungarian folk melodies
executed in highly dissonant sonorities.
The effect seems gentle at first, but in
the end is fierce and spellbinding. The
Miyajima Saboten was made for music
like Bartók’s and singers like Hamari.
That little sprig of cactus at the end
of the Saboten’s cantilever could be
why higher female voices sounded so
GRAMOPHONE DREAMS
fewer than 400 loudspeakers, onto
the series of hyperbolic and parabolic
curves that formed the stomach-like
interior of the Philips pavilion. It’s best
to imagine Poème as a kind of terror-
inducing shock-and-awe presentation,
with lots of bells, gongs, and muttering
human voices, the effects of which
are impossible to reproduce with a
home stereo—it was never meant to
be experienced from the comfort of
an armchair. Nevertheless, the Koetsu
Rosewood Standard projected Varèse’s
fierce experiment out into the room,
around, in front of, and behind the
speakers, with fantastically good tone
and high-relief textures. The Koetsu
let the Varèse fill my listening room,
conveying the work’s unusual spirit
better than any of the other cartridges
in this survey.
pure and naturally toned. Quantities
of never-before-revealed microtones
made Hamari’s voice seem more
lifelike than I imagined possible from
a humble stereo system. The vibra-
tional corpus of her singing had an
indescribably genuine quality that kept
me riveted to the abstractness of these
Bartók songs. Hamari’s topmost octave
was liquid and succinct in a way that
neither the Koetsu nor the EMT could
match. From about 300Hz to 8kHz,
the Saboten felt so dialed in and true
of tone that it made Hamari’s chest,
throat, and lips into a tangible feminine
presence.
Likewise Richter’s piano: I have
never heard digital capture the full
authentic tone weight or texture of a
piano. No DAC I know has exposed
felt-covered wooden hammers striking
metal strings tautly suspended over
large soundboards as the Saboten did
with this recording. Easily and beauti-
43
 GRAMOPHONE DREAMS
fully, the Miyajima Saboten brought all
these aural intimacies to the forefront
of my awareness.
The aesthetic core of my experience
of the Saboten comprised its grainless,
liquid transparency, its unique sense
of intimacy, and its decidedly tactile
focus on vibrating acoustic surfaces.
All of it drew me in and held me close
to the music.
In “Southbound,” from Doc Watson
On Stage (LP, Vanguard VSD 9/10),
Watson’s guitar strings were stretched
tangibly taut and were conspicuously
visible to my mind’s eye. As I surfed
Watson’s guitar rhythms, my thoughts
inspected his every move. The Miyajima
made me feel I was looking through the
microphones as if they were telescopes:
at the top of Watson’s guitar, up the
instrument’s neck, and into his mouth
as he sang. This is just one example of
the captivating sense of intimacy and
tactility I referred to above.
Summary
The more I listened, the more descrip-
tive, sensual, and evocative these car-
tridges became. Each was distinguished
not by its weaknesses, but by its unique
strengths. In fact, their weaknesses
o r l d TURN YOUR NOISY RECORDS INTO
W iere! NEAR-MINT PRESSINGS
m
Prer
“[The SC-1] will be an extremely useful
product for many of us.”
—Michael Fremer, Stereophile/Analog Planet
were few, small, and difficult to notice.
Choosing only one of these car-
tridges could be an anxiety-provoking
enterprise. To help you think more
clearly about them, I’ve summarized
my observations: The Koetsu Rose-
wood Standard’s bass range was the
biggest, strongest, most exciting; the
EMT TSD 75 SFL’s was the tight-
est and most finely detailed; and the
Miyajima Laboratory Saboten’s was
exquisite but slightly unforceful. The
EMT’s midrange was the most detailed
but the least colorful, the Koetsu’s
the most dense and colorful, and the
Miyajima’s the most relaxed and trans-
parent. Overall, musical instruments
sounded most like themselves through
the Koetsu, choirs sounded most like
individual singers through the EMT,
and singers were scintillatingly real
with the Miyajima.
In Short: The EMT seemed the
highest resolving, the Koetsu the most
vivid, the Miyajima the most natural.
Each of these cartridges confirmed
my status as a lucky guy. Doing the
work for this month’s “Gramophone
Dreams” was the most pleasure I have
experienced as a Stereophile reviewer.
God bless analog! Q
SweetVinyl SugarCube SC-1
$1,999 (black or silver)
“The device removes clicks and pops, with no
degradation or artifacts that I could hear…”
—Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound
800-449-8333
When Herb Reichert ( STLetters@enthu-
siastnetwork.com) isn’t outside writing
in his bothy, he’s indoors playing records
in his bunker in Brooklyn’s hip Bedford-
Stuyvesant ’hood.
CONTACTS
EMT Studiotechnik
Industriestrasse 25
77972 Mahlberg, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)7825-879-47-0
Fax: +49 (0)7825-879-47-15
Web: www.emt-international.ch
US distributor: Tone Imports
Web: www.toneimports.com
Koetsu
Japan
US distributor: MoFi Distribution
1811 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue
Chicago, IL 60660
Tel: (800) 449-8333, (312) 433-0200
Fax: (312) 433-0011
Web: www.mofidistribution.com
Miyajima Laboratory
Japan
US distributor: Robyatt Audio
Web: www.robyattaudio.com
©2 017. A L L R I G H T S R E S E RV E D.

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PRESENTS
500
RECOMMENDED
COMPONENTS
2018
OMPONENTS LISTED HERE HAVE
been formally reviewed in Stereophile and
have been found to be among the best
available in each of four or five quality
classes. Whether a component is listed in
Class A or Class E, we highly recommend
its purchase.
Each listing—in alphabetical order with-
in classes—is followed by a brief descrip-
tion of the product’s sonic characteristics
and a code indicating the Stereophile
Volume and Issue in which that product’s
report appeared. Thus the May 2017 issue
is indicated as “Vol.40 No.5.”
Some products listed have not yet been
reported on; these are marked (NR), for
“Not Reviewed.” We recommend that you
read any product’s entire review before seriously contemplating a purchase (prod-
ucts without reviews should therefore be treated with more caution)—many salient
characteristics, peculiarities, and caveats appear in the reviews, but not here. To obtain
back issues of the magazine, visit our website: www.stereophile.com. We regret that we
cannot supply photocopies or e-mail copies of individual reviews. All full reviews are
reprinted in our website “Archives” section: these are marked “WWW.” More are added
each week, so check the on-line listing.
In general, components do not remain listed for more than three years unless at
least one of the magazine’s writers and editors has had continued experience with
them. Discontinuation of a model also precludes its appearance. In addition, though
stereophile.com Q April 2018
professional components—recorders, am-
plifiers, monitor speaker systems—can be
obtained secondhand and can sometimes
offer performance that would otherwise
guarantee inclusion, we do not gener-
ally do so. Stereophile’s “Recommended
Components” listing is almost exclusively
concerned with products currently avail-
able in the US through the usual hi-fi retail
outlets.
HOW RECOMMENDATIONS
ARE DETERMINED
The ratings given components included
in this listing are based entirely on
performance—ie, accuracy of reproduc-
tion—and are biased to an extent by our
feeling that things added to reproduced
sound (eg, jitter, distortion, colorations
of various kinds) are of more concern
to the musically oriented listener than
are things subtracted from the sound
(eg, deep bass or extreme treble). On
the other hand, components markedly
deficient in one or more respects are
downrated to the extent that their defi-
ciencies interfere with the full realization
of the program material.
We try to include in “Recommended
Components” every product that we
have found to be truly excellent or that
we feel represents good value for money.
Bear in mind that many different tastes
are represented. The listing is compiled
after consultation with Stereophile’s
reviewing staff and editors, and takes
into account continued experience of
a product after the formal review has
been published. In particular, we take
account of unreliability and defects that
show up after extended auditioning. The
fact that a product received a favorable
review cannot therefore be regarded as a
guarantee that it will continue to appear
in this listing.
The prices indicated are those current
at the time the listing was compiled
(January 2018). We cannot guarantee
that any of these prices will be the same
by the time this issue of Stereophile
appears in print.
There is a near-universal consensus
that at some point in the upward climb
of component prices, severely diminish-
ing returns (performance versus price)
set in. However, there is no agreement
as to the exact price level at which that
takes place. Where we have found a
product to perform much better than
might be expected from its price, we
have drawn attention to it with a $$$
next to its listing. We also indicate, with
a +, products that have been on this list
47
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TURNTABLES TONEARMS
in one incarnation or another since the
“Recommended Components” listing in
Vol.38 No.4 (April 2015). Longevity in a
hi-fi component is rare enough that we
think it worth noting (although it can
also indicate that the attention of design
engineers has moved elsewhere).
We are not sympathetic toward letters
complaining that the Symphonic Bom-
bast A-123 that we recommended heart-
ily two years ago no longer makes it into
“Recommended Components.” Where
deletions are made, we endeavor to give
reasons (there are always reasons). But
remember: Deletion of a component
HOW TO USE THE LISTINGS
The classes each cover a wide range of performance. Carefully read our
descriptions here, the original reviews, and (heaven forbid) reviews in other
magazines to put together a short list of components to choose from. Evaluate
your room, your source material and front-end(s), your speakers, and your
tastes. With luck, you may come up with a selection to audition at your favorite
dealer(s). “Recommended Components” will not tell you what to buy any
more than Consumer Reports would presume to tell you whom to marry!
CLASS A
Best attainable sound for a
component of its kind, almost without
practical considerations; “the least
musical compromise.” A Class A
system is one for which you don’t
have to make a leap of faith to believe
that you’re hearing the real thing. With
Super Audio CD, DVD-Audio, and Hi-
Rez PCM and DSD files now available,
we have created a new Class, A+, for
the best performance in those digital
categories. Class A now represents
the best that can be obtained from
the conventional 16/44.1 CD medium.
We also created Class A+ categories
for turntables and phono preamps.
CLASS B
The next best thing to the very
best sound reproduction; Class B
components generally cost less than
those in Class A, but most Class B
components are still quite expensive.
CLASS C
Somewhat lower-fi sound, but far
more musically natural than average
home-component high fidelity;
products in this class are of high
quality but still affordable.
CLASS D
Satisfying musical sound, but
48
PHONO CARTRIDGES PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
from this list does not invalidate a buy-
ing decision you have made.
Individual reviewers mentioned by
their initials are: John Atkinson, Jim Aus-
tin (JCA), Paul Bolin, Lonnie Brownell,
Martin Colloms, Brian Damkroger, Rob-
ert Deutsch, Art Dudley, Michael Fremer,
Larry Greenhill, Jon Iverson, Fred Kaplan,
Michael Lavorgna, Erick Lichte, John
Marks, Stephen Mejias, Paul Messenger,
Ken Micallef, Thomas J. Norton, Wes
Phillips, Herb Reichert, Bob J. Reina, Kal-
man Rubinson, Markus Sauer, Jonathan
Scull (J-10), Jason Victor Serinus, Chip
Stern, and Sam Tellig.
these components are either of
significantly lower fidelity than the
best available, or exhibit major
compromises in performance—
limited dynamic range, for example.
Bear in mind that appearance
in Class D still means that we
recommend this product—it’s
possible to put together a musically
satisfying system exclusively from
Class D components.
CLASS E
Applying to “Loudspeakers,” these are
entry-level products.
CLASS K
“Keep your eye on this product.”
Class K is for components that
we have not reviewed (or have not
finished testing), but that we have
reason to believe may be excellent
performers. We are not actually
recommending these components,
only suggesting you give them a
listen. Though the report has yet to
be published in certain cases, the
reviewer and editor sometimes feel
confident enough that the reviewer’s
opinion is sufficiently well formed
to include what otherwise would be
an entry in one of the other classes,
marked (NR)
TURNTABLES
Editor’s Note: We strongly recommend those interested
in LP playback visit our sister website, www.AnalogPlanet.
com, which is edited by Michael Fremer.
A+
TECHDAS AIR FORCE ONE: $105,000 PLUS
TONEARM +
“A visually stunning technological tour de force,” the 174-
lb Air Force One has a three-layer-damped aluminum
chassis, a forge-processed stainless-steel platter, and
a massive AC synchronous motor controlled by an out-
board dual-50W amplifier. The platter uses an air bear-
ing; LPs are held to the platter with vacuum suction. The
review sample was equipped with a Graham Engineering
Phantom II Supreme tonearm. Though it didn’t sound as
smooth as the Continuum Caliburn or the Onedof One
Degree of Freedom, the Air Force One was sensational in
terms of harmonics, space, texture, and microdynamics,
said Mikey. “The TechDAS Air Force One was a sonic mas-
terpiece,” he concluded. (Vol.36 No.4, Vol.39 No.4)
VPI CLASSIC DIRECT TURNTABLE: $30,000
INCLUDING TONEARM +
A brand-new, US-made direct-drive turntable—in the 21st
Century? Believe it. For VPI’s Classic Direct, designer
Harry Weisfeld selected a $4000 (his cost) Thin Gap
motor, servo-controlled by a custom-designed active-
feedback loop, which he combined with an 18-lb platter
machined from a single billet of aluminum. The platter
and drive system (combined weight: 27 lbs) are snugged
into an aluminum-and-MDF plinth measuring 23.5" wide
by 17.5" deep. To this, Weisfeld has mated a version of his
tried-and-true JMW unipivot tonearm updated in both
mechanical design and materials choice, this one a seam-
less resin creation whose existence would not have been
possible even five years ago. Referring to his longtime
reference ‘table-arm combination, MF observed that “the
Classic Direct with its JMW Memorial 3D-printed 12" tone-
arm comes as close to the [Continuum] Caliburn’s sound
as has any turntable, and for less than one-fifth the price.”
Quibbles: MF wondered if even greater performance could
be had with a more sophisticated plinth, and lacked en-
thusiasm for the model’s peripheral platter clamp. (Vol.37
Nos. 5 & 6 WWW)
A
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE ASCONA MK.2: $33,995
At the heart of the “massive yet surprisingly compact”
Ascona Mk.2 belt-drive turntable are separate upper
and lower chassis, both machined from aluminum; the
lower chassis is home to three electronically controlled
AC motors, while the upper holds an adjustable tonearm
support, a platter bearing with a Tidorfolon thrust plate,
and an appropriately massive platter fitted with 30 brass
damping cylinders: Acoustic Signature’s signature Silenc-
ers. After using the Ascona Mk.2 with his SAT tonearm and
with the 9" version of Acoustic Signature’s own TA-9000
arm, MF found the turntable to be “pleasingly rich in the
midrange and delicately drawn in terms of attack, sustain,
and decay” of notes. MF concluded that the “ingeniously
designed, superbly machined and constructed” Ascona
Mk.2 distinguished itself by excelling “where music lives—
in the midrange,” although its overall performance was
“on the polite side.” In 2017, Acoustic Signature applied
to the Ascona Mk.2 some refinements that MF described
as “audible, measurable, and significant,” and which the
company offers free of charge to those who’ve already
purchased the earlier version. In particular, the interface
between the upper and lower chassis has been upgraded
to a magnetic-repulsion system that “floats” the former,
for greater isolation, and the single drive belt has been re-
placed by three belts, each of a different Shore hardness.
The results, per Mikey, are greater speed consistency and
“far more substantial” bass. (Vol.39 No.12, Vol.40 No.7)
AMG GIRO G9: $10,000 WITH TONEARM
The Giro G9 is an AMG Giro turntable bundled with the
same company’s 9W2 tonearm (see elsewhere in Rec-
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
ommended Components). The turntable comprises a
1.75"-thick Delrin platter whose bearing is mounted on a
circular aluminum plinth, itself 1.5" thick. The Swiss-made
AC motor is electronically controlled, with switch-select-
able speeds of 33 1/3 and 45rpm. That motor isn’t out-
wardly visible—at first glance, the Giro might be mistaken
for a direct-drive turntable—but is hidden underneath,
driving the platter from a point inside its rim by means of
a thin rubber belt. According to HR, the “Apollonian” Giro
G9 was “completely adept at recovering and sorting out
complex music”; he praised in particular its “detailed”
and “well articulated” bass. Herb recommends avoiding
lean, analytical-sounding cartridges, including AMG’s
own Teatro—his best results with the Giro G9 were with
the notably colorful EMT TSD 75—and advises the user
to consider upgrading the AMG player with a third-party
isolation base. (Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
AUDIO UNION DÖHMANN HELIX 1: $40,300
Designed by Mark Döhmann, who headed the design team
at Continuum Audio and now works under the auspices of
Bulgaria-based Audio Union, the belt-drive Döhmann He-
lix 1 was intended to achieve the same goals as the well-
regarded Continuum Caliburn turntable, but at a far lower
cost. Incorporating a CNC-machined aluminum-alloy
plinth that itself weighs 100 lbs, the Helix 1 also makes use
of a Negative Stiffness isolation platform, a high-torque
motor with a software-based control system, a 30-lb
metal-and-thermoplastic platter with a permanently
installed damping mat, and a screw-on record clamp (a
retrofittable vacuum hold-down system is in the works).
The CB features a carbon-fiber armtube and ultralow-
friction hybrid ceramic bearings that include internal
magnetic damping of horizontal motion. MF praised the
Schröder CB tonearm as a “strong performer for $4000,
or even more,” and also evaluated the Helix 1 turntable
with his reference SAT tonearm—an experience that led
him to declare that “the Helix lets the music erupt (as I
wrote about the Caliburn 11 years ago).” Mikey concluded:
“Had I installed the Helix 1 in the same 2005 system that
provided the context for the Continuum, I’d have written
about it what I felt about the Caliburn: ‘no turntable in my
experience comes close to its sonic performance and you
are guaranteed to hear your favorite demo LPs, indeed all
of your LPs, as you’ve never before heard them.’” (Vol.40
No.3)
BRINKMANN BALANCE: $25,990 +
The ready-to-play Brinkmann Balance is a plinthless ‘ta-
ble with an attractive, low-profile base available in a vari-
ety of sizes and configured for specified tonearm masses.
Its high-tech feet are designed to effectively isolate the
supporting base from horizontally and vertically induced
vibrations, and its platter’s speed can run at precisely
33.3 and 45rpm. The Balance combined “deep, tight,
articulate” bass performance with “the lightest, airiest,
purest” soundstages to breathe new life into MF’s favorite
LPs, adding “greater holography of imaging but without
etch.” Recent upgrades include a new motor and new
power-supply electronics. Adding Brinkmann’s optional
RöNt tubed power supply ($4300) produced cleaner, bet-
ter-articulated mid- and high-frequency transients, said
MF. “The Brinkmann Balance remains one of a handful of
the finest turntables being made today.” Brinkmann 12.1
tonearm adds $7500, Brinkmann EMT-ti cartridge adds
$4300. (Vol.28 No.5; Vol.35 No.4 WWW)
BRINKMANN SPYDER: $14,990 AND UP
WITHOUT TONEARM
Offered as a replacement for Brinkmann’s previous next-
to-best turntable, the La Grange, the company’s Spyder
is a belt-drive turntable with a somewhat modular design,
built around a small aluminum stand that holds the same
heated platter bearing used in Brinkmann’s top model,
the Balance. The stand can accommodate up to four of
the Spyder’s massive aluminum tonearm bases (one
base is included; extras are $3000 each), and a similarly
massive outboard pod contains Brinkmann’s own AC mo-
tor, the Sinus. A solid-state power supply for the motor
comes standard; a tubed supply, the RöNt II, is a $4300
option. Partnered with Brinkmann’s new 12.1 tonearm, the
“slightly warm”–sounding Brinkmann Spyder lacked the
stereophile.com Q April 2018
PHONO CARTRIDGES
very last word in weight and drive, but impressed MF with
its “authoritative dynamics, an especially strong sense
of musical flow, and backgrounds so ‘black’ that I often
thought I’d selected the wrong input when . . . I unmuted
the preamp.” MF concluded that the combination of “inno-
vative, flexible, upgradable design, quality manufacturing,
careful attention to small but important details—and out-
standing sound—make the Brinkmann Spyder with 12.1
tonearm easy to recommend.” (Vol.38 No.5)
BRINKMANN BARDO: $8990 WITHOUT
TONEARM +
The Bardo is a direct-drive, suspensionless turntable
with an eight-pole, speed-controlled motor. It has a vinyl
platter mat, a polished granite base, and the superbly
designed and machined spindle and bearing used in
Brinkmann’s more expensive Oasis, La Grange, and Bal-
ance models. Fit’n’finish were outstanding, and setup was
quick and simple. Though it lacked the rich, deep bass
of Brinkmann’s more expensive ‘tables, the Bardo “pro-
duced superbly well-organized sound with clean, sharp at-
tacks, reasonably strong sustain, and pronounced decay,
all against a jet-black backdrop,” said Mikey. Precision-
ground crystal platter mat and screw-down record clamp
now included in price; optional Balance power supply
adds $1490. (Vol.34 No.5 WWW)
DR. FEICKERT ANALOGUE FIREBIRD: $10,995
While it isn’t the first commercial turntable with a three-
motor drive system—that would be the original Voyd,
of 1987—the Feickert Firebird is probably the first such
product whose motors are synchronized by means of a
custom phase-locked loop (PLL) feedback circuit. Nor
is that the Firebird’s only claim to fame: Dr. Christian
Feickert’s top-of-the-line turntable also boasts a newly
redesigned inverted platter bearing, a 13-lb platter made
of polyoxymethylene (aka POM, and said to have charac-
teristics similar to those of vinyl itself) embedded with
eight solid-brass damping cylinders, and provisions for
two tonearms up to 12" in length. Reviewed by MF with his
own 11" Kuzma 4Point tonearm, the Firebird provided “a
sensation of gliding smoothness and a sophistication of
leading-edge transients. It avoided rough, hard edges as
well as oversmoothed transients, but it definitely leaned
toward the latter.” His conclusion: “I greatly enjoyed my
months of listening with it.” (Vol.39 No.3)
KUZMA STABI M WITH 4POINT 14 INCH
TONEARM: $28,220 AND UP
In contrast with other Kuzma turntables, the plinth of the
Stabi M exists as two separate components: a massive
aluminum frame and a no less massive aluminum inner
platform, the latter elastically isolated from the former.
The large, high-torque DC motor is contained within a
brass housing, the three-piece platter combines two
aluminum discs with an acrylic damping plate, and the
swappable armboard is “one of the thickest, most mas-
sive aluminum armboards” ever seen by MF, who reviewed
the 132-lb Stabi M (it costs $19,225 on its own) with the
Kuzma 4Point 14 Inch tonearm ($8995–$10,270, depend-
ing on wiring options). Mikey observed that “the Stabi
M’s freedom from obvious colorations was very good,
bass control and extension were exceptionally good, and
macrodynamics were very, very good. Want slam? You got
it!” But he felt that the colossal Kuzma combo “exhibited
less bloom and ease of musical expression” compared
with more expensive players of his acquaintance. (Vol.39
No.11)
ORACLE DELPHI MK.VI SECOND GENERATION:
$8300 WITHOUT TONEARM
In 2010, MF described the Oracle Delphi—which had just
made the leap to Mk.VI status—as being “among the best-
looking turntables ever made.” The Delphi’s aluminum
subchassis had been made thicker and heavier for im-
proved resonance control, and its spindle-bearing screws
had been improved for greater accuracy and tighter toler-
ances. In addition, the Delphi Mk.VI featured a Micro Vibra-
tion spring-suspended subchassis claimed to offset any
lateral and/or vertical microdisplacements while isolating
the turntable from footfalls. Matched with the Lyra Helikon
SL phono cartridge, the Delphi produced fast transients, a
supple midrange, and deep, focused bass. “A formidable
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
TONEARMS TURNTABLES
contender in and well beyond its price class,” said MF. In
2015, Oracle took the Mk.VI Delphi to Second Generation
status, occasioned by improved onboard drive electronics
(for higher motor torque), a vibration-damping urethane
sleeve for the platter bearing, a two-piece platter, and im-
provements in its optional Turbo power supply. (The Turbo
adds $850 to the price, or can be separately purchased
for $1150.) AD found the latest Delphi to be a fine all-
arounder, with good timing and momentum, if not quite
the same level of drive as experienced with idler-drive
players: “I won’t be leaving my [Garrard 301 or Thorens
TD 124] by the curb any time soon, but the Oracle Delphi
Mk.VI Second Generation entertained me and fulfilled me
in a way that most things don’t.” Oracle-SME tonearm
costs $6420. (Vol.33 No.3, Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
PALMER AUDIO 2.5: $8990 IN BALTIC BIRCH
WITHOUT TONEARM
As in the designs of the late Tom Fletcher, of Nottingham
Analogue, the British-built Palmer Audio 2.5 mates a mas-
sive (21 lbs) aluminum-alloy platter with an AC motor so
tiny and so low in torque that merely pushing the on/off
button on its outboard power supply won’t set the platter
spinning: The user must start it by hand. A hefty platter
bearing and a similarly hefty, cantilevered, rotatable arm
mount complete the picture. Installation, though not too
daunting, is not helped by disappointing documentation.
Used with the Audio Origami PU7 tonearm (with which it’s
often paired), the Palmer Audio 2.5 impressed MF with its
“attractive, velvety midband,” “black backgrounds,” and
“serenity and smooth musical flow.” Especially where the
PU7 is the intended partner, prospective owners are urged
by MF to consider cartridges that, in other settings, might
be considered on the lean side of neutral. Note that a spe-
cial version of the 2.5, the Palmer Audio 2.5-12, is avail-
able especially for use with 12" tonearms. HR tried the
Palmer–Audio Origami combo in 2017 and was won over,
observing of the Palmer 2.5 that a “constant sense of a
silent, invisible force was [its] core virtue,” and ultimately
buying the review samples. Later that year he enjoyed
pairing the Palmer turntable and Audio Origami arm with
the comparatively “analytical” AMG Teatro cartridge (see
elsewhere in Recommended Components). (Vol.37 No.11,
Vol.40 Nos.7 & 10)
PEAR AUDIO BLUE - KID THOMAS: $5995 +
From Pear Audio Analogue’s Blue line of products comes
the Slovenian-made Kid Thomas turntable, with its chunky
wooden plinth, massive platter, and very low-torque DC
motor: characteristics that betray no small influence from
the products of the late Tom Fletcher, founder of Notting-
ham Analogue. (Those qualities also put the Kid Thomas
in the same file folder as the Palmer 2.5, although Pear
Audio has the distinction of having received Fletcher’s di-
rect input and guidance.) Variations on the theme include:
the Kid Thomas’s double-layer plinth; thick, elastic damp-
ing rings on the platter’s outer edge; and the user’s ability
(for an additional $1995) to upgrade from the standard
wall wart to an external power supply made by Martin Bas-
tin, a specialist in same. Fitted with Pear Audio’s Cornet
2 tonearm, the Kid Thomas exhibited “a rich, expansive
midrange and a smooth, neutral tonal balance,” according
to MF. “[E]ven if a bit overprominent, that midrange was
something special, with black backgrounds and tape-like
musical flow and drive.” (Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
PTP AUDIO SOLID12: €2950 PLUS SHIPPING +
Made in the Netherlands by Peter Reinders, the Solid12
has a heavy Corian plinth and uses several reconditioned
components from original heavy-platter, idler-wheel Len-
cos: motors (along with their suspension cradles and wir-
ing blocks), platters, platter bearings, platter mats, idler
wheels, and idler-support mechanisms. Setup was simple
and straightforward. Combined with AD’s Thomas Schick
tonearm and Ortofon SPU cartridge, the Solid12 delivered
punch, drive, force, color, richness, and pure emotional
and visceral involvement. “The essential musical right-
ness and the sheer availability and affordability of PTP
Audio’s Solid12 can’t be overstated. If you want to know
what the idler-wheel fuss is all about, this may be the easi-
est and most affordable way to find out,” AD concluded.
In 2015, PTP introduced their proprietary Solid Bearing, a
49
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TURNTABLES TONEARMS PHONO CARTRIDGES
€250 retrofittable option that replaces the reconditioned
original Lenco bearing supplied as standard. AD revisited
the PTP by borrowing a Solid12 equipped with both the
new Solid Bearing and an optional set of SSC isolation feet
(€150), again pressing into service his own Schick tone-
arm; he was surprised to hear not just a minor improve-
ment, but an elevation of the Solid12’s core strengths of
believable touch and force, to a point where the player
was competitive with his Garrard 301 rig. His conclusion:
“I’d be delighted to live with one of these.” The improved
Solid12 is as close to a turnkey idler-drive ‘table as we’re
likely to see: ideal for vintage-savvy, non-DIY audiophiles.
(Vol.36 No.6, Vol.38 No.12, WWW)
REED MUSE 3C: $15,000
The question of belt vs friction drive is addressed by the
distinctively styled Reed Muse 3C, which can be ordered
in either mode—or, for an upcharge, in a version in which
the user can switch between the two, albeit not on the fly.
In friction-drive mode, two DC motors, each topped with
pliant rollers, make contact with and drive an aluminum-
alloy hub on which sits the 9-lb Delrin platter; in belt-drive
mode, the two rollers are replaced with pulleys, and the
user installs a belt and flips a toggle switch concealed
under the platter. Also included are two generously sized
armboards (12" tonearms are accommodated with ease),
a digitally controlled system for leveling the turntable,
and a stroboscopic speed-monitoring system built into
the 3C’s large, cylindrical, aluminum-alloy platter hous-
ing. Used with a Reed 3P tonearm and a Grado Lineage
Epoch cartridge, the friction-drive Muse 3C impressed
MF as “a most agreeable- and enjoyable-sounding record
player” with “great drive and authoritative speed stabil-
ity.” In belt-drive mode, the 3C had a more appealing way
with textures and spatial relationships, but its softer, less
taut bass “soon had me returning to the friction rollers.”
(Vol.40 No.11)
REGA RESEARCH RP10: $5495
(INCLUDING TONEARM)
Currently the top model in Rega’s turntable line—rumors
of the forthcoming five-figure Rega Naiad abound—the
RP10 is unflinching in its adherence to the company’s
long-held ideas about phonography: its plinth, made
of layers of hard phenolic resin sandwiching a core of
polyolefin foam, is very light and very rigid; its platter is
diamond-cut, for perfect accuracy and flatness, from a
heavily compressed ceramic-oxide powder; for speed sta-
bility and low noise, its 24V AC motor is crystal-controlled
by an outboard power supply; and its integral tonearm,
Rega’s RB2000, appears to offer a better-than-ever com-
bination of rigidity, controlled distribution of resonances,
and low bearing friction. The platter mat is white wool, the
twin drive belts are a white rubber-like polymer, and the
three-bolt cartridge-mounting scheme of the RB2000’s
headshell guarantees adherence to a quasi-Stevenson (as
opposed to Baerwald et al) cartridge-alignment scheme
when used with a Rega cartridge. Azimuth is nonadjust-
able, and arm height is adjustable only by means of shim-
ming the arm where it fastens to the RP10’s plinth. Within
a few hours of listening, it was clear to MF that “the Rega
RP10 competes with turntables costing well into five fig-
ures, especially in terms of detail retrieval, low coloration,
and total lack of mechanical artifacts.” His verdict: “the
RP10 is Rega Research’s best turntable to date.” (Vol.41
No.2)
SME 20/12A (INCLUDES 312S TONEARM):
$28,290; SME 20/12 (NO TONEARM): $23,495 +
“Among the best-built turntables in the world,” the SME
20/12 is a tank-like machine weighing more than 75 lbs.
It has an oversized 14.3-lb platter, and a 17.6-lb aluminum-
alloy subchassis secured by ten O-rings from each of four
suspension towers and will take 12" arms. Its three-phase,
eight-pole motor uses an electronic controller to achieve
precise speeds of 33.3, 45, and 78rpm. Though it lacked
the bottom-end weight and macrodynamic range of even
more expensive turntables, and had a slightly dry, ana-
lytical sound, the SME offered a very low noise floor and
stable image specificity, said MF. (Vol.32 No.5 WWW)
SME MODEL 15: $9795 (NO TONEARM)
Like their previous “budget” turntable, the Model 10,
50
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
SME’s Model 15 cuts corners—literally, as it’s built on a
circular plinth. The key difference is that the Model 15 is
also built with a circular subchassis, making it the most
affordable SME turntable to use the brand’s trademark
suspension system. The model 15’s 10-lb platter has
the same diamond-turned record-support surface as
the costlier SMEs, and the microprocessor-based out-
board controller for its Hall-effect motor is fine-tunable
for speed—and provides 78rpm, for shellacophiles. Our
review sample of the Model 15 was bundled with SME’s
309 SPD tonearm—the $9299 package is called the SME
Model 15A—and it impressed MF as “a canny distillation of
the company’s core values of manufacturing and sound.”
Noting the brand’s reputation for “somewhat overdamped
and thick” sound, MF observed that, while the combo
“wasn’t the last word in bottom-end extension and grip,
its bass performance was nimbler, and its top end airier”
than with costlier SME turntables. He concluded: “I rate
this combo a complete success.” (Vol.39 No.1)
SPERLING-AUDIO L-1: $35,950
WITHOUT TONEARM
With a total weight of about 110 lbs—the platter alone
weighs 60 lbs—the unabashedly beefy L-1 turntable from
Sperling-Audio, of Welver, Germany, is built on a V-shaped
plinth, both strokes of which contain an armboard incor-
porating a pair of eccentrically arranged circular plates:
lockable, lavishly calibrated, and adjustable for a wide
range of spindle-to-tonearm-pivot distances. The plinth is
layered—aluminum plates alternate with the customer’s
choice of slate, wood, or two different polymers—and sup-
ports a massive, inverted ball bearing for the aluminum-
alloy platter, the latter driven by a low-voltage DC motor
and a Mylar-tape belt. The record is supported on the
massive platter by eight wedge-shaped “exserts” that pre-
vent contact between vinyl and aluminum; MF questioned
this element of the design, and enlisted various record
weights and an intermediary record mat as a workaround.
In addition to praising the L-1’s “exquisite machining and
plating,” MF described the combination of Sperling-Audio
turntable and Kuzma 4Point tonearm as offering “solid,
stable imaging, clean and precise transient response, and
the dynamic slam and authority managed by only the best
turntables.” (Vol.38 No.8)
TECHDAS AIR FORCE TWO: $55,000
The Air Force Two retains most of the design distinctions
and features of TechDAS’s flagship model, the Air Force
One ($105,000): air bearing, outboard AC motor, air-
suspension supports, vacuum record hold-down, massive
plinth and platter. But the last two elements are less mas-
sive than in the One—the Two’s total weight is 103.4 lbs vs
the One’s 173.8 lbs—and the Two boasts a simpler plinth.
In his tests, MF found the Air Force Two to offer excellent
speed stability, immunity to extraneous disturbances, and
a degree of quietness that “helped deliver generous de-
cays into aural blackness.” MF also praised the Two’s “sen-
sational image stability and solidity,” and its all-around tal-
ent for coaxing him into staying up “way too late” listening
to records: “I loved the TechDAS Air Force Two. It’s among
the very finest turntables that I’ve reviewed, at any price.”
(Vol.38 No.11)
TECHDAS AIR FORCE III: $29,500
The TechDAS Air Force III—the company’s second-least-
expensive turntable—represents a whopping $75,500
savings over the company’s flagship model, the Air Force
One. Even so, the Air Force III costs a still-considerable
$29,500—a sum that gets you “all of the more expensive
model’s key features,” according to MF. Those features
include an air-bearing platter with vacuum record-clamp-
ing, structural provisions for mounting up to four tone-
arms, a quartz-controlled outboard AC motor, and a heavy
aluminum chassis. Per Mikey, setting up the Air Force III
wasn’t difficult, the biggest challenge being that the de-
sign’s nonstretch belt—a very deliberate design element
that harks back to the Micro-Seiki turntables of yore, from
which all TechDAS models are descended—requires very
precise positioning of the outboard motor. With every-
thing in place and a Graham Phantom III tonearm along
for the ride, the TechDAS Air Force III presented MF with
“rock-solid speed stability” and “an attractive but subtle
tonal warmth that was kindest to well-recorded strings
and women’s voices.” He summed up by describing the III
as “all the turntable most listeners will ever need.” (Vol.41
No.1)
VPI HRX: $15,000, WITH TONEARM +
Harry Weisfeld’s efforts to produce the ultimate TNT turn-
table include a plinth of acrylic-aluminum-acrylic lami-
nate, an inverted bearing assembly, the addition of a pe-
rimeter clamping ring, and replacement of the outboard
motor and flywheel with a single unit. Simpler, smaller,
more luxuriously appointed, and better built than the TNT,
the HR-X also eliminates the TNT’s pervasive warmth and
softened dynamic transients, to offer a much more neu-
tral overall presentation. BD: “The HR-X struck me as a
stable, inert, and nearly neutral platform that simply sup-
ports a cartridge and lets it do its job.” Price includes VPI’s
JMW-12.7 tonearm (see “Tonearms”). (Vol.29 No.5 WWW)
VPI CLASSIC SIGNATURE: $6000
WITH JMW 3D TONEARM +
Like earlier Classic models, VPI’s most recent design,
called the Classic at the time of review, is easy to set up,
relatively compact (22" W by 10" H by 16" D), and uses
a motor that has been integrated into its plinth. Refine-
ments over earlier models include a more massive, bet-
ter-damped plinth structure, newly designed feet, and an
18-lb damped aluminum platter. Though the Classic Sig
wasn’t as quiet as MF’s much more expensive Continuum
Caliburn and couldn’t match the rich midrange of Dr. Fe-
ickert’s Blackbird, the VPI had a clean, fast, lively sound
marked by masterful attacks, outstanding microdynam-
ics, and lifelike textures. “One of today’s great values in
analog audio,” concluded Mikey. “I don’t hear how you can
go wrong buying one.” Borderline Class A. Price includes
the new JMW-Classic tonearm. See “Tonearms.” (Vol.34
No.10 WWW)
B
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE TRIPLE X: $5795
Situated squarely in the middle of Acoustic Signature’s
turntable range, the Triple X sits on a very heavy plinth—76
lbs without platter—built up of layers of MDF, aluminum,
and steel. The platter adds another 24 lbs and is machined
from aluminum to a thickness of 1.95"; an 11"-diameter
area of its underside is recessed and filled with a lossy
damping sheet. The bearing is a 0.475"-diameter spindle
with a captured thrust ball, running inside an aluminum
brass bearing well fitted with a pair of bronze sleeves; the
thrust pad is made of a reportedly durable polymer called
Tidorfolon—something of an Acoustic Signature calling
card. The motor is AC synchronous and evidently of low
torque; speed-control electronics are built into the Triple
X’s plinth. In AD’s system, when used with a 12" sample
of AS’s TA-1000 tonearm, the Triple X “distinguished itself
with excellent clarity and poise, very good temporal per-
formance, and acceptably good touch, impact, and color,
presented with a good if not great sense of scale but bet-
ter than average spatial qualities.” (AD considered the ‘ta-
ble’s AC-1 accessory outboard power supply mandatory;
once a $250 option, the AC-1 is now described by Acoustic
Signature’s US distributor as standard equipment.) AD’s
conclusion: “Anyone considering the purchase of a more
expensive high-mass turntable owes it to himself/herself
to audition the Acoustic Signature Triple X before spend-
ing money on something else.” (Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE WOW XXL: $3195
Imagine an Acoustic Signature WOW XL turntable (see be-
low) with a platter that’s both 2 lbs heavier and fitted with
eight of AS’s vibration-damping “Silencers”: that’s the
WOW XXL. Compared with RD’s Linn LP12 record player,
the combination of WOW XXL and Acoustic Signature
TA-1000 tonearm produced greater dynamics and detail,
greater vitality in the sounds of brass instruments, and
more convincing reproduction of space. RD preferred the
sound of the AS player when he used it with a 2mm-thick
sample of the demurely named Herbie’s Way Excellent II
turntable mat ($59.99) and a Harmonic Resolutions ADL
record weight ($220). (Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE WOW XL: $2395
Described by HR as “the lowest-priced high-quality
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
turntable I know of that can be purchased with a blank
armboard,” the Acoustic Signature WOW XL is built on a
beveled MDF plinth to which is bonded a 7/16"-thick alumi-
num top plate. The XL’s 14-lb aluminum platter is damped
on its underside with a lossy material and is belt-driven
by an AC synchronous motor; at the center of it all is a
version of AS’s Tidorfolon-bottomed bearing that uses a
rounded-off spindle instead of a captured ball. Used with
a 9” Acoustic Signature TA-1000 tonearm (see below), the
WOW XL impressed HR by playing “every recording I chose
with balanced force, vivid color, and suave precision.” He
added that, although the WOW XL lacked the strong bass
and rhythmic aplomb of other turntables, its “perfect ac-
curacy of speed showcased the finer complexities of Bach
and Bartók.” (Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
ANALOGUEWORKS TT-ZERO: $1595
(WITH BLANK ARMBOARD)
If the importance of a product can be gauged by the
number of people who reproduce it, then the original
Spacedeck turntable, designed by Tom Fletcher and
manufactured by Nottingham Analogue, must be the
most important turntable of the past 30-odd years. The
most recent company to design and manufacture its take
on the Spacedeck formula—in which a heavy platter is
driven by a motor of such low torque that the user must
physically nudge the platter to start it spinning—is Ana-
logueWorks, a British company whose entry-level Zero
turntable, supplied with a Jelco SA-750 tonearm (price is
$2095 with tonearm), impressed HR. The Zero is built on
a birch-ply plinth, and has a low-torque AC motor topped
with a stepped pulley with separate grooves for 33 1/3 and
45rpm, and an aluminum platter whose bronze bearing
appears especially well engineered. Used with a variety
of cartridges, the Zero and SA-750 delighted Herb with
their “uniquely unhurried, understated brand of forward
momentum” and grainless trebles. The combo’s greatest
shortcoming: “an ever-so-slightly vacant midrange that...
forced me to peer into its depths in search of more tan-
gible bits of wood, metal, and flesh.” HR’s verdict: “Class B
sound at a low Class C price.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
G.E.M. DANDY POLYTABLE: $1695
(WITH JELCO SA-750D ARM)
A decidedly low-mass design, George Merrill’s PolyTable
turntable has a one-piece, more or less round plinth made
of a hard polymer. Its platter and subplatter are ma-
chined from the same material, the former topped with
a rubber-cork compound mat. Fastened to the plinth are
three tall, adjustable feet, an oil-bath bearing for the plat-
ter spindle, and a tonearm board—which, in MF’s review
sample, was occupied by a Jelco SA-750D arm with a 9"
effective length, supplied with a decent-quality Audio-
Quest phono cable. (The PolyTable can also be had with a
Jelco SA-250D 9" arm for $1495, or a Jelco SA-750E arm
for $1895.) In use, the PolyTable ran about 0.3% fast—a
variable-speed motor controller, offered by GEM Dandy
for $690, was not used for our review—but exhibited good
speed stability. Sonically, the PolyTable offered “less-
than-full bass extension” that was, in MF’s view, “more
than made up for by its snappy, rhythmically engaging
pace and flow” and “soundstaging abilities [that] were
remarkable for a turntable of any price.” (Vol.39 No.8)
LINN SONDEK LP12: $2630
FOR TURNTABLE ONLY +
The Linn Sondek LP12 has, since 1972, literally grown into
its role as one of the most popular high-end turntables:
Linn has devised and offered for their belt-drive, suspend-
ed-subchassis flagship all manner of upgrades, ranging in
complexity from improved fasteners to entirely new mo-
tors, power supplies, and subchassis systems; commend-
ably, all have been retrofittable. Some standouts: The
Lingo power-supply mod of 1990 minimizes the LP12’s
propensity toward a slightly fat midbass and subjectively
“adds an octave of low-bass extension,” according to JA—
who, despite flirtations with other decks, remains true to
the basic design he has used for four decades. The Keel
one-piece subchassis, tonearm board, and Linn-specific
tonearm-mounting collar of 2006 makes “an unambigu-
ous improvement in the LP12’s performance,” according
to AD. And, in 2011, when AD installed the Linn Radikal
stereophile.com Q April 2018
PHONO CARTRIDGES
mod—a DC motor with an outboard switch-mode power
supply—he said that it adds “more force, more momen-
tum, and a little more sheer grip on the notes.” These
and other upgrades remain available individually, but
LP12 pricing appears, at present, limited to complete
turntable-tonearm-cartridge packages. The least ex-
pensive of these, the Majik LP12, fits the ‘table with the
standard subchassis, wood-composite armboard, and
AC synchronous motor, and adds the onboard Majik LP12
single-speed power supply, a push-on 45rpm adapter hub
for the motor pulley, a Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm, and a Linn
Adikt moving-magnet cartridge, for $4320. Although we
have auditioned many of Linn’s current upgrades, we have
not done so in the combinations offered in that and other
packages. That said, experience leads us to expect high
Class B performance—superbly low measured rumble,
excellent speed stability, and very good musical involve-
ment—from an entry-level LP12, while previous incarna-
tions of the full-Monty LP12 have delivered true Class A
sound. As HR writes of his ‘80s-era LP12 with Valhalla
power-supply board, “the LP12 is an established bench-
mark for audiophile-quality LP playback.” (Vol.7 No.2,
Vol.13 No.3, Vol.14 No.1, Vol.16 No.12, Vol.17 No.5, Vol.19
No.2, Vol.26 No.11, Vol.28 No.2, Vol.30 No.10, Vol.34 No.6,
Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
MOFI ELECTRONICS ULTRADECK: $1799
WITH TONEARM
Decades after the first Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab record
comes the first MoFi record player—the UltraDeck turn-
table with Ultra tonearm, both made in the US and cre-
ated with design input from Spiral Groove’s Allen Perkins.
The UltraDeck’s sturdy plinth comprises three aluminum
plates bonded to the top of an MDF core, and its belt-
driven platter—machined from Delrin and weighing 6.8
lbs—rides on an inverted bearing. Four height-adjustable
feet, designed in collaboration with Harmonic Resolution
Systems (HRS), support the plinth. The Ultra tonearm
has a 10” aluminum armtube, Cardas wiring, and a gim-
baled bearing. According to HR, the UltraDeck, when used
with MoFi’s top-of-the-line moving-magnet cartridge,
the MasterTracker (a $2198 package; the MasterTracker
is sold separately for $699), didn’t provide the “deep
‘black’ backgrounds or enormous sound spaces” of the
considerably more expensive AMG Giro G9 player, “but
it did present me with an infectious, easy-flowing, liquid
vitality.” According to Herb, the MoFi combo “had stronger
energy, achieved bigger dynamic swings, and was more
detailed than comparatively priced ‘tables from VPI and
Rega.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
MUSIC HALL MMF-7.3: $1595 W/ORTOFON 2M
BRONZE CARTRIDGE
The Music Hall MMF-7.3—which trades the AC motor of
its predecessor, the MMF-7.1, for a DC motor—mates a
double-plinth, belt-drive, acrylic-platter turntable with a
carbon-fiber version of Pro-Ject’s 9.1 tonearm. The MMF-
7.3 is bundled with an Ortofon 2M Bronze MM cartridge
for $1595, or can be had without cartridge for $1395. KM,
who also tried the MMF-7.3 with a Goldring Elite MC car-
tridge, found that combo to be “a spatial king: I’d always
assumed that my smallish listening space prevented spa-
tial rendering of this caliber; the MH-Goldring tag team
slapped me upside the head. Wake up!” KM’s conclusion:
“If I were of a mind to spend my C-notes on a turntable in
this price range, the Music Hall MMF-7.3 would be at the
top of my money-grubbing list.” (Vol.39 No.9 WWW)
PBN AUDIO GROOVEMASTER VINTAGE DIRECT
PBN-DP6: $8500
In PBN Audio’s Vintage Direct line of turntables, the key
components of classic Denon direct-drive turntables—the
motor, platter, circuit board, and speed-sensing head—
are refurbished as needed and fitted to newly designed
mounting plates and plinths. That plinth is made from
three layers of hardwood (different species are available)
with special attention paid to grain orientation, and fitted
with stainless-steel trim caps and feet and the customer’s
tonearm of choice (a 9.5" Jelco is standard). The PBN-
DP6, which uses Denon DP-6000 components, impressed
MF with its “drop-dead-gorgeous” plinth and fine sound;
used with a Lyra Etna cartridge, the PBN “produced the
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
TONEARMS TURNTABLES
kind of smooth, open, well-articulated, effortless, stable
reproduction of music that can easily convert almost any-
one.” (Vol.39 No.6)
PEAR AUDIO BLUE - KID HOWARD: $4995
WITH CORNET 2 TONEARM
Built in Slovenia, the Blue Kid Howard turntable and its
partnering tonearm, the Cornet 2, were designed by the
late Tom Fletcher, the influences of whose Nottingham
Analogue products are very much apparent: At the cen-
ter of the Kid Howard is a substantial aluminum platter,
belt-driven by a motor of such low torque that the user
must physically nudge it into motion, while the Cornet 2
is a captured-unipivot design, most of whose structure
elements are machined from acetal. Despite offering less
touch and force than AD’s Garrard 301 turntable, which is
old enough to collect Social Security checks, the Kid How-
ard impressed him by producing a soundfield that was
“engagingly, involvingly big,” and by allowing stringed in-
struments in particular to sound beautifully lush: the Kid
Howard “was like a window opened on a great, rolling field
of tone and texture,” he wrote. In addition to criticizing the
“wobbledy-clunk” feel of the Cornet 2 tonearm, AD cau-
tioned that this “ever-so-slightly unbright” combination
will perform best in systems that are amenable to slightly
soft trebles. (Vol.38 No.7 WWW)
ROKSAN RADIUS 7: $3500 WITH NIMA TONEARM
Designed by Touraj Moghaddam and descended from
Roksan’s groundbreaking Xerxes turntable, the Radius
7 is intended as a more affordable player with which to
“measure the groove with respect to time,” as the compa-
ny puts it. To that end, the Radius 7 eschews a suspended
subchassis in favor of a rigid Perspex platform, and its
acrylic platter is driven by a compliantly mounted AC
synchronous motor topped with an aluminum pulley and
offering switch-selectable speeds of 33 1/3 and 45rpm.
Coupled with Roksan’s Nima unipivot tonearm, the Radius
7 impressed HR, who delighted in the way it let his records
sound: “Wow and flutter? Insignificant—and piano tone
was exceptional in both texture and color.” Herb conclud-
ed by noting that the Radius 7’s “richly toned midrange
and deep, deep bass were highly seductive. Its grainless
highs were never anything but refined.” Roksan Corus Sil-
ver cartridge adds $500. (Vol.39 No.10 WWW)
SOULINES KUBRICK DCX: $4000
WITHOUT TONEARM
The Soulines Kubrick DCX, made in Serbia, lacks a plinth
in the usual sense, being supported by a skeletal alumi-
num chassis with height-adjustable feet at the ends of
three propeller-blade–like pods. Two more pods contain a
low-torque DC motor and a tonearm support with inter-
changeable armboards, three of which are supplied: for
Linn/Jelco-style mounts, SME-style mounts, and Rega
arms. At the center of the chassis is a brass-and-steel in-
verted bearing that supports an acrylic platter so beauti-
fully machined that AD could not tell, at a glance, whether
it was spinning or still. AD used his review sample of the
Kubrick DCX with his own Rega RB300 tonearm and De-
non DL-103 cartridge—setup was “a breeze,” he said—and
slaughtered several hundred words expressing his shock
that a turntable that lacks a high-torque motor, a heavy
platter, and a patina of nicotine and mold could have such
a good sense of scale, “great” momentum and flow, and
“better than average” bass weight and impact. His conclu-
sion: “this is one of the very best non-vintage turntables
I’ve heard outside of the enormously expensive Döhmann
Helix 1.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
VPI PRIME SCOUT: $2199
When the history of domestic audio is written, the late
2010s will be remembered as a time of reinvigoration for
VPI, a recent example of which is Prime Scout: a belt-drive
turntable with a solid plinth, an aluminum platter, and an
outboard AC motor, bundled with the company’s JMW 9
unipivot turntable. A Delrin clamp for the platter and a
thread-and-weight antiskating mechanism for the arm—
the latter a bit of a departure for VPI—are also included,
as are an easy-to-use cartridge-alignment jig and an
electronic downforce gauge. AD thought the platter clamp
added an unwelcome touch of fussiness to the sound, but
was otherwise impressed with the Prime Scout, praising
51
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TURNTABLES TONEARMS PHONO CARTRIDGES
its talents for preserving sonic colors, communicating
musical drive, and “throwing a remarkably big, spacious,
convincingly detailed soundstage” when playing records
so inscribed. Art’s measurements, such as they were, re-
vealed that the Prime Scout ran a little fast, and exhibited
more wow than his 1950s idler-wheel Garrard, although
wow was not excessive in absolute terms: wow! As AD said
at the end, “As they say in New Jersey, what’s not to like?”
(Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
C steel, and its 1”-thick platter is machined from aluminum.
PIONEER PLX-1000: $699
INCLUDING TONEARM $$$
To those who deny the musicality of direct-drive platters
and the servos they rode in on, HR says: Bunk. “Forget an-
alog vs digital or tubes vs solid-state; the most pervasive
and poorly considered belief of all is that only belt-drive
turntables are worthy of audiophile consideration.” From
there, HR praises this successor to the popular but dis-
continued Technics SL-1200 Mk.2: the Pioneer PLX-1000
direct-drive turntable with integrated tonearm. “Belts
can’t touch the PLX-1000’s excitement, naturally formed
detail, and clearly expressed forward momentum,” he
wrote. “This new Pioneer also showcases the complex
tonal character and elegant structures of classical music
better than any affordable belt-drive I’ve experienced.” As
HR hears it, the PLX-1000, whose motor has more than
twice the torque of its famous forebear, “is not only a wor-
thy successor to the legendary Technics SL-1200MK2, it
is a serious contender for the best audiophile-grade turn-
table for less than $2000. Unabashedly recommended.”
After a round of second-thoughtfulness, plus trials with
an even greater array of partnering cartridges—includ-
ing the affordable Shure SC35C ($75)—HR encouraged
the bravest and most technically adept owners to check
the tonearms of their PLX-1000 turntables for excessively
loose bearings. Otherwise, “I could live the rest of my mu-
sic-loving, record-collecting life” with the Pioneer player.
(Vol.38 Nos. 3 & 7 WWW)
REGA PLANAR 3: $1145 WITH RB330 ARM
AND PRE-INSTALLED ELYS 2 MM CARTRIDGE
Forty years after introducing the original Planar 3, Rega
has dusted off that model name and applied it to a com-
prehensively redesigned package that includes a new
tonearm (the Rega RB330), a new 24V motor, and a newly
re-engineered if outwardly similar plinth that incorporates
the “metalized phenolic” tonearm-to-platter-bearing top
brace that characterizes Rega’s higher-end turntable
models. In examining the new Planar 3, HR noted that his
review sample did indeed run a bit fast, and he wondered
whether some measure of the “’pacey,’ boogie-down Rega
sound” has to do with a combination of that and a micro-
scopic “doubling” effect from the player’s lively plinth.
That said, Herb wrote, “For me, the best record-playing
system is the one that most vigorously directs my atten-
tion toward the humans behind the music .... Rega’s new
Planar 3 is exceptional at doing just that.” Price includes
Elys 2 moving-magnet cartridge; base price for turntable
with tonearm is $945. Optional Drive Belt (in Floridian-
retiree white): $59. (Vol.34 No.12, Vol.35 No.11, Vol.40
No.2 WWW)
SONY PS-HX500 USB: $499.99 W/TONEARM
AND MM CARTRIDGE
The Sony PS-HX500 is a USB turntable comprising:
a belt-driven platter of lightweight aluminum alloy; a
proprietary aluminum-alloy tonearm with an 8.7" effec-
tive length; an OEM moving-magnet cartridge; and an
onboard MM phono preamp and A/D converter, the last
capable of creating files of up to 24-bit/192kHz (PCM)
or 5.6MHz (DSD). Described by MF as easy to set up, the
Sony package exhibited disappointing speed accuracy
and stability (although the latter proved inaudible, “even
on sustained notes”), but its tonearm “was particularly
well behaved.” MF also praised the overall sound of the
Sony package, writing that the “midrange was rich and
full, and the upper frequencies were smooth and also well
extended, with clean, precise transients.” His conclusion:
“the PS-HX500 reinforced the notion that, even at so low
a price, a properly designed turntable can do some at-
52
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
tractive analog things that no digital system at any price
has yet managed.” (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
VPI SCOUT JR.: $1600 WITH TONEARM
AND CARTRIDGE
“The Scout Jr. record player offers, at a reasonable price,
the ability to play now.” Thus spoke HR of the US-made
belt-drive Scout Jr., a relatively basic turntable that
comes bundled with a gimbal-bearing tonearm of stain-
less steel and an Ortofon 2M Red moving-magnet car-
tridge. Junior’s 1.25"-thick MDF plinth is reinforced with
An outboard motor topped with a plastic pulley snugs
into a recess on the plinth’s left side. From the start—and
it was an easy start, since the Scout Jr. is shipped with
its cartridge installed and aligned—HR was impressed
that the VPI squeezed from the budget Ortofon 2M Red
far better sound than he’d ever heard. As the days went
by, he came to appreciate the VPI’s “American organic-
ness,” and the manner in which its “slight darkness and
seductively quiet spaciousness” set it apart from other
players in this price range. Quoth HR: “It made LP play-
back seem less mechanical and more sophisticated.” NB:
The Scout Jr. is easily upgradable—for a price, the buyer
can select from a choice of better tonearms, bigger plat-
ters, more effective isolation feet, and myriad phono
cartridges—and replaces the VPI Traveler, which was not.
(Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
VPI PLAYER: $1500 $$$ +
Equal parts entry-level audiophile component and perfec-
tionist-quality lifestyle product, the VPI Player (originally
called the Nomad) bundles a wood-plattered, belt-drive
turntable and 10” gimbaled tonearm with an Ortofon 2M
Red cartridge and an onboard phono preamplifier de-
signed specifically around the former—plus an onboard
headphone amp. BJR was impressed with the Nomad’s
apparent durability and the plug-and-play ease with which
it went from carton to system, with no painstaking adjust-
ments required. Even more impressive was the player’s
performance: BJR praised the Nomad’s “rich, voluptuous,
uncolored midrange,” and heard “superb” transient ar-
ticulation and “an impressive amount of inner detail
for so inexpensive an analog rig.” One comparison test
prompted BJR to declare: “that VPI’s phono stage held its
own against a $500 phono stage designed by one of the
industry’s top electronics designers is pretty impressive,
given that the VPI’s stage is included as part of a turntable
package costing only $995.” A word of caution regarding
the Nomad’s headphone amp: “It had much more gain
than most pairs of headphones need. I found it all too easy
to overdrive my ‘phones.” (Vol.38 No.2 WWW)
D oning, this is a simple and supremely effective innovation.”
REGA RP1: $475 $$$ +
The plug’n’play RP1 (for Rega Planar One) replaces
Rega’s popular P1. Nearly identical to the earlier model in
size and shape, the RP1 uses an Ortofon OM5e moving-
magnet cartridge, but trades the P1’s MDF platter for
one of phenolic resin and adds Rega’s new, solidly built
RB101 tonearm. Additionally, the P1’s drab gray finish is
exchanged for the RP1’s choice of White, Cool Gray, or Ti-
tanium. Compared to the P1, the RP1 delivered more drive,
better focus, and was the more confident, purposeful, and
authoritative player. “Rega’s RP1 looks good, is easy to
set up, and plays records like it means it,” said SM. AD
shared SM’s enthusiasm: “It’s not just that I can’t imagine
$445 buying more happiness; I can’t imagine so modest
an investment in money and effort buying more music.”
The RP1 Performance Pack Upgrade was easy to install
and resulted in a bigger soundstage, deeper silences,
and greater resolution of low-level detail, said SM. “A no-
brainer,” agreed AD. (Vol.34 Nos.2, 4, & 5 WWW)
K tube needs better internal damping.” In 2017, HR was im-
Bergmann Galder, Technics SL-1000R.
DELETIONS
Luxman PD-171, Music Hall Ikura, Rega RP8, Well Tem-
pered Amadeus Mk.II, all not auditioned in too long a time.
TONEARMS
A
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE TA-9000: $17,995
The key to the TA-9000’s performance—and its remark-
able price—is an armtube design in which concentric
structures of aluminum alloy are joined by a very complex
spiral arrangement of more than 700 connecting limbs.
The pivoted TA-9000 also offers high-precision, hand-
adjusted ball bearings, an SME-compatible mount, and
a headshell that’s adjustable for azimuth in the usual
manner (loosen clamp, rotate headshell, tighten clamp),
though MF was disappointed that this expensive tonearm
offers no more than a “rudimentary” height adjustment.
Used with Acoustic Signature’s Ascona Mk.2 turntable,
the 9" TA-9000 (it’s also available in a 12" version) pre-
sented MF with “a smooth sound with a rich midrange,
great detail, and great resolution,” though it wasn’t the last
word in bottom-end extension and control. MF also opined
that “the arm’s mass is too low to work well with modern,
low-compliance MC cartridges.” Subsequent to his review,
the TA-9000 was improved: the internal structure of the
once-lively armtube was redesigned, the bearing hous-
ing was made more rigid, the aluminum headshell was
replaced with one machined from titanium, and the arm
pillar is now raised and lowered with what MF describes as
“an ingenious gear system.” MF reports better measured
behavior from the TA-9000, with resonances “visibly and
audibly” within the ideal window of 8–12Hz. Acoustic Sig-
nature offers these upgrades without charge to owners of
the original TA-9000. (Vol.39 No.12, Vol.40 No.7)
AMG 9W2: $3500 +
The German-made 9W2 tonearm from turntable special-
ists AMG combines a traditional horizontal bearing with
a vertical bearing that is, according to AD, unique in its
field: “an upright pair of 0.4mm spring-steel wires that
are perfectly straight when the tonearm tube is balanced,
yet flex in tandem and yield to the armtube’s mass when
the counterweight is moved closer to the twin fulcrums.”
The result, he reports, is a near-ideal combination of
zero play and absence of friction. VTA and azimuth are
easily adjusted, and a magnetic antiskating mechanism
is included. AD found the 9W2, when used on his Linn
LP12—for which it was apparently designed—to be “the
first Linn-friendly arm I’ve heard that has made me stop
sobbing about the demise of the Naim Aro: a considerable
feat.” Also with reference to his past favorite tonearms,
AD added: “None surpasses the 9W2 in sheer build qual-
ity.” HR enjoyed the 9W2 as part of AMG’s Giro G9 record
player, and said of the arm’s vertical bearing, “to my reck-
(Vol.37 No.10, Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
AUDIO ORIGAMI PU7: $3000 +
Based on the Syrinx PU2 tonearm of the 1980s—a prod-
uct that BJR, AD, and other Stereophile contributors have
owned and loved—the Audio Origami PU7 from Scotland
is a pivoting arm with a gimbaled ball-race bearing. The
PU7 seems better finished than its forebear, although
creature comforts are thin on the ground—adjustments
of VTF and VTA depend on the user loosening one or more
grub screws and repositioning uncalibrated parts, and
antiskating is a simple thread and falling weight—but, as
MF pointed out, the design “emphasizes rigidity over con-
venience.” Used with the Palmer Audio 2.5 turntable, the
PU7 contributed to a notably velvety sound with a bottom
end that was “well controlled and extended,” according
to MF, who cautioned that “images were of less-than-
pinpoint accuracy and somewhat larger than life.” But the
PU7 distinguished itself as “a fine tracker, and feels as if it
has bearings of . . . extremely high quality. Physically and
sonically, it’s a lot of tonearm for $3000, though I think its
pressed by the combination of PU7 and Palmer 2.5 turn-
table, ultimately purchasing the review samples. (Vol.37
No.10, Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
AUDIO-CREATIVE GROOVEMASTER II: €1175 $$$
The GrooveMaster II, designed and made by Audio-
Creative, a Dutch manufacturer-distributor-retailer, isn’t
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS

PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES PHONO CARTRIDGES TONEARMS

the first contemporary tonearm claimed to offer vintage-
arm charm at a bargain price, but according to AD, it may
be the best. Shaped like the classic EMT 997 “banana”
tonearm but lacking that arm’s offset bearing, lateral-
balance outrigger weight, and dynamic downforce, the
GrooveMaster II is a 12" arm primarily intended for use
with Ortofon SPUs and other vintage-vibe pickup heads.
Its effective mass is a higher-than-average 22gm—ideal
for those pickup heads and other typically low-compli-
ance cartridges—and a calibrated (if opaquely) magnetic
antiskating device is provided. For an extra €220, the
GrooveMaster II’s aluminum armtube can be swapped
out for one made of titanium (this adds to the arm’s ef-
fective mass); another €175 gets you an SME-style sliding
tonearm mount that makes installation and setup a good
deal easier. Used with AD’s vintage Thorens TD 124 turn-
table and an Ortofon SPU #1S pickup head, the standard
GrooveMaster II allowed recordings so endowed to sound
“sonically magnificent and emotionally powerful.” As for
the titanium version—Audio-Creative sent samples of
both—AD noted that the differences “all fell in the heavier
armtube’s favor,” with deeper and more forceful bass and
“firmer note attacks.” He concluded by noting the very
good value offered by both GrooveMasters: “enthusiasti-
cally recommended.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
BRINKMANN 12.1: $6290
More than just a Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm with a longer
armtube (its effective length is, you guessed it, 12.1"), the
12.1 incorporates mechanical refinements that, according
to Brinkmann, endow it with greater torsional stability and
greater immunity to resonances. Crafted from aluminum
and stainless steel, it uses precision ball bearings for both
vertical and lateral movement, and is available with either
flying signal leads or a captured output cable of the usual
sort. MF felt the Brinkmann 12.1, when compared with the
Kuzma 4Point tonearm, had somewhat less slam but was
lighter on its feet—and, with classical and jazz, is perhaps
the better choice. And MF loved the 12.1’s “lusciously vel-
vet midrange.” (Vol.38 No.5)
BRINKMANN 10.5: $5990 +
A Breuer-like gimbaled-bearing design that features an
armtube described by the designer as a “high-speed,
double-concentric, ceramic-plated, self-damping trans-
mission device.” JI uses a Brinkmann arm on his Oracle
with great success. (Vol.28 No.5)
EMT 997: $5500 +
The banana-shaped EMT 997 tonearm is a fixed-pivot,
high-mass design that is supplied without a headshell.
(Use with old-style pickup heads is presumed, although
the 997 is compatible with conventional detachable head-
shells.) Its effective length of 307mm (12") works to mini-
mize tracking-angle error and distortion. Though it sacri-
ficed timbral neutrality, imbuing well-recorded voices with
“some mid-to-upper-mid bumps and dips,” the 997 im-
pressed AD with its ability to convey the inherent tension
of recorded music. “The EMT 997 was the least wimpy,
least wispy tonearm I’ve ever heard,” he said. If willing to
invest the time and effort necessary for proper installa-
tion and setup, the user will be rewarded with “an almost
indescribably great deal of pleasure,” AD added. Current-
production samples of the EMT 997 incorporate a bear-
ing housing machined from brass rather than stamped
from aluminum alloy, and a better finish for the armtube.
AD found the bearings of the new version to have less
play than those of its predecessor, the sonic and musi-
cal consequence being “a surprising if subtle increase in
musical drive.” That unexpected refinement of an already
Class A tonearm prompted the 997’s promotion to Class
A+ status, of which AD said, “the EMT remains the best-
sounding tonearm I have used . . . and the best-built arm I
have owned.” (Vol.31 Nos. 7 & 9, Vol.38 No.7, WWW)
GRAHAM ENGINEERING PHANTOM III: $7000
A less expensive alternative to the Graham Phantom Elite,
the new Phantom III improves on its predecessor, the
Phantom II, with a titanium arm wand, a more massive
bearing housing, and, inside that housing, wiring that’s
claimed to produce less physical resistance as the arm
moves. A new counterweight permits a wider range of
cartridge weights, and Graham’s patented Magneglide
stabilization system has been further improved. After us-
ing it with a TechDAS Air Force III turntable, which Graham
distributes, MF wrote that “it was immediately clear that
the Phantom III’s bass reproduction was far more robust
and controlled than that of the Phantom II Supreme that
I owned.” The Phantom III’s price drops to $5000 when
bundled with the Air Force III. (Vol.41 No.1)
KUZMA 4POINT: $6675 + AND 4POINT 14":
$8995
Designed by Franc Kuzma, this brilliant pivoted tonearm
takes its name from its four-point bearing system: Four
carefully arranged points contact four cups, permitting
the arm to move in both the vertical and lateral planes
while avoiding the chatter of gimbaled bearings and the
instability of unipivot designs. It has an effective length
of 11", a pivot-to-spindle distance of 10.3", an overhang of
0.6", an effective mass of 0.4oz, and a total weight of 3.63
lbs. Its removable headshell made swapping cartridges
painless, while adjustment of VTF, VTA, antiskating, and
azimuth were all relatively simple. With its outstanding im-
mediacy, transparency, and overall coherence, the 4Point
consistently exceeded Mikey’s expectations. Compared to
the combo of Continuum Cobra arm and Ortofon A90 car-
tridge, the 4Point with Lyra Titan i offered greater timbral,
textural, and image solidity, said MF. “I’m in love,” he con-
cluded. Compared with the Continuum Audio Labs Cobra,
the Kuzma sounded more natural and more energetic.
“The Kuzma 4Point may be the finest tonearm out there,
period,” said MF. The Kuzma matched the Graham Phan-
tom II Supreme’s detail retrieval and neutrality but of-
fered greater speed and coherence, said MF. Also offered
with regular phono cables/no RCA box for $6375. (Vol.34
Nos.9 & 10, Vol.35 No.7, Vol.39 No.3 WWW, Vol.39 No.11)
LINN EKOS SE: $4950 +
Outwardly identical to the original Ekos in all but color, the
Ekos SE is machined from a titanium tube in an effort to
smooth out resonant peaks, while its stainless-steel main
pillar and bearing cradle work to maintain perfect bearing
adjustment in the face of temperature extremes and user
abuse. The “beautifully finished” SE comes packaged with
a selection of tools, a Linn T-Kable interconnect, and a new
iteration of Linn’s cable clamp. With its strong, tight bass
and solid aural images, the Ekos SE produced a “cleaner,
more dramatic, and more enjoyable” listening experience,
said AD. “Other, more exotic arms may give better results
in some settings, but I can’t think of a more consistent—
and consistently recommendable—tonearm. It’s a Martin
D-28, a BMW 3-series, a bottle of Bombay Sapphire: It will
please any sane, reasonable person,” he sums up. (Vol.30
No.10 WWW)
MØRCH DP-8: $4995
The long-lived tonearm line from Denmark’s Mørch
(rhymes with work) has its current apotheosis in the DP-
8, a pivoting tonearm whose interchangeable armtubes
allow a choice between 9" and 12" versions, and among
armtubes pre-weighted to provide effective masses of 4,
7, 8, or 14gm. The DP-8, which uses a ball bearing for hori-
zontal and a pair of sapphire bearings for vertical motion,
is designed as an anisotropic tonearm, which presents
the cartridge with different effective-mass characteristics
in the horizontal and vertical planes—especially needed,
per Mørch, to keep horizontal-only low-frequency infor-
mation from displacing the entire arm along with the car-
tridge’s cantilever while still allowing vertical freedom of
movement. Indeed, when he used it with a George Warren
turntable, MF found that the DP-8 produced “iron-fisted
bass that regularly surprised me with its weight and au-
thority.” Gold plating is available for an additional charge.
(Vol.39 No.4)
PEAR AUDIO BLUE - CORNET 2 TONEARM:
$2295
Designed by the late Tom Fletcher, of Nottingham Ana-
logue, and descended from his popular Space Arm, the
Slovenian-made Cornet 2 is a unipivot tonearm with a
carbon-fiber armtube, said fibers being arranged longi-
tudinally, according to the manufacturer. The Cornet 2’s
headshell, made of an unspecified material and bereft
of a finger lift, is aligned straight with the armtube itself,
though its mounting-bolt slots offer provisions for offset-
ting the cartridge. A falling-weight antiskating mechanism
is provided, and an effective mass of 12.5gm and an effec-
tive length of 239mm are specified. MF found the Cornet
2’s instructions lacking, and noted that, although “every
parameter of the Cornet 2 is adjustable, a few are not eas-
ily set—the usual trade-off in a moderately priced arm.”
According to MF, when used with the similarly Fletcher-
designed Pear Audio Analogue Kid Thomas turntable, the
Cornet 2 contributed to a “smooth, refined sound” that
many will find appealing. Moreover, compared to his expe-
riences with earlier Fletcher-designed arms, MF suspected
that “the Cornet 2 is faster, leaner, and better focused, de-
spite the many similarities of construction.” (Vol.38 No.1)
PHANTOM ELITE: $12,000 (FOR 9" ARM)
Outwardly similar to the standard Graham Phantom tone-
arm, the Phantom Elite is said to be made from more cost-
ly materials, and incorporates new Litz wiring, a refined
alignment gauge, and a thicker, more rigid version of the
Phantom’s removable, damped titanium armtube. (The
latter is available in three sizes, for effective lengths of 9",
10", and 12".) Retained from the original Phantom is Gra-
ham’s patented Magneglide system, in which magnets are
used to stabilize the arm’s inverted-unipivot bearing. MF
observed that, when used with the TechDAS Air Force Two
turntable, the Phantom Elite had good texture, but not the
same degree of weight as the more expensive Swedish
Audio Technologies arm. Like Graham’s standard Phan-
tom, the Phantom Elite is available with a circular or an
SME-style arm mount; MF suggests that the latter makes
it easier to adjust spindle-to-pivot distance. (Vol.38 No.11)
REED 3P: $5500 (9" VERSION)
Available in 9.5", 10.5", and 12" lengths, the Lithuanian-
made Reed 3P is a pivoting tonearm with a single-point
horizontal bearing and a two-point vertical bearing. (The
product name derives from the total of three points.) The
armtube is wood, with various species available, each
with its own look and resonant characteristics; the rest of
the arm, including the headshell, is machined from alloy.
Horizontal stability is provided by a system of magnets,
as is the 3P’s antiskating force, although MF noted that
the latter lacks calibration or instructions; far more user-
friendly is the 3P’s on-the-fly azimuth adjustment. MF
enjoyed installing and using his Brazilwood sample, and
described its overall tonal balance as “neutral to a bit
sweet, particularly in the midrange.” He concluded: “The
Reed 3P tonearm is impressively designed, engineered,
and manufactured.” (Vol.39 No.4)
SCHICK 12” TONEARM: €1499 PLUS SHIPPING
$$$ +
Made in Germany and now distributed direct by its manu-
facturer, the Thomas Schick 12" tonearm is intended to
combine the greater-than-average length and mass of
certain vintage models with the high-quality bearings of
modern arms. It offers superb fit and finish, with a clean,
spare bearing cradle and a smoothly solid pickup-head
socket. Though lacking the spring-loaded downforce
and other refinements of the EMT 997—and, thus, some
measure of the more expensive arm’s performance—
the Schick is characterized by a big, clean, substantial
sound, with an especially colorful bottom end: “a superb
performer,” per AD, who also verified the correctness of
the Schick’s geometry with Keith Howard’s ArmGeom-
eter freeware. According to Art, “The Schick tonearm
is an outstanding value and easily the most accessible
transcription-length arm on the market.” Thomas Schick
has now added to his line a proprietary headshell (€249)
machined from resin-soaked “technical” graphite, with a
mass (15.2gm) that makes it more suitable than most for
use with cartridges of low to moderate compliance. AD
bought the new headshell for himself and reported that,
compared to his wooden Yamamoto headshell, the Schick
offered “far tighter, cleaner bass.” He was also impressed
with how “cartridges mounted in the Schick suffer less
breakup during heavily modulated passages.” (Vol.33 Nos.
3 & 6, Vol.34 No.10, Vol.37 No.11 WWW)
SCHRÖDER CAPTIVE BEARING (CB) TONEARM:
$4000
See MF’s review of the Audio Union Döhmann Helix 1 turn-
table in Vol.40 No.3.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 53

 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TONEARMS PHONO CARTRIDGES
SME 312S: $4795 +
The 312S is a 12" tonearm with a tapered armtube made
of pressure die-cast magnesium for strength, rigidity,
and low mass. With fit’n’finish to match the no-nonsense
precision of SME’s 20/12 turntable, the 312S includes a
secure sliding-track overhang-adjustment mechanism,
a spring-loaded VTA post, and a silicone-filled damping
trough with adjustable paddle. SME has produced “a
tonearm that has all of the 12" arm’s theoretical advan-
tages and none of its disadvantages,” MF said. (Vol.32
No.5 WWW)
SME 309 SPD: $2995
A recent addition to SME’s 300 series of tonearms, the
nominally 9" (effective length: 232.2mm) 309 SPD fea-
tures a magnesium armtube with internal constrained-
layer damping, coupled with a removable cast-magne-
sium headshell that’s claimed not to compromise overall
arm rigidity; effective mass is specified as 9.5gm. Steel
bearing shafts and precision ball-and-race bearings are
used in both planes of motion. Antiskating force is ap-
plied with a calibrated filament-and-spring mechanism,
and overhang is adjusted by means of the sliding-track
mount that typifies most contemporary SMEs. Aside from
noting the potentially harmful break that its headshell
disconnect puts in the way of the signal—and criticizing
the extent to which the headshell’s contact pins cut into
the cartridge-mounting area—MF praised the 309 SPD as
offering good value: “If there’s a better-made tonearm for
$1900 . . . or one that even comes close, I’ve yet to en-
counter it.” Also available bundled with the SME Model 15
turntable, a $9299 package called the SME Model 15A.
(Vol.39 No.1)
SORANE SA-1.2: $1875 $$$ +
The Japan-made Sorane (originally called Abis) SA-1.2 is
a high-mass 9" tonearm that began life as the Abis SA-1,
famous for impressing AD and for having been withdrawn
from an earlier edition of “Recommended Components”—
by its importer!—while undergoing revision. The new SA-
1.2 reflects a number of refinements: improved bearings,
greater effective length (9.4" vs 9"), and slightly higher
offset angle. The arm’s basics remain: a precision-milled
armtube of rectangular cross section, static downforce,
and a removable headshell for easy cartridge changes.
When he used the revised SA-1.2—also an HR favorite—
with the perennially recommendable Denon DL-103 car-
tridge, the low compliance of which is well suited to such
a high-mass arm, AD found it capable of pulling from his
records “tremendous amounts of touch and force and im-
pact.” The SA-1.2 was so good, he declared, that it made
his Thorens TD 124 sound more like his Garrard 301. (This,
he suggests, is good.) Speaking of which, AD cautions
that, to make the Abis more compatible with the unusu-
ally low-slung platter of the TD 124, the user must make
one or two adjustments. His conclusion: “I’d put the com-
bination of Abis SA-1.2 and Denon DL-103 up against all
but their priciest competitors.” (Vol.37 No.3, Vol.38 No.11,
Vol.39 No.4 WWW)
SPIRAL GROOVE CENTROID: $6000 +
The Centroid is a fluid-damped unipivot design that gives
the user fine adjustment of all relevant parameters. It
was extremely quiet, with stunning resolution and clar-
ity, and had an uncanny ability to reproduce the tonal
and dynamic elements of deep bass notes. “The Centroid
tonearm may be the best tonearm I’ve heard. It is not leav-
ing my listening room,” declared BD. The Spiral Groove
SG1.1-Centroid turntable-tonearm combo offered black
backgrounds, rock-solid bass, natural tone color, and out-
standing detail retrieval, said Mikey. A universal version
with standard arm mount is also now available. (Vol.33
No.6 WWW, Vol.35 No.11)
VPI JMW MEMORIAL 3D-PRINTED 12"
TONEARM: $2500
The JMW Classic 3D 12" tonearm is identical to the JMW
Classic Signature of the same length—with one big differ-
ence: This unipivot’s removable armwand is made, on a 3D
printer, of an epoxy-like resin said to impede the transfer of
vibrations. MF was very impressed with the new model’s
smooth, transparent, well-balanced sound, likening it in
those regards to his reference Continuum Cobra tonearm,
54
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
and declaring the Classic 3D the logical upgrade for pres-
ent owners of the JMW Memorial arm: “It’s not that the
metal JMW arm is so bad—it’s that the 3D-printed version
is so good.” AD, who has set up a JMW Classic 3D for friend
Sasha Matson, reports being very impressed with the new
arm’s level of finish. (Vol.37 No.6 WWW)
VPI JMW-12.7: $1700 $$$ +
This unipivot tonearm features vestigial antiskating, which
disconcerted MF. Nonetheless, he enthused over its lush
midrange, ultra-smooth top end, and rock-solid imaging
and soundstaging: “Subjectively, it seemed to have lower
distortion than any other pivoted arm I’ve heard, but part
of that might be the result of its smooooth frequency bal-
ance. Inner detail was outstanding.” However, he added of
the original 12.5 version, “I think there’s a slight midbass
exaggeration that may be part of the spreading warmth
above this range, and which gives this arm its inviting mid-
range.” BD says of the 12" version, “lowers the original’s
already low distortion. The background is blacker and the
arm seems to float an infinite well of inner and low-level
details. The tonal balance is more neutral, but combined
with the TNT III or IV, is still warm and inviting.” With the
12.5, Harry Weisfeld made small but important modifica-
tions to the 12" JMW that resulted in heightened rigidity, a
reduced center of mass, and improved damping. What BD
found most impressive was the “obvious-once-you-see-it”
touch of the small V-groove machined into the top of the
headshell. This allows the user to more easily gauge head-
shell tilt while setting azimuth. “Neat!” MF adds: “Luxuri-
ous midrange, low distortion, and ease of setup and use
make this a very attractive arm if your ‘table can handle
the length.” More recently, in addition to a streamlined
model name, VPI’s first transcription-length tonearm has
come in for some mechanical refinements. Its unipivot
bearing, and the jeweled cup within its bearing housing,
have been improved. A weighted collar has been added to
the counterweight, and can be rotated asymmetrically for
azimuth adjustment. “Most important,” according to MF,
“[its] cantilevered platform has been made far more mas-
sive and sturdy.” Additionally, an antiskating mechanism
is now available, though not without the manufacturer’s
antipathy. Additional arm assemblies cost $600. (Vol.20
No.1, Vol.24 No.12, Vol.25 No.3, Vol.37 No.5; see BD’s re-
view of the VPI HR-X in Vol.29 No.5 WWW)
B From the same Japanese firm that makes the heartily
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE TA-1000: $1595
This medium-mass, 9" tonearm—also available in 10"
($1795) and 12" ($1995) versions—has gimbaled bear-
ings, static downforce, and an armwand comprising inner
and outer layers of carbon fiber. The simple rotating-block
aluminum headshell allows easy adjustment of overhang
and offset angle, and azimuth can be adjusted—though
not on the fly—by means of the three bolts that fasten
the TA-1000’s armwand to the bearing assembly. HR
had good results when using the TA-1000 with his review
sample of Acoustic Signature’s WOW XL turntable and a
wide variety of cartridges. RD, who has now purchased
a TA-1000 (plus an Acoustic Signature WOW XXL turn-
table), wrote that the arm “impressed as precision-made
machinery, with outstanding fit and finish.” He also noted
that by buying the arm with a DIN connector instead of
a hardwired cable—the price is the same, either way—he
was able to improve its sound quality with cable upgrades.
AD tried the 12" TA-1000; his only complaint was of “no-
ticeably high” residual friction in the arm’s vertical bear-
ings, a problem described by the US distributor as limited
to only the earliest samples of the arm. But he enthused
over what he described as “one of the finest brand-spe-
cific alignment gauges ever supplied with a tonearm.”
(Vol.38 No.9, Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
AUDIO ORIGAMI UNIARM MK.2: $2890
Although heavier overall than the Naim Aro, and with a
bearing assembly at once functionally simpler and sty-
listically more ornate, Audio Origami’s new UniArm has
much in common with the sadly discontinued Aro, itself
a tonearm that AD regards with a wistfulness most people
reserve for deceased pets. The UniArm is a missionary-
style unipivot (as far as we know, the industry has yet to
produce a variant that qualifies as doggy-style) with a
plug-and-socket disconnect for the signal wires that per-
mits the swapping out of armtubes (and thus cartridges),
and a thread-and-falling-weight antiskating mechanism.
The UniArm is available with the buyer’s choice of Linn- or
Rega-spec geometries and arm mounts. Used with AD’s
trusty old Linn LP12 turntable, the UniArm impressed him
with “rich timbral colors [and] no-less-rich textures”—
along with excellent musical timing, momentum, and pull.
AD also credited the UniArm with offering “better value
for the dollar than did the Aro in its later years.” High Class
B, he sums up. (Vol.40 No.2 WWW)
ORTOFON TA-210: $1994 +
The 12” TA-210 is a pivoting tonearm with traditional gim-
baled bearings for lateral and vertical movement, and a
curved, damped aluminum-alloy armtube. Versatile and
user-friendly, it comes with a removable cable, a plug-in
headshell for use with standard-mount phono cartridges,
and a simple, accurate installation jig. Compared to the
EMT 997 and Schick Tonearm, the Ortofon lacked some
scale, presence, and impact, but sounded consistently
smooth, serene, and uncolored, with no apparent stress-
ing on dynamic peaks, said AD. “A wise choice for a new-
comer to the world of vintage-style phonography,” he
concluded. (Vol.35 No.10 WWW)
REGA RB330: $595 $$$ +
Current version of Rega’s classic tonearm. See the Rega
Planar 3 entry in “Turntables” and “Gramophone Dreams”
in Vol.40 No.2 WWW.
SME M2-9: $2195
With its nontapered stainless-steel armtube and its de-
tachable, azimuth-adjustable headshell of magnesium,
the new M2-9 is a visual departure from SME’s enduringly
successful Series V tonearm. On the other hand, in keep-
ing with SME tradition are the M2-9’s distinctively shaped
mounting base, which enables stylus-overhang adjust-
ment by altering the pivot-to-spindle distance, and what
HR describes as the arm’s “first-quality gimbal bearings.”
When used in place of the stock tonearm on HR’s trusty
Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable, the M2-9 improved ste-
reo imaging “by about 60%.” HR: “Never-before-heard
microdynamics became a delicious feast, and macrody-
namics became something to prepare for!” (Vol.39 Nos.4
& 6 WWW)
SORANE TA1L: $1875 +
recommended 9" SA-1.2 tonearm comes the Abis TA1L,
the L standing for long—as in 12". The Sorane (orginally
Abis) TA1L has an S-shaped aluminum armtube, and its
removable aluminum headshell is anodized black. Cup-
and-point bearings are used for vertical movement, while
the horizontal bearing is a traditional ball-and-race sort;
AD found all bearings to be free of both friction and ex-
cess play. A spring-actuated antiskating device is fitted,
while downforce is applied statically. The effective length
is 325mm, and while the effective mass is not specified,
the arm seems appropriate for use with medium- to low-
compliance cartridges and pickup heads—an impression
borne out in AD’s listening tests: “The Abis tonearm al-
lowed the Miyajima [Premium BE Mono II] . . . to shine as
a detail-retrieval champ of the first order,” although he
heard less bass weight than desired. AD also noted an in-
accuracy in the TA1L’s installation jig, advising prospective
users: “Just remember that it may require an extra bit of
attention in setting up.” (Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
SPERLING-AUDIO TA-1: $9750
Available with a 10" or a 12" armtube—the price is the
same in either case—the German-made Sperling-Audio
TA-1 is a hanging-unipivot tonearm whose pivot point is
magnetically damped. The armtube, of metal and wood,
has threaded weights for adjusting azimuth, and coarse
and fine degrees of vertical tracking force; provisions for
applying antiskating bias are not included. MF found the
TA-1’s overhang-adjustment regimen somewhat trying,
and criticized the arm’s many adjustment screws for
being unlockable and thus possibly prone to resonating—
problems that paled, in his view, in comparison to the lack
of any provision to lock the armtube in place when not
in use. When MF used the TA-1 with Sperling-Audio’s L-1
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
turntable, he described the arm as having a sound of its answered his own question: “Air Tight’s PC-1 Magnum
own: “pleasing and intoxicating—a low-Q, low-amplitude Opus cartridge justifies its price.” (Vol.38 No.10)
character that subtly accentuated the lower midbass, AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-ART1000: $4999
adding a pleasing warmth . . . without becoming obtru- Audio-Technica describes their new flagship, the moving-
sive.” (Vol.38 No.8) coil AT-ART1000, as a Direct Power System design: its
SWISSONOR TA10: $3990 moving coils are attached to the front of its cantilever,
Fans of vintage phono gear will note the Swissonor TA10’s directly above the stylus—not to the inside end of the can-
resemblance to the classic Thorens TP 14 of the 1960s, a tilever, as in most MCs. Thus does the AT-ART1000 carry
J-shaped arm often paired with the no-less-classic Tho- the torch first lit by the coveted Neumann DST 62 pickup
rens TD 124 turntable of that era. But as AD noted, the of 1962—and thus does it ensure that every deflection
Swissonor arm is less a re-creation of something that of the playback stylus results in a proportional change
used to exist than an embodiment of something that in signal amplitude, theoretically resulting in the lowest
never existed: a vintage-inspired tonearm made to mod- possible degree of compression of all phono cartridges.
ern perfectionist standards, with metal parts machined Sure enough, MF observed from the low-output (0.2mV)
instead of stamped, a well-thought-out decoupled coun- AT-ART1000 “microdynamic expression [that] was ab-
terweight, very good wiring and cabling, a longer-than-av- solutely phenomenal: small shifts of emphasis in the
erage effective length (240mm vs 210mm), and modern strumming and drumming were clearly delineated.” Mikey
bearings. Used with the similarly vintage-inspired Ortofon also praised the AT as “one of the most tonally neutral
SPU #1S pickup head, the TA10 delighted AD with its cartridges I’ve heard,” concluding that, “If you can afford
“meaty” trebles, its fine momentum and drive, its ability it, you need it!” (Vol.39 No.10)
to let voices and instrumental solos emerge from dense EMT TSD 75SFL: $2150
recordings, and, yes, its good looks and pleasant user See HR’s review in this issue.
interface. On the downside, he noted imperfect cartridge EMT TSD 15: $1950 $$$ +
azimuth on two samples of the Swissonor arm, which is The EMT TSD 15 is an A-style pickup head weighing just
nonadjustable in that regard, evidently in the interest of over 17.5gm and available with either EMT’s proprietary
mechanical rigidity. Price includes Swissonor’s own com- diamond-shaped output-pin pattern or the more common
posite armboard for the TD 124, on which the TA10 arrives SME square pattern. It has a high impedance of 24 ohms,
preinstalled: a boon to the unhandy. (Vol.40 No.12 WWW) a high output of 1.05mV, and a moderate recommended
VPI JMW 9: $1000 $$$ + downforce of 2.5gm. The EMT’s overall sound was open,
The shortest tonearm in VPI’s JMW line, the JMW 9 uses clear, and transparent, with above-average presence,
a reverse-missionary unipivot bearing with a hardened body, and color, and an outstanding sense of momentum
tungsten-carbide point and a machined and hardened- and flow. “A fine all-arounder, combining starkly honest
steel setscrew for a cup. A quick-connect plug makes for music-making with the sorts of refined sonic attributes
easy removal and easy cartridge swapping. MF auditioned most audiophiles cherish,” said Art. Examining the EMT
the 9" version of the JMW tonearm with VPI’s Scoutmas- with a microscope revealed its distinctly small, sharp,
ter turntable. Unlike the original JMW Memorial, the 9" spherical tip, which, AD conjectured, may be the reason
arm’s main bearing is directly grounded to the plinth and for the stylus’s exceptionally low groove noise. For special
the stabilizing ring surrounding the arm’s bearing housing systems only, as it is a complete pickup head, not just a
is fixed. The lack of a damping well results in a “Parkin- cartridge. (Vol.34 Nos.5 & 9 WWW)
son’s-like trembling of the JMW when you use the finger FUUGA: $8950
lift or lower the arm via the cueing mechanism,” which The creators of the Fuuga—its name is Japanese for
MF found disconcerting. Nevertheless, the arm appeared “elegance with flair”—were inspired by the classic Mi-
to be extremely stable: “The taut, focused, remarkably yabi cartridges designed and built by Haruo Takeda, now
coherent performance of this ‘table-arm combo is testa- retired. The low-compliance Fuuga retains the semicy-
ment to a fundamentally solid, well-grounded system lindrical body of the best-known Miyabi models, but ex-
that deals effectively with energy created at the stylus/ changes their trademark alnico magnets for neodymium
groove interface.” In 2017, AD enjoyed the JMW 9—now types. Output and impedance are both low—respectively,
endowed with a thread-and-falling-weight antiskating 0.35mV and 2.5 ohms—and the hyperelliptical stylus
mechanism—as part of VPI’s Prime Scout record player. tracks at 2.0–2.2gm. MF praised the Fuuga’s neutral tonal
There exists some disagreement between AD and MF over balance, lack of harshness/hardness, and “startling mac-
the overall rating, but Class B seems appropriate. (Vol.26 rodynamic slam.” His conclusion: “The Fuuga is, without
No.2, Vol.27 No.9, Vol.40 No.10 WWW) a doubt, among the handful of highest-performing, most-
enjoyable cartridges I have heard.” (Vol.38 No.10)
Editor’s Note: There are currently no Class C or D tone- GOLD NOTE TUSCANY GOLD: $7900
arms listed. Described by MF as “a highly sophisticated, low-output
moving-coil cartridge,” the Tuscany Gold boasts a boron
K cantilever tipped with an Adamant-Namiki MicroRidge
BERGMANN MAGNE ST. stylus. In an interesting twist, the cartridge’s coil form-
ers are integral to the titanium pipe in which the boron
DELETIONS cantilever is inserted. Compliance is moderately low, and
the recommended tracking-force range is 1.8–2.1gm. MF
SAT Pickup Arm no longer available; ViV Lab Rigid Float described the Tuscany Gold’s sound as “firmly in the zone
not auditioned in too long a time. of tonal neutrality,” and praised its imaging and sound-
staging as “what you hope for from an [$7900] cartridge.”
PHONO CARTRIDGES (Vol.40 No.2)
GRADO LABS LINEAGE EPOCH: $12,000
The sole member of Grado’s new Lineage series, the
A Epoch now stands as the 65-year-old company’s top
AIR TIGHT OPUS: $15,000 model. Like all Grado cartridges, the Epoch is a moving-
“What accounts for a price that many would describe as iron design with a cantilever that pivots at its innermost
outrageous?” MF posed that question while reviewing the end—there is no fulcrum in the usual sense. But in a first
Air Tight PC-1 Magnum Opus cartridge, which combines for Grado, the Epoch’s cantilever is a solid rod of sapphire
the normally incompatible qualities of very low imped- instead of a telescoping assemblage of aluminum-alloy
ance (1.4 ohms) with a generous (for a nominally low- tubes and rods. The Epoch’s body is machined from the
output moving-coil cartridge) output of 0.45mV. Whether tonewood cocobolo, its stylus is hyperelliptical, and its
or not because of those qualities, the lowish-compliance coils are wound from annealed wire of solid 24K gold.
PC-1 Magnum Opus dazzled Mikey by producing “an Specs include a downforce range of 1.5–1.9gm, and the
adrenaline rush of dynamic energy.” He singled out for output is 1.0mV. In his listening tests, MF found the Grado
praise its “ultrafast and detailed” top end. In the end, MF Epoch to deliver a wide, deep soundstage, full-bodied but
stereophile.com Q April 2018
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
PHONO CARTRIDGES TONEARMS
well-controlled bass, natural-sounding vocal sibilants,
and a lack of tracking noise: the Epoch “glided silently
and smoothly through the groove like no other cartridge
I’ve heard.” Mikey also heard from the Epoch “a harmonic
and textural richness laid on without too thick a coating of
aural honey,” though he observed that “you can get better
overall dynamic slam and greater bass dynamics . . . from
a few other cartridges.” (Vol.40 No.12)
IKEDA SOUND LABS KAI: $8500
The top model of a five-cartridge line, the Kai is made
in Japan by Ikeda Sound Labs, a company created by
Fidelity Research founder Isamu Ikeda. The Kai is a low-
output (0.19mV) MC design whose boron cantilever
sports a Micro-Ridge stylus. Its alumite body is topped
with a plate of titanium, resulting in a highish mass of
11.5gm—which goes hand in hand with a level of suspen-
sion compliance that MF described as “appropriately
low.” Using the low-impedance (2.5 ohms) Kai with his
Ypsilon MC26-L transformer, MF enjoyed “explosive dy-
namic swings” and “an unmistakably deep, wide, and tall
soundstage.” He also praised the cartridge’s “electro-
static-like transparency” and “fast and clean transients,”
while noting that the Kai’s tonal balance “pushed toward
the cool.” Use with a high-mass tonearm is recommend-
ed. (Vol.38 No.6)
IKEDA SOUND LABS 9MONO MC: $4400
Said by Ikeda to have been developed from the ground
up as a mono rather than a stereo cartridge, the 9mono
nonetheless incorporates two coils—both oriented
vertically, to respond only to horizontal groove modula-
tions—in an effort to prevent hum problems when used
with stereo electronics. The 9mono has a double-wall
duralumin cantilever, an elliptical stylus, an aluminum
body, and a rather low (2 ohms) impedance; output is also
low (0.22mV), as is compliance—although the recom-
mended tracking force is a moderate 1.8gm. The 9mono
impressed MF with its “smooth, burnished overall sound”
and transient performance that was “on the smooth and
polite side,” though he also noted its “impressive trans-
parency” and “especially fine rendering of stage depth.”
(Vol.39 No.6)
KISEKI PURPLEHEART (NS): $3499 +
Following an absence from the market of nearly a quar-
ter century, Kiseki’s handmade MC cartridges are back,
manifested in two separate lines: New Old Style (NOS),
built in 2010–2011 using a mix of old and new parts, and
New Style (NS), which are new in every way. The Purple-
heart NS is among the latter, and features a metal mount-
ing plate with tapped holes and a solid-boron cantilever
with an elliptical stylus. Specs include a 42-ohm internal
resistance, 0.48mV output, and a recommended VTF of
2.46gm, in accordance with the Kiseki’s moderate compli-
ance. In MF’s system, the Purpleheart NS produced “rich,
supple sound with a tube-like tonality and musical flow,”
albeit with “less-than-full expression of macrodynamics.”
All in all, MF found the Kiseki to be “a physical and sonic
beauty. [It] offers a sophisticated sound well beyond what
you’d expect at its $3299 price.” (Vol.38 No.3)
KUZMA CAR-50: $5895
KUZMA CAR-60: $12,995
When manufacturer Franc Kuzma decided to offer a line
of cartridges to complement his tonearms and turntables,
he turned to Japan—and although he declines to name his
OEM of choice, he noted that they have “more than 50
years of cartridge building experience.” Among the first
fruits of this collaboration are the CAR-50 and CAR-60
moving-coil cartridges, both of which have an output
of 0.3mV, a compliance of 10x10–6cm/dyne, a recom-
mended tracking force of 2gm, and a chunky machined-
aluminum body with a brass coupling plate machined with
three pairs of threaded mounting holes. (Aluminum stylus
guards are also provided, but as these are held in place
with small machine screws, MF questioned their practi-
cality.) The distinctions: the CAR-50’s MicroRidge stylus
is fitted to a sapphire cantilever, while the CAR-60’s can-
tilever is made of diamond. MF observed that the sounds
of the two models were “more similar than different . . .
[both] sounded smooth without ever sounding soft—
smooth like skating on ice.” That smoothness, MF wrote,
55
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
PHONO CARTRIDGES PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
“prevented percussive transients on top and bottom
from developing excitement-generating bite and textural
grip.” Mikey admitted thinking the sound of the CAR-60
“bland”—while, for its part, the far more expensive CAR-
60 “produced faster, cleaner high-frequency transients,
while retaining the CAR-50’s gliding smoothness.” Still,
after comparing it to another five-figure cartridge, and
in spite of its “transparency, liquidity, and . . . wide, deep
soundstage,” the CAR-60 wasn’t the last word in orches-
tral colors or vibrancy of textures, and “lacked the slam
or bass grip . . . to do rock’n’roll justice.” (Vol.41 Nos.3 & 4)
LYRA ATLAS SL: $12,995
It’s a Lyra tradition that the company often follows up
their standard cartridges with low-output versions of
same; so it goes with the Atlas SL, whose low output is
accomplished with fewer turns of wire, resulting in less
moving mass, lower internal impedance, and, presumably,
faster response. At 0.25mV, the Atlas SL’s output is about
half that of the standard Atlas (0.56mV). And in compari-
son to the standard version’s 4.2 ohm impedance, the At-
las SL exhibits an ultralow 1.52 ohms, requiring the user
to consider adjusting the input impedance of his or her
phono preamp. For the Atlas SL and Lyra’s new Etna SL
(see elsewhere in this section), MF found that the halv-
ing of windings “didn’t produce proportional differences
in sound, though both performed at the expected higher
levels of resolution of inner detail and, especially, micro-
dynamics.” (Vol.39 No.7 WWW)
LYRA ATLAS: $11,995 +
With its off-center motor-retaining screw and asymmetri-
cal design, Lyra’s new top model represents designer
Jonathan Carr’s latest ideas on minimizing resonances.
It has a body machined from a solid billet of aluminum,
a diamond-coated boron cantilever, and a nude diamond
stylus. The Atlas combined the Titan i’s detail and tran-
sient speed with the Kleos’s warmth and smoothness,
said MF. “The Lyra Atlas is a complete success.” (Vol.35
No.5 WWW)
LYRA ETNA SL: $9995
A low-output version of Lyra’s well-regarded Etna MC pho-
no cartridge (see Lyra Atlas SL elsewhere in this section),
the Etna SL is wound with fewer turns of wire, resulting in
lower internal impedance and lower moving mass—both of
which are presumed to contribute to faster response and
perhaps even better tracking. Other Lyra SL cartridges
have impressed MF with subtly improved sound, apprecia-
tion of which requires a very good, very noise-free phono
stage. Of the Etna SL in particular, MF wrote: “For whatever
reason . . . the differences between the sounds of the Etna
and the Etna SL were far greater than between [the simi-
larly different versions of the Lyra Atlas].” He concluded:
“Right now, I’m thinking the Etna SL is [Lyra designer]
Jonathan Carr’s best work yet.” (Vol.39 No.7 WWW)
LYRA ETNA: $8995 +
Like Lyra’s flagship, the Atlas, the Etna is machined from a
solid billet of titanium and has a high-efficiency, X-shaped
former and coil arrangement; a yokeless dual-magnet
system; a cantilever rod of diamond-coated boron; and
a Lyra-designed, line-contact stylus with varying radii. It
weighs 9.2gm, has an optimum VTF of 1.72gm, and its rec-
ommended resistive load is between 104 and 887 ohms.
As in all Lyra designs, the motor is built into the cartridge’s
body via a wire suspension held in place by a tiny screw.
Compared to the Atlas, the Etna lacked dynamic drive and
spatial resolution, but produced a harmonically rich, full-
bodied, ultradetailed, and natural sound, said MF. “One of
the most neutral- yet enticing-sounding cartridges I’ve
heard, it’s also one I can recommend for any system and
for any sonic or musical taste,” he concluded. (Vol.37 No.3
WWW)
MIYAJIMA LABS MADAKE SNAKEWOOD: $7500
See MF’s review in this issue.
MIYAJIMA LABS MADAKE: $5895
As MF observed, “For all intents and purposes, the Madake
is a Miyajima Kansui fitted with a mostly bamboo cantile-
ver”—madake being the Japanese word for bamboo, and
mostly referring to the fact that there’s some aluminum in
there, too. Compared to Miyajima’s previous designs, this
wood-bodied, low-output, moderately low-compliance
56
stereo MC cartridge surprised MF by being a “faster per-
former that manages to considerably extend the top end
without making it sound thin or bright.” He concluded: “[If
you] can afford it, you’ll definitely want to add the Madake
to your arsenal.” (Vol.37 No.12)
MIYAJIMA LABS SABOTEN: $2475
See HR’s review in this issue.
ORTOFON MC WINDFELD TI: $4390
Derived from the first Windfeld model—which was de-
signed by Ortofon’s head of R&D, Leif Johannsen, and
named for his predecessor in that position, Per Windfeld—
the new Windfeld Ti MC cartridge differs from the original
in its use of a titanium body core that flares at the top to
form its mounting platform, which is drilled and tapped
for cartridge bolts of the usual sort. (The Windfeld Ti’s
outer body is made of stainless steel.) The Ti’s armature
is also less magnetic than the first Windfeld’s: a windfall
(sorry) of the new cartridge’s more sophisticated magnet
structure. Other pertinent specs include an output of
0.2mV, an internal impedance of 7 ohms, and a specially
polished, nude Replicant 100 stylus tip. According to MF,
the Windfeld Ti, with which he used a vertical tracking
force of 2.3gm, “retained all of the sweetness and lush-
ness of the original Windfeld.” He added that “no one
will be disappointed by the Windfeld Ti’s reproduction of
space.” Mikey’s conclusion: “$4390 buys you a piece of
the highest echelon of cartridge performance for thou-
sands fewer bucks.” (Vol.40 No.8)
TECHDAS TDC01 TI: $14,500
See MF’s review in this issue.
TRANSFIGURATION PROTEUS D: $10,500
The Transfiguration Proteus D is identical to the well-
regarded Proteus in every way but two: The Proteus D
has a solid-diamond cantilever with, according to MF, a
rhomboid cross-section—I think we’ve found the reason
for that D—and specially designed dual dampers for its
suspension. While using the Proteus D to play a recent re-
cording by the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, MF noted
“more fully developed orchestral colors” in comparison to
the sound of an even more expensive cartridge; in addi-
tion, “the individual sections of the orchestra were more
clearly ‘visible’” with the D—”it was like listening to a dif-
ferent recording.” Mikey’s verdict: “The Proteus D is the
Proteus on steroids.” (Vol.41 Nos.3 & 4)
TRANSFIGURATION PROTEUS: $6000 +
For their new flagship MC cartridge, Transfiguration re-
turned to the double-ring-magnet construction of earlier
models, adding silver-wire coils with so few windings that
an internal resistance of just 1 ohm is claimed. Neverthe-
less, output is specified as 0.2mV at 3.54cm/s (using
the industry’s standard of 5cm/s, the Proteus’s output
is actually closer to 0.28mV). The Proteus sports a PA-
profile stylus at the end of its boron cantilever, and the
moderate-compliance motor is said to perform well at a
VTF of 2gm. Based on his experience with earlier Trans-
figurations—models known more for “getting out of the
way” than for trying to make a “beautiful sound”—MF had
high expectations; even so, he wasn’t prepared for what
he heard: “Even before [it] had a chance to fully break in
and develop, what I was hearing put it up there with the
best, most musically involving cartridges I’ve heard at any
price.” As for value, MF described the Proteus as “expen-
sive, but not stupidly so,” the latter sobriquet being some-
thing he reserves for cartridges that sell for $10,000 and
up. (Vol.37 No.10)
TZAR DST: $10,000
Whereas most moving-coil cartridges have their stylus
at one end of a cantilever, and their coils, wound on tiny
coil formers, at the other, the Tzar DST—like the vintage
Neumann DST 62 cartridge on which it’s modeled—says
to hell with the formers: Its coils are glued right to the
cantilever, just behind the stylus. The theoretic result is
far less dynamic compression than with traditional MC
designs—and reduced compression is precisely what AD
heard from the Tzar: “The Tzar DST is the most incredibly
tactile, forceful, and altogether open-throttled pickup
I’ve ever tried.” He added that the Tzar “allowed strings
to sound sweet and utterly huge, with extraordinarily
good, snappy, vibrant note attacks.” Created under the
direction of tonearm designer Frank Schröder, the Tzar
DST differs from the Neumann in its use of an aluminum
body and a carbon-fiber cantilever. Its compliance, though
unspecified, was observed by AD to be very low—recom-
mended downforce is 3.2–4gm—and its output is a mere
0.25mV. (Schröder recommends pairing it with a step-up
transformer of moderately high inductance; AD had best
results with a borrowed NOS Neumann Bv33.) Finally, a
product that answers the question “Is there a place in the
market for a $10,000, Siberia-made phono cartridge?”
with a resounding Yes. (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
B
AMG TEATRO: $2750
Although AMG is headquartered in Germany, their Teatro
moving-coil cartridge is a true international effort. Its
two-piece titanium body is made in the US, where it’s
machined and treated with a Tiodize Type III coating that
gives the Teatro its distinctive green finish. The Teatro’s
generator, which has separate coil assemblies for each
channel—as opposed to having both channels’ coils
wound on a common former—is made in Japan. Its mag-
nets are neodymium, its cantilever is boron, and its soft-
alloy yoke contains cobalt and iron, just like your favorite
multivitamins. Also notable are the Teatro’s 0.4mV output,
12-ohm internal resistance, line-contact stylus, and ma-
chined-aluminum stylus guard—”the best, easiest-to-use
stylus guard ever to protect a needle,” said HR, who found
that the somewhat “analytical” Teatro was the perfect
mate for the relatively lush-sounding pairing of Palmer 2.5
turntable and Audio Origami PU7 tonearm: that combina-
tion “was sounding as if its yin and yang were balanced
just right.” (Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
AUDIO MUSIKRAFT DENON DL-103:
$579 AND UP $$$
Montreal-based MusiKraft offers precision-machined
metal cartridge shells as accessories for Denon’s classic
DL-103 cartridge—a favorite of AD, KM, HR, and others.
Prices start at $579 for a clear-anodized aluminum shell
in which a new DL-103 has been installed—or brave us-
ers with steady hands can buy just the aluminum shell
for $229 and fit their own darn Denon. In either case,
the MusiKraft shell is pre-drilled with five sets of tapped
mounting holes, making cartridge mounting and align-
ment easier than ever, and fitted with tiny, interchange-
able wooden panels that give the cartridge a jaunty look
and may or may not affect its sound. (Dozens of species
of wood are available, and the panels can be removed/ex-
changed/refitted in the field, so to speak.) AD borrowed
a MusiKraft polished lithium-aluminum shell (model S-
AlLi103-PO) with side panels of South American ipe wood
and a pre-installed Denon DL-103—a total retail value of
$739—and was impressed all to hell and back: the Musi-
Kraft version lacked “the slight treble glare” associated
with his stock DL-103, and provided “pitches and pitch
relationships [that] were steadily, solidly right,” and “vocal
textures and tones with real meat and color.” His verdict:
“a fine value.” (Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
CLEARAUDIO MAESTRO V2 EBONY: $1300
The ebony-bodied V2 is the most expensive moving-
magnet cartridge in Clearaudio’s line—and, quite pos-
sibly, the costliest MM cartridge period. In common with
other MMs, the Maestro V2 has relatively high output
(3.6mV), with concomitantly highish coil impedance
and inductance; unlike other MMs, it isn’t an especially
high-compliance design—its tracking-force range is
1.8–2.6gm—and its Micro HD stylus and boron cantilever
are not user replaceable. According to MF, the Maestro V2
“didn’t have the speed or the high-frequency extension of
a good moving-coil,” but it offered a great combination of
“midrange richness, openness, and detail,” and it “tracked
and traced well” every record MF threw at it. Figuratively.
(Vol.38 No.4)
DYNAVECTOR DV-20X2L: $995 $$$
HR’s search for a phono cartridge that would “dance on
the roadhouse bar or burn rubber in the parking lot” led
him to the Dynavector DV-20X2L, a low-output (0.3mV;
a higher-output version, the DV20X2H, is available),
medium-high-compliance moving-coil cartridge with a
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

MicroRidge stylus. Says Herb, “I loved it right away—the
DV-20X2L was everything the [Ortofon] 2M Black was
not: fast, clear as water, and expressive.” His conclusion:
“[I]t became my new budget reference phono cartridge.”
(Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
GOLDRING ELITE MC: $995
NR, but see KM’s Music Hall review in Vol.39 No.9 WWW.
HANA EL MC: $475 $$$
Commissioned by Sibatech Inc. and manufactured by
Excel Sound, both of Japan, the Hana EL is a low-output
(0.5mV) moving-coil cartridge built with alnico magnets
and fitted with an aluminum cantilever and elliptical sty-
lus. (A higher-output version, the Hana EH, is available for
the same price but has not yet been tested.) Compliance
is medium to medium-low—and thus well suited to the
SME M2-9 tonearm used by HR, who declared that “the
EL’s basic sonic character was highly musical and excep-
tionally nonmechanical.” (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
JASMINE TURTLE: $799 $$$
The made-in-China Jasmine Audio Turtle moving-coil
cartridge sports a Fritz Geiger FG2 line-contact stylus and
what HR describes as “the most beautiful body—of blue
and white porcelain—I have ever laid eyes on.” The lowish-
output (0.6mV) Turtle is heavier than average (14.5gm),
and thus may require a heavier-than-average tonearm
counterweight; HR used it with the Sorane SA-1.2 and that
arm’s auxiliary weight and declared the Jasmine Audio
cartridge capable of making “big, pristine, hyperclear, su-
persaturated images, and a soundstage that felt like the
Matrix revealed.” His conclusion: “At $699, it delivered a
giant portion of what those cartridges I can’t afford might
give me.” (Vol.39 No.4 WWW)
KOETSU ROSEWOOD MONO: $3495
Nominally, the Koetsu Rosewood Mono has nothing up
its sleeve: It is, indeed, a Koetsu Rosewood cartridge—an
enduringly popular moving-coil model and surely among
the very first wood-bodied cartridges to cross our path—
and it is, indeed, intended for use only with monophonic
records. (Whether it contains a true single-channel motor
or a stereo motor strapped for mono, MF doesn’t know:
Koetsu did not provide specifications.) Extrapolating
from the more common stereo Koetsu Rosewoods, MF
estimates the Mono’s output as 0.4mV, its internal imped-
ance as 5 ohms, and its tracking-force range as 1.8–2gm.
Under the Rosewood Mono’s stylus, the recent mono re-
issue of Duke Ellington’s Masterpieces by Ellington was
“in full bloom,” according to Mikey, “if somewhat at the
expense of bass attack and transient bite.” His conclusion:
the Koetsu Rosewood Mono is a good choice “if your sys-
tem needs a bit of softening of transients.” (Vol.41 No.3)
KOETSU ROSEWOOD STANDARD: $3495
See HR’s review in this issue.
LONDON MAROON: $995 $$$
With its spherical stylus, the Maroon is the least expensive
of the British-built London cartridges: Deccas in all but
name, and all featuring the same Deccades-old (sorry)
“positive-scanning” design in which the stylus is fastened
directly to the generator mechanism. Basic specs include
high output (5mV), moderate downforce (1.8–2gm), and
lateral and vertical resonant frequencies sufficiently dif-
ferent from each other as to make tonearm selection
slightly trickier than usual; AD wondered if the Rega
RB300 might be the best match he’s heard so far. He also
praised the Maroon for having “a point of view: It stressed
detail, presence, touch, and texture.” AD described the
Maroon as having an “illuminated” midrange and a “dry
and tight” bass range. But his most lavish praise was for
the Maroon’s forcefulness: in his view, compared to the
exceptionally dynamic Maroon, “most moving-coil car-
tridges . . . sound compressed.” (Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
MOFI ELECTRONICS MASTERTRACKER: $699
MoFi’s best moving-magnet cartridge, the MasterTracker
is built in Japan using a US-made body machined from
aluminum for optimal resonance control. Its twin mag-
nets, reportedly the lightest ones in MoFi’s MM line, are
aligned in a V formation parallel to the walls of a stereo
groove, and its tapered aluminum cantilever is fitted with
a Micro-line stylus. Pertinent specs include an output of
3.0mV and a downforce range of 1.8–2.2gm. After using
stereophile.com Q April 2018
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
the MasterTracker with MoFi’s UltraDeck record player,
HR wrote that he had “never ever experienced such vitali-
ty and sharp focus from an MM cartridge,” and that, “more
surprisingly, this sharp focus did not come from lean, dry,
or overdamped sound. The MasterTracker was simply get-
ting all of the energy off the record.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
ORTOFON CG 25DI MONO PICKUP HEAD:
$902 $$$ +
The oldest product design from the second-oldest audio
manufacturer on Earth (Quad gets the nod for having
lasted even longer), Ortofon’s CG 25DI pickup head is a
single-coil monophonic MC motor of high output (1.5mV)
and low compliance (the recommended downforce is
4gm). Its spherical stylus is made with a full 25μm ra-
dius—hence the model designation—thus restricting
the CG 25DI’s use to records mastered with a true mono
cutter head. As AD observed, “This is among the hallowed
few cartridges that really communicate everything that’s
special about 1950s and ‘60s mono LPs from the likes of
Verve, Prestige, Clef, [and] Columbia.” With its three-figure
price, the CG 25DI also offers exceptionally high value.
(Vol.38 No.4 WWW)
ORTOFON SPU #1E: $659 $$$
ORTOFON SPU #1S: $599 $$$
Although Ortofon’s SPU series of pickup heads—phono
cartridges, typically moving-coils, that are built into their
own headshells—is surely the longest-running cartridge
line in the history of audio, they never attracted the at-
tention of MF, who admits not being “a fan of [the de-
sign’s] old-school, SME-type” locking collet, and who is
also put off by the typical SPU’s high mass and high rec-
ommended tracking force. That changed in spring 2016,
when Ortofon introduced the low-priced SPU #1S and
SPU #1E, respectively fitted with spherical and elliptical
styli. In all other respects, they’re identical: 0.18mV out-
put, 4gm recommended tracking force, 30gm weight.
MF received review samples of both and declared, after
his first spin with the #1E, “I immediately, and much to
my surprise, got what the SPU cult is all about.” When
he switched to the spherical-tipped #1S, MF wrote, “Yes,
much detail was missing, but also gone were artifacts of
mechanical playback, replaced by a luxuriously smooth
sound and exceptionally ‘black’ backgrounds. I began to
understand the appeal of spherical styli.” Writing in the
December 2016 Stereophile, AD preferred the spheri-
cal-tipped version—”[it’s] every inch an SPU”—but by a
smaller margin than he expected. His verdict: “both of
these new SPUs offer exceptional value for the money,
and either would make an excellent starting point for the
shopper who’s curious about vintage gear.” (Vol.39 Nos.
9 & 12 WWW)
REGA RESEARCH APHELION: $4995
Like Rega’s previous flagship cartridge, the Apheta, which
endures in the line, their new Aphelion is a moving-coil
that dispenses with suspension dampers and a tie wire.
The Aphelion’s output is 0.35mV, its internal impedance
is 10 ohms, and its recommended downforce range is
1.75–2.0gm. Used with Rega’s flagship RP10 turntable
and companion RB2000 tonearm (see elsewhere in Rec-
ommended Components), the Aphelion provided a quality
of playback that was “seat-of-the-pants exciting,” but was
also lacking in warmth. It was “too lean, too fast, just plain
too much,” according to MF. (Vol.41 No.2)
SOUNDSMITH ZEPHYR MIMC STAR: $1999
The low-output, fixed-coil Zephyr MIMC—the second half
of its name reminds the buyer that this moving-iron (MI)
cartridge is ideal for use with phono preamps tailored for
moving-coil (MC) cartridges—is fitted with a line-contact
stylus, and has a recommended downforce of 1.8–2.2gm.
According to RD, the Zephyr MIMC—which is descended
from the considerably more expensive Soundsmith Sus-
surro—offers “high performance at an affordable price.”
RD also notes that, when used with his Convergent Audio
Technology SL-1 Renaissance Black Path Edition Thurn
und Taxis line-plus-phono preamplifier, the Zephyr MIMC
performed best into a load of 1333 ohms. AD is weirded
out by the fact that, when one sums the resistors required
for both the left and right channels, the total is 2666
ohms. (Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
PHONO CARTRIDGES
SOUNDSMITH CARMEN MK.II: $999
The ebony-bodied Carmen, a moving-iron design, of-
fers medium compliance (22μm/mN) and high output
(2.2mV) and features a nude elliptical stylus at the end of
its aluminum cantilever. HR found the Carmen to be “con-
spicuously chameleon-like” in his system, exhibiting a dif-
ferent character with each different tonearm, turntable,
and phono preamplifier he used it with. He especially en-
joyed the Carmen when it was partnered with his vintage
Thorens TD 124 turntable and SME 3009II tonearm, en-
joying the combination’s “sparkle and dynamics.” Quoth
HR: “It was like the sun reappearing from behind a cloud.”
(Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
TRIANGLE ART APOLLO MC: $8000
Despite specifications virtually identical to those of
their $3999 Zeus cartridge—0.3mV output, 2gm recom-
mended tracking force, Micro-Ridge stylus, and boron
cantilever—Triangle Art’s upmarket Apollo impressed MF
as sounding “sharper and faster” than its more forgiving
stablemate. Whether or not this had to do with the Apol-
lo’s onyx body, as contrasted with the aluminum alloy of
the Zeus, is anyone’s guess, but MF suggests pairing the
“spectacular without being too hi-fi” Apollo with a phono
preamp that’s “on the warm side.” (Vol.39 No.5)
C
DENON DL-103: $299 $$$ +
In production since 1962, the DL-103 is a resolutely old-
fashioned cartridge with a two-piece plastic body. Its
two-piece aluminum cantilever drives a cross-shaped
armature wound with several turns of fine-gauge copper
magnet wire. Its nude, square-shank diamond stylus is
ground to a spherical tip. Though the Denon offered excel-
lent bass depth and impact, with an overall exciting and
“pleasantly forward” sound, its high-frequency response
peak made bright recordings “a bit more forward than
ideal.” Nonetheless, AD deemed it “a superb cartridge and
a remarkable buy.” Compared to Denon’s new DL-A100
100th Anniversary moving-coil phono cartridge, AD’s old
DL-103 was tubbier in the bass, but just as dynamic and
dramatic. Performance with the stock spherical stylus tip
squeaks into low Class B, he adds, saying that, “apart from
various Miyajimas and the always-recommendable Miyabi
47, it’s hard for me to think of another standard (non-pick-
up-head) type of cartridge that has this much impact and
drama.” KM’s go-to cartridge. Borderline Class B. (Vol.3
No.9, Vol.30 Nos. 10 & 12, Vol.34 No.12, Vol.39 No.9 WWW)
DYNAVECTOR DV 10X5: $650 $$$ +
Besides subtle changes in magnet material and coil-
winding techniques, the latest iteration of Dynavector’s
classic moving-coil design has threaded mounting holes
for simple installation and alignment. It weighs 7.3gm, has
an output of 2.5mV, and uses an elliptical stylus tip and
aluminum cantilever. Recommended load impedance is
anything greater than 1000 ohms; recommended track-
ing force is 1.8–2.2gm. Thanks to the Dynavector’s clarity,
immediacy, and presence, “music was consistently more
dramatic and involving, while never sounding unneces-
sarily harsh, aggressive, or forward,” said SM. One of
ST’s favorite cartridges. AD: “This colorful, well-balanced,
chunky-sounding cartridge played music extremely well,
with a bonus of very fine stereo imaging....More money
can buy more drama, impact, scale, and transparency....
But the Dynavector 10X5 should give you most of what I
think you need at a bargain price.” (Vol.26 No.10 WWW;
Vol.35 No.11 WWW)
GRADO PRESTIGE ME+: $150 +
The polycarbonate-bodied Prestige ME+ Mono has an el-
liptical stylus at the end of the company’s trademark four-
piece (telescoping) aluminum cantilever. Although not a
single-coil cartridge, its design is true mono inasmuch as
the coils are physically oriented to respond to only lateral
modulations. Output is a healthy 5mV, the recommended
load is 47k ohms, and recommended VTF is 1.5–2gm. HR
found the Grado to be great at suppressing surface noise;
more important, on records ranging from solo gut-string
guitar to opera, the Prestige ME+ Mono proved to be musi-
cally insightful and consistently rewarding: “The Grado’s
boldly cinematic sound triggered all the aesthetic emo-
57
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
PHONO CARTRIDGES PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
tion I required.” HR has, in fact, purchased the Grado for Over twice the size and weight of the less expensive Stan-
use as his daily driver. (Vol.37 No.12 WWW) dard transformer, the Class A Hommage T1, designed as a
NAGAOKA MP-500: $699 + companion to Auditorium 23’s Solovox loudspeaker, is a
The MP-500 has a samarium-cobalt magnet, a permal- statement product. It has a textured-paint finish, attrac-
loy shield casing, a SuperFineline line-contact stylus, tive white-oak endcaps, and input and output resistances
and a low-mass boron cantilever. When used with the of 3 and 2530 ohms, respectively. The Hommage T1
Thorens TD 309 turntable, the Nagaoka had a slightly shared the Standard’s excellent timing, flow, and overall
forward, somewhat cool overall sound, but outclassed the drama, but produced a much larger soundstage; and while
TD 309’s stock Audio-Technica AT95E in terms of image the Audio Note AN-S8 was slightly richer, the Hommage
solidity, detail resolution, and bass extension, said MF. T1 proved more exciting, said AD. Pairing the Hommage
(Vol.34 No.2) T1 with an EMT OFD 25 mono pickup head resulted in un-
ORTOFON 2M BLACK: $755 + surpassed musical and emotional impact, he noted. The
Partnered with the budget-priced Audio-Technica AT- Hommage T1 provided more timbral color, more shimmer,
PEQ3 phono preamp, the “ridiculously good” Ortofon 2M and a larger overall sound than did Bob Sattin’s CineMag
Black produced a bright, open sound with “surprising heft 3440A device, found AD. Outwardly identical to the T1, the
and slam.” Because its Shibata stylus is sensitive to rake Hommage T2 takes the same uber-perfectionist approach
angle, the 2M Black should be used only with tonearms and applies it to EMT’s high-output, high-impedance car-
that permit adjustment of VTA and SRA, Mikey advised. tridges and pickup heads: the TSD 15, the OFD 25, and so
(Vol.32 No.12) forth. Unusually for a transformer designed around such
ORTOFON 2M BLUE: $236 $$$ + motors, the Hommage T2 has a high turns ratio, and con-
Affordable moving-magnet cartridge with user-replace- sequently very high gain; it shouldn’t work—yet it does,
able elliptical diamond stylus. With the Blue mounted brilliantly. The combination of the Hommage T2 and an
in a Music Hall Ikura turntable and arm, BJR found that EMT OFD 25 delivers the most dramatically impactful,
“the transients and bloom of the string quartet were re- tonally vivid phono playback ever heard by AD, who adds,
produced with no trace of coloration or smear.” Superb “The T2 is so good, it’s sick!” (Vol.30 No.10, Vol.32 No.8,
transient articulation and dynamics. “Competes with Vol.33 No.6 WWW)
cartridges at double its price. Also an excellent match for CH PRECISION P1: $31,000
both the Music Hall Ikura and VPI Nomad turntables,” he Built into a sleek aluminum-alloy case with no screws vis-
adds. (Vol.37 No.12 WWW) ible on any of its surfaces, the Swiss-made CH Precision
REGA ELYS 2: $295 $$$ + P1 is no less sophisticated inside. This solid-state phono
See the Planar 3 entry in “Turntables.” Price is $200 when pre offers multiple inputs, two of which address current-
purchased with that turntable. HR is not a fan, however. amplification circuits—an approach that, per MF, pro-
(Vol.31 No.7, Vol.34 No.12, Vol.40 No.2 WWW) duces “the best signal/noise ratios” and does not require
SHURE SC35C: $59 $$$ cartridge loading to achieve flat response. That said, for
Very affordable, DJ-heritage moving-magnet cartridge use with its voltage-amplification inputs, the P1 offers a
that HR found worked superbly well on the Pioneer PLX- menu-driven “wizard” that analyzes the entire record-
1000 turntable. MF demurs. (Vol.38 No.7 WWW) playing system, then calculates and applies the optimal
ZU DL-103 MK.2: FROM $499 load. Beyond that, as MF points out, users can manually
See AD’s review in this issue. test the P1’s entire loading range of 20 to 100k ohms, se-
lectable in 500 steps: “load fetishists, knock yourselves
D out!” Used with its optional X1 outboard power supply
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT95E: $74 + ($17,000), the P1 provided Mikey with tonal neutrality
When used with the Thorens TD 309 turntable, the Audio- and an ultra-low noise floor: “Some products have me
Technica AT95E produced large, exuberant images, but up all night, pulling out record after record; some don’t.
lacked the solidity, detail resolution, macrodynamics, and The P1 did, and gave me an exciting and fully pleasurable
bass extension of the more expensive Nagaoka MP-500, sonic ride every time.” In the June 2017 Stereophile, MF
said MF. (Vol.34 No.2) refocused his attention on the X1 power supply, observing
ORTOFON 2M RED: $99 $$$ + that, “with the X1 off, the P1’s image solidity and pile-driv-
The least expensive of Ortofon’s 2M moving-magnet er-like rhythmic certainty . . . were somewhat diminished.”
cartridges (the series name is shorthand for MM), the He purchased the CH Precision combo for his own enjoy-
Red offers a 5.5mV output, a replaceable elliptical stylus, ment. (Vol.40 Nos. 4 & 6)
highish compliance, a recommended tracking force of YPSILON VPS-100: $26,000 +
1.8gm, and a square-front body with threaded mounting Made in Greece, the moving-magnet VPS-100 is beauti-
holes, for ease of installation. SM declared the 2M Red’s fully built and housed in a substantial aluminum case.
dynamic range “vastly wider” than that of the less expen- It uses a 6CA4 rectifier tube and choke filter, while RIAA
sive Ortofon OM 5E, and praised the new cartridge’s clean, is accomplished passively with zero feedback using a
fast, grainless sound. SM’s verdict: “If you’re looking for a transformer-based LCR network. All internal wiring is
high-value cartridge . . . the 2M Red is an excellent place to done by hand, point to point. While it couldn’t quite match
start.” Borderline Class C. (Vol.37 No.5, Vol.38 No.2 WWW) the bottom-octave punch, definition, and extension of the
Pass Labs XP-25, the Ypsilon produced a more transpar-
K ent, silky, airy overall sound, said MF. “It produced an
SOUNDSMITH HYPERION. absolutely intoxicating blend of stupefyingly extended
high frequencies, resolution, clarity, and transient preci-
sion, along with tight, deep, nimble, nonmechanical bass,
DELETIONS and an ideally rich midrange,” said MF and has since pur-
chased the review sample. (Vol.32 No.8, Vol.34 No.3)
Ortofon MC A95 no longer available; DS Audio DS-W1
replaced by new model; Zu Audio DL-103 replaced by Zu A He concluded that the D’Agostino is “the most enticing
Audio DL-103 Mk.II; Miyajima Labs Zero Mono, Miyajima AUDIO RESEARCH REF PHONO 3: $14,000
Labs Spirit Mono, Ortofon Anna, Soundsmith SG-200 Intended as a replacement for their Reference Phono 2SE,
Strain Gauge Mk.IV, all not auditioned in too long a time. Audio Research’s Reference Phono 3 is a hybrid tubed/
solid-state phono preamp that offers two independently
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING- configurable inputs with various gain and loading options,
all of which can be stored in its memory. It has a FET input
COIL STEP-UP DEVICES stage and uses a total of six 6H30 dual-triode tubes in the
signal path, plus an additional 6H30 and a 6550WE tube
A+ for power-supply regulation. The Reference Phono 3 treat-
AUDITORIUM 23 HOMMAGE T1 & HOMMAGE T2: ed MF to “an embarrassment of tonal riches, with silky,
BOTH $4995 + textured delicacy emerging from ‘black’ backgrounds”—
58
and that was fresh out of the box! Mikey’s conclusion: “If
$14,000 is within your budget, the Reference Phono 3 is a
must-listen.” (Vol.40 No.1)
AUDIO TEKNE TEA-8695 PCS: $48,000
In Audio Tekne’s 100-lb TEA-8695 PCS, 12 signal tubes
and one rectifier tube are concealed amid a dense for-
est of Permalloy-core inductors and transformers, two of
the latter being the step-up transformers that first greet
the input signal in this MC-only design. MF praised the
Audio Tekne for having “the most gorgeous, cleanly laid-
out point-to-point wiring.” More to the point, he praised
the TEA-8695 PCS for its “massive but well-controlled
bass,” “superrich mids,” and “smooth yet well-extended
highs,” adding that the Audio Tekne “had dynamic slam
to spare”—while noting his frustration with its opaque
instruction manual. (Vol.39 No.11)
BOB’S DEVICES SKY 40 TRANSFORMER:
$1250 $$$
The Sky 40 is a stereo step-up transformer with a turns
ratio (ie, the ratio of the number of turns of wire in its
primary coil to the number of turns in its secondary coil,
which determines the phono transformer’s gain) of 1:40,
making it a potentially apt mate for many low-output,
low-internal-resistance MC cartridges. If you’re read-
ing this, there’s an awfully good chance you own such a
cartridge, in which case Bob’s Devices wants you to know
that the CineMag transformers in the Sky 40 represent a
completely new design; and AD wants you to know that
the Sky 40, used with his Shindo-rebuilt Ortofon SPU,
made his favorite music sound “huge and detailed,” and
ultimately distinguished itself as “a giant-slayer of a step-
up transformer,” and something that “may be the product
you’ve been waiting for.” (Vol.40 No.3 WWW)
CHANNEL D SETA MODEL L: $3799 +
Designed to take full advantage of Pure Vinyl’s digital RIAA
correction, the beautifully built Seta Model L includes bal-
anced and single-ended inputs, balanced unequalized
outputs, variable gain, and a built-in, rechargeable battery
power supply. Recordings made using the Seta Model L’s
optional RIAA-equalized outputs were “models of clarity,
definition, tonal accuracy, detail resolution, and spatial co-
herence,” said MF. “There is no doubt that the Seta Model
L has been superbly engineered,” praised JA. Compared
to the Liberty B2B-1, the Seta Model L lacked some mid-
bass energy, but did a better job of preserving recorded
ambience, said JA, who also admired the Channel D’s
superb measured performance. Optional internal RIAA
compensation module adds $1199. (Vol.33 No.8; Vol.36
No.12 WWW)
DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS
MOMENTUM PHONOSTAGE: $28,000
Like the same company’s line-level Momentum Preampli-
fier, the Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum
Phonostage is supplied with audio circuitry in one enclo-
sure, for which a uniquely shaped power-regulation com-
ponent acts as a cradle/base. (The Phonostage actually
goes one better and isolates the mains transformer in a
remote enclosure of its own.) With two MC inputs and two
MM inputs, all of which offer a choice between RCA and
XLR jacks—although its outputs are XLR-only—the Pho-
nostage provides a wide range of electronically selectable
options for gain and resistive and capacitive loading, plus
four alternate de-emphasis curves in addition to the usual
RIAA. MF described the Momentum Phonostage as having
“a relaxed, almost tube-like richness in the midband, with-
out sacrificing the transient clarity, detail, speed, and . . .
transparency I expect from a top-shelf solid-state design.”
solid-state phono preamp I’ve reviewed.” (Vol.40 No.2)
EMIA PHONO STEP-UP TRANSFORMER: $2400
(WITH COPPER WIRE)
Dave Slagle, whose radically rebuilt Quad ESL loudspeak-
ers have astounded more than a few listeners, winds his
own step-up transformers and sells them under the brand
name EMIA—a collaborative design and manufacturing
effort with Jeffrey Jackson, who specializes in tube am-
plification and horn loudspeakers. The EMIA Phono trans-
former, which is housed in a steel box with solid walnut top
and bottom plates, is unpotted, and has a fairly large core
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

with 80% nickel content. In addition to one pair each of
RCA input and output jacks—multiple primary coils aren’t
available—the EMIA Phono has a third pair of jacks, wired
in parallel with the primary and intended for use with re-
sistive plugs (supplied), for cartridges that might need
such things. The EMIA is available with copper or silver
windings; AD spent some quality time with a copper-wire
version wound with a 15:1 ratio, for use with his EMT TSD
15 and Denon DL-103 cartridges. He described the EMIA
as offering “an immense sense of drive” with his EMT, as
well as “texture and tone in spades. In buckets. In tanker
holds.” All in all, AD found the EMIA to sound “clean, clear,
rich, detailed, and, above all, musically exciting—all for ap-
proximately half the price of the deservedly well-regarded
Hommage T2,” the latter transformer being his longtime
reference. (Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
LAMM INDUSTRIES LP 2.1 DELUXE: $9390 +
The LP2.1 Deluxe—the adjective refers to this version’s
upgraded power supply, polystyrene bypass caps, and
20.5-lb damping panel—is a single-box stereo phono
preamp with tube rectification and pairs of Russian-made
6C3P and 6C45P-E triode tubes for the signal path. The
dual-mono design has separate, switchable RCA-jack
inputs for MM and MC cartridges, the latter of which ad-
dress a pair of Jensen 1:10 step-up transformers for ad-
ditional gain. Controls are minimal, with no provisions for
varying the 400-ohm load of the MC inputs—although,
as MF observed, that figure is “a good compromise for
cartridges with internal impedances of about 40 ohms
or less.” MF found the “smooth-sounding, well-detailed”
LP2.1 to be remarkably free from noise—even quieter than
some solid-state phono preamps—and observed that “the
sound of MCs through the LP2.1’s transformers was im-
pressively fast, detailed, open, dynamic, and resolving—all
without added glare, grain, or etch.” At the same time, he
was even more impressed when preceding the Lamm’s
MM stage with the Ypsilon MC-10L step-up transformer
($6000), which “seriously upped the sound quality along
with the price.” Still, MF considers LP2.1 Deluxe “fully com-
petitive with anything at or near that price.” (Vol.38 No.3)
LUXMAN EQ-500: $6495
Before he’d played a single note through the EQ-500—
even before he’d plugged it into a wall outlet—this phono
preamp had impressed AD by offering virtually every fea-
ture he’d ever wanted from such a product, and at least
one he’d never imagined: adjustable gain, adjustable re-
sistive loading, adjustable capacitive loading, switchable
scratch filters and rumble filters, a mono switch, a phase
switch, a very unexpected built-in cartridge demagnetizer
. . . everything except a video camera for backing it out of
the driveway. Best of all, the EQ-500, which uses a mix of
ECC82 and ECC83 small-signal tubes plus an EZ81 rectifi-
er tube, sounded wonderful to AD, who observed that “the
textures of the close-miked violin, cellos, and double bass
in [the Electric Light Orchestra’s] “Queen of the Hours”
were almost overwhelming—a very pleasant overdose.”
Art’s conclusion: “If your budget can stretch this far, the
Luxman EQ-500 is a must-hear.” (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 810LP: $13,000 +
The first phono preamp in Simaudio’s Moon line of cost-
no-object designs, the fully balanced, dual-mono 810LP
is a beautifully built, rigid component weighing 40 lbs
and measuring 18.75" W by 4" H by 16.8" D. Its four-layer
circuit board uses a five-point, gel-based, floating suspen-
sion system derived from the Moon 850P preamplifier,
while the power supply features a high-quality toroidal
transformer and multiple filtering and voltage-regulation
stages. DIP switches on the bottom panel provide un-
precedented configurability: 64 impedance loads, from
12.1 ohms to 47k ohms; 16 capacitance settings, from 0
to 1120pF; 16 gain settings, from 40 to 70dB; and RIAA or
IEC equalization. The 810LP had a cool, dry overall sound
with exceptional transparency, clean transients, muscular
macrodynamics, and delicate microdynamics, but lacked
harmonic richness, soundstage size, and top-end air, said
MF. Can be upgraded with Simaudio’s Moon 820S power
supply ($8000). (Vol.35 No.12, Vol.37 No.11, 820S WWW)
NAGRA BPS: $2459 +
The tiny, lightweight, battery-powered BPS is loosely
stereophile.com Q April 2018
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
based on Nagra’s more expensive VPS, but uses bipolar
transistors instead of tubes. It provides 51dB gain in MM
mode and 62dB in MC. With its “upfront transient speed,
clarity, and focus,” the BPS was “a more neutral, accurate
phono preamp than the lush, romantic VPS,” said Mikey.
Overall, the BPS sacrificed sustain and richness for at-
tack and rhythm. Compared to the Audio Research PH7,
the BPS was “lean, fast, tight, and clean,” lacking delicacy
and harmonic complexity. MF: “If your system needs an
injection of excitement, the BPS is guaranteed to do just
that.” While the BPS sounded good plugged into the AC,
it sounded better when powered by its own 9V battery,
added FK, who bought the review sample. (Vol.32 Nos.6,
8, & 10 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO JC 3+: $2995 $$$ +
The Halo JC 3 is a true dual-mono design with a large R-
core transformer power supply. Construction quality is
first rate, top-shelf parts are used throughout, and the
stout, heavy case is beautifully finished. Designer John
Curl favored purity over adjustability, offering minimal
loading options: 100 ohms or 47k ohms for moving-coil
cartridges and 47k ohms for moving-magnet cartridges.
Its fully direct-coupled RIAA equalization circuit is based
on the circuit used in Curl’s famed Vendetta Research
SCP-2, while the JC 3’s output stage is a true dual-differ-
ential, balanced design. In addition, the JC 3 has a built-in
AC line conditioner, and its power supplies are modeled
after those found in the extremely quiet Halo JC 2 line
stage. Though it lacked the dynamics and transparency
of either Pass Labs’ XP-25 or Ypsilon’s VPS-100, the JC 3
combined superb musical grip and control with a timbral-
ly and texturally ideal midrange. “The JC 3 represents the
best current value in a phono preamp that I know of,” said
MF. Though it also lacked the Sutherland 20/20’s tonal
richness and punchy sense of pace and drive, the Halo
JC 3 produced a detail-rich sound with tight, extended
lows, a clean midrange, and carefully drawn images on a
huge, open soundstage. “If your tastes run to purity, clar-
ity, neutrality, and detail, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a
better phono stage for anywhere near $2350,” concluded
BD, who recommended a Class A rating. The JC 3 sounded
remarkably similar to BJR’s reference, the Vendetta SCP-
2, but lacked some high-frequency purity and ambience
recovery. JA noted superb measured performance. Of the
Halo JC 3+, which adds variable cartridge loading for the
MC input, HR wrote: “The John Curl–designed Halo JC
3+ is the best commercially available phono preamplifier
I’ve used—period.” (Vol.34 Nos. 3 & 10, Vol.35 No.2, Vol.39
No.6 WWW)
SHINDO AURIEGES EQUALIZER AMPLIFIER:
$7895
Not to be confused with Shindo’s Aurieges or Aurieges-L
preamplifiers—the former line plus phono, the latter line
only—the curiously named Aurieges Equalizer Amplifier
is Shindo’s only standalone phono stage. The Aurieges
is supplied in two boxes of identical size: a tube-rectified
power supply and the preamp itself, which contains two
pairs of NOS dual-triode tubes. (Its 6072 tubes are now
pricey and hard to find.) The Shindo has separate inputs
for stereo and mono cartridges, both preceded by custom
Lundahl step-up transformers; a stereo/mono rotary
switch is provided on the front panel, alongside a simi-
lar switch for selecting among RIAA, Columbia, and “78”
equalization curves, the last apparently an average of vari-
ous extant curves from the 78rpm era. Comparing it with
the phono section of his Shindo Masseto preamplifier, AD
found that the Aurieges had “even greater temporal real-
ism,” and was characterized overall by a sound that was
“chunky, solid, and colorful—but mostly chunky.” AD also
found that the Shindo’s Columbia setting improved the
sound of some early LPs on that label; that and the “78”
setting were also useful in taming various shellac discs in
his collection. In a Follow-Up, occasioned in part by AD’s
use of the Shindo in his review of the April Music Aura
Note V2 all-in-one digital source/integrated amplifier (see
elsewhere in this issue’s “Recommended Components”),
JA described measurements in which he observed mixed
results: “[The Shindo’s] very low levels of distortion and
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
PHONO CARTRIDGES
extraordinarily high overload margins must be set against
its nonflat RIAA response, its high level of flicker noise, and
its high output impedance at low frequencies, which will
make system optimization tricky.” (Vol.38 No.11, Vol.39
No.5 WWW)
SUTHERLAND ENGINEERING PHONO BLOCK:
$10,000/PAIR +
The Phono Block is a stripped-down, optimized, no-
compromise design made of two completely separate but
identical monophonic units. Each Phono Block itself com-
prises two heavily shielded, individual subchassis, one for
the power supply and one for the audio stage, linked by
the front and rear panels. The Phono Block offers one pair
of inputs, two parallel pairs of outputs, a choice of three
grounding schemes, and a built-in white-noise generator.
Plug-in cards allow the user to select loading and gain.
Like Sutherland’s battery-powered designs, the Phono
Block had an uncanny ease and purity but a more realis-
tic and energetic sense of timing and pace, and created
a larger, more enveloping soundstage, said BD. JA noted
superb measured performance. (Vol.35 No.1 WWW)
SUTHERLAND ENGINEERING DUO: $4000
Unlike most two-box phono preamplifiers, which have
audio circuitry in one enclosure and power-supply com-
ponents in the other, the Sutherland Duo is a dual-mono
design, each enclosure housing a single channel’s audio
circuitry and complete power supply. (The Duo’s two
halves are even shipped in separate cartons.) Construc-
tion details include steel casework and thick circuit
boards, the latter to prevent unwanted capacitance, and
loading and gain are adjustable by means of internal
jumpers. Input and output connectors are limited to RCA
jacks, reflecting the Duo’s single-ended design, and AC
cords are not supplied, reflecting designer Ron Suther-
land’s conviction that most consumers interested in an
expensive phono pre have already made their own choice
of power cord. In describing the Duo’s sound, BD pointed
to its ability to reveal the “primal purity of instruments’
timbres and the natural, effortless feel of the performers.”
He mentioned also that “the Duos’ low end was as ex-
tended as my listening room would support,” and praised
their dynamics as “representative of what I hear at a live
performance, if less spectacular than those from [other]
preamps.” JA’s measurements revealed the Duo to be “a
superbly quiet, superbly linear, superbly accurate phono
preamplifier.” (Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
TRULIFE AUDIO XACTIVE ARGO: $17,500
TruLife’s Xactive Argo uses two pairs of dual-triode sig-
nal tubes to produce 44dB of gain for its MM inputs and
68dB of gain for its MC input, the two pairs of jacks be-
ing switch-selectable. Although housed in a single box,
the Argo is fully dual-mono all the way back to its tube-
rectified power supply, which is built with twin mains
transformers. MF was no less impressed with the Argo
than with TruLife’s earlier Reikon (Stereophile, November
2008), observing that the new model “produced the best
kind of tubed phono-preamp sound: quiet, silky-smooth,
and extended on top, with enticing musical flow and richly
drawn instrumental timbres. . . . From top to bottom, the
Argo reproduced musical textures with uncanny grace
and precision.” (Vol.39 No.11)
VIVA AUDIO FONO MC: $17,500
Described by MF as “by far the most expensive 12AX7-
based MC phono preamp I’ve heard,” the Italian-made
Fono MC also impressed Mikey as “the best sounding—or,
at least, the lushest, the best-controlled, the most ex-
tended, and the least bloomy on the bottom end. It was
also incredibly quiet, with enough gain (60dB) for MC
cartridges of relatively low output.” That surplus of gain
comes courtesy of the Fono MC’s custom-wound step-up
transformers, which reside in one of the Viva preamp’s
two large, stylishly curved enclosures. (That one is for the
gain and equalization; the Viva’s slightly larger, heavier en-
closure contains the tube-regulated power supply.) MF’s
conclusion: “If you listen mostly or exclusively to classical
and/or jazz and can spend [$17,500] on a phono preamp,
the Fono should be on your very short list.” (Vol.39 No.3)
YPSILON ELECTRONICS MC26-L: $6200
Because MF is not a gear slut, he does not own a selection
59
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
of current-amplification phono preamplifiers—both by his
own admission. For now, that vacuum has been filled by
the loan of the Ypsilon MC26-L step-up transformer, the
model number of which derives from the transformer’s
26x turns ratio. According to MF, the MC26-L is “designed
for use with very-low-impedance cartridges,” provides
28.3dB of gain, and presents cartridges with a load of 70
ohms. (Vol.38 No.6)
YPSILON MC10 & MC16: $2800 +
The MC10 transformer produces 20dB of gain and is
intended for use with cartridges having an output range
of 0.4–0.6mV. Its custom double-coil transformers are
shielded with mu-metal and potted in 10mm-thick en-
closures coated with soft iron-nickel. Though it lacked
the “shimmering clarity” of the TruLife Audio Reikon, the
Ypsilon MC10 produced an “exceptionally expansive and
deep” soundstage with solid, dimensional, life-size imag-
es, said MF. The MC16 step-up transformer sounds identi-
cal to Ypsilon’s MC10 but adds 4dB of gain. Compared to
the Music First step-up trannie, the MC16 sounded more
open, transparent, extended, and three-dimensional, said
MF. (Vol.32 No.8, Vol.35 No.6)
ZESTO AUDIO ANDROS TÉSSERA: $12,000
The two-box Andros Téssera tubed phono preamp derives
from Zesto Audio’s former top-model phono preamp, the
Andros 1.2 (itself formerly the PSI), with circuitry inspired
by designs first described during the FDR administration,
in the RCA Radiotron Designer’s Handbook. The Andros
Téssera has provisions for three MM gain settings, three
MC gain settings, and 12 switch-selectable MC loading
options. (MM capacitance is fixed at 220pF.) It can ac-
commodate up to four different tonearms, as long as two
are fitted with MM cartridges and the other two with MCs,
and uses six dual-triode tubes; MC gain is supplied by
internal step-up transformers, from Jensen. Audio-signal
transformers also play a role in the Andros Téssera’s out-
put stage, bringing output impedance down to a sensible
150 ohms. In MF’s estimation, the Andros Téssera “traded
bottom-end authority and grippy bass for the fully devel-
oped textures and sonorous midrange that even the best
solid-state designs somewhat lose track of,” adding that
jazz and classical music “thrived in the Andros Téssera’s
hands”; rock fared less well. (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
B owner of the 834 and loves it. JCA has been using one for
AUDITORIUM 23 STANDARD: $995 $$$ +
Designed and voiced for use with Denon’s DL-103, the Au-
ditorium 23 Standard uses two sealed trannies in a non-
descript aluminum case, and offers input and output re-
sistances of 7.8 and 505 ohms, respectively. With Denon,
Zu, EMT, and Benz cartridges, the sound was “dramatic
without being brash, and consistently full-bodied and col-
orful,” said AD. The Auditorium 23 was “slightly coarser”
than the Audio Note AN-S8, lacking some sweetness and
color, but “a bargain” nevertheless, AD sums up. (Vol.30
No.10 WWW)
BLUE HORIZON IDEAS PROFONO: $895
The British-made Profono offers user-selectable gain for
moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, and is sup-
plied with three pairs of resistor-loaded RCA plugs, useful
for changing the standard 47k ohm input load to values
of 100, 470, or 100 ohms. (Plugs with custom values are
available without charge to the unit’s original owner.) HR
noted the Profono’s clarity and articulation—”[It] pre-
sented music with neoclassical precision,” he declared—
and that it made the Soundsmith Carmen cartridge sound
“enjoyably more alive and sunny” than Soundsmith’s own
MMP3 phono preamp. Use with bright-sounding cartridg-
es discouraged. (Vol.38 No.10 WWW)
BOB’S DEVICES CINEMAG 1131: $1195 +
Designed and made by Bob Sattin in Montana, the original
CineMag step-up transformer is built into a rugged little
cast-alloy box, with a toggle switch for gain selection and
another for grounding. It uses a pair of CineMag trans-
formers, switchable between low- and high-gain settings.
Build quality was excellent, with all electrical joints made
using an American Beauty resistive soldering station.
Compared to the built-in step-up in AD’s Shindo Masseto
preamplifier, the CineMag was more colorful and punchy,
60
SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS & MEDIA PLAYERS
with better timbral distinctions between instruments, ap-
proaching the performance of the much more expensive
Auditorium 23 Hommage T1. “Nothing less than wonder-
ful,” Art said. CineMag 1131 phono transformer is switch-
able between high and moderately low gains (turns ratios
of 1:40 and 1:20, respectively), and features gold-plated
connectors, and a ground-lift switch. Compared to the in-
ternal Lundahl transformers in AD’s Shindo preamplifier,
the CineMag 1131 offered greater impact, immediacy, and
emotional intensity; compared to the Silvercore One-to-
Ten transformer, the CineMag sounded “just as dynamic
and punchy, but was also a little bit richer and far, far big-
ger,” he said. The 1131 is borderline Class A. (Vol.33 No.6,
Vol.35 No.5 WWW)
DYNAVECTOR SUP-200: $2650
Designed primarily for Dynavector’s own moving-coil car-
tridges but usable with any MC with a minimum output
of 0.1mV, the SUP-200 is a single-secondary transformer
that provides 26dB of gain. Its chunky enclosure is made
of aluminum, its rear panel fitted with a ground lug and
two pairs of rhodium-plated jacks. In HR’s system, used
with Dynavector’s own DV20X2L low-output (0.3mV) car-
tridge and P75 Mk.3 active phono preamp, the latter set
for MM (40dB) gain, the SUP-200 “made the entire sound
feel naturally corporeal. It added power and smoothness”
and brought “tonal and dynamic strength” to the music.
Borderline Class A. (Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
EAR 834P: $1895 ECONOMY MODEL; $2595
DELUXE MODEL +
Tim de Paravicini–designed, three-tube (12AX7) MM
stage that also offers, for MC use, a pair of step-up trans-
formers (3–50 ohms). MF: “The 834’s sound was abso-
lutely gorgeous in the midband, with a touch of ‘golden
glow,’ and an overall spaciousness and enticing musical
wholeness....The 834P’s bottom-end delivery was well-
extended though a bit loose, if only slightly so....[Its] high-
frequency extension and transient performance perfectly
balanced its bottom: not sharp and etched...but not soft
or overly romantic....A slightly sharp, fast-sounding car-
tridge should really get this thing singing.” Compared to
the GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V, BJR found that the EAR
834P exhibited more detail, air, delicacy, and body in the
midrange, with more detailed and extended highs, but
with rounder, slower bass performance. ST is a long-time
years. Add $700 for chrome Deluxe version. (Vol.20 No.7,
Vol.26 No.8, Vol.28 No.1 WWW)
HEED AUDIO QUASAR: $1200
This solid-state, dual-mono phono preamp, supplied
in two chassis—one for the audio circuitry, one for the
power supply—has separate RCA input jacks for MC and
MM cartridges, and separate output jacks, also RCAs, for
low and high output levels. (Low Out is recommended for
older amps, High Out for more modern designs.) User-
accessible internal jumpers allow fine-tuning of gain and
input impedance, and the Quasar’s very good user’s man-
ual contains suggested settings for a number of different
cartridges. Used in his tube-friendly system, with his De-
non DL-103 cartridge, the Quasar struck KM as sounding
“neither hard nor, worse, tube-cliché syrupy or soft.” He
noted that the Quasar’s resolution of subtle detail was
good enough that he could “easily hear the differences”
between recording venues used for various classic Blue
Note LPs. But for hobbyists who prefer having a step-up
transformer between their MC cartridges and their phono
preamp, the Heed is not an ideal choice: After measuring
the Quasar, JA praised its considerable flexibility but not-
ed the lower-than-specified input impedance in many of
its various settings, and concluded that this phono stage
will perform its best only with MC cartridges connected
directly to its MC inputs. (Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
LFD PHONOSTAGE LE: $1295 $$$ +
PHONOSTAGE LE SPECIAL: $1795 +
Minimalist in design and appearance, the LFD Phonostage
LE combines 28 resistors, 24 capacitors, 4 regulators, 2
epitaxial diodes, 2 op-amps, and 1 transformer in a pleas-
ant-looking chassis of extruded aluminum. It has a fixed
input impedance of 47k ohms and can be configured to
provide appropriate gain for moving-magnet (39dB) or
moving-coil (53dB) cartridges. Despite its modest design
and price, the LFD was “a sonically refined, musically in-
volving, downright fun piece of gear,” with a nice sense of
touch, good weight and impact, and beautifully rich tim-
bral colors, said AD. Upgraded with multistrand PC-OCC
input wiring, multidiameter silver output wiring, taller
viscoelastic isolation feet, and a larger power transformer,
the Phonostage LE Special ($1895) offered greater nu-
ance, touch, detail, and scale for a more compelling listen-
ing experience, felt Art. “The measured performance of
both versions was first-class,” said JA. (Vol.34 No.6 WWW)
LKV RESEARCH VEROS ONE: $6500
“Hutchins is all about minimizing noise,” wrote MF of LKV
Research’s Bill Hutchins, who designs and builds the
solid-state Veros One phono preamp in North Conway,
New Hampshire. The two-box Veros One—one enclosure
for the power supply, another for the preamp proper—is
appropriate for both MM and MC cartridges, and provides
10 different loading options, selectable via a dual-mono
pair of multipole switches on its rear panel. Also provided
are three different gain settings and a dual-mono pair of
front-panel knobs offering a choice between RIAA and
what LKV describes as a “warmer, tube-like” curve called
he calls Contour. The Vero One’s A-weighted signal/noise
ratio is a high 75dB, and its sound, according to Mikey, was
“transparent, three-dimensional, and spatially stable,”
with “inky-black backgrounds.” He also noted that “more
weight can be had” from other phono preamps, albeit for
more money. (Vol.39 No.5)
LOUNGE AUDIO LCR MK.III: $300
LOUNGE AUDIO COPLA: $275
The solid-state LCR Mk.III is named for the type of circuit
chosen for its RIAA equalization stage: a zero-feedback
inductor-capacitor-resistor (L-C-R) circuit. That stage is
constructed with discrete components—remarkable for
a US-made product selling for only $300—and combined
with class-A–biased op-amps for a total gain of 40dB.
Power is supplied by an 18V wall wart. HR has logged liter-
ally hundreds of hours with his LCR Mk.III review sample,
both on its own for use with MM cartridges, and, for MC
cartridges, in tandem with Lounge Audio’s Copla, a JFET-
powered step-up device that does the same job as a
phono transformer, only electronically. In both setups, the
Lounge rewarded HR with “full-bodied, accurately toned”
sound, and enough emotional impact that a favorite Doc
Watson song had him weeping. Referring to the $26,000,
Class A–rated Ypsilon VPS-100, HR wrote: “Could the Yp-
silon make me cry 86.7 times easier? I doubt it.” (Vol.41
No.2 WWW)
MODWRIGHT PH 150: $7900
The two-box PH 150 offers six distinct gain settings,
from 45 to 72dB, all selectable by means of controls on
its front panel. On the same panel are two six-position
selector switches—one each for capacitive and resistive
loading—plus Mono and Power switches, and a Mute po-
sition on its MM/MC selector. Separate sets of inputs on
the PH 150’s rear panel allow the user to run two different
turntables and/or tonearms. Gain is provided by a combi-
nation of tubes, FETs, and Lundahl step-up transformers.
Output transformers, also Lundahls, convey the signal to
the rest of the user’s system; interestingly, it is by means
of their multiple secondary windings that the gain range
is adjusted. MF praised the ModWright phono pre for its
“tight, muscular, and very well extended” bass range and
its “pristine, super-clean” trebles, and delighted in its “ex-
pansive soundstage with well-focused images of generous
size.” His verdict: The “impeccably designed and built”
ModWright PH 150 combines “the qualities of sound pre-
ferred by tube lovers with the convenience and configura-
tion features loved by all vinyl fans.” (Vol.39 No.7)
MUSIC FIRST AUDIO MC STEP UP 632 STEP-UP
TRANSFORMER: $715 $$$
Designed and made in Hastings, Great Britain, by Jona-
than Billington (of Stevens & Billington transformers
fame), the MC Step Up 632 is Music First Audio’s entry-
level step-up device. Though the 632 lacks the multiple,
switch-selectable secondaries of the company’s more
expensive offerings, it has the advantage of being order-
able in any impedance ratio—and, hence, any gain level—
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS & MEDIA PLAYERS
the customer chooses. AD selected as his review sample
a 632 wound with a 1:5 ratio, whose low gain suited his
high-output EMT TSD 15 pickup. He was impressed with
the transformer’s “great, clear beauty,” describing it as
“delicately nuanced . . . in terms of communicating tim-
bral colors.” Although the MFA 632 didn’t have the scale,
impact, or boldness of Auditorium 23’s far more expen-
sive Hommage transformers, AD concluded that it was
“an exceptionally fine value” and “an easy recommenda-
tion.” (Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
SUTHERLAND INSIGHT: $1400 $$$ +
The dual-mono, AC-powered Insight has a case of cold-
rolled steel with a powder coat of baked-on epoxy and
uses Wima polypropylene-film capacitors, Dale/Vishay
metal-film resistors, and gold-plated RCA and internal
jumper jacks. Gain and loading options are adjustable.
Compared with the Musical Fidelity M1ViNYL, the In-
sight offered greater dynamic thrust and slightly more
transparency but lacked midrange warmth, said MF. “The
Insight is easy to recommend,” he said. This phono pre
lacks the drive and impact of the best units I’ve heard,
and is also slightly short on texture, but it’s wonderfully
quiet and pure-sounding, with a nice sense of flow, sums
up AD. He advises owners of early-production units to call
the factory to determine if their Insights are in need of an
upgrade: an IC replacement that most users will be able
to perform themselves without difficulty. (Vol.36 No.8,
Vol.37 No.10 WWW)
TAVISH DESIGN ADAGIO: $1790
Among the handmade electronics offered by Westchester
County, New York–based Tavish Design is the Adagio pho-
no preamp, a two-box design with audio circuitry in one
enclosure and a power supply in the other. The Adagio’s
gain and EQ circuitry—the latter a mix of active and pas-
sive—is implemented with a total of six small-signal tubes,
while power-supply rectification and regulation are solid-
state. Switch-selectable inputs for moving-magnet and
moving-coil cartridges add to the product’s flexibility, as
do separate six-position rotary switches for adjusting load
resistance and capacitance. MM inputs offer 44dB of gain,
MC inputs 64dB, the extra 20dB provided by a stereo pair
of Jensen step-up transformers. AD found the Adagio’s
MM circuit to be “beautifully, prettily clear, in a pleasantly
liquid sort of way,” with “exceptional” detail and openness.
The MC circuitry was also impressive, especially with a
Shindo-rebuilt Ortofon SPU cartridge, although the Jen-
sen transformers appeared not to provide the same sense
of drama, force, and bass weight as (far more expensive)
outboard transformers. Still, as AD observed, “the com-
paratively inexpensive Tavish Adagio punched above its
weight.” In his Follow-Up in the March 2018 Stereophile,
HR wrote that the Adagio is “a cool, quiet, neutral-sound-
ing phono preamplifier, and it’s a joy to use: I know of no
better for under $3000.” (Vol.39 No.6, Vol.41 No.3 WWW)
C EQ curves were consistent from channel to channel—and
SCHIIT MANI: $129 $$$
Made in the US, the very affordable Schiit Mani was de-
signed by Theta Audio founder Mike Moffat. Powered by a
16V wall wart, the Mani is built around a pair of op-amps,
and provides user-adjustable DIP switches for gain and
loading, with settings to suit moving-magnet and moving-
coil cartridges. In HR’s system, the Mani “threw a wide,
deep, detailed soundstage that tended to get shadowy as
it reached its outer limits.” HR felt that the Mani’s slight
tendency toward darkness didn’t suit such cartridges as
the Soundsmith Carmen; far better matches were the
Grado ME+ Mono, the Shure SC35C, and, especially, HR’s
Zu Denon DL-103. (Vol.38 No.10, Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
SOUNDSMITH MMP3 MK.II: $649.95 +
The modest MMP3 provides 43dB gain, comes in a nicely
machined aluminum case, and is powered by a 24V wall
wart. It produced very quiet backgrounds and reasonably
good dynamics, but bass extension and punch were only
okay, its imaging was slightly diffuse, and its sound suf-
fered overall from a slight metallic haze. “It’s what you can
expect for $400 [price when reviewed],” said MF. “If that’s
what you can afford, the MMP3 at least gets the job done
quietly and cleanly.” HR opined that, with his Ortofon and
stereophile.com Q April 2018
PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICES
Grado cartridges, the MMP3 “leaned a little toward soft
and dark, and a lot toward invisible.” (Vol.34 No.10, Vol.38
No.6 WWW)
D ANTIPODES DX REFERENCE: $6950–$15,530
BOZAK MADISSON CLK-PH2: $19.95 + $$$
Small, dark, and distant: That’s how SM described the
sound of this small, dark, Taiwanese phono preampli-
fier, available for sale through the mail-order megalodon
of your choice. So what do you want for 20 bucks (plus
shipping): to live forever? For that kind of money, SM says,
the Bozak Madisson CLK-PH2 is “totally recommended.”
Extra points for performing humlessly without an exter-
nal power supply; bonus point for having the courage to
add, at least phonetically, the word click to the name of a
phono product. (Vol.37 No.5 WWW)
NO CLASS DISTINCTION
REK-O-KUT RE-EQUALIZER MONO RECORD-
SPECIFIC EQUALIZER: $339 +
Built into a small metal box attached to a rack-width panel
of black aluminum, the Rek-O-Kut Re-Equalizer is designed
to work with the gain and EQ of an existing phono preamp,
making it “perhaps the least expensive and simplest of all
78rpm-specific equalizers on the market,” said AD. Includ-
ed in the owner’s manual are several pages of thorough
EQ recommendations for various labels and two pages of
helpful tips on record labels and matrix numbers. Though
it added a very slight veiling to the sound, the Re-Equalizer
proved effective, useful, and fun. (Vol.32 No.1 WWW)
SENTEC EQ11: $2500 +
The Sentec EQ11 is a four-tube phono stage that provides
an input impedance of 45k ohms, approximately 30dB
of gain, and RIAA phono equalization. What set the EQ11
apart from other such MM-appropriate preamps are five
additional, switch-selectable EQ curves for the most com-
mon types of vintage record, including those for early
Columbia LPs and Decca (and other) 78s. The Sentec’s
raison d’etre, per HR: “If you start buying a lot of col-
lectible old records pressed before 1965, you’ll certainly
notice that the music on some labels sounds a lot better
than the music on others. The purpose of the Sentec EQ11
is to make many of those differences go away.” HR said
the Sentec EQ11, used with the Miyajima Spirit Mono car-
tridge, “can show you a lot of what you still haven’t heard
from your old records. This combo . . . not only makes the
records of the past sound good, it makes them sound the
way your brain knows they’re supposed to sound.” Note
that the EQ11’s gain and input impedance won’t suit the
majority of MC cartridges, for which an outboard step-up
transformer is suggested. While photographing the EQ11,
JA hoisted it onto his test bench and found that, despite
some minor differences in gain, the shapes of the various
correlated with HR’s observations. The THD+noise per-
centage was extremely low, and harmonic distortion was
“fairly low and almost entirely second harmonic in nature,”
although intermodulation distortion was higher than ex-
pected. His verdict: “Despite its modest appearance and
wall-wart power supply, Sentec’s EQ11 offers respectable
measured performance to accompany its flexibility of
equalization.” (Vol.37 Nos. 10 & 12 WWW)
DELETIONS
Lehmann Decade, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Statement,
PBN Audio Olympia PXi, Phasemation EA-1000, Rogers
High Fidelity PA-1A, Soundsmith MCP2 Mk.II, all not audi-
tioned in too long a time.
SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS
& TRANSPORTS
& MEDIA PLAYERS
Editor’s Note: SACD and DVD-A player ratings are based
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
on how they sound with their respective hi-rez media,
not CD.
A+
What could tempt the frugal JA into forsaking his com-
puter-based file-playing system for a high-quality dedi-
cated music server? The latter must offer sound quality
with which the former does not compete—and that’s
precisely what he found in the Kiwi-built Antipodes DX
Reference. The DX Reference, which runs on the Linux op-
erating system, originally ran Vortex-Box for setup, con-
trol, and disc ripping, and Squeezebox Server for manag-
ing the music library. It supports up to 32-bit/384kHz
PCM, and DSD64 and 128. With file after file, JA noted
that recorded music took on a greater sense of palpable
presence—”a tangible Bob [Dylan] was there, standing
between the GamuT speakers”—through the Antipodes
DX Reference. His conclusion: “My audiophile persona
felt that, with the DX, there was a greater sense . . . of
involvement with the overall sound.” Current version dis-
penses with VortexBox in favor of a proprietary operating
system. (Vol.38 No.10 WWW)
AURENDER N10: $7999 WITH 4TB STORAGE
Designed in California and manufactured in South Korea,
Aurender’s N10 is a computer running a modified version
of the open-source Linux operating system, and is dedi-
cated to retrieving audio files from an external NAS drive,
or a drive plugged into one of its USB ports, or its internal
storage, and sending the data to its Class 2 USB output
port or to one of its serial digital audio ports. Internal
storage comprises two 2TB Western Digital Green hard
drives, along with a 240GB solid-state disk (SSD) that is
used to cache files before playback. Superb sound quality,
decided JA, but DSD files were reproduced with a drop in
volume when transcoded to PCM to play via a serial digital
port. (Native DSD playback was okay.) “This server is a
keeper,” he summed up. (Vol.39 No.4 WWW)
DCS VIVALDI 2.0: $114,996/SYSTEM
AS REVIEWED +
The latest dCS digital playback system comprises: the
Vivaldi DAC ($35,999), which can decode every digital
resolution from MP3 to DSD and DXD, provides 10 filter
options (six for PCM, four for DSD), and offers every
digital input other than Ethernet; the Vivaldi Upsampler
($21,999), which can upconvert even the lowest-resolu-
tion MP3 data to 24/384, DSD, and DXD, or any format in
between; the Vivaldi Master Clock ($14,999), containing
two groups of four clock outputs, which can be indepen-
dently set; and the Vivaldi Transport ($41,999), a smooth,
quiet, quick-booting SACD/CD drive based on TEAC’s
Esoteric VRDS Neo disc mechanism, controlled by dCS-
designed signal-processing electronics and capable of
upsampling CDs to DSD or DXD. In addition to updated
casework and cosmetics, the Vivaldi products use a com-
plete revision of dCS’s Ring DAC topology, increasing the
Ring DAC’s available dynamic range and decreasing its
jitter. Though setup was complicated, the Vivaldi compo-
nents produced “a texturally supple, delicate, musically
involving sound filled with color and life,” said MF of the
original version. On the test bench, the Vivaldi measured
superbly, improving on dCS’s Scarlatti in almost every
way. “Wow!” said JA. In the December 2017 Stereophile,
JVS wrote of the Vivaldi DAC’s upgrade to v.2.02 firmware,
which enables DSD128 file playback and includes other
refinements; MQA compatibility, though anticipated, was
not available at the time of our review. Compared to the
same DAC running v.1.2 firmware, the upgraded DAC pre-
sented JVS with more vividly saturated tonal colors—”I
was so impressed by the degree of color saturation that,
to fully bask in the sound, I turned the lights out”—and,
in place of dryness, “an iridescent clarity to timbres and
textures.” (Vol.37 No.1, Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
DCS ROSSINI PLAYER: $28,499
DCS ROSSINI CLOCK: $7499
Boasting the updated version of dCS’s signature Ring
DAC—which debuted in 2012, in their expensive Vivaldi
models—the Rossini Player combines a “Red Book” CD
driver with multiple digital inputs and a UPnP network
61
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS & MEDIA PLAYERS
player. The Rossini Player upsamples to the DXD for-
mat—PCM at 352.8 or 384kHz—and supports both DoP
and native DSD up to DSD128. The Player is compatible
with Ethernet and Apple AirPlay, and, as of the time of
our review, the most recent version of its iOS app sup-
ported Roon endpoint integration. Multiple user-select-
able reconstruction filters are offered for both PCM and
DSD data; also included are two word-clock input jacks
(BNC), for use with dCS’s outboard clocks—an upgrade
philosophy that, while not strictly necessary, has been
found by JA, in his experience with dCS products past,
to offer worthwhile sonic improvements. To that end, JA
enhanced his review sample of the Rossini Player with the
similarly new Rossini Clock, which uses a microcontroller
to provide, in the words of dCS, “a more stable result than
either oven-controlled crystal oscillators or even atomic
clocks.” JA wrote that the combo “produced what was,
overall, the best sound from digital I have experienced in
my system.” Of his measurements, all of which included
the Rossini Clock, JA wrote that the Rossini Player offers
performance “about as good as can be gotten from a thor-
oughly modern digital audio product.” In a Follow-Up, JVS
described using the Rossini DAC ($23,999; essentially, a
Rossini Player sans transport) in place of his dCS Puccini
player: “The Rossini seemed to dive into the center of the
music and bring it home in ways the Puccini could not.”
(Vol.39 No.12, Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
MBL NOBLE LINE N31: $15,400
Designed to play “Red Book” CDs and, via its USB and other
digital inputs, music files up to 24/192 and DSD64 (DoP),
the Noble Line N31 is less a digital-audio Swiss Army knife
than a luxuriantly attractive, 40-lb monument to the idea
of perfecting the playback of audiophilia’s best-loved digi-
tal formats. Built around the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC, the N13
offers a full-color 5" TFT display—the MBL player recog-
nizes CD text and displays title information—and features
an SDcard slot for firmware updates, a choice of three
playback filters, and a remote handset that lights up before
the person reaching for it has even touched it. Listening to
CDs and even a CD-R through the N13, JA was impressed
by the “sheer tangibility” of the MBL’s sound, noting that,
with its Min filter engaged, the N31 “gracefully reproduced”
one “overcooked” track, and that the differences among its
three filters was “greater in degree than with other DACs.”
Through the MBL’s USB inputs, even iPhones and iPads,
their own volume controls disarmed by the MBL’s USB
input, offered “excellent” sound quality. While raising an
eyebrow at the lack of a network port and the fact that the
player’s filters can’t be selected via the remote handset, JA
concluded that digital sound “doesn’t get any better” than
what he heard from the N13. JA noted that the MBL offered
21 bits of resolution—the current state of the art of digital
audio. This prompted JA the measurer to agree with JA the
listener: “Digital audio engineering doesn’t get any better.”
(Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
MELCO N1A: $2499 $$$
The audio division of Japanese manufacturer Melco—the
parent company of the ginormous computer-peripheral
manufacturer Buffalo Incorporated—has been resur-
rected as a maker of networked audio components. The
new N1A server, which Melco calls a High Resolution Digi-
tal Music Library, contains 4TB of (Seagate) internal stor-
age, the contents of which can be converted to analog by
means of Ethernet connection to a network (or direct to a
network player), or USB connection to a USB DAC. (Direct-
connected network players must offer a hardware-based
means of controlling playback.) Using an NDK ultra-low-
jitter clock, the N1A also reclocks all data before scoot-
ing it on its way. As ML put it, “The Melco N1A Buffaloed
my combination of MacBook Pro and Synology NAS. It
destroyed them, embarrassed them, gave them a good
schooling. Music sounded obviously—frighteningly—
more refined, more spacious, and more natural through
the N1A. End of story. I can’t imagine anyone in this uni-
verse who does nothing else while listening to music mak-
ing the same comparison and not hearing this difference.”
(Vol.39 No.3 WWW)
MERGING TECHNOLOGIES MERGING+PLAYER
MULTICHANNEL-8: $13,500
62
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
Noting the enthusiasm shown by “normal” audiophiles
for proprietary music players that can be controlled by
a tablet or smartphone, KR hailed the appearance of the
surround-sound–friendly Merging+Player Multichan-
nel-8 from the Swiss firm Merging Technologies, whose
Merging+NADAC D/A converter so impressed him (see
elsewhere in Recommended Components). Indeed, the
Merging+Player is essentially that very DAC plus a player
in the same box, said box now enhanced with a pair of
USB inputs. The user is required to supply little more
than speakers, amplifiers, and a subscription to Roon,
which serves the Merging+Player as user interface. The
Merging+Player can handle PCM up to 24/352.8 and
DSD64, and has the processing power to do so with or
without EQ—although KR mused that it could benefit from
more horsepower, “if only to improve the user experience.”
Still, KR found the standalone Merging+Player to sound
no different from his reference Roon-equipped Baetis
server—high praise. He described it as “a one-box system
of the highest quality.” (Vol.41 No.3 WWW)
NAD MASTERS SERIES M50.2: $3999
The M50.2 combines the functions of two Masters Series
predecessors, the M50 Digital Music Player and M52 Digi-
tal Music Vault, yet sells for $499 less than the combined
price of both. And, as JA noted, the M50.2 offered “much
the same functionality” as the considerably more expen-
sive Aurender N10 and Antipodes DX Reference, making
NAD’s latest digital source especially noteworthy. With
two 2TB hard disks (in a RAID array) for file storage and a
CD drive for ripping—or just playing—”Red Book” CDs, the
Roon-ready M50.2 can be controlled via its front-panel
display or a BluOS app; Ethernet connectivity is supple-
mented with WiFi and Bluetooth aptX, and supported
streaming services include Tidal, Spotify, HDtracks, and
others. PCM up to 24/192 is supported, a DoP decoder
for DSD files is said to be in the works, and the M50.2 is
MQA-compatible, although to get the full benefits of that
codec during playback requires an MQA-compatible DAC.
(Used with JA’s non–MQA-compatible PS Audio DAC, the
NAD performed the first audio-origami “unfolding” of
streamed MQA files, indicating optimal performance with
that format.) Used to play 24/192 files, the NAD rewarded
JA “with sound quality [that was] indistinguishable” from
that of his other servers. (Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
PS AUDIO DIRECTSTREAM MEMORY PLAYER:
$5999
PS Audio’s DirectStream Memory Player retains the
Digital Lens RAM of its predecessor, the PerfectWave
Transport—but here it buffers the digital throughput only
enough to stay ahead of the bitstream. (The PerfectWave
delayed the music signal by as much as 30 seconds.) As
with other contemporary PSA products, the DirectStream
Memory Player uses proprietary code on field-program-
mable gate arrays (FPGAs). Its mechanical-drive innards
are based on those of an Oppo universal disc player, a
result of which is the new transport’s ability to play Blu-
ray discs—without video output—and, when used with
PS Audio’s own DirectStream DAC, the DSD layers of
SACDs. (A proprietary PS Audio handshake protocol had
to be developed to prevent the DirectStream Memory
player from outputting DSD, which would violate Sony’s
copyrights.) In comparing the sound of the DirectStream
Memory Player to that of his PerfectWave Transport, RD
noted an improvement in CD playback that, ironically or
not, reduced “the margin of superiority of DSD over CD.”
He concluded that “there’s life in the ol’ CD yet.” (Vol.40
No.10 WWW)
A on the Roon-ready AVM player, and he praised the sound
ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-M2 PORTABLE
PLAYER: $999
The first product to reach the US from a self-described
“very well funded,” Hong Kong–based Acoustic Research
reboot company, the AR-M2 portable music player is ap-
proximately the size and shape of an Apple iPhone 6S,
only thicker, and supports PCM files up to 192kHz and
DSD files up to 5.6MHz (ie, DSD128). It comes with 64GB
of internal storage, and its microSD slot accepts storage
cards of up to 128GB. The AR player offers WiFi capabil-
ity and comes preloaded with Tidal and Spotify apps,
but lacks a digital input. The M2 has separate line-out
and headphone jacks (3.5mm), and the manufacturer
estimates nine hours of playback time on a single charge
of its 4200mAH battery—an estimate matched by the
experience of JA, who also wrote of the player’s “rich, ex-
tended low frequencies . . . matched at the other end of
the audioband by airy-sounding highs.” (Using the AR-M2
with AudioQuest NightHawk headphones, JA wrote that
the sound was “perhaps a little too rich, and described
the Audeze LCD-X ‘phones as “a more optimal match.”)
JA’s conclusion: “On balance, if I didn’t have to count
pennies, I’d go for the [$1999] Astell&Kern [AK240]—but
for $1300 less, the Acoustic Research comes very close.”
(Vol.39 No.4, Vol.40 No.2 WWW)
ASTELL&KERN A&ULTIMA SP1000: $3499
Astell&Kern’s new flagship portable player, available in
stainless steel or copper, offers 256GB of built-in memory
(plus a slot for a microSD card of up to 256GB), along with
the ability to play 32-bit/384kHz PCM and up to DSD256.
Tidal and a Japanese streaming service called Groovers
are supported: once A&K’s downloadable MQS Stream-
ing Server software (not to be confused with the music-
file format MQA), is installed on the user’s computer, the
A&ultima SP1000 can stream and/or download files via
WiFi. A battery charger is not included—what do you want
for $3499, to live forever?—but the proud owner can use
an iPhone charger; A&K suggests that a full charge lasts
12 hours. MF loved the A&K’s Android-based operating
system and, after reading its quick-start guide, found
himself “navigating [the player’s] menus with ease.”
Best of all, with some tracks, the sound of the A&ultima
impressed him as “thrillingly transparent, delicate, and
analog-like.” JA’s measurements confirmed the A&ultima
SP1000’s low output impedance, and that, apart from
an apparent problem with the implementation of the re-
construction filter with 96kHz data, the player “acquitted
itself well on the test bench.” (Vol.40 No.11 WWW)
AUDIO NOTE CDT ONE/II: $3653
At the core of the front-loading CDT One/II transport is
a Philips L 1210/S mechanism, the stock logic board of
which is supplemented with a second board, apparently
designed and built by Audio Note. The 11.7" W by 5.7" H by
16.2" D steel case contains a decidedly robust power sup-
ply, and a length of Audio Note’s AN-V silver interconnect
carries the signal to the CDT One/II’s outputs: a choice
of S/PDIF (RCA) or AES/EBU (XLR). The combination of
this transport with Audio Note’s DAC 2.1x Signature D/A
converter was praised by AD as comprising a CD player
almost unrivaled in “the ability to involve me in the magic
of notes and rhythms.” His conclusion: “Vigorously recom-
mended.” JA noted that the Audio Note’s error correction
“is better than that required by the CD standard, but is not
as good as other current transports.” (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
AVM OVATION MP 8.2: $10,995
The multifunction Ovation MP 8.2—it combines in one
box a CD player, a streamer, a file player, and a USB DAC—
will be remembered by AD as the product with which he
learned to love streaming, in particular hi-rez recordings
from Tidal: “My streaming experiences with the MP 8.2
would, in the end, comprise the greatest single impedi-
ment to my saying goodbye to it.” Part of the reason for
that was surely the product’s ease of installation and set-
up, AD praising AVM’s instructions on the making of Eth-
ernet connections as “commendably clear and straight-
forward”—although another part may well have been the
inclusion of a dual-triode tube in the output-stage filter
of its 32/384 DAC. AD also had good results playing files
of its CD player—with the MP 8.2’s Smooth filter setting
activated—as offering “superb color and texture.” Writing
from his test bench, JA noted the AVM’s higher-than-CD-
standard output voltage and praised its “excellent rejec-
tion of word-clock jitter”—its slight analog-domain distor-
tions he blamed on the tube—and concluded by stating
that the MP 8.2 “offers generally excellent measured
performance.” AD’s conclusion: “I am very impressed.”
An optional remote handset adds $699 to the price; the
downloadable iOS- and Android-friendly control app is
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

DIGITAL PROCESSORS
free. (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
BAETIS PRODIGY X SERVER: $4995
(WITHOUT OPTIONS)
In spite of having more bells and whistles than its prede-
cessor, the Baetis XR3, the new Prodigy X sells for a lower
base price. That said, a number of options are available—
and KR’s review sample had more than a few, including a
faster CPU ($200), 32GB of RAM ($180), a pre-installed
SOtM USBhubIN port with independent clock board
($790), and an HD-Plex linear power supply ($1550).
Used with JRiver Media Center and his own exaSound e28
multichannel DAC, the Prodigy X treated KR to “marginally
less noise at [the] speaker outlets,” a bottom end that was
“a bit tighter,” and “greater overall clarity.” Kal summed up
the Prodigy X: “Another evolutionary step in an already
distinguished line.” In his “Music in the Round” column for
the November 2017 Stereophile, KR noted that the Prodi-
gy X “is now running the latest versions of Roon and JRiver
Media Center (respectively v1.3/build 247 and v23.0.22).”
(Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
BRYSTON BDP-3: $3495
In February 2017, Bryston upgraded their BDP-2 digi-
tal player to BDP-3 status, with refinements including
an even faster Intel Quad-core processor; a Bryston-
manufactured integrated audio device (IAD) in place
of a soundcard; a custom Intel Celeron motherboard; a
bigger power supply; and two additional USB ports, for a
total of eight—three of which use the faster USB 3.0 pro-
tocol. Bryston’s tried-and-true player now supports up to
32/384 PCM and DSD128. The BDP-3 supports Tidal, and
can be configured as a Roon endpoint. LG sent his BDP-
2 to the Bryston factory for conversion to BDP-3 status
(a $1500 upgrade) and found that the new media-player
software displays more album art and metadata; more im-
portant, he found slight improvements in sound over the
BDP-2, including improved bass extension and clearer,
more open, more detailed presentations of well-recorded
choral music. (Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
COMPULAB AIRTOP-D I7 COMPUTER:
$1423 AND UP
If you’re looking for a flexible alternative to buying a
high-end file player—and who among us isn’t?—KR sug-
gests you consider buying an affordable computer such
as the Compulab Airtop-D i7 and dedicating it to the task.
Compulab’s desktop computer boasts a fifth-generation
Intel Core i7-5775C processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB
solid-state drive, and an Intel graphics card. According
to KR, the affordable Airtop-D i7, which can support up to
five additional SATA drives, ran cool even though it lacks a
fan, and, when used with HQPlayer, provided a response
time that “was almost startling.” Some assembly required.
(Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
DIGIBIT ARIA 2 MUSIC SERVER: $5000
With their beautifully styled Aria, server specialists DigiBit
have entered the hardware market with a prepackaged,
dedicated music server that can play multichannel files.
The Aria runs a heavily customized version of JRiver, and
is available with or without an internal DAC, and with or
without on-board 4TB or 2TB file storage, the latter as
either solid-state or a hard disk; KR skipped the DAC, ow-
ing to its two-channel limitations, but opted for the 2TB
hard drive. With the Aria’s S/PDIF output connected to
his exaSound e28 DAC and with Aria’s app downloaded
to his iPad, KR was up and running in 10 minutes. Oddly,
the Aria’s manual makes no mention of multichannel,
but, as KR points out, “the Aria handles multichannel files
with the same facility as it does two-channel. The only dif-
ference is that you need to ask DigiBit to install the ap-
propriate ASIO driver for your device.” Even so equipped,
the Aria’s built-in ripper did not do multichannel; apart
from that, as KR wrote, the Aria was “a delight to use and
makes no compromise in sound quality. Fundamentally,
the Aria’s sound was as satisfying as that of other high-
quality, computer-based servers.” (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)
EXASOUND PLAYPOINT NETWORK AUDIO
PLAYER: $1999
Built into the same compact enclosure (6.5" wide by 2.2"
high by 9.25" deep) used for exaSound’s e28 DAC, the
PlayPoint offers a large, multicolor touchscreen, one input
stereophile.com Q April 2018
SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS & MEDIA PLAYERS
(Ethernet), and one output (USB), the last at this time us-
able only with the e28. For hi-rez multichannel audio, the
PlayPoint can be used with: an MPD controller app and a
local hard drive; UPnP music-server software on a NAS;
or in a Network Audio Adapter (NAA) with Signalyst’s
HQPlayer. According to KR, use of the PlayPoint “in no
way compromises [the e28 DAC’s] excellent sound while
greatly enhancing its functionality.” (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
LUXMAN D-06U: $8495
If the question that keeps you up nights is “What’s so
hard about making a high-end disc player that can also
function as a USB DAC?,” you’ll do well to check out the
Luxman D-06u, which plays CDs and SACDs, and sup-
ports PCM up to 384kHz and DSD up to 5.64MHz. Notably
for those who’ve been burned buying disc players from
little high-end companies that failed to stock enough OEM
transports to support the future needs of their loyal cus-
tomers, Luxman isn’t little, and they make their own trans-
ports—which, as AD noted, are apparently quite sturdy.
AD also loved the sound of the D-06u as both disc player
and USB DAC, noting its abilities to communicate “timbral
richness,” “superb momentum and snap,” and the “up-
front, tactile, corporeal, and altogether vivid” sound of
one of his favorite mono CDs. He concluded by praising
the Lux’s SACD performance as the best he’s enjoyed at
home, and its “Red Book” CD performance as “surely in
the top five.” After testing the Luxman D-06u, JA wrote
that, “in many ways, [it] offers excellent measured perfor-
mance,” though he was puzzled by anomalous noise-floor
and jitter results, the latter in comparison to Luxman’s
ostensibly similar DA-06 processor. (Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 650D: $9000 +
The beautifully built 650D is a single-box CD player and
DAC with AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TosLink, and USB digital in-
puts; S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital outputs; and balanced
and unbalanced analog outputs. It uses ESS Technology’s
Sabre32 Ultra DAC chip and employs individual toroidal
transformers for the digital and analog power supplies.
The Simaudio had a muscular, rhythmically solid sound
with clean, fast transient articulation, excellent trans-
parency, outstanding soundstage depth and width, and
analog-like imaging, said MF. JA was impressed by the
Sim’s superb measured performance: “It’s hard to see
how it could be any better!” It took three years, but an
answer finally came, when MF reviewed the Simaudio
Moon 820S power supply ($8000). Although the 820S
can simultaneously power two Moon components—other
candidates include Simaudio’s 750D DAC, 740P preampli-
fier, and 610LP and 810LP phono preamplifiers—MF tried
the review sample on the 650D. He found that, “in general,
adding the 820S tightened the bottom end and removed
smear and edge from the top, while improving high-
frequency extension and the sense of air around instru-
ments. Instrumental three-dimensionality improved, and
microdynamics were particularly enhanced, probably as
a result of the far lower noise floor.” MF’s conclusion? “My
advice to owners of Simaudio’s Moon 650D: Go to your
dealer and get an 820S to take home and try. Put it on a
credit card if the dealer doesn’t trust you, but be prepared
to drop $8000—I don’t think you’ll be returning that 820S
to the store.” (Vol.34 No.11, Vol.37 No.11 WWW)
OPPO DIGITAL UDP-205 UNIVERSAL
DISC PLAYER: $1299
The UDP-205 is a universal disc player capable of play-
ing any commonly available 12cm silver disc (except HD
DVD), and decode and/or output all audio and/or video
content. Pricey for an Oppo player, it rewards its buyer
with a sturdy, good-looking case, tidy displays swept
clean of all external apps, and a transport mechanism
described by KR as “fast, silent, and deadly effective,” with
track changes that “seemed quicker than with previous
Oppos.” Another feature, this one of particular interest to
audiophiles, is an Audio Only HDMI output for which the
standard video clock is replaced with its own dedicated,
high-stability, ultra-low-jitter clock. (A second HDMI out-
put, labeled Main, contains video content and marches
to the standard clock.) In comparing the two outputs,
KR concluded that music playback from the Audio Only
output did indeed sound “somewhat smoother, with
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
less haze and, consequently, greater resolution of very
low-level signals.” KR also “loved the UDP-205’s sound”
through its analog outputs, noting that its DAC section—
designed around dual ESS ES9038PRO Sabre Pro chips—
offers a choice of user-selectable filter characteristics.
Significantly for some hobbyists, apart from its use as a
disc player, the Oppo can be used as a multichannel mu-
sic server and multichannel DAC. KR’s conclusion: “Even
if it didn’t have a disc transport, I could recommend it.”
(Vol.40 No.11 WWW)
PLAYBACK DESIGNS SONOMA SYRAH SERVER:
$6500
Andreas Koch, who managed the development of the
original eight-channel DSD recording console (dubbed
the Sonoma) and went on to found Playback Designs,
created the Sonoma Syrah server as part of a multichan-
nel system, to be used in tandem with up to three of his
company’s Sonoma Merlot stereo DACs ($6500 each;
see elsewhere in this edition of “Recommended Com-
ponents”), with a separately available Playback Designs
USB-XIII Digital Interface ($2500) acting as a master
clock. The Syrah measures 12" wide by 3.25" high by 9"
deep, and the only distinguishing features on its face-
plate—one surface of an aluminum casting that also
serves as the enclosure’s top—are three small LEDs;
apart from those, all user interactions are performed via
tablet (iPad or Android). An RJ45 jack is provided for net-
work connection, and two USB-A jacks for input/output.
The Syrah comes with a 1TB internal drive, upgradable to
2TB. KR found setup—as described above, with Playback
Designs DACs and interface—”uncomplicated,” but had
reservations about the Sonoma Syrah’s somewhat dated
user interface. He was pleased by the system’s “transpar-
ent and unrestrained sound,” and its “extremely deep,
detailed soundstages and very articulate bass.” (Vol.40
No.9 WWW)
PONOPLAYER: $399 $$$
Conceived by Neil Young, designed by Charles Hansen and
Ayre Acoustics, and made possible by Kickstarter fund-
ing of $6.2 million—which is $6.2 million more than has
been raised by anyone offering to create a digital player
of no greater resolution than the Compact Disc—the
Toblerone-shaped and unambiguously yellow PonoPlayer
has an internal storage capacity of 64GB (bump-up-able
to 128GB with the insertion of a microSD card); runs up
to 8 hours on a single charge; supports sample rates and
word lengths of 192kHz and 24 bits, respectively; incor-
porates separate 3.5mm output jacks for line out and
headphones; and accepts all popular file formats (early
pre-release reports suggested that Pono would create
their own codec, but that has not come to pass). Files can
be downloaded direct from PonoMusic or can be loaded
using the company’s JRiver-developed desktop applica-
tion. JA noted that “CD rips sounded excellent through
the player,” but went on to say that “it was with hi-rez re-
cordings that the PonoPlayer shone brightest.” Used as a
portable, the Pono “[had] the edge in sound quality” over
JA’s Astell&Kern AK100, sounding sweeter and warmer;
and when he used the Pono to drive his big rig at home,
JA said, “I didn’t feel I had missed much of the music.” The
PonoPlayer also measured “very well,” irrespective of its
affordable price. In a Follow-Up, JA wrote of his experienc-
es using a $70 Surf Cables adapter that allows the Pono-
Player’s headphone output to be auditioned in balanced
mode. His measurements uncovered a drop in the output
signal’s noise floor when so configured, and JA reported
being “impressed by the increased ‘drive’ of the balanced
playback.” He concluded: “the word to describe the sound
of this $399 player in balanced mode: transcendent.”
Class A rating refers to the sound in balanced mode, oth-
erwise high Class B applies. Writing about the pairing of
his own PonoPlayer with a pair of ADAM Audio A3x active
speakers, ML wrote: “We’re talking highly engaging music
reproduction.” (Vol.38 Nos. 4, 6, 9, 12, Vol.39 No.4 WWW)
PRIMARE CD32: $2495 +
Primare’s CD32 is a single-box CD player featuring bal-
anced and single-ended analog outputs, a choice of three
digital outputs (S/PDIF, TosLink, AES/EBU), and a USB
Type A digital input, intended for thumb drives, via which
63
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS & TRANSPORTS & MEDIA PLAYERS
the user can play MP3 files (but nothing else). The remote
handset allows the user to select among three pre-con-
version upsampling modes: the original 16-bit/44.1kHz
signal, or the same datastream upsampled to 48 or
96kHz. BD praised the CD32 for allowing instruments
to sound like their real selves, with “violins [sounding]
articulate and especially captivating.” The Primare’s
spatial performance was also impressive, as was how it
conveyed the relationship between the recording space
and the instruments within: “The CD32 allowed . . . guitars
to pressurize the space around them in just the way an
acoustic guitar—even an amplified one—will in concert.”
Compared with its predecessor, Primare’s CD31, BD wrote
that “the CD32 improved on all the areas where the CD31
was strong, and addressed the areas where it wasn’t.” JA’s
measurements gave the Primare a clean bill of health,
noting in particular the player’s “superb error correction.”
(Vol.37 No.6 WWW)
QUESTYLE AUDIO QP1R PORTABLE PLAYER:
$999
The China-built QP1R, the size of which JA likens to a pack
of cigarettes, is housed in a CNC-machined aluminum
chassis, with Gorilla Glass (think: iPhone) front and rear
panels. A metal scroll wheel with a central pushbutton
dominates the front. On its top edge are a conventional
rotary volume knob and two 3.5mm jacks: one for analog
output (headphones), the other for both analog (line)
and digital (optical S/PDIF) inputs. In the Questyle’s OS,
gain ranges for the headphone jack are user-selectable
to suit specific ‘phones. A wide range of file formats are
supported at resolutions of up to 24 bits and 192kHz, the
player supports DSD64 and DSD128 files in DFF and DSF
formats, and the QP1R’s 32GB storage capacity can be
augmented with microSD cards. JA enjoyed the tactile
feedback—a brief vibration—of the QP1R’s controls, and
while he had problems with the scroll wheel, he loved the
player’s Return button, which instantly brings up to the
Now Playing screen. He also admired the sound, remark-
ing that, with one file in particular, “the Questyle driving
the Audeze [LCD-X] headphones was as good as it gets,”
and noting that, in comparison with his reference Pono-
Player, the Questyle had consistently greater low-frequen-
cy weight. Reporting from The Bench, JA noted that “the
Questyle QP1R’s measured performance was excellent.”
(Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
B trends in digital source components, the “Red Book”–
BRYSTON BCD-3: $3495
AD, whose preoccupation with obsolete technologies
now extends to physical digital media, continues to seek
out The Last CD Player You’ll Ever Buy, in which context
he auditioned the Bryston BCD-3—a product that es-
chews both digital inputs and hi-rez media to focus on
playback of “Red Book” CDs. (That said, the BCD-3 does
have AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital-output jacks, for use
with an outboard DAC.) The BCD-3 is built around the
AKM AK4490 DAC chip—two per channel, in differential
mode—and uses a metal-encased disc transport from
the Austrian company StreamUnlimited, healthy supplies
of which Bryston claims to already have on hand for future
repairs. AD thoroughly enjoyed his time with the BCD-3,
which did virtually everything he could have asked for: It
played bluegrass music with drive and color, offered mu-
sically nuanced and pleasantly tactile playback of dense
classical recordings, and even exposed the top-end glare
heard on one disc as originating with his ancient Sony
disc player, not the recording itself—which had “fine color
and clarity” through the Bryston. AD concluded that the
Bryston BCD-3 “offers very good value for the money. I
could easily, happily live with it, and can just as easily rec-
ommend it.” JA’s measurements revealed nothing untow-
ard—just “superb audio engineering.” (Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
EAR ACUTE CLASSIC: $6795
Descended from EAR’s Acute CD player of 2008—itself
based on an Arcam player to which EAR fitted a new case,
power supply, analog filters, and output stage—the Acute
Classic has at its heart a Wolfson-based DAC that can also
be used as a USB digital-to-analog processor (192kHz);
S/PDIF coaxial (192kHz) and optical (88.2kHz) inputs are
64
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
also provided. The player’s output section uses a pair of
ECC88/6DJ8 dual-triode tubes, as well as a pair of propri-
etary output transformers. In his original review, though
he admired the build quality and styling of the chrome-
fronted Acute Classic, AD was dismayed by the player’s
“artificial-sounding textures and consequently fatiguing
trebles” and deemed the player not recommendable—a
conclusion confirmed by measurements by JA, who ob-
served that “the EAR’s digital circuitry is not up to the
standard I expect from [designer Tim de Paravicini].” Of-
fered, per Stereophile policy, a chance to comment on
the review, de Paravicini felt that there must have been
something wrong with the review sample, and submitted
another, though not in time for comments based on the
second Acute Classic to be included in the review. In test-
ing the second sample, JA noted some improvements in
measured performance, including noise components that
were 6–10dB lower, output voltage that was lowered to
the correct, specified level, and slightly lower harmonic
distortion. Perhaps more to the point, AD’s listening tests
with the second sample revealed notable improvements:
“What once was aggressive was now simply forward and
punchy and vivid—listenably so.” AD concluded that the
up-to-spec EAR Acute Classic “seems a bargain, com-
pared to the ca $10,000 players I’ve been reviewing of
late—and one that I can keenly recommend.” (Vol.40 Nos.
2 & 3 WWW)
FIDELIZER NIMITRA SERVER: $1395
A fanless implementation of an Intel Celeron J1900 2GHz
processor, the Nimitra is the first server from Thailand-
based Fidelizer, who specialize in using Windows as a mu-
sic-playback platform. Measuring only 8.9" by 7.9" by 1.7"
and supplied with an outboard power supply (a 12V brick;
Fidelizer’s larger and reportedly better Nikola supply is a
$495 option), the Nimitra is bundled with dBPoweramp’s
Asset UPnP file access and the JPlay app for streaming
output—and is, as KR reported, multichannel-compatible.
Kal used the Fidelizer Nimitra with his miniDSP uDAC-8
multichannel processor—”setup was almost trivial,” he
said—and found the combination “absolutely delightful,”
and “easily the equal of” his Mac mini–based server: “Fi-
nally, a great-sounding and affordable multichannel serv-
er that works with USB or with HDMI!” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
HEGEL MUSIC SYSTEMS MOHICAN: $5000
With a name that suggests it’s among the last of a dying
breed and a design brief that all but sneers at present
only, physical-media–only Mohican is the brainchild
of Hegel founder and chief designer Ben Holter, whose
stated intention was “to put my best effort and everything
I got into making the highest quality CD player I can.”
Built in Norway, the Mohican uses a Sanyo transport and
an AKM DAC chip to play 16-bit/44.1kHz discs without
upsampling. A digital output (BNC) is provided, along with
balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analog outputs.
Following his listening tests, HR praised the Mohican’s
coherence and “simple, unobstructed clarity,” while not-
ing that it didn’t communicate natural textures as well
as some contemporary standalone DACs. That said, he
praised the Hegel player for perhaps giving “new mean-
ing to that old cliché: future-proof.” Measurer-in-chief JA
observed that the Mohican “demonstrates appropriate
audio engineering.” (Vol.40 No.5 WWW)
METRONOME CD8 S: $8800
In his ongoing search for a $10,000 last CD player, AD
happened on this most recent version of the Metronome
CD8—a product he describes as “one of the most perfect-
looking appliances I’ve seen”—now enhanced with a USB
digital input. Inside its good-looking case is a two-channel,
32-bit AKM Velvet Sound chip capable of supporting up to
768kHz PCM digital and 11.2MHz DSD. That said, DSD
compatibility is limited to using the CD8 S in USB DAC
mode, since the Metronome’s Philips CDM12 Pro2 (v.6.8)
disc transport can’t play SACDs. Given sufficient warm-up
time, the CD8 S rewarded AD with good color and texture
and an appealingly “huge” sense of scale. With a CD of
orchestral music, “the spatial relationships among vari-
ous instrument groups were convincing, and instrumen-
tal timbres—especially the brass—were believably well
saturated.” And, while listening to a 44.1kHz file streamed
to the CD8 S’s D/A converter, AD was “all but spellbound
by the combination of clarity, articulation, appropri-
ate roundness of tone, and complete absence of timing
distortion brought to the music.” While measuring the
Metronome, JA found various examples of anomalous be-
havior, including the appearance of odd-order harmonics
with 24-bit data, the appearance of power-supply–related
sidebands, and anomalies in the way the DAC handled
data sampled higher than 96kHz. (Vol.39 No.3 WWW)
SOTM SMS-1000SQ WINDOWS EDITION
WITH AUDIOPHILE OPTIMIZER:
$4000 (WITH SCLK CLOCK UPGRADE);
WITHOUT SCLK UPGRADE $3500
KR took aim at this product’s crazy-quilt name and wrote
that one should refer to it instead as “a Windows-based
PC that’s designed and optimized to manage a database
of music files and stream the music to local or networked
DACs, and that supports multiple options for file manage-
ment, playback, and target devices”—a designation that
makes up in clarity for what it lacks in brevity. KR added
that the SOtM server comes loaded with apps, including
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz, JRiver Media Center, and foobar2000,
and that it was “trivially easy to install.” However, the serv-
er requires the user to install its proprietary ASIO drive,
which can be complicated. When all was said and done, KR
wrote that the SOtM “sounded just wonderful playing all
music files,” but described the unit’s CPU as the limiting
factor, noting that the SOtM would not play ISO files at all
and that, asked to convert multichannel DSD files to PCM,
the sMS-1000SQ “ran out of steam.” (Vol.39 No.7 WWW)
C
SONY PLAYSTATION 1: AROUND $25 USED $$$ +
A first-generation Sony PlayStation (SCPH-1001) is made
of gray plastic, has a set of RCA analog outputs, and
comes equipped with a game controller and power cord.
When used with Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects,
the PS1 offered an “extended, open, and agile” sound, said
AD who declared the PS1 an “insanely high value.” JM was
unimpressed by the player’s user interface and noisy disc
mechanism, however, and found that switching to cheap-
er cables resulted in a threadbare midrange and treble.
Nevertheless, he admitted, “For $25, it sounds wonder-
ful.” AD agreed, noting that the PS1 combined “slightly
diminished” frequency extremes with a “superior level of
rhythmic acuity” for a smooth and involving sound. Prices
have climbed to as much as $70 on online commerce
sites such as eBay and Audiogon. Some disagreement
among the magazine’s scribes: Low Class B, according to
AD; Class D, according to JM; JA splits the difference, but
warns that later-generation PS1s use a less well-specified
DAC and lack the RCA output jacks: ignore them, he says.
Compared with the Emotiva ERC-2, the Sony lacked treble
clarity and bass weight, but offered a fleshier midrange
and was more forgiving of poorly recorded material, said
SM. (Vol.31 Nos.4 & 7, Vol.35 No.1 WWW)
K
ROON NUCLEUS.
DELETIONS
Astell&Kern AK240, Sony NW-ZX2 portable players, Au-
ralic Aries network bridge, Sony UHP-H1 universal player,
all no longer available; Meridian Sooloos System no longer
available in form reviewed; Sony HAP-Z1ES not auditioned
in too long a time.
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
Editor’s Note: The sound of any particular CD transport/
digital processor combination will be dependent on the
datalink used—see “Bits is Bits?” by Christopher Dunn
and Malcolm Omar Hawksford, Stereophile, March 1996,
Vol. 19 No.3 (WWW). Unless mentioned, processors are
limited to 32/44.1/48kHz sample rates. To be included in
Class A+, a digital processor must be capable of handling
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS

TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERS DIGITAL PROCESSORS

DSD or at minimum 24/96 LPCM data.
We strongly recommend those interested in using a
computer as a true high-end digital audio source visit our
sister website www.AudioStream.com, which is edited by
Michael Lavorgna.
A+
AURALIC VEGA: $2799 +
The elegant-looking Vega D/A processor is housed in a
slim, brushed-aluminum enclosure and has a front panel
dominated by a wide, rectangular, yellow-on-black OLED
display. The rear panel offers single-ended and balanced
outputs, and five digital inputs: transformer-coupled AES/
EBU on an XLR, two transformer-coupled coaxial S/PDIFs
on RCAs, one optical S/PDIF on TosLink, and a high-speed
USB2.0 port. The AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs handle
16- and 24-bit data with sample rates up to 192kHz; the
USB port also operates with sample rates of 352.8 and
384kHz, and will accept DSD64 and DSD128 data. A
Sanctuary audio processor upsamples PCM input data to
approximately 1.5MHz and 32-bit depth, and implements
four reconstruction filters for PCM data and two choices
of low-pass filter for DSD data. Though it required several
hours from cold before sounding its best, the Vega com-
bined outstanding low-end weight and high-frequency
extension with an exceptional sense of space, said JA,
who also noted measured performance that was beyond
reproach. “It’s DSD and digital done right!” he exclaimed.
(Vol.37 No.2, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
AYRE ACOUSTICS QX-5 TWENTY: $8950
Ayre may not be the only consumer-audio manufacturer
whose digital processors have found success in pro-audio
settings, but their QX-R Twenty—a DAC whose 100-step
digital-domain volume control and 11-strong phalanx of
digital inputs make it suitable for use as the hub of an all-
digital domestic system—distinguished itself by creating
the analog master for the LP version of Stereophile’s most
recent commercial recording project (Sasha Matson’s
Tight Lines). The Ethernet-friendly, Roon-Ready QX-5
Twenty has at its core ESS’s new ES9038PRO chip, sup-
plemented with proprietary Ayre filters running on a Xilinx
FPGA chip. Used in his own domestic system, the Ayre at
first impressed JA with its “[D]etail. And more detail,” and
although the Ayre never overstepped its bounds in that re-
spect, the combination of QX-5 Twenty plus MBL Corona
C15 amps and Rockport Avior II speakers “resulted in a
slightly relentless quality,” compelling him to play music
“at a lower level than I’d been used to.” Adding to his sys-
tem the Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp and disabling the Ayre
DAC’s digital volume control ameliorated the forwardness,
and contributed to JA’s conclusion that “feeding audio
data over my network to the QX-5 with Roon . . . rather
than USB connections, is the way forward.” Writing from
his fortress of testitude, JA declared that “Ayre’s QX-R
Twenty digital hub offers superb measured performance.”
(Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
BENCHMARK MEDIA SYSTEMS DAC3 HGC: $2195
“The [Benchmark] DAC1 was a tough act to follow. So, ap-
parently, is the DAC2. Where would the DAC3 land?” Thus
did JCA lay the groundwork for his review of Benchmark’s
DAC3 HGC (the last three letters designate this as the au-
diophile version, with a headphone amp and two analog
inputs), which supports files up to 24/192 and DSD64, the
latter as DoP (via USB). The design of this most recent
Benchmark DAC was motivated by the availability of a
new chip from ESS Sabre, the ES9028PRO, said to offer
superior filter choices as well as active harmonic compen-
sation, itself intended to reduce even further the levels of
second- and third-harmonic distortion when compared
with the Benchmark DAC1 and DAC2. That said, after
rigorously comparing the DAC3 HGC with his own Bench-
mark DAC1, JCA heard no differences whatsoever: The
new, like the old, impressed him as a product of “astonish-
ing fidelity and emotional expressiveness.” The conclusion
of JA’s Measurements sidebar was similarly concise: “All I
can say is ‘Wow!’” (Vol.40 No.11 WWW)
BRYSTON BDA-3: $3495
The first Bryston DAC to offer DSD compatibility, the BDA-
3 supports the SACD format via its four HDMI inputs, and
DSD128 to DSD256 via USB. (PCM performance, includ-
ing user-selectable upsampling in multiples of 44.1 and
48kHz, extends to 384kHz; DoP is also supported.) Twin
AKM DAC chips are used, as are completely separate
paths for PCM and DSD data. Using an Oppo BDP-103 uni-
versal BD player to listen to SACDs through the Bryston
BDA-3, LG remarked that “spatial performance was sen-
sational, with wider, deeper soundstages than heard from
my SACD player on its own,” and praised the Bryston’s
overall performance for delivering “superbly effortless,
delicate, subtly revealing, tube-like analog output from a
variety of digital file formats and sample rates.” Writing
from his test bench, JA singled out for praise the BDA-3’s
extremely low levels of noise and distortion and “superb”
resolution—close to 21 bits—and concluded that it “offers
measured performance that is as good as digital can get.”
Remote control adds $250. (Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
CHORD ELECTRONICS DAVE: $12,488
The DAVE—an acronym for Digital to Analog Veritas
in Extremis—derives from the work of Chord designer
Rob Watts, whose Watts Transient Aligned (WTA) filter
is claimed to eliminate the timing uncertainty associ-
ated with conventional DACs of comparatively limited
processing power. And the DAVE’s processing power is
prodigious: As JA explains, “Watts ended up with a 17th-
order noise shaper (!) with 350dB dynamic range (!!) in
the audioband, equivalent to 50 bits resolution (!!!).” In
his system, the DAVE, which is compatible with PCM up to
32 bits/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512, sounded so good
that it tore editor JA away from editing: “Darned if I didn’t
have to go sit in the listening chair, so compelling was the
sound produced by the DAVE.” In particular, he praised
the DAVE’s “superb re-creation of soundstage depth, its
sense of musical drive, and the clarity with which it pre-
sented recorded detail.” Reporting from his test bench, JA
wrote: “Even if I hadn’t auditioned Chord’s DAVE, I would
have been impressed by this DAC. Its measured perfor-
mance is beyond reproach.” (Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
DCS NETWORK BRIDGE: $4250
Designed for use both with the company’s top-of-the-line
Vivaldi DAC and other DACs, the dCS Network Bridge is a
Roon-ready, one-box network player that can serve as a
bridge between the user’s NAS (or other such file source)
and DAC, and can also stream content from Tidal, Spotify,
and other services. Ethernet, AirPlay, and USB inputs are
offered, as well as BNC inputs for an external clock; out-
puts are a pair of dCS-compatible AES/EBU XLR sockets
and a single S/PDIF RCA jack. Supported formats are
PCM to 24/384 and up to double DSD, either native or
DoP. (WiFi performance is limited to 24/96.) JVS found
that even before the Network Bridge was fully warmed up,
it delivered “instrumental textures [that] were far more
palpable than before,” compared to his own dCS Rossini
DAC/player. After extended listening, JVS declared that
the dCS’s sound was “demonstrably superior to conven-
tional computer-audio playback via USB,” and described
the Network Bridge as “an invaluable—I’d say indispens-
able—asset for owners of a Vivaldi or older dCS DAC.”
(Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
EXASOUND E38: $3849
This third generation of exaSound Audio’s multichannel
DAC (it was preceded by the e18 and e28) uses ESS’s
ES9028PRO chip, claimed to optimize performance at
DSD128, DSD526, and PCM above 192kHz, and to per-
mit faster, more stable switching of sampling rates. Ac-
cording to KR, “Like the e18 and e28, the e38 was silent
in operation and absolutely stable. Unlike with them, I
heard a newfound delicacy in the treble, unaccompanied
by any added noise or brightness.” Kal also reported his
impression that the e38 offers “a greater dynamic range,
especially with massed plucked strings.” His conclusion:
“The exaSound e38 is . . . an expression of the applicable
state-of-the-art and a valid and valuable enhancement of
my favorite DAC.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
LUXMAN DA-06: $4995 +
Among the earliest and most notable products to emerge
from the burgeoning world of DSD streaming, the Lux-
man DA-06 is a full-size D/A processor built around a
Burr-Brown PCM 1792A 32-bit converter chip. The DA-06
supports 2.8224 and 5.6448MHz DSD files and, via its
USB input, PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz. Front-panel
controls include the ability to select among three different
PCM filters and between two sets of DSD rolloff character-
istics, as well as to invert absolute signal polarity on the
fly. AD, who acknowledges “DSD’s prowess at communi-
cating the subtleties of musical flow,” observed that the
Luxman sounded “generously explicit, [with] musical and
sonic details in abundance and . . . a soundfield notable
for its openness and general lack of murk. Still, the DA-
06 had good substance, with a tonal character that was
slightly—almost imperceptibly—warm and round.” In his
measurements, JA noted that the Luxman’s low levels of
harmonic and intermodulation distortion are offset some-
what by marginally poorer-than-expected jitter and noise-
floor numbers—yet he declared that, overall, “the DA-06’s
measured performance is simply superb.” AD’s conclu-
sion: “a damn fine-sounding D/A converter with virtually
all music.” (Vol.37 No.7, Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
MERIDIAN AUDIO ULTRA DAC: $23,000
The MQA-compatible Ultra DAC offers both balanced
(XLR) and single-ended (RCA) outputs, virtually every
kind of digital input you can imagine, and at least one you
might not: a SpeakerLink connection, for use with Merid-
ian’s digital active loudspeakers. The Ultra DAC boasts a
presumably futureproof card-frame construction, with
separate dual-mono DAC cards, a high-current clock
card, and a first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer card, intended
to minimize jitter. The power supply is linear as opposed
to switch-mode. Alongside MQA, Meridian’s flagship is
compatible with PCM up to 24/384, as well as DXD files
and DSD64 and 128. Signal-polarity inversion and EQ are
available via the DAC’s menu system, and the user has a
choice of Long, Medium, and Short reconstruction filters.
Used with PCM files, JA’s first impressions of the Ultra
DAC were of “a smooth sound with superb transparency
and soundstage depth,” and he praised its low-frequency
performance as “powerful and extended.” While listening
to an MQA file of pianist Robert Silverman JA noted that
“the MQA recording presented the width and depth of the
Steinway in an uncannily realistic manner.” Taking over
from JA the listener, JA the measurer praised the Merid-
ian’s low distortion and good rejection of word-clock jitter.
Both JAs agreed that the Ultra DAC joins dCS’s Rossini
and Vivaldi DACs in offering “the best sound I have en-
joyed from digital recordings.” (Vol.40 Nos.5 & 6 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 780D: $15,000
Compared with Simaudio’s Moon 650D and 750D trans-
port-converters, the new 780D does away with physical
media altogether, forcing those who desire real-time
CD playback to use an external transport or a CD player
with digital outputs. That said, also in comparison with
the company’s previous processors, the 780D adds both
processing power—it can handle PCM files up to 384kHz
and DSD up to 11.2896MHz, and its femtosecond clock is
claimed to produce lower jitter—and power power: the
780D features the company’s Moon Hybrid Power (MHP)
power supply, with conductive polymer capacitors and
other refinements. The 780D also includes Simaudio’s
Moon intelligent Network Device (MiND), a music-stream-
ing application accessible via Ethernet or built-in WiFi. MF
described the new Moon’s improvements over the 650D
as sounding “evolutionary rather than revolutionary”;
however, when used with the best recordings at hand, “the
780D’s transparency and graceful yet superbly detailed
transient performance combined with an absence of...
digital artifacts to produce what was among the most
transparent, if not the most transparent digital sound
I’ve heard.” MF also observed that the 780D’s manual is
insufficiently helpful, especially regarding the MiND ap-
plication, and that the product lacks, at least for now, sup-
port for Roon or MQA. JA uncovered nothing but “superb
measured performance.” (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
MSB ANALOG DAC: $6995 +
The MSB Analog DAC combines a high-tech chassis ma-
chined from a solid billet of aluminum—it stands less than
1" tall yet weighs nearly 30 lbs!—with a circuit architecture
that allows the buyer to select among five digital-input op-
tions, two power supply options, a WiFi option, and more—

stereophile.com Q April 2018 65

 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
DIGITAL PROCESSORS TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERS
combinations of which can bring the price to just under
$12,000. (For $6995, you get one digital input and the
stock power supply.) The Analog DAC supports PCM up
to 384kHz and DSD, employs a custom-designed, linear-
phase apodizing digital filter, and offers single-ended
and balanced analog outputs. JI was impressed with the
MSB’s “thereness,” observing that, “With a DAC like the
MSB, you get a sense of someone hitting Play on a big reel
of wide-track analog tape, after being fed by live mikes in a
room.” Notwithstanding a couple of performance glitches,
both solved by in-the-field firmware updates, JI found it
difficult to part with his review sample: “It notched my
system up to a place where almost all digital sources had
an organic, natural presence without sacrificing the accu-
racy and detail present in the best recordings.” JA noted
that high-level signals produced some low-level distortion
products, but otherwise found the MSB rare in being “so
well thought out and so well engineered.” Optional Volume
Control: $995. Optional Analog Power Base: $2995. UMT
Plus: $5995. Optional Dual Signature Power Base: $4995.
(Vol.37 No.4 WWW)
MYTEK MANHATTAN II: $5995
Offering MQA, DXD, DSD256, and PCM up to
32-bit/384kHz, the Mytek Manhattan II is, in HR’s words,
“a complete digital and analog service provider.” Add
Mytek’s optional phono card ($1495) and it becomes a
phono preamp; add its Roon-ready WiFi card ($995) and
it becomes a network streamer with maximum through-
put of 24/192 and DSD64. Also on tap in the base model
are a discrete, high-current headphone amp, and a user-
selectable choice of seven different filters for CDs and
PCM files. After sampling some of his favorite MQA files
through the Manhattan II, HR asked: “If you were con-
templating the purchase of a new DAC, why would you
not want it to include MQA processing?” As for its perfor-
mance with CDs, he wrote, “the Mytek let my mind rise
and then look down on the musical stream, to observe the
matrix of its notes and silences.” Overall, he praised the
“uniquely non-digital”–sounding Mytek Manhattan II for
“[reproducing] recordings in a manner that seemed de-
void of mechanicalness or electronic artificiality. Class A
all the way.” JA summed up the results of his lab tests in
one short sentence: “Mytek’s Manhattan II offers superb
measured performance.” (Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
PLAYBACK DESIGNS SONOMA MERLOT: $6500
Designed and released at the same time as Playback De-
signs’ Sonoma Syrah music server (see elsewhere in this
edition of “Recommended Components”), and housed
in a similar-looking enclosure 12" wide by 3.25" high by
9" deep, the Sonoma Merlot stereo DAC offers the usual
USB, S/PDIF, and AES/EBU inputs, plus Playback’s propri-
etary PLink, for connection to their USB-XIII Digital Inter-
face ($2500), which acts as a master clock in multichan-
nel systems. On its USB and PLink inputs, the Sonoma
Merlot provides up to 24-bit/384kHz PCM resolution, and
does DSD up to DSD256; the remaining inputs are limited
to 24/192 and DSD64. A headphone amp with a front-
panel ¼" jack is also provided. After borrowing and using
three (!) Sonoma Merlots—the extra two were required
for surround sound—with the above-mentioned server
and digital interface, KR praised the system’s “beautiful
sound.” Using the Sonoma Merlot with his Baetis Prodigy
X server and comparing that combo with his exaSound
e38 multichannel DAC, KR found that “soundstage detail
was equal” between the two, but that “the exaSound was a
bit more forward,” and the trio of Merlots “more naturally
arrayed.” (Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
PS AUDIO PERFECTWAVE DIRECTSTREAM DAC:
$5999.95 +
Instead of an off-the-shelf chipset, PS Audio’s first DSD
processor uses original code written into a field-program-
mable gate array (FPGA), the result being a system that
converts all incoming data to double-rate DSD. In addi-
tion to asynchronous USB, the digital inputs include RCA,
TosLink, and HDMI, and single-ended and true balanced
analog outputs are provided. The DirectStream is built on
a cast-alloy chassis with a glossy MDF top and a touch-
screen from which all user controls can be worked. Firm-
ware is user-updatable, as AD discovered while reviewing
66
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
the DirectStream. He noted the DAC’s “excellent pacing,
flow, correctness of pitch relationships, and the like,
as well as a consistently smooth and slightly laid-back
sound.” With some files, AD found the DirectStream just
a little too laid-back—a condition mitigated in part by an
early firmware update—but found its musicality beyond
reproach. JA observed that the DirectStream “measures
superbly well” in many ways, but was troubled by its
poor linearity at low frequencies and its “ultimate lack of
resolution” with hi-rez files. In a Follow-Up, RD tried the
DirectStream DAC with PS Audio’s PerfectWave Memory
Player transport ($3995) and observed, “listening to fa-
miliar recordings . . . I heard more musical detail from
them than I previously had.” Subsequent to that audition,
RD received and installed in the DirectStream DAC a new
firmware upgrade, bringing his unit to v.1.2.1; he liked it.
Following the firmware update to v.1.2.1, JA re-tested the
DirectStream DAC and found evidence of a lower noise
floor, increased low-level linearity, and a dramatic reduc-
tion in low-frequency distortion. Said JA: “Kudos to PS Au-
dio for designing a product so that its performance can so
easily be upgraded by its customers.” There have followed
three additional, successive firmware upgrades; in 2017,
the most recent of these, named Huron, impressed JCA as
“a clear improvement over [its immediate predecessor],
which was already very good.” (Vol.37 No.9; Vol.38 Nos. 2,
3, 5, 11; Vol.39 No.11; Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
T+A DAC8 DSD: $3995
The German-built T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 DSD incor-
porates two distinct sets of D/A converters: DSD signals
are treated to 1-bit conversion and are never converted
to PCM, while PCM signals are treated to four DACs per
channel in a double-differentiation configuration that, ac-
cording to JI, is claimed to “perfectly cancel out converter
errors and nonlinearities while increasing dynamic range
by 6dB.” Also on tap are four user-selectable digital filter
options, independently adjustable volume for line and
headphone outputs, and separate, user-selectable analog
filters for DSD and PCM, the former intended to protect
the rest of the user’s system from ultrasonic noise. JI
praised the DAC 8 DSD for “approach[ing] the perfor-
mance of cost-no-object designs” and “represent[ing]
good relative value.” JA gave the DAC 8 DSC a clean bill
of health, with particular regard to its “superb rejection of
word-clock jitter via its PCM inputs,” while noting that “its
measured behavior and sound quality [are] so dependent
on which of its four digital filters is in use.” (Vol.39 No.10
WWW)
TOTALDAC D1-TUBE-MK2: €9100
In a design field where cats are skinned in any number
of ways, Vincent Brient of the French company TotalDAC
takes a distinctive approach: for his D/A converters, he
uses a discrete R2R ladder comprising some 200 hand-
selected, very-high-quality discrete resistors per channel.
The nonoversampling d1-tube-mk2 supplements this cir-
cuitry with an FPGA for various digital chores, an XMOS
USB receiver (S/PDIF, TosLink, and AES/EBU digital in-
puts are also provided), and a tubed output stage. DSD
(DoP) compatibility is a €320 option. All inputs support
24-bit/192kHz resolution except TosLink, which maxes
out at 24/96. In the experience of ML, to whom digital re-
corded sound manifests itself as a sheet of glass between
himself and the performers, “listening to music through
the TotalDAC d1-tube-mk2, there was no glass; I could lis-
ten to my music as deeply as I wanted to go.” Which pretty
much says it all. (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
A “Recommended Components”) comes the Altair, which
AUDIO NOTE DAC 2.1X SIGNATURE: $4889
In common with other Audio Note D/A converters and CD
players, the DAC 2.1x Signature is built around a rather
old-school 18-bit Analog Devices 1865 chip, said to be
hand selected. Neither oversampling nor digital filtering
is used, nor does the DAC 2.1x Signature contain an ana-
log filter; according to Audio Note, the converter’s use of
a transformer as an I/V stage confers on the output signal
sufficient treble rolloff. The tubed output stage is built with
Audio Note’s own copper-foil-in-oil signal capacitors, and
signal output is handled by Audio Note Silver interconnect
cable. Digital inputs are limited to S/PDIF (RCA) and AES/
EBU (XLR); a USB input is not offered. After using it with
Audio Note’s own CDT One/II disc transport, AD praised
the DAC 2.1x Signature for its sonic heft and substance,
its analog-like momentum and flow, and, overall, a knack
for “bringing out the goodness of good recordings, [al-
though it] also had a knack for accentuating the badness
of certain types of bad recordings.” While testing the DAC
2.1x Signature, JA discovered distortion products, noise,
jitter, and data truncation (24 to 18 bits), leading him to
describe the Audio Note as “broken.” (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
CANEVER AUDIO ZEROUNO: $7995
While digital processors with tubed output sections aren’t
new, the Italian CanEver Audio ZeroUno breaks with con-
vention by looking less like a DAC than a 2A3-fueled power
amp, its two Coke-bottle–style CV181 dual-triode tubes
enjoying pride of place atop a distinctly attractive case.
Under its skin is an ESS Sabre32 ES9018S chip, its eight
internal differential DACs used in a quad-sum configura-
tion. Supplementing the ESS chip are multiple PCM and
DSD filters of CanEver’s own design, selectable via a menu
system that also provides a switchable jitter filter, signal-
polarity inversion, channel balance, and other niceties.
The ZeroUno supports PCM to 384kHz and DSD64 and
128 as DoP; newer versions of the CanEver DAC are said to
provide MQA compatibility, though that was not available
at the time of our review. AD noted shortcomings in the
ZeroUno’s manual, especially when it came to navigating
its software menu—we’re told that this, too, has been re-
fined in current production—but forgot those complaints
after noting that the Italian DAC made his favorite files
sound more colorful and “less hi-fi” than what he’s used to
hearing from digital playback. Art’s conclusion: “I’ve heard
no other digital product that succeeds quite so well . . .
at letting music sound like music.” Writing from his test-
ing lair, JA noted the ZeroUno’s “respectable measured
performance,” but cautioned users to keep its jitter and
oversampling filters switched on. (Vol.40 No.5 WWW)
CHORD HUGO TT: $4795
Chord’s Hugo TT (for Table Top) combines a DSD-friendly
USB DAC, headphone amplifier, and Bluetooth receiver
in one distinctly styled and unambiguously chunky
aluminum case. The user interface is distinguished by a
volume control that uses not a knob or a pair of buttons
but rather a captured glass marble that changes color
as the loudness level changes, and a top-panel lens that
gives the user a clear view of the color-coded sample-rate
indicators inside. Key to the Hugo’s performance are an
internal chargeable battery—for power-supply isolation,
not portability—and a field-programmable gate array
(FPGA) running Chord’s proprietary filter algorithms.
Both on its own and in comparison with other DACs of his
acquaintance, JI identified the Hugo’s strengths as “de-
tail, definition, and depth, with no distracting artifacts.”
He also declared: “The Chord Hugo TT sounded wonderful
with headphones.” In a dispatch from his test bench, JA
said the Hugo “performed superbly well” on his jitter tests
and was, all around, “an extraordinarily well-engineered
component.” (Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
MYTEK HIFI BROOKLYN DAC+: $2195
See JCA’s review in this issue.
PRISM SOUND CALLIA: $2750
See JA’s review in this issue.
B
AURALIC ALTAIR: $1899
From the makers of the Vega DAC (see elsewhere in
combines the functions of a DAC, a wireless streamer,
and a headphone amp with a volume control. Available
with an optional solid-state or hard-disk drive, the Altair
offers no fewer than 15 digital inputs, and supports up to
32-bit/384kHz PCM as well as DSD256. Roon software
is supported, as is Auralic’s own Lightning app, but the
Altair does not decode MQA files. After encountering a
few hurdles in setting it up as a streamer, JI praised the
Altair’s good if somewhat “shy” sound. Writing from his
test bench, JA reported resolution close to 22 bits, a noise
floor free from power-supply–related spuriae, and very
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
low levels of harmonic distortion: “superb audio engineer-
ing.” (Vol.40 No.3 WWW)
BRINKMANN AUDIO NYQUIST: $17,990
One might expect analog-like sound from a D/A converter
designed and manufactured by a maker of very-high-
quality turntables and tonearms, and on that front, this
MQA-compatible DAC—it also handles PCM to 384kHz
and DSD128 (via DoP) and DSD256 (natively)—does not
disappoint: As MF concluded, “The Nyquist would look
and sound right at home next to a turntable.” Built around
a dual-mono pair of ESS ES9018S Sabre DAC chips, the
Nyquist was designed to be future-proof; to that end, its
digital module, which contains those chips and all other
digital-processing hardware and software, can be easily
removed from the rest of the Nyquist by undoing a few
fasteners and pulling it out of the enclosure via the rear
panel, thus facilitating updates, upgrades, upeverything.
At the other end of the timeline, the Brinkmann’s output
stage includes two Telefunken PCF803 triode/pentode
tubes per channel. After listening to the Nyquist in his sys-
tem, Mikey described its sound as “smoother and more
liquid overall, and somewhat warmer in the midbass” than
a contemporary solid-state DAC of similar price. Sum-
marizing the results of his lab tests, JA noted his disap-
pointment with the Nyquist’s “higher-than-usual levels of
random noise,” “[increased] distortion at low levels,” and
“[power]-supply–related sidebands,” concluding that
“you shouldn’t have to make excuses for a DAC costing
$18,000.” (Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
REGA RESEARCH DAC-R: $1195
This new iteration of the plain-named Rega DAC (the
original was reviewed in Vol.34 Nos.5 & 10 and Vol.35
No.2) contains changes both small—the DAC-R’s longer
case (for better power-supply layout), and improved
firmware and power connectors—and large: Rega’s digi-
tal processor now has an XMOS-based, 24-bit/192kHz
asynchronous USB input. The internal DACs are twin
Wolfson WM8742 chips implemented without upsam-
pling, allied to an output section built with discrete tran-
sistors. A choice of three user-selectable filters is offered,
though the still-compact case—8.4" wide by 3.1" high by
12.5" deep—lacks a headphone jack. Using the Rega as
an adjunct to his home recording studio, JI found that,
while listening to vocal feeds, the DAC-R added a little
sugar—”a slight warmth or sweetening”—that he didn’t
hear through his trusted Benchmark DAC2 HGC. (JI: “I
liked it. The singer preferred it.”) He also found that the
DAC-R “produced a wonderful soundstage, floating aural
images in space where they should be, with plenty of de-
tail and depth.” Apart from some artifacts that appeared
related to the chipset’s less–than–Gulag Archipelago
degree of isolation from the power supply, JA’s measure-
ments suggest that the DAC-R “offered measured per-
formance that was beyond reproach.” Borderline Class
A. (Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
C supply regulation that seems equal parts calculus and
ARCAM IRDAC-II: $749 $$$
Fresh from flings with four- and five-figure DACs, JA recon-
nected with the hoi polloi via Arcam’s affordable irDAC-II,
introduced in 2016 to celebrate the British company’s
40th anniversary. Built around the ESS ES9016 K2M DAC
chip, the Arcam combines five digital inputs—two RCA,
two TosLink, one USB—with Bluetooth connectivity and
a headphone amplifier, and supports files up to DSD128.
After using an AudioQuest Cheetah interconnect to wire
the irDAC-II directly to his power amps—the former has
its own volume control, thus eliminating the need for a
preamp—JA was impressed by the Arcam’s cleanness,
clarity, and definition with a variety of tracks, though he
noted a shallower-than-expected soundstage with some
material, and felt its balance was a little lightweight—also
a characteristic of the irDAC-II’s headphone output. That
said, via his AudioQuest NightHawk headphones, the Ar-
cam outperformed the Meridian Explorer DAC: with one
recording in particular, the irDAC-II “opened up a some-
what cleaner, clearer view into the recorded acoustic.” As
for the Arcam’s Bluetooth performance, JA described it
as “always listenable, if not completely involving.” Writing
stereophile.com Q April 2018
TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERS
from his lab, JA praised the irDAC-II as “a conventional but
well-engineered D/A processor.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
Editor’s Note: There are no Class D digital processors
listed.
DELETIONS
Benchmark DAC2 HGC replaced by DAC3; Mytek Brook-
lyn, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil replaced by new models; An-
telope Audio Zodiac Platinum Bundle, Bricasti Design M1
DAC, Lector Strumenti Digitube S-192, all not auditioned
in too long a time.
TWO-CHANNEL
PREAMPLIFIERS
Editor’s Note: Apart from the Bespoke, CAT, Shindo,
Placette, and Ypsilon, all the Class A preamplifiers of-
fer balanced inputs and outputs. And unless noted, the
preamplifiers listed do not have phono stages.
A The tubed, line-level Rex II is supplied in two boxes,
AUDIO RESEARCH REF6: $14,000
Replacing Audio Research’s Reference 5 SE of 2011, the
Reference 6 is a product in which everything—parts,
circuitry, the whole megillah—has been revised, the
upgrades including a heftier mains transformer, an
improved volume-control circuit, and new custom-
made capacitors. The audio circuits include three 6H30
dual-triode tubes per channel, while the power supply
has one 6H30 and one 6550WE tube. The eight pairs
of line-level inputs are evenly divided between single-
ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR), alongside three pairs
each of single-ended and balanced outputs. Among the
Reference 6’s electronically controlled functions are its
103-step volume control, signal-polarity inversion, and
a mono switch. MF noted the Reference 6’s unimpeach-
able specs, and reported that while listening to favorite
recordings through it, he heard “intense surprises that
I’m sure can’t be measured. Record after record, I found
that the Reference 6 greatly increased my understand-
ing of very familiar recordings.” In measuring the Refer-
ence 6, JA noted “superb channel matching,” “inconse-
quential AC-supply noise,” and, overall, “little hint of the
presence of tubes in the circuit” (that last observation
intended as a compliment). (Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
AYRE ACOUSTICS KX-R TWENTY: $29,950 +
It would seem an impossible task: improving on a
preamplifier—the Ayre KX-R—that sounded better to
JA than no preamplifier at all. But that was the hurdle
set for the new KX-R Twenty, named in honor of Ayre’s
20th year of operation. More of a complete redesign
than an upgrade of the original, the KX-R Twenty em-
ploys AyreLock, a new, proprietary approach to power-
poetry. Also involved were similarly big changes to the
active circuitry, including the adoption, in this model,
of the “diamond” output circuit of the company’s X-5
series—if only because, in the words of chief engineer
and CEO Charles Hansen, it proved to work “so insanely
well.” Of his time with the new Ayre, JA wrote, “Some
highly resolving audio components achieve their trans-
parency to what has been captured on a recording
by emphasizing detail. The Ayre simply cleaned the
window.” JA’s listening notes were ripe with examples
of fine performance at various sonic tasks, but in the
end, his view was holistic: “The Ayre evoked the words
Peter Schaffer has Antonio Salieri saying, in Amadeus,
about the entry of the solo oboe in this music: ‘This was
a music I’d never heard. Filled with such longing, such
unfulfillable longing. It seemed to me that I was hearing
the voice of God.’” (Vol.37 No.12 WWW)
AYRE ACOUSTICS KX-5 TWENTY: $9950
The KX-5 Twenty line-level preamplifier enshrines al-
most all of the proprietary technologies that, in recent
years, have put Ayre Acoustics on the map: Its Variable-
Gain Transconductance (VGT) circuit adjusts volume
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
not by throwing away varying amounts of gain but by
adjusting, at its source, how much gain is created. Its
active output buffer is based on Ayre’s diamond circuit
arrangement of bipolar transistors. And its AyreLock
approach to voltage regulation creates, in essence, a
push-pull power supply capable of turning on a dime in
response to the demand dictated by the music signal.
All of this is packaged in a non-huge aluminum enclo-
sure described by AD as “tidy and evidently well laid
out.” Art was considerably less chipper about the KX-5
Twenty’s user interface and owner’s manual, for which
he reserved such words as “unclear,” “unneeded,” “less
than intuitive,” and “both need work.” But he perked up
again on hearing the Ayre’s “remarkable and utterly
nonclinical clarity, and its convincing, commandingly
good spatial performance.” Low Class A, he decided.
Measurer-in-chief JA noted in particular the Ayre’s
“complete absence of power-supply–related” noise
and its remarkably low distortion without reverting to
loop negative feedback, declaring the KX-5 Twenty “su-
perbly well engineered.” (Vol.41 No.3 WWW)
BALANCED AUDIO TECHNOLOGY REX II:
$24,999
albeit not in accordance with audio tradition: the Rex
II’s control module (eight tubes) contains a single
gain stage for the left and right channels, plus the
dual-mono power supply that runs it, while the power
module (ten tubes) contains everything else, along
with everything else’s power supply. There are five in-
puts and three outputs—all balanced, of course—and
ergonomic refinements abound, including a left/right
balance control, a mono switch, and a switch to invert
signal polarity. FK—who reminds the reader that two
boxes filled with a total of 18 tubes will add warmth to
any home—responded with enthusiasm to the changes
wrought by the broken-in BAT: “singers beamed from
the soundstage with a matter-of-fact, lifelike presence
that I’d never heard from my system.” He added, “the
Rex II captured . . . their most softly whispered asides.
It was spooky-palpable.” Overall, FK concluded that the
Rex II “eked from my LPs and CDs more new things
than any other component I’ve sampled in years.” JA,
for his part, described the BAT’s measured perfor-
mance as “excellent.” (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
BESPOKE AUDIO: $12,000 AND UP
Built around a stereo pair of hand-wound, multitapped
transformers, the Bespoke Audio preamplifier—which
provides attenuation and source selection but no actu-
al preamplification—is a passive line stage that exudes
an “unsurpassed” level of quality, according to AD. Buy-
ers select from a variety of colors, materials, connector
types, and ergonomic refinements, the last including a
motorized volume knob and remote handset. While de-
claring that he is not normally a fan of passive preamps,
owing in particular to a paucity of musical impact from
systems so equipped, AD noted that the Bespoke was
better in that regard than he’d expected, and that its
use brought enhanced clarity to some recordings: “the
best justification yet” for the passive approach is of-
fered by this product, he believes. (Vol.38 No.10 WWW)
BOULDER AMPLIFIERS 2110: $55,000 +
Given that its predecessor, the model 2010, enjoyed a
17-year run in Boulder Amplifiers’ product line, much
was expected of the new 2110 line preamplifier: a
multibox solid-state model in which user functions
are optically controlled to eliminate noise, and whose
six inputs are characterized by an impressive degree
of adjustability and flexibility of configuration. All of its
inputs and outputs are fully balanced, addressed only
with XLR jacks, and the 2110 goes the 2010 one better
by adding a fully differentially balanced volume control.
Using the Boulder 2110 with his darTZeel NHB-18NS
mono amps in balanced mode, MF observed that “[it]
produced image intensity, physicality, and solidity that
were unprecedented in my experience. First take: a gi-
ant Wow.” MF elaborated: “It made recordings I know
to be truly exceptional sound even more so through
my system.” With the Boulder pre on his test bench,
67
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERS
JA observed, “The 2110’s distortion is so low, in fact,
that it taxed my ability to measure it.” JA ultimately
pronounced the 2110 “the best-measuring preamplifier
I have encountered.” (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)
CONVERGENT AUDIO TECHNOLOGY SL1
RENAISSANCE BLACK PATH EDITION: $12,995
LINE ONLY, $14,995 WITH PHONO STAGE
The Convergent Audio Technology SL1, which has
grown a long name to match its long life, continues to
be revised and refined by designer Ken Stevens. In its
Renaissance update, the heralded CAT SL1 line stage
received a new circuit-board layout and improved
power supply; it was also treated to an A/V bypass,
user-selectable gain, and a switch-selectable, moving-
coil transformer for its optional phono stage ($2000).
Compared to its predecessor, the SL1 Ultimate, the
Renaissance offered greater transparency, resolution,
and dynamics, said RD. JA noted “superb measured
performance and an equally superbly linear circuit
topology.” The most recent (2015) change was occa-
sioned by CAT’s development of their Black Path signal
capacitor, and named for it; further audio-circuit opti-
mizations and a reduction in noise intermodulation are
also among the refinements claimed for the Black Path
Edition. After spending time with the SL1 Renaissance,
RD pointed to improved rendering of intertransient
silence, crisper and tighter percussion sounds, and
better transparency and resolution than from the SL1
Ultimate: “I knew I was hearing no minor improvement.”
(Vol.32 No.11, Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS
MOMENTUM PREAMPLIFIER: $35,000 +
“Among the most beautiful pieces of audio gear” that
MF has seen or touched, the Dan D’Agostino Momen-
tum echoes the sculpted aluminum-with-copper,
quasi-steam-punk cosmetics of the Dan D’Agostino
Momentum power amplifier—but with a chunky, round
volume control/level meter in place of the amplifier’s
chunky, round, output-power meter. As MF observed,
“The complementary, balanced, zero-feedback Mo-
mentum is DC-coupled, has no capacitors in the signal
path, and features fully discrete circuitry with no op-
amps. Volume adjustment is via an optical controller
and resistor ladder.” User controls for the line-level-
only, low-gain Momentum—all available on the impres-
sive remote handset, most on the front panel—include
absolute signal polarity, channel balance, source
selection, mute, and tone controls. The main unit and
its curvy and cunningly designed outboard power sup-
ply—the former sits atop the latter—are electrically
connected via a multipin umbilical. After listening, MF
commented: “In the Momentum, Dan D’Agostino has
produced a preamplifier that duplicates the Momen-
tum amp’s delicacy, transparency, three-dimensional-
ity, and especially its liquidity and freedom from grain
without softening transients—all floating above the
blackest backdrops.” Summing up his measurements,
JA noted that “the Momentum preamplifier lives up to
Dan D’Agostino’s reputation for heroic audio engineer-
ing.” (Vol.37 No.8 WWW)
DARTZEEL NHB-18NS MK.2: APPROX. $38,000
The “stunningly transparent” darTZeel NHB-18NS of
2007 offered spectacular transient speed, resolution, and
decay, while providing an overall coherence that “made
recorded music, analog or digital, sound much closer to
live,” according to MF, who added that, with its warm, vivid
combination of red case and dark-gold front and rear pan-
els, the NHB-18NS “looks like it sounds.” As of the summer
of 2008—by which time he’d bought one for himself—MF
felt that the battery-powered NHB-18NS matched the res-
olution and transparency of MBL’s 6010 D preamp, while
managing to sound less mechanical. Despite the similar
name, the NHB-18NS Mk.2 of 2017 is a complete redesign
of the Swiss company’s preamp but still offers both line
and phono stages—the latter, per MF, being “sonically
far superior to the original,” and more adjustable than
many outboard phono preamps of his experience. MF also
hailed the new model’s digitally displayed volume-control
calibration, and the fact that, unlike that of its predeces-
68
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
sor, the new model’s batteries “have never run out of juice
during a listening session.” According to Mikey, the new
darTZeel’s phono section sounds “neither as transpar-
ent nor as dynamic” as the far more expensive outboard
Swiss Precision P1 ($31,000 without additional power
supply) or Ypsilon VPS-100 Silver Edition ($65,000). That
said, with the “tube-like richness and generous flow” it in-
herited from its forebear, the Mk.2 “will more than satisfy
casual vinyl listeners.” (Vol.30 No.6, Vol.31 No.10, Vol.33
Nos. 5 & 10, Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
LAMM INDUSTRIES L2.1 REFERENCE: $22,790
The greatest accomplishments of Vladimir Lamm’s elec-
tronics are like those of the art restorer who removes
grime and soot without diminishing the vibrant colors
underneath—so believes AD, who said of Lamm’s latest
line stage, the two-box L2.1 Reference, “[it] reproduced
the sounds of bowed and plucked strings alike with color,
texture, and humanness.” The Lamm does so with an
unorthodox combination of technologies: high-voltage
MOSFETs in the all–single-ended gain stages, and tubes
throughout its power supply—for rectification, regulation,
and the amplification of voltage references. The L2.1 Ref-
erence, which differs from its predecessor in its use of new
current-source transistors and other recently available
components, offers switchable signal-phase inversion
and easily adjusted channel balance—the latter thanks
to its dual-mono volume potentiometers—and further de-
lighted AD by eschewing remote control. His verdict: “the
rare product that swept the question of tubes vs solid-
state into insignificance.” Writing from his test bench, JA
noted the Lamm’s “extraordinarily low” distortion and
observed that, “like the other preamplifiers designed by
Vladimir Lamm that have passed through my test lab, the
L2.1 Reference is well engineered.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
LUXMAN CLASSIC CL-38USE: $5995 $$$
With styling that brings to mind the Marantz Model 7C—
especially if you “squint a little,” per AD—the Luxman CL-
38u preamplifier mates classic form with classic function
by including a mono switch, rumble filter, balance control,
tone controls (with switchable hinge frequencies), and a
phono section, the latter with built-in step-up transform-
ers for MC gain. All voltage-gain and buffering chores in
the CL-38u are handled by eight dual-triode tubes, with
rectification and some switching accomplished by solid-
state devices. In AD’s tube-happy system, the Luxman
“presented music with natural, realistic warmth and color,
and fine bass-to-treble balance,” although with the “tone
controls enabled, the sound was cloudier, less open.” AD
also praised the Luxman’s “sheer speed and clarity of mu-
sical timing,” ultimately describing the CL-38u as “not just
a good value: It’s an exceptional value.” Reporting from
his test bench, JA gave the CL-38u a clean bill of health:
it “doesn’t appear to be compromised in any way, either
by its versatility or by its exclusive use of tubes.” (Vol.38
No.5 WWW)
MARK LEVINSON NO.526: $20,000
Pricewise, the No.526 occupies the slot between Mark
Levinson’s No.326S ($10,000) and No.52 ($30,000), and
offers both line-level and MM/MC phono preamplification
in a single box. The fully balanced No.526 also has an ESS
Sabre-based 32-bit DAC with user-selectable PCM and
DSD filter options—AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and USB inputs are
provided—and a “digital-restoration” module that parent
company Harman International calls Clari-Fi. In the man-
ner of other contemporary microprocessor-enhanced
preamps and integrated amps, individual inputs can be
customized with the user’s choice of names, gain offsets,
etc., and provisions are offered for network connection
(Ethernet) and firmware updates (USB). The No.526’s
“sheer clarity, startling transparency, [and] liquid mid-
range” impressed LG, who observed that the preamp’s
“qualities of design and manufacture let me be drawn into
the music as never before.” Writing from his test bench,
JA said that, “Overall, the Mark Levinson No.526 offers su-
perb measured performance.” (Vol.40 No.5 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 740P: $9000
The solid-state Moon 740P is a dual-mono line-level pre-
amplifier that offers both single-ended and true bal-
anced operation, the latter thanks to its differential au-
dio circuitry. Its volume control is Simaudio’s own
M-eVOL2 stage, comprising 530 discrete steps of 0.1dB
each, and its power supply is built around the similarly
orthographically odd M-LoVo voltage-regulator stage. FK
had strong praise for the Simaudio’s temporal cohesion,
its ability to “[keep] low-level signals pure,” and its facili-
ty with “detail... that most preamps smudge,” but added
that “in no way... did the 740P ever sound too analytical;
its clarity didn’t come at the sacrifice of musical
warmth.” JA summed up the Simaudio’s time on the test
bench: “The Moon 740P’s measured performance is be-
yond reproach.” (Vol.38 No.5 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO JC 2 BP: $4495 $$$ +
Styled to match the JC 1 power amplifier and finished in
the same brushed, natural aluminum, the JC 2 exhibits a
high standard of construction. Each channel of the fully
balanced JC 2 is on a separate PCB, with the audio and
control power supplies on separate circuits, isolated from
each other by 3/8"-thick aluminum partitions. ST was im-
pressed by the JC 2’s noiseless operation and excellent
reproduction of space, which allowed music “to emerge
intact—with body, bloom, and dynamics, with definition
and detail—from an utterly silent background.” JA agreed,
but decided the JC 2 sounded best with warmer-sounding
amplifiers and speakers, when it excelled in the areas of
images and dynamics. “Perhaps the finest solid-state
line stage I have heard,” sums up ST. “This is what a great
line stage does: lets all the other components perform at
their best. The Halo JC 2 matched the Ayre KX-R in terms
of openness and sparkle, but sounded leaner and could
not reach the Ayre’s level of deep musicality, said WP.
Compared to the Simaudio Moon Evolution P-7, the JC 2
sacrificed body for leading-edge definition, felt JA. One of
Stereophile’s “Joint Amplification Components” for 2008.
Configured for home-theater bypass, the BP version of
Parasound’s excellent JC 2 preamplifier ($4795) has a
revised circuit board and front-panel control board that
make possible the hybridization of a traditional analog
two-channel system with a modern digital multichannel
system. The Halo JC 2 BP looks almost identical to the
Halo JC 2, with only the Bypass LED on the front panel and
the letters “BP” added to the labeling front and rear. It of-
fers both balanced RCA and unbalanced XLR inputs and
outputs. KR heard no difference between a direct connec-
tion from pre-pro to power amp and a connection via the
JC 2 BP’s bypass function. Owners of existing JC 2s can
have their units upgraded to BP status for $500. (Vol.30
No.12, Vol.31 Nos.3 & 11, Vol.32 No.3, Vol.34 No.6 WWW;
BP version Vol.34 No.3 WWW)
PASS LABS XP-30: $16,500 +
In its conventional two-channel mode, the XP-30 compris-
es three separate chassis: one each for its control circuit-
ry and power supply and each channel’s audio circuitry.
Using additional chassis, the XP-30 can be expanded to
as many as six channels. Each audio chassis has both a
Master and a Slave analog output, duplicated on balanced
XLRs and single-ended RCAs; and six analog inputs, also
duplicated on balanced XLRs and single-ended RCAs. The
XP-30 uses an integrated-circuit volume control. It virtu-
ally transported JA to recording studios and performance
spaces, consistently drawing his attention to aspects of
music rather than of sound. “The XP-30 has rekindled for
me the concept that the beating heart of an audio system
is the preamplifier,” he said. Measured performance was
superb. (Vol.36 No.4, Vol.38 No.5 WWW)
PLACETTE AUDIO ACTIVE LINESTAGE: $6995 +
The Active Linestage is intended to combine the
transparency of Placette’s purist Remote Volume Control
with a usable level of functionality, providing five sets of
unbalanced inputs, two sets of outputs, and a tape loop.
Its absolute clarity, focus, solidity, and transparency were
unrivaled in BD’s experience. “Highly recommended.”
Sold direct, with a lifetime warranty and 30-day refund
policy. (Vol.30 No.11 WWW)
PS AUDIO BHK SIGNATURE: $5999
Like its stablemate, the BHK Signature 300 monoblock
amplifier (see elsewhere in “Recommended Compo-
nents”), the BHK Signature preamplifier is named for its
designer, Bascom H. King. Also like that monoblock, the
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERS
BHK Signature preamp is a hybrid product, using both
transistors (N-channel MOSFETs, also as in the BHK amp)
and tubes. The preamp’s two 12AU7 dual-triode tubes are
also put to work in its distinctive volume-control system,
in which some sound-level increments are achieved not
through changes in resistance but through changes in
tube-stage gain. Ten line-level inputs are evenly divided
between single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) jacks—
there is no phono stage—and the two outputs are divided
in precisely the same way. Apart from noting that the
tubed volume-control system emitted an occasional and
barely perceptible noise that was ultimately masked by
the music, JCA was impressed. After comparing the BHK
Signature with nothing at all—that is, with the sound of a
system in which a DAC directly drove a pair of PS Audio
BHK Signature 300 monoblocks—he wrote: “With the
BHK Signature preamplifier in the system, the music
seemed more lively, and the space in which the images
were cast was more tangible.” Writing from his test bench,
JA observed: “this preamplifier measured superbly.”
(Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
ROGUE AUDIO RH-5: $2495 $$$
The Rogue RH-5 is a headphone amplifier and line-level
preamplifier that offers three user-selectable levels of
gain, and whose hybrid circuitry includes MOSFET tran-
sistors and two 12AU7 dual-triode tubes. It provides four
line inputs—one balanced (XLR) and three single-ended
(RCA)—as well as one set each of balanced and single-
ended outputs, all on its rear panel. On its front panel
are three headphone outputs: one three-pin XLR and two
studio-grade sockets, each combining a three-pin XLR
and a ½” phone jack. The Rogue allows two pairs of head-
phones to be used simultaneously. As a preamp, the RH-5
impressed HR with its “full-bodied sound,” and did such a
good job with Morphine’s At Your Service that Herb was
compelled to write, “I nearly drowned in this mesmerizing
river—and for that I blame the Rogue RH-5’s ability to sub-
merge me in its every undercurrent and textured nuance.”
As a headphone amplifier, the Rogue “possessed the reso-
lution, forcefulness, and transparency of a superior line
stage,” and excelled at driving low-sensitivity ‘phones. HR
noted that the RH-5’s optional MC phono stage ($400)
was “a super value” but lacked nuance in comparison with
more expensive outboard phono preamps. Writing from
his test bench, JA noted that the Rogue will perform its
best with power amps whose input impedances are great-
er than 20k ohms, and concluded by describing the RH-5
as “a well-balanced design.” (Vol.40 No.11 WWW)
SHINDO MONBRISON: $12,500
Some months after the death, in 2014, of founder Ken
Shindo, Shindo Laboratory’s long-lived, second-least-
expensive preamp, the Monbrison, vanished from the
line—a consequence, many presumed, of the company’s
having run out of Monbrison-specific enclosures and oth-
er parts. Soon after, their next-most-expensive preamp,
the Masseto, also disappeared. Both products have now
been replaced by an all-new preamplifier: a Monbrison in
name but a Masseto in function. (Unlike the Monbrison
and like the Masseto, the new model is designed and built
with output transformers.) The new Monbrison is also the
first of Shindo’s full-function preamps (ie, it includes both
line and phono stages) to be designed by Ken Shindo’s
son, Takashi Shindo, who departed from previous Monbri-
sons by eliminating one of two sets of phono inputs (and
onboard step-up transformers) but retained their use of
ECL 94S triode-pentode tubes for line-level gain and 6X4
diodes for rectification. Shindo’s signature steel casework
endures, but now the Monbrison’s enclosure is a two-level
structure, as in the company’s most expensive preamps.
After a lengthy break-in period in AD’s system, the Mon-
brison “demonstrated nuances of expression I’ve never
heard from the Masseto: The new Monbrison doesn’t
just convey momentum—rare though that talent is in the
larger context of consumer audio—but begins to hint at
the emotional and intellectual energies of the players.”
AD added that the Monbrison is “realistically, generously
colorful, and expresses sonic textures convincingly and
without etch,” and praised it for providing “greater listen-
ing pleasure than any other preamplifier I’ve had in my
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TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
system, save for the considerably more expensive Shindo
Vosne-Romanee.” (Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
VAC SIGNATURE SE: $19,500 (LINE STAGE
ONLY), $26,000 (WITH PHONO)
In its basic form, the Signature SE ($19,500) is a tubed
line stage that offers a mix of balanced (XLR) and unbal-
anced (RCA) inputs and outputs, the latter addressed by
custom-designed output transformers. Its optional phono
stage ($6500)—dual-triode tubes, MC step-up trans-
formers, separate power-supply transformer, and all—fits
alongside the line-level circuitry in the preamp’s main en-
closure. (A second, separate chassis is devoted to the line
stage’s power supply.) In his last review for Stereophile,
our beloved friend BJR described the VAC Signature SE as
nothing less than “the most significant audio product I’ve
ever hooked up to my reference system. It was flawless.”
Noting, in his measurements, some frequency-dependent
“poor overload margin” and “high intermodulation distor-
tion” in the VAC’s phono stage, JA recommended partner-
ing the preamp only with phono cartridges of lower-than-
average output. (Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
VTL TL6.5 SERIES II SIGNATURE: $15,000
Essentially a single-box version of VTL’s TL7.5, the fully
balanced TL6.5 Series II Signature line-level preampli-
fier combines a gain stage based on vacuum tubes—one
12AU7 per channel—with an output stage using solid-
state devices. For the Series II version, those devices
have been upgraded from MOSFETs to an unidentified
type of FET that VTL says is more tube-like in its behavior.
Other technical changes include the elimination of global
feedback and a doubling-up of mains transformers. FK de-
scribed the TL6.5 Series II Signature as “the smoothest-
sounding preamp I’ve heard in my system—and I don’t
mean smooth in a pejorative sense.” He also described
extended trebles that were “pure” and “natural,” abun-
dant speed and consequent added realism on percussive
sounds, and good imaging “without excessive beam.” JA’s
measurements confirmed the VTL’s high quality: “The
TL6.5 Series II Signature is a well-engineered preampli-
fier—as I have come to expect from VTL.” (Vol.39 No.8
WWW)
YPSILON PST-100 MK.2: $37,000 +
Made in Greece, the PST-100 is a handsome tubed pream-
plifier housed in a thick, satin-finished aluminum chassis.
It features transformer-based attenuation, 6CA4 tube
rectification, choke supply filtering, a switchable pas-
sive mode, and a zero-feedback active stage based on a
carefully selected Siemens C3m pentode tube. Though
differences between the PST-100’s active and passive
stages were small, MF preferred the passive stage for its
purer, more transparent sound. Compared to the darTZeel
NHB-18NS, the Ypsilon produced more vivid tonal colors
and greater physicality. “For now,” MF concluded, “the Yp-
silon PST-100 is the most transparent and, therefore, the
most perfect audio component I have ever heard—or not
heard.” Though XLR input and output jacks are provided,
the circuitry is unbalanced only. Without a line stage, the
completely passive PST-100 TA costs $26,000. (Vol.34
No.7 WWW)
B
PARASOUND HALO P 7: $2295 $$$ +
Full-featured analog stereo preamp with six stereo inputs,
balanced and unbalanced outputs, front-panel head-
phone and MP3 jacks, and an MM/MC phono preamp—
See “Multichannel Components.” Delightful sound but
“falls asymptotically short of the delicacy of the Nagra
and Simaudio preamps I have used,” says KR. (Vol.32 No.1
WWW)
PRIMALUNA PROLOGUE PREMIUM: $2199
PrimaLuna, a company that has been linked to a recent
worldwide shortage of uppercase letters, designed this
old-school, line-level tubed preamp in the Netherlands
and builds it in China to “levels of quiet, durability, and
sonic sophistication not possible in the 20th century,”
according to HR. The tube complement comprises four
12AU7 dual-triodes and a dual-mono pair of 5AR4 recti-
fiers, the latter an unusual choice in an era when so many
preamp manufacturers economize by using solid-state
rectifiers. Five single-ended inputs are offered, alongside
two single-ended outputs and a tape out; a remote hand-
set is supplied to control the ProLogue Premium’s mo-
torized Alps volume control, if desired. Used in a system
that included, at times, PrimaLuna’s ProLogue Premium
power amplifier (built into an identical blue-gray steel
enclosure), the ProLogue Premium preamp impressed HR
with its “feminine and seductive” sound. While cautioning
readers that the PrimaLuna’s high (2800 ohms) output
impedance demands a partnering amplifier with an in-
put impedance not lower than 28k ohms, Herb observed
that the owner of a properly set up ProLogue Premium
preamp will enjoy “tangibly luminous presence in every
recording you play. Punch and drive should be obvious. . . .
Most of all, you should notice [its] liquid transparency.” JA
reported that the ProLogue Premium preamp “generally
measures well,” but he did discover a second-harmonic
distortion signature that could be counted on to “fatten
up the sound.” (Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
ROGUE AUDIO RP-1: $1795
The latest example of an encouraging trend toward pre-
amplifiers with built-in phono stages, the Rogue RP-1 uses
a pair of 12AU7 dual-triode tubes for line-level gain and
buffering, and solid-state devices for MM and MC phono
preamplification, the latter including eight choices for
user-adjustable cartridge loading, ranging from 30 ohms
to 47k ohms. Creature comforts include a balance knob—
as HR wrote, “when was the last time you saw one of
those?”—as well as a front-mounted headphone jack and
a remote handset. HR did not mince words: apart from de-
scribing the Rogue’s headphone sound as “mostly aver-
age,” he wrote that, “compared to any preamplifier I know
of at anywhere near its price, the RP-1 reaches deeper
into the music to excavate a stronger, more precise, more
spacious musical presentation. Highly recommended.”
Apart from confirming that its headphone amp rolls off
the highs (–5dB at 20kHz) and that its output impedance
requires a partnering amp with an input impedance no
lower than 10k ohms, JA reported that the RP-1 measured
well—and described its phono stage as “simply superb.”
(Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
Editor’s Note: There are currently no Class C preampli-
fiers listed.
D
SCHIIT AUDIO SYS: $49 +
ST, to whom the concept of a simple and gainless preamp
has great appeal—”Why do you need so much gain if all
you’re going to do is dial it back[?]”—was attracted to
this latest piece from Schiit. The SYS provides two pairs
of input jacks, a switch for choosing between them, a vol-
ume control, and one pair of output jacks. Compared with
an $8500 transformer-based passive preamp, the Schiit
disappointed in its lack of ability to “expand dynamics
and quiet background noise.” But, said ST, “The Schiit SYS
preamp introduced no crap of its own. No power-supply
noise, no tube farts, no glare.” His verdict: “You almost owe
it to yourself” to try the Schiit SYS. (Vol.37 No.12)
DELETIONS
Audio Research SP20 no longer available; Shindo Mas-
seto in favor of Shindo Monbrison; Parasound Halo P 5,
Zesto Audio Leto 1.5, all not auditioned in too long a time.
TWO-CHANNEL
POWER AMPLIFIERS
Editor’s Note: Because of the disparity between typical
tube and solid-state “sounds,” we have split Class A for
separate power amplifiers into two subclasses. Neverthe-
less, even within each subclass, Class A amplifiers differ
sufficiently in character that each will shine in an appro-
priate system. Careful auditioning with your own loud-
speakers is therefore essential. Except where stated, out-
put powers are not the specified powers but rather those
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
we measured into an 8 ohm resistive load. All amplifiers
are stereo models, except where designated.
A (SOLID-STATE)
ARCAM FMJ P49: $5750
Now that British company Arcam has been acquired by a
Canadian pro-audio firm, they’ve begun manufacturing
their highest-end products in the US, and the FMJ P49
is among the first of these. Specified to deliver 200Wpc
into 8 ohms, the FMJ P49 operates in class-G: Depend-
ing on the demand placed on it by the input signal, the
power supply switches between low- and high-voltage
rails for the output transistors, thus vastly improving ef-
ficiency and reducing heat. (The transition occurs at ap-
proximately 50Wpc—about the limit one might expect
from a pure class-A amp with a similar output section.) JA
commended the Arcam for “meet[ing] a high standard”
of clarity and transparency. The FMJ P49 exhibited excel-
lent control of the very lowest frequencies, and retrieved
subtle details sufficiently well that, with one 50-year-old
track, “even some print-through” from the original tape
was audible. JA declared the P49 “a well-engineered
amplifier,” with no problems arising from its distinctive
power-supply arrangement. (Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
ATC P1: $3499 +
No strangers to the making of solid-state amplifiers—ATC
has, for decades, specialized in building self-powered
speakers for the pro and domestic markets—the British
firm now sells a 150Wpc standalone power amplifier. The
P1 is said to offer wide bandwidth (2Hz–400kHz) and a
high damping factor (400), plus true balanced inputs
alongside its unbalanced RCA jacks. (ATC recommends
the former for best performance.) After spending a num-
ber of weeks with the P1, JM concluded that “the P1 did
not editorialize on the music; it just delivered it.” Indeed,
his time with the ATC P1 led JM to wonder if perhaps an-
other recommendable amp was, by comparison, adding a
bit of “zip” to the sound, “and that perhaps the ATC P1 was
telling the story straight.” JM concluded: “I am unaware of
any other amplifier built from discrete components with
this level of build quality, and from a firm with a record of
accomplishment similar to ATC’s, that offers so much ex-
cellent wattage at such a comparatively low price.” (Vol.37
No.10 WWW)
AUDIONET MAX MONOBLOCK: $30,500/PAIR
Designed and built in Germany, the solid-state, class-AB
Max is based on what manufacturer Audionet refers to
as Ultra-Linear-Amplifier (ULA) topology, developed for
medical applications. Its MOSFET output stage draws
from separate power supplies for its positive and nega-
tive swings—there are also separate mains-transformer
windings for positive and negative voltages—and outputs
400W into 8 ohms, 700W into 4 ohms, or 1100W into 2
ohms. Both single-ended and balanced inputs are pro-
vided on the rear panel, while the front panel is home to
a digital display that reports temperature, DC offset volt-
age, and various fault conditions. (If the Max goes com-
pletely tits up, it automatically disconnects itself from the
mains supply.) Listening through Wilson Alexia speakers,
JVS found the Maxes to sound darker and less colorful
than his reference Pass Labs XA200.8 monoblocks, but
noted the tightness with which they depicted bass-drum
thwacks—and concluded that, “if your preferences lean
toward hard rock, driving jazz, or propulsive/explosive
music of any genre, [the Maxes] are must-hears.” JA ob-
served that, apart from a very low input impedance on its
balanced input, “Audionet’s Max performed very well on
the test bench.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
AVM OVATION MA8.2 MONOBLOCK:
$29,990/PAIR
The solid-state, class-AB Ovation MA8.2 is a fully bal-
anced, push-pull design whose output section uses 24 N-
channel and 24 P-channel MOSFETs, each bank drawing
power from its own 1000VA toroidal mains transformer.
The amp, which uses a full 30dB of negative feedback, is
specified as offering 600W of output power into 8 ohms;
according to AVM’s Udo Besser, depending on loudspeak-
er impedance, up to 40W of that output will be in pure
class-A. JVS described the sounds of CDs, SACDs, and
72
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
digital files played through the MA8.2s as “clean, clear,
and neutral,” though he felt the sound was, at times, “a bit
more spare than I’m used to.” That said, the amp’s speed
earned from JVS special praise. Writing from his test
bench, JA concluded that the Ovation MA8.2’s impressive
specifications are, if anything, conservative, and declared
his pleasure at measuring such a “well-engineered” ampli-
fier. (Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
AYRE ACOUSTICS MX-R TWENTY MONOBLOCK:
$33,500/PAIR
In the time since the introduction of their original MX-R
monoblock, for which Wes Phillips had high praise in Ste-
reophile’s April 2007 issue, Ayre Acoustics discovered
the suitability to high-performance domestic audio of the
half-century-old “diamond” circuit configuration of bipo-
lar transistors. An advanced version of that innovation, the
Double Diamond output stage, along with Ayre’s recently
developed AyreLock voltage-regulator refinement, and
a few other new refinements, have now been applied to
Ayre’s top-of-the-line power amplifier. The result is the
MX-R Twenty, a 300Wpc flagship named in honor of Ayre’s
20th anniversary. Describing the MX-R Twentys’ perfor-
mance in his system, JA opined that, no matter what he
played, the MX-R Twentys “simply stepped out of the way
of the music, letting it flow unimpeded.” And bassist JA
couldn’t help being impressed by how well the MX-R Twen-
tys reproduced a sound he knows so well: “[Jaco Pasto-
rius’s] detuned low F and C were so well formed and so
palpable that they rolled from the speakers and across the
floor to me!” Reporting from his test bench, JA described
the Twenty as “significantly quieter than its predecessor,”
and declared the Ayre “a true high-resolution amplifier.”
(Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
BEL CANTO DESIGN E.ONE REF600M
MONOBLOCK: $4990/PAIR
Bel Canto’s REF600 monoblock is similar in size to
their REF1000M, which KR reviewed in the March 2009
issue, but the newer amp trades the older’s ICEpower-
based class-D output section for the newly ubiquitous
Hypex nCore class-D module, which develops 300W into
8 ohms or 600W into 4 ohms—specs identical to those
of the MPS1 power-amp section of the Bel Canto Black
(described elsewhere in this edition of “Recommended
Components”). Writing of his experience with the RE-
F600Ms driving his Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 loudspeak-
ers, KR observed that they “never ran out of steam with
any sort of music at any listening level, and remained ab-
solutely consistent in tonal balance and clarity.” Kal also
described the amp’s price as “eye-openingly” low. JA’s
measurements uncovered a remarkably high (109.9dB)
unweighted signal/noise ratio, power outputs higher than
the manufacturer’s specs, and “impressively low levels of
distortion and noise.” In a Follow-Up in September 2017,
HR reported on his experience with the Bel Canto mono-
blocks, ostensibly borrowed to drive his current-hungry
Magnepan .7s (which Herb had never heard sound “more
precise, powerful, or three-dimensional” than with the
post-break-in REF600Ms). After trying them with five
different loudspeaker models, he wrote, “the Bel Cantos
offered up weight, body, punch, and crystalline detail bet-
ter than some of the most expensive amplifiers I know.”
(Vol.39 No.10, Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
BENCHMARK AHB2: $2995 $$$
Named for the late Allen H. Burdick, the engineer whose
work formed the basis for its design, Benchmark’s AHB2
is a compact (11" W by 3.8" H by 9.3" D) and lightweight
(12.5 lbs) solid-state amplifier. The AHB2 makes use of
THX Corporation’s Achromatic Audio Amplifier (AAA)
technology, in which a low-power feed-forward ampli-
fier drives a low-bias class-AB output section, the latter
energized by a system of class-H power-supply rails that
deliver power in response to demand—resulting in an ex-
tremely efficient amplifier capable of robust power output
(100Wpc into 8 ohms, 190Wpc into 4 ohms, and a strap-
ping 380W when strapped for mono, per Benchmark). In
his listening tests, KR discovered “much more apparent
low-level detail in already-familiar recordings”—a charac-
teristic he credited to the Benchmark’s evident noiseless-
ness—and a tonal balance that “sounded more ‘right’ than
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
any of [the other amps on hand].” In measuring the AHB2
and attempting to confirm its specified very high signal/
noise ratio, JA observed nonlinearities in his testing equip-
ment that “haven’t affected the measured performance of
other amplifiers I’ve tested, but they were detectable with
the AHB2’s very low intrinsic distortion and noise.” His
conclusion: “an extraordinary amplifier.” KR’s last word:
“bargain.” (Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
BOULDER AMPLIFIERS 2150 MONOBLOCK:
$99,000/PAIR
The new 2150 monoblock—it replaces Boulder’s 2050
monoblock, introduced in 2000—is among those rela-
tively recent designs that operate in class-A for their full
rated power, yet do so by means of microprocessor-based
circuits that continually adjust bias in response to cur-
rent draw, load, and other parameters. Consequently, the
2150 runs relatively cool. Each 2150 uses global feedback
(proudly: its manufacturer suggests that manufacturers
who don’t use feedback simply don’t know how to do so
properly), boasts an output section containing 80 bipolar
devices, requires an AC cord compatible with its 32A IEC
socket, has heatsinks machined into the sides of its chas-
sis, and weighs an extraordinary 220 lbs (319 lbs in its
shipping crate). For all that bigness, the Boulder amp kept
out of MF’s way, sonically: “It was about as tonally neutral
a piece of electronics as I’ve heard here, neither warm nor
cool.” MF also praised the Boulder’s “unrestricted micro-
dynamic excursions” and its “well-controlled, ultra-solid,
well-defined low-frequency response.” Writing from his
test bench, JA noted that the difficult-to-move Boulder
“measured so well that it taxed the capabilities of my Au-
dio Precision SYS2722.” (Vol.40 No.2 WWW)
BRICASTI DESIGN M28 MONOBLOCK:
$30,000/PAIR
Made entirely in Bricasti’s factory in Massachusetts, the
solid-state M28 is a fully balanced, dual-differential de-
sign from its XLR input to its speaker outputs. Its speci-
fied 200Wpc into 8 ohms comes courtesy of two banks of
12 bipolar transistors each, and its CNC-machined case
ensures that, in Bricasti’s words, “each element mates to
a purpose-built location within the chassis.” MF described
the M28 as “a powerful, beautifully built amplifier” and
praised it as “faultlessly smooth and rich in the critical
midrange,” adding that “[e]ven a diehard tube lover would
be impressed.” But he found the M28 to be “more smooth
and sweet than fast and tight,” and suggested that its top
end was “insufficiently fast and precise for my taste.” Re-
porting from the lab, JA said: “Its measured performance
reveals Bricasti’s M28 to be a worthy stablemate to the
company’s superb-measuring and equally superb-sound-
ing M1 D/A processor.” For his Follow-Up, JA auditioned
the Bricasti amps in his own system, and described the
sonic balance achieved by the combination of Bricasti
amps and KEF Blade Two loudspeakers as being “a little
on the polite side.” But he also found that the GamuT RS7
speakers “proved a synergistic match,” the M28s produc-
ing “an enormous sweep of sound at the climaxes.” His
conclusion: “used in an empathetic system . . . [the M28s]
will produce true reference-quality sound.” (Vol.38 No.5 &
8 WWW)
CLASSÉ SIGMA MONO MONOBLOCK:
$8000/PAIR
The rare class-D amplifier designed entirely in-house—as
opposed to being based on an OEM output module such
as those from Hypex and Bang & Olufsen—the Classé
Sigma Mono delivers a whopping 350W into 8 ohms and
is equipped with a rear-panel line-level output jack for
driving a subwoofer (or whatever else). Auditioned by KR
with his Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 Diamond loudspeak-
ers—a model that, per Classé, was developed using their
amps—the Sigma Monos produced no detectable charac-
ter: “Across the audioband, there was no part that stood
out from the rest.... my reference recordings all sounded
disarmingly natural and devoid of distractions.” As KR
said, “As Goldilocks said, this one sounds ju-u-u-st right.”
(Vol.39 No.10 WWW)
CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION STEREO 1.0:
$11,000
See LG’s review in this issue.
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS
PROGRESSION MONOBLOCK: $36,000/PAIR
The star of Dan D’Agostino’s Progression line of amplifi-
ers—products only slightly less exalted than those in the
company’s Momentum line—the Progression Monoblock
is actually D’Agostino’s most powerful amplifier, deliver-
ing 500W into 8 ohms, 1000W into 4 ohms, or 2000W
into 2 ohms. This class-AB amp retains D’Agostino’s
signature venturi heatsinks, in which a series of vertical
holes is drilled straight through solid billets of aluminum.
Each Progression Monoblock weighs a considerable
150 lbs and, as JVS discovered, tends not to run more
than warm to the touch: “On colder days, I still needed
to heat the room.” JVS also discovered the Progression
Monoblocks’ fine performance: “Not only did [they] nail
the savagery of the high-driving piccolos and brutal bass
without breaking a sweat, they also kept every instru-
ment in control and balance while conveying a realistic,
airy soundstage.” In measuring the Progression Monob-
lock, JA confirmed the amp’s very high power output but
discovered distortion products suggestive of low bias
current in its output stage: curious for an amp from a
designer famous for favoring class-A (ie, high-bias) ar-
chitectures. (Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
DARTZEEL NHB-458 MONOBLOCK: 170,000
CHF/PAIR +
Made in Geneva, Switzerland, the 450W (530W at actual
clipping) NHB-458 measures 18" H by 11" W by 20" D,
weighs 154 lbs, and has a deep-gold, brushed front panel
and retro-industrial, red-anodized case. Tinted glass side
panels allow magnetic fields to escape the chassis and
reveal the amp’s enormous cylindrical transformer. The
large rear-panel heatsink has a cutout for connections
that include RCA and XLR inputs, as well as a Zeel BNC 50
ohm input, for use with darTZeel’s NHB-18NS preamplifier
and Playback Designs’ SACD player and DAC. It combined
outstanding speed, precise high-frequency transients,
and unlimited dynamic range with powerful bass and
unsurpassed transparency, said MF. “The darTZeel NHB-
458 is easily the finest power amplifier I have ever heard
in my listening room,” he concluded. At a price! (Vol.35
No.8 WWW)
FIRST WATT J2: $4000
Described by founder and designer Nelson Pass as a
“kitchen-table” enterprise, First Watt is dedicated to mak-
ing low-power, class-A amplifiers in which JFETs are the
output devices of choice. Their latest amp, the 25Wpc J2,
impressed HR with its “grainless images and head-shak-
ing rhythms. Every aspect of the music—pace, presence,
performance—was fully exposed.” The J2 didn’t have
quite the vividness of Herb’s tubed Line Magnetic LM-
518IA, but made up for it with its dependable musicality:
“Every day, [the First Watt J2] made me and my favorite
loudspeakers extremely happy. Highly recommended.” In
measuring the J2, JA discovered a relative lack of linearity
into lower impedances, but declared that, “with higher-
impedance speakers, the J2 will sing!” (Vol.39 No.10
WWW)
KRELL SOLO 575 MONOBLOCK: $22,500/PAIR
With their top-of-the-line Solo 575 and its similarly new
stablemates, Krell has made a conspicuous return to
class-A amplification, but with a twist: Krell’s iBias signal-
tracking technology is claimed to make possible an amp
that runs in class-A yet takes up less space, runs cooler,
and delivers significantly more power than class-A amps
of yore. In MF’s system, the 575W Solo 575—which offers
balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) inputs as well as
Krell’s proprietary CAST input socket—produced not the
richness, suppleness, and maxed-out sustain he associ-
ates with traditional class-A amplification, but rather a
speedier attack and a “taut bottom end [that] produced
always-entertaining rhythmic drive and pleasing musical
flow.” As Mikey says, especially if you listen mostly to rock,
“you need to hear the Solo 575s.” JA noted that the Krell
inverted the polarity of signals appearing on both its XLR
and RCA inputs—and observed power output that com-
fortably exceeded the manufacturer’s specifications. His
conclusion: “Amplifiers don’t get much better.” (Vol.38
No.10 WWW)
74
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
LAMM INDUSTRIES M1.2 REFERENCE
MONOBLOCK: $27,790/PAIR +
The 110W M1.2, with tubed front end, MOSFET output
stage, comprehensive short-circuit protection, and high/
low impedance settings, offered “unflinching honesty
in conveying the true nature of the music that passed
through it,” said PB. “Utterly continuous and coherent from
top to bottom,” the M1.2 combined resolution and trans-
parency with harmonic completeness, timbral richness,
and glow. JA concurs. Compared to the Classé CT-M600
and MBL 9007, the Lamm had a more robust, less delicate
sound, but nevertheless impressed JA with its three-di-
mensional soundstaging and midrange richness. “This is a
great amplifier,” he decided. “Highly recommended.” In his
Follow-Up, JCA observed that “the Lamms didn’t bring out
every tiny nuance . . . but, boy, are they musical! In that way,
they deviate from the stereotype of a big-boy amp.” (Vol.28
No.2, Vol.35 No.4, Vol.37 No.6, Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
LUXMAN M-700U: $8995
Unlike the discontinued Luxman M-600A, a 30Wpc
class-A amplifier whose sound JM described as “sweet,”
Luxman’s recent M-700u is a 120Wpc class-AB design.
The M-700u employs Luxman’s Only Distortion Negative
Feedback (ODNF) circuit, whereby negative feedback is
applied only in the presence of, you guessed it, distortion.
For JM, the M-700u proved to be “an amp for all seasons,”
and while it wasn’t, in his words, “out-and-out euphonic,” it
did allow pianos to sound “more rounded and continuous”
than the Channel Islands Audio E•200S, itself another JM
favorite. (Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
MARK LEVINSON NO.536 MONOBLOCK:
$30,000/PAIR
The class-AB, 400W (into 8 ohms) No.536 is distinguished
by many of the same technical characteristics seen in
other recent Mark Levinson products, including a direct-
coupled, fully discrete signal path and the fact that, while
the No.536 uses some negative feedback, its overall gain
structure is designed for linear open-loop performance
before that feedback is applied. Each monoblock contains
two fully differential output stages in a bridged configura-
tion claimed to bolster current output and maintain stabil-
ity into very low-impedance loads, and the No.536 is spec-
ified as operating in pure class-A up to 3W. LG praised the
No.536 for exerting “a superior grip” on the woofers of his
Revel Ultima Salon2 speakers, and for reproducing deep
organ-pedal notes “with unflinching control and solidity.”
Larry also noted that “the midrange blossomed when my
speakers were driven by the No.536es,” and pointed to
their ability to throw “a wide, deep soundstage.” LG’s con-
clusion: The No.536 is “equaled by only one or two other
amplifiers in memory.” JA’s summary: “Overall, the Mark
Levinson No.536 measured very well, its performance un-
compromised by its ability to deliver very high powers into
low-impedance loads.” (Vol.40 No.7 WWW)
MBL CORONA C15: $20,000/PAIR +
Although it employs a custom-specified version of the
popular Hypex class-D amplifier module, the Corona C15
monoblock, which offers 280W into 8 ohms, 520W into
4 ohms, is, according to its designer, a “Linear Analog
Switching Amplifier,” the overall design concept of which
entails the use of a linear rather than switch-mode power
supply—itself built around a toroidal transformer with
generous mu-metal shielding. (The latter is presumed
to contribute to the amp’s 48.5-lb weight.) Indeed, in his
measurements, JA confirmed that “the C15’s transfer
function appears to remain relatively consistent with both
frequency and output current”; also unusual for a class-D
amp was the C15’s admirable output-impedance behav-
ior: JA discovered that its low-pass function into loads of 4
and 2 ohms was “very similar to its 8 ohm behavior.” In his
listening tests, JA found that the C15’s “intrinsic character
was all about control, especially the tight control of low
frequencies”—a quality that served well the amp’s pairing
with the somewhat rich-sounding woofer alignment of the
Vivid Giya G3 speaker, but less so the Joseph Audio Per-
spective, with which the MBL sounded clean but lean. Es-
pecially when combined with the classic Rogers LS3/5a,
JA observed “superb imaging definition and stability” with
the good-looking MBL amps. (Vol.37 No.6 WWW)
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 860A: $15,000
The solid-state, balanced Moon 860A, capable of deliv-
ering 200Wpc into 8 ohms, is biased to operate in pure
class-A up to 5W, beyond which the dual-mono 860A
slides into class-AB. Its DC-coupled output circuits em-
ploy 12 bipolar transistors per channel. Among the 860A’s
many performance characteristics that caught FK’s at-
tention, “most noticeable was the bass: subterranean,
articulate, complex—and musical, not just a mush of
bass notes.” But FK hastened to add that neither that nor
other individual sonic traits were the deal-sealers: “What
most impressed me . . . was my sheer pleasure of listen-
ing to music.” In his measurements, JA discovered that
the 860A’s power output was closer to 180Wpc than the
specified 200Wpc; otherwise, he wrote, the amp “lives up
to Simaudio’s reputation for excellent audio engineering.”
(Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO JC 1 MONOBLOCK:
$8990/PAIR $$$ +
MF heard exactly what this high-power—400Wpc speci-
fied, 586W at clipping!—John Curl-designed amp’s specs
showed: “ultra-wide bandwidth, high-current capabil-
ity, low, low noise, a high S/N ratio, and a fast slew rate,
among many other indicators of outstanding amplifier
performance . . . . There was an honesty to the overall tonal
and harmonic presentation that transcended technologi-
cal stereotypes.” MF found the overall sound to be power-
ful, refined, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and
rhythmically supple, if a little on the subtly warm and rich
side of the sonic spectrum, but decided that this was not
at the expense of transient speed and resolution of detail.
“Perhaps some listeners will find the JC 1 too refined and
perhaps a tad polite, but I didn’t.” “Rocks for sure,” says ST,
adding that with the amp driving the Triangle Magellans,
he found the “bass firmed up, the sound wasn’t strained in
any way, and there was an overall sense of ease. Dynamic
ease. Listening ease. Just ease. Compared to the Halcros,
the Parasound JC 1s brought the soundstage forward.
Tonally, the Parasounds were magnificent... with no trace
of solid-state hardness. And the amps weren’t even bro-
ken in.” “The Parasound JC 1 is one of the finest high-pow-
ered solid-state amps I’ve heard,” said ST. “Think of it as a
25W class-A amp that does 400W class-AB when pushed.”
Matched with the JC 2 preamp, the JC 1s presented even
greater holographic detail and transparency. The Para-
sound Halo JC 1 traded the Moscode 402Au’s snappy,
vivid tonality and larger soundstage for “quiet precision,”
clarity, and focus, said WP. The Halo JC 1 traded the Aes-
thetix Atlas’s creamy midrange for greater bottom-end
heft and top-end extension, said WP. Compared to the
Bryston 7B SST2, the Parasound had deeper bass, tighter
images, faster transients, and greater low-level resolution
and microdynamic delicacy, said MF. A favorite of JA’s,
who was equally impressed by how the JC 1 performed on
the test bench: “This is excellent measured performance.
The Halo JC 1 is not only the best amplifier to come from
Parasound, it ranks up there with the best high-end
heavyweights,” though WP felt that while the Halo JC 1 ex-
hibited grace and delicacy compared with the much more
expensive Luxman B-1000f, it lacked some impact, drive,
resolution, and detail. Stereophile’s—and Sam Tellig’s—
”Joint Amplification Component” for 2003. (Vol.26 Nos.2,
6, & 12, Vol.30 No.12, Vol.31 No.3, Vol.32 No.9, Vol.33 No.1,
Vol.34 No.2 WWW; see also JA’s review of the YG Carmel 2
in Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
PASS LABORATORIES XA60.8 MONOBLOCK:
$13,500/PAIR
In reviewing Pass Laboratories’ solid-state XA60.8 monob-
lock amplifier, JCA echoed JA’s earlier published response
to the amp’s predecessor, the XA.60.5: “the best amplifier
I’ve heard.” Each 88-lb XA60.8 operates in pure class-A,
made possible in part by the amp’s massive aluminum
heatsinks and no-less-massive steel mains transformers.
(Indeed, the most obvious change from XA60.5 to XA60.8
is a weight increase of 22 lbs—per channel.) Output is
specified as 60W into 8 ohms, doubling to 120W into 4
ohms. JCA thought the Passes sounded “sweeter, warmer,
more delicate” than the more expensive monoblocks that
preceded them in his system, but reserved his greatest
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
praise for their spatial prowess: “I’d never heard an ampli-
fier make such an obvious difference. . . . To walk into this
room while a good recording was playing was to enter an
immersive aural apace.” JA, now acting as measurer rather
than reviewer, wrote from his test bench that the “well-
engineered” XA60.8 “considerably exceeded” its rated
output power, delivering 150W into 8 ohms at 1% THD,
and he praised its A-weighted signal/noise ratio of 93.6dB:
“This is a quiet amplifier.” JCA’s conclusion: “I am smitten.”
(Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
PASS LABORATORIES XA25: $4900
The lowest-priced amplifier in Pass Laboratories’ XA se-
ries, the XA25 strips away all inessentials—front-panel
meters, balanced inputs, excessive output power—and
provides the listener with a three-stage amplifier in which
output power is generated by a single pair of transistors
per channel, operating in push-pull class-A. Output is
specified as 25Wpc into 8 ohms or 50Wpc into 4 ohms.
HR tried the Pass with a great variety of speakers, start-
ing with a rebuilt pair of original Quad ESL electrostatics:
“Through the Quads, the XA25 radically improved the
tactile presence of music and musicians, their voices
and instruments,” he wrote. “It made the Quad’s legend-
ary midrange more solid, dynamic, and well defined than
I’d ever thought possible.” Another, very different panel
speaker came next: “Driven by the Pass Labs XA25, the
Magnepan .7s did real-life natural with ease and élan.” Ad-
ditionally, HR found, “bass weight and organ power were
well reproduced by a speaker not famous for these traits.”
But even that pales in comparison to Herb’s adventures
using the Pass amp to drive his DeVore Orangutan O/93s:
“I began to realize that the XA25 is the most transparent
amplifier I’ve ever heard.” His verdict: “reasonably priced,
strong beyond its power rating, and positively revelatory.”
Writing from his laboratory, JA noted that the Pass far ex-
ceeded its rated power output, concluding that “the XA25
performed well on the test bench, as I’ve come to expect
from Pass Labs.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
PS AUDIO BHK SIGNATURE 300: $14,998/PAIR
Named for its designer, Bascom H. King, the BHK Signa-
ture 300 is a hybrid monoblock with a tubed input stage
and a MOSFET power stage, and is specified to deliver
300W into 8 ohms. In a departure from the usual practice,
all of those output transistors are n-channel devices, im-
plementation of which requires cunning—and, according
to King, a bit of global feedback. Both single-ended (RCA)
and balanced (XLR) inputs are provided on the rear panel,
where one also finds a removable panel for access to the
amp’s two dual-triode tubes. In MF’s words, “the BHK Sig-
nature 300 is a powerful, nimble-sounding amplifier that
immediately drew me in with fast, punchy, tight bass; rich,
liquid mids; and delicate, transparent highs—all effec-
tively well integrated into a coherent whole.” On JA’s test
bench, one of the BHK Signature 300 monoblocks be-
came unstable, and while it didn’t fall and break its hip, it
stopped working. JA carried on with the other monoblock,
describing it as “a well-designed, well-engineered power-
house of an amplifier, though it will perform at its best with
speakers having an impedance of 4 ohms and above.” In
2017, JCA embarked on an interesting pairing—PS Audio’s
“big brute” amps with the sensitive, easy-to-drive DeVore
Fidelity Orangutan O/96 speakers—and discovered that
while the DeVores didn’t necessarily benefit from such a
surplus of power, he “slightly preferred the BHKs’ weight”
to the “airier, spacier” sound heard with his Leben tubed
integrated amp. (Vol.39 No.2, Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
PS AUDIO STELLAR M700 MONOBLOCK:
$2998/PAIR $$$
The Stellar M700 incorporates the latest version of PS
Audio’s Gain Cell—described as “a proprietary, fully differ-
ential, zero feedback, discrete, class-A MOSFET circuit”—
using it to drive a class-D power module from the Danish
ICEpower company. The Stellar M700 has both balanced
(XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs, weighs a mere 13
lbs, and is specified as providing 350W into 8 ohms. RD
used a pair of M700s to drive his Monitor Audio Platinum
PL300 II loudspeakers, and described the amp as having
“very little sound of its own, and nothing that I could de-
scribe as a distinct class-D character.” The PS amps im-
76
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
pressed RD with their distinctly smooth sound—”tubelike
wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate as a description”—and
noted that they were able to drive the Monitor speakers
“to volume levels as high as I could tolerate without ampli-
fier or speakers ever sounding distressed.” In measuring
the Stellar M700, JA noted that it slightly exceeded its
rated power output, and concluded that it “offers respect-
able measured performance.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
SAE 2HP-D: $19,995
Named for its output as expressed in horsepower—seri-
ously!—the 2HP-D is the first new amplifier in over a
decade to wear the once-ubiquitous SAE badge. This
solid-state amp operates in class-AB—one assumes the
D in the model name refers to its fully dual-mono archi-
tecture—and is supplied in a sturdy enclosure that studi-
ously avoids the excess mass and filigree of other high-
end powerhouses. That said, the 2HP-D’s one concession
to style is the large fluorescent screen on its front panel,
which simulates the power meters that distinguished
SAE’s Old Testament amps. MF found the 2HP-D to be
“spectacularly fast, taut, and lean in a very pleasing way
. . . with a sound that was, overall, tonally neutral.” Writing
from his test bench, JA confirmed the SAE’s staggeringly
high power—”with just the left channel driven into 2 ohms,
the amplifier clipped at 2kW (27.0dBW). Wow!”—as well as
its “extremely low levels of both harmonic and intermodu-
lation distortion.” (Vol.39 No.10 WWW)
SILTECH SAGA: 3 BOX SYSTEM ($37,500 EACH)
TOTAL PACKAGE: $112,500 +
With their unabashedly expensive Structural Amplifier
Gain Architecture (SAGA), cable specialists Siltech took a
new approach to the two-box power amp: This is neither
a pair of monoblocks nor a split between an amplifier
and its power supply, but rather a split between a voltage
amplifier and a current amplifier. The former, called V1, is
a battery-powered tube amp that’s switchable between
triode and pentode modes, while the latter, P1, is a mains-
powered solid-state amp. More unusual is the P1’s Apollo
Light Drive technology, in which bias current for the
output transistors is produced by training high-intensity
LEDs on a solar panel: Take that, orthodoxy! According
to MF, in comparison with other top amps of his recent
experience, “the SAGA sounded as if it had tightened the
turnbuckles of tonality, space, and, especially, rhythm ‘n’
pace—the sound was positively exhilarating.” But tight-
ened turnbuckles have their price: “Soundstage depth
was somewhat foreshortened, with images between the
speakers that normally appear well behind the speaker
plane presenting themselves closer to a line drawn be-
tween them.” Still and all, MF concluded, “As soon as I
pulled [the SAGA] from my system, I began to miss it.” JA’s
measurements, spread over two sample sets, revealed
“idiosyncratic” performance, prompting the recommen-
dation that “this expensive amplifier must be auditioned
with the prospective owner’s own speakers. Stated price
is for the V1 (voltage amp) plus P1 (current amp). C1
(preamp) costs $37,500. Entire system costs $112,500.
(Vol.37 No.10 WWW)
THETA DIGITAL PROMETHEUS MONOBLOCK:
$12,990/PAIR
Joining the growing ranks of class-D amplifiers with per-
fectionist aspirations, the Theta Prometheus combines
the Hypex Ncore NC1200 module developed by noted
class-D specialist Bruno Putzeys with a linear power sup-
ply designed by Theta’s own David Reich. (The latter—or
at least its enormous toroidal transformer—accounts for
the amps’ 54.5-lb weight.) Specs include 500Wpc, less
than 0.001% THD+N at 1W, and an output impedance
said to be extremely low. According to LG, “The most
striking things about the Prometheus’s sound were its
huge dynamic range and bass impact.” He also noted that
“The Prometheuses projected a broad, detailed, involv-
ing, three-dimensional soundstage,” and “the midrange
response blossomed when my [Quad ESL-989] speak-
ers were driven by the Thetas.” LG’s conclusion: “My last
impression of the Prometheus was the same as my first:
It’s one of the best-sounding amplifiers I’ve heard in my
listening room.” RD concurs. Following the Theta’s time on
his test bench, JA wrote, “The measured performance of
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
Theta Digital’s Prometheus is superb, even for an ampli-
fier with a class-D output stage.” (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)
VANDERSTEEN M7-HPA MONOBLOCK:
$57,200/PAIR
The M7-HPA is designed for use with Vandersteen’s Model
Seven loudspeaker: this High-Pass Amplifier rolls off its
output below 100Hz, in deference to the onboard 400W
amp that powers the Seven speaker’s 12" dual-cone sub-
woofer. Other distinctions abound, including the M7-HPA’s
single-billet aluminum chassis with elastomer-suspended
internals, twin-tube balanced input stage, single-ended
solid-state output stage, 10-stage power supply with ex-
tensive protection circuitry, and (silent) pump-actuated
liquid-cooling system in place of heatsinks. JA’s very posi-
tive comments on the sound of the M7-HPA are, of course,
inseparable from his comments on the Model Seven itself
(see elsewhere in this issue’s “Recommended Compo-
nents”), but he did try using the Vandersteen amps with a
pair of KEF LS50s, whose limited bass extension rendered
the pairing technically—if not economically—reason-
able. JA noted in particular that the amp “sounded sweet
without any attenuation of the high frequencies,” and
concluded by wondering what a full-range M7-HPA might
sound like. Note that, during the review, both M7-HPA
samples shut down owing to physically broken plate-load
resistors—failures linked to rough handling of JA’s much-
traveled demonstration pair. Writing from his test bench,
JA noted that the Vandersteen monoblock not only mea-
sures well for an amp with no feedback, “it measures well,
period.” (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
YPSILON HYPERION MONOBLOCK:
$93,000/PAIR
See MF’s review in this issue.
A (TUBE)
AIR TIGHT ATM-1S: $10,450 +
Among the audio world’s artisanal power amplifiers, only
a few have more impressed AD than the Air Tight ATM-1S,
the earliest version of which was made by Japan’s A&M
Limited way back in 1987. Today’s ATM-1S uses two EL34
pentode tubes (configured as triodes) per side, for 36Wpc
into 8 ohms. It also features solid-state rectification, dual-
channel input-level controls, Hashimoto output trans-
formers, a distinctly easy-to-use tube-biasing system,
and a high level of build quality (including point-to-point
wiring). AD found the ATM-1S to sound enjoyably warm
and lush in his low-powered-amp–friendly system, yet
with “an appropriate sense of [musical] momentum and
drive.” He praised the Air Tight for sounding “forceful and
present when listened to at lower volumes,” while noting
that it remained “poised and free from gross colorations”
when pushed. In his measurements, JA noted excellent
squarewave response with short risetimes—but, on the
downside, “drastically higher levels of second and higher
harmonics in the left channel,” a problem that may have
been caused by a bad tube or damage in shipping. AD
summed up: “The Air Tight ATM-1S is among the few pow-
er amps I’d care to live with.” (Vol.37 No.11 WWW)
JADIS JA200 MK.II MONOBLOCK:
$33,900/PAIR
The JA200 Mk.II is an updated version of Jadis’s original
JA 200 (the space in the latter name is not a typo), a
two-chassis, 160W monophonic tube amp that itself is no
stranger to longtime readers of Stereophile. The new amp,
based on the same circuit as its predecessor, is specified
to deliver 160W into 8 ohms and is also divided between
power-supply and signal boxes—that’s four enclosures
per stereo pair—but adds an important twist: In the JA200
Mk.II, the 10 output tubes are operated in auto-bias rather
than fixed-bias mode. (The latter represents a confusing
bit of nomenclature: a fixed-bias amp is one whose bias
voltage requires periodic adjustment.) JVS noted that the
pair of Jadis amps—20 output tubes in all!—put out less
heat than his class-A Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monob-
locks, and praised them for their total lack of noise. More
to the point, Jason heard from the Jadis amps a sound
that was “smooth, supremely well balanced, and captivat-
ingly beautiful,” though he noted that frequency extremes
were not as well served as with his Passes, resulting in a
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
 Luxury Everyday

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 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS
lack of sparkle with some recordings, less impactful bass
with others. With the JA200 Mk.II on his test bench, JA
discovered very good squarewave reproduction and an
absence of ringing, indicating “an excellent output trans-
former” (Jadis designs and winds their own); he also com-
mented on the “high standard of construction.” But he
noted that the amp approached its rated output power
only from its 2-ohm taps, and regretted its “poor linearity
at high frequencies.” (Vol.41 No.2 WWW)
MCINTOSH MC275: $5500 $$$ +
The revived 75Wpc MC275 preserves the look of the
original while adding modern innovations. Chimneys are
used to cool the tubes by convection, and three circuit
boards have been replaced by a single board on which are
mounted all components, tube sockets, and power-supply
parts. ST: “I heard all the dynamic quality, all that aliveness
of the original, plus a level of transparency that brings the
MC275 definitely into the 21st century.” Sam bought the
review sample. The fifth incarnation of the 75Wpc MC275,
originally introduced in 1961, retains the first incarna-
tion’s classic appearance and its use of four KT88 power-
output tubes, three 12AX7 input tubes, and four 12AT7
driver tubes. New are a stainless-steel chassis, balanced
inputs, and gold-plated, five-way binding posts. While the
MC275’s two hefty transformers utilize the same “unity-
coupled circuit” invented by McIntosh in 1947, the cop-
per wiring is now insulated in a more durable synthetic
material. Though dynamic expression was restricted and
bass notes were “a bit muddy” in dense musical passages,
the MC275 produced “stunning” soundstage depth and
“spooky” intertransient silences, said FK. Meanwhile, the
MC275’s superb signal/noise ratios led JA to conclude
that “Good audio engineering is timeless.” Compared
to its predecessor, the Limited Edition version of McIn-
tosh’s MC275 ($6500) has beefier binding posts, a more
conveniently positioned power switch, and a gold-plated
rather than stainless-steel chassis. In addition, a new
output-transformer winding process has resulted in wider
bandwidth, increased damping factor, and improved lin-
earity. RD noted an ideal top-to-bottom tonal balance and
an impressive sense of rhythmic drive, concluding, “The
MC275LE is simply a wonderful-sounding amplifier, able
to bring out the best from a wide range of loudspeakers.”
He bought the review sample. (Vol.27 No.7, Vol.33 No.10,
Vol.35 No.10 WWW)
MUSIC REFERENCE RM-200T MK.II: $7900 +
Made in the US, the 100Wpc RM-200 Mk.II has the same
basic physical and electrical architecture as the original,
but uses better output transformers, adds a capacitor-
forming function to extend tube life, and has a revised
power supply. The fully balanced design features a high-
power, bipolar, solid-state input stage and tubed driver
and output stages. It uses two matched pairs of KT88
(standard) or 6550 (optional) output tubes, and a pair
of 6BQ7 drivers. Though it lacked the slam and bass au-
thority of more powerful solid-state amps, the RM-200
Mk.II produced airy highs, well-defined bass, and a lush
midrange. “When the RM-200 Mk.II was in my system, I
wanted for nothing,” said MF. JA noted “superb measured
performance for a tubed design.” Now comes with hand
wound output transformers; tube bias balance control,
add $800. (Vol.34 No.12 WWW)
SHINDO HAUT-BRION: $10,995 +
Like earlier models, the latest Haut-Brion uses two
matched pairs of the rare 6L6GAY pentode tube to deliver
20Wpc. The output section is a fixed-bias design, with a
regulated bias supply and individual adjustment pots for
each of the four output tubes, while the output transform-
er is a C-core Lundahl model made exclusively for Shindo.
Unlike earlier models, the new Haut-Brion has three
6AW8A triode/pentode tubes per channel, uses a pair of
Alps 250k ohm potentiometers, and forgoes global feed-
back. Though it lacked some low-frequency tightness, the
new Haut-Brion created an enormous soundstage and
showed impressive force. “The amp was the pizzicato
king,” said AD. (Vol.35 No.2 WWW)
THÖRESS 300B MONOBLOCK: $12,995/PAIR +
The single-ended, feedback-free, hand-wired Thöress
300B mono power amplifier, made in Aachen, Germany,
78
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
delivers 8W into 16 ohms. Its unique input section is de-
signed around a pair of new-old stock Telefunken EL803S
pentode tubes used as triodes, and its fixed-bias output
stage is set at the factory: Apart from its power switch,
the 300B’s only user control is an anti-hum pot for its
DC-heated output tube. The Thöress 300B, whose build
quality impressed AD as “masterful,” delivered “an excep-
tionally good sense of touch” in his SET-friendly system.
It also “distinguished itself as a 300B-tubed amplifier
with a little more treble extension than usual,” and earned
praise as “a lively, colorful, tactile, well-textured, unam-
biguously musical amp.” JA declared that, “Overall, the
Thöress 300B monoblock measures well for a SET amp.”
Mr. D concluded: “Highly recommended for anyone who
has both the means and a sympathetic playback system.”
(Vol.38 No.4 WWW)
B a conventional stereo amplifier.” That said, JA’s measure-
AUDIO ALCHEMY DPA-1M MONOBLOCK:
$3990/PAIR
The resuscitation of Audio Alchemy brings with it a new
line of relatively affordable electronics—including the Pe-
ter Madnick–designed DPA-1M monoblock. A class-D amp
based on Hypex’s UcD modules, this compact amplifier
(10.4" wide by 3" high by 11.5" deep) is specced at 325W
into 8 ohms and 500W into 4 ohms. When used to drive his
Wilson Sabrina loudspeakers, the DPA-1Ms impressed RD
with “their clear, open sound, resolution of fine detail, dy-
namics, and freedom from coloration,” though he felt the
(more expensive) Theta Digital Prometheus monoblocks
reproduced music “with more body.” Writing from his test
bench, JA praised the Audio Alchemy for its “astonishingly
high output power for such a small, lightweight amplifier,”
but cautioned that speakers whose impedances drop be-
low 4 ohms “are best avoided.” (Vol.39 No.9 WWW)
CHANNEL ISLANDS AUDIO E•200S: $2500 $$$
California-based Channel Islands Audio, aka CIAudio,
manufactures a variety of solid-state electronics, the
E•200S being at the top of their line of stereo power am-
plifiers. This class-D amp offers single-ended (RCA) and
balanced (XLR) inputs, its differential input stage driving a
set of Bruno Putzeys’s well-regarded Hypex modules that
produce 200Wpc into 8 ohms. JM described the sound
of the E•200S as “coherent from bottom to top,” adding
that the CIAudio amp had “high resolution, authoritative
bass control, and, yes, tonal neutrality in spades. It also
projected a very large soundstage with a very quiet back-
ground.” JM suggests that the E•200S deserves our $$$
rating for very high value. (Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
EMOTIVA XPA GEN3: $999 (TWO-CHANNEL
VERSION) $$$
The XPA Gen3 is a modular class-H amplifier—its input
stage tells its power-supply stage when and when not to
stoke the fires of its output stage—but it isn’t just a ste-
reo amp: it can be ordered with anywhere from two to
seven channels. (The two-channel version costs $999;
each additional channel adds $200 to the price. Channels
can be added only by Emotiva or an authorized Emotiva
dealer.) HR tried a two-channel XPA Gen3—300Wpc into
8 ohms, 550Wpc into 4 ohms—with a variety of different
speakers. The pairing with Zu Soul Supremes was less
than dreamy, but listening to Miles Davis through the
hard-to-drive Magnepan .7s, Herb wrote that “the bell of
his trumpet was right there in front of me,” and observed
that the Emotiva “held and guided the Magnepan .7s
with almost a lover’s touch: not too tight, not too loose.”
Then again, through the Technics SB-C700S speakers,
the sound of the Emotiva had HR reaching for words like
“hard” and “transistor sound.” In measuring the XPA Gen3,
JA discovered that the percentage of THD+noise climbed
“precipitously” above 15kHz, though he acknowledged
that it offered very high power “at a very affordable price.”
(Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
MARGULES AUDIO U280-SC BLACK: $6000
(STEREO), $10,800/PAIR (MONOBLOCK)
Designed and built by a family-owned company in Mexico
City, the Margules U280-SC Black is a tubed amplifier
that uses a total of four KT88-family power pentodes. The
amp is switchable between stereo and monoblock modes,
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
and between Ultralinear and triode operation, with these
power outputs: Ultralinear stereo, 60Wpc; triode stereo,
30Wpc; Ultralinear mono, 120W; triode mono, 60W. In all
settings, power-tube performance is monitored and main-
tained by an Active Servo Control bias technology, hence
the SC in the model name. JVS used a pair of Margules
amps in monoblock mode to drive his Wilson Alexia speak-
ers and a pair of Harbeth M40.1s, and found the latter to
be the far better mates. At their best, with the Harbeths,
the Margules amps rewarded Jason with “colors [that]
were naturally and ideally saturated,” and “believable”
timpani attacks. His conclusion: “a wonderful class-A tube
amp whose modest power output belies its ability to de-
liver one grand, splendid performance after another.” But
when the Margules amp took its place on the test bench,
JA’s eyebrows rose. He “was not impressed by the . . .
U280-SC’s measured performance when it was used as
ments uncovered lower distortion and higher power when
the amp was operated as a monoblock. (Vol.40 No.11
WWW)
NAD MASTERS SERIES M22: $2999
With an output stage based on the Hypex NC400 NCore
module, the class-D M22 is rated at 300Wpc into 8 ohms,
and is described by its manufacturer as being DC-coupled
from end to end, without so much as an output-blocking
relay. Our review sample’s packaging was of notably high
quality, and the compact M22 impressed KR with its solid
feel—but, as with NAD’s similar Masters Series M27 am-
plifier, he was frustrated by the lack of tactile feedback in
the soft-touch standby switch recessed into the M22’s top
front edge. That hurdle cleared, KR set about listening,
and he praised the M22 for conjuring “a big, wide sound-
stage populated with colorful instruments and voices.” In
KR’s words, the M22 “is more than fair value in view of its
compact size, excellent build quality, the wallop necessary
for staggering volume levels, a tolerance for driving diffi-
cult loads, and, most of all, its transparent sound.” From
his test bench, JA reported that the M22 delivered more
power than specified, and was so low in noise that he had
to alter his test regimen to ensure that he was measuring
actual distortion—which was itself very low. His conclu-
sion: “It is the very model of a modern class-D amplifier!”
A “slight loss of delicacy” keeps the M22 from Class A,
feels KR. (Vol.39 No.3 WWW)
PRIMALUNA PROLOGUE PREMIUM: $2199
PrimaLuna’s lowest-priced stereo power amplifier, the
ProLogue Premium, uses solid-state rectification, two
12AU7/ECC82 input tubes per channel, and two EL34
pentodes per channel operating in class-AB, to produce
a grand total of 35Wpc into 8 ohms. (KT88, KT120, and
KT150 pentodes can also be used, to respectively provide
40Wpc, 44Wpc, and 48Wpc). As in its other amps, Prim-
aLuna’s Adaptive Auto-Bias circuitry is used to monitor
power-tube performance and eliminate the need to buy
tubes in matched pairs. Using the ProLogue Premium
with his Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a minimonitors, HR
found that it “made a tight, glorious, extremely commu-
nicative partnership—exactly as the LS3/5a forum folk
said it would.” He also discovered that the PrimaLuna
supplied “the most impactful bass I have yet heard from
the KEF [LS50]” speakers, and that the ProLogue Pre-
mium driving the Zu Soul Supreme speakers created “a
system that sounds as if it should cost at least $21,000,
not less than $7000.” Writing from his test bench, JA con-
cluded that the PrimaLuna “measures about as well as
can be expected from a classic tube design that uses a
push-pull pair of [EL34s],” but cautioned against using
it with lower-impedance speakers. (Vol.39 No.11 WWW)
RAVEN AUDIO SPIRIT MK.2 MONOBLOCK:
$26,995/PAIR
Designed in Korea by S.E. Han and built in Texas by tube
enthusiast Dave Thomson, the Spirit Mk.2 is a hand-wired
mono amplifier that uses a push-pull pair of 300B direct-
heated triode tubes to produce 26Wpc. The Spirit Mk.2 is
tube-rectified, thanks to a pair of 5AR4 diode tubes; they
and all six of the amp’s small-signal tubes are new-old
stock (NOS) items from Thomson’s collection. In his own
flea-watt-friendly system, AD found the Ravens comfort-
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
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 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
TWO-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIERS INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
able with high playback levels, at which they “maintained was “slightly sweeter” than the original AX-5’s. Stringed
their poise and clarity,” and praised the amps’ “flow and instruments, he said, were “reproduced with color, body,
general clarity of rhythmic purpose.” AD’s verdict: “I be- scale, melodic and rhythmic drive, and believable spatial
lieve that this Raven deserves more than a second look presence.” AD concluded that “the AX-5 Twenty is inargu-
and listen.” (Vol.38 No.5 WWW) ably . . . more compelling than its predecessor.” Although
SPEC RPA-W7EX REAL SOUND: $5995 he raised an eyebrow at the 30% ($3000) price increase
Created by a pair of Japanese audio designers with experi- over the original, AD commended Ayre for allowing AX-5
ence in both small-scale DIY tube-amp projects and large- owners to have their amps upgraded to Twenty status for
scale consumer-audio manufacturing, the RPA-W7EX the same price. (Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
Real Sound is a class-D amplifier that swims against the BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK AMPLIFICATION
class-D tide. Rather than relying on IcePower or NCore SYSTEM: $55,000
modules, the Spec uses a hybrid approach, integrating Tempting though such a classification may be, the Bel
the driver and DirectFET MOSFET of International Recti- Canto Black is more than just an integrated amplifier.
fier’s AUDAMP4 with a PowIRaudio module. From there, This three-box system comprises a sort-of preamplifier
attention is focused on tuning the amp with select paper- (the ASC1) and a pair of sort-of monoblock amplifiers (the
in-oil capacitors and hardwood slabs strategically placed MPS1), the latter operating in class-D, for 300Wpc into 8
on its steel case. (The wooden parts also form the Spec’s ohms or 1200Wpc into 2 ohms. The Ethernet-ready ASC1
three support feet.) In KM’s system, the RPA-W7EX pro- can be controlled with an iPhone app; it provides a brace
vided so much gain that he couldn’t turn the volume knob of digital inputs, and via ST-optical connections feeds
of his Shindo preamp past 7 o’clock; the remedy—the the MPS1s digital signals at their native resolutions, up
need for which was evidently foreseen by Spec—was the to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD64. The ASC1’s single pair of
use of the company’s H-VC1 hardwired external volume analog inputs (RCA) address an internal 24/192 DAC: Ev-
control ($400), a special jack for which is found on the erything that goes through the ASC1 does so as a digital
amp’s rear panel. Once the RPA-W7EX was up and run- stream, eligible for tailoring by a variety of user-selectable
ning, KM reported that it “had qualities I usually associate digital filters. (The MPS1s also offer analog inputs.) In his
with tube amplification: sweet ‘n’ saturated tonal colors listening tests, MF found the Bel Canto Black to offer “the
and palpable instrumental textures, coupled to startling most compelling digital sound yet,” and to embody the
microdynamics that left me slack-jawed in wonder.” The best-yet implementation of class-D technology: “[H]ere, fi-
RPA-W7EX did not, however, impress on the test bench: nally, is a class-D product that, though sounding definitely
JA reported that “the Spec RPA-W7EX emitted more RF different from the older technologies, makes a strong case
interference than I have encountered with other class-D for equality.” JA declared that he was “very impressed by
amplifiers,” and concluded his remarks by describing the the Bel Canto Black, especially with its behavior as a D/A
Spec as “not an amplifier that can be universally recom- converter that is effectively capable of driving loudspeak-
mended, I feel.” In a Follow-Up, AD praised the Spec for ers.” From his own listening tests, described in a Follow-Up,
challenging his tubed Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion in JA noted the Black’s ability to present spatial and sonic
the areas of color, texture, and scale, while noting the RPA- detail. Comparing the Bel Canto to the recently reviewed
W7EX’s rather different tonal balance of “less bottom-end Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty preamp and MX-R Twenty
weight [and] a little more midrange sun.” (Vol.39 Nos. 3 mono amplifiers, JA wrote: “If the Ayre system was more
& 4 WWW) simpatico with the heart, the Bel Canto Black appealed
more to the head.” (Vol.38 Nos. 7 & 10 WWW)
Editor’s Note: There are no amplifiers listed in Class C BEL CANTO BLACK ACI 600: $25,000
and D. See JVS’s review in this issue.
CLASSÉ SIGMA 2200I: $5500
K Specified at 200Wpc into 8 ohms or 400Wpc into 4 ohms,
MARK LEVINSON NO.534, PARASOUND HALO the Classé Sigma 2200i mates a proprietary class-D out-
A 52+. put section with a front end that converts all incoming
analog signals to 24-bit/96kHz digital, after which they’re
converted to PWM (sampled at 384kHz) before being
DELETIONS shed of their carrier frequency and restored to analog for
driving the user’s loudspeakers. The Classé handles PCM
Pass Labs XA60.5 monoblock replaced by XA60.8; Miyaji- digital inputs up to 24/192, but not native DSD. Preamp-
ma Labs Model 2010 OTL, PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium, out/power-amp-in jacks are not provided, though the
VTL MB-450 Series III Signature monoblock, all not audi- 2200i does offer the somewhat rare luxuries of tone con-
tioned in too long a time. trols and equalization filters. Used with his Monitor Audio
Silver 10 speakers, the Classé treated TJN to sound that
was dynamically exciting and tonally a bit warm, the latter
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS quality “more inviting than off-putting.” While measuring
& RECEIVERS the Sigma 2200i, JA noted some ergonomic wrinkles, in-
cluding a power-saving feature that persisted in putting
A the amp into standby even when a signal was present.
That sorted, JA observed digital performance of at least
AYRE ACOUSTICS AX-5 TWENTY: $14,950 20 bits and “very low distortion and high power below clip-
In 2013, AD described the original Ayre AX-5—a $9950 ping,” though he felt that the Classé would not be ideal for
integrated amplifier built around a recently rediscovered very low-impedance loads. (Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
configuration of bipolar transistors known as the “dia- LEBEN CS600: $6495 +
mond” circuit—as “one of the three best, most musical, Taking its look from 1960s American hi-fi, the beautiful,
most human-sounding solid-state amps I’ve ever heard.” 32Wpc CS600 has a gold faceplate with green trim and
Then, in 2015, Ayre debuted a new version, the AX-5 Twen- wooden side panels made from solid, fine-grain, Canadian
ty—a nod to the company’s 20th anniversary—promising white ash. The amp employs a push-pull topology and
even better sound. The AX-5 Twenty is built into the same can use EL34 or 6L6GC tubes. There is a ¼" headphone
foursquare aluminum case as the AX-5, and is controlled jack but no remote control. JM: “The Leben CS600 had a
by the same performance-optimizing Variable Gain Trans- certain, almost indefinable sweetness about it, and a be-
conductance (VGT) volume-control system—but the guiling presentation of inner detail that made me overlook
Twenty incorporates Ayre’s new Double Diamond output, its limitations in dynamics and bass.” Partnered with the
claimed to run cooler (which AD verified) and to offer Harbeth P3ESR loudspeakers, the Leben sounded “simply
slightly more power (though the 125Wpc rating remains). glorious.” (Vol.33 No.6; see JCA’s PS Audio review in Vol.
This time out, AD got a little pissy about Ayre’s user man- No.8 WWW)
ual and the amp’s “pointlessly complex” setup procedure, LINE MAGNETIC LM-518IA: $4450
but was otherwise smitten: He delighted in a sound that An original design from a Chinese company that also re-
80
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
creates classic Western Electric audio gear, the all-tube
Line Magnetic LM-518IA is the rare modern integrated
amplifier that combines a single-ended output stage with
thoriated-tungsten (ie, bright-emitter) output tubes and
a tube-rectified voltage rail. The LM-518IA provides three
line-level inputs (all RCA) and produces up to 22Wpc into
8 ohms. Tube bias is user-adjustable—but, to HR’s disap-
pointment, there is no balance control or mono switch.
That said, the amp’s “vital energy,” among other qualities,
has earned it an especially hallowed place in his system:
“It is musically alive and vigorous. It plays music with rare
charm and sensitivity.” Even the SET-skeptical JA was
charmed: “For such a design, it offers high power.” (Vol.38
No.10, Vol.39 No.10 WWW)
MARK LEVINSON NO.585: $12,000
With twice the output power, twice the number of digital
inputs for its built-in DAC, and a price tag that’s twice as
high, the Mark Levinson No.585 integrated amplifier hand-
ily exceeds its predecessor, the No.383. (Perhaps they
should have called it the No.766?) The class-AB No.585
is advertised as delivering 200Wpc into 8 ohms, and its
DAC, which offers resolution up to DSD256, includes an
asynchronous USB input alongside two (S/PDIF) RCA
inputs, two TosLink inputs, and a balanced XLR jack for
AES/EBU. Of its four line-level inputs, one is balanced
(XLR). Driving LG’s Quad ESL-989 electrostatic loud-
speakers—and, via its line-level output, a Tannoy TS2.12
subwoofer—the No.585 impressed him with its “sonic
purity and ergonomics.” LG declared that, while listening
to a recent recording of Beethoven’s Symphony 7, “I was
reminded of being surrounded by the music, the clearly
defined sounds of the instruments, and the ambience of
Avery Fisher Hall.” Noting, among other things, that the
No.585 exceeded its manufacturer’s power specs, man-
aging 250Wpc into 8 ohms and 390Wpc into 4 ohms, JA
stated that it “offers impressive measured performance.”
(Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 700I: $14,000 +
Robustly built of thick, ultrarigid aluminum, the 700i
is a fully differential dual-mono design rated to deliver
175Wpc (190Wpc at actual clipping), running in class-A
up to 5W and in class-AB thereafter. Its output stages
are powered by six bipolar transistors per channel for a
wide bandwidth and low noise floor, while its “zero global
feedback” design works to boost the speed of the sig-
nal response and eliminate intermodulation distortion.
Though it couldn’t match the Krell FBI’s transient speed
or deep-bass extension, the 700i had a full-blooded,
dynamic, seamless sound marked by vivid tonal colors,
harmonic integrity, and a strong sense of rhythm. With
the 700i, “I found myself drawn deeper into the music,”
said FK. (Vol.34 No.3 WWW; see also FK’s 860A review in
Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
MOON BY SIMAUDIO 340I D3PX: $5800
The 100Wpc Moon 340i is among the growing number of
integrated amplifiers that can be upgraded with a plug-in
DSD-ready DAC ($900), a plug-in phono stage with MM
and MC inputs ($400), and true-balanced XLR inputs
($350). You can get all those options at the start by buy-
ing the version Simaudio calls the 340i X ($4700). HR re-
viewed the latter and especially enjoyed the amp’s perfor-
mance with his Magnepan .7 speakers: “The Simaudio’s
apparent speed and transparency tamed the Magnepans’
inherent sweetness to the point where the .7s began to
sound like the high-resolution transducers they are.” HR
also singled-out for praise the “ridiculously good” per-
formance of the Moon 340i’s MC phono inputs, loading
characteristics of which are user-adjustable by means of
internal jumper blocks, although he noted that his Zu De-
non DL-103 cartridge “plays more naturally and in a more
relaxed manner into 470 or 1000 ohms than into either of
the 340i’s choices of 100 ohms or 47k ohms.” Reporting
from his test bench, JA discovered lowish unbalanced line-
level input impedance (7200 ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz),
and heatsinking that “isn’t adequate for sustained use at
high powers”—but otherwise gave this Moon a clean bill of
health. (Vol.39 No.3 WWW)
MUSICAL FIDELITY NU-VISTA 800: $11,999
The latest in a line of Musical Fidelity products distin-
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
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H ybr id desig n t h a t c o mb i n e s t h e best o f va c u u m tu b e a n d so lid sta te to
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Handcrafted in America since 1949
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
guished by their use of nuvistors—miniature small-signal
vacuum tubes of such extreme durability that they’re
often hardwired into circuits—the Nu-Vista 800 is a solid-
state integrated amp in which thermionic devices influ-
ence both sound and vibe. (The Nu-Vista 800’s four nuvis-
tors are illuminated from below and visible from above.)
This 330Wpc powerhouse has five pairs of bipolar tran-
sistors per channel and provides five line-level inputs, one
of them balanced. In addition to describing it as Musical
Fidelity’s “best-looking product, ever,” MF praised the Nu-
Vista 800 for its “wholeness and consistency of sound”
and for being “relaxed and suave, but not at all soggy or
gauzy.” And while noting that the amp didn’t extract from
his recordings the last drop of crispness or detail, MF
praised its consistently beautiful sound: “The Nu-Vista
800 drew me in.” In measuring the Nu-Vista 800, JA dis-
covered a signal/noise ratio that was “a little disappoint-
ing,” and very slightly less power output (310Wpc into 8
ohms) than is specified, but was otherwise impressed.
(Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
OCTAVE AUDIO V 80 SE: $10,500
Shoppers, take heed: the Octave V 80 SE integrated amp
is a veritable poster child for the concept of burning-in
audio amplifiers before appraising their sound. When
first installed in KM’s system, the Octave struck him as
“the most unlistenable amplifier I’ve ever tried: bright,
forward, and generally eardrum-splitting.” One month
and nearly 100 records later, the amp had found its
“happy-friendly footing,” delivering “grain-free highs,
very powerful and dynamic bass extension, and neutral,
clear-headed sound.” Designed and made in Germany, the
V 80 SE accomplished all that with two modern Tung-Sol
KT150 tetrode tubes per channel, operated in class-AB for
specified outputs of 80Wpc into 8 ohms or 120Wpc into
4 ohms. These are supported by two 12AU7 dual-triodes
and one 6072/12AT7 dual-triode. An MM/MC phono
board is a $770 option, and owners can upgrade their V
80 SE any time with Octave’s accessory Black Box power
supply ($1200)—not a power supply per se, but an auxil-
iary reservoir-capacitor bank for the V 80 SE’s actual sup-
ply. Though the Octave “lacked the tonal color, warmth,
and shapeliness of textures” KM enjoys from his Shindo
separates, it proved itself “perhaps the single most trans-
parent and neutral machine” ever to grace his system. JA
was “impressed by the V 80 SE’s measured performance.”
(Vol.40 No.9 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO INTEGRATED: $2495 $$$
Parasound’s Halo offers 160Wpc from its bipolar output
section—JFETs and MOSFETs are pressed into service
elsewhere in the amp—plus a list of convenience features
that includes: a dedicated subwoofer output with its own
variable high- and low-pass crossover filters and front-
panel level control; a 32-bit DAC with USB, coaxial, and
optical inputs; a discrete headphone amplifier; an MM/
MC phono stage; and six line inputs (one balanced, five
unbalanced). HR particularly praised the “easy, intimate
realism” of the Halo’s phono stage, as well as the “great
boogie” factor of its DAC and the amp’s overall “easy
flowing, mostly smooth, and decidedly mellow” person-
ality. This was not to take away from the Parasound’s
musical incisiveness: “The Halo played tunes and sang
songs as if they mattered,” wrote Herb. JA wrapped up
his measurements by observing that the Halo Integrated
“is a well-engineered, well-performing product.” (Vol.38
No.11 WWW)
PASS LABS INT-60: $9000
The solid-state INT-60 integrated amplifier provides
60Wpc in class-AB, about 30W of which is in pure class-
A. (To help confirm that, the needle-and-scale meter
that dominates the amp’s front panel indicates when the
INT-60 slips from one mode into the other.) The Pass has
four line-level inputs, two of which offer a choice of single-
ended (RCAs) or balanced (LR) jacks, the remaining two
offering single-ended only. As shipped from Pass Labs,
the INT-60 has 29dB of gain, which can be bumped up to
35dB by removing a pair of internal jumpers. The INT-60
especially impressed HR when he tried it with Zu Audio’s
Soul Supreme speakers, seeming to mitigate their “extra
energy” and rendering their typically lean bass perfor-
82
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
mance “less lean, more muscular, and BIG.” And HR found
that “the Pass Labs INT-60 drove the [Magnepan] .7s with
more subtle magic, slam, and lush joy than I’d previously
heard from these speakers.” Writing from his test bench,
JA noted the Pass’s higher-than-specified power output
and observed that it offered “respectable measured per-
formance,” though the tendency of the INT-60’s distortion
signature to shift from predominantly second to predomi-
nantly third harmonic as the signal frequency rises gave
him pause. (Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
VINNIE ROSSI LIO: $7750 AS TESTED
Vinnie Rossi, of Red Wine Audio, designed the LIO inte-
grated amplifier around his unconventional PURE DC-4-
EVR power-supply technology, which powers the elec-
tronics using two rows of series-wired ultracapacitors:
one provides pure DC while the other is being charged,
those roles alternating every few minutes. The LIO is
modular: The buyer adds to the combination of case and
power supply—a $1995 product that, by itself, cannot
pass a music signal—his or her choice of volume-control
module, input-selection module, line stage, phono stage,
D/A converter, headphone amp, and power amp, prices
and options for which are too numerous to list here. HR
was charmed: “Right out of the box, the Vinnie Rossi LIO
played music that flowed smoothly and silkily.” He noted
in particular the amp’s “detail, drive, and forward mo-
mentum.” HR’s verdict: “If there is a more innovative and
musically satisfying integrated amplifier than the Vinnie
Rossi LIO, I have yet to experience it.” JA’s measurements
revealed “good to excellent” performance from the LIO’s
volume-control, phono-preamp, and digital-audio mod-
ules, but uncovered problems such as low-level spuriae at
60Hz, unexpected bumps in the noise floor, power output
into 8 ohms that failed to reach the 25Wpc spec by 8W,
and too high a level of second-harmonic distortion for his
comfort. (Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
WOO AUDIO WA5: $5899
See “Headphones & Headphone Accessories” (on-line).
B does not apply to the Cary’s USB digital input. In his listen-
ALLNIC T-1800: $7490
From Korean manufacturer Allnic, known in audiophile cir-
cles for their single-ended-triode (SET) power amplifiers,
comes this push-pull pentode integrated amp. The T-1800
has two EL34 output tubes per side, operated in Ultra-
linear mode to produce 40Wpc. The T-1800’s line stage
is passive—still, AD described the amp’s overall gain as
“abundant”—and offers as inputs four pairs of RCA jacks
and one pair of XLR sockets. Source selection is by means
of electronic switching, the volume control is a 41-step
silver-contact attenuator switch, and the output section is
autobias. AD thought that the T-1800 delivered tight, well-
controlled bass—if with less “power and gravitas” than his
Shindo EL34 monoblocks—and generous treble extension
without sounding “bright or even bright-ish.” He was dis-
mayed by the sound’s relative smallness of scale, which
he attributed to the amp’s use of global feedback, but said
that “the T-1800’s flaws are more than merely outweighed
by its strengths: They are overwhelmed.” Those strengths
are good drive, color, texture, and openness of sound.
(Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
APRIL MUSIC AURA NOTE V.2: $2500
The Aura Note V2 is a compact and sleekly styled integrat-
ed amplifier (125Wpc) with built-in CD player, USB DAC,
FM tuner, Bluetooth receiver, and headphone amp. Its
USB DAC, addressed by a USB Type A socket on one side
of its casework, is good to 192kHz—it uses a 24-bit Cirrus
Logic D/A chip—and its class-D amplifier output section
uses ICEpower modules supplemented by a switch-mode
power supply. The Aura Note V2’s playback of CDs had
“color and clarity, spatial presence, and a good sense of
momentum and flow,” according to AD, though its ampli-
fier lacked a bit of texture and richness when compared to
the best. He also noted some harshness on extreme peaks
when using an outboard phono section into the Aura’s
line-level input. All in all, AD concluded, “the V2 offers a
generally very good musical and sonic experience.” Writ-
ing from his test bench, JA noted that the Aura Note V2’s
CD player exhibited one of the highest levels of tolerance
of defective discs he’s ever observed, but also found that
its Aux inputs could be overdriven with input signals great-
er than 3.3V, thus underscoring the need for caution when
matching a phono preamp and cartridge to this otherwise
recommendable all-in-one box. (Vol.39 No.4 WWW)
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AZUR 851A: $1699 +
First cousin to the Cambridge Azur 851D DAC, the Azur
851A integrated amplifier provides 120Wpc into 8 ohms,
two balanced inputs (XLR), eight unbalanced line-level
inputs (RCA), and the rare luxury of bass and treble tone
controls. HR wrote that he could best describe the sound
of the Azur 851A as “relaxed and enjoyably colorful, in a
class-A triode sort of way. It sounded more naturally toned
and weighty than my Creek 3330 or my Line Magnetic
LM-518IA, and showed none of that off-putting grayness
or brittleness often heard in low-priced, high-powered
amps.” In his measurements, JA discovered that the amp’s
right-channel performance was not in keeping with that
of the left channel—although he suggested that the right
channel’s relative shortcomings were inaudible. His con-
clusion: “Assuming that the less-good performance of its
right channel was a sample-specific fault, Cambridge Au-
dio’s Azur 851A is a well-built amplifier that offers a lot of
power with very low distortion at an affordable price.” HR’s
last word: “a versatile and extraordinarily musical corner-
stone on which to build a truly enjoyable high-end system
that can play all types of music with righteous aplomb for
little cost.” (Vol.38 No.2 WWW)
CARY SI-300.2D: $5995
In years past, when the number 300 appeared in a Cary
Audio product name, you could bet it referred to a certain
low-power output tube; today, in the context of Cary’s SI-
300.2d integrated amp, it stands for output power—as
in 300Wpc (into 8 ohms). The solid-state SI-300.2d also
incorporates a DAC that offers PCM to 384kHz and DSD
up to DSD256. (DSD is handled natively, except where the
signal is streamed from a Mac—in which case DSD is han-
dled as DoP.) The option of upsampling PCM to various
higher sampling rates or to DSD is provided, although it
ing tests, KM remarked on the SI-300.2d’s “extreme reso-
lution, and never at the cost of tonal richness or spatial
substance.” KM described the Cary’s sound, with Elac B6
loudspeakers, as being “as transparent as a fall sky, and
as tonally even-keeled as I’ve heard in my nearfield setup,”
and concluded, “this was not the sound of your father’s
Cary tube amp.” JA’s test-bench findings were a decidedly
mixed bag: “The amplifier itself is a straightforward, com-
petently engineered” design, he wrote, but he found some
irregularities in the performance of Cary’s DAC, describ-
ing its upsampling behavior, in particular, as “perverse.”
(Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
CREEK AUDIO EVOLUTION 100A: $2195
The top-of-the-line amp from UK-based Creek, the new
Evolution 100A integrated operates in class-G: A pair of
Sanken Darlington transistors, biased for class-AB, do the
honors up to 25Wpc, beyond which an additional pair of
transistors kicks in, for 110Wpc total into 8 ohms. Of its
five line-level inputs (RCA), one can also be addressed
as balanced (XLR), while any of the remaining four can
be upgraded with plug-in DAC, AM/FM tuner, and phono-
stage modules. HR enjoyed using the Creek’s Ambit tuner
($250), and praised the “clean, open, extended highs” of
the amp’s optional Ruby DAC module ($599), which han-
dles 24-bit/192kHz inputs via its coax and TosLink S/PDIF
inputs, and 24/96 via USB—though he felt the merely
“good” Sequel Mk.2 moving-magnet phono-stage module
($200) wasn’t up to the DAC’s level of quality. Considering
the 100A’s amplification talents, HR praised it for playing a
great variety of music in a “straightforward, exciting, sat-
isfying way.” Apart from some front-panel control glitches
that might have been specific to “this well-traveled review
sample,” JA found that the Evolution 100A “measured
quite well.” (Vol.38 No.7 WWW)
GAMUT DI150 LE: $12,990
Like all of the amplifiers in GamuT’s line, the Di150 LE in-
tegrated boasts a unique (in perfectionist audio) output
architecture: rather than using multiple output devices
per phase, the solid-state, push-pull Di150 LE has only one
April 2018 Q stereophile.com
Audio that inspires.

revelation series | Pictor | preamplifier Taurus| power amp

www.constellationaudio.com
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
transistor per phase, and thus two per channel. According
to company founder Ole Lund Christensen, this is done
to banish the timing and phase distortions that plague
other designs—and by using massive transistors (think:
arc welder) and robust driver stages, GamuT achieves
in the Di150 LE a none-too-shabby 180Wpc into 8 ohms
or 360Wpc into 4 ohms. Listening to the GamuT with
his DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 speakers, KM heard
multiple traits: “a hard-charging, forceful delivery of the
music, strong micro- and macrodynamics, stupendous
bass reproduction, a wide and layered soundstage, and . . .
‘black’ backgrounds . . . notes flew from the Di150 LE with
purpose and punch.” Reporting from his test bench, JA
noted a low output impedance and higher-than-specified
output power, and praised the GamuT as “a well-engi-
neered solid-state amplifier.” (Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
HEED AUDIO ELIXIR: $1395 $$$
Heed, pronounced hid, is a Hungarian manufacturer
whose generally affordable solid-state amplifiers feature
deliberately non–direct-coupled output stages; indeed,
Heed suggests that an amp with output capacitors—
which they call translator capacitors—is better suited for
“the stress-free generation of air-pressure changes [into]
the sound we hear.” Whether for that reason or not, KM
was mightily impressed with this 50Wpc, MM phono–
equipped integrated amp, being “immediately struck
by the Elixir’s superb sense of flow. The Elixir portrayed
dynamic swings with a natural and effortless musicality.”
Ken’s conclusion: “That so much amplifier is available for
$1195 should have music lovers dancing, unclothed and
unhinged, across fields and meadows, melodies on their
lips, as creatures great and small join them in song.” JA’s
measurements uncovered a bit of RIAA error in the phono
section—associated with “a slightly rich balance”—and
notably low power into a low-impedance (2 ohm) load, but
noted that the Elixir’s distortion signature “will also render
it easy on the ear.” (Vol.39 No.11 WWW)
JADIS ORCHESTRA REFERENCE MK.II: $4795
The latest version of an integrated amp that has been a
Jadis mainstay since the late 1990s, the Orchestra Refer-
ence Mk.II uses two Russian-made EL34 pentode tubes
per channel to produce its specified 40Wpc; phase in-
version and buffering come courtesy of one 12AX7 dual-
triode tube per channel, while input gain is provided by
bipolar transistors. The line-only, nonbalanced amp has
five inputs, and is available with a remote handset for an
extra $350. AD described the “beautifully built” Jadis as
having “a full but reasonably explicit bottom, a richly col-
orful midrange, and a sense of grand spatial scale.” More
to the point, he praised the amp’s talent for melodic, dy-
namic, and temporal nuance, and declared that the Jadis
is “extremely unlikely to disappoint the music-loving,
tone-loving audiophile” who owns efficient speakers. JA
joined AD in grousing that bias adjustments on the semi-
impenetrable Jadis are difficult to effect, and raised an
eyebrow at the amp’s not-unexpected higher distortion
into loads of relatively low impedance—but noted, “the
Jadis Orchestra performed well . . . given its circuit topol-
ogy.” (Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
NAIM AUDIO UNITI NOVA: $6995
The star of Naim’s rebooted Uniti line, the Nova combines
an 80Wpc integrated amplifier with a media player and
streamer, the latter supporting Tidal and Spotify. The
Nova offers Bluetooth aptX HD and WiFi connectivity, and
provides vTuner Internet radio as well as support for most
music-file types, up to 384k PCM and DSD128. All user
controls are accessible via an included remote control,
Naim’s downloadable app, and a full-color front-panel
LCD display that KM described as “lovely,” supplemented
with a top-panel rotary control. Ken was enchanted with
the Uniti Nova’s radio function, and found its file-playing
capabilities ergonomically comforting—”I was surprised
by the Nova’s ease of setup and practically instantaneous
response”—and sonically rewarding: “file after file drove
my jaw floorward as my ears reveled in the Nova’s beau-
tiful sound.” KM’s verdict: “the Uniti Nova is practically
a bargain. Definitely, effusively, highly recommended.”
Apart from noting some anomalous behavior with 96 and
192kHz data—their responses were down by 9dB at the
84
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
ultrasonic frequency of 29kHz—JA wrote from his test
bench that “the Naim Uniti Nova’s measured performance
“reveals it to be well sorted, as they say in the UK.” (Vol.41
No.3 WWW)
NAIM NAIT 2/AVO ULTIMATE UPGRADE:
$2190 PLUS COST OF NAIT 2 $$$
In 1988, the quasi-complementary, class-AB Nait 2—a
revised version of Naim’s budget-priced, entry-level
Nait—distinguished itself as an exceedingly fine-sounding
integrated amplifier and one of the stars of Naim’s prod-
uct line. Fast-forward to 2016, when vintage examples of
the Nait 2, no longer in production, continue to win raves
from budget-conscious audiophiles—although by now
most Nait 2s require servicing. Enter AV Options, which
employs ex-Naim staffers and offers various levels of
service and rebuilds. Their Ultimate Upgrade for the Nait
2 ($2190) involves replacing and recalibrating 14 transis-
tors (including the output devices) and scores of passive
parts (including jacks and sockets), plus deep-cryo treat-
ment of the original transformer and other components.
AD loved listening to the AVO-upgraded Nait 2, praising
its “profoundly excellent sense of momentum and timing”
and offering special praise for its great-sounding MM pho-
no section. Bonus points for being able not only to drive
Quad ESLs but to make them sing. (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
OUTLAW AUDIO RR2160: $799 $$$
The RR2160—or, as Outlaw Audio calls it, their “Retro Re-
ceiver”—marries a 110Wpc class-AB integrated amplifier
to an FM/AM tuner of the traditional sort, along with an
MM/MC phono stage. Its tone controls—yes, tone con-
trols!—and bass-emphasis switch hark back to an era of
mustaches, flared trousers, and loudspeakers with sculpt-
ed-foam grilles, yet the RR2160 doesn’t skimp on modern
conveniences, including Ethernet connectivity, HD radio,
an MP3 input, a headphone amp with independent vol-
ume controls, and a 24/192 DAC with USB, coaxial, and
optical inputs. After being broken in and warmed up, the
Outlaw rewarded HR with “a generously big, warm, ar-
ticulate sound.” Used with a CD transport, the RR2160’s
Burr-Brown–based DAC didn’t reach the same perfor-
mance heights as more expensive outboard processors,
yet nonetheless surprised Herb with its “unfettered ver-
ity.” The Outlaw’s MM phono inputs performed well when
addressed with a good-quality step-up transformer,
though HR was disappointed by the lack of adjustability in
its MC inputs. And its headphone section “far exceeded”
HR’s expectations. Writing from his test bench, JA noted
the Outlaw’s “significantly” higher-than-specified output
power, the admirably low output impedance of its head-
phone amp, and its “superb” phono stage, though he was
“somewhat disappointed by the measured performance
of its digital inputs.” HR’s conclusion: “a conspicuously
good-sounding audiophile product at a ridiculously low
price.” (Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
ROGUE AUDIO SPHINX: $1395 $$$
The Sphinx is that rarity in contemporary audio: a US-
made integrated amplifier with a tubed (12AU7) line
stage, a MM-appropriate phono stage, and a headphone
jack, all for less than the price of a round-trip ticket to
Paris—and Rogue Audio doesn’t even make you buy their
remote handset ($100). Using Bruno Putzeys’s Hypex
class-D power modules in tandem with a nonswitching
power supply, this hybrid integrated delivers 100Wpc into
8 ohms or 200Wpc into 4 ohms. HR enjoyed his time with
the Sphinx, noting its “greater scale and bass force” than
his Creek 4330 integrated, and praising its line stage as
perhaps “the best of [its] many good features: Everything
I played was enjoyably detailed, transparent, and spa-
cious.” HR’s verdict: “Judging by my experiences with the
Sphinx, Rogue’s owner and designer, Mark O’Brien, has
taken this stigmatized, lower-class mode of operation to
a new, more refined level.” According to JA, apart from a
bit of ultrasonic noise in its output, the Sphinx’s amplifier
section avoided most of the usual class-D pitfalls, and he
particularly praised the MM phono section. 2017 version
has upgraded components. (Vol.37 No.8 WWW)
SCHIIT RAGNAROK: $1699 $$$
Referred to by its manufacturer as “an intelligent amplifier
for headphones and loudspeakers,” the Ragnarok—Old
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
Norse for “fate of the gods”—is a solid-state integrated
that offers 60Wpc into 8 ohms, 100Wpc into 4 ohms, and
no LED display, menu, or remote control. For those omis-
sions, HR thanked the gods. He also praised the “uniquely
rich and boldly forceful” sound of the Ragnarok when used
to drive the Technics SB-C700 speakers, and declared the
“cheerful, articulate” pairing of Ragnarok and KEF LS50s
“the most enjoyable stereo system I’ve used in the 21st
century.” (HR’s second-most-enjoyable pairing: the Schiit
Ragnarok with Magnepan .7 speakers, which like power
the way Shane MacGowan likes beer.) While measuring
the Ragnarok, JA discovered that, when amplifying con-
tinuous test signals at high levels, the amp’s THD+N rose
to as high as 34%. Schiit explained that this “expected”
behavior was due to the amp’s microprocessor-based
bias-management system, which mistook the un-music-
like tones for runaway bias. JA altered his testing regimen
to account for this departure from the norm and came up
with better-looking numbers, but his eyebrows remained
somewhat elevated. (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
UNISON RESEARCH UNICO PRIMO: $2400
The entry-level integrated from Italian manufacturer Uni-
son Research, well known for their more radically styled
power amps, the Unico Primo mates a tubed front end
(one ECC83/12AX7) with an 80Wpc solid-state output
section running in what Unison calls “Dynamic class-A.”
An optional plug-in board, also solid-state, provides MM/
MC phono capabilities. (The Unico Primo is available with-
out phono for $2400.) In addition to boasting what KM
described as a volume control with “the creamiest action
I’ve ever laid fingers on,” the Unico Primo “charged hard
24/7, with enough dynamic gusto to compel music might-
ily.” KM added that the slightly warmish Unison Research
amp “struck an unusual balance between superior resolu-
tion in the treble to midrange and weighty low-end fun-
damentals that were less than accurate.” Reporting from
the test bench, JA noted a bit more distortion and noise
than desired, but very good phono-stage performance.
Optional black faceplate adds $150. (Vol.39 No.7 WWW)
C with the very contemporary Wharfedale Diamond 225
ARCAM FMJ SR250: $3600
Arcam’s FMJ SR250 is the rare two-channel amplification
product that contains room-correction software (Dirac
Live), a feature that helped it overcome our usual reluc-
tance to review A/V receivers. The FMJ SR250 has seven
analog inputs and 15 digital inputs, the latter including
USB, Ethernet, S/PDIF (RCA, TosLink) and no fewer than
seven HDMI sockets. (The USB and Ethernet inputs are
limited to 48kHz; the other inputs max out at 192kHz.)
The class-G amplifier stage—the power transistors are
fed by two separate sets of power-supply rails, micro-
processor-selected depending on the demands posed by
the input signal—is specified as outputting 90Wpc into 8
ohms. Before calling into play its room-correction soft-
ware, KR felt the Arcam’s bass performance was “good,
solid, and balanced,” its soundstaging “convincing.” With
Dirac Live enabled and dialed in, the Arcam impressed
Kal as “even more satisfying and communicative.” Less
impressed was Measurer-in-Chief JA, who, though not-
ing the Arcam’s “powerful” and “low distortion” amplifier
section, was dismayed by the way its USB input handled
digital signals, and by a phase discrepancy between the
channels on both its USB and S/PDIF inputs. He declared
the SR250’s digital inputs “inadequate for serious listen-
ing.” (Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
NAD D 3020 V2: $399 $$$ +
Launched to celebrate NAD’s 40th anniversary, the
30Wpc D 3020 takes only its name from the company’s
iconic 3020 integrated amplifier; every other aspect of the
design has been thoroughly modernized. It uses a switch-
mode power supply, lacks a phono stage, and has only a
single analog input, but includes a front-panel headphone
minijack; an optional 6dB bass boost; a subwoofer output;
coaxial, optical, and 24-bit/96kHz-capable asynchronous
USB inputs; and uses an audio-optimized aptX codec for
Bluetooth streaming. Weighing just 3 lbs and measuring
an unusual 7.4" H by 2.7" W by 8.7" D, the D 3020 can
be placed horizontally, like a traditional component, or
stereophile.com Q April 2018
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
stood upright, like a modem or hard drive. Uncommonly
sensual for a hi-fi product, it has a large, textured volume
knob; soft, smooth side panels; and a touchscreen that
occupies its entire front panel and extends through one
entire side panel. The sound from every input was warm,
present, and naturally detailed; even low-quality MP3s
streamed wirelessly via Bluetooth were engaging, said
SM. “Right now, NAD’s D 3020 is the best bargain in all of
hi-fi,” added ST. Borderline Class B. (Vol.36 Nos. 11 & 12,
Vol.38 No.5 WWW)
PEACHTREE AUDIO NOVA300: $2199–$2299
Beauty lies in
With their nova300 integrated amplifier-DAC, Peachtree
Audio made a number of transitions: from iPod docks
to Lightning connectors and WiFi; from tubed preamp
buffers to all solid-state; from line-only preamps to an
onboard MM phono preamp; and, most notably, from
Chinese to Canadian manufacture. Other characteristics
endure, including the attractive wood wrap—made even
the ear of
more attractive by an Ebony Mocha finish option—and
a class-D output stage, this one based on ICEpower
modules, for a power rating of 300Wpc into 8 ohms. The
nova300 also boasts double-DSD capability alongside
the beholder.
32/384 PCM, and Peachtree’s Dynamic Noise Elimina-
tion (DyNEC), which is claimed to eliminate, among
other noises, those associated with the display screens of
smartphones and tablets. In a review that proved contro-
versial, AD praised Peachtree Audio for the nova300’s ex-
cellent phono section and for its overall good momentum
and drive, but criticized the graininess of its treble range.
In their Manufacturer’s Comment in the same issue,
Peachtree took issue with Art’s pairing of the nova300
with his extremely efficient Altec Flamenco speakers, call-
ing it a “mismatch,” though they held out the possibility
of a flaw in the review sample, which they said was “on its
way to our engineers for a testing, just in case.” We were
disappointed never to have heard back about the first
sample, which, in his measurements, JA described as hav-
ing “a high level of switching noise on its output.” However,
for the December 2017 Stereophile AD wrote a Follow-Up
based on a second sample of the nova300, which he tried
speakers. Art thought this pairing sounded “slightly less
edgy” than his earlier experience, although the sound re-
mained “dry and crisp overall.” (Vol.40 Nos. 6 & 12 WWW)
PS AUDIO SPROUT: $499 $$$
Designed in Colorado, and built in China, the PS Audio
Sprout is a compact (6" W by 1.75" H by 8" D) integrated
amplifier with built-in MM phono preamp, 24-bit/192kHz Silver Cube Phono Stage
USB D/A converter, and Bluetooth receiver. The Sprout’s
class-D power amp can deliver up to 33Wpc across
The high art of music listening.
an 8-ohm load, and its front panel incorporates a ¼"
headphone jack, use of which automatically mutes the
loudspeaker output. In his review, HR observed that the
Sprout occasionally lent the sound “a trace of darkness—
not grayness or lack of color,” but he found that the little
Sprout consistently “demonstrated an ability to engage Distributed by:
my attention and keep it locked on the space, character,
and artistry of the music being played.” HR also felt that ORTOFON INC
the Sprout’s Bluetooth wireless performance was “richer,
more detailed, less hollow and vapid than any Bluetooth 500 Executive Blvd Suite 102
sound I’ve tried so far,” though he found the Sprout’s
sound through headphones less rich than through speak- Ossining, NY 10562
ers. Apart from a response-curve bump centered at 67Hz, Phone: (914) 762-8646
JA’s measurements uncovered nothing untoward. HR’s
conclusion: “The Sprout specialized in the beguiling re- Fax: (914) 762-8649
production of every kind of music I sent through its four
inputs.” The price dropped from $799 to $499 in Septem- info@ortofon.us
ber 2015. (Vol.38 No.5 WWW)
REGA RESEARCH BRIO: $995
www.ortofon.us
This latest incarnation of the Rega Brio integrated
amp—the company’s “best-selling electronic product
ever,” according to company head Roy Gandy—retains
the original version’s design brief: class-AB architecture
that emulates class-A performance without class-A heat.
Refinements in the new amp include metal-film resistors
in its feedback circuit and some power-supply refine-
Music to your ears.
ments lifted straight from the Brio’s original inspiration, a
1970s design from the pages of Wireless World. Features www.lehmannaudio.com/silver-cube
include a moving-magnet phono input, four line-level in-
85
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS & RECEIVERS
puts, and all-new casework. After trying the Brio with his
DeVore Orangutan O/93 loudspeakers, KM declared, “The
Brio controlled bass notes fairly well[, but] its crowning
glory was its extended and natural top end.” Although it
didn’t reward Ken with “the last word in transparency or
absolute detail,” the Rega Brio impressed with its more
musical characteristics: “big tone, big beat, big ambi-
tions.” After measuring the Brio, JA praised in particular
the “superb” overload margins of its phono section, and
declared the amp “well-sorted” overall, although he did
note that it runs hot. (Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
K loudspeakers at all: In effect, aren’t we insulting our read-
NAD M32, ANTHEM STR.
DELETIONS
Hegel Music Systems H160 no longer available; Croft
Phono Integrated, Music Hall a15.3, Naim NAIT 5si, Oc-
tave Audio V 40 SE, PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP,
Rogers High Fidelity EHF-100 Mk.2, all not auditioned in
too long a time.
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
Editor’s Note: Class A “Loudspeakers” are sufficiently
idiosyncratic and differ enough from one another that
prospective customers should read Stereophile’s original
reviews in their entirety for descriptions of the sounds. I
have therefore just listed every system or combination
that at least one of Stereophile’s reviewers feels, as a re-
sult of his or her experience, approaches the current state
of the art in loudspeaker design. (Note that, to be eligible
for inclusion in Class A, the system must be full-range—ie,
feature bass extension to 20Hz. It must also be capable of
reaching realistic sound-pressure levels without any feel-
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
ing of strain.)
For those unconcerned about the last few hertz of
low-bass extension, we have created “Classes A, B, and C
(Restricted Extreme LF)” for those speakers that are state
of the art in every other way. Candidates for inclusion in
this class must still reach down to at least 40Hz, below
the lowest notes of the four-string double-bass and bass
guitar.
In addition, such has been the recent progress in
loudspeaker design at a more affordable level that we
have an extra class: E, for “Entry Level.” Someone once
asked us why Stereophile bothers to review inexpensive
ership by recommending that they buy inexpensive mod-
els? Remember: It’s possible to put together a musically
satisfying, truly high-end system around any of our Class
D and E recommendations. That’s why they’re listed—and
why you should consider buying them.
A—FULL-RANGE
BANG & OLUFSEN BEOLAB 90: $84,990/PAIR
The three-way Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 90 contains 18
drivers, 18 class-D power amplifiers, 9 DACs, and, to rule
them all, a pair of DSP-enabling Analog Devices chips.
(Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
BOWERS & WILKINS 802 D3 DIAMOND:
$22,000/PAIR
(Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
GAMUT RS7: $39,900/PAIR
(Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
GOLDENEAR TECHNOLOGY TRITON REFERENCE:
$8498/PAIR $$$
(Vol.40 No.12 WWW)
KEF BLADE TWO: $25,000/PAIR
(Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
MAGICO S5 MK.II: S5 MK.II: $38,000/PAIR–
$42,750/PAIR
(Vol.40 No.2 WWW)
MARTEN COLTRANE 3: $120,000/PAIR
(Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
MARTINLOGAN MASTERPIECE RENAISSANCE
ESL 15A: $24,995/PAIR
(Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
MBL RADIALSTRAHLER 101E MK.II:
$70,500/PAIR +
(Vol.35 No.4 WWW)
REVEL ULTIMA STUDIO2: $15,998/PAIR $$$ +
FK’s long-term reference. (Vol.31 No.3, Vol.32 No.12
WWW)
VANDERSTEEN MODEL SEVEN MK.II:
$62,000/PAIR
(Vol.33 No.3 original version, Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
VIVID AUDIO GIYA G1 SPIRIT: $93,000/PAIR
(Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
WILSON AUDIO SPECIALTIES ALEXANDRIA XLF:
$210,000/PAIR +
MF’s long-term reference. (Vol.36 No.1 WWW)
WILSON AUDIO SPECIALTIES ALEXX:
$109,000/PAIR
(Vol.40 No.5 WWW)
A (RESTRICTED EXTREME LF)
AERIAL ACOUSTICS 5T: $3795/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Representing a departure from the sealed-box loading,
rectangular cabinet, and metal-dome tweeter of the origi-
nal Model 5 and its first variant, the 5B, Aerial Acoustics’
new 5T sports a slotted reflex port on the gently sloped
front baffle of a gracefully curved enclosure, and trusts its
trebles to the same model of ring-radiator tweeter used in
Aerial’s well-regarded 7T floorstander. A 6.7" woofer with a
papyrus-blend cone and a crossover network comprising
“high-order multi-element” filters complete the picture.
With the 5Ts mounted atop 24"-tall, sand-and-lead-filled
Celestion stands, JA noted “somewhat reticent” trebles
coupled with “superb bass control,” the latter character-

SUBWOOFERS
istic allowing bass guitar to “[speak] with authority in its
lower register.” The 5T presented “near-holographic im-
ages,” and was so successful at resolving spatial informa-
tion from a recording of an Eric Whitacre choral work that
JA remarked, “This is how a pair of speakers with superbly
accurate and stable stereo imaging can serve the music.”
At his test bench, JA noted slightly lower-than-specified
sensitivity (85.2 vs 87dB), and some small and appar-
ently port-influenced midrange peaks; otherwise, he said,
“Aerial’s 5T demonstrates excellent speaker engineering.”
(Vol.40 No.3 WWW)
AUDITORIUM 23 HOMMAGE CINEMA:
$49,995/PAIR (PLUS POWER SUPPLY)
Auditorium 23’s Keith Aschenbrenner dreamed of making
a commercial product that could combine a vintage West-
ern Electric 555 compression driver with a modestly sized
horn, supplemented with similarly efficient treble and
bass drivers. When the Chinese firm Line Magnetic began
making faithful replicas of the 555, Aschenbrenner saw
his chance, and with acoustician Uwe Meyer created the
Hommage Cinema, which combines LM’s 555 with a tidy
midrange horn, coupled with LM’s replica of the vintage
WE 597A treble driver/horn and a bass cabinet with two
powered paper-cone woofers: one 7", one 12". Like their
WE forebears, the LM drivers are field-coil types, so a 7V
DC power supply is also required; Auditorium 23 offers
the NT1 supply ($5495), which they commissioned from
AcousticPlan. Used with his low-power Shindo tube ampli-
fication, the Hommage Cinemas presented AD with coher-
ence, physicality, and exceptional ease: “the force behind
[music’s] remaking was on a par with the force behind its
making.” The leading edges of bass notes were slightly
rounded, and treble extension was “noticeably less than
one associates with modern loudspeakers,” yet, overall,
AD found the Hommage Cinema to be “the most thor-
oughly competent” contemporary high-efficiency speak-
ers he has had in his home. In a Follow-Up, JA wrote of
determining that the Cinema has a sensitivity of 102dB—
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
”This is heroic engineering!”—and a triode-tube-happy 15
ohm impedance. While confessing that he could not live
with the Cinema’s lack of top-end energy, JA advised, “you
should give this speaker a listen, just to experience what’s
possible from a classic compression driver loaded with a
horn.” However, he feels that Class B is a more appropri-
ate rating for what he feels is an old-fashioned–sounding
speaker. (Vol.39 No.11, Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
BOWERS & WILKINS 805 D3: $6000/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
The smallest model in Bowers & Wilkins’s Diamond line,
the 805 D3 features a 1" diamond-dome tweeter carried
over from earlier models (though B&W say they’ve im-
proved its motor system) and a 6.5" woofer made of Con-
tinuum, a proprietary woven material that replaces the
resolutely yellow Kevlar of the company’s earlier speak-
ers. The woofer is reflex loaded with a flared port on the
front panel, and the tweeter is loaded with a transmission
line inside an aluminum housing shaped like the head of
the xenomorph from the Alien franchise. Placed atop 24"-
tall, sand-and-lead-filled Celestion stands, the 805 D3s
presented JA with “astonishing clarity in the midrange and
treble,” coupled with “impressive dynamic capability.” He
also noted that B&W’s designers have “managed an op-
timal balance between bass power and control,” evinced
by the speaker’s ability to reproduce double bass “with
good weight, but also with the leading edges of notes well
defined.” Tape hiss in one recording and vocal sibilants in
another were more audible than expected, leading JA to
remark that “this is a speaker that will verge on the edge
of excess with unsympathetic ancillary components, or
in a room that itself emphasizes the highs”—an observa-
tion borne out during JA’s test regimen, which revealed
“a somewhat ‘tailored’ frequency response in the treble.”
(Vol.40 Nos.3 & 5 WWW)
CRYSTAL CABLE ARABESQUE MINISSIMO
DIAMOND: $19,995/PAIR (STANDS INCLUDED)
Unlike its larger stablemate, the Crystal Cable Ara-
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
besque—a floorstanding loudspeaker in a stunning glass
enclosure—the two-way Arabesque Minissimo Diamond
is built into a compact but radically shaped monocoque
cabinet milled from a single piece of aluminum-loaded
polymer. It features a laminated-paper 6" woofer and
a diamond-dome 1" tweeter, the latter protected by
a laser-cut grille. Its aluminum stand, atop which the
speaker reaches a height of 38", is integral. With a nod
to “the intellectual elegance of a speaker that is no big-
ger than it needs to be,” JA described being impressed by
the Arabesque Minissimo Diamond, praising in particular
the speaker’s consistently “excellent imaging and clarity.”
That said, he also noted the speaker’s “slightly midrange-
forward balance,” and the fact that $19,995/pair is “very
expensive for a small two-way loudspeaker.” Writing from
his test bench, JA discovered less than the specified
sensitivity—81 instead of 83.5dB—and in-room behavior
that supported his impression of a “midrange-dominant”
sound; otherwise, he declared, the Arabesque Minissimo
Diamond “offers respectable measured performance.”
(Vol.39 No.10 WWW)
DEVORE FIDELITY ORANGUTAN O/96:
$12,000/PAIR + (STANDS INCLUDED)
Handmade in Brooklyn, New York, the O/96 is a two-
way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted speaker with a rated
sensitivity of 96dB/W/m and an unusually high nominal
impedance of 10 ohms. The wide-baffle design measures
28.25" H by 18" W by 12" D and has a 1" silk-dome tweeter
and a 10” paper-cone woofer. The O/96 exhibited a superb
overall tonal balance with impressive clarity, color, impact,
drama, and scale, said AD. “The O/96 is distinctly easy to
drive with low-power amplifiers, yet it’s clearer, wider of
bandwidth, and more spatially accomplished than most
other high-sensitivity loudspeakers,” he summed up. JA’s
measurements uncovered a low-treble resonance and a
lively enclosure, but these problems were considerably
less audible than he was expecting. AD originally consid-
ered this a very high Class B recommendation, bordering
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SUBWOOFERS
on Class A, but as of April 2015, the rating is upgraded. In
a Follow-Up, AD noted: “I have refined my own O/96 instal-
lation, moving each speaker farther from its sidewall, and
minimizing the influence of unfortunate room character-
istics with some John DeVore–inspired asymmetry,” with
excellent results. AD also quoted John DeVore’s observa-
tion that, in 2013, the O/96 was his best-selling model “by
a clear margin. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that it did
that again in 2014.” (Vol.35 No.12, Vol.38 No.1. Vol.40 No.9
WWW)
DEVORE FIDELITY GIBBON 3XL: $3700/PAIR
$$$ + (STANDS NECESSARY)
Hand-built in Brooklyn, New York, the Gibbon 3XL has a
beautifully finished cabinet made mostly of solid bam-
boo, and uses an unusual 0.75" tweeter and a 5" mid-
range/woofer custom-designed for DeVore by SEAS. The
speaker has a claimed sensitivity of 90dB and a nominal
impedance of 8 ohms, never dropping below 7.4 ohms.
While the comparably priced Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3
offered a slightly richer, fuller sound, the Gibbon 3XL
produced excellent low-level resolution, reasonably wide
dynamics, and stable, pinpoint imaging, said ST in June
2010. In his April 2017 Follow-Up, HR wrote that his time
with the 3XLs was all about “Leica-like focus, pulsing flow,
[and] fresh-air transparency.” He added that, although
their bass performance was limited, the DeVores’ “ability
to reproduce human voices, chamber orchestras, and ar-
chitectural spaces was as good as those things get.” The
almost obligatory matching bamboo stands add $695/
pair. (Vol.33 No.6, Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
DYNAUDIO CONTOUR 20: $5000/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
The 17.3"-tall, 34.2-lb Dynaudio Contour 20, which HR
described as “luxuriously large and heavy for a stand-
mounted model,” has a 1.1" Esotar2 soft-dome tweeter
and a 7.1" Magnesium Silicate Polymer (MSP) mid-woofer,
crossed over at 2.2kHz and bolted to a ½"-thick alumi-
num baffle. Resistive loading for its rear-mounted reflex
port is user-adjustable by means of foam inserts. Used
with Dynaudio’s optional Stand 6 ($500/pair), and follow-
ing a few setup challenges—tube amplification of at least
moderate power is among the key requirements—the
Contour 20s rewarded HR with a soundstage that was
“galaxy deep, the orchestra precisely arranged on it,” plus
“a lively sonic luminescence” and “fierce forward momen-
tum” on classic bluegrass music. While expressing his be-
lief that “a loudspeaker expresses its full character in how
and where it directs the listener’s attention,” HR praised
the Contour 20 for performing “well on both the poetic
and scientific levels,” offering “a near-perfect balance of
the Apollonian and the Dionysian.” In measuring the Con-
tour 20, JA found a sensitivity slightly lower than specified
(84.2 vs 86dB), and a faint port whistle that was audible
only from behind the speaker; he declared the Dynaudio
an exemplar of “excellent audio engineering.” In the May
2017 issue, JA described trying the Contour 20s in his own
listening room. Compared with the similarly priced and
more sensitive Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, he found that
the Dynaudio extended lower in the bass, and while it gave
richer-toned accounts of some instruments, it offered
“more neutrally balanced top octaves.” The Contour 20 is,
JA concluded, “a true monitor speaker.” Add $750/pair for
premium finishes. (Vol.40 Nos. 4 & 5 WWW)
ENIGMACOUSTICS SOPRANINO ELECTROSTATIC
SUPERTWEETER: $3690/PAIR +
(STANDS OPTIONAL)
Here’s something you don’t see every day: a horn-loaded,
self-polarized, electrostatic supertweeter. The Sopranino
is a 6-lb, 7.6"-tall enclosure intended for installation either
atop the user’s nominally full-range speakers or on their
own height-adjustable stands ($600/pair). Its 12dB/oc-
tave high-pass filter can be set to one of three crossover
frequencies—8, 10, or 12kHz—and connection via the So-
praninos’ binding posts puts the supertweeters in parallel
with their host speakers. A rear-mounted toggle switch
offers the option of –3dB of attenuation. JA found that the
Sopraninos, when used with the Joseph Audio Perspec-
tive loudspeakers, had a decidedly subtle influence on
the sound of his system; on removing them after a week
stereophile.com Q April 2018
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
of listening, he declared his system still sounded good—
”Just not quite as good.” With JA’s vintage Rogers LS3/5a
loudspeakers, the Sopraninos allowed cymbals to sound
“more like struck bronze than shaped and textured white
noise,” and stereo imaging was more palpable. Measure-
ments revealed a clean cumulative spectral-decay plot
and other distinctions, although JA was surprised that, by
the end of the review, one of the Sopraninos had ceased
performing above 15kHz: an enduring mystery. Writing in
his Follow-Up review, AD also reported a spot of trouble:
one of the Sopraninos in his loaner pair arrived in non-
working condition. EnigmAcoustics replaced that well-
traveled pair with a fresh one, and AD went on to enjoy
“a greater improvement in spatial performance than any
other aspect of playback” when using the Sopraninos—
plus their optional stands—with his Quad ESL loudspeak-
ers. As he wrote, “my assessment of the EnigmAcoustics
supertweeter is precisely the same as JA’s: ‘An audition
will be mandatory prior to purchase.’” (Vol.37 No.6, Vol.39
No.11 WWW)
FUJITSU TEN ECLIPSE TD-712Z MK.2:
$10,600/PAIR (STANDS INCLUDED)
RD reviewed the original version of this unique speaker—
it uses a single 4.7" driver with a glass-fiber/cotton cone
mounted in an egg-shaped ported enclosure—in January
2007 and was very impressed with its sound. Though the
TD712z wouldn’t play very loud and didn’t go very deep,
it had clarity, transparency, resolution, timbral accuracy,
and image specificity that were “simply breathtaking,”
said RD. JA was impressed by the speaker’s time-coinci-
dent presentation and freedom from cabinet resonances,
though he was more bothered by its distinctly non-flat fre-
quency response. The new version improves the original’s
power handling and extends its low-frequency response.
“In a modestly sized room, with no help from subwoof-
ers, the TD712zMk.2s delivered sound that was . . . well . . .
extraordinary,” he concluded. Matching sand-filled stands
are included. (Vol.30 No.1, Vol.38 No.5 WWW)
HARBETH MONITOR 30.2 40TH ANNIVERSARY
EDITION: $6890/PAIR (STANDS NECESSARY)
See HR’s review in this issue.
JOSEPH AUDIO PERSPECTIVE: $12,999/PAIR +
The 36"-tall, floorstanding Perspective combines the
same SEAS 1" impregnated-fabric dome tweeter used in
Joseph Audio’s Pulsar with two SEAS 5.5" magnesium-
cone woofers, all mounted on a baffle profiled to optimize
high-frequency dispersion. The woofers are reflex-loaded
with a rear-mounted resistive port—the resistive foam
can be removed for certain applications—and, according
to JA, with “an Asymmetrical Infinite Slope Crossover set
at 2kHz, with about a 40dB/octave low-pass slope for the
woofers.” In his listening, JA noted slightly unforgiving
trebles on recordings with ragged high frequencies, but
with good recordings, the Perspectives delivered “a wide,
rich sweep of full-range sound, with tangible stereo imag-
ing.” JA also noted midrange clarity and lack of coloration,
and that the Perspective’s bass performance required an
amp with a firm hand lest it sound a bit phat. Summing
up with praise for the Perspective’s cosmetics and small
footprint, he concluded: “It’s a lot of high-performance
loudspeaker in a beautiful, modest-sized, domestically
appealing package.” (Vol.37 No.7 WWW)
KEF LS50 ANNIVERSARY MODEL: $1499.99/
PAIR $$$ + (STANDS NECESSARY)
This tribute to the famed LS3/5a monitor was made to
celebrate KEF’s 50th anniversary. Measuring just 11.9"
H by 7.9" W by 10.9" D, the two-way, reflex-loaded design
combines, in KEF’s Uni-Q driver array, a 1" vented alumi-
num-dome tweeter and a 5.25" woofer cone of magne-
sium-aluminum alloy. The beautifully finished, computer-
modeled MDF cabinet incorporates a convex front baffle,
offset port, and damped internal cross-bracing for opti-
mal suppression of external sound radiation and internal
standing waves. The LS50 produced a surprisingly large,
clean, transparent sound, with natural tone color and
precise, stable stereo imaging, said JA, who also noted
superb measured performance. “Recommended. Highly.”
ST found the LS50’s tonality “spot-on, more neutral than
sweet,” adding that the diminutive KEFs could deliver
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
“surprising bass: down to around 50Hz.” ST’s verdict: “I
haven’t had such great sound in my listening room since
the departure of Quad’s ESL-2805 electrostatics.” As SM
put it: “In 13 years of working at Stereophile, I have not
seen another component that offers such a radical com-
bination of value and performance.” Late in 2014, after
spending time with some new LS50 samples that he had
purchased, JA wrote: “[Although] it had been two years
since I’d last listened to the KEF LS50 at home, getting a
new pair reminded me why I had so highly recommended
them. The KEF LS50 gave a sound that was evenly bal-
anced from the upper bass through the high treble, with
superbly defined imaging.” (Vol.35 No.12, Vol.37 Nos. 5 &
6, Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
Kii AUDIO THREE: $16,995/PAIR INCLUDING Kii
CONTROL UNIT (STANDS NECESSARY)
In a field of endeavor in which, according to KR, “we have
not seen anything really new in a long time,” the Kii Three
impressed him as “a refreshing splash of cool water.” This
three-way, six-driver loudspeaker is self-amplified—each
Three contains six 250W Ncore class-D modules—and
uses an integral DSP system to perform crossover func-
tions, room-boundary compensation, phase equalization,
and to allow the user to shape the radiation pattern of
its drivers. (As KR remarked near the end of his review,
“the only valid comparison was with B&O’s BeoLab 90.”)
Bundled with the Three—which stands only 16" tall and is
intended for use on purpose-made stands—is a wired re-
mote control for volume adjustment, input selection, and
other functions. In spite of the Kii’s modest size, it was,
per Kal, “entirely satisfying in delineating the descending
pedal notes” in a favorite pipe-organ recording, and was
“almost unique” in its ability to convey “the sensation of
a single throbbing column of air.” Not only that, but the
Threes’ “dynamic range was huge,” and KR was impressed
by their soundstaging and transparency: “The Kii Three
didn’t just lift a veil away from the music—it removed a
heavy cloak.” In measuring the Kii, JA noted its lively en-
closure, but was otherwise “very impressed.” (Vol.40 No.9
WWW)
MONITOR AUDIO PLATINUM PL300 II:
$14,495/PAIR
A functional—but not cosmetic—update of their original
PL300, Monitor Audio’s latest speaker is a three-way,
four-driver floorstander with two reflex-loaded 8" woof-
ers, a 4" midrange cone, and a Heil-style air-motion
tweeter bearing the Monitor Audio trademark MPD, for
Micro-Pleated Diaphragm. The PL300 II’s curved, mul-
tilayer cabinet is made of a mineral-loaded thermoset
polymer. After extended listening, RD felt that the PL300
II deserved comparison with the legendarily non–boxy-
sounding Quad ESL, ultimately finding that the Monitor
“had less ‘speaker sound’ than any loudspeaker I’ve re-
viewed.” According to RD, “Monitor Audio has managed to
reduce distortion and nonmusical resonances to a degree
that made it easier to imagine that I was listening to live
singers,” and concluded by naming the PL300 II “my new
reference.” Apart from uncovering a lower sensitivity than
specified (87 vs 90dB), JA gave the PL300 II a clean bill of
health: “I am not surprised that RD was impressed . . . so
was I.” (Vol.39 No.11 WWW)
PSB IMAGINE T3: $7498/PAIR
PSB’s new flagship is a three-way, five-driver floorstander
built into what JA described as “a gracefully curved, ve-
neered enclosure, formed under pressure from MDF
laminations” and adding up to “a gorgeous-looking piece
of furniture.” Each of the Imagine T3’s three 7" woofers
is loaded with its own reflex-ported (to the rear) suben-
closure, while the 5.25" midrange driver—whose cone is
formed from the same compressed-felt-and-fiberglass
material as the woofers—has its own sealed enclosure.
The tweeter is a 1" titanium dome, the operating range
of which is extended to a lower-than-usual 1800Hz. JA
achieved the best bass performance when the bottom-
most reflex port on each speaker was occluded by a
rubber plug, supplied by PSB for such in-room tuning.
According to him, the T3’s obvious neutrality kept it from
being impressive in a superficial, fleeting way; rather, as
the review period continued, the Imagine T3s revealed
89

MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
“superb sound quality for what is still a relatively afford-
able price.” Apart from noting a reflex-port resonant peak
that made itself known in the midrange (650Hz) and a dis-
parity between observed and specified crossover frequen-
cies, JA declared that “PSB’s T3 demonstrates excellent
speaker engineering.” (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
QUAD ESL-2912: $13,999/PAIR
The new Quad ESL-2912 electrostatic loudspeaker is
a direct descendent of the Quad ESL-989, itself a varia-
tion on the successful Quad ESL-63—the speaker in
which designer Peter J. Walker introduced his concept of
annular-ring stators fed by progressively delayed signals,
to mimic point-source dispersion. The ESL-989 was, in
essence, a taller ESL-63 with two more bass panels, with
consequently better bass performance and higher maxi-
mum SPL levels. The ESL-2912, manufactured in China, is
offered as a better-built and thus performance-optimized
ESL-989, with such refinements as a stiffer frame, ve-
neered plywood panels intended to further stiffen and
damp the speaker, physical separation of the ESL-2912’s
power-supply and audio circuits, and a more acoustically
transparent grillecloth/sock. RD, no stranger to electro-
stats in general or Quads in particular, praised the ESL-
2912 for its ability to play loudly enough and to provide
sufficient bass extension and power. But, he wrote, “the
greatest strength of the Quad ESL series, beginning with
the ESL-63, has been, and continues to be, its midrange:
smooth, revealing . . . and presenting a virtual open win-
dow on the music.” JA’s measurements uncovered a high
treble range that’s “first a little peaky, then rolls off sharp-
ly above 15kHz or so,” and a “hashy” waterfall plot, the lat-
ter “like that of every other panel speaker I’ve measured.”
(Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
ROCKPORT TECHNOLOGIES AVIOR II:
$38,500/PAIR
The Avior II is a three-way floorstander in a heavily braced,
raked-back enclosure that boasts a triple-laminated, con-
strained-mode-damped construction, all mounted on an
integral base—hence its back-breaking weight of 220 lbs.
The reflex-loaded Avior II uses two 9" carbon-fiber, sand-
wich-composite-cone woofers, designed from the ground
up by Rockport; also designed in-house is the speaker’s
6" carbon-fiber, sandwich-composite-cone midrange
driver—which, like the woofers, has a cast-aluminum
frame and a vented titanium voice-coil former. High fre-
quencies are handled by a 1" beryllium-dome tweeter
from Scan-Speak, housed in a shallow waveguide. Though
installation and setup posed some challenges—have we
mentioned that the uncrated speaker weighs 220 lbs?—
JA was rewarded with speakers that provided a “resolutely
neutral” tonal balance (though they were a bit lean at the
start) and excelled with voices. Also impressive was the
Avior II’s combination of bass extension and low-frequen-
cy transparency: “The Rockport was definitely a bass
guitarist’s speaker,” JA wrote, “offering definition without
boom.” On the downside, he detected a narrowband col-
oration that, with some piano recordings, accentuated
certain notes. Writing from his lab, JA noted that the Avior
II was, at 89dB, 1dB more sensitive than specified, and
praised the “superbly clean initial decay” evident in its cu-
mulative spectral-decay plot. He ultimately declared the
Rockport an example of “excellent speaker engineering.”
(Vol.40 No.8 WWW)
SONUS FABER GUARNERI TRADITION:
$15,900/PAIR (STANDS INCLUDED)
Like its distinguished forebears, this fourth iteration of
the Sonus Faber Guarneri has an enclosure made from
multiple thin sheets of tonewood, the shape of which sug-
gests, in cross section, a lute: a nod to its nominal fam-
ily of luthiers as much as a structurally and acoustically
motivated design element. The two-way design has a 1.1"
silk-dome tweeter, enhanced with a tiny damping pad held
against its diaphragm by a slender exterior bracket, and a
5.9" sandwich-cone mid/bass driver, both on a baffle cov-
ered in Italian leather (the rest of the cabinet is veneered
with the tropical hardwood wengè). The low-frequency
driver is reflex-loaded with a rear-mounted rectangular
port that’s radiused and lined with rubber at its top and
bottom and damped with foam—basic black, of course.
stereophile.com Q April 2018
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
Playback quality was no less elegant: While listening to a
track from Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back, JA noted that
the double-bass line “was reproduced with enough low-
frequency power to support the music, while the image
of the singer was palpable.” In other recordings, low-level
details were clear “without . . . being unnaturally spotlit,”
and JA praised the Sonus Fabers’ “delicate-sounding high
treble” and stable, detailed imaging. Writing from his test
bench, JA observed “a small but well-defined peak” at
2kHz, noting that there is otherwise “a lot to admire in
the Sonus Faber Guarneri Tradition’s measured perfor-
mance.” (Vol.41 No.3 WWW)
SPENDOR D7: $6395/PAIR $$$ +
The British-built D7 is a 2.5-way, 38"-tall floorstander,
with a rated sensitivity of 90 dB/W/m and a nominal
impedance of 8 ohms. Its driver complement includes a
7/ " soft-dome tweeter with a specially designed cover of
8
stainless-steel mesh, a 7" plastic-cone mid/woofer, and a
7" Kevlar-cone woofer, the latter two both made by Spen-
dor and loaded by the same rear-mounted reflex port.
Used with ST’s 80Wpc Quicksilver Silver 88 tubed mono-
blocks—”a superb combination”—and giving their best
about 3' from the wall behind them, the D7s played with
“authority, weight, and speed.” ST praised the speaker’s
fine trebles—”a crystalline clarity that put the Spendor D7
among the finest speakers I have heard at any price”—and
noted that, “40 years on, Spendor is still known for getting
the midrange right.” Although ST’s 3.5Wpc 2A3 amplifier
failed to coax from the D7 sufficient bottom-end authority,
the sound of that combination was “glorious”—and the
Spendor was otherwise easy to drive with tubes or tran-
sistors, ultimately coaxing from the floorstander-phobic
ST the highest praise: “one of the finest loudspeakers I
have had in my listening room.” JA confirmed its distinc-
tion as a 2.5-way (not a 3-way) design, and praised its
overall “excellent measured performance.” (Vol.37 No.9,
Vol.38 No.4 WWW)
TAD MICRO EVOLUTION ONE: $12,495/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
TAD’s first domestic loudspeaker not designed by Andrew
Jones (now of Elac), the Micro Evolution One—ME1 for
short—is a three-way loudspeaker that, at first glance,
appears to have only two drivers: its 1" beryllium-dome
tweeter and 3.5" magnesium-cone midrange driver are,
in fact, concentric with one another, a technology that is
TAD’s spécialité du chez. Lower frequencies are handled
by a 6.5" composite-cone woofer loaded with slots engi-
neered into the sides of the ME1’s plywood, MDF, and steel
enclosures, and which TJN guessed might betray a varia-
tion on aperiodic loading. (Spoiler alert: JA’s measure-
ments uncovered behavior suggestive of traditional reflex
loading.) Used well away from the walls of his 21' by 16'
room, the ME1s impressed TJN with their resolving abil-
ity: “Subtle shadings of instrumental percussion textures
were far more evident than I’m accustomed to hearing,
and the distinct reproduction of the ambience of the re-
cording venue added welcome helpings of air and depth.”
The TAD’s midrange performance was commendably
neutral—”instrumental timbres were convincingly repro-
duced, as were the voices of a wide range of singers”—
but while bass was “consistently tight and well defined,”
the ME1’s response didn’t extend as low as some might
wish, with “just-audible output” at 40Hz. JA’s measure-
ments confirmed the TAD’s less-than-Stygian bass per-
formance—apart from which, he observed that the ME1
offered “excellent measured performance.” Not long after
making those measurements, encouraged by TJN’s posi-
tive report and spurred by an enthusiastic HR, JA installed
the ME1s in his own listening room and proclaimed: “Herb
and Tom were right: It may be expensive, but TAD’s Micro
Evolution One is indeed a special loudspeaker.” Optional
stands, which arrive pre-filled but not pre-assembled, cost
$1795/pair. (Vol.41 Nos. 2 & 3 WWW)
TECHNICS PREMIUM CLASS SB-C700:
$1699/PAIR $$$ (STANDS NECESSARY)
In 2015, Technics re-entered the perfectionist audio
market with four Premium Class products, none more
interesting than the compact and decidedly high-tech
SB-C700 loudspeaker. Standing 13" high, the speaker’s
91
 2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS

"extraordinarily MDF cabinet is designed with a wider-in-the-middle pro-

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file when viewed from the front, and has walls of varying
thickness to help tame internal resonances. The two-way
SB-C700 has a reflex-loaded 6.5" woofer, the flat dia-
phragm of which is a sandwich of carbon cloth and hon-
eycombed aluminum, plus a coaxial 0.75" tweeter with an
aluminum dome and a neodymium magnet. HR put the
SB-C700E through its paces with a variety of amplifiers,
discovering such consistent traits as very good forward
momentum with briskly paced music and laudable clarity
and transparency, and noting that the Technics produced
“not the biggest but perhaps the most properly scaled
soundstage” among the small speakers he’d recently
auditioned. HR added that the Technics speaker reached
lower in the bass and “presented a wider spectrum of
bass detail” than the KEF LS50 and lacked the “treble ex-
aggerations” of the Falcon LS3/5a, although, with some
recordings, it missed a bit of texture and force. Pointing to
its higher-than-specified sensitivity, well-designed reflex
tuning, and “impressively clean” cumulative spectral-
delay plot—among other qualities that became apparent
on his test bench—JA lauded the SB-C700E’s “excellent
audio engineering.” (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
TRENNER & FRIEDL SUN: $3450/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Imagine a SEAS coaxial driver—a 1" silk-dome tweeter set
into the throat of a 4.7" black-anodized aluminum mid/
woofer—in a ported cabinet only 8.5" high by 6.25" wide
by 5.5" deep. That is the Tenner & Friedl Sun, an 82dB-
sensitive loudspeaker that nevertheless impressed the
heck out of KM, who likes his loudspeakers—not to men-
tion his women, his coffee, and his hairstyle—au naturel.
Newcomers Trenner & Friedl, who build the Sun in the
forested countryside of Styria, Austria, claim that the
Sun’s solid-birch cabinet adheres to the oft-mentioned
(especially in sales literature) golden ratio. JA dismissed
that claim as incorrect, but otherwise—and apart from
noting the presence on all cabinet surfaces of a 605Hz
mode—declared that the Sun “offers excellent measured
performance.” KM praised the Sun for its “ample bass
reproduction” in his New York City apartment, its “terrific
drive [and] clarity,” and its “astounding rhythmic drive”
when partnered with the right amplifier. Ken’s conclusion:
“a modern classic.” (Vol.40 No.1 WWW)
TRIANGLE SIGNATURE DELTA: $8000/PAIR +
Triangle’s Signature Delta is a three-way floorstander
whose drivers and enclosure are all designed and manu-
factured in-house, said house being in France. Its two
7.3" fiberglass-cone woofers are loaded by a bifurcated
reflex port on the front, while a 7.3" paper-cone midrange
driver handles most of the audioband. That midrange is
of notably limited excursion, in which vintage context the
Signature Delta’s horn-loaded titanium-dome tweeter,
mounted atop the 4'-tall, curved-sidewall cabinet, fits
well. Triangle specifies the Signature Delta’s sensitivity
as 92dB/W/m and its impedance as 8 ohms nominal, 3.2
ohms minimum (but see below). JA praised the Triangle’s
bass, observing that “a pipe-organ recording . . . had tre-
mendous weight through the Deltas when the bass ped-
als descended to 32Hz,” while noting that the Delta’s low
frequencies had “excellent pace and force” and “[a] pro-
pulsive way with well-recorded rock.” JA praised as equally
important the speaker’s resolution and clarity, and noted
a superior “jump factor” that did not compromise neutral-
ity: “Unless you like your music tame and uninvolving, this
is a speaker well worth an audition.” In his measurements,
JA described the Signature Delta as “a well-engineered,
. well-optimized loudspeaker,” although he uncovered an
unkind impedance-phase angle at 82Hz that would seem
to require a well-muscled amp. (Vol.37 No.9 WWW)
VOLTI AUDIO RIVAL: $7900/PAIR
The smaller and less expensive sibling of the well-regard-
ed Volti Vittora, the Rival combines a 15" paper-cone woof-
er with a rectangular-mouthed wooden horn driven by a
compression driver with a 3.5" phenolic diaphragm, and
a 1" compression tweeter mounted to a molded Tractrix-
flare horn with a 1" compression driver. The crossovers are
adjustable, and a range of finish options is available. (The
price above is for cabinetry with just a satin lacquer fin-
ish on its birch outer ply, and without the optional grilles.)
Driven by a modestly powered Shindo Laboratory tube
amp in KM’s modestly sized room, the 125-lb Rivals “man-
aged the sort of ‘disappearing’ act I’ve heard only from
electrostatic panels.” The sorts of colorations that some
associate with horns never intruded—”the Rivals were
the most neutral, transparent, dynamic speakers I’ve
heard”—and although some adjustments were required
to prevent them from sounding lean, ultimately, bass per-
formance was “as riveting, powerful, and forceful, and as
full of tone, texture, and energy as I’ve heard.” KM’s con-
clusion: “a true bargain.” JA’s technical assessment: “one
of the highest-sensitivity loudspeakers I’ve measured,”
whose perceived balance “will depend to a greater degree
than usual on the . . . size and acoustics of the room.”
(Vol.40 No.6 WWW)
WILSON AUDIO SPECIALTIES DUETTE SERIES 2:
$22,500/PAIR (STANDS INCLUDED)
In the words of company founder/chief designer Dave
Wilson, the Duette Series 2 loudspeaker was created for
a “hostile environment,” the definition of which includes
limited floor space and the need to keep loudspeakers
close to room boundaries. Codesigner Daryl Wilson made
for the Series 2 a new stand, to which the crossover and
connecting cables are integral. Other refinements include
a more sculpted shape, and a new treble driver derived
from the Convergent Synergy tweeter Dave Wilson de-
signed for his top-of-the-line Alexandria XLF. Driven by
low-power tube amps, the Series 2 Duettes impressed AD
with how they “nailed the timbral colors of instruments
and voice alike, with generous and very realistic satura-
tion.” And although the Duettes didn’t have quite the scale
or impact of his large Altec horns, AD observed that the
Wilsons’ “deep-bass power and extension were surpris-
ingly good for their size. Cellos sounded subjectively
undiminished down to their lowest tones, as did timpani
and most double-bass notes, while nearly full weight was
given to the orchestral bass drum.” JA’s measurements
confirmed the high (91.6dB) sensitivity of the Duette Se-
ries 2, and he confirmed that, “Overall, the Wilson Duette’s
measured performance suggests that it is a well-engi-
neered design optimized for use close to the wall behind
it.” (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)
WILSON AUDIO SPECIALTIES SABRINA:
$15,900/PAIR
Approximately the size of the original WATT/Puppy
combo, the single-box, three-way Sabrina enters the Wil-
son line just below the Sophia 3—which was, until now,
the company’s entry-level floorstander. The Sabrina has
an 8" paper-composite woofer, a 5.7" paper-composite
midrange driver, and a 1" doped-silk dome tweeter based
on the Convergent Synergy tweeter first used in Wilson’s
Alexandria XLF, all built into a sleekly sculpted MDF cabi-
net with a baffle made of Wilson’s proprietary X-material.
Driven with a Theta Digital Prometheus amplifier, a pair of
Sabrinas treated RD to a level of dynamic-contrast repro-
duction that “came closer to [my Avantgarde horns] than
any other speaker I’ve reviewed.” RD also raved about the
Wilsons’ lack of cabinet colorations, their “wide and deep”
soundstage with “precisely defined” imaging, and their
“first-rate” resolution. In his measurements, JA uncovered
slightly higher-than-specified sensitivity (88.2 vs 87dB)
and praised the overall design as “carefully optimized.”
Extra points for being the first Wilson floorstander to ship
via UPS rather than common carrier, thus contributing to
its affordability. (Vol.39 No.5 WWW)
YG ACOUSTICS CARMEL 2: $24,300/PAIR
The entry-level loudspeaker from Colorado-based YG
Acoustics, the Carmel—now revised as the Carmel 2,
with curved rather than straight sides and baffle—is a
two-way design in a sealed enclosure of CNC-machined
aluminum. Its 7" aluminum-cone woofer is made in-
house, as is the aluminum frame for its 1" soft-dome
tweeter; even the air-core inductors for the Carmel 2’s
crossover network are wound on the premises. Perhaps
counterintuitively, setting up the Carmel 2s in JA’s room
proved trickier than with YGA’s larger, more complex Sonja
1.3, the best results in terms of bass smoothness being
achieved with an asymmetrical installation relative to the

92 April 2018 Q stereophile.com


MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
side walls, and the best tonal coherence achieved with a
PrimaLuna tubed integrated amplifier. JA described the
Carmel 2’s midrange as “superbly natural,” and said that
“its clean highs gave the cymbals and triangle a superbly
real quality” on a DSD file of a Lyn Stanley album of vocal
standards. Notwithstanding the Carmel 2’s “ungenerous”
bass, JA concluded that, “properly set up in a sympathetic
acoustic and matched with appropriate electronics, it will
sing.” JA noted that, in its bass alignment, the Carmel 2
does indeed maximize low-frequency articulation at the
expense of “body,” and praised the speaker’s quasi-an-
echoic response curve as “one of the flattest I have ever
measured.” (Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
B (FULL-RANGE)
ALTA TITANIUM HESTIA: $32,000/PAIR
Weighing 135 lbs and standing nearly 54" tall, the Tita-
nium Hestia is, in JCA’s words, “imposing but not huge,”
its cabinetry made from a multilayer epoxy material
called DampHard and finished in glossy black. That en-
closure mixes open-baffle and pseudo-transmission-line
technologies: the former for its RAAL ribbon tweeter and
three midrange cones (one 6" and two 7", all with titanium
voice-coil formers), the latter for its woofer (a 10" cone
with titanium former). In his large listening room, after an
extensive setup process—their generous bass response
required extra care to avoid unwanted resonant behav-
ior and excessive low-frequency room gain—the Hestias
rewarded JCA with “a detailed architectural portrait in
sound,” and he noted that symphonies and symphonic
rock alike had “real rumble and serious scale,” though they
also “made smaller-scale works sound bigger.” But he felt
that their generous bass was at times too generous: “dou-
ble basses often had too much tone relative to texture.”
In measuring the Hestia, JA observed a sensitivity much
lower than specified—82.5dB as opposed to 90dB—as
well as high-level resonant modes in the bass enclosure,
and even more severe low-frequency modes in the front-
panel port that loads the woofer. (Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
BOWERS & WILKINS 683 S2: $1650/PAIR $$$
The numbers tell an unusual story: The three-way,
floorstanding 683 S2 would seem almost identical to
Bowers & Wilkins’ well-reviewed 804 Diamond (Vol.36
No.9) in every way—save for the $6000 difference in price
per pair. As KR found, the Chinese-built, medium-sensitiv-
ity 683 S2 provided satisfying bass response, with “clean
and full” organ notes and, in orchestral music, timpani
that had “heft and impact.” Spatially, the B&W’s center-fill
so impressed KR that he left his seat “to make sure that,
somehow, my disconnected center speaker hadn’t gotten
magically reconnected.” KR’s verdict: The five-times-as-
expensive 804 Diamond “scores over the 683 S2 only
with some singing voices and in extension/enhancement
at the extremes of the audioband.” Test results, generally
unremarkable, follow in what JA describes as a B&W tra-
dition: speakers that don’t measure quite as well as they
could, but whose performance on the test bench reveals
a product whose sound “has been carefully managed and
[is] better than one might expect” for the price. (Vol.38
No.9 WWW)
BRYSTON MIDDLE T: $6240/PAIR +
A floorstanding tower just under 40" tall, the Bryston Mid-
dle T—the name is a reference to designer and Bryston co-
founder James Tanner—is a three-way, reflex-loaded loud-
speaker with a complex, well-braced, and ultimately heavy
(over 80 lbs) enclosure. The Middle T has a 1" metal-dome
tweeter, a 5.25" polypropylene-cone midrange driver, and
two 8" polypropylene-cone woofers, the last loaded by
twin rear-firing reflex ports. With the Brystons in place of
his usual B&W 800 Diamonds, KR reported “such integ-
rity that it might have been generated by a single driver
. . . large, holographic soundstages that approached what
I enjoy with my multichannel system . . . thrilling new de-
tail” from old, familiar recordings, and bass that was “out-
standing for a speaker of this size.” On the downside, KR
noted that “male voices sounded natural, but somewhat
richer” than he’s used to, and was disappointed by the ap-
pearance of the wood veneer and the “ungainly” grilles. JA
found lower sensitivity than claimed (85 vs 88dB/W/m),
stereophile.com Q April 2018
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and an impedance curve that, in his words, “starts to
resemble a short circuit at ultrasonic frequencies,” indi-
cating the need for care in the selection of a partnering
amp. Rosewood veneer adds $800/pair. Vinyl available at
special order for $4680/pair. (Vol.38 No.2 WWW)
DALI RUBICON 8: $7995/PAIR +
Neither a two-way nor even a three-way loudspeaker, the
Rubicon 8 is referred to by its manufacturer, DALI, as a
“2½+½+½-way” loudspeaker: None of its three 6.5"
woofers covers the same range as the others, and only the
one at the loudspeaker’s (physical) top extends as high
as 2.5kHz, whence the music is given over to a 1.15” soft-
dome tweeter, which itself hands off to a ribbon supert-
weeter at 14kHz. Although each is operated over a differ-
ent frequency range, all three woofers are, in JA’s words,
“technically sophisticated,” and benefit from a proprietary
material said to reduce hysteresis distortion. They and the
higher-frequency drivers are all made by DALI, and are in-
stalled on the front baffle of a 43.5”-tall MDF enclosure,
the rear panel being taken up by two pairs of binding
posts and three reflex ports. JA reported hearing good
bass weight—although some lower-pitched instruments
sounded “overripe” and “a little on the rich side”—and
noted that “the Rubicon 8’s reproduction of the top oc-
taves was superb.” JA also noted that, “With all record-
ings I played, the Rubicon 8s threw a solid, well-defined,
impressively stable soundstage, with precise layering of
image depth.” Writing from his lab, JA suggested that the
DALI’s measured performance “indicates a careful bal-
ance of its design parameters to produce a seductive yet
clean full-range sound.” (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)
FOCAL SOPRA NO.3: $19,999/PAIR
Standing 49.8" high and weighing a hefty 154.3 lbs each,
Focal’s Sopra No.3 is big if not quite titanic—and, as KR
pointed out, “When it comes to bass, big is good.” Indeed,
the Sopra No.3 employs two of Focal’s 8.25" W-cone woof-
ers (W being a stiff material with a structural foam core
sandwiched by skins of woven glass fiber), complemented
by a 6.5" midrange driver (also made of W) in the top en-
closure and, in its wedge-shaped intermediate section,
Focal’s emblematic tweeter with inverted beryllium dome.
Once the positions of the Sopras were fine-tuned—it took
a bit of doing—KR was treated to “fully detailed bass,
stable imaging across the spectrum, and appropriate
ambient decay.” In measuring the No.3, JA found highish
(89.2dB) sensitivity but an impedance curve suggest-
ing both that the Focal is “a difficult load” and that it will
sound a bit brighter with tube amps, given the latters’ typ-
ically high output impedances. That said, JA noted that,
“Overall, this big speaker measured very well.” Borderline
Class A, feels JA. KR demurs. (Vol.40 No.4 WWW)
FOCAL ARIA 936: $3999/PAIR $$$ +
This three-way, five-driver, French-made floorstander is
among the first products to use Focal’s new driver-cone
material: a sandwich of flax and fiberglass that’s said to
offer low mass, high rigidity, and good self-damping prop-
erties. That material finds its way into the Aria 936’s three
6.5" woofers and single 6.5" midrange driver, while its 1"
dome tweeter is made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy,
also new. The 936 also has three reflex ports—two on the
front, one on the bottom—and a spiked plinth, the design
of which contributed to easy setup work for RD, who also
praised the 45"-tall Aria 936 for its “big, spacious sound”
and for being “tonally neutral, with impressive dynamics,
and powerful bass for the size of the speaker.” RD also sin-
gled out for praise the Focal’s treble range, for sounding
“clean and extended but not overly bright, with no empha-
sis added to sibilants.” At the other end, “double basses,
bowed or plucked, were firm, not weak or exaggerated.”
RD added that, although “the Aria 936 couldn’t match
the startling dynamics of the horn-hybrid Avantgarde Uno
Nano, it came surprisingly close.” JA’s measurements con-
firmed the 936’s good sensitivity but found a wider low-
impedance range than implied by its 8-ohm rating, thus
indicating the need for a non-wimpy amplifier. Otherwise,
his test results confirmed the Focal’s standing as “an ex-
traordinary value.” (Vol.37 No.11 WWW)
GOLDENEAR TECHNOLOGY TRITON ONE:
$4999.98/PAIR $$$ +

SUBWOOFERS
Preceded in the GoldenEar line by a number of less-ex-
pensive loudspeakers, the Triton One is their new flagship:
a 54"-tall tower whose cloth wrap conceals a powered,
passive-radiator–loaded subwoofer system, two 5.25"
midrange drivers, and, as RD describes it, “GoldenEar’s
version of the famed Heil Air-Motion Transformer, called
a High-Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter.” Other distinc-
tions include a fully balanced crossover, the use of DSP
in the active portions of said crossover, and a 1600W
internal subwoofer amp. According to RD, the Triton One
performed with little strain on music played at “impress-
your-friends levels,” but that was far from this pony’s only
trick: “I could play the speakers at a low level and all the
music was still there.” He added, “the bass always tuneful
and firm. In music that didn’t reach down into the deep
bass, there was no midbass emphasis to give a false im-
pression that there was deep bass.” JA’s measurements
confirmed the Triton One’s high sensitivity, but noted an
impedance-phase angle sufficiently challenging that the
user “will require a good 4 ohm–rated amplifier to drive
the speaker to acceptably high levels.” In all, JA declared
this latest GoldenEar to be “another finely engineered
loudspeaker.” Borderline Class A. (Vol.38 No.2 WWW)
GOLDENEAR TECHNOLOGY TRITON TWO+:
$3499.98/PAIR $$$
Designed by a team led by industry veteran Sandy Gross
and made in China, the original Triton Two was a three-
way floorstander with a unique array of drive-units: a
High-Velocity Folded Ribbon tweeter, two 4.5" midrange
cones, two 10" by 7" passive radiators, and two 9" by 5"
cone woofers powered by a 1200W class-D amplifier. The
speaker’s slim cabinet is made of high-density Medite,
features a separate subenclosure for the midrange driv-
ers, and is covered in black cloth. Though it exhibited
some box colorations when pushed too loud, the Triton
Two offered sweet, detailed highs, an uncolored midrange,
well-extended lows, and excellent dynamics, said RD in
2012. In 2016, GoldenEar released the Triton Two+, with
improved midrange/upper-bass drivers that feature new
cones, surrounds, spiders, and voice-coils. (The other
drivers remain the same.) Other improvements, including
a revision to one leg of the crossover network and fine-
tuning of the DSP that manages the handoff to the pow-
ered woofers, are also reported by the manufacturer. With
the revised speakers in his system, RD heard “clarity and
transparency that exceeded” what he remembered of the
original Triton Twos, and suggested that the Two+ had less
of a “speaker sound” than its predecessor. (Vol.35 Nos. 2
& 10, Vol.39 No.12 WWW)
KEF REFERENCE 5: $19,000/PAIR
Like its stablemate, the demiflagship Blade Two (see
elsewhere in Recommended Components), KEF’s Refer-
ence 5 uses a Uni-Q coincident driver array to cover most
of the audioband, plus four 6.5" aluminum-cone woofers
for the lowest octaves. The most apparent distinction is in
the Reference 5’s enclosure: whereas the woofers in the
Blade Two are fixed to the sides of a parabolically curved,
narrow-fronted enclosure of high-density polymer, the
Reference 5’s woofers are mounted on the front of a
conventional-looking floorstanding enclosure, its greatest
departure from convention being KEF’s choice of alumi-
num for the front baffle. The woofers are reflex loaded by
means of two adjustable ports on the rear panel. JA noted
the Reference 5s’ “weighty but well-defined lows” and
“sweet, smooth highs,” and was mightily impressed with
their spatial performance, noting their ability to resolve
image depth with even mono recordings and observing,
with a recording of his own making, that the Reference 5s
didn’t skimp in conveying reverberant information. Writ-
ing from his test bench, JA noted the KEF’s benign load
characteristics and praised its “excellent” engineering.
(Vol.40 No.10 WWW)
MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 300: $2000/PAIR
Compared to its predecessor, the three-way, four-driver
Silver 8, Monitor Audio’s Silver 300 floorstander is similar
in size, specifications, even price. The differences—apart
from adding 292 to the model number—all come down
to sound-enhancing refinements: a newly designed
tweeter fires from behind a grille whose perforations are
stereophile.com Q April 2018
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
asymmetrical in the vertical but not the horizontal plane.
Each drive-unit is held in place with a single long bolt fas-
tened to a threaded insert on the enclosure’s rear panel,
for rigidity. And a mounting plinth has given way to four
steel outriggers, to provide a wider, more stable stance.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, KR wasn’t surprised to find the
Silver 300s “just as immediately appealing” as the Silver
8s: “Male and female voices, and orchestral and solo wind
instruments, were tonally balanced and clearly delineat-
ed.” He also noted that, “in terms of grip and delineation,
the Silver 300’s bass response was better than I might
have expected from two 6" woofers.” In measuring the
Silver 300, JA noted that it came within 1.2dB of its high
specified 90dB sensitivity, and that, in terms of imped-
ance, “this speaker won’t tax the amplifiers with which it
is used.” All in all, the Monitor Silver 300 impressed JA as
“a well-engineered design.” (Vol.41 No.3 WWW)
PARADIGM PRESTIGE 95F: $4998/PAIR
The top model in Paradigm’s midprice Prestige series, the
Canada-made 95F is a 2.5-way bass-reflex floorstander
with a 1" aluminum-dome tweeter and no fewer than
three 8" aluminum-cone woofers, one of which goes all
the way up to 2kHz. (The other two venture no higher
than 400Hz.) All drivers are proprietary, the tweeter be-
ing distinguished by a Perforated Phase Alignment (PPA)
lens that appears, at first glance, to be a simple protec-
tive screen. The hefty (98 lbs) MDF enclosure rests on
aluminum outriggers with adjustable feet; two pairs of
binding posts are provided, to enable biwiring where de-
sired. Notwithstanding his initial concern over handing off
a highish range of frequencies to an 8" driver, TJN “heard
no consistent problems in the speaker’s upper midrange
and low treble,” and went on to praise the 95F’s “tightly
and consistently focused” imaging—though he added
that “the 95F wasn’t particularly forgiving of overbright
source material.” The speaker’s bass performance, TJN
noted, may be best suited to larger-than-average rooms.
JA’s tests uncovered some lively cabinet panels, slightly
elevated tweeter output, wiggy response on the part of
the highest-reaching woofer, and measurable differences
between the left and right speakers. (Vol.39 No.1 WWW)
VIENNA ACOUSTICS BEETHOVEN
BABY GRAND-SE: $6598/PAIR +
The drivers in this three-way floorstander comprise a
1.1" hand-coated silk-dome tweeter, a 6" midrange driver
made of the company’s proprietary X3P polymer, and
two 6" woofers made of the same transparent material,
stiffened with the radial ribs that have become a Vienna
Acoustics trademark. The crossover uses first- and sec-
ond-order filters at 150Hz and 2.3kHz, and at the rear of
the enclosure, next to the reflex port, is a single pair of
binding posts. In TJN’s generously sized listening room,
the Beethoven Baby Grand Symphony Editions sounded
“’open and airy’ . . . but not at all hard.” At the other end
of the audioband, “bass seemed more subdued than
smash-mouthed, but I never found it lacking.” Overall,
listening to a variety of recordings through two different
front ends, TJN found that the speaker’s “lively but always
natural-sounding balance kept me listening to recordings
long after I’d planned to move on to others.” In measuring
the Viennas, JA found considerably lower sensitivity than
the specified 91dB, and, despite a benign electrical phase-
angle curve, recommended use of a good 4-ohm–rated
amp. He also found some wrinkles in the performance of
the midrange driver, but observed that in this speaker’s
“carefully balanced design,” the effects of those flaws are
reduced by other factors. (Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
B and a 0.78" titanium dome—and a 7.8" mid/woofer whose
DEVORE FIDELITY ORANGUTAN O/93:
$8400/PAIR $$$ +
Made in Brooklyn, New York, the Orangutan O/93 is a
two-way floorstanding loudspeaker with a 1" soft-dome
tweeter and a 10" paper-cone bass/midrange driver. It
measures 35.5" H by 15" W by 10" D, and has a claimed
sensitivity of 93dB and a nominal impedance of 10 ohms.
The beautifully finished cabinet is made from a combi-
nation of Baltic birch plywood and MDF; the front baffle
has a distinctive fiddleback mahogany veneer, while the
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
sides, back, and rear are veneered in maple and finished
in high-gloss piano-black lacquer. Driven by ST’s Unison
Research Simply Italy, the DeVores delivered a lively, im-
mediate sound, with a sweet and extended treble, punchy
bass, and a deep, wide soundstage with excellent center
fill. (Vol.37 No.1, Vol.38 No.12, Vol.39 No.6 WWW)
DYNAUDIO EXCITE X14: $1299/PAIR $$$ +
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Descended from Dynaudio’s Excite X12, itself a “Recom-
mended Components” stalwart, the Excite X14 is a small-
ish (11.2" tall) two-way stand-mounter with a reflex port at
the rear. Compared with its predecessor, the X14 boasts a
redesigned 5.7" woofer, a more advanced coating for its 1"
fabric-dome tweeter, a new crossover, and a refinement of
its port tuning. The late BJR praised the X14 for a treble
range that was “cleaner and more articulate in high-level
passages” than its predecessor’s, and noted that he was
“very impressed with the Excite X14’s bass performance
throughout a wide range of recordings.” The verdict: “Dy-
naudio has taken all of the aspects of the Excite X12 that
I liked and improved them across the board,” creating in
the process BJR’s “new favorite bookshelf loudspeaker
for under $2000.” In his measurements, JA confirmed that
the X14 is easier to drive than the X12, and pronounced
the new model “a well-engineered design.” For his part, HR
described the speaker’s sound as “sober precision,” noting
that, through the X14s, “the bass is taut, fast, and detailed;
the midrange lacks a bit of color and plushness; high fre-
quencies are beautifully articulated, and never too wet or
too dry.” The Dynaudio Excite X14 is also available in active
form as the Excite X14A ($2000/pair), wherein each driver
gets its own internal 50W class-D amplifier. On its rear
panel are EQ switches for adjusting bass, midrange, and,
you guessed it, treble, plus a switchable high-pass filter for
those who want to use the X14A with a subwoofer. With a
Mytek Stereo192-DSD DAC as his source component, ML
found the self-powered Dynaudios “excellent all around,
throwing out an all-encompassingly rich and physical
sound.” (Vol.37 No.10, Vol.38 No.9, Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
FALCON ACOUSTICS LS3/5A: $2995/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
In contrast to a typical ultradamped, ultraheavy, ultrabig
speaker—which, according to HR, can sound an awful lot
like “a moaning, wheezing pile of wood”—Falcon Acous-
tics’ BBC-licensed LS3/5a loudspeaker proved capable of
delivering “expression, transparency, [and] tonal purity.”
This true vintage reissue, created in part by the man who
oversaw production of the KEF 127mm Bextrene-cone
mid/woofer of the 1974 original, went so far as to make
HR’s own ca 1985 Rogers LS3/5as “sound a tad drowsy
and fuzzy” by comparison. In HR’s room, the Falcons
loved low-powered amps—especially low-powered tube
amps such as the 22Wpc Line Magnetic LM518IA—but
turned up their noses at class-D amplification. In mea-
suring the Falcons, JA went to the well and compared his
findings with measurements, made throughout his 30+
years at Stereophile’s helm, of earlier LS3/5a iterations.
His verdict: Falcon Acoustics “has resisted the temptation
to ‘improve’ the sound quality, but has also managed to
re-create what made the speaker great in the first place.”
(Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
HARBETH SUPER HL5plus: $6995/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Like the sturgeon, the hellbender, and the woodlouse, the
Super HL5plus bears an unusually strong resemblance
to its prehistoric ancestor.” Thus did AD put into context
this most recent Harbeth: an update of the classic British
box designed around two tweeters—a 1" aluminum dome
cone is made from RADIAL2, the very latest version of
Harbeth’s proprietary polymeric composite (and the rea-
son for the nominal plus). AD praised the stand-mounted
Harbeth’s “easy clarity” and the good degree of touch and
force with which it reproduced notes in the bass range.
The Super HL5plus was, he said, “somewhat more mod-
ern sounding” than its immediate predecessors. JA noted
the Harbeth’s intentionally lively enclosure, yet described
the speaker’s measured performance as otherwise “be-
yond reproach.” (Vol.38 No.6 WWW)
95
YPSILON ELECTRONICS
www.ypsilonelectronics.com

SUBWOOFERS
QUAD S-2: $999/PAIR $$$
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Like Quad’s very first loudspeaker, which bowed in 1949,
their newest is not an electrostatic panel; rather, the Quad
S-2 is a stand-mounted minimonitor in which a reflex-
loaded 5" Kevlar mid/bass driver hands off to a 1.75"-long
ribbon tweeter, the moving element of which is given extra
strength by a very thin deposition of polycarbonate. The
13" by 7.1" by 10.25" (HWD) cabinet, which incorporates a
rear-firing reflex port, is made of MDF sheets with rounded
corners and rolled edges, and comes in a natural Sapele
Mahogany veneer (black oak, Piano White, and Piano
Black are also available). Used on 24"-tall steel stands,
a pair of S-2s impressed KM by allowing large-ensemble
jazz to sound “very big, very dynamic, and very extended.”
KM heard levels of purity and clarity he’d never heard from
traditional dome tweeters—the S-2s “sometimes sound-
ed literally incandescent”—as well as an ability to repro-
duce “richly tonal electric-bass notes, delivered with fine
texture and copious weight.” But to do all that, the Quads
required a bit more than the 20Wpc offered by his Shindo
Haut-Brion amp: “To hit their stride, I would guess the
Quad S-2s require power in the 45-65Wpc range.” Writing
from his test bench, JA confirmed the Quad’s 87dB sen-
sitivity but noted some panel resonances—ultimately in-
audible, it seems—as well as a “somewhat underdamped”
woofer alignment. The Quad’s cumulative spectral-decay
plot on its tweeter axis was “superbly clean,” correlat-
ing with the speaker’s high perceived purity and clarity.
(Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
REVEL PERFORMA3 M106: $2000/PAIR +
(STANDS NECESSARY)
A two-way, reflex-loaded speaker intended to be bolted
to a matching M stand ($500/pair), the M106 is from
Revel’s Performa3 line of US-designed, Indonesian-made
speakers. Its drive-units are a 1" aluminum-dome tweeter
fitted with a waveguide said to improve dispersion above
8kHz—thus smoothing its frequency response and adding
to the M106’s detail resolution and spaciousness—and a
reflex-loaded, 6.5" aluminum-cone mid/woofer. BJR: “The
M106’s stiff enclosure has its curved side panels formed
from contiguous wood layers and is stiffened with stra-
tegically oriented bracing,” and “the speaker’s rear-firing
port has identical flares at both ends”—to minimize com-
pression and noise, of course. BJR said of the M106, “Its
strengths impressed me across the board, especially for
a speaker of its size and price,” noting in particular the
Revel’s superb ability to articulate transients, its fine up-
per-bass clarity, and its low-bass forcefulness: “I found the
speaker’s bottom end impressive for a bookshelf model
of its size.” In addition to observing that “an amplifier or
receiver rated at 4 ohms would probably work best with
this speaker,” JA noted “excellent measured performance
that in turn reveals inspired audio engineering.” Later in
2014, JA brought home the review pair, and compared
them with a pair of the well-regarded KEF LS50: “[The]
M106es did a little better when it came to separating the
strands in [a] dense mix . . . [but] as much as I appreciated
the Revel’s transparency to recorded detail, its treble was
a little unforgiving.” But JA, whose room is not at all over-
damped, then added: “In rooms that are larger than mine
and/or more damped in the treble . . . the Revel M106’s
treble would tend to sound in better balance with the mid-
range.” (Vol.37 No.9, Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
SONY SS-NA5ES: $6000/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
With the SS-NA5ES, Sony takes aim at what AD described
as a lofty goal: “to create a compact loudspeaker that’s as
well balanced and as reliably musical as their SS-NA2ES
floorstander.” And while at first glance the finished prod-
uct appears to be an SS-NA2ES with its bottom two-thirds
missing, the reality is more complex. Here, the larger
speaker’s 5" spiral-cut paper midrange driver has been
replaced by an identically sized aluminum-cone woofer,
and the loading scheme has been altered accordingly.
That said, the SS-NA5ES retains the larger speaker’s I-
Array of two 0.75" soft-dome tweeters straddling a single
1" soft-dome tweeter, all three covering the same band-
width. In his system, used on 23.5" stands (not included),
stereophile.com Q April 2018
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
the smallest Sonys impressed AD with their “masterly,”
“clear,” and “authoritative” sound, and provided espe-
cially good reproduction of singing voices: “Alfred Deller’s
distinctive tone and diction . . . emerged unscathed, with
appropriate timbral warmth and presence.” While noting
that it will sound best “when used with amplifiers that are
comfortable driving 4 ohm loads,” JA wrote that, “[like
the floorstanding SS-NA2ES], the SS-NA5ES is a well-
engineered loudspeaker.” (Vol.39 No.8 WWW)
TOTEM SIGNATURE ONE: $2650/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Essentially a modern take on the company’s ground-
breaking Model 1 loudspeaker of the late 1980s, the To-
tem Signature One is both bigger than its forebear—its
cellulose-acrylic-cone woofer is itself as large in diameter
as the Model 1’s cabinet was wide—and twice as heavy.
Joining that 6.5" woofer, which is reflex-loaded by a rear-
firing port, is a 1" SEAS tweeter with a dome of aluminum-
titanium alloy, rear-loaded with a chamber of its own. The
veneered cabinet is made from ¾"-thick MDF with lock-
miter joints, and its interior surfaces are both veneered
(for stability) and coated with a borosilicate-loaded
damping compound. After devoting considerable time
to optimizing the Totems’ positions in the room, HR was
particularly impressed with their bass performance: “If a
small loudspeaker like the Totem Signature One can de-
liver a little power and scale from pipe-organ recordings,
as it did . . . and if it can make [bassist Charlie] Haden’s
notes unique in a noticeable way, that is all the bass power
and quality I require.” HR also praised the Signature Ones’
imaging as “a special joy,” but felt that comparable book-
shelf speakers offer better “texture, transparency, and
tone,” the Totems on occasion seeming “a little thin” by
comparison—yet, by the end of the review period, more
setup work yielded “improved instrumental corporeality.”
In measuring the Signature One, JA noted lower-than-
specified sensitivity—83.5 vs 87dB—as well as cabinet
and, especially, reflex-port resonances. Otherwise, the
Signature One “measured better than its predecessors.”
(Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
WILSON BENESCH SERIES II SQUARE ONE:
$5195/PAIR (INCLUDING STANDS)
The luxuriously finished Series II Square One—JM’s re-
view samples, the fit and finish of which he described as
“second to none,” were clad in Ebonized Walnut Gloss—is
a two-way loudspeaker whose 1" soft-dome tweeter and
7" midbass driver are augmented with a 7" rear-mounted
passive radiator and two bottom-mounted vents; dedi-
cated stands accommodate the latter via metal standoffs
that nonetheless hold the enclosure rigidly in place. The
claimed sensitivity is 87dB, with impedances of 6 ohms
nominal and 4 ohms minimum, and bass extension down
to 45Hz. JM confirmed that last spec, noting performance
in his room down to 44.1Hz: “very impressive for a speaker
with an internal volume of only 10 liters.” He also praised
the Square Ones for “remarkable depth of soundstage”
and “exemplary” clarity on piano, and concluded that the
speaker “absolutely deserves a very high Class B (Re-
stricted LF) rating.” In measurements conducted for his
Follow-Up report, JA found a sensitivity only slightly less
than spec, plus “well-controlled horizontal dispersion,
and clean decay in the treble.” But he also uncovered a
response peak between 3 and 7kHz, and suggested that
the Series II Square One will sound best when the listen-
er’s ears are between 5° and 10° below the tweeter axis.
(Vol.38 Nos. 8 & 9 WWW)
ZU AUDIO SOUL SUPREME: $4500/PAIR
(MAY BE HIGHER DEPENDING ON FINISH)
As HR was advised before reviewing Zu’s Soul Supreme,
“this is not your normal two-drivers-in-a-ported-MDF-box
loudspeaker.” Indeed, the Soul Supreme mates a 10.3"
full-range driver, complete with whizzer cone, to a tweeter
comprising a 113dB-sensitive Radian compression driver,
loaded with an aluminum-alloy horn that stands proud of
the 37.7”-tall cabinet. Bass extension and impact are max-
imized by the company’s Zu-Griewe loading technology,
the crossover is as minimal as can be, and the overall sys-
tem sensitivity is specced at 97dB, with a tube-friendly 16
ohm nominal impedance. HR’s listening notes point to the
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
Soul Supreme’s vivid microtextures, exceptional musical
flow and viscosity, and massive and abundant dynamic
slam. His conclusions: “These speakers represent what
I value in audio engineering. These speakers get me and
I get these speakers! Highly recommended; high Class
B.” JA’s measurements uncovered lower sensitivity than
advertised (a still-high 91dB instead of 97dB), but por-
trayed the Soul Supreme as “a very easy load.” And while
JA noted some wrinkles in the Zu’s cumulative spectral-
decay plot, these were not as audible as he’d expected: “I
enjoyed the afternoon I spent listening to the speakers in
Herb’s system.” (Vol.39 No.7 WWW)
C
GOLDENEAR TECHNOLOGY TRITON FIVE:
$1999.98/PAIR
A two-way loudspeaker with three active drivers and four
passive radiators, the Triton Five is the second-least-
expensive model in GoldenEar’s Triton line of floorstand-
ers. Centered in a D’Appolito configuration at the top of
this tower is the company’s Oskar Heil–inspired High
Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeter, straddled by two
6" cone woofers that are reflex loaded not by a port but
by four side-mounted 8" passive diaphragms. The Triton
Five’s enclosure is otherwise a sealed box, covered with a
stretched polyester sock. According to HR, the Triton Five
was “a perfect match” with his Line Magnetic LM-518IA
integrated amp, and although the very smooth-sounding
GoldenEar didn’t deliver the punch, sparkle, or flesh and
blood of the more expensive DeVore Fidelity Orangutan
O/93, it earned praise for re-creating “big, open, fully
constituted” spaces. According to HR, even when heard
to its worst advantage, the Triton Five “sounded beauti-
ful but kind of soft and accommodating.” Notably, JA’s
measurements revealed the Triton Five to be even more
sensitive than specified—90.8dB vs the 90dB quoted by
GoldenEar—and otherwise confirmed the speaker’s “ex-
cellent measured performance at an affordable price.”
(Vol.38 No.12 WWW)
NEAT ACOUSTICS IOTA ALPHA: $1995/PAIR
The newest NEAT confounds expectations: Though the
size of a stand-mounted speaker at 17.6" tall, the Iota
Alpha is intended to be used as a floorstander with its
angled upper baffle aimed upward, toward the listener.
The Iota Alpha also confounds the expectations of those
who assume that two drivers on that baffle—a 2"-long rib-
bon tweeter and a 4" midrange driver—are the only ones
in play: Also contributing to the claimed 33Hz–22kHz
frequency response is a reflex-loaded, downward-firing
5.5" woofer on the cabinet’s bottom panel, raised above
the floor by four spiked feet. Evaluating the smallish NEAT
floorstanders in his smallish apartment, KM had par-
ticular praise for their “fully present, tactile, and meaty
sound,” with instrumental tones that were “rich and satu-
rated for such small speakers,” and with scale, pacing, and
dynamics that were “as accurate and thrilling . . . as I’ve
heard.” Writing from his test bench, JA noted lower-than-
specified sensitivity (83dB vs 86dB), reflex-port response
peaks at multiple frequencies, a response peak at 3kHz,
and other wrinkles, all prompting him to say that he was
“disappointed in its measured performance.” Writing from
his Bed-Stuy bothy, HR told of conquering his initial place-
ment difficulties and ultimately wringing from the NEATs
sound that was “always smooth and outgoing” and “did
pace, rhythm, and timing better than most,” though he
noted that “clarity of aural image was not a strong point”
of the Iota Alphas. Grilles now included in price. (Vol.40
Nos. 2 & 6 WWW)
C
ADAM AUDIO A3X ACTIVE: $699.98/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
From the pro-audio line of ADAM Audio GmbH comes the
A3X active loudspeaker, a front-ported reflex design that
uses a 4.5” carbon-fiber mid/woofer alongside ADAM’s
proprietary X-ART (for eXtended Accelerating Ribbon
Technology) tweeter, the latter based on the famous
(among audiophiles) Heil air-motion transformer. Each
driver has its own dedicated 25W class-AB amplifier, and
97

B EETLE
How Many Other
$200 Components
Belong In A
Cost-No-Object
System?
Michael Lavorgna wrote on
Audiostream.com :
“If you want a DAC that offers USB,
Optical, and Bluetooth inputs
and you want it to sound good
without deciding between it and
a car, I have news for you.”
“Why do we have a Beetle when a
DragonFly will do? Two words—
Optical, Bluetooth. I like to think
of the Beetle as the stay at home
near the warmth of the TV DAC,
while the ‘Flys are on-the-go.”
“Music was nice and full and fat
and delicious.”
“I was having so much fun feeding
it music from my iPhone via
Bluetooth, I lost interest in A/B’ing.”
BEETLE DAC / Preamp / Headphone Amp
• Asynchronous Bluetooth and USB
• Toslink Optical
• Powered by USB input or by included
Linear (old fashioned heavy)
AC power supply.
2018 RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
both RCA and XLR inputs are provided on the rear panel
of the enclosure, which ML described as “ruggedly hand-
some.” He was especially impressed with the ADAMs’
“excellent dispersion characteristics” when used with
his PonoPlayer, noting that the A3Xes “were capable of
sounding as if the music they were playing was being
made directly inside my head—like headphones, only bet-
ter.” (Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
ELAC DEBUT B6: $279.98/PAIR $$$
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Designed by Englishman Andrew Jones at Elac’s new
southern-California facility, the very affordable Debut
B6 seems, at first glance, rather ho-hum: an MDF box
just under 14" tall, with a reflex-loaded, 6.5" aramid-fiber
woofer and a 1" fabric-dome tweeter, the latter firing
from the apex of what its German manufacturer calls
a “deep-spheroid waveguide.” Notwithstanding what
he perceived as an overly lively enclosure, HR’s critical
faculties were “ambushed by the Debut B6’s good tone
and easy-flowing musicality.” Particularly with his 22Wpc
Line Magnetic LM-518IA integrated amp, Herb declared
that “the Elac B6es weren’t just playing music—they
were pumping tangible musical energy into the room,”
and concluded that their low price should not be taken
as a sign of sonic compromise: “’Dorm-room speakers’?
Not hardly!” JA’s measurements confirmed that the
B6’s cabinet was indeed given to vibrating at just be-
low 200Hz, but wrote that the speaker otherwise offers
“excellent measured performance, especially when you
take into account its affordable price.” In his Follow-Up,
KM wrote, “Anyone looking for an overachieving stand-
mounted minimonitor in the $500–$1000 range bet-
ter shift their view—the Elac Debut B6 is a knockout.”
(Vol.39 Nos. 4 & 7 WWW)
KEF Q350: $649.99/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Outwardly similar to KEF’s considerably more expensive
LS50 stand-mount speaker (see elsewhere in Recom-
mended Components), the Q350 is actually a bit bigger
overall, with a slightly larger version of KEF’s signature
Uni-Q coincident driver array that has a 6.5" woofer
cone instead of the LS50’s 5.25" cone. The Q350 is also
slightly more sensitive—87dB vs 85dB—and its crossover
network is characterized by gentler filter slopes and, con-
comitantly, a lower parts count. Although HR preferred
various aspects of the performance of the more expen-
sive KEF—in particular its “more forceful and detailed”
bass and its “balanced purity”—he found himself admir-
ing the Q350s for their “above-average force and texture”
and their lively, open, consistently “direct” sound. Herb’s
conclusion said it all: “Early in this review process I real-
ized that KEF’s Q350 is not the poor person’s LS50, but
has a unique goodness of its own.” JA’s measurements
supported that: “Its rather lively enclosure apart, KEF’s
Q350 offers excellent measured performance.” (Vol.41
No.3 WWW)
MAGNEPAN MAGNEPLANAR .7:
$1400/PAIR $$$
Magnepan’s Magneplanar .7 planar-magnetic or “quasi-
ribbon” loudspeaker is a two-way panel design that mea-
sures just over 54" high and 15" wide. The manufacturer’s
specs include a 4-ohm nominal impedance, sensitivity of
86dB, and bass extension down to 45Hz. Used on their
own, especially when driven by Rogue Audio’s 100Wpc
Sphinx integrated amplifier ($1295), the .7s delighted HR
with their “microdetail, transient attack, transparency,
and soundstaging,” but could also sound “a little bass shy.”
But when augmented with a pair of Magnepan’s DWM
bass panels ($795 each), the combination of .7 speakers
and Sphinx amp delivered “disarmingly big, robust, vivid,
and extremely tactile” sound with plentiful, “authenti-
cally toned” bass. “These Maggies did slam,” HR declared,
adding that he’d never enjoyed Led Zeppelin II more than
through this system. Class B, felt HR; Class C decided JA,
following his auditioning. (Vol.38 No.8 WWW)
MOREL OCTAVE 6 LIMITED EDITION:
$2999/PAIR (STANDS NECESSARY)
In the bookshelf version reviewed by HR—the speaker is
also available as a floorstander—the Octave 6 is a reflex-
loaded two-way design in a polymer-coated MDF box
standing just under 1' high. Its proprietary drivers, built
in-house at the Morel factory in Israel, are a 1 1/8" Acuflex
soft-dome tweeter and a 6" mid/woofer with a polypropyl-
ene cone. HR found that “the Octave 6 had a special way
with singers and songs.” Listening to a recording of Gre-
gorian chants, HR noted that, “With the Morels, the adult
singers’ maleness was delivered with a lush, saturated
tone,” and added that the Octave 6 reproduced the natural
reverberation of the room’s acoustic “with striking clarity.”
On the downside, HR described how other speakers of the
same size and somewhat lower price were more accurate
in their bass reproduction, replacing the Morel’s “loosey-
goosey with tight and tasty.” JA reported that the Octave
6 was less sensitive than specified—85.1dB vs 88dB—and
that the bass extension was less than specified. He also
noted some high-Q port resonances and a response peak
at the top of the midrange. Matching stands cost $399/
pair. (Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
TANNOY REVEAL 402: $560/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
The Tannoy Reveal 402 active loudspeaker mates a 4"
high-sensitivity mid/woofer with a ¾" soft-dome tweet-
er—the latter nominally warranted as “Poke-Resistant”—
for a claimed frequency response of 56Hz–48kHz. Each
lucky driver gets its own internal 25W amplifier, and the
lucky owner gets a volume control, adjustable EQ settings,
a minijack for use with a portable music player, and RCA
and XLR input jacks. When fed from the similarly inex-
pensive iFi nano iDSD DAC, the Tannoys impressed ML as
“damn fun to listen to.” (Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 225: $449/PAIR
(STANDS NECESSARY)
Descended from the original Diamond stand-mount of
1981, the Wharfedale Diamond 225 is a two-driver, two-
way speaker featuring a 1" soft-dome tweeter and a 6.5"
Kevlar-cone mid/woofer in a 14"-tall reflex-loaded box.
(The woofer’s rear wave speaks to the world through a
downward-firing “slot-loaded distributed port.”) Entirely
manufactured in China, the Diamond is specified as hav-
ing an electrical sensitivity of 87dB and a nominal imped-
ance of 8 ohms (4.2 ohms minimum). HR described the
Diamond 225—which, he said, responded well to biwir-
ing—as capable of displaying both “highly sensuous,
richly colored piano tones” with Debussy and “easy clarity
and ambitious drive” with Metallica. The Wharfedale also
played orchestral music “with the supplest, non–hi-fi,
nonmechanical sounds imaginable,” although with some
recordings it exhibited a “modicum of puffy vagueness in
the lowest and highest octaves . . . traits [that] robbed the
Diamond 225 of some precision, sharp focus, and punch.”
Writing from his test bench, JA was impressed overall:
“the Wharfedale Diamond 225’s impressive measured
performance lives up to what I expect from this classic
British brand.” In the June 2017 Stereophile KM sec-
onded HR’s recommendation, declaring the Wharfedale
“accurate, dynamic, and explicit.” Four months later, the
otherwise Kevlar-averse AD praised the Wharfedale for its
surprisingly good top-to-bottom balance, its good drive
and presence, and for being such an easy choice: “The
Wharfedale isn’t transcendent; it’s just darn good, and an
exceptional value.” (Vol.40 Nos. 3, 6 & 10 WWW)
D
AUDIOENGINE A2+: $249/PAIR $$$
(STANDS OPTIONAL)
At the end of 2013, Audioengine replaced the A2 ($199/
pair) with the A2+, the only apparent differences being
that the latter costs $50/pair more and, per JA, “adds to
the left, master speaker a USB 1.1 input for digital audio
and a pair of output jacks, used to feed an unfiltered, un-
equalized signal to the subwoofer(s).” JA compared the
new speaker with its predecessor, confirmed that they
sounded “identical,” and added, “I was impressed by how
well these tiny speakers managed to fill my listening room
with sound.” His new measurements noted that “the A2+’s
farfield response . . . is identical to the A2’s.” He concluded,
“A heck of a speaker at a heck of a price!” (Vol.37 No.9,
Vol.38 No.4 WWW)
April 2018 Q stereophile.com

E
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
DAYTON AUDIO B652: $39.80/PAIR +
(STANDS NECESSARY)
The least expensive loudspeaker Stereophile has ever re-
viewed, Dayton Audio’s B652 is a very small (11.8" H by 7"
W by 6.5" D), very light (5.8 lbs), two-way, sealed-cabinet
design with a 0.6" ferrofluid-cooled polycarbonate-dome
tweeter and a 6.5" polypropylene-cone mid/woofer. The
simple MDF cabinet is clad in black vinyl and has a remov-
able grille of black cloth. Though it lacked overall clarity,
extension, and control, the B652 offered a surprisingly
large soundstage, good image separation, and a very fine
sense of momentum and flow, with no hint of tempo-
ral distortions, said SM. Given its low price, the B652’s
measured performance was “quite remarkable,” said JA.
Dayton Audio B652-AIR ($59.80/pair) replaces the dome
tweeter with a folded-ribbon unit and was also impressive.
“Recommended for those looking for the least-expensive
way to share our enthusiasm for recorded music,” JA
summed up. (Vol.36 No.1, original WWW; Vol.38 No.2, AIR
WWW)
K $5000
BOWERS & WILKINS 702 S2, FOCAL KANTA
NO.2, WILSON AUDIO ALEXIA 2.
DELETIONS
Thiel Audio TT1 no longer available; YG Acoustics Sonja 1.3
replaced by new version, not yet auditioned; ATC SCM7
v.3, KEF R700, Revel Performa3 F208, Sjöfn HiFi (the
clue), Sonus Faber Venere 2.5, Wharfedale Diamond 10.1,
all not auditioned in too long a time.
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND
COMPONENTS
A+
MERGING TECHNOLOGIES NADAC
MULTICHANNEL-8: $11,500
Among pro-audio companies that have set their sights on
the domestic market, the Swiss manufacturer Merging
Technologies is noted for its experience with high-resolu-
tion networked-audio interfaces. Their NADAC Multichan-
nel-8 (its first name stands for Network Attached Digital
to Analogue Converter) is intended for use with network-
based file players, and is compatible with the audio-spe-
cific Ravenna protocol. Via Ethernet, the Multichannel-8
supports PCM up to 384kHz, plus DXD and DSD256; S/
PDIF and AES/EBU inputs are also supplied, and these are
compatible with up to 192kHz, and DSD over PCM (DoP).
In KR’s system, physical hookup went smoothly, and al-
though there was a hitch or two in setup, the effort was
rewarded: “Even admitting to a positive expectation bias,
I was impressed with the sound, not disappointed.” KR
observed that, while listening to a multichannel DSD256
file, “I had the disturbing but exhilarating feeling that
music was actually being made in my room, not merely
reproduced. The sound was no more ‘multichannel’ than
it was ‘stereo.’” Speaking of which, a stereo-only version
of the Multichannel-8, the NADAC Stereo, is available for
$10,500. (Vol.39 Nos.3 & 5 WWW)
A The AV8802 supports Dolby Atmos and Auro Technolo-
ATI AT543NC 3-CHANNEL POWER AMPLIFIER:
$3595
From ATI—a company founded by Morris Kessler,
best known for also having founded SAE—comes the
AT543NC: one of a line Hypex NCore–based, 500Wpc,
class-D amplifiers that are modular inasmuch as the user
can select from two-, three-, and four-channel amps. In-
side the AT543 are an NCore module with two amplifiers
and another with only one; both are powered by conven-
tional linear supply boards, the former drawing from a
950kVA toroidal transformer and the latter drawing from
a 650kVA toroid. With the AT543NC powering his Bowers
stereophile.com Q April 2018
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMS
QUIETER
AND
& Wilkins 802 D3 loudspeakers, KR reported a sound that
was “immediately appealing in terms of both balance and
clarity.” His conclusion: “I am completely taken with ATI’s
STRONGER
AT543NC.” (Vol.40 No.3 WWW)
BRYSTON 9B-SST2: $9995 +
The 9B-SST2 power amplifier (called 9B-THX at the time
of the review) boasts five channels, 120Wpc into 8 ohms,
and is built like pro gear; ie, like a tank. Hand-soldered,
double-sided glass-epoxy boards and elaborate ground-
ing scheme front special-grade steel toroidal transform-
ers. According to JA, “the excellent set of measurements
indicates solid, reliable engineering.” LG was impressed
by this amp’s speed, power, extension, its tightness
and definition in the bass, and its “excellent” midrange.
Fully the equal of more costly amps, with wide dynamic
contrasts and “involving” vocals, and sonically similar to
previous Bryston ST amps. THX conformance, a 20-year
(!) warranty, and a reasonable price make this beefy,
reliable amp an attractive package—a perfect choice,
suggests LG, for home-theater and multichannel music
systems. KR’s long-term multi-channel reference. (Vol.23
No.9 WWW)
CLASSÉ SIGMA AMP5 POWER AMPLIFIER:
From Classé’s Sigma series of Chinese-made and com-
paratively budget-priced components comes their new
AMP5, descended from the Sigma AMP2 stereo amplifier.
The five-channel AMP5 shares the proprietary class-D
technology of its two-channel brother, and gives the user
a choice of inputs: RCA jacks for all five, or XLRs for the
two front channels and RCAs for the remainder. On install-
ing the AMP5 in his system, KR “immediately” heard a per-
formance distinction, and ultimately praised the amp’s
midrange and treble as “pure and smooth—something of
a surprise for a class-D amp—and the bass was powerful,
Once you experience a
delineated, and extended.” His verdict: “performance that Niagara Low-Z Power
easily competes with or outperforms comparable non-
switching designs.” (Vol.38 No.5 WWW) Noise-Dissipation System
CLASSÉ SIGMA SSP
PREAMPLIFIER-PROCESSOR: $5000 and its remarkable way with
The Chinese-built Classé Sigma SSP offers a less expen-
sive alternative to the company’s flagship, the SSP-800
music, you might not be
($9500), without giving up too much in the bargain. The able to live without one.
Sigma lacks an analog 7.1-channel input, and doesn’t sup-
port composite or component video. Video inputs and Ask Herb Reichert.
outputs are limited to HDMI: eight of the former and only
one of the latter. But the Sigma’s parametric equalizer
has more bandpass filters per channel—five instead of “I’ll stake my reputation as
nine—and the less expensive component supports DLNA
audio via Ethernet and AirPlay: “Ideas not yet born when a reviewer on it: This $1000
the SSP-800 appeared,” as KR puts it. Perhaps best of all,
per KR, “the Classé Sigma SSP sounds more like a top-tier chrome thingy delivered
analog preamp than any pre-pro near its price.” (Vol.38
No.5 WWW)
an adventure-enhancing
MARANTZ AV8802A: $3999 clarity, speed, and direct-
KR, happy owner of a Marantz AV8801, intended to ignore
its immediate successor, the new and somewhat more ness that I am suddenly un-
expensive AV8802: After all, the new model’s improve-
ments all seemed aimed more at the home-theater en- prepared to live without….
thusiast than the music-only audiophile. But he relented
on learning that, for the AV8802, Marantz has eliminated
It might be the single most
all op-amps from their signature Hyper Dynamic Ampli- important, most high-value
fier Modules (HDAMs), thus promising even more of the
analog refinement for which the AV8801 was known. The component I’ve auditioned
AV8802 offers 13.2 output channels vs the 11.2 of the
AV8801, and seven HDMI inputs vs its predecessor’s 6. for Stereophile.”
gies’ Auro-3D, and, with the advent of the AV8802A—to — Herb Reichert,
which any AV8802 can be upgraded—HDCP 2.2 copy- Stereophile,
prevention technology. After driving its analog inputs with
the analog outputs of various DACs, KR declared that, “in April 2017
almost every way, the AV8802A was an improvement over
the AV8801.” His conclusion: “It’s easy to recommend the
AV8802A, despite the bump in cost: It offers cutting-edge
features and outstanding sound.” (Vol.38 No.11 WWW)
NAD MASTERS SERIES M17: $5499
In KR’s view, NAD’s Masters Series of products has of
late taken a turn from the conservative to the adventur-
ous—evidence of which he sees in the Masters M17, which
 Renaissance Phono Stage

“I’m thrilled about this phonostage.”

“Even after the cold cross country voyage, it surpassed the
(other) phono by a sizable margin.
“Leading edge impact, textures, top end sparkle and three dimensionality.
All outstanding.”
-Steve Dobbins, XactAudio/KODO Turntables

See VAC at Axpona 2018, Chicago, April 13-15.

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contains individual, updateable modules for digital video,
analog video, digital audio, and analog audio. Although the
current model lacks a USB port and audio-data Ethernet
port, a fifth module, to support streaming and Bluesound,
is said to be in the works. Although KR criticized the
poor positioning off the front-panel Off/Standby switch,
he declared that “the M17’s remote control was an unal-
loyed delight: slim, and just hefty enough to feel good in
the hand.” According to KR, “The M17’s sound, too, was
delightful.” He noted dynamics that were “precise and
satisfying,” and bass that was “delivered with authority”—
and that “playing hi-rez and/or multichannel files from
my server, connected to the M17 via HDMI, was simply
glorious, especially as these signals were passed through
a Dirac Live speaker-and-room–correction filter set at
[24-bit/96kHz].” (Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
NAD MASTERS SERIES M27: $3999
“No mere afterthought to the Masters M17 pre-pro,” ac-
cording to KR, the Masters M27 is a seven-channel class-
D power amp based on the recent Hypex NCore module.
Single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs are pro-
vided for all channels, and the Masters M27 is rated at
250Wpc—or 180Wpc with all seven channels driven. A
mildly wonky on/off switch was the only fly in this mul-
tichannel ointment: KR praised the M27’s sound as “no-
tably clean and punchy,” adding that “[the amplifier’s]
midrange and treble were completely free of any grain
or, significantly, the grayish character that is a consistent
flaw in the sounds of many of the otherwise excellent
class-D amps I’ve used.” (Vol.38 No.1 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO A 31: $3295 $$$ +
Based on circuitry developed by John Curl for the highly
praised Halo JC 1, the three-channel A 31 power amplifier
is rated to deliver 250Wpc into 8 ohms or 400Wpc into 4
ohms. Like other Halo models, the A 31 is solidly built and
has a clean, attractive, brushed-aluminum faceplate. On
the rear panel are three groups of connectors/controls,
one per channel, including balanced and unbalanced in-
puts and gain controls. Though it lacked some upper-bass
richness, the A 31 had a “clean, luminous” overall sound,
with a sophisticated, detailed treble; rich, clean midrange;
and firm, extended bass, said KR, adding that “the sound
is full, balanced and detailed and packs a wallop.” (Vol.35
No.9 WWW)
PARASOUND HALO P 7: $2295 $$$ +
The Halo P 7 is a full-featured analog stereo preamp with
six stereo inputs, balanced and unbalanced outputs,
front-panel headphone and MP3 jacks, and an MM/MC
phono preamp. It also provides two 7.1-channel unbal-
anced inputs that can be set for home-theater bypass, op-
tional bass management for all sources, and RS-232/12V
connections to integrate with modern A/V systems. With
its “delightfully open, balanced sound” and outstanding
versatility, the Halo P 7 is “the category killer of analog
multichannel preamps or HT bypass,” raved KR. (Vol.32
No.1 WWW)
SOUND PERFORMANCE LABS VOLUME 8: $699
SOUND PERFORMANCE LABS SMC 7.1: $1899
As Kal Rubinson noted in the January 2018 Stereophile,
“It’s no secret that there are very few analog control op-
tions . . . for multichannel.” Into that void steps a German
pro-audio company called Sound Performance Labs with
their first domestic-audio products. The Volume 8 is a
volume control in a box with an eight-channel balanced
input and an eight-channel balanced output. The SMC 7.1
Surround Monitor Controller adds to the Volume 8 a sec-
ond eight-channel balanced input, two pairs of XLR stereo
inputs, one stereo XLR output, an XLR subwoofer output
on which appears a full-range mono sum of the L/R ste-
reo inputs, a headphone jack, two outputs for metering,
an array of illuminated pushbuttons, and a GPS receiver.
Both SPL products require the use of DB25 cables (not
included). KR began with the Volume 8—”connecting it . .
. was much easier than I’d expected”—but was at first dis-
appointed by its “dim, claustrophobic sound.” Yet in time,
the sound improved to a point where “there was only a
slight dimming above 10kHz.” Now “the entire soundstage
was more continuous than contiguous, and the sweet
spot was much bigger.” KR found the SMC 7.1’s sound
stereophile.com Q April 2018
SUBWOOFERS
indistinguishable from the Volume 8’s; although he ap-
preciated the additional multichannel input of SPL’s more
expensive model and acknowledged that “the studio-style
switching options are a bonus,” he noted that he would
rather have channel-level controls. Just kidding about the
GPS receiver. (Vol.41 No.1 WWW)
THETA DIGITAL DREADNAUGHT D:
$6985 AND UP
The fourth model in Theta Digital’s Dreadnaught series—
hence the D, which also refers to the output stage’s class
of operation—the Dreadnaught D uses Hypex NCore
modules, coupled not with a switch-mode power supply
but with a distinctly robust supply of more traditional de-
sign and construction. Hence this class-D amp’s atypical
size and weight of 17.5" wide by 7.9" high by 19.6" deep
and 98.6 lbs. A modular design, the Dreadnaught D can
be had with up to eight channels of 225W each; Theta
Digital sent us a 225Wx5 sample, which, according to KR,
“not only sounded good, it sounded right.” After writing
his review, KR continued to live with the Dreadnaught D,
using only three of its five channels, and his enthusiasm
for it didn’t wane: “I’ve been on a long search for a power-
ful, transparent three-channel amplifier that I can lift. The
Dreadnaught D meets the first two criteria.” (Vol.39 Nos.
3 & 5 WWW)
B subwoofer in previous editions of “Recommended Com-
EMOTIVA XMC-1 PREAMPLIFIER-PROCESSOR:
$2499 $$$
The US-made Emotiva XMC-1, a 7.2-channel preamplifier-
processor in a substantial (21 lbs) enclosure, offers more
controls than its more austere high-end brethren (the
Classé Sigma comes to mind) while forgoing needless
bells and whistles: a user interface that Goldilocks and
KR would describe as “just right.” KR was also impressed
by the XMC-1’s “exemplary” OLED screen, which displays
three lines of information, and the “outstanding” range of
controls afforded by its front panel and remote handset.
Of perhaps greatest interest is the XMC-1’s distinction as
the first affordable pre-pro to include Dirac Live room-
correction software—in Limited Edition (LE) form—and
a calibrated USB microphone; Emotiva offers a $99 up-
grade for users who wish to upgrade to the full version of
Dirac Live. KR’s verdict: “I found the XMC-1 to be a superb-
sounding pre-pro for all media.” (Vol.38 No.7 WWW)
MINIDSP U-DAC8: $255 $$$
According to KR, miniDSP’s new U-DAC8 is, “by an order
of magnitude, the least expensive multichannel DAC on
the market.” The PCM-only U-DAC8 handles resolutions
up to 24-bit/192kHz, is powered by a 5V wall wart, and is
addressed by a front-mounted USB Type A jack. Although
the U-DAC8’s better-than-average detail resolution
seemed accompanied by “a somewhat etched treble,”
KR was pleased with its performance, noting that “music
sounded pretty clean across the audioband, with particu-
larly good, tight bass.” Referring to this newest miniDSP
DAC as “a giant-killer,” KR concluded that “the U-DAC8 is
an excellent way to begin listening to multichannel files.”
(Vol.38 No.9 WWW)
C tuneful and heavy . . . yet there was no sense of bloat or
MONOPRICE MONOLITH 3 3-CHANNEL POWER
AMPLIFIER: $1099.90
Monoprice Monoliths are 200Wpc class-A/B amplifiers
offered in versions for two, three, five, and seven channels,
all outwardly identical. According to KR, the Monolith 3 is
well built and boasts great specs; its “bass extension and
power were formidable, its midrange and treble seemed
smoothly extended.” But, on closer listen, the Monoprice
lacked “air and space” and “crisp delineation of individual
voices and instruments.” Although it was powerful, inex-
pensive, and “really easy to listen to,” KR felt that “the
Monolith 3 is hard to recommend to critical music listen-
ers.” (Vol.40 No.3 WWW)
DELETIONS
Meridian Reference 861 not auditioned in too long a time.
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
MUSIC SURROUND-SOUND COMPONENTS
SUBWOOFERS
A
JL AUDIO F212V2: $7000
Blessed with a model designation that has nothing up
its sleeve—this is the second version of a Fathom-series
powerd subwoofer that contains two 12" drive-units—the
f212v2 is the second-most-expensive subwoofer made by
Miramar, Florida–based JL Audio, exceeded in that regard
only by the Gotham v2 ($15,000). The Fathom f212v2,
which stands only 32" tall yet weighs 224 lbs, incorpo-
rates the company’s DARO “cut-only correction” equal-
izer, each of whose 18 bands is DSP controlled. Its internal
class-D amplifier is capable of outputting 3600W short-
term. LG, who praised the f212v2’s build quality as “out-
standing,” used the new sub with JLA’s CR-1 standalone
electronic crossover ($3000), which is designed for use in
music-only systems whose preamps or integrated amps
lack built-in crossovers. He praised the DARO system for
increasing “the precision and reliability of the sub’s setup,”
and concluded that the “beautifully made, sonically trans-
parent” f212v2 is “exceptionally powerful” and “strongly
recommended.” (Vol.39 No.11 WWW)
JL AUDIO FATHOM F113V2: $4500
Descended from the JL Audio Fathom f113—a Class A
ponents”—the recent f113v2 is a compact subwoofer
with a single 13.5" driver and an internal amplifier boast-
ing 3000W RMS (compared with the f113’s 2500W).
Other refinements include the rerouting of audio signals
away from the v2’s control panel and, perhaps most no-
tably, an upgrade from the original’s Automatic Room
Optimization (ARO) to JL Audio’s new Digital Automatic
Room Optimization (DARO, a name that caught us totally
off guard). In contrast to ARO’s single filter, DARO pro-
vides 18 bands of (cut-only) correction. According to KR,
who declared DARO easier to operate than ARO, “the v2’s
improvement over the v1 was the complete disappear-
ance, from my conscious awareness, of the subwoofer’s
existence.” KR’s conclusion: “JL Audio’s Fathom f113v2 is
everything good from the Fathom f113 and more.” (Vol.39
No.1 WWW)
MARTINLOGAN BALANCEDFORCE 212: $3995 +
The two 12" aluminum-cone woofers of the 212 are
mounted on opposite sides of their enclosure and op-
erated in opposition to one another—an approach for
which MartinLogan has coined the term BalancedForce.
Power comes courtesy an internal pair of 850W class-D
MOSFET amplifiers, themselves addressed with a choice
of balanced and unbalanced connectors for left-channel,
right-channel, and LFE (low-frequency effects) operation.
Controls include continuously variable knobs for level,
low-pass filter (30–80Hz), and phase (0–270°), plus an
On/Off switch with a third choice for power-saving Auto
mode, which detects an incoming signal and powers up
the system accordingly. JI used two 140-lb BalancedForce
212s with his own MartinLogan Prodigy loudspeakers, and
was impressed with the results—especially with the newly
remastered Led Zep catalog: “Kick drum and bass were
bass ‘effect,’ and the tonal balance from top to bottom just
felt right and real.” The only performance negative: the
audible clacking of the system in Auto mode. Perfect Bass
Kit costs $100. (Vol.37 No.10 WWW)
SVS SB16-ULTRA: $1999.99
Just as a big dog needs a big leash, a big woofer cone
needs a big voice-coil, if only to prevent the cone from
flexing and the coil from shifting in its gap. So in design-
ing their SB16-Ultra powered subwoofer, SVS equipped
its 16" driver with an 8" edge-wound voice-coil—a coil
so wide that it runs outside the driver’s four big toroidal
magnets. Indeed, SVS says that the SB16-Ultra’s voice-
coil is, to date, the largest used in a commercial subwoof-
er. (The driver as a whole weighs 63.9 lbs, almost pre-
cisely the average birth weight of a Holstein calf.) Joining
all that bigness is a 1500W class-D amplifier, a computer-
ized bass-management system that, like the SB16-Ultra’s
basic controls, is operated from a Bluetooth-friendly
101
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smartphone app, and an “uncluttered” rear panel that,
according to reviewer LG, includes both unbalanced
(RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs and outputs. LG was
also impressed by the 122-lb SB16-Ultra’s relative ease
of installation, praising in particular its “smart” packag-
ing, its four-page quick-start manual—and Merlin, SVS’s
online setup guide, which offers loudspeaker-specific
recommendations for filter settings and the like. LG
wrote that, after optimizing its setup, “it was clear that a
single SB16-Ultra could produce more than enough bass
extension and slam in my large listening room.” (Vol.40
No.12 WWW)
B
BRYSTON 10B-SUB CROSSOVER: $4695 +
The 10B features three balanced configurations—stereo
two-way, monophonic two-way, and monophonic three-
way—and proved extraordinarily versatile in managing
crossover slopes and frequencies. LG heard no electronic
edginess and noted only the slightest loss in soundstage
depth. “I found the 10B-SUB’s sound clear, transparent,
and neutral—as good as I’ve ever heard from an outboard
crossover.” (Vol.18 No.5, Vol.28 No.11 WWW)
JLAUDIO E110: $1699.99 IN GLOSS,
$1499.99 IN ASH
One step down from JL Audio’s Fathom series is the Flor-
ida company’s E-Sub line, the entry-level model of which
is the e110 in black ash finish. (Add $200 for gloss black.)
The self-powered (specced at 1200W RMS) e110 sports
a 10" driver and pairs of RCA inputs and outputs. With
the sub’s crossover engaged, the output jacks provide a
24dB/octave, Linkwitz-Riley–filtered high-pass signal;
when the crossover is defeated, they provide a buffered
version of the same signal that appears on the e110’s
input jacks. Controls include level, filter defeat, filter fre-
quency, polarity, and variable phase; the e110’s specified
frequency response is 25–116Hz, ±1.5dB (–3dB at 23Hz).
KR, who relied on Audyssey and Dirac Live software for
EDITORS RATE 500+ TOP AUDIO PRODUCTS
SUBWOOFERS
EQ chores, found that, in his room, “useful response was ings, and he enjoyed the “authority, solidity, and clear
maintained to below 15Hz. Pretty impressive for a pair of pitch definition that I didn’t hear from my Quads alone.”
10” drivers!” And although, as KR observed, “two 10” subs But other recently reviewed—and more expensive—subs
couldn’t ‘load’ the room” as his larger subs did, the E-Subs “went substantially deeper in the bass” than the TS2.12,
offered “deep, powerful bass.” (Vol.39 No.9 WWW) the extension of which in LG’s room tended to roll off be-
SVS SB13-ULTRA: $1599.99 $$$ + low 40Hz. (Vol.39 No.2 WWW)
Weighing less than 100 lbs—a noteworthy accomplish-
ment for a good subwoofer, per LG—the sealed-box DELETIONS
SB13-Ultra is a compact (17.4") cube containing a 13.5"
ferrite-magnet driver and a 1000W Sledge class-D am- B&W DB1 no longer available.
plifier. The SB13-Ultra lacks a remote control, offering
instead a single-knob Integrated Function Controller next
to its small LCD screen and balanced (XLR) and unbal-
anced (RCA) inputs and outputs. SV Sound offers, on their
website, an automated setup advisor (called Merlin) that
NOTE TO READERS
LG found helpful in integrating the sub with his Quad ESK- Due to space limitations,
989 electrostatic panels. His verdict: “The combination the following sections had
of Quad ESL-989s and SVS SB13-Ultra rendered clean, to be omitted from this print
dense, fast response for many different instruments, in-
cluding kick and bass drum, synthesizer, and or timpani.”
edition of “Recommended
LG concluded: “In its price range, it’s the best subwoofer Components”: Complete Audio
I’ve heard.” The SB13-Ultra is sold direct from the Girard, Systems, Computer Software,
Ohio, factory with a 45-day home-trial period and a mon- Digital Datalinks, FM Tuners,
ey-back guarantee. (Vol.38 No.1 WWW) Headphones & Headphone
C Accessories; Interconnects,
TANNOY TS2.12: $921 $$$ Loudspeaker Cables, Miscel-
With a double-layer (50mm thick) MDF cabinet, two op- laneous, Phono, and Powerline
posed 12” drive-units (one active, the other passive), Accessories, Room Acoustics
an internal 500W class-D amplifier, and a bypassable, Treatments, Signal Processors,
three-position low-pass filter with a continuously variable
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SOUND MIND
OF
HE LOUDNESS WARS ARE OVER. THE VALIANT BUT HOPE-
LESSLY OUTNUMBERED FORCES THAT STOOD AGAINST
SQUASHING THE DYNAMICS AND LIFE OUT OF RECORD-
INGS, ALL IN THE NAME OF ALMIGHTY LOUDNESS, HAVE
BEEN VANQUISHED. LITTERED ACROSS THE SMOKING
BATTLEFIELD ARE THE LIFELESS HUSKS OF THOUSANDS OF
DISAPPOINTED LISTENERS, MANY SO YOUNG THEY WILL
NEVER NOW KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HEAR A NATURAL,
UNCOMPRESSED RECORDING.
Moby, a wily survivor, has come to experience where you make a record,
terms with the victorious barbarian you mix it, you master it—and then
hordes. you play it up against someone else’s
“Subjectively, I don’t listen to record, and their record just sounds so
anything that has been mastered in the much louder and more dynamic, and
last 10 years. And I don’t criticize the you become sort of envious. Then it’s
mastering engineers—they are just being this escalating process where the next
MOBY ON told what to do by the producers, who time you make a record, maybe you,
PHOTOS: JONATHAN NESVADBA

COMPRESSED are trying to make the record compa- like, put a few more things on the
AUDIO, LED nies happy and trying to make things master bus in Pro Tools—some more
ZEPPELIN AND that will get played on the radio. limiting, so you get some more gain.
THE FATE OF “I understand why they do it, Then, when you master, you have the
HUMANKIND because every musician has had that conversation with the mastering engi-

stereophile.com Q April 2018 105


neer, where you say to them, ‘Okay, I
don’t want to have an overly com-
pressed, overly loud record.’ But then,
when they master it in a way that’s not
overly compressed or overly loud, you
get scared and go back to them and
see if you can find a happy medium—
which escalates this process of louder
and louder and louder.”
It’s hard to find a single rock
album of the past decade that was
not recorded and mastered too loud.
The loudness apocalypse fits into the
questioning, mournful world portrayed
in Everything Was Beautiful, and Noth-
ing Hurt, the latest record from this
onetime punk-rock musician and more
recent star of electronic music. I knew
that Moby, aka Richard Melville Hall
(allegedly, a distant relative of novelist
Herman Melville), who has built his
career on sounds in service of a sound,
would be that rare musician who could
speak intelligently on the subject of
sound. “It’s been great. It’s so rare that
I get to get down in the weeds on the
subject of sound,” he said later as we
wrapped up our phone call.
So aren’t the musicians making the
music, recording albums with their
names on the cover, ultimately respon-
sible for not demanding their records
sound better? Aren’t they the only sure
antidote to the plague of squashed flat
LOUD records?
“It’s funny, because musicians will
always give lip service to great-sound-
ing records, but then they don’t avail
themselves of that technology or that
approach. You’ll have some rock guy
in 2018 talking about Led Zeppelin,
but then you go back and listen to Led
stereophile.com Q April 2018
“WHEN I MIX AND
MASTER, I ASK MYSELF
ONE QUESTION:
WHERE IS THE MUSIC
GOING TO BE PLAYED
AND HEARD?
Zeppelin IV and there’s so much space.
Even the loud songs aren’t that loud.
There is so much dynamic range and
nuance.
“Unfortunately, the first thing
you lose when you start mixing and
mastering incredibly loud is space. Any
natural reverb, any other reverb—it’s
just gone. I’d much rather listen to
John Coltrane or Roberta Flack and
hear a quiet recording, beautifully
mixed, tastefully mastered, that has
actual space in it.
“It used to be really challenging to
make an incredibly loud recording. I
remember mastering to vinyl in the
early ’90s, and we mastered something
way too loud, and every time you tried
to play it, the kick drum would knock
the needle out of the groove. In ye
olden days of mixing on mixing desks,
you had to have very sophisticated
outboard gear—limiters and compres-
sors—and know exactly how to use
them to mix in a way that would be
really loud. The same thing was true
for the mastering engineers. And now
it’s a plug-in.
“I remember talking about this with
Ted Jensen.” (Jensen was the mastering
engineer for several Moby albums.)
“He’d been given an album, and he
said to me, ‘There’s nothing I can do
with it. They’ve handed me the loudest
SOUND OF MIND
recording I’ve ever heard, and
I can’t add even 1dB of high
end to it, ’cause there just ain’t
room for it.’
“All of this is my super-
long-winded way of saying I
do my best to stay on the quiet
side, because every single
piece of music that I love
was mastered fairly quietly,
whether that’s Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young, or even old
hip-hop and punk rock. Go
listen to the first Clash album,
and it’s mastered the way you
would master a Creedence
Clearwater Revival album.”
But hold on—Moby has
made a lot of dance records,
long single tracks often filled
with repetition and over-
whelming rhythms, that are
meant to be played in dance clubs,
environments known more for volume
than for dynamic range. So he has de-
liberately made bad-sounding records?
“When I mix and master, I ask my-
self one question: Where is the music
going to be played and heard? When
I make an album, I mix it and master
it in a way so it can be listened to at
home. And that means letting it be on
the quieter side.
“If I do a remix that I want someone
to play in a nightclub, sadly, I know
that it has to be as loud and limited and
compressed as everything else being
played in the nightclub, or the deejay...
it’s not that they won’t play it, they ac-
tually can’t. When you’re a deejay and
you play 12 records that are the loudest
things you’ve ever heard, and then you
try and play something that’s not loud,
the audience loses interest. They’ve be-
come so accustomed to a certain level
of volume and compression that if you
play something that doesn’t do that, it
just doesn’t work.”
Of his 15 albums, which ones still
sound best to their maker?
“I don’t think any of them are very
good-sounding, to be honest with you,
but it might be the albums Wait for Me
[2009] or Destroyed [2011], because I
mixed both of those in New York, on
a Neve desk that had been taken from
Abbey Road [Studios]. Ken Thomas,
who mixed Sigur Rós and a bunch
of things, helped me mix them. By
many people’s standard they are not
great-sounding records because they’re
not that loud, and they have flaws and
noise, but to me there’s an organic
quality that I really like.
107

“As for worst there are two albums,
18 [2002] and Hotel [2005]. They’re not
technically bad, but boy, there’s sterility
to the way in which they were mixed
and edited and processed. I wish they
had a little more space.”
Although the loudness war has been
lost, if only for the moment (though
that may be my naïveté talking), what
most concerns Moby is the far larger
issue of humanity’s current path. The
multi-talented musician, songwriter,
remixer, and deejay became one of the
biggest names in dance music in the
1990s, when his albums Play (1999)
and 18 became international hits that
respectively sold ten and four million
copies worldwide. Ever busy, he also
founded a music festival; formed a
rock band, The Little Death; com-
posed music for films; and promoted
Degenerates, a series of New York
City nightclub events. A supporter of
animal rights, he is a vegetarian who
once owned a tea shop, Teany, and a
clothes-and-comic-books store, both in
New York. He now owns Little Pine,
a vegetarian restaurant in the Silver
Lake suburb of Los Angeles.
To describe the mood and purpose
of his new album, he’s even using the
word eschatology, defined as “a belief
concerning death, the end of the world
or the ultimate destiny of mankind.”
“It’s the most baffling question. I just
wrote an essay about how, a couple
hundred years ago or a hundred years
ago, we basically defeated all of the
things that had been making us miser-
able for the longest time. We defeated
famine, war, bad teeth, bears eating
us. All the things our ancestors had
problems with, we defeated. And then,
when confronted with this victory,
we just went out and created our own
horrors that were so much worse than
the adversity we’d just defeated.”
The kind of horrors Col. Kurtz (via
Marlon Brando and Joseph Conrad)
whispered about in Apocalypse Now?
“Famine, genocide, climate change,
deforestation, obesity, cancer, diabetes,
heart disease—these things that have
nothing to do with natural world and
everything to do with us.”
So does the new album’s tone reflect
the fact that Moby views humanity’s
current predicament as essentially
hopeless?
“I think we’re at the place where we
have to ask, are we going to change
our behavior, and even if we do, will
our past kill us?
The music that Moby chose to carry
stereophile.com Q April 2018
“GO LISTEN TO THE
FIRST CLASH ALBUM,
AND IT’S MASTERED
THE WAY YOU WOULD
MASTER A CREEDENCE
CLEARWATER REVIVAL
ALBUM.”
this message can be classified, perhaps
not surprisingly, as down-tempo trip-
hop. It’s the kind of music that made
him famous, that filled albums like
Play and made his music a mainstay of
dance clubs all over the world. Usually
bass-heavy, and moody if not doleful,
trip-hop is most often sung by women.
The predominant instruments are
keyboards, though horns often appear.
Moby wrote, performed, recorded, and
produced all of Everything Was Beauti-
ful in his home studio, playing all the
instruments—most of them computer-
generated—by himself.
For Moby fans, Everything Was Beauti-
ful is a welcome return to form. As ma-
jor influences on this album he rightly
credits Smith & Mighty, Sly & Robbie,
and Wally Badarou. While it could be
played in dance clubs, it’s actually more
of a chill listening record, though it’s
hard to judge as I only heard an MP3
stream. The vocals are sung by five
women: Apollo Jane, Mindy Jones,
Julie Mintz, and Raquel Rodriguez. In
“This Wild Darkness,” Jones and Jane
are joined by Brie O’Bannon.
As he’s aged, Moby has begun to
fleck his music with references to
great literature. These Systems Are Fail-
ing (2016) was made with a group he
called The Void Pacific Choir, a name
derived from a D.H. Lawrence quote.
In Everything Was Beautiful he quotes
the poetry of William Butler Yeats,
specifically “The Second Coming.”
Two songs are titled with phrases from
that poem: “Mere Anarchy” and “The
Ceremony of Innocence.” The poem’s
SOUND OF MIND
famously apocalyptic tone—“Things
fall apart; the centre cannot hold”—
hovers over the entire album.
In perhaps his best-known record,
Play, Moby used samples of blues and
roots music. Here he returns to a clas-
sic American Negro spiritual, “Some-
times I Feel like a Motherless Child,”
aka “Motherless Child,” and trans-
forms it into a Mobyized electronica
exploration.
“I was out to dinner one night with
Lou Reed and Bill T. Jones and a few
other people, and Bill stood up and
sang ‘Motherless Child’ and did this
spontaneous choreography. It really
struck me, because these older pieces
of music can be really sad, and I guess
a lot of musicians are uncomfortable
making them sadder, so they try to
lighten them up and they become kind
of jaunty. The way Bill sang it, it was
really dark and morose, and so when I
had my friend Raquel Rodriguez sing
it for the record, I wanted it to be that.
I wanted it to be austere and dark,
without even a hint of levity to it.”
While he’s clearly conscious of good
sound, his primary fame comes from
working in a genre known for compro-
mised sound—so where is he headed
these days?
“So you’re asking: As a musician
making albums at a time when very
few people pay attention to albums,
why in the world do I keep making
them? Being 52 years old and hating
touring has forced me to have more
purity around the process of making
music. I don’t expect anything from it
except to love the act of making it—
and, hopefully, someone somewhere
will be willing to listen to it.
“There’s no commercial pressure.
There’s no need or desire to compro-
mise. Why would I compromise? So
I could get a few more downloads?
I’d rather just go hiking. On my
deathbed, I don’t want to look back
at compromise. I want to look back at
aspiring to do things that, at the very
least, tried to be beautiful and aspired
to integrity.”
“The strangest thing about music
is that, technically, music has never
once existed. There’s no such thing as
corporeal, physical music. It’s just air
molecules moving around. But if it’s
a jackhammer pushing air molecules
around, it’s annoying. If it’s a cello
pushing those same air molecules
around, it can beautiful. Making it,
listening to it—even talking about it—
is in service to that weird magic.” Q
109
 EQ U IPMENT R EPORT

JASON VICTOR SERINUS

Bel Canto Design Black ACI 600

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

W
hen Michael McCormick, president of Bel
Canto Design, suggested that I review their
Black ACI 600 integrated amplifier, I accept-
ed without hesitation. As wonderful as my
reference system may sound, its dCS digital front end alone
comprises four boxes and a web of cables complex enough
to send many a spider spinning. Given the choice between
connecting that front end to a pair of expensive, enormous
monoblocks—with their similarly expensive AC cords and
equipment racks/isolation platforms—or to a single, visually
elegant, 45-lb box that costs $25,000, produces 300Wpc
into 8 ohms, and requires only a single power cord and shelf,
I think many an audiophile, even those with lots of money,
might gravitate toward the latter.
Launched in January 2017, the Black ACI 600 offers
several features my system lacks: an MM/MC phono stage
with two gain settings for MM, two others for MC, and
five for cartridge loading; a headphone jack; adjustments
for tonal balance; and the provision for adding a subwoofer.
And not only can it play PCM files of resolutions up to
24-bit/192kHz and DSD up to 128Fs (depending on in-
put)—it can also decode MQA.
For some, learning that the ACI 600’s power-amp section
is class-D will be enough to send them running in horror.
That it converts all DSD signals to 24/176.4 PCM before
sending them to its final DAC and analog stages may be an-
other turnoff. As for MQA . . . well, just look at how some
people react to the very sound of those initials.
What have we here?
Bel Canto Design’s founder and design architect, electrical
engineer John Stronczer, told me in an e-mail that “the ACI
600 diverges from traditional architectures starting in the
amp/preamp section. There aren’t separate analog preamp
and power amp sections per se; it’s really a highly integrated
and optimized DAC/amplifier. Our unique digital architec-
ture leverages advances in ultra-low noise master clocks and
asynchronous retiming to keep analog signal paths short and
optimized . . . and get the best analog audio performance
from the system.”
The Black ACI 600 has an NCore class-D output stage
that operates as a low-gain (13dB) power buffer. This stage is
driven by Bel Canto’s proprietary single-stage, high-current,
class-A amplifier section, which is configured as a differen-
tial amplifier with 14dB of gain.
Immediately preceding and connected to these gain and
power stages is Bel Canto’s HDRII (for High Dynamic
Resolution, Second Generation), 126dB, fully differential
DAC. This combination of power amp and HDRII DAC
is driven, through a proprietary digital interface, by the ACI
600’s separate, galvanically isolated, asynchronous multi-
input platform (AMiP) processor. Tasked with processing
all analog and digital inputs, the AMiP contains Bel Canto’s
32-bit/800MHz module/network interface and USB-2
audio input processor.
The ACI 600’s analog line and MC/MM phono inputs
use a 24/192 analog-to-digital converter whose master
clocks reside on the AMiP processor board. These clocks
retime all digital inputs, and convert and render DSD to
PCM. After extensive listening tests, Bel Canto chose to
use its custom-optimized, MQA-based FIR filters for both
standard PCM input and final MQA rendering.
A double-precision, 64-bit audio processor in the HDRII
DAC-amp section, driven by its own dedicated AC power
supply and equipped with its own master clock, handles
lossless bass management, Tilt (which changes the overall
shape of the response curve, boosting bass and cutting treble
or vice versa), Bass EQ, and volume control. Bel Canto
claims that this processor maintains a resolution of 126dB,
regardless of setting. Ultimately, the digital signal goes

SPECIFICATIONS
Description Solid-state,
class-D integrated amplifier.
Digital inputs: AES, S/PDIF,
TosLink to 24/192; Ethernet
to 24/192, DSD64, MQA;
USB 2 to 24/384, DSD128,
MQA. Analog inputs: line
1/2, MM/MC phono. Out-
puts: line/subwoofer, 4.5V
RMS; headphones, 4.5V
pairs WBT NextGen five- A-weighted (phono). IMD (23.13kg) shipping.
way speaker binding posts. (CCIF): <0.001%, 1W, Serial number of unit
Power output: 300W into 8 14/15kHz, 4 ohms. Output reviewed ACI001146.
ohms (24.8dBW):, 600W noise (RMS, A-weighted): Price $25,000. Approximate
into 4 ohms (24.8dBW). 35μV, 10Hz–20kHz. Damp- number of dealers: 20.
Peak output current: 27A. ing factor: >500. Output Manufacturer Bel Canto
Minimum load: 2 ohms. impedance at 100Hz: <16 Design, 221 N. First Street,
Frequency response: 0.5Hz– milliohms. Minneapolis, MN 55401.
50kHz, ±3dB, all loads. Dimensions 19" (483mm) Tel: (612) 317-4550.
THD+N: 0.001%, 1W, 1kHz, W by 3.8" (97mm) H by Fax: (612) 359-9358.
ERIC SWANSON

RMS maximum, 32 ohms 4 ohms (overall); 0.003%, 14" (356mm) D. Weight: Web:
minimum impedance. Two 1kHz (line); <0.01%, 1kHz, 45.2 lbs (20.5kg) net, 51 lbs www.belcantodesign.com.

110 April 2018 Q stereophile.com

 To create a highly
damped environment,
the ACI 600’s case is
machined from billet
aluminum.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 111

 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

through two stages of asynchronous retiming before being
converted to analog.
To create a highly damped environment, the ACI 600’s
case is machined from billet aluminum, except for the
bottom and rear panels. Each of the latter comprises two
1/ "-thick layers of aluminum bonded with a 3M material
8
in a constrained-layer-damped construction. The result is
a handsome enclosure with beveled edges and horizontal
striations.
The long LED display on the ACI 600’s front panel
is filled with big red letters and numbers indicating the
inputs, the volume level, and programmable functions—it
was a cinch to read from across the room. Everything can
be controlled by rotating and pushing the large aluminum
wheel near the front right corner of the top plate—but who
wants to play with the wheel when you can do everything
from your listening seat with the uncluttered, metal remote
handset?
The ACI 600’s rear panel is hardly spare. Vying for space
there are connectors and ports for every function: speaker
cables; 2V line-level analog inputs for phono and two other
devices (with optional home-theater bypass); another set of
analog outputs, for a powered subwoofer; a ground lug; a
headphone jack; two high-speed, ST fiber-optic digital outs
for use with Bel Canto’s MPS1 monoblocks; RS132, AES,
S/PDIF, TosLink, USB-B, USB-A, and Ethernet inputs;
and the power-cord inlet and main power rocker switch.
Because the ACI 600’s Ethernet jack sits directly above
its USB-A port, you may need to unplug the Ethernet cable
every time you want to change USB sticks or cables. Simi-
larly, headphone listeners may be dismayed to learn that the
headphone jack is on the rear panel, and requires a cable of
considerable length.
Worse, the ACI 600’s Delrin footers easily slide across
platforms and shelves at the least provocation. To avoid di-
saster any time I plugged in or unplugged anything, I had to
steady the front of the ACI 600 with my other hand. Unless
you have headphone cable to spare, nodding your head to
the beat is fraught with peril.
The ACI 600’s digital inputs are not equally abled. The
AES/XLR, S/PDIF, and TosLink accept digital signals of
PCM data rates up to only 24/192; the USB-A and Ethernet
accept up to 24/192 plus DSD64 and MQA, and can serve
as Roon-Ready endpoints; and the USB-B accepts PCM up

MEASUREMENTS

I
measured Bel Canto Design’s
Black ACI 600 using my Audio
Precision SYS2722 system (see
the January 2008 “As We See
It” 1). Usually, before I test an amplifier,
I precondition it with both channels
driving a 1kHz tone at one-third power
into 8 ohms for an hour, but this is
relevant only for an amplifier with a
conventional output stage. As the ACI
600 uses class-D output modules, I
began testing it soon after turning it on.
However, as class-D amplifiers produce
RF noise that could drive my analyzer’s
input circuitry into slew-rate limiting,
I inserted, between the test load and
the analyzer, Audio Precision’s auxiliary
AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter,
which eliminates noise above 200kHz.
Fort some tests, I also used the
SYS2700’s internal brickwall filter set
to 20kHz, to ensure that my measure-
ments were not being contaminated
with noise above the audioband.
Looking first at the single-ended
analog line inputs, the maximum
voltage gain at 1kHz from the speaker
terminals into 8 ohms, with the volume
control set to the default maximum
of “85,” measured a low 19.1dB.
There might be insufficient gain with
low-output sources, but selecting a
maximum volume of “100” with the
onscreen menu increased the gain to
34.1dB. The Soft mute setting reduced
the level by 10dB; the Mute was, of
course, a full mute. It should be noted
that with high-output sources, the
analog inputs clipped at 2.375V. These
inputs inverted absolute polarity, and
the input impedance was a relatively
low 11k ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz.
I had some problems measuring the
output at the rear-panel headphone
jack, as I could get output only in the
left channel. However, the headphone
output impedance was low, at 21 ohms
at all audio frequencies, and the output
preserved absolute polarity (ie, was
non-inverting).
The output impedance at the
speaker terminals was 0.2 ohm at
all audio frequencies; as a result, the
modulation of the ACI 600’s frequency
response with our standard simulated
loudspeaker2 was just ±0.2dB (fig.1,
gray trace). The response is down
by 1.5dB at 20kHz, and above that
frequency it drops off rapidly into all
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/
measurements-maps-precision.
2 See www.stereophile.com/content/
real-life-measurements-page-2.

d
B
r
A

Hz

Fig.1 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input,
frequency response at 2.83V into: simulated
loudspeaker load (gray), 8 ohms (left channel blue,
right red), 4 ohms (left cyan, right magenta), 2
ohms (green) (1dB/vertical div.).
Fig.2 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, Fig.3 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input,
small-signal 10kHz squarewave into 8 ohms, no AP small-signal 10kHz squarewave into 8 ohms with
low-pass filter. AP low-pass filter.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 113

 Enjoy the Experience


Pass Laboratories
13395 New Airport Rd. Ste G., Auburn, CA 95602
(530) 878-5350 - www.passlabs.com
 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

to 24/384, MQA, and DSD64/128 in DoP Class-D requires little their lack of detail. If you can
format. At the time of writing, some of this
information had not been updated in the juice—I left the ACI 600 figure out how to build a
playlist from it, your psychic
online and print manuals. on all the time. powers surpass my own.
I stuck with the USB-A and Ethernet When I wrote McCormick
inputs for digital playback. While I couldn’t play DSD128 for help with playlists, I received 15 sentences of instruction
via USB-A—when I tried, the ACI 600 went silent—I could and this assurance: “We are expanding the user manual for
use Roon to convert DSD128 to PCM 24/176.4 before Seek. We decided to first start with the basic information
transmitting it via Ethernet. so that someone could start using Seek without be[ing]
burdened with details. We’ll see how we live with Seek so
Seek and ye shall find that we can focus the user on what is important.” I can only
Bel Canto’s downloadable Seek iOS app lets you stream assume that this much-needed manual will clarify how to
music from Tidal to a networked Bel Canto Black system, avoid the initial display of titles in reverse alphabetical order,
create and manage playlists, control volume via an iOS which happened every time I opened the app, and how to
smartphone or tablet, and play MQA, DSD, and PCM files play a previous track without being told “Delay in streaming
from a computer, external drive, or USB stick. Alas, Bel or unsupported file format” and, frequently, then having to
Canto offers but a single page of instructions remarkable for close Seek entirely and start anew.

measurements, continued

impedances. There is also a slight
channel imbalance, of 0.2dB. (Using
the menu, I ensured that the balance
was set to “0” before performing any
measurements.) Without the auxiliary
Audio Precision low-pass filter, the
waveform of a 10kHz squarewave
(fig.2) was obscured by HF noise.
(With no signal present at the ampli-
fier’s input, I measured 390mV of noise
with a center frequency of 433kHz.)
With the AP filter (fig.3), the wave-
form’s risetimes were increased by
the ultrasonic rolloff seen in fig.1, and
there is critically damped ringing on
the leading edges, presumably due to
the class-D module’s output filter. The
Bass EQ control (not shown) shelved
up or down the output below 120Hz
by as much as 3dB, and the Tilt control
hinged the response above and below
800Hz by up to the same 3dB (fig.4).
Channel separation was 100dB or
greater below 1kHz, and still 70dB
at the top of the audioband. The
unweighted, wideband signal/noise
ratio—taken with the AP auxiliary
filter, the input shorted to ground, and
the volume control set to “85”—was
68.5dB, this improving to a respectable
83dB when the measurement band-
width was restricted to 22Hz–22kHz,
and to 85.5dB with an A-weighting
filter in circuit. Spectral analysis of the
low-frequency noise floor (not shown)
indicated the presence of a 60Hz com-
ponent at –95dB ref. 1W into 8 ohms,
and that all other AC-supply harmonics
lay below –100dB.
Figs. 5 and 6 show how the Black
ACI 600’s percentage of THD+noise
varied with output power into 8 and 4
ohms, respectively. Actual distortion
began to emerge from the noise floor
at around 20W into both loads, but
remained low in absolute terms until
waveform clipping occurred. The Bel
Canto is specified as offering 300Wpc
into 8 ohms or 600Wpc into 4 ohms
(both equivalent to 23.8dBW), but
these graphs shows that while the
ACI 600 with both channels driven
exceeded its specified 8-ohm clipping
power, at 320W (25.05dBW) it missed

d
B
r % %

Hz W W

Fig.4 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, Fig.5 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, Fig.6 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input,
response of Tilt Control set to “0” and “±5” (1dB/ distortion (%) vs 1kHz continuous output power distortion (%) vs 1kHz continuous output power
vertical div.). into 8 ohms. into 4 ohms.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 115

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 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

Nonetheless, once I mastered Seek, it worked well. It
can’t do half the things Roon can, and displays only verti-
cally on an iOS device’s screen even if you rotate the device
90°—but it does supply track titles, resolution, and other
vital information.
Setup
I’d hoped to isolate the Black ACI 600’s digital and power
functions from each other so that I could compare its digital
playback with my far costlier dCS combo of Vivaldi DAC
($35,999), Scarlatti clock (no longer available), and Net-
work Bridge network player ($4250), and with the Mytek
HiFi Manhattan II DAC ($6000), as well as pit its power-
amp section against my Pass Laboratories XA200.8 class-A
monoblocks. Unfortunately, the ACI 600 lacks the outputs
to make this possible. The only way to perform compari-
sons was to keep my reference components on standby and
switch between entire systems. But since my Nordost cables
take 24 hours to sound their best after being bent, and a lot
of cable bending was required for the switch, rapid A/B
comparisons were impossible.
I placed the ACI 600 on one of the middle shelves of my
Grand Prix Monaco rack, atop the Grand Prix Formula Plat-
form that usually supports the dCS Scarlatti clock. Although
both platform and ACI 600 were prone to sliding, I retained
the Formula because I’ve gotten used to the more transpar-
ent sound my reference system produces with it.
The rest of the setup was simple: Attach network-
connected Ethernet, speaker, and power cables. Add my
source(s) of choice and use the remote to select the desired
input (eg, Ethernet, USB, phono, etc.) and volume level. The
only difficulty I experienced was when I inserted USB sticks
in the USB-A input and selected USB: I heard nothing. As
it turns out, selecting USB activates only the USB-B input.
To access the USB-A input you must select Ethernet, since
the contents of USB-A–connected devices are accessible
only by using Seek via Ethernet. No, this is not explained in
the manual.
Before doing any serious listening, I ran break-in and
demagnetizing tones through the Bel Canto for a good 120
hours. The ACI 600 appears to require a good 48 to 72
hours of warm-up to sound its best.
Listening
Once fully warmed up, the Black ACI 600 shattered all
notions of class-D sounding colorless and uninviting. When
I played, from a USB stick, the first movement of Iván
Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s recording of

measurements, continued

its 4-ohm power spec by just 0.2dB,
delivering 515W at 1% THD+N.
I measured how the ACI 600’s
THD+N varied with frequency at a
level, 20V, where I could be sure I was
looking at distortion rather than noise
(fig.7). The THD was very low below
5kHz in both channels into 8 ohms
(blue and red traces), but increased
into 4 ohms, more in the right channel
(magenta) than the left (cyan). The
THD was higher into 2 ohms (gray).
The distortion itself comprised the
relatively innocuous third harmonic
(fig.8), with some second harmonic
also present (fig.9). Intermodulation
distortion was relatively low in level
(fig.10).
The ACI 600’s phono input offers
four different gains and a range of load
impedances, all selectable with the
onscreen menu. The gain, measured
at the speaker terminals with the
volume control set to “85,” ranged from
60.4dB (suitable for moving-magnet
cartridges) to 86.4dB (appropriate for
low-output moving-coils). The RIAA
error was vanishingly small (fig.11),
though the highs and lows rolled off,
respectively reaching –3dB at 35kHz
and at 17Hz. Noise levels were low,
and with the lowest gain setting, the
unweighted, wideband S/N ratio was
an okay 58dB, this improving to 71dB
when A-weighted. The S/N ratio
decreased as the gain was increased.
Phono overload margins were good, at
15dB at 20Hz, 12dB at 1kHz, and 11dB at
20kHz. Harmonic and intermodulation
distortion levels via the phono input
were also respectably low (not shown).
Turning to the Black ACI 600’s
behavior with digital data, I tested it
using the Audio Precision’s TosLink and
coaxial S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs,
and repeated the tests with WAV and
AIFF files sourced from Pure Music
3.0 running on my MacBook Pro via
the ACI 600’s USB-B input. Both S/
PDIF inputs locked to datastreams with
sample rates of up to 96kHz, the AES/
EBU input up to 192kHz. The USB-B
input accepted 16- and 24-bit integer
data sampled up to 384kHz. However,
while the front-panel display did show
“384” with data sampled at that rate,
the ACI 600’s output remained muted.
Apple’s USB Prober utility identified
the ACI 600 as “BELCANTO Hi-Res 2”
from “XMOS,” and that it operated in

d
B
% V r
A

Hz sec Hz

Fig.7 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, Fig.8 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, 1kHz Fig.9 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input,
THD+N (%) vs frequency at 20V into: 8 ohms (left waveform at 50W into 8 ohms, 0.027% THD+N spectrum of 50Hz sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 50W
channel blue, right red), 4 ohms (left cyan, right (blue); distortion and noise waveform with funda- into 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red; linear
magenta), 2 ohms (gray). mental notched out (red, not to scale). frequency scale).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 117

 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

Mahler’s Symphony 5 (DSD64, Channel Classics 34213/
NativeDSD.com), the bass was excellent, and the sound was
warm and filled with vitality. I also loved the range of color
and astounding bass in Michael Tilson Thomas and the San
Francisco Symphony’s digital-only release of Berg’s Three
Pieces for Orchestra (24/192 WAV, SFS Media/HDtracks).
Treble extension was a bit toned down from what I’m ac-
customed to, which in music this emotionally ravaging is
not necessarily a bad thing.
Switching to choral music, I was left almost breathless at
the enrapturing warmth of the remarkable acoustic captured
by engineer John Atkinson for The First Tears, the 14-minute
opening track of Ethan Sperry and the superb Portland State
Chamber Choir’s recording of the music of Ɯriks Ešenvalds,
The Doors of Heaven (24/88.2 WAV, Naxos 8.579008). With
space, air, and midrange beauty the sound’s strong points, I
hung on every note. Amazing.
I have no idea where my 24/96 FLAC file of Ella Fitzger-
ald and Louis Armstrong performing “Summertime” came
from, but the sound was delicious. Then again, this duo’s
recordings are so resplendent in the midrange that it takes
really poor equipment to make them sound less than great—
so I was even more convinced of the ACI 600’s excellence
by a recording of baritone Matthias Goerne singing “Meine
Rose,” from Schumann’s Six Poems, Op.90, accompanied
by pianist Markus Hinterhäuser on their recital Einsamkeit

measurements, continued

the optimal isochronous asynchronous
mode.
With the ACI 600’s volume control
set to “85,” a 1kHz tone at 0dBFS gave
rise to an output of 21.26V from the
speaker outputs, the latter equivalent
to 56.5W into 8 ohms. Full-scale digital
data didn’t allow the amplifier to reach
its full output, therefore; if the ACI 600
won’t drive its owner’s speakers to high
enough levels with its default maxi-
mum volume-control setting of “85,”
the optional setting of “100” will add
another 15dB.
The Bel Canto’s impulse response
with 44.1kHz data (fig.12) indicates
that the reconstruction filter is a
minimum-phase type, with all the
ringing following the single sample at
0dBFS, but also that the digital inputs
are inverted. With 44.1kHz-sampled
white noise (fig.13, red and magenta
traces), the ACI 600’s response rolled
off slowly above the Nyquist frequency,
or half the sample rate (vertical green
line). An alias at 25kHz of a full-scale
tone at 19.1kHz (blue and cyan traces)
is therefore attenuated by just 20dB.
The ACI 600’s reconstruction filter
appears to be identical to the standard
MQA filter in both the time and fre-
quency domains, and Bel Canto’s John
Stronczer confirmed via e-mail that
they use this filter not only with MQA
but with all PCM data, because he feels
it sounds best for all sources.
Fig.14 shows the ACI 600’s digital
frequency response with AES/EBU
data sampled at 44.1kHz (gray and
green traces), 96kHz (cyan, magenta),
and 192kHz (blue, red). The response
follows the same basic shape at all
three sample rates, with a sharp rolloff
just below each of the two lower Ny-
quist frequencies. With high-sample-

d d
B B
r r V

A A

Hz Hz sec

Fig.10 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, analog input, HF Fig.11 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, phono input, RIAA Fig.12 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input,
intermodulation spectrum, DC–30kHz, 19+20kHz error at 1mV input (1dB/vertical div.). impulse response (one sample at 0dBFS, 44.1kHz
at 50W peak into 8 ohms (left channel blue, right sampling, 4ms time window).
red; linear frequency scale).

d d
B d B
r B r
r
A A

Hz Hz Hz

Fig.13 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input,
wideband spectrum of white noise at –4dBFS (left
channel red, right magenta) and 19.1kHz tone at
0dBFS (left blue, right cyan), with data sampled at
44.1kHz (20dB/vertical div.).
Fig.14 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input, fre-
quency response at –12dBFS into 100k ohms with
data sampled at: 44.1kHz (left channel green, right
gray), 96kHz (left cyan, right magenta), 192kHz
(left blue, right red) (1dB/vertical div.).
Fig.15 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input,
spectrum with noise and spuriae of dithered 1kHz
tone at –90dBFS with: 16-bit data (left channel
cyan, right magenta), 24-bit data (left blue, right
red) (20dB/vertical div.).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 119

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 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

(24/96 WAV, Harmonia Mundi HMM 902243/HDtracks).

Though I heard less transparency and detail in Goerne’s
voice than I do through the far more expensive dCS rig, it
was mesmerizingly sweet, warm, and expressive, and the
piano sounded convincingly natural.
I compared the sound of files from USB sticks, inserted
first in an Intel NUC computer connected to the ACI 600
via Ethernet and played using Roon, and then inserted
directly in the ACI 600’s USB-A port and played via Bel
Canto’s Seek app. Consistent with the results of my Decem-
ber 2017 review of the dCS Network Bridge,1 the files ac-
cessed via Roon sounded a bit softer, with less vibrant highs.
Regardless, Roon’s extra features—I could even read pdfs of
liner notes—kept me returning to it for more.
I was eager to compare the sound of MQA-encoded
files with their high-resolution, non-MQA equivalents.
With Bach Trios, by mandolinist Chris Thile, cellist Yo-Yo
Ma, and double bassist Edgar Meyer (Nonesuch 558933),
I used Seek to first listen to the 24/48 MQA track of J.S.
Bach’s “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Sleepers Awake)
from Tidal HiFi, and then to a non-MQA 24/96 WAV file
from USB. Although I’ve heard major differences between
MQA and non-MQA versions of the same files with other
gear, here the differences were subtle. Meyer’s fingering and
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-network-bridge-network-player.
A S S O C I AT E D E Q U I P M E N T
Digital Sources dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport &
Scarlatti clock & Vivaldi DAC & Network Bridge network
player; Mytek HiFi Manhattan II DAC; Intel NUC7i7BNH
computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD running Roon; iPad
Pro, external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet),
Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet), Nordost
Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB). Interconnect, Speaker,
AC: Nordost Odin 2.
Accessories Grand Prix Monaco rack & amp stands, 1.5"
Formula platforms; Nordost QB8, QK1, QV2, QX4 power
accessories; Isotek EVO3 Sigmas & Audience aR2p-TSSOX
power conditioners, GreenWave filter, AudioQuest NRG
Edison outlets; Stein Music Signature Harmonizers, Blue
Suns/Diamonds, Speaker Matches, Super Naturals, &
Quantum Organizer; Synergistic Research Tranquility Base,
PowerCell, Transporter, UEFs; Bybee Room Neutralizers;
Absolare Stabilians; Resolution Acoustics room treatment;
Stillpoints Aperture panels.
Listening Room 20' L by 16' W by 9' H. —Jason Victor Serinus

measurements, continued

rate data the digital response was
dominated by the amplifier’s ultrasonic
rolloff. When the ACI 600 decoded
dithered 16- and 24-bit data represent-
ing a 1kHz tone at –90dBFS, with the
volume control set to “85” to minimize
the effect of its selfnoise, the increase
in bit depth dropped the noise floor
by around 15dB (fig.15), which implies
resolution of close to between 18 and
19 bits. With an undithered 16-bit tone
at exactly–90.31dBFS (fig.16) the wave-
form was symmetrical, but the three
DC voltage levels described by the data
are overlaid by some high-frequency
noise. With undithered 24-bit data (not
shown) the result was a fairly clean
sinewave.
I tested the ACI 600’s intermodula-
tion distortion via its digital inputs with
a signal comprising equal levels of 19
and 20kHz tones peaking at –3dBFS
(fig.17) rather than my usual 0dBFS.
This is because the MQA filter over-
loads with top-octave data above that
level; in his e-mail, Stronczer explained
that this was acceptable because real
music, as opposed to test tones, never
has high-level energy that high in
frequency. The leaky nature of the filter
allows aliased images of the tones to
appear, but actual intermodulation dis-
tortion is very low in level. With 16-bit
J-Test data (fig.18), all of the odd-order
harmonics of the LSB-level, low-fre-
quency squarewave are reproduced at
the correct levels (slanting green line).
However, a low-level pair of sidebands
can be seen at ±120Hz.
Bel Canto’s Black ACI 600 packs
high power and a lot of functionality
into a small, elegant enclosure. Other
than the problems I found with the
headphone output and the inability
to play data sampled at 384kHz via
the USB-B input, both of which may
be sample faults, it offers respectable
measured performance. —John Atkinson

d d
B B
V r r
A A

sec Hz Hz

Fig.16 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input, wave-
form of undithered 1kHz sinewave at –90.31dBFS,
16-bit TosLink data (left channel blue, right red).
Fig.17 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input, HF
intermodulation spectrum, DC–30kHz, 19+20kHz
at –3dBFS, 44.1kHz data (left channel blue, right
red; linear frequency scale).
Fig.18 Bel Canto Black ACI 600, digital input,
high-resolution jitter spectrum of analog output
signal, 11.025kHz at –6dBFS, sampled at 44.1kHz
with LSB toggled at 229Hz: 16-bit TosLink data (left
channel blue, right red). Center frequency of trace,
11.025kHz; frequency range, ±3.5kHz.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 121

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 BEL CANTO DESIGN BLACK ACI 600

pitches were better delineated via MQA, but it was hardly a
stop-the-presses improvement. Perhaps this had to do with
the limits of the ACI 600’s digital resolution, or the fact that
its strengths lay more in bass power and midrange warmth
than in brilliance and transparency.
I love Camille Thurman’s delectable performance of Ray
Noble’s “Cherokee” on her Inside the Moment (CD, Chesky
JD397), but the differences between 24/192 WAV and
16/44.1 MQA were slight. A bit of haze was removed when
I switched from the 24/88.2 ALAC file to the 24/44.1
MQA-encoded FLAC file of John Atkinson’s recording
of Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque, from Cantus’s While You
Are Alive (CD, CD Baby 5637240534). Ditto for the MQA
versions of Ešenvalds’s Northern Lights and his arrangement
of “Amazing Grace,” both from JA’s first recording of the
Portland State Chamber Choir, Into Unknown Worlds (CD,
CD Baby 888295153546).
I had to ask myself if music actually sounds this warm
in real life. While my answer was ultimately No, I’d rather
have warm and smooth over harsh and hollow any day.
Because the ACI 600’s top end was less bright than my
reference, I could listen at higher volumes without pain,
and thus enjoy more bass impact and a richer midrange.
That greater percussive slam really hit home with Ludovic
Morlot and the Seattle Symphony’s recording of Stravinsky’s
The Rite of Spring (24/96 WAV, Seattle Symphony Media
SSM1005), and with “Electrified II,” from Yello’s Toy (24/48
WAV, Polydor 4782160/HDtracks).
Headphones & LPs
While listening through Audeze LCD-X headphones
equipped with Nordost Heimdall 2 cabling yielded disap-
pointingly flat sound—in retrospect, I wonder if the ACI
600’s headphone jack needed its own break-in—connecting
the Bel Canto to the analog rig of my physician, Gary Forbes,
revealed that it held its own against an EAR 834P phono
stage and VTL’s TP2.1 preamplifier and ST-150 stereo power
amplifier. It was a snap to choose the right cartridge settings
for Gary’s Pro-Ject RPM 1 Carbon turntable with SME 309
tonearm and over-bright Lyra Delos cartridge. With Avalon
Acoustics Arcus loudspeakers and a JL Audio Fathom f112
subwoofer the sounds of “Walking on a Wire,” from Richard
& Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out the Lights (LP, Hannibal/Rhi-
no 71303), and of Taj Mahal singing “Jes’ Grew” on Conjure:
Music for the Texts of Ishmael Reed (LP, American Clave 1006),
didn’t sound as liquid, air-filled, and tube-like as through
Gary’s reference—but the bass was notably better.
“I’m a rhythm guy,” said my doc, who plays bass guitar
and percussion in brass and rock bands. “The ACI 600’s bass
is very tight and well defined, with notable ease and lack of
strain. The separation of instruments is also better than my
reference.” In short, the Black ACI 600 gave Gary more of
what he most values.
Conclusions
Dismiss all preconceptions: Bel Canto Design’s Black ACI
600 integrated class-D amplifier is a major contender whose
warmth of sound, versatility, and relative ease of use—firm-
ware- and software-fixable hiccups aside—deserve a solid
Class A recommendation. That this single box can do so
much so well, while looking so simple and elegant, should
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 EQ U IPMENT R EPORT

MICHAEL FREMER

Ypsilon Electronics Hyperion

MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIER

D
esigners of hybrid ampli-
fiers can use solid-state
devices in an amp’s input
stage and tubes in its
driver and output stages, as Music
Reference’s Roger Modjeski did in
his RM-200 Mk.II1 —or they can
use tubes in the input and transis-
tors in the output, as Ypsilon Elec-
tronics’ Demetris Baklavas prefers.
The advantage of solid-state
at the input stage can be lower
noise. In the RM-200 Mk.II’s
fully balanced design, carefully
matched input devices result in
high common-mode rejection and
low-noise operation close to the
levels achieved with the best input
transformers. The RM-200 Mk.II’s
signal/noise ratio measured a
healthy 95.4dB.
In Baklavas’s original hybrid
monoblock amplifier, the Aelius, The Hyperion’s output 209 lbs of push-pull
the first gain stage was a new old
stock (NOS) C3g pentode tube
stage is biased in class-A Ypsilon’s new Hyperion monoblock
($93,000/pair), like the less powerful
operating in single-ended mode for its first 100W. Aelius II, is a hybrid design with two
and transformer-coupled to the gain stages. The first stage uses a single
output stage.2 The Aelius II added an input transformer, low-impedance dual-triode tube—either a 6H30 or a 5687
then newly developed, that permitted balanced input opera- will work. The Hyperion comes with the former—a Sovtek
tion and the use of longer interconnects. The input stages of 6H30 Pi—but to allow tube-rolling, there are separate sock-
both Aeliuses featured tube rectification. ets for the two tube types, which have different pinouts. Also
Obviously, the quality of transformers is key to power- included is a 6CA4/EZ81 rectifier tube.
amp designs from both Music Reference and Ypsilon.
1 See my review of the RM-200 Mk.II in the December 2011 issue:
Modjeski offers an upgrade to a hand-wound output trans- www.stereophile.com/content/music-reference-rm-200-mkii-power-amplifier.
former, and Ypsilon specializes in designing and manufac- 2 See my review of the Aelius in the April 2013 issue:
turing transformers. www.stereophile.com/content/ypsilon-aelius-monoblock-power-amplifier.

SPECIFICATIONS
Description Hybrid mono-
block power amplifier. Tube
complement: one 6H30 Pi
or 5687 (input), one 6CA4
or EZ81 (rectifier). Inputs:
unbalanced (RCA), balanced
(XLR). Output power at
1kHz: 370W into 8 ohms
(25.7dBW, (first 100W in
class-A), 650W into 4 ohms
(25.1dBW), 1150W into 2
ohms (24.6dBW). Frequency
response: 6Hz–80kHz, –3dB
(input transformer peak:
+2.5dB at 50kHz). Voltage
gain: 26dB (x20). Input im-
pedance: 47k ohms. Output
impedance: 0.3 ohm. THD
(1kHz into 8 ohms, 6H30 Pi
tube): 0.7% at 100W, 1.2%
at 300W. THD (1kHz into
8 ohms, 5687 tube): 1% at
300W. Signal/noise: N/S.
Dimensions 16.75" (425mm)
W by 11.8" (300mm) H by
25" (635mm) D. Weight:
209.4 lbs (95kg).
Serial numbers of units
reviewed 19, 20.
Price $93,000/pair. Approxi-
mate number of dealers: 9.
Manufacturer Ypsilon Elec-
tronics, Athanasioy Street 8,
Paiania 190 02, Greece.
Tel: (30) 210-66-44-588.
Fax: (30) 210-66-44-812.
Web: www.ypsilonelectron-
ics.com. US distributor:
Aaudio Imports, 4871
Raintree Drive, Parker, CO
80134.
Tel: (303) 264-8831.
Fax: (720) 851-7575. Web:
www.aaudioimports.com.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 125

Like father, like son.

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 YPSILON ELECTRONICS HYPERION

The input-stage tube’s bias is fixed. Its dedicated negative
power supply includes a custom C-core input transformer,
wound with silver wire, that eliminates the DC bias voltage
bypass and produces a true balanced input. The two halves
of the input tube are paralleled via separate coil windings to
provide independent paths for each half’s bias current.
The interstage transformer is a step-down that couples the
input triodes to the output devices and includes phase-split-
ting windings that drive each pair of MOSFET output-stage
devices in opposite phase to each other. Using the interstage
transformer, Baklavas avers, lowers the tube’s output imped-
ance, which better drives the output stage while providing a
perfectly balanced, floating signal. Not using the transform-
er, he says, would require at least two additional gain stages
plus power supplies, making for a more complex circuit. He
prefers to keep things as simple and elegant as possible.
As with anything in life or audio, there’s a drawback to
such a design: the difficulty of producing a transformer with
wide bandwidth and integrating it into a solid-state circuit
requiring unconditional stability. But transformers are Bak-
lavas’s game, and the time I’ve spent with his trannies has
convinced me to unconditionally trust them.
The Hyperion’s output stage is biased in class-A for its
first 100W into 8 ohms, and can output a total of more than
370W into 8 ohms, 650W into 4 ohms, and 1150W into
2 ohms. Each of its two stages has its own power-supply
transformer, and both the tube input and solid-state output
power supplies use inductive chokes, built in-house, for
filtering. A great deal of attention was reportedly paid to
the design, construction, and materials of the cores of these
power-supply transformers, to minimize mechanical, mag-
netic, and electrically induced noise.
In addition to the chokes, the power supply incorporates
112,800μF of capacitance to keep ripple voltage negligible
at all power-output levels. Internal connections are made
with Ypsilon’s own specially drawn silver wire, coated with
Teflon.
As in the Aelius, the Hyperion’s output “floats”—neither
the plus nor the minus terminals are grounded. The amp is
well protected using a “crowbar” circuit. There’s no output
relay, though there is a circuit breaker on the rear panel, and
inside the Hyperion’s case is a fuse for the input transformer.
If the output shorts, or sees a load of less than 1 ohm, or
there’s excessive DC offset, the Hyperion automatically
shuts down. Once the problem is fixed, turning the amp
back on restores output.
Roll ’em in, set ’em up
Each Ypsilon Hyperion weighs 209 lbs—moving and un-
packing the pair of them was a multiperson operation. The
installation of a lawn-sprinkler system chez Fremer the day
the crates arrived provided the necessary manpower—after
the guys had washed their hands of topsoil.
The Hyperions arrived having been burned in for only
100 hours. I found that, even after they’d been broken in,
they required at least an hour of play to develop their full
potential. For the first hour or so, they sounded somewhat
dynamically constricted and not entirely transparent.
I first ran a long pair of TARA Labs Zero balanced inter-
connects between my darTZeel NHB-18S preamplifier and

MEASUREMENTS

I
measured the Ypsilon Hyperion
with my Audio Precision SYS2722
system (see the January 2008
“As We See It,” http://tinyurl.
com/4ffpve4). Before performing any
tests, I ran it at one-third its specified
clipping power into 8 ohms for an hour.
At the end of that time the top panel
was warm, at 104.4°F (40.3°C), the
heatsinks slightly hotter at 109.8°F
(43.3°C). With the 6H30 Pi input-stage
tube, with which I did almost all the
testing, the gain at 1kHz at the speaker
terminals was 26.4dB for both the bal-
anced and single-ended inputs. With
the alternative 5687 tube the gain was
0.5dB higher. The output preserved ab-
solute polarity (ie, was non-inverting)
with both tubes and inputs.
While the Hyperion’s input imped-
ance is specified as a moderately high
47k ohms, my measurements indicated
a lower value at low and middle fre-
quencies: just over 21k ohms for both
the balanced and unbalanced inputs.
This is still high enough not to be an
issue, but at 20kHz the impedance
dropped to just 3k ohms, which will
be marginal with some preamplifiers,
rolling off the top octave. Fortunately,
this shouldn’t have affected Michael
Fremer’s listening, given his associated
equipment: His Ypsilon PST-100 pre-
amplifier has a low output impedance,
and his darTZeel preamplifier has a
fairly uniform, if high, output imped-
ance across the audioband.
Despite the Hyperion’s large
number of output devices, its output
impedance was relatively high for
a solid-state design, at 0.35 ohm.
As a result, the modification of the

d
B
r %

Hz W

Fig.1 Ypsilon Hyperion, frequency response at Fig.2 Ypsilon Hyperion, small-signal, 10kHz square- Fig.3 Ypsilon Hyperion, distortion (%) vs 1kHz
2.83V into: simulated loudspeaker load (gray), wave into 8 ohms. continuous output power into 8 ohms.
8 ohms (blue), 4 ohms (magenta), 2 ohms (red)
(1dB/vertical div.).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 127

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 YPSILON ELECTRONICS HYPERION

the Hyperions. A few weeks later, I swapped out the darTZ-
eel for the Silver edition of Ypsilon’s PST-100 Mk.II line
preamp.3 So often, when swapping out familiar gear for new,
there’s a period during which my brain accentuates or exag-
gerates the differences between the old and new sounds. At
such times the new can at first seem like an uninvited guest
disrupting my system’s musical harmony.
That wasn’t the case here. Sure, it took me some time to
get used to the Hyperion’s sound, which was richer, fuller,
creamier, more full-bodied than that of the darTZeel NHB-
458 monoblocks—but that sound was also immediately
familiar because it meshed well with the sound of Ypsilon’s
VPS-100 phono preamplifier. That model arrived here for
review some nine years ago and never left—except briefly, to
be upgraded to its Silver edition.4 Big hybrid amps running
in class-A for the first 100W are good company during a
record cold snap!
Power, Grip, Depth, Delicacy
No doubt the single tube in the Hyperion’s signal path sub-
tly greased the musical proceedings with a smooth yet trans-
parent overlay of richness. Having become acclimated in
recent years years to the sound of the darTZeel NHB-458,
which is less generous in the upper bass and lower midrange
(detractors of solid-state designs might describe its sound as
“thin”) and is faster in the transient realm (detractors might
say “overly and unrealistically sharply drawn”), the gross
distinctions between these two great performers were easily
audible for the first week or so of listening.
But even while the contours of the new sound were still
easily definable and the differences between the two ampli-
fiers were still clear, the Hyperion’s “additive” quality wasn’t
immediately—or ever, for that matter—identifiable as what’s
usually thought of as tube sound, but rather as a subtle
harmonic and textural generosity that I think most listen-
ers would find very pleasing and desirable, regardless of on
which side of the tube/solid-state divide they stand.
At the high performance level of my reference amps, and
because of what I’d assumed I’d hear from the Hyperions,
based on my experience with other Ypsilon gear, I expected
to draw equal amounts of pleasure from both, and hear no
new revelations.
Because of the immediately obvious added harmonic and
textural richness, subtle though it was, once I’d begun listen-
ing critically, I found myself playing mostly classical and
jazz. I’d received in the mail a two-LP set of pianist Daniil
Trifonov, then 21 years old and the recent winner of the
14th International Tchaikovsky Competition (among many
other awards), performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto 1,
with Valery Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra.
3 See my review of the PST-100 Mk.II Silver in the July 2011 issue:
www.stereophile.com/content/ypsilon-pst-100-mkii-line-preamplifier.
4 I reviewed the VPS-100 and VPS-100 Silver in “Analog Corner,” in the August
2009 and March 2011 issues.

measurements, continued

amplifier’s frequency response with
our standard simulated loudspeaker 1
reached ±0.25dB (fig.1, gray trace). Of
more concern is the ultrasonic peak
in the Hyperion’s response, centered
between 40 and 50kHz and reaching
2dB in height. The peak gave rise to a
single damped cycle of oscillation with
a 10kHz squarewave (fig.2) and was
not affected by the load impedance,
which suggests that it occurs before
the output stage, perhaps at the input
transformer. Figs. 1 and 2 were taken
with the balanced input; the peak was
also present with unbalanced drive and
with both tubes, though it was slightly
lower in height with the 5687 than with
the 6H30 Pi tube.
The Hyperion’s wideband, un-
weighted signal/noise ratio, ref. 1W
into 8 ohms and taken with the input
shorted to ground, was good at 72dB,
despite the presence of some very
low-frequency noise, presumably from
the input tube. The ratio improved to
84.1dB when the measurement band-
width was restricted to the audioband,
and to 94.9dB when A-weighted.
Befitting its size and 209 lbs—oh,
my achin’ back—the Ypsilon Hyper-
ion is a very powerful amplifier with
specified power deliveries of 370W
into 8 ohms (25.7dBW), 650W into
4 ohms (25.1dBW), and 1150W into 2
ohms (24.6dBW). However, as figs. 3–5
reveal, at our usual definition of clip-
ping, at which the THD+noise reaches
1%, the Hyperion delivered 239W
into 8 ohms (23.8dBW), 400W into 4
ohms (23dBW), and 315W into 2 ohms
(19dBW). It did meet its specified power
when I relaxed the definition of clipping
to between 1.4% and 2% THD+N, but
these are disappointing results.
Of more concern in these graphs
is the Hyperion’s linear increase in
distortion with increasing power
output above a few hundred milli-
watts. While the THD+N percentage
remains acceptably low below 10W or
so, above that power, and especially
at low frequencies, it reaches levels
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/
real-life-measurements-page-2.

% % %

W W Hz

Fig.4 Ypsilon Hyperion, distortion (%) vs 1kHz Fig.5 Ypsilon Hyperion, distortion (%) vs 1kHz Fig.6 Ypsilon Hyperion, right channel, THD+N (%)
continuous output power into 4 ohms. continuous output power into 2 ohms. vs frequency at: 20W into 8 ohms (blue), 40W into
4 ohms (magenta), 80W into 2 ohms (red).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 129

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 YPSILON ELECTRONICS HYPERION

Disc 2 features Trifonov perions’ presentation was

playing mostly Schubert intensely holographic, and
songs, arranged for solo harmonically generous and
piano by Liszt (Mariinsky convincing without sound-
MAR0530-LP). ing overripe. The sensation
This is a prize-winning of “hearing” the air in the
soloist and a world-class recording space produced
orchestra, well recorded in a a strong feeling of being in
fine-sounding hall. Wheth- the Mariinsky Theater dur-
er on the vinyl (which had ing these performances.
what sounded like a few Playing an original press-
“non-fill” problems) or the ing of Fritz Reiner and
free 24-bit/96kHz FLAC the Chicago Symphony
download, the balance of Orchestra’s justifiably leg-
direct to reflected orchestral endary 1954 stereo record-
sound was, for me, ideal, ing of Strauss’s Also sprach
and the perspective was positively grand, à la recording Zarathustra (LP, RCA Living Stereo LSC-1806) produced
engineer Dr. Keith O. Johnson. Not everyone likes this kind many rewards: the opening low C on contrabassoon, double
of somewhat distant sonic drama, but it went perfectly well basses, and pipe organ, the lush strings, the well-focused
with Trifonov’s grand, sweeping, romantic playing, and left solo trumpet pealing out the famous three ascending notes
enough room for Gergiev’s dramatic orchestral swells not to appearing in three-dimensional space, and all the other
overwhelm the soloist. sonic wonders this recording provides, were more richly and
The recording sounds simply miked, à la Decca’s mi- fully drawn than I’d ever heard them, yet with the bite of
crophone “tree,” with a strong, stable center image: the the brass still fully intact. The sound was richly drawn yet
piano was locked firmly in place, despite the rich field of light on its feet and absolutely explosive, the weight of the
reverberation surrounding it, and presented the orchestra orchestra’s low end reproduced fully and well controlled.
convincingly arrayed behind and to the sides of it. The Hy- And that was just side 1!

measurements, continued

that will be audible with continuous
pure tones (fig.6). Why wasn’t MF
bothered by this behavior? First, his
Wilson speakers are very sensitive (I
measured 91.3dB/2.83V/m); most of
the time, they would not have been
asking the amplifiers to deliver more
than a few watts each. Second, the
Hyperion’s distortion signature is al-
most pure second-harmonic in nature
(figs. 7 and 8). Provided the harmonic
distortion is not accompanied by high
levels of intermodulation distortion,
the ear is surprisingly tolerant of
second-harmonic distortion, which
adds consonant tones an octave above
the fundamentals, these heard as a
“fattening” or even a “sweetening” of
the sound—and as these consonant
tones are spectrally fairly close to the
fundamental, they tend to be masked.
(You can test this for yourself with the
examples I included on Stereophile’s
Test CD 2.2) When MF comments
on “the immediately obvious added
harmonic and textural richness,” that
it is what I would expect from this
distortion signature. In addition, the
Hyperion’s intermodulation distortion
was not as low as I would have liked.
Fed an equal mix of 19 and 20kHz
tones, the combined signal peaking at
100W into 4 ohms (fig.9), the Ypsi-
lon’s difference component at 1kHz lay
at –48dB (0.4%).
I have no reason to believe that this
sample of the Ypsilon Hyperion was
broken and my measurements are
not out of line with its specifications.
Given that, it is not an amplifier that I
would recommend, especially given its
price. While I have found that power
amplifiers tend to sound different
from one another, I feel they should be
engineered to be as close to neutrally
balanced as possible, and not designed
to produce a “tailored” sound, as the
Hyperion seems to be. —John Atkinson
2 See www.stereophile.com/content/istereophileis-
test-cd-2-tracks-20-26, available from http://shop.
stereophile.com/test-cds.

d d
B B
V r r
A A

sec Hz Hz

Fig.7 Ypsilon Hyperion, 1kHz waveform at 50W into Fig.8 Ypsilon Hyperion, spectrum of 50Hz Fig.9 Ypsilon Hyperion, HF intermodulation spec-
8 ohms, 0.46% THD+N (top); distortion and noise sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 50W into 8 ohms (linear trum, DC–30kHz, 19+20kHz at 100W peak into 4
waveform with fundamental notched out (bottom, frequency scale). ohms (linear frequency scale).
not to scale).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 131

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Side 2 was mind-bogglingly better than I’d ever heard it,
all of the inner instrumental voices clearly revealed. Espe-
cially amazing was the return of the trumpet call, backed by
delicate, barely audible woodwinds that were now clearly
delineated—and, a few minutes later, the triangle, each
stroke’s attack, sustain, and decay convincingly reproduced
with great deliberateness and delicacy. And string pizzicati
were perfection.
As I listened to that LP of Reiner’s Zarathustra, I realized
that the piccolo, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, and
horns all sounded more recognizably “right” than I’d ever
heard them. Each was individually well defined without
pulling apart the sound of the entire orchestra, and within
and among the various sections there was instrumental
dimensionality and separation.
Under favorable conditions, the Ypsilon Hyperions could
put on a spectacularly realistic, impressively well-balanced
display of power, grip, depth, and delicacy, and do all of the
right things for acoustic music, whether performed by full
orchestra or small scale chamber ensemble. You need to
hear what they can do with the new 45rpm edition of Duke
Ellington’s Masterpieces by Ellington (2 LPs, Columbia Master-
works ML 4418/Analogue Productions AAPJ 4418-45).
What about rock?
Some ripe-sounding amps can be wonderful with acoustic
music but won’t do rock. Once I’d been floored by the
Hyperions’ reproduction of recordings of acoustic music, I
moved on to the Who and homed in on Who’s Next, com-
paring an original UK Track pressing mastered by “Bilbo”
(Denis Blackham) with Classic Records’ 2005 reissue,
mastered by Chris Bellman from the original master tape.
In 2005, people complained about this reissue’s price: $30.
Today, a copy will cost you a few hundred.
The Classic toasts the Track original, as well as MCA’s
mid-1990s “Heavy Vinyl” edition I was involved with.
While Keith Moon’s drums in “Baba O’Riley” are disap-
pointing in every edition, “Bargain” is stupendous in every
way, especially on the Classic reissue. Through the Hyper-
ions the kick drums on this track had believable texture,
tonality, and especially drive, and John Entwistle’s bass had
great growl, extension, and definition. But what really stood
out were the handclaps and, most particularly, the tambou-
rine, which sounded as if it was being played by some-
one standing in the room. The wet reverb around Roger
Daltrey’s voice was presented with the same well-defined
clarity, transparency, and balance of direct and “reflected”
sound as was Trifonov’s piano in the Tchaikovsky concerto.
This rock album confirmed that one the Hyperion’s great-
est strengths was its midrange transparency. Its sound was
remarkably transparent throughout, but especially from the
lower to the upper midrange.
With its generous, powerful, well-controlled bottom end,
its extraordinary midband transparency, its high-frequency
delicacy and airiness, its ideal attacks, sustains, and decays at
all frequencies, and its richly drawn harmonic palette and dy-
namic authority, the Ypsilon Hyperion amplifier did justice
to every genre—from the string-driven subtleties of Willie
Watson’s Folk Singer, Vol.2 (LP, Acony 174LP), to Ogilala, the
edgy new album by confessional solo rocker William Patrick
Corgan (LP, Martha’s Music 538321011), produced by Rick
Rubin and mixed by Jan Erik Kongshaug, best known for his
engineering and mixing for ECM—to, of course, the grand
orchestral recordings cited, and many others.
stereophile.com Q April 2018
YPSILON ELECTRONICS HYPERION
Some amplifiers that sound as lush and beautiful as this
one are simply not useful as reviewing tools. But I found the
Hyperion as reliable in that regard as the most “analytical”
amplifiers I’ve used, while giving me far more musical and
sonic pleasure from both analog and digital sources.
Rolling tubes and preamps
I used three different input tubes in the Ypsilon Hyperions:
two pairs of 6H30s and one pair of 5687s. Unlike with
the Aelius amplifiers, in which different tubes produced
profoundly different sounds, here the differences were more
subtle. The stock Sovtek 6H30 Pi’s sounded great, while a
set of Balanced Audio Technology 6H30pDRs (NOS) no-
tably improved the already impressive bottom end, widened
and somewhat deepened the already finely drawn sound-
stage, and improved instrumental focus.
Both the darTZeel NHB-18S and the even more costly
Ypsilon PST-100 Mk.II Silver Edition preamplifiers are
impressively transparent and quiet. I was able to use the
Ypsilon in passive mode, which made it essentially invisible.
(When, in July 2011, John Atkinson measured the PST-
100 Mk.II Silver in passive mode, it was flat from 10Hz to
200kHz!5) Equally impressive was the transparency of the
active darTZeel. Either would make a great mate for the
Hyperions—though if I were buying, I’d opt for a preamp
and monoblocks of the same brand.
Conclusions
Ypsilon Electronics’ Hyperion is a powerful, cannily
designed, exquisitely voiced monoblock power amplifier.
Inside and out, its construction quality is as impressive as it
should be for $93,000/pair. Because of its tubes, its distor-
tion spec of 0.7% at 100W into 8 ohms will probably freak
out the measurement fetishists, to whom I say: Just listen
to it, and keep in mind that the tube microphones used in
the making of many of your favorite recordings probably
measured similarly.
The Hyperion strikes the ideal balance between tube-
amp richness and flow and solid-state quiet, authority, and
dynamic swagger. And it does this without making you
conscious of each technology’s contribution to the whole—
something I felt that Ypsilon’s far less expensive Aelius
didn’t manage quite as well.
When I first heard, and then bought, the Ypsilon VPS-
100 phono preamplifier, I concluded that its designer,
Demetris Baklavas, was some kind of genius. His PST-100
preamp didn’t shake that conclusion, but I was somewhat
disappointed with the original Aelius. With the Hyperion,
I must again characterize Baklavas as an electronics design
genius whose name deserves mention alongside the more
familiar names you probably know. He’s seriously under-
rated, and deserving of greater acclamation.
When you make your living by listening to audio gear, at
some point you inevitably suffer burnout. While I can’t live
for long without hearing music in my listening room, there
are times when I crave silence to avoid such a burnout. But
during the time the Hyperions were here, I think I did more
listening for pleasure alone than I’ve done in years.
If you’ve got the money, I wholeheartedly recommend
the Ypsilon Hyperion. However it measures, it’s among the
handful of the best-sounding power amplifiers I’ve heard,
and it’s the most musically enjoyable of the lot. Q
5 See www.stereophile.com/content/ypsilon-pst-100-mkii-line-preamplifier-
measurements.
133
 EQ U IPMENT R EPORT

LARRY GREENHILL

Constellation Inspiration
Stereo 1.0
POWER AMPLIFIER

I
’ve found that some
audio amplifiers have
sonic signatures so
subtle that they emerge
only over weeks of listen-
ing; yet other amps sound so
distinctive—more vivid, more
transparent, more dynamic—
that their signatures are
immediately apparent. Can
those latter qualities really be
inherent in the recording, or
are they colorations pro-
duced in the amplifier?
The question arose soon
after I moved from New
York to San Rafael, Califor-
nia. My New York listening
room had been big—25' by
13', with a 12' semi-cathedral
ceiling. I now listen to music
in a room only 11' by 11.5',
with a flat ceiling 8' high. My
California room is less reverberant, with less bass exten- Description
sion and a shallower soundstage, but it’s more revealing of From the front, the Inspiration Stereo 1.0 is a rectangular
instrumental timbres. block of aluminum 8.5" high by 17" wide by 19" deep; it
Which brings me to the first audio component I’ve weighs 55 lbs. Its matte brushed-aluminum finish is relaxing
reviewed in this new room: Constellation Audio’s least to the eye and perfectly smooth to the touch—except for
expensive power amplifier, the 200Wpc Inspiration Stereo two ridges that gradually emerge from the surface as they
1.0 ($11,000). I wondered if this amplifier would deliver the ascend the height of the faceplate, then just as gradually
same excellent sonic qualities I’ve heard from costlier Con- disappear into the surface of the top plate as they run from
stellations. The minute I heard the Stereo 1.0 play music, I front to back. The only control is a bar that runs most of the
had my answer. width of the front panel. This functions as a Power/Mute

SPECIFICATIONS
Description Two-channel
solid-state power ampli-
fier. Inputs: 2 single-ended
(RCA), 2 balanced (XLR),
2 Constellation Direct
(XLR). Outputs: 2 pairs
speaker binding posts.
Power output (1kHz at 1%
THD+N): 200Wpc into 8
ohms (23dBW), 400Wpc
into 4 ohms (23dBW).
Voltage gain: 26dB (14dB,
Constellation Direct).
Frequency response:
10Hz–80kHz, +0/–0.5dB.
THD+N: <0.05% (1kHz at
up to 90% of rated power).
Output noise: <70μV,
500kHz bandwidth, –116dB
ref. 250W. Signal/noise:
>–95dB, A-weighted. Input
impedance: 20k ohms (Con-
stellation Direct, balanced),
10k ohms (unbalanced).
Input sensitivity: 2.25V for
full output. Output imped-
ance: 0.1 ohm. Damping
factor: 80 (8 ohm load).
Power consumption at idle:
not specified.
Dimensions (measured)
17" (432mm) W by 8.5"
(216mm) H by 19" (483mm)
D. Weight: 55 lbs (24.9kg).
Serial number of unit
reviewed 2100173701.
Price $11,000. Approximate
number of dealers: 13.
Warranty: 3 years, parts &
labor.
Manufacturer
Constellation Audio,
Suite 1, Level 6, 580 Street,
Kilda Road, Melbourne Vic
3004, Australia.
Tel: (805) 201-2610.
Web:
www.constellationaudio.com.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 135

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 CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION STEREO 1.0

switch and has a single central LED. On each side panel are
9 rows and 22 columns of circular vents, offset from similar
holes in a second panel under the first. This design creates a
unique pattern of interlocking ports that provide ventilation
for the internal heatsinks.
In the bottom plate below the heatsinks on each side is a
row of rectangular vents parallel to its side panel, for convec-
tion cooling. Like the Mark Levinson No.585 integrated
amplifier, the Stereo 1.0’s internal heatsinks extend roughly
half the length of each side panel. Each part of the case—top,
bottom, and perforated sides—is tightly fitted around the
heatsinks inside, making the entire case an effective radiator
of heat. This allows the amp’s exterior to resemble a smooth,
uninterrupted, rectangular billet of aluminum that looks
more like a sculpture than an exotic, high-end amplifier.
Sitting atop the rear panel at chassis center is a small black
subpanel with a 20 amp IEC AC jack and the main power
rocker switch. Near the center of the rear panel are two
pairs of large, rugged speaker binding posts. Between and
just above those are a USB service input jack, and a 3.5mm
Trigger jack for a 12V DC on/off control signal from a pre-
amp or a third-party control system. Also on the rear panel
are a Mute On/Off toggle switch, a three-position toggle for
selecting between Direct, Balanced, and RCA inputs, XLR
jacks labeled Balanced and Direct, and an RCA input jack.
The Direct XLR jack can be used only with Constellation’s
preamplifiers, all of which include the same line-stage gain
module that comprises the Stereo 1.0’s initial input stage.
Plugging an XLR from one of those models into a Stereo
1.0’s Direct jack bypasses the amp’s input module.
Inside, the Inspiration 1.0 is divided into two compart-
ments: the one in front houses a large toroidal transformer
and switching relays, and in the rear are the circuit boards,
electrolytic capacitors, output devices, and heatsinks. Putting
the audio circuits in the rear makes possible the shortest
route to the input and output connectors. The power trans-
former is shielded with aluminum plates, and a shielded
channel brings the AC from the rear panel to the transform-
er. There’s more point-to-point wiring between the circuit
boards and transformer than I’ve seen in other high-end
solid-state amplifiers, but these appear to be terminated in
snap-on connectors, which should make for easy servicing.
The back panel must be opened to replace the fuses; they’re
not easily accessible.
Like other Constellation amplifiers, the Inspiration
Stereo 1.0 is built around single-ended, 125W MOSFET-
based modules comprising discrete components. Identical
multiples of this circuit are combined to scale up from
the Stereo 1.0’s 200Wpc to the 1.1kW of Constellation’s
flagship amp, the Reference Hercules II Mono (both
outputs specified into 8 ohms). Each module represents a
“single-end, fully-balanced amplifier” that employs carefully
matched but floating (ie, not referenced to ground) pairs of
N-channel MOSFETs connected to the speaker load, with-
out an output filter network. The Stereo 1.0’s power supply
has an impressive amount of storage: 24 filter capacitors of

MEASUREMENTS

I
measured the Constellation
Inspiration Stereo 1.0 with my
Audio Precision SYS2722 system
(see the January 2008 “As We
See It,” http://tinyurl.com/4ffpve4).
Before performing any tests, I ran
it at one-third its specified clipping
power into 8 ohms for an hour. At the
end of that time, both the top panel
and the perforated side panels were
warm, at 106.4°F (41.4°C); the gain at
the speaker terminals was 25.1dB for
both the balanced and single-ended
inputs—slightly below the specified
26dB; and the output inverted absolute
polarity with both inputs.
The Constellation amplifier’s input
impedance at low and middle frequen-
cies was extremely high, at >1M ohm
balanced and >310k ohms unbalanced.
(I can’t be more specific as the voltage
drop method I use becomes increas-
ingly inaccurate as the amplifier’s
input impedance increases.) The im-
pedances dropped to a still-high 690k
and 130k ohms, respectively, at the
top of the audioband. I was puzzled
by this, as the specified impedances
are 20k ohms, balanced, and 10k
ohms, unbalanced. Perhaps the circuit
was changed after the specifications
were published, but a very high input
impedance is in no way a problem. The
output impedance was low, varying
from 0.11 ohm at 20Hz and 1kHz to
0.12 ohm at 20kHz. Measured into our
standard simulated loudspeaker,1 the
Inspiration’s frequency response var-
ied by only ±0.1dB (fig.1, gray trace).
Fig.1 also shows that the response was
flat to 20kHz with all load impedances,
but that the ultrasonic output increas-
ingly rolled off above 20kHz as the
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/
real-life-measurements-page-2.

d d
B B
r r
A A

Hz Hz

Fig.1 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, frequency
response at 2.83V into: simulated loudspeaker
load (gray), 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red),
4 ohms (left cyan, right magenta), 2 ohms (green)
(1dB/vertical div.).
Fig.2 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, small- Fig.3 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, spectrum
signal, 10kHz squarewave into 8 ohms. of 1kHz sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 1W into 8 ohms
(linear frequency scale).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 137

 Fact or Fantasy?
Dear Audiophile/Music Lover, that my system has ever and the presence of emo-
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it sounds more like live music. Music
is more emotionally engaging.
It is as if I can see into the record-
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 CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION STEREO 1.0

10,000μF each. The exterior of the Inspiration Stereo 1.0
exudes simplicity and purity of form, its rear-panel compo-
nents are rugged and of high quality, and its internal build
quality is superb.
Setup
With my reference Quad ESL-989 speakers at the repair
shop—they were damaged during their journey across the
US in an Atlas moving van—I placed one Revel Ultima Sa-
lon2 speaker to either side of my equipment rack. The Rev-
els were 3.3' from the front wall, 6.3' apart (measured from
the speakers’ tweeters), and 6.3' from my listening chair.
Although the Inspiration Stereo 1.0 weighs only 55 lbs—
half the weight of one Mark Levinson No.536 monoblock1 —
its lack of handles and my own limited strength meant that I
couldn’t lift it onto a shelf. So I placed it on the floor, which
made it easier to switch interconnects and speaker cables
when comparing amplifiers.
The Stereo 1.0’s shipping carton also contained a heavy
detachable power cord and three fuses. There was no
hard copy of the manual, so I downloaded it from the
company’s website. Following the instructions, I plugged
balanced interconnects from my preamplifier into the
amp’s rear-panel Balanced jacks (not the Direct XLRs), set
the Input toggle to Balanced and the Mute toggle to Off,
and the master power switch to On. The LED on the front
glowed a steady red, signaling that the Stereo 1.0 was in
Standby mode.
Where it stayed. Despite my frantic pressings of the front-
panel bar, the Constellation stubbornly remained in Standby.
I remembered something similar happening in 1999, when
I reviewed Mark Levinson’s No.334 amplifier.2 Repeatedly
pushing the No.334’s Standby/Power button did nothing.
Reading the manual revealed that I had to wait a full three
seconds after switching on the No.334’s main power switch,
on the rear, before pressing the front-panel button to bring it
out of standby. Could this be happening again?
It was. The Stereo 1.0’s manual (p.8) reveals that, as with
the Levinson, the user must wait at least three seconds
between activations of the power switches. In fact, the Con-
stellation’s Power/Standby bar must be held down all that
time, until an internal relay clicks as it triggers the turn-on
sequence, during which the bar’s LED shifts from glow-
ing steady red (Standby) to flashing green (Warmup). That
flashing-green phase, too, is inviolate—pressing the bar again
won’t bypass it. At the end of that long minute, the relay
clicks again, the LED glows steady blue, and the Stereo 1.0 is
ready to play music.
I ran the Constellation Stereo 1.0 for several hours at
90dB, playing all my favorite digital music files. The case got
only slightly warm, and the amp never shut down because
of overheating or for any other reason during the entire
listening period. I was surprised that it ran as cool as it did,
given that all its heatsinks are inside the case.
1 See www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no536-monoblock-power-
amplifier.
2 See www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no334-power-amplifier-
page-2.

measurements, continued

load impedance dropped. Into 8 ohms
(fig.1, blue and red traces) the output
was down by just 1.3dB at 200kHz;
a 10kHz squarewave in to that load
was therefore reproduced with very
short risetimes (fig.2), though a slight
hint of overshoot was present on the
waveform’s leading edges.
Channel separation (not shown) was
excellent, at 115dB at 100Hz, though it
decreased with increasing frequency,
to 72dB at 20kHz. The Inspiration
was also very quiet, its unweighted,
wideband signal/noise ratio, ref. 2.83V
into 8 ohms and assessed with the
unbalanced input shorted to ground,
measuring a superb 88dB (average of
both channels). Restricting the mea-
surement bandwidth to the audioband
improved the ratio to 95.2dB, and
A-weighting the measurement further
improved it, to 98.1dB. Spectral analysis
of the Stereo 1.0’s low-frequency noise
floor (fig.3) indicated that while some
spuriae were present at the AC supply
frequency and its harmonics, these
were all at or below –105dB in the left
channel (blue trace), and mostly lower
than that in the right channel (red).
The Inspiration Stereo 1.0 is speci-
fied as delivering 200Wpc into 8 ohms
or 400Wpc into 4 ohms (both equiva-
lent to 23dBW) at 1% THD+noise. Figs.
4 and 5 respectively plot its percentage
of THD+N against power into 8 and 4
ohms, and reveal that at 1% THD+N
with both channels driven, the ampli-
fier delivers more power than specified:
340W into 8 ohms (25.3dBW) and
480W into 4 ohms (23.8dBW). I tried
repeating this test into 2 ohms, with
just the left channel, but the Stereo
1.0 turned itself off before the THD+N
reached 1%. When I turned it back on,
only the right channel was operating,
which suggests that one of the internal
high-voltage fuses had blown. I could
see no way to get inside the chassis

% % %

W W Hz

Fig.4 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, distortion Fig.5 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, distortion Fig.6 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, right
(%) vs 1kHz continuous output power into 8 ohms. (%) vs 1kHz continuous output power into 4 ohms. channel, THD+N (%) vs frequency at 10V into: 8
ohms (blue), 4 ohms (magenta), 2 ohms (red).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 139

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 CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION STEREO 1.0

Sound
With the Inspiration Stereo 1.0 all warmed up, I put on The
First Tears, a choral work by Ɯriks Ešenvalds from a record-
ing engineered by John Atkinson: The Doors of Heaven, with
Ethan Sperry directing the Portland State Chamber Choir
(24-bit/88kHz WAV file or CD, Naxos 8.579008).3 It was
a Wow! moment. The stunningly translucent choir popped
out of a jet-“black” background with bell-like clarity. Indi-
vidual singers were clearly positioned on a broad soundstage
as they echoed each other singing an Inuit tale of Raven.
The depth of field was impressive. What was so startling,
and what sealed the deal for me, was the dynamic range,
from intimate whisperings to thunderous, foot-stomping
full chorus. The Inspiration Stereo 1.0 sounded more vivid,
refined, and transparent than my reference amps. Was the
Constellation revealing things in the music I’d never heard
before, or was it adding things to the music?
LPs were reproduced with the same addictive midrange
vividness. Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite, with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra led by Erich Leinsdorf (LP, RCA
Living Stereo LSC-3061), came alive as never before. In
the Romance and Troika, the Stereo 1.0 conveyed the blat of
the brasses and the warmth of baritone David Clatworthy’s
voice. With a digital file of “Kote Moun Yo?,” from Markus
Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn’s Equinox (24/96k, CD, Sound-
keeper SR1002),4 I was delighted by the amplifier’s depic-
tion of this recording’s transparent, silken highs, dynamics,
and “black” background.
The Stereo 1.0 came into its own with other choral
recordings. I heard the rich timbral palette from the differ-
ent ranks of singers in the Piè Jesu of John Rutter’s Requiem,
with Timothy Seelig leading the Turtle Creek Chorale (CD,
Reference RR-57). The clarity, balance, and pitch defini-
tion of the pipe organ’s pedal notes underpinning soprano
Nancy Keith were especially pleasing. The lilting tenors
of all-male chorus Cantus in Edie Hill’s A Sound Like This,
from the ensemble’s While You Are Alive (24/88.2 digital file
or CD, Cantus CTS-1208),5 retained their complex vocal
timbres. José Carreras’s soft, pure, lilting tenor in the Kyrie
of Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, in the recording conducted
by José Luis Ocejo (CD, Philips 420 955-2), floated above
and in front of the massed voices of choristers stretching out
behind him. Livingston Taylor’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s
“Isn’t She Lovely,” from Taylor’s Ink (CD, Chesky JD162),
and Lyle Lovett’s performance of “Friend of the Devil,”
from Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead (CD, Arista
8669), never sounded better. These singers’ voices were
holographic and three-dimensional.
Michael Fremer’s description of Constellation’s Centaur
Mono ($54,000/pair)6 best expresses my own impression
of the Stereo 1.0. Mikey praised the Centaur’s “exception-
3 See Robert Levine’s review of this recording in the October 2017 issue: www.
stereophile.com/content/bonus-recording-october-2017-doors-heaven.
4 See Robert Baird’s review of this recording in the February 2011 issue: https://
tinyurl.com/l3d9psd.
5 See https://tinyurl.com/ybfz5f43.
6 See www.stereophile.com/content/constellation-audio-performance-centaur-
mono-monoblock-power-amplifier.

measurements, continued

to replace the fuse and the manual
strongly advises leaving fuse replace-
ment to the dealer.
Fortunately, I had by then per-
formed almost all of my tests, other
than examining how the Constella-
tion’s THD+N percentage varied with
frequency. I thus performed that test
with just the right channel operating
(fig.6), and at a level high enough that
I could be certain I was examining dis-
tortion rather than noise: 20V, which
is equivalent to 50W into 8 ohms,
100W into 4 ohms, and 200W into 2
ohms. Fig.6 reveals that the Constel-
lation offered very low distortion into
8 ohms (blue trace), slightly higher
distortion into 4 ohms (magenta),
but about 10 times as much THD+N
into 2 ohms (red). There is the usual
rise in THD+N in the top two audio
octaves, but still only to levels that are
respectably low. As well as being very
low in level, the distortion is pre-
dominantly the subjectively innocuous
third harmonic (fig.7), though at very
high powers into 4 ohms the third
harmonic is joined by lower levels of
second and fifth harmonics (fig.8).
Tested with an equal mix of 19 and
20kHz tones, with the peak signal
level reaching 200W into 4 ohms, the
increase in THD+N seen in the top
octaves in fig.6 results in quite a few
intermodulation products (fig.9)—but
of these, the highest in level are still
at only –86dB (0.005%), and the
potentially audible product at 1kHz
lies almost 100dB down.
Overall, the Constellation Inspira-
tion Stereo 1.0 offers quite respectable
measured performance, and delivers
considerably more power than its con-
servative specification claims.
—John Atkinson

d d
B B
V r r
A A

sec Hz Hz

Fig.7 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, 1kHz Fig.8 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, spectrum Fig.9 Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0, HF in-
waveform at 50W into 8 ohms, 0.0029% THD+N of 50Hz sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 200W into 4 ohms termodulation spectrum, DC–30kHz, 19+20kHz at
(top); distortion and noise waveform with funda- (linear frequency scale). 200W peak into 4 ohms (linear frequency scale).
mental notched out (bottom, not to scale).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 141

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ally pure sound, as well as their seamlessness and transpar-
ency.” Although the Centaur’s bass had impressive speed,
pitch definition, and harmonic balance, MF noted that
its sound was less muscular than he’d heard from other
high-end solid-state amplifiers. Similarly, while the Stereo
1.0 emphasized the pitch definition and speed of the bass
synthesizer in “Silk Road,” from I Ching’s Of the Marsh and
the Moon (CD, Chesky WO144), it made the bass drum
sound smaller and narrower as it had with the bass drum in
Misa Criolla. The 32Hz pedal note that ends organist James
Busby’s performance of Herbert Howells’s Master Tallis’s
Testament, on Pipes Rhode Island (CD, Riago 101), was deep,
but didn’t thunder or shake the room. Was this a more
balanced, more accurate reproduction of the instrumental
tonalities in this recording, or was it only the Stereo 1.0’s
interpretation of those tonalities?
Comparisons
To confirm my impressions of the Inspiration Stereo 1.0’s
vividness and refined bass response, I level-matched to it
two other solid-state stereo amplifiers, both from Mark
Levinson: my No.334 (125Wpc, $5900 in 1999) and the
No.534 (250Wpc, $20,000). All amplifiers were set using
repeatable preamplifier volume settings to produce the same
SPL of 88.5dB at my listening chair from a digital file of
uncorrelated pink noise.
The Stereo 1.0 proved faster, more vivid, and more trans-
parent than the No.334, which sounded slightly darker and
a bit muffled in comparison. As I switched back and forth
between the two amplifiers with the Revel Ultima Salon2
speakers, it became clear that the Stereo 1.0’s upper range
was sweeter, more compelling, more addictive.
However, the Constellation didn’t go as low in the deep
bass. This meant that dynamic contrasts involving deep bass,
such as sustained pedal chords from pipe organs, were more
emotionally involving with the No.334, shaking my listening
room more. When I played the Toccata of Widor’s Organ
Symphony 5, as performed by Jonas Nordwall and recorded
by John Atkinson (24/88.2 AIFF file), the No.334 delivered
more thunderous deep-pedal notes that pressurized the
room, ca 18Hz according to my Audio Tools FFT analyzer.
The conga drum that begins “Hotel California,” from the
Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over (CD, Geffen GEFD-24725), was
well defined and tight through the Stereo 1.0, but more 3D
and room-shaking through the No.334. The heartbeat that
opens “Breathe (in the Air),” from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side
of the Moon (SACD/CD, EMI 82136-2), was a well-defined,
dense, solid, pitch-perfect pulse with the Stereo 1.0, but
not as ominous or as room-shakingly massive as with the
No.334. On the other hand, the Stereo 1.0’s resolution and
focus made Michael Arnopol’s plucked double bass, which
begins “Use Me” from Patricia Barber’s Companion (SACD/
CD, Premonition/Blue Note/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
2023), come alive, while giving up none of the emotional
weight and energy heard through the other amplifiers.
The Stereo 1.0 closely matched the transparent highs
and bass definition of the new Mark Levinson No.534.7
But the No.534—at almost twice the price—didn’t deliver
the Constellation’s addictive vividness and clarity. Rather,
its sound was more neutral and, at first, slightly more
boring. Over time, I began to realize that the No.534 had
better tonal balance and bass pitch definition, which made
it easier to follow Tim Schmit’s bass-guitar notes in the
Eagles’ “Hotel California.”
stereophile.com Q April 2018
CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION STEREO 1.0
A S S O C I AT E D E Q U I P M E N T
Analog Sources Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo
power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral MC cartridge;
Day-Sequerra 25th Anniversary FM Reference, McIntosh
Laboratory MR-78, Sony XDR-F2HD FM/AM tuners.
Digital Sources Bryston BCD-1 CD player & BDP-3 media
player with IAD soundboard & BDA-3 DAC; Oppo Digital
BPD-103 universal player; Lenovo P50 computer running
Windows 10 Pro (64-bit), Bryston Windows USB driver,
JRiver Media Center 22, Roon Core.
Preamplification Bryston BP-26, Mark Levinson ML-7 pre-
amplifiers; Sutherland Engineering KC Vibe phono stage &
Vibe head amplifier.
Power Amplifiers Mark Levinson No.534 and No.334.
Loudspeakers Revel Ultima Salon2.
Cables Digital: Wireworld Starlight coaxial. Interconnect:
Bryston balanced, Mark Levinson Silver, Pure Silver Cable
balanced, Red Rose Silver One, Totem Acoustic Sinew
single-ended. Speaker: Coincident Speaker Technology
CST 1, Pure Silver Cable R50 biwire double ribbon, QED
X-Tube 400, Ultralink Excelsior 6N OFHC. AC: manufac-
turers’ own.
Accessories JL Audio CR-1 electronic crossover; Apple
iPhone 6 with Studio Six iTestMic & Audio Analyzer app
v.10.7.11; Apple iPad; Torus Power RM 20 power conditioner.
Listening Room 13' L by 11.5' W by 8' H with flat ceiling,
sparsely furnished with area rug, overstuffed chair. Alcove
(6' by 2.5' by 7') in rear wall filled with desk & books.
Audio electronics stacked in Salamander Designs Synergy
S40 Systems Rack with two drawers & Robot feet. Win-
dows in front wall covered with blinds. Rear of room opens
to upstairs hall through 7' by 4' doorway. —Larry Greenhill
Conclusions
Constellation Audio’s Inspiration Stereo 1.0 has remark-
able midrange and treble performance—those ranges are
unusually vivid, translucent, and seemingly natural. Its
sound qualities perfectly complemented those of my Revel
Ultima Salon2 speakers, making them sound smoother,
sweeter, less hard. It didn’t take long for the sonic pleasures
offered by the Stereo 1.0 to overcome my frustration with
its lengthy Standby/Power-On cycles and lack of handles.
While the Stereo 1.0 produced excellent definition of
pitch of deep-bass notes, its low-end solidity was not as
apparent with some recordings. This makes it an ideal am-
plifier for speakers that need to be supported by a powered
subwoofer, such as my Quad ESL-989s.
As my listening sessions drew to a close, I realized that I
most often turned to the Inspiration Stereo 1.0 for enjoy-
ment instead of to my Mark Levinson amps, and not only
because I was reviewing them. What an addictive prod-
uct! That such excellence is possible with Constellation’s
least-expensive stereo amp is most impressive. But does its
vividness mean that this is a better amp for revealing same in
the music source, or is that quality produced by the ampli-
fier. I suspect that the answer is a bit of both. One thing is
certain—I don’t look forward to returning the Inspiration
Stereo 1.0 to Constellation Audio. Strongly recommended. Q
7 Larry Greenhill will be following up his July 2017 review of the Mark Levinson
No.536 monoblocks with a report on this stereo version.
143
 EQ U IPMENT R EPORT

JOHN ATKINSON

Prism Sound Callia

D/A HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

I The DAC circuits

have long been aware professional audio, but a year or so ago I began seeing their
of English audio first domestic audio product, the Callia, at audio shows.
company Prism appear to be
Sound, both from based on a pair Description
my use at the turn of the of Cirrus Logic Priced at $2750, the Callia is a PCM- and DSD-capable
century of their excellent D/A processor and headphone amplifier with separate
PCI card–based DScope2 CS4398 chips. volume controls for its line and headphone outputs. A slim
measurement system,1 and design with a gray-anodized front panel and a black-painted
from some of my friends’ enthusiasm for Prism’s SADiE steel case, the Callia has pairs of balanced and single-ended
digital audio workstation. Prism Sound was founded in 1987 outputs on the rear, and a 1⁄4" stereo headphone output on
by two DSP engineers, Graham Boswell and Ian Dennis, the right of the front panel. The two volume controls are
who had first met when working at mixing-console manu- flanked by circular arrays of blue LEDS; the array for the
facturer Rupert Neve, in Cambridge, England. From the
beginning, Prism Sound operated exclusively in the world of 1 Prism’s current measurement system is the standalone DScope Series III.

SPECIFICATIONS
Description D/A proces-
sor & headphone amplifier.
Digital inputs: 1 coaxial S/
PDIF (RCA), 1 TosLink, 1 USB
Class 2 (Type B). Analog
outputs: 1 pair balanced
(XLR), 1 pair unbalanced
(RCA), 1 headphone on 1⁄4”
stereo jack. Digital formats
supported: 16–32-bit/44.1–
384kHz PCM; DSD128
(DoP); 352kHz, 384kHz &
DSD128 are via a precision
digital decimation filter.
Frequency response (line):
–0.05dB at 6Hz, –3dB at
1.5Hz; –0.05dB at 21.4kHz,
–3dB at 22.0kHz (44.1kHz
data); –0.05dB at 23.2kHz,
–3dB at 23.9kHz (48kHz
data): –0.05dB at 32.0kHz,
–3dB at 47.8kHz (96kHz
data); –0.05dB at 32.0kHz,
–3dB at 76.0kHz (192kHz
data & DSD64, DSD128):
Channel separation: >120dB,
0Hz–20kHz. Maximum
output level: 3.9V (14dBu)
balanced, 1.95V (8dBu)
unbalanced; 6.2V (18.0dBu)
HiZ, 4.1V (14.45dBu),
MedZ, 2.05V (8.45dBu)
LoZ. Output impedance: 50
ohms, balanced, unbal-
anced; 4 ohms, headphone.
THD+N: –106dB (0.0005%
at –0.1dBFS). Dynamic range:
115dB (–60dBFS). Local clock
accuracy: ±50ppm. Jitter re-
jection: 60dB/decade above
100Hz. Power consumption:
15W. Supplied accessories:
USB & IEC power cables, USB
stick with firmware loader
software, Windows drivers,
PDF manual.
Dimensions 11.2" (285mm)
W by 2" (50mm) H (includ-
ing feet) by 9.5" (242mm) D.
Weight: 4.6 lbs (2.1kg).
Finish Black with gray
faceplate.
Serial number of unit
reviewed 00217.
Price $2750. Approximate
number of dealers: 25, plus
sold direct.
Manufacturer
Prism Media Products Ltd.,
The Old School, High Street,
Stretham, Cambridgeshire
CB6 3LD, England, UK.
US distributor: Prism Media
Products Inc., 45 Pine Street,
Suite 1, Rockaway, NJ 07866.
Tel: (973) 983-9577.
Fax: (973) 983-9588.
Web: www.prismsound.com.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 145

 PRISM SOUND CALLIA

larger one for the primary control successively illuminate
as the volume is increased. (The brightness of the LEDs
is adjustable.) The line volume control can be disabled for
use with external preamplifiers, and the line outputs can be
muted when headphones are used.
The rear panel also has coaxial and optical S/PDIF inputs
and a USB port, but peculiarly, given its pro heritage, no
AES/EBU input. Blue LEDS on the front panel indicate:
which source is active (source selection can be automatic or
manual), bit depth (24 when lit), and sample rate. The bit
rate is displayed by the illumination of one of two LEDs for
44.1 or 48kHz, and LEDs for “x2” and “x4.” For example, a
source sampled at 352.8kHz would cause the “44k1,” “x2,”
and “x4” LEDs all to be lit. A separate LED indicates when
DSD data are being received via USB.
A right-hand button switches the Callia in and out of
standby mode and can also be used to manually select the
source. (The Callia has no remote control.) A DIP switch
on the rear panel allows the headphone output level to be
optimized for headphones of high, medium, or low imped-
ance, enables/disables the main volume control, and allows
for there to be 3.1dB of digital headroom with DSD data
(the default), or 0dB headroom, the latter giving a noise
floor 3.1dB lower.
The DAC circuits are said to be identical to those in
Prism Sound’s Lyra, Titan, and Atlas professional converters,
and appear to be based on a pair of Cirrus Logic CS4398
DAC chips: an oversampled, multi-bit, sigma-delta type
that will operate at sample rates of up to 192kHz. While
the Callia will accept data sampled at 352.8 and 384kHz, it
downsamples these to 192kHz before sending them to the
DAC, using what Prism says is a “high precision digital in-
terpolation filter.” It also converts DSD64 and DSD128 data
to PCM, Prism stating that this lets them achieve exactly
the response they want “using [a] suitable silicon budget to
doing a really nice job of it,” and adding that they’ve been
researching such processing and conversion technologies
“since the earliest days of DSD.”
The main integrated circuits on the printed circuit
board that occupies the Callia’s full width and depth are
an ARM microprocessor, Texas Instruments 2933 phase-
locked-loop (PLL) chips, and a Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA. A
shielded power supply occupies the right-hand side of the
PCB, Prism saying that the analog circuitry is galvanically
isolated from the power supply and digital circuitry, to
eliminate interference. The analog output stages appear to
be based on classic low-distortion NE5532A op-amp chips,
and a short vertical metal shield separates the left and right
output circuits.
Critical to the performance of a D/A processor is the
quality not only of its master clock but how well it rejects
timing uncertainty—jitter—in the incoming datastream.

MEASUREMENTS

I
measured the Prism Sound Callia
with my Audio Precision SYS2722
system (see the January 2008
“As We See It,” http://tinyurl.
com/4ffpve4), using both the Audio
Precision’s optical and electrical digital
outputs and USB data sourced from my
MacBook Pro running on battery power
with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and
AIFF test-tone files. Apple’s USB Prober
utility identified the DACas “Callia”
from “Prism Media Products, Ltd.,”
its serial number as “000001,” and
confirmed that its USB port operated
in the optimal isochronous asyn-
chronous mode. Apple’s AudioMIDI
utility revealed that, via USB, the Callia
accepted 32-bit integer data and iden-
tified the clock source as “CleverClox.”
The optical and coaxial S/PDIF inputs
accepted datastreams with sample
rates up to 192kHz, and the USB 2.0
input accepted streams sampled up to
384kHz as well as DSD.
The maximum output level at 1kHz
was 3.88V from the balanced outputs,
1.99V from the unbalanced outputs,
and 1.93V from the headphone outputs,
as set up for my listening. All outputs
preserved absolute polarity. (The
XLR jacks are wired with pin 2 hot.)
The output impedance conformed to
specifications: 50 ohms from both
sets of line outputs, 4.5 ohms from the
headphone outputs.
The reconstruction filter’s im-
pulse response (fig.1) indicated that
it is almost a minimum-phase type,
with almost all the ringing occurring
after the single sample at 0dBFS. The
filter rolled off rapidly above half the
sampling frequency with white noise
sampled at 44.1kHz (fig.2, magenta
and red traces),1 and reached the full
stop-band suppression at 24kHz.
Consequently, the aliased image of a
full-scale 19.1kHz tone (cyan and blue
traces) was suppressed by >100dB.
Though the distortion harmonics of
this tone are very low in level—the
V r
sec
Fig.1 Prism Sound Callia, impulse response (one
sample at 0dBFS, 44.1kHz sampling, 4ms time
window).
third harmonic is the highest in level, at
–91dB (0.003%)—some enharmonic
tones are present in the spectrum,
though also at very low levels.
Fig.3 shows the Callia’s frequency
response with data sampled at 44.1,
96, and 192kHz. With the lower sample
rates, the DAC’s output drops rapidly
below each Nyquist frequency (half the
sample rate); with 192kHz data, the
output is down by 6dB at Nyquist. I
haven’t shown the frequency response
with 384kHz data, as it overlay the
response at 192kHz. As Prism Sound
says, the DAC downsamples data
1 My thanks for Jürgen Reis for suggesting this test
to me.
d
B
A
Hz
Fig.2 Prism Sound Callia, wideband spectrum
of white noise at –4dBFS (left channel red, right
magenta) and 19.1kHz tone at 0dBFS (left blue,
right cyan), with data sampled at 44.1kHz (20dB/
vertical div.).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 147

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 PRISM SOUND CALLIA

Prism Sound calls its solution CleverClox, a hybrid PLL
circuit that allows a low-jitter clock to be re-created from
the incoming data “no matter how much jitter it has and no
matter what its frequency.”
Sound on the Desktop
For use with Windows PCs, the Callia’s USB 2.0 input
requires a driver program; this and the pdf manual are
supplied on a USB stick. USB 2.0 is supported natively by
Macs running OS X, so no driver software need be installed;
nonetheless, Prism recommends installing its software on
Macs to permit firmware updates.
I used the Callia for desktop listening with my Audeze
LCD-X headphones, the Pure Music app on my Mac-
Book Pro sending it data via USB. The balance was on the
warm side; “Fisherman’s Daughter,” from Daniel Lanois’s
Acadie: Gold Top Edition (ALAC rip from CD, Red Floor
FNCD5543), sounded richer than I expected. The spacey
accompaniment in “Silium’s Hill,” however, wasn’t rolled
off or indistinct; and David Abel’s violin in his recording of
Beethoven’s Violin Sonata 10 in G, Op.96 No.1, sounded
natural, with no high-frequency tizz, while Julie Steinberg’s
piano sounded rich (24/192 ALAC needle drop from LP,
Wilson Audio W-8315).

measurements, continued

sampled at rates greater than 192kHz.
Channel separation was greater than
120dB below 2kHz, and still 110dB in
both directions at the top of the
audioband. The Callia produced low
levels of analog noise. While spuriae
at the power-supply–related frequen-
cies of 120, 240, and 360Hz were
present (fig.4), these were vanishingly
low in level.
When I increased the bit depth
from 16 to 24 with a dithered 1kHz
tone at –90dBFS (fig.5) the noise floor
dropped by 12dB, meaning that the
Callia offers 18 bits’ worth of resolu-
tion. With undithered data represent-
ing a tone at exactly –90.31dBFS (fig.6),
the three DC voltage levels described
by the data were well resolved. With
undithered 24-bit data the result was a
fairly clean sinewave (not shown).
As suggested by fig.2, harmonic dis-
tortion was very low. Even at maximum
output into the punishingly low 600
ohm load, the second and third har-
monics lay at just –104dB (0.0006%)
and –109dB (0.0004%), respectively
(fig.7). Low-order intermodulation
distortion was also vanishingly low
(fig.8), though to my surprise, pairs of
sidebands around the primary tones
and some very high-order products are
both visible in this graph. These are all
very low in level, however.
When I tested the Callia for its
rejection of word-clock jitter, using
undithered 16-bit J-Test data2 fed to
the coaxial S/PDIF input, I was not
surprised to find that the odd-order
harmonics of the low-frequency, LSB-
level squarewave were all at the correct
levels, as shown by the sloping green
line in fig.9. What I was not expecting
were the sidebands at 180 and 360Hz
to either side of the spectral spike that
represents the tone at one-quarter
the same rate. I repeated the test with
the TosLink and USB inputs, and with
48kHz J-Test data, and experimented
with grounding between the DAC and
2 One of the developers of this diagnostic test
signal, Julian Dunn, joined Prism Sound in 1989 as
a staff engineer. He died from leukemia on January
23, 2003, aged just 41. See www.nanophon.com/
tributes/JAES_V51_4_PG290.pdf.

d d
d B B
B r r
r
A A

Hz Hz Hz

Fig.3 Prism Sound Callia, frequency response at
–12dBFS into 100k ohms with data sampled at:
44.1kHz (left channel green, right gray), 96kHz (left
cyan, right magenta), 192kHz (left blue, right red)
(1dB/vertical div.).
Fig.4 Prism Sound Callia, spectrum with noise and Fig.5 Prism Sound Callia, spectrum with noise and
spuriae of 1kHz tone at: 0dBFS (left channel blue, spuriae of dithered 1kHz tone at –90dBFS with: 16-
right red), –60dBFS (left green, right gray) (20dB/ bit data (left channel cyan, right magenta), 24-bit
vertical div.). data (left blue, right red) (20dB/vertical div.).

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 PRISM SOUND CALLIA

Sound in the Big Rig
I installed the Callia in place of my reference DAC, PS
Audio’s PerfectWave DirectStream ($6899 with Bridge II
network adapter card), which I was using without preamp to
directly feed my Lamm M1.2 Reference monoblocks. The
Callia presented somewhat less soundstage depth than the
DirectStream. My recording of clarinetist Antony Michael-
son leading a string quartet in Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet
(16/44.1 ALAC file from CD, Stereophile STPH015-2) was
made in Chad Kassem’s Blue Heaven Studios, in Salina,
Kansas, with the microphones relatively close to the musi-
cians. The acoustic of that former church is thus fairly subtle,
but through the PS Audio was sufficiently supportive of the
ensemble. But with the Callia, the acoustic seemed some-
what suppressed; I began to feel that I should have moved
the mikes a tad farther away.
The Callia’s slightly dry sound was not a problem with
non-classical recordings. With the superbly well-recorded
DVD-A of XXL, by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band (Sil-
verline 284104-2, a disc loaned me by reader Rush Selden),
the Callia preserved the power and impact of the bass and
drums, the goopy soupiness of the saxes, the brassy blattiness
of the horns, and the tonally exaggerated close harmony and
scatting of Take 6—all were present in full measure. As I had
no preamp in the system, I was feeding the Callia 16/48
S/PDIF data from my Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP player via
an antique Meridian 518 format converter (with its DSP
bypassed) to convert the player’s AES/EBU output to S/
PDIF. However, when I next went to play XXL, the sound
was louder, drier, edgier. What the . . . ?
I ejected the disc and saw that I’d inserted it in the player
upside down—and because it’s a DualDisc, its flip side is a
CD: I was listening to 16/44.1 data. The difference in sound
quality was greater than I would have expected from the
sample rates, even after adjusting the volume for the ca 6dB
greater average level of the CD version. But as I have no way
of knowing how the two versions were prepared, perhaps the
CD had been poorly transcoded as well as being compressed.
After a few weeks of living with the Callia, and to prepare
to write my review of this issue’s MQA-encoded “Record-
ing of the Month,” I replaced the Callia with the Mytek
Brookyn,2 which cost $1995 before it was replaced by the
Brooklyn DAC+ ($2195; see Jim Austin’s review of the
DAC+ elsewhere in this issue). Before reinserting the Callia
in the system to finish its review, I repeated the Gordon
Goodwin comparison with the Mytek. Level differences
aside, the CD side now sounded a little closer to the DVD-
A side. Of more significance to me, the Mytek better repro-
duced the space of the Kansas church building in which I’d
recorded the Brahms Clarinet Quintet.
Conclusions
I appreciated the fact that the Prism Sound Callia has a vol-
ume control, which meant that I could connect it directly to
my power amplifiers and not have to use a preamplifier. But
I missed having a remote control to adjust volume—and the
way my system is now configured, DACs work best for me
when connected via Ethernet to the host computer rather,
than the Callia’s USB input.
The Callia is, without a doubt, an excellent-sounding
2 See https://tinyurl.com/ycaxqeqv.

measurements, continued

the Audio Precision, as well as with
other sample rates—all to no avail.
Fig.10 shows the spectrum with 24-bit
J-Test data: the sidebands are clearly
revealed. But these are at a low level,
and disappeared when I reduced the
level of the input data by 6dB.
The frequencies of the sideband
pairs suggest that they might be re-
lated to the power supply. The question
then becomes: Are they due to jitter or
to something else, such as inadequate
supply filtering on the DAC chip’s
voltage-reference pin? To find out
which, I performed spectral analyses
with full-scale tones at 20, 15, 10, and
5kHz. The results are shown in fig.11:
you can see that as the frequency of
the tone decreases, so do the levels of
the sidebands, which means they are
jitter related.
Of more concern in this graph is the
presence of spurious enharmonic tones
that are much higher in level than
the sidebands. The 20kHz tone was
accompanied by a tone at 13.55kHz,
15kHz by a tone at 18.55kHz, 10kHz
by 6.8kHz, and 5kHz by tones at 11.95
and 21.9kHz. This graph was taken with
data sampled at 44.1kHz, so I repeated
the test with data sampled at 48kHz.
This time the spectra were free from
any spurious tones. The tones reap-
peared with 88.2 and 176.4kHz data,
though at different frequencies from
the 44.1kHz data, but were absent with
96 and 192kHz data. Predicting the
subjective effect of this behavior is dif-
ficult—the spurious tones are all down

d d
B B
V r r
A A

sec Hz Hz

Fig.6 Prism Sound Callia, waveform of undithered Fig.7 Prism Sound Callia, spectrum of 50Hz Fig.8 Prism Sound Callia, HF intermodulation
1kHz sinewave at –90.31dBFS, 16-bit TosLink data sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 0dBFS into 600 ohms (left spectrum, DC–30kHz, 19+20kHz at 0dBFS into 600
(left channel blue, right red). channel blue, right red; linear frequency scale). ohms, 44.1kHz data (left channel blue, right red;
linear frequency scale).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 151

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DAC, if not quite scaling the heights of more expensive
products such as Ayre’s QX-5 Twenty ($8950), Chord’s
DAVE ($12,488), and MBL’s N31 ($15,400). But at $2750
it comes under stiff competition from Mytek’s Brooklyn
DAC+ and Benchmark’s DAC3 HGC, both of which
offer very similar functionality and footprint and retail for
the same $2195. I heard the Benchmark only briefly in my
system, but the original version of the Brooklyn is both
more versatile, in that it has MQA decoding, and has slightly
better sound quality. This is where you, Dear Reader, will
need to listen for yourself; your choice of DAC will, more
than usual, depend on your own tastes and needs. Q

measurements, continued

by at least 100dB from full scale—but with 48kHz-family data. by the appearance of the jitter-related
clearly, something is not quite right Other than that problem, the Prism sidebands, given Prism’s emphasis on
with how the Callia handles 44.1kHz- Sound Callia offers respectable mea- jitter rejection, as stated in the Callia’s
related sample-rate data compared sured performance. Still, I was puzzled manual. —John Atkinson

d d d
B B B
r r r
A A A

Hz Hz Hz

Fig.9 Prism Sound Callia, high-resolution jitter
spectrum of analog output signal, 11.025kHz at
–6dBFS, sampled at 44.1kHz with LSB toggled
at 229Hz: 16-bit coaxial S/PDIF data (left chan-
nel blue, right red). Center frequency of trace,
11.025kHz; frequency range, ±3.5kHz.
Fig.10 Prism Sound Callia, high-resolution jitter
spectrum of analog output signal, 11.025kHz at
–6dBFS, sampled at 44.1kHz with LSB toggled at
229Hz: 24-bit coaxial S/PDIF data (left chan-
nel blue, right red). Center frequency of trace,
11.025kHz; frequency range, ±3.5kHz.
Fig.11 Prism Sound Callia, high-resolution spectrum
of 0dBFS tones at: 20kHz (left channel blue, right
red), 15kHz (left cyan, right magenta), 10kHz (left
green, right gray), 5kHz (left gray, right yellow)
(10dB/vertical div.).

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speakers with dome tweeters sound like box speakers
with dome tweeters. I can hear their tweeters calling to
me when I’m in the next room, making a phone call.
I can hear their boxes hissing and groaning even after I turn
off the stereo. Many a day, I think Edgar Villchur, inven-
tor of the acoustic-suspension loudspeaker and the dome
tweeter, ruined audio, and that audiophiles will never stop
denying how artificially colored the sounds of domes and
cones in boxes really are.
One person I think might agree with this view is Alan
Shaw, Managing Director—he took over from founder
Dudley Harwood— and chief engineer of Harbeth Loud-
speakers, in West Sussex, England. I believe that Shaw will
understand, because he singlehandedly fashions speakers
that, despite their emphatic old-school, boxy look, sound less
like cones and domes in boxes than any others I know.
I have long respected Harbeth speakers for their natural,
uncolored sound, but this was my first opportunity to study
closely the model I most admire: their biggest two-way
speaker, the Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition ($6495/
pair).

First days
Listening to Guo Ya-zhi and his small orchestra on their
Sorrow of the River (CD, M•A Recordings M074A), I noticed
how enormous and powerful the large drum sounded.
My mind’s eye noted the color of its skin and measured its
diameter. I heard the drum’s energy emanating in waves that Harbeth’s Monitor 30.2 40th
exposed the volume of the recording venue. I perceived the Anniversary Edition is an electrical
flow and force of air moving through the suona (a Chinese
double-reeded horn), and the speech-like utterances of the and cosmetic refinement of their
guzheng (a Chinese zither). I was pleased by how explicitly Monitor 30.1.

SPECIFICATIONS
Description Two-way, bass-
reflex, stand-mounted, ported
loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1"
(25mm) soft-dome tweeter,
7.9" (200mm) bass/mid-
range. Frequency response:
50Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitiv-
ity: 85dB/W/m. Nominal
impedance: 6 ohms. Power
handling: 150W. Recom-
mended amplification: >25W.
Dimensions 18.1" (460mm) H
by 10.9" (277mm) W by 10.8"
(275mm) D. Weight 25.6 lbs
(11.6kg).
Finish Silver Eucalyptus.
Serial numbers of units
reviewed 40THX 135R &
135L.
Price $6495/pair. Approxi-
mate number of dealers: 30.
Warranty: 3 years.
Manufacturer Harbeth
Audio Ltd., 3 Enterprise Park,
Lindfield, Haywards Heath,
West Sussex RH16 2LH,
England, UK.
Tel: (44) (0)1444-484371.
Fax: (44) (0)1444-848-
685. Web: www.harbeth.
co.uk. US distributor: Fidelis
Music Systems, 460 Amherst
Street, Nashua, NH 03063.
Tel: (603) 880-4434.
Fax: (603) 434-4433.
Web: www.fidelisav.com.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 155

 HARBETH MONITOR 30.2 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

each instrument was described. Ya-zhi’s music made me
happy—only his notes were sorrowful.
I noticed a text from my friend Sphere: “Have you re-
moved the grillecloths from the Harbeths?” Then another:
“You must! Strong bass makes the 30.2s’ logos rattle against
the enclosure.” I texted back: “You’re kidding me—right?”
Amused, I restarted the first track of Sorrow of the River
and watched closely. The sound of the large drum shook the
logo on the grille. It didn’t rattle, but its wiggling made it
shimmer in my bunker’s dim light.
When I tried to remove a grille, it wouldn’t just pop off:
Its metal frame was fitted tightly into deep grooves between
the baffle and the front edges of the speaker’s side panels.
After a futile struggle, I grabbed the fabric with my fingers
and pulled. Both grilles came off. I listened again. The music
I’d just enjoyed now sounded not only different, but a little
discomforting. Nonetheless, I continued listening with the
grilles off for a few days. Then, still frustrated with what I
was hearing, I wrote to Alan Shaw: “What’s up with your
grilles?” I told him I thought the M30.2s sounded better
sorted and more balanced with the grilles on. “Am I bonkers?”
Shaw’s reply was interesting: “We recommend that the
grille remain fitted during the life of the speaker and so,
obviously, I’ve taken the grilles’ effect into account. If you
listen with them off, then you will hear about 0.5dB more
‘tweet’ and a rather different type of bass, because the bass
tuning will have been altered by a couple of dBs or more.
You may, of course, like that, but it’s not a condition I can
comment on as I did not design the speakers that way.”
From that day forward, I left the Monitor 30.2s’ grilles on.
I listened to them in the nearfield as they sat on 24"-high
TonTräger stands about 3' from the front wall, 6' apart, and
6' from my listening position, toed-in to directly face me,
their tweeters precisely at the level of my ears. In those
positions, the dual-mono pink noise from John Atkinson’s
Editor’s Choice (CD, Stereophile STPH016-2) sat solidly be-
tween the Harbeths like Yosemite’s El Capitan. Dispersion
was good in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Casual
listening revealed no cabinet or port noises; however, when I
played the warble tones on Editor’s Choice and laid my hands
on one speaker’s side panels, I felt only a moderate pulse
in the 200–250Hz range. But strangely, sitting with my
head less than 18" from the port in the upper left corner of
the speaker’s front baffle, I heard a distinct drop in energy
between 80 and 100Hz, followed by a rise at 63Hz.
Description
Harbeth Audio’s website explains that the Monitor 30.2
40th Anniversary Edition is an electrical and cosmetic re-
finement of their Monitor 30.1 ($5499/pair and up, depend-
ing on finish), which remains in production and is itself an
update of the original Monitor 30, described by Harbeth as
“a refinement of the classic BBC LS5/9 loudspeaker.” The
Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition is upgraded with
WBT NextGen binding posts, British-made polypropylene
crossover capacitors, and what Harbeth describes as “40th
Anniversary ultra-pure OFC internal cable.” Visible differ-
ences include a restyled tweeter grille, front and rear badges
proclaiming limited-edition status, and its exclusive Silver
Eucalyptus veneer.
The Monitor 30.2 is a well-crafted, elegantly propor-
tioned speaker with a ported cabinet. Hidden behind the
speaker’s fabric grille is a 7.9" bass-midrange drive-unit with
a cone made of Harbeth’s proprietary Radial2 polymer,
and, under a layer of Harbeth’s new protective gauze, a 1"
soft-dome, ferro-cooled tweeter from SEAS. The braced and
damped cabinet is made of thin layers of MDF. The Moni-
tor 30.2 measures 18.1" tall by 10.9" wide by 10.8" deep
and weighs 25.6 lbs. The speaker’s specifications include
a frequency response of 50Hz–20kHz, ±3dB, a nominal
impedance of 6 ohms, and a sensitivity of 85dB/W/m.
Listening
It was one of those late fall days when 5pm feels like 9pm.

MEASUREMENTS

I
used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system
and a calibrated DPA 4006
microphone to measure the Har-
beth Monitor 30.2’s frequency
response in the farfield, and an Earth-
works QTC-40 for the nearfield re-
sponses. My estimate of the Harbeth’s
sensitivity was 87.3dB(B)/2.83V/m,
which is usefully higher than the speci-
fied 85dB. The Monitor 30.2’s nominal
impedance is specified as 6 ohms, and
its impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid
trace) actually remains at or above
6 ohms throughout the audioband. I
would have specified this speaker as an
8 ohm design; it should be an easy load
for amplifiers to drive.
There are some small discontinuities
in the impedance traces between 200
and 300Hz, and when I investigated
the vibrational behavior of the enclo-
sure’s panels with a simple plastic-tape
accelerometer, I did find some resonant trace below 300Hz in fig.3; the appar-
modes on the top and side panels in ent peak in the upper bass is entirely
this region. The side panel (fig.2) was an artifact of the nearfield measure-
more lively than the top (not shown), ment technique, which assumes that
but these modes were relatively low the radiators are mounted in a true
in level. infinite baffle; ie, one that extends to
The saddle between 40 and 50Hz infinity in both planes. In true BBC-heri-
in the impedance-magnitude trace tage fashion, the Monitor 30.2 appears
implies that the port on the front panel
is tuned to this frequency—and, look- Stereophile Harbeth 30.2 Impedance (ohms)
& Phase (deg) vs Frequency (Hz)
ing at the woofer’s output measured
in the nearfield (fig.3), this does have
the expected minimum-motion notch
at 44Hz. (At this frequency, the woofer
cone is held stationary by the back
pressure from the port resonance.)
The port’s output, again measured in
the nearfield (fig.3, red trace), peaks
in textbook fashion between 30 and
90Hz, and its upper-frequency rolloff
is clean. The sum of the woofer’s and Fig.1 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, electrical impedance
port’s outputs is shown as the black (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 157

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 HARBETH MONITOR 30.2 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

I was visiting an old friend who
had a new shiny expensive hi-fi.
He drank single-malt. I drank
strong coffee as he played three
well-known audiophile LPs that,
in a blind test, I would have sworn
were high-resolution digital files.
All three sounded the same:
instruments and voices had a pure
but surreally glowing ghostliness,
like the look of the hologram of
Elvis in Blade Runner 2049. The
music felt mechanical. Bloodless.
I told my friend the sound was
amazing.
Back home, I poured hot cider,
turned the lights way down, and
put on the title track of Miles Da-
vis’s Bitches Brew (2 LPs, Columbia
CS 9995). The shiniest compo-
nents in the room were the Silver
Eucalyptus–veneered Harbeth
M30.2s. My AMG turntable and
Koetsu cartridge were barely vis- Easy-flowing power
ible in the darkness. The PrimaLu-
na ProLogue Premium amplifier made “What a Feeling” in
and preamplifier were silhouettes beg to be played three
displaying forests of radiant tubes. times in a row. So
Miles, too, was a silhouette, 5'
tall, his trumpet flashing rays of
brass-colored light. Miles and his electric band felt tangibly One of its songs, “Women’s Prison,” begins with Loretta
there—unlike those ashen phantoms from my old friend’s
shiny new system.
After Bitches Brew I played Clifton Chenier’s Black Snake
Blues (LP, Arhoolie 1038) and was surprised—it seemed
that Chenier and his Cajun band
were trying to generate the same
type of musical energy field as
Miles and his fusion band. More
remarkably, I could hear (and see
in my mind’s eye) Felix James
Benoit’s kick drum—its skins, its
diameter, the footboard’s beater
striking the rear head. My mind’s
eye was simultaneously next to
the accordion’s bellows and the
bottom front of the kick drum—
maybe even inside it. Concur-
rently, and big as life, the Cajun
master was singing close to his
microphone; he and his squeeze-
box could hardly have sounded
more tangibly real or alive.
A small wooden house in
Butcher Hollow, in Van Lear,
Kentucky, was the birthplace of
country-music megastar Loretta
Lynn, in 1932. Artist, musician,
and record producer Jack White was born
1975, in Detroit. Van Lear Rose, the
album White produced for Lynn in 2004,
was nominated for five Grammys and won
I did. two (CD, Interscope 80002513-02).
Van Lear Rose is the most heart-grabbing
recording I’ve heard in the 21st century.
shooting her lover, and ends with her in the electric chair—
symbolized by White’s guitar solo. The Harbeths excavated
every frightening jolt, every electric texture, every remorse-
ful word of this exquisite but morbid soliloquy.

measurements, continued

to be tuned to be maximally flat in the
bass, with its output down by 6dB at
the port tuning frequency.
As recommended by Harbeth, I
measured the Monitor 30.2’s farfield
behavior with its grille in place. The
speaker’s response, averaged across a
30° horizontal window centered on the
tweeter axis (fig.3, black trace above
300Hz), is smooth and even, though
with a slight loss of energy in the mid-
treble. When I repeated the measure-
ment with the grille removed—easier
to write than to do, given its very tight
fit—the on-axis response was basically
identical to what it had been with the
grille in place up to 5kHz, but was up to
2dB higher between 7 and 20kHz.
Amplitude in dB
Fig.4 shows the Monitor 30.2’s
lateral dispersion, normalized to the
tweeter-axis response, which thus
appears to be a straight line. The
recessed woofer becomes increasingly
directional toward the top of its pass-
band before crossing over to the wider-
dispersion tweeter at the bottom of its
passband. All things being equal, this
will make the Harbeth speaker sound
too polite in large rooms. The speaker’s

Frequency in Hz

Fig.3 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, anechoic response on

Fig.2 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, cumulative spectral-
decay plot calculated from output of accelerometer
fastened to center of sidewall (MLS driving voltage
to speaker, 7.55V; measurement bandwidth, 2kHz).
tweeter axis at 50", averaged across 30° horizontal
window and corrected for microphone response,
with nearfield responses of woofer (blue), port
(red), and their complex sum, respectively plotted
in the ratios of the square roots of their radiating
areas below 300Hz, 600Hz, and 300Hz.
Fig.4 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, lateral response
family at 50", normalized to response on tweeter
axis, from back to front: differences in response
90–5° off axis, reference response, differences in
response 5–90° off axis.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 159

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 HARBETH MONITOR 30.2 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Alan Shaw told me that he designs diately realized that the dynamic
Harbeth speakers to be “stand-, capabilities of the Monitor 30.2s
cable-, genre-, and amplifier-agnos- were much greater than I had so
tic.” That might be crazy talk, but far heard. Forget slam and boogie
his Monitor 30.2s sure let Miles and factor—with the Pass XA25 this
Loretta be their full jazz and country LP was borderline frightening.
selves. Imagine a large chorus suddenly
Checking for more examples of quieted by the voice of a lonely,
genre agnosticism, I provoked the distant soprano, to be smashed
Harbeths with poems, growls, recita- only moments later by an even
tions, and prepared piano: pianist larger chorus backed by gongs, and
Cecil Taylor’s In Florescence, with Lowrey and Hammond organs!
bassist William Parker and Greg Imagine spine-tingling, gunshot-
Bendian on percussion and vocals explosive sound with nary an off
(LP, A&M SP5286). This is not easy- tone or fatiguing moment.
flowing cocktail jazz; it’s a rabidly A few days later I tried Momente
powerful, brain-bashing, art-jazz smackdown. In “Anast in again, this time driving the Harbeth M30.2s with Line
Crisis Mouthful of Fresh Cut Flowers,” Parker’s sawing and Magnetic’s LM-518 IA integrated amplifier used only as a
plucking tried their best to make the Monitor 30.2s’ driv- power amp (22Wpc into 8 ohms, $4450). With the Pass
ers buckle or wince, but they remained stoic. Taylor’s mad Labs amp the sound had been transparent, corporeal, and
prepared-piano explorations shook the room while walking hyperdynamic—and oh my lord, with the Line Magnetic
a close edge to audio distortion. Think enormous crashing the Monitor 30.2s became vivid and textural in a most
sounds and machine-gun snare-drum whacks mixed with enticing way.
gurgling drains and explosions. With unshakable clarity, the This newly discovered vividness caused the Harbeths
Harbeths reproduced all of this at peaks of up to 100dB. to remind me of vintage Quad ESLs. Powered by bright-
emitter triode tubes, the M30.2’s midrange came into full
Amplifier Changes electrostatic bloom. The Line Magnetic made the Monitor
I replaced PrimaLuna’s ProLogue Premium power amp 30.2s’ sound more tonally complete, more fully tactile and
(35Wpc into 8 ohms, $2199) with Pass Laboratories’ spec- spatially adept, than did the PrimaLuna or Pass Labs amp.
tacular new XA25 (25Wpc into 8 ohms, $4900) and put on But I doubt the LM-518 will deliver enough power for most
the premiere recording (1965) of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s audiophiles with these speakers. Turning the volume up and
Momente, with the composer conducting soprano Martina listening for clipping, I heard some, but it was soft, and only
Arroyo, four choral groups drawn from the West German on 97dB/2m peaks.
Radio Chorus, and 13 instrumentalists of the West Ger- Remembering that these low-powered amplifiers might
man Radio Orchestra (LP, Nonesuch H-71157). I imme- seem a little weak for normal people in regular-size listen-

measurements, continued

vertical dispersion is shown in fig.5.
Suckouts in the crossover region occur
more than 10° above and 5° below the
tweeter axis, but there is slightly more
mid-treble energy 5–10° above the
tweeter axis. This speaker needs to be
used with stands that place the tweeter
axis just below the level of a seated
listener’s ears, to get the most neutral
treble balance.
In the time domain, the Monitor
30.2’s step response on the tweeter
axis (fig.6) reveals that its tweeter is
connected in inverted acoustic polarity,
its woofer in positive polarity—and
that, in common with some other
BBC-heritage designs I have measured,
the tweeter’s output has decayed
before the output of the woofer arrives.
This design is neither time-coherent
Data in Volts
nor time-coincident, but its design is
optimized for its frequency-domain
performance. The Harbeth’s cumula-
tive spectral-decay or waterfall plot
(fig.7) is clean overall.
Its measured performance confirms
that the Monitor 30.2 is as well-
engineered a design as I have come to
expect from Alan Shaw and his respect
for the BBC tradition. —John Atkinson

Fig.5 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, vertical response fam-
ily at 50", normalized to response on tweeter axis,
from back to front: differences in response 45–5°
above tweeter axis, reference response, differences
in response 5–45° below tweeter axis.
Time in ms
Fig.6 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, step response on
tweeter axis at 50" (5ms time window, 30kHz
bandwidth).
Fig.7 Harbeth Monitor 30.2, cumulative
spectral-decay plot on tweeter axis at 50" (0.15ms
risetime).

stereophile.com Q April 2018 161

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ing rooms, I replaced the Line Magnetic with Bel Canto
Design’s e.One Ref600M monoblocks (300W into 8 ohms,
$4990/pair). Switching from lush, breathy, class-A tubes
to an NCore class-D module taught me a lot about audio
amplifiers, and even more about Harbeth’s Monitor 30.2.
With Bel Canto’s 300W monos, the Monitor 30.2s’
monitor-like clarity and dynamic contrasts were consider-
ably better than with any of the lower-powered amps. More
power made the Harbeths lighter on their feet and stronger
on the bottom.
Best of all, the Ref600Ms added music-enhancing weight
to instruments and voices. This extra instrumental mass
took Winston Reedy’s “What a Feeling,” from the reggae
compilation A Tribute 2 Studio One & Treasure Isle Records (LP,
Cou$ins LP037), to a higher level of listening pleasure. I
played this track very loud through the Harbeths, but it
flowed easily and never felt loud. Bass guitar, snare-drum
whacks, and especially the Hammond organ—all sounded
exactly as they should. Easy-flowing power made “What a
Feeling” beg to be played three times in a row. So I did.
Alan Shaw had told me that Harbeth speakers are “ampli-
fier agnostic,” and that I should just “pick anything—as long
as it has 80Ws or so.” Amp designers often say stuff like
that. Usually, I ignore it. But the Harbeth 30.2s responded
well to power: The combination of the Harbeths and Bel
Cantos was a nonstop pleasure.
But! The Pass Labs XA25 exceeded the Bel Cantos in
clarity and transparency. Overall, the Nelson Pass–designed
XA25 allowed me to engage more with the music, and the
Harbeths to reproduce almost everything right. Most impor-
tant, “What a Feeling” had more, well, feeling. The Pass Labs
XA25 is the amp Herb the Reviewer recommends for use
with the Monitor 30.2s.
But! The amp that Herb, that Monk in the Bunker, most
enjoyed with the Harbeths was PrimaLuna’s ProLogue
Premium. Its 35Wpc were enough power for my type of
listening, and its EL34 tubes added an appealing touch of
saturated color that kept my focus on the music rather than
on the sound.
Stands Deliver
My review samples of the Monitor 30.2s came with Ton-
Träger Audio’s 24"-tall Reference stands ($1495/pair). These
are exquisitely crafted from slender poles of black-stained
beech. They sit on bases of polished slate 13.75" square by
1.25" thick. I used the TonTräger stands for the first month
of my listening, but then I couldn’t stop myself: I replaced
the 6-lb TonTrägers with my 57-lb Sound Anchor stands
and listened to both sides of Antony and the Johnsons’ I Am
a Bird Now (LP, Secretly Canadian SC 105).
The difference in sound was a lot like stopping down
the aperture on a camera lens. With the Sound Anchors
(and no Blu-Tack), the musical picture got darker, especially
around the edges. Image focus softened in the foreground
but reached deeper into the soundfield. The upper bass
and lower midrange sounded fuller, and maybe a bit more
powerful. But there was some blur and smear that I’d never
noticed with the TonTrägers. The effect was similar to
reducing the contrast in a photograph.
Of the intricate contrast spectrum I’d heard with the
Harbeths sitting on the TonTrägers, 80% returned when I
inserted pea-sized bits of Blu-Tack between each Harbeth
and its Sound Anchor.1 And bass became more forceful than
with the TonTrägers. The heavy Anchors made images seem
stereophile.com Q April 2018
HARBETH MONITOR 30.2 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
A S S O C I AT E D E Q U I P M E N T
Analog Sources AMG Giro G9 LP player, Linn Sondek LP12
Valhalla turntable with SME M-2 tonearm; Dynavector
DV20X2, EMT TSD 75SFL, Koetsu Rosewood Standard,
Miyajima Laboratory Saboten cartridges.
Digital Sources Holo Audio Spring Kitsuné Tuned Edition,
Mytek HiFi Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs;
Integra DPS-7.2 DVD player (used as CD transport).
Preamplification Auditorium 23 (for EMT TSD 75), Bob’s
Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200 step-up
transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III RIAA, Parasound
Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers;
Pass Laboratories HPA-1, PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium
line-level preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers Bel Canto Design e.One REF600M
(monoblocks), Pass Laboratories XA25, PrimaLuna Pro-
Logue Premium.
Integrated Amplifier Line Magnetic LM518 IA (used as
power amplifier).
Loudspeakers Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a, KEF LS50, Stirling
Broadcast LS3/5a.
Cables Digital: Kimber Kable D60 Data Flex Studio (co-
axial). Interconnect: Auditorium 23, Kimber Kable Silver
Streak, TriodeWire Labs Spirit, Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7.
Speaker: AudioQuest Type 4, Auditorium 23, TriodeWire
American.
Accessories Harmonic Resolution Systems M3X-1719-
AMG GR LF, PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase isolation
platforms; Sound Anchor, TonTräger Reference speaker
stands; Dr. Feickert Analogue Protractor, Acoustical-
Systems SmarTractor cartridge-alignment protractors;
Musical Surroundings Fozgometer azimuth-range meter.
—Herb Reichert
more solid, but overall, focus wasn’t as crisp as with the
TonTrägers.
When I returned to the TonTrägers, the musical view
became brighter and wider—like opening the aperture on
a fast camera lens. Which stand showed me more of what
might be on the recordings? I can’t say for sure.
Conclusions
Clearly, Alan Shaw understands that loudspeakers sound
like the sum of their parts. He understands that you can’t
accurately reproduce timbres if the bits of Kevlar, carbon,
titanium, or beryllium sing louder than the King’s College
Choir. Shaw also understands that the secret of making an
accurate loudspeaker is not a gaudy cabinet that weighs a
quarter of a ton. Harbeth Audio’s Monitor 30.2 40th An-
niversary Edition demonstrated that the best way to make
a reference-quality loudspeaker might be the simplest: use
cones and domes and boxes that minimize the aforemen-
tioned material colorations. Shaw says that the sound of his
Radial2 cone is the least colored of all present-day bass-
midrange cones. I believe he is right.
I also believe that Harbeth’s Monitor 30.2 is the most
neutral, accurate, tuneful, fun, and music-loving stand-
mounted two-way speaker I’ve heard. Q
1 See my discussion of the interface between a speaker and its stand and the
measurable effect of Blu-Tack at www.stereophile.com/features/806/index.html.—
John Atkinson
163
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 A SECOND IMPRESSION

FOLLOW-UP BY JIM AUSTIN & KALMAN RUBINSON

THIS ISSUE : Mytek’s updated
Brooklyn DAC and multichannel
MQA revisited.

MYTEK HIFI BROOKLYN DAC+ D/A The DAC+ will convert to analog
CONVERTER–PREAMPLIFIER–HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER any format you’re interested in, up to
In the year since I sampled Brooklyn’s music scene—in my November 2016 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD64 via
review of Mytek HiFi’s Brooklyn DAC1 —there’s been a lot of local music news. DoP, via its digital inputs: two S/PDIF,
Jay-Z (whose name is or ought to be derived from the subway lines that pass and one each AES/EBU, TosLink,
through Williamsburg and Bushwick on the way to Jamaica, Queens) was in- and USB Type 2. If you can muster a
ducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the first rap lyricist to be so honored. source compatible with Sony’s SDIF-3
He released a new album, 4:44, to critical acclaim. (I listened. It’s good.) He also signal-exchange format, you can play
had twins—a boy and a girl—with his wife, Beyoncé. Brooklyn indie faves Grizzly up to DSD256.
Bear, now sounding much older than they did on their previous album (they are There’s word-clock in and out, fa-
much older: five years is a lot when you’re still in your thirties), released Painted cilitating the usual pro-audio functions
Ruins; I haven’t yet decided if I like it. Two Brooklyn bands made it onto the and allowing the DAC+ to be used
soundtrack of the new Twin Peaks: metalheads Uniform (episode 5) and synth- in multichannel configurations. The
poppers Au Revoir Simone (episodes 4 and 9). Stereophile’s music editor, Robert two headphone jacks can be used to-
Baird, profiled Brooklyn Rider, the borough’s talented and innovative string quar- gether to drive a single pair of balanced
tet.2 Mutoid Man, a fun quasi-metalcore band with a sense of humor, released War ’phones. There’s one analog input, via
Moans, a fun, hook-laden album with a cameo from Megadeth guitarist Marty a stereo pair of RCA jacks, which can
Friedman, and featuring such lyrics as “Blow / Blow me / Blow me a kiss / Blow be used at line level—or as the input
me a kiss of death.” for the Brooklyn DAC+’s built-in, all-
analog phono stage. There are balanced
Since Aaron Copland walked The new chip makes and unbalanced outputs.
along Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn has LISTENING: I compared the Brook-
changed. possible an increase lyn DAC+ directly with the original
In other Brooklyn music news, in the number of Brooklyn, sending output from both
Mytek, manufacturer of the acclaimed reconstruction filters. units to different channels of the
(by Stereophile and others) Manhattan same preamplifier, a PS Audio BHK
II and Brooklyn DACs, has released a Signature. Connections were made
new version of the latter, the Brooklyn what Mytek calls a “dual-mono analog via identical, high-quality, balanced
DAC+ ($2195). It replaces the earlier path,” though I don’t know what that interconnects: 10' lengths of Canare
version ($1995). I compared the two.3 means—I still see only a single power cable with Sescom connectors. I made
Much as with the Benchmark supply. Speaking of power supplies, sure both preamp channels were well
DAC3 HGC DAC–preamplifier– although it’s not mentioned in the list broken in by playing music through
headphone amplifier, which I reviewed of added features, Jurewicz told me each for several days before testing.
in November 2017,4 the upgrade of that the Brooklyn’s power supply has And to further ensure that there
the Brooklyn appears to have been been improved; anyway, you can still were no differences between the
motivated by the appearance of a new add an external linear power supply if preamp channels, I switched between
DAC chip, the ESS Sabre 9028 Pro— you want to. them often during testing. I also tried
the same chip used in the Benchmark The DAC+’s feature set, which bypassing the preamp, sending the
DAC3. Mytek’s Michal Jurewicz also includes MQA and a built-in moving- 1 See the November 2016 issue:
improved the Brooklyn’s analog at- magnet/moving-coil phono stage, https://tinyurl.com/jz5mxde.
tenuator circuit, seeking, and report- is largely the same as the original 2 See the January 2018 issue: www.stereophile.com/
edly achieving, lower levels of noise. Brooklyn’s. However, the new chip content/brooklyn-rider-lucid-flight.
3 The Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ costs $2195. Mytek,
The DAC+’s preamplifier functions, makes possible an increase in the num- 148 India Street, First Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
both line and phono, were also report- ber of reconstruction filters offered: Tel: (347) 384-2687. Web: www.mytekdigital.com.
edly improved. The DAC+ boasts eight in the DAC+, including MQA. 4 See https://tinyurl.com/yd22pczv.

stereophile.com Q April 2018 165


output directly to the Pass Laboratories
XA60.8 monoblock power amplifiers.
Because the analog volume con-
trol is among the things for which
improvement is claimed, I used the
analog volume controls on both DACs.
I went through the menus of the
two Brooklyns carefully, to ensure that
they were set up the same way.
In my early listening, with both
DACs fed through the preamp inputs
and the DACs’ volume controls set
to maximum, I heard little difference.
There may have been a slight increase
in transparency in the upper mid-
range/lower treble with the DAC+,
noticeable in upper-midrangey percus-
sive sounds with extended harmon-
ics, such as those from harpsichords,
woodblocks, and shakers. In the Kyrie
of Mozart’s Coronation Mass, K.317, with
Laurence Equilbey conducting Ac-
centus and the Insula Orchestra (24/96
MQA, Erato 560926/Tidal), the
massed staccato violins following the
two-minute mark had perhaps a touch
more air and aural breathing room.
Real or not, I didn’t find this difference
musically important—although it could
be, I suppose, with certain types of mu-
sic listened to through certain systems.
Next, I dug down a little into the
DACs’ volume controls, turning them
to lower settings in hope of exposing
any inconsistency in channel balance,
or any noise that might be found
there. I couldn’t go down far, because
this system doesn’t have a lot of extra
gain—it has the right amount for me,
so I can run it with minimal attenu-
ation and volume controls working
within their optimal range. Still, I was
able to dial the two DACs’ volume
controls down to about –30dB—the
Brooklyns sit at 0dB at maximum
output and attenuate from there—and
still have enough volume for a reason-
ably wide dynamic range. I heard no
volume-control–related anomalies.
The sound was superb from both
Brooklyns. One quality I prize highly
in the playback of instruments and
stereophile.com Q April 2018
voices is image corporeality—fleshi-
ness. But Ella Fitzgerald singing “Black
Coffee” and “Angel Eyes,” from her
Sings Songs from “Let No Man Write My
Epitaph” (24/96 PCM download,
Verve/HDtracks), wasn’t up to my
usual standards of corporeality. Her
voice seemed disembodied—but in
a lovely way, hanging in space, close,
immediate, breathy, textured, colored,
slightly dephased, wider than life. It
took me a while to visualize the aural
image I was hearing, but finally it hit
me: I wasn’t hearing Ella directly. I was
hearing the microphone—one of those
big, old-fashioned mikes like the Shure
55 “fatboy” or Electro-Voice Cardyne,
or so I pictured it. Of course, when we
listen to recorded voices, we’re always
I wasn’t making the
exact comparisons I
thought I was making.
hearing the mike—but here, that sensa-
tion predominated.
This coloration was not a flaw in the
Brooklyn DAC+ or in any part of my
system. It was this recording itself, cor-
rectly rendered and made real.
After that, I removed the PS Audio
preamp from the system and ran those
Canare balanced interconnects directly
to the Pass Labs monoblocks. This
allowed me to turn the DACs’ volume
controls down another 8dB and still
have adequate volume. I heard nothing
new or interesting.
LISTENING TO VINYL: I compared
the phono stages in the original and
new Brooklyns using my Ortofon
SPU 90th Anniversary Edition MC
cartridge, sometimes paired with my
Auditorium 23 standard step-up trans-
former feeding the two Brooklyns via
short Auditorium 23 interconnects.
I put on a prized, near mint Duke
Ellington favorite, Jazz Party in Stereo, in
which Dizzy Gillespie joins Ellington’s
trumpet section of Ray Nance, Clark
Terry, and Cat Anderson (Colum-
bia CS 8127). Damn. I played it first
FOLLOW-UP
with the DAC+ phono in MM mode
with the step-up transformer. Good
soundstage depth, rich textures—full
range, nice weight. When I removed
the step-up and set the DAC+ to MC
mode, the sound got a little brittle,
a little bright, with less soundstage
depth. It was also noisier—noticeably
so during the run-in groove.
Such a difference might be attribut-
able, at least in part, to imperfect car-
tridge loading. Ortofon recommends a
loading of 10 to 50 ohms—lower than
the typical MC phono load—and John
Atkinson’s measurements of the origi-
nal Brooklyn revealed an MC-mode
input impedance of 990 ohms, which
is high for MC, and inflexible.
For most people who listen to LPs
with an MM or high-output MC
cartridge—or with an MC cart with
a good step-up transformer—the
DAC+’s phono stage will be sufficient.
The most discriminating vinylphiles
would surely spend more on a stand-
alone phono stage than the $2195 cost
of a Brooklyn DAC+. In MM mode, I
thought it sounded great—completely
satisfying. In MC mode, the DAC+’s
phono stage was less impressive—
which I’d also found with the original
Brooklyn DAC.
SUMMING UP: Despite its consumer-
friendly features, Mytek’s Brooklyn
DAC+ is a reference professional-
quality DAC. And in pro applications,
“transparency” has a specific and
important meaning. I’ve been told by
respected professional audio engineers
that, in a studio, music often passes
through a DAC several times. If there
were an important audible difference
between the old and new Brook-
lyns—important enough that it could
be heard in just a single pass—then
in multiple passes those deviations
from transparency would accumulate,
coloring the sound to an unaccept-
able extent. If that were true of either
Brooklyn, old or new, whichever
deviated from neutrality—or deviated
more—would be much too colored
167
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for professional use.5
There’s a lot new in Brooklyn—and
in Mytek’s new Brooklyn DAC+—and
much that remains unchanged. The
Brooklyn DAC+ performs superbly—
it’s good enough for a professional
sound studio—and its compact size and
expansive feature set make it a great
choice for that hipster Williamsburg
loft. —Jim Austin
MULTICHANNEL MQA AGAIN
“Not MQA again!” I’m sure some of
you will say, regardless of where you
stand on it. The loud debate is often
less about how MQA actually sounds
and works than about opinions and, to
an alarming degree, charges of dishon-
esty and bias. While Stereophile’s John
Atkinson and Jim Austin continue to
strive to rise above all that, all I have to
offer is what value MQA might have
for my own enjoyment of music.
This is not my first stab at this:
In the May 2017 Stereophile I both
recounted my long-ago first exposure
to MQA, which predated its naming,
and wrote of listening to stereo and
multichannel MQA recordings, using
three Mytek Brooklyn DACs.6 In the
latter, I concluded that MQA “made a
real and consistent improvement” but
that “the differences weren’t blatant;
I couldn’t hear them without paying
close attention.”
In his “Measurements” section
accompanying Jason Victor Serinus’s
review, in the January 2018 Stereophile,
of Aurender’s A10 caching network
music player/server,7 John Atkinson
revealed “the A10’s misapplication
of the MQA reconstruction filter to
non-MQA files stored on its internal
drive.” In his comments accompany-
ing Jim Austin’s review of the Mytek
HiFi Brooklyn DAC in November
2016, John stated that “for MQA, the
filter is set to a fixed, minimum-phase,
slow-rolloff type,” and that to select
any other, possibly more suitable filter,
“MQA playback must be disabled.”8
That information is printed in the
Brooklyn’s user’s manual, but I missed
it. I had presumed that the Brook-
lyn’s detection of the MQA flag in
the digital data would switch in the
MQA filter automatically, and that
in the flag’s absence the DAC would
revert to the standard PCM/DSD
reconstruction filter, much as an FM
radio’s detection of a subcarrier signal
in a station’s/broadcaster’s signal would
turn on the stereo decoder. (Yes, that’s
how old I am.)
stereophile.com Q April 2018
Because the Mytek Brooklyn, by
design, dismissed my filter selections, I
wasn’t making the exact comparisons
I thought I was making. Armed with
this realization, I wanted to revisit
those comparisons to hear if my con-
clusions would stand.
Playing high-resolution multichan-
nel and CD-quality (16-bit/44.1kHz)
stereo tracks, I began by again com-
paring the Brooklyn’s three available
reconstruction filters: Fast Rolloff (FR),
Slow Rolloff (SR), and Minimum
Phase (MPH), the last filter the default
when MQA is enabled. With most
tracks, the differences were apparent,
but which filter I preferred was not
consistent from track to track. The
most telling differences were in the
tonality and presence of solo voices
and the perceived spatial relationship
The corresponding DSD
files had a smoothness
that approached what
I heard from MQA.
of the voice, its accompaniment, and
the recording venue. But I’ve done
this kind of thing before, and it’s never
completely satisfying: all the time and
effort spent just reinforces my suspicion
that there is no perfect choice. Still, my
non-statistical preference was most of-
ten for the MPH filter, followed by SR
and FR. What this means is that, even
if I’d done my homework, I would
have chosen MPH. This suggests my
previous comparisons are still valid.
I decided to reassess my comparison
of MQA (FLAC) with hi-rez (DXD)
files by adding a third element: DSD
files of the same nine multichannel
recordings, all from Norwegian label
2L. As I found before, the MQA files
sounded consistently smoother in the
treble than the DXD. However, the
corresponding DSD files had a smooth-
ness that approached what I heard from
MQA. On the other hand, the DSD
files had the same spectral balance as
the DXDs, while MQA sounded just
a bit more forward, particularly in the
upper strings. I repeated this three-way
comparison many times and MQA
generally sounded more open, with
greater contrast between the players
and the ambience of the recording
venue, less noise within the ambience,
and more detailed and silky trebles.
MQA was delightful, but its sound
differed from the sounds of the DXD
FOLLOW-UP
and DSD file formats—both of which
also came direct from 2L, a proponent
of MQA—in quite another way. The
more I listened, the more I found the
overall balance of DXD and DSD
more even, more continuous, and
more convincing in multichannel
through my system with these tracks,
all from the same label. The magni-
tudes of these differences were very
similar to those among the reconstruc-
tion filters of the Mytek Brooklyn
DAC, or among the mind-spinning
seven filters of the Oppo UDP-205 uni-
versal Blu-ray player. I wonder if the
subjective enhancements I heard from
MQA might be obtained from the
other two simply by careful selection
of the filter from a library of same.
However, if I switched in room/
speaker equalization with the DXD
and DSD files (now downsampled
to 24-bit/192kHz PCM for compat-
ibility with the DSP), all niggling
about subtle differences went out the
window. I can’t say that MQA files
played through my system would not
equally benefit from room EQ—that’s
not possible at this time—but whatever
felicities MQA offers are dwarfed by
the benefits of room EQ. The results
from DXD and DSD were now supe-
rior in all parameters, including detail,
smoothness, and balance, especially
through the midbass and lower bass.
Today, I am less enthusiastic about
MQA than I was. High-resolution
streaming and downloads are now
readily available, and the compactness
of MQA files does speed downloads
and conserve storage space. Storage
space is cheap, however, and I stream
music only for casual listening. MQA
requires the purchase of compatible
equipment, and holds the potential to
eventually control all signal process-
ing, such as room EQ. I don’t see a
need for it, therefore, and I hope it
doesn’t force the elimination of high-
resolution, non-MQA downloads.9
—Kalman Rubinson Q
5 This can also apply to any time-domain problems
that might exist: artifacts of digital conversion can
accumulate, though that will depend on the kind of
filter used. The effects of linear-phase filters don’t
accumulate with multiple passes; however, the effects
of filters with nonlinear phase response—including
minimum-phase filters, which delay high frequen-
cies to eliminate pre-ringing—do accumulate with
multiple passes.
6 See www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-
84-multichannel-mqa.
7 See https://tinyurl.com/yaavcx8x.
8 See https://tinyurl.com/jz5mxde.
9 See JA’s “As We See It” in February 2018:
www.stereophile.com/content/more-mqa.
169
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RECORD REVIEWS
See her how she flies. . . ”
When I first heard that
lyric, from Jim Webb’s
“The Moon Is a Harsh
Mistress,” sung by a
hauntingly fragile woman’s voice
and supported by a sparse yet lyrical
piano accompaniment, at an audio
show in 1983, I got chills. Who was
this empathetic singer? Back in my
cabaret-musician days, more than four
decades ago, I backed so many singers
with beautiful-sounding pipes but who
didn’t seem to comprehend the mean-
ing of the words—yet this unknown
woman directly communicated the
song’s emotion.
I grabbed the LP jacket and learned
that the singer was Radka Toneff, a
Norwegian of Bulgarian ancestry, and
that the piano was played by Steve
Dobrogosz, an American who had
relocated to Sweden. The LP had been
released in 1982 on Odin, a Norwe-
gian label, and ended up selling more
than 100,000 copies. By the time I’d
bought my copy, Toneff, at the age of
30, had taken her own life.
Other than “My Funny Valentine,”
recorded in analog in 1979, the tracks
on Fairytales were recorded in Febru-
ary 1982 on a two-track Telefunken/
Mitsubishi MX-80, a 16-bit digital
open-reel recorder running at a sample
rate of 50.35kHz. The original LP was
cut from the recorder’s analog outputs,
but the master tape was subsequently
lost, and the original Telefunken ma-
chine was converted to run at 48kHz.
Subsequent CD releases were made
from a copy on a Sony PCM-F1, again
made from the Telefunken’s analog
outputs, meaning that these were
corrupted both by the F1’s single A/D
converter, shared between channels,
and the fact that the PCM-F1 operated
at 44.056kHz rather than 44.1kHz.
In 2010, the original master tape
was discovered in the archives of
Norway’s Ringve Music Museum—
which also had the original MX-80
recorder. In 2015 there was an attempt
to recover a version from the repaired
machine, converting its analog output
to 192kHz PCM. “To persuade the
machine to lock, it was necessary to
stereophile.com Q April 2018
CLASSICAL
ROCK / POP
JAZZ
EDITOR’S PICK
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH
RADKA TONEFF &
STEVE DOBROGOSZ
Fairytales: Original
Master Edition (MQA)
Odin LP03 (original LP, 1982); Odin
CD9561 (24-bit/48kHz MQA-encoded
FLAC file; Tidal Masters stream; hybrid
MQA-CD; original sample rate 192kHz;
2018). Arild Andersen, prod. (1982,
2017); Andreas Risanger Meland, exec.
prod. (2017); Tore Skille, Tom Sætre,
original engs.; Svein Vatshaug, Rune
Sund Nordmark, recorder restoration;
Thomas Bårdsen, Geir Iversen,
digital transfer of original tapes;
Morten Lindberg, Peter Craven, Bob
Stuart, digital restoration; Erik Gard
Amundsen, technical advisor. DAA
(original LP); DDD (MQA). Except:
“My Funny Valentine,” ADA (LP), ADD
(MQA). TT: 40:11
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
manually apply resistance to the rollers
(slowing the tape speed below 15ips)
while the digital electronics locked at
a rate near to 48kHz,” I was told by
MQA Ltd.’s Bob Stuart. As reported
by Norwegian journalist Jan Omdahl
in December 2015, the 2015 restora-
tion was flawed. In particular, while
the recording’s original pitch had been
A=442Hz, the restoration was tuned
to A=446Hz, and there was notice-
able wow.
What to do? A team set to work:
Bob Stuart of MQA, Peter Craven of
Algol and MQA, Thomas Bårdsen
of the Norwegian National Library,
and Morten Lindberg of Norwegian
record label 2L. A proprietary chirp
signal was used to extract a high-
precision estimate of the amplitude
and phase frequency responses of the
MX-80’s ADC and DAC. Using a
more gentle method to establish lock
at 48kHz, they could capture the
library machine’s analog output playing
the 50.35kHz master at 192kHz for
8 of the 10 tracks. As the transfer was
at the wrong pitch—about 4.7% too
low—they did a lot of research to make
sure that the original pitch was indeed
A=442Hz before correction.
While the MX-80’s DAC didn’t
show major bit errors, quantization
distortion was apparent in the original
master due to misadjustment of the
MSB trim for the L/R A/D convert-
ers. Craven created tools that allowed
the resultant bit misalignments to
be corrected, reportedly reducing
inharmonic converter distortion by
around 40dB. To maintain the highest
transparency, the entire set of correc-
tions was carried out using just two
24-bit operations.
Although the restored recording has
been available in Norway since late
2017 for download and for streaming
via Tidal Masters, as well as an MQA
CD prepared from a 24-bit/176.4kHz
master, Fairytales would not be released
in the US until this month. For this
review, therefore, I played MQA in
24/48 FLAC files that I’d been sent
with NAD’s M50.2 server feeding S/
PDIF data to a Mytek Brooklyn DAC.
(The NAD performed the first MQA
“encapsulation unfold” to 96kHz data,
the Mytek the further “type-L” unfold
to 192kHz.1) For reference, I’d made
24/192 needle drops from my well-
worn 1982 LP. I cued up track 1 . . .
“See her how she flies . . .” When I
heard that familiar lyric, I was trans-
ported back 35 years to the first time
CONTINUED ON PAGE 182
1 See Jim Austin’s “MQA Part Two: Into the Fold,”
Stereophile, February 2018, p.125: www.stereophile.
com/content/mqa-tested-part-2-fold.
171
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C L A S S IC AL
ELGAR & BRUCH
Violin Concertos
Rachel Barton Pine, violin; BBC Symphony Orchestra,
Andrew Litton
Avie AV2375 (CD). 2018. Andrew Keener, prod.;
Robert Winter, eng. DDD. TT: 76:23
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
Elgar’s sole Violin Concerto, from
1909 (begun in ’05), was suggested
to the composer by Fritz Kreisler, to
whom it was dedicated. It’s a long
work—51 minutes—and compli-
cated; indeed, it invites rumination
more than joy. The opening move-
ment presents no fewer than six
themes in its first few minutes, two
of which the composer referred to
as “Windflower”—a sort of falling,
wilted motif, the second part of
which is introduced by a woody clari-
net. The Andante is wistful, sweet,
and noble; for fervor, one must wait
for the solo violin. The finale, Allegro
molto, is notable for an odd effect—
the orchestral strings are asked to
create a tremolo by thrumming with
the soft parts of their fingers—and for
a slow, through-composed cadenza
that recalls the themes of the first
movement.
Bruch’s Concerto 1, from 1868,
is a work both simpler and more
enjoyable, and rooted firmly in lush
German Romanticism. The first two
movements are linked, going from the
thoughtful—brief tunes for the solo
violin’s upper and then lower reaches,
at a moderate tempo—into a quite
gorgeous song for the soloist. And the
Finale: Allegro energico is a rip-roaring
Hungarian dance.
The performances of both are ex-
cellent. Pine launches herself handily
into the heights, and draws out the
Elgar’s somewhat recalcitrant beau-
ties. I wouldn’t want to swear to it,
but after the Elgar, conductor Andrew
Litton sounds almost relieved to be-
gin the Bruch. The sound is rich and
warm from top to bottom.
—Robert Levine
stereophile.com Q April 2018
VERDI
Rigoletto
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Rigoletto; Nadine Sierra,
Gilda; Francesco Demuro, Duke; Andrea Mastroni,
Sparafucile; Oksana Volkova, Maddalena; Kaunas
City Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas State Choir,
Constantine Orbelian
Delos 3522 (2 CDs). 2017. Vilius Keras, Aleksandra
Keriene, prods.; Vytautas Kederys, eng. DDD. TT:
2:07:04
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
The raison d’être for this recording is
Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky,
who died of brain cancer at 55, just
four months after this was recorded.
His reading is a grand final statement—
the voice is still gorgeous, the legato
smooth, and his ability to shift tone
from nasty sneer to self-hating growl
(“Pari siamo”), from loving father to
broken man, are just what this role
needs. If he hasn’t the sheer power for
the outburst of “Cortigiani!,” he has
everything else.
Nadine Sierra’s Gilda is tonally
lovely—rich, full, secure—but lacking
in nuance and differentiation of the
girl’s changing situation. Francesco
Demuro has the insouciance for the
Duke and his tenor is bright and agile,
but the voice is not all of a piece,
and he can’t seem to make a sound
that isn’t just slightly too loud. And
he and Sierra lack chemistry in their
duet. Andrea Mastroni is a tough,
rich-voiced Sparafucile, and Oksana
Volkova oozes seduction with her
plummy mezzo.
The major drawback is the lackluster
conducting of Constantine Orbelian.
The situational sameness is stultifying:
scenes go by with no dramatic thrust,
and seem to have been recorded in no
particular order—there is no dramatic
arc. And the sound, though clear, is
flat, lacks any brightness, and occasion-
ally the singers sound as if recorded in
different spaces from one another. The
only drama is in Hvorostovsky’s read-
ing—and if it’s Hvorostovsky you came
for, you won’t be disappointed.
—Robert Levine
RECORD REVIEWS
RO CK/PO P
ROBERT FINLEY
Goin’ Platinum
Easy Eye Sound EES-002 (LP). 2017. Dan Auerbach,
prod.; M. Allen Parker, eng.; Josh Ditty,
Austin Atwood, asst. engs. ADD. TT: 29:35
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
It’s always breathtaking when disparate
elements—songwriting, a performer’s
attitude, players, sound quality—all
come together in an act of perfect
timing to produce a recording like the
confidently titled Goin’ Platinum, only
the second album by Robert Finley,
who is 64 and legally blind.
Retro blues and soul records in this
new century can be oh, so boring—too
many well-meaning but marginally
talented suburban bar bands. But here,
Black Key and budding producer and
talent wrangler Dan Auerbach has
written, or cowritten with the likes of
Nick Lowe and John Prine, an album
of really solid soul-blues numbers.
From the groovy “If You Forget My
Love” and the mildly bawdy opener,
“Get It While You Can” (“You gotta
wrap it up in bacon and sizzle it in
a pan”), Auerbach’s songwriting has
never before been this tight, and that
includes his work with the Keys.
Add to that a band that includes
onetime Chips Moman cohorts Gene
Chrisman and Bobby Wood, and a
guest appearance by Duane Eddy. The
tones and textures that Wood adds to
“Real Love Is Like Hard Time,” via
glockenspiel, vibraphone, and Ace
Tone keyboard, are outstanding. And
happily, unlike several past Auerbach
recording projects, Goin’ Platinum
actually has a bright, natural sound
that’s minimally compressed—the retro
sound of a vintage Stax or Hi recording.
Finally, the vital heart and soul at the
center of such tunes as Auerbach and
Pat McLaughlin’s snappy “Honey Just
Let Me Stay The Night,” with flavors
of 1960s Hi Records, is the raspy,
yearning, soul singing voice of Louisi-
ana carpenter Robert Finley. Oh, the
wonders of good timing.—Robert Baird
173

FLEETWOOD MAC
Fleetwood Mac: Deluxe
Reprise R2 559454 (1 LP/3 CDs/1 DVD). 1975/2018.
Fleetwood Mac, prods.; Keith Olsen, prod., eng.;
David Devoe, Dan Hersch, others, engs. ADD?
TT: 3:27:04
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
I’ll never forget the first time I heard
this album. I’d been a keen fan of
Fleetwood Mac since its early days,
and each release was greeted with great
expectations. Like a lot of British blues
bands of the late 1960s, in the mid-’70s
the Mac seemed to struggle toward a
difficult career coda; lineups didn’t last,
and we even had to endure a com-
pletely different band touring under
the Fleetwood Mac name.
But from the first joyous moments
of Fleetwood Mac, it was clear that this
new version of the band was something
special. I’d heard and liked the Califor-
nia power pop of Buckingham Nicks,
but had no inkling how well that duo
could complete an entirely new Fleet-
wood Mac identity. Hearing Lindsey
Buckingham’s “Monday Morning” ring
out of my speakers was akin to hearing
“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” for the first
time. The extraordinary harmonies of
Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, and Chris-
tine McVie were the sound of angels,
as yet another British singer found her
true roots in California.
The shock of how good this record
was accumulated as the disc played out
and it became clear that the Mac had
changed stripes. Always a guitarist’s
guitar band with some great songwrit-
ing but vocals that were secondary to
the overall sound, this Fleetwood Mac
was all about the songs and the singing.
Buckingham’s inspired guitar work
was in support of the whole meal, but
was not itself the main course. For
the first time, the band featured three
outstanding singers and songwriters,
who balanced each other fully in all the
compositions. The stalwart rhythm sec-
tion of Christine McVie on keyboards,
her husband, John McVie, on bass, and
stereophile.com Q April 2018
Mick Fleetwood on drums kept the
core identity of the band on course.
Perhaps most important, the new
lineup brought Christine McVie into
focus. By this time, the Mac had long
been a guy’s band, with Christine a
featured element. Now she was the
fulcrum between the old and new
lineups, her dusky soprano the anchor
between Buckingham’s jolly, effusive
tenor and Nicks’s soaring alto. With
Buckingham and Nicks as her band
partners, McVie, one of the greatest
R&B singer-songwriters England has
ever produced, upped her writing
game. She delivered soulful expres-
sions of sexual emotion in “Say You
Love Me,” “Over My Head,” and
“Sugar Daddy,” and of abiding tender-
ness in “Warm Ways.” What’s more, it
was now a woman’s band, with Chris-
tine and Nicks contrasting brilliantly.
Nicks countered McVie’s earthiness
with an ethereal, otherworldly quality
in her writing epitomized by her self-
branding vehicle, “Rhiannon,” and the
timeless life metaphor of “Landslide,”
still so apt today. Buckingham’s shim-
mering pop songs, including “World
Turning,” cowritten with McVie, fit
perfectly.
What we hear here is the magic
of discovery. This band hadn’t even
played together live when they began
work on these tracks with producer
Keith Olsen, and they were all finding
something new about themselves.
Perhaps one can’t attribute spirit
or emotion to the technical job of
recording sound, but I believe that
Olsen’s original analog vision for
this music can’t be improved on by a
digital remastering. The 180gm vinyl
of this new set is heavier than the
original LP, and lovingly mastered by
Dan Hersch in what might be called
a modernization. Fleetwood’s drums
are now closer to the front of the
mix, but something unexplainable is
missing from the sense of how it all
hangs together. Instead of the music
surrounding Buckingham’s voice, now
it shoots past. Playing the new LP, I
kept wanting to turn the volume up,
but that only further diluted the song’s
emotional core. If you want an LP of
Fleetwood Mac, get an original pressing.
The real pay dirt is in the three CDs.
The remastering, though inferior to
the original CD, sounds appropriately
bright, and fuller than the previous
digital transfers in 1984 and 2004. Disc
1 also includes mixes of the singles
“Over My Head,” “Rhiannon,” “Say
RECORD REVIEWS
You Love Me,” and “Blue Letter.” On
Disc 2 we hear ideas being worked
out in early takes, as well as live tracks
from a Warner Bros. soundstage,
where “Over My Head,” Rhiannon,”
and “World Turning” hint at the con-
cert staples they would become.
Say you love me to my
face
I need it more than your
embrace
Just say you want me, that’s all it
takes
Heart’s getting torn from your
mistakes.”
CHRISTINE McVIE
From “Say You Love Me”
On disc 3, Fleetwood Mac morphs
before live audiences into the band we
still recognize today. The foundation
jam tracks “Oh Well” and “The Green
Manalishi (With the Two Pronged
Crown),” from the Mac’s Peter Green
era, still strut their stomp but are
clearly not where this group is headed.
The beautiful, hypnotic “Station Man,”
a relic from the wonderful Kiln House,
does manage to fit within the contours
of the New Mac, and the expanded set
list, which includes the soulful “Spare
Me a Little,” emphasizes even more
how much the new lineup has begun
to orbit Christine McVie. Disc 4 is a
DVD with a 5.1-channel surround-
sound mix of the original album and
two-channel, 24-bit/96kHz mixes of
the four singles from disc 1. The music
is also available as digital downloads
and from streaming services.
—John Swenson
ROBERT’S LISTENING ROOM
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, THESE
STUDIO RELEASES HAVE BEEN
GETTING THE MOST TIME ON MY
TURNTABLE:
Herbie Hancock
Empyrean Isles
BLUE NOTE
St. Vincent
Masseduction
LOMA VISTA
Snooks Eaglin
Baby, You Can Get
Your Gun
BLACK TOP
XTC
Oranges & Lemons
GEFFEN
175
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2018

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CHRIS HILLMAN
Bidin’ My Time
Rounder 1166 100249 (CD). 2017. Tom Petty, prod.;
Ryan Ulyate, eng. AAD? TT: 33:04
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
Chris Hillman’s first studio album
since The Other Side (2005) is a concise
and joyous collection paying homage
to his dazzling career, dating back to
his days as the bright-eyed, longhaired,
20-year-old bassist for the Byrds. Hill-
man remained a Byrd through their
country-rock masterwork, Sweetheart of
the Rodeo (1968), and went on to help
form the Flying Burrito Brothers (with
Gram Parsons), and later the progres-
sive country chart-topping Desert Rose
Band. Along the way he recorded a
stack of first-class solo albums, always
paying respect to bluegrass and country
traditions, but he’s never sounded
more confident and pure of voice than
on Bidin’ My Time.
Produced with exhilarating sparkle
by Tom Petty, the up-tempo tracks
have as much clarity and dimension
as the quieter ones. And the album
is stacked with guest appearances by
Petty as well as Byrds Roger McGuinn
and David Crosby, DRB mates Herb
Pedersen and John Jorgenson, and ace
Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and
Steve Ferrone. Gene Clark’s folk-rock
touchstone “She Don’t Care About
Time” is one of three mid-1960s Byrds
chestnuts lovingly covered, sounding
as fresh as if written yesterday. Hillman
and McGuinn’s “Here She Comes
Again” could be a long-lost 12-string-
driven treasure, while a harmony-rich
cover of Sonny Curtis’s “Walk Right
Back,” also a staple for the Everlys,
feels like a first cousin to Neil Young’s
“Harvest Moon.”
The album wraps with a tender take
on Petty’s “Wildflowers,” which takes
on extra pith following the writer’s
passing. It’s right at home on Bidin’ My
Time, a remarkable celebration of Chris
Hillman’s gentle vision and musical
craft. —David Sokol
stereophile.com Q April 2018
JA ZZ
STEFANO BOLLANI TRIO
Mediterraneo:
Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic
Stefano Bollani, piano; Jesper Bodilsen, bass;
Morten Lund, drums; 15 others
ACT Music 9849-2 (CD). 2017. Siggi Loch, prod.;
Nanni Johansson, eng. DDD? TT: 54:52
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
Stefano Bollani is on the short list of
the world’s greatest jazz pianists. His
concert-hall and festival performances
display vast virtuosity in a language
all his own. But unlike others on that
list, such as Keith Jarrett and Brad
Mehldau, who have sustained stable
ensembles and compiled monumental
discographies, Bollani has made few
great records. Mediterraneo does not
alter this pattern.
It comes from a live concert in
Berlin. Bollani’s working trio is ac-
companied by Vincent Peirani on
accordion, and 14 strings and horns
from the Berlin Philharmonic. The
program is drawn from the works of
Italian composers of opera (Rossini,
Puccini) and film scores (Rota, Mor-
ricone). The arrangements, by Geir
Lysne of Norway, are lavish, polished,
clever, and flawlessly executed by the
18 musicians, and apply a pop-cultural
sensibility to their distinguished musi-
cal sources. “The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly” becomes saccharine, senti-
mental, and cute. Famous arias become
melodramas, all surface flourish and
bombast. Within Lysne’s overwrought
charts, Bollani’s piano is constrained
and compromised by context. He is
incapable of playing badly, but he buys
into this album’s mission to provide
light, reassuring entertainment. He
mostly plays dumbed-down Bollani.
The sold-out audience loves it.
The trio here is Bollani’s best format,
but he has never fully committed to
it. Instead, in his 20-year career, he has
restlessly shifted among miscellaneous
short-term collaborations and projects
(like Mediterraneo), all interesting, few of
lasting importance.—Thomas Conrad
RECORD REVIEWS
BILL WARFIELD BIG BAND
For Lew
Bill Warfield, trumpet, arranger; five overlapping
big-band configurations
Planet Arts PA 301738 (CD). 1990–2014/2017. Bill
Warfield, prod.; Dave Kowalski, remix, mastering.
ADD/DDD. TT: 71:50
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
For generations, jazz economics have
relegated most big-band projects to the
rehearsal hall and the recording studio.
Dedicated musicians, often arrangers,
keep the art form alive by organizing
and sometimes funding their own
projects. Since 1990, Bill Warfield has
released four large-ensemble record-
ings: New York City Jazz (1990), The
City Never Sleeps (1994), A Faceless Place
(2005), and Trumpet Story (2014).
For Lew is a retrospective intended
as a tribute to trumpet virtuoso Lew
Soloff, who died in 2015. Soloff was
a revered role model for Warfield.
This compilation contains 10 tracks
from Warfield’s four albums, and two
previously unreleased tracks. Soloff is
a guest on three. His soaring solo in
“Salsa en Mi Alma” is a perfect way to
remember him.
For Lew should go in a time capsule
to show future generations what
brilliant mainstream big-band jazz
sounded like around the turn of the
21st century. Warfield’s charts are intri-
cate, with many moving parts, yet their
energy is raw. He uses badass New
York players who nail his arrangements
and solo like beasts: Rich Perry, Randy
Brecker, Chris Potter, Walt Weiskopf,
Warfield himself. In keeping with this
project’s spirit of remembrance and
memorial, the most moving piece is
a eulogy: “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,”
Charles Mingus’s song of mourning
for Lester Young. Warfield has always
made smart personnel decisions. In
1992, before many people knew it,
Rich Perry was already a master of
emotional revelation through under-
statement.—Thomas Conrad
MORE RECORD REVIEWS ON PAGE 181
177
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MANUFACTURERS’
COMMENTS
Miyajima Laboratory Madake
Snakewood
Editor:
As always, Michael [Fremer] gets to
the heart of the sound of Miyajima.
Miyajima-san builds musical instru-
ments that serve the music. He does not
try to achieve the expected norms of
moving-coil design, but he does deliver
the faithful, natural reproduction of the
music hidden in the grooves of your LP
collection. I sell more cartridges to people
sick of the überdetailed, overly analyti-
cal, and oh, so unemotional MCs that
seem to bore true music lovers who have
vast, eclectic record collections. Michael
owns several Miyajimas, and I know he
treasures their musicality.
Thank you again, Stereophile, for allow-
ing great reviewers to write their views
on products from Miyajima Labs. Now, if
they want to take advantage of the seven-
day, full money-back trial, people can get
a balanced idea of the sound of a truly
stunning transducer in their own system.
Who else does that?
Analog Planet and Stereophile rule!
Robin Wyatt, US distributor
Miyajima Laboratory
Kuzma CAR-50 & CAR-60
Editor:
First, let me thank you and Michael
Fremer for having another go with
the Kuzma CAR-50 and CAR-60
MC cartridges. After listening again
to the CAR-60, Mr. Fremer stood by
his ultimate opinion of the cartridge’s
performance, but allowed that what it
did well it did very well indeed. Mr.
Kuzma and I can both live with that
verdict, as we both feel strongly that
these fine transducers will find an ap-
preciative audience. In fact, it has long
been shown that a negative review may
well get more attention than one would
think—and, in fact, if just one person,
after reading Mr. Fremer’s comments,
auditions the CAR-50 and/or 60 carts
and finds them sublime, then there are
really no complaints from this camp.
Mr. Kuzma would like to add to this
thought that he feels that reviewing dif-
ferent products and comparing them as
neutrally as possible, and then making
a decision about which is best, is not
ever an easy task, as one must take into
stereophile.com Q April 2018
account different preferences for best
sound, from customers to reviewers. For
example, if one person listens mainly to
classical music, then the midrange must
be as pure as possible, so that strings
sound reasonably close to a live concert in
the hall. But if you prefer rock music and
a bit more of a forward or open sound in
the midrange, such a balance will tend to
make Hendrix’s guitar sound the best, but
violins then might be too aggressive. It is
also the case that a lot of the (otherwise)
best rock LPs have perhaps a somewhat
weak lower bass, and a bit of “oomph”
or welly in the low end helps to make
that sound fuller and richer. At the end of
the day, Mr. Fremer heard all of the great
things these cartridges have to offer, but
decided that, overall, they were not his
cup of tea. As the EPA says, your mileage
may vary.
Thanks for the opportunity to be
included in Stereophile.
Scot Markwell, Elite AV Distribution
USA Kuzma distributor
Franc Kuzma
Kuzma Ltd.
Miyajima Laboratory Saboten
Editor:
I want to thank Herb [Reichert] for his
insightful review. My only comment
regards the Saboten’s bass response. He
never mentioned how he loaded the car-
tridge. If you load a Miyajima cartridge at
1k ohm—in other words, wide open—you
get all the neutrality he mentioned, as
well as the musicality he heard, but with
much more extended bass and extended
top end. Most MCs are loaded down to
100 ohms, etc., to tame MCs’ ubiqui-
tous rising top end—but not Miyajimas,
because they are so neutral that they love
being used wide open.
Thanks again, Stereophile, for keeping
the analog lights burning bright!
Robin Wyatt, US distributor
Miyajima Laboratory
I loaded the Saboten at 1k ohm, as Robin Wy-
att recommended, via the Parasound Halo JC
3+ phono preamplifier. I also listened exten-
sively to the Saboten with the Auditorium 23,
Bob’s Devices, Dynavector, and EMIA 1:10
step-up transformers feeding the Parasound’s
MM input. I did all of my listening through
Harbeth Monitor 30.2 loudspeakers driven by
ANY CLOD CAN HAVE THE FACTS;
HAVING OPINIONS IS AN ART
THIS ISSUE :
Miyajima, Kuzma, Bel Canto,
Ypsilon, Constellation, and Harbeth
respond to our reviews of their products.
a Pass Laboratories XA25 power amplifier.
—Herb Reichert
Bel Canto Design Black ACI 600
Editor:
The team at Bel Canto would like to
thank Jason Victor Serinus and John At-
kinson for their excellence in reviewing
and measuring our Black ACI 600. Given
its range of features and capabilities,
these are no simple tasks. Jason captures
the strengths of our ultimate integrated
amplifier very well. His passion for music
comes through, and I am very pleased
that the Black integrated satisfied this
passion. We conceived the ACI 600 as
an integrated unit that could reside in
systems of the very highest caliber. Its
combination of 21st-century features and
performance are largely unique in the au-
dio market. We hope that Jason’s review
will inspire other music lovers to discover
the unique experience that is Bel Canto
Black! John Stronczer, Founder
Bel Canto Design
Ypsilon Electronics Hyperion
Editor:
My partner and I would like to thank
Michael Fremer and the Stereophile team
for the wonderful review.
We think that Mr. Fremer captured the
essence of the amplifier’s performance
and expressed it vividly. The Hyperion
is an amplifier that can pass along the
musical emotion of a performance with
transparency, power, and control to drive
real-world speakers. The last comment—
that this is one “of the best-sounding
power amplifiers I’ve heard, and it’s the
most musically enjoyable of the lot”—is a
high acclamation.
We were working many years to
achieve that goal, having as our bench-
mark our single-ended amplifiers. We felt
we succeeded with the development of
the Phaethon, the Aelius 2, and now the
Hyperion.
We would like to note hidden aspects
of the measurements section that, for
a no-feedback, two-gain-stage ampli-
fier, are excellent. We certainly were
not aiming for a “tailored” sound, as it is
characterized. Our aim was to capture
the musically involving performance of
a single-ended, no-feedback design with
transparency and power, and so we paid
179
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attention to what’s really important in
measurements. We believe that levels of
second-harmonic THD have nothing to
do with how an amplifier sounds. In con-
trast, we pay attention to measured details
that we feel are important for sound
performance, and these are excellent in
the Hyperion.
In the THD measurements (figs.
3, 4, 5), what’s important is that the
distortion curve starts from a very low
value, and increases almost linearly on a
logarithmic scale with output voltage, as
in a single-ended triode. The distortion
comes completely from the input tube
and its no-feedback, single-ended opera-
tion mode. The low initial value shows
that there is no switching or crossover
distortion in the output stage. The shapes
of these curves are almost identical to
measurements Stereophile published of
a 30W tubed, single-ended amplifier
in the past, only that amplifier man-
ages only 15W into 8 ohms with 1.5%
distortion, whereas the Hyperion outputs
400W into 8 ohms (fig.3) and 700W
into 4 ohms (fig.4) with the same level
of distortion. We feel that the comment
“disappointing” is not fair to us.
The output impedance of an amplifier
shows the percentage of feedback applied
in the output stage, globally or locally.
RECORD REVIEWS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 177
JAMES HALL
Lattice
James Hall, trombone; Jamie Baum, flute, alto flute;
Deanna Witkowski, piano, Rhodes; Tom DiCarlo,
bass; Allan Mednard, drums; Sharel Cassity, guest
alto saxophone
Outside In Music OiM 1801 (CD). 2018. James Hall,
Ryan Keberle, prods.; Aaron Nevezie, eng. DDD?
TT: 48:37
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
People worry all the time about jazz,
for good reason. But if jazz is risky as
a business and precarious as a profes-
sion, jazz as an art form thrives. The
stereophile.com Q April 2018
Very low output impedance requires
large amounts of feedback that will kill
the life of music. [An impedance of] 0.3
ohm, according to our measurements, is
chosen for the best balance between good
control (for speakers with Qt=0.6–0.75)
and life.
Looking at measurements of no-feed-
back, push-pull, solid-state designs, very
often at low power, THD starts at maybe
10 times as much as higher values. This
reveals their output-stage crossover arti-
facts. Feedback designs sometimes don’t
manage to suppress these components as
low as they are in the Hyperion.
[The] IMD in fig.9 shows that over-
tones of 1kHz (2–16kHz) are very low.
Some no-feedback, solid-state designs
that John Atkinson has measured show
higher levels of overtones at 1kHz, and
they got no negative comments.
The examples are at your disposal.
Demetris Baklavas, Fanis Lagkadinos
Ypsilon Electronics
Constellation Audio Inspiration
Stereo 1.0
Editor:
Constellation Audio would like to thank
Larry Greenhill for his thorough and
thoughtful review. We would like to also
thank John Atkinson for his professional
evidence: People like James Hall keep
popping up. Lattice, by six little-known
players, is a work of substance, refine-
ment, originality, and allure.
This band’s distinctive sonic sig-
nature is the blend of Hall’s warm,
glowing trombone and Jamie Baum’s
quick, ethereal flutes. Lattice is chamber
jazz in pastel colors, but Hall’s writing
is vivid with challenging, meticulously
detailed ideas. The solos, when they
develop organically from the ensemble,
are sharp and focused.
“Shoy” is representative. The long,
graceful curve of the melody requires
three voices to form it, as Hall, Baum,
and pianist Deanna Witkowski flow in
and out in close counterpoint. In the
title track, the three pursue separate
parallel lines of thought that converge
into the melody only halfway through
the song. The trombone-flute blend is
rich but never cloys because Hall keeps
introducing variations. Alto saxophon-
ist Sharel Cassity enters on two tracks
and puts an edge on the soft group
sound. Witkowski’s switch to the
Rhodes offers fresh colors.
Joe Henderson’s “Black Narcissus,”
one of only two covers, completely re-
MANUFACTURERS’ COMMENTS
measurements. John commented that the
amplifier blew a fuse on one channel at
about 20% more than its rated power. In
essence, the fuse did the job for which it
was intended; that is, it protected both
the amplifier and the user’s speakers. As
LG noted in his text, Constellation Audio
provides replacement fuses for precisely
this contingency. Irv Gross, VP of Sales
Constellation Audio
Harbeth Audio Monitor 30.2
40th Anniversary Edition
Editor:
Thank you to Stereophile and Herb
Reichert for the review of my M30.2
Anniversary Edition loudspeaker.
Harbeths are, by design, easy to own
and enjoy, and make great music with
even modest ancillary equipment, and
users tell us that they have never spent
so much time enthralled by music in the
safety and comfort of their own home.
It’s a particular pleasure for me to engage
with a critic who invests the time to get
under the hood of the design and to cor-
relate what he hears with the designer’s
objectives—a very valuable service to the
public. Again: thank you. I’ll end now,
and let the M30.2 40th Anniversary
speak for itself. Alan Shaw, Designer
Harbeth Audio
interprets the composer’s 1969 version.
Cassity and Witkowski expand on the
roles of Henderson’s tenor saxophone
and Herbie Hancock’s electric piano,
and the instruments of Hall and Baum
provide new textural and harmonic
depth. One way for young jazz musi-
cians to stake their claim is to improve
on the work of the masters.
—Thomas Conrad
ON SWENSON’S TURNTABLE
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, THESE
STUDIO RELEASES HAVE BEEN
GETTING THE MOST TIME ON MY
TURNTABLE AND CD PLAYER:
Kim Wilson
Blues & Boogie Vol. 1
SEVERN
Prince
Chaos and Disorder
WARNER BROS.
Sun Ra
The Nubians of Plutonia
IMPULSE!
Modern Jazz Quartet
Under the Jasmine Tree
APPLE RECORDS
181
 RECORDING OF THE MONTH
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 171

I heard it. The occasional trembling in

Toneff’s vulnerable voice, the subtle
shadings of pitch she uses to point
a phrase, the careful way she uses
vibrato on held notes for emphasis—
they were all there. What was old is
new again. The key change after the
brief piano solo tore me apart as it
had done the very first time. The vast
emptiness opened up by Dobrogosz’s
falling-fifths intro to “Nature Boy”
Authorized Dealer: sounded more vast than it did in the
Antipodes needle drop, even after I optimized
Aurender the Brooklyn’s reconstruction filter
Bel Canto Black for straight PCM. The space of the
Bricasti Design recording venue, Bergen’s Grieg Hall,
Dynamic Design was more coherently presented. The
HRS transients of the piano sound through-
TIDAL Audio out the album came across as more
Tri-Planar believable, the individual notes within
ų±ĺŸĀčƚų±ƋĜŅĺ sustained chords more identifiable.
TW-Acustic and more! Oh my!
“Though she looks as warm as
gold,” wrote Jim Webb, “the moon can
be so cold.” This restoration of one of
the 1980s’ greatest albums has turned
digital cold into musical gold.
—John Atkinson

Constellation 83 McIntosh Labs 81 Tekton Design LLC 118

STEREOPHILE
ADVERTISER INDEX Crystal Cable C3 MSB Technology Corporation 136 Tenacious Sound 91
C Seed Entertainment Music Direct 16, 17, 44, 102 The Audio Company 164
Acoustic Sounds 12, 13 Systems Gmbh 162 Needle Doctor 35, 36, 37, 38 The Voice That Is 182
Alta Audio 124 D’Agostino 45 Nordost Corp 4 Totem Acoustic Inc 24
Aqua Acoustic Quality 103 David Lewis Audio 166 Oppo Digital Inc 142 Triangle Art 176
Audience 6 Ultra Systems 183
DCS 180 Oracle 88
Audio Advisor Inc 122 Upscale Audio 20, 30, 178
Dynaudio North America 158 Ortofon 84, 85
usedcable.com 183
Audio Design And Marketing LLC 126 Elusive Disc Inc 22, 23, 170 Paradigm Audiostream 8, 9
VAC 100
Audio Monitor 92 Fidelis Audio 126, 130 Parts Express 130
Vandersteen Audio 150
Audio Plus Services C4 Golden Ear Technology 28, 29 Pass Laboratories 114
Vitus Audio 94
Audio-Union 112 GTT AV 154 Precision 90
VooDoo Cable 183
AudioQuest 93, 98, 99 Harman 106 Quarter Note Press 138 Volti Audio 176
Auralic North America Inc 42 Harmonic Resolution 18 Radial Engineering 86, 87 Wireworld 152
AXPONA 172 High Fidelity Services 148 Record Players And Vinyl Wynn Audio 132
JL Audio 26, 27 Dba Excel Audio 116
Bel Canto 156 Yamaha Canada Music Ltd 134
Bluesound 75 KEF 10 Rogers High Fidelity 123 Ypsilon Electronics 96
Bricasti Design 153 Kevro Monitor Audio 71 Rogue Audio 88 Zesto Audio 19
Bryston Ltd 79 Kimber Kable 160 Rotel 174
BW Loudspeakers 146 Legacy Audio 108 Sonoma 104 THE AD INDEX IS PROVIDED AS
A COURTESY. THE PUBLISHER
Cable Co 40, 41, 183 Lenbrook Group 69, 73 Sonus Faber 77 IS NOT LIABLE FOR INCORRECT
Luxman 128 Sound United 120 INFORMATION OR EXCLUDED
Cedia 168 LISTINGS. ADVERTISERS SHOULD
Chord Electronics 46 Magico LLC C2 Spendor Audio 32 CONTACT THEIR SALES
Martin Logan 140 SVS 14 REPRESENTATIVE TO CORRECT
Computerized Loudspeaker OR UPDATE A LISTING.
Laboratories LLC 144 MBL North America 25 Take 5 Audio 178

182 April 2018 Q stereophile.com

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184 stereophile audio mart

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To advertise, contact Mark Aling • 289.828.6894 • emailing.mark@gmail.com 185
 THERE’S ONLY TWO KINDS OF MUSIC: THE BLUES AND ZIPPETY DOO-DAH.
—TOWNES VAN ZANDT

AURAL BY ROBERT BAIRD

ROBERT
Today, audiophiles are acquiring the class of equipment
with the sensitivity to exploit the potential of Grand Master
recording tape. Its specification provides measurable
improvements in saturation capacity, dynamic range and
signal to noise ratio.
–FROM A VINTAGE AD FOR AMPEX CASSETTE TAPES.

Tapeheads

W
ait—dude is buying cassettes? Again? ing editor of my university paper
Hi, my name is Robert Baird, and I’m a physicalmediaholic. (he’s now a respectable businessman)
I haven’t bought a vintage LP in, like, two hours. hatched a plot to buy a high-end
Sorry, sorry. Dangerous addictions to alcohol, opioids, or portable cassette recorder and the best
anything else are not laughing matters. But no one will ever convince me that the plug-in mikes we could find, and go
return of the audio cassette tape is even remotely essential, let alone addicting. into the bootleg-tape business. The
On a recent trip to the central coast key: he was, like, 9' tall. We’d
of California, I walked into the lobby buy an expensive seat, smack
of the Hotel Carmel and was con- in the middle of a large venue,
fronted with a wall of cassette tapes. rig one mike on each point of
At first I took it to be a kitschy design his shirt collar, and roll tape.
element—but on a table nearby sat a After a smashingly successful
cassette deck and speakers. The Bob start—Iggy Pop opening for
Dylan and Elton John catalogs on the Pretenders—we decided
cassette? that the duplication end of the
“The owner loves cassettes,” the deal was too expensive and
desk clerk quickly volunteered. time consuming, not to men-
Weeks later, I became aware of tion that the generation losses
something called Cassette Store Day. It in sound quality made later
began in the UK in 2013, and has since customers restless.
spread throughout Europe, Japan, and Later, less rosy memories
the US. On CSD’s US website they of cassettes are of the shards
tout that they have “helped keep what of broken plastic cases and
was once perceived as a dead format ing that these listeners can already hear tangles of tape littering the passenger-
alive and viable in today’s digital age.” whatever they want, whenever they side floor of every vehicle I ever
Finally, I received an email from want, for free on YouTube. owned—the mashed remains of the
Nielsen Music which says that cassette A cursory swing through Google- advance cassettes record labels sent
sales in the U.S. increased 35% in 2017, dom turned up an explanation from out to reviewers. Just like the finished
to 174,000 units. The most successful a broader perspective by one Tristan copies, the quality of these advances,
single cassette title was Guardians of Bath, posted on the website of Clash in terms of sound and packaging, was
the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2, magazine: “The various reasons for genuinely terrible.
which sold 19,000 copies. For compari- the format’s resurgence as a force to be There’s always been a push-pull
son, US LP sales hit 14.32 million—up reckoned with are now well docu- dynamic of future and past in high-
9%, from 13.1 million, in 2016. mented—cheapness of production, ease end audio, beginning with tubed vs
Thinking that perhaps I was slipping of distribution, that candy-like pocket solid-state amplification, bookshelf vs
into a parallel dimension—cassettes are charm—but above all, the music speaks floorstanding speakers, and the beat
coming back?—and mindful of the for itself. The artists at the bottom, goes on.
continued resurgence of the LP, a powered by cassette tapes, are getting I heard the most emotional pleas
thing many said would never happen, connected over the internet from all on behalf of cassettes from those who
I began poking around the Internet corners of the globe.” cherish memories of home taping
and among friends to see if this story One business magazine, Fast and the subtle art, immortalized in
had legs. Most dedicated music fans Company, printed and then posted an the movie High Fidelity, of seduc-
I talked to still had cassettes, if only article from early 2017 that loudly pro- tion, or strutting musical knowledge
because they contained bootleg record- claimed, “It turns out there’s a place via mixtapes. We all still have some
ings. Several acquaintances told me for archaic physical media of question- somewhere. As a mad and nonrecover-
they preferred the sound of non-metal, able audio fidelity—even in the Spotify ing user of physical media who also
non-DAT cassettes—which, needless era.” In that piece, Andy Molholt, a streams and believes in high-resolution
to say, is inexplicable. Cassettes also Philadelphia musician who’s one of downloads, far be it from me to belittle
gained points for being playable in two major sources for the story, let cassette activists. The past and the
cars. Lastly, some noted that cassettes this beauty fly: “I feel like everyone is future of enjoying music: the druthers
weren’t the huge investment that vinyl obsessed with super high fidelity but I mount. Q
is today—they can let you know what a like it when things are warm and war- Music Editor Robert Baird (RBaird@
FALKOVSKY

band sounds like without going broke. bly.” A blink and a swallow help. enthusiastnetwork.com) finds all this talk of
That’s a puzzling equation, consider- Many years ago, I and the manag- having too many records patently absurd.

186 April 2018 Q stereophile.com

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