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Linn Abandons CD Players

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:00 EST

Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v.5 loudspeaker

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:00 EST

Unpacked and set up next to my Studio 60 v.3s, the Reference Studio 60 v.5s were much more attractive in finish and more shapely in design, though clearly (once I'd removed their grilles) based on the same DNA. In each, the dome tweeter sits in a cowl fitted to the top of the cabinet. All drivers and the front port are supported by heavy frames resiliently mounted to the front panel. (Paradigm calls this system IMS/Shock-Mounting.) Both models have cast-metal front bases with feet that match the cast feet in the rear. Finally, the upper cone driver, a mid-woofer in each case, differs in cone material from the woofers proper, and sports a brass dome or phase plug. As in the prior models, the dedicated woofers of the v.5 have mineral-filled polypropylene cones, but the v.5's mid-woofer is made of Paradigm's Satin-Anodized Pure-Aluminum (S-PAL), the dome tweeter of Gold-Anodized Pure-Aluminum (G-PAL).

HRT Music Streamer USB D/A Converter

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST

As with the Music Streamer+, of which the Music Streamer seems just a shorter, redder version, installation was a breeze: I plugged, I clicked, I conquered. Getting a handle on the performance differences wasn't nearly as easy. Yes, there were consistent distinctions between the two, and yes, I did prefer the more expensive DAC for most of my listening. But the ultimate question of the products' relative values wasn't nearly as clear-cut.

Listening #83

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:00 EST

Somewhere, a circuit designer tries loading the plate of a driver tube somewhat differently than he used to. He likes what he hears, builds a new amp around his new idea, and sells about two dozen of them through a handful of audio salons.

Aerial Model 5B loudspeaker

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:41:00 EST

On the basis of only the above, and admittedly relying on recent memory of the HL-3P-ES2 rather than a side-by-side comparison, I think Aerial's 5B is a very valid alternative to the Harbeth descendant of BBC's original shoebox. The Aerial has incrementally but noticeably more bass—and wonderfully controlled bass at that—and, arguably, a more neutral midrange and treble, in comparison to the Harbeth's slight romantic sweetness and/or warmth. But the Aerial is by no stretch of the imagination cold—at all.

Aerial Acoustics 20T V2 loudspeaker

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:44:00 EST

The 20Ts passed briefly through my hands when I measured them for Mikey's review, but I never got the chance to audition them in my own room. So when Michael Kelly told me at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show that he was working on a revised version, I pulled rank and allocated the review to myself.

HRT Music Streamer+ USB D/A Converter

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:18:00 EST

The Music Streamer+ isn't the first USB digital-to-analog converter I've written about in these pages, and I hope and presume it won't be the last: I'm not just sold on the concept, I'm enduringly anxious to find out how well it can be realized—and for how small a price!

Recording of November 2009: The Visitor

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:27:00 EST

Musicians all say they detest labels. I'm not a singer-songwriter! My blonde cornrows look nothing like Axl Rose's! My guitar playing does not sound like a man strangling a pony!

The Spaces Between the Notes

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:25:00 EST

I opened the first track with music-editing program Bias Peak Pro 6. As I suspected, the waveform was continually banging its head against the CD's maximum level—zooming in on vocal sections revealed the familiar squared-off shape of a signal whose peaks have been chopped off, either by being clipped or by being hard-limited (fig.1). Interestingly, the tops of the square waveforms were slightly rounded—as if, subsequent to the brutal trimming of peaks, the signal had been low-pass–filtered to get rid of some of the spurious high-frequency energy.

The Music Goes Round & Round

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:32:00 EST

As with all round-table discussions involving several vocal participants, the discussion rapidly became unstructured, and also went on far too long for publication as is. Ninety minutes of heated discussion would fill a whole issue of Stereophile, and would ramble more than a little. With apologies, therefore, to those taking part, and with assurances to readers that we have not changed emphases or meanings, we have of necessity left out much of what was said.

Musical Fidelity V-DAC D/A processor

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:28:00 EST

I'll bet a lot of high-end hi-fi was left behind, too. Dubai was a hot spot for expensive hi-fi, as I heard several years ago when I met one of Dubai's leading audio distributors. If you made a $107,000/pair loudspeaker, you could surely sell it there. The sands of time have probably stopped that.

Theta Digital DSPro Basic D/A processor

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:43:00 EST

Since Michael comes from the computer industry, he is well aware of the huge technological leaps, coupled with equally large and often simultaneous price reductions, in any competitive electronic field. Buy too early in the cycle and risk paying too much for soon-to-be-obsolete performance. Buy too late and miss owning the product during the wait for better performance and lower prices that are not immediately forthcoming.

Joint Recordings of July 1990: Rei Momo, O Samba

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST

Like a Hollywood studio on location, the likes of Byrne, Gabriel, and Simon trek off to foreign parts replete with Vuitton duffels, clean underwear, credit cards, and a tax guide to writing off research. And with the skilled technician's eye for the hottest spot since Paul Simon turned Bolivia's El Condor Pasa into the prototype for Don't Worry, Be Happy, our David recently swung down to Rio. (Simon's South American album should be out by the time you read this.)

Stereo Exchange Celebrates 25 Years

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:51:00 EST

Prizes from each vendor will be raffled off. The grand prize of the evening is a $2500 gift certificate redeemable at Stereo Exchange. In addition, singer-songwriter, Lori Leiberman, best known for her classic ballad, Killing Me Softly, will perform live. Refreshments will be served.

Wadia Digimaster X-32 digital processor

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:53:00 EST

During an Audio Engineering Society meeting where a former colleague of mine was giving an arcane technical discussion of the optical considerations of data retrieval from a Compact Disc, a longtime AES member whispered to me: What happened to the good old days of AES meetings when we talked about things like tape bias and saturation?

Rotel RB-960BX power amplifier

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:40:00 EST

Okay, here you are: You're a Real World music lover trying to sling together a Real World hi-fi rig. You gotcha budget-king NAD/Rotel/JVC/Pioneer CD player, your SOTA Comet/Sumiko Blue Point analog rig, and your cool-man NHT/PSB/Definitive Technology entry-level speakers. Hell, you've even gone out and bought a few pairs of Kimber PBJ interconnects to hook it all up. This ain't no dog and pony show—you want that High-End High, not just some cheap'n'cheerful, low-rez rig to stick in the rumpus room so the kids can listen to that weak-ass, faux-grunge, watered-down Hendrix-howl that modern-day wimp-boys like Pearl Jam dish out to anyone under 30 who doesn't know any better.

Conrad-Johnson Premier 3 preamplifier

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST

It says something for the state of technology that, after a quarter of a century, there still is no authoritative explanation for why so many high-end audiophiles prefer tubes. Tubes not only refuse to die, they seem to be Coming back. The number of US and British firms making high-end tube equipment is growing steadily, and an increasing number of comparatively low-priced units are becoming available. There is a large market in renovated or used tube equipment—I must confess to owning a converted McIntosh MR-71 tuner—and there are even some indications that tube manufacturers are improving their reliability, although getting good tubes remains a problem.

Components, Unite!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:08:00 EST

Ever since Stereophile took up the cudgels for subjectivity, and had the temerity to insist that even the best products have certain colorations, we have stressed compatibility in choosing components. By compatibility we do not mean merely matching impedances and signal levels, but mating components whose sonic peculiarities tended to offset one another.

Chario Premium 1000 loudspeaker

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:29:00 EST

In my reviewing career, except for fleeting listening sessions at the occasional audio show, I've had little contact with products from the Italian loudspeaker maker Chario. When asked if I'd be interested in reviewing an affordable bookshelf speaker from them, I did some research and discovered that Chario is distributed in the US by Koetsu USA.

Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk.III Reference Special Edition loudspeaker

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST

One of the great divides in high-end audio concerns the question of how much bass is enough bass? The decision facing a speaker designer about how much low-frequency extension is appropriate is a fundamental one, so to speak: every extra 5Hz of bass will dramatically increase the retail price, as the speaker must be correspondingly bigger. Furthermore, the larger the speaker, the larger its problems, which in turn requires throwing more money at the design to solve those problems.