Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Sidebar 2: Review System

The associated equipment was primarily Luxman's C-600f solid-state preamplifier, MQ-88 tubed power amplifier, and D-05 SACD/CD player, with Bricasti Design's M1 DAC D/A converter. The Bricasti was fed a digital signal either from my Apple iMac running Amarra's music-server software via a Musical Fidelity V-Link, or a Denon DN-961-FA CD player (retired from a radio station) as an AES/EBU transport, later replaced by a Musical Fidelity CDT transport. I also used Parasound's Halo JC 2 preamplifier and Halo JC 1 solid-state, 400W monoblocks. Connecting it all were Cardas Clear interconnects and speaker cables, Cardas AES/EBU digital cable, Markertek USB and S/PDIF cables, and a Shunyata Research wall outlet and Hydra power conditioner.—John Marks