AUDIO INSIDER

SPECIFICALLY: McIntosh transformers

PAUL McGOWAN: A recent post covered output transformers on tube power amplifiers and why they were needed.  It also covered the fact that IMHO transformers are the last thing I would add to the output stage of a solid state power amplifier because output transformers like this contribute so much to the sound quality of […]

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ACARIAN SYSTEMS LIMITED: What happened?

J N WORTH says … t USA based manufacturer of mid and high end loudspeaker systems sold under the Alón brand. Originally founded in the summer of 1991 by the husband and wife team of Carl J. Marchisotto (ex-Dahlquist) and Marilyn J. Marchisotto in association with a couple of financiers, one of which is believed […]

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YAMAMURA SYSTEMS (US) INC: WHAT HAPPENED?

L. Sutherland tells us … Company founded in 1999 by Bé Yamamura and based in Lecanto, Florida, USA. The company continued making and selling the same cables and accessories as its predecessor Yamamura Systems S.R.L. had done in Italy but in addition handled the North American distribution of a number of exotic Japanese hi-fi brands […]

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AUDIO INSIDER

SOME MAKERS WILL HATE THIS: How does one measure the differences between amplifiers when they clearly sound different?

How does one measure the differences between amplifiers when they clearly sound different? The first and simplest measurements are frequency response and noise levels: frequency response shows us that everything we put in makes it through to the output and noise levels are an obvious thing to measure so we don’t have hiss. Fancier measurements […]

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McIntosh: News

McIntosh supports LCD Soundsystem at Brixton McIntosh has proudly supported James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem with the provision of a £17,495 McIntosh MC1.25KW 1-Channel Solid State Amplifier for the band’s six-date O2 Academy Brixton (London) residency (June 27-29; July 1-3) which celebrated their 20th anniversary. Songs from the eponymous ‘LCD Soundsystem’ (2005), ‘Sound Of Silver’ (2007) and ‘This […]

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POWER LINES: The dedicated ones

Paul McGowan: If you’re serious about building a high-performance audio system you have to pay attention to the AC power. It’s a constant theme with me because power is the foundation of our systems. There aren’t many great structures standing on weak foundations. Power Plants solve many problems but they need a head start. One […]

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PS AUDIO: Why haven’t these (switch mode power) supplies been used to better advantage?

Paul McGowan … Perhaps the single biggest reason to use a switch mode power supply (SMPS) on a power amplifier is that the output of a properly designed one is more like perfect DC than that of a conventional supply; and not just by a little bit. Conventional supplies switch back and fourth between plus […]

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ACOUSTIC RESEARCH: AR-11 turntable – so … what happened?

Audio Tools write: Although this company is mostly famous for their loudspeakers they did indeed make a line of hi-fi from the early 60’s into the late 80’s. Their turntables were almost legendary in the US but are seldom seen in Europe with their 80’s models being an exception, but those were actually manufactured at […]

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OH REALLY? The 12 Most Significant Loudspeakers of All Time

Robert Harley writes: For this special loudspeaker-focus issue, I asked our most senior contributors to each name the twelve loudspeakers that had the greatest impact on high-end audio. These are the speakers that introduced a new technology, changed the market, influenced future designs, or revealed some previously unheard aspect of sound quality. Although each writer […]

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BENCHMARK MEDIA: Howard Popeck speaks at length to people with interesting things to say: John Siau – Benchmark Media DACs

Originally published 2014 John … in the audiophile world Benchmark Media have entered quickly and built a terrific reputation from scratch. Very impressive. However from your perspective, how do you see the differences between studio buyers and audiophile end users? The short answer is that audiophiles talk more. Audiophiles are passionate about their love for […]

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MARK LEVINSON Q&A: Their 326, Whest Two and more?

Hi. I have just added the Levinson phono boards to my 326s pre. and this arrangement seems to me to be superior to my Whest Two – which was a very big Step up from the Dino it replaced. The levinson boards work in balanced mode – the signal is automatically converted to balanced at […]

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LOW VOLUME LISTENING: Best speakers for a vivid sound ?

May need to live with some speakers that are good at low volume for a while, due to an ear problem. My room is 15 x 12 and the speakers fire from the 12 foot wall. I use Harbeth C7’s. They have been a reasonable compromise for some years now, but they work a good […]

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MAGNEPLANAR: 0.7 and what was said at the time

They say ….. What do you do if you covet Magnepan’s soaring loudspeakers but don’t have the largest of listening rooms? “We hear you”, said Magnepan. Enter the new 0.7 (‘point seven’), a scaled down version of the brand’s acclaimed 1.7 model. To say that Magnepan’s Magneplanar 1.7 flat-panel loudspeaker is highly regarded in its […]

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INFINITY TONEARMS: What happened?

Good afternoon. I am curious about Infinity tone arms. Is there any info you can offer please? Certainly. The first arms that the company sold were actually Infinity branded versions of the Forrmula 4 Tonearms but in the late 70’s it introduced a pivoted arm of it’s own manufacture that featured a carbon fibre arm […]

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From the archive / Dear diary – JBL L100 Century, mysterious Buddy Guy CD situation, PraT and the wierdos on the PFM forum and, er, that’s it.

Dear oh dear. Another re-run of the day before – almost. Must get to grips with the paperwork, inconsistent focus and all-too-easy distractions. Make a note not to look at eBay or the BBC website on Wednesday. Tough call. “My fellow addicts, I come to you this evening to tell you that I am an […]

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