The Absolute Sound September 2022

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: TAS, 2500 McHale Ct., Ste. A, Austin, Texas 78758 Magnificent Performers! Appreciation and absolute agreement with Paul Seydor’s review of three Denon phonograph cartridges [Issue 328]! I have enjoyed the 103 and 103R models for many years. They are magnificent performers! Carlos E. Bauzá Needs Only the Spec Sheet In Issue 327’s Letters column, reader Bob Wortman writes to explain to us that digital recording is superior to analog “by any known measure.” His facts and figures assure him that this is so. But Mr. Wortman is careful to restrict his argument to resolution, and never once mentions sound. It is the mindset of the engineer, who will use only his textbooks to determine the quality of a piece of audio equipment and needs only its spec sheet to do…

In this issue’s Letters column, reader Barney Vincelette laments the tendency of some audio companies to invent apparently fantastical explanations of how their products work. I must agree with Mr. Vincelette that some of the technical descriptions stretch credulity. But it would be a mistake to brand these products as shams. First, to summarily label a product as snake oil we must make an a priori determination of what phenomena can and cannot be perceived by the human brain when listening to music. Mr. Vincelette cites the example of lifters that elevate a cable above a carpeted floor. Cable lifters reportedly reduce the effect of the carpet’s electrostatic field on the signal traveling down the cable. The electrical field must be so weak that it couldn’t possibly affect the signal, Mr.…

CH Precision C1.2 DAC/Controller CH Precision’s C1.2 features include a four-fold increase in processing power over its predecessor. This massive increase has allowed CH to significantly revise and refine the PEtER spline-filter algorithm and introduce fixed-point processing. Further, an all-new, MEMS-based master clock has increased clock accuracy and reduced timing error, while increased local regulation and sophisticated power-management have significantly reduced the digital noise floor. Input compatibility has been fully updated and now includes full MQA compliance. Plus, there’s an improved, by-passable, hybrid digital/analog volume control. The step up in musical performance is accompanied by the same user-configurable input topology and expandable system capability, allowing owners to add external power supplies, a T1 Time reference master clock, or upgrade the C1.2 to three-box, dual-monaural-E)AC form. There’s even the capacity to accept/switch…

Atsushi Miura TODAY, MAY 27, 2022, I learned from Art Manzano of AXISS Audio that my dear friend (and Art’s) Atsushi Miura, past general manager of the Lux Corporation (Luxman electronics), president of Lux Audio of America, and subsequently founder of A&M Ltd. (Air-Tight electronics and phono cartridges), passed away at the age of 88. I could go on at length about Mr. Miura’s many accomplishments—he is, after all, a charter member of TAS’ High-End Audio Hall of Fame and earned a chapter of his own in The Absolute Sound’s Illustrated History of High-End Audio, Volume Two: Electronics—but rather than make a list of his many notable accomplishments, I’d rather talk about how he and I became friends. When I first went to Japan, better than a decade-and-a-half ago, I was warned, in…

I recently visited Magico’s factory in Hayward, California, where I heard the company’s flagship M9 loudspeaker and learned about its design. The occasion also marked the recent completion of an acoustic overhaul of the Magico factory listening room. Magico has a compelling track record of technical innovation and of creating great-sounding loudspeakers. The all-new M9 is the ultimate realization of the company’s technologies and aesthetic, and also introduces a ground-breaking new cabinet construction. Significantly, the M9 is also the first Magico loudspeaker to benefit from two new sophisticated measurement instruments. I had seen photographs of the M9 on Magico’s website but was floored to experience the speaker in person. Its sheer size, massive drivers, and stunning execution in flawless carbon fiber and aluminum are awe-inspiring. As I learned by seeing various…

Nextscreen, LLC—producers of The Absolute Sound network, the hi-fi+ network, and the Winding Road network—is pleased to announce that highly respected audio journalist Michael Fremer has joined The Absolute Sound network as Senior Editor. “Michael is well known as one of a small handful of expert reviewers of analog audio equipment in the world,” said Robert Harley, Editor-In-Chief of The Absolute Sound magazine. “His in-depth knowledge of analog gear and production, along with his extensive experience reviewing the best speakers and electronics, makes him a perfect fit with TAS’ own expert editors who focus on state-of-art equipment, including Jonathan Valin, Neil Gader, Paul Seydor, Robert E. Greene, Dick Olsher, Jacob Heilbrunn, Steven Stone, Andrew Quint, Wayne Garcia, Alan Taffel, and Anthony H. Cordesman.” Michael is one of the small handful of expert…