The Emotiva XPA-7 is absolutely the heaviest piece of equipment I’ve
ever tested. After barely managing to drag it up the stairs, I adjusted
my rack to fit its massive 9.5″ height and got ready to listen. I’ve
been looking to find a surround setup that I can also live with for
music. And I was excited, having recently tested an Emotiva UMC-200,
which I felt was livelier and more fun to listen to than Parasound’s
Halo P5 preamp.
As soon as I turned the XPA-7 on, the difference
between it and the Halo A23 were stark. Shockingly, the 200 wpc XPA-7
was much quieter was than the A23. I had to crank up the preamp 10 more
match my previous listening levels. Tonally, the differences were
equally stark. Listening to a Hendrix LP through my Thorens
TD160/Ortofon Bronze/Graham Slee Communicator combo, the XPA-7 had
thinner, colder highs that bordered on shrill through my already bright
ADS L730 (fully rebuilt).
I wondered if it just wasn’t playing
well with the also bright Graham Slee phono pre. Maybe it needed tubes? I
wished I had a Jolida JD-9 on hand. I quickly switched to digital.
Testing Leonard Cohen’s Live in London, Nirvana’s Unplugged, and Townes Van Zandt’s A Far Cry From Dead, and Dave Brubeck’s Time Out,
I again found myself distracted by the bright, nearly harsh treble. The
XPA-7 imaged well. The bass was a full as on the XPA-7, but it was
tighter and more focused. Still, I yearned to put the A23 back into my
system.
The XPA-7 does a lot well. However, I think component
matching is paramount. Oddly, I don’t think it matches well with
Emotiva’s own pre–it’s too cold, too sharp. If I get a chance, I’ll try
it again with something warmer. Either Parasound’s P5 or maybe a tube
amp.
I finally got my hands on a much celebrated Kenwood KT-5020 AM/FM Tuner and decided to compare it to my KT-990. Tonally, both are excellent and, if fact, are so similar that it is difficult to differentiate the two when listening to NPR or poorly-produced pop. But, turn to a classical station and, wow, the KT-5020 suddenly stretches across the entirety of the room. The sound-staging on the KT-990 does even come close (of course, these are old units and your mileage may vary). I have to say, the KT-5020 totally lives up to its legendary status. I never knew radio could sound this good.
Why are their no boutique hifi car audio receivers? I mean, seriously, am I the only person who wants simple, no frills preamp in their car? It can’t be more expensive or complicated to build than a good headphone amp.
It’s 2014. I don’t use CDs. I can get radio (however awful the quality) through my phone. I carry a separate (Audioquest Dragonfly) dac with me everywhere. All I want is a great sounding preamp with a single aux in. Instead, the market is filled with crappy sounding units bloated with features that I have no use for (though my Pioneer’s CD player makes a great phone holder).
I recently picked up two phono preamps to (possibly) pair with my newly acquired Thorens TD-145. These are entry level offerings ($300-$400) from two small but well-respected companies. Given my generally limited budget, one must stay and one must go.
I started my test with the Lehmann playing Tom Waits’ “Come On Up To The House.” I was immediately greeted with nice wide sound stage.Highs and mids were smooth. I was impressed by how nicely articulated the kick drum was even on the small ADS L/470 speakers.
In comparison, the Slee was clearer, more detailed, and, perhaps, had even more dimensionality than the Lehmann. Waits’ voice sounds grittier without being harsh. Particularly noteworthy was the sweetness and clarity with which tambourine rings out. However, the kick drum was way less present and seemingly muddled in comparison to the Lehmann.
Switching over to Frank Sinatra singing “Come Fly With Me” live at The Sands, the Lehmann gave a nice sense of space but I found Sinatra’s voice a tad bit too laid back. The Slee brought Old Blue Eyes out front. And while the horns were smooth and quite enjoyable with the Lehmann, they were much livelier on the Slee.
Finally, I listened to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” Again, vocals were too distant on the Lehmann, though the ambient sounds of the track convincingly filled room. The Slee was tighter and more up front. Even when things got noisy, the Slee held it’s composure. The the climactic ending was intense but not unpleasant.
Verdict: Keeping the Slee. While the Lehmann was pleasant, I just didn’t find it as musical or engaging as the Slee. However, this comparison did leave me feel as though something is lacking in the bottom end of the Slee. I see an opening for something with tighter, punchier bass to eventually unseat it in my system.
Test Setup: Thorens 145 turntable, Micro Acoustics 3002 cartridge, Nad c356bee integrated amplifier, and ADS L/470 speakers, Wireworld Luna 7 interconnects, and Blue Jeans Cable 12 gauge speaker wire.
Ok. I was total skeptic when I bought this cable for $25.00, but all I can say is “wow.” Attached to my computer, this specialty 14 AWG power cable offered an immediately noticeable improvement in the tightness and clarity of my system when compared to the short 16 AWG jumper it replaced. The sound was more focused from top to bottom. While the difference wasn’t as significant as changing, say, a component, it was a more dramatic change than the several interconnects I’ve compared. And, for such a small price, it’s an incredible value. I’ll be putting these on all my sources from now on!
I got a deal on a Pro-Ject Debut III with the platter missing and decided to jump on it for a second system. For whatever reason, Pro-Ject does not seem to sell replacements of their stock metal platter, so I went ahead and both the $125 upgrade acrylic platter and tested it on main system with a Project Carbon turntable, Graham Slee Communicator preamp, NAD C 356BEE integrated amplifier, Blue Jean 12 gauge speaker cables, and ADS L/470 speakers.
No question that the Acryl-It looks pretty cool on the Carbon and it eliminates the need for the annoying cheapo felt mat that comes stock with the metal platter. But, how does the sound stack up to the stock platter and is it worth the cost?
My Sansui TU-S7 cost less than $50 and has faithfully stood by me through many night’s work. It pulled reception well, but I always felt it was a little dull.
Today, I finally got my hands on a Kenwood KT-990D, which, along with the Sansui TU-717, is the only reasonably affordable tuner in fmtunerinfo’s top 20 (I spent a little under $150 with shipping). All I can say is: wow soundstage wow.
