All items tagged with valves (151)
The Sweet Spot
November 4, 2015 by Nelson Pass

The Sweet Spot

What can you do to ensure the best possible sound from your system? According to Nelson Pass, the “sweet spot” concept is generally regarded as “that happy balance of conditions that elicits the best possible sound,” including the interiors of the components themselves. This article was originally published by audioXpress, January 2010.
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Sennheiser Reveals New HE 1 Orpheus Electrostatic Headphones
November 4, 2015 by audioXpress Staff

Sennheiser Reveals New HE 1 Orpheus Electrostatic Headphones

Following the intriguing teaser web campaign “Reshaping Excellence”, launched September 1st during an event in London to celebrate its 70th anniversary year, Sennheiser finally revealed the successor to the legendary Orpheus, originally introduced in 1990. The 2015 Orpheus reintroduces the concept of the world’s best headphones.
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Heathkit W-7 Rebuild
October 21, 2015 by Bruce W.Brown

Heathkit W-7 Rebuild

Bruce Brown explains his successful method of rebuilding a vintage W-7 tube amplifier from Heathkit. As the first power amplifier that broke $1 per watt barrier of listening power, the Heathkit W-7 was a major breakthrough for audiophiles. Introduced in 1958, it carried a list price of $54.95. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2007.
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CE Distribution Announces Apex Tube Matching System
October 2, 2015 by audioXpress Staff

CE Distribution Announces Apex Tube Matching System

CE Distribution announced Apex Tube Matching - a new proprietary state-of-the art power tube matching system, designed to ensure the highest-quality matched tubes available. The company performs extensive testing and analysis on each tube that runs through the system to provide accurate and precision-matched tube sets.
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McIntosh Introduces C1100 Controller With Tube Preamplifier And Two New Preamps With DSD and DXD Support
September 30, 2015 by audioXpress Staff

McIntosh Introduces C1100 Controller With Tube Preamplifier And Two New Preamps With DSD and DXD Support

McIntosh Laboratory, has announced three new preamplifiers – the C1100, C52 and C47 – all made at the company's factory in Binghamton NY, following the brand’s signature design. The C1100 features a separate controller and tube preamplifier, and the C52 and C47, offer phono preamps and built-in DACs, featuring PCM, DSD256, and DXD up to 384kHz.
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Cakewalk Announces Windows 10 Support in Latest SONAR Release and Offers Free Demo of Rapture Pro
August 20, 2015 by audioXpress Staff

Cakewalk Announces Windows 10 Support in Latest SONAR Release and Offers Free Demo of Rapture Pro

Cakewalk announced its latest SONAR “Gloucester” release introduces support for Microsoft’s new Windows 10 operating system plus numerous enhancements and fixes. The company is also offering a free demo or Rapture Pro, Cakewalk’s latest virtual instrument for Mac and Windows.
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High-Quality Tube Type Control Unit
July 15, 2015 by Joseph Norwood Still

High-Quality Tube Type Control Unit

This design by Joseph Norwood Still is a control unit that the author described as offering “lifelike concert-hall performance for a modest cost”. A great tube-based amplifier for phono and line sources, featuring a very subtle bass enhancement control using negative feedback to enhance only selected frequencies, below 400Hz. As the author described, a great project for discriminating audiophiles.
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Musicality and Distortion: A Conversation
July 8, 2015 by Jan Didden, Dennis Colin and Jean Hiraga

Musicality and Distortion: A Conversation

Three audio experts discuss the role of distortion levels in what we hear. The debate was caused by an article titled “Amplifier Musicality - A Study of Amplifier Harmonic Distortion Spectrum Analysis” by Jean Hiraga, which originated comments by Jan Didden, Dennis Colin and a subsequent response by Jean Hiraga. The original article appeared in audioXpress March 2004 and the resulting conversation was published in audioXpress October 2005.
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Get Technical with audioXpress July 2015, now available!
June 10, 2015 by audioXpress Staff

Get Technical with audioXpress July 2015, now available!

audioXpress July 2015 is one of those editions that we’re certain you will read immediately and keep close for a while, since there’s so much reference material included. We bring you the AXPONA 2015 Show Review, a great R&D Story explaining “The Birth of the World’s First True Software Radio,” great reviews, DIY projects and much more…
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Build a Low-Voltage Tube Hybrid Headphone/Line Amp
May 21, 2015 by Pete Millett

Build a Low-Voltage Tube Hybrid Headphone/Line Amp

Here’s a simple, safe, inexpensive project for beginners and those who wish to “try tubes.” Meanwhile the project has been tried, tested, approved and improved, become one of the classic DIY audio projects from the author. This article was originally published in audioXpress magazine, November 2002.
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