Dr. Vinyl, Audio Skies

I bumped into Audio Skies’ Michael Ramos on the Hilton bar whereas schmoozing with previous good friend Michael Lavorgna, editor and proprietor of the wonderful Twittering Machines audio web site. (He’s additionally my style guru.) Ramos satisfied me to take a look at his room, introduced with Baltimore supplier Dr Vinyl, and I used to be glad I did.

It was the tip of the present, my mind was fried, my ears knackered. It’s wonderful how nice music performed on an ideal hi-fi can carry your spirits.

The system included a Pear Audio Odar turntable ($15,000), with DS Audio Grand Master EX cartridge ($22,500), Integrity Tru Glider Brass tonearm ($8000), DS Audio Grand Master equalizer ($45,000), Backert Labs Rhythm 1.4 preamplifier ($12,900), and the very attention-grabbing McGary Audio SA 1E stereo amplifier ($7000). Closing out the rig had been Larsen 9 audio system ($16,000), that are designed to be positioned straight towards the wall. A CAD GCD1 floor management ($2,200) made an look, in addition to a MosArt rack and platform.

The McGary Audio SA 1E was new to me, so I sought some extra info. It’s a tube amplifier with a class-AB, Ultralinear output stage with simply 9dB suggestions, appropriate with many tube sorts: 6L6GC, KT66, KT77, EL34, E34L, 6CA7, 6550, KT88 and KT90. Using inventory KT77 tubes, it outputs 30Wpc rms at 0.25% THD, 40Wpc at 2.5% THD, each into 8 ohms. With KT 90s, you get an additional 5 watts. The SA 1E employs customized, American-made energy and output transformers; Solen, Wima, and Nichicon Muse capacitors and Vishay precision metal-film resistors, Teflon-insulated silver-plated copper wire; Cardas silver solder; and a capacitor-multiplier circuit for the enter and driver levels, stated to reduce noise and hum.

This system’s strengths had been lifelike pulse and power, and kick-butt dynamics. This was one of many most interesting PRaT techniques at CAF 2023.