|
Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
|
|
|
Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
|
In Reply to: I had one of those! posted by Barry on November 12, 2015 at 06:13:59:
At age 15, I was young and stupid and believed Julian Hirsch and the value of "low THD" and like you thought the AR amp was beautiful. I liked the simple design and the nubby black finish on the top and sides. It sounded fine playing Advents at high levels, but resolution disappeared at low levels. That was an important learning experience for me as I assumed that high levels provided a more challenging situation.
At 17, I wanted to upgrade and read great press about the Crown gear. Fortunately, the dealer (who I later worked for) was quite honest and talked me out of buying the ICK preamp. I did spring for the D-150 because of its higher power and rack handles vs. a Citation 12, but paired it with the much better sounding Citation 11 preamp. Like you said, the ICK was dreadful with its first generation Fairchild op amps, but had absolutely wonderful performance metrics. Quoting from the manual:
Distortion - "essentially unmeasurable; IM: less than 0.01% at rated output with IHF measurement (typically under 0.002%)
As you observed, its top end was hard as nails. The funniest story was from another inmate who happened to be a Crown dealer. Apparently, you had to show the entire line and couldn't cherry pick which components you wanted to sell.
...they would be fired...
There was another funny review by a guy in Minnesota who rebuilt his. Pics and text can be found here. He found the same problem as the rest of us:
"Those who remember the sound of the original (like having your teeth drilled without anesthetic!) would not recognize this modified incarnation. It makes real music!"
And yet, you find people today as deaf as Julian Hirsch. While googling for the manual, I found a *review* by a guy named Ken Rockwell. I love the opening paragraph found here:
"The Crown IC 150 was a state-of-the-art preamplifier when it came out in 1971. It offered an unheard of level transparency due to its ultra-low noise levels. "
Well, I would agree that its transparency was truly "unheard" because it didn't exist! :)
As
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- We can commiserate together! - E-Stat 06:50:01 11/12/15 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
