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| Letters -- January 2005 Boulder 1012 instead of 1010? January 27, 2005 To Jeff Fritz, I read with interest your recent "TWBAS" column on your Boulder acquisition. If I were to return to solid state (from Audio Research Reference 600 amps) I would definitely buy Boulder. I am always disappointed to see their room at CES as static, with nothing to listen to. Absolutely beautiful components, however. How come you didn't buy the 1012 DAC/preamp and went just with the 1010 preamp? Steve Williams The 1012 is a good all-in-one source/preamp solution, but I like the flexibility of having my digital front-end separated out from my preamp. It allows me to update my source without having to alter my preamp. As fast as digital is improving, it is almost a throwaway technology, whereas the analog circuitry in the 1010 should remain "current" for years to come. Call me an old-fashioned audiophile!...Jeff Fritz Buying the Boulder January 24, 2005 To Jeff Fritz, I found your "TWBAS" column on the Boulder 1010 preamp informative. The Boulder review was helpful primarily in that the timing was impeccable. I am planning on replacing my Jeff Rowland Coherence II, and the Boulder 1010 was my target unit, but I couldn't find any reviews or information on it. Boulder's reputation is tremendous, of course, but most of their products are priced out of the range of mere mortals. The 1010 seems like a viable option for me. I was also thinking about a Levinson No.32 Reference or perhaps Simaudio's upcoming reference preamp. I ruled out the Halcro preamp as I think it works best in synergy with the company's amps. I discovered the Boulder and read your column the same day. Quite fortuitous, I think. Ken Golden Boulder in "TWBAS" January 20, 2005 To Jeff Fritz, Your Boulder Amplifier article was one of the most detailed descriptions of Boulder products I've seen. There is not much written about this rare American company. I do wish you would write an entire installment on how the Boulders differed from the Halcros, and then add the new Krell Evolution One and Two to the comparison. I do have one question about the Boulders. Can the 1010 preamp be ordered with RCA inputs? Thank you for an entertaining read and provocative writing. Scott Clark The Boulder products are all equipped with XLR inputs and outputs only, no RCA connectors. The company does sell adapters for use with RCA-equipped gear, however. I used a set to connect a processor to the home-theater-bypass input on the 1010 and had no issues whatsoever. You'll be reading about more super gear in 2005, and hopefully more useful comparisons. I'm constantly surprised at just how many potential state-of-the-art components are being produced today....Jeff Fritz Bad DualDisc, good DualDisc January 12, 2005 To Rad Bennett, This one [Max Steiner: The Adventures of Mark Twain] sounds like an interesting listen. However, it's another one to file away until I get a multichannel preamp in a few months to give it its proper due. I've really enjoyed your take on high-resolution discs and your erudite, upbeat writing style. I'm a little worried about the future of DVD-A these days, with lots of people moving to those dumb DualDiscs, and the majors now being stupid with hi-rez. Hope AIX and MDG keep at it. Silverline looks like it is going DualDisc -- which is a shame because it was just getting its act together. Rick Wessler I have heard DualDiscs maligned on a lot of fronts. But my experience, as evidenced in this issue's editorial, has been only positive. And DualDisc might actually save DVD-A from immediate extinction by making it competitive with hybrid SACD. The main problem with DualDisc, as I see it, is that companies are not required to make the DVD side a DVD-Audio side. So far, everyone but Sony has, but they don't have to. Another drawback is that the CD side length is limited....Rad Bennett PCM-to-DSD recordings January 5, 2004 To Rad Bennett, I read with interest your comments on Sisters & Brothers [Telarc SACD-63588]. I'm puzzled. I've read that DSD tracks taken from PCM sources don't sound very good at all. Can you comment? Brian Kheel I think this is the audio equivalent of an urban legend. These rumors probably got started because a few bad recordings came along and they happened to be PCM transferred to DSD. It has been my experience that every format has good and bad recordings. There's no built-in failure rate when going from PCM to DSD. If it is done correctly, with care, the results can be outstanding, as in this particular release.....Rad Bennett X-2s and a Happy New Year January 3, 2005 To Jeff Fritz, Agreed on those Wilson Audio Alexandria X-2s for Product of the Year. They are great. I find the sound is so immediate and present that it's as if no speaker is in the room. Oh yes, Happy New Year -- may 2005 bring you health and lots of great audio gear to review! Larry Phillips
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