February 25, 2009

  • California Audio Labs Sigma, Part 2

    20 years ago, the Raphael House opened a Brother Juniper's restaurant, which served breakfast and lunch.  I loved it there.  The sandwiches, in particular, were yummy.  10 years ago, they shut down the restaurant, and used the space for a daycare.  I still lament the loss of Brother Juniper's.

    20 years ago, Sacramento band Tesla reminded everyone about the existence of vacuum tubes.  Unfortunately, the barebones Tesla got erroneously thrown in with hair metal bands.  Opening for the glam rock Poison did not help Tesla's image at all.  Indeed, we saw Tesla/Poison in early April 1989, at the Cow Palace.  Tesla sounded muddy, and we couldn't make out anything they played or sang.

    A few years later, many audiophiles got their first taste of tubes, when they purchased the California Audio Labs Sigma digital-to-analog converter.

    The original Sigma comes with a plain green board.  The Mk. II version, you will recall, has a spdiffy blue circuit board.

    As the Sigma uses just one 12AX7, audiophiles had an easy time getting into tubes.  This unit's original early-90s Chinese 12AX7 is still going strong.  In general, the Sigma, equipped with that Sino 12AX7, produces a wall of sound.  The images are big and diffuse.  But there's a good amount of energy, and overall, this sonic signature was a welcome relief from the harshness of late-80s digital.

    Yes, the Sigma can also use 5751s.