To be honest, I've never thought of Sutherland as a pleasure-driven, throw-it-all-to-the-wind sensualist. His designs tend to be sleekly industrial and starkly minimal, with surgically neat internal layouts. And they rely on transistors, generally not the go-to devices for fill-up-the-hot-tub seductiveness.
I've had the opportunity to live with one of his previous phono stages, the Little Loco, which I admired more than loved. Like most trans-impedance phono stages, it played music with enviably silent backgrounds and offered plenty of resolution, but it lacked the juke-box dynamics, rich colors, and sheer juiciness of my favorite tube or hybrid phono stages. Though I didn't dare tell Sutherland, the Little Loco spent much of its stay here on a shelf.
So why am I writing about the Dos Locos? For one, the Locos really are Dos-there are two monoblocks-with an unexpected double set of single-ended inputs and outputs on each chassis. This allows the user to plug in two cartridges and use either without having to switch between them-another quirky benefit of the transimpedance scheme. More interesting, at least to me, is that each monoblock can be used as a standalone mono phono stage, all without the need for a mono button, a splitter, or another method of avoiding ground loops that arise when using mono cartridges in stereo setups. In other words, the Dos Locos offers both a stereo and a mono phono stage in one. Well, in two.
The other reason I agreed to review it was Sutherland himself, who suggested the idea after reading a column I wrote about mono cartridges.2 When we spoke a little later, he sounded excited, not in the blandly upbeat manner of professional marketers but childishly, sincerely excited. That got my attention.
This story is from the January 2025 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2025 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
INSTANTLY ICONIC
AUDIO SALON HOST/ENTREPRENEUR/SYSTEM AND FASHION DESIGNER DEVON TURNBULL'S RECORD-BREAKING ART OF NOISE SHOWING AT SAN FRANCISCO MOMA.
Buckeye PURIFI EIGENTAKT 1ET9040BA1
Back in 2016,' I documented the rise of class-D amps using the early Tripath technology. Used in the Bel Canto eVo 200.2, TriPath cracked open the door to the High End but was never admitted due to a dim and opaque treble.
Moon 891
No less than eight boxes, powered by six after-market power cables, comprise my current reference front-end.'
Clearaudio Signature
The Clearaudio allowed each mix, each sonic artifact, to reveal its unique character.
Gryphon Audio Designs Diablo 333
What's in a name? Denmark-based Gryphon Audio Designs laid down a marker when company founder Flemming Rasmussen chose that name in 1985. Browsing through the current Stereophile Recommended Components list, I only found one other manufacturer that utilizes an animal moniker.
The Rega Naia Turntable. Add Lightness.
To watch as Rega very slowly expands its turntable offerings upmarket requires the patience of a Thomas Pynchon addict waiting for each new tome from the notoriously slow-working and reclusive author.
Phono Preamplifier Seduction
Give me the seduction, give me the pleasure,\" Ron Sutherland was nearly shouting into the phone. \"I want to turn off the analytical mind and just enjoy myself!\"
Record Player Revelations
Like romance or car racing, the act of playing records is tactile by design. Like drifting through curves or making out, spinning vinyl is a learned skill that requires users to touch everything with practiced assurance.
Taking Care of Business
As Jim Austin wrote in this space in the December 2024 issue, following a medical procedure that he had in mid-October, he needed to take several weeks' leave to recuperate. He delegated the magazine's production to Managing Editor Mark Henninger, AVTech Editorial Director Paul Miller, and myself. The three of us worked with copy editor Linda Felaco and longtime art director Jeremy Moyler to produce the issue you hold in your hands.
Estelon X Diamond Mk II
Taste is a funny thing. Love cilantro? Millions swear it tastes like soap.