Standmounted/Bookshelf Loudspeakers

The associated equipment used to review the Wilson CUB consisted of the Mark Levinson No.36S D/A converter and No.37 CD transport, the Rowland Consummate preamplifier, and the Aragon 8008 ST and Krell KAV-500 power amplifiers (the latter in two-channel mode). Interconnects in the music system were TARA Labs RSC Reference from D/A to preamp and Cardas Hexlink from preamp to power amp. The loudspeaker cables were Monster M1.5s. Transparent Audio MusicLink Plus interconnects and MusicWave Plus loudspeaker cables were also briefly pressed into service. The digital link between the transport and the D/A converter was Kimber AGDL. The equipment rack was from Bright Star, and my ca 18' by 26' by 11' listening room is furnished with a variety of room-treatment devices from ASC, RPG, and System Analysis, supplemented with the usual bookshelves full of LPs, CDs, and, well, books.

My home-theater system is located in another, somewhat larger, and more irregularly shaped space. That system consisted of a Pioneer CLD-99 Elite laserdisc player and Sony DVP-S7000 DVD player driving a variety of processors, including the Krell Audio+Video Standard, Theta Casablanca, B&K 3090, and Proceed PAV/PDSD. The subwoofer was a Velodyne F1800R II, and interconnects and loudspeaker cables were primarily from XLO's VDO series.

The CUB is designed to be placed on 15-22"–high stands. Special stands are made for the CUB by Sound Anchors, but were not furnished for this review. I used sturdy stands from Merrill and, in the later stages of the auditioning, Lovan. My stands were about 21" high, which placed the tweeters approximately 33" from the floor.—Thomas J. Norton