LATEST ADDITIONS

Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
Sound-Lab A-3 loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Sep 03, 1995  |  First Published: Sep 03, 1986  |  0 comments
The Sound-Lab electrostatic loudspeakers are legendary. Many serious audiophiles have heard of them, and rumors of their existence abound in audio circles. But, like gnomes, UFOs, and poltergeists, Sound-Lab loudspeakers are sufficiently hard to find that it is sometimes difficult to prove to skeptics that they exist at all. Well, I can now report that they do. As proof of this contention, I can point to the two which are actually occupying solid, tangible space in my listening room at this very moment. I have even taken a photo of them, which will be published along with this report if they leave any sort of an image on the film emulsion. (Many such apparitions do not!)
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Recording of the Month
Recording of August 1995: Pärt: Fratres
Richard Lehnert  |  Aug 30, 1995  |  0 comments
PÄRT: Fratres
Fratres for strings & percussion; Fratres for violin, strings, & percussion; Fratres for wind octet & percussion; Fratres for eight cellos; Fratres for strings; Fratres for string quartet; Fratres for cello & piano. Plus: Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Summa, Festina Lente
Rudolf Werthen, I Fiamminghi (The Orchestra of Flanders)
Telarc CD-80387 (CD only). James Mallinson, prod.; Jack Renner, Tony Faulkner, engs. DDD. TT: 79:00
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Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Thiel CS1.5 loudspeaker
Sam Tellig  |  Aug 27, 1995  |  First Published: Aug 27, 1994  |  0 comments
"Pssst, Sam. I've got this great speaker for you."
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Tube Preamp ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
Audio Research SDP1 multichannel music processor
J. Gordon Holt  |  Aug 25, 1995  |  0 comments
For those of us who have succumbed to the enticements of surround-sound for music, Audio Research's SDP1 is both vindication and cause for rejoicing: vindication because surround-sound's acceptance by such an ultraconservative, uncompromising company as ARC will give it a respectability in the high-end community that it never enjoyed before, and cause for rejoicing because someone has finally done music surround right.
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Solid State Preamp Reviews
Krell KBL preamplifier
Lewis Lipnick  |  Aug 20, 1995  |  First Published: Aug 20, 1991  |  0 comments
About three weeks ago, while perusing the gear in a local audio retail establishment, I overheard a salesman, who could well have been selling used cars, giving a classic spiel to an obviously confused customer. "You see, sir, all preamplifiers basically sound alike, especially with line-level inputs. The only differences are in the number of features." He went on to tell his prey that spending big bucks for high-end products such as Krell or Mark Levinson (neither of which he sold) would be a big mistake. I choked back my automatic response of a certain bovine term, but thought it better to continue my fly-on-the-wall masquerade.
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Reference
Real-Life Measurements
John Atkinson  |  Aug 19, 1995  |  1 comments
As mentioned by two readers in this month's "Letters," amplifiers are used to drive loudspeakers but are almost exclusively measured into resistive loads. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) real loudspeakers both produce neighbor-annoying sound levels and tend to break when driven with typical amplifier test signals; and 2) the question as to which "standard" loudspeaker should be used is impossible to answer---at least the conventional resistive loads are consistent and repeatable.
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Tube Power Amp ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
Audio Research D-250 II Servo power amplifier
J. Gordon Holt  |  Aug 16, 1995  |  First Published: Aug 16, 1986  |  0 comments
The D-250 is the flagship of Audio Research's power amplifier range and, at 250 watts per channel, is the most powerful all-tube stereo amplifier currently available in the US. Under the circumstances, then, it is not surprising that it should also be one of the heaviest and largest.
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Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Apogee Stage & Mini-Grand loudspeakers
Dick Olsher  |  Aug 09, 1995  |  First Published: Aug 09, 1990  |  0 comments
As Laura Atkinson shuffled into my listening room one evening, she spied the Stage loudspeakers tucked away in the corner. "Hey, Dick, those look like Apogees, but they're kind of small." Rising to the occasion, I responded with: "Honey, I shrunk the Apogees." At roughly 3' tall by 2' wide, the Stage is far from intimidating; it even feels more compact and is certainly much cuter looking than the old Quad ESL. Yet Junior's resemblance to the rest of the Apogee family is unmistakable. The canted baffle, the vertical tweeter/midrange along the inside edge of the baffle, and the pleated aluminum-foil woofer clearly bear the imprint of the larger Caliper and Duetta models. It's almost as though Apogee started shrinking the Duetta until the price tag shrank below two kilobucks.
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Budget Component ReviewsIntegrated Amp ReviewsHistorical
Naim NAIT integrated amplifier
Robert Harley, Sam Tellig  |  Aug 08, 1995  |  First Published: Aug 08, 1985  |  0 comments
The $395 NAIT, rated at 20Wpc, is a good-sounding little amp. It's very open and spacious-sounding, but, like the $250 Rotel RA-820BX, sometimes sounds a little hard in the upper registers.
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Solid State Power Amp Reviews
Jeff Rowland Design Group Model 2 power amplifier
Robert Deutsch  |  Aug 04, 1995  |  0 comments
I remember having a conversation with an audiophile some time ago about the thorny subject of choosing an amplifier. He was convinced, on the basis of an article he had read in Stereo Review, that all amplifiers of a given power rating sound pretty much the same. Although he was sufficiently well off to buy just about anything on the market, he didn't want to waste his money. He chose the amplifier for his system by going through the Audio Annual Directory Issue, calculating the price:watt ratio for each amplifier that was listed, and then bought the amplifier with the lowest price/watt figure that had enough power to drive his speakers. He didn't do any comparative listening and didn't consider buying anything that cost more for the same power, because he knew already that it wouldn't sound any different.
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