search

Description: Three-way, floorstanding, dynamic loudspeaker in two sections. Drive-units: 1" titanium-foil inverted-dome tweeter, 7" midrange cone, two 8" woofers. Crossovers: 125Hz, 2kHz (approximately). Frequency response: 21Hz-21kHz, +0/-3dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 93dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 40.25" H by 12.25" W by 18.5" D. Weight: 170 lbs (WATT, 65 lbs; Puppy, 105 lbs).
Finishes: M material (WATT), M and X material (Puppy), finished in automotive paint; various colors available.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: WATT, 11173, 11174; Puppy…

Analog source: Simon Yorke S7, Linn Sondek turntables; Immedia RPM-2, Graham 2.2, Linn Ekos tonearms; Lyra Titan, Transfiguration Temper W, Linn Akiva cartridges.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player; dCS Verdi, Purcell, Elgar Plus SACD/upsampled CD player; Alesis Masterlink hard-disk/CD-R recorder.
Preamplification: Hovland HP-100, Naim NAC-552, Halcro dm10 preamplifiers; Manley Steelhead, Linn Linto phono preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Halcro dm68 monoblocks, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Avanti III…

Acoustic Sciences Corporation Studio Traps
($315 each; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.21 No.12, December 1998)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Argent RoomLens ($399 each; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.21 No.11, November 1998)
Audio Power Power Wedge Ultra 116 ($1499; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.22 No.4, April 1999)
AudioPrism Foundation III AC line conditioner ($695.95; reviewed by Barry Willis, Vol.21 No.12, December 1998)
AudioPrism LF-1 QuietLine Parallel AC line filter ($224.95/set of 8; reviewed by Barry Willis, Vol.21 No.12,…

dCS 972 digital-to-digital converter

In that repository of human wisdom, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, reference is made to the Babel Fish. Once you slip one of these prosthetic piscines into your ear, it translates everything you hear into a language you understand.

The beauty of "standards" is that people can choose whichever one best fits their needs, and in these days of multiple digital standards, the British dCS 972 digital-to-digital converter is the audio world's Babel Fish. It can take PCM datastreams of word lengths from 16 to 24…

Adcom GFP-750 preamplifier (review)

B&W Nautilus 805 loudspeaker (review)

MSB LinkDAC D/A processor

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Creek OBH-14 D/A processor/preamplifier ($350; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.22 No.5, May 1999)
Denon/Mission Mini System (D-M3 CD receiver, MS-5 loudspeaker) ($449; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.22 No.10, October 1999)
Entech 205.2 D/A processor
Magnepan MG1.6/QR loudspeaker
Musical Fidelity X-24K D/A processor ($499.95; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.22 No.2, February 1999…

B&W Nautilus 801 loudspeaker
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
dCS 972 digital-to-digital converter
Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier (review)
Linn Sondek CD12 CD player (review)
Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A processor (review)
Naim CDX CD player with XPS power supply
Pass Labs X1000 monoblock power amplifier
Revel Salon loudspeaker (review)
Sonus Faber Amati Homage loudspeaker (review)
VPI TNT Mk.IV turntable
Wadia 27ix D/A processor

It seems that late-millennial high-end is an art that's constantly…

"I do smell all horse-piss, at which my nose is in great indignation."

Willie the Shake appears to have a quote for every occasion: the two above—appropriately from The Tempest—neatly illustrate the diversity of opinion regarding Compact Disc. Either audiophiles greet the new medium, with its supernatural lack of background noise, with outstretched arms of joy, or they wrinkle up their noses at what they hear as a lack of fidelity to the true beauty of music. There is a third path, however: like me, they are attracted by…