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I am running ahead of myself, however. CAL states that Tempest needs around 20 hours' warm-up before use. They also recommend swapping the polarity of the line plug, keeping it on the setting that sounds best. The first, no problem; the second I couldn't decide. I sat the Tempest on a Mission Isoplat, for environmental isolation, and, as my Audio Research SP-10 was away in Minnesota having WZJ's magic wand waved over it to enable it to run on 110V, the Tempest was used straight into the power amplifier, or via a British Fidelity MVT Mk.II preamplifier—one of the few UK solid-state designs…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Four-times oversampling, tubed CD player (Philips transport, control logic and digital circuitry). Frequency response: 5Hz-20kHz, +0, -0.5dB, S/N ratio: 105dB. Output level: 2V RMS.
Dimensions: 19" W x 5.5" H x 12" D. Weight: 17.6 lbs.
Price: $1895 (1986); $2095 (1987); no longer available.
Manufacturer: California Audio Labs, El Toro, CA (1986). Sensory Science Corporation, a division of SONICblue Inc., Santa Clara, CA (2002). Tel: (877) 563-9388 (service only). Web: www.calaudio2.com
The criticisms are out there. They're in the audio newsgroups on the Internet, even in this magazine's "Letters" section. For years, Cassandras have proclaimed that Stereophile has sold out, gone down the tubes, become a mere lapdog for the big-league manufacturers whose components almost never get panned.
"There are too many positive reviews....Over time, [they] sound pretty much alike and don't differentiate one piece of gear from another well enough," one reader wrote. On the Internet, the postings are usually less cordial: "Stereophile is not a humanitarian effort. It is a business…
"What is probably the six-hundred-and-thirty-eighth loudspeaker blurb touting 'studio monitor performance' has just passed, very quickly, across our desk. When, we ask ourselves rhetorically, are these bumbling baboons going to realize that, to any knowledgeable audiophile, 'studio monitor' is roughly equatable with 'terminal mediocrity'? Some of the worst high-priced loudspeaker systems in use today are to be found in recording studios, and are directly responsible for the abominable quality of the vast majority of the big-name-brand recordings we have been buying (and regretting having…
It occurred to me recently that, after nearly a decade of specializing in reviewing affordable speakers, and with the exceptions of two entry-level Mission models, I'd never taken a look at recent designs from the large mainstream British speaker manufacturers. So with this review I embark on a Bob Reina "British Invasion" tour to seek out the most innovative and value-conscious designs from companies that have been household names in British stereo shoppes for decades.
Who better to start with than Bowers and Wilkins? Although I've been impressed at many a hi-fi show with the realism,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: "2½"-way vented-box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) woven-Kevlar cone bass/midrange, 6.5" (165mm) aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 4kHz. Frequency response: 44Hz–22kHz, ±3dB on reference axis. Frequency range: –6dB at 34Hz and 42kHz. Dispersion within 2dB of response on reference axis: over 40° arc horizontal, over 10° arc vertical. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum. Power handling: 25–150W into 8 ohms on unclipped program. Harmonic distortion: second and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Amphion Helium2, Epos M5, NHT SB-3.
Cables…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The handsome B&W DM603 S3 has higher-than-average voltage sensitivity, at an estimated 89dB(B)/2.83V/m. Though this is slightly lower than the specified 90dB, the difference is not that significant, given the usual experimental error. The speaker's impedance plot (fig.1), however, indicates that it is a moderately difficult load, at least at very high frequencies, where the magnitude drops to 3.1 ohms at 15kHz. Fortunately, music has very little energy in this region, and at low frequencies the speaker remains above 4 ohms.
Fig.1 B&W DM603…
Choosing a loudspeaker can be difficult. Although it is easy to be seduced by a certain model's special qualities, that exceptional performance in one area is often at the expense of other important characteristics. Go with high-quality minimonitors for their spectacular soundstaging, but give up bass, dynamics, and the feeling of power that only a large, full-range system can provide. If you choose an electrostatic for its delicious midrange transparency, you may have to forgo dynamics, impact, and the ability to play loudly. Pick a full-range dynamic system for its bass and dynamics, but…
The CS3.6's woofer is unusual in that it uses a metal diaphragm. The anodized aluminum diaphragm has higher compressive strength, resulting in more of the energy in a transient attack being converted to sound rather than compressing the diaphragm material. The metal diaphragm also raises the driver's resonant frequency (to 2kHz). The woofer's motor structure is designed to overcome nonlinearities created by traditional implementations. A specially shaped pole piece reduces the difference in magnetic field strength at the gap front and rear, resulting in lower distortion. The passive bass…