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In the time domain, the Grand Piano's step response (fig.8) puzzled me: it implies that the tweeter and woofer are connected with opposite polarities, which is not what you'd expect from a design using a first-order crossover. This lack of time coherence is confirmed by a glance at the drive-units' individual step responses (fig.9). The tweeter response is the sharp negative-going trace just before the 4ms mark: it plunges to the negative baseline, then returns and overshoots the time axis, followed by a small amount of ringing that dies away by the 5ms mark. The woofer's response is the…
I have always had an affection for speakers designed and manufactured by the Canadian conglomerate Audio Products International Corp. (API), which markets speaker designs under the names Mirage, Energy, Sound Dynamics, and Athena. In fact, it was 20 years ago that API created the first budget speaker that caught my attention, the Mirage 350. At the time, the 350 was the only speaker I'd heard that cost less than $300/pair. It sounded open, musical, and detailed without seeming bass-shy. (A larger successor, the 460, was for many years my reference home-theater speaker.) Although I've been…
The Athena AS-F2 was the first speaker I've heard for less than $2000/pair—let alone $599/pair—that could compete with more expensive floorstanders in definition, articulation, and timbre down to the 30-40Hz region. For the first time in my listening room, I heard the organ-pedal passages in John Rutter's Requiem (Reference RR-57CD) breathe as naturally as I've heard them do through my Alón Circes ($12,000/pair).
The AS-F2s loved percussion recordings. Their flawless reproduction of low-level dynamic articulation and transients with percussion instruments of all timbres and frequency…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" "Teteron"-dome tweeter, two 8" plastic-cone woofers. Crossover Frequency: 2kHz. Frequency response: 35Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 93dB. Power handling: 250Wpc.
Dimensions: 41.5" H by 9.5" W by 15.5" D. Weight: 51 lbs each.
Finish: Black ash.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 0446825 & 6.
Price: $599/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 150.
Manufacturer: Athena Technologies, a division of Audio Products International Corp., 203 Eggert Rd., Buffalo, NY 14215. Tel…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital sources: 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, Audible Illusions Modulus L1 line stage.
Amplification: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II power amplifier; Creek 5350SE, JoLida JD-101A integrated amplifiers.
Loudspeakers: Polk Audio RT25i, JMlab Chorus 706, Alón Petite.
Cables: Interconnect:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Athena AS-F2 turned out to be much more sensitive than usual, at an estimated 93.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. Not only will it therefore play loudly with relatively low-powered amplifiers, but its plot of impedance magnitude and phase (fig.1) reveals it to be an easy load, with a minimum magnitude of 4.5 ohms in the lower midrange. The electrical phase angle gets a bit high in the upper bass, but the magnitude remains at 6 ohms or above, which will ameliorate any potential drive difficulty. The severe glitches in the impedance plots between 100 and 200Hz and around 450Hz,…
CARTER, COBB, COLEMAN, STERN: 4 Generations of Miles
George Coleman, tenor sax; Mike Stern, electric guitar; Ron Carter, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums
Chesky JD238 (CD). 2002. David Chesky, prod.; Barry Wolifson, eng.; Nicholas Prout, mastering. DDD. TT: 67:06
Performance ****½
Sonics *****
George Coleman, tenor sax; Mike Stern, electric guitar; Ron Carter, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums
Chesky JD238 (CD). 2002. David Chesky, prod.; Barry Wolifson, eng.; Nicholas Prout, mastering. DDD. TT: 67:06
Performance ****½
Sonics *****
May 26, 2001—the 75th anniversary of the birth of Miles Davis—engendered an outpouring of celebrations and remembrances, from an all-day homage at Symphony Space on Manhattan's Upper West Side, to a bevy of reissue packages geared to both the collector and the new jazz listener.
4…
I don't know Gram Slee from Gram Parsons, or which House he was in at Harry Potter's Hogwarts School, but let me tell you: If you'd just been listening to a bunch of budget phono preamps, as I had, then came upon the GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V, you'd think someone had switched out not just the phono preamp but your entire system. You might think you were listening to a different pressing or a different cartridge. How can this be?
The GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V is about twice as expensive as the Perreaux SXV1 and the Musical Fidelity XLPSv3, but it sounded at least 10 times better. It was…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state phono preamplifier. Reproduction curve: RIAA with 50kHz EQ. Frequency range: 10Hz–2.7MHz. Input sensitivity: 2–9mV. Input impedance: 47k in parallel with 100pF. Output Level: 240mV–1.08V. Headroom: 26dB ref. 2mV input (frequency not specified). Output noise (A wtd): –75dB (no refernece level given). Distortion: < 0.02%.
Dimensions: 6.7" (170mm) D by 4.6" (117mm) W by 1.8" (50mm) H. Shipping weight: approx. 5 lbs.
Price: $950. Approximate number of dealers: 1 (sold direct).
Manufacturer: Graham Slee Projects, 1 Monks Way,…
THE COMPLETE STAX/VOLT SINGLES, 1959-1968 (Footnote 1)
244 songs by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MGs, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, The Bar-Kays, The Mar-Keys, and many, many others Atlantic 7-82218-2 (9 CDs only). Reissue producer: Steve Greenberg. AAD. TT: 10:52:07
244 songs by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MGs, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, The Bar-Kays, The Mar-Keys, and many, many others Atlantic 7-82218-2 (9 CDs only). Reissue producer: Steve Greenberg. AAD. TT: 10:52:07
The stainless steel headband was getting tighter across his forehead; five minutes ago he could've changed his mind, but now it was too late and he was glad for it. Soon he'd be free, free of the droning, pelvic soul music, music of a people and a culture so abhorrent to his…