The MV60 follows in the tradition of the MV75, MV50, and the MV55, which I reviewed…
search
History may not repeat itself exactly, but it has a way of coming around again, and once again I find myself with a Conrad-Johnson/Quad combination. Shortly before this latest batch of C-J gear emerged from Tor's trunk in the parking lot behind the Union House, I received the Quad ESL-988 electrostatic loudspeakers, billed by Quad as a "direct replacement" for the ESL-63. (Tomorrow I'll be meeting Tor again, for lunch, and this time I'll treat. The prime meat will be on Stereophile's new owner, Primedia.)
Conrad-Johnson recommends replacing the eight tubes every two or three years, and suggests you buy the tubes from them—they're tested. Retubing the MV60 with tubes from C-J costs $168 (at current prices). That's an upkeep expense you don't have with transistor amplifiers, of course. Then again, do you like frozen meat?
Being a reviewer, I don't hold on to most amplifiers long enough to have to retube them. I'd guess, though, that you could get four or even five years' use from the EL34 output tubes, and even more from the input and driver tubes. That's if you turn off the amp when you're…
Drat. Now I'm going to have to keep the 17LS. Think how many pounds of hanging beef I could have bought with that money! I may be eating macaroni and cheese instead—or Russian pilmyeni.
For analog, I used a Shure Ultra 500 cartridge in an SME 309 tonearm on a modified AR ES-1 turntable, into an AcousTech PH-1 phono stage. For digital, I used a Rega Jupiter CD player. Speakers included the Quad ESL-988, Triangle Celius and Zerius, and, briefly, the MartinLogan Ascents (in the living room, using the MV60 with other electronics).
The MV60 performed just as Bill and Tor had said it…
Sidebar: Contact Info
Manufacturer: Conrad-Johnson Design, Inc., 2733 Merrilee Drive, Fairfax, VA 22031. Tel: (703) 698-8581. Fax: (703) 560-5360. Web: www.conradjohnson.com.
Sam Tellig wrote again about the MV60 in May 2003 (Vol.26 No.5):
I reviewed the Conrad-Johnson MV60 almost a year and a half ago, in the January 2002 Stereophile (Vol.25 No.1). This stereo power amp came with EL34 output tubes, as had its predecessor, the MV55. But the MV60 also replaced C-J's Premier Eleven. In fact, it uses the same power supply and output transformers as the Eleven. There are circuit similarities, though the Eleven used more powerful 6550 output tubes.
Tube buffs know both types well. The EL34 is known for its midrange magic. As Lew Johnson, of Conrad-Johnson…
Roy Hall, of Music Hall, US distributor of the Creek and Epos brands, called me one day a few years back. He was hawking review samples of Epos speakers.
"Bob, I'd like you to review a speaker from the eeh-pos line."
"Roy, I'm a big fan of Epos, but I review only inexpensive speakers; I think the Eposes are out of my price range."
"Nonsense. Since Mike Creek [founder, designer, and co-owner of Creek] purchased Epos from Tannoy in 1999, he has redesigned the entire Epos line and has shifted manufacturing to China to cut costs. So the new Epos line is lower in price…
High-level dynamic slam is a character I'm used to forgoing on speakers this small. I didn't have to with the ELS-3. The high-energy dance rock of "La Locomotora," from Reves/Yosoy (Luaka Bop 47574-2), combines a frantic, heavily modulated drum machine with an amplified acoustic string bass. The Eposes didn't flinch as I cranked up this great tune to around 95dB and twitched around the listening room (the wife and kids weren't home). Well-recorded acoustic music also highlighted the ELS-3's wide, natural dynamic capabilities. On Jerome Harris' The Mooche, from JA's Editor's Choice compilation…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, magnetically shielded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (24mm) aluminum-dome, neodymium-magnet tweeter; 5" (130mm) polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 3kHz. Power handling: 100W. Frequency range: 65Hz-20kHz. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 10.5" H (270mm) by 6.75" W (174mm) by 7.5" D (195mm). Weight: 10 lbs (4.5kg).
Finishes: light or dark cherry vinyl.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 216a & b.
Price: $299/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 25.
…
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: 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.
Loudspeaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus.
Cables: MIT MI-350 CVTwin…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Despite its small size, the Epos ELS-3 is of average sensitivity, at a calculated 87.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. In addition, with an impedance that remains above 6 ohms for most of the audioband and drops to a minimum value of 4.9 ohms at 250Hz (fig.1), it is fairly easy for an amplifier to drive (though the combination of 6 ohms and a -45 degrees phase angle at 160Hz will be a bit stressful for amplifiers not rated into 4 ohms). The saddle at 59Hz in the magnitude trace gives a clue to the tuning frequency of the rear-facing port.
Fig.1 Epos ELS-3,…