search

I have known Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson for about 25 years. I don't for a moment think that they push up prices only to make more money. Such a frugal pair. In the official spelling of their company name, conrad-johnson design, inc., they even spell their last names entirely in lower case.

But, like other high-end audio manufacturers, Bill and Lew have to keep improving quality to keep their competitive edge. And that means buying expensive parts from esoteric manufacturers in small quantities. Fortunately…

Sometimes these favorable first impressions wear off quickly. Maybe what at first…

Description: 3½-way, bass-reflex, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (28mm) cloth-dome tweeter, 0.7" (17mm) ribbon tweeter, two 6.5" wood-fiber/pulp-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 3.2kHz, 14kHz. Frequency response: 37Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91.5dB/2.83V/m.
Dimensions: 39.4" (1m) H by 7.5" (190mm) W by 13" (330mm) D. Weight: 41 lbs (18.6kg).
Finishes: Vinyl: Light Oak, Light Walnut.
Serial Number Of Units Reviewed: 6620156 L & R.
Price: $1595/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 102.
Manufacturer: DALI Loudspeakers,…

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: Nola Mini, Amphion Helium2, Monitor Audio Silver…

My estimate of the DALI Ikon 6's sensitivity was close to the specified figure, at 90.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, this a useful 3.5dB higher than average. The speaker's impedance (fig.1) remained within 4.5 and 7 ohms over almost the entire audioband, with a minimum value of 4.25 ohms at 3.5kHz. The electrical phase angle also remained low for most of the band, though there is a combination of 6 ohms and –36° just below 100Hz. The speaker should not be that hard to drive, which, in combination with its highish sensitivity, will make it a good match for relatively low-powered…

Description: Three-way, rear-ported, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units (all Organic Ceramic Composite diaphragms): 1" ferrofluid-damped dome tweeter with underhung copper-clad aluminum voice-coil, 5.25" magnetically shielded midrange unit with 1" voice-coil, two 8" cone woofers with 1.5" voice-coils. Crossover frequencies: 575Hz, 3kHz. In-room response and first-reflections response, 55Hz–15kHz, ±1.5dB. Low-frequency extension: –10dB at 28Hz, –6dB at 40Hz, –3dB at 52Hz. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 3.7 ohms minimum at 188Hz. Sensitivity: 90.5dB/2.83V/m (4pi…

Connecticut System
Digital Sources: Simaudio Moon Orbiter, Denon DV-3910 universal players.
Preamplifier: Meridian Reference 861.
Power Amplifier: Bryston 9B-STT.
Loudspeakers: Paradigm Reference Studio/60; Paradigm Reference Servo-15 subwoofer.
Cables: Interconnect: Harmonic Technology Harmony Rainbow, Crystal Cable Cinemax (multichannel). Kubala-Sosna Fascination (two-channel). Speaker: Kubala-Sosna Fascination. AC: Kubala-Sosna Emotion.
Accessory: APC S-15 power conditioner.

Manhattan System
Digital Sources: Sony XA-…

The Revel Concerta F12's voltage sensitivity was both to specification and higher than average at 90dB(B)/2.83V/m. Its impedance remained between 4 and 8 ohms over most of the audioband (fig.1), but did drop to 2.9 ohms in the low treble. This, together with the combination of 5.2 ohms and –45° electrical phase angle at 90Hz, means that a good amplifier rated at 4 ohms will be required to drive the F12 to high levels.

Fig.1 Revel Concerta F12, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)

A small glitch just below…

The loudspeakers I heard that day sounded very dynamic, delivering the frequency extremes with definition and…