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I am a Revel junkie. Their Ultima Studios have been my reference loudspeakers for years, and I've spent many happy hours with their Performa F-30s and Ultima Gems. They're all great speakers. When the original Gem was launched, it was made clear that all the corporate and economic weight of Revel's parent company, Harman International, was behind the development of this new line. When I visited Revel some years back, I saw cutting-edge design and development, in-house manufacturing of the most critical parts under the tightest scrutiny, and quality control of nearly compulsive meticulousness…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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-…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
I first heard the Canadian-made Waveform Research Mach 17 loudspeaker system in New York City at HI-FI '96, Stereophile's Home Theater & Specialty Audio Show. Another Ontario native, Chris Russell of Bryston Ltd., had raved to me about their sound. His recommendation sent me outside my assigned reporting area and down to the sixth floor of the Waldorf=Astoria, to dimly lit room 602—full of ASC Tube Traps, amplifiers, cables, and the twin truncated pyramids of the Mach 17s.
The loudspeakers I heard that day sounded very dynamic, delivering the frequency extremes with definition and…
The three pairs of speaker terminals mounted at the rear of the woofer cabinet are heavy gold on solid brass. My review samples had received Waveform's standard finish: architectural-grade American steamed black walnut veneer, with black laminate at the cabinet's top and bottom. Other available finishes include quilted Makore and pommele mahogany. It is an understatement to say that the fit'n'finish of this cabinetwork is the finest I've encountered.
Setup is greatly enhanced by the Mach 17's modular design—the system can be unpacked, set up, moved, placed, and assembled by one mere…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, tri-amped floorstanding dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: one 1" (25mm) silk-dome tweeter, one 6" (150mm) vacuum-formed TPX-cone midrange with vented pole-piece phase plug, two reflex-loaded, 12", treated paper-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 325Hz, 1850Hz. Frequency response: 27Hz–20kHz ±1dB. Sensitivity: 91.5–94dB/2.83V/1m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms, tweeter and midrange sections; 4 ohms, woofer section. External electronic crossover: fully balanced (inputs and outputs), stereo, three-way, with three level controls and a mute…
Sidebar 2: Reference system
Listening tests were carried out in my main listening area—a spacious, 5500ft3 room with an effective length of 51', a width of 13', and a height of 12', in a wood-frame house with only moderate masonry infill. The room has only one area rug, making it a live listening environment, while its generous length supports low bass, with reinforcement from the side and back walls. Previous reviews describe this large room's construction, exact dimensions, contents, listening positions, rugs, windows, reverberant character, and bass modes (see March 1992, Vol.15 No.3…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Waveform Mach 17 is indeed very sensitive, with 2.83V of noise raising a sound-pressure level of 93.5dB/W/m at 1m. Figs.1–3 show the electrical impedance curves for the woofers, midrange, and tweeter respectively. Note that these are wideband curves, but in fact the partnering amplifiers will only see that portion of each drive-unit's impedance in its passband. The woofer curve, for example, shows some cabinet resonance-related spikes in the upper midrange, but these will not be excited in normal use. While the midrange is basically an 8 ohm device, the…
As it did for so many other designers and manufacturers of specialty audio gear, the current occupation of Basis owner/designer A.J. Conti began as a hobby and personal quest. A longtime audiophile and home-based dealer of brands like Krell and Quicksilver, Conti decided to build his own "killer" turntable using a fluid-damped suspension.
Armed with a background in mechanical engineering studies at both RPI and Northeastern, and work experience that included high-energy laser and aerospace (missile and helicopter) R&D, Conti set about designing his dream 'table. Once he was…