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Allied to the notion of transparency is that of resolution: the ability to differentiate sonic differences rather than gloss over them. Here, too, the TD712z was in the highest class, matching the ultra-high-resolution Avantgarde Uno. Some readers may recall my mentioning what appears to be an edit point or other recording artifact at 1:35 of track 10, "All the Things You Are," on Sylvia McNair's Sure Thing: The Jerome Kern Songbook (CD, Philips 442 129-2). With some speakers and systems this is noticeable only if you deliberately listen for it; McNair's voice just seems to get momentarily…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-driver loudspeaker with dedicated stand. Drive-unit: 4.7" (120mm) glass-fiber-cone. Magnet insulation: EIAJ Grade 1. Frequency response: 40Hz–20kHz, –10dB. Impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 83.5dB/V/m. Power handling: Rated 35W/Maximum 70W.
Dimensions: 11.3" (290mm) W by 14.3" (365mm) H by 14.7" (375mm) D. Height on stand: 38.5–38.9" (987–997mm). Weights: speaker, 26.5 lbs (13.3kg); stand, 28.7 lbs (13kg).
Finish: Silver.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: ZD700090, ZD700066.
Price: $7000/pair, including stands. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn LP12 (fully updated) turntable, Linn Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ-7000nsx cartridge.
Digital Sources: PS Audio Lambda II CD transport, Perpetual Technologies P-1A/ModWright P-3A digital processors with Monolithic Sound P3 power supply, Ayre CX-7e CD player.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate.
Power Amplifiers: PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven and Audiopax Model 88 monoblocks; PS Audio GCC-100.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Uno.
Cables: Digital: Mystic Reference I2S, Illuminati Orchid AES/EBU. Interconnect: Nordost…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Eclipse TD712z's voltage sensitivity was to specification but significantly lower than average, at an estimated 83.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, its impedance remains above 6 ohms at almost all frequencies (fig.1), and rises in value above the midrange, this due, I assume, to the effect of the single drive-unit's voice-coil inductance. This speaker will be easy to drive, even by low-powered tube amplifiers.
Fig.1 Eclipse TD712z, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
The traces in fig.1 feature a couple of…
Tony, a mechanic friend of mine, once ran down for me his "national characteristics" theory of automobile engineering. Germans, he said, love precision engineering but don't take repair into account, so their engines are always placed in wells so perfectly proportioned that skinned knuckles are inevitable. British cars, he said, are marketed to a nation of tinkerers, hence the existence of dual carburetors. And Italian cars? "Well, let's just say they all resemble espresso makers." He said it—and he was the proverbial Fiat mechanic named Tony.
I think of Tony's theory every time…
Out came Telarc's latest wonder disc: Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony's performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations, coupled with Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (CD-80660). Well, nothing shallow about that soundstage. As with the Chaloub, I was again impressed by the heft of the bottom end and the SuperNova's subtle delineation of dynamic contrast. The sound was articulate and vivid without seeming unusually forward or crisp, yet I was very aware that its presentation was forward rather than laid-back.
Many of us choose…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: CD player with remote control and digital input and output. Analog outputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR). Digital outputs: 1 S/PDIF (RCA), 1 AES/EBU (XLR). Digital input: 1 S/PDIF (RCA). Maximum output level: 4V RMS at 1kHz (balanced), 2V RMS (unbalanced). Frequency response: 2Hz–72kHz, +0/–3dB (full-range); 20Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.1dB (audible). THD: <0.001% at 1kHz, 0dBFS, A-weighted. Intermodulation distortion: <0.003%. Intrinsic jitter: <25 picoseconds RMS. Power consumption: 25W.
Dimensions: 18.25" (476mm) W by 5.5" (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre C-5xe universal player, Slim Devices Squeezebox.
Preamplifiers: Ayre K-1x, Conrad-Johnson ACT2, Krell Evolution 202, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista.
Power Amplifiers: Ayre MX-R, Krell Evolution 600 (both monoblocks); Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five, Dynaudio Confidence C-4, Dynaudio Contour C-1, Vandersteen Quatro Wood.
Cables: Interconnect: Krell CAST, Shunyata Research Aries. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra, Stereovox Firebird. AC: Shunyata Research Anaconda & Orion.
Accessories…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Simaudio Moon Evolution SuperNova put out a maximum of 4.132V at 1kHz from its balanced jacks, and exactly half that level from the unbalanced jacks, the latter 0.3dB above the CD standard's 2V RMS. Both outputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting), and the source impedance was a low 50 ohms unbalanced, 100 ohms balanced. Error correction was superb, the player not stuttering until the laser-cut gaps in the data spiral on the Pierre Verany Test CD were 2.4mm in length! (When a player has a digital output, I monitor the error-flag bit in the…
The first time I attended the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, in January 1986, I didn't get there until the second day of the Show. Still, by the beginning of the fourth and final day I'd managed to visit every high-end audio exhibit, and still had time to go back for seconds to the rooms that had sounded the best. Twenty years later, CES has grown so much that it's impossible for a single writer to visit even a quarter of the exhibits in which he might be interested. And even with the sort of team reporting Stereophile now practices, covering the Show has become an exercise in applied…