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And this enormous, stable soundstage had not been achieved—at least not obviously so—by the Design 4s throwing the necessary recorded treble detail forward at the listener so that the sonic clues to image depth could be more easily decoded. Tonally, yes, the Era's low treble was a little exaggerated in absolute terms, but this didn't flatten the image. What it did do was make the speaker rather intolerant of poor source quality. A favorite CD of mine, of orchestral works by Delius, is La Calinda (CD, EMI CDM 7 69534 2), a collection of recordings from 1962 through 1977. Not only was the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) silk-dome tweeter, 4" (102mm) Kevlar/fiber-composite–cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2kHz. Frequency response: not specified. Measured sensitivity: 83.5dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Nominal music power handling: 50–150W.
Dimensions: 9.6" (244mm) H by 6.8" (173mm) W by 5.8" (148mm) D. Weight: 10.6 lbs (4.8kg).
Finishes: Rosewood, cherry, sycamore, piano-black wood veneers; black fabric grille.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 000067, 68.
Price: $600/pair…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Classé cdp-202 CD/DVD player, Ayre C-5xe universal player; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 D/A processors; Slim Devices Squeezebox WiFi music server with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage.
Preamplifier: Mark Levinson No.326S, Audio Research Reference 3.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks, Halcro dm38.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio, Snell LCR7XL.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah, Madrigal CZ Gel-1, Ayre…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
It came as no surprise to find that the tiny Era Design 4 was not very sensitive, 2.83V drive raising just 83.5dB(B) at 1m. However, its impedance remained above 8 ohms at almost all frequencies, with a minimum value of 6.2 ohms at 204Hz (fig.1). This speaker will not ask for much in the way of current from the partnering amplifier. In fact, it might work well with high-powered tube designs.
Fig.1 Era Acoustics Design 4, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
The impedance traces are free from the wrinkles…
There are three requirements: You must invent a very good loudspeaker that sells for between $1000 and $2000/pair. You have to make enough of them, over a long enough time, to achieve a certain level of brand recognition and market penetration. And you must create a dealer network of reasonable size, with an emphasis on well-promoted specialty shops.
Even so, you're not out of the woods. Average consumers will think your product too expensive. Hardcore enthusiasts will consider it too cheap. And since your loudspeaker has been on the market for more than a few years—fundamentally…
But one cable option deserves special mention: I had excellent results with a pair of Alpha-Core AG-1 speaker cables that were sent to me a couple of weeks into the review period. These flat-conductor silver cables were set up for biwiring, with large spade connectors at the amplifier end and sensibly small ones at the speaker end, the latter cleverly stamped from the conductor material itself. It was a short (4') pair intended for use with monoblock amplifiers scooted as close to the speakers as possible, and the level of system synergy was stunning, with leading-edge transients that were…
Specifications
Description: Four-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ceramic-coated aluminum-alloy–dome tweeter, 4.5" plastic-cone midrange unit, 8" plastic-cone woofer, 10" fiber-cone "supplemental" woofer. Crossover frequencies: 600Hz, 5kHz. Crossover slopes: first-order. Frequency response: 29Hz–29kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 4 ohms minimum, 7 ohms nominal. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 39.75" (1020mm) H by 16" (410mm) W by 10.25" (260mm) D. Weight: 60 lbs (27.3kg).
Finish: None. Black fabric sock.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 58274, 58275.
Price: $1995/…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Linn LP12 turntable with Funk Firm Vector kit, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable with Rega RB300 tonearm; Linn Akiva, Lyra Helikon Mono cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD player, shipped incognito.
Preamplification: EAR 834P, Linn Linto phono preamplifiers; Lamm LL2 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1, Hyperion HT-88 (both monoblocks).
Integrated Amplifier: Simaudio Moon i-7.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL.
Cables: Interconnect:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
My estimate of the Vandersteen 2Ce Signature II's voltage sensitivity was 84dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is significantly below average. Its impedance, however, remained between 6 and 8 ohms over almost the entire audioband (fig.1), the only exception being the mid-treble with the treble control set its maximum position, when the impedance dropped to 5 ohms at 6.2kHz and 9kHz. The electrical phase angle is also close to 0° over most of the audioband, meaning that the Vandersteen will be an easy load for an amplifier to drive. This will compensate, to some extent, for its…
Klyne Audio Arts has an almost Zen-like approach to the design of its products. Like the best Japanese designs, Klyne's preamps are aesthetically pleasing in appearance, do exactly what they're supposed to, and their controls are not only where you would expect them to be, but have an almost sensually smooth action. Internal construction, too, is a work of art—the kind of design which, transferred to a tapestry, would grace the wall of any listening room. You have to see the insides of a Klyne preamp to appreciate how attractive-looking an audio component can be. But physical beauty is only…