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Thiel CS1.2 loudspeaker Sam Tellig Returns

Sam Tellig returned to the CS1.2 in January 1990 (Vol.13 No.1):

If this were a beauty contest, the $1090/pair Thiels ($1120/pair on the West Coast) would win hands down. The look is clean and elegant, as is the sound. Cabinet finish is exquisite. "Thiel puts their money into cabinets," sniffed one speaker manufacturer. (Guess who.)

I may have been a little too tough on the Thiels last June, in retrospect. In fact, if this were my personal choice, I'd probably take the Thiels over the Vandersteens. I can live without deep, full, rich bass. I can't live with a lack of midrange and…

Thiel CS1.2 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 3: Specifications

Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 6.5" plastic-cone woofer. Crossover frequency 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 52Hz–18kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum amplifier power: 40W.
Dimensions: 36" H by 10.5" W by 10.5" D (base), 3" D (top). Weight: 47 lbs each.
Price: $1090/pair ($1120/pair on West coast), 1989; no longer available (2007). Approximate number of dealers: 52.
Manufacturer: Thiel Audio Products Co., 1026 Nandino Boulevard, Lexington, KY 40511. Tel: (606) 254-9427…

Music in the Round #22

California company Now Hear This (NHT), which has been around since 1986, has always taken a no-nonsense route based on good engineering principles and innovative thinking. Two of their strikingly good ideas were the use of side-firing woofers, and integrating an active subwoofer with a pair of small monitor speakers. Both philosophies culminated in the Xd series of DSP-EQ'd active loudspeakers, which I had the pleasure of reviewing in the November 2005 issue. My first reaction to the concept was "Why hasn't anyone done this before?" The results completely justified an approach that, I…

Music in the Round #22 Page 2

Other setup pages permit the user to define inputs by name and to select video source, digital audio source, analog audio source, gain offset, and audio preset (tone controls, channel trims, and lip-sync offset) for each input. Preferred processing modes (DPL IIx, Neo:6, Dolby EX, Surround 6.1, etc.) can also be preset, and are accessible from the remote control. All in all, the Controller is extremely logically structured.

Here's the feature I liked best: The 7.1-channel Analog Direct input uses the channel-balance adjustments specified for the digital inputs and adds analog bass…

Music in the Round #22 Recordings In The Round

Sidebar: Recordings In The Round

SCHUMANN: Piano Quartets in E-flat Minor (Op.47) & C Minor
Trio Parnassus: Yamei Yu, violin; Hariolf Schlichtig, viola; Michael Gross, cello. With: Chia Chou, piano.
MDG 903 1414-6 (SACD/CD)

Yet another glorious example of near-ideal re-creation of chamber music in multichannel sound. MDG's warm yet detailed recording presents the ensemble as a coherent group across the front of a room that seems not much larger than a small rehearsal hall. With this intimacy, the augmented Trio Parnassus delivers spirited and big-hearted performances…

Recording of February 2007: <I>Wincing the Night Away</I>

THE SHINS: Wincing the Night Away
Sub Pop SP 705 (CD). 2007. James Mercer, Joe Chiccarelli, prods.; Phil Ek, Sean Flora, Hiro Ninagawa, Brian Deck, Lars Fox, engs. AAD? TT: 41:52
Performance ****
Sonics ****

Being in a pop band is easy, right? You just strum up some lightweight melodies, layer in some delicate harmonies, add a touch of minimal drumming, and Poof! It's "(Listen to the) Flower People." Yet another foofy guitar band singing about Luddites and lollipops.

Guys in real bands—you know, rock'n'roll, punk, or just rock bands—think of pop-band dudes as dreamers…

No Answers, Only Questions

Finding myself in the Northwest on business, I reckoned I'd grab some Seattle dim sum with my nephew before heading my rental car south on I-5 to visit old friends in Oregon. "You live here," I said to Sean. "What are the good radio stations?"

"I have no clue," he said. "I never listen to the radio."

What My nephew lives in Seattle because he's getting a doctorate in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. I know he loves music—heck, he practically eats, breathes, and dreams music. "So how do you hear new music?"

"Mostly, I don't," Sean said. "My friends burn me…

Naim CD555 CD player

Naim's new "statement" CD player, the CD555 ($20,300 by itself, $28,150 with PS555 power supply), breaks no new technological ground. Rather, in typical Naim fashion, it attempts to optimize 16-bit/44.1kHz CD performance by paying fanatical attention to the devilish details. It doesn't play the DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, or SACD formats, nor does it have a digital output—and it doesn't create an illusion of higher resolution by upsampling the data.

Encased in an almost forbiddingly heavy, precision-milled box of black aluminum with edges that are almost sharp as razors, the CD555…

Naim CD555 CD player Page 2

Listening
Virtually everything in my system has changed since I last reviewed a Naim CD player: the CD5, in April 2001 (footnote 1). Since then too much time has passed for me to make any comparisons, but the CD555 delivered all of the sonic attributes for which Naim is known: taut, punchy bass, rhythmic agility, transient clarity, exceptional resolution of low-level detail, and overall transparency. Like other Naim CD players I've heard, the CD555 managed all of this without sounding etched, bright, or harmonically bleached, and delivered weight and body while never sounding "zippy."…

Naim CD555 CD player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: CD player with outboard power supply. Formats supported: CD, CD-R, CD-RW. Analog output jacks: RCA, DIN. No digital outputs. Maximum output level: 2.0V RMS at 1kHz. Output impedance: 10 ohms. Frequency response: 10Hz–20kHz, +0.1dB/–0.5dB. Distortion & noise: <0.1%, 10Hz–18kHz, at full level.
Dimensions: 17" (432mm) W by 4.5" (114mm) H by 12" (314mm) D. Weight: 50 lbs (23kg), CD player; 17" (432mm) W by 3.6" (90mm) H by 12" (320mm) D. Weight: 31 lbs (14kg), power supply.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 236803.
Price: $28,150 total (…