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Bookshelf loudspeaker. The phrase may be common usage, but I really dislike describing small speakers as "bookshelf" models. Place a pair of high-performance minis on a bookshelf against the wall and you destroy much of the sound quality for which you've paid. Yet place the same speakers on good stands well away from room boundaries, and while it could be argued that their footprint is no smaller than a conventional tower speaker, with the best designs you'll get true high-end sound, particularly regarding the accuracy of midrange reproduction and the stability of stereo imaging.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) horn-loaded, flat-diaphragm, Helical Conductive Transducer (HCT) tweeter; 5" (127mm) honeycomb-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.8kHz. Crossover slopes: second-order low-pass, third-order high-pass. Frequency response: 40Hz–40kHz, ±2dB. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms, "compatible with 8 ohm load." Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplification: 50–200W.
Dimensions: 14.6" (371mm) H by 7.6" (193mm) W by 14.2" (360mm) D. Weight: 22 lbs (10kg) each.
Finishes: High-gloss…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 D/A processors; Slim Devices Squeezebox WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage.
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.326S, Ayre K-5xe.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: PSB Alpha B1, Stirling LS3/5a V2, Harbeth HL-P3ES2.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Cheetah, Ayre Signature Series, Crystalconnect. Speaker: AudioQuest…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The AAD Reference Silver-1 was of below-average sensitivity, at an estimated 84dB(B)/2.83V/m, which, all things being equal, will demand more watts than usual from the partnering amplifier. However, the Silver-1's impedance modulus (fig.1, solid trace) remains high over almost the entire audioband, with a minimum value of 5.4 ohms at 284Hz. And although the electrical phase angle (fig.1, dotted trace) reaches ±45°, this occurs only when the impedance is high, meaning that the Silver-1 will not demand much current from the amplifier. It should work well with tube…
With the introduction of the 1000 Be series in 2005, Focal slipped its exclusive, high-performance beryllium tweeter out of the stuffy-looking Utopia series and into a sleeker, more stylish, more modern form.
The sound kept pace with the new look: from warmish, comfort-food rich to faster, leaner, low-fat nouvelle. The 1000 Be series brought Focal to the attention of a new segment of the audio enthusiast marketplace and, according to the company, the handsome, floorstanding 1027 Be ($7995/pair), enthusiastically reviewed by Sam Tellig in Stereophile in November 2005, quickly became a…
The moody, Coltrane-esque title track of guitarist Pat Martino's East! (SACD/CD, OJC/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2018) sounded every bit like the somewhat flawed but immediate and transparent 1968 recording that it is, and while the piano exhibited the boxy, distorted coloration typical of that era, it didn't get lost in additive lower-midrange slop, while the delicately drawn percussion shimmered cleanly against a black backdrop. Locked into the right channel, the sound of Martino's hollow-body electric guitar believably combined wood, vacuum tubes, strings, and the soul of Wes Montgomery.
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floor-standing, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" inverted beryllium-dome tweeter, 6.5" W-cone midrange unit, three 7" W-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 230Hz, 2kHz. Frequency response: 33Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 93dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 40–400W.
Dimensions: 49 3/16" (1250mm) H by 11 15/16" (303mm) W by 15¾" (400mm) D. Weight: 112.2 lbs (51kg).
Finishes: Gloss black and aluminum baffle with rosewood side cheeks.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 10A000037, 10A000038.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Grand Prix Audio Monaco turntables; Continuum Audio Labs Cobra, Graham Phantom tonearms; Lyra Titan i, Air Tight PC-1, EMT Jubilee JSD 5 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW DM25 DAC & transport, Alesis Masterlink BPT-modified hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, NAT Signature, S.A.P. Anniversary phono preamplifiers; Musical Fidelity kWP, darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW, Ayre MX-R (monoblocks); darTZeel NHB-108.
Loudspeakers…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Focal Electra 1037 Be was significantly more sensitive than normal at an estimated 90dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, its plot of impedance magnitude and electrical phase (fig.1) indicates that it is a demanding load for the partnering amplifier in the lower midrange and bass. Not only is there a minimum value of 3 ohms at 33Hz, but there is a combination of 4.25 ohms and –47.5° capacitive phase angle at 27.3Hz. Fortunately, music with significant energy below 40Hz is relatively rare, but an amplifier that has no trouble driving 4 ohm loads at high levels will still be…
Thirty-five years ago this month, the first issue of a new audio magazine—cover price 50 cents—cautiously made its way out of a Philadelphia suburb. Its black'n'white cover featured a chessboard adorned with tubes and XLR plugs. Its 20 advertising-free pages included a feature on how to write an ad for an audio product, which had been penned by one Lucius Wordburger, a footnote helpfully pointing out that this was the nom de plume for one J. Gordon Holt, "who wishes to remain anonymous."
Gordon was a refugee from mainstream audio publishing—he had been technical editor at High Fidelity…