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The MC20E2-L was smooth (as in not screechy) and reliably pitch-accurate in my system, with very good tonal balance overall and a medium to up-front spatial presentation. While it wasn't as sweetly, believably textured or as musically nuanced as the more expensive cartridges in my collection, the Benz reproduced surprisingly good string tone from well-recorded classical LPs. During its time here, and for whatever reason, I was on something of a chamber-music kick, and I listened to one record in particular literally every day for over a week: a Japanese reissue of Beethoven's Septet in E-…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil cartridge. Output: 0.5mV (500V). Compliance: 10cu. Channel separation: >30dB (1kHz). Channel balance: <1dB. Cantilever: one-piece aluminum tube. Stylus: elliptical diamond, 0.3 by 0.7 mil. Internal impedance: 32 ohms. Recommended load: 400–47k ohms. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz. Weight: 4gm (with stylus guard). Recommended downforce: 2.0–2.5gm.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: none.
Price: $199. Approximate number of dealers: 120.
Manufacturer: Benz-Micro, Switzerland. US distributor: Musical Surroundings, 5662…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon & homemade Artiegeddon power supplies, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm; Well Tempered Record Player, Well Tempered Arm; Miyabi 47, Koetsu Black, EMT JSD 5 cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Tamura TKS-83, VAS MC-One, K&K Audio, Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1, Quad II (both monoblocks); Shindo Montille & Shindo Cortese.
Loudspeakers:…
Carl Kennedy, director of JL Audio's Home and Professional Sales division, leaned forward and quietly asked, "Would you like to review our Fathom f113 subwoofer?"
We were standing in JL Audio's exhibit area at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, near a mob surrounding a display of an "exploded" f113. The sub's 13.5" cone had been pulled apart, and its huge magnet assembly, voice-coil, spider, internal amplifier, and control panel were suspended in air.
I nodded enthusiastic agreement.
"What would you think if I asked you to review a pair of f113s?"
"Let's…
Matching levels: the Quads and the Fathom f113s
Installing two Fathom f113s in my system took a lot more time and careful listening than I'd anticipated. I had to adjust 10 controls on the Master f113, and 10 on the Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover. Once I'd listened to the two f113s in the dual-mono Master/Slave configuration, I repeated all setup steps with the two subs configured for stereo operation. For this I used two sets of tools: the signal generator, virtual spectrum analyzer, and microphone built into the Velodyne DD-18 sub; and JL Audio's own ARO system and mike. The…
Installing two Fathom f113s in my system took a lot more time and careful listening than I'd anticipated. I had to adjust 10 controls on the Master f113, and 10 on the Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover. Once I'd listened to the two f113s in the dual-mono Master/Slave configuration, I repeated all setup steps with the two subs configured for stereo operation. For this I used two sets of tools: the signal generator, virtual spectrum analyzer, and microphone built into the Velodyne DD-18 sub; and JL Audio's own ARO system and mike. The…
Another significant change was my system's increased dynamic range. The Quad electrostatics played passages louder, and didn't "clamp off" during passages of wide dynamic range. Supported by the Fathom f113s, the Quads could now handle bass peaks without overloading in my large listening room, most obviously when playing the massive deep synthesizer opening of "Deeper Wells," from Spyboy. Even more impressive was the f113s' ability to resolve the different tonal qualities of percussion instruments—for instance, the synthesizer and pulsatile bass drum in "Silk Road," from I Ching's Of the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered, sealed-box subwoofer. Drive-unit: 13.5" W7 cone with 3.5"-diameter voice-coil and 4" peak–peak excursion. Magnet weight: not specified. Low-pass filter: variable, 30–130Hz; 12dB or 24dB/octave. High-pass filter: not supplied. Inputs: stereo or mono balanced Neutrix (single XLR connector), stereo or mono unbalanced (single RCA connector). Input modes: Master, Slave. Outputs: single balanced Neutrix (XLR) to additional subwoofer. Input sensitivity: not specified. Input impedance: not specified. Controls: Power (On, Off, Automatic Signal…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral moving-coil cartridge; Day-Sequerra Classic FM tuner.
Digital Sources: Krell KRC-28 CD player, Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD player, Slim Devices SqueezeBox network music player, Bryston B-100DA D/A converter.
Preamplification: VTL TL-6.5, Krell KCT preamplifiers; Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.334, Krell FPB-600c, VTL S-400; Bryston 28B-SST monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989; Velodyne DD-18, REL Studio III…
I had intended that my recent exploration of what was available in the world of high-performance minimonitors—the Era Acoustics Design 4 ($600/pair) in January, the Stirling LS3/5a V2 ($1695/pair) and Harbeth HL-P3ES2 ($1850/pair) in April, the PSB Alpha B1 ($279/pair) in May—was to end in July, with my review of the American Acoustic Development Reference Silver-1 ($1550/pair). But there was one more real-world–priced, stand-mounted model that piqued my interest before I return to cost-no-object floorstanders in the substantial form of Sonus Faber's new Cremona Elipsa ($20,000/pair): the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) gold-anodized, Ceramic-Coated Aluminum Magnesium (C-CAM) alloy dome tweeter; 6.5" (165mm) RST2 metal-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.7kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz–43kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplification: 40–100W.
Dimensions: 14 3/16" (360mm) H by 8 1/8" (206mm) W by 10 5/8" (270mm) D. Weight: 18.7 lbs (8.5kg) each.
Finishes: Santos rosewood, walnut, cherry veneers; piano-black lacquer.
Serial Number Of Units…