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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…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1usb, Bel Canto DAC 3, Musical Fidelity X-DACV8 D/A processors; Slim Devices Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage.
Preamplifiers: Parasound Halo JC2, Ayre K-5xe.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H, Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa, AAD Reference Silver-1.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The GS10's voltage sensitivity on its tweeter axis was to specification, at an estimated 88dB(B)/2.83V/m. The speaker's impedance remained above 6 ohms over most of the audioband, dropping to a minimum magnitude of 4 ohms at 190Hz (fig.1). The electrical phase angle varies considerably, but as always the most extreme angles occur when the magnitude is high, diminishing the difficulty of the loading. The shape of the magnitude trace suggests that the speaker will sound a bit forward, perhaps even bright, when used with tube amplifiers having a high source impedance…
When folks visit from out of town, they frequently remark that my Brooklyn neighborhood reminds them of "a real neighborhood" from their neck of the woods. "Except that we know all our neighbors and talk to them when we're cutting the grass, watering the lawn, and walking the dog. You probably don't even know the names of any of yours."
I may not know all of their names, but we sweep the sidewalk, put out the trash, and jockey for alternate-side-of-the-street parking together, so we do tend to know each other—and each other's business—pretty intimately. That explains why my neighbor…
If The Sultan's Picnic impressed me, vocal recordings absolutely slayed me. Tierney Sutton's On the Other Side (SACD, Telarc SACD-63650) gave me goose bumps. Added to the Atom's midrange clarity was a top-end sparkle and a tonal balance that were completely relaxed. Vocals, whether male or female, were compelling through the Atom.
Ray Brinker's trapset and the sound of bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt weren't quite as slammin' as I would have wished, however. There was quite a bit of bass—certainly enough to let me hear the unstopped 41Hz E, but not as forcefully as notes about an…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" titanium-dome tweeter, 5.5" copolymer-cone bass/midrange driver with diecast chassis. Frequency responses: 70Hz–20kHz, ±2dB (on axis), 70Hz–16kHz, ±2dB (off axis). Impedance: "compatible with 8 ohms." Sensitivity: 89dB in room, 87dB anechoic. Recommended amplification: 15–80W.
Dimensions: 11" (277mm) H by 6.5" (165mm) W by 10.1" (256mm) D. Weight: 11.5 lbs (5.2kg).
Finishes: Rosenut, Black Ash, Cherry.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 381893, 381894.
Price: $250/pair (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Muse Polyhymnia, Oppo Digital DV-970HD universal players; Slim Devices Transporter digital network player.
Preamplifier: Krell Evolution 202.
Power Amplifiers: Channel Island Audio D-100, Portal Paladin (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five, PSB Alpha B1.
Cables: Interconnect: Kimber KCAG, Shunyata Research Aries & Antares. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Furutech eTP-609 distribution box, FP-20A(R) duplex outlets; RealTrap Mini & Mondo Traps; Ayre Myrtle Wood Blocks.—Wes…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The little Atom is surprisingly sensitive, at an estimated 90dB(B)/2.83V/m, though this will in part be due to its rather tilted-up treble balance (see later). Though its impedance drops to 3.9 ohms at 197Hz and there is also a combination of 5.5 ohms and –42.5° capacitive phase angle at 148Hz, the Atom's impedance plot (fig.1) suggests that this speaker won't be that difficult to drive. Note, however, the disparity between the impedance in the lower midrange and that in the treble. Tube amplifiers with a highish output impedance will sound tilted-up with the Atom…
Manufacturers' Comment
Editor: We'd like to thank Wes Phillips and Stereophile for the extensive and thoroughly enjoyable review of our latest incarnation of the Paradigm Atom, the Atom Monitor v.5. Reading Wes's comments as he auditioned the Atom serves as a great reminder of why we're all in this business. The joy that comes from listening to a great performance reproduced in our homes by a high-fidelity system was clearly evident in Wes's enthusiasm during the product review.
But it was his comment that the sound of the Atom "was what the High End is all about" that really…