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The loudspeakers under test were positioned for the best sound (with only one pair of loudspeakers in the listening room at a time), generally some 3' from the rear wall (which is faced with books and LPs) and approximately 5' from the side walls (which also have bookshelves covering some of their surfaces). Each pair of speakers sat on their dedicated stands, these spiked to the concrete floor beneath the rug/pad, and was driven by the magazine-owned pair of Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblocks, a Mark Levinson No.333 dual-mono amplifier, or a Cary Audio Design CAD…

As I found with the single-ended Cary, the Acoustic Energy will play reasonably loud with only a few amplifier watts, reaching spls in the mid-90s without discomfort: I estimated its B-weighted sensitivity as 88dB/W/m (footnote 1), but this figure is compromised by the frequency response on the tweeter axis (see later). With an impedance magnitude that drops to 4.3 ohms in the lower midrange but stays above 6 ohms over almost all the rest of the audioband, the AE2 Signature is a relatively easy load for an amplifier to drive (fig.1). The double peak in the bass is…

There are three new models, each using samarium-cobalt magnets with a healthy 600µV output: the Standard (Red), the Rosewood Signature, and the Urushi—$2500, $3500, and $4000, respectively. The Urushi was reviewed in the October '98 Stereophile by Michael Fremer; its aluminum lacquer-coated shell leaves some enthusiasts drooling on their tonearms. The Rosewood…

Description: Low-output, moving-coil phono cartridge. Stylus: specially designed and ground for Koetsu. Output: 200µV (1kHz, 5cm/s). Internal impedance: 5 ohms. Frequency range: 20Hz–100kHz. Channel separation: >30dB/1kHz. Channel balance: within 0.5dB/1kHz. Recommended VTF: 1.8–2.0gm. Recommended loading: 5–100k ohms. Compliance: medium-low. Recommended tonearm: medium-high mass.
Price: $5500. Approximate number of dealers: 30.
Manufacturer: Koetsu, Kyoto, Japan. Distributor: Musical Surroundings, Inc., 5856 College Avenue, Suite 146, Oakland, CA…

Turntables were my Forsell Air Force One and the La Luce/SpJ 'table and arm from Holland. Other cartridges on hand were the van den Hul Grasshopper IV GLA and Black Beauty, the Clearaudio Insider, and the Win SMC-10 and transformer.

Preamps included the Nagra PL-P and the YBA Signature 6 Chassis, plus the Expressive Technology SU-1 MC Step-Up transformer. Amplifiers in play were the Boulder 2050s, the YBA Passion monoblocks, and Forsell's The Statement. Speakers were our JMlab Utopias, optimized with Argent RoomLenses and ASC Studio Traps.

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Rotel's philosophy of audio design is consistent with my own taste as a reviewer. As explained in Rotel's US dealer training manual (143 pages, with multiple-choice review questions at the conclusion of each chapter), the company's focus…

Description: Solid-state stereo power amplifier. Output: 200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW), 300Wpc into 4 ohms (21.8dBW). Frequency response: <10Hz–100kHz, ±1dB. Damping factor: >500. Total harmonic distortion: <0.03%. Intermodulation distortion: <0.03%. Signal/noise ratio: 120dB.
Dimensions: 17" W by 5" H by 15" D. Weight: 37 lbs.
Price: $999 (1999); no longer available (2007). Approximate number of dealers: 200.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 748 136040.
Manufacturer: Rotel of America, 54 Concord Street, North Reading, MA 01864. Tel: (978)…

Analog source: VPI TNT Mk.IV turntable, Immedia tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge.
CD players: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II and Delta/Sigma II.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audible Illusions Modulus L1 line-stage.
Loudspeakers: Acarian Systems Aláon Circe, Aláon V Mk.II, Mission 731i.
Cables: MIT MI350 CVTwin Terminator and MI330 Shotgun interconnects, Acarian Systems Black Orpheus speaker cable.
Accessories: Various items from VPI, Sound Anchor, SimplyPhysics, ASC, Bright Star, TG Audio Labs.—Robert J. Reina

The measurements of the Rotel RB-991 were made primarily in unbalanced mode, though selected readings were taken in balanced operation. Unless otherwise noted, the results discussed here refer to the unbalanced connection.

Following its preconditioning test, the Rotel RB-991 was very warm, but not unusually so for a high-powered amplifier. Its voltage gain measured 31.8dB unbalanced, 24.9dB balanced. The input impedance measured 36k ohms (45.2k ohms balanced). DC offset was a highish 22.1mV in the left channel, 13.1mV in the right. The RB-991 is…

By their third album, most young rock bands have found that the evolution of their art is a lot harder than it looks. Not only do many lose focus after a successful debut, but the majority, even those who stay serious, make a record or maybe two, then suddenly find themselves out of material and ideas. Look no further than The Strokes for an example of a band stunted and badly in need of fresh energies and directions, their…