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Frankly it's a bit nutty for me to be doing this review. First, as Publisher of this esteemed journal, my primary duties involve financial and personnel management, as well as a good bit of public relations; I don't need and am not required to perform the exacting tedium of product reviews. Second, Jim Thiel and Kathy Gornik of Thiel are friends of mine. So what, you ask? Well, if this were going to be a uniformly positive review, I would therefore be ruled out as the reviewer; if it's to be wholly or partially negative, it will surely put a strain on one of my best audio friendships.
This is due to bass extension, loudness capability, and the generosity I referred to above. At the same time, the blending of drivers is just as good as with the CS2, and with greater difficulty since a significantly larger range is being covered.
Perhaps my focus on the "problem" in the CS2, now essentially cured, led me to pay inadequate attention to the high-frequency behavior of this tweeter. Its response is essentially flat out to 35kHz (according to information from Thiel), and sounds that way. The upper harmonics of triangle and cymbals are preserved with excellent detail. If I…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Three-way, sealed-box loudspeaker with line-level bass equalizer. Drive-units: 1" soft-dome tweeter, 4" paper-cone midrange unit, 10" plastic-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 3kHz. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum amplifier power: 40W.
Dimensions: 41" H by 13" W by 13" D. Weight: 75 lbs each.
Price: $2450/pair (1989); no longer available (2007), replaced by the CS3.6 in 1993. Approximate number of dealers: 52.
Manufacturer: Thiel Audio Products Co., 1042 Nandino…
Sidebar 1: Measurements
Fig.1 shows the plots of impedance with frequency for the Thiel loudspeaker. It agrees with the appropriate specified impedances in the review heading, and obvious features can be distinguished, such as the box resonance for the CS3.5 at 33Hz. I would conjecture, however, that Jim Thiel has used some form of conjugate load system in his crossover designs to give such flat curves with frequency. (This is where elements are added to the crossover to compensate for phase and impedance changes to result in a simple resistive load.) I would suggest, therefore, that like…
Iván Fischer, founder and conductor of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, has performed with many major orchestras and recorded for a number of major labels, most significantly with Philips, from 1995 to 2004. Fischer/BFO made the first multichannel orchestral recording for SACD, which Philips used as a demonstration disc for their first SACD players. I still treasure that disc—it demonstrates many of the advantages of the medium with a wide and varied program—but it has never been commercially released.
In 2004, Fischer/BFO began an exclusive arrangement with Channel Classics that has…
My reviews of the TacT RCS (Stereophile, September 2001) and the Rives PARC (July 2003) are ample evidence that I've been fascinated with room equalization for quite a while. This is because I don't have a dedicated, purpose-built listening room in either of my homes, and having experienced what such rooms can do for recorded sound, I've always been somewhat dissatisfied with what I do have. Sure, I've got lots of great equipment, and a wife who understands enough to let me install some acoustic treatments (as long as she approves their appearance). Still, I'm sympathetic to those…
Basically, the installer enters general information about the system, including reference data about the components and room dimensions, and exactly which channel signals are connected to each of the SE's eight inputs/outputs. This is because you can use these channels any way you need to: just two for stereo, or eight for a 5.1-channel system and a two-channel system, or eight for a 6.2 system—or even eight for four stereo systems in four different rooms. Clearly, you've got to tell the SE what's connected to what. My configuration was pretty basic: a 5.1 system connected to input/output…
In New York and other major cities, I understand, bus accidents are a real problem. Buses turn right and failing to yield to pedestrians. Clueless pedestrians walk in front of buses. I haven't seen any statistics, but I'm guessing that in this era of cell phones and iPods, the problem has gotten worse: not only do such devices distract you, they make it harder to hear warning signs—such as the sound of a municipal bus bearing down on your ass.
I don't live in a big city, but I do enjoy my Apple iPod. So, shortly after John Atkinson positively reviewed Shure's E3c in-ear 'phones…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: In-ear headphones, with tuned ports. Sensitivity: 109dB/W/m at 1kHz. Impedance: 29 ohms at 1kHz. Input connector: 1/8" (3.5mm) gold-plated stereo plug.
Dimensions: Cord lengths: E4c: 62" (1.57m). E4: 61" (1.55m). Weight: 1.1oz (31gm).
Finish: Gray (E4), White (E4c), Black (E4g).
Serial Number of Unit Reviewed: None found.
Price: $319. Approximate number of dealers: Sold Direct. Warranty: 2 years, limited.
Manufacturer: Shure Inc., 5800 West Touhy Avenue, Niles, IL 60714-4608. Tel: (847) 600-2000, (800) 257-4873. Fax: (847) 600-1212.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Rega P7 turntable, various Rega cartridges.
Digital Sources: iPod Nano G4 (2GB), Marantz SA-15S1 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Whest 2.0 phono stage.
Headphone Amplifier: Benchmark Media DAC-1 DAC-amplifier.
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDVX. Interconnect: various by Chord, Monster Cable. AC: various by Shunyata Research, PS Audio.
Accessories: Shunyata Research Hydra 8 power conditioner, RealTraps Mondo Traps sound absorbers.—Jim Austin