Best: Eno, Another Green World (LP, Island ILPS 9351): The Concerto 3, with its deep, liquid bass and excellent sense of scale, brought me to a new level of appreciation of Eno's third solo outing. The pairing made for an appropriately hypnotic listening experience.
Worst: Jorge Bolet, Rediscovered: Liszt Recital (CD, RCA Red Seal 63748-2): The Sonist didn't shine with piano recordings in general, and digital remasterings such as this sounded especially mechanical.—Art Dudley
Description: Two-way reflex-loaded floor-standing loudspeaker. Drive-units: 2.6" long Fountek JP3.0 ribbon tweeter, 8" proprietary treated paper-cone woofer. Frequency response: 30Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 6 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 95dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 2–100W RMS.
Dimensions: 40" (1025mm) H by 11.5" (290mm) W by 14.75" (380mm) D. Weight: 60 lbs (27.3kg).
Finish: Matt black enclosure, natural hardwood baffle.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: None.
Price: $3495/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 11.
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Analog Sources: Thorens TD-124 Mk.II turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; Shindo SPU, Ortofon SPU 90th Anniversary & SPU Synergy A, EMT OFD 25 & OFD 65 cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 step-up transformer, Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne & Haut-Brion, Fi 2A3 Stereo.
Loudspeakers: Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-vx, Shindo Silver. Speaker: Auditorium 23, Naim NACA-5. AC: JPS Labs The Digital (Sony CD…
The Concerto 3's voltage sensitivity is specified as a very high 95dB/W/m. My B-weighted estimate on the speaker's tweeter axis was a little lower than that, at 91dB(B)/2.83V/m, but this is still significantly higher than average. The impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) remains above 7 ohms at almost all frequencies, and though the electrical phase angle (fig.1, dotted trace) is extreme on two occasions, both instances occur when the amplitude is 8 ohms or more, ameliorating the drive difficulty. With its high sensitivity and amplifier-friendly impedance, the…
Editor: In his measurements accompanying Art Dudley's revie, John Atkinson found a cabinet resonance at 273Hz. I measured the acceleration of the cabinet with a foam gasket on the woofer (shown in blue in the attached graph), and the acceleration of the cabinet with Mortite and foam on the woofer (shown in red). The 273Hz resonance shown in John's waterfall plot has been removed with this simple modification. This indicates that the 273Hz resonance was caused by the coupling of the woofer frame to the cabinet. The addition of the Mortite decouples the…
Though bigger than the Parsifal in every way, the Sarastro II still cuts a relatively trim profile, unless you view it from the side. In that case, the rear of the woofer cabinet slopes out like Darth Vader's gown to accommodate its11" rear-firing polypropylene driver…
Description: Three-way, dual-enclosure, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 2"-tall aluminum-ribbon tweeter, 6" doped polypropylene-cone midrange, 11" polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 5.5kHz. Frequency range: 25Hz–60kHz. Sensitivity: 93dB/2.83V/m. Normal impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimal.
Dimensions: 47.5" (1210mm) H by 14" (350mm) W by 20" (505mm) D. Weight: 150 lbs (68kg).
Finishes: Italian high-gloss piano-black lacquer; makore, high-gloss silver, quilted big-leaf maple available at extra cost.
Serial Numbers Of…
Digital Source: Krell Evolution 505 SACD/CD player with CAST outputs.
Analog Source: VPI HW-19 turntable, JMW Memorial tonearm, Clearaudio Victory H cartridge.
Preamplifier: Audible Illusions Modulus 3a (phono section only).
Integrated Amplifier: Krell FBI with CAST inputs.
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost CAST, Nirvana. Speaker: Nirvana.
Accessories: Bybee Technologies Signature Power Purifier (not Krell FBI); Black Diamond Racing Mk.4 Cones, Walker Audio pucks; VPI HW-19 record-cleaning machine.—Fred Kaplan
As Fred Kaplan explains, the primary difference between the Sarastro II and the original Sarastro (reviewed by Michael Fremer in March 2005), is the upgraded tweeter and associated changes to the crossover. In many respects, the new loudspeaker measured very similarly to the earlier version—you can find my measurements of the Sarastro I here.
My B-weighted estimate of the Verity's voltage sensitivity on its tweeter axis was identical to that of the Mk.I, at 92.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is usefully higher than average. Its impedance (fig.1) is also very similar…