Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 21/4" tall C-CAM (magnesium) ribbon tweeter, 4" RDT (metal-coated Nomex)-cone midrange driver, two 6.5" RDT-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 600Hz, 3.6kHz. Frequency range: 35Hz–100kHz. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum SPL (per pair in room): 117.8dB. Power handling: 250W. Recommended amplification: 100–250W.
Dimensions: 39" (998mm) H by 10" (255mm) W by 111/4" (285mm) D (including fixed plinth). Weight (including plinth): 72.7 lbs (33kg).
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ7000nsx cartridge.
Digital Source: Ayre CX-7eMP CD player.
Preamplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-7, Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance.
Power Amplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7, PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Uno Nano.
Cables: Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: PS Audio Power Plant Premier AC conditioner, Arcici Suspense Rack, PolyCrystal amplifier stands, Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer.—…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed the quasi-anechoic measurements of the Monitor Audio Platinum PL200 with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. The grille was left off for the measurements, as that was how Bob Deutsch auditioned the speakers. The Platinum PL200's sensitivity is specified as a usefully high 90dB/2.83V/m; my estimate was actually a little higher, at 90.4dB(B)/2.83V/m, though this is within experimental error of the specification. This speaker will play loud when driven by amplifiers of low or moderate power. However, its electrical impedance (fig.…
It's been over two years since I reviewed a pair of JL Audio's Fathom f113 subwoofers. Kalman Rubinson and I both gave the f113 top marks for delivering clean, powerful bass in a wide variety of full-range systems. At the end of the review period, JL Audio's Carl Kennedy told me that they wouldn't send me another subwoofer for review until they had developed one that outperformed the Fathom f113 (footnote 1). To this day, the Fathom f113 tops the subwoofer category in Stereophile's "Recommended Components."
The Fathom f212
Finally, they offered me a pair of their newer twin…
To initiate the ARO procedure, the owner must plug the Fathom f212's calibration mike into a front-panel jack next to the three ARO controls. The Demo button verifies that the ARO functions are ready by running a 20-second sequence of test tones; Defeat turns off the ARO system to compare the ARO and non-ARO settings; and Calibrate initiates ARO self-calibration with test tones that measure the listening room's response, then runs the f212's automatic equalization procedure.
All set-and-forget inputs and controls are on the rear panel, which is also identical to the f113's. These…
JL Audio's ARO first tests the room, then applies single-band equalization to tune out its most prominent deviation from a linear frequency response. With the rest of the stereo system shut off, ARO automatically generates its own test signals. But before I began, I made certain to turn off my dishwasher and air-conditioner, which can generate subsonic artifacts of their own that can mislead the ARO algorithm. I plugged the ARO calibration mike's cable into the right Fathom f212's front control panel, cranked up the sub's Master level control to its maximal (4 o'clock) position, set all…
The Fathom f212s strongly benefited the quality, scale, detailing, and full power of orchestral music, enhancing the sound of my Quad ESL-989s in new ways. I heard, as never before, the powerful bass-drum strokes in the second movement of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps, as performed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (SACD/CD, Deutsche Grammophon 00289 477 6198-2)—each one burst into my listening room as a well-defined thud with a clean, defined leading edge and sudden, explosive power. On the same recording, wind instruments are mixed with the thunderous stomping of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered, sealed-box subwoofer. Drive-units: two 12" cone woofers with 3.5"-diameter voice-coils and 3" 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 (single XLR connector); stereo or mono unbalanced (single RCA connector). Input modes: Master, Slave. Outputs: single balanced (XLR) to additional subwoofer. Input impedance: 10k ohms. Input sensitivity: 166mV for 105dB SPL. Controls: Power (On, Off, Automatic Signal Sensing);…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral moving-coil cartridge; Day-Sequerra FM Reference Signature Tuner.
Digital Sources: Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD player, Bryston BCD-1 CD player & BDA-1 D/A converter, Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 USB-to-S/PDIF converter, ThinkPad X-61 laptop playing digital music files.
Preamplification: Bryston BP26 preamplifier & 10B SUB electronic crossover.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson ML-2 (monoblocks) & No.334.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989, JBL 1400 Array;…
I am not in the mood for whirling.—the Beatles, "Revolution 9"
The single-ended-triode movement of the 1990s may not have changed everyone's point of view, but its aftershocks endure. Low-power amps sell well. The market for high-efficiency loudspeakers is healthier than ever. Even vinyl's most recent renaissance can be linked, in part, to a rekindled interest in old tubes and technologies. Best of all: Some of the thinkers and designers who came for the Revolution decided to stay for the Great Leap Forward.
Though hardly a household name, Arthur Loesch is revered in SET…