Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, ported loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" silk-dome tweeter, 6.5" glass-fiber cone woofer. Frequency range: 30Hz–30kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 88.5dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplifier power: 30–150Wpc.
Dimensions: 17" H by 8" W by 10.25" D.
Finishes: Real-wood veneers of black ash, mahogany, cherry, or maple; bird's-eye maple or ebony available at extra cost.
Serial numbers of review samples: S/N 000628 & 9.
Price: $3500/pair.
Manufacturer: ProAc Loudspeakers, Highpoint House, Riding Road,…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Measurements
ProAc specifies the D Two's voltage sensitivity as 88.5dB/W/m; my estimate was significantly lower, at 85dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, while the speaker's nominal impedance is 8 ohms, the impedance of my sample (S/N 000628) drops below 8 ohms only in the lower midrange, and remains above 10 ohms throughout the upper midrange to the mid-treble (fig.1). The electrical phase angle is also relatively small over much of the audioband, meaning that, in combination with the generally high impedance magnitude, this ProAc will therefore be a relatively easy load for an amplifier…
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I was greatly impressed by the performance of the Canton Reference 9.2 DC loudspeaker, which I reviewed in the March 2008 "Music in the Round" in the context of a 5.1-channel system. Those beautiful jewels not only sounded balanced and transparent, they had more sheer grunt in the low end than could be reasonably expected from their size. I wanted to hear more from Canton, but couldn't decide whether to go up in size or down in price. The problem I've always had with Canton is that they offer such a wide range of products that it's like choosing food from a multipage menu at a fine…
I was greatly impressed by the performance of the Canton Reference 9.2 DC loudspeaker, which I reviewed in the March 2008 "Music in the Round" in the context of a 5.1-channel system. Those beautiful jewels not only sounded balanced and transparent, they had more sheer grunt in the low end than could be reasonably expected from their size. I wanted to hear more from Canton, but couldn't decide whether to go up in size or down in price. The problem I've always had with Canton is that they offer such a wide range of products that it's like choosing food from a multipage menu at a fine…
Yet, as the weeks unfolded, I began to use the system less for serious listening and more to provide aural wallpaper. In my opinion, this is a good test of my overall satisfaction and enjoyment of an audio product, as it bypasses any conscious attempt to analyze the sound. I'd had a similar experience with the Kharma Ceramique CD-2.0 speakers, which I reviewed in October 2000. It was hard to put a finger on the problem. Worse, I began to doubt my own judgment after I'd invited a friend over for a listen. This friend, an experienced listener, pronounced the Reference 3.2 DCs the best-sounding…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ADT-25 aluminum-oxide/ceramic-dome tweeter; 7" (180mm) aluminum-cone midrange unit; two 9" (220mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 2.8kHz. Frequency range: 18Hz–40kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4–8 ohms. Nominal music power handling: 350–600W.
Dimensions: 45.3" (1150mm) H by 11.6" (295mm) W by 16.5" (420mm) D. Weight: 108 lbs (49kg).
Finishes: Silver, Black, or White lacquer, or cherry veneer; black fabric grille.
Serial Numbers…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Sony XA-5400ES SACD/CD player, Oppo BDP-83SE universal player.
Preamplification: Meridian HD621 HDMI audio processor & 861 Reference v4 digital surround controller.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh MC303 (three-channel), Bel Canto Design REF1000mkII (monoblocks).
Cables: Interconnect: van den Hul Flat 180 HDMI, AudioQuest Cheetah/DBS balanced. Speaker: AudioQuest Mont Blanc/DBS biwire. AC: JPS Aluminata.
Accessories: APC S-15, Environmental Potentials EP-2450 power conditioners.—Kalman Rubinson
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed the quasi-anechoic measurements of the Canton Reference 3.2 DC with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. I measured the speaker without its grille, as this was how Kal Rubinson had found it to sound best. My estimate of the Canton's voltage sensitivity was a high 91dB/2.83V/m; this loudspeaker will play loudly with just a few watts. However, its impedance plot (fig.1) indicates that the partnering amplifier needs to be comfortable driving a low impedance. The magnitude remains below 4 ohms for almost the entire bass and midrange…
YBA Design's new WD202 D/A processor and headphone amplifier showed up while I was turning the pages of Don and Jeff Breithaupt's Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s, recommended by John Marks in his October 2009 "Fifth Element" column. Each page drips with great examples of why the 1970s often wind up on the wrong end of the culture stick (the Osmonds, anyone? Terry Jacks?).
Still, piles of the awesome tunes that redeem that era beckon from every chapter, and with CD prices in free fall on Amazon.com, I started grabbing dozens of titles. Most could be had used, or even new,…
I'd love to tell you about the digital filter used in the WD202, since I've found that I can easily hear differences among the filter settings of products that let you adjust them. But YBA isn't talking, and there are no settings to mess around with. When I asked Michel Rousseau, of YBA Design, about the filter, he said that designer "Jérôme [Schonfeld] tells me that he can't remember what filter was used (!!??) or he just won't tell me." I didn't like this answer, but thought, Okay, maybe it's better to go into the listening tests with no preconceived ideas.
Listening
Listening…
For a USB source, I turned to a new MacBook Pro (2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD). Using Sonic Studio's Amarra Computer Music Player software (highly recommended) with its USB dongle, I created a playlist of several early-'70s tracks ripped from CDs to iTunes as uncompressed AIFF files.
A note about comparing DACs: Using my preamp to switch back and forth between DACs during a single playing of a song never seems to work for me. I've found that it takes at least five or six comparisons using a single track, played all the way through each time, to lock on to what each DAC…