Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.5" (38mm) ring-radiator tweeter, 4.5" (110mm) aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover: 2kHz, second-order. Frequency response: 45Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 5.8 ohms minimum. THD: 0.3%, 200Hz–20kHz (no level specified). Power handling: 200W. Maximum SPL: 105dB at 1m.
Dimensions: 12.2" (310mm) H by 7.3" (185mm) W by 9.8" (250mm) D. Weight: 24.2 lbs (11kg) each.
Finishes: Piano Black; Cherry Red wood veneer; eight-layer, hand-rubbed Piaggio Red or…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xeMP universal player; Meridian 808i.2 CD player; dCS Puccini SACD player; Benchmark DAC1, Ayre QB-9 D/A converters; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini for media storage; dCS 972 D/D converter.
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8.
Power Amplifier Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7.
Loudspeakers: PSB Imagine B, Spendor SA1, Totem Acoustic Mani-2.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, Stereovox CV2 electrical S/PDIF, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect (balanced…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Despite its small size, the Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk.III Special Edition was usefully more sensitive than the BBC LS3/5A, at an estimated 85dB(B)/2.83V/m, though this is still lower than average. The speaker's impedance drops below 6 ohms only in the lower midrange and the mid-treble, with a minimum value of 5.1 ohms at 190Hz (fig.1). As a result, the AE1 shouldn't be too hard to drive, though the combination of 6 ohms magnitude and –35° phase angle at 140Hz and 3.8kHz will mean that the speaker will work best with a good 4 ohm-rated amplifier. The shape of the…
In my reviewing career, except for fleeting listening sessions at the occasional audio show, I've had little contact with products from the Italian loudspeaker maker Chario. When asked if I'd be interested in reviewing an affordable bookshelf speaker from them, I did some research and discovered that Chario is distributed in the US by Koetsu USA. Well, with that kind of pedigree—I'm a loyal owner of two Koetsu Urushi cartridges—I thought I'd better give the Premium 1000 ($1015/pair) a careful listen. A few months later, I was tucking in to a pair of review samples.
Chario currently…
The ability of the Premium 1000 to unravel detail even during the most densely recorded passages made it a natural fit for difficult orchestral recordings. The boisterous opening movement of Penderecki's Credo, with Helmut Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Choir (CD, H‰nssler Classic CD 98.311), was reproduced without a trace of compression or coagulation. Even during the fortissimo passages, I was able to clearly follow each instrument in the orchestra. And listening to Louis Andriessen's De Tijd, with Reinbert de Leeuw leading the Percussion Group The Hague and the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (27mm) soft-dome tweeter, 5" (130mm) pulp-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 1450Hz. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Low-frequency cutoff: 60Hz at –3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Suggested amplification: 100W maximum average power.
Dimensions: 14.8" (380mm) H by 6.6" (170mm) W by 10.9" (280mm) D. Weight: 19.8 lbs (9kg).
Finishes: Mahogany, Cherry, Black, Dark Walnut (real-wood veneers).
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 255, 256.
Price: $1015/pair. Optional matching stands: $…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Amphion Helium2, Monitor Audio RS6 Silver, Nola Mini.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG Terminator. Speaker: Acarian…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
With its small enclosure and woofer, the Chario Premium 1000 won't have a high voltage sensitivity; specified at 86dB, its measured B-weighted sensitivity was 84.7dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is lower than average. The Chario's impedance magnitude remained above 8 ohms in the bass and treble, though it did drop to 5.4 ohms at 220Hz (fig.1). The electrical phase angle reaches extreme values in the upper bass, but fortunately, as is always the case, the highest angle coincides with a very high magnitude, which will mitigate any drive difficulty at this frequency. The fact…
Ever since Stereophile took up the cudgels for subjectivity, and had the temerity to insist that even the best products have certain colorations, we have stressed compatibility in choosing components. By compatibility we do not mean merely matching impedances and signal levels, but mating components whose sonic peculiarities tended to offset one another.
We have published periodic, though sporadic, "Recommended Components" lists in the magazine, and dutifully catalogued their sonic earmarks to help buyers match up one component's colorations against another's. But neither the…
But times have changed. Equipment designers are far more knowledgeable and sophisticated than they used to be, and new measurements such as TIM and FFT (footnote 1) have added an unprecedented degree of subjective relevance to objective testing. The days when an audiophile could produce a better product merely by listening to it, than an engineer could produce by measuring it are long gone.
This is not to say that amplifier A cannot be improved by replacing its Mylar capacitors with Wonder Caps, or that speaker B cannot be improved by substituting heavier woofer chokes in the crossover…