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All meaningful comparisons were based on coax S/PDIF connection via the Illuminati D-60, as TosLink obscured many distinctions, particularly in the bass. I preferred to use the balanced outputs with the High output-level setting, since that permitted me to reduce the gain in the preamp and take advantage of the Medea's very low level of noise. I could confirm that preference with my ear to the speakers, but it was less than obvious from the listening position. Nonetheless, the Medea seemed quieter and more dynamic with this setting. Lest you suspect that this put the other DACs at a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 24-bit D/A converter with automatic upsampling. Digital inputs: 3 with RCA and XLR jacks, 1 with RCA and TosLink. Sampling rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192kHz. Sampling frequency tolerance: ±80ppm. Frequency response: 0Hz->20kHz, ±0.05dB (Fs=44.1kHz, 48kHz); 0Hz->40kHz, ±0.5dB (Fs=88.2kHz, 96kHz). S/N Ratio: >114dBFS unweighted, >117dBFS A-weighted. Channel separation: >110dB. THD+noise at 1kHz: <-104dB. Analog output: adjustable, -infinity to +15dBu (low mode), -infinity to +27dBu (high mode). Output impedance: 0.2 ohm.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Heybrook TT2 turntable, SME III tonearm, Ortofon SME30H cartridge.
Digital sources: Meridian 508.24 CD player; California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD-V player; Meridian Reference 800 DVD-Audio/CD player; Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD player; Mark Levinson No.360s, Musical Fidelity A324, MSB Platinum Plus DACs.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers Line-3, Audiolab 8000PPA phono stage.
Power amplifiers: Bel Canto eVo2, Sonic Frontiers Power-3, Classé CAM-350 monoblocks, McCormack DNA-1 Rev.A.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The hot-running Weiss Medea DAC locked to sample rates from 44.1kHz to 192kHz (the latter using inputs 1 and 2 in parallel), though as Kal noted, its narrow PLL acceptance window means that it takes a long time to lock. With the analog output set to High, the maximum output level at 1kHz was 8.44V from the unbalanced outputs, 16.89V from the balanced. These figures dropped to a more sensible 2.131V and 4.262V, respectively, when the output was set to Low. The DAC didn't invert absolute polarity from either set of outputs—the XLRs are wired with pin 2 hot—and the…
I was introduced to Legacy Audio at the CEDIA Expo in September 2002, and I'll long remember it. A pair of Legacy's huge new Helix loudspeakers anchored the company's silent display, and I was irresistibly drawn to them. Sales manager Bob Howard introduced himself, and, after a few minutes of chatting, introduced me to Bill Dudleston, Legacy's founder and chief designer. Within two minutes, Dudleston had told me "I don't design speakers for hi-fi people. I design speakers for people who love music."
When you've been in the audio press for a few years, you've heard rhetoric like this…
The midrange was always very neutral and highly detailed, with vocals being especially well-served. Crispian Mills' passionate singing on Kula Shaker's "Great Hosannah," from Peasants Pigs & Astronauts (CD, Columbia CK 69885), and Diana Krall's mind-foggingly sultry take on "Let's Face the Music and Dance," from When I Look In Your Eyes (CD, Verve IMPD-304), were near-perfect in every respect. Choral music is one of the most demanding tests, and the Focus handled the challenge very well on the Rachmaninoff Vespers (SACD, PentaTone Classics PTC 5186 027). Voices were nicely individualized…
Sidebar 1: Carving Out a Legacy
In mid-September 2003, I paid a visit to the Legacy factory—or, more accurately, the Legacy/Allen Organ Company factory, in the Pennsylvania Dutch country an hour northwest of Philadelphia.
Every Legacy speaker is made on the same assembly line as are Allen's magnificent church and theater organs and supporting sound systems. But "assembly line" doesn't describe Legacy/Allen's manufacturing process. One sees none of the exotic machine tools that term implies, save for a computer-controlled milling machine that turns MDF blanks into the panels used…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: 7-driver, 5-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 4"-long ribbon supertweeter, 1.25" soft-dome tweeter, two 5" Kevlar-cone midrange units, 12" carbon-reinforced-cone "transition" woofer; two 12" carbon-reinforced-cone subwoofers. Low-frequency alignment: B6 assisted. Crossover frequencies: 80Hz, 300Hz, 2.8kHz, 8kHz. Frequency response: 26Hz-20kHz, ±2dB. Sensitivity: 96dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal. Recommended amplification: 10-400Wpc.
Dimensions: 55" H by 15" W by 13" D. Weight: 185 lbs each.
Finishes: Oak, cherry; other…
Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Analog source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Digital sources: Esoteric DV-50 universal player, Classé Omega SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Aesthetix Rhea phono preamplifiers; VTL TL-7.5, BAT VK51SE, Aesthetix Calypso line stages; Halcro dm10 full-function preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Lamm ML1.1, VTL MB-450 Signature monoblocks; Hovland Radia, Plinius SA-102, Edge NL-12.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2. Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference, Nordost Valhalla.…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
At 185 lbs and 55" high, the Legacy Focus 20/20 was too bulky for me to lift into the air for the acoustic measurements, as I usually do. My speaker turntable therefore had to sit on the ground, which meant that the midrange resolution of the farfield measurements was curtailed by the presence of a floor reflection. However, I don't believe this affects the overall validity of the results.
The Legacy's sensitivity was slightly lower than specified, but still a very high 94.5dB(B)/2.83V/m—this speaker will play very loudly even with a low-powered amplifier.…