Sidebar 2: E le misure? The Amator's plot of impedance magnitude and phase vs frequency (fig.1) reveals an easy-to-drive reflex design. The port tuning, indicated by the saddle between the two bass peaks, lies at 40Hz, supporting JE's positive feelings about the speaker's low-frequency extension. Though a slight wrinkle in the impedance amplitude trace at 480Hz might be thought to correlate with an enclosure resonance problem, the Amator's cabinet was relatively inert. The main side- and top-panel modes lay at 360Hz but were well down in level.
Fig.1 Sonus Faber Amator,…
EMMYLOU HARRIS: Spyboy
Eminent EM-25001-2 (CD). 1998. Emmylou Harris, prod.; Buddy Miller, prod., eng.; Dean Norman, Doug Dawson, engs. AAD? TT: 67:07
Performance ****?
Sonics ****? In discussing the concept for this album, Emmylou Harris told No Depression magazine, "In a very real sense, a performer is naked onstage....If an artist doesn't allow the audience to see the essential truth, then it's Las Vegas time."
Harris is a long way from playing Sin City. Or maybe not. In some ways, she's still using the emotional lessons about her essence that she… The mechanical toys were very superior, and looked down upon every one else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real.—Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
Music lovers listen to songs about trains. Audiophiles listen to trains.
At least that's how it was at the dawn of the stereo age, when record stores did brisk business in titles like Sounds in Space and Hear the Whistle Blow, and a portion of the nascent audiophile community made no bones about being less interested in the deeper meaning of music than in the sound on its surface—or in the meek thrill of…
One of my mentors, John Crabbe—my predecessor as editor of the English magazine Hi-Fi News—used to insist that a magazine's soul is its "Letters" column. If a magazine was able to publish a lively collection of readers' letters, said John, it would enjoy a lengthy life. Conversely, if its letters column was dull or nonexistent, then no matter how much advertising it had or how many readers it could boast, it was just a matter of time before it had the lid shut on it. In the 28 years since John told me this, I have not found an exception. The kicker, of course, is that there's no easy way of…
Sometimes you have to make peace with a loudspeaker. You have to accept it on its own terms rather than ask it to bend to your sonic wishes, or to be something it's not. This is especially true when you're auditioning a seemingly endless succession of them, as I have this year. Like beauty-pageant contestants parading across the stage, all different-looking yet all enticing in one way or another, each speaker I've listened to of late has sounded different from the rest, and each has had a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses—yet each has been sufficiently "in the pocket" to paint a…
As you might expect, a speaker with this much physical heft and driver power can move a great deal of air. The Resolution 1 did not disappoint, producing stunning dynamic contrasts with ease. Despite the masses of air needing to be moved, the 1 responded quickly, and was as adept at reproducing full symphonic scores as it was small jazz ensembles, doing so effectively at low levels and when cranked up loud. Needless to say, the 1 could play at ridiculously high volumes in my moderate-size room, with reassuring ease and with no hint of strain or compression. I'm sure it would sound equally…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Four-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ring-radiator tweeter, 4" polypropylene-cone midrange, 8" magnesium-cone mid-woofer, two 10" aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 119Hz, 422Hz, 2860Hz, 3550Hz. Frequency response: 25Hz–22kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 58" H by 13.2" W by 19.7" D. Weight: 195 lbs.
Finish: Cherry veneer.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: not noted (auditioning); 25704060091 (measuring).
Price: $11,000/pair. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi Reference, Simon Yorke S7, T+A G 10 turntables; Kuzma Air Line, Immedia RPM-2, Graham 2.2, SME M2 tonearms; Graham Nightingale II, Lyra Titan, Lyra Helikon SL, Shelter 301, Sumiko Blue Point Special Evo III, T+A C 10 cartridges.
Digital sources: Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista, Krell SACD Standard SACD players; Alesis Masterlink CD recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, BAT VK-P10SE phono preamps; Musical Fidelity kWp, Krell KCT preamps.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW, Krell FPB-450Mcx monoblocks.
Cables:…
I found that the NHTs sounded best when toed-in and firing directly at the listening position. I also liked them best when they were positioned fairly high, so that my ears were level with or below the woofers. In addition to using the cinder-block stands, I listened to the NHTs on the excellent $200 heavy-metal 24" speaker stands Merrill Audio has just introduced as an affordable alternative to the expensive imported British stands. (The $800 Target R2s, for example, are fine stands, but their price unfortunately reflects their overseas trek to your rumpus room.) Because the Merrill stands…
But I can't tell you that the Harbeths creamed the SuperZeros—or that I'd rather own a pair of the "new" LS3/5As over the $230 NHTs—because I think the SuperZero is a more neutral, transparent speaker than the venerable BBC design. And it can play a hell of a lot louder without strain, too. True, the SuperZero doesn't have the midbass hump that gives the LS3/5A its famous "li'l 'un that can boogie" reputation. And the NHT's high end is more extended and detailed than the Harbeth's, which has that warm, forgiving character that sez, "It's British and I paid a lot of money for it." But if I…
