Analog source: Heybrook TT2 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm, Koetsu Black/Gold cartridge.
Digital sources: Burmester 970/969 CD transport/DAC, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player, Mark Levinson No.360 DAC, Theta Miles CD player.
Preamplifiers: Klyne 6L3.3P, Z-Systems rdp-1.
Power amplifiers: McCormack DNA-1 (with Rev.A mod), Sonic Frontiers Power-2.
Loudspeakers: Coincident Super Conquest Series II, Paradigm Reference Esprit/BP, PSB Stratus Gold-i.
Cables: Cardas Cross and Golden Cross interconnects, Straight Wire Maestro II speaker…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Soliloquy 5.3 was fractionally less sensitive than specified, my B-weighted estimate coming out at 88dB/2.83V/m, but the speaker is still a little above average in this respect. It is also relatively easy to drive, its plot of impedance (fig.1) indicating a generally mild electrical phase angle, and a magnitude that remains above 8 ohms for most of the midrange and treble and drops below 6 ohms only in the midbass and lower midrange. Relatively low-powered tube amplifiers should work well with this speaker, though if they have a high output impedance, the…
Fig.5 shows how the 5.3's balance changes to its sides. In a normal, not-too-lively room, the slight flare in the presence region (due to the tweeter's wide dispersion at the bottom of its passband) will compensate for a slight lack of on-axis energy in the same region. The silk-dome tweeter may have an on-axis peak in the top octave, but it has very narrow directivity in this region: the exact high-treble balance in-room can be managed by experimenting with the speakers' toe-in to the listening position. Note that the woofers are more directional at the top of their passband than might be…
Home theater has dramatically influenced the design of aftermarket subwoofers. Multichannel processors automatically provide a properly filtered low-frequency signal to drive a subwoofer, relieving the need for the sub to be shipped with a passive crossover network or an active electronic crossover. When Genelec offered one of their subwoofers for review, I decided it was important to try to evaluate such a product, even if it meant I'd have to scramble around to find a quality external electronic crossover.
Genelec's national sales manager, Karen Richardson, confirmed that…
The HTS4B allowed my system to reproduce bass-drum notes with power but no overhang. The deepest notes were pitch-perfect, with a tight, rhythmic quality. Take the ominous rumblings of "The Caravan Moves Out," from Philip Glass's soundtrack for Kundun (CD, Nonesuch 79460-2). The double bass and synthesizer blend into a massive drone that brings to mind the galical suffle of camels in a cold, airless desert.
The HTS4B reproduced the intensity of synthesizer notes on other film soundtracks, adding suspense and setting a tight, anxious mood. The blend of ESL-989s and HTS4B mixed…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered, magnetically shielded subwoofer with two auxiliary bass radiators. Drive-units: long-excursion, 12" Kevlar-cone woofer, with 2" diameter voice-coil and 1" peak–peak excursion; two 12" passive drivers. High-pass and low-pass filters: not supplied (see review). Inputs: single balanced (XLR), unbalanced (RCA). Outputs: Single balanced (XLR) to additional subwoofer. Input sensitivity: +12dB to –6dBU; an input voltage of 6dBU with a –6dBU input sensitivity setting will produce a 100dB SPL output. Input impedance: 10k ohms balanced (XLR),…
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Linn Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral moving-coil cartridge.
Digital Sources: Krell KRC-28 CD player, Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD multichannel player.
FM Tuners: Day-Sequerra Classic, McIntosh MR-78, Sony ST-5000.
Preamplification: Krell KCT preamplifier, Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.431, Krell FPB-600c.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989; Velodyne DD-18, REL Studio III subwoofers.
Cables: Interconnect: Red Rose Silver Ones, Krell CAST, Levinson…
In last month's edition of this new column, I wrote about those of us whose systems are out in the breeze in the Family Room, at the mercy of wives, Significant Others, curious children, cats'n'dogs, and nonaudiophiles who, for the life of them, can't figure out what it's all about. I met a chap the other day whose wife said to me, "Oh, you suffer from the same audiophile disease." I hastened to inform her that I am the disease, and suggested that her husband was pursuing a noble path for the love of music—no bad thing, in my view. She remained unconvinced.
While I suspect a majority of…
"To determine initial speaker placement, multiply ceiling height by 0.618 (10' * 0.618 = 6.18') to determine the distance from the rear wall to the center of the woofer (or the acoustic center of a panel). Then multiply the room width by 0.276 (width * 5 ÷ 18) to determine the distance from the side wall to the center of the speaker (16' * 5 ÷ 18 = 4.4'). I have run into times when the geometry of the situation makes this setup less than favorable. So I've derived a simple plan 'B' that inevitably works if plan 'A' doesn't. In plan 'B' the speaker side-to-side placement is the same (room…
A Letter in response to Fine Tunes #2 appeared in November 1998:
Editor: Jonathan Scull's "Fine Tunes" column in the August issue of Stereophile (p.63) contains a reference to an Audio Engineering Society (AES) standard listening room. The reference is incorrect in attributing such a room to the AES. The error appears to have come from the website of a manufacturer, who has since corrected his error.
AES has, at this time, only one standards publication showing a listening room. AES20-1996, "AES Recommended Practice for Professional Audio—Subjective Evaluation of Loudspeakers,"…