Set up approximately where the Revel Ultima Studios had been and with very little toe-in, the S800s were generally well-balanced from the get-go, except for a little tizziness in…
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Taste is personal, but I can't avoid commenting on the appearance the OTT Signature version, which adds drop-dead-gorgeousness to the already handsome Nautilus cosmetics. The beautifully finished tiger's-eye maple veneer embraces the S800's curved vertical surfaces, and the gleaming, metallic-flecked, charcoal-gray tweeter and midrange modules nestle comfortably into a bed of charcoal, English Connolly leather.
Despite this low-frequency excellence, the S800 didn't sound like a big loudspeaker. I attribute this to its complete lack of the midbass ripeness so common in big speakers and pretenders. In my relatively ordinary room, the S800 was fairly flat all the way down to near 25Hz, when the lift due to room gain and other room interactions could finally be seen in the ETF and TacT measurements. For all intents and purposes, unless the music had substantial low-frequency content, the S800 was no more full or "bassy" than a decent small speaker.
Consequently, the naturalness of the S800's…
Sometimes, on my way to work, the bus stops to let an elderly couple board. He heads immediately for the seat behind the driver, but she always pulls him to the other side, saying, "It's better for you, Morris." Sure enough, her choice of seat has more visibility and legroom, but for some reason Morris is more comfortable in his favorite spot.
I review and analyze audio equipment, so the Signature 800's surgically revealing transparency, huge dynamic range, and lack of tonal character throughout the audible range are probably "better" for me. The Revel Ultima Studio, however, is just…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way vented-box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) metal-dome tweeter, 6" (160mm) woven-Kevlar FST midrange cone, two 10" (250mm) paper-Kevlar cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 4kHz. Frequency response: 25Hz-50kHz, -6dB; 32Hz-42kHz, -3dB; 37Hz-23kHz, ±2dB on reference axis. Dispersion: within 2dB of on-axis response over 60 degrees horizontal or 10 degrees vertical. Sensitivity: 91dB SPL (2.83V/m). Harmonic distortion (second and third harmonics, 90dB/m): <1.0%, 45Hz-20kHz; <0.5%, 50Hz-20kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3 ohms…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Heybrook TT2 turntable, SME III tonearm, Ortofon SME30H cartridge.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD player, Meridian 508.24 and Sony CDP-XA777ES CD and SACD players, Mark Levinson No.360 D/A converter.
Preamplification: Simaudio Moon P-5 and Sonic Frontiers Line-3 preamplifiers, Audiolab 8000PPA phono stage.
Power amplifiers: Bel Canto eVo 200.2 and Classé CAM-350 monoblocks, Sonic Frontiers Power-3, McCormack DNA-1 Rev.A, Theta Digital Intrepid, Rotel RB-1080.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As with some other massive speakers I've measured of late, it was not possible to move the B&W Signature 800 off the dolly onto which I'd had it unpacked and onto my Outline speaker turntable, let alone lift it far off the floor for the acoustic measurements. As a result, there was an unavoidable "floor bounce" of the speaker's output that contributed some visible roughness to some of the frequency-response graphs.
The Signature 800 had a very high sensitivity, my estimate coming in at 92.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, slightly higher than the specified 91dB. I was…
However, he did note the Signature 800's revealing nature, and there is a small peak apparent in fig.4 in the upper crossover region. It is possible that this was emphasizing detail to a slight degree, something I'm familiar with from my years with B&W's Silver Signature, whose Kevlar-coned midrange unit has a similar slight peak at the top of its passband. The tweeter's dome resonance results in a very high peak at 31kHz. However, this should have no audible consequences.
As I explained earlier, the Signature 800's bulk meant I couldn't use my remote-controlled speaker turntable. It…
What is the angular separation of your loudspeakers as viewed from your favorite chair? Whatever your answer, it's wrong. Of course I don't mean that it's a factually incorrect answer, just that any single value of subtended angle cannot be ideal for all recordings.
Classical stereo theory, applicable to recordings made with crossed-pair coincident microphones, suggests that for optimal playback the speakers should be placed 45 degrees to the left and right of the stereo centerline, subtending a total angle of 90 degrees. But in many living rooms (and dealer showrooms as well), the total…
There is a large demand today for processors that can make simulated stereo out of a mono source. The money that is driving this technology comes not from the music industry but from Turner TV and Hollywood, where producers who are colorizing old black-and-white movies for video sale would also like to enhance their mono soundtracks so they will sound good in a home video theater. Of course film purists kvetch about colorization, and audio critics have always complained about fake stereo, especially since most early examples of each were awful. But some colorized movies actually are more…
All the world, even you
Should learn to love the way I do—Bryan Ferry, "Take a Chance with Me"
Should learn to love the way I do—Bryan Ferry, "Take a Chance with Me"
My daughter, who's just turned six, surprised me by asking to have a radio in her room. I was happy to oblige, so I stopped what I was doing and went straight upstairs to the guest room to fetch the Tivoli Audio Henry Kloss Model One [reviewed by Sam Tellig in March 2001—Ed.] I'd bought a few years ago. I dusted it off, shook a few dead ladybugs out of the recess on its back panel—they pry their way into our house by the thousands before the weather goes cold—and brought it down to Julia's…