Throw Jonathan On the Flames!
Editor:
In response to Barry Willis's "The Art of the Scientific Illusion" (Vol.17 No.5, p.49): Willis makes the comment that, "In the Dark Ages, Europeans believed in sorcery and alchemy." I must remind him that, in this country, we dealt with heretics in a different way. I suggest taking all the Shun Mook Mpingo disc control devices, piling all of them here in one spot, and setting fire to the whole mess. The red glow could be seen from Santa Fe in the West all the way to Sea Cliff in the East. Then throw Jonathan…
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Stereophile Vol.17 No.7, July 1994
Are You All Deaf?
Editor:
Having followed your reviews of new and unusual accessories for many years, the Shun Mook disc reviews started me wondering. I'm a firm believer in modifying and tweaking audio systems, but despite the questionable audibility of some of the accessories marketed as high-end "fix-its," I can't remember a review in Stereophile in which an item was found to have absolutely no effect at all on a system.
Editor:
Having followed your reviews of new and unusual accessories for many years, the Shun Mook disc reviews started me wondering. I'm a firm believer in modifying and tweaking audio systems, but despite the questionable audibility of some of the accessories marketed as high-end "fix-its," I can't remember a review in Stereophile in which an item was found to have absolutely no effect at all on a system.
In the automotive field, where exotic spark plugs and gasoline additives are all the rage, it seems there is always a modest percentage of items that prove…
Shack Attack
Stereophile Vol.17 No.11 November 1994
Sam Tellig
Stereophile Vol.17 No.11 November 1994
Sam Tellig
I hied me down to Radio Shack to see what I could find on sale. Lo, I discovered the Optimus 990 speakers (catalog #40-1125) marked down from $149 each to $98 each. That's $196/pair. I pounced (at least to the tune of a 30-day money-back trial).
Each speaker has a horn tweeter, and its 15" woofer is said to provide "thunderous" bass. Specs are sparse: 100Wpc maximum power handling (minimum not specified). I set the speakers up on 12"-high Target stands and hooked them up to the 7W SE-1.
Wow. Now this…
Stereophile Vol.17 No.11, November 1994
Snake Oil!
Editor:
I am writing you once again in hope of expounding my philosophy on less-deaf ears than I witnessed this weekend past.
Partaking in what I believed to be an investigative effort in what I also believed to be a respectable audio salon in northern New Jersey, I witnessed no serious effort in seeking out musical truth, but rather an exercise in self-indulgence at the expense of the latter: A group of "audiophiles" sliding wood across the top of various gear, claiming "There, no there...that's it!"
I've been to…
Shun Mook Spatial Control Quartet
Stereophile Vol.17 No.12, December 1994
Jonathan Scull
Stereophile Vol.17 No.12, December 1994
Jonathan Scull
Set of four stands and 36 Mpingo Discs. Price: $2200. Approximate number of dealers: 12. Manufacturer: Shun Mook Audio, 618 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610. Tel: (510) 581-6372. Fax (510) 839-0080.
You remember Dustin Hoffman and "Larry" Olivier in The Marathon Man: "Is it safe?" Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. Just when the Shun Mook bashing on Internet had slowed down to but a mere bubbling caldron of skepticism. Just when a particular towheaded colleague…
First Movement
We listened carefully to the system in its present configuration. Acoustic treatment is relatively light in our live listening room. We've pulled the behemoth Avalon Ascents well out into the room, so we're no longer fighting the natural acoustic---as we were when they were deeper into the L-shaped portion of our loft. Now mostly unencumbered by side walls (and their reflections), the Avalons can breathe, sounding much more expansive and spacious. With just a slight toe-in, the soundstaging is staggering, if I do say so myself.
We listened carefully to the system in its present configuration. Acoustic treatment is relatively light in our live listening room. We've pulled the behemoth Avalon Ascents well out into the room, so we're no longer fighting the natural acoustic---as we were when they were deeper into the L-shaped portion of our loft. Now mostly unencumbered by side walls (and their reflections), the Avalons can breathe, sounding much more expansive and spacious. With just a slight toe-in, the soundstaging is staggering, if I do say so myself.
It's a big sound, with images forming well…
At various points during the process we coaxed Kathleen into the listening chair, even though she typically prefers listening off-axis while otherwise engaged. She leaves all that sitting and squinting to me. When pressed, she felt that the single greatest effect she'd heard was due to the placement of the two additional Mpingo Discs on the speaker-top "control areas" (in addition to the single Disc already placed on the outside rear corners). I'd have to agree.
The Monks' tuning instructions are as follows: Raising the front Mpingo'd shelves upward lightens up the sound and brings more…
A proper speaker installation can take a full day and sometimes part of a second, even in a familiar room. But by the time the sun sets on Day One, the system should be almost there—wherever there is.
But imagine, at the end of Day One, the following scenario: Three exhausted, chain-smoking tech types dart frantically around the room. One moves a pair of subwoofers, one tweaks a half dozen or so unmarked potentiometers mounted in a small aluminum box; the third supervises these changes, then listens for what seems like the 150th time. Then, for what also seems the 150th time, collective…
Like any other sat-sub system, the Cabasse Thor-Baltic combo is ripe for abuse. Better too little bass than too much. While the system has the potential to drive audiophiles crazy—especially those who thrive only on certainty—I found that, once the system was dialed in correctly, I left it alone. In the end, I felt that, in order to avoid hearing "bass," as opposed to instruments creating bass, I had to run the system slightly leaner than what I thought sounded like neutral. But overall, I was happy with the blend and never found myself fiddling with it.
The only change came when Cabasse…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Artis Baltic II: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with integral 80Hz high-pass filter. Drive-units: ca 1" Teonex-dome tweeter, ca 5" coaxial polypropylene-diaphragm midrange unit, ca 9" Duocell-diaphragm coaxial lower midrange unit. Crossover frequencies: 600Hz, 3.8kHz (all 12dB/octave). Frequency range: 80Hz–22kHz. Sensitivity: 93.5dB/2.83V/m). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.2 ohms. Power handling: 200W. Peak power handling: 1400W.
Dimensions: 48.5" (1245mm) H by 12.5" (320mm) W by 16.5" (425mm) D. Weight: 35.5 lbs (16kg).
Serial…