I recalled covering Amphion's attractive, floorstanding Creon2 in my HE2002 show report in…
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My normal practice in seeking out contenders for Affordable Speaker Nirvana is to pursue speakers I stumble across at our Home Entertainment shows, and to keep tabs on new designs from manufacturers whose wares have impressed me in the past. This time, however, editor John Atkinson called me out of the blue: "How would you like to review the Amphion Helium2 loudspeaker? It's the entry-level speaker in a Scandinavian speaker line distributed by Stirling Trayle of Quartet Marketing."
I'm trying to avoid such gushing as "I heard familiar recordings as if for the first time!" But in many cases, I discovered new things on recordings that I've played dozens of times. On the most overplayed recording in my house (my son has the lyrics memorized; my wife goes shopping when she hears me cue it up), Janis Ian's Breaking Silence (LP and CD, Analogue Productions CAPP 027), I noticed for the first time how melodic a player of the fretless bass Chad Watson is, and what a wonderful tone he gets out of his instrument. Similarly, I found myself focusing on the subtle textural…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, magnetically shielded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" titanium-coated aluminum-dome tweeter, 5.25" Nomex-cone woofer. Frequency range: 50Hz–20kHz. Crossover Frequency: 1.5kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 20–120W.
Dimensions: 12.25" (310mm) H by 6.25" (155mm) W by 10.5" (265mm) D. Weight: 15.4 lbs (7kg).
Finishes: Black, Silver; add $250/pair for Finnish Birch or Cherry.
Serial number of units reviewed: 02597.
Price: $1000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 12…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated amplifier: Creek 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Alón Petite and Li'l Rascal Mk.II, NHT SB-3.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As is often the case with minimonitors, the Amphion Helium2 is a little below average when it comes to voltage sensitivity, at an estimated 85.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. This is slightly but inconsequentially below the specified 86dB. However, its plot of impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle (fig.1) reveals the speaker to be very easy to drive, the impedance remaining above 8 ohms for almost the entire audioband. This graph was taken with the reflex port open; the saddle centered on 54Hz in the magnitude trace suggests that this is the tuning frequency of the rear…
At the last few audio shows, whenever I heard a pair of the big Cary CAD-1610-SEs, I fair licked my chops. The two-tiered monoblock looked positively stunning in black and polished aluminum, exotic tubes bristling from the top "floor" of its two-story edifice. The Cary always induced pelvic tilt in me—you know, when your lizard brain takes over and tube lust is in the air.
The aluminum faceplate of the lower chassis features a raised "eyebrow" above the retro-green eye-tube that reminds me of the AT&T building—er, the Sony building. The CAD-1610-SE's upper chassis is…
Had: "The choke takes the place of a conventional resistor as used in most amplifiers. It allows the 300B to swing a greater amplified AC audio signal to the output tube. And that's coupled through an oil-filled 0.22µF, 600VDC capacitor to the grid of a dual-section low-mu 6BL7 triode, which performs two functions in this design. First it provides the low-impedance bias voltage to the T-1610 output tube. And it also couples the amplified AC audio signal directly to the control grid of the T-1610. And that's fed B-plus voltage through the air-gapped output transformer!" He laughed one o'…
This comprehensive ability in the bass was paired with a raft of other highly prized single-ended family values, all magnified to an incredibly high level of projection. This included a most particular musical clarity, a very coherent and focused sound that was approachable and palpable, with bags of air, and a soundstage at once more delicate but less deep than the big boys usually manage.
The midrange was in all ways completely fabulous—never euphonic, gawd forbid, but loaded with velvety detail that caressed the cilia of my ears and always communicated the music straight into my soul…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-ended shunt-feed class-A monoblock. Inputs: one balanced (XLR), one single-ended (RCA), switch-selectable. Outputs: one pair WBT binding posts, 4/8 ohm selectable transformer taps. Tube complement: one KR T-1610, two 6SN7, two 6BL7, two 5R4, one KRBXL 300B. Power transformers: 8 separate EI Laminate, 200% duty cycle. Output transformer: 100W custom design for T-1610 output tube, 200% duty cycle. Resistors: 1% metal-film. Capacitors: oil-filled. Filter chokes: EI Laminate PI-L configuration. Power-supply capacitors: 12 by 1200µF at 450V. Power…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital source: Accuphase DP-100/DC-101 SACD/CD transport/upsampling DAC; dCS 972 D/D converter (updated), Purcell, and Elgar at 24 bits/192kHz.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research Reference 2, Conrad-Johnson 16LS, BAT VK-50SE, Mark Levinson No.32 Reference.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB350 MC and Linn Klimax Solo 500 monoblocks, Forsell Statement.
Loudspeaker: JMlab Utopia.
Cables: Digital: XLO The Limited RCA and AES/EBU. Interconnects: TARA The One/Air One, Cardas Golden Reference, Synergistic Designer's Reference. Speaker: TARA The One, Cardas…