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In terms of bass extension, it was clear from just casual listening that the Montis didn't lack in this department; more critical listening made me realize that the Montis was even better than I'd first thought. "Temple Caves," from Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, begins with a synthesizer note that separates the men from the boys: midsize floorstanding speakers that lack the benefit of a powered sub can only vaguely indicate the note, and small stand-mounted speakers omit its fundamental frequency entirely. Through the Montises, the synthesizer note was unambiguously present in a way that shook…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, floorstanding, electrostatic loudspeaker with a powered dynamic woofer. Drive-units: 44" (1118mm) H by 11.3" (287mm) W XStat CLS electrostatic high-frequency transducer (radiating area, 497in.2 [3209cm2]); 10" (254mm) high-excursion, aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 340Hz. Frequency response: 29Hz–23kHz, ±3dB. Horizontal dispersion: 30°. Vertical dispersion: 44" (1120mm) line source. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 4 ohms, 0.52 ohm at 20kHz. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 ohm rated amplifiers. Woofer amplifier: 200Wpc (4 ohms).…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance.
Power Amplifiers: Audiopax Model 88 Mk.II, McIntosh MC275LE, Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7.
Integrated Amplifier: PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Uno Nano, GoldenEar Triton Two.
Cables: Interconnects, speaker cables, AC: Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 5 AC regenerator; Arcici Suspense Rack, PolyCrystal equipment stands; Nordost Sort Kone TC footers; Furutech RD-2 CD…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the MartinLogan Montis's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. A note on these measurements is in order:
When a speaker is measured, there is a hidden assumption that the distance between speaker and measuring microphone is significantly larger than the speaker's greatest dimension. With all but very large box speakers, this assumption is true. However, it is almost never true with panel speakers…
I was setting up for some musical demonstrations I was to present for a Music Matters evening at the ListenUp! store in Boulder, Colorado, in May 2011. For these events, an audio store invites manufacturers (and the occasional journalist) to demonstrate to local audiophiles the musical benefits of high-end audio playback. In Boulder, I was to share the store's big listening room with Dave Nauber, president of Classé Audio, who had set up a system with B&W Diamond 802 speakers, a Classé stereo amplifier, and a preproduction sample of Classé's new CP-800 preamplifier ($5000), all hooked up…
Pressing Menu allows you to adjust balance, switch to dual-mono, and activate the tone controls. Pressing Menu, then System Set-Up brings up a screen where you can program the parametric equalization, tone control, input-volume offset and maximum, bass management, and DC trigger and display options. You can also define up to six custom configurations that can be recalled at the touch of a button, as well as program the eight function keys on the remote. If you enable EQ or the tone controls, "EQ," "Tone," or "Mono" appear at the bottom right of the Home screen.
The menu offers more…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, solid-state preamplifier with touchscreen display, DSP-implemented tone and equalizer controls, 10 digital inputs (AES/EBU, 3 S/PDIF on coax, 4 S/PDIF on TosLink, asynchronous USB, front-panel USB host input for iPods, etc.), and analog inputs (2 pairs balanced on XLR jacks, 3 pairs unbalanced on RCAs). Analog outputs: 3 pairs balanced on XLRs, 3 pairs unbalanced on RCAs, headphones on ¼" (6.35mm) jack. Other inputs/outputs: Ethernet, trigger, CAN-Bus, IR. Frequency responses: 8Hz–200kHz, <1dB, stereo analog bypass; 8Hz–20kHz…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B phono cartridge.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP & DX-5 universal players; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini laptop running OS10.7, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.86; Shuttle PC with Lynx AES16 soundcard & dual-core AMD Athlon processor running Windows 7, Foobar 2000, Adobe Audition 3.0; Halide DAC HD, dCS Debussy, Benchmark DAC1, Logitech Transporter, Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A converters; Empirical Audio Off-Ramp4; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Classé CP-800 with Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
Looking first at the CP-800's performance via its digital inputs, with the volume control locked to unity analog gain or "0.0" with the Input Passthrough setting and in Analog Bypass mode, the AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs successfully locked to data with sample rates ranging from 32 to 192kHz. However, as can be seen…
Photo: Laura Leif and Amber Phelps Bondaroff
My latest addiction is “Stuff I’ve Been Reading,” Nick Hornby’s column for The Believer. I know: It's very hipster/nerdy of me to be reading this stuff; you might even think I live in nerdy Brooklyn. But, I swear, I live in Jersey City, and I have completely sincere and profound reasons for reading The Believer and "Stuff."
Not only does it remind me of how much I admire and enjoy Hornby’s writing—he’s clear, deep, funny, and extremely likable even when he’s being snarky and clever—but it also fuels my passion for reading. And when I…