For many people, the Internet means access to email, social networking sites, weblogs, forums, countless apps and other crap. For me, the Internet will inevitably mean Computer Audio.
And when the time comes for me to dive into Computer…
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I’m sort of a jerk (stubborn, old-fashioned, anti-social, fiercely independent) and have managed, for my entire adult life, to survive without the Internet in my home. I realize that that will someday have to change—probably sooner than later—as I relinquish my autonomous life for one shared with another person. (And her two cats.)
I can't think of two products at further ends of the audio spectrum than a single-ended triode tubed amplifier and a mass-market Home Theater loudspeaker. Single-ended tubed amplifiers are about reproducing subtlety, delicacy, nuance, and communicating the music's inner essence. Conversely, a Home Theater loudspeaker system—particularly one made by a mass-market manufacturer—would appear to put the emphasis on booming bass and reproducing shotgun blasts, with little regard for musical refinement.
What a bizarre marriage it was, then, to pair the new Infinity Composition Prelude P-FR…
Sidebar 1: System
I auditioned the Composition system as an entire Home Theater package (with the matching center-channel and surround loudspeakers) with three A/V receivers and one A/V amplifier: the Onkyo TX-SV919THX, Yamaha RX-V590, Pioneer VSX-D704S, and the Arcam Xeta One, respectively. For pure music-listening, I drove the Preludes in my music room with Audio Research VT150 tubed monoblock power amplifiers and an Audio Research LS5 Mk.II preamp.
The digital front-end was a Mark Levinson No.31 Reference CD transport feeding the Spectral SDR-2000 Pro processor (HDCD-equipped…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
JA performed the measurements, supplying me with the results after I had finished my auditioning. The Prelude's B-weighted sensitivity measured 95.5dB—slightly lower than the claimed 96dB figure. Still, 95.5dB is an amazingly high sensitivity, particularly for a loudspeaker as flat in response as the Prelude (as we'll see later). Looking at the impedance-magnitude and phase-angle plots (fig.1), we can see that the Prelude's impedance is closer to 5 ohms nominal than the specified 6 ohms nominal. The impedance dips to 4 ohms (at 1.2kHz) and is less than 6 ohms…
Sam Tellig wrote about the Infinity Prelude P-FR in February 1996 (Vol.19 No.2):
"You're listening to the Jadis SE300B amplifiers with the Infinity Composition speakers?" a certain Stereophile reviewer asked, with a touch of disapproval in his voice.
"Yes, why not. Very efficient. Recommended for use with amplifiers with as little as 10 watts of power. What's more, the Jadis amplifiers and the Infinity speakers look very elegant together."
"Well, I don't know. But those Jadis amplifiers are very soigné, shall we say, and they would seem to demand equally refined speakers…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Four-way dynamic loudspeaker with integral woofer amplifier. Driver complement: 12" woofer, four 5.25" lower-midrange units, two 4" upper-midrange drivers, 1" soft-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 110Hz, 350Hz, and 3kHz. Frequency response: 25Hz–20kHz ($*–6dB at 25Hz); 35Hz–20kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 96dB/2.83V/1m (anechoic). Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 10–150W.
Dimensions: 7.5" W by 19.5" D by 54.75" H. Weight: 78 lbs each.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 01082L/R.
Price: $3000/pair (1995); no longer available…
The Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 45 measures a very room- and back-friendly 11 11/16" (297mm) high by 6¾" (172mm) wide by 11 11/16" (297mm) deep, but these dimensions are attractive for reasons other than simple, efficient transport and placement. I noticed right away that something about the speaker just looked right. Paul DiComo, DefTech's senior vice president of marketing and product development, explained that while the number and size of drivers used in any DefTech design will largely dictate that speaker's height and width, the company nevertheless aims for Fibonacci, or golden-…
Sidebar 1: System
I listened to music using my Rega P3-24 turntable, NAD C 515BEE CD player, Parasound ZphonoUSB phono preamplifier, NAD C 316BEE integrated amplifier, and Kimber Kable 8VS speaker cables and PBJ interconnects—a pretty rad system, if I do say so myself. The DefTech StudioMonitor 45s were secured with small globs of Blu-Tack to 24"-tall Target stands, while the components rested on my Polycrystal equipment rack. Source components and amplifiers were plugged into a Furutech e-TP60 power conditioner, itself plugged into a Furutech GTX wall receptacle via an AudioQuest NRG-…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
I examined the performance of one of the DefTech speakers with DRA Labs' MLSSA system. I used a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the speaker's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. I estimated the SM 45's voltage sensitivity at 86dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is typical for a small speaker like this but well below the specified 90dB. The nominal impedance is specified at 8 ohms; while the plot of impedance magnitude against frequency (fig.1, solid trace) remains above 8 ohms in the upper midrange and treble…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Two-way, port-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 5.25" woofer. Frequency range: 35Hz–30kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 11 11/16" (297mm) H by 6¾" (172mm) W by 11 11/16" (297mm) D. Weight: 12 lbs.
Serial number of review samples:MCDA0112-TA01281.
Price: $398/pair.
Manufacturer: Definitive Technology: 11433 Cronridge Drive, Suite K, Owings Mills, MD 21117-2294. Tel: (410) 363-7148. Fax: (410) 363-9998. Web: www.definitivetech.com