GUY CLARK: Cold Dog Soup
Sugar Hill Sug-CD-1063 (CD). 1999. Chris Latham, prod., eng.; Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson, Darrell Scott, prods. AAD. TT: 40:44
Performance *****
Sonics ****? Ten years ago, Townes Van Zandt made a record titled The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt. Little did the hard-living, immensely talented singer-songwriter know how powerfully that title prefigured his fate—he died tragically last year from too much alcohol—or, more accurately, too much life.
One of the most eloquent results of Van Zandt's death is this collection, recorded by… This magazine's "Recording of the Month" feature has been running without a break since it first appeared in our January 1994 issue. The idea of its progenitor, then-music editor Richard Lehnert (who still copy-edits every word you see in Stereophile), was that every month we would recognize a recording that defied "Holt's First Law" by offering superb sound and wonderful music (footnote 1). I think we've succeeded at that goal. Despite the letter that Robert Baird mentions in his "Aural Robert" column this month (p.113), whose writer objected to the February issue's pick (Shelby Lynne's…
Stereophile is, in one sense, like a family—us younguns have to make do sometimes because the house is straining at the seams. When I first arrived in Santa Fe, for instance, I was told not to come to the office for a few days—the good news, John Atkinson informed me, was that I had a desk; the bad news was that nobody had a clue where to put it. The dilemma was solved in Solomon-like fashion by shoehorning my desk into the "listening room," which was already serving double-duty as audition space and speaker-measurement lab. If manufacturers visited, we'd sweep up all the acoustic damping…
After a good long burn-in, I set about auditioning the speaker once more. Reference Recordings' superb Bruckner Symphony 9 (Skrowaczewski/Minnesota, RR-18) is filled with dynamic swings and massed brass crescendos, all of which the RDM Two handled easily. This speaker is capable of playing really loud—always a plus when playing Bruckner. The soundstage was immense, and instruments were placed within it with precision. But I found the hall sound somewhat more reverberant than I had with other speakers. Despite the dynamic immediacy, I felt as though I were listening to the Minnesota Orchestra…
Sidebar 1: Specifications Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, magnetically shielded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" fabric-dome tweeter concentrically mounted in 5" polypropylene-cone woofer with a rubber butyl rubber suspension. Crossover frequency: 2.1kHz. Frequency response: 80Hz-18kHz, ±2dB (-6dB at 65Hz). Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Maximum output: 112dB. Amplifier requirements: 30-175W.
Dimensions: 13.2" H by 9.3" W by 10" D. Weight: 18.3 lbs each.
Finish: Gray Nextel with gloss gray, red lacquer, or cherry veneer "cheeks."
Serial…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment LP Playback: Linn LP12 with Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim ARO tonearm, van den Hul Frog phono cartridge.
CD Playback: Mark Levinson No.39, Meridian 508-24.
Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson ART.
Power Amplifiers: Cary CAD-300 SEI; Krell FPB 600, Krell KAV-300i; Myryad MI 120.
Cables: Kimber KCAG interconnects, Kimber Black Pearl speaker cables.
Accessories: Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 112, Magro Stereo Display Stand, Foundation 24" stands.
Sound Treatment: ASC Tube Traps, Studio Traps, Bass Traps; RPG Abffusors; pinguedinous pet.—…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although the little KEF's impedance (fig.1) can be seen to drop to 5 ohms and below in the lower midrange and at ultrasonic frequencies, it is, overall, an easy load for an amplifier to drive. The large peak just above 2kHz is due to the crossover; the twin peaks in the bass are due to the reflex alignment. The tuning of the port is given by the frequency of the "saddle" between the low-frequency peaks: 63Hz, which implies only moderate bass extension. On the other hand, the RDM Two will play loud with only a few amplifier watts—I estimated its B-weighted…
The RDM Two's Uni-Q design results in excellent dispersion. Fig.4 shows the well-controlled lateral dispersion, something always associated with excellent imaging precision—WP, MF, and ST were all impressed by this aspect of the KEF's performance. Note also that this graph confirms that the on-axis peak and notch flatten out to the speaker's sides. The coaxial drive-unit's symmetrical construction results in the speaker's dispersion being very similar in both lateral and vertical planes—its perceived balance will not be significantly affected by its being used on its side as a center-channel…
Sidebar 4: "Sam's Space," October 1997 (Vol.20 No.10): Talk about cheeky...
...the new KEF Monitor Series RDM speakers come with wood-veneered side panels called "cheeks." These are available in lacquered red, black, and charcoal, or in a natural cherrywood veneer. Beneath the veneered "cheeks" is the MDF cabinet, which is clad in gray vinyl top and bottom. The cabinet is quite dead.
The ruddy-cheeked RDM Two is particularly striking—a welcome relief from the usual boring box. These speakers will stand up and get noticed—preferably on stands 20"-24" high. The speakers are…
The "Reference" designation is thrown around a lot in the world of perfectionist audio. It's most often used to elevate the top of the line to a higher perceived status. Occasionally, as in the case of the VTL TL-7.5 line stage that I reviewed in October 2003, it genuinely denominates a component that is clearly superior to its competition in most aspects of performance.
While Lamm Industries has labeled preamplifiers and phono preamplifiers "Reference," it immediately struck me that the M1.2 is the first power amp to which Vladimir Lamm has applied the term. Despite the…
