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In the other Hear No Evil room, Kevin Deal introduced PrimaLuna's new DiaLogue Premium Integrated amplifier ($3299). This amp can be fitted with KT66/6L6GC, KT77/EL34, or 6550/KT88 tubes and, driving a pair of KEF R900 speakers ($5000/pair) did sonic justice to Nils Lofgren’s homage to Keith Richards, “Keith Don’t Go.” Source was PrimaLuna’s ProLogue Premium CD player ($3299), which now has a 24/192k-capable USB input based on an M2Tech module as well as the tubed clock circuit used in the earlier Prologue Eight player.
Not only was Stereophile celebrating its first half-century at RMAF, so was British speaker manufacturer KEF with the US premier of its LS50 ($1499/pair) in one of retailer Hear No Evils’s rooms. Driven by Parasound electronics—ZDAC, P7 preamp, A21 power amp—the sound was both delicate yet full-bodied. This came as no surprise as reviewing this little beauty, whose single Uni-Q drive-unit was developed from that used in KEF’s flagship Blade model, for our forthcoming December issue was a highlight of my 2012 auditioning.
“I know that is, it’s Prince. I went to school with him!” exclaimed the woman sitting next to me. We were listening to a strangely compelling version of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” in Hear No Evil’s large ground-floor room. I have heard KEF’s flagship Blade loudspeaker ($30,000/pair) on other occasions but never under good enough conditions for me to get a handle on its sound quality. It was different at RMAF. Driven by McIntosh electronics—two MC601 600W monoblocks, a C48 preamp, and an MCD500 SACD/CD player—with a PS Audio PowerPlant regenerating the AC for the front-end components and…
Imagine a speaker firm with an introductory product that pushes the outside of the performance envelope while tearing the pricing envelope to shreds. A reviewer in an audio journal that tilts toward the high end deems this speaker "appallingly expensive," notes he would have bought the test sample if he'd had the money, and confesses that being without it makes him feel "rather as though a member of the family has passed away." Now envision a speaker company at the peak of the industry sales curve, one so successful that a mainstream hi-fi magazine ranks it No.1 in market share for two…
The Duette comes with small, dimpled pucks of machined metal and sets of spikes in three different lengths, to couple the speaker to the stand's top plate. The pucks fit into machined recesses, and the spikes attach magnetically to the Duette's bottom or side. The different lengths of spike allow the speaker to be tilted, if needed, for proper integration of the drivers' outputs. Wilson offers a handsome stand of the optimal height (about 25", with adjustable bottom spikes), with a space at the bottom rear to hold the crossover, for another $1795/pair. The stand's top and bottom plates are…
Lander: What did you do to make the electrostatic aspects of your speaker better?
Nudell: We spoke with RTR Industries. They were manufacturing speakers, and had bought the Janszen electrostatic patent. We knew that some modification of the Janszen tweeter would be excellent, but it couldn't just be a large, square plate; what we had to do was make the tweeter very much narrower and fairly long. It ended up made of various elements and a meter long. Then we and RTR developed an electrostatic midrange using similar but not exactly the same technology. Once we had the tweeter elements in…
Three Jazz Journalists Association Awards for Sonny Rollins (Photo: www.sonnyrollins.com)
The Jazz Journalists' Association held its annual bash at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City Wednesday afternoon: crowded, boisterous, and, thankfully, air conditioned (it was 97 degrees out on the sidewalk).
The big winner—no surprise—was Sonny Rollins, who nabbed Best Musician of the Year, Best Tenor Saxophonist of the Year, and (for Road Shows, Vol. 2) Best Album of the Year. I voted for Rollins in all three categories as well—a rare instance when I've been at one with the consensus…
Wednesday night, June 20, I witnessed a marvel that, among many other things, confirmed my (hardly original) belief that the recording industry has to change its business model.
The marvel was a duet set, at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City, featuring Jason Moran on piano and Herlin Riley on drums. This was bound to be interesting; the mystery was what it would sound like; the marvel was that it turned out to be sensational, a stream of virtuosic, playful joy.
The downside, dear reader, is that you will almost never experience this wonder—neither the concert itself (one…
Stereophile is pleased to announce the availability of the free 2012 Recommended Components iPad app.
Available Now
The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In iTunes, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components" or follow this link to the iTunes store from your web browser.
This app includes all current Recomended Components as listed in the recent issue of Stereophile as well as additional ratings and listings that could not fit in the print version. There are over 700 component rankings in all and the app is compatible with all…
Grizzly Bear’s next album will be released by Warp Records on September 17—one day after my birthday. Nice. Judging from the album’s lead track, “Sleeping Ute,” it’s going to be another great record and an impressive follow-up to 2009’s spectacular Veckatimest.