Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.375" (35mm) beryllium-dome tweeter concentrically mounted with 6.5" (160mm) beryllium-cone midrange driver, 8" (200mm) sandwich-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 2kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz–20kHz, ±3dB (frontal average response). Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum input power: 200W.
Dimensions: 24.7" (628mm) H (46.7"/1186mm H with stands) by 13.4" (341mm) W by 17.5" (444mm) D. Weight: 101.4 lbs (46kg).
Finish: Piano-gloss wood veneer,…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP & DX-5 universal players; Apple G4 Mac mini running OS10.5.8, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.8; Shuttle PC with Lynx AES16 soundcard & dual-core AMD Athlon processor running Windows 7, Foobar 2000, Adobe Audition 3.0; dCS Debussy, Logitech Transporter, Bricasti M1 D/A converters; Halide S/PDIF Bridge, Empirical Audio Off-Ramp4 USB-S/PDIF converters.
Preamplifier: Ayre Acoustics K-5xeMP.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600, MBL Reference 9007 (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: BBC LS3/5a, Sonus Faber Amati Futura…
Preamplifier: Ayre Acoustics K-5xeMP.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600, MBL Reference 9007 (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: BBC LS3/5a, Sonus Faber Amati Futura…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the TAD Compact Reference CR1's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. My estimate of the CR1's voltage sensitivity was 87.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is both about average and slightly above the specified 86dB. The CR1 is specified as being a 4 ohm load, but the speaker's impedance remains above 7.5 ohms throughout the upper midrange and treble, dropping to 4 ohms only between 40 and 225Hz (fig.1). Though there…
Gibson Guitar Corp., makers of some of the world’s most iconic electric guitars—the Flying V, SG, and, of course, the Les Paul come to mind—yesterday announced a strategic partnership with Onkyo Corporation, perhaps best known for their versatile multichannel A/V receivers and 2-channel power amplifiers. If approved, Gibson will purchase a stake in Onkyo Japan and acquire a majority interest in Onkyo USA, becoming the second largest shareholder in Onkyo Corporation. The agreements are subject to Japanese regulatory clearance, further negotiations, and financial considerations…
In theory, the pairing makes perfect sense. One imagines a young Nika Roza Danilova enchanted by the beautiful, haunting images of David Lynch’s films. And while music always played a major role in those films, Lynch has become increasingly active as a dedicated musician: His recent album, Crazy Clown Time has received enthusiastic, colorful reviews and his collaboration with Chrysta Bell [ay yai yai] sounds completely delicious.
The result is a lovely, gently moving piece with a decidedly dark, 1980s feel—some reverb on the guitars, a little chorus, a little flange, and a lot…
Saying that Sutherland Engineering builds a nice line of phono stages is like saying that the Porsche 911 Carrera is a nice line of sports car. The Sutherlands all share common design philosophies, features, and sonic attributes—but just as ramping up from Porsche's classic Carrera Coupe ($78,000) to the GT3 ($115,000) or the Turbo S Cabriolet ($172,000) increases the level of performance and distills the Porsche experience down to its essence, ascending the Sutherland line from the PH3D ($1000) to the 20/20 ($2200) to the Hubble ($3800) buys more of what Ron Sutherland is all about.
For…
It would be simple, and mostly accurate, to say that the Phono Blocks captured all of the strengths and eliminated all of the weaknesses of Sutherland's various earlier models, but that wouldn't do the Blocks justice. They were better than that—so good, in fact, that I found it almost impossible to get a bead on them in my system. About the only way I can think of describing them is in terms of the music they played.
First and foremost, the Phono Blocks replicated the uncanny ease and purity of Sutherland's battery-powered models: the PH3D, the Hubble, and the discontinued PhD. Michael…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-chassis, dual-mono phono preamplifier. Inputs: one each (RCA). Outputs: two paralleled each (RCA). Gain: 45, 50, 55, 60dB (user-selectable). Cartridge loading: 50, 100, 200, 475, 1k, 10k, 47.5k ohms (user-selectable). Blank loading card supplied to allow user to create additional, custom loading values. Power consumption: 20W (10Wpc each). Operating voltage: 110–120VAC or 220–240 VAC.
Dimensions: (each) 17" (432mm) W by 3" (76mm) H by 17" (432mm) D. Weight: 20.1 lbs (9.5kg) net, 26 lbs (11.8kg) shipping.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable; Spiral Groove Centroid, Tri-Planar Precision Mk.VII tonearms; VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Lyra Titan i, Grado Signature Reference cartridges.
Digital Source: Primare CD 31 CD player.
Preamplification: Sutherland Engineering PhD, Parasound Halo JC 3 phono preamplifiers; Audio Research Reference 5, Sutherland Engineering Direct, Placette Active line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB750 Signature, Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Sutherland Phono Block with Stereophile's loan sample of the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). For logistical reasons, I was able to measure only one of the two monophonic amplifiers auditioned by Brian Damkroger, serial no.1060. The voltage gain at 1kHz accurately tracked the nominal gain of the daughterboards used: "45" measured 45.0dB, "50" 50.2dB, "55" 54.9dB, and "60" 60.1dB. The preamp preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting) with all gain settings.
The Sutherland's output…