But my system must not only satisfy me personally, it must also act as an evaluation tool for the gear I review. For example, as an audiophile I would…
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Reviewing audio equipment has always been a blast. With each passing month, some potentially wonderful new piece of audio gear finds its way into my system. But as an audiophile, I don't want to be constantly changing the equipment in my system—I want to put together the best setup I can and spend my time optimizing its performance. In spite of the revolving equipment door, I try to listen to the majority of music on my own equipment.
After a great deal of experimentation, I finally aligned the speakers so they fired close to straight ahead—with all the other ProAcs I've owned, I've aimed them directly at the listening position. The soundstage was very wide, but with too much toe-in, the stage became more narrow, the bass more uneven. Depth was excellent, mimicking whatever the source (analog or digital) contained. The deep, wide soundstage was located behind and around the speakers, with realistic layers in both directions. Placement upon the stage was precise, with no vagueness or wandering, while images within the…
Jack English wrote again about the Response 4 in June 1994 (Vol.17 No.6):
My March '94 review of the ProAc Response 4 was positive, but prolonged exposure to the speaker has convinced me that I wasn't nearly enthusiastic enough in my recommendation. In that review I described several speaker positions and the sonic consequences of each. After a great deal of additional experimentation, I now feel that my earlier suggestions were suboptimal. The 4s sounded good in almost any configuration, but each arrangement produced different sonic results.
I've found that the big 4s perform…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Floorstanding, plinth-mounted, three-way, five-driver, ported loudspeakers. Bass drivers: two 9" coated cones with 3" ribbon-wound voice-coils and diecast chassis. Midrange drivers: two 3" soft domes with 3" ribbon-wound voice-coils and double-mounted suspensions. Tweeter: 1" soft dome with coating, rear loading, ferrofluid-cooled and damped voice-coil. Crossover: three-way with 12dB/octave slopes. Grillecloth: acoustically transparent Crimplene. Frequency response: 20Hz-25kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 14" W by…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
As I explained in Jack English's March review (p.98), the logistical problems of shipping the 355-lb-each ProAc Response 4s to Santa Fe for measurement were formidable. As I was visiting the East Coast in March, it seemed more sensible to measure—and take a listen to—the speakers in situ in Jack English's listening room.
I measured the speaker's impedance magnitude and phase with the DRA Labs MLSSA system, although for conformity's sake, I plotted them out using the Audio Precision software (fig.1). The magnitude varies considerably, reaching a maximum…
So where and on exactly what should you plunk your precious audiophile components when you get them home? And why even bother?
If you read last month's "Fine Tunes," perhaps you've already checked that your equipment is set up at an acoustically null point, avoiding resonances induced by the speakers and their interaction with the room. That applies to audio racks as well as "incidental shelving," heaven forbid. Phono cartridges, phono stages, and tubed preamps are most prone to these microphonic effects. If you pop the top of your preamp and scream directly at that costly New Old Stock…
A letter in response appeared in the November 1999 issue of Stereophile:
Maybe not
Editor: Despite its slender profile, the July Stereophile was packed with useful information. In Sam Tellig's column, I read about the "snoring" of transformers in tube amps. My amplifier snores like my father used to do during Saturday naps. Next, in Jonathan Scull's column, I learned how to cure snoring. I had an old butcher block in the kitchen, so I slipped it and a set of DH Labs Jumbo Cones under my Dyna/VanAlstine Stereo 70.
Presto! The snoring stopped. (I also think I hear improvements…
Unpacking and installing a new component is always cause for excitement, even if one does it with almost mechanical regularity, and the anticipation is greater when the component is from a manufacturer of almost mythic reputation. So when John Atkinson asked if I'd like to audition Nagra's new PL-L preamplifier, I feigned calm as I accepted the assignment, even while remembering those years in college radio when I had to schlepp big Ampexes and Maggies. The sexy, portable Nagras were the stuff of dreams. Finally, I thought, I'd get my hands and ears on one.
But this line-level…
In the hope that my first sample was somehow defective, Nagra's US distributor, Audiophile Systems, Ltd., supplied another, already wrung out to their satisfaction at Home Entertainment 2002. The second unit performed, in all ways, exactly as the first. So, even though the PL-L has no turn-off transients, do observe the rules and turn the power amps on last and off first.
No Complaints
The only remaining gripe I might possibly have had about the PL-L was its lack of any tape ins/outs, but that's a reflection of its professional heritage. In the studio or recording on location, all…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tube line-level preamplifier. Tube complement: two 12AX7/ECC83, one 12AT7/ECC81. Inputs: 3 line-level (RCA), 1 single-ended (XLR). Outputs: 2 single-ended RCA, 1 single-ended XLR (transformer-coupled balanced XLR optional). Input voltage for 1V output: 250mV-25V, adjustable. Input impedance: >110k ohms. Output impedance: 60 ohms. S/N Ratio ref. 1V: >88dB A-weighted. Dynamic range: 100dB. Bandwidth: 20Hz-100kHz, +0/-1dB. Distortion: <0.02% (1V out, no load at 1kHz), <0.10% (2V out, 600 ohm load). Power consumption: 12V, 900mA.
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