Sidebar 3: Measurements
To measure the Krell Cipher, I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain. It wasn't possible to measure the player's performance from its current-mode CAST output, but I did do so from its balanced and unbalanced outputs.
To test the Cipher's performance as an SACD player, I used the "provisional" Sony Test SACD. Although Krell doesn't mention DVD playback on their website in their…
I have fond memories of the Paradigm Reference Studio 20. When I reviewed the original version for the February 1998 issue of Stereophile, it was the model that started me on my quest to seek out the best affordable loudspeakers. I believe that of all the speakers I've reviewed, the original Studio 20 remained in the magazine's "Recommended Components" longest. When I checked out the speaker's fourth generation, in May 2008, I felt it had significantly progressed in terms of sound quality and value for money. This didn't surprise me, however, as pushing the envelopes of sound quality and…
The recording that best illustrated the Paradigm's midrange and HF harmonic integrity was "My Funny Valentine," from trumpeter Don Ellis's Out of Nowhere (CD, Candid 29032). The integration of the harmonic and dynamic envelopes across the trumpet's range created the most startlingly lifelike reproduction of the instrument's sound that I'd ever heard in my listening room. While the recording was playing, my 11-year-old daughter's best friend, who has heard many expensive speakers in my listening room, entered the room to exclaim, "Wow, those are great speakers!" Ultimately, I found the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, bass-reflex bookshelf speaker. Drive-units (both with IMS/Shock-Mount chassis): 1" (25mm), ferrofluid-damped/-cooled G-PAL dome tweeter; 7" (178mm) S-PAL-cone woofer with 1.5" (38mm) voice-coil and AVS die-cast chassis. Frequency response: 54Hz–22kHz, ±2dB (on axis), 54Hz–20kHz, ±2dB (30° off axis). Sensitivity: 90dB room, 87dB anechoic. Recommended amplification: 15–180W. Maximum input power: 110W.
Dimensions: 14 5/8" (372mm) H by 8 7/8" (225mm) W by 13 1/8" (335mm) D (H includes spikes or outrigger feet; W excludes outriggers). Weight…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D, Creek Destiny phono stages; Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifiers: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Excite X12, Epos M5i, Monitor Audio RS6 Silver.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v5's farfield frequency responses, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. With a specified anechoic voltage sensitivity of 87dB, the Paradigm actually raised 88.5dB(B) at 1m with 2.83V drive. This is usefully high sensitivity, though the impedance drops below 4 ohms in the lower midrange, reaching a minimum value of 3.45 ohms at 175Hz. However, the impedance remains above 6 ohms for much of the audioband, and as usual, the instances where…
Pictured (from left to right): Rhonda Wilson, Senior Member, Technical Staff, Products & Technology Group, Dolby Laboratories; Craig Eggers, Director, Content Creation and Playback, Home Theater Ecosystem, Dolby Laboratories; Poppy Crum, Senior Staff Scientist, Dolby Laboratories pose with some of the most recent titles using Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k up sampling.
At 12 noon PST today, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. announced the availability of the first Blu-ray Discs premastered using Dolby® TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling, The process, designed for use by studios, authoring…
Wynton Marsalis: Marsalis Standard Time, Vol.1
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Marcus Roberts, piano; Robert Leslie Hurst III, bass; Jeff Watts, drums
CBS CK 40461 (CD), FC 40461 (LP). Tim Geelan, eng.; Steve Epstein, prod. DDD. TT: 62:54
When someone has garnered as much hoopla as has Wynton Marsalis over the last five years, it becomes harder and harder for a critic to believe that the hype continues to be justified. Nor does winning Grammys in the jazz and classical categories help the situation's believability. Worse, Marsalis's own bristly demeanor and portentious pronouncements…
The Milty Zerostat: Sold for prevention of disease. And other things.
Before dropping the needle onto Christine's copy of Sold for Prevention of Disease Only, I shot the record a few times with the Milty Zerostat 3 ($100), a blue, gun-shaped gadget that helps eliminate static. Squeezing the Zerostat's thin black trigger releases positive ions; relaxing the trigger produces negative ions. A complete squeeze cycle results in a neutral static condition—one perfectly in balance, neither too heavy nor too light—and my LPs play quietly. This step in my LP-playing routine grew out of necessity…
The original V-series products were housed in small (3.75" wide by 1.7" high by 6.7" long), black extrusions, and featured garish lettering in a font that goes by such names as Fiesta and Salsa. The products' names—V-CAN, V-DAC, V-LPS—seemed to dance across their faceplates. The whimsical logos had struck me as a failed attempt by Musical Fidelity to relate to a younger audience. Perhaps they went too far: If five-year-olds were buying hi-fi, the strategy might have worked. The products were affordable, but I would never want them in my home. Was it possible that MF, despite its success at…
