Show organizer Constantine Soo, founder and editor of Dagogo.com, reports…
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The pendulum has swung back to the West Coast. Just one week after the Capital AudioFest, three weeks after AXPONA NYC, and six weeks after T.H.E. Show Newport Beach, the second California Audio Show is set to begin. Scheduled for July 15–17 in the Crowne Plaza SFO in Burlingame, the show is located just minutes from San Francisco Airport, a few giant steps from a major freeway, a free shuttle ride away from the airport's BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stop, and an eight-minute walk from CalTrain's Broadway Station.
Every few years, it seems, Sony offers a statement product. Sometimes they do it to define a new product category—the SCD-1 introduced to the world the SACD/CD player. Sometimes they do it because they can, as with the outstanding ES SS-M9 and ES SS-M9ED loudspeakers, enthusiastically reviewed by John Atkinson in Stereophile in September 1996 and August 2001, respectively. So when I heard that Sony would introduce a special new speaker at a "by invitation only" event at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show last January, my interest was piqued. I've always kicked myself for not buying a pair of…
Wow. With the Bel Cantos, the SS-AR1's sound was still recognizable, but the speakers sounded as if they'd been cured of head colds. The other thing that occurred to me was that, while Sugiura had laser-aimed the speaker axes at my seat on the sofa, he'd done his own listening while standing behind me—and when I stood back where he had, the soundstage was wider. It really helped the apparent soundstage width to move the SS-AR1s a little farther apart and, using the laser, re-aim them at my usual listening spot. Now to reconsider . . .
It didn't take special effort to recognize that the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, vented-box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweeter, 5" (130mm) sliced paper-cone midrange driver, two 8" (200mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 4kHz. Frequency range: 28Hz–60kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum input power: 200W.
Dimensions: 42.5" (1080mm) H by 12.4" (320mm) W by 19.25" (490mm) D. Weight: 125 lbs (57kg).
Finish: Wood Grain Piano.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 0500009, 0500010.
Price: $27,000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 6.
…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Sony XA-5400ES SACD/CD player, Oppo BDP-83SE universal Blu-ray player.
Preamplification: Parasound Halo JC 2 BP preamplifier, Meridian HD621 HDMI & 861 Reference V6 audio processors.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh MC-303 (three-channel), Bel Canto REF1000 Mk.II (monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: B&W 800 Diamond, Revel Ultima2 Studio.
Cables: Interconnect: van den Hul Flat 180, AudioQuest Vodka HDMI & Cheetah/DBS balanced, Black Cat Veloce digital. Speaker: Straight Wire Maestro II, QED Silver Anniversary XT. AC: JPS…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
My estimate of the Sony SS-AR1's voltage sensitivity was both higher than specified and usefully higher than average, at just above 90dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, its plot of impedance magnitude against frequency (fig.1, solid trace) indicates that it will be drawing more than 1W from the amplifier at that 2.83V level. The impedance drops below 4 ohms for much of the midrange, reaching a minimum value of 2.7 ohms between 350 and 400Hz and at 95Hz. The electrical phase angle (fig.1, dotted trace) is also quite severe at some frequencies; the combination of 3.4 ohms…
A while back, I received an e-mail from The Kid (Stephen Mejias): "I've been listening to and enjoying the Wharfedale 10.1 loudspeakers ($350/pair) for a couple of months. I wrote about them for my March and April issue columns, but they are good enough for a complete review. Are you interested?"
Hmm . . . so The Kid is now assigning me equipment reviews? "Sure, why not?"
The day after the Wharfedales arrived, The Kid sent me another e-mail: "Have you unpacked them yet? They are so pretty!"
That they are, Kid.
Description
Normally, you'd expect cosmetic…
With every recording I played, the Wharfedale's high frequencies sounded clean, extended, detailed, and pristine. The entire range of Scheinman's violin in "Moe Hawk" was silky, with a perfect balance of bite and sweetness. Following and understanding the music on Derek Bailey's Carpal Tunnel (CD, Tzadik TZ7612)—particularly his unorthodox phrasings on acoustic and electric guitar, which involve unusual plucking, picking, and harmonic—requires a very revealing high-frequency transducer. Through the 10.1, Bailey was as revealing of detail and intoxicating as I've heard him in concert.
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, magnetically shielded, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweeter, 4.9" (125mm) Kevlar-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 1.8kHz. Nominal frequency range: 48–24kHz. HF limit: 44kHz, –10dB. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 20–100W.
Dimensions: 11.5" (296mm) H by 7.6" (194mm) W by 10.8" (278mm) D. Weight: 11.4 lbs (5.2kg).
Finishes: Blackwood, Cinnamon Cherry, Rosewood Quilted.
Serial Number Of Units Reviewed: DX1002242.
Price: $350/pair.…
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 phono stage, Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Paradigm Atom v5, Epos ELS3.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus…