It didn't take special effort to recognize that the…
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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 . . .
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.
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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.
…
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…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1's frequency response in the farfield with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. For the nearfield measurements, I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone. The Diamond 10.1 is of below-average voltage sensitivity, at an estimated 86dB/2.83V/m, though this agrees with the specified figure. The impedance drops below 4 ohms in the lower midrange, reaching a minimum value of 3.6 ohms at 190Hz (fig.1), but the speaker is otherwise fairly easy for the partnering amplifier to drive. An amplifier or receiver rated…
Clearly, more and more people—young and old, male and female—are choosing to enjoy their favorite music on vinyl, a decidedly old-fashioned format. Every time I walk into a record store, I see more vinyl. And more people. The new record bins are growing, the used record bins are growing, LPs are taking up space previously occupied by CDs, and people are shopping enthusiastically, getting in between me and all that precious vinyl. But why?
Photographer Ben Meadors and writer Owen McCafferty are wondering the same thing. They hope to travel to several US cities,…