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Some general observations: The Voxativ Ampeggios showed the same considerable transient speed, spatial presence, dramatic ease, and physical impact as the best Lowther applications I've heard—and lacked the English speakers' most egregious flaws. Low-frequency tones, from just below 40Hz and up, had real power, color, and physicality via the Voxativs, with response irregularities at only a couple of mid-to-upper-bass frequencies in my smaller room. (Some notes in the piano's left-hand register sounded a little weaker than the rest, though not nearly enough to intrude on my listening…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-driver, hornloaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Frequency range: 38Hz–20kHz. Impedance: not specified; measured impedance >10 ohms. Sensitivity: 98dB/2.83V/m.
Dimensions: 47" (1100mm) H by 19" (350mm) D by 425" (400mm) W, Weight: 121 lbs (55kg).
Finishes: piano gloss black and white.
Price: $29,750/pair.
Manufacturer: Voxativ GmbH, Nollendorfstrasse 11a, 10777 Berlin, Germany. Tel: (49) (0)30-2100-5662. Web: www.voxativ.com. US distributor: Audio Arts, Inc., 1 Astor Place, Suite 11(h), New York, NY 10003. Tel: (212) 260-…
Sidebar 2: Review System
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 Mk.II, turntables; EMT 997, Schick tonearm; Ortofon SPU & 90th Anniversary SPU.
Digital Sources: Wavelength Cosecant, Furutech GT40, Ayre Acoustics QB-9 USB D/A converters; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes V.10.1 & Decibel V.1.0.2 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard/SPU & Hommage T1, Silvercore One-to-Ten step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto and Shindo Vosne-Romanee preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
A highlight of the two audio shows I attended this past spring, SSI in Montreal and Axpona in Atlanta, was listening to the Voxativ by Schimmel Pianos Ampeggio loudspeaker. At first sight it looked like yet another rear-loaded horn using a Lowther driver, albeit with a superb level of finish—but on first listen it was obviously not a Lowther-based design, having none of the Lowther "quack." So when Art Dudley told me that he had a pair of Ampeggios in residence to review for this issue's "Listening" column, I resolved to drive upstate, give a listen in his room,…
Letters
Voxativ Ampeggio Impedance Peaks #1
Editor: Horn loudspeakers was my main subject as B.Sc.E.E. in 1980. . . Ideally a sound should travel from the diaphragm through a horn and into the air without any sound reflected, and traveling back to the diaphragm. A sudden change in the horn shape will cause a sudden change in acoustic impedance, and sound will travel back to the diaphragm. The end of the horn wall, at the mouth, does make such a sudden change. But if the mouth is large compared to the wavelength, the acoustic impedance has almost changed to that of free air, and the…
The September 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. On the cover, we feature Oppo’s latest universal disc player, the BDP-95: It slices, it dices, it plays everything and sounds great. In his review, Kal Rubinson installs the BDP-95 in his Manhattan apartment where he compares its two-channel output against that of the Sony SCD-XA5400ES, then he takes the Oppo to his Connecticut home and compares its analog multichannel output against that of Oppo’s earlier BDP-83SE. He comes up with some interesting conclusions.
Also in this issue:
Erick Lichte listens to the…
It’s a beautiful day in NYC: sunny, 80 degrees, with a slight breeze and low humidity—a perfect day for an outdoor concert. Later this afternoon, I’ll head out to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, meet up with Natalie and Nicole—Kristin will be there, too—and enjoy a “Celebrate Brooklyn” event featuring Foster the People, Midnight Magic, and Cut Copy.
Cut Copy is one of the girls’ favorite bands, a band Natalie had requested during my DJ set at her birthday party, so we are sure to have a good time.
There’s something in the air tonight
A feeling that…
At what point does a domestic audio product cease to be an appliance and assume a loftier place in one's home and heart?
We all can agree that a Bose Wave CD player sits at one end of that continuum, a Koetsu Jade Platinum phono cartridge at the other—but what of all the products in between? Scarcity, mode of manufacture, appearance, even sentimentality ("This is just like the one my father used to have!")—each plays a role, but there's no doubt that price tops the list: The more we pay, the more we love (footnote 1).
If we remove price from the equation, what then? Is sheer…
Installation and setup
Setup? Not a lot to talk about: PrimaLuna's packaging is good enough that the DiaLogue Three can be shipped with its tubes and tube cage already in place. The only challenge in installing my review sample was lifting it clear of the carton.
Setup? Not a lot to talk about: PrimaLuna's packaging is good enough that the DiaLogue Three can be shipped with its tubes and tube cage already in place. The only challenge in installing my review sample was lifting it clear of the carton.
I used the DiaLogue Three in my usual system, driving my Shindo Corton-Charlemagne and Fi 2A3 amplifiers. Because my system is arranged with power amps and preamps rather close to one another, I use interconnects no longer than 2m—and make up the difference with very long speaker cables, of course. Thus I can't comment on…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Line-level, remote-control, tubed preamplifier. Inputs: 5, on RCA jacks. Outputs: 2, on RCA jacks. Tube complement: two 5AR4, four 12AU7. Maximum voltage gain: 12dB. Frequency response: 10Hz–130kHz, +0/–3dB. Input impedance: 220k ohms. Input sensitivity: 220mV. Output impedance: 2500 ohms. THD: 0.15% at 2V. Signal/noise ratio: >100dB (weighted) at 2V.
Dimensions: 15.2" (385mm) W by 8.3" (210mm) H by 15.9" (405mm) D. Weight: 52.9 lbs (24kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 10045276.
Price: $2599. Approximate number of dealers: 33.…