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A well-balanced sytem—both in terms of the price of its components and the sound—was demonstrated by Jay Rein of Bluebird Music. The speakers were Spendor SP2/3R2s ($4295/pair), a reworking of the classic BC1, with the tweeter from the A line. CD player, preamp, and amplifiers were by Exposure, and cables by Van den Hul (which Jay told me were the most neutral sounding Van den Hul has produced so far).
I've had a fondness for speakers by Vienna Acoustics ever since I reviewed their original Mozart. I've heard their larger speakers at shows since then, and they've always sounded excellent. This was also the case at TAVES. The Music (how can you criticize a speaker named Music?) at $27,500/pair was combined with electronics by Esoteric and cables by Transparent (about $42,000 total), and a MacBook Pro as the source.
Every person I talked to—manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and, most important, audiophile visitors—were most enthusiastic about their experience at the Toronto Show. Of the visitors, perhaps typical was the brother of a neighbor of mine, who lives in Florida and made a point of timing his visit in Toronto such that he'd be able to attend TAVES. Both brothers came to the show, and took pains to look for me and tell me how much they enjoyed it. The brother from Florida said that there are not many audio dealers in his part of the country, and he really appreciated the opportunity to see…
On their website, the only products listed are cables and stepup transformers, but at TAVES, Blueberryhill Audio had a new speaker on demo. And what a speaker! The Rhapsody 3D has a bipolar arrangement of two 8" full-range Fostex drivers, supplemented by a Fostex supertweeter, and a servo-controlled powered subwoofer, with all the drivers in cylindrical cabinets. The sound was fabulous, with startling dynamics, great imaging, and bass that was tight, well-controlled, and extended. The Rhapsody 3D was being driven by an 8W 300B amp for the mid/highs and another 25W tube amp for the…
The Proceed CD player is the first digital product from Madrigal Audio Laboratories, a company known for their Mark Levinson preamplifiers and power amplifiers, including the very highly regarded No.20.5 power amplifiers. Given Madrigal's track record of producing ultra–high-end (and expensive) components, I was surprised and encouraged that the Proceed CD player is so affordably priced.
The Proceed was a long time in development, reflecting Madrigal's care and thoroughness before releasing a new product. Many technical innovations have been incorporated into the Proceed, and the machine'…
In general, I found the sparse and direct front-panel controls a welcome change from the clutter of many other machines. During the month I lived with the Proceed, I never felt shortchanged on features. (The remote control is the identical Philips unit to that supplied with CAL, Kinergetics, and Meridian players.)
Sound
Over the past few months, I had grown familiar with the Marantz CD-94. Although it has several weaknesses (ill-defined bass and lack of dynamics), it is relatively free from the "digital glare" so common among other CD players and digital decoders. After a long…
Sidebar 1: Review System
The playback system used to evaluate the Proceed included an Audio Research SP-14 preamplifier, VTL 225W monoblock power amplifiers, and MartinLogan Sequel II loudspeakers. Speaker cable was AudioQuest Hyperlitz Clear, and interconnects were Magnan Type V (CD player to preamp) and Expressive Technologies (preamp to power amps). All components were plugged in to a Tice Powerblock/Titan combination.
My dedicated listening room has optimum dimensional ratios and is treated with Phantom Acoustics Shadows, an active low-frequency control system.
For…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Proceed showed no surprises on the bench. Frequency response was extremely flat, with a very slight rolloff (–0.1dB right, –0.2dB left) at 20kHz, though there was a minor deemphasis error of +0.2dB at 16kHz. Spectral analysis of a –90dB, dithered 1kHz signal, shown in fig.1, revealed a low level of HF spuriae, though some linearity error can be seen by the –90dB recorded signal rising above the –90dB horizontal division. Somewhat surprisingly, this implied positive level error was not apparent on a plot of departure from linearity (fig.2). Checking with a 1/3-…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: CD player with 8x-oversampling digital filtering, dual 18-bit DACs. Specifications: Frequency response: 10Hz–20kHz +0dB, –0.2dB. THD: 0.004% at 1kHz, 0dB. S/N Ratio: 105dB (unweighted). Channel separation: 120dB. Intermodulation distortion (SMPTE IMD): 0.006%. Dynamic range: 98dB or greater. Maximum output: 4.25V (balanced), 2.115V (unbalanced). Output impedance: <1 ohm. Power consumption: 25W at 120V, 60Hz.
Dimensions: 8.9" (227mm) W by 8.4" (214mm) D by 13.25" (337mm) H. Shipping weight: 27 lbs (12.24kg).
Price: $1650 (1990); no longer…
"No pain; no gain." Thus goes the June 1991 offering from the Cliché-of-the-Month Club—(800) MOT-JUST—a saying that seems particularly appropriate for audiophiles with aspirations. High-performance loudspeakers fall into two categories. First are those exasperating thoroughbreds requiring endless Tender Loving Care and fussy attention to system detail to work at all. Take the Avalon Eclipse or the Infinity IRS Beta, for example: when everything is just fine, you put on record after record, trying to get through as much music as possible before the system goes off song again. On the other hand…