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David Manley, 73, founder of VTL, Manley Laboratories, and the ViTaL record label, died of a heart attack on December 26, 2012, at a hospital near his home in Varrennes-Jarcy, France. Famously described in the pages of Stereophile by Robert Harley in a 1991 interview as expressing "his strongly held beliefs with a passion and conviction that the printed word does not adequately convey," Manley leaves behind a rich legacy that continues to grow under the leadership of, for VTL, his son Luke Manley and daughter-in-law Beatrice Lam, and for Manley Labs, his fifth wife, EveAnna Manley.
I was ready to have some fun with Dayton Audio's B652 loudspeakers—the ones with the outrageously high price of $39.80/pair.
Available from Parts Express (catalog #300-652), the Dayton B652 is a simple two-way, sealed-cabinet design with a 6.5" polypropylene mid/woofer and a ferrofluid-cooled, 5/8" polycarbonate tweeter. The cabinet is clad in black vinyl and has a removable grille of black cloth. The B652s sounded pretty much the same regardless of whether the grilles were in place, but I preferred their looks with the grilles off, so that's how I listened. Better looks often equal…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted loudspeaker: Drive-units: 6.5" polypropylene-cone woofer, ferrofluid-cooled 5/8" polycarbonate-dome tweeter: Frequency range: 70Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/1m. Power handling: 40W RMS, 75W maximum.
Dimensions: 11 13/16" (mm) H by 7 1/16" (mm) W by 6 7/16" (mm) D. Weight: 5.8 lbs (2.6kg).
Finish: Black vinyl.
Serial number of review samples: None found.
Price: $39.80/pair including two 9½ foot, 20AWG speaker cables. Approximate number of dealers: 1 (sold direct).
Manufacturer:…
Sidebar 2: System
I used my four-year-old Rega Research P3-24 turntable and tonearm, and a Rega Elys 2 moving-magnet cartridge with about 35,000 hours on it. (I exaggerate, but yes, the thing is well worn.) These were augmented by Rega's drive-belt upgrade and outboard TT-PSU power supply, and a Boston Audio Design Mat 1 carbon-fiber platter mat. The entire rig would have cost around $1500 when last available. The signal from the turntable went into Parasound's ZphonoUSB phono preamplifier ($349) via Kimber Kable's PBJ interconnect ($110/1m). A second run of PBJ delivered the signal to…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The $39.80/pair B652 is by far the least expensive loudspeaker ever to be reviewed in Stereophile. I examined its performance with DRA Labs' MLSSA system, using a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the speaker's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. The B652's voltage sensitivity is specified as 87dB; my estimate was a little higher, at 88.4dB(B)/2.83V/m. The Dayton's nominal impedance is 8 ohms, which my measurement confirmed. Fig.1 shows that the impedance remains between 4 and 8 ohms throughout…
I received a call from Aperion Audio, who wanted to know if was interested in reviewing their Verus Grand Bookshelf loudspeaker ($598/pair when reviewed, $699/pair as of January 2013). I've had good experiences with speakers from this Oregon-based, Internet-only company. I reviewed their Intimus 6T (January 2009) and Intimus 533-T (April 2007), and felt both provided overall good sound and great value for the money. I was also impressed with the speakers' quality of construction and physical appearance. But those models were floorstanders—what excites me more is finding new bookshelf speakers…
Lately I've been revisiting one of my favorite Chick Corea discs, The Mad Hatter (LP, Polydor PD-1-6130). The first four tracks feature a wide range of acoustic and electronic textures and musical styles, and a broad spectrum of dynamic contrasts.
In 1978, when the album was released, I was shopping for my first high-end stereo, and used it to make my decision. Enamored of Dahlquist's DQ-10 speaker, I visited every Dahlquist dealer in the New York metropolitan area (there were seven or eight), excluding New Jersey. (Queens guys don't go to Jersey because of the sea monsters in the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way bass-reflex loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ASR silk-dome tweeter, 5" woven-Kevlar woofer with aluminum phase plug. Frequency response: 59Hz–20kHz, ±3dB; 54Hz–22kHz, ±6dB. Impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplification: 30–200W.
Dimensions: 13" (330mm) H by 7.5" (190mm) W by 9" (230mm) D. Weight: 14 lbs (6.4kg).
Finishes: Gloss Piano Black, Gloss Cherrywood veneer.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: VG 301091/2.
Price: $598/pair (when reviewed), $699/pair (2013). Matching I29 stands cost $94/pair.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Research 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 Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Epos ELS3 & M5i, Wharfedale Diamond 10.1.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the performance of the Aperion Verus Grand Bookshelf loudspeaker with DRA Labs' MLSSA system, using a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the speaker's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. The Verus Grand's voltage sensitivity is specified as 87dB; my estimate was close, at 86.3dB(B)/2.83V/m. The speaker's nominal impedance is 6 ohms, but other than the region between 120 and 400Hz, where it reaches a minimum of 4.15 ohms at 160Hz, the impedance magnitude remains above 6 ohms across the…