Description: Three-way, stand-mounted, reflex-ported loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.8" fabric-dome tweeter, 7" polymer-cone midrange, 11.8" Bextrene-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 500Hz, 5kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz–20kHz, ±3dB (anechoic). Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 5.5 ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 27.3" (700mm) H by 14.4" (370mm) W by 16.8" (430mm) D. Weight: 79 lbs (36kg).
Finishes: Cherry; Black Ash or Dark Walnut available by special order.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 220B06507, 220B06508.
Price: $11,495/pair,…
search
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Ortofon TA-210 tonearms; Ortofon SPU, EMT TSD 15 70th Anniversary & OFD 25 & OFD 65 pickup heads; Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly USB D/A converter; Apple iMac G5 computer with iTunes v.10.6, Decibel v.1.0.2 playback software.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard (SPU version), Silvercore One-to-Ten, Hommage T2 step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks & Haut-Brion, Fi…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Spendor Classic SP100R2 loudspeaker was measured 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 Spendor's voltage sensitivity is specified as 89dB/W/m, a little higher than my estimate of 88.2dB(B)/2.83V/m. The impedance is specified as 8 ohms with a minimum of 5.5 ohms; the solid trace in fig.1 indicates that the impedance remains above 8 ohms for almost all of the audioband, with a minimum magnitude of 5.95 ohms at…
There I was, sitting on the orange couch, with just a few hours to kill before my scheduled departure to Denver, Colorado—I'd been invited to the eighth annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, where surely I'd be moved to tears by some of the greatest, most advanced, most expensive hi-fi systems known to man—and I could not believe the awesome sound coming from my modest little stereo.
The song was "Lunacy," the opening track of Swans' latest masterpiece, The Seer (3 LPs, Young God YG45), a brutal and uncompromising epic of an album—and my very favorite album of the year (see sidebar).
…
Ouch. That one stung a bit. I spun around in circles, wondering how to begin a response. Should I start with the strange idea of "musicality," or with the horrible perversion of my gear as "lo-fi"? Then again, should I begin by enumerating my qualifications? Should I remind everyone that I've spent significant time listening to some of the most expensive hi-fi products in the world, that I've listened to more gear in the last five years than most people hear in their lives? Or should I simply punch the computer screen?
Luckily, "Enophile" came to my defense: "'Musicality'? I don't buy…
Sidebar: SM's 15 Favorite Records of 2012
15) Dope Body: Natural History (LP, Drag City DC513)
14) Eric Chenaux: Guitar & Voice (LP, Constellation CST088)
13) XX: Coexist (LP, XL 46-080)
12) Laurel Halo: Quarantine (LP, Hyperdub HDB014)
11) Dan Deacon: America (LP, Domino DNO319)
10) Atom(tm): Winterreise (CD, Raster-Noton R-N140)
9) David Byrne & St. Vincent: Love This Giant (LP, 4AD 3231)
8) Mohn: Mohn (LP, Kompakt 258)
7) Lorn: Ask the Dusk (LP, Ninja Tune ZEN187)
6) Grizzly Bear: Shields (LP, Warp WARP229)
5) Flying Lotus: Until the…
In a discussion about what their music is—and is not—Dave King, drummer for the Bad Plus, remembers opening a show for free-jazz patriarch Ornette Coleman at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. After their set, the band joined the audience to watch Coleman.
"After the first couple tunes—and this was in a seated theater—I swear, half the audience had left. Fifty years into your career, and he's still making people want to check it out and then decide if they can take it. And that's every night, I bet.
"We played the Mercury Lounge [in New York City] recently, and it was packed.…
“Dude, I have a huge stack of records you should probably take a look at, tons from Tía Viví, Dad, Mom, and Bobe. There’s probably some stuff in there you can take with you,” Alberto advised.
“It’s fine bro. We’re gonna go record shopping on Saturday.”
“Dude. Just look!”
“I’m good for now. Trust me.”
My brother should not have tickled the monster’s belly.
It was a suspiciously quiet Saturday before Christmas in San Diego, a plebian commercial district just south of downtown Santiago. Nestled between dozens of light bulb and hardware stores and glass-…
Lucrecia Dalt: Commotus
I’ve gotten into the habit of buying a few records on payday, as a sort of reward for all the ass I kick around here. Or maybe because I simply can’t help it. Money enters my hands and immediately turns into music.
Because I’m weird, or maybe because my grandparents are Catholics, or maybe because I have a problem with happiness, I inevitably feel guilty after making any album purchase. But in my old age, I’ve made an important discovery: The regret I feel over purchasing records is small and meaningless compared to the regret I feel over those records…
NAD's T 187 (footnote 1). Another pre-pro? And not inexpensive at $3000! Why do I care?
First of all, NAD has come to the forefront of established full-range manufacturers as innovators in digital audio. From their original digital preamp, the 118, which I reviewed in the July 1998 issue; to the M2 Direct Digital amp, reviewed by JA in March 2010; to the Masters M51 high-resolution DAC, reviewed last July by Jon Iverson; and their Masters M50 and M52 music-streaming devices, NAD has never simply repackaged available chips and modules, but has always gone their own way.
Second,…