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The two-way Energy CB-10 ($269.99/pair) is a bass-reflex design. A large rear-firing port has an internal diameter of 2" and flares out to 2.75". The speaker uses a 1" aluminum-dome tweeter and a 5.5" woofer with a ribbed elliptical surround, the latter said to increase excursion, decrease distortion, and create a larger piston area for greater efficiency, making the CB-10 an easy match for amplifiers. The CB-10's frequency range is listed as 66Hz–20kHz, its in-room sensitivity as 90dB, and its nominal impedance as 8 ohms. In Energy's Convergent Source Module design, the tweeter and woofer…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted, loudpeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 5.5" woofer. Frequency range: 66Hz–20kHz. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m (in-room). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Dimensions: 11.4" H by 7.1" W by 8.5" D. Weight: just under 9 lbs each.
Price: $269.99/pair.
Energy Speakers, Klipsch Group, Inc., 3502 Woodview Trace, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Tel: (800) 544-1482, (317) 860-8100. Fax: (317) 860-9170. Web: www.klipsch.com.
Sidebar 2: System
I did all of my listening using my Rega P3-24 turntable, Exposure 2010S CD player, NAD C 316BEE integrated amplifier and PP 3 USB phono preamplifier, AudioQuest Rocket 33 speaker cables, and Sidewinder interconnects. The speakers were secured with small globs of Blu-Tack to 24" Target stands, while the components rested within my PolyCrystal equipment rack. Source components and amplifiers were plugged into a Furutech e-TP60 power conditioner and then into a Furutech GTX wall receptacle. Comparison speakers included the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR ($150/pair), which Bob Reina…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
My estimate of the Energy CB-10's B-weighted sensitivity on its tweeter axis was 88dB/2.83V/m, which is slightly higher than that of the Boston Acoustics A 25. The electrical impedance (fig.1) drops below 6 ohms for most of the midrange, reaching a minimum value of 3.8 ohms at 200Hz. Even so, the speaker should present no drive difficulties to the partnering amplifier or receiver.
Fig.1 Energy Connoisseur CB-10, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
Although SM wrote that "knocking on the cabinet's side…
While listening to Boston Acoustics' A 25 loudspeaker ($299.98/pair), I kept thinking about magic.
Paul Messenger introduced Boston Acoustics' A Series in the April 2011 "Industry Update." With the creation of the A Series, Paul reported, BA wanted to create a "global loudspeaker," one that would be appreciated by music lovers worldwide.
I asked BA's director of program management, Stephen Shenefield, to tell me more about what had inspired the A Series. He explained that while Boston Acoustics products have gained a reputation for offering an "American" sound, one better suited…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted, loudpeaker. Drive-units: 1" Kortec soft-dome tweeter, 5.25" ceramic and glass-fiber polymer-cone mid/woofer. Frequency range: 55Hz–25kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Dimensions: 10.7" H by 7.25" W by 8.9" D. Weight: 10 lbs each.
Price: $299.98/pair.
Boston Acoustics, 300 Jubilee Drive, Peabody, MA 01960. Tel: (201) 762-6429, (508) 538-5000. Web: www.bostonacoustics.com.
Sidebar 2: System
I did all of my listening using my Rega P3-24 turntable, Exposure 2010S CD player, NAD C 316BEE integrated amplifier and PP 3 USB phono preamplifier, AudioQuest Rocket 33 speaker cables, and Sidewinder interconnects. The speakers were secured with small globs of Blu-Tack to 24" Target stands, while the components rested within my PolyCrystal equipment rack. Source components and amplifiers were plugged into a Furutech e-TP60 power conditioner and then into a Furutech GTX wall receptacle. Comparison speakers included the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR ($150/pair), which Bob Reina…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The A 25's B-weighted sensitivity on its tweeter axis was 87.5dB/2.83V/m, which was higher than I expected for such a small loudspeaker. The electrical impedance (fig.1) remained at or above 6 ohms for much of the audioband, and though it dropped to 4.3 ohms just above 200Hz, the A 25 will be a relatively easy load for the partnering amplifier to drive. There is a suspicious-looking wrinkle in the impedance traces at 300Hz; investigation of the enclosure's vibrational behavior with a plastic-tape accelerometer revealed a major resonant mode at this frequency that…
The largest consumer audio show in America's Southland, AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), returns to its roots when it opens in Jacksonville on Friday March 9. The three-day show, which launched in Jacksonville in 2010, has happily switched locations from a "not-ready-for-primetime" venue to the more upscale Omni Jacksonville.
What the hotel offers audiophiles, besides its amenities and lovely waterfront, is its neighbor across the street, Jacoby Hall in the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. Home of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the hall's much touted superior acoustics—…
It was already way past dark and I could hardly make it out, but it was the first thing that really caught my eye upon arriving in Seattle for the Definitive Audio Music Matters event (report to come). Could it be possible that there was a record store right across the street from my hotel? I had seen the black and white sign—Records, CDs, and Tapes—but still, I couldn’t be sure. That sign could have announced a place that once was, a place once filled with treasures, long forgotten or dearly missed.
I decided to check it out as soon as I could. When I did, I was very…