For this, their first time exhibiting at SSI, High Water Sound played a system comprising the lovely Thöress Systems 845 single-ended mono amps ($14,000/pair, and pictured above), plus…
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The same qualities I strive for in my system at home—a sense of touch and drive, rich sonic textures and colors, musical momentum and flow—seem often to be abundant in the systems put together by the New York-based distributor and retailer High Water Sound. Given that, and the fact that HWS proprietor Jeff Catalano has superb taste in music, I was sad when the time came to leave this room and move on.
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the PSB Imagine T2 Tower using DRA Labs' MLSSA system and calibrated DPA 4006 and Earthworks QTC-40 microphones. The T2 is specified as having an anechoic voltage sensitivity of 88dB; my estimate was slightly lower, at 87.3dB(B), almost within the margin of error. PSB specifies the impedance as being 6 ohms, with a minimum magnitude of 4 ohms. However, as fig.1 shows, the impedance drops below 6 ohms for almost the entire midrange, with a minimum value of 2.4 ohms at 570Hz. The electrical phase angle is also quite inductive in the upper midrange. Overall…
The match between amplifier and speaker for single-ended operation is critical, which is why John Atkinson suggested I let Wavelength's Gordon Rankin lead when it came to choosing a speaker to partner his special-edition Cardinal amplifiers. If you're not talking roughly 92dB sensitivity and a fairly benign load, say no lower than 6 ohms, you're just not talking single-ended. That precluded running the Cardinals on the big Avalon Ascents with their lowish 86dB sensitivity (in spite of the relatively benign impedance curve).
After more discussion it became evident that the best speakers to…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Two-way stand-mounted loudspeaker. Driver complement: one soft-dome tweeter, one Hyper-Exponential 8" woven carbon-fiber–cone woofer/midrange driver. Crossover: impedance-compensated slow-rate–type high-pass, –3dB at 3kHz; no low-pass, the woofer/midrange rolls off naturally from 3kHz to 10kHz at 6dB/octave. Frequency response: 44Hz–20kHz, –3dB. Sensitivity: 92dB/W/m. Nominal impedance 8 ohms (6 ohms minimum). Amplifier requirements: Maximum 100W RMS.
Dimensions: 15¾" H by 12¼" W by 12½" D, sloping to 15.375" D. Weight: 60 lbs each.
Serial…
These are some of the most lusciously transparent-sounding headphones we've ever put on our ears, but we doubt that they will every enjoy much commercial success, for a couple of reasons.
First, and probably foremost, they are just downright uncomfortable for most people to wear. They feel as awkward as they look. Their width is not adjustable, so they either press uncomfortably against your head or flop loosely all over the place, depending on the fatness of your skull. Also, if you have a short neck, or like to sit hunched down in an easy chair while listening, the bottoms of the '…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: AC-powered electrostatic headphones. Maximum spl: 110dB. Distortion: <0.5%. Cable length: 3m.
Weight: 600gm.
Serial number of review sample: 730150 (1975); not noted (1987).
Price: $300 (1975); $650 (1987); 1395, headphones, 1395, power supply (2013). Aprroximate number of dealers; 50 (1987); sold direct (2013).
Manufacturer: Jecklin, Switzerland. Us distributor: Mark Levinson Audio Systems, Woodbridge, CT (1975); May Audio Marketing, Champlain, NY (1987); QUAD Musikwiedergabe GmbH, Brunnenstrasse 57, 56751 Gering, Germany (2013).…
Tel Aviv’s Vaadat Charigim debut album The World is Well Lost is understated. Simple guitar strums emerge from a low-lying cloud of noise. Drums are pushed to the background while singer/guitarist Juval Haring’s steady stream of baritone strides then tumbles. His syllables topple across the band’s constant pulse. Haring sounds tired, but the never-ending push of The World is Well Lost won’t let him give up.
The self-proclaimed influence for Vaadat Charigim is “a blend of 80s Israeli underground rock with a more European Post-Punk sound, drawing influence from local noise pioneers…
Friday, November 22–Sunday, November 24: The Hi-Fi Expo Sofia will be held at the Grand Hotel (1 Gurko Street, Sofia, Bulgaria). Over 250 high-end brands are expected to exhibit. Show manager Gergana Boeva reports that attendance has grown steadily over the show's first three years, attracting visitors from all throughout Bulgaria, as well as neighboring countries Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, and Romania. For more info, including a complete list of exhibitors, visit the show’s official website.
Stravinsky: The Firebird (1910 Suite)
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf
Sheffield Lab Direct-to-Disc Lab 24 (LP). Lincoln Mayorga, prod.; Doug Sax, James Boyk, engs.
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf
Sheffield Lab Direct-to-Disc Lab 24 (LP). Lincoln Mayorga, prod.; Doug Sax, James Boyk, engs.
For some reason, Stereophile didn't receive an early pressing of Sheffield's latest orchestral recording, their first since the Wagner and Prokofiev discs back in 1977. So, guess where my review copy of this finally came from? From Harry Pearson, that's who. How did this come about? Well, I had seen a passing comment in The Absolute Sound to the…
RA—The Book: The Recording Architecture Book of Studio Design
By Roger D'Arcy and Hugh Flynn (illustrator), with photographs by Neil Waving. Foreword by Adrian Kerridge. Black Box Limited (London), 2011. $215. Hardcover, 15" by 10.5" by 1.25", 350 pp. ISBN 978-1-907759-16-1. Available from www.ra-thebook.com (ships from within the US).
By Roger D'Arcy and Hugh Flynn (illustrator), with photographs by Neil Waving. Foreword by Adrian Kerridge. Black Box Limited (London), 2011. $215. Hardcover, 15" by 10.5" by 1.25", 350 pp. ISBN 978-1-907759-16-1. Available from www.ra-thebook.com (ships from within the US).
In July 2004, I reviewed Jim Cogan and William Clark's Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios, a collection of the business histories of 15 US recording studios. Each chapter covered a particular studio, focusing on its role in the careers…