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Earlier this month, our all-analog coverage counterpart AnalogPlanet announced the release of the Nomad, a brand new entry-level turntable from American hi-fi manufacturer VPI Industries. For $995, The VPI Industries Nomad turntable includes a built-in phono preamplifier, unbalanced output, a set of Grado Labs iGrado around-the-neck headphones, headphone output, and an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. This instant listening package was the brainchild of Mat Weisfeld, son of company founder Harry Weisfeld. Mat Weisfeld is now the President of VPI Industries. I had the opportunity to visit the…
As usual around this time of year, I have a column in Slate (where I usually write about foreign and military policy), listing my picks for the 10 best jazz albums of the year and, in this case, the two best jazz reissues. Here’s the list, and regular readers might recall that I’ve reviewed almost all of them in this blog-space (or in Stereophile magazine) over the past twelve months:
Maria Schneider & Dawn Upshaw, Winter Morning Walks (ArtistShare).
Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, Brooklyn Babylon (New Amsterdam).
Marc Cary, For the Love of Abbey (Motema…
Denmark has probably contributed more to loudspeaker technology than any other country in the world. Vifa, Dynaudio, ScanSpeak, and Peerless drivers—used in a huge variety of speakers—are all Danish. Products from companies such as JBL, Spendor, Linn, B&W, Celestion, KEF, Audio Physic, ProAc, and others are partially or wholly made in the little Scandinavian nation.
System Audio originated in 1984, when guitarist and electronics technician Ole Witthoft grew dissatisfied with the lack of realism he heard from most home audio systems and figured he could do better. He built some…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Two-way, twin-ported, 4-chamber Chebychev-aligned loudspeaker. Driver complement: one System Audio "SpeedStar 2000" double-magnet 1" fabric-dome tweeter; two 5" System Audio "BIG 15" bass/midrange drivers. Crossover frequency: 3.3kHz. Crossover slopes: 18dB/octave. Frequency response: 35Hz–30kHz, ±4dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Power handling: 170W. Minimum recommended amplifier power: 50W.
Dimensions: 44" (1102mm) H by 13.5" (275mm) D by 6.75" (170mm) W. Weight: 35 lbs (16 kg).
Finishes: matched rosewood, cherry,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sources: PS Audio Lambda 2 CD transport, Threshold T-1D DAC, RadioShack CD3400 CD player, Marantz CC-48 CD changer, Marantz DVD810 DVD player, Randy Tomlinson–modified JVC XLZ-1010TN CD player, McIntosh MR-78 tuner.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research SP14, Threshold T3i, Chase Technologies RLC-1, Sumo Athena.
Power Amplifiers: Dynaco Stereo 70, Sumo Andromeda, Threshold T-100.
Cables and interconnects: Kimber Silver Streak/8TC, Straight Wire Rhapsody, Transparent MusicLink Plus, Nordost SPM.—;Barry Willis
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The floorstanding 1070 was sensitive, at an estimated 89dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, with an impedance plot (fig.1) that dropped to just below 4 ohms in the middle of the midrange, it will need to be driven by a good solid-state amplifier or a tube amplifier with a generously specified 4-ohm output tap. The saddle in the impedance trace at 45Hz indicates the tuning of the twin ports, this usually equivalent to a speaker's anechoic –6dB frequency.
Fig.1 System Audio 1070, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).
As…
A reader once noted that I tend to stick with the same reference gear longer than most reviewers. In addition to Audience's Au24e interconnect, I've been using Nordost's Valhalla, Nirvana's S-X, and Stereovox's SEI-600II for many years. They're ancient in audiophile terms, and, other than the Audience cables, have long since been discontinued or replaced. However, they are still excellent, and conveniently define a continuum of qualities that I use to assess cables. At one end, the Nordost Valhalla is sharply focused and excels at reproducing transients. At the other end, the Nirvana S-X…
About 15 seconds into the first track, "You Got It," it became obvious that I wouldn't have to work so hard. Orbison's voice was unique: tentative and almost nasal lower in his range, then, as the pitch rose, growing in strength and body as he used more and more of his chest and lungs. These changes were much more obvious with the Au24 SEs in the system. As the pitch rose, I could easily follow the smooth but deliberate progression of his vocal sound, and how each note originated from deeper in his chest. And his voice was noticeably clearer, with more inner detail evident.
Emerging from…
Follow-Up, from February 2014 (Vol.37 No.2):
In my review of Audience's new Au24 SE interconnect in the December 2013 issue, a miscommunication with Audience's president, John McDonald, led me to report that their RCA-fitted Au24 interconnect, in either its Au24 e or SE configuration, is identical to the corresponding version of Audience's Low-Z phono cable; and that the High-Z phono cable is the same as Audience's Au24 e speaker cable. In fact, the opposite is true: It's the High-Z phono cable that's identical to the interconnects, and the Low-Z version, which is what I was sent, that'…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: RCA-terminated interconnect cable.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: NA.
Price: $1190/1m pair; upgrade from Au24e to Au24 SE, $220/1m pair. Approximate number of US dealers: 110.
Manufacturer: Audience, LLC, 120 N. Pacific Street #K9, San Marcos, CA 92069. Tel: (800) 565-4390. Fax: (760) 471-0282. Web: www.audience-av.com.