"I was in the second generation of NPR people. The early folks were Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer. I was in the next bunch. We were sort of inventing it as we went along. I was Carl Kasell's first engineer. I was doing a weekend All Things Considered as it developed from a half hour to an hour, and the first host was Mike Waters, and then we…
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After graduating with a degree in music education in 1973 and starting work on his master's in that subject, Anderson scored a tour of NPR's studios on M Street, in Washington, DC, where he landed a job as broadcast technician in November 1974.
The advertisements run by Colorado manufacturer YG Acoustics in 2008, when it launched its flagship loudspeaker model, the Anat Reference II Professional, unequivocally claimed it to be "The best loudspeaker on Earth. Period." They caused a stir. The YGA speaker cost $107,000/pair at the time of Wes Phillips's review in the March 2009 issue. Wes didn't disagree with the claim, concluding that, "Like my pappy used to say, it ain't braggin' if you can actually do it."
To riff on Wes's conclusion, "If it ain't broke, it don't need fixin'." So I was somewhat puzzled when I first saw the Anat'…
One thing that impressed me about the Sonja 1.3 was that, once each module was in place, two long, threaded, horizontal rods were inserted from the rear, each screwing into three tapped feet on top of the lower module that mate with three threaded cones on the base of the upper module. Once these rods are in place, the modules are locked together, with no external signs of the join other than the seam. That the alignment of the threaded holes can be maintained over the length of the rod is a testament to the precision YGA gets from its CNC machines.
The Sonjas were not quite toed-in to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, sealed-box, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ForgeCore silk-dome tweeter, two 6" (152mm) aluminum-cone BilletCore midrange drivers, two 10.25" (260mm) aluminum-cone BilletCore woofers. Crossover frequencies: 65Hz, 1.75kHz. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±1dB. Frequency range: <20Hz–>40kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 70" (1790mm) H by 17" (340mm) W by 28" (720mm) D. Weight: 506 lbs (230kg).
Finish: Anodized aluminum.
Serial Numbers of Units Reviewed…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B phono cartridge.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini running OS10.7, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.86; Musical Fidelity M6DAC, Mark Levinson No.30.6, Arcam FMJ D33 D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Preamplification: Liberty B2B-1 phono preamplifier; Devialet D-Premier integrated amplifier used as phono preamplifier; Pass Labs XP-30 line preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the YGA Sonja 1.3's bulk and mass, I performed the farfield measurements, using DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, only on the Sonja 1.1 module. For the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses of all three modules, I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone. The Sonja's voltage sensitivity is specified as 88dB/2.83V/m. However, my estimate was significantly less than that, at 85dB(B)/2.83V/m. The Sonja 1.3 needs a big amplifier to reach the appropriately high SPLs of which it is capable.
The 1.3's electrical…
Peter Crossno of Salt Lake City, Utah is the lucky winner of Stereophile.com's Westone 4R in-ear monitor sweepstakes. He says, "They sound phenomenal." Look at that smile!
We're happy to make you happy Peter. Thank you for your participation!
It’s been just over a month since my last Payday Albums post, but it feels much longer than that. I had been trying to spend less money on records, so that I could actually spend more time listening to the records that stood quietly on my shelves. A valiant endeavor, if I do say so myself, but one that didn’t really work out as intended: Instead of spending money on records, I spent money on books. I almost posted a Payday Books list, but I figured the grumpy old audiophiles would stone me for reading.
I’ll tell you, though, I’ve been reading a lot of John McPhee, largely because he can…
Register to win a set of Focal Spirit One Mobile Headphones (MSRP $279.00) we are giving away.
According to the company:
The result of 33-years of creating exacting sound in the finest homes, the most demanding sound studios and the most luxurious automobiles, multi-patent recipient Focal offers you their Spirit One portable stereo headphone - your sonic sanctuary in todays hectic noisy environment. Whether you commute across country in a plane, or just across town a few train station stops away, our Spirit One will comfortably immerse you inside the very heart of your…
More on Bricasti's M1, September 2012 (Vol.35 No.9):
I don't know whether the makers of Bricasti Design's M1 D/A converter ($7795) consciously subscribe to W. Edwards Deming's famous 14 principles of management, but they sure do seem intent on continuous improvement. The ink was hardly dry on my March 2012 Follow-Up on the M1's new filter set (which provided a greater number of intermediate steps in the range of rolloff options) when Bricasti Design cofounder Brian Zolner informed me that his company would shortly make available as a no-cost upgrade an even newer filter set adding minimum…