"How have our relations with other living beings changed so much?" asks Arthus-Bertrand on his website. "What do we still see, or notice, of the living world around us? . . . We no longer see the wild, we dream of it. It's an age-old…
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I recently watched Terra, an exceptional film by French directors Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot. It's not a nature documentary per se, rather a history of life on Earth from lichens to lions, amoebas to humans. Terra boasts stunning cinematography of the natural world, revealing a beauty that nearly softens the film's cautionary message.
The Elixir is small—only 8.66" wide by 3.34" high by 14.17" deep—and its hind plate is densely populated, but my generally clumsy fingers had no trouble inserting RCA and banana plugs and attaching my turntable's ground wire. A power switch, phono ground screw, IEC receptacle, RCA jacks, and two pairs of hefty speaker binding posts complete the Elixir's connections. Each RCA and post is clearly labeled in bold caps: gnd, inputs, pre out, speakers. Now here's an everyperson amplifier!
Listening
Bob Clarke recommended that I leave the Heed powered up 24/7, I assume to keep the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, solid-state, integrated amplifier. Inputs: 4 analog, 1 MM phono stage. Outputs: 1 stereo speaker, 1 preamplifier, 1 headphones (6.35mm). Power outputs: 50Wpc into 8 ohms (17dBW), 65Wpc into 4 ohms (15.1dBW). Frequency ranges: 10Hz–110kHz, speaker outputs; 3.5Hz–300kHz, preamplifier output; 3.5Hz–320kHz, headphone output. Phono input impedance: 47k ohms/100pF. Line input impedance: 10k ohms. Input sensitivity: 135mV. Negative feedback: 32dB. Damping factor: 150 at 1kHz into 8 ohms. Total harmonic distortion: 0.09% at 1kHz. Channel…
Monitor Audio's Platinum PL300 II loudspeakers weigh 120 lbs each, and my listening room is on the second floor, but I was spared the heavy lifting. The speakers were delivered by Sheldon Ginn, Jeffrey Ginn, and Jamie Arseneau—respectively, the VP of Sales and Marketing, Account Manager, and Service Manager of Kevro International, Monitor Audio's North American distributor. We set up the PL300 IIs, ensuring that the distance from each speaker to my listening seat was the same, then optimized the toe-in: the speakers ended up almost directly facing the listener position, close to where I'd…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Music Hall MMF-7.3 turntable & tonearm; Denon DL-103, Goldring Elite, Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer; Halide DAC HD, PS Audio NuWave DACs; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drive.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer; Schiit Audio Valhalla triode OTL preamplifier & headphone amplifier; Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Elac Debut B6, Snell Type J/II.
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The sound heard from a loudspeaker can be thought of as having two components: the music the speaker is supposed to reproduce—ie, the recording—and the characteristic sound of the speaker itself, which is a function of the speaker's mechanical and electronic components. The ideal speaker, of course, would have no sound of its own; every sound made by the speaker would be a precisely accurate reproduction of a sound originally contained on the recording. The ideal speaker doesn't exist—or if it does, I haven't heard it—but speakers vary in the extent to which the sound they produce is their…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the Heed Elixir using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 As We See It"). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it with both channels driven at one-third power into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. Thermally, this is the worst-case situation for an amplifier with a class-B or class-AB output stage, as one-third power is when the maximum heat dissipation occurs in the output transistors. As the Heed Elixir's maximum power is specified as 50Wpc into 8 ohms, I ran it for an hour at 16.6Wpc into 8 ohms. At the end…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, ported, floorstanding loudspeaker with sealed midrange enclosure. Drive-units: MPD tweeter, 4" RDT II midrange driver, two 8" RDT II woofers. Crossover frequencies: 500Hz, 3.4kHz. Frequency response 28Hz–100kHz, –6dB (IEC 268-13). Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 4.2 ohms minimum (at 111Hz). Power handling: 300W RMS. Maximum SPL: 117dBA/pair. Recommended amplification: 100–300W.
Dimensions: 43.8" (1113mm) H by 16.1" (410mm) W by 18.5" (470mm) D. With feet & spikes: 45.6" (1158mm) H. Weight: 120 lbs (54.5kg.)
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: PS Audio PerfectWave Memory CD/DVD player & DirectStream DAC.
Analog Source: Acoustic Signature WOW XXL turntable & TA-1000 tonearm, Soundsmith MIMC cartridge.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance Black Path Edition.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh Laboratory MC275LE, Theta Digital Prometheus (monoblocks).
Cables: Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla 2.
Accessories: PS Audio PerfectWave PowerPlant 5 power conditioner, Nordost QB8 power distributor & Sort Kone TC footers, Furutech RD-2…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Monitor Audio PL300 II's frequency response in the farfield; and, for the nearfield frequency responses, an Earthworks QTC-40, which has a ¼" capsule and thus doesn't present a significant obstacle to the sound. For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample of the PL3000 II (serial no.100047) than those auditioned by Robert Deutsch. I left both rear-panel ports open for the measurements and left the grilles in place.
My estimate of the PL 300 II's voltage sensitivity…