I observed once that, in my opinion, the best music recording for film can be near, if not quite at, the state of the art, while dialog and effects trail well behind. I still believe that.…
search
As with the B&W system, I found myself preferring THX playback on some soundtracks and straight Pro Logic on others over the Snells. More often than not I would make my decision based on how the soundtrack music sounded, which sometimes resulted in having to accept a less-than-optimum balance with dialog and effects—these things are mixed separately and not always with identical spectral content.
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment
The principal equipment used with the Snell system consisted of a Denon LA 3500 laserdisc/CD player, Proceed PAV surround-sound preamplifier, and Proceed AMP 2 and AMP 3 amplifiers. An NAD 208 amplifier was used to drive the two subwoofers, with one channel driving each of the two subs. A Mark Levinson No.36 was also used briefly as a D/A converter in the system, with a Rowland Consummate preamp, and Proceed AMP 2 amplifier, late in the review period with the arrival of the new Pioneer CLD-D704 laserdisc player. The latter could feed the No.36 from a…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
John Atkinson measured the Type MC Reference Tower, Type MC Reference 2800 LCR center channel, and Type MC Reference SUR 2800 Tower surround loudspeakers and gave me the results after my auditioning was complete and the text of the review written and turned in. I also investigated the low-frequency tuning of the Type MC SUB 1800.
The sensitivity of the Type MC Reference Tower measured 85dB/W/m (B-weighted). By a significant margin, this is the lowest sensitivity we have yet obtained for a home THX-certified front loudspeaker. The B&W FCM8, in…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Five-loudspeaker surround-sound loudspeaker array composed of: two Music & Cinema Reference Towers, one LCR 2800 center loudspeaker, two SUR 2800 dipole surround loudspeakers, and two SUB 1800 reflex-loaded subwoofers.
Wood finishes available: black, walnut, light oak, dark oak.
System price: $29,993 (1995); no longer available (2016).
Music & Cinema Reference Tower: three-way, acoustic suspension (sealed) system. Drive-units: four 6.5" mineral-filled polypropylene-cone woofers with 32mm voice-coils, cast-magnesium baskets,…
The Danish Bang & Olufsen firm is the undisputed leader in audio when it comes to dramatic product styling and ease and versatility of use. Their designs have won more design awards than those of any other audio firm, and each new lineup of B&O models seems to offer even more control convenience than the last batch. Sonically, none of their components to date has been any better than "very good," and some have done significantly less well than that. In reviewing them, we have had to compare them with their pricewise competition among the brands we normally think of as "high-end," and…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Top-loading, programmable CD player. Maximum output level: 2V. Power consumption: 25W.
Dimensions: 16.5" W x 3" H x 12.25" D. Weight: 12.4 lbs.
Price: $699 (1986); no longer available (2016).
Manufacturer: Bang & Olufsen A/S, Peter Bangs Vej 15, DK-7600 Struer, Denmark. Tel: (45) 9684-1122. Web: www.bang-olufsen.com. US distributor: Bang & Olufsen, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 (1986). Bang & Olufsen America, Inc., 1751 Lake Cook Road, Suite 620, Deerfield, IL 60015 (2016).
My 0.56mV-output Lyra Atlas moving-coil cartridge ($11,995) has put in four years of heavy-duty use. But not long ago I began to hear some problems with sibilants from records that previously hadn't given me trouble in that department. Lyra's Jonathan Carr and Stig Bjorge suggested I bring my Atlas to the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, held last January in Las Vegas, where they would exchange it for a new one.
I was doubly grateful because, while Lyra's top models are expensive, demand is high and regularly outstrips supply. This is because every Lyra cartridge is handmade by the same…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil phono cartridges. Output levels: outputs 0.25mV (Atlas SL), 0.56mV ((Etna SL), both at 5cm/s zero to peak 45° modulation. Source impedance: 1.52 ohms and 1.9µH inductance (Atlas SL).
Prices: $9995 (Etna S) and $12,995 (Atlas S).
Manufacturer: Lyra, Japan. Web: www.lyraconnoisseur.com. US distributor: AudioQuest, 2621 White Road, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 585-0111. Web: www.audioquest.com.
Stereophile tried something a little different for our CES coverage last year: we brought a musician to the show. Graham Nash heard his yet-to-be-released album, This Path Tonight, on a variety of systems at the Venetian, and provided his unique commentary on the results.
This year several new artist names were tossed about, and when Jake Shimabukuro came up we jumped at the chance to bring him to Las Vegas. Jake is a stellar musician, and has turned the ukulele into a respected instrument with his interpretations of classical and modern works, collaborating with a wide range of artists…
This week's Industry Profile features Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Audio Labs. In essence, Jim is Hagerman Audio Labs all-in-one, as he impressively functions as owner/designer/engineer/tester/builder/shipper/customer service, and so on. Hagerman Audio Labs first caught my eye a couple years back when I started getting into DIY projects. Though he has since eliminated DIY from his offerings (you can read why below), Jim continued to interest me because: 1) his website lists an address in Honolulu (a rarity in high-end audio), 2) he publishes his schematics, and 3) his candid approach to social…