Both are contingent on factors that are necessarily obtuse and not especially controllable.
Fortunately, the only loudspeaker assessment that really matters depends entirely on consensus: you and your buddies, and your buddies' buddies, and their children, and their children's friends, listening, analyzing, debating, then listening some more—then buying and selling over…
Halfway through "Meet de…
Description: 2.5-way, floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, two 5.25" polycellulose-cone midwoofers. Crossover frequencies: 1.8kHz, 2.8kHz. Frequency range: 44Hz–40kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Recommended amplifier power: 20–200W.
Dimensions: 7.5" (190mm) W by 36.7" (930mm) H by 10" (255mm) D. Weight: 31.6lb (14.3kg).
Finish: Pantone black or two-tone wood.
Serial numbers of units tested: TR0050-G30002167 & '2130. ("Designed and Manufactured in the USA. Made in China").
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Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Jelco KT-850L tonearm, Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue cartridge or (alternatively) My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex MC cartridge; AMG Giro G9 turntable & 9W Turbo tonearm and Hana ML MC cartridge.
Digital sources: Mac mini computer running Audirvana Plus 3.2; Integra DPS-72 CD player (transport only); Schiit Bifrost Multibit, Chord Qutest DACs.
Preamplification: Excel Sound ET-U50, EMIA Phono step-up transformers; Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifier; Rogue RP-7 line preamplifier.
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I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the JBL Stage A170's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. I left off the loudspeaker's grille for the measurements.
JBL specifies the A170's sensitivity as 89dB/2.83V/m, which is both higher than average and confirmed by my measurements. Props to JBL for an honest sensitivity specification. The impedance is specified as 6 ohms; while the solid trace in fig.1 shows that the impedance does drop below 6 ohms in the lower…
I realize that products such as the darTZeel NHB-468 ($170,000/pair) are for the very few, but the very few include far more people throughout the world than you may realize— people who can afford such costly audio products…
With the NHB-468s swapped in, cold out of the box, I listened again. Big sonic change! All for the better, building on…
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: one unbalanced (RCA); one unbalanced Zeel (BNC); one balanced (XLR). Output power: 475W (26.8dBW, 550W peak) into 8 ohms, 625W (25.0dBW, 700W peak) into 4 ohms, 222W into 2 ohms (17.45dBW, 300W peak)—"design limited because CP2C power is delivered differently into speakers than when statically measured." Voltage gain (user selectable): 26 or 32dB into 8 ohms. Input impedance: >30k ohms, (RCA); 50 ohms, ±1 ohm (Zeel); 10k ohms per phase (XLR). Output impedance: <0.28 ohm, 20Hz–20kHz (into 8 ohms).…
Analog sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, & Castellon turntable & stand; SAT CF1-09 and Kuzma 4Point tonearms ; SME Synergy turntable, Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Atlas SL mono, Etna, and Etna SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, A95, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono) and Destiny (stereo) Grado Epoch (mono).
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter, Roon Nucleus; Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, Consolidated Audio SUTs step-up transformers;…