For logistical reasons, I tested a different sample of the Gryphon Ethos (serial number 0110009) from the one that JVS auditioned but was assured that the two samples came from the same production batch. I performed the testing with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") using its AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital outputs, test tones on CD, and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power, with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files. All the testing was performed with the player's upsampling turned off.…
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There is change, and also continuity, at Wilson Audio Specialties, the company founded in 1974 by recordist and loudspeaker designer David A. Wilson. David's son Daryl Wilson was appointed president and CEO in 2016. David Wilson passed away in 2018. And in 2019, Wilson Audio Specialties released the Sasha DAW loudspeaker ($37,900/pair), designed by a team led by Daryl Wilson and named in honor of his father.
The Sasha model has a history of its own. Designed as a replacement for the company's successful WATT/Puppy two-box loudspeakers—these combined the Wilson Audio Tiny Tot compact…
I had hooked up the speakers earlier and been running them in. In this old house, built in 1872, my listening room was originally intended as one of two master bedrooms. The room is not huge: 13' wide by 17' long by 10' high. (I like the ceiling height you can get in an old wood Victorian.) In spite of what may well be a minefield of resonant nodes, this is the most satisfying space I have had for listening to music.
Were the imposing Sasha DAWs going to be too much loudspeaker for my room? Only proper setup and listening time would tell.
The afternoon McGrath arrived, we listened…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25.4mm) textile-dome tweeter, 7" (178mm) paper and cellulose composite-cone midrange, two 8" (203mm) paper-cone woofers.
Crossover frequencies: not given. Frequency response: 20Hz–30kHz ±3dB, room- averaged response. Sensitivity: 91dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 2.48 ohms at 85Hz. Minimum amplifier power: 25Wpc.
Dimensions: 44.75" (1137mm) H × 14.5" (368mm) W × 22.85" (583m) D. Weight: 236lb (107kg).
Finishes: A choice of automotive…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI Aries turntable, 12" 3D tonearm, and Synchronous Drive System; Lyra Etna cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Pure Music, Qobuz; Bricasti M1 DAC; Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport.
Preamplification: McIntosh C2300 tube preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC275 stereo tube amplifier, McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced stereo amplifier.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth M30.2 40th Anniversary Edition
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond AES/EBU, Coffee USB; Interconnects: AudioQuest Fire, Sky; Speaker: AudioQuest FireBird…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the Wilson Sasha DAW's bulk and weight—as well as the fact that Sasha Matson's listening room is on the second floor of his upstate New York home—I drove my test gear the 230 miles from my Brooklyn home to measure the speakers in situ. (I also wanted to hear the Wilson speakers driven by his McIntosh MC462 amplifier, which had impressed me when I measured it for our May 2019 issue.)
As always, I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Sasha DAW's frequency response in the farfield and an Earthworks QTC-40…
High-quality playback of digital audio is evolving in two opposed directions. One is where a smart wireless loudspeaker, like the KEF LSX or DALI Callisto 6 C, needs to be connected to a simple source of data. The other is where a smart amplifier takes the data from wherever it needs and sends it to a pair of dumb loudspeakers. NAD's Masters Series M32 integrated amplifier ($4848 with its optional MDC DD-BluOS module), which I reviewed in May 2018, is a great-sounding example of the latter approach.
In the spring of 2019, NAD introduced the Masters Series M10 ($2749). At first I assumed…
When I started listening to the NAD M10, therefore, I was anticipating a marked diminution in sound quality—even veteran reviewers aren't completely immune from expectation bias. Using the KEFs, I played some reference CDs, including André Previn's performance of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No.2 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Telarc 80113) that I had auditioned with the Vandersteen speakers and amplifiers. Following the Previn performance, I cued up the DSD64 file with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra performing the same symphony (Channel Classics 21604) with Roon. (Roon…
Sidebar 1: Trying Dirac Live Room Correction
To use Dirac Live LE with the M10, I plugged the microphone supplied with the amplifier into the 3.5mm jack on the USB adaptor, also supplied, and plugged that into the USB Type A port on the M10's rear panel. I installed the Dirac Live app on my iPad mini, after first making sure that it and the M10 were connected to the same network. When I ran the app with the M10 driving my KEF LS50s, it found and identified the amplifier, reduced the playback volume, and performed a level check. I then followed the on-screen instructions, placing the…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, network-connected D/A integrated amplifier with Dirac Live LE Room Correction, tone controls, multiroom capability, and front-panel touchscreen. Analog inputs: 2 pairs RCA (line). Digital inputs: 1 TosLink, 1 coaxial S/PDIF, 1 HDMI, USB Type A, BluOS (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth aptX HD. Supported file formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS, MQA, DSD, FLAC, WAV, AIFF. Supported sample rates: up to 192kHz with bit depths 16–32. Supported cloud services: Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, HDTracks, HighResAudio, Murfie, Juke…