But we also agreed that the system was bass-shy, so that's where we started. By the end of the day, we'd moved the speakers back another 2', toed them in a bit more, moved…
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T+A's James Shannon stopped by a week later to check in and help with setup. I'd already, on my own, moved the speakers back a couple of feet and out about 7" farther, and I was happy with how things were progressing. Jim's impressions were the same as mine: that the speakers and room were working together well, the system was detailed and articulate, and the transitions between the drivers were essentially inaudible.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floor-standing loudspeaker. Drive units: 33.5" (850mm) long, 1.65" (42mm) wide Magnetostat tweeter; 24" (610mm) long vertical array of seven 3.5" (90mm) long, 2.5" (60mm) wide aluminum-cone Oval Membrane midrange drivers; two 8.75" (220mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Driver enclosure types: bottom-ported woofer, sealed midrange, sealed tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 180Hz, 1.8kHz. Frequency response: 29Hz–45kHz, ±1.5dB. Power rating: 200W music, 250W maximum. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 50.5" (1280mm) H (inc.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Spiral Groove SG2.1 turntable and Centroid tonearm, VPI HR-X turntable and JMW Memorial tonearm; Grado Epoch, The Reference, and Signature Reference; MicroBenz SL, Audio-Technica AT-MONO3/LP phono cartridges.
Digital sources: Audio Research CD6E CD player,
Mytek Brooklyn+ DAC.
Preamplifiers: Sutherland Line Blocks, Phono Blocks Refined, and Phono Loco.
Power amplifier: VTL Ichiban Signature.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha DAW.
Cables: Shunyata Sigma v2 NR and XC AC cords; Shunyata Delta v2, Alpha v2, and…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the T+A Solitaire S 530's quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield. The center of the line-source tweeter is just 32" from the floor, but as the loudspeaker on its feet is slightly tilted back, I examined the farfield behavior on an axis at right angles to the front baffle with the microphone aimed at the center of the tweeter. The grille was left off for these measurements.
When measuring a loudspeaker's farfield…
Off by itself near Expo Hall, the Journey/Creation rooms sponsored by Scott Walker Audio and Synergistic Research utilized so many Synergistic Research products—eight models of cables, seven for power conditioning (including fuses), six acoustic room treatment thingees, four racks, three grounding devices—that I was tempted to adapt the product list into lyrics for an audiophile Christmas carol.
Also present in the room, which was hosted by Michael Vamos of importer/distributor Audio Skies, were Ideon Audio’s Absolute Epsilon DAC ($49,900) and Absolute Time Signature V ($22,000), JMF’s…
Oh, how I love the look of Zesto Audio equipment. Here it found its ideal visual complement in Tidal Piano speakers ($57,000/pair) from Philly-area dealer The Voice That Is and a catchily titled (not) Stillpoints ESS42-26-4 rack with acrylic shelves ($13,788).
LP was the medium of choice in this room. From Blue Note 1595, Somethin’ Else, Cannonball Adderly’s sax sounded gorgeous, the top lively. “Jupiter” from Zubin Mehta’s take on Holst’s perpetual The Planets was ideally open, clean, and shiny. I didn’t write down what else was played, but my impression was, open, warm, lively,…
It was great to hear monoblocks I'd just reviewed—the new, German-made Octave MRE 220 SE mono amplifiers ($28,500/pair) with their Super Black Box PSU upgrade modules ($7000/pair)—in the context of a different system. In partnership with the Octave HP 700 SE preamplifier with RIAA phono, tone controls, and MC step-up transformer ($24,500 as configured); Moon North 791 streaming preamp ($16,000); Grimm Audio MU-1 Roon server ($12,500); and Dynaudio Confidence 60 loudspeakers ($50,000/pair), the system sounded top-rate.
The Beatles' "Come Together" excelled in bass, and Fred Hersch…
It was a mixed show for Wynn Wong, mastermind of Canadian-based Wynn Audio importers. Soundwise he did very well, with Ayama Witter-Johnson’s take on Hoagy Carmichael / Ned Washington’s “The Nearness of You” so satisfying on every level, from solidity of bass to clarity of voice.
The other half of the experience was learning of the very recent death of Milan Karan, owner and chief designer of Karan Acoustics, at age 59. I reviewed the Karan Acoustics POWERa mono amplifier ($106,000/pair), which I heard in this room in spring, 2023, and found it a “phenomenal achievement.”
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It was hard to tell where distributor / dealer Next Level HiFi ended and Audio Group Denmark began. Or, vice-versa), it was equally hard to tell if more action was taking place in the room during the demo or in the hallway. Suffice to say, there was a lot of energy flowing, and all that talking made listening a challenge.
The system in the Serenity room was relatively affordabl by the standards of Audio Group Denmark: Børresen C1 loudspeakers with stands ($16,500/pair), AXXESS Forté 3 streamer/DAC with class-A headphone amp ($11,000), plus AXXESS cabling. The system cost $35,000…
Brian Damkroger’s recent review of the T+A Solitaire S 530 was laudatory. I was eager to hear it. On my first visit to T+A’s large Schaumberg G space that I opted for a Sunday pre-show listen. The S 530 wasn’t on display, but I did get the opportunity to hear the Solitaire S 540 floorstanding speaker ($59,900/pair), which sits above the S 530 in the T+A lineup and costs $12,000 more.
Jim Shannon and Dave Nauber explained that the speaker exhibits qualities of a planar loudspeaker by sending more energy toward the listener, with less energy dispersed to the ceiling, floor, and…