Description: DSP-controlled wireless streaming amplified stereo speaker system, floorstanding, three-way, bass-reflex enclosure. Drive units: 1 5/8" (27mm) inverted–beryllium-dome tweeter, 6½" (165mm) mid/bass driver, two pairs 6½ (165mm) sidemounted woofers, bottom-firing bass port. Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 2.3kHz. Crossover frequencies: 200Hz and 2300Hz. Class-AB power amplifiers: 75W tweeter, 75W mid/bass, 2×125W woofers. Wireless: AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth 5.3, UPnP compatible. Streaming services: Spotify via Spotify Connect, Tidal via…
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Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Technics SL-1200MK7 turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue MM cartridge and ProJect Phono Box RS2 phono preamplifier.
Digital source: Oppo DV-981HD universal disc player.
Accessories: Butcherblock Acoustics equipment rack, SME turntable cable.—Tom Fine
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As this is an active loudspeaker, with both analog and digital inputs, many standard lab tests—including impedance/phase (amplifier loading) and speaker sensitivity—are redundant. We can examine frequency response, pair matching, and distortion; the latter is predominantly third-order but very low for a loudspeaker, at <0.2% for much of its working range (ref. 90dB SPL/1m, 100Hz–10kHz). This result might have been anticipated, because the Diva uses DSP and custom amplification for the two pairs of 165mm "W"-coned bass units, matching 165mm mid and 27mm "M"-…
Photo by Tom Copi.
In less than 11 years, guitarist Emily Remler went from rising star to shooting star, from her first major exposure—an invitation from Herb Ellis to perform as part of "Guitar Explosion" at the Concord Jazz Festival on July 21, 1978—to her final concert on May 3, 1990, at the Hotel Richmond in Adelaide, Australia, where she was found dead from a heart attack the next day. She was 32 years old.
Her documentation on record was even shorter, from her April 1981 Concord debut Firefly to This Is Me, her seventh and final album, released in 1990. She has fewer than a…
In my enthusiastic 2022 review of the Stromtank S-1000 ($16,900), I described the Stromtank as a computer-controlled lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery array that, coupled with its AC inverters and all the trimmings, supplies clean, constant, stable off-grid AC power to hi-fi components. By softly depressing a single button on the front panel, Stromtank owners can easily switch from wall-connected mode (when the Stromtank's dimmable front-panel meter is blue) to a disconnected, battery-only state (when the meter is green). At the end of a listening session, users can return to blue mode…
Guess which cookie Alice ate
I'm referring to the Alice of Lewis Carroll, not the Alice of Gertrude Stein. Gertrude's Alice preferred brownies (footnote 3).
As Mahler's tragic march began to unfold, Ed and I immediately bolted upright, gazed at each other in amazement, and proclaimed, almost simultaneously, "Did you hear that?" Images increased significantly in size, and each percussive pound packed more wallop. The sound was smoother, the midrange more substantial. As we continued to listen, I found myself lowering the volume to accommodate dynamic contrasts, which seemed…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Computer-controlled lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) A grade battery array with dual power inverter technology. Capacity: (XT version) 5300Wh. Nominal battery voltage: 53V DC/48V system. Input voltage: 200–245V AC or 90–130V AC. Input frequency: 50Hz or 60Hz (set at factory). Transfer time (on grid to off grid): <15ms. Output voltage (US): 100–130V. Output frequency: 50Hz or 60Hz ±0.05% (set at factory and crystal controlled). Output power: 1100VA at 25°C, continuous; 30 minutes max, 1500VA at 25°C. Pulse load (3s): 3700VA at 25°C. Maximum…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, dCS Rossini Apex; EMM Labs DA2i DAC; Innuos Statement Music Server/Streamer; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Uptone Audio EtherRegen with AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModules (2) and Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 (3) and HDPlex 200 linear power supplies (3); Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch; Nordost QSource linear power supplies (2); Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.…
Manufacturer's Comment
The professional way in which the function and resulting sound improvement of our Stromtank were demonstrated in this test fills us with great joy and respect. The grid power is the foundation, the cornerstone of each audio system. Clean power makes it possible to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of an audio system. As high-end enthusiasts, we often try to improve sound by changing the setup or component, but we often fail due to fluctuating, dirty grid power; it's just like building a house. A hi-fi system needs a solid, stable foundation to build on.—Wolfgang…
Volti Audio’s Greg Roberts debuted his new Vittora Loudspeaker System ($50,000). It is the latest version of the horn-loaded system Art Dudley reviewed in September, 2013. The new Vittora system included the two main, birch-ply speakers (104dB at nominal 8 ohms, 50Hz-20k), two Extended Low Frequency ELF12 cabinets (with 12" sub drivers), one ELFpre preamp, and two ELFamp amplifiers (500W each). Alternately, customers can order two ELF18 cabinets (which include an 18" driver).
To my eye, the ELF12 sub resembles a large cajon—a box-shaped Peruvian percussion instrument played by slapping…