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With its narrow width and sensible choice of radiating geometry, the Evidence offers superbly well-controlled lateral dispersion, as can be seen from fig.4 (actual responses) and fig.5 (differences in response). Other than the increasing directivity of the tweeter above 10kHz due to its relatively large diameter (28mm), the Evidence's off-axis behavior is smooth, with no discontinuities, peaks, or dips. Not only will this ensure that the speaker excites the listening room's reverberant field in an uncolored manner, it also guarantees stable, well-defined stereo imaging. Looking at fig.5,…
In the time domain, the Evidence's step response (fig.7) indicates that the tweeters and woofers are connected in positive acoustic polarity, while the midrange units are connected in inverted polarity. This means that the step response of each unit hands over in a linear manner to that of the next lower in frequency, which correlates with the smooth, flat on-axis response. As expected from LG's description of the speaker's lack of grain, the cumulative spectral-decay plot (fig.8) is clean and free from resonant hash. Logistical problems meant that it was not possible to measure the…
"Commoditization leads to the death of a specialty industry!" Hearing this at what I'd anticipated would be a sleep-inducing seminar on marketing, I pricked up my ears. The speaker was management guru Tom Peters, author of the best-selling In Search of Excellence and The Pursuit of WOW!. "Once your product is commoditized, all that is left to compete on is price," Peters continued, as I frantically scrawled down his comments, "and a small company will always lose to the big guns on price!"
If you look at the Compact Disc medium in the 21st century, it is hard to resist the…
The CD33 doesn't offer HDCD decoding, so a current favorite CD of mine, John Tavener's Ikon of Eros (Reference Recordings RR-107CD), played back with unnaturally long reverberation tails. Even so, the presentation sounded smooth, natural, and grain-free.
I finished up my auditioning with the production CD pressing of K622, Antony Michaelson's performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, which I had produced last November with Tony Faulkner engineering (Musical Fidelity MF017). Tony had used a pair of Neumann M50s for his primary pickup; reproduced via the Arcam, the orchestral arc…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled CD player with two sets of analog outputs and two S/PDIF digital outputs (RCA and optical TosLink). Maximum output level: 2.2V. Frequency response: 0.15Hz-20kHz, ±0.5dB. Channel separation: not specified. Signal/noise ratio: 114dB. THD: 0.0008% at 1kHz, 0dBFS (16-bit data dithered with triangular-pdf dither). Output impedance: 47 ohms (5k ohm minimum load recommended). Power consumption: 32VA.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 3.33" (85mm) H by 11.4" (290mm) D. Weight: 14.3 lbs (6.5kg).
Finish: Silver or black anodized aluminum.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Benchmark DAC 1, Lavry Engineering DA2002, Nagra DAC D/A processors; Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista CD player.
Preamplification: Mark Levinson No.380S, Halcro dm10.
Power amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks, Halcro dm38.
Loudspeakers: Gershman Opera Sauvage, Revel Ultima Salon, .
Cables: Datalink: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, DH Labs Silver Sonic S/PDIF. Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah, Madrigal CZ Gel-1 (balanced); DiMarzio, AudioQuest Lapis (unbalanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Kilimanjaro. AC: Synergistic Research…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Arcam's maximum output level was 2.22V RMS, to specification but almost 1dB higher than the CD standard's 2V. The player preserved absolute polarity and the output impedance was also to specification, at a usefully low 47 ohms across the band. Error correction, assessed using the Pierre Verany Test CD, which has laser-cut gaps in the data spiral up to 2mm in length, was the best I have ever encountered—there were no audible glitches in the sound at all. Looking at the data from the CD33's S/PDIF output using RME's Digicheck program indicated that one heck of a…
Art Dudley wrote about the Arcam in November 2004 (Vol.27 No.11):
Before my time with the Naim CD5x was through, and in an effort to learn how it might stack up against the competition in its own price range, I called John Atkinson to see whether the Arcam FMJ CD33 ($2499) he'd reviewed for Stereophile's July issue was still out there. Luckily for me, it was; I snagged the Arcam sample on its way back to the distributor.
It's interesting that, in developing these two similarly priced products, Naim and Arcam have taken somewhat different paths: While Naim has gone from a standard…
This is my final "Final Word." Although, combined with the announcement of J. Gordon Holt's resignation, this will undoubtedly cause rumors to swirl about Emap Petersen forcing all the old guys out, I assure you that my departure is of my own volition. It's a process that started back in 1997, when John Atkinson and I first talked about selling Stereophile, and for me it reaches its conclusion here.
I never thought, when I entered the publishing world back in 1982, that my stay would last this long, or result in my being part of such a great community. My preceding 15 years, following an…
Despite its name, the Panache is not made in France, but here in the States, by Portal Audio, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is owned and run by Joe Abrams, a longtime veteran of high-end hi-fi who was once closely associated with Threshold.
Threshold. Portal. Get it?
The Portal Audio Panache is an integrated amplifier rated to deliver the magic 100Wpc into 8 ohms and 200Wpc into 4 ohms. Portal sells directly to consumers, mainly by the Internet, and there are no North American dealers. The Panache costs $1795 and the company offers an unusually generous…