At first glance, the Model Three—I'll call it the M3 for short—may seem…
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"Dear audio enthusiast." Those were the user manual's introductory words, not "Dear audiophile." I stared at them for a few seconds, letting the implication of that greeting sink in. I don't know if it was meant this way—perhaps not—but for me, this was a whistle call announcing that the KLH Model Three ($1799.98/pair) was not intended for those obsessed with having the best at all costs; it was meant for people who dig quality sound, period. It was also meant for people who dig that vintage-American-speaker look.
"First, check that the woofer is securely fastened to the baffle," unaware that I was hearing the same thing from both speakers. "The screws might have come loose in shipping. Second, if the woofer screws are tight, it is possible that either the complete crossover or one of its components, most likely a heavy inductor, has come loose in shipping. If you can't get inside the speaker to check this, I think you should ask for new samples."
Whaaa? New samples? No! I had a deadline!
I pressed. "Could it be because the Model Three is a sealed box? That the lowest note is creating…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, acoustic suspension, standmount loudspeaker with a three-position Mid-HF attenuation switch and a metal-frame, slant riser base (included). Driver complement: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter; 8" pulp-paper–cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 1.6kHz (2nd-order). Frequency response: 46Hz–20kHz ±3dB. Low-frequency extension: –10dB at 35Hz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.7 ohms at 320Hz. In-room sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Free-field sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m. Power handling: 150W, 600W peak. Recommended amplification: 30–150W. In-room…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital source: Simaudio Moon 260D CD transport; Cambridge Audio EVO 150 streaming integrated amplifier (used as DAC).
Preamplifier: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp.
Integrated amplifier: Grandinote Shinai.
Loudspeakers: Focal Aria K2 936, Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G.
Cables: Digital: Audience Studio One (RCA S/PDIF). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Audience Studio One. Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system with a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the KLH Model Three's frequency response in the farfield and an Earthworks QTC40 mike for the nearfield response of the woofer, both microphones used with an Earthworks preamplifier. I measured a different sample than those auditioned by Robert Schryer; its serial number was 20220401101.
The Model Three's excellent manual includes a lot of useful advice on optimizing the balance of the speaker. A diagram indicates that with the Model Three sitting on its stand, the listener's…
The Topping DM7 DAC ($599.99) is a high-resolution, eight-channel DAC that supports PCM and DSD sources but will not handle any of the common Dolby/DTS codecs. It employs the highly capable and respected ES-9038PRO DAC chip, ESS's flagship. It has just one input, and it's USB. Its eight analog outputs are fully balanced, but they are TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) phone jacks, which are more widely used in pro audio; most audiophiles will require adapters. Finally, it includes a master volume control and individual channel gain controls (all with 0.5dB resolution), but the finicky up/down buttons on…
The purity delivered by—or via—the DM7 recurred again and again, and often it was a surprise. The album An Unexpected Mozart (Harmonia Mundi HMM90239697, auditioned from a 24/96 download) is aptly named not only because of its surprising instrumentation (including, in addition to voice, mandolin, harpsichord, and organ, also glass harmonica and musical clock). And not—or not only—because in addition to pieces by Mozart, this album named for Mozart includes contributions from Haydn and C.P.E. Bach. Nor is it just because it is performed, under the direction of Louis-Noel Bestion de Camboulas…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 8-channel D/A processor with remote control. Input: 1 USB-B, supports 16–32 bit/44.1–192kHz (PCM), DSD64 via DoP, DSD64–128 (Native). Outputs: 8 balanced ¼" phone jacks (TRS), 12V trigger I/O. Output impedance: 100 ohms. Maximum output level: 4.0V RMS at 0dBFS (4V Mode), 5V RMS at 0dBFS (5V Mode). Frequency response: 20Hz–40kHz, ±0.1dB. THD+N (A-weighted): <0.00009% at 1kHz. S/N ratio (A-weighted): 130dB at 1kHz. Noise (A-weighted): <1.5µV RMS. Dynamic range (A-weighted): 130dB. Crosstalk: –143dB (1kHz). Channel balance: <0.3dB. Power…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Oppo Digital UDP-105 universal disc player, Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v29, Roon and DiracLive. exaSound s88 Mark II, Okto dac8 PRO D/A processors. QNAP TVS-873 NAS.
Preamplifiers: Coleman Audio 7.1SW for balanced-source switching. 3 Topping Pre90 preamps for buffer/line drivers.
Power Amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2, NAD C 298.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima2 Studio with IsoAcoustics Gaia I isolation feet. Revel Performa3 f206 for surrounds. Two SVS SB-3000 & one SB-2000Pro subwoofers connected via…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Topping DM7 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, repeating some measurements with the higher-performance APx500. I fed data to the DM7's USB input with my MacBook Pro, running on battery power, and used ¼" TRS-XLR adapters for feeding the Audio Precision's balanced inputs. As the Audio Precision analyzers are two-channel devices, I performed a complete set of tests with the DM7's channels 1 and 2 analog outputs, repeating some of the tests on channels 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8.
Apple's AudioMIDI utility indicated that the Topping DM7 accepts 24-…