Michael Fremer was impressed by the Paradox Phono 70 Signature phono preamplifier when he reviewed it in his March 2022 Analog Corner column (footnote 1). "If you want a neutral player that's quiet, super–well-organized, and can plumb the depths and scale the peaks without adding colorations, the Phono 70 Signature is well worth considering," he concluded. Mikey suggested it would be worth my taking a look at its measured performance, so I performed a complete set of measurements with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system…
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Paradox Phono 70 Signature Measurements, from May 2022 (Vol.45 No.5):
Listening to the New Firmware, May 2022 (Vol.45 No.5):
When I reviewed the CH Precision D1.5 player/transport in the March 2022 issue—I reviewed it mostly as a player—I was very much impressed by its performance (footnote 1). It was at its best as a SACD player. It also sounded very good playing MQA CDs. (It was my first experience hearing an MQA CD on a capable player, so I had little to compare it to except the other formats.)
The sound on CD was exemplary—probably the best CD sound I'd heard—but it was not as good as with the other formats. Which was expected (footnote 2).…
EJ Jordan Marlow Measurements, from May 2022 (Vol.45 No.5):
Intrigued by his small, full-range drive units, I used to chat with the late Ted Jordan at hi-fi shows when I lived in the UK. So, when Herb Reichert told me that he was reviewing an LS3/5a-sized standmount speaker that used the latest version of the Jordan driver, I volunteered to measure it.
The EJ Jordan Marlow is sold direct from the UK and costs £1960/pair (equivalent to $2650/pair at the time of writing) including free shipping to the US (footnote 1). HR enthused about the sound of the Marlow in his April 2020…
EJ Jordan Marlow Manufacturer's Comment
Thanks for the opportunity to reply to John's detailed technical measurements of the Jordan Marlow loudspeakers in the May 2022 issue of Stereophile.
We've aimed for as natural a sound as possible with these loudspeakers so that they will work well with a wide range of music. All loudspeaker design is a balance of compromises, and in our case imaging, speed, and as natural a midrange as possible are high on our list of priorities, reflecting Ted Jordan's own engineering aims with the Eikona driver.
It is possible to add frequency…
Michael Fremer wrote about the Paradox phono preamplifier in the March 2022 Analog Corner, Jim Austin reviewed the CH Precision D1.5 CD/SACD player/transport in March 2022, and Herb Reichert included the EJ Jordan Marlow standmount speaker in his April 2022 Gramophone Dreams column. All three products get further coverage in Stereophile's May 2022 issue.
After the original review of the CH Precision D1.5 had been prepared for publication, it turned out that the review sample had not had the correct firmware installed. Not only did this mean that it didn't offer the specified optimal time…
There's a notion among audiophiles that we must be regular consumers of live music, especially live acoustic music. It's the only way, the thinking goes, to calibrate our ears to the sound we should all be aspiring to at home.
This notion persists despite some deep and obvious flaws. For one thing, it doesn't matter what live acoustic music sounds like if that sound isn't captured on the recording we're listening to—it usually isn't—and it's impossible to know whether it has been or not. The very notion that grooves on a record or bits in a file even have a sound independent of the means…
One day in the mid-1990s, my friend J and I sat sprawled on the carpeted floor of a hi-fi shop in lower Manhattan, playing records. J, who was employed there as a salesperson, had dimmed the lights and locked the door of the listening room behind us to make sure we wouldn't be disturbed by actual customers. Earlier, he had lugged in a pair of homemade speakers that an elderly woman brought to the store, hoping to sell some of her late husband's gear. The cabinets were made of thin, unfinished plywood and resembled floor fans. Mounted at the center of each box was a late-1960s 10" Tannoy…
The appearance of these speakers testifies to their somewhat conflicted purpose. According to a PR representative for Harman, JBL's parent company, the 4367s are in fact marketed for home use. Their "professional" appearance seems to suggest otherwise and betrays little discernible concern with domestic decor. While they are impressively constructed, their "furniture-grade walnut veneer wood finish" does not bring to mind fine furniture. In fact, the 4367s looked less at home in my loft than any speaker I can recall and would look more appropriate in a mastering studio. Then again, anyone…
Sidebar 2: Altecs, Dynamics, and Stereophile
In his introduction to this review, Alex Halberstadt describes the conversations we had that led to the project of which this review is the first result. In those conversations, I suggested he seek out current commercial speakers that share virtues with his beloved vintage Altecs, ideally with fewer sonic compromises.
What compromises? The late Art Dudley, himself an Altec enthusiast (and Valencia owner), wrote about the Altec's shortcomings. When he first set up his Valencias, Art described "an aggressive and, at the worst of times, a…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Two-way, two-driver, bass-reflex, floorstanding loudspeaker with one 3", dual-diaphragm, dual voice-coil compression driver with dual neodymium-magnet motor and waveguide horn, one 15" (380mm) woofer with dual 3" voice-coil and neodymium-magnet motor, and dual front-firing ports. Crossover frequency: 700Hz. Frequency response: 30Hz–40kHz, –6dB. Sensitivity: 94dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms.
Dimensions: 37" (941mm) × 22.5" (560mm) × 16.7" (425mm). Weight: 119lb (54kg).
Finish: Walnute enclosure with blue front baffle.
Serial number…