Jason Victor Serinus was impressed by this small, two-way, active all-in-one speaker from Denmark (footnote 1). He concluded his February 2023 review by writing, "Designed as a 'complete wireless sound system,' the Dynaudio Focus 10 active monitors are the most musically satisfying one-stop playback solution I've had the pleasure of hanging with. ... Within its limitations of image size and bass quantity, the Focus 10 is one of the most musically satisfying active loudspeakers I've had the…
search
John Atkinson auditioned the Dynaudio Focus 10 with Dirac Live in November 2023 (Vol.46 No.11):
A cultural steamroller that's sold more than 20 million copies so far, Frampton Comes Alive! is also the most celebrated example of an artist who broke through to worldwide fame thanks to a live record. In the wake of this monster success, fans went back and listened to Peter Frampton's four solo studio records that predated the live behemoth. Sales and respect grew.
Three of those four releases, Wind of Change (1972), Frampton's Camel (1973), and Frampton (1975), have been remastered and reissued in a limited edition, 180gm vinyl-LP box set, Frampton@50, In the Studio 1972–1975, by…
Register to win a pair of AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ USB Data & Power Noise Filters (value $99.95/pair) we are giving away.
From the company:
AudioQuest's JitterBug USB Data & Power Noise Filter has treated many thousands of music lovers to more naturally beautiful sound.
Of the original model, Stereophile's John Atkinson wrote, "I have no hesitation in declaring, loudly and longly, that I can think of no way to spend $49 that would make me more enjoy my computer-based audio than the AudioQuest JitterBug. Try one—or two—for yourself."
Nearly 10 years…
Jason Victor Serinus returned to the Innuos Statement in November 2023 (Vol.46 No.11):
On April 2020, when I reviewed the original version of the top-of-the-line, two-box Innuos Statement Music Server/Streamer (then $13,750, now $16,700+), it was able to do all of the things you would hope a server could do: play back music from its internal SSD or an external NAS; stream music from several music-streaming services; and easily play and rip music from CDs inserted into a built-in disc drive (a feature some other servers lack). I liked that it allowed me to use either Roon or—for those who…
Piece of cake, thought I. All I needed to do to review Wilson Audio Specialties' smallest active subwoofer, the LōKē ($8950 each in standard finish), was describe how low a pair goes in my room and how cleanly they woof.
As I was soon to learn, though, there was a lot more to reviewing LōKēs than that. Why? Because a pair of LōKē subwoofers does more than reinforce the already deep bass extension (footnote 1) of the Wilson Alexia V loudspeakers with which they are now paired in my system. Therein lies the tale.
Behind the woof
"Wilson Audio has a long history with subwoofers…
Features, setup, and phase
Rather than repeating every feature and setup parameter detailed in the LōKē's online manual (footnote 8), I'll highlight those I found most important. But first this: While it's true that placing LōKēs near room boundaries and corners provides even more bass reinforcement, care must be taken to avoid introducing upper-bass colorations caused by overloading upper-bass room modes.
Subwoofers come, broadly, in two varieties: those that operate entirely in the analog realm and those that digitize the music. The LōKē is in the latter category (footnote…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Floorstanding active subwoofer with 10" woofer and 500W class-D internal amplification. Frequency response: 20Hz–250Hz (±1dB). Effective piston area: 21.75in2. Effective displacement: 33.42in3. Input sensitivity (L+R) RCA, input level switch set to Normal: 310mV RMS; RCA, input switch set to Hi: 620mV RMS. XLR, input level switch set to Normal: 630mV RMS; XLR, input level switch set to Hi: 1.25V RMS. Maximum input level (L+R): RCA, input switch set to Normal: 1.1V RMS; RCA, input switch set to Hi: 2.3V RMS; XLR, input level switch set to Normal: 2.4V…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, and Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server; Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe optical Module; Uptone Audio EtherRegen with SOtM sCLK-OCX10 Master Clock and sPS-500 power supply; Nordost QNet switch and two QSource linear power supplies; HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ network-attached storage device with Ferrum Hypsos linear/ switching hybrid power supply; Linksys MR9000 mesh router and Arris modem; Apple 2023 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although the LōKē was reviewed by JVS in a system with the Wilson Alexia V loudspeakers, I measured it in a different context, paired up with the Wilson SabrinaX. As noted in the review in Hi-Fi News (December 2022), the scope of the LōKē's low-pass (LPF) and subsonic (HPF) frequency and slope options plus phase, output level, parametric EQ, and placement scenarios allows many response combinations. For the sake of expediency, I left the subsonic (HPF) and PEQ features disabled for the flattest LF response and focused on the tunable (30Hz–125Hz, ±1Hz) LPF options…
The November 2023 issue of Stereophile included follow-up reviews of two products: the Dynaudio Focus 10 active loudspeaker and the Innuos Statement Music Server/Streamer.
Jason Victor Serinus reviewed Dynaudio's Focus 10 in Stereophile's February 2023 issue. He concluded that "designed as a 'complete wireless sound system,' the Focus 10 were the most musically satisfying one-stop playback solution he'd had the pleasure of hanging with." However, one aspect he wasn't able to audition was the loudspeaker's integration with Dirac Live room correction.
As I had some experience in…