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Few products elicited as much excitement, disappointment, and debate among the Stereophile staff as did the Snell Type B dynamic loudspeaker (footnote 1). Both Peter Mitchell and I praised the Type B for its low-frequency extension, smooth treble, high power handling, and excellent dynamics. Corey Greenberg and Robert Harley faulted the speaker's sluggish and fat bass response, which they felt precluded a recommendation in Stereophile's "Recommended Components." Kickdrum recordings in pop and rock excited the Type B's bass character, a characteristic which was not so noticeable if one only…
Next I checked for bass extension. With César Franck's Chorale No.1 for pipe organ (Marcel Dupré, Mercury Living Presence 434 311-2), the Snell B minors sustained the deep growl of the organ pedals and shook the room. The B minors had ample bass dynamics, as shown by their rendition of the powerful bass drum in Owen Reed's La Fiesta Mexicana (Fiesta, Reference RR-38CD). At the same time, the clarity of the upper registers was maintained. On the My Cousin Vinny soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande VSD-5364), the Mark Levinson No.27.5 delivered ample amounts of subterranean bass on Randy Elman's "…
Thomas J. Norton auditioned the Snell B minor in June 1994 (Vol.17 No.6):
For a comparison with the Energy Veritas v2.8 speakers, I had earlier set up in my listening room the pair of Snell B minors recently reviewed by Larry Greenhill (April '94, p.167) and sent to Santa Fe for measurement. The $3599/pair Snells are similar in size to the Veritases, but look much less conventional. I set up the Snells on the room's short dimension, a third of the way out into the room. In this position, with a closely positioned listener, they performed strikingly well, and much as LG described: midbass…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, five-driver, floorstanding dynamic loudspeaker. Driver complement: one 12" woofer, two 5¼" polypropylene-cone midranges, one 1" titanium-dome tweeter, one ¾" soft-dome, rear-firing tweeter. Frequency response: 30Hz–20kHz, ±1.75dB anechoic, up to 15° off-axis. Crossover frequencies and slopes: 275Hz, 2.7kHz, 24dB/octave. Impedance: 8 ohms, 4 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m (2.83V), anechoic. Amplifier requirements: 40–200Wpc.
Dimensions: 10" W by 48" H by 16" D. Shipping weight: 110lb each.
Finishes available: matched grain,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
A variety of associated equipment was used in this review. For most of the listening, I used the Krell KSA-250—the amplifier that had proven so successful with the Type B. Tom Norton has written about how the KSA-250 tends to be lean in the mid to upper bass, which could offset the audibility of any midbass peak (footnote 1). The other amplifier that I found to work well with the B, the Bryston 4B NRB, was not available. I also used a Mark Levinson No.27.5, the newest Classé 15, and the Woodside M-50 tube monoblocks. I included the Woodside to determine if…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The B minor's sensitivity, calculated using a noise signal and B-weighting, was exactly to specification at 86dB/W/m. Its impedance magnitude and phase, measured with the Audio Precision System One, are shown in fig.1. The minimum impedance is 4.9 ohms at 210Hz, while the woofer tuning is revealed by the 23 ohm peak at 32Hz. The HF control was set to its maximum for this measurement; reducing the tweeter level increased the…
Like candy to an audiophile baby, Capital Audiofest 2023 is officially in full blast mode, a phantasmagorical thrill ride for listeners of all ages, and this age. The venue as in 2022 is the Hilton Twinbrook Rockville, Maryland.
Led as always by owner/organizer, vintage-oriented audiophile, and former construction foreman Gary Gill, Capital Audiofest 2023 has seen a 33% increase in bookings, to 120 rooms and 40 booths, compared to last year's 90 and 30. Gill says the number of international vendors and manufacturers represented has increased as well. The price of admission remain…
Presenting the new GoldenEar T66 floorstanding speakers ($6900/pair in Gloss Black, $7200/pair in Santa Barbara Red), Ken Forsythe (AudioQuest), aided and abetted by Chet Pelkowski and Chris Volk (both from GoldenEar), got down and dirty, and insisted I join in. I did!
Whether streaming pianist Paul Novotny’s take on "My Favorite Things" or an epic version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" performed by a practically out-of-body Sara Bareilles, this system cast a massive soundstage that seemed to take over the floor.
Adding up to $42,000, the system included an Aesthetix…
In room 801, David Cope of Old Forge Audio, in conjunction with Phonographe Distribution, played a joyous-sounding system that included my and Herb Reichert's current favorite loudspeaker, the Heretic AD614 ($7290/pair); "AD" is a tribute to former Stereophile columnist and Deputy Editor Art Dudley. These speakers, which are manufactured in Canada, play with physicality, wholeness, jump, and speed that's rare among the many speakers I’ve heard through the years. The Heretic AD614 is pure and natural without exaggerating frequency extremes.
The Heretics found expression in a…
Gryphon’s highly anticipated Diablo 333 Integrated Amplifier will make its North American dealer debut on Thursday 16 November, 11am–6pm, at The Sound Environment in Omaha, Nebraska. Anthony Chiarella, Gryphon's North American director of sales and marketing, will present the amplifier and be available to answer questions and discuss the Gryphon brand. Appointments are recommended. After 6pm, The Sound Environment will host an official presentation, with all invited. For more information or to book an appointment, please contact Charlie Santmire by email at info@soundenvironment.com or by…