The BRX was the last GoldenEar speaker to be produced under…
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Loudspeaker company GoldenEar Technology was founded in 2010 by audio industry veteran Sandy Gross after he left Definitive Technology. With a design team based in Canada that included Martyn Miller, who is still GoldenEar's senior acoustic engineer, GoldenEar produced a series of relatively affordable speakers that garnered favorable reviews in Stereophile. The most recent of these was the BRX (Bookshelf Reference X) standmount, which I reviewed in September 2020 and have been using as one of my reference loudspeakers since.
I did some further experimentation with the speaker positions and subwoofer levels, but Chris's and Stephen's choices gave the optimal balance from the low bass through to the lower midrange. I then installed the spikes to the aluminum bases and started my auditioning. Amplification was provided by the Parasound JCA100 Tribute monoblocks I reviewed in June 2024; the source was, first, a PS Audio DirectStream MK2 D/A processor fed USB data from my Roon Nucleus+ server, then, when that was returned to the manufacturer, an MBL N31 CD player/DAC converting Ethernet data from the Nucleus+.…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker with powered sub-bass section. Drive units: High-Gauss Reference High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) AMT tweeter, two 4.5" High-Definition Die-Cast Basket mid/ bass drivers, two 5" × 9" Long-Throw Quadratic subwoofers, two 8" × 12" Quadratic Planar Back-Wave-Driven radiators. Frequency range: 29Hz–25kHz typical on-axis. Low-frequency extension –6dB at 29Hz. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/m (4 ohms). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended amplification: 20–500W. Subwoofer power amplifier: 1000W peak, 500W (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream MK2 D/A processor; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound JCA100 Tribute monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: GoldenEar BRX.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: Ayre/Cardas (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood Combo. AC: AudioQuest Monsoon, Dragon Source and Dragon High Current, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: 24"-…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the GoldenEar T66's quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield. I raised the speaker on a dolly and a stack of 2 × 4s so that the tweeter was midway between the floor and ceiling. Because of the geometry of my listening room, where I performed the measurements, the microphone distance was 1m rather than my usual 50". I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to…
This paragraph from Linear Tube Audio's website description of their new Aero DAC sets the tone for the story I'm about to tell. "After trying various options, we chose the Analog Devices AD1865 R2R DAC chip, which is sometimes called the 'vinyl DAC,' for its organic sound. It is a non-oversampling DAC, with no digital filters. The AD1865 is much-loved by audiophiles and is used by at least one hi-fi company in a flagship DAC costing over $150,000."
Check the forums and you find that the AD1865 chip is also a heavy DIY favorite. Home brewers are attracted to this discontinued, "obsolete"…
The preternaturally talented Neveu (1919–1949) was playing her soul out on a made-in-1730 Omobono Stradivari—Omobono was one of Antonio's sons—and its rich tones came through my speakers dense and rub-my-fingers-together tactile. The Aero strongly emphasized bow-on-string textures, which emphasized Neveu's tone, making for a sensuous, compelling Ginette Neveu listening experience.
To my delight, LTA's DAC presented these remastered pre-1949 recordings with that Kodachrome tone I've come to associate with NOS R-2R converters. Best of all, the Aero added a faint halo of tube…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: R-2R D/A processor based around the 18-bit Analog Devices AD1865 chip, with 12SN7/6SN7 output tubes and no filters, feedback, or oversampling. Formats: Up to 24/192 PCM. Output voltage: 2.2V RMS RCA, 4.4V RMS XLR. Digital inputs: USB, S/PDIF on RCA, and TosLink. Output impedance: 70 ohms unbalanced (RCA), 140 ohms balanced (XLR). Power consumption: 32W in operation, 7W standby.
Dimensions: 17" (431mm) W × 3" (76mm) H × 10" (254mm) D. Weight: 15lb (6.8kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 240422. Manufactured in USA.
Price: $3950. Approximate…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analog Blackbird turntable with Sorane SA1.2 tonearm with Dynavector XX2 moving coil, plus Nagaoka MP-110 and "homebrew" MP-200, and Audio-Technica's AT-VM95E moving magnets. Pulse EMT 912-HI tonearm with EMT's JSD6 moving coil.
Digital sources: Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC, HoloAudio May and Spring 3 DACs, dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; Onkyo C-7030 CD player, TEAC VRDS 701T transport, Roon Nucleus+.
Preamplifiers: HoloAudio Serene; PrimaLuna EVO 100 and MoFi MasterPhono phono stages.
Power amplifiers: Parasound…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Before I started testing the Linear Tube Audio Aero D/A processor, I carefully installed the two 12SN7 tubes and made sure the tubes' heater voltage had been correctly set with the rear-panel switch. I measured the Aero with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, first using optical and coaxial S/PDIF data, then repeating some of the tests with USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro. (The TosLink input didn't lock consistently to data sampled at rates higher than 96kHz.)
The USB Prober utility identified the D/A processor as "LTA Aero" from "LTA," with the serial…