"The DNA of OMA is in fact 'Old School,'" Weiss wrote in a post on the OMA blog called "Audio Heirloom?" "There is no reason our loudspeakers, amplifiers, or even turntables won't be running and playing music in a hundred years, just…
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Oswalds Mill Audio's products espouse a sort of steam-punk-meets-modern visual style, but the company's philosophies are straight from hi-fi's '50s and '60s glory days, an era when idler-drive turntables, low-power tube amps, and horn-loaded loudspeakers were the norm. That history and hi-fi's future fascinate and inspire Jonathan Weiss, OMA's proprietor.
Another unusual design choice is the use of phenolic for the cabinet's back panel. What's behind that decision?
Phenolic, "a very old technology that predates modern plastics, was a very expensive decision," Weiss said. "The paper phenolic we use is a laminate structure, both extremely hard, dense, and very well damped. The rear wave of the woofer interacts with this surface; its materiality is very important sonically."
The Fleetwood DeVille SQ looks like no speaker I've had in-house or, for that matter, seen in anyone's house. It's a lovely design—not the typical slim-profile…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Downward dual-ported bass-reflex, conical two-way standmount loudspeaker with horn-loaded tweeter. Driver complement: 1" neodymium compression tweeter driver with 6"-thick, solid wood conical horn and phase plug cast from a "3D printed sand mold in solid bronze"; 8" paper-cone woofer with neodymium magnet. Internal wiring is silver. Sensitivity: 94dB/W/m. Impedance: 8 ohms, nominal. Recommended amplifier power: 10W or more.
Dimensions: 24" (610mm) H × 18" (460mm) W × 10" (254mm) D; with stands, 48" H. Weight: 36lb without stand.
Finishes:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable with 4Point tonearm and EMT TDS 15N moving coil cartridge.
Preamplification: JE Sugden Masterclass LA-4, Shindo Allegro.
Power amplifiers: LKV Research Veros PWR+, Shindo Haut Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity O/96, Klipsch Forte IV.
Cables: Interconnect: Analysis Plus Silver Apex, Shindo (RCA). Speaker: Analysis Plus Silver Apex.
Accessories: IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius line conditioner, Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU Record Cleaning Machine, Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner Pro, Salamander five-tier rack;…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the OMA Fleetwood DeVille SQ's farfield and nearfield behavior with the DRA Labs MLSSA system, using calibrated DPA 4006 and Earthworks QTC-40 microphones and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier. I used Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to examine the loudspeaker's impedance magnitude and electrical phase.
OMA specifies the Fleetwood DeVille's sensitivity as 94dB/W/m. My B-weighted estimate was lower, at 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, However, the DeVille's impedance, specified as a nominal 8 ohms, averages closer to 15 ohms (fig.1, solid trace). A voltage of 2…
As I started to write this review, the news broke that Sound United, the owner of Boston Acoustics, Bowers & Wilkins, Classé, Definitive Technology, Denon, Marantz, and Polk, was going to be purchased by a corporation that makes medical instruments. Such consolidation is not new. China- and UK-based International Audio Group (IAG) was one of the first organizations to acquire iconic audio brands. IAG owns Audiolab, Castle, Quad, Leak, Mission, and Wharfedale. In 2009, they purchased Luxman.
My most recent listening session with a Luxman amplifier was at the end of 2010. I had been…
To deal with signal-related temperature fluctuations, the M-10X employs what Luxman calls "a new configuration of high-precision fixed resistance components in the current mirror constant current circuit."
Power in listening
To make it easier to swap in and out of my system, I placed the M-10X and the Parasound monoblocks with which I was going to compare it on wheeled dollies. As usual when I review an amplifier or digital product, I didn't do any critical listening for a couple of weeks after installing the M-10X in my system, just using it for my daily dose of music. This process…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state, class-AB power amplifier (output stage biased into class-A operation up to 12W). Inputs: 1 pair single-ended (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR). Outputs: 2 pairs binding posts. Power output: 150Wpc into 8 ohms (21.76dBW), 300W into 4 ohms (21.76dBW), 600W into 8 ohms (27.8dBW) as bridged monoblock (BTL). Instantaneous maximum output power: 1200W into 1 ohm (21.76dBW), 2400W into 2 ohms (21.76dBW), BTL. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.1dB; 1Hz–130kHz, +0/–3dB. Voltage gain: 29dB. Input sensitivity (for 150W into 8 ohms): 1.24V. Input…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Digital source: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Golden Ear BRX, KEF LS50.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I tested the Luxman M-10X with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I preconditioned the amplifier by following the CEA's recommendation of operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the grilles over the internal heatsinks were hot, at 120.6°F (49.3°C), though the top panel was just warm at 90.9°F (32.8°C). Operating the amplifier for another 30 minutes at one-third the specified power, a level that results in the maximum heat dissipation in the output devices, increased the temperatures only slightly. The M-…