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After 30 sides

Playing my father's favorite song, Stephen Foster's haunting "Beautiful Dreamer," sung by baritone Leslie Guinn on Songs by Stephen Foster (Nonesuch stereo LP H-71268), the SL MK II delivered enough transparency to see the usually obscured walls and floor of the recital room where "Dreamer" was recorded using "historical instruments at the Smithsonian Institute, in Washington, DC." The MK II recovered more of "Dreamer"'s moodiness than the old SL did. This track, along with "Jeanie…

From an audiophile perspective, the speakers’ design leans in a lifestyle direction, but I’ve seen and heard them, and they look and sound very good. They’re also flexible placement-wise. They include DSP technology and these being designed for wide-dispersion, the sweet spot isn’t some little nook in the center of your sofa; walk around the…

The Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G has four tensioning bolts, clearly visible along the back of the cabinet. These bolts serve two main purposes: to compress the gasket between the driver and the cabinet to achieve an airtight seal, and to "detune" any resonances in the driver chassis. Designer Michael Hedges cites a third, smaller benefit: additional bracing for the cabinet's back panel—though he insists this has only minimal influence on the sound. After all, the cabinet is made from thick MDF—double-thick in critical spots—and already braced internally…

Description: Three-way bass-reflex ("HiVe II Ported") loudspeaker with two rear-facing ports. Driver complement: one MPD III tweeter, one 3" (76mm) HDT, C-CAM midrange, two 6" (152.4mm) HDT C-CAM bass drivers. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 2.7kHz LF. Port tuning frequency: 35Hz. Frequency response, free field: 45Hz–60kHz, –6dB; in-room: 28Hz–60kHz, –6dB. Sensitivity (free field): 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms with a minimum of 3.9 ohms at 165Hz. Maximum peak SPL (AES75, Z-weighted): 117dB. Continuous power handling (CTA 426-B): 250W. Recommended…

Analog sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Keel chassis, Karousel main bearing, Radikal motor control. Naim ARO tonearm and Lyra Delos cartridge.
Digital sources: Naim UnitiCore network server and S/PDIF source. Roon Nucleus+. NAIM ND555 Streamer-DAC with two 555PS(DR) power supplies.
Preamplification: Townshend Allegri Reference line control. Phono: Naim SuperLine-SuperCap DR.
Power amplifier: Naim NAP250 (2023).
Loudspeakers: FinkTeam KIM, BBC LS3/5a.
Cables: Speaker: Transparent XL MM2, Naim NAC A5. Interconnects: Naim standard and…

On axis, the primary frequency response measured respectably flat out to 12kHz with a minor, narrow prominence in the 14–18kHz range that was only present directly on axis. Output continued beyond audibility before finally settling at –10dB at a nicely extended 33kHz. Notably absent was the resonant peak often seen at or above 20kHz; its absence here is no doubt due to this tweeter's pleated-ribbon design (footnote 1). Whether coincidental or not, the high treble sounded sweet and never drew attention to itself.

Tested on axis, pair matching was…

I measured a Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G loudspeaker with the serial number 900005. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the speaker's quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield (footnote 1). I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone, which has a small ¼" diameter capsule, for the nearfield responses.

The Monitor Audio…

To me, Burmester equipment is the audio equivalent of Porsche cars—sleek-looking, expensive, and designed for high performance. And as my visit to the Burmester room proved, Burmester gear is fun and exciting to listen to, which is what I assume driving a Porsche is like. (Maybe one day, I'll let you know for sure.)

The Burmester room was showing an all-Burmester system, down to the cabling, that included a Music Center 111 ($55,000) music server/CD player/CD ripper/preamplifier, a 164Wpc, 218 power amplifier ($50,000), a pair of BC150…