I did note a slight sonic fog in this region,…
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That quality was enhanced by a bottom end that tilted more toward a full, rich quality than punchy tightness. In this respect, it also differed from the Thiel CS7. But when I say "tilted," I really mean it. In my large listening room, the 107/2 was full-bodied through the bass range, but in no way overblown. Bass definition was good. There was no muddle or confusion. The richness did reduce the overall transparency of the sound compared with that from a loudspeaker with a vise-like grip—particularly through the mid- and upper bass.
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floor-standing loudspeaker with Conjugate Load Matching, Coupled-Cavity bass loading, and line-level equalizer. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) metal-dome tweeter, 5" polypropylene-cone midrange unit, two 10" (250mm) pulp-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 160Hz, 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz ±2.5dB (-6dB at 18Hz, Q=0.5). Directional axis characteristics: within 2dB of reference up to 10kHz for ±10 degrees vertically, ±30 degrees horizontally. Position of reference axis: 40" above cabinet base, not including feet. Nominal impedance: 4…
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—but all too often there is little of beauty to be found in high-end audio. In these aesthetic dark ages, we have been indoctrinated to forsake grace and elegance; we all know that every underlying penny should be spent only in the pursuit of superior sonic performance.
Bull! Where tradeoffs are necessary, sonic performance should indeed come first. Design decisions such as the ones which led to the inclusion of inconvenient dual volume pots on the Audible Illusions Modulus 3 preamp and to the innocuous grille/sock over the price/performance-…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 6.7" (170mm) plastic-cone woofer; 0.85" (20mm) soft-dome tweeter. Frequency range: 34Hz–20kHz (no limits given). Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz. Sensitivity: 91dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.7 ohms at 300Hz.
Dimensions: 14.4" (365mm) H by 9.5" (240mm) W by 15" (380mm) D. Weight: 21 lbs each (9.5kg).
Serial numbers of review samples: 1020A/B.
Price: $3998/pair (matching stands cost $750/pair), 1996. Approximate number of dealers: 15 (1996).
Manufacturer…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
While my estimate of the Adamantes' B-weighted sensitivity was below specification at 88.5dB/2.83V/m, this is still high for a small speaker. Its plot of impedance magnitude and phase (fig.1) dropped to 3.75 ohms at 230Hz, but the speaker is otherwise a moderate load for an amplifier to drive. The tuning of the rear-mounted port can be seen from the saddle in the bass to lie at 49Hz.
Note that a couple of wrinkles between 300Hz and 500Hz can be seen in the fig.1 traces, indicating some resonance problems in this region. This is confirmed by fig.2, which…
Robert Harley wrote about the Adamantes II in June 1997 (Vol.20 No.6):
When Wes Phillips read Jack English's lukewarm review of the Diapason Adamantes II loudspeaker in the September 1996 Stereophile (p.153), he suspected that Jack's large room may not have been ideal for this Italian minimonitor. The Adamantes II had sounded promising at shows, suggesting it deserved a second chance in a room better suited to its size. Wes therefore arranged for me to do a Follow-Up audition of the Adamantes IIs in my current 15' by 11' listening room. Although I had vowed to review only budget products…
Have you ever had one of those conversations with your Significant Other that begins "But I thought you said..." and goes downhill from there? The Other's tone is condescending, and the body language—hands on hips, head slightly tilted—lets you know you're in big trouble.
Trish and I had just closed on our dream house, which, for all its magic, necessitated a few compromises. One was that my listening room would have to double as our living room—or vice versa, depending on your point of view—so I had agreed to concentrate my reviewing on physically smaller gear. The ink was barely dry on…
Love at first hearing...but will the honeymoon last?
From the very first notes on the very first album, it was obvious that the Classé Omega was something special—not just good, but extraordinary. Ironically, given its massive size and immense power, it was in the reproduction of the tiniest details and subtlest nuances that the Omega was most, and most obviously and immediately, spectacular.
From the very first notes on the very first album, it was obvious that the Classé Omega was something special—not just good, but extraordinary. Ironically, given its massive size and immense power, it was in the reproduction of the tiniest details and subtlest nuances that the Omega was most, and most obviously and immediately, spectacular.
One evening I put on the Stokowski reading of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 (LP, RCA/Classic LSC-2471), lowered the lights, and sat back. The opening crescendos were stunning, emerging from a…
With all that power and that huge power supply, you'd think the Omega would be nothing short of explosive—all thunderous orchestral crescendos and cracking rim shots. Well, yes and no. Yes, the crescendos and rim shots were there; no, they never seemed "thunderous" or "explosive," nor did dynamics of any sort seem to dominate the Omega's performance. The Classé didn't sound big and bold or polite and reticent—it didn't sound any way at all, but simply did what the music asked, no more, no less.
I think part of it was that there was so much more information with the Omega that I ended up…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier with unbalanced (RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs and two pairs of 4mm output binding posts. Rated output power: 500W into 8 ohms, 1000W into 4 ohms, 2000W into 2 ohms, 4000W into 1 ohm (all 27.0dBW). Sensitivity: 2.25V for rated output, balanced or unbalanced. Voltage gain: 29.0dB. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Output impedance: 0.017 ohm. Frequency response: 20Hz-2kHz, ±0.1dB. THD+noise: 0.002%. S/N Ratio: 135dB ref. rated output (no other conditions listed).
Dimensions: 19.5" (495mm) H by 11.5" (292mm) W by 23…