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Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Elac Debut B6's frequency response in the farfield; for the nearfield frequency response, I used an Earthworks QTC-40, which has a ¼" capsule and thus doesn't present a significant obstacle to the sound.

My estimate of the Elac B6's voltage sensitivity was 85dB/2.83V/m, which is 2dB below the specified 87dB/2.83V/m. I suspect that this difference is due to the B6's behavior in the top octaves (see later). I have plotted how the Elac's impedance varies with frequency on a more…

Love You Live

For those who want to deep dive into an artist, in other words obtain every scrap of material that artist has released and them some, seeking out bootlegs, or more politely, gray area material, can get a little obsessive. If you’re one of those, then you may have noticed that the fight against these releases seems to be over. The RIAA, the record labels, BMI and ASCAP seem to have all decided that because there’s no real money left in CDs, this battle is no longer worth fighting. Which means that if you cruise Amazon.com or eBay.com for example, searching for a favorite artist, all kinds of…

Colour My World

Since the return of the LP, which by the way, continues unabated despite the many predictions that this is a fad that’s gonna wither sooner than later, colored vinyl has emerged as a premium product, usually going for many dollars more than the plain black. If you are susceptible to such nonsense, then it’s boom times for LPs in every hue under the rainbow. Clearly someone in my lineage had relations with a fish because if it’s colored and flashy—think jigs, spinners, lures—then I’m there, grinning like a child and opening my wallet like a ridiculous adult.

A teal Saxophone Colossus? A…

<I>Hand Eye</I> Wigs Out

When do 12 hands + 12 eyes = boundless creativity? When you start by gathering up the six New York-based composers of the highly heralded Sleeping Giant collective, and letting them loose in the contemporary art collection of the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation for Art in the Detroit suburbs. Next, you invite each collective member to find inspiration in one of the collection's artworks, and transform wherever they're led into compositions for the four-time Grammy-winning Chicago new-music sextet, Eighth Blackbird. Then you put it all together, and end up with Hand Eye, a recording of…

First Thursdays in Ohio

Thursday April 7, from 6–9 pm, John DeVore of DeVore Fidelity (above) and Mike Pranka, the distributor for Well Tempered Labs and Dynavector, will presenting a night of music making at Don Better Audio (2888 Weybridge Road, Shaker Heights, OH 44120). John will be playing the new Gibbon X loudspeakers and Mike the new Well Tempered Royale 400 turntable with its 16" tonearm. The system will include amplification from VTL and a formal seminar starts at 7:30pm.

It has been more than five years since John last appeared at the Ohio dealer and the event is part of Don Better Audio's series of…

Wilson & dCS in Santa Monica, Wednesday & Thursday

On Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 & 7, 5:30pm–8:30pm, The Audio Salon (Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Unit F1, Santa Monica) will present the first public demonstration in California of Wilson Audio's new Alexx loudspeaker.

John Quick from dCS will be discussing and demonstrating the new Rossini Player, Rossini Clock, and the Vivaldi 2.0 Playback System while Bill McKiegan from Dan D'Agostino will be present on Thursday to demonstrate the new Momentum Series amplification. The SAT tonearm, with a Lyra Atlas Reference phono cartridge, will be mounted on the TechDAS Air Force…

Zanden Event in Virginia Saturday

Saturday April 9, from noon until 5pm, Metro Washington DC's Command Performance (115 Park Avenue, Suite #2 in Falls Church, VA) welcomes Kazutoshi Yamada and Eric Pheils of Zanden Audio for a special event. Mr. Yamada and Mr. Pheils will premier Zanden's flagship electronics: the Mk.II versions of the Model 9600 KR845 monoblock amplifiers (above) and the Model 3000 preamplifier. They will also demonstrate the Model 1200 Mk.III phone stage, Model 120 phono stage, Model 3100 preamp, and the Model 8120 stereo amp.

Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to (703) 532-7239 or by E-mail to…

PS Audio UltraLink D/A processor

The night before I started to write this review, PBS began a five-part series on computers called "The Machine that Changed the World." The first episode described the development of the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Accumulator), the first electronic computer. The ENIAC used 18,000 vacuum tubes, had over 500,000 solder joints, required a room 30' by 50', had to be physically reprogrammed with patch cords to perform different tasks, and packed less computing power than today's $4.99 pocket calculator.

Any of us who have bought computers know the scenario well: By the time you…

PS Audio UltraLink D/A processor Robert Harley's 1992 System

Sidebar 1: Robert Harley's 1992 System

The UltraLink took center stage in my digital front end during the past month, driven by either the Theta Data transport or Nakamichi 1000mb (reviewed in this issue). I used primarily the AT&T ST-type glass interface (an Aural Symphonics Aural Optical glass cable), although coaxial digital interconnects were also auditioned. The playback system included the usual retinue of components: Audio Research LS2 line stage, VTL 225W/A> monoblocks, Hales System Two Signatures, and a Muse Model 18 subwoofer. Interconnects were Expressive Technologies…

PS Audio UltraLink D/A processor Robert Deutsch, September 1992

Robert Deutsch, September 1992 (Vol.15 No.9)

It was on the third day of the Los Angeles Stereophile High End Hi-Fi Show that I finally had a chance to have lunch with Bob Harley and get the inside scoop on the latest "hot" digital gear.

"So, I hear you've been listening to the PS UltraLink. How is it?"

Bob chewed thoughtfully on his hamburger.

"It's really good. Not as good as the Mark Levinson No.30, but really good."

Now, from anyone else, that may sound like faint praise, but you have to keep in mind that RH is not one to make pronouncements of the "All…