I sat down and listened. Well, yes, there was full-range sound,…
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I'm drawn to the idea of having a single transducer reproduce all the frequencies, but I appreciate the difficulties of this approach. Generally, the larger the driver, the better it is at reproducing low frequencies, and the worse at reproducing the highs. Thus, I was intrigued when I walked into the demo room of R2R Audio, a new Canadian manufacturer, which featured a single-driver system, with the driver having a 15" diameter, used in a dipole configuration. Can a driver like that reproduce anything other than the bass?
Let's say you want a reliable means of distinguishing between original works of art and forgeries of same. One thing you wouldn't do—assuming you know anything about art, human perception, or the subtle differences between car wax and excrement—is apply to the problem a blind test: You wouldn't waste your time bringing people in off the streets, showing them pairs of similar but nonidentical images for 15 seconds each, and expecting your test participants to provide answers of any worth. You wouldn't do that because it's stupid.
I take that back: It's beyond merely stupid—it's…
Just this morning I received an e-mail newsletter from a very nice objectivist-leaning man who works for a very nice objectivist-leaning company. In it he writes, "I accept that the Red-Book digital standard for CDs . . . very closely matches or exceeds human hearing on music. This has been confirmed by recent experiments of down-sampling High Definition records to Red-Book standard and then doing comparisons of the two. All results (that I am aware of at this time) indicate the two standards are indistinguishable in blind testing (footnote 4). And, in my opinion, blind testing of audio…
The Estelon X ($70,000/pair) was on the cover of the TAVES 2014 Show Guide, with the printed admonition "Don't miss Estelon in the Yorkville East Suite, 4th floor." Since they were kind enough to provide direction to the demo room, I just had to comply.
What I saw was a speaker with an appearance that seemed both artistic and organic, high-tech and yet natural. Sound—with Accuphase DP720 digital source, Brinkman Balance turntable, Benz Micro Ruby cartridge, Burmester 100 phono stage, Ayre KX-R Twenty preamp and Ayre MX-R Twenty amps—was absolutely topnotch, with delicacy as well as power…
Founded in 1979 by Jacques Mahul, Focal—formerly known as JMlab and as Focal-JMlab—is one of audio's success stories. Beginning with a single speaker model produced in a small workshop in Saint Etienne, France, the company is still headquartered there, but has expanded to employ over 250 workers, making products exported to over 160 countries. All Focal products are engineered in France; only a few lower-priced multimedia models and headphones are assembled in the Far East.
Focal makes products in six categories: 1) high-fidelity speakers, 2) home cinema, 3) multimedia and wireless, 4)…
One of my favorite tests of transient response is track 3 of the Chesky Records Jazz Sampler & Audiophile Test Compact Disc, Vol.1 (JD37): Brazilian singer Ana Caram's "Viola Fora de Moda." It's not the sort of music I normally listen to—and in terms of absolute fidelity, this 25-year-old recording it may not measure up to the resolution of the latest 24-bit/96kHz sources—but I'm very familiar with it, and it features lots of percussion instruments that challenge the ability of speakers (and other audio components) to reproduce their sounds. Through the Aria 936, the bells, cymbal, etc…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, five-driver, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-magnesium TNF inverted-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) flax/fiberglass sandwich-cone midrange unit, three 6.5" (165mm) flax/fiberglass sandwich-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 260Hz, 3.1kHz. Frequency response: 39Hz–28kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 92dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 2.8 ohms minimum. Recommended amplification: 50–300W.
Dimensions: 45" (1150mm) H by 11.5" (294mm) W by 14.5" (371mm) D. Weight: 64 lbs (29kg).
Finishes: Black High Gloss, Walnut, and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player.
Preamplifiers: Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance, Simaudio Moon Evolution 740P.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh MC275LE, Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A.
Integrated Amplifier: PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Uno Nano.
Cables: Interconnect, speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: PS Audio Power Plant Premier AC regenerator, Arcici suspense rack, PolyCrystal amplifier stand, Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer.—Robert Deutsch
Sidebar 3: Confounding, Cables, and Room Acoustics
In designing an experiment, one of the essential requirements is the avoidance of confounding. If you want to determine the effect of a single variable, you must change only that variable, and keep everything else constant. If you change more than one variable (unless it's part of a more complexly designed, multivariable experiment), then any differences in outcome may be due not to the variable of interest, but to the other, confounded variables.
This concept is relevant not only to scientific research but to conclusions drawn…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Focal Aria 936's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. The Earthworks microphone has a small, ¼" capsule, and so presents minimal obstruction to air flow in the ports. For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample from those auditioned by Robert Deutsch. The speaker was bolted to its plinth for the measurements, so that the downward-firing port was the specified distance from the floor. All measurements were performed with…