1992: Back in the days of Don Garber's "Fi" at 30 Watts Street in New York, there existed a loose conglomerate of scruffy solderers that outsiders called "The New York Triode Mafia." They built experimental directly heated triode amps coupled to unconventional tapered-pipe…
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My friend and renowned tube polymath J.C Morrison says, "Blackie Pagano is sweet, smart, and has a devious sense of humor . . . (that I love). His work is reliable and he has years of experience keeping every imaginable band functioning in the gutted rock holes of NYC. Not only all that, but he is also a musician . . ."
Danish manufacturer GamuT Audio's patchy history in the US includes a succession of distributors that failed to establish the brand here. But in 2014 GamuT tapped Michael Vamos to spearhead their own US-based distribution company, which is now energetically promoting the company's products. That change coincided with my auditioning, at the 2014 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, of GamuT's two-and-a-half-way RS5 tower loudspeaker ($31,900/pair). I was sufficiently impressed that I asked to review it—but then, at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, I experienced the RS7. This was the GamuT speaker I…
Having determined the optimal placement of each speaker, Meldgaard then listened to both speakers, to determine the degree of toe-in to the listening position and the exact amount of backtilt for the baffle. The toe-in adjusts the high-frequency balance, GamuT recommending that its speakers be listened to 10–30° off-axis. In my room, the speakers ended up being toed in by 5°, which meant that my ears were about 15° off axis. With the degree of baffle backtilt Meldgaard had set, pink noise sounded a little hollow, the highs a little disconnected, when I sat with my ears level with the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, floorstanding loudspeaker with vented enclosure. Drive-units: 1.5" (29mm) ring-radiator tweeter; 7" (178mm) oil-impregnated, sliced-paper cone midrange unit; two 7" (178mm) wood-fiber cone woofers with wooden dustcaps. Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 28Hz–60kHz, ±3dB; 23Hz–60kHz, +3/–6dB. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 2.7 ohms at 120Hz. Recommended amplifier power: 150–700W into 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 50.4" (1280mm) H by 8.9" (226mm) W by 25.3" (642mm) D,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini running OS10.10.1, iTunes 11, Pure Music 2.0, Audirvana Plus 1.5.10; Pono Music PonoPlayer (balanced output); Ayre Acoustics QB-9 DSD, PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converters; Bel Canto Black ASC1 asynchronous stream controller; dCS Vivaldi upsampling D/A system; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Preamplification: Channel D Seta L phono…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the GamuT RS7's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. Because the RS7 is large and heavy, I wasn't able to lift it onto a stand for the measurements; the reflection of its output from the floor thus occurred earlier than is usually the case with my published loudspeaker measurements, reducing the resolution in the midrange.
The RS7's voltage sensitivity is specified as 88dB/2.83V/m; my estimate was…
For some time now I've wanted to upgrade my weekend system in Connecticut, and have been surveying three-way floorstanding speakers priced below about $2500/pair. I've focused on the stereo performance of each pair with music because, despite my interest in surround sound, the great majority of recordings are available only in two-channel stereo. Not wanting to look like a Bowers & Wilkins fanboy—my main system has long included their 800-series speakers—I put off auditioning B&W's 683 S2. But my goal was to get the best bang for my buck and with the 683 S2 costing $1650/pair, it…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, vented-box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-dome tweeter, 6" (150mm) woven-Kevlar-cone FST midrange, two 6.5" (165mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 4kHz. Frequency response: 52Hz–22kHz, ±3dB on reference axis, –6dB at 30Hz and 50kHz. Dispersion: within 2dB of on-axis response over 60° arc (horizontal) and 10° arc (vertical). Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Harmonic distortion (second and third harmonics, 90dB, 1m): <1.0%, 95Hz–22kHz; <0.5%, 120Hz–20kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Oppo BDP-103 universal Blu-ray player, Mac mini server running Windows 7 via Bootcamp, JRiver Music Center.
Preamplifiers: Emotiva XMC-1, Marantz AV8801.
Power Amplifier: Bryston 9BSST2.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 804 Diamond, Monitor Audio Silver 8, Paradigm Reference Studio/60 v.3, Sonus Faber Venere 2.5.
Cables: HDMI: AudioQuest Vodka. Interconnect: Kubala-Sosna Anticipation (RCA) & Fascination (XLR). Speaker: Kubala-Sosna Anticipation & Fascination. AC: Kubala-Sosna Emotion.
Accessories: Brick Wall…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Bowers & Wilkins 683 S2's frequency response in the farfield; and an Earthworks QTC-40, with its small, ¼"-diameter capsule, for the nearfield responses.
The 683 S2 is specified as having a sensitivity of 89dB/W/m; my estimate of its voltage sensitivity was slightly lower, at 87.7dB(B)/2.83V/m. The impedance, specified as 8 ohms, drops below 4 ohms in the lower midrange and in the top audio octave (fig.1), with a minimum magnitude of 2.92 ohms at 124Hz, very close to B…