The sound was superb, right up there with the best Wilson/VTL/D'Agostino/dCS rooms I visited throughout the show. (Other top-contender systems, which would have included speakers from YG Acoustics, Vivid,…
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I've included the long view of this room to demonstrate the lengths to which Ocean Way Audio's Allen Sides, in partnership with Viola Labs, went to achieve reference quality sound at T.H.E. Show. That the two companies succeeded by means of semi-diagonal placement, lots of room treatment, and invisible room treatment behind their sign is a testament to their dedication and perseverance.
CD player prices continue to go down and, surprisingly, sound quality goes up; the Yamaha CD-X1 is an example of both. It's a front-drawer loader with some interesting innovations. Pushing the Open/Close button opens the drawer; it can be closed either by pushing the same button again or by pressing lightly against the end of the open drawer. (We understand this was done because many such players have been damaged by users trying to force the drawer shut by hand.)
The unit has three operating modes: Auto, Manual and Single. In Auto, play begins as soon as the drawer is closed, or as soon…
Sidebar 1: My Dinner With Toyasaki Matsumoto
Toyasaki Matsumoto, designer of the Yamaha CD-X1 and manager of Yamaha's Design Group 2, recently visited the US and met us for lunch at Nelson's, the famous upper West Side New York Delicatessen. After sampling the local pastrami, which he greatly enjoyed, we got down to business: the CD revolution and his company's new cost-effective player. Here are Mr. Matsumoto's views on the subject.
The key to the CD-Xl's considerable success in the United States lay in its small size and reduced cost. Designed originally for the minicomponent…
Back in 1970, one Julian Vereker decided to record some musician friends in his house in Salisbury, England. Using standard, off-the-shelf electronics and tape machines, he was startled at how dissimilar the recording was to the sound of live instruments. As a result, he started designing his own recording electronics, including a recording console, of which he sold several to local broadcast facilities.
Spurred by this success, Julian founded Naim Audio to design and manufacture home playback equipment that more closely approached the sound of real music. Naim has since become one of…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Programmable Compact Disc players. Specifications: all perfect (as usual).
Dimensions: 13.375" (CD-X1), 17.125" (CD-2) W by 3.625" H by 11.375" D.
Price: $599 (both, 1985); no longer available (2016).
Manufacturer: Yamaha Electronics Corp., 6660 Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90260. Tel: (714) 522-9105. Fax: (714) 670-0108. Web: www.yamaha.com.
Connecting the Hi-Cap to the system is far from intuitive. Instead of running a DC supply cable from the Hi-Cap to the preamp and an audio cable from the preamp to the power amplifier, the audio signal is first routed through the Hi-Cap before driving the power amplifier. Consequently, it is easy to hook up the system incorrectly, as I did initially. Note that only a single cable (either a four- or five-pin DIN connector) should be connected to the 62 preamp (besides the signal inputs). This unusual arrangement reportedly results in a superior grounding scheme (the Hi-Cap as central ground…
Soundstage depth and feeling of three-dimensionality were exceptional. There was a distinct impression of up-front presence (more so with CD source), yet simultaneously a laid-back quality. Instruments toward the front of the soundstage were right there in front of the listener, with immediacy and palpability, yet musical subtleties and instruments toward the soundstage rear were laid-back and distant. I found that this ability to put images in their appropriate musical contexts heightened the listening experience. In addition, the impression of depth wasn't truncated toward the soundstage'…
Sidebar 1: Review System
I decided to treat the NAC 62, NAP 140, and Hi-Cap as an integral system along with Naim's interconnects and loudspeaker cables. I will, however, report on the system's sound with and without the Hi-Cap, comment on the 62's phono and line sections independently, and evaluate the preamp and power amp separately. Naim recommends that the preamp be placed on a stand or rack other than the one holding the power amp and Hi-Cap. Since this was not practical in my setup, the 62 was mounted on Navcom isolation feet.
Loudspeakers used in auditioning the three…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Starting with the NAP 62 preamp, I measured a phono gain of 55.7dB, just enough for higher-output "low-output" moving-coils, but more suited to the "high-output" variety. The low-to-moderate phono gain figure suggests the lowest-output moving-coils should be avoided. RIAA error (fig.1) was negligible, but not perfectly flat: a very slight dip (about 0.1dB) between 100–500Hz is evident, along with a 0.2dB rolloff at 20kHz and a steep cutoff below 30Hz. The sharp attenuation slope below 30Hz is fairly typical of European amplifiers that follow the IEC-recommended…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
NAC 62 Preamplifier: Inputs: Three line-level inputs on DIN jacks, one stereo phono input on BNC jacks. Phono input sensitivity and impedance: variable with optional phono boards. Output level and impedance: 0.775V, 47 ohms.
Weight: 8 lbs.
Price: $895 (1991); no longer available (2016).
Hi-Cap Power Supply: Output voltage: 24V DC x 2.
Weight: 20 lbs.
Price: $1195 (1991); no longer available (2016).
NAP 140 Power Amplifier: Power output: 45Wpc continuous into 8 ohms (bandwidth and distortion not specified). Transient power output…