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Meridian Audio Prime D/A headphone amplifier Follow-Up, September 2016

John Atkinson returned to the Prime in September 2016 (Vol.39 No.9):

I reviewed this elegantly English D/A headphone amplifier in October 2014, with a Follow-Up in November 2015 (footnote 1). I was impressed with what I heard. Yes, at $2000, the Prime is relatively expensive—but, as I wrote, "I liked the palpable way it had with imaging and its clean, clear, but smooth highs."

Another aspect of the Prime that I liked was the fact that, with a firmware upgrade, it could decode and play MQA-encoded files. When this upgrade became available in spring 2016, I downloaded the firmware…

Roscoe's Return

Guitarist Eric Ambel, better known as Roscoe, has built quite a varied career for himself. Although he first came to wider attention as a member of Joan Jett’s Blackhearts, Ambel later went on to achieve what’s probably his best known gig, as part of The Del-Lords, the roots band with former Dictator Scott Kempner. Since the breakup of the DL’s Amble has had several bands including the Yayhoos and Roscoe’s Gang and has landed a high profile sidemans gig as part of Steve Earle’s backing band, The Dukes. He’s also become a record producer (Bottle Rockets, Nils Lofgren, Blood Oranges) via his…

What If They Gave a CES and Nobody Came? A Comment

Manufacturers' Comment

Editor: I read with interest, and not a little relief, Jason Victor Serinus's "As We See It" in the July issue of Stereophile.

Relief because, after we were forced to defer Salon Son et Image 2016 this year, various adverse and, in some cases, vile accusations were made. Why would we do such a thing? The truth is, no organizer of any worth has anything to gain by deferring or even canceling a show; the only genuine reason will be lack of trade support. That lack of support had to be influenced by the ongoing financial viability of this show, in the eyes of…

Some Groovy Data

The graphic above was created with data provided to me by the CTA (Consumer Technology Association). I understand that this data cannot possibly account for every single turntable sold in any given year, but I believe that this is the most accurate account of data currently available to us.

I deliberately chose not to include LP sales data, because I believe turntable sales data to be more valuable alone. These figures represent people discovering or rediscovering their newfound appreciation for turntables, rather than existing turntable owners listening to (or collecting) more LPs. It…

Thiel Audio TT1 loudspeaker

Thiel Audio's CS3.7 loudspeaker was launched, to much fanfare, in 2006. Like most of Jim Thiel's designs, the CS3.7 received universal praise, but it was Jim's swan song. No one could predict that he would pass away in 2009, undoubtedly leaving on his desk many future designs.

But more was in the cards for—and from—Thiel Audio. The company was sold in 2012 to a private equity company based in Nashville; soon thereafter Thiel Audio moved to that city from Lexington, Kentucky, where Jim had co-founded it in 1977. Thiel's longtime president, Kathy Gornik, left, and for a while the company'…

Thiel Audio TT1 loudspeaker Page 2

A large, thick, unpadded rug covers most of the hardwood floor in the listening space, and the wall behind my chair is covered in shelves filled with books and discs of various types. I've installed acoustic panels and additional rugs in the adjoining areas to further tame the acoustic.

While the listening space, so treated—an ongoing project!—is far from dead, music played there has, for me, a pleasingly spacious quality, without obvious reverb or flutter echo. Bass support is good, if less dramatic than in my prior, fully enclosed 25' by 15.5' by 8' room with its lath-and-plaster walls…

Listening #165

Fifteen years ago, when I was the Editor of Listener, I wrote a response to a reader's letter in which I repaid unpleasantness with unpleasantness: something I justified by flattering myself that my brand of unpleasantness had the advantage of being clever. Not satisfied with making his point sound foolish, I made certain that the writer of that letter would himself be made to look ridiculous. I made fun of his name, too.

Prior to publication, I showed my handiwork to my wife, Janet, as per my usual practice. I expected her to laugh at the funny bits and praise my superior logic, also as…

Thiel Audio TT1 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Three-way, four-driver, floorstanding loudspeaker with rear-ported enclosure. Drive units: 1" titanium-dome tweeter, 4.5" glass-fiber-cone midrange, two 6" aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 1.9kHz. Frequency range: 39Hz–30kHz. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m (anechoic), 91dB/2.83V/m (pair in-room). Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 3.67 ohms minimum. Recommended amplification: 20–250W.
Dimensions: 40.1" (1030mm) H by 10.2" (260mm) W by 10" (255mm) D. Weight: 58.1 lbs (26.4kg).
Finishes: Gloss Black, Gloss White, Rosewood, Espresso…

Listening #165 Page 2

And when my career in the audio press began—in 1985, when I became the managing editor of The Abso!ute Sound—I came to know some of the loveliest people in audio: reviewers such as Arthur S. Pfeffer, Sid Marks, John Nork, Tom Miiller, and Enid Lumley; manufacturers including Jim Thiel, Bill Conrad, Lew Johnson, and Harry Weisfeld; and a great many generous-spirited readers. Yes, I also met journalists who acted on the assumption that they had certain equipment suppliers by the balls, and equipment suppliers who had a pretty good idea it was the other way around. Happily, most of the folks I…

Thiel Audio TT1 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Marantz UD7007 Smart 3D universal BD player.
Preamplification: Integra DTC-9.8 preamplifier-processor, Jeff Rowland Design Group Consummate preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Proceed AMP5 5.0-channel.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver 10.
Cables: Interconnect: Kimber Kable AGDL digital (sources to Integra) & analog (to Rowland Consummate), Cardas Hexlink analog (preamps to power amp). Speaker: Monster M1.5. AC: Manufacturers' own.—Thomas J. Norton