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…
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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.
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…
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…
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…
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
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Thiel TT1's frequency response in the farfield; and, for the nearfield frequency responses, an Earthworks QTC-40, which has a ¼" capsule and thus doesn't present a significant obstacle to the sound.
My estimate of the Thiel's voltage sensitivity was 88dB(B)/2.83V/m, confirming the specified figure. The speaker's electrical impedance magnitude and phase are shown in fig.1. Like earlier Thiel models, the TT1 is a fairly demanding load for the partnering amplifier to drive,…
Sidebar 4: TJN's In-Room Measurements
Although I took all of these in-room measurements after I'd written the rest of this review, they shouldn't be compared to the in-room responses measured by John Atkinson that accompany almost all reviews published in Stereophile. This is not only because they were taken in a room very different from his, but also because John uses a superior microphone and bases his averaged results on more data points. My measurements were made with OmniMic v2 from Parts Express, and while that system employs a calibrated mike, I suspect that, on the basis of price…
In 1982, when moving-coil phono cartridges were gaining in popularity among audio perfectionists, the cable specialists at AudioQuest entered the source-component market with their first-ever phono cartridge, the AQ 404. Introduced at a price of $225, the 404 cost significantly less than most other perfectionist-quality MC pickups, and it had the advantage of high (2.5mV) output: a then-novel distinction that allowed the 404 owner to avoid the extra expense of a step-up transformer or additional active gain stage. More to the point, the AudioQuest 404 won almost universally positive reviews,…
Another telling comparison between the old and new Blacks was when I listened to Nikolai Lugansky's recording of Chopin's Prelude 15 in D-flat (AIFF from CD, Erato 0927-42836-2). This recording sounded impressive through the original DragonFly. I enjoyed it well enough through the Black, which offered a clear window on Lugansky's crisp technique and brisk tempos, but the new DAC also sounded slightly bass-light—especially during the ominous portion in D-flat minor. I wondered if the leaner bass was a byproduct of the Black's lower level, and guessed that the old and new Black DACs might…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Portable, USB-powered digital-to-analog converters. Sampling rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Digital input: USB Type A, male plug (hardwired). Analog output: three-conductor, 3.5mm phone jack. Maximum output voltages: DragonFly Black (v1.5), 1.2V RMS; DragonFly Red (v1.0), 2.1V RMS.
Dimensions: (both) 2.4" (62mm) L by 0.75" (19mm) W by 0.5" (12mm) D. Weight: 0.77oz (22gm).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: N/A.
Prices: DragonFly Black, $99; DragonFly Red, $199. Approximate number of dealers: 1457. Warranty: 1 year.
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