Description: AC- or signal-powered electrostatic. Impedance: 4 to 16 ohms. Max input signal: 12W continuous program.
Dimensions: Headset weight, 19 oz. Cord length: 5½.
Price: $150 (1973); no longer available (2016).
Manufacturer: Koss Corporation, 4129 N. Port Washington Road, Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: (800) 872-5677, (414) 964-5000. Web: www.koss.com.
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Sidebar: Specifications
Well, it's that time. The time of reckoning, the moment of truth. It's renewal time.
Most of you have noticed the hyphenated numbers on your address labels, and most of you guessed what they were: Expiration codes. If your label has a 1-12 number on it (or no hyphenated code at all), the next issue of The Stereophile, Issue Number 12 [published in September 1966—Ed.], will be the last one that will arrive on your present subscription.
Statistically, you 1-12'ers comprise almost a half of our total circulation, so your decision at this point will very likely determine the future,…
Photo: Michael Lavorgna
Experience 1
On August 25, 2016, John Atkinson, Michael Lavorgna, and I attended an event at Battery Studios, Sony's Manhattan-based music production facility.
The event itself was very personal, as we three were the only non-Sony people present at this particular session. (There were multiple sessions held that day.) We were introduced to Sony's latest hi-res personal audio products—the "Signature Series," which consists of the MDR-Z1R headphones $2199.99), NW-WM1Z ($3199.99) and NW-WM1A Walkman players, and the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier ($2199.99…
Superphon's Revelation Basic preamplifier is made by Stan Warren (footnote 1), formerly the "S" of PS Audio, so it should come as no surprise that the Revelation Basic and the PS Audio Source sound much alike. The Revelation Basic sells for $399, assembled (no kit available). Like the Source, the Revelation has an outboard AC power transformer to minimize hum problems. But unlike the Source, the Revelation has dual volume controls (a pain) and lacks moving-coil capability.
The Revelation seems to offer slightly greater depth and detail than the Source, although it is not quite so mellow…
Sam Tellig on the Revelation Dual Mono, September 1985 (Vol.8 No.5)
When I first heard the original Superphon Revelation Basic a year or so ago, I was impressed with its sound, if not its features. At $399, it was, indeed, a revelation—one of those rare cases in which a product name that sounds like hype simply isn't.
The Revelation delivers a superb sense of spaciousness, excellent imaging and detail, and tonal neutrality. The original Revelation (which I call simply the "Basic") makes a number of more expensive preamps sound like poor values.
On the other hand, there…
Anthony H. Cordesman in December 1985 (Vol.8 No.7)
1985 seems to be a particularly vintage year for high fidelity equipment, including some that's actually affordable. I recently had to help some impoverished "friends" put affordable systems together, and was horrified to find them quite good. Nothing, it seems, can be kept from the masses.
Here, to my consternation, is some truly high class equipment which is declasse only in price. If you are looking for rock bottom prices in the high end, I would strongly recommend the Superphon Revelation Basic Preamp ($329) and the DH-120 ($…
Here's the deal: If you're the kind of listener who must listen to your stereo at levels that change the barometric pressure of your listening room, or if you can't enjoy reggae concerts because they don't have enough bass, then the ProAc Response 1S (revised) is definitely not the speaker for you. Read no further. Move on. Scoot.
Anybody left? Good. Now we can talk about a very special little speaker. In a way, I didn't even want to review the 1S. I mentioned to John Atkinson that I'd heard them at my buddy Ruben's house and enjoyed them immensely, but I'd been using a pair of $13,000…
In building a speaker, just as in performing music, countless decisions must be made concerning balance. I have, for example, eight recordings of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G—there's an ineffable melancholy in the second movement that moves me powerfully—and they're all performed well. Yet, time and again I return to two of them (footnote 5): the choices made by the artists seem right to me—they affirm my understanding of the piece. The 1S affirmed my musical values in the same way. This does not mean that others will respond similarly, any more than my appreciation of Michelangeli means…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way dynamic design. Drivers: ¾" cloth-dome tweeter, 5" polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover: not specified. Frequency response: 70Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal. Sensitivity: 85dB/W/m. Recommended power: 20–100W.
Dimensions: 12" H by 7" W by 9.25" D.
Finishes: teak, walnut, black ash (standard), others.
Serial numbers of samples tested: P02808 L/R, P02293.
Price: $1800/pair (1994); no longer available (2016). Approximate number of dealers: 35.
Manufacturer: ProAc, 130–132 Thirsk Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Response 1S's B-weighted sensitivity was to spec at 85dB/W/m. Its impedance plot (fig.1) suggests that it will be relatively easy to drive, with a minimum magnitude of 5 ohms between 200 and 300Hz.
Fig.1 ProAc Response 1S, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).
Moving to the frequency domain, fig.2 shows the individual amplitude responses of the woofer, tweeter, and port. As suggested by the impedance plot, the port's bandpass peaks just above 70Hz, which coincides, as it should, with the minimum-…