I measured the Simaudio Moon Neo 230HAD with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). As well as the Audio Precision's analog and digital outputs, I used WAV and AIFF test-tone files sourced via USB from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Neo 230HAD as "MOON USB DSD HD Audio" from "Simaudio Ltd.," and its serial number as "413-001." The Neo 230HAD's USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode, and Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that it…
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There were no surprises, innovations, or breakthrough designs in loudspeakers at the 1985 Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. By and large, those on display were nothing more than refinements of, or variations on, previous speaker designs. Of course, there's nothing the matter with that; any improvement in a product is a step in the right direction. It merely perpetuates the pattern of the past ten years: evolution but no revolution.
On a positive note, I am happy to report that there was much less truly abominable sound at this CES than at any previous—at least among the high-…
In January, I reviewed JL Audio's Fathom f113v2 subwoofer (footnote 1), which features, among other improvements over the original Fathom f113, a better multiband equalizer. The significance of this relates to the great influence exerted by room dimensions and acoustics on a loudspeaker's performance.
The matter of room acoustics itself relates to the Schroeder frequency: a transition point, usually between 200 and 300Hz above which a room will exhibit a high density of reflections that are analyzed statistically, and below which that room will display a limited number of discrete modal…
Sidebar: Recordings in the Round
Brahms: Serenade 1, Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Jan Willem de Vriend, Hague Philharmonic Orchestra
Challenge Classics CC72692 (SACD/CD, DSD64 download from www.nativedsd.com). 2016.
Brahms's Serenades for orchestra are, to me, analogous to Tchaikovsky's Suites for orchestra: both were freer expressions of the talents that their composers applied to their symphonies, and in some ways are more revealing of their personal characters. Brahms's first Serenade is as important to me as are his more frequently performed Haydn…
It's shocking to go from the sound of soprano Anna Netrebko's voice on her first DG recital of Opera Arias to that on her latest disc, Verismo. The earlier disc, recorded in March, 2003 when Netrebko was 32, showcases a true, shining lyric soprano whose vocal production is absolutely smooth. It also displays her ability to grow the voice substantially from a soft, focused thread to a larger sound of palpable intensity, and her impressive (albeit less than breathtaking) facility with coloratura. Over 12 years later, when Netrebko recorded Verismo between July 2015 and June 2016, her weightier…
Thursday, September 8, Liquid HiFi (11915 Royal Castle Court, Charlotte, NC 28277) will be demonstrating products at the Providence Country Club (6001 Providence Country Club Drive, Charlotte, NC 28277) from KEF, Nordost and Simaudio. Attendees will be treated to demonstrations featuring the new KEF Reference Three speakers, Simaudio Moon Evolution electronics, and Nordost cabling. In addition to scheduled demonstrations, guests will also enjoy giveaway items, hors d'oeuvres, beverages and will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a KEF Muo Bluetooth speaker and $500 worth of Nordost…
Letters in response appeared in May 1992 (Vol.15 No.5):
Credible causes & cables
Editor: Point: "As We See It," January 1992.
Take a good objective look at some of the high-end audiophile claims, explanations of some claims (if any are given), and prices charged for some high-end products. Add in subjective reviewing as a whole. Total everything up. Are you really surprised that people like Dan Dugan can find followers and believers for his "crusade"?
I'm not surprised at all.
I wonder: Who appears to have a more credible case to the lawmakers, Dan Dugan or…
Obfuscation?
Editor: Robert Harley's 26-page obfuscation entitled "The Listeners' Manifesto" [January 1992, Vol.15 No.1] best illustrates the subjectivists' refusal to address the objectivists' singular objection: the lack of blindness in listening evaluations.
Editor: Robert Harley's 26-page obfuscation entitled "The Listeners' Manifesto" [January 1992, Vol.15 No.1] best illustrates the subjectivists' refusal to address the objectivists' singular objection: the lack of blindness in listening evaluations.
Rather than addressing this primary issue, Harley concocts a litany of straw-man arguments: blast instantaneous A/B comparisons, chuck the purportedly "nontransparent" ABX comparator, eschew a "test" protocol. Instead, sit in the comfort of your home before your own familiar playback system, request a friend to install the audio…
The top-of-the-line model from America's leading headphone manufacturer, these are bulky, heavy, very business-like in appearance, and very, very good.
The ESP-9 is dual-powered: from the AC line, or from the input signal itself, The power supply is rather large and heavy, and appropriate in appearance to the phones. Amplifier connections are via wires with spade lugs attached, and speaker connections are made to the rear of the power supply. A front-panel switch selects speaker or headphone operation, and terminates the amplifier outputs with 10 ohms in the Phones position.
…
Sidebar: Specifications
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.