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I know someone who bought, for his own kitchen, a stove intended for the restaurant trade, simply because it enhances his enjoyment of cooking. Another friend, a motoring enthusiast, has equipped his garage with a brace of tools, including a hydraulic lift, that would be the envy of some humbler repair shops. Yet another friend indulges her enthusiasm for ceramics with a potter's wheel and kiln that one might find in a well-endowed art school. Among the most serious consumers, it seems, the watchword is professional; odd, then, that professional-quality monitors don't account for an even…
In my 19' by 12' room, the Stirlings sounded best when sited approximately 34" from their respective sidewalls and approximately 52" from the short wall behind them. (All dimensions are with respect to the center of the front baffle.) Aiming the enclosures more or less directly at the center of the listening area provided the best combination of good balance and spatial performance, although I found it easy to enjoy the Stirlings from off axis, as well. Amplifier connections were made with my usual pair of Auditorium 23 copper cables; I did not experiment with biwiring.
Listening
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.75" (19mm) polymer-dome supertweeter, 1" (27mm) fabric-dome tweeter, 8.6" (220mm) polymer-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 3kHz, 13kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz–17kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 25" (630mm) H by 11.75" (300mm) W by 11.75" (300mm) D. Weight: 40.7 lbs (18.5kg). Internal enclosure volume: 45 liters.
Finishes: Cherry, Walnut, standard; Rosewood, Ebony, Zebrano, add $360/pair.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: SB88019A,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Thomas Schick tonearms; EMT OFD 25 & OFD 65, TSD 15 70th Anniversary pickup heads.
Digital Sources: Wavelength Proton, AudioQuest DragonFly USB D/A converters; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes v.11.0, Decibel v.1.2.11 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Hommage T2 step-up transformer, Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne & Cortese, Fi 421A.
Loudspeakers: Altec Valencia.
Cables: USB:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Stirling Broadcast BBC LS3/6's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. (I measured S/N SB88019A.) The testing was primarily performed without the speaker's grille; I did repeat some of the farfield measurements with the grille in place. Stirling specifies the LS3/6's voltage sensitivity as 87dB/W/m; my estimate was significantly lower, at 84dB(B)/2.83V/m.
How the LS3/6's impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle vary with…
How often have you encountered someone reciting your obituary? That's what happened when he of the living dead visited Michael Woods' aesthetically sensational Elite Audio Systems showroom in San Francisco on February 22, only to discover Gary Leonard Koh, CEO of and chief designer for Genesis Advanced Technologies, declaring, "The days when people sat in one sole sweet spot listening to music are over."
Gary Koh alongside one of his imposing Genesis 2jr line-source speakers
Dismayed to learn that my purportedly dying breed has already died off, I perked up when Gary…
Is the high-performance audio industry stagnating? Are designers simply repackaging the past? Cynics claim so, but to me it seems that making that case gets harder by the day, as a parade of veterans continue to produce their best work.
I'm talking Dan D'Agostino's Momentum power amps and preamp, Dave Wilson's XLF and Alexia loudspeakers, Jeff Nelson's Boulder 3050 monoblocks, and the seasoned pros who produce Constellation electronics: John Curl, Bascom King, Peter Madnick, and Demian Martin. Harry Weisfeld's new VPI Classic direct-drive turntable with its JMW Memorial 3D-printed tonearm…
Other Etna specifications include a frequency range of 10Hz–50kHz, channel separation of 35dB or better at 1kHz, and a medium compliance of 12cu at 100Hz. Lyra's recommended range of VTF is 1.68–1.78gm, with an optimum of 1.72gm. The recommended resistive load is between 104 and 887 ohms, and the recommended load via step-up transformer is 5–15 ohms. The Etna weighs 9.2gm vs the Atlas's 11.6gm.
There you have it: a cartridge constructed altogether differently from the $1000-less-expensive Titan i it replaces, featuring many of the same or similar design features and parts, and specs…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil phono cartridge with yokeless dual-magnet system, a cantilever rod of diamond-coated boron, and a Lyra-designed, line-contact stylus with a major radius of 70µm, a minor radius of 3µm. Output voltage: 0.56mV at 5cm/s, zero to peak 45° modulation. Frequency range: 10Hz–50kHz. Channel separation: >35dB at 1kHz. Compliance: 12cu. Recommended VTF: 1.68–1.78gm. Recommended resistive load: 104–887 ohms.
Weight: 9.2gm.
Price: $6995.
Manufacturer: Lyra Co. Ltd. US distributor: AudioQuest. 2621 White Road. Irvine, CA 92614…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Thank you, Michael Fremer and Stereophile, for a careful and insightful review. Seldom do we get the chance to read a review which so accurately describes what we hear in our own systems. Well done!
There are only a few points which we will clarify here, none of which affects Michael's listening impressions: The Lyra Atlas and Etna share the same design philosophy, which is to have a completely solid and seamless connection between cantilever and headshell. This is for two reasons:
One is as Michael wrote—to drain away any excess vibrational…