I measured the Unity Signature 1 with serial number 4405051. The Signature 1's impedance magnitude and phase are shown in fig.1. The cursor position—2.7 ohms at 138Hz—reveals the speaker to be a very demanding load; although RD didn't have sonic problems with his low-powered Luxman tube amps other than limited loudness, I suspect that this speaker will generally work much better with good, current-capable, solid-state designs. The large difference in impedance below and above 1kHz means that the speaker will tend to sound uptilted in response with an amplifier…
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Sidebar 4: Specifications
Description: Three-way, ported, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" silk dome tweeter, 7" cone midrange, downward-firing 10" cast-frame woofer. Crossover frequencies: 155Hz, 2.4kHz, 18dB/octave. Frequency response: 34–20kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 7 ohms minimum. Amplifier requirements: 30-100W.
Dimensions: 44" H by 9" W by 9" D. Weight: 58 lbs.
Serial numbers of units tested: 4405051 & '5052.
Price: $2995–$3295/pair depending on finish; $250 for bi-wiring (1993); no longer available (2017). Approximate…
RSL is the house brand of a California chain of retail stores, Rogersound Labs, that is part-owned by the leader of the RSL loudspeaker-design team, one Howard Rodgers. (Rogersound Labs also owns the Upscale Audio high-end store in north Los Angeles.) The range offered by RSL is unbelievably wide, with models addressing just about every market niche and price category. The Speedscreen II, however, is Howard's attempt to produce a true high-end loudspeaker at an affordable price. To the casual observer, the Speedscreen ($898/pair) appears to be a planar design; however, its shallow, braced…
Sidebar 1: Review Context
The speakers were positioned for the best sound (with only one pair of loudspeakers in the listening room at a time), generally some 4' from the rear wall (which is faced with books and LPs) and approximately 5' from the side walls (which also have bookshelves covering some of their surfaces). Source components consisted of a Revox A77 to play my own and others' 15ips master tapes, a Linn Linn Sondek/Ekos/Troikasetup sitting on a Sound Organisation table to play LPs, and Kinergetics KCD-40 and Proceed CD players. Amplification consisted of a Mark Levinson No.25…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
I use a mixture of nearfield, in-room, and quasi-anechoic FFT techniques (using the MLSSA system from DRA Labs described elsewhere in this issue) to investigate objective factors that might explain the sound heard. The speakers' impedance phase and amplitude were measured using the magazine's Audio Precision System One.
Looking first at the Speedscreen's impedance, its magnitude (solid line) and phase (dashed line) are shown in fig.1. Only dropping below 6 ohms in the presence region, this is an easy load for any amplifier to drive. The tuning is of the…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floor-standing loudspeaker with passive bass radiator. Drive-units: ribbon tweeter, 1.4" (36mm) soft-dome midrange unit, 8" polypropylene-cone woofer, 12" passive bass radiator. Crossover frequencies: 600Hz, 9.5kHz. Crossover slopes: 6dB/octave, 12dB/octave. Frequency response: 30Hz–—0kHz ±—dB. Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Amplifier requirements: up to 250W.
Dimensions: 48" H by 19" W by 5" D (base is 12" deep). Weight: 60 lbs each.
Finishes available: oak veneer or black, with a black grille…
When we released the "Thoughts on CES 2017" video, we received an overwhelming amount of feedback from readers who were pleased to finally be able to associate faces to the writers they had long read and revered on paper.
This video attempts to capture the essence of Stereophile writer and audio industry veteran Herb Reichert—at least as much as is possible in a 10-minute, streamed video. The lighting, background music, and close-up frames, were all stylistic choices chosen to offer the most accurate representation of Herb's personality and philosophy possible.
In doing so, we…
...and "Recommended Components," fully revised and updated—82k words in 43.5pp!
But wait, there's more in this 196-page issue: Focal's awesome Sopra No.3 floorstander takes pride of place on the cover, with bookshelf speakers from DeVore Fidelity and Dynaudio joining it in the review section, along with amplification from AVM, CH Precision, Classé, Gamut, and Music First and high-end headphones from HiFi Man and Thinksound.
Sun Ra recordings take time to absorb through the ears, heart, and brain. The emotional osmosis necessary to process his multi-faceted explorations, which most often fall under the heading of jazz, but are really a music unto itself, can take a while. Hence, after much listening to Modern Harmonic's 3-LP set, recorded in 1991 at the Inter-Media Arts Center in Huntington, NY and featuring the Arkestra in good form, it's time to declare this Record Day release a triumph.
This despite the fact that this is Ra, post his 1990 stroke, when he could still play the piano and lead the band but had…
The 12th annual Music Matters event, held at Definitive Audio's Seattle location on March 9, featured six complete systems plus an Auralic-driven headphone display and static Rega turntable corner. All but the silent display showcased recorded music in its finest light. By the end of the evening, it was clear why Music Matters has earned a reputation as the top retailer-sponsored audio event in the USA.
Attended by at least 465 pre-registrants, plus three members of the Stereophile team, the event enlisted a huge buffet spread plus wine bar to assuage audiophiles who dutifully waited in…