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The unsung sage who first observed that high-end audio is a solitary vice was probably not implying that audiophiles are antisocial; he was merely acknowledging the fact that a decent stereo stage is usually only audible from one place in the entire listening room—the so-called sweet spot. Stray from that spot, and the whole soundstage shifts to one side, spaciousness collapses, and images become vague and unstable. This is the antisocial aspect: only one member of a group can hear good stereo at any one time. (The gracious host at a listenfest will take a secondary seat, allowing his…
The loudspeakers themselves are only part of the dbx 1A system. Also supplied is an active controller, which makes the system immediately suspect for perfectionists, who prefer to have as little active circuitry in their system as possible. The fact that the controller has very little detrimental effect on the sound is likely to be of less importance than the fact that it does, in fact, introduce a small amount of veiling. A perfectionist might think about using the Soundfield 1-A without its controller, to get rid of its slight veiling tendency, but he can just forget about that. The…
Incidentally, the 1-As are very sensitive, which is a mixed blessing. While this does allow them to produce prodigious sound levels without taxing the amplifier or endangering the speakers, it also increases the likelihood that any hum originating between the preamp volume control and the power amp outputs will be raised to audibility.
Sound Quality
So, how well does the Soundfield 1A do what it's supposed to do?
Extraordinarily well. I found, in fact, that I could stand outside the lateral location of either speaker and still hear a balanced soundstage. In short, this is…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Three-way, shaped-directivity dynamic system, with active controller. Claimed frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±2dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended minimum amplifier power: 30Wpc.
Dimensions: 42" H by 14.5" W by 14.5" D (speaker); 17"W by 9" D by 1.75" H (controller). Weight: 80 lbs each speaker.
Price: $3000 for speakers and controller (1987); no longer available (2018).
Manufacturer: dbx, Newton, MA 02195 (1987); dBX a division of Harman International (2018), Harman Professional Solutions, 8500 Balboa…
Discerning college dorm rooms and recording studios rejoice! JBL's famed L100 speaker from the seventies has been rebooted as the L100 Classic (left, in the photo above), which, despite the familiar look, Harman's Todd Eichenbaum says is new from the ground up.
The tweeter is a titanium dome "which harkens back to some current and classic JBL designs," explains Eichenbaum. "The styling is very much reminiscent of the seventies classic." They will naturally include a sculpted foam grill (most excellent!) which will come in bright orange, blue, and the more discreet charcoal color seen in…
Emmanuel Millot, from Sound United (Marantz's parent company who also owns Denon, Polk, Definitive Technology, and others), was on hand to walk us through the new Marantz ND8006 CD and network audio player/streamer. Retail is $1,199 and it became available late last year.
"It's actually the first product of its kind on the market," Millot states. "It combines a CD player and all the streaming features you would want from a network player." Streaming capabilities include AirPlay, Bluetooth, Internet Radio, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer and more. "There is a 24/192 bit DAC…
Three new bookshelf models were unveiled which Sound United's Mark Suskind explained are intended to replace the Studio Monitor Series. The models start with the D7 at $499/pair which feature a 4.5" woofer and 1" aluminum dome tweeter and is also ported. The D9 retails for $749/pair and has a 5.25" woofer and a 5"x9" passive radiator and 1" aluminum dome tweeter. And finally the new D11 has a 6.5" woofer and 6"x10" passive radiator and sells for $999/pair. All available since late last year.
Suskind started off explaining the new tweeter: "the first thing you'll notice is the tweeters…
England-based Ruark has a complete line of powered small to medium size all-in-one music boxes as well as powered desktop speakers. But what caught my eye was the console-size R7 which managing director Alan O'Rourke called a "Radiogram." For US citizens, a radiogram is a piece of furniture from the UK that historically combined a radio and record player. In this case though, that would be a CD player and radio.
"The inspiration came from the Radiograms my grandmother used to have," said O'Rourke. "We thought it'd be real nice to build a modern interpretation with everything in one unit…
Some manufacturers weren't exhibiting at CES but did have suites elsewhere in the Venetian hotel. One such was Audio Research, who was showing the first amplifier to be designed following the passing of the company's long-time Senior Design Engineer, Ward Fiebiger, who died of a heart attack last March. The Ref160M monoblock offers around 150W into 8 ohms and will cost in the region of $30,000/pair. If you look closely at the photo, you can see that the illuminated power meter on the front panel is transparent, allowing you to see the glowing tubes behind it.
If there is one thing that raises the hackles of engineers, it is audiophiles' insistence that power cords affect sound quality. But at CES, AudioQuest's Garth Powell (right in photo, with AQ's Alex Brinkmann) was showing how changing just one cable in a system, the one connecting a Simaudio Moon CD player to a Niagara 700 power conditioner, could make or break the system's sound quality. Playing a track from Muddy Waters' Folk Singer, with Moon amplification and Magico S1 Mk.2 speakers, and without changing the volume, Garth compared AudioQuest's new Thunder cable ($700) with AC cables from…