He'd gotten my attention. But it wasn't until the next year's CES that I learned about SVS's newest and largest subwoofer, the SB16-Ultra, which deploys a 16" driver and a radically different magnet structure, voice-coil…
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This review began when I ran into Gary Yacoubian, president of SVS, in a crowded hallway at Las Vegas's Venetian Hotel, during the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. He smiled and introduced himself. "Larry, I enjoyed your review of our SB13-Ultra. If you liked that subwoofer, we have something coming soon that should really interest you. I can't say anything more now."
SVS's Merlin—a portion of the company's website that offers loudspeaker-specific recommendations on SVS subwoofers and settings—recommends low-pass filter settings of 60Hz (high-pass) and 40Hz, 12dB/octave (low-pass). Because the CR-1 couldn't use different slopes for high- and low-pass filters, I set its high-pass filter at 60Hz, 24dB/octave for the Quad ESL-989s, and the SB16-Ultra's internal low pass filter to 40Hz, 12dB/octave. I then used the SVS app's parametric equalizer to reduce peak room modes at 43 and 160Hz, and played the same recordings as before. The integration of the sub's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Front-firing, sealed, powered subwoofer. Drive-unit: 16" cone with 8" edge-wound voice-coil and four toroidal ferrite magnets. Inputs: balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) for two channels (right-channel input designated for LFE input), 3–12V trigger. Outputs: balanced (XLR) for each channel to additional subwoofer. Rear-panel connections: Power switch, IEC connector for detachable power cord. Low-pass filter: 30–200Hz (continuously variable); 6, 12, 18, or 24dB/octave slopes. Parametric equalizer: 3 bands. Boost: –12dB to –6dB (0.1dB steps). Q…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable & Lingo power supply & Ittok tonearm; Spectral cartridge; Day-Sequerra 25th Anniversary FM Reference tuner.
Digital Sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player & BDA-3 DAC & BDP-2 media player with IAD soundboard; Oppo Digital BPD-103 universal BD player; Lenovo P50 computer running Windows 10 Pro (64-bit), Bryston USB driver, JRiver Media Center 22.
Preamplifiers: Bryston BP-26 & No.526.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.536 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989; JL Audio Fathom f212v2,…
John Atkinson asked me to review the dCS Network Bridge ($4250), which was designed to be paired not just with the dCS Vivaldi DAC ($35,999) running the current v.2.02 software, but with any DAC. This meant I was forced to endure several months with the state-of-the-art Vivaldi as a replacement for my reference dCS Rossini ($23,999). Oh, how I suffered.
Michael Fremer, in his January 2014 review of dCS's four-piece Vivaldi system ($114,996), of which the Vivaldi DAC is part, called it "the best non–digital-sounding digital system I've heard." John Atkinson, in his measurements for that…
After everything settled in, I used the Bridge app to play the first movement of Lou Harrison's Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra, with soloist Tim Fain and Angel Gil-Ordóñez conducting the Post-Classical Ensemble (24/48 WAV, Naxos 8.559825/HDtracks). The Bridge-Vivaldi combo painted the solo violin and percussion with far more believable body and substance than I'd heard before, at home or at audio shows. Textures of drums, gongs, and chimes were far more realistic and transparent, with copious air around percussion. I was astounded by the percussion's lifelike visceral impact…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I took these measurements while setting up the SVS SB16-Ultra, to optimize its match with my Quad speakers by adjusting the sub's position. Although I used the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) module of Studio Six Digital's AudioTools, my measurements should not be compared with the in-room responses taken by John Atkinson that accompany all loudspeaker reviews published in Stereophile. Mine were taken in a room very different from his, and JA uses a better microphone, and bases his averaged results on more data points.
I took my measurements with Studio Six…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Network player/Roon endpoint. Inputs: Ethernet, Apple AirPlay, USB 2.0 (data), 2 word clock (BNC). Outputs: 2 AES/EBU on (3-pin XLR), for PCM output up to 24-bit/384kHz or DSD128 in DoP when used as dual AES; S/PDIF (coax RCA), for PCM output up to 24/192 or DSD64 in DoP; SDIF-2 (BNC), for PCM output up to 24/96 or SDIF-2 DSD64; word-clock (BNC), for PCM data up to 96kHz.
Dimensions: 14.2" (360mm) W by 2.65" (67mm) H by 9.65" (245mm) D. Weight: 10.2 lbs (4.6kg).
Finishes: Silver, Black.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 0052911.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Rossini, Vivaldi, & Mytek HiFi's Manhattan II DACs & Scarlatti clock; Oppo Digital UDP-205 universal BD player; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; Apple iPad Pro; external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2…
In 1990, when Stereophile was still headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I was reviewing the Eclipse loudspeaker from a new Coloradan company, Avalon. The company's principals, Neil Patel and Charley Hansen, visited to set up the speakers in my listening room, and during that visit Charley and I talked speakers. And more speakers. And even more speakers. I was enormously impressed by his grasp not only of the engineering involved, but also of the larger issues of audio reproduction. I felt that what had taken me two decades to learn and understand was just the starting point for this "kid…