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Editor's note: The subject of "Absolute Phase," more correctly called "Absolute Polarity," was of intense interest to audiophiles in the 1980s, culminating in the publication of Clark Johnsen's 1988 book The Wood Effect. I wrote an article on the subject for the November 1980 issue of English magazine Hi-Fi News & Record Review, which expanded on that subject to include some thoughts on audio reviews in general, thoughts that are just as relevant now as they were 37 years ago. It is reprinted here with the kind permission of Paul Miller, the editor of that magazine, now called just Hi-Fi…
One way, an initial compression at the microphone caused the speaker to deliver an initial compression (absolute signal phase maintained) and the other way, the initial compression at the microphone caused the speaker to deliver an initial rarefaction (absolute phase inverted). Extending this to hi-fi equipment, he found, when applying a rigorous methodology, developed with his co-worker John Vanderkooy, to two items which still sounded different when all the above-mentioned differences had been removed, that the matching of their absolute phase characteristic then removed that audible…
Poland's Audio Video Show, held in Warsaw each November and now firmly established as Europe's No.2 hi-fi event, has a very different feel from Event No.1: High End, held each May in Munich, Germany. Unlike High End's business-to-business approach, the Audio Video Show is very much for regular consumers, of whom more than 14,000 attended over the show's three days, November 17–19. Boosted by a modest "Smart Home" presence, that was an increase of nearly 18% over last year's show, alongside more modest growth in the numbers of exhibitors and exhibit rooms.
Having grown steadily over some…
One of the joys of reviewing loudspeakers is that there are always intriguing aspects of any particular design. The problems involved in producing a speaker that has an even tonal balance, well-controlled directivity, good bass extension, and a smooth integration of the outputs from often widely disparate drive-units have what appears to be an infinite number of solutions. The result is often a speaker so different from the norm that it just cries out to be auditioned.
Such was the case with the Delaware Acoustics DELAC S10, which costs $629/pair. Only sold factory-direct, this would…
Sidebar 1: System Details
The review procedure followed, with minor changes, that established for my previous loudspeaker reviews: Each pair was used with a pair of VTL 100W Compact monoblocks, connected with Monster M1 speaker cable, while the preamplifier was a combination of the Mod Squad Line Drive Deluxe AGT and Vendetta Research SCP2 phono preamp. Source components consisted of a Marantz CD-94 CD player used to drive a Sony DAS-R1 D/A converter, a 1975-vintage Revox A77 to play my own 15ips master tapes, and a Linn Sondek/Ekos/Troika setup sitting on a Sound Organisation table to…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The higher-than-usual source and load impedances presented by the Mod Squad Line Drive and VTL 100W power amplifier (more than 2000 ohms including source, and 130k ohms, respectively) mandated my using the "H" version of the E10. I assessed its effect on the signal by measuring the voltage at the VTL's output terminals while the amps were connected to the speakers. (It will therefore include the interaction between the power amp's 1 ohm output impedance and the impedance curve of the speaker. I thought this valid as it actually will relate to what I heard.)
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Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description:> Two-way, sealed-box, floor-standing loudspeaker with passive, line-level LF equalization. Drive-units: 0.75" plastic-dome tweeter, two 4.5" doped paper-cone woofers. Crossover frequency: 4.5kHz. Frequency range: 50Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms (minimum 3.5 ohms). Sensitivity: 85dB/W/m. Amplifier requirements: 15–100W.
Dimensions: 40" H by 5" W by 3.5" D (loudspeakers); 10" square (bases); 2.5" H by 5.2" W by 6.5" D (equalizer). Shipping weight: 50 lbs/pair.
Standard finishes: teak and walnut veneer; black gloss and white gloss…
While it hasn't always made money or hit records, the music business has never been short on ideas. Most are nonsense, but every once in a while—the gramophone, onstage monitors, Les Paul's overdubbing—the biz comes up with a winner.
Many of the craziest ideas I've heard in 30 years of writing about music have been expounded on at the South by Southwest Music Festival, held each year in Austin, Texas. At SXSW, hope springs eternal. Secrets are whispered. Buzz bands gain momentum. Rumors ripple through crowds. Everyone has visions of morphing into a mogul. There's an intoxicating energy…
"When you're doing it, you're basically looking under the hood of the song," Ambel says. "It does really make you look at the essence of a song and what you wanna pick. Then you're working with the limitations of the instrument, to try to give it a little more of an arrangement. Some stuff lends it itself better to this than others. For instance, we haven't done any Bob Dylan. He rarely has a bridge in a song, and without the lyrics, it's hard. One of my favorite records of all time is the Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid soundtrack, but that has instrumentals on it. When it's one instrument…
Saturday December 9, from 12pm to 4pm, Suncoast Audio (7353 International Place, Unit 309, Sarasota, FL, 34240) says they are sending 2017 out with a bang! They are hosting a year-ending event with Vivid loudspeakers, Gryphon electronics, and Shunyata cabling.
Philip O'Hanlon from On A Higher Note will be demonstrating the new Series 2 Vivid G2 speakers and Gryphon electronics, including the Colosseum amplifier, Pandora preamplifier, Diablo 300 integrated amplifier, and Mojo S speakers. Grant Samuelsen from Shunyata will be on hand to discuss the importance of electrical grounding, as…