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It was like old times. A major consumer electronics company was presenting a press conference in a high-rent venue to introduce its new audio products. These events used to be commonplace; now they are rare. But on September 4, in Manhattan's Jazz at Lincoln Center, to an audience that included record company executives from Universal, Warner, and Sony Music, HDTracks' Norman and David Chesky, Chad Kassem and Marc Sheforgen from Acoustic Sounds, whose new DSD download store was last week's big news, musician Herbie Hancock, and veteran mastering engineer Mark Wilder, Phil Molyneux, President…
Before striding into the future, John Dibb enjoyed considerable exposure to his sceptered isle's fascinating past. He was born in England's North Country, in 1948, in a model West Yorkshire village established a century earlier by an enlightened industrialist determined to provide comfortable housing and communal amenities for his employees and their families; called Saltaire, it's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At age 11, young Dibb won a place at the nearby Bingley Grammar School, which dates back half a millennium, to the era of Henry VIII. He later studied at the University of…
Dibb: I think the Silver Signature, the Matrix 800, and the CI 800 range. It's difficult to put an exact time frame around any project, but each of the above would have been two to two-and-a-half years.
Lander: The CI series comprises speakers for custom installations, and your 800 models are at the top of the range. Did the problems/challenges of installing speakers in walls and ceilings add much development time?
Dibb: In-wall/ceiling placement was certainly a contributing factor, although we did spend a great deal of time investigating speaker-platform materials and their…
On October 1st, Poon Village will release Five American Percussion Pieces by William Winant.
Those familiar with Winant’s work may be surprised to learn that this is the first album released under the percussionist’s own name. Those unfamiliar with his name are nevertheless likely to have heard Winant’s work. Over his 40-year career, Winant has appeared on over 200 recordings, including those written specifically for him by John Cage, Terry Riley, and Lou Harrison. He has studied with James Tenney, Steve Reich, and John Bergamo. He has played music with The Kronos String Quartet, Sonic…
Ted Denney at the 2003 CES. (Photo: John Atkinson)
As I had been impressed with Ted Denney's Synergistic Research cable, I thought that asking him for 25,000 words on his thoughts on cable design and performance would be an appropriate accompaniment to my Symphonic Line Kraft 400 amplifier review.
Ted Denney: Two important things to start off with: First, no one cable can perform musically in every system; second, price is not a guarantee of performance. For example, in your system, Jonathan, I recommended our Phase 2 Mk.V—not the more expensive Resolution Reference—to run to your…
As the years pass and I turn into a crotchety old man, I'm reminded of those old TV ads for the Honda Accord: "Simplify." Even though I now have more things going on than at any other point in my life, I try to eliminate complications everywhere I can. I now can't believe that, for over 15 years, I used the Infinity RS-1B as my reference loudspeaker. Sure, I loved it—the RS-1B was the first speaker I'd owned that produced a wide, deep soundstage, the full dynamic range of an orchestra, and bass extension down to 25Hz. But it was ridiculously complex: a five-way design with three different…
But how did the bass fare in such a large room with no support from a subwoofer? With most recordings, quite nicely. In "Walking on Sacred Ground," from Janis Ian's Breaking Silence (CD, Morgan Creek/Analogue Productions CAPP 027), the boisterous interplay of bass drum and bass guitar was solid and tuneful. Similarly, the bass synths and electronic percussion in Sade's Love Deluxe (CD, Epic EK 53178) were forceful—no sub needed. However, I did feel that the drums and bass guitar on Jennifer Kimball's Oh Hear Us (CD, Epoisse 1094-2) were a bit lightweight on the bottom, and that the Ones…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-driver desktop speaker with 4" passive radiator. Drive-unit: 3" titanium alloy-cone, full-range unit. Frequency range: 50Hz–23kHz when placed near desk or wall. Impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 84dB/W/m. Maximum RMS continuous output per pair: 98dB. Maximum RMS continuous power per speaker: 25W.
Dimensions: 7" (180mm) H by 5.5" (140mm) W by 7" (180mm) D. Weight: 3 lbs (1.5kg) each.
Finishes: High-gloss black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 54 (listening); 10 (measuring).
Price: $995/pair; desktop stands, $75/pair.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Evolution 50A.
Loudspeakers: Epos M5i.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-330SG Terminator, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator. Speaker: Acarian Systems Black Orpheus, Nola Blue Thunder, Audience Ohno. AC: manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Various by ASC, Bright Star, Celestion, Echo Busters, Salamander Designs,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
For reasons of consistency, I measured the Audience ClairAudient The One in free space, mounted on a tall stand, as I do all bookshelf loudspeakers that pass through my lab. In use, however, the Ones will be in close proximity to one surface—the top of the user's desk—and perhaps another (the wall, if any, behind the desk). This difference between measurement conditions and those of actual use should be kept in mind throughout this sidebar. However, I note that Bob Reina did do some of his listening with the speakers mounted on 24"-high stands, and far enough away…