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…
The door to a professional reviewer's listening room is one that revolves: As one product leaves, another enters. After a while, it becomes difficult to remember exactly when you auditioned any specific component. But some products stick in your memory—you fondly remember the time you spent with them, and wish they hadn't departed quite so quickly. With loudspeakers, I recall a few such: Revel's Ultima Salon2 ($22,000, footnote 1), MBL's 111B ($17,000), Dynaudio's Confidence C4 ($16,000), Sonus Faber's Amati Futura ($36,000), Vivid's B1 ($14,990), TAD's Compact Reference CR1 ($40,600 with…
All three amplifiers were more powerful than needed to drive the SS-NA2ESes to very high levels. The MBLs emphasized the top octaves a little but got the midrange right. The Lamms brought the treble and midrange into better balance with each other, but the low-frequency balance with these amplifiers became a little too rich. The Classés got the low and middle frequencies right, but the high treble was a bit more disconnected from the presence region than with the Lamms, if not quite to the extent as with the MBLs. But recorded ticks and clicks on the 192kHz-sampled needle drops I've been…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweeter, two 3/4" (19mm) soft-dome tweeters, 5" (130mm) paper-cone midrange, two 6.5" (165mm) aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 400Hz, 4kHz, with multiple slopes. Frequency response: 45Hz–45kHz, –10dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: 100W maximum (non-clipping).
Dimensions: 35.4" (900mm) H by 10" (254mm) W by 16.3" (415mm) D. Weight: 70.5 lbs (32kg) each.
Finish: Wood Grain Piano.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge.
Digital Sources: Marantz NA-11S1 media server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini running OS10.7, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.86; MSB Diamond DAC IV D/A processor with Diamond Power Base, Arcam FMJ D33 D/A converters; Astell&Kern AK100 media player; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Preamplification: Linn Linto phono preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-30 line preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600,…
