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The rear panel has connections for an IEC power cord, two RCA inputs, one XLR input, and an RCA output. There is also a grounding post and a switch that allows you to use input 2 as either RCA or balanced XLR. The SRM-T1S's output is not connected to the volume control; it's designed to let you connect the unit between a preamp and power amp, or in a tape loop, without interfering with the regular operation of the system. (Wherever possible, the unit should be installed in a tape or effects loop, bypassing the preamp's volume control.) The unit is quite transparent when inserted in a circuit…
Plus, you get the passive preamp. I'm a headphone-loving kind of a guy, so I listened to both the T1S and the T1W with a dedicated source most of the time. But I wondered just how good a preamp the T1W would make, so I tried it in my main system driving 8m interconnects, VTL MB 750s, and Aerial 10Ts. The sound was natural and detailed. Even with the long interconnects, I had plenty of gain. And music had such ungimmicked sound with the T1W, it almost glowed. I left it in the system, despite having several $4-$10k preamps around the house. I won't say it embarrassed them, since I still prefer…
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment (1997)
Digital Front-End: Naim CDS CD player.
Analog Front-End: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim ARO tonearm, and Transfiguration Temper phono cartridge.
Phono Section: Naim Prefix/HiCap.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB 750 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Aerial 10T.
Cables: Straight Wire Crescendo interconnect; Straight Wire Black Silc bi-wire speaker cable.
Accessories: API Power Wedge 112; Magro 24 Component Stand; The Shelf by Black Diamond Racing; Mark 3 Cones (equipment) from Black Diamond Racing.
Room…
WP wrote again about the Stax in February 1998 (Vol.21 No.2):
No sooner had I reviewed the $1699 Stax Lambda Nova Signature/SRM-T1W electrostatic headphones combination (Vol.20 No.6) than I began to receive letters from headphone listeners asking me to compare the Lambda Nova with Sennheiser's HD-580s driven by a HeadRoom Max amplifier. I thought a comparison between the Stax and the $1732 Sennheiser HD 600/HeadRoom combo would be appropriate.
First, the Staxes are a bargain—their $1699 price has been established by Audio Advisor from a "list" price of $3200. (Something about…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment (1998)
CD Playback: Audio Research CD2, Mark Levinson No.39.
Preamplifiers: Conrad-Johnson ART, Krell KRC-HR.
Headphone Amplifiers: HeadRoom Max, Supreme; Musical Fidelity X-CANS; Stax SRM-T1W.
Headphones: Grado SR-1; Sennheiser HD-580, HD-580 Jubilee; Stax Lambda Nova Signature.
Interconnects: AudioQuest Opal v.3, Kimber KCAG.
Accessories: Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 112, Magro Stereo Display Stand.—Wes Phillips
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Lambda Nova Signature push-pull electrostatic headphones: Frequency range: 7Hz-41kHz. Electrostatic capacity: 110pF. Impedance: 145 ohms at 10kHz. Sensitivity: 100dB/100V RMS input/1kHz. Maximum output: 100dB/400Hz. Standard bias voltage: 580mV.
Weight: 16.5 oz.
Serial numbers of units tested: S01501/S01502.
SRM-T1S tube headphone amplifier: Frequency response: DC-44kHz, +0/-1.5dB. Gain: 60dB. Harmonic distortion: 0.02%. Inputs: RCA (2), XLR (1). Input impedance: 50 ohms. Maximum output voltage: 300V RMS. Power consumption: 49W. Tube complement: 6FQ7…
The Mirage OM-6 loudspeaker, from Canadian manufacturer Audio Products International, mightily impressed Stereophile's Tom Norton when he reviewed it back in November 1997. But with its "omnipolar" design and powered woofer, the OM-6 wasn't a speaker for those of us with more conventional tastes in speaker design. So when I heard that Mirage's Ian Paisley was working on a high-performance two-way minimonitor based on the OM-6's drive-unit technology, I asked API's affable PR man, Jeff Percy, for review samples.
Meet Mr. M-1
The MRM-1 may not be very big, but at 35 lbs each it is…
Sound
After the mellow-balanced Acoustic Energy speakers that I reviewed in the May Stereophile, my first impression of the MRM-1s was that they had considerably more top-octave energy---not brightness as such, but more high-frequency air. The downside was that analog tape hiss was emphasized, and there was some occasional extra sizzle on cymbals. I experimented with less toe-in, but ultimately felt that this took away some of the image focus. However, if the extreme highs are lifted, they still sound very clean.
After the mellow-balanced Acoustic Energy speakers that I reviewed in the May Stereophile, my first impression of the MRM-1s was that they had considerably more top-octave energy---not brightness as such, but more high-frequency air. The downside was that analog tape hiss was emphasized, and there was some occasional extra sizzle on cymbals. I experimented with less toe-in, but ultimately felt that this took away some of the image focus. However, if the extreme highs are lifted, they still sound very clean.
At the other end of the frequency spectrum, the MRM-1 was surprisingly…
Stereo imaging was stable and precise, with a well-defined soundstage lying between and behind the speakers. On the live Mozart flute quartet recording on Stereophile's Serenade CD (STPH009-2), the positions of the three string players relative to flutist Carol Wincenc on the stage of Santa Fe's St. Francis Auditorium were made explicitly clear: pure musical virtual reality.
While there was no sense of discontinuity between the MRM-1's midrange and treble, all through my auditioning I couldn't escape a laid-back character in the mid-treble. On most classical music this wasn't a problem.…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) "Pure-Titanium Hybrid" (PTH)-dome tweeter, 5.5" (140mm) carbon/graphite- and mica-impregnated polypropylene-cone midrange/bass unit. Crossover frequency: 1.8kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz-22kHz, ±2dB. Sensitivity: 85dB "in-room." Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Recommended power: 50-150Wpc maximum.
Dimensions: 13" (331mm) H by 7.6" (193mm) W by 10.875" (270mm) D. Weight: 35 lbs (16kg) each.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: none visible (name plate states "Andrew Walker, Ian…