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What can you tell about the intrinsic sound quality of a loudspeaker if you've heard it only at an audio show? Arguably, not much. If it sounds bad, there may be a number of reasons for that, only one being the speaker itself. It may be the acoustics of the room, problems with speaker setup, poorly matched associated equipment, insufficient break-in/warm-up, or poor choice of demo recordings. Other conditions may not be conducive to the speaker revealing its potential, such as not being able to sit in the sweet spot, being distracted by people talking throughout the demo, etc. You might…
But is it possible for an audio component to be accurate and euphonic? There are certainly speakers out there flying the Accuracy flag that are impressive on first hearing, providing a sense of immediacy and a focus on musical details, but that, on prolonged listening, leave you with a sense of fatigue. I think this is what Gordon was alluding to in his tongue-in-cheek way when he described accuracy as something nobody likes when he hears it. However, while the choices made in the process of designing a speaker often involve trade-offs, I think it's possible for a speaker to be both…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Five-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1", ferrofluid-cooled, titanium-dome tweeter with neodymium magnet; 4" clay/ceramic-filled polypropylene-cone midrange; three 51/4" clay/ceramic filled polypropylene cone woofers. Crossover: 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley at 500Hz and 1.8kHz. Frequency response: 34Hz–23kHz, ±3dB (on axis); 36Hz–20kHz, ±1.5dB, (on axis); 36Hz–10kHz (30° off axis). LF cutoff, –10dB: 29Hz. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: anechoic chamber, 88dB; typical listening room, 90dB. Recommended amplification:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player.
Preamplifiers: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance, Simaudio Moon Evolution 740P.
Power Amplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A, McIntosh Labs MC275LE.
Integrated Amplifier: PrimaLuna ProLogue Premier.
Loudspeakers: Wharfedale Jade 7, GoldenEar Triton Two.
Cables: Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla.
Accessories: PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 5 AC regenerator, Arcici Suspense Rack equipment rack, PolyCrystal amplifier stand, Nordost Sort Kone TC footers, Furutech…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Two-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" soft-dome tweeter, 10" paper-cone woofer. Frequency range: 30Hz–31kHz. Impedance: 10 ohms. Sensitivity: 93dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 35.5" (902mm) H by 15" (381mm) W by 10" (254mm) D.
Finish: Veneered front baffle; high-gloss, piano-black lacquer, sides, back, and top.
Price: $8400/pair.
Manufacturer: DeVore Fidelity, Brooklyn Navy Yard, 63 Flushing Avenue, Unit 259, Brooklyn, NY 11205. Tel: (718) 855-9999. Fax: (718) 855-9998. Web: www.devorefidelity.com.
Saturday April 8, 1–4pm, Californian loudspeaker manufacturer Magico will be holding an event at Suncoast Audio (7353 International Place, Unit 309, Sarasota FL 34240) to launch the new S3 Mk.2. Peter MacKay from Magico will discuss the technology in the S3 Mk.2 and there will be extensive listening.
Space is limited, so please RSVP here.
New York-based Chesky Records has just announced its first two MQA-encoded CDs. On May 19, both Camille Thurman's new Inside the Moment and Rebecca Pidgeon's classic The Raven will hit the streets, as it were, with a list price of $18.98. Music lovers with MQA-enabled DACs will be able to experience the full benefits of MQA-encoding/unfolding, while others will enjoy Red Book quality sound.
"The decision to issue these titles as MQA CDs was decided quickly, just 10 days ago, as we were exploring the possibility of working with MQA in our studio," David Chesky explained by phone. "After…
It is almost ten years since I last heard a pair of DCM loudspeakers, the Time Windows made famous by writer Peter Aczel in the first incarnation of his magazine The Audio Critic (foonote 1). The "Time" nomenclature traditionally used by DCM in their models refers to the fact that for any hi-fi component, its performance in the frequency domain is related to, and implicit in, that in the time domain, the two being connected by the mathematics of the Fourier Transform. To put it in simplistic language, a speaker's impulse response can be translated directly into its frequency response: all the…
Sidebar 1: Review System
The test procedure followed, with minor changes, that established for my previous loudspeaker reviews: each pair was used with a Mark Levinson No.26/No.20 combination—amplification unlikely to be used with any of these speakers but which would undoubtedly get the best from them—a Marantz CD94 CD player used via its optical digital output to feed a Marantz CDA94 outboard DAC unit, and a 1987 Linn Sondek/Ittok/Troika combination sitting on a Sound Organization table.
Interconnect was Madrigal HPC, speaker cable was also from Madrigal. The loudspeakers were…
The last few years have seen a flood of new integrated amplifiers in an audiophile market traditionally wedded to separate preamps and power amps. That might reflect the fact that integrated amps make a lot of sense, and not only because they usually cost less than equivalent separates. The latter gained a foothold in audio's Paleolithic era, when tubes were the only game in town. Tubes generate lots of heat—an enemy of electronics—and separating the preamp stages from the output devices kept this under control. Yes, there were integrated amplifiers back then, but they were generally of very…