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Next, I cleaned, waxed, and rearranged my writing desk, to create an attractive, intimate system. The KEFs were about 36" apart, the centers of their tweeters some 30" away from and 8" below my ears. The sound was fundamentally clean and meticulously detailed. Unfortunately, the bass notes of Amanaz's Africa (16/44.1 FLAC, Now-Again/Odk/Tidal) shook my whole desk, making loud, buzzy-blurry-woody noises below 1kHz. I stopped. And thought. Some little IsoAcoustics stands would have been just the ticket, but I had none. Instead, I put a short stack of dense books under each speaker. Now their…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, coaxial, rear-ported, active, dynamic wireless loudspeaker and all-in-one stereo hi-fi system. Drive-units: coaxial Uni-Q array comprising a 0.75" (19mm) aluminum-dome tweeter and 4.5" (115mm) magnesium-aluminum-alloy midrange-woofer, each powered by its own class-D amplifier (30W, tweeter; 70W, woofer) and 24-bit/192kHz DACs, with active crossover and DSP functions. Direct streaming: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 (aptX). All functions managed and controlled by KEF apps: Control accesses the LSX's Music Integrity Engine digital signal processing;…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable, Jelco KT-850L tonearm, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum MC cartridge.
Digital Sources: iPhone 5 SE, Mac mini computer running Audirvana+ 3.2; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A processor.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 step-up transformer; Tavish Design Adagio RIAA phono preamplifier; Rogue Audio RP-7 line preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Rogue Audio Stereo 100.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Excite X-12, KEF LS50.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Kable D60 Data Flex Studio (coax).…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the KEF LSX's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses. After I connected the Master LSX to my network, it checked with KEF that its firmware was up to date—it was (v.3.0). I then opened the Roon app on my iPad Mini and the speaker was recognized by Roon as "KEF LSX" and successfully handled data sampled up to 192kHz via the network. The KEF's volume control was active in Roon as well as in KEF's own Control app, which I used to…
It hit me not long ago: I need more Mac in my life! I promptly purchased the current production version of McIntosh Laboratory's time-honored MC275 tubed amplifier, to mate to the Mac C2300 tubed preamplifier I already owned. The recently reinvigorated debate in these pages comparing solid-state and single-ended tube designs got me to thinking. One thing led to another, and voilà! McIntosh's latest solid-state stereo amplifier, the MC462 Quad Balanced ($9000), arrived, bolted to a shipping pallet and encased in two big, heavy, nested boxes. All that packaging weighs 33 lb—the amp inside…
It’s too easy to bash the record business. Yes, they’ve lied to us (“CDs will get cheaper”). Put out inferior product (Dynaflex, need I say more). And been uncaring if not downright larcenous when it comes to artists. But strangest of all, is the seeming disregard that the business has always had for its own future. Planning ahead has never been a strong suit. Like maybe getting ahead of Napster before piracy dried up the cash might have been a good plan?
All this came to mind when Rhino’s new Otis Redding, Soul Manifesto: 1964-1970 boxed set arrived. Here is Redding’s entire official…
The first Shindo Laboratory product I ever had in my home was the Aurieges preamplifier, which I wrote about in the July 2007 issue of Stereophile. The Aurieges, which in 2007 sold for $3895 and is now priced at $5495, was and is the company's entry-level line-plus-phono preamp, with separate enclosures for its signal electronics and power supply; each box measures 10.625" wide by 3.125" high by 10.75"deep—a unique and somewhat smaller-than-average size in Shindo's product line—and both are painted green.
To say I was impressed by the Aurieges would be an understatement. As with other…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Tubed, two-chassis phono preamplifier with multiple EQ options. Tube complement: two pairs of Sylvania 6072 dual-triodes and Telefunken EF83 pentodes, one 6X4 rectifier.
Dimensions: 10.625" (270mm) W by 3.125" (80mm) H by 10.75" (273mm) D (both boxes).
Price: $7895.
Manufacturer: Shindo Laboratory, Japan, US distributor: Tone Imports. Tel: (646) 425-7800. Web: www.toneimports.com.
YG's cute Carmel 2 speaker is featured on the new issue's cover and is exhaustively reviewed by John Atkinson inside. But the meat in our 180-page December issue is our annual "Products of the Year," where the magazine's writers and editors vote for the products that impressed them the most in the past year. There are some surprises, not the least of which is the great showing made by some very affordable components.
But wait, there's more...
Art Dudley raves about Joanna Newsom's new album, while Robert BAird interview the rock harpist. Herb Reichert enthuses over the sound of…
Oscar Pettiford is one of the least-remembered great jazz musicians, a pioneer of bebop who played bass with the top bands of the 1940s, switched to cello after an arm injury at the end of the decade, then plowed on at the top of his game till he died in 1960. The cello never ascended to the mantle of standard jazz instruments (which may account for Pettiford's unjust obscurity), but Erik Friedlander stands as its greatest champion, so no wonder that, for his 18th album as a leader, at the age of 55, he's finally recorded a tribute to the master.
Oscalypso (on Friedlander's self-owned…