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Boulder 1060 power amplifier

Can an $18,000 power amplifier be a bargain?

Can an $18,000 wristwatch?

After a certain point, the usual value-for-money considerations don't apply. With amplifiers, I'm not sure where that point is. But, for me, the Boulder 1060 is hors de categorie, as the French hi-fi scribes like to say: "out of category."

Nevertheless, I like to escape now and then, as I did with the Lamm Industries ML1.2 monoblocks and the $15,000 McIntosh MC2000 Commemorative (in the July 1998 and November 1999 issues, respectively).

Hell, I could have gone crazier still: $59,000 for a pair…

Boulder 1060 power amplifier Specifications

Sidebar: Specifications

Description: Solid-state, balanced stereo power amplifier. Rated power: 300Wpc into 8 ohms (dBW), with 800W peaks into 4 ohms, 1600W peaks into 2 ohms. THD+noise: 0.001% (20Hz–2kHz), 0.005% (20kHz). Frequency response: 0.015Hz–150kHz, –3dB. Voltage gain: 26dB. S/N Ratio: 127dB, unweighted, 20Hz–20kHz, re: 500W/8 ohms. Input impedance: 50k ohms, balanced.
Dimensions: 18" W by 9.5" H by 22.5" D. Weight: 140 lbs. Shipping weight: 220 lbs.
Serial number of review sample: Not noted.
Price: $18,000 (2000). Approximate number of dealers: 28.
Manufacturer:…

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeaker January 2015

Art Dudley returned to the DeVore Fidelity O/96 in January 2015 (Vol.38 No.1):

A few months ago, I finally got around to putting self-adhesive felt pads on the bottoms of the stands that support my review pair of DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeakers ($12,000/pair; see my review in the December 2012 issue). Those solid-maple stands aren't fitted with adjustable spikes or adjustable anything else, and because few hardwood floors are dependably, perfectly flat—including the ones I've installed, such as the Jatobá floor in my listening room—loudspeakers and equipment supports are often…

The Bower’s and Wilkin’s C5 Series 2 in-ear Headphones Sweepstakes

According to the company:

C5 Series 2 in-ear headphones bring you amazingly natural acoustics and fit so snugly you’ll hardly be aware you’re wearing them. These headphones use a new 9.2mm dynamic driver, and have been optimized to deliver bass that’s powerful yet precisely controlled, resulting in a more natural, open and detailed sound.

Click here for more info.

To enter the sweepstakes, all you need is an account on this website. If you don't…

Wharfedale Jade 3 loudspeaker

The $1500/pair price point for loudspeakers is now very hot. Many manufacturers offer interesting models at or near this price, which gives the most creative designers an opportunity to show off: they can come up with interesting speakers that attempt to deliver a level of performance an order of magnitude beyond their entry-level wares by trickling down technology from their costlier floorstanding models. For the buyer, a $1500/pair speaker is a great way to start building a complete system for $4000–$5000 that can deliver extremely high sound quality for the dollar.

Although I've…

Sjöfn HiFi (the clue) loudspeaker

I was sitting in my high chair, eating strained peas. My father was walking around the kitchen with a wooden box in one hand and a cord with a plug in the other. The box and the cord were attached to each other. I was inspired to utter my first actual sentence: "Plug it in over there!" Moments later, a man with a disturbing voice began squawking from inside the wooden box. It was a radio. Schnapps, our dachshund, barked angrily. I started to cry. Ever since, I've been charmed, fascinated, and mostly annoyed by wooden boxes that talk to me.

At the 2014 Capital Audiofest (July 24–27), I…

Sjöfn HiFi (the clue) loudspeaker Page 2

Exasperated, I tried for a while not to think about audio reviewing. I played one record after another, doing my best not to analyze, but just enjoy. But every record made me tense and unsettled, so before it finished I'd take it off and put on another, hoping it might be more satisfying. One recording did stand out and play quite well: Kander and Ebb's "You're My Thrill," from the soundtrack to Philip Leacock's 1960 film, Let No Man Write My Epitaph, on Ella Fitzgerald's Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! (CD, Verve/Classic VSCD-4053). This disc showed enough of that great force we call "Ella…

Wharfedale Jade 3 loudspeaker Page 2

Remarkable #2—Dynamics: I've heard many speakers than can produce the entire dynamic range from ppp to fff in a linear manner, but occasionally I've found a speaker that is scarily realistic at the lower end of the dynamic spectrum or is capable of earthshaking blasts at the opposite extreme. The Jade 3 did both. Susie Ibarra's solos on a broad range of percussion instruments, on her Radiance (CD, Hopscotch HOP 2), explore the softer end of the dynamic spectrum. With many of these tracks, the Jade produced the pppp-to-p range with delicacy, air, and speed, and Ibarra's barely audible…

Sjöfn HiFi (the clue) loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.875" silk-dome tweeter, 5.5" damped paper-cone woofer. Frequency range (in-room): 28Hz–42kHz. Crossover frequency: 2.3–11.4kHz (axis transitional). Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4.2 ohms minimum. Recommended amplification: 30–150W.
Dimensions: 13.9" (355.6mm) H by 7.9" (203.2mm) W by 10.9" (280mm) D. Weight: 16.5 lbs (7.5kg).
Finishes: Piano Black lacquer, Cherry or Maple wood veneers.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: None found.
Price: $999/pair…

Wharfedale Jade 3 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Three-way, sealed-box bookshelf speaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 3" aluminum-pulp composite midrange cone, 7" Acufibre-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 2.8kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz–24kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Recommended amplification: 30–150W.
Dimensions: 16.9" (433mm) H by 9.6" (246mm) W by 15.6" (400mm) D. Weight: 26 lbs (11.8kg).
Finishes: Black Oak, Rosewood, Vintage Cherry; Piano Black, add $300/pair.
Serial number of units reviewed: WHO47129BBC0102 (both).
…