Description: Three-way horn-loaded loudspeaker. High frequencies: Klipsch K-771 compression driver with a 1" polyimide diaphragm loaded with a polymer Tractrix horn. Midrange: Klipsch K-55-X compression driver with a 2" phenolic diaphragm loaded with a polymer exponential horn. Bass: Klipsch 15" K-33-E woofer with fiber-composite cone loaded with an 8' bidirectional folded horn. Crossover frequencies: 450Hz, 4.5kHz. Frequency response: 51Hz–20kHz ±4dB. Sensitivity: 105dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: "8 ohms compatible."
Dimensions: 40" (1016mm) H × 24.25" (…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Garrard 301 turntable in a Box Furniture Co. plinth; Thomas Schick 12" tonearm and headshell. Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua, Hana Umami Red, Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, Ortofon SPU Classic G, and Zu/Denon 103 cartridges.
Digital sources: Lejonklou Källa, Sonnet Morpheus, and Denafrips Iris DACs; Sonore ultraRendu; Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5 server running Roon Core.
Preamplification: Shindo Aurieges and PrimaLuna EVO 400 preamplifiers; Manley Steelhead RC, Sutherland Little Loco, and Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono preamplifiers.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the Klipsch La Scala's bulk—it weighs 201lb—I measured the speaker in AH's apartment. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the La Scala's behavior in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses. The loudspeakers were driven by the Manley Mahi Mahi amplifiers AH used for his auditioning. For the measurements, I left off the grille that covers the high-frequency and midrange horns, as AH preferred the sound without them.
The La Scala's sensitivity is specified as an…
Herb at the HiFi Loft. (Photo: Jason Tavares)
I remember a Saturday morning around 30 years ago, when I just happened to be at Sound by Singer, the New York City audio salon, watching this wizardy German fella named Joachim Gerhard unbox the newest speaker in his line, Audio Physic. I remember how bright the sun was as it streamed in through the windows, forming a wall of light behind him and silhouetting two implausibly thin box speakers. Their silhouetted forms displayed proportions similar to the World Trade Center.
I was taken aback by how Gerhard set up these thin twin towers…
Setup
In my room, Heretic importer and Fidelis Audio principal Walter Swanbon set the AD614s on custom 12" Fidelis stands about 20" from the wall. In that position, they played big soundstage-wise but were a little lean through the midrange. After he left, I experimented by moving them first forward some, which made them leaner and brighter. So then I tried moving them backward, ending up with the two boxes no more than 6" from the wall behind.
Sitting on the Fidelis stands, the 614's tweeters were 27" from the floor. My normal listening position places my ears 33" to 36"…
Probably the biggest group of audiophiles right now are still "Boomers": members of the "Baby Boom" generation, which by most definitions puts their minimum age at close to 60. Boomers are aging and won't be around forever. So bringing new blood into the hobby is more important than ever.
Younger people (post-Boomer generations) listen to a ton of music—but are they really listening? Are they paying close attention, or, as the cliché goes, is it, for them, all background music? Generational clichés are rarely accurate. Of course they actually listen. Enough of them are, anyway. And they…
Over the past decade-plus, alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, 40, has been one of the key figures reinvigorating jazz from the inside. Born and raised in New York and educated at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the famed Fame school) and the New School, Benjamin has worked with artists as diverse as David Murray and Stevie Wonder. Her last album, Pursuance, was a starry tribute to the legacy of John and Alice Coltrane. Phoenix (Whirlwind Recordings), her latest—to belabor an already labored metaphor—has Benjamin rising from the pandemic's ashes.
The police…
Of all the brand lines I've reviewed, none's sound has changed as much over time as Esoteric's top-tier Grandioso series. When I first encountered Grandioso setups at shows, they consistently sounded dark. That in itself is not necessarily bad; the darker presentations of some concert venues and hi-fi systems often enhance detail. But I prefer my music more illumined, with all the color and brilliance that instruments and voices can offer. And over the last three years or so, Esoteric's sound has become better lit, as though a 40W bulb was replaced by a 75W bulb.
At AXPONA 2022, I eagerly…
The warm-up issue
For more than two weeks, I played and tinkered with the new M1X setup, trying to get the sound a newly redesigned $71,000/pair monoblock duo can reasonably be expected to deliver. At first I found it unnaturally warm, bass shy, and monotonic. Boring. Undeniably, the M1Xs exhibited exceptional natural flow and a smooth top, but nothing sounded quite as I thought it should.
For more than two weeks, I played and tinkered with the new M1X setup, trying to get the sound a newly redesigned $71,000/pair monoblock duo can reasonably be expected to deliver. At first I found it unnaturally warm, bass shy, and monotonic. Boring. Undeniably, the M1Xs exhibited exceptional natural flow and a smooth top, but nothing sounded quite as I thought it should.
I changed brands of speaker cable and interconnects, but inasmuch as I could hear changes, the sound remained dull. To make sure I hadn't inadvertently made some other important change in the system…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Class-AB mono power amplifier. Analog inputs: Balanced (XLR), single-ended (RCA), and Esoteric ESL-A (for connecting other Esoteric components). Outputs: 1 pair binding posts. Input impedance: 100k ohms for XLR, 10k ohms for RCA. Rated output power: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 600W into 4 ohms (24.8dBW). Power consumption: 400W, 55W when no signal. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, +0dB/–3dB into 8 ohms. S/N ratio: 119dB (IHF-A, XLR). THD: 0.006% (1kHz, 8 ohms, 300W). Compatible speaker impedance: 4 ohms to 16 ohms (see explanation in review text).…