Each Aida II has three pairs of binding posts and is thus tri-ampable, but I used the included jumpers and single pairs of TARA Labs Omega Evolution SP speaker cables.
There's more to this complex design, and especially to the design and construction of the drivers, but that's enough for the purposes of this review, other than Sonus…
Description: "Three-and-two-thirds-way" reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (28mm) damped-apex silk-dome tweeter, 7.1" (180mm) natural fiber, viscous-damped midrange driver, two 8.7" (220mm) sandwich-cone woofers, 12.6" (320mm) Nano Carbon Fiber/foam core Infra (sub)woofer; rear-firing Sound Field Shaper comprises 1.1" (29mm) damped-apex silk-dome tweeter and two 3.15" (80mm) midrange drivers. Crossover frequencies: 55, 150, 200, 3000Hz. Frequency range: 18Hz–35kHz. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended…
Analog Sources: Turntables: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn (with Castellon stand), Technics SL-1000R, VPI Avenger. Tonearms: Swedish Analog Technologies SAT & SAT LM-09, Kuzma 4Point. Cartridges: DS Audio Master 1 (plus equalizer); Grado Epoch (mono); Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Atlas SL Mono, Etna, Etna SL; Miyajima Laboratory Zero (mono); Ortofon MC Century Anna A95.
Digital Sources: dCS Rossini CD Player, AVM 8.2 preamplifier-DAC, Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter, Meridian Digital Media System, Pure Vinyl & Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification:…
As the Aida weighs a backbreaking 364 lb, I drove my test gear to Mikey Fremer's place to measure the speakers in situ. After I'd done the in-room measurements, my plan was to perform the quasi-anechoic measurements in Mikey's driveway. Sonus Faber's reps had placed one of the speakers on a wheeled dolly and rolled it from the listening room to the garage. However, for the first day in weeks, it was raining, and with no end to the downpour in sight, I ended up measuring the Aida in the garage with the door open. I could position the speaker well away from the…
Alma Music and Audio is introducing the Audio Research Reference 160M monoblock power amplifiers that are on the cover of our October issue. There…
Description: Three-way, floorstanding, bass-reflex loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) beryllium-dome tweeter, 7" (178mm) beryllium-cone midrange, three 7" (178mm) X-PAL-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 450Hz, 2.4kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz–45kHz, ±2dB (on axis); 45Hz–20kHz, ±2dB (30° off axis). Low-frequency extension: 23Hz. Impedance: "compatible with 8 ohms." Sensitivity: 93dB (in room), 90dB (anechoic). Maximum input power: 300W. Recommended amplification: 15–500W.
Finishes: Carbon Black, Vanta Black, Harmony White (high gloss); Aria Blue, Sonic…
Digital Sources: Oppo Digital UDP-105 universal BD player, Baetis Prodigy-X PC-based music server running JRiver Media Center 24, exaSound e38 D/A processor, QNAP TVS-873 NAS.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research MP1, Parasound Halo P 7, SPL SMC 7.1.
Power Amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2, Classé Sigma Mono monoblocks, Parasound Halo A 31.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Coffee (USB). Interconnect: AudioQuest Earth/DBS (balanced), Kubala-Sosna Anticipation (RCA), VoVox Sonorus Muco (XLR-DB25). Speaker: AudioQuest…
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Paradigm Persona 5F's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. Paradigm specifies the Persona 5F's anechoic voltage sensitivity as 90dB/2.83V/m. My estimate was slightly lower, at 88.7dB(B)/2.83V/m, but this is still higher than average. The Paradigm's impedance is specified as "compatible with 8 ohms." The impedance drops below 6 ohms between 70Hz and 1kHz, and reaches a minimum magnitude of 2.85 ohms just below 20kHz (fig.1). There…