Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (27mm) pure-beryllium, inverted-dome tweeter; 6.5" (165mm) flax-sandwich-cone midrange unit; two 6.5" (165mm) flax-sandwich-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 260Hz, 2700Hz. Frequency response: 35Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Low-frequency point: 29Hz, –6dB. Sensitivity: 91dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3.1 ohms minimum. Recommended amplification: 40–300W.
Dimensions: 44" (1118mm) H by 18.8" (477mm) W by 12.6" (321mm) D. Weight: 77.2 lb (35kg).
Finishes: High Gloss Black Lacquer (cabinet); High…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Acoustic Signature WOW XXL turntable & TA-2000 tonearm, Benz Micro ACE-SM cartridge.
Digital Source: PS Audio DirectStream Memory Player & DirectStream DAC.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance Black Path Edition.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh Laboratory MC275 LE, PS Audio Stellar M700 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Platinum PL300 II.
Cables: Interconnect, speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla 2.
Accessories: PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 5 power conditioner, Nordost QB8 AC power…
Sidebar 3: Beryllium
Valued for its combination of light weight and rigidity—it's seven times stiffer than titanium or aluminum—beryllium is used in the production of tweeter domes and midrange drivers by a number of high-end speaker manufacturers, including Focal. But, unlike manufacturers whose "beryllium" tweeter domes are actually made of an alloy containing, according to some reports, as little as 2% of the element, Focal's beryllium cones and domes are 100% beryllium. The use of beryllium makes possible the extension of the frequency response of Focal's tweeter to 40kHz, while…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Focal Kanta No.2's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. All the measurements were performed without the grilles, other than the perforated metal screen over the tweeter. The Kanta No.2's voltage sensitivity is specified as 91dB(B)/2.83V/m; my B-weighted estimate was a little lower, at 89dB/2.83V/m, but this is still higher than average. Focal specifies the nominal impedance as 8 ohms. The impedance does stay above 8 ohms through…
I've never aspired to owning a BMW 7-series, or a Martin D-45, or a Rolex Submariner: BMW's far less expensive 3-series models capture my imagination by bordering on the affordable, likewise Martin's D-18—and as long as I live, I'll never understand the appeal of expensive wristwatches. Bling's not my thing.
True to form, when I visited the Mytek display at High End 2018, in Munich, my attention was drawn to the brand-new Mytek Liberty DAC and its three-figure price: for $995, one could now own the equivalent of the original Mytek Brooklyn D/A processor, without that model's phono preamp…
That first recording was a 44.1kHz file of Clarence and Roland White and colleagues playing Merle Travis's "Nine-Pound Hammer," ripped from the Kentucky Colonels' Appalachian Swing! (CD, Rounder SS31). Clarence, on guitar, plays some passages with a crosspicking pattern in which two downstrokes are played in rapid succession, followed by a similarly rapid upstroke; the first note in each pair of downstrokes is played as a rest stroke—the plectrum comes to rest, however briefly, against the adjacent string as the note is played—giving that note a distinctive attack. (Clarence sometimes…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: D/A processor-headphone amplifier. Analog outputs: 1 pair single-ended (RCA), 1 pair balanced (¼" headphone jack). Digital inputs: 2 S/PDIF (RCA), 1 AES/EBU (XLR), 1 optical (TosLink), 1 USB Class 2. Headphone amplifier power: 3W. Headphone amplifier output impedance: 0.1 ohm.
Dimensions: 5.5" (140mm) W by 1.74" (44mm) H by 8.5" (216mm) D. Weight: 3 lb (1.5kg).
Finish: Dark gray.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 03003-1801-168
Price: $995. Approximate number of dealers: 60. Warranty: 2 years.
Manufacturer: Mytek Digital, 148 India…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301 turntable; Audio-Creative GrooveMaster II, EMT 997 tonearms; EMT TSD 15, Ortofon SPU A Wood, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Grado Labs Epoch, Koetsu Onyx Platinum, Miyabi 47 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook Air computer running Roon v.1.5, build 339; Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2 step-up transformers, Shindo Laboratory Monbrison (2017) preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Luxman MQ-88uSE, Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Mytek Liberty with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), using both the Audio Precision's S/PDIF outputs and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the DAC SE as "Liberty DAC" from "Mytek Digital," its serial number as "03003-1801-168," and confirmed that its USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that, via USB, the Mytek Liberty accepted…
The still youthful Danish String Quartet, whose 2016 release on ECM New Series inspired this glowing review in Stereophile, has returned with another hi-rez recording, Prism I (ECM New Series 2561). The first in a projected series of recordings for ECM New Series that will place one of Beethoven's late string quartets in the context of a related fugue by J.S. Bach and another linked quartet, Prism I begins with Mozart's string quartet arrangement of Bach's Fugue in in E-flat, BWV 875, from The Well-Tempered Clavier. It then invites us to discover what, besides key, Bach's short fugue shares…