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Stereophile's Products of 1995 1995 Component of the Year

1995 Component of the Year

Wilson Audio Specialties X-1/Grand SLAMM loudspeaker

Finalists (in alphabetical order):
Conrad-Johnson Premier Eight monoblock power amplifier
Krell KPS-20iL CD player/digital control center
Mark Levinson No.30.5 HDCD D/A processor
Pass Labs Aleph 0 monoblock power amplifier
Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamplifier
Spectral SDR-2000 Professional HDCD D/A processor

The Wilson Audio Specialties X-1/Grand SLAMM dominated this category almost as resoundingly as it did the loudspeaker voting. There were some powerful contenders…

Stereophile's Products of 1995 1995 Editor's Choice

1995 Editor's Choice

Wilson Audio Specialties X-1/Grand SLAMM

Usually this space is reserved for components that have stood the test of time, but this year I wanted to pay my own tribute to what may well be the best loudspeaker currently available.

I have now heard the Wilson X-1s at length in four very different systems and rooms. My first time was at Stereophile's 1994 High-End Hi-Fi Show in Miami. Retailer Peter McGrath's Sound Components was running a shuttle bus from the Doral Resort (where the Show was being held) out to his Coral Gables store, where he had the…

Koss PRO-4, PRO-4A and Pro/4 AAA Plus headphones

Almost a dead-ringer for the early-model Sharpe HA-10, Koss's PRO-4 ($45) is readily distinguishable by a large knurled protuberance sticking out of the lower part of the right-hand phone. This, in case you've wondered, is a mounting for a "boom-type" lip microphone, for use in speech labs and for communication purposes. (Sharpe and Permoflux also provide facilities for attaching a lip-mike.)

The Koss is handsome, well constructed, and apparently quite durable. Noise rejection is extremely high, but the PRO-4 is not quite as comfortable for long periods as the Sharpe HA-10 (because of a…

Koss PRO-4, PRO-4A and Pro/4 AAA Plus headphones Headphone Buying Tips

Sidebar 1: Headphone Buying Tips

When auditioning headphones, take along a wide variety of program material. Try to include recordings that use different miking techniques (pan-potting, Blumlein, ORTF, etc.) The ear and brain hear headphones differently from speakers, which changes the way you perceive colorations.

What you hear depends not only on the hardware and software, but also on what's going on inside your head. Don't listen unless you're rested and relaxed. Start by auditioning one of the better 'phones (Class A, B, or top of C in Stereophile's "Recommended Components…

Koss PRO-4, PRO-4A and Pro/4 AAA Plus headphones Specifications

Sidebar 2: Specifications

Description: Over-the-ear, closed-back headphones.
Price: Koss PRO-4, $45 (1963); Koss PRO-4A, not noted (1968); Koss PRO-4x, $85 (1982); PRO/4 AAA Plus, $70 (1991); PRO-4AA, $99.99 (2020).
Manufacturer: Koss Corporation, 4129 N. Port Washington Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: (414) 964-5000. Fax: (414) 964-8615. Web: koss.com.

VPI Magic Brick

The VPI Magic Brick is an 8lb block of steel laminations, about 5" by 3" by 2", encased in a nicely-finished oak box for aesthetic appeal and for protecting whatever the brick is sitting on from scratches. Placing the Brick over the power transformer of a piece of electronic gear is supposed to improve the sound of your stereo system.

Before I tried it, I was definitely of two minds about the Brick. Because people I respected had told me that it really did work, I was inclined to believe it. But in my heart I did not really believe that an inert metal block could do anything for an…

VPI Magic Brick Specifications

Sidebar: Specifications

Description: Passive damping block.
Dimensions: 5" × 3" × 2". Weight: 8lb.
Finish: Wood veneer.
Price: $35 (1982); $149.99 (2020).
Manufacturer: VPI Industries, Ozone Park, NY 11417 (1982); VPI Industries, Inc., 77 Cliffwood Avenue, #5D, Cliffwood, NJ 07721. Tel: (732) 583-6895 (2020). Web: www.vpiindustries.com.

Pass Laboratories Aleph 0 monoblock power amplifier

The Aleph Null, or 0, represents Nelson Pass's maiden product under the Pass Laboratories banner. When he left Threshold several years ago, Pass had the luxury of starting over with a clean slate, and decided immediately that he wanted to design a single-ended MOSFET amp. The result is aptly named after Georg Cantor's first transfinite number: Aleph Null, the gateway to higher-order infinities. Just as Cantor's transfinite mathematics stretched minds with its novel conceptual view of the infinite, the Pass Aleph 0 tantalizes the imagination with a new dimension in the future of solid-state…

Pass Laboratories Aleph 0 monoblock power amplifier Page 2

The Aleph is extremely well-built, and, unlike a tube amp, requires no periodic maintenance—it's apparently geared for a long life. As Pass explains in the owner's manual: "In 15 years, the electrolytic power-supply capacitors will get old. Depending on usage, you will begin to have semiconductor and other failures between 10 and 50 years after date of manufacture. Later, the sun will cool to a white dwarf, and after that, the universe will experience heat death."

Sound
During its lengthy stay in my listening room, the Aleph drove both Sound-Lab A-1 and Audiostatic ES-100/SW-100…

Pass Laboratories Aleph 0 monoblock power amplifier Aleph 0 and 1.2 Compared

Steven Stone compared the Aleph 0 and the Aleph 1.2 in November 1997 (Vol.20 No.11):

My first compare-and-contrast exercise pitted the Pass Aleph 1.2 against the smaller, $8000/pair Aleph 0. While the amps shared certain family traits, they did not sound identical. The 1.2 had a certain ease, regardless of the music's demands, that eluded the 0. Paradoxically, the Aleph 0s did have a slightly more specific soundstage focus, but that precision broke down when they were dynamically stressed. Also, the Aleph 0 seemed to be faster-sounding on dynamic transients. The horns on Paquito D'…