Description: Three-way, hybrid bass reflex/horn floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) horn-loaded tweeter with neodymium magnet; large-throated, wide-dispersion midrange horn with 2" (51mm) composite diaphragm compression driver with neodymium magnet; 12" (305mm) high-power, high-sensitivity woofer. Crossover frequencies: not specified. Frequency range: 35Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Minimum impedance: not specified. Sensitivity: 97dB/2.83V/1m. Recommended amplifier power: 8–80Wpc. Peak power handling: 80W.
Dimensions: 40" (1016mm) H × 15…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Pro-Ject Classic SB turntable with Hana SL moving-coil cartridge.
Digital sources: Yamaha BD-A1060 universal disc player; Euphony Audio Summus: Intel NUC-based music server/player/streamer running Roon/Qobuz/Tidal.
Preamplifiers: PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell preamp/DAC; Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ phono preamp with Musical Surroundings LPS.
Power amplifier: Bel Canto e1X.
Integrated amplifier: PrimaLuna EVO 300.
Loudspeakers: Zu Audio Omen with Mk.II tweeter/cap upgrade.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Yukon (…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample of the Volti Audio Razz (serial number V1, 007) to those auditioned by Tom Gibbs. (There wasn't a grille supplied with this sample.) I measured the loudspeaker's farfield behavior with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the speaker's nearfield responses. I repeated some of the testing with Dayton Audio's OmniMic V2 and DATS V2 systems.
Volti specifies the Razz's sensitivity as "97dB." My estimate was 93dB(B)/2.83V/m—while this is lower than…
Alice Phoebe Lou: Live at Funkhaus Berlin
Alice Phoebe Lou, no catalog number. Auditioned as 24/44.1 FLAC stream, also available for download at Qobuz and streaming at 16/44.1 on Tidal. Vinyl can be purchased at merchbar.com. 2020. Alice Phoebe Lou, prod.; Paul Scheffler, Noah Georgeson, Zino Mikorey, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ***½
Alice Phoebe Lou, no catalog number. Auditioned as 24/44.1 FLAC stream, also available for download at Qobuz and streaming at 16/44.1 on Tidal. Vinyl can be purchased at merchbar.com. 2020. Alice Phoebe Lou, prod.; Paul Scheffler, Noah Georgeson, Zino Mikorey, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ***½
Nothing about Alice Phoebe Lou's musical career reflects industry norms. She maintains complete control over every aspect of her work, from creation to release. The result is always original and fascinating. Lou is at her best when she has an…
For the first time in the two years I've been living in this apartment building, I've received a noise complaint from a neighbor. Coincidence?
As it happened, yes it was a coincidence. True, my music was pretty loud, and the bass from the Piega Premium Wireless 701 loudspeaker system ($7495/pair) was anything but reticent, especially considering the tower's sleek appearance. But I was not the source of the specific noise that caused the complaint. That was the sloppy bass from another neighbor's inferior sound system. (The bass from this Piega system isn't sloppy.)
And yet, when…
Other built-in DSP functions automatically control and limit the excursion of the mid/woofer drivers to provide clean bass and avoid damage. ("It's done by algorithms where we more or less are aware of the movement of the cones and we can limit this movement, so it doesn't hit its max," Züger told me during our Skype call.) DSP is also used for loudness correction, adjusting the frequency response at low volume to compensate for the ear's frequency-dependent sensitivity (footnote 1).
As mentioned earlier, in regular use, the active 701 speakers receive wireless input from the Connect…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Piega 701 wireless active loudspeaker: Two-and-a-half–way active, reflex-loaded loudspeaker system. Drive-units: LDR 3056 ribbon tweeter; (2) 140mm MDS midrange/bass. Frequency range: 34Hz–35kHz. Amplifier power: 200W. Inputs: Wi-Fi and unbalanced analog line-level (RCA).
Dimensions: 41.7" (1060mm) × 7.1" (180mm) × 9.1" (230mm). Weight: 62lb (28kg).
Finishes: Anodized, Black, White.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 8192, 8194. Designed and built in Switzerland.
Price: $7495/pair. (For US market, price includes one Connect). Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: MBL N31 CD player/DAC, Hegel H90 integrated amplifier (internal DAC).
Analog sources: MoFi UltraDeck+ turntable and tonearm with UltraTracker MM cartridge, Clearaudio Performance DC Wood turntable with Tracer tonearm and Talismann MC cartridge.
Preamplification: Clearaudio Balance V2 phonostage, MoFi StudioPhono phonostage.
Cables: Cardas Audio Clear Reflection C7 power cables, Ansuz Acoustics, AudioQuest, and Morrow Audio (interconnects and other cabling).
Accessories: AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power Noise-Dissipation…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I first looked at the behavior of the Piega Connect wireless control unit, using my Audio Precision SYS2722 analyzer. Measured at its analog output jacks in variable mode, this had a maximum gain of 0.3dB. The fixed mode offered the same 0.3dB gain. The analog input clipped at 2.2V. A 1kHz signal at –12dBFS at the coaxial and optical digital inputs resulted in a level at the analog outputs of 534mV, suggesting that the Connect's gain architecture is very similar for both analog and digital signals. Both digital inputs locked on to data sampled at rates from 44.…
I am proud of the fact that my first review for Stereophile was of a modestly priced integrated amplifier called the Rogue Audio Sphinx. Specified at 100Wpc into 8 ohms, 200Wpc into 4 ohms (footnote 1), it played the KEF LS50s like it was made for them. It was simple and handsome and cost only $1295, phono stage included.
I chose the Sphinx because it was a hybrid tube–class-D design that, to my ears, blended French-wine tube flavor with the grip and authority of class-D solid-stateness. The Sphinx was proletariat, not patrician, but it still showed me the merry music of Paris during La…