In a three-beam laser system (fig.1, left), the first and third beams are directed at the disc ahead of and behind the signal beam, at opposite edges of the pit track. Their reflections are picked up by photo cells that are physically separated from the main-signal pickup cell. When both tracking cells "see" the same proportion of the total track width, their equal-but-antiphase outputs cancel. When they are displaced to either side of the signal track, their outputs are of different amplitude, cancellation is incomplete, and the resulting + or – offset voltage…
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Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: CD player with optional remote and 14- then 16-bit, 4×-oversampled D/A conversion. Frequency response: 2Hz–20kHz ±0.3dB. THD: 0.005% at 1kHz. Signal/noise ratio: 100dB. Output: 2V. Power consumption: 30W.
Dimensions: 17.125" W by 3.5" H by 13.75" D. Weight: 12.5 lb.
Price: $1895 (1988); no longer available (2020). Approximate number of dealers: 200–250.
Manufacturer: Tandberg of America, Inc., Plainview, NY 11803 (1988); company no longer in existence (2020)
Offering a "sneak preview" before the official debut at AXPONA 2020, Endow Audio introduced the latest iteration of its speaker, the piano-black T35 ($19,900), a two-way with a patent-pending Point Array and a 12-inch woofer. It may be rather otherworldly in appearance (grilles are included) but rather unique in its approach. Basically, it consists of an array of nine full-range 3" drivers configured with a single 8" loading driver to create a point source. The woofer takes over frequencies at 100Hz (and below) via an inboard passive crossover. The T35 also contains patent-pending Passive…
Rupert Neve Designs, the legendary pro-audio maker of recording studio consoles and other equipment for concert halls and beyond, has expanded its product offerings for the home-audio market—ie, music lovers and audiophiles—with its new Fidelice series, including a full-featured DAC/controller with Neve's analog circuitry and an AKM-based DAC chip inside, a phono preamp, and a headphone amp. The three Fidelice components share a retro-modern look with matte aluminum casings with inlayed mahogany wood on top, red-accented control dials, little throw switches, LED lights, and tiny text that…
It's always a jolting, life-renewing Ka-BLAM when a new experience shatters your preconceptions of the order of things. From the moment you realize your dad isn't running right alongside you as you fly down the sidewalk on your first two-wheeler, to when you become a made man, these experiences forever alter how you view yourself and the world around you.
Okay, so maybe cable isn't in the same white-knuckled league as riding your first Schwinn. But I just had one of my longtime preconceived notions blasted apart like a clay pigeon, and all it took was five seconds of listening to realize…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Unshielded, twisted-pair interconnect. Series inductance: 0.77µH. DC loop resistance: 0.053 ohm/m. Parallel capacitance: 55pF/m.
Price: $62/m pair ($14/additional meter pair plus $48/pair termination) (1993); $108/m pair (2020). Approximate number of dealers: 450.
Manufacturer: Kimber Kable, 2752 South 1900 West, Ogden, UT 84401. Tel: (801) 621-5530. Fax: (801) 627-6980. Web: www.kimber.com.
Salon 1 Audio made its first-ever appearance at a high-end audio show with a demo room featuring upper-tier amplification from VTL’s Series III: the TL-7.5 Reference linestage preamplifier ($30,000) and MB-185 Signature monoblock amps ($22,500/pair), and the TP-2.5i Performance phonostage ($5000) paired with a Sumiko Palo Santos MC cartridge ($4500) and a Pro-Ject Xtension 12 turntable ($4500) with a lovely high-gloss mahogany wood plinth.
Driven by that VTL tube power (with some EL34 sweetness from the MB-185 monoblocks), the Wilson Audio Sasha DAW speakers ($37,900)—here in the Desert…
The MC Audiotech Forty-10 ($35,000) is probably the most exotic speaker seen and heard at the Florida Audio Expo. In our conversation, MC Audiotech's Mark Conti revealed that the upper portion of the Forty-10, a two-way, is based on a patented Wide Band Line Source (WBLS) transducer; according to a white paper from the designer Paul Paddock, it could be called a “predictable flexible membrane” transducer and is related to "bending wave" technology. Though this represents a modern iteration, the device had its earliest conceptual origins back in the 1920s and 1930s; Paddock's original patent,…
This marks the end of our Florida Audio Expo 2020 coverage, but before I wrap things up, I'd like to mention a few more standout rooms with super systems.
Attending FLAX 2020 for the first time in this, its second year, I found myself pleasantly surprised by its more mixed demographic compared with most other US shows. In particular I noticed more millennials, more couples, and generally more women, including those who clearly just weren't there "in tow." The guys running one of the headphone demos there told me that an average of at least one or two women per hour were coming in…
Thursday, February 20, 7:00–10:00pm: Garth Leerer and Ken Bowers of Musical Surroundings, importers of AMG turntables and Hana phono cartridges, will be at Ultra Fidelis HiFi, 7125 W. North Avenue, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, demonstrating the new AMG Viella Forte turntable. AMG'S Giro and Viella 12 'tables will also be on hand. Food and beverages from Charles E. Fromage and Stock House Brewing Company will fortify attendees for the task of listening to lots of great music. RSVP is required, by email (dominique.evans@ultrafi.com) or phone: (414) 221-0200.