Description: Remote-controlled solid-state integrated amplifier with J-FET input devices, MOSFET output devices, five line-level inputs (one audio input bypasses the gain stage), plus tape out and preamp out. Power output: 70Wpc into 8 ohms (18.5dBW), 110Wpc into 4 ohms (17.4dBW). Frequency response: 10Hz-70kHz, +0/-3dB. THD: 0.1% (20Hz-20kHz at 1W). Damping factor: >200. Voltage gain: 30dB. Dynamic headroom: 6dB. Maximum current: 16A peak, 9A continuous. Signal/noise (ref. full output): 97dB. Input impedance: 14k ohms. Input sensitivity: 300mV-3.0V RMS.…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Rega Planar 25 turntable, Rega RB600 tonearm, Grado Statement Master cartridge; Marantz PMD430 portable cassette recorder.
Digital sources: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player and Delta 24-bit/96kHz DAC, Musical Fidelity A3 CD player.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista, Blue Circle Galatea, VTL 5.5 preamplifiers; Blue Circle BC22 phono preamp.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Mesa Baron, VTL MB-450.
Integrated amplifiers: Mesa Tigris, Linn Classik, Musical Fidelity A3…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Moon i-5's heatsinks were too hot to touch after the one-hour preconditioning period at one-third power into 8 ohms. While I could just keep my hand on the top plate, the amplifier should still be given plenty of ventilation. The amplifier was non-inverting and the maximum voltage gain was 38.8dB into 8 ohms. The volume-control position closest to unity gain was an indicated "23" on the red numeric display, which goes up to "50," and the volume control operated in 1dB steps at the top of its range, coarse 2.5dB steps in the bottom half. The input impedance was…
"I am not in love; but I'm open to persuasion," sings Joan Armatrading in her song "Love and Affection," the track I was playing when I finally realized that my attempts to get a sound from the Apogee Caliper ribbon speakers approaching what I had heard at the 1986 Chicago CES were bearing fruit. And that sentence pretty much describes the creed of the professional audio critic. Each new product that arrives at your door could be the one to pass the J. Gordon Holt "goose-bump" test, to leave the hairs on your arms permanently erect. Did the Caliper full-range ribbons excite my previously…
As with the other Apogees, the Caliper is available in two finishes: grey and taupe. Usefully, both driver/crossover connections are brought out on the rear to separate sets of five-way binding posts. The Caliper can be used with a single set of speaker cables, supplied jumpers paralleling the pairs of sockets; with two sets of cables, one amplifier driving the units individually (biwiring); or with two amplifiers, with each drive-unit connected to its own amplifier (biamping). Setting up proved to be no problem: the speaker panel is supported by a single angle piece at the rear; an…
It's not all cordon bleu catering, though. In addition to the potential for veiling in the lower mids, the low bass appears continually to be on the verge of being overcooked. This is not a problem with most recordings, as there is seldom sufficient subterranean energy to lead the panels astray. Occasionally, however, a recording happens along that is ideally suited for provoking misbehavior. The Reference Recordings Church Windows LP, for example. With the speakers driven by two Audio Research D-250s (see later), Side Two is cruising along in the mid-90s, spl-wise, without sounding too loud…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Full-range, two-way, ribbon loudspeaker. Frequency range: 30Hz to greater than 25kHz. Power requirements: 100W. Maximum spl: 105dB at 4m (C-weighting). Impedance: 3 ohms nominal.
Dimensions: 48" H x 24" W x 2" D. Weight: 70 lbs each.
Price: $1650/pair (1986); no longer available (2003).
Manufacturer: Apogee Acoustics Inc., 35 York Industrial Park, Randolph, MA 02368 (1986); Apogee Technology Inc., 129 Morgan Drive, Norwood, MA 02062. Tel: (781) 551-9450. Fax: (781) 440-9528—no longer manufacturing loudspeakers (2003); Apogee Acoustics, 438…
THELONIOUS MONK QUARTET WITH JOHN COLTRANE: At Carnegie Hall
John Coltrane, tenor sax; Thelonious Monk, piano; Ahmed Abdul-Malik, bass; Shadow Wilson, drums
Thelonious/Blue Note 35173 (CD). 2005. Michael Cuscuna, T.S. Monk, prods.; unknown eng. AAD. TT: 51:36
Performance *****
Sonics ***
John Coltrane, tenor sax; Thelonious Monk, piano; Ahmed Abdul-Malik, bass; Shadow Wilson, drums
Thelonious/Blue Note 35173 (CD). 2005. Michael Cuscuna, T.S. Monk, prods.; unknown eng. AAD. TT: 51:36
Performance *****
Sonics ***
The written history of jazz is founded on iconic recordings, and the oral history is full of legendary gigs. The Five Spot, a smoky little dive at 5 Cooper Square in what is now called the East Village, was, between 1956 and 1962, the site of more than its share of historic engagements.…
Small enough to fit in a shoebox, these little darlings from England almost manage to redefine the state of the art in very compact monitor design (footnote 1). Here's a speaker that isn't as neutral as the BBC LS3/5a compact monitor, but that does manage to equal or exceed that venerable design in most respects.
To cover the entire audio spectrum with only two drivers is a hard task, and most two-way systems end up with a crossover frequency around 2kHz—[at the top of] the critical midrange octaves. The Tablette, on the other hand, manages to reproduce almost the entire middle range…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: ¾" ferrofluid-cooled, Scanspeak soft-dome tweeter and 4" cone woofer in resistively loaded, ported cabinet. Crossover frequency: 5kHz. Frequency reponse: 70Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 84dB/2.83V/m. Power capacity: 80W.
Dimensions: 10½" H by 6" W by 9" D. Weight: 10 lbs each.
Price: $550/pair (1984); no longer available (2006).
Manufacturer: ProAc, Highpoint House, Riding Road, Buckingham Road Industrial Estate, Brackley, Northamptonshire NN13 7BE, England. Tel: (44…