Over time, that focus has shifted. The requirement that the selected recordings be "sonically impeccable" has been relaxed…
search
When this feature premiered in 1991, it was intended as a list of recordings that were, in the words of Richard Lehnert, the music editor at the time, "both musically and sonically impeccable—in other words, the best, the tops, to die for." RL went on: "such a list also makes for some strange procrustean bedfellows—obscure recordings that would never make the proverbial 'desert island' list snuggling up next to towering classics of the concert hall and control room."
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dual-mono, solid state phono preamplifier with "Articulator" demagnification function. Inputs: two single-ended on RCA, one balanced on XLR. Outputs: two single-ended on RCA, one balanced on XLR. Six-position front-panel rotary load-resistance selector facilitating 4.7, 10, 40, 100, 300, and 1k ohm loading for MC cartridges. Rear-panel DIP switches allow selection of load resistance of 34k, 47k, 56k, and 100k ohms and load capacitance of 0, 100, 220, and 320pF for MM cartridges. MC loads of 4.7, 10, and 40 ohms via step-up transformer with "super…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with EMT 912-HI tonearm and EMT JSD 6 Dynavector XX2A, My Sonic Lab Eminent Ex moving coil cartridges. Grado 78E, Stanton 681EEE, and Nagaoka MP200 moving magnet cartridges; Sorane SA-1.2 tonearm with Audio-Technica ART20, Denon DL-103, Ortofon MC-X40, and Hana Umami Blue moving-coil cartridges.
Phono preamplifiers: SunValley EQ-1616D, MoFi MasterPhono, PrimaLuna EVO 100, Kitsuné KTE LCR-1, Schiit Stjarna.
Integrated amplifier: Linear Tube Audio Z10e.
Loudspeakers: Falcon Acoustics Gold…
Big loudspeakers are where diligent hi-fi reviewers really earn their pay. Not only are they heavy and difficult to move, but they also require attention and patience to set up so that they sound their best in our listening spaces. They take time to understand and study. And they all sound quite different from each other—not subtle differences, like the ones between two high-quality, similarly designed DACs. In this respect, big speakers are like phono cartridges, only more so.
That also makes big loudspeakers especially fun to review. The review is an adventure, akin to meeting a new…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured one of the EgglestonWorks Andra 5 loudspeakers, serial number A5-88887, in Tom Fine's listening room. Tom and I maneuvered the 159lb loudspeaker onto a small dolly, wheeled it several feet from the wall behind it, and aimed the speaker along one of his listening room's diagonals so that it was well away from the room boundaries, apart from the floor. The speaker was driven by TF's Benchmark AHB2 amplifier for the measurements.
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system with a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to examine the EgglestonWorks speaker's farfield…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Luxman E-07 phono preamplifier with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. To minimize noise, I connected wires from each channel's grounding terminals on the preamplifier's rear panel to the analyzer's ground. I left the Articulator function turned off for the testing.
The E-07 has two single-ended inputs and one balanced input; the balanced inputs can be used only for MC cartridges. With the single-ended inputs, absolute polarity was preserved from both the balanced and single-ended outputs with the front-panel Phase Invert switch set to "Off…
Sidebar 1: Bruno Putzeys on Directivity and Room Integration in the Kii Seven
"The mid-frequency portion is reproduced both by the midrange and side woofers, but with a precise phase-amplitude relationship that causes output behind the speaker to be minimized. The low- and high-frequency bands are reproduced normally, by the side woofers and tweeter, respectively.
"This is a polar plot of the mid and low bands combined. Note that these plots are made with the center of rotation directly in front of the midrange driver, hence the apparent rearward shift in the bass.
…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Three-way standmount, sealed-box, powered loudspeaker with DSP control. Drive units: Two 6.5" woofers, one 5" midrange, one 1" waveguide-loaded tweeter. Crossovers: LR4 at 125Hz and 2kHz plus all-pass filters for phase correction. Amplification: 200W Purifi Eigentakt (tweeter), 200W Purifi Eigentakt with current feedback (midrange), 600W Pascal with current feedback (woofers). D/A conversion: 16-stage PWM FIR DACs for mids, highs, sigma-delta converters for bass. Inputs: Analog: dual XLR-TRS (sensitivity –10dBV); Digital: AES3 (up to 24/192), Dante/…
Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 and Mac mini M4 music servers running JRiver Media Center v34 and Roon 2, Merging Devices Hapi II DAC. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2 (3).
Loudspeakers: Three KEF Blade 2 Meta (L/C/R) with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet; KEF LS60 Wireless (SL/SR); two KEF KC92 and one SVS SB 2000Pro subwoofers.
Cables: Digital: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake. Analog interconnects: Benchmark Studio&Stage XLR–XLR. Speaker cables: Blue Jeans speakON-terminated…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 1" TPCD (Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm) tweeter, two 6.5" carbon-cone midrange drivers, one 12" paper-cone woofer with rear port. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 2.3kHz. Frequency range: 20Hz–24kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 5.4 ohms minimum at 85Hz. Sensitivity: 87.5dB/W/m. Recommended power: minimum 80W.
Dimensions: 45" (1143mm) H × 12.1" (307.3mm) W × 20" (508mm) D. Weight: 159lb (72.1kg) each.
Finishes: Each speaker pair painted to customer order, with automotive paint.
Serial numbers of…