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Gramophone Dreams #102: Stax SR-007S Earspeakers Page 2

Listening
Whenever I play records through my sound system, I need to feel the personas of the artists coming through. I want some authentic John Fogerty attitude. I want as much edgy John Lennon as I can get. I want to feel Tina Turner's moves. I want Aaron Neville's sacred voice to haunt me 'til we meet by the river.

As I sat listening with the Stax SR-007S, it took only a few seconds for Aaron Neville singing John Hiatt's sexy dreamy "Feels Like Rain" (16/44.1 FLAC A&M/Qobuz) to lope its way into my heart and choke me up.

Down here the river meets the sea…

Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle.

Fig.1 Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).

Dynaudio specifies the Contour 20 BE's sensitivity as 86dB/2.…

This man will sell you a house to go with your stereo

Earlier this year, it occurred to Robert Lucskai that he could combine his life-long love of high-end hi-fi with his expertise as a real estate agent. Thus his startup business Costa Soniqa ("Sound Coast") was born.

Lucskai, a Hungarian who emigrated to Spain 15 years ago, calls himself a Personal Audiophile Journey Advisor. With Costa Soniqa, he aims to serve Germans, Brits, Poles, and other Europeans who wish to buy a house in Spain that can readily be outfitted with a high-end listening room. For the demanding and the highly committed, he even finds entire homes that can qualify as "…

Rewinding: Revox Bets Big on Tape's Comeback

On my way to the Revox room in Warsaw's Sobieski Hotel, my mind wandered/wondered: If a voracious reader is a bookworm, is a tape enthusiast a tapeworm?

Maybe not, but this I know: When it comes to madcap marketing lingo, Revox is up there with its claim that the new B77 Mk III reel-to-reel is "built for eternity." I coughed politely behind my hand. Will a B77 give many years of top-notch service? I expect so. Will it outlive your grandchildren? Perhaps. The next ice age? No. For the record, the warranty is just two years.

Does the German-built machine look and sound…

Kondo Ongaku

Once hailed as the most expensive amplifier in domestic audio—a distinction that has long since passed by the wayside, even when one accounts for inflation—the legendary Audio Note (Japan) Ongaku was put through its paces in the Kondo room. Though designed as an integrated amp—its stereo pair of 211 tubes, run single-ended, offer 27Wpc—this Ongaku was being used as a power amplifier, by means of its direct inputs. Pricing information was unavailable at the time of my visit.

T+A Symphonia streaming receiver Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I performed a full set of measurements on the T+A Symphonia using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I controlled the amplifier both with the front-panel controls and with the T+A Music Navigator G3 app, which I installed on my iPad mini after connecting the amplifier's Ethernet port to my network. With the network connection active, Roon recognized the processor as the Roon Ready "T+A Symphonia."

As the Symphonia appears to use a class-D output stage and because class-D amplifiers emit relatively high levels of ultrasonic noise that would drive my…

Re-Tales #59: Natural Sound's Half Century in Hi-Fi

Photo: Tim McCusker.

Not many hi-fi dealerships can say they've survived half a century of history. Natural Sound, which is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 20 miles west of Boston, is one that can. Founded by Jim Lackey in 1975, Natural Sound turns 50 years old this November. Lackey continues as the company's owner and president, though General Manager Pete Chinigo manages everyday business. In a recent conversation with Chinigo, I learned more about how business is going and what it takes for a hi-fi store—Natural Sound and others—to continue surviving into an uncertain future…

Grado adds Signature S750 with new S2 driver and "B" cushion

Grado has announced the Signature S750 headphones, the third model in its Signature Line. At the heart of the S750 is an all-new S2 50mm driver paired with a newly developed "B" cushion, a combination designed to fine-tune the listening experience.

The S2 driver is built from the ground up by Grado. It features a carbon fiber and paper composite diaphragm mated to a lightweight copper-plated aluminum voice coil. Grado engineered the driver to deliver a natural presentation, with high definition and a wide dynamic range. The new drivers are housed in hand built all-aluminum open-back…