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Deluxe, premium-priced reel-to-reel tapes have shown staying power as a small niche format within the audiophile music market. The Tape Project was a pioneer in the reel-to-reel renaissance, very early in the market, shipping to customers as early as 2007. Today there are dozens of tape producers based in Europe, Asia, and North America (footnote 1).

To get the most out of what can be a substantial investment—tapes cost hundreds of dollars per album, and properly working tape machines cost thousands—some knowledge is required. In pro audio…

The Criton 1TD-X is a highly acclaimed speaker kit that has earned rave reviews from critics and customers alike. Praised for its detailed yet non-fatiguing sound, deep and impactful bass, and exceptional imaging, the 1TD-X has received hundreds of 5-star reviews and appears on multiple "best of" lists from reviewers.

This kit offers a rewarding and straightforward DIY experience, with assembly possible in just a weekend (depending on your finishing choices). We've designed it for easy assembly with precision-machined, fully rabbeted cabinets and our innovative SmartNode crossover…

Description: Two-way, standmount, bass-reflex loudspeaker with damped and braced wood-composite construction. Drive units: Ruark 5.9" treated natural-fiber–cone midwoofer with a 30mm four-layer voice coil, long-throw motor with cast chassis. Ruark 1" silk-dome tweeter with neodymium motor system and aluminum heatsink. Double-flared port tuned to 53Hz. Crossover frequency: 2.2kHz. Frequency response: 50Hz–20kHz ±3dB (free space conditions). Nominal impedance: 6 ohms (minimum impedance, 4.2 ohms). Sensitivity: 86dB/W/1m. Recommended amplifier power: 25–100W.…

Immersion in various British pop groups followed, including the melodically graceful Chad & Jeremy, the polished Peter and Gordon, and sentimental pop purveyors Gerry and the Pacemakers. These acts provided not mere entertainment but an emotional refuge. Their tuneful, comforting repertoire was solace for a sensitive 6-year-old.

Hours were devoted to listening to a transistor radio, held close enough for the…

Their proven success with phono preamps has encouraged Simaudio to now go way…

The Cooper Hewitt Ojas system
The Cooper Hewitt system is built around a massive pair of horn-loaded speakers that nearly scrape the exhibit space's walls and ceiling. The screen-printed midbass horn is 7'9" tall, 6'4" wide, and 4'6" deep. It's driven by a TAD TL-1601A 15" dynamic woofer.

That midbass horn is a companion for the Ojas 1505 Multicell horn, a mid/treble horn based on the Altec 1505B Multicell. The Ojas 1505 Multicell is driven by a TAD 1401 compression driver. "It uses the geometry and size to provide horizontal dispersion control similar to the [Altec]…

I also learned a lot about jazz records: from John Newcott of PolyGram/Universal; from A&R executive and Grammy-winning producer Brian Michel Bacchus;…

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

Ruark specifies the Sabre-R's sensitivity as 86dB/2.823V/1m, which was confirmed by my B-weighted estimate. The…

Analog sources: Pear Audio Captain John Handy turntable with Cornet 1 tonearm and VPI Industries Goldy MC cartridge. Thorens TD 124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm/HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell with Kuzma CAR-30 MC cartridge.
Digital source: Advance Paris X-CD9 CD player.
Amplification: Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook, Allnic HT-5500 (phono). Unison Research S6 Black Edition, Heed Elixir, AVM Evolution AS 5.3 (integrated).
Loudspeakers: Quad S2.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), "Spirit 75" S/PDIF (RCA/BNC).…