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JA measured the Veritas v2.8 and provided me with the results after I completed my auditioning.

The sensitivity of the Veritas v2.8 was to spec at a measured 86.5dB/W/m (B-weighted). Its impedance (fig.1) is very uniform above 30Hz. The effectiveness of the conjugate-load impedance matching is clearly visible. The upper peak of the classic "double-hump" saddle response typical of a reflex or ported enclosure has been almost completely damped—only the lower hump remains. Presumably, attempting to kill this rise would gain little and involve undesirable…

The $6000/pair Energy Veritas v2.8 is the high-end loudspeaker with which I have spent the most time over the past several months. Compared with the Thiel CS7, it has more low-end weight and power-handling capability, combined with what I can only call a majestic quality.

Still, the mid- to upper-bass of the Veritas is its major weakness—it's not nearly as tight or well-defined as the Thiel in this region. Though I have no serious reservations about the Energy's midrange, the Thiel does sound as if it has less…

Can I get an amen? That's a tall order, especially in light of the High End's traditional fascination…

The…

Description: Non-phase-inverting, push-pull, vacuum-tube integrated amplifier with ultralinear/triode selector switch. Phono and CD inputs, plus three line-level inputs, tape in, record out. Tube complement: two 12AX7 low noise (phono), two 12AX7 (line stage), three 12AU7/6189A (power amplifier), four EL34 (power amplifier). Output power (Home Theater direct mode): 60Wpc ultralinear (17.8dBW), 27Wpc triode (14.3dBW), into 4 or 8 ohms. Frequency response: 9Hz-35kHz, +0/-0.5dB; 3Hz-71kHz, +0/-3dB. Power bandwidth: 11Hz-63kHz, +0/-3.0dB ref. 50W. Voltage Gain:…

Analog source: Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm, Grado Reference Master cartridge.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD player and Alpha 24-bit/96kHz tube analog processor.
Preamplification: EAR 834P tube phono preamplifier; Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista, Blue Circle BC3 Galatea preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Mesa Baron.
Loudspeakers: Celestion A3, Joseph Audio RM7si.
Cables: Interconnects: Synergistic Research Resolution Reference Mk.II, Synergistic Research Designer's Reference 2 Master…

Except as noted, these results are for the VAC Avatar's line-level input, and with the amplifier's level control set to a position in which an input of 100mV resulted in a voltage gain of 35dB into 8 ohms. This is approximately the overall gain of a typical preamp of 6dB gain and a power amp of 29dB gain. The physical position of the level control that provided this result was approximately 2 o'clock. As is typical of a tube amplifier, the VAC was hot after its one-hour, 1/3-power preconditioning test.

Most of the tests were performed driving 8 ohm loads…

When we left the VAC Avatar back in the April 2000 issue, it was being put through its paces on Thomas J. Norton's test bench. Tom had already observed curious behavior from the right channel's 4 ohm output transformer tap in Ultralinear mode when, just as he concluded his basic measurements, the Avatar gave up the ghost. The preamp section was dead, the right channel worked only intermittently, and the amp shut down if he tried to get more than 5W from the right channel in Ultralinear or Triode mode. While the…

That mechanical crossover is the compound driver Thiel devised for the CS2.3: a 1" tweeter mounted coaxially inside a 3.5" midrange…

I then proceeded to play the final movement of Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony's recording of Mahler's Symphony 2, "Resurrection" (SACD, Telarc SACD-60081) for two days running, which made a huge difference. Then…