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Chord Electronics DAC64 D/A processor Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

Unless indicated otherwise, the test results refer to the second sample. The maximum output levels were a high 3.097V RMS from the unbalanced jacks (this 3.75dB higher than the CD standard's 2V) and 6.197V from the balanced. The unit inverted absolute polarity from the XLRs with pin 2 wired hot; it was non-inverting from the RCAs. Source impedance was a very low 67 ohms (unbalanced) and 135 ohms (balanced) across most of the audioband, these figures rising at 20kHz to a still low 99 ohms and 207 ohms, respectively.

The frequency response with CD data was…

Chord Electronics DAC64 D/A processor Measurements part 2

Linearity error (fig.7) was very low down to below -115dB, and as a result of this and the low noise, the DAC64's reproduction of an undithered 1kHz sinewave at -90.31dBFS was effectively perfect (fig.8), with the three discrete voltage levels readily apparent. Increasing the word length to 24 bits resulted in quite a good sinewave shape (not shown).

Fig.7 Chord DAC64, departure from linearity, 16-bit data (right channel dashed, 2dB/vertical div.).

Fig.8 Chord DAC64, waveform of undithered 1kHz sinewave at -90.31dBFS, 16-bit CD data.

The first sample of…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker

Dynaudio's $2399/pair Contour 1.3 Mk.II follows on from the Mk.I, which grabbed Russ Novak's enthusiastic attention in November 1996 (Vol.19 No.11). Because a full description was included in the original review, I will only touch briefly on the differences between the original version and the sample reviewed this month. A Special Edition of the Contour 1.3 is also available for $3499/pair. Sam Tellig's comments on the sound of this loudspeaker appeared in the December 1999 Stereophile and are included at the end of this review.

The smart-looking Mk.II 1.3 looks identical to the original…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Page 2

That transparency was allied to the ability to throw a huge, stable soundstage. On this issue's "Recording of the Month"—the Manhattan School of Music's live reading of Mahler's Symphony 6 (Titanic Ti-257), conducted by Glen Cortese and superbly engineered by Jerry Bruck—every tiny detail in the scoring was apparent, yet without that detail being thrust forward at the listener.

And what dynamic range Jerry B. has captured. Set the playback level using the frenetic opening measures, and the work's climactic hammerblows blow you out of your seat—even on these Dynaudios! For a relatively…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

DescriptionTwo-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drive-units: magnetically shielded, 1.1" (28mm), soft-dome tweeter, magnetically shielded, 6.7" (170mm), magnesium silicate polymer-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.6kHz. Crossover slopes: first-order, 6dB/octave. Frequency response: 40Hz-24kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 3.5 ohms minimum. Recommended power: 65W minimum in large rooms, 25W minimum in small rooms. Long-term power handling: >150W (IEC).
Dimensions: 15" (380mm) H by 8" (204mm) W by 11.5" (280mm)…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Office System
Digital source: Meridian 500 CD transport, Panasonic A-120 CD/DVD player, Musical Fidelity X-24K 24/96 D/A processor.
Amplification: Yamaha @PET RP-U100 desktop receiver.
Cables: Canare interconnects, AudioQuest CV-4 and Symo loudspeaker cables.
Accessories: Pentium MMX 166MHz with Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe soundcard connected to D/A via 75 ohm S/PDIF link, running Windows 98, WinAmp 2.5, and CoolEdit 2000.

Home system
Digital source: Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport and No.30.6 D/A processor, connected with…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

My estimate of the Dynaudio's sensitivity was 84dB(B)/2.83V/m, a little lower than the specified figure. This puzzled me, as my estimate of the original Contour 1.3's sensitivity was 3dB higher, and the drive-units are identical. The Mk.II's impedance is shown in fig.1. The minimum value is 3.43 ohms at 177Hz, with a moderate electrical phase angle above that frequency. The saddle at 43Hz in the magnitude trace indicates the tuning of the port, while the combination of 5.3 ohms impedance and a 42 degrees phase angle at 90Hz implies that a good 4 ohm-rated…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Measurements part 2

The Mk.II's lateral dispersion (not shown) was basically the same as the 1.3 Mk.I's, the speaker's high-frequency output falling off progressively to the sides of the tweeter axis in an almost textbook manner. In my experience, this measured behavior always correlates with excellent imaging precision. The vertical dispersion (not shown) was also identical to that of the Mk.I, suckouts in the crossover region developing above and below the tweeter axis. The listening window is relatively large, however, at +5, -10 degrees.

In my Santa Fe listening room, the speaker's spatially averaged…

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk.II loudspeaker Dynaudio's Contour 1.3 Special Edition

Sidebar 4: Dynaudio's Contour 1.3 Special Edition, from Vol.22 No.12, December 1999

If you're looking to put together an all-Scandinavian system, you might want to pair the Electrocompaniet ECI 3 with the new Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Special Edition.

Dynaudio builds the drivers used in some of the world's best speakers. Speaker drivers seem to be a Danish specialty—ScanSpeak and Vifa, too, are located in Denmark. Anyone can become a speaker "manufacturer" by buying drivers and stuffing them in a box. But to build your own speakers from scratch, as it were—that's another story.

…

Smart Devices 2X150VT power amplifier

If your audiophile habit goes back more than a couple of decades, you're probably doing a double take looking at the Smart Devices 2X150VT. Looks like a Hafler DH-200, doesn't it? That's because, at its core, a Hafler DH-200 is exactly what it is. Smart Devices doesn't name names in its brochure, but they do say that "You may recognize this amplifier as one of the dominant premium performers of the 1970s and '80s"—a reasonable enough description of the MOSFET-output DH-200, which combined outstanding sound with a very reasonable price—especially if you built the kit.

Smart then…