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I was happily surprised when my favorite "visual" records were nicely rendered by the OM-7s. The horn and whip snaps (or whatever they are) during "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" were placed where I've grown used to hearing them—behind and to the outside of the speaker positions—while the hand-drumming was pinpointed in the middle and mid-right. Little percussive tidbits—bells, blocks, things that go click and pop, as on "Bird on a Wire" from Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat—tended to localize well with most good-quality speakers, and did so with the OM-7s.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Floorstanding, reflex-loaded, "Omnipolar" loudspeaker. Drive-units: two 1" PTH-cone (Pure Titanium Hybrid) tweeters, two 4.5" polypropylene-cone midranges with butyl surrounds, one 8" polypropylene-cone woofer with butyl surround. Tweeters and midranges arranged in Omnipolar array (one of each pair fires forward, one rearward). Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 2kHz. Frequency response: 30Hz-20kHz, +/-3dB. Room efficiency: 90dB. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum. Recommended amplifier power: 50-200W.
Dimensions: 43.75" H by 11.5" W by 14.4" D…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn Axis turntable, Linn Basik tonearm, Lyra Lydian Beta cartridge.
Digital source: Arcam Audio FMJ CD23 player.
Preamplification: Anthem PRE 1L line preamp and PRE 1P phono preamp.
Power amplifier: Simaudio Celeste 4070se.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS.5, Joseph Audio RM-7si.
Cables: Phono: Harmonic Technology Crystal Silver. Interconnect: Harmonic Technology Pro Silway Mk.II, Goertz Micro Purl Silver. Speaker: Harmonic Technology Pro 11 Plus, Goertz Python M12. AC: API Power Enhancer and Power Link.
Accessories: API Power Wedge…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Mirage OM-7's quasi-anechoic sensitivity was fractionally below average, at an estimated 86dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, it will appear to be more sensitive in-room due to the presence of its rear-firing drive-units, which is presumably why Mirage quotes a "room efficiency" specification of 90dB. Its impedance (fig.1) drops below 4 ohms slightly in the upper bass and midrange, the former coinciding with quite a severe phase angle. Optimistically specified receivers would best be avoided with the OM-7. The "saddle" at 35Hz in this graph's magnitude trace indicates…
Hilary Hahn must be a chameleon. At least, that's how it seemed at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show.
On January 11, the gifted 23-year-old violinist accompanied me to nine different rooms, each time with Neville Marriner and the entire Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in tow. Playing Brahms's Violin Concerto, sometimes Ms. Hahn was modestly draped in "Red Book" Standard, other times in Superbly Accessorized Couture Divine. But even when she wore the same outfit from room to room, she and her backup forces created nine distinctly different sonic impressions when they began to strut…
If the devil is in the details, then Beelzebub has taken up residence in the collections of cables we use to connect our components. Reviewing the stuff is tough enough, but things are even more difficult for the average audiophile: Inevitably, the wire that sounds fabulous in the store or in your friend's system doesn't work worth a hoot in your own system, and you're left where you began. Equally inevitably, the wire that does work best carries a price more often seen in Tiffany's or Harry Winston. It's enough to drive a hi-fi nut to drink. So relax, pour yourself a nice glass of wine, and…
Cable sounds
The result of all this effort was well worth it. The SRII's sound was a near-ideal balance of superb low-level resolution, harmonic richness, speed, and dynamics. Bass was firm, deep, and defined, the midrange open, silky, and richly detailed. The top end was an especial strength, providing exceptional extension, scads of detail, and absolutely no etch or grain. Dynamics were subtle or explosive—whatever the music demanded was readily available.
The result of all this effort was well worth it. The SRII's sound was a near-ideal balance of superb low-level resolution, harmonic richness, speed, and dynamics. Bass was firm, deep, and defined, the midrange open, silky, and richly detailed. The top end was an especial strength, providing exceptional extension, scads of detail, and absolutely no etch or grain. Dynamics were subtle or explosive—whatever the music demanded was readily available.
Lee's pursuit of quiet has reaped rich rewards—the SRII gave me profound silence between instrumental spaces, worked equally…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Silver Reference II interconnect: 7N Zero Crystal Silver, 1.0m: $948 (RCA), $998 (XLR); $500/m for longer cables, 15% off for 0.5m.
Satori Shotgun loudspeaker cable: 7 AWG total, 6N Zero Crystal Copper, $1188/8' pair; $100/ft extra for longer length, less $50/ft for shorter lengths.
Gargantua II AC cord: AWG, 6N Zero Crystal Copper + Silver, 6.0', $1488; $160/ft for longer cord, less $80/ft for shorter cord.
Approximate number of dealers: 51.
Manufacturer: Acoustic Zen Technologies, 800 Los Vallecitos Blvd., Suite P, San Marcos, CA 92069. Tel: (760)…
Sidebar2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: SOTA Cosmos turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1 cartridge; Clearaudio Champion II turntable, Unify tonearm, Benz L2 cartridge.
Digital sources: Classé Omega SACD/CD player, Ayre D-1x CD/DVD-V player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead and Boulder 2008 phono stages; Jeff Rowland Design Group Synergy IIi line stage; Ayre K-1x, Atma-Sphere MP-3 full-function preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Halcro dm58, Lamm M2.1, Manley Labs 250 Neo-Classic monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: EgglestonWorks Andra II, Calix Phoenix Grand…
Editor's Note: In 1954, a New York writer and teacher reinvented the world of audio with the modest-looking Acoustic Research AR-1 loudspeaker. A small fraction of the size of the behemoths that were then de rigeur for the reproduction of bass frequencies, Edgar Villchur's loudspeaker went as low with less distortion. Perhaps more importantly, the AR-1 pioneered both the science of speaker design and the idea that a low-frequency drive-unit could not be successfully engineered without the properties of the enclosure being taken into account.
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of…