Driver-driven
Michael Kelly is a driver man. During his time at a/d/s/ developing drive-units, he established invaluable…
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The head unit sits on four downward-facing points that fit into lower-cabinet recesses fitted with metal inserts, which Aerial claims prevent energy transmission between the cabinets. The resulting speaker system—nearly full-range, relatively narrow-baffled, and approximately 4' tall—is elegantly sculpted and visually dramatic from all sides. Like the Wilson WATT/Puppy, Aerial's Model 20T aims to deliver big-speaker performance from a relatively small package.
One criticism of ribbons and electrostatic designs is that their transparency lacks weight and solidity. That was not the case with the 20T's tweeter. On good recordings, female voices had an ethereal clarity and transparency, but they also had weight and solidity. Patricia Barber's Companion (SACD, Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2023) sounded positively spooky, so transparent was the presentation—Barber's voice floated pristinely in space, the sibilants resolving almost sweetly. Cymbals, which can sound more like hissing airbrakes when reproduced by ribbons, had plenty of brass, sizzle, and speed,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 4.1" aluminum ribbon tweeter, 7.1" bilaminate-cone midrange, two 9" bilaminate-cone woofers. Frequency response: 28Hz-30kHz, ±2dB (-8dB at 40kHz). Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 2.8 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m.
Dimensions: Overall: 45.7" H by 12.6" W by 22" D. (Head cabinet: 15.4" H by 10.7" W by 22" D. Bass cabinet: 30.2" H by 12.6" W by 22" D.) Adjustable base adds 1" to total height. Weight: 270 lbs (head cabinet, 80 lbs; bass cabinet, 170 lbs; base, 20 lbs).
Finishes:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Simon Yorke S7, Clearaudio Emotion turntables; Immedia RPM-2, Graham 2.2 tonearms; Lyra Titan, Graham Nightingale, Clearaudio Aurum Classic cartridges.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD/CD player, Alesis Masterlink.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity kWP preamp, Manley Steelhead phono preamp.
Power amplifiers: & Theta Digital Enterprise monoblocks, Music Reference RM-200.
Loudspeakers: Wilson WATT/Puppy 7, Aerial Acoustics SW12 subwoofer.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove, Graham IC-70. Interconnect:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Aerial Model 20T is around 3dB more sensitive than the norm, at an estimated 89.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. (The difference between this figure and the specified 90dB is within the margin of error for this measurement.) The speaker still needs to be used with an amplifier capable of good current delivery, however, as its impedance magnitude stays below 6 ohms through the midrange down to the midbass, and drops to minimum values of 3.35 ohms at 22Hz and 65Hz and 2.9 ohms at 236Hz (fig.1). There is also an amplifier-punishing combination of 4.4 ohms and a -48 degrees…
At last, a SACD machine from someone other than Sony! This time, it's a Marantz—the Reference Series SA-1, described as a no-compromise "ultimate-quality" player.
Man, is this thing gorgeous! The SA-1 weighs in at a hefty 40 lbs, with a rich, satiny champagne finish. It's a front-loader, the drawer set to the left of a central circular display. The green tint of the display window perfectly sets off the bronze-tone feet and the golden luster of the machined aluminum-alloy top, side, and front panels. Makes a guy wanna stroke it! I swear I heard it purr...
The SA-1's display is…
According to product manager Satoshi Suzuki, although the SACD specification is 120dB, the signal/noise ratio of a single TDA1547 DAC7 module is 106dB. "There are two pairs of DAC7s for each channel. We shift the DSD data one word (a half cycle of sinewave) and send that shifted data to the second DAC7 and mix the output. This is effective at reducing noise associated with noise-shaping because the data shift changes the phase of the noise." In CD mode, an 8x-oversampling digital filter sends the 16-bit/44.1kHz signal to the same array of eight Bitstream DACs.
But no matter how good the…
Tasting and Judging
"The Compact Disc was a good idea," proclaims a booklet found in Sony SACD recordings. "This is even better." I smiled wryly, like Chairman Kaga on Iron Chef. In any case, SACD is obviously a maturing format, from the evidence of the 20 or so SACD-only discs on hand, not to mention a goodly number of dual-layer discs.
"The Compact Disc was a good idea," proclaims a booklet found in Sony SACD recordings. "This is even better." I smiled wryly, like Chairman Kaga on Iron Chef. In any case, SACD is obviously a maturing format, from the evidence of the 20 or so SACD-only discs on hand, not to mention a goodly number of dual-layer discs.
Auditioning made it clear that the SA-1's sound was extremely transparent. For instance, the player showed very little sympathy for any playback chain anything less than stellar. Only the right cables (Cardas Golden Reference balanced or TARA The…
Listening to the SACD version of Mighty Sam McClain's "Too Proud," from Joe Harley's BluesQuest, I noted a very special illumination from the midrange up, a subtle openness that moved my soul (according to my effulgent notes). Vocals, both male and female, were entirely open, palpable, and captivating on SACD. As a format, it never missed.
Now what?
There was some kind of metaphysical change that came over me every time I listened to the SA-1. Call it relaxation, an inner acknowledgment that, yeah, that's music. It wasn't just my intellectual self that recognized it; there was some…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel Super Audio CD player. Frequency range: 2Hz-100kHz. Frequency response: 2Hz-50kHz, ±3dB. Dynamic range: 109dB. THD: 0.0012%. Analog outputs: single-ended RCAs at 2.2V RMS; balanced XLRs (pin 3 hot) at 3.9V. Digital outputs: 75 ohm S/PDIF on RCA and optical on TosLink (44.1kHz, CD only). Power consumption: 33W.
Dimensions: 18" (458mm) W by 5.25" (133mm) H by 14.375" (365mm) D. Weight: 39 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: MZ000015040055.
Price: $7500. Approximate number of dealers: 500.
Manufacturer: Marantz, 440 Medinah…