Description: Three-way dynamic loudspeaker. Sealed-box system tuned to 29Hz. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 5" magnesium-cone midrange, 10" polypropylene-cone woofer. Crossover: 24dB/octave. In-room bandwidth: 23Hz–26kHz (no limits specified). Sensitivity: 87dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Linearity: ±1dB.
Dimensions: 40" H by 11" W by 19" D. Weight: 106 lbs.
Finishes: black, sapele, light oak, natural cherry, stained cherry, pau farro.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 381049 A/B.
Price: $5990/pair (1999); no longer available (2005).…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: fully updated Linn LP12, Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ-7000nsx cartridge.
Digital source: PS Audio Lambda II transport, Audio Alchemy DTI•Pro32 anti-jitter/resolution-enhancement device, Sonic Frontiers Processor 3 D/A processor.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature Mk.III.
Power amplifiers: Bryston 7B-ST (2), Sonic Frontiers Power 2, Cary CAD-572SE (2).
Cables: Illuminati D-60/Orchid digital links, TARA Labs The Two interconnects, Decade speaker cables and power cables.
Accessories: Chang CLS-9600 ISO…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Hales' sensitivity was only moderate, at an estimated 85dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, its impedance plot (fig.1) indicates it to be a demanding load, especially in the middle of the midrange. There the magnitude dips below 2 ohms between 440Hz and 680Hz, and the phase angle is also extreme—it reaches –49º at 385Hz, a frequency where the magnitude is only 3.5 ohms. I'm not surprised that RD found he needed the beefy Bryston amplifier to drive these speakers.
Fig.1 Hales Transcendence Five, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/…
The ongoing reissues of Mercury Living Presence and RCA Living Stereo recordings, have been the signal successes of the SACD format. Despite having been recorded in only (!) three channels, these releases have given us very good justifications for going beyond two-channel stereo to get as unrestricted a hearing as possible of live performances.
The first batch of Living Stereos were more of an ear-opener for me than were the first Living Presences—with the possible exception of Stravinsky's The Firebird, as performed by Antal Dorati and the London Symphony Orchestra. There are two…
What does this have to do with multichannel sound? Lots. First, if you have a source with a real center-channel signal, listening to it with a "phantom" center speaker (ie, none at all) means that the left and right speakers share that signal, and that anything that is different in the two sides will prevent those electrically divided signals from summing acoustically, to the detriment of the fidelity in that center signal. In fact, it is a theoretical impossibility that the two main speakers, despite Herculean efforts in placement, room treatment, and even DSP, can be equally represented…
Sidebar: Recordings In The Round
L'ARPEGGIATA: La Tarantella Christina Pluhars, L'Arpeggiata Alpha SA 503 (SACD)
This collection of vocal and instrumental arrangements of Italian music from as far back as the 17th century was inspired by the behavior of victims of spider bites (tarantella comes from tarantola, which means tarantula). For all that, it comes off not as scholastic but as delightful. The range and color of plucked, strummed, and struck instruments is fascinating, the rhythms varied and exciting. The sound is outstandingly detailed and deep, although the use of the 5.…
To the great surprise of not that many people at all, at Home Entertainment 2003, as at the two immediately previous shows, the room featuring loudspeakers by Joseph Audio was voted by showgoer ballot "Best Sound of Show" (see September 2003, p.62). I'm not going to pick a fight over that. Not only was the sound very, very good; the entire vibe was confidently relaxed, while at the same time being purposeful in a manner businesslike yet friendly.
Some other manufacturers and exhibitors could learn a few things from Jeff Joseph and his co-exhibitor colleagues. Not everyone, of course, is…
Such was certainly not the case in the Joseph Audio room, where Manley Labs, Cardas, Equi=Tech, Grand Prix Audio, and Orpheus Laboratories amicably synergized to make inviting sounds, and never seemed to get in each other's way when it came time to get product information. For me, at least, the discovery was Orpheus Laboratories, a relatively new Swiss firm, the mission of which is to realize Anagram Technologies' digital circuit designs in audio products for the professional and consumer markets.
Feeling that I was adequately familiar with the other products being shown, I was…
Why had a high-end hi-fi magazine felt the need to produce a classical LP when the thrust of real record companies in 1989 is almost exclusively toward CD and cassette? Why did the magazine's editors think they had a better chance than most experienced professional engineers in making a record with audiophile sound quality? Were they guilty of hubris in thinking that the many years between them spent practicing the profession of critic would qualify them as record producers?
I think the germ of the idea, to make a recording that, in sharp contrast to the vast majority of commercial…
And so, a $36 cab ride later, it turned out be. The Hancock Auditorium is an anonymous-looking building off the University of Southern California's main drag, hiding behind what appeared to be rhododendron trees. Capable of seating around 500, with seats gently sloping up to the rear, its stage featured a New York Steinway, flanked by a harpsichord and a Bösendorfer fitted with a computerized reproducing mechanism. Dominating the scene in front of the first row of seats, however, was an aluminum tower, similar to those used to support lighting rigs, wrapped in foam rubber and supporting two…