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Changes of Everything LA Final Word 1998

Larry Archibald's "Final Word" in July 1998 (Vol.21 No.7) announced the end of his ownership of Stereophile:

Those of you who read it on our website will have had a preview of the latest news from Santa Fe: Stereophile, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater, and HI-FI '98 (and its successors) have been sold, as of June 1 1998, to Petersen Publishing, a Los Angeles-based company specializing in enthusiast magazines (footnote 1).

Just over 16 years ago, in Vol.5 No.1, J. Gordon Holt penned an editorial titled "A Change of Everything," announcing my purchase of Stereophile from him. Some…

Classical Music as an Act of Rebellion

There's a widespread myth that writers who get published are more talented than writers who don't get published, and that musicians who make records are more talented than musicians who don't make records. But anyone with any talent who has ever tried to earn a living as a writer, a musician, or any other kind of artist understands that the correlation between merit and success is, at best, loose. Some successful artists are talented, and some talented artists are successful. But for every talented artist who manages to make a living there are a dozen more, equally deserving, who have no…

Recording of November 1999: <B>Dvorák: <I>Stabat Mater</I></B>

DVORÁK: Stabat Mater
Christine Goerke, soprano; Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano; Stanford Olsen, tenor; Nathan Berg, bass-baritone; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Shaw
Telarc 2CD-80506 (2 CDs). 1999. Robert Woods, prod.; Michael Bishop, eng. DDD. TT: 85:49
Performance ****
Sonics *****

In the best "can-do" American tradition, Robert Shaw wasn't just a great choral conductor but a ceaselessly useful one. Upon forming the Robert Shaw Chorale, he took the Mozart Requiem on tour to the hinterlands. Upon building the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra into a…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker

Red Rose Music founder and CEO Mark Levinson may have lost the rights to use his own name, but not the good timing that helped make him a successful businessman and an accomplished bass player. (According to his online bio, Levinson has sat in with the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett.)

After designing the mixer used onstage at Woodstock (pretty good timing, I'd say!), Levinson decided to enter the home hi-fi market with a new solid-state amplifier—hardly a rational business decision in 1971, when he founded Mark Levinson Audio Systems, Ltd.,…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Page 2

If Levinson's Cello foray was haute monde, Red Rose is Dockers: loose-fitting and relaxed. How relaxed would you be trying to sell vacuum tubes and ribbon tweeters to non-audiophiles? I bet Levinson is. He's got his story straight, and he believes.

Enter the R3
The entire Red Rose loudspeaker line presently consists of the R1, a $45,000/pair floorstander, and the stand-mounted R3, a $3500/pair bookshelf model. (The $20,000/pair R2 is in the works.)

The 17-lb R3 is small: just 17" tall and 7" wide. There's a vented 5" Dynaudio polypropylene woofer, a proprietary ribbon…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Page 3

I never heard the lowest organ pedals, or the illusion of a large room space that can be developed only by speakers extending flat to below 30Hz. And the R3 didn't deliver large-scale bass dynamics or high-volume bass slam. However, it did provide musical bass that was otherwise richly satisfying and dynamic. But whatever level of bass reproduction you expect from the R3 when you first see a pair—even after reading this—I bet what you'll hear will be far more, and better. The R3's low-frequency performance had me shaking my head long into many a night's listening.

The R3's soundstaging…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Page 4

That freedom was demonstrated again on the second track, Kenny Rankin's breezy turn on "Blackbird." He plays a nylon-stringed guitar, which was reproduced just about right, and not at all with the boxy midbass coloration you often get from a small speaker. Spatially, tonally, and dynamically, the R3s delivered the performance with convincing ease, putting Rankin in the room.

Solo performances are one thing; how did the R3 do with larger ensembles? Shirley Horn's superb new CD, You're My Thrill (Verve 314 549 417-2), arrived toward the end of the review period. With a big orchestra…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: proprietary ribbon tweeter, 5.25" Dynaudio polypropylene-cone woofer. Frequency response: not specified. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 16" H by 7 7/8" W by 10 1/4" D. Weight: 16.5 lbs.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 0433 & 4.
Price: $3500/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 11.
Manufacturer: Red Rose Music, 943 Madison Avenue (at the Whitney Museum), New York, NY 10021. Tel: (212) 628-5777. Fax: (212) 628-6150. E-mail: info@redrosemusic.com. Web: www…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog source: Simon Yorke turntable; Graham 2.0, Immedia RPM2, and Triplanar VI tonearms; Lyra Helikon, Discovery, Clearaudio Insider, and Accuphase AC-2 cartridges.
Digital source: Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Hovland HP-100 preamplifier, Audio Research Reference phono section.
Power amplifier: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove DIN-RCA. Interconnect: Harmonic Technology Pro-Silway II. Speaker: Harmonic Technology Magic Woofer. AC: JPS Labs, Electra Glide.
Accessories: PS Audio Power Plant…

Red Rose Music R3 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

There are no surprises in the Red Rose Music R3's plot of impedance magnitude and phase against frequency (fig.1). The saddle in the magnitude trace at 46Hz indicates the tuning of the rear-facing port, the peak in the upper midrange is due to the crossover filters, and the rising impedance at ultrasonic frequencies is a result of the ribbon's inductance. The impedance drops below 4 ohms only in the lower midrange and in the mid-treble, and although the electrical phase angle occasionally reaches high values, this never coincides with low magnitude. Consequently,…