Description: Three-way floorstanding moving-coil loudspeaker. Drive-units (all concave, inverted ceramic-dome units): 1" tweeter, 3.5" midrange, three 5" woofers. Crossover frequencies: 180Hz, 4kHz. Frequency range (no limits specified): 30Hz-35kHz (30Hz-100kHz with pure diamond tweeter). Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 91dB. Power rating: not specified.
Dimensions: 41" (1050mm) H by 10 1/8" (260mm) W by 19 7/8" (510mm) D. Weight: 70 lbs (32kg).
Finish: blonde maple.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 02003a/b.
Price: $24,000/pair; pure…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Simon Yorke turntable; Graham 2.2, Immedia RPM2 tonearms; Lyra Helikon SL, Lyra Helikon mono, Lyra Titan prototype, Transfiguration Temper Supreme phono cartridges.
Digital sources: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player, Accuphase DP-85 SACD player.
Preamplification: Hovland HP-100 preamplifier, Connoisseur Definitions 4.0 line & phono stages; Boulder 2008, Manley Steelhead, The Groove, Lamm LP2 phono preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Music Reference RM-200.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although my 89dB(B)/2.83V/m estimate of the Lumen White Whiteflame's sensitivity was a couple of dB below the specified figure, this is still higher than average. Its impedance magnitude (fig.1) drops below 4 ohms only in the upper bass and the mid-treble, though the combination of 5 ohms impedance and -45 degrees phase angle at 78Hz might give inadequate amplifiers conniptions. The saddle at around 40Hz in the impedance-magnitude trace gives a clue to the tuning frequency of the vertical slot-shaped port on the speaker's rear, implying only moderate bass…
Could the plateau above 1kHz be associated with MF's dislike of the Whiteflame's "sharply drawn" balance when the speaker was driven by a solid-state amplifier? It sounds plausible, but comparing figs. 4 and 1, it looks as if the higher output impedance of a tube amplifier will actually pull down the level slightly in the octaves above this region. Therefore, I suspect that what MF heard as a welcome improvement in the Lumen White's balance was the tube amp's slight boost of the region between 300Hz and 1kHz, which will reduce the perception that the entire treble region is too high in level…
Every once in a while, some mainstream journalist discovers the audiophile underground.
It happened again this past summer, when Washington Post writer David Segal introduced his readers to some Washington, DC audiophiles and the stores that stoke their mania ("Sound Crazy?"). The theme that unites all such journalistic forays into audioland is an unwavering astonishment that grown adults can lavish such time, attention, and money on the experience of recorded music. The bemusement evokes a favorite bumper sticker: "Pray for me: my husband collects baseball cards."
In "Sound…
No one has ever accused Rockport Technologies' Andy Payor of under-engineering a product, and this set of gleaming black beauties is no exception. The system is available in two configurations: as the two-way Merak II for $19,500/pair, including sturdy custom cradle-stands with integrated crossover; and as the Merak II/Sheritan II, a three-way, two-box floorstander that, to afford them at $29,500, will reduce some to living in the speakers' shipping crates. You could do worse for housing than checking into the Sheritan Rockport: The wooden crates are almost exquisitely finished.
While…
The two-way experience: Rockport Merak II
In many ways, though not all, the relatively small Merak IIs repeated the Antares' stunning performance. Their sonic picture was startlingly big, seamless, and well-proportioned, the inert cabinets "hiding" the locations of the speakers better than any other design (the Antares excepted) I've auditioned—though the WATT/Puppy 7s come close. The front baffles were simply not in the equation, the three-dimensional soundfield never landing on or hovering near those two black boxes.
In many ways, though not all, the relatively small Merak IIs repeated the Antares' stunning performance. Their sonic picture was startlingly big, seamless, and well-proportioned, the inert cabinets "hiding" the locations of the speakers better than any other design (the Antares excepted) I've auditioned—though the WATT/Puppy 7s come close. The front baffles were simply not in the equation, the three-dimensional soundfield never landing on or hovering near those two black boxes.
My listening sessions with Rockport Antares were my first…
There was so much bass that I called Andy Payor for an explanation. He just thought it was a function of my room's preference for side-firing woofers, and suggested positioning options that might yield a better balance. (Payor knows my room well.) I found spots that minimized the bass output, but still there was too much. I wrote a first draft of the review, which originally ended with my calling the Merak II/Sheritan II "kind of the Dockers of fine, full-range loudspeakers: an ample cut and a comfortable fit."
A few days later I got a slightly panicked call from Payor, who asked me if…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Merak II: Two-way, stand-mounted, moving-coil loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ferrofluid-cooled soft-dome tweeter (Dynaudio Esotar), 7" plastic-cone woofer (Audiotechnology). Crossover frequency: 2kHz. Frequency response: not specified, -3dB at 40Hz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/W. Power rating: not specified.
Dimensions: 20" H (38.5" with integral stand) by 12" W by 22" D. Weight: 140 lbs.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 9933 & 9934.
Price: $19,500/pair, including none-optional stands.
Sheritan II: Reflex-loaded subwoofer…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Simon Yorke S7, Kuzma Stabi Reference, VPI Scoutmaster turntables; Kuzma Air Line, JMW Memorial (9") tonearms; Graham Nightingale II, Lyra Titan, Lyra Helikon SL cartridges.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD player, Alesis MasterLink CD recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Krell KPE phono preamplifiers; Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista kWP preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista kW, Wavac SH-833 monoblocks; Music Reference RM-200.
Cables: Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah, Sky. Speaker:…