Balanced Loudspeakers
Editor: Since you are interested in comments from loudspeaker designers, I thought I would make some brief comments and control my usual compulsion to develop a doctoral dissertation.
In the ages-old literature, you can find the answer to why a small monitor loudspeaker with flat extended highs sounds much too bright. If you were to study the work done in the 1920s and 1930s, it might be disturbing to you to realize that so much has been forgotten and…
I happen to be one of the very rare audiophiles who takes horns seriously. What has happened to horns in the underground (non-Stereo Review) world? When you reviewed the Lensic movie theater system, there seemed to be magic happening despite the lousy frequency response. In the most recent issue, you suggest that frequency response isn't everything, and that perhaps it ought to be dropped as a major significator of…
Because of this shining bit of truth in your otherwise lunatic outpourings, I have renewed my subscription.—David Meraner, Schenectady, NY
But not your faith, huh?—JGH
More "Down With Flat"
Editor: In the good old days, which lasted until quite recently, HF response would be fairly flat on-axis, but would fall more and more…
It was a sunny morning in Tempe, Arizona. (So what else is new?) "HOOOM!" The death cry of tortured air molecules subjected to Thomas Dolby's "Airhead" track at levels hitherto found only at the ground-zero point of an A-bomb explosion could be heard even before we pulled into the parking lot at Arizona State.
When we got out of the car, my impression that God had created only one bass frequency was confirmed.
"HOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!" The sound of ONE HUNDRED HERTZ writ large in the unsullied Arizona air. "Rbrrbrrbrrbrrbrrbrrrrr!" The sound of massive…
But before any of them had even heard EAR's V20 integrated amplifier, my female friends had already been captivated by its style and elegance. A few even allowed as how they'd be willing to let this design come up and see them sometime. There's something about the V20 that transcends high-end audio and borders on modern…
No—the V20's midrange was seductively lush but extraordinarily articulate. If the sound of the Mesa Tigris integrated tube amplifier that I reviewed in August is a full-bodied yet…
Description: Class-A, push-pull, enhanced triode, self-biasing vacuum-tube integrated amplifier. Tube complement: thirteen 12AX7 and two 12AU7 per channel. Six line inputs, one tape output. Output power: 24Wpc into 4, 8, and 16 ohms (10.8, 13.8, 16.8dBW, respectively). Frequency range: 12Hz-80kHz. THD: 0.5%. Signal/Noise Ratio: 90dB (A-weighted).
Dimensions: 16½" W by 53/8" H by 173/8" D. Weight: 49 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 98221001.
Price: $4595. Approximate number of dealers: 30. Warranty: 3 years parts & labor, 90 days for tubes.
…
Analog sources: Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm, Grado Reference Master cartridge; Audio Refinements AM/FM tuner.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD player, California Audio Labs Delta CD transport and Alpha 24/96 tube DAC, Audio Refinements CD player.
Preamplification: EAR 834P tube phono preamplifier.
Integrated amplifier: Mesa Tigris.
Loudspeakers: Celestion A3, Joseph RM22si.
Cables: Synergistic Research and JPS Labs interconnects, speaker cables, power cords.
Accessories: Argent RoomLenses, EchoBusters room…
The EAR V20 left Chip Stern's New York apartment in pristine condition, but by the time it arrived at our Santa Fe offices there were visible signs of shipping damage, including dents in one of the protective tube cages. Nothing in the following measurements, however, suggests any operational damage or degradation.
In normal operation, the cages surrounding the EAR V20's tubes get quite warm, but never uncomfortably hot. It's likely that the lower-than-normal operating temperature is due to the choice of multiple small, low-power output tubes in place of a…