This case was different. I had no knowledge of Coincident Speaker Technology until Wes Phillips called to ask me to consider reviewing the Super Conquest Series II. Some time back, it seems, he had…
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Usually, I review a component after it has impressed me at a show or in a store. Though this approach reduces the possibility of a bad review—I pre-select based on real experience—it does not minimize the possibility of disappointment. This makes me a sort of stand-in for the consumer who would like to take something home for a real shakeout, and only then decide to buy it or send it back.
Concomitantly, there was no unnatural highlighting or brightness. Listening to Ry Cooder's Buena Vista Social Club LP (World Circuit/Nonesuch/Classic RTH 79478), the Super Conquest conveyed all the nice details, from the sound of finger on guitar string to the bizzz of the muted trumpet, while voices and piano were appropriately clear. Performers were arrayed around the room behind the Super Conquests, and solidly placed. In the last movement of Salonen's LAPO recording of Mahler's Symphony 4 (Sony Classical SK 48380), the Super Conquests placed Barbara Hendricks' voice a little bit farther…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" titanium-dome tweeter, 5" polypropylene-cone midrange, 10" plastic-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 300Hz, 3kHz. Frequency range: 26Hz-35kHz (no limits given). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (7 ohms minimum). Sensitivity: 92dB/W/1m. Recommended amplification: 7-250W.
Dimensions: 38" H by 10.5" W by 11" D. Weight: 61 lbs. each.
Finish: cherry.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 5093II, 5094II.
Price: $2295/pair-$2495/pair, depending on finish (1999); no longer available (2004).…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Heybrook TT2 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm, Koetsu Black/Gold cartridge.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player, Burmester 970/969 CD transport/DAC.
Preamplifiers: Klyne 6L3.3P, Z-Systems RDP-1.
Power amplifiers: Bryston 7B-ST monoblocks, McCormack DNA-1 (before and after Steve McCormack's mods), Sonic Frontiers Power-2.
Subwoofer: Canton AS-22 (self-powered).
Cables: Interconnects: Cardas Cross and Golden Cross, Straight Wire Virtuoso JPS Superconductor Super-2 Balanced. Speaker Cables: Straight Wire…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Despite its high specified sensitivity of 92dB/W/m, the Super Conquest came in at an estimated 88.5dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is still on the high side of average. Its impedance (fig.1) ranges between 4 and 9 ohms, with only a moderate phase angle, implying it will be a relatively easy load for an amplifier to drive. The broad saddle at 26Hz in the magnitude trace in the bass indicates the tuning of the reflex port, which, all things being equal, implies good low-frequency extension.
Fig.1 Coincident Super Conquest Series II, electrical impedance (solid…
As audio enters its second digital decade, it gives me great pleasure to proclaim a great audio truth: to groove is divine, to error-correct ain't so benign.
To my mind, analog is audio. I'm tired of the digital-processor-of-the-month parade, in which each new contender pretends to massage the same old bits more therapeutically into a gentler and kinder organic whole. What we really need is more bits. Will we ever see a super CD format based on, say, a 96kHz sampling rate? My gut feeling is probably that we will. Sadly, it would come to pass as a marketing ploy to rejuvenate sales once…
Needless to say, no record mat of any kind should be used with the Ovation. The insertion of any type of mat only serves to break the coupling between platter and record. To improve that coupling, a record clamp is provided. It fits over the spindle and allows the application of considerable pressure to the record—at least over the label area. Though quite effective with flat or slightly convex records, it is unable to keep the entire surface area of a dished record in contact with the platter. This is where a vacuum holddown system has a significant edge.
Also noteworthy is the…
The second problem was of VTA adjustment. Because of the thickness of the Ovation's platter, I had to operate the Graham arm at its maximum VTA elevation, which meant that I didn't have enough range to experiment in with some records. What I needed was a 0.25" shim that would fit right under the arm's SME base plate so as to elevate the base of the arm relative to the surface of the platter. Basis Audio was kind enough to make such a shim for me; I'm told that it's now available to any customer contemplating a Basis/Graham marriage (footnote 4).
Sonic impressions
The vibrational…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Belt-driven LP turntable. Speeds: 331/3, 45rpm. Wow & flutter at 331/3: 0.02% DIN standard. Rumble: –90dB DIN Standard. Speed accuracy: ±0.02%.
Dimensions: 23" W by 16.5" D by 5.25" H. Weight: 70 lbs.
Serial number of sample tested: 0891067.
Price: $4395 (1993); no longer available (2006). Approximate number of dealers: not disclosed.
Manufacturer: Basis Audio, Inc., Nashua, NH (1993); 26 Clinton Drive #116, Hollis, NH 03049. Tel: (603) 889-4776. Fax: (603) 889-5402. Web: www.basisaudio.com.
"The large peak at 16kHz reported by Stereophile...was nowhere in evidence...The most probable explanation of this discrepancy is that the [Waveform supertweeter's] very light ribbon depends on the air load for damping, and that load is much smaller in the thin air up there at 7000' in Santa Fe than at altitudes where less lightheaded and scientifically more accountable reviewers dwell." Thus spake Peter Aczel (footnote 1), erstwhile loudspeaker designer and Editor/Publisher of the reincarnated The Audio Critic, a publication that advertises itself as having "unusual credibility among the top…