The book contains 13 good chapters, and three substantial…
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Robert Harley certainly makes a good attempt. The coverage is comprehensive, accurately directed at the High End without overlooking the potential for relatively inexpensive but well-chosen and -sited audio systems to perform very nicely, thank you. The book is certainly readable, its explanatory style clear, and layout and organization of subject material are well-thought-out. While The Complete Guide is clearly not written for experts, the book, with its wealth of information, will be a welcome addition to my audio library.
Bob Harley and I were talking one day in the Stereophile editorial offices. I asked him to clarify something in an article of his I was copy-editing, and we ended up getting into an in-depth discussion on decibels. Bob ended the conversation by saying, "Read my book—it's written for people just like you."
So I couldn't wait to read Bob's The Complete Guide to High-End Audio. Sure enough, the back of the dustjacket says, "Written for beginners and experienced listeners alike!" I looked forward to Bob's explanations of the many new concepts I was encountering in copy-editing Stereophile,…
I also found the index inadequate. For example, in the middle of Chapter 5 ("Preamplifiers"), Harley discusses unbalanced vs balanced lines. As a beginner, I have no idea what either of these things are, and Harley doesn't offer any explanation at that point. I flipped to the index to look up "balanced" and "unbalanced," but found only "balanced interconnects" and "unbalanced interconnects," neither of which seemed to have anything to do with unbalanced or balanced lines—or are they the same thing? Again, Harley assumes either too much knowledge or too wide a vocabulary on the part of the…
Audiophiles have long had a love-hate relationship with dipolar loudspeakers. These devices are nearly always a pain to position properly, they tend to dominate a room, and more often than not they're fussy about amplification. But when it all comes together, the best of them can make magic.
Almost invariably, dipoles are flat panel designs—electrostatics such as those made by MartinLogan or Sound-Labs, or planar magnetics like Magnepans or Apogees. About six years ago, however, Mirage Loudspeakers, based in the Great White Northern wastes of Canada (well, okay, Toronto), came out with a…
The listening tests didn't start out on a high note, however. I set the Mirages up pointing straight ahead, with Cardas Hexlink interconnects between the Rowland preamp and Krell power amp, and without any spikes. (I generally hold off on spikes until I'm sure of the proper positioning.) The sound was too heavy and full-bodied through the mid- to upper bass. Midrange coloration was admirably low, but the presentation was just a bit too laid-back and lacking in immediacy. The highs were gorgeous, if just a touch reticent.
Because the room position I chose for the M-7sis was the same as…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker. Drivers: 8" woofer, 1" titanium-dome tweeter, and 5" full-range rear drive-unit. Crossover frequencies: 480Hz, 2kHz. Recommended amplifier power: 50W–175W RMS. Maximum power handling: 175W RMS. Rated sensitivity: 84dB/W/m anechoic, 88dB in-room. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 45" H by 14" W by 7" D. Weight: 80 lbs.
Serial numbers of speakers reviewed: 005435, 005757.
Price: $1300/pair (1995); no longer available (2006). Approximate number of dealers: 185.
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Sidebar 2: Measurements
JA measured the Mirage M-7si with the DRA Labs MLSSA system and a calibrated DPS microphone; he provided me with the results following my listening tests.
As expected from the auditioning, the Mirage's sensitivity was estimated at a low 82.5dB/W/m (B-weighted). Its impedance is shown in fig.1. With a minimum impedance of 4.8 ohms at 130Hz, it should be a relatively easy load for any competent amplifier to drive. With its low sensitivity, however, you should take the manufacturer's minimum recommended power (50W) very seriously. And to really get the most…
The least expensive model in Paradigm's Reference series, the Studio/20 loudspeaker is a rear-ported two-way dynamic bookshelf/satellite design, superficially identical to the powered Active/20 that JA reviewed last November. It features Paradigm's 25mm PAL pure-aluminum dome tweeter in a die-cast heatsink chassis, and a 170mm MLP mica-polymer cone in an AVS die-cast heatsink chassis with a 38mm voice coil. The crossover is third-order, quasi-Butterworth, said to be "phase-coherent." It features high-power ceramic resistors, film capacitors in all signal paths, and both air-core and steel-…
Female vocal reproduction was silky and sweet but uncolored on these speakers. The superb remastering of Janis Ian's Breaking Silence (Analogue Productions CAPP027) brought out another of the Paradigm strengths: rhythmic coherence. Linnies should have no problem tapping their toes and following the tune with these speakers—the natural integration of bass, percussion, and guitar nuances in "His Hands" had me dancing around the room.
A cult of personality
The Janis Ian recording also highlighted the Studio/20's strongest "personality" trait, and it may not be to everyone's taste. The…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) PAL pure-aluminum dome tweeter, 6.7" (170mm) MLP mica/polymer-cone woofer. Crossover: third-order, quasi-Butterworth at 1.5kHz. Frequency range: 54Hz-22kHz on-axis. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Dimensions: 14" by 8¼" by 11". Shipping weight: 40 lbs/pair.
Serial number of units reviewed: 11810/1.
Price: $650/pair-$900/pair, depending on finish. Approximate number of dealers: 240.
Manufacturer: Paradigm Group, 11-919 Fraser Drive, Burlington,…