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Though the fourth collaboration of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, H.M.S. Pinafore was the first to be an international hit, and was unquestionably the…

"I think I just got 2000 bucks' worth of difference. Moved the [Paradigm 7se Mk.III] speakers two more feet from the back wall, toed 'em in a little, and Radiohead exploded from my humble setup."

So what compelled Daniel to e-mail Editor Atkinson? "Everybody knows about speaker placement. What I want is more info. I want to know basics, I want to know advanced…

Exactly.

Diagram of optimal speaker setup from the Cardas web site.

Toeing the speakers in toward the listening position also gives you a greater ratio of direct to reflected sound bouncing off sidewalls…

This summer we've raised a bumper crop of legislative inanities, judicial decisions, international treaties, and business scandals. I'm starting to believe the old adage: Just because you'…

According to the Capitol flacks, Mirror Blue is Richard Thompson's "most accessible release yet." But don't believe everything you read, especially in a press kit.

It's true that the production, again by Mitchell Froom, is smooth and inviting. And it's true that Thompson has quietly become one of pop's most expressive singers. But from a man who's made a career of being rock's most famous cult figure (or was that its most obscure major artist?), accessible is, at…

Jacques Mahul: In 1980, I founded both Focal and JMlab. And before that, I was the chief engineer at Audax.

Jonathan Scull: I had no idea.

Mahul: Yes, and before that I was Rédacteur en chef of L'…

Mahul: Yes, as my business grew over the years, Focal sold products all over the world, but JMlab was mainly for France and Europe. Then, around 1988, we decided to open it to the world. So although JMlab was a latecomer in comparison with Focal, today it represents 70% of our turnover!

Scull: I see. And the other 30% of your business, if I may ask...?

Mahul: Twenty percent of that is the car hi-fi business, which we launched around 1989. And Focal represents the final 10%—supplying various…

Mahul: Yes, I would say so. That's why our products work well with both valve and solid-state amplifiers. It's a very important element that we worked on from the beginning—to be independent of the amplifier.

Scull: Jacques, tell me: Do you prefer solid-state or tubes yourself?

Mahul: Well, the advantage of tubes lies in the midrange and treble, we all know that.

Scull: Mais oui...

Mahul: Yes, the wonderful imaging and the possibility of reproducing very high dynamics at a high but…

Mahul: [laughs] Actually, Jonathan, we do produce, each year, a JMlab wine.

Scull: You see, I can be very intuitive.

Mahul: [laughs] Yes. In fact, here is a bottle of JMlab Sauternes for you and Kathleen.

Scull: Jacques, thank you very much.

Mahul: Last year it was a cognac!

Scull: Well, Jacques, I see I'm going to love this assignment!

Mahul: [laughing] My pleasure, Jon-a-ten.

Jonathan Scull: Jacques, I'd like to learn more about that inverted-dome tweeter...

Jacques Mahul: Yes, it's…

Mahul: The dispersion characteristic of the tweeter is hemispherical and needs to "see" the baffle around it. You can't compare it at all to the baffle requirements of a positive-dome tweeter.

Scull: And where does it cross over?

Mahul: The inverted dome's bandpass performance allows coupling to the midrange from 3kHz. So transient signals are reproduced without any distortion, and minimum directivity.

Scull: You know, Jacques, Freud said everything in life had to do with sex. But I suspect it'…