When my wife was in college, years before I met her, she and a girlfriend spent a holiday together in Greece, whiling away their hours on the bone-white beaches of Ios. One afternoon she saw among the revelers a man with a pale complexion and a black Saville Row suit: obviously an Englishman. She wondered why anyone would forsake a tan on the world's most beautiful beach, and he wondered why an attractive American twentysomething would care. Thus began Janet's—and, ultimately, my—lifelong friendship with Phil…
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And let's not overlook what may be the man's greatest talent: his singing—which has evolved over the years from the self-conscious hiccup of the late 1970s to one of the most limber, expressive baritones in all of modern pop.
But the problem is that most of Elvis Costello's albums are unlistenable by the time the ink has dried on the liner notes. They just don't hold up. Three possible reasons for that sad situation come to mind:
Fatty brain deposits: If Bruce Springsteen's problem is that he tries too hard, Costello's is that he thinks way too much—mostly, or so it appears,…
With the popularity of home-theater systems, subwoofers have proliferated. Because multichannel AV receivers are designed to provide a properly filtered, line-level subwoofer, or low-frequency effects (LFE) signal, many subs no longer come with built-in high- and low-pass filters for insertion into two-channel audio systems. However, the PB13-Ultra subwoofer from SV Sound does include these, which is what piqued my interest in it. After Ed Mullen, SV Sound's director of sales, assured me that the PB13-Ultra was capable of reproducing solid 20Hz organ-pedal notes in my listening room, I asked…
Listening
Once correctly level-matched and equalized, the SV Sound PB13-Ultra and Quad ESL-989s generated full-range audio output with great deep-bass extension. When I played orchestral recordings, the sub rendered a clean, fast response for bass drum and timpani. The deepest notes had a tight, rhythmic quality. The PB13-Ultra's Hi Pass filter protected the Quads from the deep bass notes, allowing them to deliver greater dynamic range before their clipping protection circuits could shut them down. For example, the intense synthesizer opening of "Deeper Wells," from Emmylou Harris's…
Once correctly level-matched and equalized, the SV Sound PB13-Ultra and Quad ESL-989s generated full-range audio output with great deep-bass extension. When I played orchestral recordings, the sub rendered a clean, fast response for bass drum and timpani. The deepest notes had a tight, rhythmic quality. The PB13-Ultra's Hi Pass filter protected the Quads from the deep bass notes, allowing them to deliver greater dynamic range before their clipping protection circuits could shut them down. For example, the intense synthesizer opening of "Deeper Wells," from Emmylou Harris's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Front-firing, vented, powered subwoofer with selectable port configurations (Sealed, 10Hz, 15Hz, 20Hz). Drive-unit: long-excursion, 13.5", 55-lb, high-output cone with 3" voice-coil, a free-air resonant frequency of 30Hz, and 2" excursion peak–peak. Line-level high-pass filter: 12dB/octave at 80Hz. Low-pass filter: 12dB/octave, continuously variable 40–120Hz. Inputs: single balanced (XLR), paired unbalanced (RCA). Outputs: 2 balanced (XLR) jacks to additional subwoofer. Accessories: power cord, foam port plugs, grille.Controls: Auto On; continuously…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral MC cartridge; Day-Sequerra Classic FM tuner.
Digital Sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player, Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplifier: Mark Levinson ML-7.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.334 & ML-2.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989; Velodyne DD-18, JL Audio Fathom f113, REL Studio III subwoofers.
Cables: Digital: Wireworld Starlight Coaxial. Interconnect: Mark Levinson Silver, Red Rose Silver One, Totem Acoustic Sinew single-ended, Pure Silver…
Has any modern designer of high-performance speakers extracted more music from a two-way box than ProAc's Stewart Tyler? His early-1990s stand-mounted Response 2 (later upgraded to the Response 2S) was an instant classic, and while his tiny Tablette proved controversial for being bass-shy and relatively pricey, his track record of two-way speakers remains unassailable.
Although the Response 2S cost $3200/pair in 1996, adding a pair of dedicated high-quality stands upped that to about $4000, justifying Tyler's decision to add to the Response line the 2.5, a $4500/pair floorstander. For…
The kWs and D28s produced a somewhat cold, bright, overly analytical sound on top, complemented by exceptionally taut bass. Switching to the Reference tube amp produced the creamy, warm, inviting sound I'd heard from the D28s in Tempe, giving up only a bit of the kWs' bass clarity, control, and definition. Moving the ProAcs just a few inches farther out into the room from where JA had positioned them to take his measurements helped restore the excellent overall balance of the midrange and bass provided by the solid-state Musical Fidelitys.
What ProAc does best
The D28 did nothing…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) silk-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) coated polypropylene-cone woofer. Frequency range: 20Hz–30kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 88.5dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 10–200W.
Dimensions: 42.5" (1080mm) H (on plinth with conical feet) by 8" (204mm) W by 11.25" (286mm) D. Weight: 60 lbs (27kg).
Finishes: Maple, bird's-eye maple, cherry, black ash, mahogany, ebony real-wood veneers.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 000365 (both).
Price: $6000/pair.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn/Cobra/Castellon turntable/tonearm/stand; Graham Phantom tonearm, Lyra Titan i, Einstein TU-3 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW DM25 CD transport & DAC, dCS 904 A/D converter, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Einstein Turntable's Choice, AQVOX Phono 2 CI, Nagra VPS phono preamplifiers; DarTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks, Music Reference RM-200.
Cables: Interconnect: TARA Labs Zero.…