Anthem, Sonic Frontiers International, 205 Annagem Boulevard, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 2V1, Canada. Tel: (905) 362-0958. Fax: (905) 564-8726. Web: www.anthemav.com.
Ayre Acoustics, 2300-B Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 442-7300, x233. Web: www.ayre.com.
Audioengine Corp. Tel: (877) 853-4447. Web: www.audioengineusa.com.
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Sidebar: Contacts
Any difference that is at all audible must be treated as though it is huge!" John Atkinson declaimed, as Tom Norton and I rolled on the floor laughing. It was a slow day around the Stereophile offices, and the startlingly huge differences that our colleague was describing did strike us as rather piddling—so John began stentorophonically reciting rules from a mythical Guidebook for Audio Reviewers to gales of laughter all around.
Not, I hasten to confess, that I haven't been guilty of the same misdemeanor myself—with the purest motives, of course. We audiophiles tend to get so focused on…
The rear panel couldn't be simpler: it has 12 outlets, four of them orange hospital-grade and designated as "digital isolation outlets to further isolate noise-creating digital components (CD, LD, DVD, etc.) from other sensitive analog components." (As we all know, sensitive analog components can have their feelings hurt if asked to use the same outlets as those rowdy digital types.)
Hush, hush—-did I hear somebody call my name?
But most people seem to get along just fine without fancy-schmancy line conditioners and such. Can they really make a difference?
Absolutely! And,…
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment
LP playback: Linn LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply and Cirkus mod, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv cartridge.
CD playback: Audio Research CD2/DAC3 CD player and processor, Mark Levinson No.39 CD player, Sonic Frontiers Transport 3/Processor 3.
DVD player: Denon DVD-3000.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research Reference One, Conrad-Johnson ART, Mark Levinson No.380S, Linn Linto phono section.
Power amplifiers: Audio Research VT200, Mark Levinson No.332.
Loudspeakers: Alon by Acarian Systems Circe, B&W John Bowers Silver Signature.
Cables:…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Line conditioner supplying balanced AC power. Output current: 20 amps (2400W at 60/120V). Voltage range: Normal, 90–130V; marginal (flashes alert), 80–90V or 130–130V AC; extreme (causes protective shutdown), below 80V or above 140V AC. Isolation (input/output): breakdown voltage, 1500V minimum; leakage current, 40µA; capacitance: 300pF maximum. Turns ratio: 1:1, windings isolated by Faraday shield. Transformer regulation: ±97% from no load to full load. Number of outlets: 12 (4 further isolated from other 8). Power consumption: 8.5W.
Dimensions…
If you are to believe all the promotions for the Compact Disc, simply buying a player will transport you instantly to sonic nirvana. No background noise! No distortion! Flat frequency response from 20 Hz to 20kHz, pIus or minus zilch! The most perfect sound that modern hightech can provide! But if CD sound is so perfect, what are so many people screaming bloody murder about? It seems that half the golden ears who hear it are smitten with hate at first hearing. The other half finds it the best thing since tax shelters.
CD sound is variously described as "liquid," "grainy," "gorgeous," "…
I first auditioned a pair of Chario Academy One minimonitors five years ago, but the review was aborted when the Italian Chario company lost its US distribution. When I reheard the Chario Academy Ones at the 1997 WCES, I found their elegant cabinetwork appealing and their sound listenable and involving. I therefore requested a pair for review from the new US importers.
The Academy One is priced at $2300/pair, but is the least expensive model in the Chario line. Like another Italian loudspeaker manufacturer, Sonus Faber, Chario markets small, ported two-way minimonitors encased in…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, reflex loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.2" (29mm) ferrofluid-cooled soft-dome tweeter, 5.1" (130mm) Neoflex-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 1.85kHz. Crossover slopes: fourth-order acoustic, quasi–all-pass. Frequency response: 50Hz–20kHz, ±2dB. Sensitivity: 81.5dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Minimal impedance: 6 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 50–100W.
Dimensions: 13.6" (340mm) H by 8.2" (205mm) W by 12.6" (315mm) D. Weight: 19.8 lbs (9kg) each.
Finish: walnut.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 1983 & 1984 (…
Sidebar 2: Review System
My listening room is 26' long, 13' wide, and 12' high, with a semi-cathedral ceiling. The back of the room opens into a 25' by 15' kitchen through an 8' by 4' doorway. The Charios were set up 3' from the rear wall (faced with framed watercolors 8' from the floor) and approximately 30" from the side walls (which have sliding equipment shelves).
For most of my listening I sat 8' away. I also tried my favorite listening distance (for larger loudspeakers) of 18', but found it less satisfactory. My chair places my ears 37" from the floor. The Academy Ones were…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I found the Chario Academy One to be a little more sensitive than specified, at an estimated 85.5dB/2.83V/m (B-weighted). Its impedance, which remains above 10 ohms over the entire band except for regions in the lower midrange and bass (fig.1), suggests that it is a very easy load for an amplifier to drive. I'm not sure, therefore, why Larry Greenhill found it to work best with high-powered amplifiers.
Fig.1 Chario Academy One, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).
The magnitude plot in fig.1 suggests that…