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…
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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.
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…
There is something refreshingly no-nonsense about the design and construction of this turntable. It looks as if someone just said, Okay, this, that, and the other thing need to be done. Let's do it. And then they did it. In appearance at least, it is about as simple a design as you're likely to find. What sets it apart from other simple designs is that this one is built like a battleship! Everything is heavy-duty (notto mention heavy), from the 10-lb, lead-laminated aluminum platter to the ¼"steel-reinforced subchassis.
The platter is of solid aluminum, without the usual hollowed-out…
Anthony H. Cordesman reviewed the HW19 Mk.II in August 1985 (Vol.8 No.4):
If you're as tired of audio cultism as I am, you'll love the latest version of Harry Weisfeld's VPI HW19 turntable, the Mark II: no tricks, no mysticism, no bulishit physics, just a straightforward turntable that offers a solid middle ground between the SOTA and the Oracle, with many of the Goidmund's vir tues as well.
The HW19-II looks like a well-styled turntable; you can even use it without religious rituals in the setup. Not only that, once set-up it stays set-up. Only the SOTA exceeds it in terms of…
Anthony H. Cordesman returned to the HW19 Mk.II in May 1986 (Vol.9 No.4):
I'm not quite sure why turntables inspire more passion than electronics or speakers, but somehow they do. Perhaps it's the Hiberian-Slavonic legacy of Ivor the Tempestinateapottenbottom, or the Sicilian heritage of Robert the Irascible, but many audiophiles find ranking turntables more important than listening to them. The status of owning the best seems more important than the music.
Several Important Caveats:
First, and most important: while some of the sonic differences between the best turntables…
Audiophile Systems Responds
Editor: We find it interesting that Tony Cordesman deems it desirable to open his review of the Improved SOTA Star Sapphire, VPI HW-19, and Oracle Delphi Mark II turntables with a shot at Linn Products, particularly given his subsequent dismissal of the Linn Sondek as a second-rate turntable. Mr. Cordesman states, "The fact that Linn Sondek's advertising has made a British cult out of buying a comparatively high-priced Linn turntable—even for comparatively low grade components—has no justification other than profits for Linn." We are certain that Mr. Cordesman…
Guy Lemcoe reviewed the HW-19 Mk.IV in August 1992 (Vol.15 No.8):
In spite of its weight, the box sitting in Stereophile's receiving room seemed innocent enough. Little did I know its contents would add immeasurably to my enjoyment of analog playback and send me scurrying to Nicholas Potter's (footnote 1) in search of fresh vinyl. I've owned a VPI HW19 Mk.III for several years now and, in addition to the fine job it does as a record player, I've always been impressed by how easy it is to retrofit with the latest Mk.IV improvements sent from Cliffwood, each upgrade resulting in…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Four-point suspension belt-drive turntable. Walnut base standard, oak available. Speeds: 33 and 45 rpm. Synchronous, "instrument quality, medium-differential" synchronous AC motor. Wow & flutter: 0.04%. Speed accuracy: 0.01%.
Dimensions: 21.25" W by 17.5" D by 7.25" H.
Price: $730 (Mk.I, 1984); $885 (Mk.II, 1985&3150;1986); $1800 (Mk.III, 1990–1992); Platter, bearing, suspension assemblies, belt, and mounting hardware for Mk.IV modification to VPI HW19 M.III, $700. Acrylic armboard for Eminent Technology Two tonearm: $100. TNT Mk.II…