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On "The Last DJ," from Tom Petty's recent album of the same name, the 47 Lab combo again showed itself to be a shade more on the money rhythmically, if not quite so accomplished in a hi-fi sense. Here the percussion and the attack components of the deepest notes in the bass line were more in sync: The song was propelled more effectively—although a song this great can't easily be blunted by anything. On the same album's "Have Love, Will Travel," with its very real-sounding lead vocal—which, interestingly, isn't terribly distinct spatially but is nonetheless clear and present—the 47 Lab combo…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: "Zero-oversampling" 16-bit D/A converter and companion CD-only playback transport, both with remote power supplies. D/A input: coaxial only (S/PDIF). D/A output: phono jacks (unbalanced). Maximum D/A output level: 2.1V. Transport output: S/PDIF on 2 phono jacks. HDCD: No.
Dimensions: 4715: 3" W by 3" H by 3" D (DAC), 3" W by 3" H by 6" D (power supply). 4716: 11.25" W by 3.25" H (including clamp) by 7.25" D (CD transport), 3" W by 3" H by 6" D (power supply).
Finishes: Dark gray Shigaraki ceramic (DAC, power supplies), brushed stainless steel…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplifiers: Fi, Audio Note M3.
Power amplifiers: Fi 2A3 Stereo, Audio Note Kit One.
Loudspeakers: Lowther PM2A drivers (15 ohm version) in modified Medallion horn enclosures, Linn Sizmik subwoofer.
Cables: Digital: Creative Cable Concepts Green Hornet. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Nordost Valhalla, plus homemades. Speaker: Audio Note AN-SPX, Nordost Valhalla, Nordost Flatline.
Accessories: Mana stands under turntables, Shun Mook Mpingo discs.—Art Dudley
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Shipping damage prevented me from measuring the sample of the 4715 D/A converter that had been auditioned by Art Dudley (serial no. 80072). Yoshi Segoshi of 47 Laboratory's US distributor therefore arranged for me to borrow, at very short notice, a sample (serial no. 80030) from Manhattan audiophile Steve Yagerman. My thanks.
I used a standard 75 ohm S/PDIF cable to connect the 4715 to the 4716 CD transport, using what I understood to the latter's appropriate RCA jack. The transport offered excellent error correction, coping with gaps in the CD's data…
47 Laboratory Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Thank you very much for spending time with 47 Lab's Shigaraki transport/DAC (March 2003). When I first read the draft of the review, my impression was pretty negative. Well, Sony and Shigaraki sound almost the same, but Sony comes with SACD, right? I've known Art Dudley for over four years now, and I trust his integrity as a reviewer and as a person. So he must've reported whatever he heard in a straightforward fashion. But how do they compare in a different system?
I decided to do the comparison myself. I had a hard time getting hold…
To get some background information both on Aerial Acoustics and on the 10T loudspeaker that I review this month, I gave Aerial's Michael Kelly a call. When had he got involved in loudspeakers, I asked...
Michael Kelly: My BS was in Physics; I studied Plasma Physics at the postgraduate level, but did not complete my doctorate. Then I got involved in audio—I worked for a/d/s/ from 1974 to '86. I was Executive Vice-President in R&D and Manufacturing when I left to go to MIT, where I was a Sloane Fellow...
Wes Phillips: Oh, the school, not the cable company!
Kelly: [heh-…
Phillips: You custom-finish all of the drivers?
Kelly: They are all custom, yes, and some of them we finish. The midrange is half manufactured by us. I think that drivers should be uniform to begin with—very close to the design reference—only then should you come along and pair-match them.
Once you have a speaker that is wide-band, linear, and natural, slight changes in drivers or network components are extremely audible. Secondary things then become primary things. We hand-finish the midrange in order to assure unit-to-unit variation that is vanishingly small.
The…
Drum me out of the High End if you must, but I have a shameful confession to make: I love headphones. I know, I know, I'm supposed to preface my comment with a lofty disclaimer, such as, "Of course, given my refined sensibilities, I could never derive satisfaction from such a compromised listening apparatus, but many of you seem to enjoy them." Well, pardon me for saying so, but pfffftttt!
Headphones offered me my first chance to experience musical details that never came through my primitive, early stereo systems. They allowed me to listen to whatever I wanted to at any loudness I chose…
Steven Stone wrote about the '580s in October 1995 (Vol.18 No.10):
To make this review of the Sennheiser IS-850 infrared headphone system interesting, I borrowed a pair of Sennheiser HD-580 'phones from Wes Phillips for comparison (he only whimpered a wee bit at the idea of two weeks of deprivation). While this wasn't a fair fight price-wise (the IS 850s cost $1295, the HD-580s $390), I tried to level the playing field as much as I could. Rather than use the ratty signal coming from the headphone jacks of one of my recorders, I gave the HD-580s the royal treatment, coupling them with a…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Open-air, dynamic, diffuse-field–compensated circumaural headphones. Transducer principal: dynamic diaphragm. Frequency response: 12Hz–38kHz ±3dB. THD: <0.1%. Nominal impedance: 300 ohms. Sensitivity at 1kHz: 97dB. Headband pressure: approximately 2.5 Newtons.
Weight (without cable): 9.3oz (260gm).
Price: $349 (1994); $390 (1995); $450 (Jubilee model, 1996).Approximate number of dealers: 475.
Manufacturer: Sennheiser Electronic KG, W-3002 Wedemark, Postfach 10 02 64, Germany. Tel: (49) 51-30-600-0. Fax: (49) 51-30-631-2. US subsidiary:…