Description: Two-way, floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker with 6" cone woofer and 1.5" dome tweeter. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Price: $640/pair, $670/pair on West Coast (1983); no longer available (2008).
Manufacturer: Thiel Audio Products, 1026 Nandino Boulevard, Lexington, KY 40511. Tel: (859) 254-9427. Fax: (859) 254-0075. Web: www.thielaudio.com.
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Sidebar 2: Specifications
During the late 1970s and early '80s, I worked my way through college by selling hi-fi, or more precisely, mid-fi. During those years, I heard and sold several hundred different loudspeakers costing under $1000/pair. Despite the fact that I experienced them under less than ideal conditions, I was nevertheless able to get a feel for their relative performance. When switching between speakers, the differences between them were drastically juxtaposed. No two loudspeakers sounded even remotely similar tonally, indicating that they all had severe colorations.
After spending the past two…
I found the Q/4s to be less detailed than the other loudspeakers under review, but this was to be expected given the Q/4's smooth, laid-back presentation. I much prefer a more natural spectral balance to a zippy and hyped presentation. The highly detailed rendering may sell speakers in the dealer's showroom, but wears thin quickly when trying to enjoy music through them. The Q/4s did, however, present less inner musical information through the midrange compared to the other speakers reviewed here. There was not quite the sense of involvement heard through the Cyrus 782s, due in large part to…
Sidebar 1: Review context
The reference system used to audition the four loudspeakers reviewed here includes the VTL 225W Deluxe monoblock and Krell KSA 200 amplifiers, driven by a Theta DSPro Basic digital processor through the passive Electronic Visionary Systems Stepped Attenuator. The analog front end was a Well-Tempered Turntable and Well-Tempered Arm fitted with a Sumiko Boron vdH cartridge. Phono preamplification was provided by the Precision Audio outboard phono module, connected to the passive attenuator. The phono preamp has enough gain for the moving-coil Sumiko and is able to…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Q/4 exhibited minor cabinet resonances at 100Hz and 120Hz, and a fairly strong mode at 260Hz that produced a buzzing from the enclosure. The Q/4's impedance magnitude and phase angle are shown in fig.1. The single impedance peak at 70Hz is more typical of a sealed-box tuning. Note also the slight dimple at the cabinet buzz frequency, 260Hz. (A much finer analysis would be required, however, for this cabinet problem to be fully revealed in this plot.) The impedance drops to 5 ohms through most of the bass, rises near the crossover frequency, then drops sharply…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Two-way, "line-tunnel"-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drivers: 8" copolymer polypropylene-cone woofer, 1" fluid-damped dome tweeter. Crossover frequency: 3kHz. Frequency response: 37Hz–20kHz ±3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 89dB (distance and input level not specified). Recommended amplifier power: 25–100Wpc. Input connection: One pair five-way, gold-plated binding posts.
Finish: walnut or black ash vinyl.
Dimensions: 10¾" W by 20" H by 9" D. Shipping weight: 46 lbs (one boxed pair).
Prices: $490/pair East coast, $514.50/pair West…
WAGNER: Parsifal
Siegfried Jerusalem, Parsifal; Matthias Hölle, Gurnemanz; Waltraud Meier, Kundry; José van Dam, Amfortas; Günter von Kannen, Klingsor; John Tomlinson, Titurel; others; Berlin Philharmonic, Daniel Barenboim
Teldec 9031-74448-2 (4 CDs only). Helmut Mühle, prod.; Jean Chatauret, eng. DDD. TT: 4:16:35
Siegfried Jerusalem, Parsifal; Matthias Hölle, Gurnemanz; Waltraud Meier, Kundry; José van Dam, Amfortas; Günter von Kannen, Klingsor; John Tomlinson, Titurel; others; Berlin Philharmonic, Daniel Barenboim
Teldec 9031-74448-2 (4 CDs only). Helmut Mühle, prod.; Jean Chatauret, eng. DDD. TT: 4:16:35
As Wagner once said and almost always proved, his was "the art of transition." Nowhere is this more true than in his last music-drama, Parsifal. The work is virtually all transition. It's difficult to say whether the listener—or Wagner—never arrives or is always…
All right, class. Your assignment is to write a paper persuading people to do something good for themselves that they really don't want to do.
Let's see...how about taking your castor oil, or eating your spinach, or bundling up when you go out in the cold...or practicing safe sex? Naw, too obvious. How about convincing audiophiles to buy a low-powered amplifier? That's tough alright, but how about a real challenge? Let's go for a low-powered integrated amp. That's better. How about an imported low-powered hybrid integrated amp with tubes and tone controls? That's really tough.…
Sidebar 1: Measurements
All the results shown here are for the Direct setting, unless otherwise noted. Following the standard one-hour, one-third power preconditioning, the top cover of the AMC CVT-3030 was very warm, but not uncomfortable to touch. Beginning with the amplifier's line-stage, its output impedance at its 8 ohm taps measured just over 1 ohm, with insignificant load- and frequency-related variations. From the 4 ohm taps it was slightly lower at 0.7 ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz, increasing to a maximum of 1.3 ohms at 20kHz. The line input impedance was just over 20k ohms, the…
Sidebar 2: Specificationss
Description: Integrated, hybrid amplifier, with MOSFET preamplifier circuits and tube (EL34) output. Inputs: Phono (MM), CD, Tuner, Aux, DAT, Video, and Tape. Outputs: Main (4 or 8 ohms), Tape, and Headphones. Tone controls: bass and treble. Convenience outlets: three. Power output: 30W into 4 or 8 ohms (14.8dBW, 11.8dBW, respectively). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±1.0dB. S/N ratio: 80dB.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 4.5" (112mm) H by 11.34" (288mm) D. Weight: 30.8 lbs (14kg).
Price: $899.95 (1993–2008). Approximate number of dealers: 32.
US…