A fair question, and one of the few that attracts wisdom and selflessness as readily as their opposites. My own answers aren't set in concrete, but readers should know that the following survey falls into the latter…
search
Like most people, I'm not interested in long, windy essays about audio reviewing, having barely enough time and interest for audio itself. But I do perk up when the debate turns to the audio reviewer's purpose in life: Should I write about everything that crosses my path, or should I limit my attention to those products that interest me, and that stand a chance of being good?
Moth Audio Cicada: $695/pair
I've never been to Hollywood. In fact, I have only the vaguest notion of where it is (near Los Angeles, right?). But I do harbor a few ideas about what gets done in Hollywood, and until now, speaker manufacturing wasn't among them.
The Moth Audio Cicada is built around a 7" full-range, dual-cone driver with a small voice-coil gap, moderately large magnet assembly, and asymmetric mounting bolts. In other words, Moth's driver, which is built to their specifications in China, is a Lowther-alike. Its main and high-frequency "whizzer" cones are both made of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Moth Audio Cicada: Single-driver reflex, pipe, who-knows-what-else-loaded floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-unit: 7" paper-cone unit with 3.7" paper "whizzer" cone. Impedance: 11.7 ohms nominal (minimum not specified). Sensitivity: 94dB/W/m. Frequency range: 30Hz-18kHz.
Dimensions: 42" H by 10" W by 9" D. Weight: 40 lbs.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 000252, 000228.
Price: $695/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 9.
Manufacturer: Moth Audio Corp., 1746 Ivar Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028. Tel: (323) 467-4300. Fax: (323) 464-9100. Web: www.mothaudio.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB-300 tonearm; ZYX Airy S, Lyra Helikon Mono, Supex 900 Super, Dynavector DV10x5 cartridges; Tamura L2-D step-up transformer.
Digital source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplifiers: Fi Preamp, Naim NAC32-5, Cary SLP98P.
Power amplifiers: Audio Note Kit One (300B), Fi 2A3 Stereo, Naim NAP110.Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989, Lowther PM2A & PM6A in modified Medallion horns.
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost Valhalla & Valkyrja, Naim…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Despite its not being a horn design, Moth Audio's Cicada had a very high sensitivity: an estimated 92.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. And with an impedance that remains above 11 ohms at all frequencies (fig.1), the Cicada is very efficient. As with the other two speakers in this survey, the Cicada's impedance traces are marred by the peaks typical of resonant behavior. The peak at 180Hz is associated with a major panel resonance (fig.2). Despite the speaker's high sensitivity, the fact that this mode is present on all cabinet surfaces works toward its audibility—I can't help…
What makes a phono cartridge worth $3500 or $4000? Pride of ownership? Snob appeal? Sound? Tracking ability? Exotic materials? Styling? Labor cost for skilled artisans? Special ether? Cool wooden box? All of the above?
Can you really get your money's worth from cartridges that cost more than non-Stereophile readers spend on an entire stereo system? From ones that cost twice as much? They're out there. Is it worth having to handle something so pricey you have an anxiety attack every time you want to play a record?
Unfortunately, yes—assuming the rest of your system,…
Mr. Sugano, a swordmaker (and, in his youth, a sport dueler), political science major in college, employee of the Ford Motor Company, Japan, and later of fledgling Toyota, was also a music lover and a hi-fi nut. His experience making and repairing swords gave him an edge in metallurgy, and, beginning with an Ortofon that he modified, he eventually began building his Koetsus (named for a 17th-century Japanese artist and calligrapher). He made his cantilevers of a "special" iron made for him by a northern Japanese university using a "secret" process; he sourced his rosewood bodies from other…
Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment
Tonearms: Graham 2.0, Immedia RPM2, Simon Yorke.
Turntables: VPI TNT Mk.IV, Simon Yorke.
Preamplification: Ayre K-1, Ayre K-3 preamplifiers; Stax SRM-T1W passive line section; Lehmann Black Cube, Audio Research PH-3SE, Pass Aleph Ono phono sections.
Power amplifiers: Conrad-Johnson Premier Twelve and VTL MB 450 vacuum-tube amplifiers.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano, Audio Physic Virgo, Audio Physic Rhea subwoofer.
Cables: Cardas Neutral Reference, Precision Interface Technology, XLO Type 3.1 Signature phono cables; Yamamura…
Robert J. Reina wrote about the Urushi in October 2001 (Vol.24 No.10):
Michael Fremer reviewed the Koetsu Urushi in the October 1998 Stereophile (Vol.21 No.10); what follow are my experiences with having the cartridge retipped and rebuilt.
For years I've been a rabid fan of Koetsu phono cartridges, for their seductive midrange and for their record of providing years of trouble-free play with no noticeable degradation in sound. For more than a decade I've owned two samples of the Urushi, including the very last unit Sugano the elder exported to the US. (The original Koetsus were…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: A very special thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Follow-Up on the Koetsu Urushi with the Expert Stylus Company modification. Musical Surroundings has been involved with phono cartridges since 1991, representing Benz Micro, Koetsu, Transfiguration, and now Clearaudio. When discussing how cartridges have evolved since the 1980s with either Albert Lukaschek of Benz or Peter Suchy of Clearaudio, both note how much more sophisticated their designs and manufacturing capabilities are today than even just five years ago. Loudspeaker design and…