Stereophile's Products of 2007
Product of the Year: Ayre Acoustics MX-R monoblock power amplifier (review)
Budget Product of the Year: PSB Alpha B1 loudspeaker (review)
Joint Loudspeakers:
Dynaudio Confidence C4 (review)
Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy 8 (review)
Amplification Component: Ayre Acoustics MX-R monoblock power amplifier (review)
Digital Source: Chord Choral Blu CD transport & Choral DAC64 D/A processor (review)
Joint Analog Sources:
Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Keel modifications (review)
Lyra…
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Previous Awards, 1992–2007:
TARIK O'REGAN: Threshold of Night
Had I Not Seen the Sun, The Ecstasies Above, Threshold of Night, Tal Vez Tenemos Tiempo, Care Charminge Sleepe, Triptych, I Had No Time to Hate
Conspirare Company of Voices, Company of Strings; Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807490 (SACD/CD). 2008. Robina G. Young, prod.; John Newton, eng. DDD. TT: 59:31
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Had I Not Seen the Sun, The Ecstasies Above, Threshold of Night, Tal Vez Tenemos Tiempo, Care Charminge Sleepe, Triptych, I Had No Time to Hate
Conspirare Company of Voices, Company of Strings; Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807490 (SACD/CD). 2008. Robina G. Young, prod.; John Newton, eng. DDD. TT: 59:31
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Describing the music of 30-year-old British composer Tarik O'Regan, one must mention Renaissance polyphony and other contemporary composers of choral music, then put them aside. Yes, O'…
If home-gallows prices keep coming down, people won't go to public executions anymore. The home brothel has reduced the amount of cash American men spend each year on banging strangers. And thanks to the home sweatshop, the CEOs of all the major clothing manufacturers have been forced to take pay cuts. (I mean, come on: It was either that or something totally unimaginable, like shipping American jobs overseas, or cutting healthcare benefits for the rank and file.)
So the anecdotal news of a decline in hardware sales in the home-theater industry—a very real segment of the consumer-…
One might argue that Thiel Audio's 3-series loudspeakers are the audio equivalents of BMW's 3-series sports cars: relatively affordable, but 100% about performance. Thiel has made bigger, more expensive loudspeakers than the 3s, as well as smaller, less expensive models—but the iconic Thiels are the 3s.
I also suspect that they're Jim Thiel's favorites, although he'd probably never admit it. When he spoke to me about the new CS3.7 at the Consumer Electronics Show a few years ago, he almost choked up when he said, "I've wanted to revisit the 3s for a while now..." I could almost see him…
To use John Atkinson's memorable phrase, the Thiel CS3.7 is a pig to drive. Wimpy amps need not apply—and by wimpy, I mean anything putting out less than 200Wpc. (Thiel recommends 100–600W.) Fortunately, I had the Ayre MX-R monoblocks (600W into a 4 ohms load) and the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 (480W into 4 ohms) on hand, so power was adequate.
The '3.7s needed to be played hard—a lot—before they settled down. At first I found the sound opaque and borderland irritating, so before heading down to my office each day, I'd cue a CD, set the Ayre C-5xe universal player to Repeat, crank the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-dome tweeter mounted coincidentally within 4.5" flat aluminum midrange driver, 10" (254mm) flat aluminum woofer, 10" (254mm) flat aluminum passive radiator. Crossover slopes: acoustic first-order. Frequency response: 33Hz–26kHz, ±2dB. Phase response: ±10° minimum. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 2.8 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 90 dB/2.83V/m. Recommended power: 100–600W.
Dimensions: 44.9" (1140mm) H by 12.6" (320mm) W by 21.3" (540mm) D. Weight: 91 lbs (41.5kg).
Finishes: Walnut,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre C-5xe universal player.
Preamplifiers: Ayre KX-R, Conrad-Johnson ACT2 Series 2.
Power Amplifiers: Ayre MX-R monoblocks, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Avalon Indra, Wilson Audio Systems WATT/Puppy 8.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares, Stealth Indra & Nanofiber. Speaker: Shunyata Research Anaconda & Orion, Stealth Dream.
Accessories: Ayre L-5xe AC filter, Furutech eTP-609 distribution box; OSAR equipment stand; Furutech RDP panels, RealTraps Mini & Mondo Traps.—Wes…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Thiel CS3.7's voltage sensitivity is specified as 90dB/2.83V/m. My B-weighted estimate on its tweeter axis, assessed with DRA Labs' MLSSA system, was slightly above that figure, at 90.7dB(B)/2.83V/m. This may well have been affected by the Thiel's frequency response (see below). The sensitivity is usefully higher than average, which is a good thing considering that the CS3.7's impedance remains between 2 and 3 ohms over much of the audioband (fig.1), and that there is a demanding combination of 3.8 ohms and –40° capacitive phase angle at 60Hz. Thiel specifies…
Musical Fidelity's "Supercharger" concept is simple, which is perhaps why no one had thought of it before: If you love the sound of your low-powered amplifier but your speakers are insensitive, or you just need more loudness, you insert the high-power Supercharger amplifier between your low-powered amp and speakers. The Supercharger loads the small amplifier with an easy-to-drive 50 ohms, and, in theory, has so little sonic signature itself that it passes on the sonic signature of the small amp unchanged, but louder.
Michael Fremer reviewed Musical Fidelity's first Supercharger amplifier…
Looking back at what I've written, I seem to have concentrated on the 750K's abilities to play loudly and cleanly—which they indeed did. But for all their ability to kick loudspeaker butt, the Musical Fidelity could still do delicacy with aplomb. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss's Raising Sand (CD, Rounder 11661-9075-2) has been in heavy rotation chez Atkinson since I picked it up while killing time at a Starbucks a year ago. The double bass on this disc can be problematic with some amplifier-loudspeaker combinations, as its considerable midbass energy demands an amplifier capable of retaining…