The following source components were used throughout the listening sessions: a 1975-vintage Revox A77 played my own and others' 15ips master tapes, a Linn Sondek/Ekos/Troika setup sitting on a Sound Organisation table played LPs, and either a Philips LHH1000 or the California Audio Labs Tempest SE were used to play CDs. For the preamp tests, the LK1, my reference Vendetta Research SCP2 phono preamp, and Stereophile's benchmark midpriced preamp, the $1209 PS Audio 4.6 with its M500 power supply, were connected to a Mod Squad Line Drive Deluxe AGT, the latter two…
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Sidebar 2: Measurements
Starting with the LK280, this raised a healthy 82.6W at 1kHz at the onset of clipping into an 8 ohm resistive load with one channel driven, almost doubling to 158.9W into 4 ohms, and revealing the excellent power-supply regulation. (The power transformer mechanically hummed quite loudly at this latter level, however.) The LK280 is non-inverting, and its input impedance was slightly higher than specified, but still low at 3830 ohms, necessitating use with a preamplifier capable of driving low-impedance loads. The sensitivity was also slightly higher than spec, with…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Linn LK1: Solid-state preamplifier with two phono inputs (MM/MC), four line-level inputs, including two tape loops, 256-step digitally switched volume control, and optional IR remote control. Specifications: Input impedance: 50k ohms (phono MM), 150 ohms (phono MC), 10k ohms (line). Nominal output level: 500mV. Phono Sensitivity: 5.0mV (MM), 150µV (MC). Line sensitivity: 500mV RMS. S/N Ratio: not specified.
Dimensions: 10.24" (260mm) W by 10.43" (265mm) D by 2.95" (75mm) H (preamplifier), 2.75" (70mm) W by 4.8" (122mm) D by 1.8" (46mm) H (remote control).…
Alon Wolf can be mesmerizing. When the founder of Magico gets going on one of his favorite subjects, loudspeaker design, the strength of his convictions, depth of technical knowledge, and sureness of response are enough to hush many a skeptic into silence.
Not that what Wolf says invites skepticism. On the contrary, it makes perfect sense. Take, for example, two of his favorite pet peeves: the medium-density fiberboard (MDF) used in a vast number of speaker enclosures, and loudspeaker design that is behind the times.
"Look around you," he explained during one of our many…
"The last speaker I actually bought," he says, "was the Sonus Faber Extrema, which I immediately found faults with, took apart, and reassembled. It eventually got to the point where I felt I could only have the speakers I wanted if I built them myself. Thanks to my work in industrial design, I was able to produce things on the computer that no one else was doing. My early designs were far more organic and flowing—speakers that are rounded and that sort of thing—than anything that was available back then. Now that approach is sort of catching on."
Fifteen years ago, Wolf built…
One of the first affordable loudspeakers I reviewed for Stereophile was the original Paradigm Reference Studio/20 bookshelf model, in the February 1998 issue (Vol.21 No.2). At the time, I felt that the $650/pair speaker was a breakthrough—although not completely devoid of colorations, its ratio of price to performance set a benchmark a decade ago. I kept the Studio/20s around for several years to compare with other bookshelf speakers I reviewed, and they remained listed in Stereophile's "Recommended Components" for several years after that. The Studio/20 is now in its fourth (v.4) iteration…
The Studio/20's ability to resolve detail had me finding new things in very familiar recordings. I thought I'd memorized every lick in Aimee Mann's "How Am I Different?," from her Bachelor No. 2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo (CD, Super Ego SE002), but for the first time I found myself following a low-level guitar line near the end of the tune, way back in the mix. And in the first movement of David Chesky's Violin Concerto, from his Area 31 (SACD/CD, Chesky SACD288, CD layer), I found myself focusing on a contrapuntal interplay between the bassoon and Tom Chiu's violin that I'd never…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ferrofluid-cooled G-PAL–dome tweeter with die-cast chassis, 7" (178mm) S-PAL–cone woofer with 11/2" (38mm) voice-coil and die-cast chassis. Crossover: second-order electro-acoustic at 2.0kHz. Frequency response: 54Hz–22kHz, ±2dB (on axis), 54Hz–20kHz, ±2dB (30° off axis). Low-frequency extension: 36Hz (DIN). Sensitivity: 90dB room, 87dB anechoic. Impedance: compatible with 8 ohms. Recommended amplification: 15–150W. Maximum input power: 100W.
Dimensions: 15" (381mm) H by 8.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110 II.
Integrated Amplifiers: Creek Destiny & 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: NHT Classic 3, Nola Mini, Epos M5.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT):…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Paradigm Reference Studio/20's voltage sensitivity on its tweeter axis was to specification at an estimated 87dB(B)/2.83V/m. Its impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) remained above 6 ohms in the upper midrange and treble, but dropped to 3.5 ohms in the lower midrange. This, together with the combination of 5.1 ohms magnitude and –37° electrical phase angle at 110Hz (a frequency where music has a lot of energy), implies that the Paradigm will work best with good amplifiers rated at 4 ohms.
Fig.1 Paradigm Reference Studio/20, electrical…