But voices and more familiar instruments did not sound colored through the C-2s. My favorite…
search
I was equally impressed with the Energy's midrange. It was notably uncolored, particularly on vocal material. Only once—on the above-mentioned Chieftains recording, did I hear what might have been a trace of boxiness. And that was on the instruments, not on the vocals. Since I am not intimately familiar with the live sound of the traditional Irish instruments used by the Chieftains, I can only say that these sounded a little nasal on the C-2 in comparison with their sound on the big Veritas v2.8.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Decription: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 6.5" woofer with injection-molded, aluminum/polypropylene cone. Crossover frequency: 1.8kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz–25kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m, anechoic. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (4.5 ohms, minimum). Recommended amplifier power: 30–130Wpc.
Dimensions: 17.75" H by 9.7" W by 9.75" D. Weight: 38 lbs/pair.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 005866/7, 009248/9.
Price: $700/pair (1996); no longer available (2008). Approximate number of dealers: not…
Sidebar 2: System
Associated equipment used in the review included the Theta Data III CD transport, Mark Levinson No.36 D/A converter, Rowland Consummate preamplifier, and Carver AV-806x amplifier, with some use made of the Aragon 8008. Cables consisted of Kimber AGDL digital from transport to D/A, TARA Labs RSC Reference from D/A to preamp, Cardas Hexlink from preamp to power amp, and Monster M1.5 (bi-wire) loudspeaker cables. Additional equipment was used as noted.
Initially, the C-2s were set up on solid 20" stands from Merrill, and while the performance on the Merrills was…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
John Atkinson measured the Energy C-2 and provided me with the results after I had completed my listening tests.
The Energy's sensitivity measured to specification at 88dB/W/m (B-weighted). Its impedance characteristic is shown in fig.1. This is an undemanding load, with a minimum impedance of 4.6 ohms at about 160Hz. The port is tuned to 40Hz, visible on the curve as the typical tuned-port saddle dip. The small wrinkles in the curve at just over 200Hz indicate possible cabinet resonances, and the small discontinuity at 23kHz is the ultrasonic tweeter…
Ah, Miss Julie.
One of my 2008 "Records To Die For" picks was the 1991 compilation Time for Love: The Best of Julie London (CD, Rhino R2 70737). The source material runs from London's mono 1955 debut LP to her last stereo album, of 1967. Originally a Hollywood B-movie actress who had to be cajoled into singing in public, London (1926–2000) later enjoyed a successful third career as a television actress in the late 1960s and '70s, and played Nurse Dixie McCall in the drama series Emergency!
As far as I can tell, the Rhino remaster is the most readily available CD…
As one example, I think that Renaissance Audio's MLP-403.5 at $1090/pair is a screaming bargain that punches far above its price class. I just love it. You (or someone you live with), however, might think its looks, its bulk, or both instantly and totally disqualify it, and might by far prefer DALI's Ikon 2, despite its bass not having the heft or punch of the Renaissance. Horses for courses.
Two other points before we get going: All of the speakers I am investigating for this project are stand-mounted. I believe (and I believe that John Atkinson agrees with me) that in this price tier,…
Sidebar: 2.5 Cheers For Standmounted Speakers!
Despite the obvious advantage of floorstanding loudspeakers—you don't need stands—as well as the generally held perception that floorstanders fit more easily into a wider range of home decorating styles, many experienced critical listeners aver that, between otherwise similar floorstanders and stand-mounts, the latter usually sound better. Or, to put it another way, many critical listeners believe that below some threshold (such as $5000/pair), floorstanders are often compromised designs, and that a similarly priced stand-mount will usually…
Determined to find out more about Revel's Ultima Salon2, I tracked down designer Kevin Voecks late on the second day of the 2008 Consumer Electronic Show. I persuaded him to step outside the demonstration suite of Harman International Industries, Revel's owner, high atop the Las Vegas Hilton. We spent an hour chatting about Voecks's design goals for Revel's new flagship. I asked Kevin what had led his team at Revel to develop a new Ultima Salon loudspeaker after 10 years?
Kevin Voecks: In other words, why did it take so long? We didn't bring out a new Salon right away because we didn't…
Whenever an audio high-ender thinks about tubes, he usually thinks about Audio Research. This is only natural, because Audio Research Corporation was almost single-handedly responsible for saving tubes from oblivion in the early '70s when everyone else switched to solid-state. But ARC was soon joined in its heroic endeavor by an upstart company called Conrad-Johnson, which entered the fray in 1977 with its PV-1 preamp, priced at an affordable (even then) $500.
Today, Conrad-Johnson is firmly established as the second most highly regarded manufacturer of tubed audio products. (In…
There is no negative loop feedback anywhere in the Seven; just the local feedback which occurs "naturally" in all cathode follower circuits. All stages but one are resistance/capacitance coupled, via fat (1½" diameter) 2µF/250V polystyrene caps, custom-made for C-J, and the associated resistors are large noninductive metal-foil types. Even in the power supply, there are no electrolytic capacitors in audio-rated circuits; the B+ filter caps are polystyrenes and polypropylenes. (B+ power-supply capacitors aren't exactly in the signal path, but they are in the circuit which supplies the…