Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Dahlquist DQ-10 loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Mar 03, 2008  |  First Published: Jan 03, 1977  |  0 comments
The Dalhquist DQ-10 loudspeaker has not as yet been formally submitted for review. (The designer tells us he is still working on the low end.) We auditioned a pair at the one local dealer we could find who had the DQ-10s on demo, and were immensely impressed. Obviously, Jon Dahlquist is on to something that other speaker designers have been overlooking, for, despite the multiplicity of driver speakers in the system, the DQ-10 sounds like one big speaker. There is no awareness of crossovers or separate drivers (except at the low end, about which more subsequently), and the overall sound has a degree of focus and coherence that is surpassed only by the Quad full-range electrostatic, which don't go as low at the bottom or as far out at the top.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon HoltStand Loudspeaker Reviews
Fulton Musical Industries Model 80 & "J-Modular" loudspeakers
J. Gordon Holt  |  Jun 11, 2006  |  First Published: Sep 11, 1976  |  2 comments
In the last issue we published a rather enthusiastic "Quickie" report on a small, $190/pair speaker system from a new company—the FMI Model 80. It was virtually devoid of low end, even as a stereo pair (pairing effectively doubles bass output), and slightly rough as well as a shade soft at the high end, but it had a quality of "aliveness" to it that almost defied belief. Was it a breakthrough in design? A new transducing principle? No, it was neither. In fact, the Model 80 looks like any one of those hundreds of little bookshelf systems that clutter, the pages of Stereo Review's "Hi-Fi Directory" in tedious profusion.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
Magnepan Tympani I loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Jan 09, 2006  |  First Published: Jun 09, 1975  |  0 comments
The Magnep1anar Tympani I that is the subject of this report is already an obsolete model, having been superseded by the Tympanis IA, II, and III that were unveiled at the CE Show in Chicago this past June. Since many of our readers already own Tympani Is, and dealer stocks of them are being sold at a substantial price reduction, the report should still be of interest. We will publish follow-up reports on the newer models as soon as they become available for testing.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Ohm Acoustics F loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Nov 06, 2019  |  First Published: Oct 01, 1974  |  2 comments
We have still not received a pair of these for formal testing, which may be a good thing in view of our feelings these days about "updatings." (Our feelings about such are clarified in this issue's "As We See It.")
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Hegeman Model 1 omnidirectional loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Dec 03, 2019  |  First Published: Sep 01, 1973  |  15 comments
Ye Editor had his first exposure to a true omnidirectional speaker system 15 years ago, while he was employed as chief equipment tester for High Fidelity magazine. The speaker was a most unusual-looking device for its time, being roughly a foot square and standing 3 feet high, with a "cube" of grille cloth at the top like a cupola. Inside the cupola was an 8" woofer facing upwards. Directly above it was the weirdest-looking tweeter you ever saw.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Infinity Servo-Statik 1 loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Nov 25, 1996  |  First Published: Dec 01, 1970  |  0 comments
An equipment reviewer for one of the consumer hi-fi magazines once confided to a manufacturer that he found it hard to like electrostatics because of the kind of people who usually like electrostatics. His implication—that certain kinds of people gravitate towards certain kinds of sound—is an interesting thought, and one that might bear some further investigation. But there is no questioning the fact that electrostatic speakers in general do have a particular kind of sound, that might be characterized as "polite."
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
KLH Model Twelve loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  May 12, 2022  |  First Published: Feb 01, 1968  |  4 comments
The idea of a loudspeaker system whose frequency response could be tailored to suit room acoustics and/or personal taste is one that has always appealed to the high-fidelity perfectionist. Ideally, such a loudspeaker would allow you to raise or lower the level of any part of the audio spectrum to correct for, say, a sharp 370Hz room resonance or a mild absorptive condition that weakens, say, the 800Hz–3kHz range. Obviously, though, this kind of flexibility would require an infinite number of bandpass networks, each with its own volume control—which is an obvious impracticality.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Janszen Z-600, Z-900, & Z-960 loudspeakers
J. Gordon Holt  |  Mar 10, 2022  |  First Published: Dec 01, 1966  |  5 comments
The Z-600 is the latest of the "console" (as opposed to "bookshelf") systems made by Neshaminy Corp., and using Janszen electrostatic tweeters (footnote 1) and a Neshaminy-designed 11" woofer. The nominal crossover frequency is 1500Hz, with a broad overlap between the woofer's top and the low end of the paralleled tweeters. Tweeter level is not adjustable (footnote 2).
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
KLH Model Nine loudspeaker
J. Gordon Holt  |  Mar 05, 2006  |  First Published: Jun 05, 1966  |  0 comments
Editor's Note: Although this product has been available for several years, it is being reviewed in considerable detail because it is a strong contender for the title of "Best Available Loudspeaker System, Regardless of Cost," and because we plan to review some of the other contenders for the same title within the next few issues. We feel that since all of these systems represent a considerable outlay of money, prospective buyers should have a thorough understanding of the merits and demerits of each system, so they will know what to expect from them in the way of performyince capabilities and operational requirements.
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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Altec A-7 & Electro-Voice Patrician 800 loudspeakers
J. Gordon Holt  |  Mar 08, 2021  |  First Published: May 01, 1966  |  10 comments
In the introduction to "Recommended Components" in the final issue in Volume One of what was then called The Stereophile, published in May 1966, founder J. Gordon Holt briefly described his Top-Rated Loudspeaker Systems.

Altec A-7
A highly efficient horn-loaded system for use in large to very large listening rooms (at least 15' from the listening area), or for very high-volume "Row-A" listening. Excellent woofer-tweeter blending, moderately deep (useful 45Hz limit in most rooms) and very taut, well-defined low end. Highs smooth and slightly soft, yielding most natural high-end quality at high listening levels. Middles smooth, rather forward, placing closely miked instruments somewhat in front of the system itself.

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Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsHistoricalJ. Gordon Holt
Electro-Voice Model Two & Model Six loudspeakers
J. Gordon Holt  |  Nov 11, 2020  |  First Published: Sep 01, 1964  |  9 comments
These are two of Electro-Voice's "middle-ground" speaker systems, filling the quality (and price) range between the huge Patrician 800 and the diminutive Coronet system.
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