Steven Stone

SigTech TF 1120 Time Field Acoustic Correction System
Digital Processor Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Aug 12, 2021  |  First Published: Dec 01, 1996  |  0 comments
Imagine an electronic magic wand you could wave at your listening room's acoustical problems to make them disappear. The Cambridge Signal Technologies SigTech TF 1120 may be just such an alchemical device. Its efficacy depends on the nature of the acoustical warts in your listening environment. Operating solely within the digital domain, the SigTech device can perform both drastic and subtle frequency-response and time-domain corrections that are beyond the scope of analog-based units. While the TF 1120 is expensive, in some situations it may still be the most cost-effective way of coping with acoustical gremlins. Is it the solution to your problems? Perhaps.
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SOTA Vanguard II CD player
CD Player/Transport Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Apr 05, 2018  |  First Published: Feb 01, 1995  |  9 comments
The Greek myth of Odysseus has always been a favorite of mine. For an audiophile looking for a CD transcription system under $2500, it seems to be an especially appropriate metaphor. Almost all the units I've heard since CD's inception fall into one of two camps: the Sirens or the Rocks.

For those of you not up on your Greek mythology, the Sirens were the archetypal seductresses whose sweet songs lured sailors to drive their ships upon the rocks. Siren CD players are those that soften and sweeten the sound. Their primary purpose is to seduce, to give a false sense of comfort to their victims; their fidelity to the truth is secondary to their desire to elicit a positive emotional reaction.

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Gradient SW-57 subwoofer
Subwoofer Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Oct 11, 2010  |  First Published: Jan 11, 1994  |  0 comments

There are two kinds of audiophiles: those who own original Quad ESL speakers and those who don't (footnote 1). This review is for the former, although the latter may find it of some interest. The Gradient SW-57 subwoofer attempts to do for the original Quad (footnote 2) what Gradient's SW-63 (footnote 3) does for the Quad ESL-63: supply the bottom octave while relieving the ESLs of the strain of reproducing low bass.

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Manley Labs Reference 240 monoblock power amplifier
Tube Power Amp Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Sep 11, 2009  |  First Published: May 11, 1996  |  0 comments
In the name of journalistic ethics (footnote 1) I have to come clean. David Manley once gave me a gift. He presented me with a large, rather heavy, Russian-made watch at the 1995 Las Vegas WCES. A very manly watch: In fact, it said "Manley" right on the dial. The watch worked fine for about six months. Then it developed a very subjective approach to timekeeping. Time stood still, and my life wasn't even passing before my eyes. The watch has become a nice, albeit slightly ugly, mini–boat anchor; now my rubber ducky stays where I put it in my bathtub.
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Threshold T2 preamplifier
Solid State Preamp Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Apr 03, 2009  |  First Published: Jul 03, 1995  |  0 comments
Threshold is one of the longest-surviving high-end audio companies. Founded in the 1970s by Nelson Pass and René Besne, it was acquired by a large, publicly traded corporation in 1988. This had both positive and negative results in that Threshold was then able to expand its activities, adding the cost-effective Forté line of products, but energies were drained away from cutting-edge design. Besne left the company in 1991, while Pass resigned in 1992 to pursue other interests. (These blossomed into the Pass Aleph 0 amplifier reviewed by DO in March '95, Vol.18 No.3.)
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Pass Aleph 1.2 monoblock power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Apr 13, 2008  |  First Published: Nov 13, 1997  |  1 comments
We all have biases. The trick is knowing your biases so they don't get in your way. Mine are pretty obvious. I don't like "fussy" gear that demands special care and feeding. I'm lazy—I want to just turn stuff on and begin listening. Perhaps that's why I have a positive bias toward Nelson Pass's designs. They're reliable, untweaky, and usually sound good.
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Bryston 10B electronic crossover
Miscellaneous
Steven Stone  |  Apr 02, 2006  |  First Published: May 02, 1994  |  0 comments
"Crossovers? We don't need no stinkin' crossovers!" Most Stereophile readers probably feel this way when it comes to third-party electronic crossovers. In this day of proprietary "soup-to-nuts" speaker systems, nearly all manufacturers supply complete systems. Nevertheless, some brave (or foolish) souls still choose to sail in uncharted crossover waters. Most do so because they're insanely in love with their current speakers, and have an irrational desire for that last bottom octave. Others have "orphaned" speakers that are not readily upgradeable to the next level of performance. I fall into the second category.
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Green Mountain Audio Diamante loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Dec 04, 2005  |  First Published: Jun 04, 1994  |  0 comments
I live in a house that has a pyramid-shaped roof, so I guess you could say that I have a thing for pyramids (footnote 1). That's probably why I was immediately drawn to the Green Mountain Audio Diamante. I'm also attracted to floorstanding speakers with small footprints, since my listening/video room is only 13' by 16'. My Holy Grail of loudspeakers is a small speaker that's flat between 20Hz and 20kHz, can do 110dB sound-pressure–levels without straining, and costs less than $1000/pair.
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Fanfare FT-1 FM tuner
FM Tuner Reviews
Steven Stone  |  Oct 03, 2004  |  First Published: Jun 01, 1994  |  1 comments
The official designation for FM is Frequency Modulation, but I think FM stands for Fresh Music. Since before the age of recorded time, FM has been where you go to hear new music, be it the latest Jimi Hendrix album or a recent release from the Kronos Quartet.
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Dunlavy Audio Labs Signature SC-VI loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsAudacious Audio
Steven Stone  |  Aug 24, 1998  |  First Published: Aug 24, 1996  |  0 comments
In this age of $70,000-plus "flagship" designs, perhaps $25k is no longer an obscene amount to pay for a pair of loudspeakers. Still, it's mucho dinero. What makes a speaker worth this kind of bread? Does the product's intrinsic value really warrant such a lofty cost, or is it merely a matter of pricing at what the market will bear? The answers to these questions requires careful examination of not only the speaker, but also of the buyer's own soul, priorities, and pocketbook.
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