Stereophile 2008-04

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“Modern recordings, for all their glory…have conditioned audi-ences to expect an inhuman degree of performance accuracy, com-parable to what a recording studio’s editing team can produce bypatching together the best moments from multiple takes.”

—James F. Penrose, Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2008

Well, color me conditionedfor perfection.

The January 25 editionof the Wall Street Journal fea-tured James F. Penrose’sreview (http://online.wsj.

com/article/SB120122345824015449.html) of Kenneth Hamilton’s book After theGolden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Per-formance (Oxford University Press, 2007;hardcover, $29.95). Through analysis ofpiano performance practice as it haschanged over the last century and a half,Hamilton claims that the ubiquity of “per-fect” recordings has coupled with critics’fanatical devotion to the urtext—the originalscore that supposedly contains all of thecomposer’s original intentions. Modernrecordings and overly revered scores havecreated a climate in which classical musi-cians are playing scared as they try to be asperfect and faithful as possible. To quotePenrose, Hamilton’s book is a lament for“the loss of a passionate, individualistic, free-form performance style” in classical music.

It does not surprise me that modernrecordings have helped replace musicians’quest for excellence with an obsession forperfection. As the artistic director andrecord producer of the male vocal ensembleCantus (whose last seven CDs have beenengineered by Stereophile editor John Atkin-son), I feel the simultaneous need to createspontaneous and passionate concerts andrecordings as well as note-perfect perfor-mances and immaculately sung CDs.

Recording is a problem. First and fore-most, it removes the temporal aspects ofmusic. For thousands of years, music existedonly in the moment it was being per-formed. Small glitches in intonation couldeasily be forgiven and forgotten if the rest ofthe performance was compelling. Recordedmusic, on the other hand, must stand up torepeated listening. What begins as a singlemoment in time is turned into a permanentdocument that can be dissected until theend of days. To boot, modern audio equip-ment captures and reveals not only thebeautiful nuances of a performance, but alsoits flubs and farts.

A musician’s goal for any performance isto connect on a deeply emotional level withthe audience. In a live concert, performers

take their cues and inspiration from theenergy of the hall and the audience. Record-ings, however, are mostly made in emptystudios void of applause or, often, of realacoustics. If much of what inspires perform-ers to make spontaneous and daring musicin the first place is absent during a recordsession, perhaps it is only natural that weturn to the musical score as the sole author-ity and standard.

The predominant wisdom is that a clean-ly performed work will satisfy most peopleover repeated listenings. One of my favoritesongs is “Cello Song,” by Nick Drake. Itmoves me, sometimes to tears. But damn, Iwish that cellist had played in tune at theend! Sometimes it annoys me so much thatI have to skip ahead to the next track beforethe end of this great song. That’s a shame.One more take and a few edits could havefixed it right up.

Given the ease of creating a perfect per-formance, there seems to be no good reasonnot to edit like crazy. A typical classicalrecording can have as many as 25 edits perminute of music, and today’s software putshigh-quality splices within reach of evenamateur engineers. But if all we ever hearfrom recordings is perfection, then perfec-tion is what we come to expect in the con-cert hall—cleaner recordings lead to cleanerperformances lead to cleaner recordings.Eventually, the music is scrubbed to death.

The roots of this idea go back to FelixMendelssohn and beyond. “It is inartistic,nay barbaric, to alter anything [composers]have written, even by a single note,” saidMendelssohn. An argument could be madethat this is precisely the reason classicalmusic is unpopular with modern audiences.A typical performance becomes more of amuseum exhibit than something vital.

Hamilton asserts that treating the score asan ideal was not always the predominateview in music. Virtuosos such as Franz Lisztand Frédéric Chopin, as popular in the 19thcentury as rock stars are today, would oftenimprovise on a theme before busting into aBeethoven sonata. Almost all early operaarias included repeats during which thesoloist was expected to improvise, and

Mozart, Beethoven, and their contempo-raries treated their concertos as vehicles fororiginal, spontaneous cadenzas.

Classical music used to be populatedwith many musicians who strongly assertedtheir own voices while performing com-posed music. For them, the compositionwas merely the vehicle for the performer’svision and talents. The danger is that someperformers put themselves before the com-

position, to the music’s detriment. I cameacross a disco version of “Nessun Dorma”on YouTube that’s particularly heinous( w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v =4y275vvxtPA). Good gravy, it’s bad.

For me, in the musical debate of compos-er vs performer, the truth lies in the middle.

On one hand, it is the job of the per-former to understand what the composerwas after. All glimmers of original intentand aesthetic can be lost if the performerdoesn’t take the time to care about the com-poser or the composition. The performermay lose track of what made the musicgood in the first place.

On the other hand, a score is not music,just as a map of Niagara Falls is not the falls.The map shows us how to get there, but ithas no falling water, no ability to inspire orawe. A good composer is able to createwithin each piece a set of rules—harmonicchanges, development, architecture, etc.The performer must read between the linesand extract the piece’s own interior logic.Compositions require, as Hamilton puts it,summarizing Liszt’s view, “an inspired per-former for realization.” Historical researchcan also give musicians good insight, butagain, worshiping conjectured performancepractices of the past can create cults toowacky for even Tom Cruise to join.

And yet, for all of music’s difficulties,sometimes, in the concert hall and on disc,the balancing act is managed. Sometimes, theperformer and the composition put downtheir dukes and become a harmoniouswhole. Sometimes, a performance’s calcula-tion sets it free to form an ephemeral bridgebetween musician and listener. In suchmoments, we remember why music is a vitalpart of our lives. And isn’t that perfect? ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 3

AS WE SE E ITEr ick L ichte

Inhumanly Perfect Performances?

MODERN AUDIO EQUIPMENT CAPTURES ANDREVEALS NOT ONLY THE BEAUTIFUL NUANCES OF APERFORMANCE, BUT ALSO ITS FLUBS AND FARTS.

4 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

A P R I L 2 0 0 8VOL.31 NO.4

EQUIPMENT REPORTS144 PSB Synchrony One loudspeaker

(John Atkinson)

155 Hansen Prince V2 loudspeaker(Wes Phillips)

165 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex loudspeaker(Art Dudley)

173 Silverline Audio Minuet loudspeaker(Robert J. Reina)

183 Soundsmith SMMC1 moving-iron phono cartridge(Michael Fremer)

189 Meridian F80 music system(Wes Phillips)

FEATURES

60 RecommendedComponentsThe Stereophile writers ratethe gear they’ve found to be thebest. Highly Recommended.

135 Anne Sophie Von OtterHer personal journey throughmaking music of the doomed.

139 Big DipperThe reunion craze has finallyfound a worthy subject. Thehappy return of Boston’s brightest stars.

FOLLOW-UP161 Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy System 8

loudspeaker(Wes Phillips)183

37

INFORMATION208 Audio Mart204 Manufacturers’ Showcase206 Dealers’ Showcase207 Advertiser Index

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 5

S T E R E O P H I L EA P R I L 2 0 0 8

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193

COLUMNS3 As We See It

Erick Lichte holds forth on the ‘untidiness’ of art as music.

11 LettersThis month, readers want Stephen “happy,” love Mikey, appreciate JA’s efforts,express themselves delicately, agree with Art, understand the need for convenience inmusic playback but fear for audio quality, delight in Mikey’s passion and wit, and compare audiophiles to other niche hobbyists.Get on your Soapbox! Visit www.stereophile.com.

17 Industry UpdateHigh-end audio news, including dealer seminars, plus: A new Stereophilerecording, Rachmaninoff: The Piano Sonatas, available on our website; newson the update of the LFD Zero; a visit to LP pressing plant, Record Technology,Inc.; the updated Never-Connected Isolating Power Supply.Want to know more? Go to the “News Desk” at www.stereophile.com for up-to-the-minute info.

29 Sam’s SpaceSam Tellig visits with Triangle in France and listens to the Antal Ex and Titus Exloudspeakers.

37 Analog CornerMichael Fremer brings us his views of the CES in Las Vegas this past January.

47 ListeningArt Dudley has a listen to the Rethm Saadhana loudspeaker.

53 The Fifth ElementJohn Marks listens to some great recordings and uses a Sony PS1 as a CD player.

131 Book ReviewKalman Rubinson reads and reviews Surround Sound: Up and Running(Second Edition) by Tomlinson Holman.

133 Book ReviewArt Dudley reviews Swiss Precision: The Story of the Thorens TD 124 andOther Classic Turntables by Joachim Bung.

193 Record ReviewsApril’s “Recording of the Month” is The Third Man by trumpeter Enrico Ravaand pianist Stefano Bollani. In classical, we have reviews of new recordings byPhilip Glass and Huelgas Ensemble. In rock/pop, we have new recordings byRonnie Earl, Danny & Dusty, and The Heavy. In jazz, there’s Pat Metheny, EdReed, and Horace Silver.

201 Manufacturers’ CommentsThis month, we hear from Wireworld, Fried, Triangle, Rethm, Silverline, andMeridian on our reviews of their products.

210 Aural RobertA legal bootleg? You’d have to be crazy, right? Meet the brave and talented DavidPrinz.

Rachmaninoff:

The Piano SonatasAvailable at www.stereophile.com

(see p.17)

6 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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Keep Stephen happyEditor:Stephen Mejias’s blogs on your websiteare a revelation (http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias). His insight, writingability, and humility show a grace andrespect for the subject matter and read-ers that are welcome and rare. Keep thisguy happy—he is a valuable asset toStereophile and its website. Roger Vance

[email protected]

Mikey makes them happyEditor:I am 57. I have read Stereophile since it wasa staple-and-fold. I worked in high-endaudio for may years. My wife and I loveanalog and vinyl. One of the main reasonswe continue to subscribe to Stereophile isMichael Fremer. Thomas Stroud

Address withheld by request

JA keeps him readingEditor:I sincerely appreciate the effort that JohnAtkinson puts forth to keep science alive inour hobby. Whether through his equip-ment measurements or providing an outletfor Keith Howard’s most excellent articles,it’s the only reason I continue to subscribeto Stereophile. Please keep up the good andworthy work. Bob Reynolds

Lafayette, [email protected]

Ask Dima!Editor:While I’m immensely enjoying the factthat Sam Tellig introduced me to yourinternational readership in the Februaryissue of Stereophile (in his report on theLFD Integrated Zero Mk.III LE integrat-ed amplifier, p.19), my wife feels quiteuncomfortable with some parts of Sam’scolumn. Here’s one example: “I wantsound so good I piss in my pants,” say I.

“Any other way to express yourself?”she asked me later.

So I would be grateful if Stereophile’seditor allowed me to express myself inmore delicate terms.

As your typical hi-fi consumer, I regardyou guys at Stereophile as a married manregards the editors of Penthouse. While I’mhappily stuck with my wife until the endof my life, they’re trying something newfor every other issue! What a life!

The only thing an average reader canhope for is to get a wife whose goodlooks, temperament, and other charac-teristics will make other men turn theirheads for many years to come. Youknow, eventually one can get bored withalmost anything, but the positive reac-tions of other guys at something in yourpossession serves as the best confirma-tion that you’ve made the right choice!

I use this analogy because I’ve noticedthat I listen to my stereo system muchmore critically in the presence of peoplewho deal on a daily basis with live andrecorded music. My work with America’smajor Russian daily newspaper, NovoyeRusskoye Slovo, has helped me befriend alot of Russian musicians who entertainAmericans in all kinds of venues, fromRussian restaurants in Brighton Beach toCarnegie Hall. Some of them appreciatemy wife’s cooking, accompanied by copi-ous quantities of good wine of my choos-ing. That gives me a fantastic possibility totest my equipment with the best ears inthe Tri-State Area.

So far, the LFD integrated amplifier haspassed these tests effortlessly. The LFDsounds so good it’s scary. This means that Iowe dinner (with copious amount of wine)to Sam, who brought this amp to my houselast fall, then put me in touch with FidelisAudio, where I later bought one.

After all, maybe I owe Sam more thanone dinner. The thing is that my goodfriend Vladimir Lamm, whose fascinatingamps and cellar I’ve enjoyed for manyyears, says that if one wants to build a goodstereo system, he has to spend close to halfa million bucks, and then some more tobuild the right place for it. These numberssound okay when you are finishing offanother bottle of Château Margaux, butnext morning they are what they are—adream. According to Vladimir, there’s avery slim chance that you can assemble adecent stereo system for less. With theLFD I did exactly that, and my friends’envious “Wow!”s and “Ah!”s just prove thatthere are some really affordable thingsworth having for a long time—and possiblyfor your entire life. Vadim Yarmolinets

[email protected]

Ask ArtEditor:It is very tempting for audiophiles to forget

about the music and get wrapped up in thetechnology. A number of audiophiles Iknow are dumping their vinyl in favor of“lossless” digital streamers or music servers.I own one myself, and I understand theconvenience of the things, but the soundquality doesn’t come close to a decent ana-log rig. We have been through this beforewith digital technology—it was called theCD—except now we have WiFi and USBconnections involved!

As I told John Atkinson at the 2007Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, I think it was asmart decision to bring Art Dudley toStereophile. His recent articles discussing step-up transformers and Shindo equipment havebeen excellent. Art seems to understandthat, first and foremost, an audiophile’sequipment should serve the music, not ourdesire for fast-and-convenient. Scott Bayne

Charlotte, NC

A different focusEditor:I would like to offer a few comments onJohn Atkinson’s editorial on “CD Quality”in February 2008, particularly on AnthonyTommasini’s description of MP3 quality inthe New York Times as “good enough.”

My experience in postproductionaudio—working with musicians, composers,and producers—showed me that their pro-fessional focus is quite different from thatof a serious music listener. The profession-als want to hear details of a performancerather than a pleasing sound. There is astory of a recording engineer who playsback a take from a session to one of theperformers and forgets to switch theDolby-A processor to Decode. (For thosewho never worked with these devices, theDolby-A noise-reduction system appliedcompression and high-frequency boost tolow-level signals during recording and thenapplied the opposite on playback. Unde-coded Dolby was nasty-sounding becausethe compression brought up noise duringquiet sections and brightened everythingpainfully.) Much to the engineer’s surprise,the musician is delighted with the soundbecause it is so revealing; he can hear muchmore detail in his playing.

I think it is much the same with produc-ers and conductors. Many of them insist onlistening through loudspeakers that wouldmake an audiophile cringe. But that outdat-ed device with its inaccurate reproduction

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 11

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be sent as faxes or e-mails only (until further notice). Fax: (212) 915-4164. E-mail: [email protected]. Unless marked otherwise, all letters to the magazine and its writers are assumed to be for possible publica-tion. In the spirit of vigorous debate implied by the First Amendment, and unless we are requested not to, we publish correspon-dents’ e-mail addresses. Please note: We are unable to answer requests for information about specific products or systems. Ifyou have problems with your subscription, call toll-free (800) 666-3746, or e-mail [email protected], or write toStereophile, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 13

is their reference, and they know how theywant a performance to sound using thatreference. Again, they are not interested inan ideal listening experience, but in specificinformation from a recording.

Along these lines, I would also agreewith Tommasini that convenience or effi-ciency can outweigh sound quality. Whendigital audio recorders first became avail-able, many in the audio business switchedto them because they eliminated the prob-lem of “generation loss.” Unlike analogtape recorders, their digital replacementsmade copies without adding (significant)distortion or noise. No more need forDolby noise reduction or painstaking cali-bration and setup when copying. Thequestion of whether they added somevague “digital” quality or sonic degradationwas entirely secondary to their enormousadvantages in everyday use. Vincent Gizzi

East Hampton, [email protected]

A man can dream?Editor:I read February 2008’s “As We See It”with interest, then followed the link toAnthony Tommasini’s article in the NewYork Times (so easy to do if you’re readingthe digital edition of Stereophile, by theway!) about the demise of the audiophile.

I worked for HMV Canada from 1986to 2005, and it always amuses me whenpeople talk about the CD replacing thevinyl LP. My own experience tells me thatthe CD actually replaced the humble pre-recorded cassette. In our small suburbanstore, by 1989 our standard split for a newrelease was 200 tapes, 50 CDs, and 25 LPs.The LP was a distant second to tape evenbefore the CD was introduced.

Cassettes were popular then for all thereasons MP3s are popular now. Theywere convenient and portable. One cas-sette could go from car to beach to Walk-man to home. Also, like MP3s, cassettesallowed you to make your own compila-tions (now playlists in Applespeak). Inever bought a prerecorded tape in mylife because the sound quality was hor-rendous—much worse than even a128kbps MP3 is today—but lots of peopledid buy them. Then the CD came along,offering a combination of sound qualityand convenience, and that was that.

But the prime mover was always conve-nience. That’s why, when MP3 camealong, CD’s days were numbered. MP3swould never win the battle on sound quali-ty alone. My hope for the future is that, asdata storage gets cheaper and bigger, theneed to compress files will diminish. I alsohope that the music industry will abandondigital rights management and make high-bitrate downloads available for purchase,with great incentives like liner notes, art-

work, etc. The potential is there for amusic-delivery system that will again com-bine convenience and sound quality andsurpass anything that has come before. Ofcourse, I also hope for peace in the MiddleEast and a Stanley Cup for the TorontoMaple Leafs. One of these things has tohappen in my lifetime, right? Michael Quinn

[email protected]

Sense will prevail?Editor:The February 2008 issue of Stereophile hasjust dropped through my door. I thorough-ly endorse the sentiments John Atkinsonexpressed in his editorial, “‘CD Quality’:Where Did the Music Go?” (p.3). When Iwas spending more time in studios, engi-neers would regularly express frustrationwith the level of compression that clientsdemanded and the limitations of MP3s.Hopefully, sense will eventually prevail,because if it does not, the audiophileindustry will wither away. Robert Kelly

[email protected]

Educate the kids!Editor:I heartily applaud Mikey’s sentiments inhis February “Analog Corner” (pp.24–33),especially with regard to Anthony Tom-masini’s absurd piece in the November 25New York Times, “Hard Being an Audio-phile in an iPod World.” What puzzles memost, however, is Apple’s failure to pro-mote the high-end capabilities of iPods.

As a Mac fan, I keep abreast of Applenews, and it appears that Jobsy wants toupgrade iPods for online purchase of hishorrible reduced files on iTunes andwhatever other function he can dreamup to keep iPod sales up now that somany have been sold.

Where is there ever a mention of thejoy of connecting a big iPod directly to agood high-end rig and listening to WAVfiles through it, when one is not on themove in some uncomfortable aircraft orlying in bed at night enjoying great musicthrough a good pair of headphones?

There is plenty of “convenience”involved—I live for the moment in SouthAsia, but have half of my Swiss home’snon-classical CD collection with me on theiPod in WAV format to listen to here,without the bind of transporting kilos ofdiscs. I cannot reasonably use myNaim/Sonus Faber Cremona setup in atropical brownout environment, even withoccasional air-conditioning, so when I goback to Switzerland I can listen to the discsthat I have bought here (which I enjoy hereon a robust little Rotel-Rega system withvoltage smoother and spike protection) anddon’t want to carry back there yet.

How has this sort of informationescaped unrecognized? Many of my other

equally ancient friends (and some notnearly so old) are totally unaware of thehi-fi possibilities of iPods, and are aston-ished when I show them how good theycan be. When they realize they are notdoomed to files with one-tenth the CD’sbitrate, they usually rush off to buy them-selves the “new toy”! MP3s have theiruses for auditioning tracks online, and Iuse them for meditation when I don’twant to “listen,” as such, to the music, butthey are not musical at all in themselves,and at almost 60, I can still clearly hearthe difference between MP3, Apple Loss-less (what a joke!), and WAV files. So canour kids, so why the general ignorance?

Apple still has a substantial new mar-ket there, if only they would realize it.Why should young people be allowed tokill off music? There will be no morerecorded music soon if nobody is inter-ested in investing in it; ie, in occasionallybuying something! Pig ignorance.

I cannot believe that there are really sofew of us left who actually enjoy musicpurely for itself. Kids need to be educatedand given the chance of hearing real music.The good folk at Apple are not helpingthemselves here. Kingsley Flint

Colombo, Sri [email protected]

Laying waste to evildoersEditor:Michael Fremer has again produced a bril-liant counterstroke, laying waste to theevildoers (February, p.24). Not only wasthe Amazing Randi thoroughly bloodied,but the entire staff of the Wall Street Journalwas sent reeling. I also appreciated hisability to put the capitalist pigs at McDon-alds in their place via metaphor. I alsoagree wholeheartedly with his positionthat besmirching an otherwise excellentcandidate with the truth is reprehensible.Down with Swift Boaters.

This may be what your magazine trulyneeds. Talking about etch and veils mayhave a transitory effect, but lining up thecitizenry behind a true cause, the inerrantviews of Mr. Fremer, has a purer and tran-scendental quality. Once again I must com-mend Mr. Fremer on the fearless adher-ence to his values, which he so nobly saidwere absolutely correct. Harold Truman

[email protected]

Honesty and passionEditor:With great interest, I read Michael Fre-mer’s “Analog Corner” in the February2008 issue of Stereophile. After somethought, I may be able to shed somelight on the apparent apprehension ofnon-audio critics to accept audiophiles astheir peers. Perhaps some backgroundwould be of use before I continue.

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O RL E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

The February 2008 issue of Stereophile isthe first audiophile magazine I have pur-chased, and I am now a subscriber. For 15years and counting, I have been fascinatedwith automobiles, which will always bemy primary passion. However, through afew chance encounters with true audio-philes and their impressive systems, I havebeen sucked into the world of high-endaudio. Suffering through Cleveland win-ters while the back roads and tracks arecovered in snow should give me ampletime to feed my new interest.

Let me also state that I am not new tohigh-quality music, though I am relativelynew to the systems and devices that repro-duce it. I grew up hearing my father’s vinylrecords reproduce an array of Hendrix,Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Phil-harmonic, Peter Green and FleetwoodMac, the Beatles, and many others. Theviolin has been part of my life since I wasnine years old (and led me to a near-unhealthy preference for Mendelssohn),and has trained my ears well. Currently Ilisten to a wide array of music and watch avariety of movie genres.

So, what does my automotive back-ground and “just-joined” audiophile rankgive me that allows an otherwise missed

observation to be expressed? In a word:perspective. My automotive tastes lean tothe performance side. This niche withinthe industry shares many qualities with theaudio world, particularly when it comes togarnering respect from other critics. Inshort, most other critics, including others inthe automotive industry, tend to turn uptheir noses at the sports-car enthusiast.Both industries also share the fact that thereare near-perfect examples for critics to referto. This “perfection” goes beyond absoluteperformance and lies in an item’s ability toalign all necessary components so that theeffect of the whole is far greater than theparts. Yes, that sounds like a cliché, but it iswhat makes the merely excellent a full-onclassic. Most important, though, the indi-vidual elements can be measured, and are,except in very rare cases, superior to thecompetition. Many other disciplines canclaim there are perfect examples, but mea-suring the differences between examples issimply not possible.

It is this last element that draws firefrom other fields. How can you measurethe flavor of food? How do you define theobjective nature of a new song? How doyou quantify the impact of a piece of art?It’s possible that, over time, people may

develop ways of measuring these things,but the fact remains: they are art, and aresubject to the reviewer’s preferences. Yes,cars and speakers can be considered art aswell, particularly in appearance. However,the goal of their use has a well-defined andprecise objective. A performance car hasseveral measurable criteria that ultimatelylead to the goal of a vehicle that is fast onthe road and track, relying on acceleration,braking, grip limits, adjustability, surfacefeedback, etc., to create that speed. Forspeakers, the goal is to reproduce soundexactly as it was recorded, with anyinevitable residual colorization comple-menting (as opposed to degrading) therecording. Ultimately, this can be mea-sured. And, much like the best road edi-tors, audio reviewers simply have a gift fordetecting the objective components whilestill considering the subjective elements.

Other critics will not accept the audio-phile into their fold because, quite simply,most disciplines are not measurable anddo not have “perfect” artifacts by whichto judge other, newer items. The automo-tive world has them, as does the audioworld. It requires a great deal of skill andgood taste to be a reviewer in such anenvironment. I have a feeling I will enjoy

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learning the details and subtleties of theaudio world as much as I have come toappreciate such things in the performanceautomotive world.

Many thanks to Michael Fremer for anhonest and passionate column. Chris Doersen

[email protected], OH

The difference between the automotive andaudiophile worlds is that if you ask the averagenon-enthusiast to name some hot cars, he mightanswer “Maserati, Ferrari,” etc. Do the same forhot audio and the answer is invariably “Bose.”

—Michael Fremer

Get back to businessEditor:Please tell Mikey:1) Anyone who prefaces himself withsuch monikers as “Amazing” or refers tohimself in the third person is a moronand/or a blowhard.2) It takes two people to have an argument.3) He will only convince the ignorant ofhis point of view, not the stupid.4) His wife is correct in saying he isgrumpy. I’d like to add whiny, too.5) Stupid bets for large amounts ofmoney are too good to be true.6) My favorite regular column is “Analog

Corner.” Get back to the analog busi-ness, Mikey. Andy Gastwirth

Rockville, [email protected]

Help neededEditor:For the last six months I have been sort-ing out the personal files of the lateRichard Heyser. After Dick Heyser diedin 1987, Amy Heyser and John Prohs col-lected his personal notes and test equip-ment. Eventually they arrived at Colum-bia University, under the watchful eye ofDoug Jones. Doug told me that he origi-nally had six boxes of papers from Dick’slab. He then “sorted” these six boxesdown to three or four boxes of informa-tion that would have significance.

Around 2004, I started studying TimeDelay Spectrometry, the Audio EngineeringSociety’s anthology of Heyser’s writings(available from www.aes.org/publications/anth.cfm). I read it so many timesthat I almost memorized it. I actuallystarted to understand some of it! I calledDoug and found out that Dick’s paperswere being scanned. Unfortunately, theywere disorganized and were scanned in asis. I offered to organize them for free if

he would send them to me. In June 2007,Doug sent me a Mac mini with boxesone, two, and three scanned in.

After sorting these files for about sixmonths, I have found that I need somehelp. For example, I have found an articlewritten for The Abso!ute Sound. I am won-dering if there are any other papers/arti-cles that Dick wrote for other audio mag-azines. Time Delay Spectrometry includes allthe papers Dick wrote for the AES andAudio magazine, but not anything that hewrote for the Journal of the Acoustical Societyof America (JASA). It would help metremendously if I could get a list of papersDick wrote for JASA.

My gut feeling is that Dick’s heart leanedmore toward the audiophile communitythan the technical community. “Let me putthis another way,” he wrote: “You out there,Golden Ears, the person who couldn’t careless about present technical measurementsbut thinks of sound in gestalt terms as aholistic experience. You’re right, you know.”(Time Delay Spectrometry, p.139)

If anyone can help, please send me ane-mail and I will send you a completelist of what I am looking for.

Bob [email protected]

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THE WEBJohn AtkinsonIt starts quietly enough, with a simplefalling-fifth motif, but the first move-ment of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s

neglected Piano Sonata 1 develops intoa work of epic proportions nearly 40minutes in length, with hauntingmelodies, massive dynamic contrasts,and lush, sensual harmonies.

Back in 1990, when Stereophile firstrecorded Canadian pianist Robert Sil-verman (see www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/311), the repertoirewas Brahms. But during the sessions Itold Robert that someday I’d like torecord him performing the two Rach-maninoff sonatas. “I’ve already recordedthe first sonata,” he said. “It was releasedas a Marquis LP in the early 1980s.”

I looked up the Fanfare review of thatrelease: “Silverman’s performance [ofRachmaninoff’s First Piano Sonata in DMinor] is a gradually expanding one.His shaping of the multiple elementsthat structure the first movement isimpeccable. The deeply resonant soundof the piano enhances its great drama.But wait till you get to the unspeakablybeautiful Lento. Few pianists can floattreble melodies as sensitively as Silver-man can. I’ve heard no other pianistplay this movement with such consum-mate poignance. The tone bespeaksregret and loss, but it is also phenome-nally gorgeous. The sound of therecording is spacious and full. Certainly,this recording must be included in thetop two or three outstanding renditionsI have ever heard. This is the kind of‘big,’ thunderous playing that makesone want to hear more.”

Sonata 1 was recorded on both ana-log and early digital tape; Robertrecorded Sonata 2 in 1991 with the

intention of coupling it with therecording of Sonata 1 on a CD. Unfor-tunately, the digital master tape ofSonata 1 was unusable, so the projectwas abandoned.

Until a decade later, when DavidLemon of Canadian record labelOrpheumMasters, which in 2000 hadreleased my recording of Robert per-forming the complete BeethovenPiano Sonatas (now sold out; seewww.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/298), suggested that they issue aCD mastered from the analog tape ofSonata 1 and the digital tape of Sonata2. According to Robert, David askedwhat had happened to the earlier ana-log master.

“Well, it couldn’t have been anygood by now. I kept it in my attic for20 years, not in a climate-controlledvault. Still, it was worth a try. I got outmy old half-track open-reel recorder,found the two huge Ampex pancakes,and plopped the first one onto themachine. The tape was in pristine con-dition, and the performance of the firsttwo movements was every bit as goodas the one that had been released onLP. Unfortunately, time had not beenso kind to the second reel. There wastoo much stretching, flaking, andwarping for the tape to be usable. Wewere back where we started.

“Then I remembered that, beforebeginning the ‘official’ recording ses-sion, I had done a runthrough of theentire sonata, which had been recordedbut not used in the final edits. Siftingthrough my large stash of master tapes,I found it and cued up the third move-ment. Magically, the tape was in per-fect condition.”

The CD, issued a few years ago asOrpheumMasters KSP 802, sold rela-

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 17

INDUSTRY UPDATE

C A L E N DA R

Those promoting audio-related semi-nars, shows, and meetings should fax(do not call) the when, where, andwho to (212) 915-4164 at least eightweeks before the month of the event.The deadline for the June 2008 issueis April 1, 2008. Mark the fax “Atten-tion Stephen Mejias, Dealer BulletinBoard.” We will fax back a confirma-tion. If you do not receive confirmationwithin 24 hours, please fax us again.

Attention All Audio Societies: Wenow have a page on the Stereophilewebsite dedicated entirely to you:www.stereophile.com/audiophilesocieties. Check it out and get involved! Ifyou’d like to have your audio-societyinformation posted on the site, e-mailChris Vogel at [email protected] andrequest an info-pack.

Please note that it is inappropriatefor a retailer to promote a new prod-uct line in “Calendar” unless this isassociated with a seminar or similarevent.

C A L I F O R N I A❚ Sunday, April 6, 1–4pm: SignalsSuperFi, LLC will host a special eventfor the Los Angeles and OrangeCounty Audio Society in the BuenaPark Holiday Inn’s Sierra Ballroom.Chris Sommovigo, president of SignalsSuperFi, will present the GermanPhysics HRS-120 loudspeakers, VitusAudio SS-010 amplifier, and Stere-ovox cables. Lunch will be served, andthere will be a raffle. Guests and newmembers are invited. For more info,visit www.laocaudiosociety.com or callBob Levi at (714) 281-5850.

❚ Sunday, April 27, 2–5pm: The LosAngeles and Orange County AudioSociety will hold its monthly meetingat Evolution Audio and Video inAgoura Hills. Audyssey’s room-EQ sys-tem will be featured. Lunch will beserved, and there will be a raffle.Guests and new members are invited.For more info, visit www.evolutionhometheater.com, www.laocaudiosociety.com, or call Bob Levi at (714)281-5850.

❚ Saturday, May 24, 5–8pm: The LosAngeles and Orange County Audio

18 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

tively well, butO r p h e u m M a s t e r sthen went out ofbusiness. Stereophilebought the remainingstock of the CD insummer 2006 to sellon its website, andthey were all gone intwo weeks. When Isuggested to Robertthat it would beworth reissuing therecording as aStereophile CD, heagreed. The result,Rachmaninoff: ThePiano Sonatas (Stereo-phile STPH019-2), isnow available for $12plus S&H from ourwebsite’s secure e-commerce page:http://ssl.blueearth.net/primedia/home.php.

Robert Silverman’s monumentalrecording of the two Rachmaninoffsonatas is a must-have for anyone wholoves the sound of the piano and appre-ciates virtuoso performances of virtu-oso works.

UK: CLACTON-ON-SEAPaul MessengerCoincidence is a remarkably effectiveway of focusing the attention. PaulBurton had brought the final version ofhis radical Omnimon speaker for areview to appear in a UK magazine. Aswe chatted about this and that, hedescribed the strange circumstancesthat, on Christmas Eve, had caused hisbeloved LFD integrated amplifier toexpire. It wasn’t the amp’s fault—ablack neoprene washer used to insulatea speaker terminal had, gradually andentirely unexpectedly, been trans-formed from insulator to conductorover a 24-hour period, short-circuitingthe output and causing the amplifier tooverheat until a diode blew. Burtontook his amp back to LFD’s factory inClacton-on-Sea, on England’s EastCoast, where LFD’s Dr. Richard Bewsrepaired it, then began telling Burtonabout his latest product.

At that point in my conversationwith Burton, the doorbell rang. It wasUPS, delivering the February 2008edition of Stereophile. I ripped open theenvelope, began flipping through theissue, and almost immediately, on p.19,at the head of Sam Tellig’s column,stumbled on a picture of the LFDamplifier Burton had just been talking

about. Sam and I often cross paths, inboth the companies we visit and theequipment we write about, whichwould be much less galling were henot a far better writer than I. This time,however, I’m able to take one of hisstories a stage further—because whenBurton visited Bews just after Christ-mas, he discovered that the LFD Inte-grated Zero Mk.III LE that Sam wroteabout will shortly be replaced by anupgraded model that will look ratherdifferent and cost rather more.

I rang Bews. It seems the currentmodel will be soon phased outbecause the existing stock of caseworkwill soon be gone, and the supplier ofsaid casework has recently gone bust.So it goes: the best of all possible rea-sons for introducing a new model.(The new version should be in pro-duction about the time this presentissue hits the newsstands.) Besidesintroducing a new case and feet, Bewswill also incorporate a number ofimprovements in the integrated’sinternal components. The changeswill involve an increase in price, in nosmall part because of the cost of thenew front panel, which will be heftierand prettier. Bews was dismissive ofthe need for costly casework thatmakes no contribution to perfor-mance, but acknowledged that it hasbecome an increasingly unavoidableaspect of the audiophile sensibility.

Bews has some interestingly forth-right views on hi-fi and amplifierdesign. He earned his doctorate at thesame time as Dr. Paul Mills (now atTannoy), working with Dr. MalcolmOmar Hawksford at the University ofEssex, and founded LFD some 20

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

Angeles and Orange County AudioSociety will hold its monthly meetingat Brooks Berdan, Ltd. in Monrovia.Featured gear will include McIntoshelectronics and Wilson Audio Spe-cialties loudspeakers. Special guestsBernie and Paul Grundman ofStraight Ahead Records will talkabout their audiophile recordings. Asoftware raffle is planned and dinnerwill be served. Guests and new mem-bers are invited. For more info, visitwww.brooksberdanltd.com, www.laocaudiosociety.com, or call Bob Levi at(714) 281-5850.

❚ After eight years at their old location,The Audible Arts has moved to amuch larger space at 412 E. CampbellAvenue, Campbell. The Audible Artsnow offers nearly 3000 square feet ofspace, with dedicated two-channeland home-theater rooms, as well asLP and CD sales. For more info, visitwww.audiblearts.com or call (408)376-0861.

C O L O R A D O❚ Saturday, April 19, 11am–5pm:Audio Unlimited will host an openhouse with Atsushi Miura of Air Tight,Art Manzano of Axiss Audio, andPeter McGrath of Wilson Audio Spe-cialties. Featured gear will include thenew Air Tight Reference System,Accuphase DP700 disc player, and Wil-son MAXX 2 loudspeakers. For moreinfo, call (303) 691-3407 or [email protected].

WA S H I N G TO N❚ Saturday–Monday, May 24–26: TheVacuum State of the Art Conference(VSAC) will take place at the Vancou-ver Hilton. For more info, visitwww.vsac2008.com.

C A N A D A❚ Thursday–Sunday, April 3–5: FestivalSon et Image, co-sponsored byStereophile magazine, will take placeat the Sheraton Centre, 1201 René-Lévesque Boulevard West, in Montreal.The first day is for trade-only. For moreinfo, visit http://www.fsiexpo.com/2007/b/index_EN.html.

C Z E C H R E P U B L I C❚ Saturday–Sunday, March 29–30,10am–6pm: High End Praha will takeplace at the Corinthia Towers Hotel inPrague. For more info, visit www.high-end-praha.cz.

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years ago. He describes the art ofamplifier design as one of “multi-dimensional optimization,” and if hisbasic circuits are relatively convention-al, his choices of specific componentsand their implementation are anythingbut. Bews is particularly critical of the“engineering” approach to hi-fi, whichhe believes is far too simplistic: audio isnot technically truly definable, requir-ing the designer to have a “feel” for theend result. Bews described himself asmore a scientist than an engineer: “Ascientist is only as good as his lastapproximation.”

LFD amplifiers comprise a mix ofcomponents and construction thatwould probably puzzle most audioengineers. Combining circuit simplici-ty with the careful selection of passivecomponents—he has much sympathywith Japanese audiophile practice—Bews regards the holistic, subjectiveperformance of the whole sound as theonly true target. Bews is the HestonBlumenthal of British hi-fi, for theobvious parallels between the way he“cooks” together an amplifier’s variousingredients, and chef/author Blumen-thal’s “molecular scientific” approachto gastronomic superiority.

I asked if the new integrated ampwould have a new name. Bews, slightlybemused, clearly hadn’t consideredthis. He isn’t into marketing, as youmight have guessed from the compa-ny’s almost invisible profile. (There’s awebsite, www.lfdaudio.com, but it isn’tmuch use; UK distributor AanvilAudio probably has rather more info atwww.aanvilaudio.com.) “Let’s makeone up,” he suggested; “something tohighlight the new casework.” We set-tled for “Integrated NCSE,” though Idoubt Bews will remember that nextmonth, or even next week—he’s notreally interested in such trivia.

US: CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIAJason Victor Ser inusIt’s said that your first experience onentering a space sets the tone for all thatfollows. At LP pressing plant RecordTechnology, Inc. (RTI), that experienceis my encounter with veteran pressmanRichard Lopez, who responds to myrequest for direction. As he leaves hisvintage record press to lead me toowner Don MacInnis, Lopez readsaloud the sticker on a box of recentlypressed LPs. “WORLD’S FINEST PHONO-GRAPH RECORDS,” he declares withpride. As I reflect on how few workerstoday feel so connected to the products

they make, Isense thatsomething spe-cial lies ahead.

Soon thisvinyl virgin issitting in thecozy Acous-Tech master-ing facility inC a m a r i l l o ,C a l i f o r n i a .Tucked intothe rear of oneof RTI’s build-ings, this hard-ly prepos-sessing space—one of perhapsfour rooms inwhich vinyl is still mastered exclusivelyin the analog domain—is often consid-ered the best-sounding LP masteringand lacquer-cutting studio in the US.Alongside me and MacInnis are thedesigner of the facility, Kevin Gray,almost 54, and his longtime partner inmastering crime, Steve Hoffman, 54.

“Between us, we have 108 years ofexperience,” Hoffman quips. They’vealso mastered a good 10,000 albums.Outside the room is an oft-pho-tographed wall displaying covers ofsome of the facility’s prized platters.Seeing all those titles together mightreduce Mikey Fremer to jelly.

Soon among us is Chad Kassem,whose Acoustic Sounds label is prepar-ing to issue up to twenty-five 45rpm,180gm LPs from prized Blue Notemaster tapes. Not only are these boysso accustomed to visitors that nothing I

ask distracts them, but Gray laterthanks me for not being a clone of oneself-assured reporter who challengedhis every move and decision.

Hoffman does most of the talking.“What we’re doing in here is basicallythe same thing they’ve been doing since1887. The cutting process really hasn’tchanged. You take some soft materialand make a record. Emil Berliner turnedit into a flat disc instead of a cylinder.Our main concern is that when I decidewhat I want the recording to sound like,the lacquer should sound the same.”

It helps that this may be the onlycutting room in the world that usespure class-A amplification, all the wayfrom the tape machine to the cuttinghead. Gray began building the trans-formerless room in the late 1970s, andhas recently installed top-of-the-lineAudioQuest cables. “I stayed away

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 21

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

Above Jason Serinus shows off the Blue Note LP covers.Below: Acoustic Sounds’ Chad Kassem (l) and RTI’s Don MacInnis (r)

pose in the library.

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22 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

from this audiophile stuff until JoeHarley convinced me to try it, and I’vebeen very happy.” Soon will comeaftermarket power cables. Citing myown experience, I predict that Graywill then be an even happier camper.

Hoffman explains that the leg-endary Rudy Van Gelder created theclassic Blue Note sound. “The beautyof working with a Rudy Van Geldermaster is that he’s a very predictableengineer. Everything has a similarsonic signature, which makes it veryeasy for us. He favored a vibrant,slightly over-the-top coloration. It’s afairly bright sound. Even though hehad a very high ceiling in his cuttingroom, he rode his equipment a littleharder than usual. If you remove thesignature, people feel you’ve lost themagic. We have to be careful to retainit while making the instruments soundas neutral and lifelike as possible.

“We have a diamond here. We pol-ish it and put it in the best possiblelight. Other mastering engineers havetheir own ideas of what sounds best.Our philosophy is not to play God.We’re not trying to reinvent history,not trying to make something soundmodern. And we’re certainly not goingto resort to digital restoration, whichkills the life as it kills the hiss.”

Out with Mono: Gray, Hoffman,and Kassem soon launch into the firstof several intense spiels about thestereo pedigree of these master tapes.(“Make sure your readers see this,”insist the latter two more than once.)While many record collectors hold fastto the belief that Van Gelder’s BlueNotes were intended solely for mono

distribution, Kassem points to thehandwriting on each open-reel masterthat clearly states that the recordingsare stereo.

“They were released in monobecause stereo albums cost a dollarmore,” he says. “They felt therewouldn’t be enough interest to justifythe effort. We’re not going to keepanyone from enjoying the full soundby collapsing the soundstage and hid-ing their wonder. There aren’t many—10 to 20—people on the planet whohave heard these master tapes. Anycritic who says that the only good BlueNote is a mono Blue Note hasn’theard the masters.”

As Hoffman plays a reel, he points tothe oscilloscope on the board, whichshows energy in the center of thesoundstage. This is easily confirmed bylistening. While on most tapes someinstruments are positioned closer tothe left and right mikes, most place thepiano and bass in the center. To Hoff-man, that sounds as if you’re in a really

good seat in a club. And while theever-secretive, 85-year-old Van Gelderhas often insisted that he didn’t payattention to such things, Hoffmanbelieves that you can’t get sound likethis without really trying.

“We give audiophiles the master-tapesound, not the original Blue Note LPsound. You can’t tell me that the audio-phile wants to hear sound as it was com-promised back then. You’d have to playit on a Zenith. They were very scared toleave too much bass, treble, or dynamicrange on the record, because the tone-arm would jump out of the groove.Nowadays, we can finally accomplish

what Rudy Van Gelder would have onlydreamed of hearing 40 years ago.”

Missteps and Triumphs: To learnmore about the Blue Note masters, I callBlue Note authority Michael Cuscuna,at Mosaic Records (www.mosaicrecords.com), in Stamford, Connecticut.Cuscuna has handled all Blue Note reis-sues for EMI since 1984, supplying tapesfrom the vault in Los Angeles.

In the 1970s, when Cuscuna beganworking with Blue Note, one of theengineers at the United Artists studiosnoticed that oxidation had begun tocause flaking on some of the mastersrecorded in the 1960s. After convinc-ing the powers-that-were to makenew, second-generation “masters”from some of the masters, those origi-nals were scrapped. The substitutesused the early Dolby process, whichresults in a loss of detail and openness.Of 400 Blue Note masters recordedbetween 1950 and 1970, no one nowknows for certain how many are origi-nal masters and how many are second-

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

Steve Hoffman adjusts the equalization controls (above),aided by Kevin Gray (right).

Tempting, but you won’t hear this claim from us.

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and the biases of their maker. So it is with the new Alexandria Series 2. And, barring some single set of

objective criteria against which every loudspeaker on the planet—including the new Alexandria—could be

measured, it would be, at best, disingenuous to suggest something so absolute.

The aim behind every product Dave Wilson has made is simple: create loudspeakers that sound to him

most like real music. Loudspeakers that re-create—for him—as much of the emotional experience of live

music as possible.

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dria thrilled Dave and the hundreds of music lovers around the world who bought them. Dave was justly

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Hardly. So began a quest. The quest of the perfectionist who knows there never really is such a thing as

perfection. It involved taking a fresh look at what he knew. It also meant discovering what he didn’t yet

know.

Listening to live music played in the world’s greatest concert halls has always been a major part of that

learning experience. As he listened, Dave formed a crucial new insight...

2233 Mountain Vista Lane, Provo, UT 84606 . 801-377-2233 . wilsonaudio.com

Wilson Audio . Authentic Excellence

the world’s best loudspeaker?

24 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

generation copies. (While I’m atAcousTech, Kevin Gray and SteveHoffman identify a copy by its inferiorsound, set it aside, and inform ChadKassem that he must remove it fromhis reissue list.)

“When 12" LPs came out,” Cuscunaexplains, “labels needed to build uplarge catalogs in order to make money.There was a massive amount of record-ing activity in all genres. An amazingamount of independent labels poppedup to record massive amounts of mod-ern jazz during its heyday in New YorkCity. Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, whichwas owned by Alfred Lion, became thestudio of choice.

“Other labels would hire musiciansto go into studios without planningand rehearsals. Alfred invested in plan-ning and paid pre-rehearsals, and care-fully formed ensembles. By doing so,he inspired musicians to create a lot oforiginal compositions that becamestandards.” He cites, as only three ofmany examples, Horace Silver’s “Songfor My Father,” Lee Morgan’s “TheSidewinder,” and John Coltrane’s“Blue Train.”

“If you’re an improvising musicianand you haven’t rehearsed, you’re goingto play your best solo while everyone isstill working out the tune. By the timeeverything is worked out, everyone isburned out. Alfred’s approach created amore lasting body of work. It wasn’t asmuch a case of whom they recorded astheir methodology, which drew out thebest possible performances.”

Master Masterers: Asmuch as I’d love to relay allkinds of anecdotes about thechallenges Steve Hoffman andKevin Gray encounter duringthe mastering sessions, I wit-ness none. These boys knowthe sound of the facility and theVan Gelder masters like thebacks of their hands. Decisionsare made fast, almost as secondnature. For Kenny Dorham’sWhistle Stop, they discover plen-ty of headroom, so they add abit of excitement. (Earlier inthe day, they treated other titlesdifferently.) I leave for a while

to tour the facility, andby the time I returnthey’re working onanother tape. On the sec-ond day of my visit, thefinal session ends early.

“When Kevin and Iwork in this room,” says Hoff-man, “I basically focus on thesound I want to hear. I rely onKevin to perfectly translate thatsound to the phonograph record.Kevin has been cutting recordssince he was in high school, andhe knows what he’s doing. Weknow each other’s moves; wefinish each other’s sentences.Our spouses are amused by it.”

Back home a month later, Iunpack some test pressings ChadKassem has sent me. Though Iknow I can never dare lookdirectly into Mikey’s eyes until Iown a record-cleaning machine,my Clearaudio turntable, solidly

supported by a Symposium platform, isequipped with a brand-new The Voicecartridge from Soundsmith that’s raringto sing. Bybee Golden Goddess speakerbullets—you need not genuflect—bringout all the detail that the rest of the chaincan possibly reproduce. Playing side B ofDexter Gordon’s Dexter Calling…—Ihave no list of track titles—I hear themost realistic-sounding drums everreproduced by my system. It’s as thoughI’m sitting at the point of creation, expe-riencing the same high that broughtsuch gifted musicians together as one.Steve Hoffman, Kevin Gray, ChadKassem, and Don MacInnis have doneRudy Van Gelder and his Blue Noteartists proud.

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

Cutting the master.Below: Note the word “Stereo” on the original master tape box.

Kevin holds the master.

Quite possibly.

The Musikverein in Vienna, Austria is certainly regarded in the handful of top halls in the world, halls that

listeners and musicians alike revere for their acoustic felicity. Whether by ingenious design or sheer luck,

the Musikverein is universally acclaimed for its ability to make the musical experience that much more

involving, more emotional, more “right.”

Several of Dave Wilson’s most epiphanic musical experiences have taken place in this room.

So it was only natural that, as he began to develop the new Alexandria, he asked the question, “Why?”

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Music springs off the stage with alacrity and nuance—even at low volume. The Musikverein radiates dy-

namic intensity and a sense of musical intimacy, even though it seats 1600 people.

Dave knew that’s what the new Alexandria needed to sound like. He embarked on a process that involved

countless hours of testing and listening trials. In the end, it meant designing an all-new midrange driver

and redesigning the tweeter. Finally, each crossover was meticulously tweaked to exploit these advances.

'LG�'DYH�DFKLHYH�KLV�JRDO"��6XIÀ�FH�LW�WR�VD\��'DYH�LV��RQFH�DJDLQ��WKULOOHG��6XIÀ�FH�LW�WR�VD\��ZH·UH�H[FLWHG�IRU�

you to discover the emotional intensity of music heard through the Alexandria Series 2.

2233 Mountain Vista Lane, Provo, UT 84606 . 801-377-2233 . wilsonaudio.com

Wilson Audio . Authentic Excellence

the world’s best concert hall?

26 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

UK: WORCESTERPaul MessengerThe more I mess around with my hi-fisystem, the more important the role ofthe power supply seems to become.On the one hand, our system compo-nents slowly but incrementallyimprove as the years pass. On theother, our supply of electricity slowlybut surely becomes more polluted,either through acting as an antenna foran ever-increasing amount of RF radia-tion, or through the growth of high-frequency switching power supplies inmany household devices—these days,even light bulbs. It would be simplisticto say that the benefits of the formertend to be canceled out by the effectsof the latter. It’s just as likely that theimprovements in system componentsare making limitations in and interfer-ences with the power supply thatmuch more obvious.

To some, it seems an extraordinaryidea that the AC supply would haveany impact at all on the sound—cer-tainly, that used to be the orthodoxview. But anyone who has experi-mented with their AC supply willknow, the reverse is true. After all, ahouse’s power supply is the solesource of energy for the entire system;the quality of the delivery of thatenergy must in some way correspondwith the quality of the signal that’sultimately reproduced by the system.(Caveat: I live in the UK, the land of230V/50Hz; circumstances in110V/60Hz territories such as the USmight well be different, though I’msure similar problems exist.)

Many different approaches to powerdelivery have evolved in recent years,with, in my experience, decidedlymixed results. For example, filtering orsynthesizing the AC supply can clean itup, but usually also leads to a highersource impedance, which can “slow”the sound and limit dynamic expres-sion. The ultimate test came when Itried a system of battery and inverterthat “simulated” the power supply. Itsignificantly lowered background hash,but at the cost of some loss of speedand attack. It all comes down to per-sonal preferences and priorities.

In the October 2003 “IndustryUpdate” (Stereophile, Vol.26 No.10), Idescribed a much less extreme andexpensive way of completely isolatinga component from the power supply.The Never-Connected Isolating PowerSupply, from Fenson & Co., Ltd.(www.never-connected.com), is the

idea of British inventor RichardGeorge. I return to it now because ithas just undergone a major v.2upgrade, and has been made rathermore flexible. George’s N-C approachis founded on the fact that a powersupply draws AC from the main supplyonly during the brief period of thesinewave cycle, when the voltage onthe transformer secondary is higherthan that on the supply rail. The N-Capproach isolates the equipment fromthe AC supply at this part of the cycleby diverting incoming current into astorage capacitor, then releasing itwhen the supply stops flowing.

This unquestionably clever ideahas the fundamental practical disad-vantage of operating on the rectifiedDC side of the supply, after the indi-vidual component’s transformer. Andbecause such a transformer is usuallypart of the specific component, an N-C supply usually must be fitted dur-ing manufacture, or retrofitted bysomeone skilled in DIY electronics.N-C power supplies are now incor-porated in the new products of sever-al British brands, including TrichordResearch, J.A. Michell, AstinTrew,and ECS, and are available from Tri-chord as DIY kits.

However, an increasing number ofhi-fi components, such as phonostages and other accessories, use wall-wart power supplies that generatealready-rectified low-voltage DC,and the output of these could certain-ly be cleaned up by a plug’n’play N-Csupply. Just such a standalone 5V sup-ply, specifically designed to power thepopular Logitech Squeezebox wire-less networkmusic player, is alreadyclose to production; more flexible/adjustable versions are planned.

No less significant are the N-C’sv.2 improvements, the result of fiveyears of development work on theoriginal N-C. It was found that theoutput regulator and switching cir-cuits were critical determinants ofsound quality, and that even the bestintegrated-circuit regulators had high-er noise levels and lacked the soundquality of the equivalents constructedfrom discrete components. Compre-hensive listening tests were then con-ducted to find the best-sounding dis-crete components. N-C v.2 is claimedto deliver the best results when usedto power analog line-level stages,especially those in CD players, pream-plifiers, and the input and drive stagesof power amplifiers. ■■

I N D U S T R Y U P D AT E

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www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 29

Sam visits Triangle’s New Owner

S AM ’S S PAC ESam Te l l ig

“Who is GeorgeS a n k ? ”

My wife,Marina, want-ed to knowwhy a posh

Paris hotel, the Four Seasons George V,is named after a British monarch. And Ido enjoy lecturing.

George V (George Cinq en français)was King of England during WorldWar I, when Britain came to the aid ofits ally France. But following the Bol-shevik Revolution, in 1917, George Vabandoned his cousin, Tsar NicholasII. Prime Minister Lloyd Georgeoffered asylum to the Russian monarchand his family, but George V torpe-doed the idea. Some hold “GeorgeSank” partly responsible for what befellthe Romanoffs.

History of a more cheerful sort wasmade last fall, when Triangle Electroa-coustique held a major internationalpress event at the Four Seasons GeorgeV Hotel, just off the Champs Elysées—the first such event since OlivierDecelle took over the company in2006. (Paul Messenger wrote aboutthe change in ownership in the Febru-ary issue’s “Industry Update.”)

With some chutzpah, Triangle nowcalls itself “The French loudspeakercompany.” Eh, bien. While Triangle isactually France’s No.2 speaker manu-facturer, they have a huge domesticpresence. France accounts for three-fourths of their sales.

You trip over Triangle everywhere:When you shop for books, CDs, or adigital camera at fnac, the largestFrench retailer of cultural and con-sumer electronics products. When yourent a video. When wifey wants awashing machine. Good hi-fi is widelyavailable in France.

Maybe it’s because the French stillsit down to listen to music. There seemto be plenty of melomanes—musiclovers—in France, judging by the num-ber of music festivals and the fact thatFrance supports two major classical-music magazines.

Triangle makes budget models forthis broader domestic market, includ-ing the floorstanding Thema, which I

heard in the fnac base-ment. Through somearm-twisting byRichard Kohlruss, ofVMAX Services, Tri-angle’s US and Cana-dian distributor, theThema is now avail-able in the US for$1695/pair. I wonderif it will run on myflea-watt Sun AudioSV 2A3 amplifier.We’ll soon find out.

Triangle founderRenaud de Vergnetteremains with the com-pany. Olivier Decelledescribes him as a con-cepteur—a superb ideaperson—and not justfor hi-fi. Renaud hascreated some of hisown furniture, includ-ing a dining table thatstores cutlery in drawers built into thelegs. No need to miss a beat if someonedrops a fork.

Renaud wasn’t trained as an engi-neer and doesn’t have a businessdegree, which make his accomplish-ments all the more remarkable. TheFrench hi-fi scribes revere him. He’spassionate about jazz and classicalmusic. He avoids e-mail and doesn’thave a cell phone. Born in Paris, henow lives in the village of Droizy, nearSoissons, whose population, at lastcount, was 79. People, that is. Probablyseveral hundred farm animals. Cows,goats, pigs, chickens wander into thelane, which is one vehicle wide.

I once told Renaud that my philoso-phy of life was never to grow up.

“Exactement,” he replied.Renaud did it the hard way. He didn’t

stuff someone else’s drivers into a boxand put his marque on it, but designedand built his own drivers. “If they arenot our drivers, these are not our speak-ers,” Renaud once told me—or words tothat effect. While Renaud has handedover the reins, he remains on board tosay Triangle ou pas Triangle—Triangle ornot Triangle.

In the February issue, my colleague

John Marks cited examples of “conspic-uous production in hopes of conspicu-ous consumption.” I wish I’d writtenthat. Triangle has done the opposite,perhaps to the detriment of its balancesheet. At Triangle, technology doesn’ttrickle down from the flagship Magellanline—it pours. The speakers in the Espritseries come close to the performance ofthe company’s more expensive models.

All this might have been lost hadTriangle been taken over by a multina-tional conglomerate, but OlivierDecelle is determined to keep TriangleFrench: French-owned, French sound.The speakers have a Gallic personalityand flair. After all, someone has towrest good sound from the British.(That’s a joke, JA.)

All loudspeakers are supposed to beneutral, and Triangle has measure-ments to show that theirs are. But that’slike evaluating wine by chemical analy-sis. Great loudspeakers have personali-ties behind them. They exhibit a housesound, even as the manufacturers pro-vide measurements to show that theydon’t. Would you want a world inwhich all speakers sounded [ahem]British? (I do have to give the Chiefwhat to cut, as Marina says.)

Olivier and Anne Decelle at Chateau Jean-Faure.

PHO

TOS:

SAM

TEL

LIG

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 31

S A M ’ S S PA C E

Triangle unveiled so many productsat the George V that there wasn’t timeto hear them all. These included acomplete revamping of the best-sellingEsprit line, all clad in vinyl($795–$2895/pair). The new Genèsemodels are veneered in wood and surelook nice ($2795–$6595/pair). TheMagellan line has filled out, too. I havemy eye on the floorstanding MagellanCello ($12,900/pair).

Triangle does things in style. To helpcalibrate everyone’s ears, they treatedguests to a concert at the Théâtre desChamps Elysées the evening before theGeorge V event: Zubin Mehta conduct-ing the Israel Philharmonic in Mahler’sSymphony 7. Francophiles Paul Mes-senger and Alvin Gold were invited, ofcourse. Alvin, an avid Mahlerian, wasecstatic over the performance.

Renaud de Vergnette founded Tri-angle in 1980, in the ancient city ofSoissons, in Picardy, 65 miles northeastof Paris—in the wrong direction. That’sone reason Renaud loves the place:There is a total absence of weekendingor summering Parisians. L’été? A Sois-sons? But British retirees are moving tothe area. They think it’s warm here,Renaud told me. He calls this la vraiFrance—the real France. Unchanged.Unspoiled. Mostly untrampled byParisians like himself.

Ancient Soissons antedates Romantimes. Julius Caesar mentioned theplace when it was called Suessiones,part of Long-Haired Gaul. An archaeo-logical dig next door could stall anoth-er expansion of Triangle’s facility. Theruins may be pre-Roman.

Today, it’s a time warp. There’s nodirect motorway to Paris, only an indi-rect two- or three-lane highway.There’s no TGV high-speed train ser-vice, only a lazy local from Paris thatstops running after 8pm.

Like Renaud, I love the place, thepeople, the food—robust and hearty,nothing light and trendy. You know

how everyone is thinin Paris? In Soissons,lots of people areBIG. Like me.Richard Kohlruss ofVMAX loves theplace, too. The mis-chievous Renaud putquite a scare intoMarina by suggestingthat we might like tolive in drowsyDroizy, where herecently built ahouse. The Dungeonof Droizy is nearby,where Renaud isrumored to lock uphi-fi critics whoc a u s eh i mgrief.

I ’ dv i s i t e dthe Tri-a n g l ef a c t o r yt w i c ebefore soO l i v i e rDecel lesuggest-ed that,i n s t e a dof north-e a s t ,M a r i n aand Im i g h ts w i n gs o u t h -west, toB o r -deaux, where he pursues his main pas-sion: viniculture. As mes confrères board-ed the bus for the dank delights ofsooty Soissons, I laughed my evil laugh.

Olivier’s father, Armand, establishedthe Picard chain of frozen-food stores(the company used to deliver ice)—notordinary, supermarket frozen food, butgourmet entrées and desserts that har-ried housewives can defrost, heat up, andpass off as homemade. Olivier told methe secrets of Picard’s success: Sell noth-ing you wouldn’t eat and serve yourself,and be fanatical about quality and fresh-ness. Picard’s slogan: plus frais que frais(fresher than fresh).

You can check out the website atwww.picard.fr and fret over the factthat Picard stores are found only inFrance and Italy. Couliabac (salmon ina pie crust), escargot, crêpes, quiches,

moules à la marinière—if they flew thisstuff to Manhattan, there would beriots. I know exactly where to putPicard: Grand Central Station. Theydid try a shop in London, but youknow the Brits: fish and chips.

Renaud established Triangle in1980. One of his first dealers wasOlivier, who then, not yet drafted intothe family freezer, ran a small hi-fishop in Paris. Renaud made a sales call,speakers in tow. Olivier liked them,became Renaud’s first Paris dealer, andthe two hit it off. In 1984, Olivierclosed the store and joined his fatherand brother at Picard, but he andRenaud remained fast friends. (AsOlivier told me, in France, dealer meansdrug dealer ; the proper word is revendeur,for reseller or retailer.)

The Decelles sold their majority

Triangle Electroacoustique,Avenue Flandres Dunkerque, Z.I. lesEtomelles, 02200 Villeneuve SaintGermain, France. Tel: (33) 23 75 3820. Web: www.triangle-fr.com. USdistributor: VMAX Services, P.O. Box570, Chazy, NY 12921. Tel: (800)771-8279. Web: www.vmax-services.com.

C O N TA C TS

The historic center of Saint-Êmilion (top), Chateau Jean-Faure, in Saint-Emillion, near Pomerol.

It’s Unanimous!“All of us associated with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra are extremely pleased with the results gained from using the Shunyata Research Hydra and power cords in our reference recording studios.”Peter Poltun, Manager, Vienna Philharmonic

“The Anaconda PowerSnakes, have transformed our Sonoma system, used during the mastering process for the new 5.1 SACD mix of ‘The Dark Side of The Moon’.” James Guthrie, Grammy award winning Producer/Engineer (Pink Floyd)

“We now use the Hydra’s on our Model 2 converters, AES router and main monitor system consisting of B&W 802 speakers and Chord Amps.“Clayton Wood, Senior Engineer, SkyWalker Sound

“I could not recommend Shunyata Research products highly enough.”Rick Rubin, Five-time Grammy nominated Record Producer

“With digital sources it was almost as if we had switched from 44.1k/16 bit to 96k/24 bit. We now run all our analogue machines, workstations and the mixing console from the Shunyata equipment.”

Andy Jackson, Senior Mastering Engineer, Astoria Studio UK

“I would highly recommend Shunyata Research products to any professionalaudio/video facility.”Vlado Meller, Senior Mastering Engineer, New York

“I can honestly say that Shunyata Power Systems do contribute to a more solid, focused and accurate sonic picture.”

Tom Jung, President, Digital Music Products Inc.

“The Shunyata products are the most effective AC products I’ve had in my system.” Robert Harley, Editor-In-Chief, The Absolute Sound Magazine

“Shunyata Research’s power distribution products have provided me with an extremely clean and transparent foundation by which I can check test pressings with full confidence.”Steven Epstein, Producer, 12 time Grammy winner

“Fine layers of haze and noise vaporized with the Shunyata’s feeding my components.”Paul Bolin, Stereophile Magazine

“I’ve run out of words to describe the profound effect Shunyata Research products have had on the SACD experience in our studio.”Jon Truckenmiller, Sr. VP Engineering, Crest National Studios

“Every power amp I plugged into a Hydra sounded noticeably better than when fed straightfrom the wall.”Wes Phillips, OnHiFi.com

“The way my Shunyata-powered system captured and reproduced the low-level resolution of the finest recordings was stunning.”Jeff Fritz, Editor, SoundStage! Magazine

“The Hydra 8 is an Amazing product!”Michael Fremer, Stereophile Magazine

“The Python Helix offered a consistently clearer, more vivid view of the music.”Marc Mickelson, Editor-In-Chief, SoundStage! Magazine

interest in Picard 10 years later. Thecompany then switched hands almost asoften as has Stereophile. Weary ofFrance’s Wall Street types, Olivierdecided to pursue another passion.Today he owns and actively runs threeoutstanding vineyards, including MasAmiel.

His Bordeaux vineyard is ChâteauJean-Faure, located in Saint-Émilion,close to the boundary with Pomerol, inthe heart of Bordeaux red wine coun-try—Cheval Blanc abuts, Petrus is justup the road. You pay a lot more forPetrus than you do for Château Jean-Faure. That’s why Russians love Petrus,Olivier wryly observed. When he canfetch three or four times the price forChâteau Jean-Faure, Russians will lovehis wine, too. (Stock your cellar nowwith 2005.)

In the heart of the Bordeaux wineregion, all the famous vineyards areclose to one another—yet a short dis-tance can make a huge difference in awine’s quality, as Olivier was quick topoint out. It’s mainly a matter ofterroir—the land, the earth, the place.How much sun or shade it gets. Ofcourse, it matters greatly how good awine-maker you are: your skills, staff,barrels, equipment, your weather-fore-casting ability. It’s not an occupation inwhich you can let things slide. Mistimethe harvest by even a day and youcould wind up with sour grapes.

Château Jean-Faure had gone toseed. The Château itself—a heartstop-pingly beautiful building—was in ruins,and the vines weren’t much better off.Olivier gutted the building, saving thewalls. Now the Château gleams like aprecious gem, the vines are meticu-lously manicured, and all the wine-making equipment is up to date.

Olivier is ready to roll up hissleeves—literally. I saw him do it. Whenwe visited, the harvest was just a fewdays away. During the harvest, every-one pitches in—even the accountants—and does whatever is necessary to bringin the grapes.

Travel 20 miles northwest fromSaint-Émilion and you find yourself inone of the most sparsely populateddepartments of France, as well as thehome of expatriate British-designedAudion amplifiers. Again, la vrai France.But that’s another column.

Triangle Antal Ex loudspeakerSeveral months passed before two ofthe new Triangle models found theirway chez nous: the floorstanding Antal

Ex and the stand-mounted Titus Ex. Ireviewed the previous Antal model,the Esw, in Vol.29 No.4. (Don’t tell mydaughter and her husband about thenew version. They have the Esw andstill think it’s the latest.)

The Ex series is new from theground up—new drivers, newcrossovers, improved cabinet bracing.Credit to Renaud for recognizing fromthe start that cabinet vibrations were tobe [ahem] evacuated. A Triangle trait: Àmort les vibrations!

Gone are the Celius and severalother Esprit models. The Antal Ex topsout the line at $2895/pair. If this seemsa steep increase over the Antal Esw,last seen selling for $2249/pair, it is.Blame the Bushwhacked dollar. Thegood news is that the Antal Ex is amuch improved speaker, easily sur-passing the old Celius, which sold forthe same price when first offered.

All models in the Ex series—includ-ing the Comete, which AD reviewsthis month—use the same horn-loaded,1" titanium-dome tweeter. The horn-loaded enclosure is deeper now and ismade of PVC rather than metal. Trian-gle has played around with the phaseplug, too. To my ears, the new tweeteris an advance in terms of smooth,fatigue-free extension. The sound issweeter, more refined. (Marina says Ishould be, too.)

The single 6.3" midrange driver hasa cellulose-fiber diaphragm (in plainwords: a doped paper cone) and a newdouble-fold fabric suspension system.Then there are les boomers (French forwoofers): two 6.3" bass units, each witha fiberglass diaphragm (new for Trian-gle). The crossover frequencies lie at250Hz and 2.5kHz. The frequencyresponse is given as 40Hz–20kHz,±3dB. The sensitivity is said to be91dB/W/m, the nominal impedance8 ohms, with a minimum of 3.4 ohms.

The Antal Ex measures 44.9"(1060mm) high by 14.6" (370mm) wideby 15" (380mm) deep, including itsintegrated plinth, which now comesalready attached. That’s a good thing:dealers and buyers (distributors, too,like Richard Kohlruss’s VMAX) oftenput the plinth on backward. The AntalEx weighs 50 lbs (23kg) and comes withtwin binding posts for biwiring orbiamping. The vinyl-clad finish isCognac, as in Courvoisier. After all, thisis “The French loudspeaker company.”

The redesigned plinth remainsunusual. It gives the speaker stability,making it hard for kids or pets to tip

over. A large cone-shaped foot at thebottom center is said to drain awaycabinet vibrations. A cup for this coneis provided to protect delicate floors.But if you’re a real Triangle buff, you’resure where to place the speakers, andyour wife won’t kill you, you coulddrive a Phillips-head screw into thefloor and sink the large cone into that.

The Antal’s front panel is curved tobreak up reflected soundwaves and pre-serve the imaging. You could leave thegrille in place, but the speaker soundsbetter and looks okay naked. Triangle isnow better able to design its cabinetbracing, thanks to its investment in new

equipment, including a laser accelerom-eter, which you can think of as a superstethoscope. This has ratcheted up thespeaker’s resolution.

In my listening room, at my listeninglevels, I easily got by with last month’sMelody Audio I2A3 push-pull integrat-ed tube amplifier, rated at 18Wpc into 8or 4 ohms. I also tried the 60Wpc, solid-state LFD Integrated Zero Mk.III LEintegrated amp that I used in February.And I used the 9W Quicksilver SETMono Amps with various preamps,including the Audio Electronics AE-3Mk.II line-level. I judged the Antals tobe very amplifier friendly, as I’ve cometo expect from Triangle. Don’t tell Mike

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 33

S A M ’ S S PA C E

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Sanders, of Quicksilver, but in a smallerlistening room, listening close-in, 9Wmight suffice.

Or, if you’re my son, maybe not. Heknows I like Tom Waits, so he gave mea copy of Mule Variations. “Try this withyour favorite flea-watt amp,” he snort-ed, rather like John Atkinson. Yes, it’strue: This was a no-go.

A slow-healing shoulder injury keptme from moving the speakers around,so they stayed where Richard Kohlrusshad placed them: in the nearfield,about 7' from my listening throne. Asper Richard K.’s suggestion (and that ofFrench hi-fi scribes), the speakers wereaimed to cross well behind the listen-ing position; ie, with a slight toe-in. As Irecall, the Antal Esws liked to be a littlefarther back for the drivers to fullyintegrate. This was not an issue withthe Antal Exes: the drivers blendedseamlessly, and the entirely coherentsoundstage went deep and widebehind the speakers.

You want me to write more thanfive sentences about the sound? (Somereaders want me to drone on like anaudiophile.) You know the recordingof J.S. Bach’s violin concertos by theAkademie für Alte Musik? (CD, Har-monia Mundi France [heh-heh]HMC901876). This is a Sam Tellig CDêtre à la morte—a disc to die for.

All right. If you love Bach, get it, goto track 7, and hit Play. Listen as thewoodwind players inhale. Breathtak-ing—literally. Plus frais que frais. Plus vraique vrai, peut-être. There it was: proof ofsingle-ended triode’s superiority topush-pull, and a tribute to the Antal Ex’sresolving ability, as well as its ability toget by with a minimum of watts.

I played this disc with the Quicksil-

ver SET monos for ourfriends Lev and Sonia—noaudiophiles they. Their jawsdropped. Sonia: “Whywould you ever leave theroom?”

The Triangle Antal Ex isa must-hear: the best afford-able floorstander yet fromone of my favorite loud-speaker manufacturers. It’salso one of the most tube-and SET-friendly loud-speakers on theplanet.

I wrest mycase.

Triangle Titus Ex loudspeakerYou do know that Triangle ispronounced TREE-on-gle inFrench, right? And that Titusis not TIE-tus but TEA-tous.Say it: TREE-on-gle TEA-tous. Fun, n’est-ce pas?

An earlier version of theTEA-tous, the Titus 202,was—and still is—a favoriteof mine, because of its abili-ty to soundstage like madin the nearfield, and its wayof running on flea power—amighty 3.5Wpc—from mySun Audio SV-2A3 amp.Alas, I did not have thechance to raise the Sunfrom the basement. But Ican tell you that 9Wpc from the Quick-silvers did just splendidly in my listeningroom, nearfield. How nearfield? Try 6'.

I still got splendid sound when Iused the Titus Exes in the farfield inthe living room, about 15' from my lis-tening chair, but they sounded a littlelost in this larger chamber—not surpris-ing. Consider these speakers for asmaller room and close-in listening.Then, the soundstaging effect, as oneFrench hi-fi scribe noted, is hallucino-genic. I mean the speakers completely“vanished”—a tribute, in part, to thedrivers’ beautiful integration.

The Titus Ex ($995/pair) measures12.6" (320mm) high by 7.5" (190mm)wide by 11.8" (300mm) deep and weighs14.3 lbs (6.5kg). There’s that tweeter ontop—same one as in the Antal Ex. The5.1" bass/midrange driver has a dopedpaper cone. The Titus Ex’s frequencyresponse is given as 55Hz–20kHz, itsnominal impedance as 8 ohms with aminimum of 3.8 ohms; the sensitivity is

specified as 91dB/W/m. The crossoveris at 2.5kHz. Cognac finish only. Thereare two pairs of binding posts, for biamp-ing or biwiring.

Stands are necessary—figure 20" highor so, and you may want to angle thestands up. I recommend Triangle’s ownoddly attractive—and great-sounding—Boomerang stands. They’re expensive at$495/pair, but almost obligatory—they’rethat good. The big cone in the centeracts like the big cone on the plinth of the

Antal to evacuate vibrations. I’ve triedthe Boomerangs with numerous speak-ers, always with excellent results. Withthem, the Titus costs roughly half theprice of the floorstanding Antal.

My gosh, I need to write more thanfive sentences about the sound.

Like other Triangle models, theTitus Ex was fast. Fleet of foot. Itsoundstaged and imaged like crazy, andlent itself to nearfield positioning. Ifyou set them just right, you might besurprised by their bass response. (Youcould always fill in with a subwoofer ortwo.) And, as in the Antal, the TitusEx’s new tweeter is smoother, morerefined than before.

You can find good minimonitors forless, but they probably won’t have suchsophisticated drivers. Their in-housedrivers are why Triangle rules. Like theAntal Ex, the Titus EX is a must-hear.If you don’t believe me, ask Artie Dud-ley—the Comete EX is cut from thesame cloth. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 35

S A M ’ S S PA C E

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The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show

ANALOG CORNERMichael Fremer

Will the current “vinylbubble” suddenlyburst, asm a n yL Po b s e s -

sives fear? Hell, no. Infact, the 2008 ConsumerElectronics Show deliv-ered the message that thewaters of a new analogage have just broken. AtCES 2008,1 there weremore new turntables andassociated gear, and moreinterest in vinyl play-back, than at any show Ican recall since the early1990s. LPs were beingspun all over the show,which was also dominat-ed by an unmistakabletrend back toward two-channel stereo.

Even plasma-displaymaker Pioneer has madea serious commitment tohigh-performance stereo, by better inte-grating its TAD speaker division into theparent company. They showed a proto-type of the TAD Compact ReferenceOne—an excellent-sounding, two-way,stand-mounted speaker designed byAndrew Jones—driven by new Pioneermonoblock amplifiers. A demo using thebig, full-range TADs demonstrated thatopen-reel analog tape still smokes evenhigh-resolution (24-bit/192kHz) digital.

In 1993, Kavi Alexander’s WaterLily Acoustics label released A Meetingby the River, the extraordinary impro-vised collaboration of guitarist RyCooder and mohan vina player V.M.Bhatt (you can spot Bhatt in the DVDof Concert for George). There was never anLP edition of this purist, tube-based,analog recording, which Kavi producedusing custom Tim de Paravicini gear.Now, 15 years later, there is—on two180gm, 45rpm discs from AnalogueProductions. Thanks, Chad Kassem!

Let’s stick with the software newsfor a minute, because surely that and

the sound are what’s driving the moveback to vinyl. All leading indicators

point toan evenstronger2008.

D o nM a c I n -n i s ,owner ofLP press-ing plantRTI, toldme thatR h i n oRecordsh a so rd e re d5 0 , 0 0 0sets eachof LedZeppelin’s The Song Remains the Sameand Mother Ship, both of which arebeing released in 4-LP boxes—in all,200,000 LPs. “They only order whatthey’ve already sold,” MacInnis toldme. That’s for worldwide distribution,but still, given that the CD editionshave been out a while now, the num-bers are amazing. When I asked Donwhen the last time was that he’d seen

such numbers for LPs, he said, “I’venever seen numbers like that—and I’ve

been makingrecords at RTIfor 25 years!”

Then there arethe 12,500 copiesof the Doors’ Per-ception, a 7-LPboxed set. (It’sbeen held upbecause of print-ing problems,according toMacInnis: theentire run ofjackets for theMorrison Hotelcover wasn’t tothe producer’sliking, so heordered themscrapped andredone.) Add

those to the Led Zep boxes and youhave a total of 287,500 LPs, which willtake the plant’s four 180gm pressesmonths to stamp. Everything else—including the new Blue Note 45s fromMusic Matters and Analogue Produc-tions, and a big ramp-up in vinyl fromWarner Bros.—will have to wait. Suchproblems we can live with. MacInnissaid that expanding the RTI plant

1 You can find Stereophile’s overall coverage of the 2008CES at http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2008. –Ed.

Above: Andrew Jones with his Compact Reference Ones driven by new Pioneer monoblocks;Below: Mikey with jazz great Lee Konitz.

A N A L O G C O R N E R

would be difficult, but that runningtwo shifts would not. “Those pressesare warhorses,” he said.

Events at CES: Mark Levinson (theman) has teamed with LG to design aline of 5.1-channel speakers and elec-tronics. To publicize it, Levinson per-suaded jazz giant Lee Konitz to performa short improvisation at CES, which herecorded on the spot and played back forthe 50 or so lucky attendees. The roomwas hardly an ideal recording venue, andplaying back the recording in the sameroom disastrously doubled thatacoustic—I won’t be able to tell you howgood the recording is until I get thepromised CD. But it was a kick to hearKonitz playing just a few feet away, how-ever briefly. As for the larger and moreserious of the two Levinson-LG 5.1-channel systems shown, the soundseemed promising and the price surpris-ingly low. But while the build qualitywas impressive, the appearance of boththe receiver and speakers was dated andmundane. Sound quality alone is unlike-ly to reverse the unfortunate trendtoward hiding speakers inside walls.

The second event of interest was a

“lend us yourears” test atthe AlexisPark (now avenue forT . H . E .Show), set upby the WallStreet Jour-nal’s LeeG o m e s ,whose “Por-tals” columnI mentionedin the last“ A n a l o gC o r n e r . ”Gomes hadset up twopairs of Totem Forest floorstanding speak-ers side by side, behind which were hid-den the source and electronics. The ideawas to switch between Pair A and Pair Band then say which, if either, sounded“somewhat better,” “much better,” or“pretty much the same” as the other.Before handing me the A/B switch,Gomes primed me with talk of MP3 vs“Red Book” CD and CD player vs iPod.

The differences between the soundsfrom the two pairs of speakers wasunmistakable, but I didn’t hear the usualtelltale hints of MP3 sound, nor dideither sound as if it was reproducing theoutput of an iPod’s earphone jack. PairA sounded hard, flat, constricted indepth, and harmonically bleached,while Pair B sounded warmer, richer,deeper, and better-textured, though the

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bottom end was a bit bloated and softand the top slightly dipped. I chose PairB as being “somewhat better,” not“much better,” mostly because while Imuch preferred B, neither pair soundedparticularly good. Gomes took mebehind the speakers, where he revealedthat I’d just participated in a test of cables.Gomes wrote up his experience athttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB120044692027492991.html, in which hewrote he was “…struck by how thebest-informed people at the show—likeJohn Atkinson and Michael Fremer ofStereophile Magazine—easily picked theexpensive cable.” Where’s Randi’s mil-lions when you need them?

I was part of another challenge, thisone mounted by Shure, who, much as Ihate the term, flattered me into being the“golden ear” for a test administered toCES attendees via Shure’s best head-phones. I took the test first and scored100%, despite my encroaching auraldecrepitude. In one test I was asked toidentify which of four snippets of thesame (poorly recorded) U2 song was a.wav file, and which was which of threeMP3 compression ratios. I was particular-

ly impressed with myself for identifyingall four correctly, and I’m modest, too.

A World of AnalogAt CES 2008, the move toward analogwas pleasantly countered by a trendtoward high-quality, server-based digi-tal playback systems. Why access CDdata the old-fashioned way, given howtiny and pitiful is most CD packaging,when you can do it via a far more con-venient and, usually, better-soundinghard-drive-based system? Data?Servers. Music? Turntables!

And there were plenty of turntablesat CES 2008. Despite the poor 2:1ratio of the dollar to the pound, bothCreek and Revolver decided to bringnew UK-built ’tables to the US.Creek’s Wyndsor turntable ($4500)comes complete with one of Pro-Ject’s carbon-fiber tonearms. TheWyndsor has a 28mm-tall, four-pointacrylic plinth that sits on four tall,spiked aluminum feet; a “nested,” iso-lated, low-voltage AC synchronousmotor made in Europe; a 24V DC,oscillator-based, speed-adjustable out-board power supply; and a 38mm-

thick acrylic platter driven by threethin O-rings and rotating on a magnet-ically levitated bearing.

Revolver, a UK turntable brandfamiliar to older audiophiles, hasreturned to the market with the attrac-tive-looking Replay ($3499), which hasa marble base, a platter of polyester resin,an AC synchronous motor, and a famil-iar-looking, Japanese-built tonearm.

The analog revival has inspiredHelius Designs to resurrect andupgrade their line of tonearms (nowimported by Musical Surroundings),including the Omega, which has beenway upgraded in terms of build qualityand fit’n’finish compared to the one Ireviewed in the November 2003Stereophile (Vol.26 No.11). The Omegacosts $5000 for the deluxe model,$3500 for the standard version; a$2500 edition will arrive soon.

Thorens introduced the new, luxu-rious-looking TD 550 turntable,which has a carbon-fiber version of thecompany’s classic suspended subchas-sis, a 15-lb platter of damped ferrousmaterial, singled-ended and balancedoutputs, and an Ortofon tonearm, all

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for $12,925. One of a half-dozenoptional finishes can push the pricehigher, though the jewel-like finish ofthe standard model on display wasimpressive enough.

The German turntable manufacturerJR Transrotor, imported by Axiss Dis-tribution, made a larger-than-usualsplash at this CES that included anappearance by Jochen Räke himself (the“JR” in JR Transrotor). The companybuilds a dizzying number of turntablemodels, many of which were on display,including the massive new Enya 12,whose 12" tonearm is made by SME toJR’s specifications. The price is $12,000without arm. Also on hand was Trans-rotor’s busy-looking, magnetic-driveArtus turntable ($150,000).

The Swiss-based DaVinciAudioLabs, imported by Tangram Audio,introduced the $37,000 AAS-Gabriel/DaVinciAudio turntable in Fer-rari red. This massive three-piece designhas separate arm, motor, and plattercomponents. The platter is driven by anelectronically controlled stepper motor.Mounted on the arm pod was DaVinci-Audio’s new Nobile tonearm, which hasa 10" carbon-fiber armtube and amounting system much improved overthat of the original Grandezza arm,which I reviewed in this column inMarch 2006, and which has also under-gone a series of upgrades. DaVinci-Audio’s Reference moving-coil cartridge($6300) weighs 20gm and outputs anunusually low 0.16mV.

The Thales tangential-tracking piv-oted tonearm ($12,000) made its USdebut in the private room of importerHalf Note Audio, with designer MichaHuber on hand to demonstrate it inconjunction with the Pythagorasturntable ($80,000 with Thales armand integrated Audio Stone rack). ThePythagoras is a slick-looking designfully integrated within and totallydecoupled from the massive AudioStone rack, which is built of Norwe-gian granite. The turntable’s O-ringdrive system includes an optical readerthat calculates the correct speed onturn-on, then removes itself from thesystem. It was shown in conjunctionwith the lust-inspiring EMT JPA 66,an “every EQ curve” preamplifier(+$25,000) with four phono inputs,imported by Tone Imports. Don’t lookfor a review anytime soon, as every sin-gle unit is already spoken for well intothe future. Damn.

Designer Allen Perkins, of Immedia,was spinning production models of both

of his Spiral Groove turntables. The SG-1 ($20,000) features a bayonet armboardmount for easy and precise swapping oftonearms, and a stainless-steel platterrim, feet, and clamp; the SG-2 ($15,000)uses aluminum and lacks the bayonetmount. Perkins hasn’t yet finished hisnew tonearm design, so there was a Tri-Planar on the SG-2 and a ContinuumAudio Labs Copperhead on the SG-1.Perkins said that using such arms indi-cates that his ’table “plays well with oth-ers,” a term he should trademark beforeAmar Bose does. Perkins also told methat some new technology recentlyincorporated into the SG-2 will soonappear in the costlier SG-1 and raise thelatter’s price, and that older SG-1s willbe able to be upgraded. Immedia alsonow imports the full line of Lehmannphono preamplifiers.

Speaking of upgrades, V.Y.G.E.R.’snew version of its air-bearing, tangen-tial-tracking Atlantis turntable

($40,000) solves all the major issues Icomplained about in my July 2003review, including a much-improvedarm-mounting system, carbon-fiberarmtube and bearing.

Ayre Acoustics has entered thenew analog age by importing fromGermany the well-regarded DPSturntable from Bauer Audio,designed by Willibald Bauer. Theacrylic platter of the DPS (for Die Plat-tenspieler, German for the record player)rides on a tungsten shaft, which restson a ruby bearing in an oil bath. To thethree-phase AC synchronous motorAyre adds a sophisticated outboardpower supply with a three-phase ana-log oscillator and three zero-feedback“mini MX-R amplifier” circuits, all in ahefty aluminum box. The DPS comeswith a Rega 250 arm that uses a side-mounted grub screw instead of Rega’slarge mounting nut, but its armboardcan be drilled for your choice of arm

Above: AAS-Gabriel/DaVinciAudio Labs turntable and DaVinci’s Nobile tonearm; Below: New Pro-Ject PerspX turntable.

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when you buy it—or later, assuming theoriginal hole doesn’t create a problem.If it does, you’ll need a new top plate.The DPS has a stone base and an elas-tomer isolation system, and will costbetween $8000 and $9000. The Ayrepower supply will be sold in Germanyas well, as part of Ayre’s agreementwith Bauer. Welcome aboard the ana-log express, Ayre’s Charlie and Steve!

At T.H.E. Show, Frank Schroeder ofGalibier Design, best known for hiswooden-tubed tonearms, exhibited theprototype of a new turntable (ca $6000)that, like some other ’tables, includingthose from Teres, uses magnetic tape todrive the platter. As Schroeder pointsout, tape has uniform thickness, a goodgrip on its ferro-magnet particle side,and, unlike O-rings or belts, is noncom-pliant. Schroeder’s new wrinkle is a ten-sion arm, like those on tape recordertransports, to provide greater and moreuniform contact of tape and pulley, andcounteractive force vectors to greatlyreduce the side pull on the platter bear-ing, and the motor vibrations fromreaching the platter. Why didn’t anyonethink of this before? The new ’table fea-

tures a motor that’s unusually costly for a$6000 ’table, a large-diameter spindleand bearing that creates drag throughhydrodynamic turbulence, and an elec-tronic system that measures eddy cur-rents and then modulates the current fedto the motor to ensure the correct platterspeed. The new ’table’s rigid, well-damped plinth is made of a composite ofthree layers of bamboo and ebony, andits platter of aircraft-grade aluminum isavailable with a variety of mats. Anothercool feature is a platter spindle that’swider at the top than at the platter sur-face. This centers the record on the plat-ter while isolating it from the bearing forlower noise. It also gives eccentricallypunched records some wiggle room.Schroeder said he welcomes the ’table’suse with other brands of tonearms sothat he can “have a life”—his own tone-arms are constantly backordered.

Perhaps the most interesting newvinyl-playback product at CES was FrancKuzma’s 4 Point tonearm, whoseunique and devilishly ingenious zero-play, four-point bearing is neither a unip-ivot nor a fixed-gimbal design, and avoidsthe negatives of both while retaining

their advantages. A full review will berequired to explain just how the 4 Pointoperates. In brief, it has a rigid, remov-able headshell (you need to remove andreinsert the cartridge clips, which is agood thing because it avoids an electricalbreak in the line); separate, removablehorizontal and vertical troughs of damp-ing fluid; the same rigid and precise sys-tem for adjusting vertical tracking angle(VTA) that Kuzma uses in his Airlinearm; and an aluminum armtube similarto the Airline’s. Plus, the 4 Point isbiwired: one set of wires terminates inRCA plugs, the other in junction boxesfitted with RCA plugs, thus allowing youto choose output wires and run two sep-arate phono preamps simultaneously.(You’ll need to compensate loading val-ues for the dual setup.) The price will bearound $7500. “Two years ago it wouldhave cost $5000 in the US, thanks to cur-rency fluctuations,” sighed Kuzma.

The most interesting new product inthe Sumiko suites was the new Pro-JectPerspX turntable, which uses a Corian-like subchassis that’s suspended by mag-nets instead of springs. The platter is anMDF sandwich construction with a sur-

face of recycled vinyl. Pro-Ject’s new 9CCcarbon-fiber tonearm represents a bigupgrade in their line: It has a far moremassive and stable bearing clamp, betterbearings, and a Sorbothane-decoupledcounterweight. The price has yet to be set,but it will be under $2000. The PerspXlooks like a really swell ’table. Sumikoalso introduced the production version oftheir Celebration II MC cartridge (ca$3500), which has, among other changesfrom the original Celebration, a new gen-erator mounting cradle and a smaller sty-lus for lower tip mass. The cartridge rideshigher than the original and is now openon the bottom, but retains the boron can-tilever and alnico magnets.

I missed Cambridge Audio’s bud-get-priced TT500 turntable, manufac-tured in conjunction with Pro-Ject andsold complete with Audio-Technica AT-95E cartridge and Nagra VPS phono pre-amp, but one will soon arrive here forreview. I also missed VPI’s “rim drive”Scoutmaster turntable in the HerronAudio room, though I did get to see andhear the McIntosh Laboratory MT10turntable, which is finally in production.

McIntosh president Charlie Ran-dall told me they’ve already soldhundreds of them to McAddicts (asopposed to MacAddicts).

There was plenty of news inanalog electronics too, includingthe snazzy-looking AMR PH77, atubed phono stage built in the UKwith equalization (selectable byremote control) for “every kind ofvinyl ever pressed”—includingColumbia, Decca ffss, etc.—as wellas four pairs of inputs, three ofwhich offer remote control of gainand loading, and built-in USBports for both A/D and D/A con-verters. The PH77 will have bal-anced and single-ended outputs, andcome pre-programmed for most majorcartridges, based on their manufacturers’recommendations for load and gain. Pricewill be around $9500.

Aesthetix exhibited new cosmeticsand component upgrades for its I/OEclipse phono stage ($14,000, or $18,000with dual power supplies) and Rhea Sig-nature phono stage ($7000), whosecapacitors are individually fine-tuned.

The Concert Fidelity SPA-4B phonopreamplifier ($14,000), built in Japan bythe designer of Silicon Arts products,looked intriguing for its spare, elegant cir-cuit design, which produces up to 65dBof gain. So did the Venture VP100Pphono stage ($24,500), from Belgium.The DeVore Fidelity/Tone Importsroom had a production version of EMT’s12" Banana tonearm ($4500) and anEMT cartridge driving a pair of Sentech

A N A L O G C O R N E R

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Have you ever purchased a speaker whichfailed to perform as well as the dealer’s demo?You were probably given excuses: the room,the setup, the system… There is anotherreason, far more common than most realize:

YG Acoustics’ Unique SolutionFirst, YG Acoustics matches drivers in pairs withutmost precision. Next, Mr. Geva himself designs acustom crossover for each and every pair of speakers,using cutting-edge proprietary technologies. Eachset gets the same attention as the referenceprototype. Here are the two pairs, each with acrossover matched to its individual drivers. Bothare virtually identical.

1) YG Acoustics uses proprietary drivers developed in cooperation with Scan-Speak (Denmark), one of the finest manufacturers worldwide. Lesser makestypically exhibit worse behavior.2) Others do try to mitigate the problem – some match drivers to pre-designed crossovers; others tighten tolerances of circuitry, to at least preventthe problem from getting worse. However, it is not feasible for them toattempt YG Acoustics’ thorough methods.

The Ugly TruthHere are measurements of the drivers (withoutcrossover) of two pairs of Anat Reference MainModule. Supposedly-identical units have considerabletolerances1. Manufacturers know this, and manyreserve the best for shows/top-dealer-demos. Afterall, these are the “rainmakers”. If your speaker doesn’tsound as good, chances are it deviates considerablyfrom the factory’s reference.

Mid-woofers: Pair #1 (Green) / Pair #2 (Red) Tweeters: Pair #1 (Green) / Pair #2 (Red)

Completed Speaker: Pair #1 (Green) / Pair #2 (Red)

2dB 1.5dB1dB 1dB

Thanks to our uniquely comprehensivesolution, we are confident that with acorrect system and setup, every set of

Anat Reference II Professional isindistinguishable from live sound. Period.

Contact factory/showroom:

YG Acoustics LLC4941 Allison St. #10, Arvada, CO 80002, U.S.A. Tel. 720-840-6441E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.yg-acoustics.com

Designed by Yoav Geva (Gonczarowski),winner of the Japanese audio Grand Prix(nearly unheard-of for a foreigner).

EQ 10 phono preamps ($3000 each)from Sweden, capable of reproducingevery phono-EQ scheme known to man.

New to the US from Greece was theTruLife Audio (TLA) line of tubedelectronics, including the Reikon mov-ing-magnet phono preamp with dual-mono, tube-rectified power supply andan outboard moving-coil step-up trans-former. TLA began building trans-formers 40 years ago, and moved intoaudio in the 1990s, making extensiveuse of its transformer knowledge inwhat is now a full line of products.

Then there were the new cartridges:a new lineup from Benz-Micro, theOracle Thalia, the Magic DiamondSilver Spirit ($12,000), Soundsmith’sThe Voice (see my review of theSoundsmith’s SMMC1 elsewhere inthis issue)…I could go on, but I’ve runout of space! I’d hoped to squeeze in areview of the new and special-sound-ing Ortofon Windfeld MC cartridge($3400), but that will have to wait tillnext time. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 45

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1) Ry Cooder/V.M. Bhatt, A Meetingby the River, Water LilyAcoustics/Analogue Productions180gm, 45rpm LPs (2)

2) Richard Thompson, Sweet War-rior, Diverse 180gm LPs (2)

3) Suzanne Vega, Beauty andCrime, Blue Note/Classic 200gmQuiex SV-P LP

4) Rickie Lee Jones, It’s Like This,Analogue Productions 180gm,45rpm LPs (2)

5) The Eagles, Long Road Out ofEden, ERC 180gm LPs (2)

6) Buddy Emmons, Steel GuitarJazz, Euphoria/Mercury/Sun-dazed 180gm mono LP

7) Hugh Masekela, Hope,Triloka/Analogue Productions180gm, 45rpm LPs (2)

8) Beethoven, Violin & PianoSonata 9, “Kreutzer” (JaschaHeifetz, Brooks Smith), RCA Liv-ing Stereo/Cisco 180gm LP

9) Max Roach, We Insist! FreedomNow Suite, Candid/Pure Plea-sure 180gm LP

10) Roy Haynes Quartet, Out of theAfternoon, Impulse!/SpeakersCorner 180gm LP

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Back in the Saadhana

L I ST E N I N GAr t Dudley

Today, as every Saturday, Ibrought my daughter to thestables where she has her rid-ing lessons. But this time wasdifferent. As we pulled upthe long gravel driveway, we

found ourselves dodging a riderlesshorse, moving at a trot across our path.It turned out that the very cold weath-er had caused a latch to malfunction—“gate won’t close, railing’s froze”—andfive horses had gotten loose.

The situation was messy but notunpleasant. I had fun catching one ofthe older horses—a small, good-naturedArabian who apparently wanted to goback inside—and within a few minutesthe stable hand and the adult ridershad rounded up the others. Then,because the five escapees celebratedtheir short-lived freedom in that mostelemental of ways, I grabbed a shoveland went to work mucking the yardin front of the barn.

To view the scene with the jaun-diced eye of some audiophiles—elderlytrain-whistle recordists, for the mostpart—would be to wonder why horseenthusiasts go to such trouble just totravel from point A to point B and backagain. As far as it goes, they havea…point. Automobiles, which I alsoenjoy, require less work, less training,less exasperation, and a great deal lessexpense per mile traveled. And after aride in the car, you don’t have to cleanup a lot of excrement. (That’s for thenext generation to do.)

But people who ride horses don’tlove it because it’s easy or unexasperat-ing or economical. They love it becausethey love it—because it’s a process thatgives them something they need. Thosewho would disdain horseback riding asimpractical or uneconomical are rightlyseen by the rest of humanity for whatthey are: pedantic, unimaginativekilljoys who have some degree of intelli-gence, yet whose character flaws—incul-cated, no doubt, by painful adolescentyears of not fitting in with others—reduce them to drooling pinheads whenconfronted with pleasures, usually ofthe aesthetic variety, that they can’tunderstand. Not to put too fine a pointon it or anything.

A simple love for doing things in acertain well-worn way: That drivesthose old nerds right around the bendand over the cliff. And I’m here to help.

SET in my waysFly-fishing, haiku, quilting, caning,canning, writing letters with pen andink, hunting with a muzzle-loader, hothide glue, dovetail joints, waxable skis:It’s not that these cultural artifacts aresuperior in every way to their moremodern counterparts (though theyoften are), but rather that they engen-der the kind of love to which phospho-rescent plastic worms, e-mail, whiteglue, and waxless skis can’t aspire. I’ll

let you in on a secret: The people wholove those things tend to be happier,not to mention a lot damn smarter,than everyone else. (No condescensionintended: I prefer Smuckers blackberryjam to all else, I can barely get aroundon even waxless skis, and if I had tohunt for my own meat I’d probablychoose an assault rifle.)

Why would anyone want to play anLP record instead of an MP3 file? Nei-ther you nor I will ever convince theworld of the former’s technical superi-ority, so let’s just say: We do it becausewe love it.

Analog isn’t that hard a sell, especial-ly to audiophiles with a materialistic or

The Rethm Saadhana, seen from the side.

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L I S T E N I N GL I S T E N I N G

fetishistic streak. (Never a shortage ofthose, is there?) But other things cer-tainly are—such as horn loudspeakersand low-power amplifiers, which tendto require a great deal more patience,understanding, and involvement onthe part of the hobbyist than anythingshort of wax cylinders and windupgramophones.

Thus, in recent years, have we gainedan entire new class of manufacturers. I canthink of at least a dozen loudspeakercompanies in particular that startedwhen a lone tinkerer was bit so hard bythe single-ended-triode bug that he feltthe need to deliver the flame to the restof us, Prometheus-like. I’m thinking ofpeople like Eric Thomas of Beauhorn,Ed Schilling of the Horn Shoppe,Tommy Horning of Horning, BruceEdgar of Edgarhorn, and Jacob Georgeof Rethm.

Rethm, which takes its name fromthe Sanskrit word for harmony, is anespecially interesting case. Founderand chief designer George is a native ofsouthern India who lives and works (asan architect) in the US, and who haselected to slay more than one bird witha single stone: bringing a practical full-range loudspeaker of very high sensi-tivity to the marketplace, while alsobringing a few jobs to the people of thearea he calls home.

His first commercial loudspeaker—theSecond Rethm, which debuted in 2000—used a Lowther full-range driver in a rear-wave horn made of a combination ofwood and PVC, in which the labyrinthalso functioned as a tuned, quarter-wavepipe. All subsequent Rethm models havebeen variations on that theme, up to andincluding the new Saadhana ($7850/pair;see www.rethm.com).

Yet the floorstanding Saadhana breaksfrom Rethm tradition in two significantways: Its front-firing driver is a LowtherDX55—nearly 2" smaller in diameterthan the English company’s standard-bearing full-range models—and it gainsbass reinforcement from a pair of 6" non-Lowther drivers, driven by a built-insolid-state amplifier. Well!

PVC and parchmentAlthough the enclosure of the Saad-hana seems deep, the speaker is actual-ly supplied as two separate cabinets,arranged front to back. Each of the fourcabinets in a stereo pair is also markedleft or right, although this is less a matterof sonic performance than ofergonomics and décor: the routing ofthe signal wires, the placement of the

speaker-cable connec-tors and power switch-es, the positioning ofthe Rethm logos on thespeakers’ side panels.

The frontmost enclo-sure for each channelcontains a three-partlabyrinth intended toaugment the low fre-quencies. The Lowtherdriver’s rear wave ischanneled into a curvedPVC pipe, fromwhence it travels downfor about 30", thenturns around and goesback up for another 30"through a PVC pipewith a mild flare and anopening at the top.Because the flared pipeis contained within alarger tube of constantcross-section—which isthe part you can actuallysee from the front of the Saadhana—thelast portion of the labyrinth also takes theshape of a mildly flared horn, enhancedby a wedge-shaped “diffuser” just belowits mouth. Jacob George says that theoverall effective length of the Saadhana’sloading labyrinth is about 7'.

The single Lowther DX55 is modi-fied in a number of ways. A cone-shaped plug of expanded polyurethanecovers the whole of its rare-earth mag-net at the rear, giving the miniatureLowther a somewhat papal look andshaping the throat of the horn for theright amount of compression (and pre-vention of backwave interference). Aring of very light foam batting is tuckedbetween the frame and the perimeter ofthe backside of the cone, to help tamethe driver’s upper-midrange peakiness.And the DX55’s stock phase plug isreplaced with a much longer one,machined from a light hardwood andringed with a perforated paper diffusercone that resembles the Lowther’s owntreble whizzer—and the headgear wornby dogs who’ve just had their earsbobbed. Again, the aim is to tame:“There are peaks in the smallerLowthers,” George says, “occurringbetween 3.5 and 5.5kHz. I wanted tominimize their impact upon the music,and the only way I could determinewhat was right was to make a bunch ofcones and measure their effect. I madesix different cones every day and mea-sured them—that went on for severalweeks—using different combinations of

three variables: cone length, cone angle,and perforation pattern.” George sayshe made and auditioned over 125 differ-ent cones before settling on these.

The Saadhana’s rearmost enclosureis home to a pair of 6" paper-cone dri-vers, mounted in a plywood labyrinthand connected together in an isobaricloading scheme: One driver con-tributes to the loudspeaker’s output,while the second driver, moving inresponse to the same signal, acts on thevolume of air inside the otherwisesealed cabinet, effectively fooling thefirst driver into thinking it’s loadedwith a cabinet of infinite size and thusallowing it to function down to its free-air resonant frequency. The bass dri-vers, which have paper cones andimpregnated cloth surrounds, are cus-tom-made for Rethm by Peerless ofIndia, and driven by an onboard75Wpc power amplifier of proprietarydesign. George describes the low-passfilter as a simple passive circuit thatintroduces no more than 15° of phaseshift. There are control pots on eachSaadhana bass cabinet for crossover fre-quency and bass level, hidden beneatha removable cover that contributes tothe visual illusion that the Saadhana,like earlier Rethm loudspeakers, has asecond tuned pipe coming straight offthe back of its main driver.

One pipe or two, the Saadhana carrieson the Rethm tradition of distinctivestyling. Looking more like a domesticperiscope than a loudspeaker, it mixes

Does the Lowther wear a funny hat?

straight lines and curves for a light, ele-gant effect, and the visual lightness isenhanced by the diffusers at the enclo-sure’s base, over which the rest of thething seems to hover: The Saadhanaappears lighter than it really is. The mold-ed surfaces of my review pair weresprayed a deep shade of copper, and whilethe sides of the first Saadhanas were cladin a veneer of padauk wood, Rethm hasmade the change to soft, acousticallyabsorptive side panels covered in silk.

A final touch: The internal wires areall Rethm’s proprietary flat, thin, single-conductor copper, cryogenically treatedfor enhanced conductivity. “I was skep-tical, initially, of the cryogenic treat-ment,” George says, “but a friend inMadras said, ‘Look, it’s simple: Just tryit.’ I did, and when I compared the treat-ed and the untreated, I was impressedby the difference between them.”

Dido and AeneasI’ve owned Lowther drivers for a dozenyears, and during that time a goodlynumber of Lowther-specific enclosureshave impressed me. But my Lowtherexperiences have mostly been with thatcompany’s 7" driver—from whichRethm designer Jacob George has nowmoved on.

For its part, the Lowther DX55 has acone only 5" in diameter, and its free-airresonance is specified as 80Hz. Thelower limit of its power response is alsospecified as 80Hz: approximately thelowest note that can be played on thatmost visceral of all rock’n’roll instru-ments, the…er, the trombone. Which isto say: A loudspeaker that depends sole-ly on that driver, howsoever cleverlyloaded, will have its work cut out for it.

Happily, the Saadhana scheme seemedto work well. Before first measuring itsin-room performance with my AudioControl spectrum analyzer, I turned theSaadhana’s woofer levels all the waydown, after which it was easy to get near-ly flat response from 160Hz to 10kHz,with only a 4dB notch at 2.5kHz (possi-bly the aftereffect of Rethm’s variousLowther treatments). Using the controlsto blend in the low-frequency modules, itwas similarly easy to achieve good, flatbass performance at the listening area—although I never quite shook a smallresponse peak at 31.5Hz. (The best posi-tion for the Saadhanas in my listeningroom proved to be 22" from the sidewallsand 50" from the wall behind them.)Jacob George, who came by for a visit,recommended that I adjust the angles ofthe cabinets to get the spatial presentation

I prefer; I did, and settled on having theloudspeakers aimed straight ahead.

The capsule review: The Rethm Saad-hana may be the perfect loudspeaker foraudiophiles who want the presence,immediacy, and musicality that the bestlow-power amplifiers are known for, butwho don’t want to give up the “sound-staging” that most of us associate withhigh-end audio in the more traditionalsense. The pair of them had some of thebest, most convincing image placementand wholeness I’ve heard from a SET-friendly speaker, not to mention wonder-ful stage width, depth, even height. TheSaadhana was a bit more forward-sound-ing than the other Rethms I’ve heard,with trebles distinctly more substantialthan airy. Instruments had excellent tex-ture and lots of realistic bite—but nomore than the music called for. TheSaadhana was notably more sensitivethan the Audio Note AN-E/Spe I’ve hadthe pleasure of using lately, being com-patible with even my 3Wpc Fi Stereoamp, and—perhaps best of all—it playeddeep-bass notes with good impact anddrive. It was, in short, a SET-friendlyspeaker that needed no excuses.

I could write an entire column abouthow the Rethm Saadhanas reproducedone LP in particular: the Anthony Lewisrecording of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas,with the English Chamber Orchestraand Dame Janet Baker in the title role(L’Oiseau-Lyre SOL 60047, reissued onCD as London/Decca 466 387)—prob-ably the finest Dido on record, notwith-standing an unnamed Sorceress whoseover-the-top performance brings the lis-tener closer to the borscht belt than theRoyal College of Music. From the firstnotes of the overture, the Saadhanasloaded my medium-small room per-fectly, and presented the small orchestrawith a sense of scale that I found almoststartlingly believable: big—but not toobig. And, as with most competentLowther applications, the music wasright there: tangible, whole, believable.The sounds of the musicians stood outin a manner that caught my attentionimmediately and thoroughly, much as aliving human voice might startle a per-son who thought he was alone. (Andreally now: Aren’t we all?)

The Saadhana’s ability to conveyhuman touch was also noteworthy—Thurston Dart’s harpsichord continuobecame more than just sonic wallpaper,catching and holding my attention moreeffectively than usual—and its pacing wasfaultless. Some two dozen bars into Dido,when the tempo really picked up, the

Saadhana followed lines of notes withease, allowing the lively performance tosound lively on playback. Yet, again, itwas in the spatial domain where theSaadhanas stood out from the pack, saidpack comprising the current crop ofloudspeakers that can be driven by very-low-power amplifiers. It proved itself anemotive, engaging, and altogether musi-cal speaker—yet with very good stereoimaging capabilities.

Truth and tasteFrom the folder labeled Duh: Variousloudspeakers can present certain typesof information very differently fromone another, yet still be considered high-fidelity products. The most obviousexample is that of perspective: We’ve allheard any number of forward-soundingspeakers, and a comparable number ofvery laid-back speakers—yet even in theeyes of the spottiest old gurus, we are all(I think) still free to choose the perspec-tive that we prefer, and that accordinglycomplements our favorite music, with-out having to be so foolish, so naïve, orso downright wrong as to say that one ismore accurate than the other.

So it goes with other, arguably lesstangible qualities—the “airy” top end ofone speaker vs the chunkier, more sub-stantial trebles of another, or the man-ner in which various speakers seemcapable of portraying physically smallsounds more believably than largerones, or vice versa…

So, too, do different loudspeakersstrike me as having different bass quali-ties—which can be maddeningly diffi-cult to describe. I remember thinkingthat the superb Lamhorn 1.1 had apleasantly puffy-sounding bass register,while the superb Linn Sizmik sub-woofer that I owned for a while playedthe same notes with a little less air, and alittle more effort and grunt. Each sound-ed more correct with certain recordingsthan the other, and both will please dif-ferent listeners for different reasons.

Describing the Rethm Saadhana’s bassquality is similarly difficult—and bestaccomplished by observing the records itseemed to favor. Overall, it had more of aflair with pop recordings. It suited theelectric bass and kick drum on BryanFerry’s In Your Mind (Atlantic SD18216)—my favorite of his solo albums—with a snappy and colorful sound, andworked equally well in getting across thedeep-bass pedals throughout ClassicRecords’ LP reissue of Genesis’s TheLamb Lies Down on Broadway (Atco SD 2-401). On the other hand, while I enjoyed

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 49

L I S T E N I N G

the Saadhana’s contributions to orchestralmusic, and appreciated the fact that itfound some notes that other speakersmiss, I noted that those notes occasional-ly seemed a bit more forced than the realthing, and didn’t emanate—didn’t simplyoccur—in quite the same manner as I hearfrom the corner-loaded Audio NoteAN-E/Spes. And while the Saadhanahad an excellent sense of scale overall,and was capable of sounding either smallor large as appropriate, the spatial scale ofthe bottom octaves was smaller than thatof the rest of the spectrum.

To simplify: The Saadhanas weren’tas good as some loudspeakers at mak-ing, say, the orchestral bass drum in anyrecording of Elgar’s The Dream of Geron-tius sound as naturally, organically hugeas the rest of the ensemble; yet thoseother loudspeakers weren’t as good atpropelling a song such as the Move’s “ItWasn’t My Idea to Dance.” (That wasthe song I played over the Saadhana thefirst time I heard it, in New York City,at Primedia’s 2007 Home Entertain-ment Show.)

Perhaps less significant but equallyobvious is the matter of aesthetics: Aswith every other Rethm loudspeaker I’veseen, the Saadhana’s very Bauhaus designgives it a distinctive appearance—one that,again, you’ll either like or dislike. It hasan undeniably modern look, yet I foundmyself more drawn to it than I am tomost modern furnishings. In my smallishlistening room, the predominantly red-dish-brown Saadhana jelled nicely withmy cherry floorboards, blue walls, andIndian Mahal carpet. I wouldn’t expect itto work equally well with all décors, butthat’s not for me to say.

When I asked Jacob George toexplain the speaker’s name, he told methat the life of an Indian classical musi-cian goes through three stages: Maarga,during which the musician searches todetermine what his or her musical voiceshall be; Saadhana, the years in whichthe musician devotes the most time andeffort to perfecting the craft; and Mok-sha, which is the attainment of artisticsalvation and enlightenment.

Appropriately, Rethm’s current entry-level loudspeaker is named Maarga($4250/pair). Just as appropriately, JacobGeorge has yet to achieve his Moksha—the realization of which will take him agood deal more time. Meanwhile,George and Rethm are working on stillother projects—including a turntable witha drive system the like of which has neverbeen seen in domestic audio—and slowlybut surely perfecting their craft. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 51

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US composer Morten Lau-ridsen’s Lux Aeterna is oneof the indisputable master-pieces of the 20th century.John Atkinson has record-ed the male vocal group

Cantus’s performances of Lauridsen’sO Magnum Mysterium (on Comfort andJoy: Volume One, Cantus CTS-1204)and Ave Maria Dulcissima (on Cantus,Cantus CTS-1207). (And great record-ings they are—one engineer chumthinks JA’s Cantus recording of OMMis the single best-engineered choralrecording he’s ever heard.)

In a White House ceremony onNovember 15, 2007, Lauridsen wasawarded the National Medal of theArts. He won that honor, according tothe official citation, for “his composi-tion of radiant choral works combiningmusical power, beauty, and spiritualdepth that have thrilled audiencesworldwide.” Other 2007 recipientsincluded Les Paul and Andrew Wyeth.Lauridsen is only one of eight classicalcomposers, including Aaron Coplandand Elliott Carter, ever to receive theNational Medal. Bravo. It couldn’thappen to a nicer guy.

If you haven’t yet heard what all thefuss is about, at least buy the Los Ange-les Master Chorale’s Lux Aeterna (CD,RCM 19705), probably the best one-disc introduction to Lauridsen’s smallbut spiritually compelling oeuvre. Ifthe 15 bucks or whatever daunts you,I’m sure your local public library has it,or can get it for you in a few days. Noexcuses!

Flashdancin’?By now you’re probably wonderingjust who is the comely lass loungingaround, seemingly waiting for the cast-ing call for the remake of Flashdance.Glad you asked! Because you’ll needher name in order to buy her CD,which I think you’ll want to do.

She’s Danielle de Niese, a dynamicyoung operatic soprano whose careerhas really taken off. Decca has recentlyreleased her début recording, wittilytitled Handel Arias (CD, 475 8746). I’mso relieved they called it that, and notAcid Thrash That Rocks Like a Beast.

Because it’s all Handel arias,all the time. But it’s a verywell-chosen program thatbalances familiar and moreobscure works, and is alsoquite well recorded. Andwith Les Arts Florissants,led by William Christie, Idon’t think you could dobetter in terms of accompa-nying.

De Niese was born inAustralia, but her parentsrelocated to Californiawhen her musical talentbecame obvious. She stud-ied at the Colburn Schoolof the Performing Arts, andwas accepted at Tangle-wood when she was 13. Bythe age of 15 she had madeher professional début atLos Angeles Opera—in aleading role. She thenbecame the youngest person acceptedinto the Metropolitan Opera’s Linde-mann Young Artist Development Pro-gram. Yikes. In recent years she hasmade big splashes at Glyndebourne,Opera de Lyons, the Barbican, andelsewhere, so this is probably the opti-mal time to release a recording—no onecan claim that she’s being pushed or isnot ready.

De Niese’s voice is powerful, bright,clear, and very agile. She writes manyof her own ornamentations, and seemsto have a lot of fun singing them—nowallflower she. On this recording shecomes across as a lively, spontaneous,but intense singing actress—a differentkind of intensity from that manifestedin Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s Handel-aria recital on Avie SACD. HuntLieberson’s intensity was an intensestillness; de Niese’s intensity almostbursts out of the speaker cabinets.

Just listening to the CD, I came tothe conclusion that de Niese could be abit of a charge-taking arm-waver, andwhen I finally got around to watchingthe making-of DVD included with thepress kit, that impression was con-firmed by the video clip of her cavort-ing at Glyndebourne as Cleopatra. Payno attention to the battleships and

Zeppelins—if Cleopatra wants Zep-pelins, Zeppelins she shall have, that’smy attitude.

Despite the slight touch of cognitivedissonance the staging gave me, deNiese’s performance is tremendous,and tremendously assured, with energyleft over for the occasional invitingglance or saucy smirk. And yes, it seemsshe can dance (at least a bit). So let’s getthat Flashdance remake in the works.

Getting back to the CD, de Niese’straversal of “Lascia ch’io pianga,” fromRinaldo, is absolutely hypnotic in effect.You must hear it. Her voice is seduc-tively rich (reminiscent of Kiri teKanawa’s at about the same age), hersense of timing is perfect, and hermeshing with the orchestra is all youcould ask for. The orchestra through-out is crisp and clear without everbeing rushed or strident—this is histori-cally informed performance I can’timagine anyone objecting to.

I’ve listened to this CD quite a bit,and it wears very well. If I need to notea quibble to retain my critic’s creden-tials, here it is: de Niese was mikedsomewhat close-in for my tastes. Onthe making-of DVD, the microphones(at least there were two, for stereo) areat about her chin level and not much

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 53

Music, Mostly

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more than 2' away. (She was at the rearof the orchestra, so I assume the mikeswere cardioid in pattern.) So the per-spective is rather close-up, but I adaptto it fairly easily. On the laments, shecan be heard breathing perhaps morethan she would be in an opera house. Irealize that many listeners will say,“Bring it on.” The orchestra and harp-sichord miking I have no such reserva-tions about.

I’m trying to set things up so we canhost a sound clip when this column isposted on www.stereophile.com. Inthe interim, you can visit www.denielledeniese.com or just buy theCD. Highly recommended.

More great recordings (and recording gear)Any time there is a new recording ofanything by Morten Lauridsen, I try toget it. I was particularly moti-vated when I saw that theNorwegian chamber chorusGrex Vocalis had recorded OMagnum Mysterium, becausefor more than 20 years, GrexVocalis’s Renessanse for Kor(Kiku FXCD 39) has beenone of my all-time favoriteCDs of any kind. Their per-formance of “Innsbruck, ichmuss dich lassen” on that discis one of my desert-islandtracks.1 So I requested GrexV o c a l i s ’ srecent Christ-mas- themedCD, O Mag-num Mysterium,from theirnew label, 2L(which standsfor the corpo-rate nameL y n d b e r gLyd.). In reply,I received halfa dozen 2LCDs. I’ll tellyou about the Christmas CD closer toChristmas; for now, I have to tell youabout a truly fabulous Bartók CD.

First, some background. 2L’s website,www.2L.no, is worth checking out.They seem to have some time agoswitched from releasing CDs toSACDs, and it looks as though they

now have as many SACDs (all bothhybrid and surround, as far as I can tell)as CDs in their catalog, which is impres-sive for its eclectic but non-superficialnature. I first encountered 2L by wordof mouth; mastering engineer Alan Sil-verman was knocked out by a 2LMozart SACD that had been recordedusing DXD technology, and KalmanRubinson named this SACD one of his“Records to Die For” in February. Bycoincidence, Enjoy the Music scribe RickBecker was knocked out by the sameSACD, and sent me a copy of it.

DXD? I hear you mutter. Right. Allwe need now is another audio initialism tocope with. I feel your pain. But DigitaleXtreme Definition (DXD) is a ratherrational response to the loose ends Sonyleft when it pretty much dropped theSACD ball. Direct Stream Digital, akaDSD, is the very fast one-bit recording

method that is the “deliverysystem” for SACD; in otherwords, the pits on an SACDrepresent a one-bit DSDdatastream. For many propo-nents and adherents, DSD isthe preferred recording medi-um as well. The big problemis that few pro-audio produc-tion tools are available forDSD, and none are whatyou’d call affordable. The

less-big (for the moment) problem isthat DSD is not exactly what you’d callfuture-proof.

DXD is a PCM-based system thatcan take advantage of many existingproduction solutions, such as ProToolsHD and the Pyramix DAW, and offersdata density claimed to be four timesgreater than DSD. DXD runs at a352.8kHz sampling rate and 24-bitresolution. It appears to be the brain-child of, or has been codeveloped by, acompany that is new to me, Digital

Audio Denmark (www.digitalaudio.dk). They make a modular unit, theAX24 Converter System, which can beoptioned as anything from two chan-nels with line inputs, running at48kHz, to eight channels with mikepreamps, running at DXD, DSD, orDouble-DSD (128Fs rather than 64Fs,ie, 5.645MHz). US prices run fromabout $5000 to around $20,000. Telarcoutfitted one of its recording rigs withAX24s, for their re-recording inAtlanta of Brahms’s Ein deutschesRequiem. Perhaps JA can assign someother Stereophile scribe to evaluate theAX24 when optioned as a stripped-down, playback-only (DAC) device. Itsure looks handsome.

Of late, 2L has been recording withDXD, with gear from Merging and Pyra-mix, then downconverting to DSD forSACD production. The Mozart SACD

did sound very, very clean, and if I’d heardthat performance at a concert, I wouldhave considered the time very well spent.But I didn’t feel a need to keep hearingthe recording, pleasant as it was.

However, 2L’s Bartók SACD(2L28), by violinist Annar Follesø,pianist Christian Ihle Hadland, andclarinetist Björn Nyman, struck mealtogether differently—this is one of themost attractive Bartók releases I havecome across in years. A close perusal ofthe liner notes reveals that it wasrecorded in 2003 and 2004, before 2Lwent ultra-hi-rez; the master recordingis 24-bit but only 44.1kHz. Fear not—itsounds very good, even as a CD.

I had never heard of Annar Follesø.The liner notes say he studied atBloomington, Indiana. The coverphoto does him no favors; he looksderanged. I was apprehensive that Iwas in for some scenery chewingbefore I consigned the SACD to the“donate” pile, but I was wrong.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 55

5 T H E L E M E N T

1 There was an LP too, but I never snagged it. I boughtmy CD from Hart Huschens of www.audioadvancements.com. Perhaps he has some CDs, or perhaps evenLPs, salted away.

Digital Audio Denmark’s modular AX24 Converter System.

H O M E A U D I O | M O B I L E A U D I O | M A R I N E A U D I O

“Subwoofer of the Year” – The Perfect Vision, January 2007 (Fathom f113)

“Editors’ Choice” – The Perfect Vision, Winter 2007 (Fathom f112)

“Golden Ear Award” – Absolute Sound, August 2007 (Fathom f113)

“Class A – Recommended Component” – Stereophile, September 2007 (Fathom f113)

“Best Sound in Show” – Home Theater Magazine, September 2006 (CEDIA Demonstration)

“Product of the Year” – Home Theater & Sound, January 2007 (Fathom f113)

“Reviewers’ Choice” – Home Theater & Sound, January 2007 (Fathom f113)

© 2008 JL AUDIO, Inc. For more information on our complete line of subwoofers, please visit your local authorized dealer or www.jlaudio.com. Subwoofers pictured with grilles removed. In Canada contact

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#6,744,902 #D472,891 #D480,709 Other U.S. & Foreign patents pending.

Follesø’s traversal of Bartók’s techni-cally and musically daunting Sonata forSolo Violin is entirely musicianly.Follesø is poised and confident but notcocky. There is no showing off, no exag-gerated gestures. He plays the work asthough it belongs to the great traditionthat predated and encompassed Bach,while giving due weight to its folkloricstrains. Very quietly, Follesø makes thetechnical challenges go away. I amimpressed. Some might find his temposa bit on the measured or careful side; Iprefer to think he is avoiding coming offas rushed or frantic.

Follesø plays a different violin for eachwork on this SACD, the other composi-tions being a very fine Sonata 2 for Violinand Piano and, you guessed it, Contrastsfor Clarinet, Violin, and Piano, in a spirit-ed performance. None of the violins is atop-shelf choice; the solo sonata was per-formed on a 1921 Paolo de Barbieri, thesonata with piano and most of Contrastson a ca 1870 Rocca, and the scordatura sec-tion of Contrasts on a 1919 Blazek. Follesømakes them all sound major-league.

As does the recording, at Oslo’sSofienberg Church. A photo in thebooklet suggests that for Contrasts, theviolinist and clarinetist stood on risers oneither side of the piano, a Bösendorferwhose lid had been removed. To para-phrase Oscar Wilde, that’s a temptationI’ve never had the courage to give in to.But listening to the recording before Inoticed that, I heard nothing amiss.

To sum up: We have a hybridSACD/CD, the master tape of whichwas higher-rez but not DSD-rez, letalone DXD-rez, of comparativelyunknown musicians playing repertoirefor which there is no shortage of world-class competition, the violinist playingnot even a “name-brand” violin—yet theresult is an engrossing and completelyartistically successful chamber-musicprogram. Most highly recommended.

Relaxe—se com uma cervejaIf the foregoing has been a little toohighfalutin for you, relief is at hand.Perhaps not in the form of a relaxingcold beer, but maybe the next-bestthing: a very mellow CD of (mostly)Brazilian bossa nova played on classicalguitar. The collection, Deve ser Amor (ItMust Be Love), features guitaristMichael Andriaccio (Fleur de SonFDSJ 57977; www.fleurdeson.com). Pieces are from the pens ofBaden Powell, Astor Piazzolla, Anto-nio Carlos Jobim, and Luiz Bonfá—what could there be not to like?

Bonfá’s “Manha de Carnival,” thefamous “Theme from Black Orpheus,” ishere—of course.

This is a very nice, low-intensityprogram—no glimpses of the cosmos,no holy-this or holy-that moments ofvirtuosity-induced stupefaction. Andri-accio has a very pleasant way with thismusic on classical guitar. Is his playingon the same level of technical accom-plishment as, say, Göran Söllscher’s?Nope. Is the audio engineering up tothe level Deutsche Grammophon hasprovided for Söllscher? Double nope.

I found the sound somewhat lackingin sparkle and hall ambience, and evenin the solidity of the center image. Butthe music was so agreeable, I refused tolet Audiophilia nervosa get in my way.Next time around, though, the engi-neer might want to try an M-S mikearray, perhaps with figure-8 ribbonssuch as can be had from Crowley andTripp. Perhaps in a livelier hall.

But don’t let my quibbles stop youfrom picking up this CD. It might be justthe ticket if you’re a fan of classical guitaror bossa nova, or simply want some mel-low music to zone out to. Beer fromBrazil is optional. A nice little album.

Barking up the wrong treeI’ll soon return to the project of assem-bling systems based on one-box CDreceivers, but I first want to vent a bitabout some of the more enthusiasticdenizens of AudioLand. I had heard sev-eral hymns of praise sung to the notionof using a first-generation Sony Play-Station (SCPH-1001) as a CD player.Okay, I bit. Hope sprang eternal that ifthe PlayStation proved a giant-killer, Icould then recommend an alternate sys-tem, cutting a couple hundred dollars ormore off the price.

I looked on eBay, where people wererepeating the shibboleth that what theywere offering was “asgood as $6000 audio-phile CD players.” Iended up paying $25in person at my localSalvation Army for aPlayStation, one con-troller, a power cord,and a multi-outputcord set. Within a fewhours of setting it up,I was asking myself:

What planet are thesepeople from? Remulac????

I admit that the PS1didn’t sound at all badplaying CDs through

its RCA analog outs. Rather good, infact. Compared directly to the CD sec-tion of the Music Hall Trio CD receiver($999), and using Cardas Neutral Referenceinterconnects ($525/meter pair) to carrythe PS1’s output to the Trio’s Aux input,I found the sound using the PS1 and theCardas cable to be noticeably moreextended, open, and agile, and at thesame time slightly more rich in themidrange, with a greater sense of hallsound. No question: definitely more tomy tastes, but no revelation—just a wel-come upgrade.

Substituting a molded cable setgrabbed from my personal Graveyard ofthe Giveaway Cables, there was less of adifference. The not-quite all-importantbut nonetheless hugely importantmidrange was a tad threadbare via thegiveaway cables, compared with theCardases; the treble was a trifle thin,too. In short, and considering onlysound: With the Cardas cables, thePS1’s audio improvement compared tothe Trio’s stock CD section was worth-while (and must be taken into accountin one’s estimation of the Trio on thewhole); but with the molded genericcables, the PS1 just wasn’t worth mess-ing with.

So, based on several days’ on-and-offlistening, I am in no position to say thatyou don’t get at least $25 worth ofsound quality from a Sal’s BoutiquePlayStation One—assuming you hook itup with excellent and somewhatexpensive interconnects. The draw-backs: everything else, starting with:

The PS1 has a power switch. Whenyou power up the unit, it outputs a loud“trademark sound” that I call the Buun-nggg sound (that’s what it sounds like). Ihave never before dealt with a CD playerthat made its presence known that way.And, let’s not forget, there’s a pushbuttonto activate the top-cover disc-access

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 57

5 T H E L E M E N T

Good sounds, but forget about ergonomics or user-friendliness.

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mechanism. Nothing else, except a Resetbutton you’ll never use to play CDs.

All the other controls are on the con-troller, which is hardwired to the box.And which assumes that the box is con-nected to a TV. I can imagine that some-one could learn to navigate the PS1 bytrial and error, then remember whichcontroller button does what. I figuredout track forward, but not track back. Butthere’s no display on the PS1 that tellsyou what track you’re on—or anythingelse, for that matter. No conventionalcontrols and no conventional display arepretty much deal-killers for me.

However, I didn’t even have to getthat far. The PS1’s architecture has acutout on the top panel for the discmechanism. Like the first MagnavoxCD player, the PS1’s lid toggles open toallow you to press the CD onto thetransport spindle, which has little catchesto hold the disc tightly. Problem was, onmy unit at least, the spinning of the discand the functioning of the tracking servocould be heard—subliminally with mostmusic, I admit, but once I was keyed into the sound, I could hear it betweentracks: a slight whirring, augmented onmany discs by a subtle tick-tick-tick. Per-haps not quite as dementia-inducing asthe offending organ in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” but not nuttin’, neither.

Now, I am the first to admit thatperhaps my unit had had a hard life.Perhaps, with the luck of the draw, Icould find a PS1 that makes no moredisc-spinning noise than my old Mag-navox did, about 25 years ago. But it’s apath I choose not to tread. Oh, by theway, no S/PDIF output.

So, this one will go on eBay, andmost likely has been and gone by thetime you read this. I’m not going to tryto discourage anyone from playing witha PlayStation. For $25, it sounds won-derful. Any given person may prefer itsflavor of ice cream to something costingmore, but only up to a point—I amtotally unsold on the claim of “as goodas $6000 audiophile CD players.” Butfor all the non-sound reasons, I justcan’t recommend it as part of a real-world solution for a music lover.

Work on sizing up the modern suc-cessor to Fried’s Model Q speaker wasdelayed by some shipping damage onenew contender suffered, my barking upthe PS1 tree, and some unforeseen anduncontrollable circumstances. I’ll rejointhat quest next time. In the meantime,check out all this great music!

Questions or comments: [email protected]. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 59

“Going... to the JPS Aluminata

made for one of the most

remarkable differences I can

remember hearing between two

non-defective audio cables.

Silences and spaces between

notes and sonic “images”

weren’t even black: They were

just dead-empty.

...the improvement wrought by

the JPS cable combination was

downright amazing.

Taken together, these unusual

interconnect, loudspeaker, and

AC cables brought a new

measure of spaciousness,

scale, smoothness, heretofore

unimagined detail, and overall

musical ease and naturalness to

my music system.

The differences made by the JPS

Aluminata products were by far

the most drastic changes I’ve

ever heard when going from one

interconnect, speaker cable, or

AC cord to another. Put a little

more bluntly, I’ve never heard

wire do this before.”

Art DudleyStereophile Magazine- April 2007

ªn ªmªzing review...

Tel 716-656-0810Email [email protected]

www.JPSLabs.com

Listen, Clearly, AlwaysTM

Visit our ‘Reviews’ webpage for more

60 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

R E C O M M E N D E D

COMPONENTS LISTED HERE have been formally reviewed in Stereophile and havebeen found to be among the best available in each of four or five quality classes. Whethera component is listed in Class A or Class E, we highly recommend its purchase.

Each listing—in alphabetical order within classes—is followed by a brief descriptionof the product’s sonic characteristics and a code indicating the Stereophile Volume andIssue in which that product’s report appeared. Thus the September 2007 issue is indi-cated as “Vol.30 No.9.”

Some products listed have not yet been reported on; these are marked (NR), for“Not Reviewed.” Others have received coverage in our free monthly eNewsletter—back issues are archived at www.stereophile.com/enewsletters. We recommend thatyou read any product’s entire review before seriously contemplating a purchase (prod-ucts without reviews should therefore be treated with more caution)—many salientcharacteristics, peculiarities, and caveats appear in the reviews, but not here. To obtainback issues of the magazine, visit our website: www.stereophile.com. We regret thatwe cannot supply photocopies or e-mail copies of individual reviews. Some reviewsare reprinted in our website “Archives” Section: these are marked “WWW.” More areadded each week, so check the on-line listing.

In general, components do not remain listed for more than three years unless atleast one of the magazine’s writers and editors has had continued experience withthem. Discontinuation of a model also precludes its appearance. In addition, thoughprofessional components—recorders, amplifiers, monitor speaker systems—can beobtained secondhand and can sometimes offer performance that would otherwiseguarantee inclusion, we do not generally do so. Stereophile’s “Recommended Com-ponents” listing is almost exclusively concerned with products currently available inthe US through the usual hi-fi retail outlets.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 61

C O M P O N E N T S

Seeking a new system?Can’t decide which products offer the best balance of sound and value?

Look no further as Stereophileeditors reveal the industry’s best audio gear.

62 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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How editors’recommendationsare determinedThe ratings given components included inthis listing are based entirely on perfor-mance—ie, accuracy of reproduction—and are biased to an extent by our feelingthat things added to reproduced sound (eg,flutter, distortion, colorations of variouskinds) are of more concern to the musi-cally oriented listener than are things sub-tracted from the sound (eg, deep bass orextreme treble). On the other hand, com-ponents markedly deficient in one or morerespects are downrated to the extent thattheir deficiencies interfere with the fullrealization of the program material.

We try to include in “RecommendedComponents” every product that we havefound to be truly excellent or that we feelrepresents good value for money. Bear inmind that many different tastes are rep-resented. The listing is compiled afterconsultation with Stereophile’s reviewingstaff and editors, and takes into accountcontinued experience of a product afterthe formal review has been published. Inparticular, we take account of unreliabil-ity and defects that show up after extendedauditioning. The fact that a productreceived a favorable review cannot there-fore be regarded as a guarantee that it willcontinue to appear in this listing.

The prices indicated are those currentat the time the listing was compiled (Feb-ruary 2008). We cannot guarantee that anyof these prices will be the same by the timethis issue of Stereophile appears in print.

Where we have found a product to per-form much better than might be expectedfrom its price, we have drawn attention toit with a $$$ next to its listing. We also indi-cate, with a ✩, products that have been onthis list in one incarnation or another sincethe “Recommended Components” listingin Vol.28 No.4 (April 2005). Longevity ina hi-fi component is rare enough that wethink it worth noting (although it can alsoindicate that the attention of design engi-neers has moved elsewhere).

We are not sympathetic toward letterscomplaining that the Symphonic BombastA-123 that we recommended heartily twoyears ago no longer makes it into “Recom-mended Components.” Where deletionsare made, we endeavor to give reasons(there are always reasons). But remember:Deletion of a component from this list does notinvalidate a buying decision you have made.

Individual reviewers mentioned bytheir initials are: John Atkinson, Jim Austin,Paul Bolin, Lonnie Brownell, Martin Col-loms, Brian Damkroger, Robert Deutsch,Art Dudley, Michael Fremer, Larry Green-hill, Fred Kaplan, John Marks, Paul Mes-

senger, Thomas J. Norton, Wes Phillips,Bob J. Reina, Kalman Rubinson, MarkusSauer, Jonathan Scull (J-10), Chip Stern,Sam Tellig, and Barry Willis.

TURNTABLESA+Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn: $125,595with tonearm and stand“Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox,” the160 lb Caliburn is the brainchild of Mark Doehmann,whose clever, purposeful design is based on rigorousscientific methodology using finite-element analysiscomputer programs. While the only serious competi-tion for the Caliburn is the Rockport System III Sir-ius, MF decided, “The Caliburn beat the Rockport’soverall performance by a considerable margin,” addingan “emotional majesty” that made the Rockport seemanalytical. “Better than sex!” cried Mikey’s wife. Theultrarigid Castellon stand, made of chromed, aircraft-grade aluminum, costs $25k on its own (pheww).Stereophile’s 2006 “Analog Source Component” and

“Overall Product of the Year.” (Vol.29 No.1 WWW)

ABrinkmann Balance: $18,550The ready-to-play Brinkmann Balance is a plinthless‘table with an attractive, low-profile base available ina variety of sizes and configured for specified tonearmmasses. Its high-tech feet are designed to effectivelyisolate the supporting base from horizontally and ver-tically induced vibrations, and its platter’s speed canrun at precisely 33.3 and 45rpm. Combined “deep,tight, articulate” bass performance with “the lightest,airiest, purest” soundstages to breathe new life intoMF’s favorite LPs, adding “greater holography ofimaging but without etch.” With the exception of theRockport System III Sirius, the Brinkmann combowas the best turntable system Mikey had ever heard.Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm adds $5350, BrinkmannEMT cartridge adds $3675. (Vol.28 No.5) Continuum Audio Labs Criterion: $49,995without tonearmIncorporates much of the technology and design of the$125,595 Caliburn-Cobra combo, but lacks the dedi-cated Castellon stand. Like the Caliburn, the Criterioncan be simultaneously fitted with two tonearms, anduses Continuum’s armboard isolation system. Its self-

Class ABest attainable sound for a component of its kind, almost without practical considerations;“the least musical compromise.” A Class A system is one for which you don’t have to make aleap of faith to believe that you’re hearing the real thing. With Super Audio CD, 24/96 DAD,and DVD-Audio now available, we have created a new Class, A+, for the best performancein those digital categories. Class A now represents the best that can be obtained from theconventional 16/44.1k CD medium. We also created Class A+ categories for turntables andphono preamps, to recognize the achievements of the Continuum Caliburn and Boulder2008, respectively.

Class BThe next best thing to the very best sound reproduction; Class B components generally costless than those in Class A, but most Class B components are still quite expensive.

Class C Somewhat lower-fi sound, but far more musically natural than average home-componenthigh fidelity; products in this class are of high quality but still affordable.

Class DSatisfying musical sound, but these components are either of significantly lower fidelity thanthe best available, or exhibit major compromises in performance—limited dynamic range,for example. Bear in mind that appearance in Class D still means that we recommend thisproduct—it’s possible to put together a musically satisfying system exclusively from Class Dcomponents.

Class EApplying only to loudspeakers, this “Entry Level” classification includes products that mayhave obvious defects, but are both inexpensive and much better than most products in theirmid-fi price category.

Class K“Keep your eye on this product.” Class K is for components that we have not reviewed (orhave not finished testing), but that we have reason to believe may be excellent performers.We are not actually recommending these components, only suggesting you give them a lis-ten. Though the report has yet to be published in certain cases, the reviewer and editorsometimes feel confident enough that the reviewer’s opinion is sufficiently well formed toinclude what otherwise would be an entry in one of the other classes, marked (NR).

HOW TO USE THE LISTINGSThe classes each cover a wide range of performance. Carefully read our descriptions here,the original reviews, and (heaven forbid) reviews in other magazines to put together a shortlist of components to choose from. Evaluate your room, your source material and front-end(s), your speakers, and your tastes. With luck, you may come up with a selection toaudition at your favorite dealer(s). “Recommended Components” will not tell you what tobuy any more than Consumer Reports would presume to tell you whom to marry!

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Powerful Simplicity.

While NAD AV receivers and tuner preamp may appear

conservative enough, their designs re⇓ ect a philosophy

altogether distinct from that re⇓ ected in today’s typical mass-

market receivers. NAD skips the heavily hyped, ‘me-too’

features and concentrates on functions and technologies

that really make the difference in picture and sound. For

example, rather than succumbing to the lure of the wattage

wars, we’ve focused on meaningful goals: real-world sonics

and power; pristine, non-degraded video, and genuinely

ergonomic designs. Some of our forward-thinking features

include: uniquely enhanced Audyssey™ MultEQ XT room

correction technology, enabling you to experience sound the

way it was intended in every seat of your room by removing

distortion caused by room acoustics; auto set-up and the

latest HDMI connectivity for simple setup; and a unique

modular construction that helps protect your investment

from becoming obsolete. NAD’s belief is that home theater

products have grown far too complex. Our latest designs

were guided by simplicity of operation to maximize your home

theater enjoyment. Audition our new NAD AV systems with

proprietary PowerDrive™ ampli⇒ cation and experience the

NAD difference for yourself. We think you’ll be amazed!

For more information or to ⇒ nd your nearest dealer visit:

www.LenbrookAmerica.comThe Finest Selection of Audio Components in the World.

64 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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damping magnesium-alloy chassis is a bit smaller andlighter than the Caliburn’s, however, resulting in a“sleekly proportioned” design that “makes the Cal-iburn-Cobra look a bit boxy.” Though the Criterioncouldn’t match the Caliburn’s low-frequency weightor tonal complexity, its rhythm’n’pacing abilities were“punchier and more exciting. . . . The Criterion-Cop-perhead quickly had me forgetting what was sitting onthe next stand at twice the price,” said MF. Copper-head tonearm adds $6500. (Vol.31 No.3) Grand Prix Audio Monaco: $19,500“Conceptually audacious, elegantly designed, executedwith space-age precision, and remarkably compact,”the Grand Prix Audio Monaco is a direct-drive, sus-pensionless turntable with a DSP-controlled, brush-less, 12-pole DC motor. The carbon-fiber plinth andmagnesium-alloy platter worked to control outsideenergy and contributed to the turntable’s “impressivelyblack backgrounds.” The Monaco’s “exceptional orga-nizational skills, crystalline clarity, clean transients, andsuperb rhythmic swagger” were offset by a “somewhatcool, aloof personality and less-than-generous har-monic and textural presentation,” concluded MF. Priceincludes pre-drilled armboard; dedicated stand adds$4981.78, as reviewed. (Vol.30 No.11 WWW) Kuzma Stabi XL: $18,975“As much a work of visual art as it is a thoughtfullydesigned, precisely engineered record player,” themass-loaded Stabi XL sports a 48.4-lb platter of alu-minum and acrylic, two 15.4-lb brass motor assem-blies, and a 30.8-lb, height-adjustable brass tonearmtower. Because it has no suspension, the Stabi XLrequires an especially stable, perfectly flat and levelplatform in order to deliver its “rock-solid, open, clean,and effervescent sound.” Tended toward an overag-gressive attack and truncated sustain, but neverthelessproved to be among the best turntables currently avail-able, decided MF. Air Line tonearm costs $8000. Priceis for fixed VTA tower; adjustable VTA tower versioncosts $20,475. (Vol.30 No.4) Kuzma Stabi Reference: $8000 ✩A “genuine bargain,” according to MF, the 88-lb StabiReference is a split-plinth, two-motor design that lackssex appeal but offers rugged build quality and exquis-ite machining. Its performance was “rock-solid,dynamic, stable, and dramatic,” with authoritative bassextension and control. Some may prefer a lighter, airier,more delicate sound, but not Mikey: “Compact, easyto set up, well engineered, and beautifully built, theKuzma Stabi Reference is a relatively affordable, non-tweaky, no-nonsense Class A turntable that does justabout everything correctly except excite the eyes.”(Vol.27 No.9) Linn Sondek LP12, with Lingo power supply:$4600+, depending on finish and options ✩Compared with Linn’s Valhalla, the Lingo-equippedSondek minimizes the LP12’s propensity toward aslightly fat midbass, subjectively extending the low fre-quencies by another octave. The Lingo upgrade alonecosts $1550. The Trampolin suspension reduces theeffect of the support. Cirkus bearing/subchassis, fittedas standard, costs $645 including labor as an upgradekit, and further extends and tightens the ‘table’s bass,leading to a borderline Class A rating, according to MC,JA, AD, and LG (as long as a good support is used, addsMC). “A deeper, more profound silence,” enthuses WPover the Cirkus mod, adding that what stunned himwas “the extent to which surface noise receded intoinsignificance.” MF agreed: “Everything its fans sayabout it is true: It can carry a tune, it’s well-paced, andit has impressive bass extension and supple, believablebass transients.” Superbly low measured rumble andexcellent speed stability reinforce the feeling of maxi-mum musical involvement offered by this classic belt-drive turntable. Good isolation from shock andvibration. While the felt mat doesn’t offer the greatestdegree of vibration suppression within the vinyl disc,

what absorption it does offer is uniform with frequency.The Lingo’d Linn was “a big-sounding, wildly dynamic,faultlessly tuneful player that held me utterly rapt,” saidAD. In direct comparison, the Lingo-Ekos combina-tion sounded more dynamic than the Naim Armaged-don-Aro combo, AD added. “The Naim Armageddonwas easy to listen to. The Linn Lingo was hard to ignore.”The Keel one-piece subchassis, tonearm board, andLinn-specific tonearm mounting collar ($3250) main-tained the sonic character of AD’s LP12 while addingsize, richness, and detail. “To the person who under-stands what the player is all about, this very expensiveupgrade could border on being essential,” said Art, rec-ommending a promotion to Class A for the Keel-equipped LP12. Effects of the Trampolin base ($250)were not as pronounced. Despite flirtations with otherdecks, JA remains true to the basic design he has usednow for more than a quarter century. Version with inter-nal Valhalla power supply costs $2275–$2350, givesClass C sound; with the Basik power supply it costs$2070. (Vol.7 No.2, Vol.13 No.3, Valhalla; Vol.14 No.1,Vol.16 No.12, Vol.17 No.5, Vol.19 No.2, Vol.26 No.11,Vol.28 No.2 WWW; Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Merrill-Scillia Research MS21: $24,000Though boxy and plain, the spring-suspended, belt-driven MS21 is cleverly designed and expertly built,with a one-piece subchassis and a proprietary 24-pole,high-torque, synchronous AC motor. Its “soaring senseof musical flow” was complemented by “a smooth, sat-isfying, essentially neutral tonality that was just slightlyon the warm side.” Though it lacked the bass attackand bottom-end extension of the Grand Prix Monaco,the MS21 offered superior texture and greater overallsuppleness, said MF. (Vol.30 No.11) SME Model 30/2: $36,000 ✩In addition to audio engineering, SME also does pre-cision CNC machining and measuring for FormulaOne race cars and for the medical, aerospace, and avi-ation industries. That prowess was evident in theirModel 30/2, according to MF: “Dense, compact, andbuilt to run O-rings around the competition, SME’sflagship turntable makes every other design I’ve encoun-tered—with the possible exception of Rockport’s Sys-tem III Sirius—look almost homemade. . . . I don’t thinkanyone else building turntables today is capable of thislevel of construction quality, never mind design inge-nuity and fit’n’finish. . . . The SME Model 30/2’s pre-cision-machined parts, its superb damping and isolation,its high-mass, low-flex plinth, its accurate, stable drivesystem, and, most of all, its sound or lack thereof, mightjust make it the finest turntable in the world.” Pricedoes not include tonearm. Mikey preferred the Gra-ham 2.2 arm with the 30/2 in his system, rather thanSME’s own Model IV.Vi. Stereophile’s “Analog Compo-nent of 2003.” (Vol.26 No.3 WWW) TW-Acustic Raven AC: $12,800With a pedestal of machined stainless steel and a com-posite platter incorporating a thick brass bearing sleeveand a Teflon thrust plate, the mass-damped Raven mea-sures only 18" by 16" but weighs nearly 200 lbs. TheRaven’s rock-solid construction resulted in remarkableweight and solidity, an unshakable foundation, andincredibly effective isolation, all working to create amarvelous three-dimensional presentation with jet-black backgrounds. Its clean, deep bottom end neversounded too heavy or thick, but the ‘table lacked sometransient sparkle and top-end air. “One of the world’stop turntables,” MF deemed it, adding “a best buy in a‘top-shelf’ ‘table.” (Vol.29 No.12) VPI HR-X: $11,000, with tonearmHarry Weisfeld’s efforts to produce the ultimate TNTturntable include a plinth of acrylic-aluminum-acryliclaminate, an inverted bearing assembly, the addition ofa perimeter clamping ring, and replacement of the out-board motor and flywheel with a single unit. Simpler,smaller, more luxuriously appointed, and better builtthan the TNT, the HR-X also eliminates the TNT’s

pervasive warmth and softened dynamic transients, tooffer a much more neutral overall presentation. BD:“The HR-X struck me as a stable, inert, and nearly neu-tral platform that simply supports a cartridge and letsit do its job.” Price includes VPI’s JMW-12.6 tonearm(see “Tonearms”). (Vol.29 No.5 WWW) BFunk Firm Vector: $1449, without tonearm $$$Designed by Pink Triangle founder ArthurKhoubessarian, the whimsical Vector uses an irregu-larly shaped plinth for fast energy transmission, sitsatop three clear plastic globes decoupled with Sorboth-ane, and has a DC motor. Its relative lack of dynamicswas offset by its tonal neutrality and excellent rhyth-mic capabilities. “Fun to use and to look at,” said MF.Incognito-wired Rega RB300 tonearm adds $600.(Vol.29 No.10) Origin Live Resolution Modern: $2970 ✩The plinthless Resolution Modern is a “very compact,very low-mass, and very ingenious” design featuringa complex, single-spring, semi-suspended dual sub-chassis. Excellent speed stability. To ensure that theoutside world does not impinge on the Origin Live’sperformance, you should have a good stand and a solidfloor. When auditioned with Origin Live’s Encountertonearm ($1495), the Resolution “combined the airy,light-on-their-feet performance of the best sprungdesigns with the rock-solid stability of mass-loadeddesigns. . . . Music emerged from dead silence to cre-ate coherent, delicate sound,” said Mikey. “One of thetruly special products I’ve reviewed in the past 18years.” (Vol.27 No.7) Pro-Ject RM-10: $2599 $$$Pro-Ject’s statement RM-10 has a magnetic-repulsionsystem for its all-acrylic platter and an impressive 10"carbon-fiber tonearm. Impressively well balanced andfree from any overt colorations, the RM-10 leanedslightly toward the rich, warm side, with bass outputthat was somewhat restricted but very well controlled.“Easily the best product yet to come from the Czechfactory,” said MF. Price includes Pro-Ject’s Ground-Itplatform. (Vol.29 No.11) Rega P7: $2695, with tonearm $$$One step up from Rega’s Planar 5, the Planar 7 uses thesame RB700 tonearm and 24V, 50Hz motor, but itsoutboard TT PSU power supply is standard, and itsceramic record platter features 18 discs for optimizingweight distribution. AD found that the P7 simply builton the P5’s strengths, showcasing an even “greater mea-sure of musical insight.” AD used the Linn Speed-checker strobe to determine that the P7 ran just 0.075%fast at 33.3rpm and 0.3% fast at 45rpm. (Vol.27 No.12,Vol.28 No.3 WWW) Scheu Analog Das Laufwerk No.2: $5995Bearing a striking resemblance to the Metronome GaiaExcellence, the Laufwerk No.2 uses an acrylic platterand an inverted bearing of hardened steel fitted withan aluminum-oxide ceramic ball. The Laufwerk’s“slightly soft, somewhat ill-focused, ‘drummy’ quality”was offset by its “smooth, well-detailed, solid overallsound.” Though it couldn’t match the slam and focusor airy transparency of much more expensive ‘tables,the Laufwerk offered a rich midrange with “reasonablysolid, well-controlled, pitch-sensitive bass,” said MF.(Vol.30 No.12) Simon Yorke Series 9: $8250“The Simon Yorke Series 9 record player is a highlyindividualistic, almost idiosyncratic turntable, bothphysically and, to some degree, sonically,” said MF. Itscompact, belt-driven, non-suspended design includesa unipivot tonearm and a DC motor. Adjusting its tone-arm was tricky, but once the player was properly setup, the S9 was simple to use. Though it lacked the res-olution of the Simon Yorke S7, the S9 produced a “rich,generous, and enveloping sound” and excelled at repro-ducing instrumental touch, textures, and harmonic col-ors. (Vol.30 No.12 WWW)

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68 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

Thorens TD 350: $5825, with SME M2 tonearmThe TD 350 revives Thorens’ suspended-subchassisdesign and delivered “that classic ‘suspended-turntablesound’ done to perfection, without the soft, bottom-end discontinuity and bloat,” said MF. With the SMEM2 tonearm and Clearaudio Maestro cartridge, theTD 350 produced a “relaxing yet stimulating” soundmarked by a “harmonically rich picture” and “velvetyimage physicality,” but lacked some speed and detail.(Vol.30 No.5) VPI Aries Scoutmaster: $2500 $$$ ✩The Scoutmaster has a rigid, compact plinth compris-ing a 12-gauge steel plate sandwiched by two MDFlayers, an inverted bearing with Teflon thrust plate,and an outboard 300rpm motor in a solid aluminumassembly. Optional SDS motor-controller adds $1000,an outer record clamp adds $500, and a second armassembly adds $400. Driven by the SDS, the Scout-master ran precisely on speed with improved stability,bass solidity, and sense of musical flow. Offered “impres-sive transient clarity and speed, low-level resolution,and rhythmic authority,” yet with a “lighter, airiertouch” than the Kuzma Stabi Reference. “Has therhythm, pacing, drive, and fit’n’finish that makes it thebest VPI ‘table I’ve heard,” MF sums up, though headmits he hasn’t yet heard the TNT-HRX. “A genuinebargain.” (Vol.27 No.9) Well Tempered Record Player: $2950 $$$The WTRP’s holistic approach to turntable designincludes a plinth constructed of three sheets of MDFseparated by layers of an elastic sound-deadeningmaterial; hollow feet said to function as resonance-control devices; a machined acrylic platter intendedto act as a sink for unwanted vibrational energy; theWT Tonearm, which has an armtube filled with sandfor further elimination of unwanted energy; and afive-point bearing in a silicone bath. “An exception-ally musical product,” said AD. It combined realisticmomentum and flow with superb control and stablespatial placement. Depending on the recording, theWTRP’s tendency to tame instrumental and vocalsibilance was either good or bad. Inverting the WTRP’sconcave platter set AD’s mind at ease and maintainedthe player’s wonderful sound. “Solid Class B,” sumsup AD. (Vol.29 No.11, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) CMarantz TT-15SI: $1600Marantz’s first turntable in 20 years, the attractive, quiet,well-damped TT-15S1 is built to Marantz’s specifica-tions by Clearaudio, whose Virtuoso Wood Ebony MMcartridge is included. “Basically an upgraded Clearau-dio Emotion,” per MF, the TT-15S1 features a talleracrylic platter, differently shaped acrylic plinth, andthree substantial aluminum feet. The Virtuoso Woodcartridge offered the TT-15S1 a “startlingly full, coher-ent, dynamic sound.” “Given Marantz’s extensive dis-tribution network,” said MF, “the TT-15S1 should serveas a goodwill ambassador for analog.” (Vol.29 No.6) Michell TecnoDec: $1695, with tonearmJ.A. Michell’s entry-level turntable features a vinyl-damped acrylic platter, a robust inverted-ball mainbearing, an outboard DC motor with adjustablespeed, and uses a Rega 250 arm modified withMichell’s TecnoWeight. Setup was a snap. “Turn-tables don’t get much simpler than the TecnoDec,”said Mikey. MF installed a Lyra Helikon cartridgeand was especially impressed by the resulting size,precision, focus, and stability of aural images. Andthough the TecnoDec lacked the transient speed,macrodynamic swings, microdynamic nuances, andbass slam and control of more expensive ‘tables, MFwas still pleased: “Easy to recommend.” (Vol.29 No.5) Rega P5: $1395, with tonearm ✩This two-speed belt-drive turntable with glass recordplatter, Rega RB700 tonearm, and 24V, 50Hz motoroffered “the sort of emotional and intellectual involve-ment that comes only when a hi-fi component gets the

musical essentials down right,” said AD. Comparedwith Rega’s Planar 3, the new Planar 5 was “more explic-itly detailed and significantly better at putting acrosssoundfield depth and image placement.” Buyers canupgrade at any time with the addition of Rega’s TTPSU power supply ($345), which made music perfor-mance more convincing overall. Using the Linn Speed-checker strobe, AD found that the P5, without its TTPSU power supply, ran 0.1% fast at 33.3rpm and 0.15%slow at 45rpm. With the TT PSU, the P5 ran an imper-ceptible 0.025% fast at 33.3rpm but 0.2% fast at 45rpm.(Vol.27 No.12, Vol.28 No.3 WWW) Roksan Radius5: $2195, with tonearmThe Radius5 features a motor that rocks like a clockpendulum for improved isolation, an unstable platterdesigned to prevent damage to the main bearing, andthe Nima unipivot tonearm with acrylic headshell. “Aquirky combo,” declared MF. He questioned the player’sstability, and would have preferred a different headshellmaterial and locking armrest. With the Roksan Corusor Lyra Helikon cartridge, the Radius5 delivered arelaxed sound marked by slow, fat bass and large, roundimages. Despite careful grounding, an audible buzz wasemitted whenever MF touched the armtube. Anupgrade is available. The buyer should make sure tobuy a current-production unit. (Vol.29 No.5) DPro-Ject Debut III: $299–$329 $$$Every aspect of earlier Debuts is taken a step up in theDebut III, which comes equipped with an OrtofonOM-5E MM cartridge. It offered surprisingly quietbackgrounds, along with impressive image stabilityand dynamics. Its slightly loose bass was tightenedconsiderably by the addition of the Speed Box Mk.II($119), which allows for electronic switching between331⁄3 and 45rpm. “The inexpensive Debut III suddenlyhad swagger,” said MF. “The combo is laughablygood.” (Vol.29 No.7) Rega P1: $395 $$$The “purposeful, unfussy” P1 is a two-speed, belt-driven turntable with synchronous AC motor, MDFplatter, pivoted RB100 tonearm, and Ortofon OMB5E moving-magnet cartridge. Setup was quick andeasy, and platter speed was accurate at 45rpm, butover 1% high at 33.3rpm. The P1’s somewhat darksound was especially forgiving of poorly recordedmaterial and worn-out LPs, and though it lacked thedeep bass and rich textures of much more expensiveplayers, it succeeded at communicating the tension,momentum, and flow of music. Its only consistentflaw was “a lingering trace of pitch instability.” Somereviewers, ST and MF for example, express concernover the P1’s build quality, hence longevity, but ADdismisses such comments: “It sounds good, the priceis right, and Rega stands a better chance than mostcompanies of being here tomorrow.” “The first timein my experience that a designer whose work some-times ranks with the very best has created an audiocomponent this affordable,” said AD. “Very highlyrecommended.” (Vol.30 No.5 WWW)DeletionsSOTA Cosmos Series III, T+A G10 R, ClearaudioEmotion, all not auditioned in too long a time; RegaP3 replaced by new version not yet auditioned.

TONEARMSABrinkmann 10.5: $5350A Breuer-like gimbaled-bearing design that featuresan armtube described by the designer as a “high-speed, double-concentric, ceramic-plated, self-damping transmission device.” See BrinkmannBalance turntable. (Vol.28 No.5) Continuum Audio Labs Cobra: $15,595The Cobra’s odd shape—it’s wider and higher in the

middle —is designed to make the center of the arm asstiff and free of resonances as possible. The Cobraalso includes original and ingenious methods forazimuth stabilization and adjustment. “The Cal-iburn-Cobra produced the most convincing, believ-able, solid, and alive sound picture I’ve heard,” saidMF. (Vol.29 Nos.1 & 6, WWW) Continuum Audio Labs Copperhead: $6500The Copperhead shares with the Cobra arm Contin-uum Audio Lab’s Reshape Shape Optimized Reso-nance Tuned Compound Curve technology, and ismade of the same proprietary woven fiber in a mono-coque design. Though the two arms share the samegeometric specs, the Copperhead’s narrower bodyallows for greater compatibility with non-Continuumturntables. MF preferred the Copperhead’s mechani-cally grounded posts to the Cobra’s cantilever bearingplatform system. While the Criterion-Copperheadcombo sounded “slightly faster, leaner, and brasher”than the Caliburn-Cobra, it lacked the latter’s nuanceand complexity. (Vol.31 No.3) Graham Engineering Phantom B-44: $4300Designed to be a drop-in replacement for the Graham1.5 and its successors, the Phantom uses much of theoriginal tonearm’s technology and design but is big-ger and more massive, and features Graham’s newMagneglide system, which acts to laterally stabilize thearm at the pivot point and give it the feel of a tradi-tional gimbaled arm while providing an easy meansof adjusting both azimuth angle and antiskating force.The Phantom combined technical expertise withemotional intensity, delivering “lightning strikes ofdeep, fast, ultratight bass” and “a greater expression ofbloom and air, with no loss of detail or control.” MF:“The Graham Phantom is a tonearm whose pure,effortless sound I can respect and love.” Compared tothe Caliburn Cobra, the Phantom was a bit less airyand effusive, slightly more reserved and grounded.Gold trim adds $90. (Vol.28 No.9, Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Kuzma Air Line: $9000The Air Line’s linear-tracking design “screams rigidity,security, and repeatability,” and uses a porous-wall airbearing. The lack of a damping trough, combined witha high horizontal moving mass, means that the arm’sstability and tracking effectiveness will depend on itsbeing absolutely level. When conditions were ideal,however, the Air Line was a “a major league home runsonically.” MF: “Ultra-black backgrounds; enormous,airy, startlingly stable soundstages; palpable images per-fectly placed and sized; ear-popping harmonic,dynamic, and transient complexity. . . . With the addi-tion of a damping trough, the Air Line could very wellbe the finest tonearm ever built.” In combination withthe $7000 Kuzma Reference turntable, MF found “top-shelf performance at mid-level price.” However, withthe Simon Yorke System 7 turntable, “the Air Line armseemed to have a slightly more romantic and airy uppermidrange, but not quite the same bottom-end heft andweight.” Works best with more “forgiving” phono car-tridges, MF feels, who also that when it was partneredwith the ultra-revealing Kuzma Stabi XL, the Air Lineexhibited a rather bright, icy overlay. Mikey recom-mends use with a warmer, less revealing turntable orcartridge. Current-production models include a damp-ing trough. (Vol.27 Nos.8 & 9; see MF’s Reference XLreview in Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Linn Ekos SE: $4950Outwardly identical to the original Ekos in all but color,the Ekos SE is machined from a titanium tube in aneffort to smooth out resonant peaks, while its stain-less-steel main pillar and bearing cradle work to main-tain perfect bearing adjustment in the face oftemperature extremes and user abuse. The “beauti-fully finished” SE comes packaged with a selection oftools, a Linn T-Kable interconnect, and a new itera-tion of Linn’s cable clamp. With its strong, tight bassand solid aural images, the Ekos SE produced a “cleaner,

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more dramatic, and more enjoyable” listening experi-ence, said AD. “Other, more exotic arms may give bet-ter results in some settings, but I can’t think of a moreconsistent—and consistently recommendable—tone-arm. It’s a Martin D-28, a BMW 3-series, a bottle ofBombay Sapphire: It will please any sane, reasonableperson,” he sums up. (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Naim ARO: $3300 ✩“An inner balance and harmony consistent with themusical message,” says MC of this unipivot design. MSfound the ARO to offer superb timbral accuracy, sound-staging, dynamics, and rhythmic integrity. He alsofound it less bright than the Linn Ekos, and better bal-anced in the bass than the SME V. WP concurs, rank-ing it high among the arms he’s auditioned, but cautionsthat the lack of any overhang adjustment dictates care-ful cartridge matching, or the ability to drill new arm-boards with different radii from the spindle for eachnew transducer. AD’s long-term reference. Additionalarm tops cost $1350. (Vol.16 No.6, Vol.19 No.2 WWW) VPI JMW-12.6: $2400 $$$ ✩Unipivot tonearm features vestigial antiskating, whichdisconcerted MF. Nonetheless, he enthused over itslush midrange, ultra-smooth top end, and rock-solidimaging and soundstaging: “Subjectively, it seemed tohave lower distortion than any other pivoted arm I’veheard, but part of that might be the result of itssmooooth frequency balance. Inner detail was out-standing.” However, he added of the original 12.5 ver-sion, “I think there’s a slight midbass exaggeration thatmay be part of the spreading warmth above this range,and which gives this arm its inviting midrange.” BDsays of the 12" version, “lowers the original’s alreadylow distortion. The background is blacker and the armseems to float an infinite well of inner and low-leveldetails. The tonal balance is more neutral, but com-bined with the TNT III or IV, is still warm and invit-ing.” With the 12.5, Harry Weisfeld made small butimportant modifications to the 12" JMW that resultedin heightened rigidity, a reduced center of mass, andimproved damping. What BD found most impressivewas the “obvious-once-you-see-it” touch of the smallV groove machined into the top of the headshell. Thisallows the user to more easily gauge headshell tilt whilesetting azimuth. “Neat!” MF adds: “Luxuriousmidrange, low distortion, and ease of setup and usemake this a very attractive arm if your ‘table can han-dle the length.” Additional arm assemblies cost $400.(Vol.20 No.1, Vol.24 No.12, Vol.25 No.3; See BD’sreview of the VPI HR-X in Vol.29 No.5 WWW) BHadcock 242 Integra: $1259Recently upgraded with a stainless-steel armtube,higher-quality internal wiring, and better fit’n’finish,the 242 Integra is an unusual unipivot design in whicha pivot spike rests in a ball-race bearing in the arm hous-ing. Mated with the London Reference cartridge, theHadcock produced a sweet, rich midband, and com-plemented the Nottingham Deco’s jet-black back-grounds with stunning sound, said MF. (Vol.28 No.7) Rega RB300: $395 $$$ ✩The Rega offers very good detail, depth, midrange neu-trality, ambience, and precision of imaging, almostcreeping into Class A. Works well with the Rega andRoksan ‘tables. Audio Advisor also offers it as a pack-age with the VPI HW-19 Mk.III and Jr. turntables.Lacks any form of height adjustment, however—VTAcan be adjusted only by adding spacers under the base.(Vol.7 No.7, Vol.10 No.1, Vol.19 No.12) SME M2: $1595The SME M2 worked with the Thorens TD 350turntable to produce, in MF’s opinion, “an extraor-dinarily well-balanced musical experience.” Recentevaluation of the M2 showed no evidence of theloose bearing and mispunched alignment-gaugeproblems that had bothered him with the early sam-ples of this English tonearm that he had tried with

turntables from Musical Fidelity and T+A. (Vol.27Nos.3 & 11, Vol.30 No.5) VPI JMW-9: $900 ✩The newest and shortest of Harry Weisfeld’s JMWtonearm line, the JMW-9 comes standard with theAries Scout turntable. (AD enthused about the com-bination’s sound.) It uses a reverse-missionary bearingwith a hardened tungsten-carbide point and a machinedand hardened-steel set-screw for a cup. A quick-con-nect plug makes for easy removal and easy cartridgeswapping, but as with all Harry Weisfeld designs, thereis no antiskating mechanism. MF auditioned the 9"version of the JMW Memorial tonearm with VPI’sScoutmaster turntable. Unlike the original JMWMemorial, the 9" arm’s main bearing is directlygrounded to the plinth and the stabilizing ring sur-rounding the arm’s bearing housing is fixed. The lackof a damping well results in a “Parkinson’s-like trem-bling of the JMW when you use the finger lift or lowerthe arm via the cueing mechanism,” which MF founddisconcerting. Nevertheless, the arm appeared to beextremely stable: “The taut, focused, remarkablycoherent performance of this ‘table-arm combo is tes-tament to a fundamentally solid, well-grounded sys-tem that deals effectively with energy created at thestylus/groove interface.” Some disagreement betweenAD and MF over the overall rating, but Class B seemsappropriate. (Vol.26 No.2, Vol.27 No.9 WWW) Editor’s Note: There are currently no Class C & Dtonearms listed.DeletionsExpressimo Audio Mongoose, Graham Robin, notauditioned in too long a time.

PHONO CARTRIDGESA Air Tight PC-1: $6000“A remarkable blend of science and art,” the PC-1weighs 12gm, has an output of 0.6mV, and uses asemi –line-contact stylus attached to a boron can-tilever. Its tonal balance was “ever so slightly” bumpedup in the bass, for a “rich, generous, extended foun-dation and a feeling of overall musical generosity,”said MF. An excellent and quiet tracker offering con-vincing transient attack and superior harmonicexpression, the PC-1 ranked “among the top five car-tridges” in Mikey’s experience. (Vol.30 No.6) Allaerts MC2 Finish Gold: $7500The MC2 Finish Gold is a low-output (0.2mV),medium-compliance cartridge with a solid-boron can-tilever and a Fritz Geiger Signature High Tech diamondstylus. The connector pins and hand-wound coils areof solid gold. The MC2 delivered “a distinctly smoothand natural” sound with rhythmic performance thatoffered satisfying weight and sufficient speed. Its “warm,burnished” overall balance seemed best suited foracoustic music, decided MF. (Vol.30 No.5 WWW) Brinkmann EMT Titanium: $3675This nude medium-compliance, low-output design(0.21mV/cm/s) is rebuilt by Brinkmann Audio froman MC model supplied by EMT, features an alnicomagnet and a silver-colored body bonded to a solid-titanium mounting structure for greater intrinsicmechanical rigidity and the ability to securely mate withthe headshell.The Titanium showed excellent trackingcapabilities and mated well with AD’s Naim Aro tone-arm. It sounded slightly warmer than average and verynicely textured, with a fine balance of bass and treble.AD loved it: “The Titanium goes beyond merely sound-ing good: It actually makes music. It’s the sort of pur-chase you can imagine a person caring about.” Carefulsetup is necessary to prevent the exaggeration of vocalsibilants, however. (Vol.28 No.5, Vol.29 No.8 WWW) Clearaudio Stradivari: $3500The low-mass Stradivari has a body of aged ebony and

coils wound with 24K gold. Its low-to-medium-com-pliance boron cantilever, fitted with a micro HD sty-lus, tracks at about 2.8gm. The Stradivari traded theKoetsu Vermillion’s lush, romantic sound for a “leaner,smoother, more literal translation of the recordedevent.” Its “decidedly smooth, liquid sheen” produceda “satisfying sense of musical relaxation without induc-ing boredom,” said MF. Just squeaks into Class A.Required 60 hours of break-in. (Vol.31 No.1) Clearaudio Concerto: $2400 $$$The relatively light (4.4gm) Concerto has an outputof 0.6mV at 5cm/s and a recommended vertical track-ing force of 2.8gm. It features a “multi-finger” reso-nance-control body, a solid boron cantilever, and alow-mass Micro HD stylus. MF was very impressed:“It combined a rich harmonic palette, refined transientperformance, excellent tracking, and outstanding res-olution of low-level detail to produce an inviting,detailed, three-dimensional picture with all genres ofmusic.” Required well over a month of constant useto fully break in. (Vol.29 No.7) Dynavector DRT XV-1S: $4250“One of a handful of thoroughly special cartridgesavailable,” the DRT XV-1S uses eight small magnetsin a configuration designed to produce an “excep-tionally linear magnetic field.” Excelling at reproduc-ing voices and at offering buttery, ultrapalpable,three-dimensional images with a rich presentation,the DRT XV-1S created “eerily real sound,” said MF.Because the line-contact stylus and solid-boron can-tilever are unprotected, extreme care must be takenin mounting. (Vol.29 No.3) Koetsu Urushi Vermillion: $4300The red-lacquered Urushi Vermillion uses a low-capac-itance cantilever and a Quadrahedron stylus. Its samar-ium-cobalt magnet and silver-clad six-nines coppercoils produce an output of 0.4mV. Though it was“slightly polite on top” and lacked some air and space,its “rich and colorful” sound was never soggy or tooromantic. The “artfully voiced” Vermillion proved tobe “one of a handful of the most musically engagingcartridges” in MF’s experience. (Urushi, Vol.21 No.10;Vol.24 No.10; Urushi Vermillion, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Lyra Titan: $5200 ✩The Titan’s body is machined from a single piece oftitanium alloy to minimize standing waves, internalreflections, and resonances. Two symmetrical disc mag-nets create a symmetrical magnetic field that is said toeliminate distortions common to conventional pole-piece designs. MF: “The Titan is the least ‘mechanical’-sounding Lyra I’ve heard, and one of the most lyricaland liquid-sounding cartridges I’ve heard from anyoneat any price. And it delivered that musical ease withoutsounding dull or closed-in. . . . [Its] dynamics, sound-staging, depth, detail resolution, bass definition, and allother parameters of cartridge performance were thestate of the art or close enough. . . . The Lyra Titanseemed to sail through the grooves, ignoring or mini-mizing wear, scratches, and other defects, while retriev-ing and delivering a level of musical nuance that set itapart from any other cartridge I’ve heard.” BD secondsthe Class A rating. (Vol.26 No.6, Vol.30 No.3) Lyra Skala: $3200The Skala’s narrow mounting plate is designed to con-strain resonances while giving the cantilever assemblya more direct mechanical path to the tonearm. Becausethe Skala’s polymer base compresses under pressure,care must be taken to tighten its screws slowly andevenly. The Skala matched the Helikon’s speedy tran-sient attack, finely detailed textures, three-dimensionalspatial presentation, and tonal neutrality, but added atouch of warmth and smoothness, said MF. Low ClassA, compared with the Lyra Titan. (Vol.30 No.3 WWW) Lyra Helikon: $2300 ✩Lyra Helikon SL: $2500 ✩Lyra Helikon Mono: $2500 ✩MF says that, even at the price, the aluminum-chassis

70 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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sRECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

Helikon from Scan-Tech is a steal. “A well-balancedperformer with little character of its own compared tomost other cartridges. . . . Not as fast and exciting assome, but smooth, transparent, and ultra-detailed.” Healso noted “an addictive, plush, creamy midband andtotal freedom from edge, grain, and ‘mechanicalness.’“ Detailed and seamlessly articulate, with unrivaledpalpability. Mono version uses two separate coilswound on the two sides of a former that’s oriented par-allel to the record’s surface, making the generator elec-trically insensitive to vertical modulations of any sort.(Vol.24 No.6, Vol.28 No.6) Opened MF’s eyes to whattreasures had been captured on single-channel record-ings. “For its consistently colorful, dramatic, and involv-ing performance, the Lyra Helikon Mono is one of mymost cherished audio toys,” said AD. A high-gain, low-noise phono section is mandatory for the high-resolu-tion, low-output (220μV) SL version of the Helikon.“Offers more detail, spatiality, and focus than the orig-inal,” says Mikey, “but all will be lost if your phonosection isn’t up to the job.” With the Helikon, Scan-Tech has come up with its most cleverly balanced car-tridge yet. Not the ultimate, but for most analog lovers,and with most associated equipment, ultimate enough!Retipping, $1995. (Vol.23 Nos.8 & 11, Vol.24 Nos.6 &12, Vol.28 No.6, Vol.30 No.3 WWW) Miyabi/47 Laboratory: $3950The polar opposite of the Clearaudio Goldfinger inboth construction and sound, the Miyabi/47 Lab car-tridge has an old-fashioned design with a plastic body,and provided a warm, weighty tonal character. Its lackof top-end air and detail was balanced by its surpris-ingly rich and nuanced midrange. “A vision fulfilled,”said MF. (Vol.29 No.10, Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Transfiguration Orpheus: $5000Dramatically different from earlier Transfigurations,the Orpheus uses an angled top plate and a squared-offbody to better expose the cantilever and ease align-ment. Compared to the Temper W, the Orpheus offerslower compliance and impedance, higher mass andtracking force, and greater output. The Orpheusretained the smooth, meaty midband and overall coher-ence of earlier Transfigurations, but added greater tran-sient snap, clarity, and three-dimensionality. “EasilyImmutable Music’s best-performing, most exciting-sounding cartridge yet,” said MF. (Vol.29 No.12) BCartridge Man MusicMaker: $995 $$$Loosely based on the Grado Signature series, the Music-Maker uses a proprietary grain-oriented, high-contact-area stylus profile and a multipiece cantilever that’sdamped inside and out. Mounted on the Hadcock 242tonearm, and after a lengthy break-in, the MusicMakerimpressed MF with its dynamic resolve, crystalline clar-ity, and silent backgrounds. Subtle textural shadingswere sacrificed in favor of outstanding resolution oflow-level detail and ambient cues. “If you like yourtransient attacks right there and your top end slightly onthe sharp side, but without etch or smear, you’ll prob-ably like the MusicMaker,” said MF. (Vol.28 No.7) Clearaudio Maestro: $1000“A bold creation in a somewhat neglected territory,”said MF of this boron-cantilevered moving-magnetcartridge. Paired with the Graham Phantom tonearmatop the Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, the Mae-stro produced “remarkably rich, round orchestral col-ors, impressive dynamic swings, and big, ballsy images,”but lacked the detail retrieval of the best low-outputmoving-coils. In combination with the Thorens TD350 and SME M2 tonearm, the Maestro offered a“well-balanced, relaxed, and enticing” sound. “It’s thebest-sounding MM cartridge I’ve heard,” decided MF.(Vol.30 Nos.5 & 6) Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood: $875 $$$ ✩BJR couldn’t come up with even one criticism of thiswooden-bodied version of the excellent Aurum BetaS. It shares that cartridge’s transparency, midrange nat-

uralness, extended treble and bass definition, anddynamics, but adds an additional layer of detail resolu-tion, sweetness, and subtle low level articulation, BJRdecided that the Virtuoso Wood might be the afford-able cartridge for lovers of jazz, classical, and rock music.“The performance of the Clearaudio Virtuoso Woodwas so ear-opening that I recommend that anyonethinking of spending up to $2500 on a moving-coil car-tridge consider buying the [$800] Wood instead.”(Vol.25 No.12 WWW) EMT Jubilee Series JSD 5: $3495Released to celebrate EMT’s 66th anniversary, the JSD5 is a moving-coil design with a gold-plated generatorsystem in an open enclosure milled from solid alu-minum. It uses a nude Gyger S-shape stylus, weighs11gm, and offers a generous 1mV output. The JSD 5sacrificed some extension, dynamics, and soundstagewidth for an “enticing sense of top-to-bottom musicalcontinuity and liquidity,” said Mikey. “The best EMTcartridge I’ve heard.” Borderline Class A. (Vol.30 No.6) Koetsu Black: $1600 $$$Koetsu’s entry-level model and best-known cartridgeis an impressively built, aluminum-bodied oblongblock painted black and with integral, unthreadedholes for the mounting bolts. The Black has a low out-put of 0.6mV, despite its use of a samarium-cobalt mag-net. It was “smooth, textured, exceptionally colorful,and just a little rolled off in the treble” for a tonal bal-ance that was “a mite huskier than neutral,” said AD.Though it lacked the Miyabi 47’s ability to make senseof poorly recorded material, the Black neverthelessproved “a lovely, musical product,” concluded Art.(Vol.30 Nos.7 & 10 WWW ) Lyra Dorian: $995 $$$The “budget-priced” Dorian offers 0.6mV of outputand a recommended tracking force of 1.8–2gm. MF:“The Dorian’s transparency, transient speed, rhythmicsolidity, resolution of low-level detail, and taut, well-extended bottom end brought an overall balance andmusical excitement that I’ve yet to hear from any car-tridge competing at this price.” (Vol.28 No.3) Soundsmith SMMC1: $750 $$$(See MF’s review in this issue.) Zu Audio DL-103: $399 $$$Zu improves on Denon’s original design by trading theDL-103’s plastic body for one built of 6061 “aircraft”aluminum and then binding the magnet, base, and polepiece with a ferrous-based epoxy. This consistently col-orful-, well-textured–, engaging-sounding cartridgebuilt on the Denon’s sense of impact while taming itsforward presentation. AD: “The Zu doesn’t just slaygiants: It rips their beating heart from their chests,shows it to them, finishes them off, then chases theirsouls and drags them down to hell. Recommended.”(Vol.30 Nos.10 & 12 WWW) CBenz MC20E2-L: $250 $$$The MC20E2-L is a low-output (0.5mV) moving-coilcartridge. Though it lacked extreme bass depth andweight, it proved impressively smooth-, tuneful-, andpresent-sounding, and was especially dramatic andinvolving, said AD. “The Benz-Micro MC20E2-L is awildly good value for the money. . . . Very strongly rec-ommended.” (Vol.30 Nos.9 & 10 WWW) Denon DL-103: $229 $$$In production since 1962, the DL-103 is a “resolutelyold-fashioned” cartridge with a two-piece plastic body.It uses a two-piece aluminum cantilever to drive a cross-shaped armature wound with several turns of fine-gauge copper magnet wire. Its square-shank nudediamond stylus is ground to a spherical tip. Though theDenon offered excellent bass depth and impact withan overall exciting and “pleasantly forward” presenta-tion, its high-frequency response peak made brightrecordings sound “a bit more forward than ideal.”Nonetheless, AD deemed it “a superb cartridge and aremarkable buy.” (Vol.30 Nos.10 & 12 WWW)

Grado Reference Sonata: $500 $$$ ✩Grado Reference Sonata Mono: $500“Represents a leap of performance beyond the [Grado]Platinum, and hints at what an expensive MC can do,”said BJR, listing its advantages as “less upper-midrangeforwardness and a more seductive midrange.”“Improved detail, transient speed, and decay, andimproved hall sound were very noticeable. . . . No car-tridge reproduces a female voice better than this. . . . Itmay be difficult to rationalize spending much more fora cartridge.” He adds that “it competes with all but thebest of today’s moving-coils.” On some turntables, hummay be audible at the end of records—check beforebuying. “A wonderfully human-sounding cartridge”with a somewhat soft, warm presentation and impres-sive spatial performance, said AD of the dedicated monoversion. His only disappointment was that it didn’t trackloud singing voices and loud piano chords quite ascleanly as did the Benz ACE and Lyra Helikon. (Vol.21No.6, Vol.23 No.4, Vol.28 No.6 WWW) Editor’s Note: There are no Class D phono cartridgescurrently listed.KClearaudio Maestro.DeletionsGraham Engineering Nightingale II, Linn Akiva, vanden Hul Condor Gold, Shelter 501 Mk.II, SumikoBlue Point Special Evo III, Benz ACE Mono, all notauditioned in too long a time to be sure of rating; Lon-don Reference pending audition of a current sample;Clearaudio Goldfinger and Ortofon SPU Meister bynew versions not yet auditioned.

PHONO ACCESSORIES& RECORD CLEANERSAcoustic Revive RL-30 Mk.3 record demagne-tizer: $1975The RL-30 Mk.3 removed the high-frequency glazefrom harsh-sounding LPs to make a believer out ofMikey. “I’m sorry to report that demagnetizing LPsworks—consistently and decidedly,” he said. Its con-servative looks and useful dustcover give it an edge overFurutech’s De Mag, in MF’s opinion. (Vol.29 No.10) Audio Intelligent record-cleaning fluidsMF: “The AI fluids are reasonably priced, easy to applyand (especially) to spread, clean extremely well, andleave no audible residue.” Prices are for 16-oz bottles:Enzymatic Formula, $18; alcohol-free PremiumArchivist Formula, $18; Super Cleaning Formula withresearch-grade isopropanol, $18; Ultra-Pure Water(claimed to be 50 times purer than distilled water), $10.Distributed by Missouri-based Osage Audio Products,LLC. (Vol.30 No.12) Benz/Aesthetix MC Demagnetizer: $199 ✩Battery-powered, reasonably priced, seems to do thejob as well as any of them, decided MF. (Vol.25 No.7) Blue Note Kymyas Hi End LP Treatment: $75This LP treatment is composed of a cleaning fluid anda restorative polymer coating that’s claimed to “cure”scratched LPs for up to six months. Though recordswere made “far more musically palatable,” the scratcheswere still present and annoying, and, even after longdrying periods, MF found that a single play left a largeball of Blue Note’s polymer coating on the stylus. “Ifyou have irreplaceable scratched records that you trea-sure, use this expensive stuff carefully and transfer themusic to CD-R,” he advised. (Vol.29 No.6) Clearaudio Outer Limit Turntable Ring: $1250✩Heavy, stainless-steel ring acts as a speed-stabilizingflywheel, damps the record, and flattens outer-groovewarps. However, MF cautioned, its weight means thatyou can use it only with turntables with massive plat-ters and/or very powerful motors. MF also noted that

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72 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

a centering template would be a happy addition to thepackage. The Outer Limit was “a pain to center.”Nonetheless, it “blackened backgrounds, solidifiedimages, and made them ‘pop’ in three dimensions.”(Vol.24 No.10) DB Systems DBP-10 protractor: $49 ✩Fiddly but accurate guide for setting cartridge tangency.JA’s preferred alignment protractor. (NR) Expressimo Audio Micro-Tech digital stylusforce gauge: $95 ✩This low-cost stylus-force gauge can measure 0.1gm to120gm in increments of 0.1gm, and proved to be asaccurate as and far less delicate than the $800 WindsALM-01. MF: “It places the stylus very close to therecord surface to measure the tracking force withgreater accuracy, it’s easily self-calibrated, and it appearsto be bulletproof.” (Vol.27 No.10) Feickert Universal Protractor: $250Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, theFeickert Universal Protractor takes into account thedistance from the tonearm pivot to the platter spindle,as well as the tonearm’s effective length, making it trulyuniversal. “Ruggedly built and an ingenious design,”said MF. Proper overhang and zenith angle were eas-ily and reliably set. “I highly recommend the FeickertUniversal Protractor,” MF concluded. Current pro-duction is easier to read and provides an improvedinstruction manual. For accurate readings, care mustbe taken to ensure the precise placement of the Pro-tractor’s needle tip on the tonearm’s pivot point, cau-tioned MF. (Vol.29 No.10, Vol.30 No.10) Funk Firm turntable modifications: $3159Pink Triangle founder Arthur Khoubessarian’s newcompany, The Funk Firm, offers a modification kitfor the Linn LP12. It incorporates the Funk Link, acarbon-fiber top plate and an ironless-rotor DCmotor with an outboard power supply. the VectorLink, an upgraded DC motor, an upgraded power-supply PCB, an entirely new subchassis, and theAchromat platter mat. AD’s fully modded LP12sounded “brilliant”—Funk Firm’s mods completelyremoved the LP12’s upper-bass emphasis and warmthwhile providing better musical timing and trans-parency. AD preferred the sound of the Funk Link,which preserved the Linn’s innate upper-basswarmth. (Vol.29 No.12, Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Furutech deMag record demagnetizer: $1800“Who knew?!?” Like the Acoustic Revive RL-30 Mk.3,the deMag removed glare and enriched the midbandof edgy-sounding LPs. Users should make sure theFurutech’s uncovered surface is clean before puttingfreshly scrubbed vinyl on it, warned MF. (Vol.29 No.10) Furutech deStat SNH-2: $360Furutech’s deStat static-discharge device simultane-ously generates positive and negative ions and fans thebalanced ion flow across the record’s surface. Provedeasier to use than the much less expensive Milty Zero-Stat 3, and eliminated static cling uniformly and “ingrand style,” said MF. Requires four AA batteries.(Vol.30 No.10) Furutech DFV-1 Disc Flattener: $1480The DFV-1 stands upright and has a footprint of only17" W by 7" D. Its heating-and-cooling cycle takesabout 21⁄2 hours and resulted in flat surfaces with nodeformed grooves. “The DFV-1 worked perfectly,”said MF. Like the more expensive Air Tight disc-flat-tener, however, the DFV-1 won’t cure serious press-ing defects. (Vol.30 No.10) Hannl Aragon LP-cleaning machine: $3299Hannl’s “beautifully built, attractive, and quiet” Aragonis functionally very similar to the VPI 17.5F, capable ofspinning records in both directions, and equipped witha fluid well and built-in pump. In addition, the Aragonlets the user vary the amount of suction and the speedat which the platter spins. The awkward placement ofits On/Off switch and its variable vacuum pressure andplatter speed took some getting used to, but “If you

treasure quiet, cost isn’t an object, and you want to keepyour cleaning machine next to your turntable in yourelegant listening room, the Hannl Aragon is worth con-sidering,” said Mikey. (Vol.29 No.1) K-A-B SpeedStrobe Digital Phonograph SpeedReadout: $99.95 ✩Easy-to-use strobe disc simplifies precision adjustmentof turntable speeds from 331⁄3 to all of the variations on“78.” “It’s just fantastic,” effused J-10. “It looks cool, andit’s a snap to perfectly set the speed.” (Vol.19 No.2) Kerry Audio Design F2 Titanium tonearm coun-terweight: $129 ✩Titanium replacement counterweight for Rega tone-arms. Machined with three sets of thin contact rails thatride on the Rega arm’s counterweight stub. The sonicimprovement was “amazing,” thought MF; he foundthe F2 gave better bass response, greater low-frequencyextension and control, and an improved sense of over-all weight and tonal richness. (Vol.26 No.5) LAST Power Cleaner for LPs: $40/ 3⁄4-oz bottle,with applicators ✩This small bottle of Freon-free cleaner is enough totreat 75 LPs. JE found just three drops sufficient toremove dirt, dust, and grime from garage-sale records,though he discovered that a subsequent wash with hisVPI HW-17 was still required to reduce groove noiseto acceptable levels. “A worthwhile companion toLAST’s wonderful Record Preservative.” (Vol.17 No.5) LAST Record Preservative: $41/2-oz bottle ✩Significantly improves the sound of even new records,and is claimed to make them last longer. “I unhesi-tatingly recommend LAST Record Preservative,” saidMikey, whose records sound as quiet now as they didwhen he first started using the treatment, over 25years ago. $148.50/8oz, $246/16oz. (Vol.5 No.3,Vol.30 No.10) LAST STYLAST Stylus Treatment: $33/1⁄4-oz bottle ✩Stylus treatment designed to reduce friction betweengroove and phono cartridge. Some manufacturers cau-tion against it, claiming it migrates up the cantileverand attracts dust, thus clogging the armature. Onereader suggests applying treatment to brush ratherthan stylus, which would reduce the possibility ofover-applying. MF has found STYLAST effective, butexpresses concern over possible cartridge damage.(Vol.18 No.12) Locus Design Group DampClamp: $399The DampClamp comprises two record weights, bothCNC-milled from billet aluminum and constrained-layer-damped with a layer of visco-elastomer com-pound, and is designed to cover most of the record label:if you don’t lift the stylus at the end of the side, you’llget an ugly grinding noise and possibly worse, depend-ing on the width of your cartridge and headshell. Usewith wide-bodied cartridges should be avoided. InMikey’s rig, the DampClamp “overdamped,” creatinga sound that was too thick and heavy. Bright setups,and those in need of some rhythmic discipline and bot-tom-end weight, however, may benefit greatly. The$99 BasiClamp—half a DampClamp with no elas-tomer damping sandwich—offered a lighter, airier,more natural sound with MF’s rig. (Vol.28 No.10) Loricraft PRC-4 record-cleaning machine:$2745 ✩The PRC-4 now features a cabinet with an attractiveveneer of English ash, and a vacuum pump that’s 40%more powerful than the one in the PRC-3 and is evenmore immune to overheating. “The PRC-4 has provenso effective that it’s gone beyond its predecessor in com-pelling me to clean virtually every record I play—andthe results are sometimes stunning,” said AD. Com-pared to other record-cleaning machines, “It’s easier touse. It’s quieter. And it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch.”(Vol.23 No.11, PRC-3; Vol.28 No.3, PRC-4 WWW) Lyra SPT: $45/5ml bottle ✩Includes a small, wedge-shaped applicator with which

MF brushed a drop of this fluid carefully, back to front,along the stylus. Don’t get any on the cantilever, hewarned, and wait 10 seconds before playing a record.Pricey fluid said to lubricate the stylus, to improve S/Nratio and trackability, and to last for one side’s playingtime. Mikey thinks he noted a slight sound-softeningeffect, but wouldn’t bet the farm on it. (Vol.23 No.11) Milty Zerostat 3: $75“The gold standard of static-discharge devices,” theZeroStat is a gun-shaped gadget with two heavy-dutypiezo-electric crystals and a patented compression trig-ger. Slowly squeezing and releasing the trigger pro-duces a neutral static condition, thus removing staticcling from record surfaces. Said to be good for at least10,000 squeeze cycles. (Vol.30 No.10) Nitty Gritty Mini Pro 2 record-cleaningmachine: $1109 ✩Nitty Gritty 2.5Fi Vacuum record-cleaningmachine: $779 ✩Nitty Gritty 1.5Fi record-cleaning machine:$709 ✩The Mini Pro is a semiautomatic machine that cleansboth disc sides simultaneously. The 1.5 is identical tothe 2.5 but substitutes black-vinyl woodgrain for thelatter’s genuine oak side panels. Instead of a vacuum-ing “tonearm,” as on the professional Keith Monksmachine, the NG cleaner uses a vacuum slot, with therecord cleaned by fixed, chassis-mounted “lips.” Gunk-laden fluid is vacuumed off. Cleaning is efficient andas good as Nitty Gritty’s Pro, at a significantly lowerprice, though it takes twice as long, cleaning each sideof an LP in turn. Don’t smear the schmutz from onerecord to another, MF warned; he suggests manual pre-cleaning of records for best results. While the vacuum-cleaning Nitty Gritty does a job on dusty albums nearlyequivalent to that of the similarly priced VPI HW-16.5,CG felt that the VPI’s hard-bristled brush did betterwith really dirty LPs than did NG’s velvet one. He foundthe effect of both was to produce a less colored, moredetailed midband sound from LPs, as well as providethe expected reduction in surface noise. (Vol.8 No.1,Mini Pro; Vol.7 No.5, Vol.8 No.1, Vol.23 No.6, 2.5Fi;Vol.17 No.5, 1.5Fi.) Nitty Gritty Model 1.0 record-cleaningmachine: $335 $$$ ✩Audio Advisor Record Doctor III: $299Both of these machines (the latter is manufactured forAudio Advisor by Nitty Gritty) are manual units thatoffer the least expensive way to effectively clean LPs.Record Doctor II differs from the original in that it hasa roller bearing to make turning the LP easier whenthe vacuum-cleaning motor is on. The earlier modelcan be fitted with a roller-bearing accessory—availablefor $15 including S&H from K-A-B Electro-Acoustics,P.O. Box 2922, Plainfield, NJ 07062-2922—which fitsbeneath the existing platter. The Nitty Gritty 1.0 is alsoavailable as the oak-finished 2.0 for $329. (NR) Onzow Zero Dust: $69 ✩“A circular mound of semi-gelatinous goop in a box,onto which you gently lower your stylus,” said MF.Use is simple: “After a few seconds, you lift the sty-lus, and it’s as clean and residue-free as the proverbialwhistle. . . . Upside: no potentially dangerous brush-ing, and no fluids. Downside: if you like to leave yourplatter spinning, you’ll have to stop it each time, orfind another steady surface upon which to performthe operation.” (Vol.25 No.3) Premier✩ Record cleaner: $19.95/can;$179.40/12 cans ✩Great for removing mold-release compound fromnew LPs, says MF of this spray-on cleaner fromwww.microcare.com, and for quick cleaning of usedLPs to see if they’re worth a full-blown vacuum clean-ing. Contains DuPont’s Vertrel CF, which is said tobe ozone-friendly. (Vol.25 No.10) Rega cartridge torque wrench: $245 ✩Expensive, but a must, MF felt, “for serious analog

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RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

addicts and professional installers.” Agreed, sez ST, but“for God’s sake be careful with this thing, especiallywith the new Grado wooden-bodied cartridges. . . bestused with very strong-bodied cartridges—such asRega’s.” (Vol.19 No.11) Shun Mook record clamp: $2000 ✩The best record weight J-10 has used on his Forsellturntable, “bar none.” Michael Fremer agrees “I’msorry to say that everything positive I’ve ever readabout it is absolutely true.” Ridiculously expensive,however. “This thing’s lame,” snorts BD. MF admitsthe opposite: “I’m sorry to say that everything posi-tive I’ve ever read about it is absolutely true. . . . It pro-duced a richness, clarity, three-dimensionality, naturalliveliness, and harmonic rightness that must be heardto be appreciated.” (Vol.17 No.2, Vol.28 No.10) The Disc Doctor’s Miracle Record Cleaner:$25.00/pint plus $8.50 S&H ✩The Disc Doctor’s Stylus Cleaner: $26.50/18mlplus 3.50 S&HChemist Duane Goldman, the Disc Doctor, claimsthat his Stylus Cleaner—a mixture of sub-micron fil-tered water and separately sub-micron filtered+99.5% 1-propanol alcohol—leaves no residue onthe stylus or cantilever. Comes with a stiff brush forthe first wet cleaning of the stylus. After that, thegood Doctor recommends a natural-bristle artist’sbrush that’s been cut down at an angle or been givena crew cut, as Mikey put it. Quart of fluid, $37.75/$9.00S&H; half gallon, $60.00/$9.75 S&H; size A for LPbrushes, $42/pair/$5.00 S&H; size B for 45s,$30/pair; replacement pads for brushes, $14/4;QuickWash solution, quart, $25; half gallon, $41.(Vol.20 No.3, Vol.23 No.11, Vol.24 No.7) VPI HW-17 record-cleaning machine: $1300 ✩VPI HW-16.5 record-cleaning machine: $500 ✩Clearly an industrial-quality machine of reassuringquality, the VPI ‘17 cleans one side at a time, semiau-tomatically, and is slower than the Nitty Gritty. “BestI’ve used,” says LA. Latest version has a heavier-dutyvacuum system. The ‘16.5 is a manually operated ver-sion with a noisier motor. Adjusts automatically tothickness of record; gets hot quickly. Of the HW-17F,MF says, “Fast, convenient, beautifully constructed, andcan be used indefinitely without overheating. The fanversion of the 17 is well worth the extra money forthose post–garage-sale/record-convention analogorgies when only cleaning the whole pile will do.” “The17F is probably the best record-cleaning machine avail-able,” MF concluded; “a true workhorse.” (Vol.8 No.1,Vol.19 No.6, Vol.23 No.6, HW-17F; Vol.5 Nos.7 & 9,original HW-16; Vol.17 No.5, Vol.19 No.6, HW-16.5.) VPI HW-27 Typhoon record-cleaning machine:$2000The Typhoon is smaller, quieter, and more attractivethan earlier VPI record-cleaning machines, “with thelook and feel of a turntable.” Its vacuum pump, twiceas powerful as that used in the HW-17, proved capableof drying an LP in a single rapid revolution. “TheTyphoon is a clean, efficient record-cleaning machinethat’s almost fun to use,” said MF. (Vol.30 No.5) VPI VTA adjuster for Rega tonearm: $150 ✩“Seems to maintain the desired rigidity while allowingfor about a full inch of vertical adjustability. It’s nicelymachined from aluminum and has a sturdy mountingcollar.” Its only downside, reported MF, is that it won’tfit into a standard Rega opening. Drill it out yourselfor send your armboard to VPI. (Vol.23 No.6) Wally Phono Tools ✩Makes cartridge installation in these do-it-yourselfdays, fast, easy, and ultra-reliable, says MF. Customlaser-cut WallyTractor is indispensable. Other toolsfor VTA, antiskating, and azimuth are merelysupremely useful. “My job has been 100 times easiersince Wally came on the scene,” sums up the AnalogGuru. A new WallyTractor is now available for tone-arms whose effective length is unknown or that have

a limited range of cartridge adjustment. AD found itstracking-angle alignment guides easy to use and inter-pret. (Vol.25 No.5, Vol.28 No.12; see “Analog Cor-ner” in Vol.30 No.10.) WallyTools WallyTractor Universal protractor:$320Wally Malewicz’s new universal protractor is preci-sion-cut to his specs and has 13 laser-cut arcs toaccommodate tonearms from over a dozen differentmanufacturers. “I love using the WallyTractor,” saidMF. “When I’m finished, I know the stylus is whereit belongs anywhere in its travel across the recordsurface.” (Vol.30 No.10) KRecord Research Labs LP#9, Clearaudio DiamondCleaner stylus cleaning fluids. DeletionsAir Tight AT-LCE-1 Cartridge Enhancer andGryphon Exorcist discontinued; Naim NAPSA2“Armageddon” turntable power supply no longer inuse by any reviewers; Hagerman Technology Uni-form Frequency Orbiter Strobeclamp (UFO) half-kitno longer available.

PHONO PREAMPS/MOVING-COIL STEP-UP DEVICESA+Boulder 2008: $33,250 ✩Despite everything else he had ever heard or reviewed,MF could never have been prepared for what the 2008offered. He was taken to a higher level: “What the 2008delivered was the music’s meaning. . . . It was like ana-log on acid. Every note, every musical gesture becamethe most important, most profound note ever struck—μntil the next one. . . . The 2008 gripped, mesmerized,suspended time, and communicated profoundly.” Thesound, MF raved on, was “faultless in every area of per-formance: soundstaging, imaging, dynamics, harmon-ics, frequency extension, solidity, ‘bloom’—you nameit.” MF had no complaints: “As with the ContinuumCaliburn turntable, the 2008 belongs in Class A+ byitself—the single most impressive electronic audiocomponent I’ve heard.” (Vol.25 No.7 WWW)AAesthetix Saturn Rhea: $4000 ✩Direct descendent of the Io and Io Signature phonostages, using five tubes per channel in a three-stage,full dual-mono configuration. While it couldn’t matchthe dynamic range of the Io or the speed and resolu-tion of the Manley Steelhead, the Rhea was neverembarrassed by the comparison. PB: “Its spatial expan-siveness and timbral richness were unmistakably closekin to the Io Signature’s. . . . Its presentation was fast,with a wideband, consistently full-bodied harmonicpresentation. . . . Imaging was expansive, solid, and pre-cise. . . . Soundstaging was invariably good. . . . TheRhea’s most remarkable accomplishment is to puttogether an extraordinary combination of sonic per-formance and useful features at a price that is withinreach.” With its quiet, silky-smooth, ultrarich sound,“the Rhea represents one of the best values in phonopreamps now available,” proclaimed MF, though hedoesn’t rate it quite as highly as PB, commenting onits reduced dynamics and somewhat soft bass com-pared with the best. (Vol.26 No.9, Vol.28 No.6 WWW) Art Audio Vinyl Reference: $4500The exquisite internal construction of the Vinyl Ref-erence hybrid features a FET/triode input, a MOS-FET/triode output, a massive Lundahl powertransformer, and a large Lundahl power-supply choke.Though the Vinyl Reference produced “a distinct andattractive sound” with an ultradetailed and lush

midrange, MF was concerned about its overload mar-gin. Plugging any of the newer, higher-output moving-coils into the Vinyl Reference’s stock 63dB-gain inputmay result in mildly distorted sound. (Vol.29 No.2) Artemis Labs PH-1: $3500The PH-1 employs one 6N1P, two 12AX7, and two5687 tubes, and offers 52dB of gain. It combined excel-lent build quality with impressive stereo imaging, real-istically rendering the size and placement of instrumentswithin a performance space. “Easily among the best”phono preamps in AD’s experience. Its high gain andlimited linearity at high frequencies make it much moresuitable for low-output MM or moderately high-out-put MC cartridges, JA found. Faces tough competitionfrom less expensive designs, such as the EAR 834P andLinn Linto. (Vol.29 No.11 WWW) ASR Basis Exclusive: $7900 ✩The battery-powered Exclusive is made of two com-plete, fully balanced stereo phono preamplifiers on asingle chassis, entirely independent except for a shared,switchable output—a major convenience for audio-philes with more than one turntable or with two ton-earms mounted on a single ‘table. MF listed theExclusive’s strong suits: “rhythmic snap; among thedeepest, cleanest, most dynamic bass; and midrangeand high-frequency transparency and clarity withoutetch, grain, or brightness.” Revised 2007 edition oper-ates at slightly higher voltages, and remains one of thetop phono preamps in Mikey’s experience. (Vol.26No.10, Vol.30 No.2 WWW) Audio Note AN-S8: $9500The humble-looking AN-S8 transformer is built intoa simple copper chassis and comes in three single-pri-mary versions: 1, 16, and 64 ohms. It’s wound withAudio Note’s custom-drawn, 99.9%-pure silver wireon a large, fully interleaved mu-metal 250 core, andhas an input resistance of 0.4 ohm and output resistanceof 270 ohms. “The Audio Note was unique in its abil-ity to imbue mere sounds with real body and color,” saidAD. “If you’re into trannies, this is one you’ve got tohear.” (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Auditorium 23 Hommage T1: $4495Over twice the size and weight of the less expensiveStandard transformer, the Hommage T1, designed as acompanion to Auditorium 23’s Solovox loudspeaker,is a statement product. It has a textured-paint finish,attractive white-oak endcaps, and input and outputresistances of 3 and 2530 ohms, respectively. The Hom-mage T1 shared the Standard’s excellent timing, flow,and overall drama, but produced a much larger sound-stage; and while the Audio Note AN-S8 was slightlyricher, the Hommage T1 proved more exciting, saidAD. (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Balanced Audio Technology VK-P10SE withSuper Pak: $8500 ✩“The P10 never failed to deliver the musical goods,” wasJ-10’s assessment of the standard version of this tubedphono stage. The Super Pak option replaces the elec-trolytic power-supply capacitors used as bypasses in thefirst and second stages of the original VK-P10SE withadditional paper-in-oil coupling capacitors, creating“an arsenal of giant oil cans.” Like the earlier model, itsuser-selectable cartridge loading, high and low gain set-tings, and built-in transformers attest to the Super Pak’sflexibility. Eerily transparent, superbly silent, and withextraordinarily good soundstaging and imaging, theSuper Pak found its place alongside the Boulder 2008and Manley Steelhead as one of the top phono preampsMikey has heard. (Vol.20 No.6, Vol.28 No.1 WWW) Einstein Audio The Turntable’s Choice: $5400Housed in a tubular casing, The Turntable’s Choiceuses 24 discrete transistors per channel to produce afixed gain of 68dB, and offers two pairs of RCA inputson one side, a pair of outputs on the other. TheTurntable’s Choice provided “impressive detail, crys-talline transparency, limitless dynamics, mouthwater-ing delicacy, effortless transient speed, and deep,

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 75

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

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controlled, supple bass, all combining to produce whatwas among the most mesmerizing analog playbacksI’ve yet heard,” raved Mikey. Proved “ruthlessly reveal-ing” of poorly equalized recordings and was sensitiveto cable choice. Balanced version: $8200. (Vol.29 No.7) Ensemble Fonobrio: $5280The MM/MC Fonobrio produced solid, tightly focusedimages on a huge soundstage and displayed superbdetail resolution, fast and articulate transients, and clearand coherent pitch definition. BD noted a “slightly toolight tonal balance” that was never intrusive but alwayspresent. “Other than its slightly nonflat RIAA equal-ization,” said JA, “the Ensemble Fonobrio measuressuperbly well.” (Vol.29 No.4 WWW) Graham Slee Era Gold Reflex: $1390 $$$The Era Gold Reflex is slightly longer and wider thanthe diminutive Era Gold Mk.V. Partnered with theGraham Slee Elevator EXP moving-coil head amp, theEra Gold Reflex produced “a solid, well-organizedsound, with impressive rhythmic authority, imagesolidity, and dynamic punch,” said Mikey. Though itcouldn’t match the performance of the much moreexpensive BAT VK P-10SE or Manley Steelhead, thelittle Era Gold Reflex was “among the most well-bal-anced phono preamps I’ve heard of any technology atany price,” MF decided. (Vol.30 No.9) Graham Slee Elevator EXP: $1150 $$$The Elevator EXP is a moving-coil head amp with22.5dB of flat gain (no RIAA equalization) and twoconvenient, front-mounted toggle switches offeringseven loading options. In combination with the Gra-ham Slee Era Gold Reflex moving-magnet phono pre-amp, the Elevator EXP matched its speed, clarity, anddefinition with an “extremely well-organized physi-cal picture” for a convincing sonic presentation. “Atthis point,” said MF, “the Graham Slee Era Gold Reflexand Elevator EXP together are, by far, the best $2300phono preamp I’ve heard.” (Vol.30 No.9) Linn Linto: $2000 $$$ ✩This solid-state, direct-coupled MC phono preamp,a JA fave, doesn’t offer a loading network—your soleinput impedance choice is 150 ohms. Nor does it offermuch in the way of gain matching—54dB and 64dBare your only options. But WP thought it was aboutthe quietest phono section he’s heard to date, and ravedabout its natural timbre and powerful bass. PM citesits “sheer emotional impact” and comments, “It reallydoes sound ‘direct-coupled,’ with an immediacy that’squite different from in-yer-face exaggeration, and it’ssuper-quiet too.” Even so, he reports, he’ll stick withhis reference Naim. MF was less impressed than JA,though he wrote “it’s a major accomplishment in termsof dead quiet, timbral neutrality, frequency extension,and overall tunefulness, though I found it slightlyprominent or over-extended on top without sound-ing exactly ‘bright.’ ” An AD long-term re-ference.(Vol.21 No.6, Vol.26 No.11 WWW) Manley Steelhead: $7300 ✩The transformer-coupled Steelhead’s multiplicity ofgain, loading, and other options prompted MF todeem it “the most flexible, user-friendly phono sec-tion” he’d ever encountered. While it’s almost impos-sible to categorize the specific sound of the Steelhead,MF noted a few constants: “unusually low noise, spec-tacular transient speed, rhythmic certainty, clarity ofmusical line, breathtaking transparency, and positivelyastounding dynamics.” Though its flexibility is per-haps its most striking feature, it might also be the Steel-head’s flaw: Some audiophiles might be left foreverwondering whether their chosen setting is the correctone. Nevertheless, the “fast, fast, fast, ultra-quiet”Steelhead is a MF’s reference. Compared to the ASRBasis Exclusive, the Steelhead had “a more mellowoverall balance, softer transients, and greater empha-sis on midbass warmth. . . but it couldn’t match theASR’s sheer excitement, or its ability to resolve thelowest-level detail in stark relief, all without sound-

ing bright, etched, or hyper-detailed,” said MF. (Vol.24No.12, Vol.26 No.10, Vol.30 No.2 WWW) Musical Fidelity kW: $3500“An extremely quiet, incredibly dynamic, and muscu-lar phono preamp from which music erupted as fromjet-black backdrops,” the kW includes separate cir-cuits and input jacks for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, and features both RIAA and IECequalization. The kW proved to be a “ruthlessly reveal-ing” phono preamp that could also provide a robustand musically involving performance with great bassextension and taut control. Some audiophiles, MFwarned, may find this phono preamp cold: “Its tran-sient delivery could sometimes edge toward harshness,and its harmonic development seemed to stop at thewater’s edge compared to a tubed design.” While cablechoice is critical, this first work of phono-preamp artfrom Musical Fidelity is “easily a Class A pick for ‘Rec-ommended Components.’ “ (Vol.28 No.6) NAT Audio Signature Phono: $7500The Signature Phono’s zero-feedback design uses pas-sive RIAA equalization, runs in pure class-A, and does-n’t invert phase. Six military-grade 66N23P-EVdual-triode tubes provide 40dB of gain, with an addi-tional 20dB available via a pair of Jensen transformers.Its recessed, rear-panel DIP switches offer a multitudeof choices for resistive and capacitive loading but proveddifficult to access. Set at 47k ohms, the Signature Phonoput out deep, nimble bass and a big, spacious sound-stage, these offset by a “spotlit and icy” overall sound.Adjusting the loading to 30 ohms removed etch andgrain while providing top-notch clarity and transientspeed, found Mikey. (Vol.30 No.7) Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline XR-10B: $4500Unlike the Ray Samuels XR-2, the “sensational”dual-mono XR-10B offers almost unlimited flexi-bility on the fly, including three switchable phonoinputs, with six loading, capacitance, and gain optionsindependently adjustable for each channel via rotaryswitches on the front panel. “Lightning-fast, trans-parent, clean, quiet, and extended on top, with awe-some dynamics and subwoofer-like bottom-endextension and control,” the XR-10B seemed idealfor sluggish systems. MF noticed instantaneous shortvolume increases while switching through gain andloading positions, so turn down the volume beforemaking such changes. (Vol.28 No.10) Sutherland PhD: $3000 ✩The PhD runs on 16 alkaline D-cell batteries and usesa power-management system that awakens the unitonly when it senses stylus output. MF noted its strongestsuits: “luscious, liquid, velvety midband response, andultra-pure, non-’edge-enhanced’ 3D images set againstdead-black backgrounds. . . Its ability to resolve low-level detail with unforced precision was uncanny.”With its general delicacy and liquidity, however, camea tendency toward soft, somewhat overripe bass andan overall rhythmic softness. Dynamics were not asextended as with some other more expensive phonopreamps. Still, MF called it “a monumental achieve-ment that sets new standards for the cleanness andtransparency possible in a phono preamp.” BD saidthat the PhD’s “purity and freedom from electronichaze is quite special—something that every analoglover should hear for him- or herself.” JA cautionedthe user to “set the PhD’s gain to the lowest level thatwill be compatible with the cartridge output, the needto keep the noise floor below audibility, and the amountof gain applied by the system preamplifier.” (Vol.27No.1, Vol.28 Nos.5 & 12 WWW) BAudio Research PH-5: $2495The PH-5’s hybrid design uses five JFETs per channelin a non-phase-inverting, zero-feedback input stage,and four 6922 twin-triodes in the gain and output stages.With its light, delicate, inviting, and nonfatiguingsound, the PH-5 offered long-term enjoyment. Its only

shortcoming was a lack of bass control and solidity.“Among the best-balanced, most listenable phono pre-amps I’ve heard,” said MF. (Vol.29 No.2) Auditorium 23 Standard: $975 $$$Designed and voiced for use with Denon’s DL-103, theAuditorium 23 Standard uses two sealed trannies in anondescript aluminum case, and offers input and out-put resistances of 7.8 and 505 ohms, respectively. WithDenon, Zu, EMT, and Benz cartridges, the sound was“dramatic without being brash, and consistently full-bodied and colorful,” said AD. The Auditorium was“slightly coarser” than the Audio Note AN-S8, lackingsome sweetness and color, but “a bargain” neverthe-less, AD sums up. (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Ayre P-5xe: $2500 ✩This zero-feedback, FET-based, MM/MC preampoffers two sets of inputs and gain levels of 50, 60, and70dB. “A refinement of Ayre’s house sound, offering aricher sonic palette, improved three-dimensionalityand body, greater bass texture, and a smoother soundoverall, with less noticeable dryness,” said MF. Requireda long break-in period to provide “dead-quiet, jet-blackbackgrounds with outstanding microdynamic shad-ings.” The P-5xe offered a softer ride than the MusicalFidelity kW, but without the kW’s thunderous dynamicperformance. Mikey likened it to the Whest Phono-Stage.20: “It’s a bargain more for its overall pleasingbalance than because it does any one thing extremelywell.” ST loved it: With the P-5xe in his system, he sud-denly found himself listening to lots of vinyl: “An excel-lent, neutral, highly versatile phono stage that doesn’tcost a crazy amount of dough,” ST sums up. (Vol.27No.10, Vol.28 No.6, Vol.29 No.5) Bellari VP129: $300 $$$This “one-tube wonder,” made in the US by the RollsCorporation and distributed by Music Hall, packs amoving-magnet phono preamp and a headphone ampli-fier into a single chassis. It surprised MF with its“golden-sweet” midrange, “nicely extended, fast, andclean” top end, and “satisfyingly punchy” bass. “TheBellari VP129 gets my highest recommendation, andis the budget phono preamp I will now enthusiasticallyrecommend for every genre of music.” (Vol.29 No.2) Chord Symphonic: $5500Conservative-looking by Chord standards, the Sym-phonic is a compact, moving-coil phono preamp builtwith high-tech surface-mount circuit boards, relaycontrol, and all discrete components. Its top panel hastwo domes of magnifying glass that facilitate moni-toring of loading and gain settings via a series of brightred LEDs. Compared to the ASR Basis Exclusive, theSymphonic offered more bottom-end weight and con-trol while matching the ASR’s texture and harmoniccompleteness. It lacked the ASR’s overall musical flow,however, and could sometimes sound too warm andrich. Nonetheless “easy to recommend,” said MF,adding “sweet and refined. Just a shade below ClassA.” (Vol.30 No.3) EAR 834P: $1595 ✩Tim de Paravicini–designed, three-tube (12AX7) MMstage that also offers, for MC use, a pair of step-uptransformers (3–50 ohms). MF: “The 834’s sound wasabsolutely gorgeous in the midband, with a touch of‘golden glow,’ and an overall spaciousness and entic-ing musical wholeness. . . . The 834P’s bottom-enddelivery was well-extended though a bit loose, if onlyslightly so. . . . [Its] high-frequency extension and tran-sient performance perfectly balanced its bottom: notsharp and etched. . . but not soft or overly romantic….A slightly sharp, fast-sounding cartridge should reallyget this thing singing.” Compared to the GSP AudioEra Gold Mk.V, BJR found that the EAR 834P exhib-ited more detail, air, delicacy, and body in the midrange,with more detailed and extended highs, but withrounder, slower bass performance. Add $600 forchrome Deluxe version. (Vol.20 No.7, Vol.26 No.8,Vol.28 No.1 WWW)

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Eastern Electric MiniMax: $1495The MiniMax is a tubed moving-magnet/moving-coilunit designed in Hong Kong and built in China with afit’n’finish and parts quality that belie its price. MF:“The MiniMax is on the mellow side, addictive in themidrange, rhythmically together, reasonably extendedand fast on top in MC mode, and just plain fun to lis-ten to and look at over the long haul.” In MM mode,the MiniMax’s high-frequency performance wasslightly muted with somewhat soft transients, but main-tained its special midrange glow. (Vol.28 No.10) North Star Phonostage: $2500The Phonostage is housed in a sturdy, rack-sized metalenclosure and offers one pair each of chassis-mountedRCA WBT inputs and outputs. It produced a “morediffuse, warm, and romantic-sounding picture” thanthat of the Graham Slee Era Gold Reflex/Elevator EXPcombo, for a “relaxed and graceful listening experience,with a bigger, more voluptuous stage populated bylarger images,” said MF. The Phonostage couldn’tmatch the Graham Slee’s rhythmic focus or soundstag-ing detail, however. (Vol.30 No.9) PS Audio GCPH: $995 $$$Like the rest of PS Audio’s current line, the GCPH’sdesign is based on the proprietary Gain Cell module.It runs in fully differential mode and accommodatesmoving-coil and moving-magnet cartridges. It hasMono and Phase buttons, single-ended inputs, single-ended and balanced outputs, and offers variable gainand output options. “The sound had the same sort oftonal neutrality, combined with high resolution ofdetail, that characterized the GCC-100,” said RD.While it sacrificed some midrange transparency forimage solidity and overall richness, the result was acoherent top-to-bottom balance that revealed theGSPH’s limitations only in comparison to much moreexpensive phono preamps, felt MF, who concluded thatthe GCPH is “one of the best values in under-a-grandphono preamps, and easy to recommend.” (Vol.29Nos.1 & 7 WWW) S.A.P. Anniversary: $4950The “slick-looking” Anniversary sports a chassis ofstainless steel with a thick, brushed-aluminum face-plate fitted with red LEDs. It uses four hand-selectedElectro-Harmonix 6922 tubes with gold pins, and hasa transformer-based MC input. The Anniversary sac-rificed macrodynamic slam and taut focus for a relax-ing musical flow with vivid tonal colors and textures.MF found its “big, warm, and seductive” sound espe-cially suited to classical and acoustic jazz. (Vol.30 No.9) Simaudio Moon LP 5.3: $1500“Silly good and easy to recommend,” applauded MF.The LP 5.3 moving-magnet/coil phono preamp hassingle-ended RCA inputs, both single-ended and truebalanced-differential outputs, and offers a wide rangeof adjustments for gain and resistive and capacitive load-ing. Though it lacked the macrodynamics of much moreexpensive phono stages, it excelled at providing thenuanced microdynamic shadings that create a consis-tently engaging sonic picture. “At [$1500], it’s a steal, abargain, a best buy, and a no-brainer.” Measured per-fomance was excellent in many ways, including verylow noise, but JA was bothered by limited overloadmargin at 20kHz. An early sample revealed an RIAAchannel mismatch above 1kHz, but further testing ofa third sample under identical conditions found signif-icantly better results, suggesting that the earlier sam-ple was a rogue. (Vol.30 Nos.3, 10, & 11 WWW) VAS Audio MC One: $795 $$$This beautifully built step-up transformer provides11dB of gain into its high-impedance tap and 17dB ofgain into its low-impedance tap while never soundingbright or hard. Compared to the Manley Steelhead’sbuilt-in transformer, the MC One was “harmonicallyricher and somewhat more supple, while having nodeleterious effects . . . at all,” said MF. “Proof that trans-former step-ups don’t have to impart a hard, ringing

quality to low-output, moving-coil cartridges.” Thoughthe MC-One offered clear bass and fine spatial presen-tation, the Auditorium 23 Standard was “significantlymore open, dramatic, and involving,” said AD. An over-warm balance keeps this unit from Class A, felt MF.(Vol.29 No.11, Vol.30 No.10 WWW) CK&K Audio transformer: $275 $$$The K&K trannie is built into an aluminum-alloy boxwith a black powder-coat finish, with rhodium-platedCardas connectors and silver hookup wire from DHLabs. It uses Lundahl’s amorphous-core LL9206shielded transformers.Its primaries are tapped for threedifferent gain configurations (14, 20, and 26dB), and ithas respective input and output resistances of 2.5 and720 ohms. While the K&K couldn’t match the perfor-mance of other, more expensive trannies, it was “per-fectly tuneful” and offered “good timing and a fine,natural sense of note-to-note flow,” said AD. Its soundwas “dynamic as all hell,” he added, with an impres-sively clean and richly textured midrange. “Very highClass C,” he sums up. Price is for kit; fully assembledversion costs $335. (Vol.30 Nos.9 & 10 WWW) Sutherland Ph3D: $1000Like Sutherland’s more expensive PhD, the Ph3D uses16 D-cell batteries instead of a mains-driven power sup-ply. High-value storage capacitors help maintain lowpower-supply impedance, ensuring consistent sonicperformance throughout the life of a set of batteries.The Ph3D’s well-balanced sound was marked by aslightly soft, “polite,” top end and an overall pleasingliquidity. Like the PhD, the ‘3D “trades dynamic slamto achieve its mesmerizing flow,” said MF. (Vol.30 No.3) DPro-Ject Phono Box II: $129 $$$Powered by a wall wart, the compact Phono Box II issensibly designed to offer 40dB (MM) or 60dB (MC)of gain, with loading at 47k ohms/12pF (MM) or 100ohms/120pF (MC). MF: “While it didn’t give a partic-ularly warm or supple rendering of the signals itprocessed, and its dynamics were somewhat limited, itsclarity, focus, and pacing were impressive for a phonopreamp costing so little.” (Vol.29 No.7) TerraTec iVinyl: $230The “versatile, well-built, decent-sounding” iVinylcomes complete with software for both PCs and Macs,offers Line and Phono inputs, two input levels, andthree capacitance values, and can convert analog to 24-bit/44.1kHz, 24/48, or 24/96 PCM. The iVinyl’s pre-amp was “impressively quiet, with a moderatelydetailed, velvety character,” while its A/D converterwas “more than good enough to get your vinyl intoiTunes for casual listening,” Mikey said. “Consideringthe iVinyl’s price, performance, and functionality, it’seasy to recommend.” (Vol.30 No.7) KAesthetix Io Signature, Audio Research PH7.DeletionsGSP Audio ERA,NAD PP-2, Parasound Zphono allnot auditioned in too long a time; Pro-Ject Tube BoxSE replaced by new model not yet auditioned.

SACD, DVD-A, & CD PLAYERS, & TRANSPORTSEditor’s Note: SACD and DVD-A player ratings arebased on how they sound with their respective hi-rezmedia, not CD.A+Ayre C-5xe: $5950“An impressive hunk of audio jewelry,” the C-5xe is amusic-only, two-channel-only disc player that uses aPioneer universal transport, a Burr-Brown DSD1792

DAC chip, and a Sony CXD2753R SACD decoder. Novideo output of any kind. In combining musical integritywith true audiophile precision, the C-5xe was not onlya “fabulous CD player” but a revelation with hi-rezmedia, finally introducing WP to the higher aspirationsof SACD and DVD-Audio. “So this is what all the fusshas been about,” he marveled. “The Ayre C-5xe hasproved to be the best-sounding product I’ve heard allyear.” JA agreed: “A nicely engineered piece of kit!” andhe bought one for his system. Even ST was impressed:“Excellent sound, flawless operation.” AD, however,was less enthusiastic, preferring Ayre’s CX-7e on CD“a lot better.” Directly comparing the C-5xe with theMuse Polyhymnia, WP felt the Ayre traded the Muse’sslam and impact for greater breath and coherence.Stereophile’s joint “Product of 2005.” (Vol.28 No.7,Vol.29 No.5, Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Classé cdp-202: $7000The cdp-202, which plays all current disc formats,including DVD-A but not SACD, is Classé’s attempt tobring to market a true reference CD player with bet-ter audio circuitry than the older cdp-102. Like its pre-decessor, the cdp-202 features stunning looks, with afront panel that curves gracefully around its sides. Onlythree discrete black buttons are found on its faceplate;the cdp-202’s color LCD display functions as a touch-screen to control playback or conveniently navigateDVD menus without an external display. The cdp-202presented music with a rich, compelling sound, offer-ing a sweet, grain-free high end coupled with weightythough slightly limited bass. “Very nice, Classé,” saidJA. “Very nice.” (Vol.29 No.8 WWW) Esoteric X-01 Limited: $14,100 ✩One-box SACD/CD player supports multichannelplayback but no video-based formats, and uses a newgeneration of Esoteric’s VRDS disc-clamping transport.It intensified all of the qualities JM heard in the D/70-P/70 to offer “the most musically satisfying CD play-back” in his experience. While the Esoteric X-01performed in an exemplary manner on all the tradi-tional measurements, JA was bothered by its restrictedultrasonic response on SACD playback and the mod-ulation of its high-frequency noise floor. Nevertheless,JA echoes JM’s enthusiastic rating: “A superb player.”(Vol.28 Nos.2 & 5 WWW) Muse Polyhymnia: $7150, as reviewedKevin Halverson’s sixth-generation take on DVD uses24-bit/96kHz conversion and a passive reconstructionfilter for DSD and PCM. “Solidly built and meticu-lously designed,” the Polyhymnia’s modular platformallows users to specifically configure the player to theirneeds. With exceptional slam and impact, the brisk andpowerful Muse provided impressive performance withall digital disc formats. Though it demonstrated “goodmeasured performance,” JA was puzzled by its slightlyworse low-level linearity with LPCM data as comparedwith SACD data. Wes had some trouble with the com-plicated 64-button Remote-2. The simpler Remote-1controller is available as a $375 option. Price is asreviewed, with optional multichannel module and A/Voutput module; Standard stereo model costs $6400.(Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Sony SCD-XA9000ES: $2999 ✩Sony’s third-generation, multichannel SACD flagshipadds time-delay adjustment for its multichannel ana-log outputs and is clothed in Sony’s new Silver Cascadestyling. Right away, JA was struck by the Sony’s big pre-sentation: “There was a wealth of detail. . . . There wasa sweep of sound. . . ” While the Sony and the LinnUnidisk were “virtually indistinguishable in the mid-range and treble,” the Linn was “very slightly drier over-all.” And, though the Sony and the Krell SACD Standard“sounded extraordinarily close to one another,” theKrell had a “slightly more robust presentation.” Ulti-mately, JA felt the Sony just edged ahead. One of thebest SACD players that KR has auditioned. Compar-ing the ‘9000 with the SCD-XA777ES, which it

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sRECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

replaces, KR felt it had a “slightly smoother” top end,“microscopically tighter” bass performance, and “a lit-tle airier and more spacious” soundstage than in its pre-decessor. Speaker-distance compensation, however,resulted in “a greatly improved illusion of a seamless,stable acoustic environment,” which, KR said, “set theXA9000ES apart from every other multichannel SACDplayer.” (Vol.26 No.12, Vol.27 No.5 WWW) AAyre CX-7e: $3500 ✩In his measurements, JA concluded that the originalCX-7 CD player was “a model of modern CD-play-ing design. . . . [It] sounds as clean as it looks. Its bal-ance is vibrant, its bass well-defined and deep, its highsclean, detailed, and well-resolved.” He was impressedby the way the original CX-7 preserved the “fragilesense of an acoustic around recorded instruments. . . .Nothing sounded confused or obscured via the CX-7.”While appearing physically unchanged, the CX-7e hasundergone several upgrades, including a new FPGAchip. Sounding “superbly rich, smooth, and detailed,”with “velvety highs and an enormously deep bass,” theCX-7e “fully deserves a Class A rating in Stereophile’s‘Recommended Components,’ “ decreed JA after audi-tioning an early version of the “E” revision. Theimproved Ayre offered a more vivid and tactile presen-tation, distinguishing itself as “an almost aggressivelyrhythmic player, yet one with a wide open and trans-parent view of the sound,” said AD. “Taut and tuneful,much better than original CX-7,” adds WP. RD’s newreference for high-end CD players. (Vol.26 No.5,Vol.27 No.12, Vol.29 No.2, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Cary Audio Design CD-303/300: $4000“Solidly build and fairly priced,” the CD-303/300 usesCary’s proprietary DSP-300 upsampling digital filtermodule, and features tube and solid-state analog out-put stages, both of them always active. The Carymatched the snappy drive and pace of the Naim CD5xwhile offering an even more extended top end with adistinct and weighty bottom end. Art was impressedby the Cary’s ability to achieve “good, colorful, dra-matic, wide-open sound.” While AD preferred usingthe Cary in non-upsampling mode, noting a “moreinvolving, less rhythmically ambiguous musical perfor-mance,” BD favored maximum upsampling for “thecleanest, most refined handling of details and tran-sients.” Either way, they ultimately agreed: “an easyClass B recommendation.” Borderline Class A, accord-ing to JA. (Vol.28 No.10 WWW) Chord Choral Blu: $10,400The gorgeous Choral Blu CD transport is milled froma solid billet of aluminum and measures a compact 13.1"W by 4.1" H by 6.6" D. It uses a Philips CD2 transportpowered by a switch-mode power supply with its ownAC filter, and upsamples digital signals to 88.2 or176.4kHz before sending them to a Watts TransientAligned filter. Combined with the Choral DAC64, theBlu excelled at delineating minute dynamic shadings,giving it the ability to portray “sound’s body” and com-municate the “life essence” of music, said WP. JA wassimilarly impressed by the Blu’s excellent measuredperformance. Choral 2High rack for Blu transport andDAC64 adds $2100. (Vol.30 No.8 WWW) Denon DVD-5910CI: $3800The DVD-5910 will play almost any 5" disc, and it hasanalog and S/PDIF outputs in addition to Denon’sproprietary D-Link and the more-or-less standard-ized IEEE1394 encrypted digital audio outputs. Itsvideo features include a plethora of outputs and thefirst consumer-product implementation of SiliconOptix’s Realta-HQV video processor. KR auditionedthe 5910 in conjunction with Denon’s AVR-4806receiver: “While this zaftig pair offers no savings insize or weight over separates, together they comprisea complete system, communicating with each otherthrough a single audio cable (D-Link or FireWire).”(Vol.29 No.1 WWW)

Esoteric DV-60: $5600The “video version” of Esoteric’s potent SA-60 univer-sal player, the DV-60 includes an option for convert-ing PCM sources to DSD and permits DVD playback,video upsampling, and HDMI output. With DVD,SACD, and DVD-Audio, the DV-60’s sound was “thecleanest and least characterful” in KR’s experience.Converting PCM to DSD tended to homogenize thesound of DVD-As, however, “leaving them a bit softand gauzy in comparison to SACD.” Nevertheless, KRwas impressed: “The Esoteric DV-60 is outstanding bynot standing out.” (Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Esoteric SA-60: $4600The SA-60 universal player offers the choice of 8x-oversampling FIR and upsampling RDOT low-passdigital filters, as well as PCM-to-DSD upsampling. Eso-teric’s Vertically Aligned Optical Stability Platform(VOSP) transport, trickled down from the company’smore expensive players, is claimed to reduce trackingerror and jitter. With all formats, the SA-60 exhibiteda sound that was pristine and delicate, with impressivetransient clarity and precision. “Given its high buildquality, versatility, ease of use, and distinguished sound,the Esoteric SA-60 universal player is one of the bestaudio bargains I’ve come across in a long time,” saidMF. Other than its puzzling high-frequency intermod-ulation, JA noted “criticism-free” measured perfor-mance. (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Linn Unidisk SC: $5510The “SC” suffix—for System Controller—is appropri-ate: this universal player can decode and play back vir-tually any 5" consumer media, and is also a full-function,five-channel preamplifier and a digital processor com-patible with Dolby Pro Logic and DTS surround-soundsoftware. “Brilliant” with CD material and “stunninglyeffective” with hi-rez data, the SC proved to AD thatit’s “a fun product, a good product, and a product somepeople can afford without robbing a bank. I’m impressed,and tempted as hell.” JA agreed: “One of the most ver-satile components I have encountered.” Hi-rez SACDand DVD-Audio performance was beyond reproach,but the measured performance of the Unidisk SC forplayback of both CDs and external digital data wassometimes inconsistent. WP preferred the Ayre C-5xe,noting that the Linn exhibited less bass slam, drive, anddrama within a less convincing soundstage. (Vol.28Nos.6 & 7 WWW) Marantz SA8001: $900 $$$The two-channel-only SA8001 uses a 24-bit/192kHzupsampling design based on a Cirrus Logic 4397 chip,and played SACD, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW withouta hiccup. “It’s a solid, unpretentious, reliable player thatdoes what it’s supposed to do at a reasonable cost,”praised Jim Austin. While the SA8001’s CD playbackwas “about as good as ‘Red Book’ gets,” SACD perfor-mance was marked by “a lovely, smooth presentationwith significantly more body, naturalness, and ease.”The other JA, too, was impressed: “It may be afford-ably priced, but the Marantz SA8001’s measured per-formance is beyond reproach.” (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Musical Fidelity kW DM25: $7000“A lovely, sunny thing,” the combination of the DM25CD transport ($3500) and DAC ($3500) reads virtu-ally any “Red Book” disc, increases its sampling rate to96kHz, then bumps it up to 192kHz. The transportemploys a three-beam Philips VAM1202 and CirrusLogic Crystal CS8420 sample-rate converter, while theDAC features a Crystal CS8427 clock recoverer. Oneof the most dramatic pieces of gear in AD’s experience,the DM25 combo exposed the smallest dynamic surgesand offered stellar stereo imaging for spatial presenta-tion that was detailed and organic. AD: “I’ve never heardregular CDs sound more involving overall than theydid through this combo.” JA agrees with AD about theDM25’s sound quality but found the DAC’s digitalinput very fussy about the quality of double-sample-rate data, however. (Vol.29 No.7 WWW)

Nagra CDP: $13,495The CDP is a compact (12.2" W by 3" H by 10" D) andversatile front-loading player with an outboard 12V DCpower supply. In addition to coaxial S/PDIF, AES-EBU, and TosLink digital outputs, it accommodatesboth balanced XLR and RCA analog connections.Though Nagra feels the single-ended outputs are thebetter-sounding, WP heard little difference betweenthe two. The CDP’s wide, forward soundstage and greatdynamic contrasts produced “a tightly focused, phe-nomenally detailed musical image.” Switching the out-put gain from 3.5V to 1V produced more spatial detailin WP’s smaller office system. Compared to the ChordBlu-DAC64 combo, the CDP sacrificed some breathand heft for snap and sparkle. The CDP’s ability to copewith data errors and its rejection of jitter were amongthe best JA has measured. (Vol.30 Nos.5, 7 & 8 WWW) Naim CD555: $30,850 including 555PS powersupplyNaim’s new statement CD player is encased in a dense,sharp-edged brick of black, brushed aluminum. It usesa Pacific Microsonics PMD200 digital filtering chip, alow-jitter clock circuit with its own multistage regu-lated power supply, and vintage Burr-Brown PCM 1704DACs environmentally shielded from varying electri-cal and magnetic fields. It displayed taut, punchy bass,rhythmic agility, transient clarity, exceptional resolu-tion of low-level detail, and overall transparency, with-out sounding etched or bright. Compared to thetwice-as-expensive Zanden 2000P, the CD555 offereda cooler, less voluptuous tonal signature, with deeper,more controlled bass extension. Over time, the CD555’ssubtle charms became “staggering,” felt AD, revealinga “sense of force and dynamic nuance in the playing”that left him “all but stunned.” JA found measured per-formance on Red Book CD data that was “beyondreproach.” (Vol.30 Nos.2 & 10 WWW) Naim CD5X: $3250Descended from Naim’s original entry-level CD3, theCD5x is an upgrade of the CD5 that now includes aPhilips VAM1202 transport, adds a dual-mono 24-bitBurr-Brown chip, and is the first entry-level Naim playerto use a Pacific Microsonics digital filter. While ADappreciated the CD5x’s fine spatial performance, con-vincing timbres, and surprisingly good stereo imaging,he was most impressed by its rhythm, pacing, and knackfor preserving the original meaning of all music. AD:“On the CD5x, the music was obviously, appropriatelymore relentless—all dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah! inthe best possible way.” Its “decidedly chunky sound”could have benefited from a little more air and trans-parency, however; JA wondered if Naim’s FlatPackpower supply might have helped. Adding Naim’s Flat-cap 2X power supply ($1050) didn’t achieve more airor transparency, but did result in “an üuber-tightening,”solidifying bass, cleaning note decays, and deepeningthe blackness between notes. “No mere tweak,” saidAD, “and a rare instance of spending a little money fora lot more value.” (Vol.27 No.11, Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Primare CD31: $2295 $$$An evolution of Primare’s D30.2, the CD31 uses a DVSDSL-710A “ultra-silent” transport, adds optical andAES/EBU digital outputs to the TosLink S/PDIF, andreplaces the D30.2’s Fixed Power switch with a Powerswitch in the AC cord receptacle. With a “slightly warm”tonal balance and a perspective that favored “subtlenuance” over “hi-fi hyper-reality,” the CD31 imparteda “natural, vinyl-like feel” to a variety of recordings. “TheCD31 isn’t perfect —but it’s sublime,” said BD. JA wassimilarly impressed by its state-of-the-art “Red Book”CD performance. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Rega Saturn: $2595 $$$The Saturn looks identical to the less-expensive Apolloand both players share the same Sanyo laser and drivemechanism and the same servo and data-controlchipsets. However, with its two superb WolfsonWM8740 DACs and its much improved power-sup-

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ply regulation, the Saturn proved to be a superiormachine. It was faster and more open, and delivered amore detailed, more delicate sound, with greater tre-ble extension and tighter bass. “The Saturn,” said ST,“is what you get when you build an Apollo withoutcompromise.” (Vol.30 No.3) Simaudio Moon Andromeda: $13,500The two-chassis, top-loading Andromeda is Simau-dio’s flagship CD player. It provides internal 24-bit/705.6kHz upsampling and 24-bit D/A conversionvia four matched Burr-Brown PCM-1704U-K DACsin a fully balanced configuration. With “powerful,articulate, and deep” bass, a “delicate, shimmering, andairy” top end, and “superb” ambience retrieval, detailresolution, and temporal precision, the Andromedaoutclassed its predecessor, the Moon Eclipse, in everyway. Its digital input allows owners of music serversto take advantage of the Andromeda’s excellent DACand output stage. JA noted “excellent measured per-formance.” For BD, the Andromeda was “as good asit gets.” (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Simaudio Moon Evolution SuperNova: $6200The SuperNova employs a Philips transport andupsamples the 16-bit/44.1kHz audio signal to 24-bits/352.8kHz before sending it to differentially bal-anced Burr-Brown PCM1798 DACs. It has one paireach of balanced and unbalanced analog outputs alongwith a very useful hi-rez digital input, which soundedvery much better than the internal DAC when WPused the SuperNova with his Slim Devices Squeeze-box. Right out of the box, the SuperNova proved allur-ing and addictive, offering “upfront acousticexcitement,” said WP. Its great low end and crisp topend resulted in an overall direct and grain-free pre-sentation. JA was impressed by the player’s superbDAC linearity, low distortion, and error correction.(Vol.30 No.1 WWW) BAtoll Electronique CD200: $2400This CD player uses a Philips disc transport with spe-cial vibration damping and a Burr-Brown PCM 1794DAC with 24-bit/192kHz, 8x oversampling. In com-bination with the Atoll PR300 preamp and AM200amp, the CD200 offered a sound that was “sweet andharmonically rich—never threadbare or hyperanalyti-cal.” Compared with the Rega Apollo ($1195), how-ever, the CD200 lacked air, ambience, space, andlow-level detail. (Vol.29 No.9) Cambridge Audio Azur 740C: $1099 $$$The 740C uses an Adaptive Time Filtering system toupsample 16-bit/44kHz CD data to 24/384. While itlacked the Rega Apollo’s full, rich sound, the 740Coffered greater low-level resolution, ambience, air, andopenness. With its “precise and certain timing” andexceptional bass authority and dynamic range, the 740Cwas “close to the best CD player I’ve heard to date,”said ST. “Exceptional value for money.” (Vol.30 No.9) Cary Audio Design Concept CDP 1: $2000 $$$Part of Cary’s new Concept series, the fully balanced,HDCD-compatible CDP 1 uses the same transportand digital signal processor found in the more expen-sive CD 303/300. User-selectable upsampling to 96,192, 384, 512, or 768kHz is made possible by three 48-bit Motorola DSP chips. The CDP 1 offered definitionand detail comparable to those of the Rega Saturn andMusical Fidelity X-RayV8, thought ST. Low-level res-olution and transient attack were enhanced when part-nered with the matching Concept CAI 1 integratedamp. “Makes a strong case for not paying more than$2000,” summed up ST. (Vol.30 No.4) Cayin CDT-23: $1695The “magnificently made” CDT-23 uses one ElectroHarmonix 6922 tube per channel, a Sony transport andlaser mechanism, and a Burr-Brown PCM 1792 DACand SRC 4192 upsampling chip. While it didn’t quitematch the performance of the more expensive CaryCDP 1, the Cayin CDT-23 excelled at resolving low-

level detail and preserving ambient information. “In itsown right,” concluded ST, “the CDT-23 is a very fineCD player.” (Vol.30 No.8) Cyrus CD 8x: $2199A refinement of Cyrus’ entry-level CD 6, the CD 8xuses two Burr-Brown D/A chips with a power supplythat features two power toroids and a more extensiveapproach to DC regulation. Any CD 6 can be upgradedto CD 8x status for little more than the differencebetween the models’ retail prices. The CD 8x offereda sound “remarkably similar” to the Ayre CX 7e’s, withgood tonal balance, texture, and imaging, but lackingin emotional involvement. “A respectable performerand a pretty good value for $1995,” concluded AD, sug-gesting low Class B as a suitable rating. Optional PSX-R power supply adds $795. (Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Linn Majik CD: $3500The Majik’s metal chassis has a modular design, withprovisions for installing a presumably wide selection offront panels and double-sided circuit boards. Its innardsinclude a DVS DRL-210 transport and Linn’s propri-etary Brilliant switch-mode power supply. The Majikmatched tonal neutrality with excellent pacing whilesacrificing neither richness nor texture to provide aclean, pure sound. “Recorded music had flesh and bloodthrough the Majik,” said AD. JA noted state-of-the-artmeasured performance for a 16-bit device. Very closeto Class A. (Vol.30 No.3 WWW) McIntosh MS750: $6000The MS750 is built on an Escient platform but employsa different software interface, CD burner, front-paneldisplay, and 750GB “mission-critical” hard drive. Itoffers RS-232C connectors, video outputs, analog anddigital inputs and outputs, and an Ethernet Web inter-face for remote control and music streaming. Thoughit offered a “fast, clean, and powerful” presentation, theMac couldn’t match the Bel Canto e.One DAC3’s lev-els of articulation, clarity, or frequency extension, andultimately failed to emotionally involve WP in hismusic. JA was similarly disappointed by the Mac’s mea-sured performance. “To take advantage of its superbfeatures,” he advised, “the MS750’s owner will need touse its digital output to feed an A/V receiver or sepa-rate D/A processor.” Recommended only for its superbuser interface and use as a transport with an externalDAC. (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Music Hall cd25.2: $599 $$$ST was surprised by this “overachieving” CD player.Using a Philips VAM 1202/19 transport and a Burr-Brown PCM 1738 24-bit/192kHz DAC, the cd25.2had life, light, air, delicacy, smoothness, resolution, andexcellent dynamics. Though it didn’t offer the top-level performance of more expensive players, it hadno serious flaws, and admirable fit’n’finish. ST: “RoyHall’s Music Hall cd25.2 CD player is an excellentbuy.” (Vol.29 No.4) Musical Fidelity X-RayV8: $1500“A great little CD player for $1500,” said Sam. The X-RayV8 uses the same Philips drive mechanism found inMusical Fidelity’s A5CD, while its Delta-Sigma DACoffers 8x oversampling and upsamples to 24 bits/192kHz. ST wished for more low-level resolution, morespace, and tighter, more assured bass, but concluded:“Excellent sound. Excellent value.” Price includes Triple-X outboard power supply; sold as a package with the X-T100 integrated amp for $3000. (Vol.30 No.2) Onkyo DX-7555: $699 $$$Designed to complement Onkyo’s A-9555 integratedamplifier, the DX-7555 CD player has an antiresonantchassis with a brushed-aluminum front panel and usesOnkyo’s Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry (VLSC),claimed to remove digital noise from the analog signal.D/A conversion is handled by a Wolfson WMA874024-bit/192kHz DAC with switchable Slow and Sharpreconstruction filters. Though it lacked the detail andprecision of much more expensive players, the Onkyo’slaid-back demeanor provided a “very comfortable sound

that was simply very pleasant to listen to,” said RD. WPfound the Onkyo to be more engaging and less fatigu-ing than the Oppo DV-970HD. Both RD and WP pre-ferred the enhanced focus and detail of the player’sSharp setting. JA noted “excellent measured perfor-mance.” (Vol.31 Nos.1 & 2 WWW) Quad 99 CDP-2: $1350The 99 CDP-2 provides variable and fixed analog out-puts, six S/PDIF digital inputs, a TosLink optical dig-ital output, and functions as a 2x-upsampling D/Aprocessor specified to handle 24-bit/96kHz PCM sig-nals. Using the CDP-2 as a preamp-player comboresulted in music that was “less than involving,” saidWP. When used as a dedicated CD player, however,its sound was “refined, extended, smooth, detailed,and listenable.” “With the exception of its lack of de-emphasis,” said JA, “the Quad 99 CDP-2 pretty muchoffers state-of-the-art performance for CD playbackat a relatively affordable price.” “Versatility and valuemake it the perfect CD player to recommend to folkswho might have audiophile ears but who don’t con-sider themselves audiophiles,” concludes P. Wessy.(Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Rega Apollo: $1195 $$$Built into the same casework as the earlier Rega Planet,the Apollo CD player’s transport holds discs with athree-point ball chuck rather than a magnetic puckand sports a lid that is a single expanse of smoked Plex-iglas. A new chipset, incorporating more than 20MBof memory and true 32-bit processing capabilities,reads each CD’s subcode, analyzes it, and selects themost appropriate of four levels of error correction. TheApollo’s most striking characteristic was the cleannessof its sound: electrical grunge is stripped away fromthe spaces between notes, allowing musical meaningand texture to shine while removing the stress of lis-tening. “Very strongly recommended,” said AD,“squeaking into Class B.” “Smokes players that sell fortwice the price!” adds ST. “The Rega Apollo offers farmore value, in sound-quality terms, than anything elseI’ve heard at or near the price.” One of Stereophile’s“Joint Budget Components” for 2006. (Vol.29 Nos.6& 9, Vol.30 No.3 WWW) ReQuest F2.400: $3000ReQuest’s F-series audio servers represent their cur-rent high-end option, with higher-quality audio out-put stages, better DACs, and digital outputcapabilities. The original F2.250 could hold approx-imately 250 CDs’ worth of music in uncompressedWAV files (current F2.400 holds considerably more)and features FreeDB, an open-source metadatalookup database, which painlessly tags ripped tracksfor “instantly accessible but endlessly configurable”playback. WP appreciated the F2.250’s “full-bodied,musically satisfying, goosebump-producing, sit-back-with-a-big-ol’-grin listening pleasure,” andloved it for letting him to listen to more music moreoften. However, he does feel the user interface (espe-cially for iTunes users) has been surpassed by thoseof other servers. (May 2006 eNewsletter) COppo DV-980H: $169 $$$Like its predecessor, the DV-970HD (Vol.30 No.5WWW), the DV-980H universal player comes impec-cably packaged, and its light weight, small size, andminimal controls belie its versatility and performance.It offers better audio processing and devices than theDV-970HD, and can output multichannel SACD viaHDMI not only by converting it to PCM, but directlyas DSD. Compared to the much more expensiveDenon DVD-3910, the Oppo “lacked a bit of imagestability and was consistently a little forward in its pre-sentation.” Class C from its analog outputs, decidedKR, but SACD and DVD-A via HDMI from the Oppoto the Integra DTC-9.8 sounded “palpably vibrant.”“For multichannel SACD and DVD-A playback, Iwould take the Oppo-Integra combo over anything

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else I’ve had in this system,” raved KR. (Vol.31 No.1WWW) DApple iPod: $249 as reviewedThis sleek and sassy data-storage unit offers a hard drivewith up to 40GB capacity, and is capable of playinglossy compressed (MP3, AAC), lossless compressed(ALC), and uncompressed (AIFF, WAV) digital audiofiles delighted JA and WP. WP was surprised to findthe iPod worthy of serious audiophile consideration:“The open nature of the iPod’s playback format—or,more properly speaking, its lack of a single playbackstandard—means that the player can offer the soundquality its owner demands of it.” Files ripped in AIFFwere “indistinguishable from the original CD,” withimpressive dynamics, detailed imaging, and extendedfrequency extremes. JA: “Excellent, cost-effective audioengineering from an unexpected source.” Stereophile’s“Editor’s Choice” and “Budget Product of the Year” for2003. Current version significantly revised and offersup to 160GB capacity drive. (Vol.26 No.10 WWW) KCary CD-306SACD, Krell Evolution 505, BrystonBCD-1.DeletionsMeridian Reference 800, Ensemble Dirondo, McCor-mack UDP-1, Simaudio Moon Orbiter and MoonEquinox, dCS Verdi Encore, all not auditioned in too long a time; Olive Symphony replaced by new model notyet auditioned; Oppo DV-970HD no longer available.

DIGITAL PROCESSORSEditor’s Note: The sound of any particular CD trans-port/digital processor combination will be dependent onthe datalink used—see “Bits is Bits?” by Christopher Dunnand Malcolm Omar Hawksford, Stereophile, March 1996,Vol. 19 No.3 (WWW). Unless mentioned, processorsare limited to 32/44.1/48kHz sample rates. To be includedin Class A+, a digital processor must be capable of han-dling DSD or 24/96 LPCM data.A+Chord Choral DAC64: $5000The DAC64 applies 64-bit, seventh-order noiseshap-ing and 2048x oversampling using Chord-specifiedGate Arrays. JA decided that the sound of the originalversion of this “eye-poppingly gorgeous” componentwas “fairly ordinary” without its RAM buffer engaged.However, “switching the buffer in circuit both sweet-ened the tonal balance and made the perceived stagedeeper,” he found, concluding that “the DAC64 shouldbe ranked highly. . . . Many listeners should find its silky-smooth highs seductive, as well as its slightly larger-than-life lows.” Of the 2007 Choral version, WP notedthat “To my mind, the Choral Blu and DAC64 are,together, the CD player we music lovers have longprayed for.” The Choral DAC64 performed very muchbetter than earlier production samples, offering superbresults in every aspect of performance, found JA. (Vol.25No.7, Vol.30 No.8 WWW) Linn Klimax DS: $18,500This network-connected digital-to-analog converterreceives digital data through an Ethernet connection,handling 192kHz sample rates and upconverting to384kHz or 352.8kHz. Machined from a solid billet ofaluminum, the Klimax DS shares the slimline chassisstyle of the Klimax amplifiers. Due to the complexityof its setup, which requires a network-attached stor-age (NAS) drive and wired network, Linn specifiesthat the DS be installed by an authorized dealer. WPhad a difficult time navigating the DS’s minimal graphicuser interface—Linn recommends one of the third-party GUIs that are widely available—but, when han-dling hi-rez files, the DS offered “spectacularly good”sound. Every aspect of the Linn’s measured perfor-mance was superb. “This is one great-sounding com-

ponent,” said JA, “particularly in its freedom from high-frequency grain and its low-frequency definition.”(Vol.31 No.3 WWW) ABel Canto e.One DAC3: $2495The half-width DAC3 is built into a handsome steelchassis and offers five digital inputs, two pairs of ana-log outputs, and a volume-control knob. Its excellentreproduction of soundstage depth and width, silky-smooth treble, and sweet midrange resulted in an “en-hanced accuracy” that allowed JA to hear deeper intorecordings. The sound quality from the DAC3’s USBinput, however, was flatter and less involving overall.Still, JA was impressed: “Other than the jitter perfor-mance via its USB input, the Bel Canto e.One DAC3is the best-measuring digital component I have encoun-tered.” Compared to the McIntosh MS750’s analog out-put, the Bel Canto offered a much more compellingsound, with greater clarity, articulation, and depth,thought WP. Fed hi-rez digital via the Oppo DV-970HD, the Bel Canto outperformed the MusicalFidelity X-DACV8, presenting instruments and voiceswith more body and sparkle. Boderline Class A+.(Vol.30 No.11, Vol.31 Nos.1 & 2 WWW) Benchmark Media Systems DAC1 USB: $1275Benchmark Media Systems DAC1: $975 $$$ ✩Features two front-panel headphone jacks, RCA single-ended and XLR balanced analog line outputs that areswitchable between line level, trim-pot set, calibratedlevel, and variable level. Compared to the three-times-more-expensive Marantz SA-14, JM found the DAC1to be “slightly more articulate in the musical line, andslightly more detailed in spatial nuances, particularlythe localization of individual images in space, and insoundstage depth.” A terrific value, feels JA, thinkingthe DAC1 is a great way of getting modern sound froma DVD player or an older CD player. JA discoveredsuperb measured performance in both the DAC1’s dig-ital and analog domains, and decided, “Whether con-sidered as a standalone D/A converter or a versatileheadphone amp, Benchmark’s DAC1 is an audiophilebargain.” The USB version adds a USB 1.1 port to takeaudio data directly from a computer at sample rates upto 96kHz and bit depths up to 24. Additional improve-ments over the standard DAC1 include: two gain set-tings for the headphone amp, a defeatable muting of theline outputs, and high-current output drivers for theXLR and RCA outputs. Used as the primary digitalsource in JA’s system, the DAC1 USB offered a “veryappealing” sound, with smoother highs and less grainthan the original DAC1. Problems arose, however,when using the Benchmark to play back 16-bit filesfrom either a PC or a Mac via the USB connection. 24-bit files were fine; he will be investigating this anomalyin a “Follow-Up.” (DAC1, Vol.26 No.7, Vol.27 No.5,Vol.29 No.4 WWW; DAC1 USB, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Grace Design m902: $1695Headphone amplifier with an onboard DAC han-dling sampling rates up to 192kHz. See “Headphones& Headphone Accessories.” (Vol.28 No.6, Vol.29No.4 WWW) Logitech Transporter: $1999 $$$Well built, easy to use, and capable of accommodatingjust about any kind of connection an audiophile mightrequire, the Logitech Transporter (originally called theSlim Devices Transporter) does an excellent job of defus-ing an audiophile’s resistance to the world of audioservers. It uses AKM AK4396 multibit Sigma-DeltaDACs; a word-clock input allowing users to sync it toan external clock source; and decodes WAV, AIF, MP3,WMA, and FLAC files with 24-bit resolution at sam-pling rates of 44.1kHz, 48kHz, or 96kHz. (But not88.2kHz, snorts JA.) Its slick two-part display is almostinfinitely configurable and has faux-analog VU metersto monitor the output. Though it lacked some shim-mer, physical presence, and dynamic contrast in com-parison to WP’s reference Ayre C-5xe, the Transporter

provided effortless musicality marked by taut bass, anunforced midrange, and a smooth top end. Comparedto Slim’s SB3, the Transporter set music against a darkerbackground, providing more contrast and detail. JA wasimpressed: Even when receiving audio data over a Wi-Fi network, the Transporter “offers state-of-the-art D/Aconverter performance,” he summed up, emphasizingthe point by buying a sample. (Vol.30 No.2 WWW) Musical Fidelity X-DACV8: $1500The X-DACV8 is a solid-state D/A processor with aswitchable tube buffer stage (which adds 1dB gain).It provides three S/PDIF RCA inputs, a USB 1.1input, S/PDIF and stereo RCA outputs, and twofour-pin DIN power-supply sockets for MF’s X-RayV8 and X-PloraV8. WP consistently preferred theX-DACV8 over his V3, especially in his office system,where the V8 provided a bigger soundstage, greaterdepth of field, and deeper silences. Fed hi-rez digi-tal via the Oppo DV-970HD, the V8 couldn’t matchthe performance of the more expensive Bel Cantoe.One DAC3, however. JA was impressed: “Usedwith its solid-state outputs, the X-DACV8 is one ofthe best-measuring D/A processors that has passedthrough my hands.” (Vol.31 No.2 WWW) Wavelength Brick: $1750“A simple but nice-looking black box” with an out-board power supply, the Brick is a perfectionist-qual-ity D/A converter made specifically for use withpersonal computers. It works straight from a USB con-nection to a Phillips TDA1543 chip, requires no spe-cial drivers, and functions with any computer using a1.1-spec or better USB audio connection. The Bricksqueezed a bit more rhythm and emotion from com-pressed files and, when playing songs burned onto aMac Mini, offered performance comparable to CDplayback via the Linn Unidisk SC: “Both were accept-ably good,” said AD, who argued strenuously for a ClassA rating. (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Editor’s Note: There are no Class B Digital Proces-sors listed.CBardaudio Bardone wireless system: $825A good-sounding, versatile system that allows you toset up a wireless network that’s not tethered to a com-puter. The small, egg-shaped Bardone transmitterconverts the signal from a portable player to digitaland sends it, wirelessly and uncompressed, at 2.4GHzto the accompanying receiver. The optional 25WpcBardthree digital amplifier-receiver ($1295) resem-bles a large wall-wart, plugs directly into the wall, andcan easily drive a pair of efficient loudspeakers. “Areally smart, handy system,” said MF. “Surprisinglydecent sound,” he sums up. Expensive, however, fora gadget. (Vol.29 No.11) Digital Audio Labs CardDeluxe: $399 ✩PCI-interface computer soundcard that JA describedas “smashing the boundaries between component cat-egories.” Handles two channels of balanced I/O onTRS 1⁄4" phone jacks and two channels of S/PDIF dig-ital on RCAs. Offers up to 24-bit word lengths andsample rates of up to 96kHz, and has extension portto sync with other CardDeluxe cards to assemble a hi-rez, inexpensive multi-track digital recorder. Savesmusic data as two-channel PCM WAV files, so use fast,big-gig hard drives. JA thought it sounded full-bod-ied, with good low-frequency extension and defini-tion. Astonishing performance for the money(especially at the new lower price): “the most cost-effective way of making a PC an integral part of a high-end system.” Ultimate sound quality will very muchdepend on the host PC. Optional AES/EBU adaptercosts $50, but lowest jitter and noise floor with exter-nal DACs will be achieved with a TosLink connection.(Vol.23 Nos.9 & 11 WWW) Sonos ZP80 & ZP100: $748–$898“More sophisticated than the Squeezebox,” said JA. Theuser-friendly Sonos system sets up its own proprietary,

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encrypted audio network and can even dispense withthe partnering computer if necessary, working with anetwork-attached storage hard drive that can operateas a standalone source of media files. In addition, Sonos’very attractive CR100 controller ($399) has a full-color3.5" LCD screen, allows quick and simple navigationof music files on up to 16 network devices, and pro-vides all the metadata associated with each track. Instal-lation “couldn’t have been easier,” said JA. While hefound the ZP80’s analog outputs to be adequate for usein noncritical applications, JA felt the Sonos performedbest with its digital output feeding an external DAC.Rating refers to the performance of the ZP80’s analogoutputs. (Vol.29 No.10 WWW) DApple AirPort Express: $99 $$$While the Airport Express works only with iTunes v4.6or later (running on both PCs and Macs), is limited to16-bit data, and functions only at a 44.1kHz samplerate, the combination of iTunes and the Airport Expressoffered an easy way to pipe CD-quality music aroundthe entire home. “The beauty of this unassuming com-ponent,” said JA, “is its S/PDIF data output, whichallows the Airport Express to assume a respectable rolein a true high-end audio system.” However, its lack ofan internal clock can lead to the first couple of secondsof songs being missed with DACs that are slow to lifttheir mutes. (Vol.28 No.5 WWW) Echo Indigo IO PC soundcard: $199 $$$Easy to install and use, this CardBus-format soundcardfor PCs and Macs has one set of stereo outputs, a two-channel analog input, and features a 24-bit, 128x-over-sampling A/D converter running at sample rates from32kHz to 96kHz. It offers a 24-bit Motorola DSP formixing and monitoring, a headphone amp with vol-ume control, and, if your music-production softwaresupports multiple discrete outputs, the Indigo willappear as though it actually has eight separate outputs.While it lacks the sound quality of high-end separates,especially in terms of imaging and soundstage, JA foundit “perfect for turning a laptop into a portable, high-quality test system.” (Vol.27 No.11 WWW) iPort FS-2: $150This simple dock can accommodate any newer iPod,including the Nano, and terminates in convenientRCA jacks. The FS-2 charges the iPod’s battery andprovides two illuminated buttons for scrolling and volume control. “A much better-sounding and . . . ele-gant solution to running your iPod into your stereo,”said MF. (Vol.29 No.11) Logitech Squeezebox: $299 $$$The size and shape of a digital alarm clock, finished inwhite or black with an easy-to-read display, the Log-itech Squeezebox (originally the Slim Devices Squeeze-box) can be networked to a PC system and lets youselect songs from your listening seat via remote con-trol. In addition to its volume control, headphone jack,and coaxial digital and optical digital outputs, theSqueezebox features a Burr-Brown PCM1748 24-bitDAC and two dedicated crystal oscillators driving itsS/PDIF output and DAC clocks. Installation in JA’ssystem was seamless and fast. With the Squeezebox’sdigital output feeding an outboard DAC, JA noted acleanness to the sound that easily surpassed the per-formance of the Apple Airport Express driving thesame DAC. Analog outputs are only okay, however,hence the Class D rating. The Squeezebox handles awide range of 16-bit/44.1kHz file formats and can rec-ognize and play files encoded with Apple LosslessCompression, but DRM-wrapped, AAC-encodedsongs downloaded from iTunes are not an option. Eth-ernet version: $249. JA bought the review sample.Stereophile’s “Editor’s Choice” and one of Stereophile’s“Joint Budget Components” for 2006. (Vol.29 No.9WWW, March & April 2006 eNewsletters)KM-Audio USB Transit.

DeletionsdCS Elgar Plus, dCS Verona, 47 Laboratory 4715, allnot auditioned in too long a while.

CD ACCESSORIESAudience Auric Illuminator $39.95According to LB, “It’s two CD tweaks in one, with ablack felt pen that you apply to the edges and a gooeyfluid that that you spread on the playing surface andbuff off with the supplied cloth. The fluid is claimed toimprove the optical properties of the surface. Maybeso, given that treated CDs have greater focus and clar-ity (sonically, that is).” Application resulted in subtleimprovements in sound quality, including faster, cleanertransients, sharper image edges, and a more preciseoverall presentation, said BD. Combo of pen and gelwas messy, however. WP praises its restorative proper-ties: “Certainly has saved some damaged discs I hadthought lost,” he chimes in. (Vol.30 No.11) Nordost Eco 3 antistatic spray: $39.99/8-oz bottle ✩“Spray it on, wipe it off: a shot of this on CDs, elec-tronic equipment, and cables will clean up a surprisingamount of sonic smog,” claims BW. BD concurs. WPadds, “Frustratingly audible when applied to the labelside of CDs.” He hates when that happens. Simpler touse but less effective than the Disc Doctor CD-clean-ing system and Audience Auric Illuminator pen-gelcombo, concluded BD. (Vol.30 No.11) The Disc Doctor’s CD cleaning system: $55/kitCompared to the Audience Auric Illuminator pen-gelcombo and Nordost ECO3 CD cleaner, The Disc Doc-tor’s cleaning system produced the best results, decidedBD, removing electronic haze and taming overheatedsibilants. Its application process was the most involved,however, and its positive effects seemed the least per-manent. (Vol.30 No.11)

MUSIC SURROUND-SOUNDCOMPONENTS(other than speakers and disc players)AAudio Research MP1: $7495The “no-nonsense” MP1 is an all-analog preamp withbalanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs, capableof handling three multichannel inputs as well as fourstereo inputs. The MP1 made KR’s entire system seem“more dynamically alive,” with a “warmth and mor-dancy” that were especially appropriate for large-scaleorchestral music. Kal praised the MP1 as “an idealchoice” for a single system with both multi-channeland stereo duties. “It does it all, and it does it all so well,”he said, adding “Clean, balanced sound with a bit morewarmth and distance than my reference Bel CantoPre6.” (Vol.30 No.9 WWW) Bryston 9B-SST: $6495 ✩The 9B-SST power amplifier (called 9B-THX at thetime of the review) boasts five channels, 120Wpc into8 ohms, and is built like pro gear; ie, like a tank. Hand-soldered, double-sided glass-epoxy boards and elabo-rate grounding scheme front special-grade steeltoroidal transformers. According to JA, “the excellentset of measurements indicates solid, reliable engineer-ing.” LG was impressed by this amp’s speed, power,extension, its tightness and definition in the bass, andits “excellent” midrange. Fully the equal of more costlyamps, with wide dynamic contrasts and “involving”vocals, and sonically similar to previous Bryston STamps. THX conformance, a 20-year (!) warranty, and areasonable price make this beefy, reliable amp an

attractive package—a perfect choice, suggests LG, forhome-theater and multichannel music systems. KR’slong-term multi-channel reference. (Vol.23 No.9WWW) Bryston SP2: $6295“A contender for audiophiles who want the best of bothworlds,” the SP2 mates a topflight analog preamp witha flexible, state-of-the-art digital processor, and adds anoutstanding stereo DAC. Without conflict, complex-ity, or compromise, the SP2 offered sound quality thatwas “as good as it gets.” KR: “For performance andvalue, it’s hard to fault.” “An audiophile pre/pro,” hesums up. (Vol.29 No.9 WWW) Cary Audio Design Cinema 11: $3000 $$$“A real sweetheart of a preamp in the guise of a digi-tal audio (and no video) processor.” says KR. “Remark-ably open and transparent, yet completely lacking intizz or glare,” the Cinema 11 combined the finesseand clarity of the Bryston SP-2 with the smoothnessand depth of the NHT Controller, leaving KR “thor-oughly infatuated” with its sound. However, its AutoSetup and EQ programs proved “confounding.”“Imagine that the Cinema 11 lacks those features, andit represents an excellent choice at $3000,” said Kal.About to be replaced by new version not yet aud-tioned. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Classé CA-3200: $6500“A beautifully shaped piece of audio art,” the 200WpcCA-3200 is cloaked in satin silver, and its gently curvedfront panel is effectively reminiscent of the company’scurrent line of disc players. The neatly arranged rearpanel offers an outlined area for each of the amp’s threechannels. The CA-3200 sounded very similar to Classé’smore expensive, more powerful Omega Omicron.Clarity and openness were complemented by a sweet,extended midrange and sure-handed bass. “I find itimpossible to suggest a better three-channel poweramplifier,” said KR, feeling the CA-3200 was a “per-fect match” with his B&W 802Ds. The ever-fussy JAwas a little concerned by the amp’s increase in high-order THD at high current levels, but found excellentmeasured performance overall. (Vol.30 No.2 WWW) Linn Majik C3100/C4100: $3080/$3470Using technology trickled down from Linn’s Klimaxline, the 56Wpc Majik multichannel power amplifiers(originally called “Chakras”) feature highly efficientswitching power supplies, and a monolithic amplifiermodule that handles all low-level signals all the time,calling on a discrete, external power stage to minimizeheat when required. Their svelte, sexy appearance, lowweight (13 lbs), and relative small size make them idealfor multichannel systems. With the right speakersand/or bass management, they proved muscular enoughfor the most demanding material, and offered nearlyunparalleled transparency and soundstaging. “Thepotency of these small amps knocked me out,” said KR.(Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Mark Levinson No.433: $10,000Three 200W channels, each supported by its ownpower supply, are fitted into the sleek, compact No.433.Each channel has balanced and unbalanced inputs, isfully balanced through all voltage-amplification stages,and is built on its own Arlon PC board. Though it couldsound “a bit bright” in comparison to other amps, theNo.433 offered excellent midrange clarity and low-level detail retrieval, along with dynamics and tran-sients that were “beyond reproach.” Partnered with hisB&W 802Ds, the No.433 proved “extremely satisfy-ing,” said KR. His final verdict: “Pure and liquid throughthe mids and highs. A lean and clean powerhouse.”(Vol.30 No.5 WWW) Meridian Reference 861: $17,000–$19,000,depending on options ✩Multimedia controller with video, DSP-based decod-ing for matrixed and discrete multichannel audiosources. Functions as analog preamplifier-controller,digital and video controller, and A/D–D/A converter.

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Built-in, reprogrammable decoding of multichannelsources (Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, DTS,Ambisonic, etc.), plus THX and Trifield output fromtwo-channel sources. All inputs digitally processed. OfTrifield’s synthesized front-three-channels output,KR observed, “I came to regard the loss of air and thenarrower soundstage as acceptable concomitants of thericher, tighter, better-defined central images. ‘Audio-phile air’ began to seem an artifact rather than anenhancement.” DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 musicrecordings “injected” ambiences whose acousticssuperseded his room’s. Multichannel is immersive, butour KR would rather not sit in the middle of a stringquartet or orchestra. For two-channel, “equal to thebest. . . beyond significant reproach.” Multichannel, hedeclared, is the future, and Meridian is ready now. Log-ical but complicated setup and option proceduresentered via PC; heavy dealer involvement is key to get-ting the best from this ultimate component. But whenthe 861 is programmed for precise time alignment andamplitude balance among the speakers, and thecrossover and bass management adjusted indepen-dently for the main, center, and rear channels, “every-thing seemed just right, and it made for consistentlysatisfying listening,” he decided.”The TriField DSP isa greatly advantageous feature that deserves morerecognition. I felt confident that whatever little silverdisc I put into the 800-861, it would sound superb.”Meridian’s new MConfig program replaces pages ofconfiguration options with a drag-and-drop graphicuser interface, and offers guided channel-level settingsand room-correction setup routines. KR: “Theupgraded 861 Reference’s sound was delightfully andcharacteristically transparent. . . . Still Class A after allthese years.” Price varies with options chosen. (Vol.23No.2, Vol.26 No.8, Vol.29 No7 WWW)BAtoll Electronique PR5.1: $2500At its heart, the PR5.1 is a pure analog preamplifierwith two six-channel and four two-channel inputs.However, Atoll’s DSP option ($375) adds three digitalinputs and one digital output, three video inputs andone video output, and the software required to inte-grate these functions, all without disturbing the PR5.1’sbasic analog operation. The PR5.1 produced a slightlyrelaxed and forgiving sound with surprisingly goodspectral balance and a wide, deep soundstage. “If you’rebasically a two-channel audiophile but want to add anSACD and/or DVD-Audio player for multichannel,the PR5.1 is an attractive and obvious choice,” KR con-cluded. (Vol.30 No.11 WWW) Denon AVR-4806CI: $4000The AVR-4806 multichannel receiver has myriadinputs and decoding modes (including HDCD), 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown DACs, seven 130W amps,and can receive XM satellite radio with the addition ofa Connect&Play antenna. In addition, since the DVD-5910 player can pass all audio to it in digital format, theAVR-4806’s format-decoding and bass-managementfacilities are accessible for DVD-Audio and SACD play-back without redigitizing. The sound was detailed anddynamic, with only the slightest veiling. KR: “Denon’stop-of-the-line DVD-5910 universal disc player andnearly-top-of-the-line AVR-4806 A/V receiver are astalented as any, and are representative of good-quality,mainstream home theater gear.” About to be discon-tinued. (Vol.29 Nos.1 & 3 WWW) Integra DTC-9.8: $1600 $$$The DTC-9.8 multichannel preamplifier/processordecodes and processes all current digital music formats,including DSD, Dolby True-HD, and DTS-HD Mas-ter Audio. It can apply bass and channel managementand room equalization to all formats without redun-dant A/D/A conversions, has a 7.1-channel analog pass-through with volume control, provides both RCA andXLR outputs, and includes a phono input. It combinedan open, seamless soundstage with tonal accuracy, clar-

ity, and tight, potent bass. However, compared to muchmore expensive pre-pros, the Integra lacked some trans-parency and upper-bass weight. “The Integra DTC-9.8sets the bar with its unique combination of talent, per-formance, and value,” said KR. (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) NHT Controller: $2750This preamp-processor provides an outstandingly clearand communicative front-panel display with proxim-ity-detection sensing, and a Touch Wheel for easy vol-ume adjustment and menu navigation. Though theController’s menu hierarchy is heavily skewed towardthe convenience of NHT speaker owners, setup waseasy, and all functions proved extremely logically struc-tured. KR most appreciated the Controller’s 7.1-chan-nel Analog Direct input, which uses the channel-balanceadjustments specified for the digital inputs and addsanalog bass management. “Offers a unique combina-tion of intelligent design, audiophile considerations,and outright good sound far better than you’d expectat the price,” he concluded. (Vol.30 No.1 WWW) NHT Power5: $2000This five-channel, 200Wpc power amp was the per-fect match for NHT’s Controller, rivaling the bestprocessor-amp partnerings in KR’s experience. Thesound was delightful and addictive, combiningimpressive power with a subtlety and delicacy thatstretched across the entire audible spectrum. (Vol.30No.1 WWW) NO CLASS RATINGHarmonic Technology Harmony Rainbow :$310/1m with RCAs or BNCs, $40/additionalmeter ✩Six individual color-coded cables in a single bundle formultichannel systems, this was KR’s salvation from“Cable Hell.” (See “Cable Hell” in Vol.25 No.7) RS Audio Cables “The Solution” $179/1m,$20/additional 0.5m ✩Another excellent 6-conductor multichannel cable ata competive price. Uses Canare RCA’s (like the Rain-bow Harmony) but with a slightly brighter sound,according to KR. Choose between them depending onroom and speaker. Available from www.rscables.com.(Vol.26 No.6) Zektor MAS7.1: $599“The Swiss army knife of audio input switchers,” theMAS7.1 is capable of switching 7.1 channels. It offersthree coax and three TosLink inputs, as well as coaxand TosLink outputs, and can function as a three-wayHDMI switcher with HDMI V1.3a capability. “TheMAS7.1 can handle the job with all sources analog, coax-ial digital, TosLink, or HDMI,” praised KR. “Subjec-tively transparent as an HDMI switcher or 7.1 audioswitcher, it is an ideal choice if you need one or bothfunctions.” (Vol.30 No.11 WWW) DeletionsLinar Audio Model 10 not auditioned in too long a time.

TWO-CHANNEL PREAMPLIFIERSEditor’s Note: Apart from the Conrad-Johnsons,Musical Fidelity, Nagra, Shindo, and Placettes, all theClass A preamplifiers offer balanced inputs and out-puts. And unless noted, the preamplifiers listed do nothave phono stages.A Aesthetix Saturn Calypso: $4500“A beautifully built, smartly designed, crisply function-ing, versatile, and sonically brilliant preamplifier,” theSaturn Calypso is a single-box, tubed unit that borrowstechnology from the more expensive, two-box JupiterCallisto to offer “an attractive combination of couch-potato convenience without compromising its tweakyaudiophilic performance potential,” thought MF. Itlacked the last bit of expansive air and resolution found

in more expensive preamps but never sounded bright,hard, or artificial, and provided “one of the best-bal-anced sounds of any audio component I’ve come acrossat any price.” (Vol.28 No.7 WWW) Audio Research Reference 3: $9995“The single most impressive and thought-provokingpiece of electronics I’ve heard since the Halcro dm58,”raved PB. Updates over the long-running Reference 2Mk.II include four new circuit boards, two new tran-sistors, and a graceful, minimalist faceplate marked bya large vacuum-fluorescent display. The Ref.3’s neu-trality, resolution, and timbral generosity and accuracyworked together to convey music with an “almostwitchily organic sensuality.” “The best I have heard,”summed up PB. JA cautioned that the Ref.3 wouldwork best in full balanced mode and into higher imped-ances, but shares PB’s enthusiasm for the preamp’ssound quality, as do WP and BD. BJR said he wasastounded by the Ref.3’s high-frequency presentationand tremendous sense of ease. “A stunning achieve-ment,” he summed up, adding that the preamp offers“outstanding detail resolution, ambience retrieval,soundstaging and dynamic envelope replication.”(Vol.29 No.12, Vol.30 Nos.5 & 6 WWW) Ayre K-1xe: $8950 ✩The “x” upgrades to the original K-1 include a com-pletely reworked ground-partitioning scheme, addi-tional RF filtering, and new high-density polymer feet.PB found that low-level details emerged effortlessly,transients were tracked like radar, and the overall pre-sentation was sharp and deep-focused. Due to theabsence of noise and distortion, PB was brought farcloser to the truth of the music than he’d ever imag-ined possible: “The K-1x provided a rather disturbingexhibition of how much subliminal-level grunge, hash,and noise is taken for granted as a part of the sound ofeven top-level high-end components. . . . Does theAyre K-1x belong in Class A? Are there bears in thewoods?” The “xe” iteration includes additional RFI fil-tering on the AC mains, increased peak current deliv-ery, and better filtering of rectifier noise. The K-1xe’sexcellent abilities to convey mood and handle dynamicshadings offered a captivating listening experience.“Still a world-beater,” said WP. Phono section adds$2600. (Vol.20 No.3, K-1; Vol.25 No.6, K-1x; Vol.30No.6, K-1xe WWW) Balanced Audio Technology Rex: $18,500The two-chassis Rex is a fully balanced, tubed, remote-controlled line preamp with two pairs of user-selec-table current-source tubes. BAT provides five XLRinputs and two main XLR outs, along with excellent,full-featured ergonomics. Set to its 6H30 position, theRex was “rich, warm, ‘midrangey,’ somewhat soft over-all, sluggish and thick in the bass,” thought MF. Set toits 6C45 position, however, the sound was “fast, prop-erly stiff, taut, and responsive,” with a wide soundstageand solid images. “Utterly quiet” and “soulful,” the Rexis “among the most beguiling-sounding control pre-amplifiers yet devised,” said MF. “Easy to love!” hesummed up. (Vol.31 No.2 WWW) Balanced Audio Technology VK-3iX: $2995 $$$The tubed VK-3iX features an improved appearanceand a classier fit’n’finish over its predecessors, andincludes four RCA inputs, two XLR inputs, and oneRCA and one XLR output for compatibility with awide range of associated equipment. RD noted a well-balanced sound when the VK-3iX was combined witha VK-55 power amp, with a good sense of rhythmicebb and flow and convincing imaging. Its incompati-bility with low-impedance loads will not be a factorwhen used with BAT’s own power amplifiers. Phonocard and remote add $500 each; add $1250 for SE ver-sion. (Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Boulder 810: $6900The 810 is a two-channel, solid-state, programmable,remote-controlled line-stage preamp with all-balancedinputs and outputs, built on and housed in a chassis of

84 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

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anodized, aircraft-grade aluminum. Designed with anemphasis on keeping noise to a dead minimum, the810 uses short signal paths, surface-mounted circuits,shielded power supplies, four-layer damped feet, andtwo separate toroidal transformers: one for the audiosignal, one for the display’s digital logic control. Itoffered a very neutral sound with “only a slight soften-ing in the bass and an even slighter rolloff in the upperoctaves,” said FK. JA noted “superb measured perfor-mance.” (Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Burmester 011: $21,995This single-box, full-function, solid-state design withintegral MC phono stage, combines brilliant function-ality, ease of use, and efficient packaging with the kindsof luxurious user interfaces and construction qualityone might expect from its price. “The Burmester’ssound was big and vibrant,” said BD, “with an imme-diacy that re-created the feel and presence of a live per-formance.” JA concurred: “The Burmester 001’s overallmeasured performance is superb, with very low levelsof distortion and noise and a very high dynamic range.”The limited HF overload margin of its phono stage,associated with its high gain, will preclude its use withhigh- or even moderate-output MC cartridges. BD con-cluded: “A wonderful preamp . . . built by music loversfor music lovers.” (Vol.28 No.7 WWW) Cary Audio SLP 05: $7500The “positively stunning” two-box SLP 05, Cary’snewest line-level preamp, is dressed in Jaguar automo-tive paint and boasts eight 6SN7 dual-triode tubes. Thepower supply uses a hefty R-core mains transformerwith two sets of secondaries and features a pair of Eng-lish Sifam meters for monitoring rail voltage and railcurrent. The SLP 05’s superb detail retrieval allowed itto communicate the sense of force behind the music,for a sound that was “clear and unambiguous and mean-ingful.” AD: “The SLP 05 is beautifully built, fun tolook at, and sounds amazing.” (Vol.29 No.9 WWW) Conrad-Johnson ACT2 Series 2: $16,500“A work of art as beautiful to behold as it is to listento,” the ACT2 employs four 6N30P dual triodes—ahigher-gain, lower-noise design than the ten 6922 tri-ode sections found in C-J’s ART—and fits into a sin-gle chassis. While it performed imaging, soundstaging,and other audiophile tricks extremely well, “the ACT2’sreal strength was presenting music as a whole,” trans-porting the listener to the musical event, said WP ofthe orginal version. ST agrees. “The preamp I’d buy ifI had the dough,” he adds. In the Series 2, single-stageregulation derived from C-J’s CT-5 is used in place ofthe original ACT2’s cascaded power-supply regulators.Higher-quality Teflon capacitors replace the original’spolystyrene capacitors, while an internal mechanicalshield has been added to further reduce residual noise.The result was a lower noise floor with a more dynamicoverall presentation, which allowed WP to discern lev-els of detail that had previously been obscured. One ofStereophile’s “Joint Amplification Components” for2006. (Vol.28 Nos.3 & 12, Vol.30 No.11 WWW) Conrad-Johnson CT5: $8500The remote-controlled CT5 is essentially a simplifiedversion of the highly regarded ACT2, employing asingle 6N30P twin-triode tube per channel and fea-turing a revised power supply with fewer regulatorsand greater storage. The CT5 proved comparable topreamplifiers twice its price in offering no sound ofits own, simply enabling recordings to be themselves.WP: “The CT5 wasn’t wimpy, it wasn’t heavy-handed,it wasn’t delicate, it wasn’t bombastic—except whenit was.” JA noted “respectable measured performance,typified by high dynamic range and a distortion sig-nature that will never be found offensive.” (Vol.29No.7 WWW) darTZeel NHB-18NS: $26,250The “stunningly transparent” darTZeel offered spec-tacular transient speed, resolution, and decay, while pro-viding an overall coherence that “made recorded music,

analog or digital, sound much closer to live,” said MF.Bass lacked some authority, and the sound sometimeshad “a slight velvety finish.” With its warm, vivid com-bination of red chassis and dark gold front and rear pan-els, the NHB-18NS “looks like it sounds.” Its fullydual-mono design, lack of global negative feedback,and ultrawide bandwidths are meant to eliminate phaseshifts at the frequency extremes. JA was “puzzled” bysome aspects of the darTZeel’s measured performance,particularly the much poorer performance through thebalanced inputs and outputs, but was overall impressedby the level of audio engineering. (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) EAR 912: $11,000The full-function EAR 912 offers uncommon func-tionality and flexibility, featuring two pairs of config-urable phono inputs, internal MC step-up transformers,a mono switch, six pairs of line-level inputs, two pairsof outputs, and two VU meters. Of all the top-class pre-amplifiers AD has auditioned, the EAR 912 proved themost dramatic, offering a big sound with undeniableintensity and nuance. “A Class A preamplifier in everysense,” said AD, “and an heirloom-quality instrumentthat represents the apex of both build quality and designingenuity.” JA noted excellent audio engineering, butwas a bit concerned by the 912’s disappointing chan-nel separation, which was marred by capacitive cou-pling. (Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Halcro dm10: $18,990 ✩The dm10’s performance might best be summed upwith PB’s simple statement, “The music sounded glo-rious.” Its “supernatural quiet” allowed for an “almostunbelievable level of detail retrieval” coupled with“true transparency.” Its ability to respond instanta-neously to transients gave the sense of “an action donein perfect consonance and in real time. . . Transientspeed plus silence and harmonic bounteousness hereequaled virtual reality.” PB: “A paradigm of genuinehigh fidelity. . . The Halcro dm10 is not only a superbline stage, it stands alone as the everything-included-for-one-price preamplifier.” JA: “Halcro’s dm10 offersmeasured performance that is both beyond my abilityto fully characterize and beyond reproach.” MF alsorecommends the dm10, but agrees with JA that thedm10 is “neutral to the point of being slightly dry,”mandating care with system matching. ST is not a fanof the “Halcro sound,” however. (Vol.27 No.4 WWW) Krell Evolution 202: $16,500Beautifully assembled and jam-packed with technol-ogy, the two-chassis Evolution 202 incorporates Krell’sCurrent Audio Signal Transmission (CAST), whichinvolves driving a low-impedance load from a high-impedance source, essentially eliminating the cable’seffects on signal transmission. Along with the Evolu-tion 600 monoblocks, the 202 provided a vanishinglylow noise floor, immersing WP in performance andperformance space. Accordingly, JA’s measurementsfound very wide bandwidth and very low distortion.“A pleasure to measure,” he said. WP noted “very sub-tle” differences between the Evolution 202 and AyreK-1xe. Though they matched one another in terms ofdynamic range and the ability to convey subtle tonal,harmonic, and spatial information, the Ayre may havebeen just a bit more “euphonic.” “I guess I vote for theKrell with my head, which says that one of these pre-amps must be right,” said Wes. CAST interconnects add$500/m. (Vol.29 No.12, Vol.30 No.6 WWW) Lamm Industries LL2 Deluxe: $4990 $$$Line-level preamp with one 6X4, two 12AU7A, andtwo 6DJ8 tubes. AD was most impressed by the Lamm’sability to remain free from overhang and distortionwhile remaining true to the color, texture, and body ofrecorded material. He explained that, because of theLL2’s speed— “the thing’s ability to respond to a sig-nal, amplify it with great faithfulness, then get the hellout of the way”—it gave music “more body, more feel,and especially more movement.” It seemed as if per-formances were actually taking place in the listening

room rather than simply being retold. AD: “Judged forits musicality, the quality of its parts and construction,and its sheer design ingenuity, the Lamm LL2 is worthevery penny.” (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Mark Levinson No.32 Reference: $15,950 ✩J-10 loved this line-level preamp with optional phonomodules, the first to carry ML’s “Reference” moniker.Future-forward design stuffs the power supply, controlcircuitry, and display into one chassis, with the ultra-sensitive audio circuits in a separate, “clean” box. ACpower regeneration feeds the voltage gain stages, micro-processor controls offer lots of flexibility, and a newhigh-tech attenuator and a wonderfully ergonomic userinterface make life easy. You can change cartridge load-ing on the fly! “The totality of music as presented. . .was astonishing. . . engaging, rich, rife, extended, airy,smooth, and oh so palpable.” He was also “floored by. . .the enormous amount of unforced information passingthrough its circuits. . . . The enormous level of utterlynatural detail was evident throughout the audible fre-quency range.” He went on: “the sound was not analytic,you understand, or dry, just there.” It “delivers on thatpromise of More and Better like nothing I’ve heard todate. . . . Bravo.” LG breathlessly adds, “The sonics witha Levinson reference system on the Dynaudio Evi-dence was tops.” JA was sorry when he had to bid adieuto the review sample, but PB is less impressed, find-ing that when the No.32 was set against the Halcrodm10, VTL TL-7.5, and BAT VK-51SE, it “couldn’tseem to generate as spacious a soundstage as the com-petition, and it consistently put me farther away fromthe music.” Optional phono modules add $2500. Stilla JA favorite. (Vol.23 No.1, Vol.27 No.4 WWW) Mark Levinson No.326S: $10,000The No.326S offered neutrality that allowed JA to heardeeper into the mix, and presented subtle details withgreater contrasts against a quieter background. Switch-ing the No.326S out of the system flattened the imagedepth and increased the overall grain. The No.326S’smeasured performance was beyond reproach. “Fornow,” said JA, “the No.326S offers all I want from apreamplifier.” (Vol.29 No.1 WWW) McIntosh C1000 system: $17,000–$26,000The C1000 preamp system consists of the C1000Ccontroller/power supply ($8000) and two separate,fully balanced preamplifiers: the solid-state C1000P($9000) and the tubed C1000T ($9000). The C1000C,which can be used with each or both preamp chassis,has controls for Volume, Balance, Source, and RecordOut, and provides power and control signals to one orboth preamplifiers via individual cords for each chan-nel of each preamp. The C1000T and C1000P are iden-tical, with nine sources each, and sounded remarkablysimilar: the tubed unit produced the tonal balance andneutrality commonly associated with transistors, whileits solid-state partner delivered a bloom usually asso-ciated with tubes. MF was impressed by the C1000’scomplete quiet, most obvious in the “utter ease of theoverall sound.” Though its flexibility is almost unlim-ited, configuring the C1000 was complicated and occa-sionally frustrating. “Superb audio engineering,” saidJA. LG was also taken by the C1000T. One of Stereophile’s“Joint Amplification Components” for 2006. (Vol.29No.8 WWW) Musical Fidelity kW Hybrid: $5000With its handsome brushed-aluminum faceplate, blackfaux rack-mount handles, and single large volume con-trol, the kW Hybrid represents a huge cosmeticimprovement over the Tri-Vista kWp, and, with an on-board power supply, is only half as bulky. A preampcapable of producing nearly 20W RMS into 8 ohms(!), the kW Hybrid is almost impossible to overdrive,and, with ultralow noise and distortion, it aspired to theproverbial “straight wire with gain.” Driving the kW750power amp, it produced a “rich, full-bodied, and sweet,yet detailed and reasonably fast” sound free of etch,grain, or hardness, but lacking a bit of agility and snap.

PSB SynchronySynchrony yields sonic performance that pushes the boundaries of the possible, whether judged

by way of close technical analysis, or by rigorous subjective evaluation. The seven elegant,

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rooms and home theaters. Synchrony’s designs feature a consistent gracefulness of form that

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www.LenbrookAmerica.comThe Finest Selection of Audio Components in the World.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 87

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

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PREAMPLIFIERS

“An extraordinary preamplifier,” said JA. “An easy call,”agreed MF. (Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Nagra PL-L: $8495 ✩With its inputs on the left and outputs on the right, thePL-L offered KR some setup problems, but he foundit “practically impossible to criticize the PL-L’s sound.The PL-L was “absolutely satisfying and enjoyable.Noise was never noticeable. . . and all controls workedsilently and smoothly. . . . The PL-L was revealing andnatural, imparting little personality or coloration of itsown.” KR commended it “not only for professionalmonitoring, but also for home systems of the very high-est quality,” and JA found “superb measured perfor-mance. . . . Another Swiss jewel of a product fromNagra.” JA is working on a “Follow-Up”; his prelimi-nary auditioning continues the recommendation.Remote control adds $1000; balanced outputs add $500.(Vol.25 No.11 WWW) Parasound Halo JC 2: $4000 $$$Styled to match the JC 1 power amplifier and finishedin the same brushed, natural aluminum, the JC 2exhibits a high standard of construction. Each channelof the fully balanced JC 2 is on a separate PCB, withthe audio and control power supplies on separate cir-cuits, isolated from each other by 3⁄8"-thick aluminumpartitions. ST was impressed by the JC 2’s noiselessoperation and excellent reproduction of space, whichallowed music “to emerge intact—with body, bloom,and dynamics, with definition and detail—from anutterly silent background.” JA agreed, but decided theJC 2 sounded best with warmer-sounding amplifiersand speakers, when it excelled in the areas of imagesand dynamics. “Perhaps the finest solid-state line stageI have heard,” sums up ST. “This is what a great linestage does: lets all the other components perform attheir best. (Vol.30 No.12, Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Placette Audio Active Line Stage: $6995The Active Linestage is intended to combine the trans-parency of Placette’s purist Remote Volume Controlwith a usable level of functionality, providing five setsof unbalanced inputs, two sets of outputs, and a tapeloop. Its absolute clarity, focus, solidity, and trans-parency were unrivaled in BD’s experience. “Highlyrecommended.” Sold direct, with a lifetime warrantyand 30-day refund policy. (Vol.30 No.11 WWW) Placette Audio Remote Volume Control: $1000A paperback-sized black box with one set of unbal-anced inputs and outputs, a toggle switch and remote,a row of LEDs that light up to indicate the relative vol-ume level, and a 125-step attenuator built entirely withsuper-premium Vishay S-102 foil resistors. ThePlacette centered and locked images into place,improved transparency by removing grunge, andsnapped sonic pictures into focus. BD: “The result wasstunning.” Against the Sonic Euphoria PLC, thePlacette was better at resolving fine-scale and innerdetail, adding complexity, texture, and volume to noteswhile providing a larger, deeper soundstage. It lackedthe PLC’s dynamics and solid, dense images, however.Comes with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. (Vol.27No.6, Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Shindo Masseto: $11,500Like the Aurieges, the Masseto is a full-function pre-amplifier, but adds a selectable choice between mov-ing-magnet and moving-coil phono inputs. Thedual-mono power supply is based on a pair of Philips6X4WA rectifier tubes, the phono stage uses onePhilips 6189W and one Philips 12AT7 per channel,and its line stage uses a single LCP86 triode/pentodeper channel. With a “stunningly low noise floor,” theMasseto consistently conveyed music in a way thatallowed Art to become fully immersed in the perfor-mance. “Time after time,” he said, “I found myselfresponding to my hi-fi the way I respond to real music.”The Masseto’s stock input MC transformer was “quietin every way,” and worked especially well with Art’sMiyabi cartridge, providing “loads of texture, and

enough drama to keep me happy indefinitely,” he said.(Vol.30 Nos.7 & 10 WWW) Simaudio Moon P-8: $13,500This dual-mono, two-chassis preamp is as imposing andimpressive as Sim’s W-8 power amp. While the Pre-amplifier chassis contains all the audio circuitry, theController chassis includes a power supply capable ofdriving the preamplifier and an additional device, suchas a phono stage or DAC. Setup was simple, and fromfirst power-up, the P-8 “performed faultlessly andimpressively.” KR described it as being “by far, the qui-etest preamp” he’d ever heard, detecting only a slightlymellow tonal character in comparison to other com-ponents. JA admired the P-8’s excellent linearity andsuperb channel matching. “A superbly engineered com-ponent,” he said, and is planning on doing a “Follow-Up.” (Vol.29 No.11 WWW) VTL TL-7.5 Series II Reference: $16,500 ✩With both delicacy and power, “the VTL TL-7.5 com-bined a seemingly molecular level of resolution withan agile, flowing facility at presenting context, mean-ing, and emotion.” The overall sound was entirely grain-less and transparent, with true, deep, and tight bass, andincredibly fast, smooth, and open treble. PB: “It is, byno small margin, the finest line stage I have ever heardat length.” MF found that the TL-7.5 was a “smoothoperator,” with a “sumptuous but not excessive mid-band glow and smooth overall musical flow.” It mayhave sacrificed dynamic expression, but it offered long-term listenability, tunefulness, and emotion. For JA, theTL-7.5 was “a delight to test”; it displayed “virtuallybombproof measured performance.” PB chose the TL-7.5 over the Halcro dm10, BAT VK-51SE, and Levin-son No.32: “[Its] strongest suit remains its completelack of discernible sonic character. . . . It’s the finest pureline stage I have heard, barely nipping the Halcro by afew thousandths of a second at the finish line of thisGrand Prix.” “Slightly soft on the bottom,” adds MF.One of Stereophile’s “Joint Amplification Components”for 2003. BD decided that the TL-7.5 removed a slightdulling and veiling of the sound in his system, creatinga larger, airier soundstage with improved clarity andtransparency. The Series II replaces the original model’s12AX7 tube with a 12AU7, and reconfigures the sur-rounding circuit to run the tube at a substantially highercurrent. Sonic benefits included increased speed, open-ness, and improved dynamics at the frequency extremes.Its slightly cooler tonal balance and forward presenta-tion sometimes bordered on hardness, however. “Whilethe original TL-7.5 didn’t soundat all, the Series II soundsbetter,” mused BD. His “Follow-Up” determined that,despite the manufacturer’s concerns, the TL-7.5 wasonly slightly affected by the use and choice of powerconditioning, sounding cleanest, fastest, and mostdetailed with the Audience AdeptResponse, said BD.Upgrade of Series I TL-7.5 to Series II costs $4500.(Vol.26 No.10, Vol.27 Nos.1 & 4, Vol.28 No.12,Vol.30 Nos.5 & 6 WWW) VTL TL-6.5 Signature: $9500The TL-6.5 uses two 12AU7 tubes and MOSFET out-put devices. It is derived from the cost-no-object, two-chassis TL-7.5 Reference, but uses only two powertransformers rather than the TL-7.5’s three, and hassmaller output capacitors and a higher output imped-ance. It offered “battleship reliability, faultless micro-processor control of tube operation, and extraordinaryswitching control —as well as first-rate sound,” saidLG. He was bowled over by the VTL’s dramatic dynamiccontrasts, clear and open midrange and treble, and solid,tuneful bass, but only after two weeks’ break-in. JA wassimilarly impressed by the VTL’s “overall excellentmeasured performance.” WP is working on a “Follow-Up.” (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) BAtoll Electronique PR300: $2400The PR300 offers five line inputs and a bypass for asurround-sound processor, Atoll’s only concession to

home theater and multichannel sound, and uses a gainsection based entirely on discrete transistors. In com-bination with the Atoll CD200 CD player and AM200amp, the PR300 offered a sound that was “sweet andharmonically rich-never threadbare or hyperanalyti-cal,” with a slightly laid-back overall presentation. Oth-erwise smooth, clear, and quiet, the PR300 sounded abit congested and hard during heavy-going orchestralpassages. But “Very quiet, nicely detailed, hard to nameanother solid-state preamp at the price which outper-forms the Atoll,” he sums up. (Vol.29 No.9) Audio Valve Eclipse: $4499The Eclipse’s clear acrylic top plate is machined toinclude two rounded ventilation slots for its four Elec-tro-Harmonix 12AU7A tubes. Its neutral tonal balance,clear and forward sound, and wide dynamic range cre-ated a musical presentation that matched drama withgood senses of size and scale. It lacked, however, theShindo Masseto’s ability to closely follow melodic lines.“A lovely product, and a decent value for the money,”concluded AD. BJR agrees, describing the Eclipse as a“liquid, dynamic, and colorless tube preamplifier whosestrengths are many and flaws nonexistent. Ruggedlyconstructed, visually gorgeous, and a superb value.”Though he was unimpressed by this preamp’s imple-mentation of different input sensitivities, JA decidedthe Eclipse measured “well for a tube design.” For bestresults, the Eclipse should be used with a power amphaving an input impedance of at least 30k ohms, hecautioned. (Vol.30 No.8 WWW) Ayre K-5xe: $2950Like all of Ayre’s 5-series products, the K-5xe uses theAyre Conditioner, a built-in RFI filter that works inparallel with the AC line to reduce background noise,grain, and hash. The K-5xe added nothing to the orig-inal signal and had no sonic signature of its own. ST:“It just got out of the way” subsequently adding thatthis “superb solid state line-stage preamp is everythingyou could ask for: neutral, detailed, dynamic, excep-tionally low noise, fun to use.” JA is working on a fullreview, but feels high Class B is a fair rating. Black fin-ish adds $250. (Vol.29 No.5) DNM 3D Primus: $7995Housed in a distinctive plastic case, the 3D Primus isphysically identical to its predecessor, the 3C. The 3Dhas upgraded power supplies and, in an effort to reduceback-EMF effect, its slightly larger motherboard is heldin place with only nylon nuts and bolts. In addition, the3D has phono-selector and mono switches and a head-phone jack. Mated to the DNM PA3S amplifier anddriving his Quad ESLs, the Primus produced “some ofthe purest and altogether most listenable playback I’veenjoyed at home,” said AD. “Listenability. Smoothness.Detail without fuss. Openness without brightness.”High Class B was his rating, cautioning “for specialtastes only.” (Vol.31 No.3 WWW) JuicyMusic BlueBerry Xtreme: $1795 $$$Made in the US and designed by industry veteran MarkDeneen, the BlueBerry is a full-size, all-tube preampwith line and phono sections, balance controls, a monoswitch, and an attractive solid-wood cabinet. Used as aline-level preamp with CD players or external phonopreamps, the BlueBerry Xtreme provided realistic tex-tures, good rhythmic performance, and chunky, three-dimensional images. The timbral balance of its phonosection, however, sounded slightly tipped-down in theupper bass. “A great-sounding, well-engineered pre-amp with styling that pretends the last 25 years didn’thappen,” said AD. Cream option adds $500. (Vol.29No.10 WWW) PrimaLuna ProLogue Three: $1599Built by hand with point-to-point wiring, the beauti-ful ProLogue Three has a fully vented chassis of heavy-gauge steel with five coats of hand-rubbed finish, anda removable metal cage that fits over the tube compart-ment. “Typically tubelike,” the Three was smooth,open, transparent, and easy on the ears, but lacked some

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presence in the upper midrange and treble. Pairing itwith the ProLogue Seven power amp, however, pro-vided a more optimal combination of accuracy andmusicality. “Outstanding value,” said RD. JA advised:“The Three’s decreasing linearity at low frequenciesmeans that it should not be used with power amplifierswhose input impedance drops much below 50k ohms.”The matching Prologue Seven’s 77k ohms will be fine,he notes. (Vol.29 No.12 WWW) Promitheus Audio TVC: $680, as reviewed $$$Built to order and evincing meticulous craftsmanshipand impressive fit, finish, and appearance, the TVC pas-sive preamp is sold direct to customers from thePromitheus factory in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, andcomes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It usesonly wires, connectors, and two balanced transformersto provide a pure, clean, smooth presentation, “takingthe electronic edge off everything without dulling thesound,” said ST. In addition, Sam found it “utterly trans-parent at any volume setting” as it delivered superbdetail and dynamics. “Solves the usual problems of apassive preamp via transformers,” he sums up. “But willyou have enough gain?” he wonders. Prices start at $320,shipping adds $60. (Vol.30 No.7) Shindo Aurieges: $3895The handmade, limited-edition Aurieges is built intoa steel enclosure and beautifully finished in metallic-green lacquer. It uses four NOS tubes in the preampsection and a 6X4 rectifier tube in its external powersupply. With an extremely low noise floor and excel-lent sense of momentum and flow, the Aurieges offereda sound that was “wonderful and engaging.” Above all,it emphasized “the ideal of making music —and indoing so came closer to re-creating great art than any-thing else,” said AD, though he cautions that its highoutput impedance mandates care in system matching.Line-only version: $2995. (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) Sonic Euphoria PLC: $1295BD was impressed by this autotransformer-based pas-sive line stage’s overall presence and excellent dynam-ics, and by how it produced solid, dimensional images.While BD had no trouble integrating the PLC intohis system, JA’s measurements indicated that carefulconsideration should be taken in matching sourcecomponents and power amp. Otherwise, “a well-engi-neered piece of kit,” JA concluded. AD noted accu-rate pitch relationships, and excellent musical flowand momentum, with absolutely no dynamic com-pression or bass attenuation. “Consider the PLC’s$1295 price to be the audio equivalent of the ‘BankError in Your Favor’ card in Monopoly—and jump onit.” Price is for single-ended version. Balanced versionadds $700; remote control, $250; WBT RCA upgrade,$40/pair; additional inputs/outputs, $40/pair. (Vol.29Nos.1 & 2 WWW) Sutherland Direct Line Stage: $3000The sturdy, versatile, and simple the Direct Line Stage(originally called the Director) features substantial case-work, offers four RCA line-level inputs and two RCAoutputs, and automatically selects source componentsas soon as it reads a signal at the RCA input sockets,something ST loved. ST: “The Director did what an activepreamp should do: it provided enough voltage gain,with the attendant better dynamics and superiordynamic shading, compared to most passives.” Head-to-head against the Music First Passive Magnetic, theDirector gave more extended highs, giving music more“get-up-and-go” and making the Passive Magnetic seem“a tad dull.” But “avoids the solid-state nasties,” he sumsup. Offers excellent build quality, an imaginative andintuitive user interface, and cosmetics rare at its price,decided BD. Though the DLS lacked spatial and tem-poral precision when compared to much more expen-sive preamps, felt BD, it offered extraordinary clarityand dynamics. “The Direct gets you into the upper-most echelon of current audio gear for a relatively saneprice,” he summed up. (Vol.29 Nos.1 & 9 WWW)

CAudio Electronics AE-3 Mk.II: $1500“A fast little line stage that doesn’t hold the musicback by its own tonnage,” Dennis Had’s AE-3 is half-width, lightweight (12 lbs), and uses two 6SN7 tubesand one 5AR4 rectifier tube. While it lacked theauthority and dynamic thrust of larger preamps, theAE-3 brought the sound of tubes to Sam’s system.“Fast and fun, easy on the ear and on the wallet,” con-cluded ST. (Vol.30 No.11) Editor’s Note: There are currently no Class D pream-plifiers listed.KNHT PVC.DeletionsMusical Fidelity X-10V3 discontinued; Viola Cadenzaand Sugden HeadMaster not auditioned in too long atime; CAT SL-1 Ultimate replaced by SL-1 Renais-sance not yet auditioned.

TWO-CHANNELPOWER AMPLIFIERSEditor’s Note: Because of the disparity between typ-ical tube and solid-state “sounds,” we have split Class Afor separate power amplifiers into two subclasses. Nev-ertheless, even within each subclass, Class A amplifiersdiffer sufficiently in character that each will shine in anappropriate system. Careful auditioning with your ownloudspeakers is therefore essential. Except where stated,output powers are not the specified powers but ratherthose we measured into an 8 ohm resistive load. All ampli-fiers are stereo models, except where designated. A (SOLID-STATE)Ayre Acoustics MX-R monoblock:$18,500/pairRelatively small (11" W by 18.75" D by 3.75" H) for a300W monoblock, the MX-R is carved out of a 75-lbbillet of aluminum, and uses a zero-feedback, discretedesign with a dual-transformer power supply whosecustom-made trannies are built to fit the MX-R’sunique shape —a shape that provoked WP’s audiolust: “a hunka hunka shiny, anodized audio presence,”as he described it. “It’s too physical to look cute andtoo sleek to look like a monster amp.” Though theMX-R exhibited “a clangy opacity when cold” andrequired break-in to reach maximum performance, itsunrivaled presentation then captured the clarity ofindividual instruments as well as the musical whole.“Second to none,” said Wes. Comparing the MX-Rwith the Krell Evolution 600s, the sonic differencesbetween the amplifiers were “extremely subtle,” saidWP. However, while the Krells drew Wes’s attention,especially with superbly recorded material, the Ayresinspired him to deeply mine his entire music collec-tion. (Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Ayre V-5xe: $4950 $$$The compact, beautifully built V-5xe delivers 150Wpcinto 8 ohms and features single-ended and balancedinputs and speaker-wire terminals made by Cardas.Though it lacked some power in the bass and sacrificed“a little of that you-are-there-ness” produced by thebest single-ended-triode amps, the V-5xe offered ahighly resolving, dynamic, harmonically pleasing soundthat was never fatiguing. “Open, airy, and sweet,” saidST. “What more do you want?” (Vol.29 No.5) Bel Canto e.One Ref1000 monoblock:$3990/pairThe 500W e.One Ref1000 and 150Wpc e.One ($1495)are the successors to Bel Canto’s TriPath-based eVoline, are based on Bang & Olufsen’s ICEPower mod-ules. Bel Canto treats the B&O modules with a viscousmaterial to damp and stabilize the capacitors, relays,and other components on the printed circuit board. Kalconnected a Ref1000 monoblock to each of his three

B&W 802Ds and used a 150Wpc S300 for his pair of804Ss. Though physically small, the e.One Ref1000sprovided tight and well-delineated bass without anypower limitations. “The Bel Canto e.One amps makeit possible to have multiple dedicated amps withoutcompromise in sound quality or power output,” saidKR, deciding on Class A for the Ref1000 but Class Bfor the S300. (Vol.29 No.11 WWW) Boulder 860: $8500Like the 810 preamplifier, the 150Wpc 860 is built intoan anodized, aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, standson four-layer damped feet, and boasts the same empha-sis on short signal paths, low noise, and isolation of com-ponents. Though the 860 proved superb at capturingharmonic overtones and at placing images precisely onan illuminated soundstage, FK noted an upper-midrange glare that lent a “veiled quality” to voicesand a “steely edge” to violins. Though WP heard thissame character in FK’s listening room, the Boulder’sperformance in his own system was “revelatory,” sug-gesting a compatibility issue with Fred’s speakersand/or cables. JA agreed with WP about the Boulder’soverall quality and was impressed with its silky highfrequencies and superb soundstaging. He also agreedwith FK that the low frequencies lacked ultimate def-inition but noted “superb measured performance.”(Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Bryston 28B-SST monoblock: $16,000/pair“One of the most outstanding amplifiers at any price,”the 28B-SST boasts a 1kW power rating (no fewerthan 1300W at clipping), includes an enormoustoroidal transformer rated at 2000VA continuouspower, and applies Bryston’s “thermal monolith”design, with 38 heat-radiating fins on each side of itsrugged chassis. The Bryston had the “raw power” toreproduce “HUGE dynamic contrasts,” as well as the“delicacy and sweetness” to reveal “emotionally evoca-tive musical details,” said LG. “Bryston’s 28B-SSTjoins that select group of very-high-powered ampli-fiers that have sufficiently low noise and distortion toreproduce high-resolution digital recordings withoutcompromise,” praised JA, though he warned that thebig Bryston was at its best driving high-impedancespeakers. (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Chord SPM 14000 monoblock: $94,500/pairSpecified to deliver 1000W (only 525W at actual clip-ping), the “insanely expensive” SPM 14000 has exquis-ite fit’n’finish and clean, minimalist styling. Itsperformance was marked by “utter effortlessness,” withunnatural background silence, superlative transparency,and endless power equally capable of blowing downwalls or re-creating the intimacy of small-scale music.“If exclusivity, massive power, sterling sonics, andutterly bombproof construction are what you seek, youmay find different, but you won’t find better,” said BD.Other than the shortfall in power delivery, “the ChordSPM 14000 delivers excellent measured performance,”JA concurred. (Vol.29 No.3 WWW) darTZeel NHB-108 Model One: $21,181 ✩This Swiss-made, 100Wpc, solid-state design uses justsix active devices per channel, but no global feedback,DC servo circuitry, or current limitation of any kind.(An internal switch adjusts the operating parametersfor high- or low-impedance speakers.) “Visually andsonically, what a gorgeous machine!” exclaimed JM,who enthused over its sonic transparency and excel-lent dynamics. “Quite the sweetest-sounding solid-state amplifier I have heard,” added JA, though hefound the NHB to be “very fussy about how it is used,”likening it to a Shelby Cobra, “a handbuilt, high-per-formance design that makes demands on its alwaysgratified owner.” WP concurred: “A pure performancedevice designed without compromise. . . . You can getphenomenal performance if you play by the darTZeel’srules.” Stereophile’s “Amplification Component” of2005 and joint “Product of 2005.” (Vol.26 No.9, Vol.28Nos.4 & 5 WWW)

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DNM PA3S: $7195The DNM PA3S is sufficiently idiosyncratic that it isonly recommended in combination with a DNM pre-amplifier. When he paired it with DNM’s C3 preamp(no longer available), Art heard superb rhythm and flow,along with a smooth, clean, dead-quiet presentation.The system excelled at highlighting distinct musicalimages while reproducing the entire musical event. ThePA3S drove Art’s Quads to satisfying levels “without asingle instance of mushiness, bad scale, spatial blur, orfuzz,” though the sound was “never quite as big andcoarse and melodramatic as I wanted it to be.” AD: “Ifyou want an amplification system that, above all, canput across every nuance of the composer’s and per-former’s ideas, this may be it.” With the DNM com-ponents at the heart of his system, Art discovered “thebest combination of musical accuracy, color, drama,scale, and texture” he’s ever heard in his home. It wasall “framed with superb stereo imaging—and all quitefun to use.” (Vol.27 No.5, Vol.28 No.3 WWW) Halcro dm88 monoblock: $44,900/pairThe dm88 has the same size, weight, chassis, cosmet-ics, user interface, four-compartment configuration,and power-factor –corrected mains supply as its revo-lutionary predecessor, the dm68. Changed from thedm68 are modifications to the voltage-amplifying andpower amplifier stages, improved magnetic shieldingbetween input and output stages, new power-supplycircuitry, and revised power generation. The dm88exhibited all of the lower-powered dm58’s strengthswhile adding just a touch of warmth and sweetness.“The dm58 was Kansas, the dm88 was Oz,” said BD.Offers the “superb measured performance” that JA hascome to expect from Bruce Candy designs. One ofStereophile’s “Joint Amplification Components” for2006. (Vol.29 No.8 WWW) Halcro dm38: $22,990 ✩The 180Wpc dm38 is basically the circuit of the dm58monoblock, duplicated for stereo but with reduced out-put power. JA heard exemplary macro- and micrody-namics, “iron-fisted” bass control, and a “superblytransparent” soundstage. While the treble was grain-free and the midrange was silky smooth, JA felt thatthe amplifier’s tonal balance was on the lean, cool side.Though the dm38’s overall measured performance wassuperb, JA advised, “Loudspeaker loads that dip signif-icantly below 4 ohms are best avoided if the amplifier’sdynamic range is not to be compromised.” There weresome measured problems in the original review, whichHalcro explained was due to a manufacturing problem.THD was still higher than specificd, however, and fur-ther investigation of a second sample uncovered thesource of the observed distortion to be one of JA’s testfixture wires, not the load resistors or the amp itself!Redoing the distortion tests with the repaired connec-tors showed that the dm38 conformed to its specifiedlow distortion at high powers. The second sample, withan in-spec capacitor, shifted the amp’s tonal balancefrom cool to slightly warm, but JA continues to regardthe dm38 as one of the finest-sounding amplifiers hehas experienced. (Vol.27 No.10, Vol.29 No.11, Vol.30No.1 WWW) Krell Evolution 600 monoblock: $33,000/pair“Extraordinary dynamic range within a velvet glove,”read our December cover. This 600W powerhousemarries superb fit’n’finish to extremely advanced think-ing that includes Krell’s Current Audio Signal Trans-mission (CAST) and Active Cascode Topology (ACT).Combining “low-level detail, sinuous pacing, and sheerpower,” the 600s reproduced music in a way that was“scary real,” said WP. CAST interconnects add $500/m.(Vol.29 No.12, Vol.30 Nos.3 & 4 WWW) Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference monoblock:$21,690/pairThe 110W M1.2 with tube front end and MOSFEToutput stage, comprehensive short-circuit protection,and high/low impedance settings, offered “unflinch-

ing honesty in conveying the true nature of the musicthat passed through it,” said PB. “Utterly continuousand coherent from top to bottom,” the M1.2 combinedresolution and transparency with harmonic complete-ness, timbral richness, and glow. JA concurs. (Vol.28No.2 WWW) Mark Levinson No.33H monoblock:$24,000/pair ✩“If I go on at length about how great the [150W] ‘33H‘sounds,’ I’m forced to admit it has a sound,” kvetchedWP. “Soundstaging. . . was phenomenal—deep,detailed, holographic. Tonal balance was natural, andpossessed purity and clarity galore. Low-level detailnever leapt out at me, but existed naturally within themusical gestalt. . . . Paradoxically, the No.33H exists ona plane where the news isn’t about more, it’s about less.It had no grain, no grit, no electronic character that Icould detect. It had no ‘warmth.’. . . no MOSFET blur,no transistor etch, no tubey euphony. . . . It was practi-cally nonexistent—except that it did what it did betterthan anything else I’ve ever heard.” JA’s reference (hebought a pair). (Vol.21 No.1 WWW) Mark Levinson No.431: $7000The 200Wpc, two-channel No.431 is shorter, deeper,wider, and 7 lbs lighter than its predecessor, the No.334,but is rated to deliver almost twice the power into 8and 4 ohms. LG: “There was a slight reduction in basssolidity and punch when the slim No.431 was com-pared with the massive No.334 through the RevelUltima Salons, but there were also improvements inmidrange detail and treble extension through theQuads.” Despite running very warm, the No.431proved to be “a well-engineered powerhouse of anamplifier,” said JA. (Vol.28 No.5 WWW) mbl Reference 9007 monoblock: $27,660/pairThe 440W Reference 9007 can be used as either a bal-anced monoblock or a single-ended stereo amplifierand has provisions for biwiring and biamping. It usesmbl’s Direct Push/Pull circuitry design and IsolatedGain Cell technology, and its gleaming black exterioris decorated by a large, gold mbl logo. Sacrificing bloomand suppleness for crystalline transparency and offer-ing tightly focused imaging, shimmering highs, andwell-damped bass, the 9007 was one of the most excit-ing and engaging amplifiers in MF’s experience. Hisrecommendation only concerns the 9007 used asmonoblock pairs, however. JA was thrilled by the mbl’ssuperb measured performance. (Vol.29 No.9 WWW) Musical Fidelity kW750: $10,000Designed to complement the kW Hybrid preampli-fier, this 750Wpc powerhouse has an attractively under-stated look and is remarkably compact for its powerrating. With the kW Hybrid, the kW750 offered “arich, buttery musical presentation that was not at allsmothered or starved on top for air or transient speed,”and produced believable weight, texture, and control.Those seeking a faster, tighter, or brighter sound mightlook elsewhere, MF warned. The kW750 exhibited“exemplary behavior” on JA’s test bench. JA feels thisto be the best-sounding of MF’s current range of ampli-fiers. Single-ended inputs only. (Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Musical Fidelity Supercharger 550K mono-blocks: $5000/pair $$$The 550K Supercharger employs the same 550Wmonoblock amplifier circuit found in Musical Fidelity’skW550 integrated amp, but implements it in a low-gain configuration so that your existing amplifier canbe used to drive the 550K, preserving its sonic signa-ture but greatly increasing dynamic range capability.Adding the 550K to MF’s system gave Music Refer-ence’s RM-200 100Wpc tube amp greater dynamicrange for a more realistic overall presentation, with-out changing the RM-200’s rich, airy sound. “You canhave your cake and make it rock, too,” said Mikey.“The Supercharger should have no problem perform-ing as promised,” said JA, citing “a superb set of testresults.” (Vol.30 No.9 WWW)

Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock: $7000/pair$$$ ✩MF heard exactly what this high-power—400Wpcspecified, 586W at clipping!—John Curl-designedamp’s specs showed: “ultra-wide bandwidth, high-cur-rent capability, low, low noise, a high S/N ratio, and afast slew rate, among many other indicators of outstand-ing amplifier performance. . . . There was an honestyto the overall tonal and harmonic presentation that tran-scended technological stereotypes.” MF found theoverall sound to be powerful, refined, smooth, orga-nized, dynamic, transparent, and rhythmically supple,if a little on the subtly warm and rich side of the sonicspectrum, but decided that this not at the expense oftransient speed and resolution of detail. “Perhaps somelisteners will find the JC 1 too refined and perhaps a tadpolite, but I didn’t.” “Rocks for sure,” says ST, addingthat with the amp driving the Triangle Magellans, hefound the “bass firmed up, the sound wasn’t strained inany way, and there was an overall sense of ease. Dynamicease. Listening ease. Just ease. Compared to the Hal-cros, the Parasound JC 1s brought the soundstage for-ward. Tonally, the Parasounds were magnificent. . .with no trace of solid-state hardness. And the ampsweren’t even broken in.” “The Parasound JC 1 is one ofthe finest high-powered solid-state amps I’ve heard,”said ST. “Think of it as a 25W class-A amp that does400W class-A/B when pushed.” Matched with the JC2 preamp, the JC 1s presented even greater holographicdetail and transparency. A favorite of JA’s, who wasequally impressed by how the JC 1 performed on thetest bench: “This is excellent measured performance.The Halo JC 1 is not only the best amplifier to comefrom Parasound, it ranks up there with the best high-end heavyweights.” Stereophile’s—and Sam Tellig’s—“Joint Amplification Component” for 2003. (Vol.26Nos.2, 6, & 12, Vol.30 No.12, Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Plinius SA-Reference: $15,195An update of the Plinius SA-250 Mk.IV and using tech-nology derived from the modular, multichannel Plin-ius Odeon home-theater amplifier, the 300WpcSA-Reference represents Plinius’ latest thinking onsolid-state circuit design. The SA-Reference exhibitedoutstanding bass performance, an “unfailingly even-handed and sweet-tempered” midrange, and “unac-cented and grainless highs.” PB: “Combiningbrute-force power, world-class finesse, superb buildquality, and a genuine and engaging musicality, thePlinius SA-Reference is one hell of an amplifier.”(Vol.29 No.5 WWW) Simaudio Moon Rock monoblock: $50,000/pairThis 1000W, 220-lb behemoth presented music witha “relaxed, effortless feel” that was sometimes decep-tive—”like a quiet, stable car that’s a lot faster than itfeels”—and communicated emotions appropriate tothe source material. BD: “With dynamic program mate-rial, the music was vivid and explosive. With soft, inter-woven lines, I was touched by the delicacy and sweetnessof the music’s detail.” BD sometimes sensed “a slightlywarm tonal balance and a faint liquid texture,” and wassurprised by the Rocks’ tendency to squeeze imagesclosely together. Nevertheless, he concluded, “Simau-dio set out to build an amplifier as good as any out there,and they’ve done it.” JA: “Simaudio’s Moon Rock offersboth superb measured performance and enormouscapabilities of dynamic range.” (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Simaudio Moon Evolution W-8: $13,500“An outstanding amplifier,” the 250Wpc (310W atactual clipping), dual-mono W-8 is the first of Simau-dio’s Moon series to incorporate the new Evolutioncosmetics and Lynx circuitry, which eschews any over-all feedback loop. KR described it as “powerful, clean,and transparent with all sorts of music,” and only some-times noticed a slight midbass warmth with certain asso-ciated equipment. “An almost perfect amp,” he sumsup. JA was happy to place the W-8 in “that select com-

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sRECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

pany of modern amplifier designs that offer high powercombined with a very low noise floor and excellent lin-earity.” (Vol.29 No.3 WWW) A (TUBE)Audio Research Reference 110: $9995This 110Wpc amplifier is based on a fully balancedpush-pull circuit using two matched pairs of 6550Coutput tubes per channel. With an ability to unravellayers of inner detail and an organic presentation ofdynamics, the Ref.110 “rendered all good recordingswith startlingly lifelike realism,” said BJR, adding thatit “shares the extraordinary high-frequency purity ofthe Audio Research Reference 3 preamp.” Its other-wise flawless sonic performance was only slightlymarred by “a touch of warmth or roundedness in themidbass region.” JA noted respectable measured per-formance, especially considering the amp’s low level ofloop negative feedback. (Vol.30 No.8 WWW) Audiopax Model 88 monoblock: $14,990/pair✩This 30Wpc single-ended pentode with Perfect Tri-ode Simulation uses two KT88 tubes. “Timbre Lock”bias settings are claimed to fine-tune the amp’s distor-tion spectrum to produce more optimal cancellationof the speaker’s distortion. RD was first impressed bythe absence of noise coming through the speakers, andby the absence of mechanical noise from the trans-formers. RD: “The music just seemed to be there, theamplifier (and the rest of the system) getting out ofthe way. . . . [It] seemed to reduce much of the harsh-ness and edgy quality that I’d assumed was simply acharacteristic of certain recordings. . . . Resolution ofdetail was in the top class. . . . The tonal character. . .was fundamentally neutral, leaning perhaps in thedirection of a little top-end sweetness.” Bass extensionand power were sometimes lacking, and high-leveldynamics could be “on the subdued side, with somenegative effect on the perceived pace of the music.” JArecommended using this Brazilian monoblock onlywith horn speakers that have powered woofers, suchas Avantgardes. The Audiopax sacrificed the accuracyof the PS Audio GCC-100 for greater musicality,imparting a more convincing “in-the-room” quality tovoices and instruments, found RD. (Vol.26 No.5,Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Balanced Audio Technology VK-55: $3995 $$$Like its preamp partner, the VK-3iX, the tubed,55Wpc VK-55 features improved fit’n’finish andergonomics over its predecessors. In combinationwith the VK-3iX, the VK-55 gave RD’s system a van-ishingly low noise level and produced music that wasconvincingly real. On its own, the VK-55 deliveredfirm, extended bass and presented high-level dynam-ics with ease. “The BAT VK-3iX and VK-55 are exem-plars of the best that specialist home audio has to offer,”said RD. (Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Joule Electra VZN-80: $12,000The “big and beautiful” VZN-80 is a handcrafted,80Wpc, output-transformerless (OTL) tube amp in awooden chassis. Despite its 14 potentiometers, 14pushbuttons, and two toggle switches, for variousamounts of negative feedback and channel selection,the VZN-80 proved “remarkably stable —not to men-tion noiseless, humless, and unfailingly reliable,” saidAD. Its neutral and textured sound was “downrightdreamy” when driving his classic Quad ESLs, and its“lack of tightness and timing accuracy in the bass” wassomewhat offset by a “believably fleshed-out mid-range.” A heavenly experience, said Art. Price is forstandard finish. Musicwood chassis adds $2000. (Vol.30No.5 WWW) McIntosh MC275: $3900 $$$ ✩The revived 75Wpc MC275, preserves the look of theoriginal while adding modern innovations. Chimneysare used to cool the tubes by convection, and threecircuit boards have been replaced by a single board onwhich are mounted all components, tube sockets, and

power-supply parts. ST: “I heard all the dynamic qual-ity, all that aliveness of the original, plus a level oftransparency that brings the MC275 definitely intothe 21st century.” Sam bought the review sample.(Vol.27 No.7 WWW) Music Reference RM-200: $4200 $$$ ✩Fully balanced, 100Wpc, hybrid design uses a bipo-lar transistor input stage with tube driver and outputstages. In terms of overall presentation, MF was greatlyimpressed by how close the RM-200 came to his ref-erence Nu-Vista 300: “Its spatial presentation andoverall transparency were exemplary. . . . It was espe-cially adept at layering 3D images in three-dimen-sional space without spotlighting or tacking onartificial ‘edge definition’. . . . It’s a real sleeper at areal-world price.” ST concurs: “Class A for this baby.I wish I had got my hands on it first. A beautifullybuilt, beautiful-looking amp that sounds as good as itlooks.” MF’s long-term reference for tube amplifierperformance. (Vol.25 No.4 WWW) Shindo Cortese: $9500The Cortese is built around a Siemens F2a tube anduses the same tube-and-diode power supply as theShindo Montille, but sends the output of the full-waverectifier to a single large choke instead of two very smallones. It offered a sound “much bigger” than the Mon-tille’s, with bass performance that was “quick, clear, andtuneful, with extraordinary depth and power.” In addi-tion, the Cortese excelled at communicating both themeaning of the music and the emotional subtleties ofa particular performance. “There was no sound thatdidn’t sound like music,” said AD. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) VTL S-400 Reference: $25,000With choices of unbalanced and balanced inputs andtriode or tetrode output-stage operation, the 300W S-400 is four amplifiers in one. An RS-232 connector onthe rear panel allows you to control all of its many diag-nostic and programming functions from a computer,and should ensure many years of service. With absolutetransparency, neutrality, and clarity, the S-400 proved“a stunning achievement,” said BD. Its lack of overallcoloration, however, sometimes suggested a politenessor softening of transients. KT88 output tubes add$1000. (Vol.28 No.12 WWW) VTL MB450 Series II Signature monoblock:$13,500/pairThe MB-450 Series II Signature delivers 350W into 8ohms (Tetrode mode, 25.4dBW) or 195W into 8 ohms(Triode mode, 22.8dBW). The rack-mount handlesand dark industrial look of the original MB-300 andMB-450 have been replaced by an elegant brushed-aluminum faceplate. The Series II incorporates VTL’sauto-biasing circuitry, and uses eight 6550C outputtubes, and one each 12AT7 and 12BH7 tube for theinput and driver stages. Though MF thought the SeriesII lacked some power and control in Triode mode, hewas impressed by the amp’s “surprisingly deep, tight,robust bass performance in Tetrode mode.” Despite a“slightly splashy quality to transients,” the VTL exhib-ited an airy, extended top end and “generously propor-tioned soundstage.” (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) BAtoll Electronique AM200: $2400The 120Wpc AM200 has two pairs of MOSFET out-put transistors and can be reconfigured as a mono poweramp to deliver 360W into 8 ohms by throwing an inter-nal switch. In combination with the Atoll CD200 CDplayer and PR300 preamp, the AM200 offered a soundthat was completely free from fuzziness and phasiness,with a slightly softened overall presentation and tight,tuneful bass. (Vol.29 No.9) Bryston 7B-SST monoblock: $7595/pair ✩The 7B-SST raises the power rating of the ST versionfrom 500W to 600W, and features standard SST-upgraded power transformers, bipolar output transis-tors, and power-supply filter capacitance. LG: “Theolder amplifier was slightly brighter and more forward,

the newer was more neutral. . . . I came to rely on the7B-SST as a courteous guest who didn’t impose butalways had clear, unbiased opinions. . . . The 7B-SSTretains the 7B-ST’s incredible deep-bass abilities, mak-ing it the obvious match for bass-shy floorstandingspeakers. It also has terrific soundstage depth and mid-bass punch.” (Vol.26 No.4 WWW) Bryston 4B-SST: $4095 ✩The 4B-SST has remained in the company’s productlineup for over 30 years. LG found the ST update ofthe venerable 4B a marked improvement. Still a “bassmaster,” it also delivered “ample pace’n’rhythm. . . nat-ural bite, and an. . . open and transparent midrange,”making it “Bryston’s best 4B yet, and definitely recom-mended for auditioning.” ST agrees: “Another terrificbargain. Solid-state sound doesn’t get much better thanthis—and if it does, it costs a lot more money. 20-yearwarranty. Don’t assume you have to pay more moneyfor great solid-state sound. . . . Sound engineering. Real-istic prices.” The 2007 iteration is rated at 350Wpc into8 ohms, 350Wpc into 4 ohms, and more than 1000Wbridged into 8 ohms. Over the years, this amplifier hasproven to be ultra-reliable, both in home and pro audioapplications, capable of driving a wide variety of loadswith minimal distortion. Compared to the versatileB100-DA, the 4B exhibited similarly extended highsand an equally smooth midrange, thought LG, but withdeeper bass and better dynamics, especially when driv-ing power-hungry loudspeakers. (Vol.15 No.5, 4B;Vol.22 No.10, ‘ST; Vol.30 No.4, SST WWW) Channel Islands Audio D-100 monoblock:$1599/pair $$$This 100W, class-D monoblock offered sound thatbelied its relatively small size (6.25" W by 5.5" H by8" D and just 15 lbs). “There was superb separationbetween the channels, deep, taut bass, and lots of airydetail,” said WP. Even at less than half the price, theD-100 faired comparably against the Coda S5, lackingjust a bit of the latter’s slam and control. “A nifty littleamplifier that is extremely well-built.” JA thought ithad “Good measured performance” for its relativelylow price. His first experience with the D-100 indi-cated that it shouldn’t be paired with speakers whoseimpedances dip below 4 ohms, but JA withdrew thiscaveat after testing a production model with adjustedcurrent limiting. “The D-100 now meets its specifiedoutput power into lower impedances.” (Vol.28 Nos.8& 9 WWW) Coda S5: $4900The 50W (65W at actual clipping) S5 is a solid-statestereo amplifier with class-A output. It’s DC-coupledand uses a FET input, MOSFET voltage-gain stage,high-speed bipolar current-gain stages, and no overallfeedback. The S5 sacrificed tonal accuracy and nuancefor the physical power of rhythm and pace while offer-ing a remarkably clear, detailed, and full-bodied sound.“If your response to music, or life, is to dance, swing,and sway, then the S5 just might be the power ampli-fier you’ve been looking for,” concluded WP. JA hadsome advice: “The Coda’s low input impedance in bal-anced mode mandates that care be taken in choosing apartnering preamplifier.” Compared to the CIA D-100,the S5 offered a more convincing soundstage, withslightly tauter, better-defined bass. “As good as Class Bgets,” summed up P. Wessy. (Vol.28 Nos.5 & 8 WWW) First Watt F2: $1595Unlike Nelson Pass’s earlier F1, the F2 uses a single-ended topology with only three active devices in eachchannel: a MOSFET configured as a constant-currentsource, a bipolar transistor used to regulate it, andanother MOSFET used as a current-gain transistor.Like the F1, the F2 was “uncommonly quiet” butoffered a meatier and more colorful sound, “all thewhile preserving the F1’s good way with pitches andrhythms, its ability to convey musical nuance, and itsutterly remarkable sonic clarity,” said AD, deciding on“high Class B” as the appropriate rating. “Class A, but

STRAVINSKY’S F IREBIRD SUITE NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD.

Visit www.rivesaudio.com or call 800-959-6553 and learn about acoustical engineering for the home environment.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 95

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

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very limited applicability,” sez ST, “but with the rightspeakers, magic.” (Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Halcro Logic MC20: $4990“A magnificent-sounding amplifier,” said AD of the400Wpc (into 4 ohms) MC20, which offers unbal-anced and balanced inputs, a proprietary switching out-put stage, and current-sensing and thermal-protectioncircuits, in addition to Halcro’s Reliability AssuranceService. Sounding “immediately and significantly dif-ferent” from most other amps in AD’s experience, theMC20 had “an enormous sense of clarity” and was“exceptionally, conspicuously uncolored and unsoiledby noise or textures that didn’t belong.” It combinedpoise and forcefulness with the ability to capture sonicsubtleties, resulting in “an emotional or even physicalresponse.” Proved just a bit mechanical-sounding com-pared to AD’s reference Lamm ML2.1 monoblocks.(Vol.29 No.4 WWW) Luminance Audio KST-150: $3000Dressed in a plain black box and designed by Steve Keiser,the spartan KST-150 is “more for sound than for show,”said ST. The 150Wpc solid-state design uses a 56,000μF power supply distributed among six capacitorsconnected in parallel, and uses four MOSFET out-put devices per channel. It descends from B&K’s ST-140, with which it shares accurate harmonics, a rich andnatural midrange, and an overall musical presentation.Focus was slightly soft, but with no lack of definition orlow-level detail, and transient response was “nothingshort of phenomenal.” “A B&K ST-140 for today,” saidSam. “A little gem, “ he sums up. (Vol.30 No.5) Moscode 401HR: $6495An ode to the late Harvey Rosenberg, the 200Wpc401HR marries a tube driver stage to a MOSFET poweroutput and comes with pairs of 6H30Pi and 6GU7dual-triode tubes, although many other small triodescan be used. Tubes are inserted into clearly labeled sock-ets behind a flip-down door of etched glass that’sadorned with a glowing blue Moscode logo. An ampthat prefers passion to reason, the Moscode offeredremarkable dynamic range into higher-impedanceloads, creating “a deep, continuously unfolding sonicuniverse” that not only sounded but felt real. “Whatseparates the Moscode 401HR from the pack,” saidWP, “is that it is different. . . . [I]t is unapologetically andenthusiastically what it is.” (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Portal Audio Paladin monoblock: $3500/pairThis 200W monoblock uses a power supply based ona custom-built 800VAC toroidal, has 16 high-speedbipolar power transistors and extremely short signalpaths, and features selectable input impedance. ThePaladins offered a surprising balance of power and grace,along with immediately apparent clarity and focus, fora fluid, natural sound. Lacked some of the liquidity, air,and low-impedance drive of more expensive ampli-fiers, thought WP. (Vol.29 No.9 WWW) PrimaLuna ProLogue Seven monoblock:$3149/pairThe 70W ProLogue Seven, PrimaLuna’s top-of-the-line amplifier, uses Adaptive AutoBias, which allowsits four stock KT88 power tubes to be swapped with avariety of other tubes. With KT88s in place, however,RD noted a greater sense of depth, more extendedhighs, and superior dynamics. The Seven proved a per-fect match for PrimaLuna’s Three preamp, comple-menting the latter’s tube sound with added excitementand drama. Very high source impedance, especiallyfrom the higher-impedance transformer taps, will leadto some severe response anomalies with many speak-ers. For optimal tradeoff among nonlinearity, noisefloor, and maximum power, JA advised using the Pro-Logue Seven’s 4 ohm tap with 8 ohm speakers. (Vol.29No.12 WWW) Quad II Classic monoblock: $2700/pair $$$With the new 15W Classic, Quad didn’t set out toimprove on or update the original Quad II, but toremanufacture it the way it had originally been made

50 years before. The circuit remains unchanged, anddetails of its construction have been modified onlywhere mandated by law or in cases where certain typesof parts are extinct. Exhibiting timbral beauty, spatialhonesty, and deep emotional involvement, the II Clas-sic had AD feeling nostalgic: “There isn’t a sweeteramplifier on earth. . . . It’s beautiful, it’s true to the orig-inal, and it has more than a little soul.” Its lack of speedand focus in the bass region made it less than optimalwith rock music but perfect for small-scale classical.While JA also found it “difficult to resist nostalgia,” hewas pleased to note that, “Despite its design vintage,the Quad II Classic offered quite respectable measuredperformance.” Loads below 8 ohms are to be avoided.(Vol.28 No.8 WWW) Quicksilver SET Mono monoblock: $2800/pairThis single-ended-triode design is rated to deliver 9Winto 4 or 8 ohms, and uses a KT88 output tube, a 6H30driver tube, and a 5AR4 rectifier tube. While it exhib-ited the clarity, purity, and immediacy commonly asso-ciated with SETs, it proved leaner, more incisive, andless romantic than those using a typical 300B outputtube. A 21st-century SET? “It does have its flavor,” saidST. (Vol.30 No.11) Quicksilver Audio Mid Mono monoblock:$1895/pair $$$“Beautiful without being showoffish,” the Mid Monooffers 50W into 8 or 4 ohms with its standard TeslaEL34 output tubes. ST noted “very good resolution andconvincing harmonics,” but felt the Mid Mono was “alittle shy in dynamics.” The Quicksilvers traded solid-state speed and clarity for tube sweetness and warmth.Chrome option adds $300/pair. (Vol.28 No.8) Shindo Montille: $3995 $$$The 15Wpc push-pull Montille offers retro styling ina “determined-looking” steel chassis. Under its cover,AD found “superb craftsmanship” characterized bypainted and polished surfaces, neat point-to-pointwiring, and vintage American parts, including Allen-Bradley carbon-composition resistors and SpragueOrange Drop capacitors. With a “muscular but silky-smooth presentation” and an expert grasp of pitch rela-tionships, the Montille followed music with “crazyardor,” said AD. “Judged for its superior musicality,engaging sound, superb build quality, and the undeni-able cool factor of a handmade, limited-edition amp,the Shindo Montille may be the most recommendableamp on earth,” he enthused. “Very high Class B!”(Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Yamamoto Soundcraft A-08: $2250“A fine alternative to dense, boring, unmusical high-end audio products,” this 2Wpc (!) two-channel, sin-gle-ended-triode design features “serene, elegant, andeye-catching” styling with a wood chassis accentuatedby a champagne gold-colored alloy screen for thetransformers. “The Yamamoto A-08 was fun to have,fun to use, fun to swap tubes in and out of, and, mostof all, fun to listen to,” said AD, though he cautionsthat its system requirements will rule it out for mostaudiophiles. With its high levels of distortion, mea-suring the A-08 proved “an exercise in frustration” forJA. He conceded, however, that “It does look veryhandsome and it is beautifully made.” (Vol.29 No.3WWW) CRogue Audio Atlas: $1395 $$$Sleek and streamlined, with slightly rounded, elegantedges, the 55Wpc Atlas is a two-channel, vacuum-tube, push-pull amplifier. While it excelled at handlingdynamic contrasts and conveying textural details, theAtlas suffered from lightweight bass and rolled-off highfrequencies. In light of its very affordable price, JA for-gave the Atlas’ poor linearity into high frequencies.Similarly, FK concluded, “The Rogue Audio Atlas isa spectacular success—lively, enjoyable, an ideal entryto the High End for someone on a budget.” (Vol.30No.3 WWW)

DSonic Impact 5062 Super T: $159 $$$This 6W wonder measures just 7.5" H by 3.25" W by7.5" D and weighs a handy 2 lbs. It uses a class-D Tri-Path TA2024 output module and has a clean, modestfaceplate dominated by a large, central volume knob.While the Super T was totally outclassed in WP’s mainrig, it proved fully convincing in his smaller listeningroom, offering a surprising amount of bass impact. Asa bonus, it impelled WP to tweak in ways he’d longforgotten. Placing a Shakti Stone atop the amp resultedin more clarity and focus. “If you’re an old fart like me,it might reconnect you to the time when hi-fi was fun.And if you’re a young’un, it just might persuade youthat it is,” he said. KR adds: “The Super T wasn’t up todriving most of the speakers I have, but mated with apair of Celestion MP-1s, it made for a very sweet desk-top system.” Despite the Super T’s poor HF linearity,JA concluded that the amp “should provide acceptableperformance when matched to high-sensitivity speak-ers.” (Vol.29 No.10 WWW) KMusic Reference RM10 Mk.2.DeletionsClassé Omega Omicron monoblock, Lamm M2.2,Yamaha MX-D1, all not auditioned in too long a time;Lamm ML2.1 no longer available.

INTEGRATED AMPLI-FIERS & RECEIVERSAASR Emitter II Exclusive: $27,900The 250Wpc Emitter II Exclusive consists of a large,heatsink-capped main chassis, two massive outboardpower supplies, and an optional battery supply for thedriver stage. Its four boxes—300 lbs total—providedlogistical problems for MF, but the Emitter’s perfor-mance was worth the necessary experimentation withplacement, cable runs, and passive switchers. “The ampproduced the most natural and realistic sonic picturesI’ve yet heard in my listening room. . . One of the mostenticing pieces of electronics I’ve ever heard.” JA foundthe Emitter’s measured performance to be “beyondreproach,” and was similarly impressed by its sound:“The sound of MF’s big Wilson speakers had an easeand a dynamic sweep that I had not experienced beforefrom his system.” (Vol.29 No.10 WWW) Audionet SAM V2: $4500The 110Wpc SAM V2 features construction qualitybeyond its price point and offers several upgradeoptions, including remote control, a phono modulefor MM and MC cartridges, and a DAC module. JMwas struck by the SAM V2’s “enviable imaging anddynamics and very impressive bass control.” Comparedto the very much more expensive darTZeel NHB-108($21,181), the SAM V2 offered a very similar sound butcould not quite match the darTZeel’s refined sweet-ness. Nevertheless, “a really fine job,” he concludes.(Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Ayre AX-7e: $3500The success of this 60Wpc, solid-state, two-channel,fully balanced, integrated amplifier depended on theassociated sources. Used from balanced output to bal-anced input, “It was brilliant. Amazing. Stirring, even,”said AD. However, used as an unbalanced amp, “TheAX-7 still sounded good, but its musical performancelacked momentum and, ultimately, excitement.” Over-all, the Ayre was “colorful, clear, well-textured, and spa-tially convincing.” It seemed sensitive to the type andlength of speaker cable AD used, and seemed moresensitive to AC power quality than average. “I stronglyrecommend the Ayre AX-7 for use [only] in an all-bal-anced system.” The ‘7e’s power supply now includesgreater filtering of the AC mains, increased peak cur-

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www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 97

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

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rent delivery, and filtering of the rectifier switchingnoise. In addition, the AX-7e’s gain stages now use two-stage voltage regulators in place of the earlier version’ssingle-stage regulators. The sound now combined clas-sic Brit-style pacing and tunefulness with near-SET lev-els of presence and a fine sense of musical flow, acombination that allowed AD to become emotionallyinvolved in the music. “The AX-7e is the best integratedI’ve ever heard,” endorsed WP. “One heck of an involv-ing amplifier,” he summed up. Original AX-7s can befully upgraded for $250–$350, depending on the ageof the unit. (Vol.26 No.10 AX-7; Vol.29 No.1, Vol.31No.3, AX-7e WWW) Creek Destiny: $2495The Destiny marks a giant step forward in design andsound from its predecessor, the 5350SE ($1595). Thespartan, minimalist aesthetic of earlier Creek gear hasbeen replaced by sleek, modern styling, and the com-pany’s discrete MOSFET circuitry has been refinedand upgraded with separate power-supply and volt-age-referencing circuits for each channel. BJR notedpristine high frequencies, organic low-level dynamicarticulation, and superb inner detail across the fre-quency spectrum, and decided to make the Destinyhis new reference for affordable integrateds. “Thedetailed, dynamic, and delicate Destiny creates an over-all musical presentation that competes with muchmore expensive separates, both tube and solid-state,”he concludes. Because of its protection circuitry, theamp shouldn’t be asked to continuously drive high sig-nal levels into loudspeakers that drop to 2 ohms orbelow, warned JA. The Destiny’s plug-in moving-mag-net phono board ($500) uses a split-rail power supplywith twice the usual number of pins to allow for sep-arate left and right connectors with both positive andnegative phase. It enhanced the performance of BJR’sanalog system, providing deeper bass, airier highs, andgreater detail. (Vol.30 No.1, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Exposure 2010S: $1395 $$$“A positively magnificent little amp,” the 75Wpc2010S astounded AD with its ability to communicatemusic with an unusual intensity that invariably pulledhim down into his listening chair. While it didn’t soundas liquid as a good tube amp or retrieve instrumentaltextures as well as a good SET, the 2010S offered trans-parency, tunefulness, and timing that were beyondreproach. Jim Austin loved the 2010S’s rich, full lowend, but noted a slight de-emphasis of transients. JA’smeasurements uncovered “a sensible set of engineer-ing compromises,” but nothing that indicated why theamp should sound as good as it did. Optional MM orMC phono-preamp card adds $195. (Vol.28 No.11,Vol.29 No.2 WWW) Krell FBI: $18,000The 300Wpc Fully Balanced Integrated combinesKrell’s FPB-300cx power amp with their KCT linestage in one beefy, 104 lb aluminum chassis. It uses sep-arate circuits and toroidal transformers for the preampand amp sections, which are united by Krell’s CASTtechnology. The FBI shared the 300cx’s “tight deepbass, thunderous dynamics, and snappy transients,” butadded “greater detail, even delicacy, in the timbres andtextures of instruments,” said FK. JA was absolutelypleased: “Quiet, powerful, stable, and well-behavedeven into low impedances, it is a paradigm of what anintegrated amplifier needs to do.” The CAST inputsget the best sound quality from the FBI, concludedFred. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Lavardin Technologies IT: $7495The 50Wpc IT is a no-frills design that, according toST, doesn’t try to approximate the sound of a tube ampli-fier, but in fact surpasses tube performance, “beingquicker, cleaner, clearer, quieter, not to mention morereliable.” Its extraordinary resolution brought ST to thelive performance in a way that came very close to sin-gle-ended triode at its best. “Among the finest I haveheard,” he said. (Vol.28 No.8)

LFD Integrated Zero Mk.III: $2695A direct descendant of the LFD Mistral, the IntegratedZero Mk.III LE uses a single pair of MOSFET out-put transistors per channel to deliver 60W into 8ohms. Its minimalist design emphasizes simple cir-cuits and passive component selection. With excep-tional detail, delicacy, definition, rhythm, and pace,the LFD proved to be “the best-sounding solid-stateintegrated amplifier” in ST’s experience. The out-board phono stage ($600) sounded “detailed, dynamic,rhythmically right. . . . Get it,” ST advised. The LFD“has a direct, immediate, alive sound. Proof that sim-pler is better,” he sums up. No remote, if that mattersto you. Phono section adds $600. (Vol.31 No.2) Magnum Dynalab MD-208: $2975 ✩Remote-controlled 100Wpc solid-state receiver withall-analog FM tuner section, five line-level inputs, andseparate record and preamp outputs. The MD 208took forever to burn in and open up, said CS, but onceit had warmed to its task it was “a no-compromisehigh-end design that I could easily live with over thelong haul.” Accommodated “any number of musicalstyles, though it really shone on acoustic music.” Healso noted a “sweetness and grace” to its “laid-backstyle of music reproduction—smooth and refined,though not without guts and gusto.” A lot of bang forthe buck, he decided. LG checked out its RF perfor-mance: “Its FM tuner section was surprisingly sensi-tive and quite selective,” though it didn’t handlemultipath in the upper part of the FM band as well assome more expensive tuners, without quite their trans-parency and bass response. Thoroughly musical per-formance nonetheless, he decided, and “an excellentvalue.” JM: “The MD-208 quietly exudes class and isa delight to listen to.” LG: “The MD-208 receiver’sFM section produces excellent Class B sonics.” (Vol.24Nos.1 & 3, Vol.28 No.10 WWW) NAD Masters Series M3: $2799The superbly finished 180Wpc M3 sports a chassismade of 2mm-thick milled steel plates with smoothlyrounded contours and heatsinks, a front panel ofextruded aluminum and diecast zinc, and a finish madeof a brownish powder coating and advanced automo-tive paint. Seven custom-nameable inputs (includingone balanced XLR) are provided, and NAD’s Power-Drive technology is used to maximize the dynamicpower sent to the speakers. Though overall dynamicswere sometimes muted, resolution of low-level detailwas superb. MF: “The combination of its smooth,sophisticated sonic balance, exceptionally silent back-ground, overall musical coherence—and, especially, itsfreedom from obvious sonic glitches—produced con-sistently attractive and musical sound.” In his own audi-tioning, JA was struck by how smooth the M3 sounded:“as smooth as silk.” Class A, he feels, though MFdemurs, finding the M3 too smooth-sounding for ClassA. (Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Naim Supernait: $4950The 80Wpc, solid-state Supernait has a built-in 24-bitD/A converter addressable through any of five S/PDIFinputs: two RCA coaxial jacks, two TosLink opticaljacks, and one front-mounted 3.5mm “mini-TosLink”jack (analog and digital) for portable media players.Though it lacked some air and delicacy in the higherfrequencies, the Supernait presented a rich, detailedview of the music, “preserving texture and color with-out compromising the signature Naim strengths ofgood pitch accuracy and timing,” said AD, who thoughtthat, when coupled with a good datastream source, “it’shard to imagine a $5k investment delivering more gen-uine musical involvement and satisfaction.” JA wasimpressed by the Supernait’s overall measured perfor-mance, but was bothered by its higher-than-necessarygain and a residual 60Hz hum. (Vol.31 No.1 WWW) PS Audio GCC-100: $2795Although the 100Wpc GCC-100 can function as a con-ventional integrated amplifier, it is capable of being dri-

ven by an outboard preamplifier or surround pre-amplifier-processor. Uses a class-D output stage. TheGCC-100 combined resolution and transparency withan almost total lack of sonic character, with no part ofthe frequency range slighted or overemphasized. “Asuperb-sounding product,” said RD. While it couldn’tmatch the Flying Mole CA-S10’s level of detail, theGCC-100 avoided the CA-S10’s clinical, ultrasharppresentation. (Vol.29 No.1, Vol.30 No.6 WWW) Unison Research Performance: $12,845The 40Wpc Performance is a single-ended design thatuses three KT88s per side and has four line-level inputs,a tape monitor loop, and a special input for using a Uni-son Research Simply Phono stage. It combined a tac-tile soundstage with an unusually sweet midrange andtreble to present a more robust, strong, and dynamicsound than ST has heard from other integrateds. “Therewas an ease about the Performance—a flow, an excep-tional dynamic quality, both microdynamic and macro-dynamic.” Though bass was ample, it was not as muscularor as tight as with Unison’s Unico SE. (Vol.28 No.5) Unison Research Unico SE: $3995The Unico SE uses four pairs of MOSFETs per sideto deliver 140Wpc into 8 ohms and, like the standardUnico, has four line-level inputs and a tape monitorloop. ST was captivated by the SE: “It’s sweet, open,transparent, and powerful. It’s fast and responsive.Transients are clean, clear, crisp. As for harmonic pre-sentation, the Unico combines the magic of tubes withthe control—and economy—of solid-state.” ST’s 2005pick for “Component of the Year.” Price includesphono stage. (Vol.28 No.5) Viva Solista: $9950The 22Wpc Solista uses single-ended topology, direct-heated output triode tubes, zero feedback, paper-in-oilcapacitors, and custom-wound transformers, and itsgorgeous metalwork showcases an M-shaped chassisdecorated in glossy automotive lacquer. Thick, solidimages were brought forward and spread across a larger-than-usual soundstage, and small details sparkled withlife for a “consistently, impressively dramatic” sound.AD’s only complaint was that the amp’s bottom twooctaves were “too resonant, not quick enough in goingfrom note attack to note attack.” (Vol.28 No.11 WWW) BArs-Sonum Filarmonia: $4400The Filarmona is a “drop-dead gorgeous” 30Wpc inte-grated amplifier reminiscent of the classic Dynaco ST-70, with a 6922 double-triode input driver tube, twoJAN5814-A double triodes, and two pairs of E34Ls.However, the Filarmona departs from Dynaco’s designin several important ways: The input is screened andtransformer-coupled, the circuit design is not ultralin-ear, global feedback is a low 6dB, and it operates inclass-A for most of its 30Wpc output. JM was surprisedby its “modern” sound. “The Filarmona SE proveditself extremely coherent, and to have wide bandwidth,exceptional low-level resolution, and nonexistentfatigue factor. Positively engaging,” he said. “Soundsas good as it looks,” adds ST. “Immediate, sweet, spa-cious.” Borderline Class A, recommends ST. (Vol.30No.10 WWW) Bryston B100-DA SST: $5095The rugged and reliable B100-DA SST combines a100Wpc power amp section based on Bryston’s 2B-SST with a high-quality DAC for convenient partner-ship to a CD transport or network music player. TheB100-DA shared the 300W 4B-SST’s bass definition,wide soundstaging, and open highs, but lacked somedeep-bass punch and dynamics, thought LG. Providedimpressively broad functionality at no cost to perfor-mance, said JA. Basic B-100DA: $3895. OptionalDAC: $1200. Optional MM phono board: $500.(Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Cary Audio Design CAI 1: $2000The 125W CAI 1 uses two B&O ICEpower modules,each partnered to two pairs of MOSFET transistors in

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Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

a balanced bridge configuration, with RF filtering onthe AC line for further noise reduction. It consumesjust 29W at idle and a mere 5W in standby, and alwaysran cool and quiet. Its “clear, clean, crisp sound” wassomewhat offset by “a certain dryness” at higher fre-quencies and treble that lacked light and life, said ST.(Vol.30 No.4) Cayin A-300B: $3495“Intelligently designed, reassuringly well made, andachingly musical,” this single-ended-triode amplifierboasts a lushly chromed chassis with a terraced alu-minum-alloy faceplate, sculpted housings for the mainsand output transformers, and a thickly enameled pro-tective cage. The primary and secondary windings ofthe output trannies are coated and sealed in vacuumchambers prior to being potted in order to preventvibrations and enhance consistency, longevity, andnoiselessness. “More refined and more extended thanthe typical 300B SET,” said AD, “with all of the pres-ence, drama, and textural richness the genre has tooffer.” BD and ST were less stricken by the Cayin’ssound, though ST notes its excellent build quality. ClassB, decides WP. JA admired the Cayin’s output-trans-former design, and noted surprisingly good measuredperformance overall, for a SET. (Vol.30 No.2 WWW) Cayin H-80A: $3295The large and heavy (17" W by 8" H by 19" D, 80 lbs)H-80A sports retro styling with twin backlit VU meters,and offers exquisite fit and finish. Its hybrid design usestwo 12AU7 input tubes and six pairs of NPN MOS-FET transistors per channel in the output stage. TheH-80A’s sound combined the best of tube designs withthe best of solid-state, producing smooth and extendedtreble and an overall “plump, tender, and juicy” pre-sentation, said ST. Though the H-80A lacked “balls-to-the-wall bass,” Sam nevertheless decided, “For a $3000integrated amplifier, this kind of performance is phe-nomenal.” Put it in Class A, ST demanded, but perhapsClass B is this amp’s natural home, at least until a “Fol-low-Up” review can be organized. (Vol.30 No.8) Cayin A-88T: $2395The Chinese-made A-88T delivers 22Wpc in triodemode or 45Wpc in ultralinear, and offered “a lifelikequality that was nearly like the sound of a single-ended-triode amp,” said ST. Bass was “exceptionally well con-trolled and extended,” but transparency fell short of thevery best. “An excellent value” nonetheless. “Value,value, value,” he repeated. Electro-Harmonix 6550 out-put tubes add $100. (Vol.28 No.12) Cayin A-50T: $1395The A-50T has two push-pull pairs of Mullard EL34tubes that can be operated in 35Wpc Ultralinear or16Wpc Triode. It features point-to-point wiring, atoroidal power transformer, and two EI audio outputtransformers. Fit’n’finish were stunning. The Cayinpresented a “richly holographic soundstage and anuncolored midrange” while combining pure, extendedhighs with “lightning-fast” transients. BJR was mostsurprised, however, by the Cayin’s ability to produce“uncolored, extended, and forceful” bass. JA wasimpressed by the Cayin’s build quality and measuredperformance. (Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Creek Classic 5350SE: $1595 $$$ ✩Now called the Classic 5350SE, this solid-state, remote-controlled 85Wpc integrated features a passive preampstage and extensive switching capability. Headphoneoutput, but no balance control. BJR found the SE neu-tral throughout the frequency range, with “lifelike, del-icate, yet forceful transient articulation. . . organicreproduction of low-level dynamic nuances and subtleambient cues,” and “a degree of bass definition, artic-ulation, clarity, and bottom-end extension unlike anyI’ve heard from any amplifier in this price range and/orpower rating.” ST thinks the little integrated is just astransparent and, subjectively, almost as powerful as theMusical Fidelity A3CR. Borderlne Class A. Non-SE ver-sion has 75Wpc and some lower-quality parts for $250

less, and offers solid Class B performance. Four optionalplug-in phono boards available: MM for $130 or $80(SE and non-SE, respectively), MC for $150 or $100.Using the MMSE phono board ($130) to compare theCreek with the GSP Audio Era Gold Mk.V and theEAR 834P, BJR noted a “beautifully colorless midrangewith excellent resolution of detail.” While the Creekoffered more extended high frequencies, more refinedtransients, and cleaner bass, the GSP and EAR toppedthe 5350SE in low-bass extension and high-leveldynamic slam. (Vol.24 Nos.3 & 4, Vol.28 No.1 WWW) LSA Standard: $3200Originally called the VS.1 Reference Mk.III, this large,sleek, visually stunning, 150Wpc integrated, featuresa line stage and an MM phono stage, using 6922 tri-ode tubes, and partially dual-mono amplifier circuitrywith Solen output devices. The Mk.III improves onthe Mk.II with Cardas wiring used to pass AC andDC between the amp and preamp stages, and useshigher-quality speaker posts. While the Mk.III’smidrange, like that of a high-quality tube amp, proved“silky, rich, uncolored, and captivating” and its imag-ing “holographic,” its high-frequency performance“seemed to lack air and was a bit opaque,” mused BJR.Tube rollers should notice slightly more open anddetailed highs when switching out the VS.1 Mk.III’sstock Chinese tubes for NOS Siemens bottles. Cur-rent version supplied as standard with Electro Har-monix 6922s. (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Mastersound 300 B S.E.: $6095The 12Wpc Mastersound has a single-ended, class-Aoutput stage and four line-level inputs. With an unusu-ally wide bandwidth for a single-ended design, the Mas-tersound produced “an enjoyably open sound, with abetter-than-average degree of realistic detail and tex-ture.” Though it lacked the rhythmic nuance of AD’sShindo separates, the “musically expressive” Master-sound had a “satisfying” sense of flow and was “surpris-ingly uncolored overall.” However, the 300 B S.E.’smeasured performance couldn’t escape its single-endedprovenance. “Both its response variations and its levelof distortion are large enough to have audible conse-quences,” concluded JA. (Vol.31 No.2 WWW) Melody I2A3: $2999The Chinese-made I2A3 uses two Sovtek 2A3 tubesin push-pull configuration to deliver 18Wpc into 8 or4 ohms. Offers no remote control, balance control, orpreamp output, but its fit’n’finish were impressive, withhigh-quality components and “sumptuous” looks.Though it lacked some bass control, the I2A3’s soundwas “warm, rich, harmonically right, extended in thehighs but never over the top,” said ST. “No other ampli-fier I’ve seen surpasses its beauty, and it sounds almostas good as it looks.” (Vol.31 No.3) Musical Fidelity X-T100: $1800The half-width X-T100 replaces Musical Fidelity’sA1000. Rated to deliver 50Wpc into 8 ohms, it usesone 6922 tube per channel, and has a built-in moving-magnet phono stage, three RCA line-level inputs, anda mini-jack input for portable devices. While its phonostage proved quite capable, the X-T100’s line stagesounded sweet, detailed, delicate, and tonally right.“Just a touch on the romantic side,” said ST. The X-T100 sounded “colorless” and “utterly unstirring”when paired with AD’s Audio Note AN-E/SPe HEspeakers, but was a good match with his Quad ESLs,exhibiting compelling momentum, rhythmic nuance,clarity, and presence. Required at least 30 minutes’warmup before sounding its best. Price includes Triple-X outboard power supply; sold as a package with theX-RayV8 CD player for $3000. Triple-X170 power sup-ply adds $500. (Vol.30 Nos.2 & 11 WWW) NAD C 372: $999 $$$The 150Wpc C372 strengthens and refines NAD’s ear-lier C 370 by upgrading the power supply, enhancingthe preamp and driver-stage modules, and improvingthe layout of the circuit boards. With seven line inputs,

two sets of speaker terminals, two preamp outputs, anda clean, elegant design, the C372 offers flexibility with-out complexity. It also includes a Soft Clipping optionand NAD’s PowerDrive technology, which alters cur-rent delivery to match load impedance. The amp pro-vided a dead-quiet, neutral sound and delivered musicwith plenty of power and resolution. “It’s all business,”said Jim Austin. “Well sorted,” enthused the other JA.(Vol.29 No.10, Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Pathos Acoustics Classic One Mk.III: $3000The Mk.III uses new ultra-low-noise op-amps, a vol-ume control with a Burr-Brown IC, a power trans-former that’s less sensitive to voltage variations fromthe AC mains, and a circuit that protects the outputtransistors against a short circuit on the speaker con-nectors. The Mk.III partnered the sweetness and trans-parency of the Mk.II, found ST, with a cleaner, clearer,faster overall sound. “A little on the lean side of neu-tral and not the most powerful amplifier around. Still,Class A for delicacy, definiton, detail. . . and industrialdesign!” Sounds like Class B would be the fair rating,feel JA and BD. (Vol.29 No.12) PrimaLuna ProLogue One: $1375 $$$ ✩A 35Wpc tube design with four single-ended inputs,the nicely engineered ProLogue One features a chas-sis that “straddles the breach between vintage andmodern in a way that little else does.” Though it lackedthe bounce and momentum of other amps, it addedpleasant warmth and thickness while preserving tex-ture and timbral complexity. “This chunky little tubeamp sounded like a chunky little tube amp, for bet-ter and for worse,” AD said. “Lustily, heartily, andenthusiastically (if conditionally) recommended.”(Vol.28 No.2 WWW) Rega Mira 3: $1195 $$$Sam said of the original Mira integrated amplifier thatits finish was “smooth as a fine watch. Rega really hasimproved the fit and finish of their electronics: out-standing without being ostentatious. Good taste,dammit!” Remote control, of course, and a moving-magnet phono stage as standard equipment. The 61WpcMira is a purist design: no tone or balance controls, nospeaker selector switch, no headphone output. Warm,rich, full-bodied sound, with lots of dynamic drive,reported ST, and very smooth and sweet through themidrange, with no grain. “Gad, I loved it,” he gushed.He felt the phono stage was killer, considering the price:“excellent detail, great dynamics.” “It’s something of asmall miracle!” he concluded. Jim Austin admired theMira 3 for being “potent but reserved and, above all,controlled.” An initial edginess to the highs was soonreplaced by detail and balance. “Excellent sound, nicefeatures, and outstanding value.” (Vol.24 No.4, origi-nal; Vol.29 No.9, Mira 3, WWW) Simaudio Moon i-7: $7200“A marvel of beauty and usefulness,” the fully balanced,dual-mono i-7 offers four single-ended and one bal-anced input, a pair of auxiliary line-level outputs, spe-cial jacks for communicating with other Simaudioproducts, and a nine-pin RS-232 port. After sufficientbreak-in, the amp’s impressive clarity and neutralityuncovered layers of detail in densely recorded mater-ial and provided sufficient rhythm, pacing, and momen-tum for a physically involving musical presentation.However, it could be surpassed, AD felt, in the abilityto “convey a sense of flow and humanness from recordedmusic.” (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) Sugden A21SE: $3995 $$$ST loved this 30Wpc, class-A, single-ended integrated.Revisions to the A21a include a bigger power supply,shorter signal paths, and newly designed line-stage cir-cuitry. While it may sound dark, with a soft treble andwarm, rich bass, resolution and detail were excellent.Rock music suffered, while opera and jazz were pre-sented with ease. “I consider this an exit product: some-thing of quality, something that should last, that won’tweigh you down or bring on a case of Audiophile nervosa,”

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said ST. His only quibble: the A21SE runs very hot.“Extremely high value,” adds AD. “Wish I had heard it,”grumbles JM. “Class B but wow!” adds WP. (Vol.29 No.4) Unison Research Preludio: $4000“One of the most beautiful amplifiers in the world,”said ST of the 14Wpc Preludio, the smallest in a newseries of amplifiers from Unison Research—it uses justone KT88 output tube and one ECC82 input tube. Itsexquisite looks, sound, and operation provided a sen-sual experience. Midrange and treble were sweet with-out obscuring detail, thickening bass, or romanticizingthe overall sound. Bass was tight and controlled, butlacked some authority. Required 100 hours of break-in. “I’ve fallen in love with this thing,” sighed ST; “itslooks, its sound, its utter simplicity.” (Vol.30 No.1) CArcam Solo Music: $1999The Solo Music (originally just Solo) is a simple, styl-ish, single-box CD player, DAB/FM tuner, line-levelpreamplifier, and 50Wpc (69Wpc at actual clipping)amplifier that provides some quirky nonaudiophilefeatures such as a pair of Zone 2 preamp-out jacks andan alarm clock. The Solo combined good clarity andpitch definition with just decent weight and scalewhile never compromising the musical message.Offered “truly good performance” in one fairly priced,reliable, ergonomically intuitive, beautifully designedpackage. “Strongly recommended,” said AD. Whilethe Solo exhibited overall excellent measured perfor-mance, JA cautioned that “Owners should steer clearof speakers with impedances that dip below 4 ohms.”(Vol.28 No.7 WWW) Audio Analogue Primo Settenta: $995 ✩Now called the Primo Settenta to distinguish it fromthe Primo CD player, this 70Wpc integrated featuresfive line-level inputs in a small, 16.5-lb package. Eachchannel uses two National LM3886T integrated cir-cuits to provide power. The Primo sounded “tubeliketo a remarkable degree,” with very good resolution andexceptional tonality. Perhaps best used with a pair ofItalian, French, or other easy-to-drive European speak-ers. While JM ultimately enjoyed his time with thePrimo, he questioned its user interface and modernstyling: “If your weekly load of junk mail includes invi-tations to join AARP, perhaps the ergonomics of thisotherwise fine amp will exasperate the dickens out ofyou.” Optional MM/MC plug-in phono card adds$100. (Vol.27 No.6, Vol.28 No.10) Cambridge Audio Azur 740A: $1099The 100Wpc 740A provides six RCA line-level inputsplus one tape input, and two preamp outputs, for usewith additional power amplifiers or a powered sub. Samwasn’t especially impressed by its overall lack of warmth.“Austere might be the right word for the Azur 740A.Cold might be another,” he said. Nevertheless, it offereda “lean, clear, open, very detailed” sound. “High ClassC,” he sums up. (Vol.30 No.9) Linn Classik Music: $1875 ✩Remote-controlled 75Wpc (into 4 ohms) CD receiverwith MOSFET output stage, clock, AM/FM tuner,three line-level inputs, tape loop, and headphone jack.A “neat and complete all-in-one Linn system,” enthusedCS. High-density surface-mount PC boards keep itpetite as well. On FM, CS found “very good stereo sep-aration and imaging, freedom from crosstalk, a verymusical depiction of dynamics, a warm and openmidrange, a lack of top-end sibilance, and no apparenthonkiness in human voices.” The CD section impressedwith “a very clear, deep midrange, with remarkable bassextension and a smooth, open top end—very detailedwithout being edgy or italicized.” Little to gripe about,he summed up: “in combo with a decent power cord,some better speaker cables, and a good pair of loud-speakers, for $3000–$4000 you have a serious, no-com-promise high-end system.” JA shares the Chipster’senthusiasm, though he feels Class C is the Classik’s nat-ural home. Runs hot. (Vol.23 No.11 WWW)

Music Hall Trio: $999The Trio combines a CD player, AM/FM tuner, and50Wpc integrated amplifier in one tidy box. Thoughits sound was “quite smooth,” it lacked low-level reso-lution and deep bass, and AM reception was poor. “TheTrio tries to do everything and manages to do it rea-sonably well,” said ST. “Just don’t expect the superiorperformance of good separates.” (Vol.30 No.10) Music Hall a25.2: $599 $$$“A lovely piece of gear,” the 50Wpc a25.2 comesequipped with four line-level inputs, preamp output,tape loop, and headphone jack. Though the a25.2’s basswas somewhat weak, its midrange was excellent andits top end was nicely extended. While the SugdenA21SE ($3495) offered more detail and spatial resolu-tion, the a25.2 delivered an easy, sweet, smooth soundwithout the slightest suggestion of listening fatigue.“Avoids the clinical, sterile sound of so much cheap solid-state. A very pleasant surprise,” said ST. (Vol.29 No.4) Omaha Audio OD-300B: $1400The OD-300B is rated to deliver 10Wpc into 8 or 4ohms, and uses one 300B-98 tube per channel. Its sim-ple design incorporates just two line-level inputs and avolume knob. Though bass was somewhat loose andslow, and focus was slightly soft, the OD-300B’smidrange and treble were “simply glorious,” said ST.“This is what SET sound is all about. To get it for $1400is nothing short of phenomenal.” Borderline Class Bin the right system. (Vol.30 No.9) Onkyo A-9555: $799 $$$The 85Wpc A-9555 uses Onkyo’s Wide Range Ampli-fier Technology to provide low negative feedback,closed ground-loop circuits, and high instantaneouscurrent capability. In addition, Onkyo’s Vector Lineardigital technology works to reduce switching noisegenerated by the amp’s class-D operation. The A-9555had a “smooth, easy-on-the-ear character” with “justa touch of warmth” overall, and slightly soft highs.“The A-9555 can be the heart of an audio system thatis both accurate and capable of providing musical plea-sure,” said RD. JA felt the A-9555’s measured perfor-mance was “quite respectable” for the price, but notedits preference for driving higher impedances. (Vol.30No.9 WWW) Outlaw Audio RR2150: $649 $$$This 100Wpc, two-channel receiver showcases stylish,deco-like looks and a full range of features that includeline, iPod, phono, and USB digital inputs, tape andprocessor loops, tone controls, headphone output,speaker equalization, bass management, and a monoline-level subwoofer output. JA was “astonished” to dis-cover what the bargain-basement-priced RR2150offered, both on the test bench and in the listeningroom. The RR2150’s self-explanatory setup, versatilityand convenience, and open, focused, and well-orga-nized overall sound (though somewhat opaque and notfully fleshed out) make it “a great intro to hi-fi for ayounger generation,” said MF. Problems with produc-tion led to delivery delays through July 2006, but thesituation is now resolved. Current production samples(made in a different factory) offer the same excellentmeasured performance as the original, but the RR2150’sUSB digital input, marred by limited resolution andhigh jitter, should be regarded as being for convenienceonly, advised JA. (Vol.29 No.3, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Rega Brio 3: $695 $$$The tidy little Brio 3 is rated to deliver 49Wpc, uses asingle pair of Sanken output transistors per channel,and comes equipped with a moving-magnet phonostage. It lacked low-level detail retrieval but provedharmonically rich, providing full-bodied bass, a smoothmidrange, and sweet treble. When driven hard withlarge-scale material, the small Brio ran out of power,as expected. “The Rega Brio 3 offers excellent buildquality and exceptional value for the money,” said ST.“I know of nothing better at anywhere near the price.”(Vol.30 No.3)

Shanling MC-30: $999 $$$Designed and manufactured in China, the MC-30 com-bines a superb-measuring CD player, AM/FM tuner,and iPod dock with a 3Wpc single-ended integratedamplifier. Fit’n’finish were “jarringly high,” and theShanling’s unique ergonomic interfaces were “remark-able.” Though the MC-30 exhibited “a shortage of verydeep bass and a trace of lightness,” it possessed “verygood musical timing and tunefulness, with a surpris-ingly good sense of scale and spatial detail.” AD raved:“The Shanling MC-30 is obviously—obviously—anextraordinary value for the money. Buy this. That’s it—just buy it.” For a single-ended design, the MC-30 pro-duced “pretty good performance overall,” conceded JA.(Vol.31 No.3 WWW) KJeff Rowland Design Group Concerto.DeletionsKrell KAV-400xi, Lavardin Technologies IS Reference,Music Hall Maven, all not auditioned in too long a timeto be sure of rating.

LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEMSEditor’s Note: Class A “Loudspeakers” are sufficientlyidiosyncratic and differ enough from one another thatprospective customers should read Stereophile’s originalreviews in their entirety for descriptions of the sounds.I have therefore just listed every system or combinationthat at least one of Stereophile’s reviewers feels, as a resultof his or her experience, approaches the current state ofthe art in loudspeaker design. (Note that, to be eligiblefor inclusion in Class A, the system must be full-range—ie feature bass extension to 20Hz. It must also be capa-ble of reaching realistic sound-pressure levels withoutany feeling of strain.)

For those unconcerned about the last few hertz oflow-bass extension, we have created “Classes A, B, andC (Restricted Extreme LF)” for those speakers that arestate of the art in every other way. Candidates for inclu-sion in this class must still reach down to at least 40Hz,below the lowest notes of the four-string double-bassand bass guitar. In addition, such has been the recent progress in loud-

speaker design at a more affordable level that we havean extra class: E, for “Entry Level.” Someone once askedus why Stereophile bothers to review inexpensive loud-speakers at all: In effect, aren’t we insulting our read-ership by recommending that they buy inexpensivemodels? Remember: It’s possible to put together a musi-cally satisfying, truly high-end system around any ofour Class D and E recommendations. That’s why they’relisted—and why you should consider buying them.A—FULL-RANGEAvantgarde Uno 3.0: $18,500–$22,000/pair,depending on finish ✩Includes SUB225 powered woofer modules.Stereophile’s “Joint Loudspeaker of 2000.” RD’s long-term reference. (Vol.23 No.9, Vol.25 No.8 WWW) B&W 802D: $14,000/pair(Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Canton Vento Reference 1 DC: $30,000/pair(Vol.29 No.11, Vol.30 No.3 WWW) Dynaudio Confidence C4: $18,000/pair ✩(Vol.26 No.3, Vol.30 No.3 WWW) Hansen Prince V2: $39,000/pair(See WP’s review in this issue.) KEF Reference 207/2: $20,000/pair(Vol.31 No.2 WWW) Revel Ultima Studio2: $15,998/pair $$$(Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Sonus Faber Stradivari: $45,000/pair ✩One of Stereophile’s “Joint Loudspeakers of the Year”for 2005. (Vol.28 No.1 WWW)

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Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario: $30,000/pairOne of Stereophile’s “Joint Loudspeakers of the Year”for 2006. (Vol.29 No.5 WWW) Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa: $20,800/pair(Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 2:$48,900/pairOne of Stereophile’s “Joint Loudspeakers of the Year”for 2005. (Vol.28 No.8, Vol.29 No.6, WWW) A—RESTRICTED EXTREME LFDeVore Fidelity Silverback Reference:$16,800/pairThis three-way floorstander resembles an Audio PhysicVirgo III on steroids and uses a 0.75" silk-dome tweeter,a 6.5" midrange unit, and two long-throw, 8" woofers.The Silverbacks “pulsed with musical life,” producingan enormous, wall-to-wall soundstage with vividimages, and continuously provided a “clear, clean, trans-parent view into the musical event,” said MF. Thoughthe Silverback offered excellent bass extension and aneven response in-room throughout the midrange andtreble, JA was disappointed by the speaker’s low-fre-quency performance. Nevertheless, “Class A,” say WPand MF. (Vol.29 No.3 WWW) Dynaudio Confidence C1: $6500–$7000/pair,depending on finish (stands necessary)This two-way, stand-mounted loudspeaker surprisedWP with its ability to perform well in both small andlarge rooms. In smaller spaces, the pair combined slamand power with the ability to clearly define sonicimages, while in larger spaces they excelled at re-cre-ating the soundstages of small-ensemble recordings.“The Confidence C1 delivers world-class perfor-mance in a real-world package,” said WP. Other thanits rather resonant stand, which needs to be filled withsand, JA noted measured performance that was“beyond reproach.” Price is for standard veneers; pre-mium gloss black or rosewood lacquer finishes add$500/pair; matching Stand4 stands add $450/pair.(Vol.30 No.11 WWW) ESP Concert Grand SI: $40,000/pairThe unusual-looking Concert Grand stands 64" tall,weighs about 330 lbs, and its upper-frequency driversare mounted in a D’Appolito array on its angled frontbaffle. The SI version employs isobaric loading for thewoofers and compound loading for the midrange dri-vers. The Concert Grand’s “arrestingly coherentmidrange, seductive and beguiling in its tonal rich-ness,” was enough to fool jazz legend Max Roach intobelieving he’d heard a live soprano, related JM. JA, too,was impressed: “The sound was indeed superb, withsolid stereo imaging, impressive soundstage depth, arichly detailed midrange, and very-well-defined lowfrequencies.” Lacked the lowest bass; setup proved crit-ical; restricted high-treble dispersion will make thespeaker sound too mellow in large, over-dampedrooms. (Vol.29 No.4 WWW) Harbeth Super HL5: $4995/pair (stands necessary)“A classic for more than a quarter of a century,” the lat-est version of the HL speaker uses a 8" injection-moldedpolymer bass/mid driver, a 1" aluminum-dome SEAStweeter, and a 0.8"Audax titanium-dome supertweeter.“If the glory of the Super HL5 is its neutral midrange,the treble is exceptionally well presented—extended,open, and sweet.” Give it a good amount of power, spaceto breathe, and “sit down for a long run, relax . . . lis-ten. Then listen some more,” ST advised. Sam’s sonbought the review pair. (Vol.28 No.2) Klipsch Heritage La Scala II: $5500/pairOriginally designed in 1963 as a public-address speakerand available only in a plain plywood cabinet, the LaScala II now has a cabinet of 1" MDF covered with alacquered, real-wood veneer. The large (38.5" H by24" W by 25" D) La Scala has three horn drivers—a1" tweeter and 2" midrange in its top cabinet, and a15" woofer in the bottom, folded-horn cabinet—and

a rated sensitivity of 105dB. ST had no trouble driv-ing the IIs with his 3.5Wpc Sun Audio amp, and wassurprised by the speakers’ exceptionally smoothmidrange and treble and spacious soundstage. Over-all, ST found them to be “rich, warm, a tad overripein the bass, reticent on top.” Adding a pair of super-tweeters, however, brought forth a sense of the air anddetail that had been missing. Sam kept the Klipsches.“This speaker is dynamic as all get out (on very lowpower) and images suprisingly well. Very pleasant tolisten to, if a little old-fashioned (lacks deep bass, rolled-off on top). But, taken on its own terms, for what it is,Class A,” he sums up. (Vol.29 No.11) Legacy Audio Whisper: $15,750–$18,500/pairdepending on finishStanding over 60" tall and weighing 210 lbs, the large,unusual-looking Whisper is a four-way, biampabledesign employing 10 drive-units (including four 15"woofers mounted in a dipole array) and Legacy’s StepOne external bass processor. Combining the tight, fastbass performance of a panel speaker with an even, bal-anced midrange and slightly forward top end, the Whis-per offered a laid-back presentation that was“extraordinarily faithful to the sounds of all types ofmusic,” marveled PB. Though toe-in proved critical,the Whisper’s combination of open-air woofers andexternal bass processing makes it relatively immune toroom interaction. Provisional rating until JA can get asample on the test bench. (Vol.29 No.8 WWW) Lipinski Sound L-707: $4990/pair (stands necessary)Originally conceived for use as a studio monitor, theL-707 features a 1" Vifa ring-radiator tweeter and two7" glass-fiber cone woofers in D’Appolito configura-tion, and is shipped in carrying cases of rugged blacknylon. The portable L-707 excelled at communicatingthe drama of music and exhibited characteristics ofexpensive audiophile loudspeakers: “great dynamicrange, detail, pace, three-dimensionality, imaging, andthe ability to reproduce instrumental and vocal tim-bres,” said LG. Its lack of extreme low bass was com-pensated for by good pitch definition and ample weight.“More revealing, and detailed than speakers three timesthe price,” sums up LG. JA shared LG’s enthusiasm forthe L-707: “Simply superb measured performance.”(Vol.28 No.12 WWW) Merlin Music Systems VSM-MX: $10,500/pair“Strip away its exotic accoutrements,” suggested MF,“like the automotive clear-coat finish and the metalinlay strips, and the VSM is your basic two-way ventedbox—a floorstanding minimonitor.” Outboard BAMbass equalizer, available in both single-ended and bal-anced configurations, applies 5.2dB boost at 35Hz. Achamber at the bottom of the cabinet is filled at the fac-tory with 23 lbs of sand, and, unusually, an outboardZobel network consisting of a series Hovland capaci-tor and a resistor is placed across the speaker terminals.Sound? MF: “What drew me in first was [the VSM’s]smooth, airy, graceful top end, delicate yet detailed. Itsounded downright luxurious without being syrupy orunctuous.” The VSM’s retrieval of microdetails “wasamong the best I’ve ever heard from any speaker at anyprice.” And with no glare or congestion. Dynamics? “Itconveyed plenty of macrodynamic punch, though itdidn’t pack a really big wallop,” decided MF. MF’s audi-tioning of 2006 production samples continues the rec-ommendation. The MX edition boasts improved floorcoupling and stability, a revised port said to minimizeturbulence, and new proprietary conductors for lowerdistortion and a cleaner, more organic sound. Thespeaker’s Super BAM bass-enhancement module hasalso been upgraded to draw 20% more current fromthe battery pack. MF noted an added weight that gavethe VSM-MX a greater sense of authority than earlierversions. (Vol.24 No.9, Vol.30 No.1 WWW) NHT Xd: $6000/systemThe spectacularly finished Xd system includes: the XdS

two-way acoustic-suspension, magnetically shielded,stand-mounted loudspeaker with molded compositeenclosure and fitted stand; the XdW acoustic suspen-sion powered bass module, with two side-mounted 10"aluminum-cone woofers; and the dedicated XdA, a150W RMS DEQX-based DSP crossover, equalizer,and four-channel class-D power amp. Setup was quickand simple—all cables and parts are included, as wellas properly preprogrammed EQ. A felicitous marriageof amplifiers to speakers resulted in a balanced, opensound that complemented the speakers’ physical beautyand encouraged the illusion of musical transport. KRcouldn’t have been more impressed: “The NHT Xd isthe best thing to come down the pike in a long time,and a harbinger of speakers to come.” Revised crossoversoftware and stereo subwoofers increase the systemprice to $7200 but make this excellent-sounding sys-tem “almost beyond criticism,” said JA, but points tolimited dynamic range and a lack of ultimate trans-parency as being the system’s Achilles’ Heels. HighClass B would be his rating, but he demurs to KR’sClass A—“Welcome to the new century!” he declares.(Vol.28 No.11, Vol.29 No.1 WWW) Penaudio Serenade: $9500/pairThe three-way, floorstanding Serenade “is a very spe-cial loudspeaker that delivered the midrange and highswith a delicacy that never palled,” said WP. Optimalplacement and, consequently, performance werenever achieved, however, as the speaker did not meshwell with Wes’s room. JA’s measurements revealed aparadox: “A small speaker with somewhat limiteddynamic range that will sound its best at low levels inlarge rooms.” (Vol.29 No.2 WWW) Pioneer S-1EX: $9000/pair $$$Designed by Andrew Jones using technology deriveddirectly from more expensive TAD products, the S-1EX uses Pioneer’s Coherent Source Transducer, aberyllium-dome tweeter that shares a dual-gappedneodymium magnet with a magnesium-conedmidrange unit. Once properly positioned, the S-1EXwas “simply outstanding,” offering neutral tonality,great transparency, and a planar-like ability to throwmusic into the room. Its only flaw was a “slightly pud-dingy reproduction of bass drums and low electric bass,”KR noted. “A lot of excellent speaker engineering at avery competitive price,” said JA. (Vol.30 No.3 WWW) PSB Synchrony One: $4500/pair $$$(See JA’s review in this issue.) Quad ESL-2805: $9000/pairAn ESL-988 with a sleek new appearance, the ESL-2805 features a rounded, steel top plate finished inpiano-black lacquer, a stainless-steel base, improvedspikes and speaker terminals, and a brace that extendsfrom top to bottom and can be adjusted to make thespeaker absolutely rigid. Supremely transparent,absolutely free of coloration, phenomenally quick,and utterly nonfatiguing. If the 2805 had a limitation,it was its lack of deep bass and its inability to play veryloud. ST was unequivocal: “I know of no other speakerI’d rather own, regardless of price. I think it’s the finesthi-fi purchase you could ever make in terms of per-formance and value.” “One of the world’s greatestspeakers—maybe the world’s greatest loudspeakerever —made even better. Moving production to Chinahas improved quality immeasurably over earlier slip-shod, flimsy, ugly British build,” he adds. Stereophile’s2006 “Joint Loudspeaker of the Year.” (Vol.29 No.7) Quad ESL-989: $8700/pair ✩The electrostatic ESL-989 adds two bass panels to the‘988, which is the current version of the classic ESL-63, and is said to have higher power handling. Nonethe-less, LG found that music that exceeded peaks of 94dBtriggered the speaker’s protection circuit. Still, the ESL-989s shook LG’s listening room with “lots of satisfyingbass,” and added outstanding midrange response, top-notch imaging, wall-to-wall soundstaging, smoothness,focus, low distortion, and low listening fatigue.” While

Zu products are designed and manufactured in Ogden, Utah—real innovation

requires in-house production. Zu’s efforts to make playback real and accessible are realized in its

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voices sound human, instruments are genuine, impact and resolution of musical details are consistent from extended treble

through deep bass. Zu is about tone, texture, and realism. Captured color and shading are unmasked and music becomes alive

and compelling. Together or apart, Zu loudspeakers and cable take you back to a time when there was urgency

about music, and music was the centerpiece in your life.

www.ZuAudio.com

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the speaker rolls off sharply below 30Hz or so, duringhis listening sessions, LG couldn’t think of another loud-speaker he’d rather own. By contrast, PM couldn’t getthe ‘989’s mid-bass integrated at all in his solid-walledUK room, preferring the smaller ESL-988 (as does ST).Typical US dry-wall construction will probably bettermatch the speaker’s bass tuning, therefore. AD addedthat “The ‘989 played music with as much tunefulness,drama, and scale as I’ve ever asked for or heard fromother speakers. . . . And not only was its bass extensionperfectly satisfying, but, with the exception of the speedof bass fundamentals. . . the bass quality of the Quad‘989 was astoundingly good.” Unlike LG, AD neverheard a hint of strain or distress, even when playing theQuads at extremely loud volumes (though it is fair topoint out that his room is smaller). JA was impressedby how well the ‘989 handled the midrange and by its“superbly stable” imaging, but found problems withpositioning the speakers to get the low-bass/upper-basstransition optimized. Price depends on finish. Stereo-phile’s 2003 “Product of the Year” and “Loudspeakerof the Year.” (Vol.25 No.11, Vol.26 No.5 WWW) Sonus Faber Guarneri memento: $15,000/pair(stands necessary)The beautiful Guarneri memento uses two new cus-tom drivers set into a gracefully shaped cabinet, andincludes Column stands mounted on wedge bases ofstone. Though it lacked the extension, dynamics, andtop-end air of a good floorstander, the Guarnerimemento delivered transparency, delicacy, and detailwithin a surprisingly deep soundstage, and exhibitedmidbass and lower-midrange performance that were“beyond reproach,” said MF. With its wide and evenlateral dispersion and clean cumulative spectral decay,the Guarneri memento offered “excellent measuredperformance,” said JA. Price includes Column stands.(Vol.30 No.8 WWW) Wilson Audio Specialties Watt/Puppy 8:$27,900/pairWhile the “meticulously constructed” WATT/Puppy8 retains the W/P7’s two 8" woofers and 7" midrangedriver, it employs a new 1" inverted-dome tweeter oftitanium, derived from Wilson’s MAXX 2. Compli-ance with RoHS regulations, use of an “anti-jitter”crossover circuit, and a change to Wilson’s M com-posite material all work toward controlling the releaseof stored energy. With an immense soundstage and abig overall sound, the W/P8 may appeal more to thosewho have traditionally resisted the WATT/Puppy.“What was a very good speaker to begin with has got-ten better,” said WP. The WATT/Puppy 8 lacked theDynaudio Confidence C1’s round, full midbass,instead providing superior slam and low-end exten-sion. Compared to the Vandersteen Quatro Woods,the Wilsons offered a larger, more immediate and for-ward presentation. A difficult load to drive, and its“idiosyncratic low-frequency behavior” will requirecareful setup, determined JA. (Vol.30 Nos.6, 11, & 12WWW) Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia 2: $15,600/pairJA said about the original Sophia that this three-way,floorstanding, reflex-loaded loudspeaker had a way of“reproducing the wide dynamic sweep of a symphonyorchestra in full measure” that left him captivated. Thewide dynamic range was complemented by extendedlows; high frequencies were “delicate,” the midrangewas “neutral,” and the bass region “laid bare every lit-tle inflection.” JA had only one minor criticism: Thespeaker’s tonal balance was slightly forward in the mid-treble, leading to a soundstage that was not as deep ashe might have liked. The midbass might also be a bitexcessive in some rooms, he warned. PB echoed JA’senthusiastic recommendation, noting “exhilaratingbass performance” with a “giant, wraparound sound-stage” and “freakish dynamic range.” The Mk.2 updatesof the earlier Sophia include a reengineered tweeter,Wilson’s new M3 cabinet material, a reworking of the

crossovers, and a new diffraction-absorbing pad con-figuration. “Better than the original in nearly everyway,” said BD. The Sophia 2 offered larger dynamictransients, clearer and more detailed bass, an airiersoundstage, and a slightly more laid-back sound. “Notquite the scale, dynamics, or bottom end of the MAXX2, but definitely Class A,” he sums up. (Vol.25 No.7,Vol.28 No.10, Mk.1; Vol.29 No.11, Mk.2 WWW) B—FULL-RANGEAudio Physic Scorpio: $6995–$7495/pair,depending on finishIntended to bridge the gap between AudioPhysic’s largerAvanti III and smaller Tempo, the handsome Scorpioemploys four 7" coated-paper-cone woofers, two 6"coated-paper-cone midrange drivers, and a 1" soft-dome tweeter. The Scorpio excelled at placing “tightlydrawn, optimally proportioned, three-dimensionalimages” within a believable space, and Mikey appreci-ated its “exciting, involving sound.” JA’s measurementsindicated that the unconventional arrangement of thespeaker’s drive-unit polarities will result in fussy setupand a sensitive listening axis. (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Audio Physic Tempo IV: $4495/pairThe handsome, slim Tempo IV features faultlesslyapplied, high-quality, bookmatched veneer, and a 1"soft-dome tweeter time-aligned to its 5" metal-conemidrange unit. It exuded lively timbres and offered adetailed, dynamic presentation with superb imaging.“Careful attention to setup and associated equipmentis required,” advised JM, who decides that low Class Bis the correct rating. (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) BC Acoustique Act A3: $7000/pairThe proprietary drivers of the floorstanding, bass-reflex, A3 include a horn-loaded, 0.67", titanium-dometweeter, a 7.1" polypropylene-cone midrange unit, anda 10.25" side-firing paper-cone woofer. A convenientjumper on the rear of each speaker allows for trebleadjustment. On certain less-than-ideal recordings, this“very resolving” loudspeaker exhibited a “certain insis-tence in the upper midrange.” Nonetheless, ST waspleased by its beautifully extended treble, tight andtuneful bass, and excellent imaging. (Vol.31 No.1) Canton Vento 809 DC: $5000/pair“The product of a concerted engineering effort that haspaid off in real-world performance,” the 809 DC is athree-way, bass-reflex design with a slender, curved,monocoque cabinet made of six layers of laminate.Drive-units include a 1" aluminum-manganese dometweeter, a 7" aluminum-cone midrange, and two 8"aluminum-cone woofers. WP was most impressed bythe Canton’s tweeter, “which put out an unusual amountof sparkle and air” and contributed to the speaker’soverall “light, agile, and accurate” character. Though itcould sound “a tad lightweight,” the 809 DC offeredexcellent clarity and detail, and delivered powerful basswhen properly set up. “A lot of speaker for the money,”said WP. (Vol.28 No.6 WWW) Canton Vento Reference 9 DC: $4000/pair(stands necessary)The 9 DC is the newest and smallest loudspeaker inCanton’s Vento Reference line. Looking like the upper16" of the flagship 1 DC, the 9 DC uses the sametweeter, crossed over at 3kHz to a single 7" mid-woofer in a ported enclosure. KR placed five 9 DCsaround his Connecticut listening room. Used withAudyssey’s MultEQxt signal processor, the array pro-duced a perfect timbral match, with superior midrangeand treble transparency and stable imaging. “Remark-ably full-range,” says KR. “Would be Class A, save fora less than ultimate degree of midrange detail, as exem-plified in their big-brother, the 1 DC,” he summedup. (Vol.31 No.3 WWW) DALI Helicon 400 Mk.2: $6300/pairAn extensive reworking of the original Helicon 400,the Mk.2 is a three-and-a-half-way, floorstanding,ported, bass-reflex loudspeaker with a 2" ribbon tweeter,a 1" silk-dome tweeter, and two new 6.5" wood-

fiber/pulp-cone woofers. Its graceful cabinet andupgraded real-wood veneer suggest those of a moreexpensive speaker. Though the 400 Mk.2s lacked somebody and solidity, they offered “an enormous spatialpresentation that wows at every listen,” said MF. Thespeaker’s “slightly hot” overall balance sacrificed har-monic richness for transient attack. “The Helicon 400Mk.2’s balance will require careful matching with sys-tem and room to get the best from it,” concluded JA.(Vol.31 No.3 WWW) Focal Electra 1037 Be: $10,995/pairThe three-way, bottom-ported Electra 1037 Be is“essentially a larger, more powerful” version of the 1027Be, and uses a 1" inverted beryllium-dome tweeter, a6.5" W-cone midrange unit, and three 7" W-conewoofers. It sacrificed ultimate bass and soundstagewidth for top-to-bottom speed, transparency, resolu-tion, and cohesiveness. Though its overall presentationwas “somewhat dry and reserved,” its sound should sat-isfy over the long run, said MF. With a “remarkablysmooth and even” in-room response, the Electra 1037Be exhibited “superb measured performance,” per JA,who noted that the Focal was the best-performing hehad encountered when it came to integrating with MF’sroom acoustics. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Mordaunt-Short Performance 6: $6000/pair“The most striking feature of the Performance 6,” saidPM, “is its enclosure, with its glossy metallic finish andartful—indeed, beautiful—shape.” A full three-waydesign with a molded composite cabinet, the M-S usesfour aluminum-diaphragm drive-units, the most inter-esting of which might be its tweeter assembly, whichruns 9" deep and forms an elegantly tapered rod thatextends a few inches out through a hole in the back ofthe speaker’s enclosure and is intended to create a flatacoustic impedance while allowing noncoherent tre-ble output to add air and spaciousness. The Perfor-mance 6 combined “unusually smooth and impressivelyneutral” tonal balance with superb imaging; a “slightlack of dynamic expression” might be explained by thespeaker’s complex crossover network. Its slightly light-weight, dry bass can be handled with careful selectionof ancillaries, said PM. JA was pleased: “A beautiful-looking speaker that is equally beautifully engineered.”(Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Opera Quinta: $4695/pair ✩“Highly recommended,” said ST of this soulful three-way floorstander. He was most impressed by the inte-gration of the three drivers: “The operative word hereis balance— this is a successful full-range floorstanderwith extended, tight, well-defined” bass, an “excep-tional” midrange, and treble that was “sweetly extended,if perhaps ever so soft.” “Lots of bang for the buck,” hesums up. Though the Quinta did well with all types ofmusic, a heavy rocker might want to look elsewhere.The 2007 version of the Quinta employs technologyfound in the much larger Caruso. ST was again impressedby the integration of the drivers, and found the speak-ers to be very flexible in terms of placement. Marbleplatforms are optional. A Tellig fave that should get100% wife acceptance. (Vol.27 No.4, Vol.30 No.1) Opera SP Callas: $3500/pairAt just 5.75" wide, the “super-slim” SP Callas was madeto take up less floor space than a two-way stand-mountdesign, and uses a twin-symmetric cabinet chamber toderive deep-bass response from its two 4.5" mid/bassdrivers. Despite its size, the SP “sounded big, with gen-erous bass extension down to 40Hz,” thought ST. Below40Hz, however, the bass fell off very rapidly, while deepbass fell apart at higher volumes: “The cabinet may beingenious, but it’s still small.” Recommended for roomsof small to medium size, and especially with jazz andclassical music. (Vol.28 No.9) Rethm Saadhana: $7850/pair(See AD’s review in this issue.) Revel Concerta F12: $1498/pair $$$“A low-cost parallel to Revel’s venerable Ultima Stu-

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dio,” the Concerta F12 sports a small dome tweeter, amidrange unit, and two 8" woofers in a ported enclo-sure, all integrated with high-slope crossovers. KR wasimmediately taken by the F12’s “marvelous midrange,”which was especially ideal for female voices and quiterevealing of male voices, as well as its outstanding bassclarity and extension. JA was very impressed: “TheRevel Concerta F12’s measured performance gives nohint of the speaker’s very affordable price.” One ofStereophile’s “Joint Budget Components” for 2006.(Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Totem Acoustic Forest: $3195/pair ✩Two-way, 3’-high tower loudspeaker. The Claw is stan-dard; a self-centering ball-bearing support is availableseparately for $395/set of 6, as is the optional Beak Tun-ing Pod ($100/pair). LG found that the Forest producedclean bass down to 40Hz in his room. The sound wasgenerally “solid, transparent, and dynamic withoutbeing edgy, and the bass response was controlled andeminently detailed.” He also thought the midrange was“very seductive; it excelled with vocal, clarinet, andpiano recordings, voices and instruments floating freeof the speaker positions. . . [and] provided a wealth ofmusical detail, making it easier to delineate spatial posi-tions.” The Forests’ imaging, LG found, was first-rate,with a wide, deep soundstage, even though the sweetspot was small. JA noted an occasional lack of clarity inthe lower midrange that was easily corrected by fillingthe speaker’s lower compartment with damping mate-rial. “Its sonic performance is simply superb. . . . A con-tender for audiophiles with smaller listening rooms.”(Vol.24 No.4, Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Vandersteen Quatro Wood: $10,700/pairLike the standard Quatro, the Wood is a first-order,four-way design that includes an internal subwooferwith a 250W amp and two 8" carbon-loaded cellulose-cone drivers. It has the same woofer found in the stan-dard Quatro, but uses a tweeter and midrange unitderived from those found in the Vandersteen 5A. TheWood’s handsome cabinet is available in severalveneered finishes. Though a slight tonal shift in theWood’s lower-midrange/upper-midbass region con-tributed to a “loss of propulsion” in male vocals, femalevocals and stringed instruments were presented withpurity and transparency. When the speakers were prop-erly positioned, WP felt they offered “deep, tight bass”and a “huge, detailed, transparent soundstage.” Thatanomalous lower-midrange performance keeps thisotherwise fine speaker from Class A, feels JA. Manda-tory in-line, high-pass filter adds $695/pair single-ended, $795/pair balanced. (Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Vandersteen Quatro: $6995/pair $$$The modest-looking Quatro, clad in a black sock, is afour-way design using a subwoofer system of two 8",long-throw, carbon-loaded cellulose cones powered bya 250W class-B amplifier. While MF admired the Qua-tro’s outstanding imaging and soundstaging capabili-ties, he had a difficult time becoming emotionallyengaged, at times finding the speaker offered “too muchinformation.” When properly set up, the Quatro willoffer a neutral sound balance, but JA was puzzled byits lack of lower-midrange energy in-room. Mandatoryin-line high-pass filter costs $595/pair unbalanced,$795 balanced. One of Stereophile’s “Joint Loudspeak-ers of the Year” for 2006. (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Vandersteen 2Ce Signature II: $1995/pair $$$(stands optional)“An unambiguously fine loudspeaker,” mused ADabout the latest iteration of one of high-end audio’slongest-lived designs. The three-way 2Ce Signature II’scabinet is capped on top and bottom by MDF plinthsand framed by four wooden dowels cloaked in a black,double-knit grille sack. The speaker’s purposeful designincorporates rear-mounted level controls for thetweeter and midrange driver, and temperature-sensingprotection circuits for the woofer. Consistently clean,uncolored, and enjoyable, the Vandersteen lacked some

immediacy and presence but proved extremely wellbalanced. “The speaker’s greatest strength was an aggre-gate strength,” said AD. JA was puzzled by a lack ofintegration between its low-frequency and midrangeunits, however. Recommended stands add $150/pair.(Vol.16 Nos.4 & 9 WWW, 2Ce; Vol.23 No.10 WWW,2Ce Signature; Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Verity Audio Rienzi: $8795/systemThe Rienzi system consists of a monitor with a 0.75"soft-dome Scan-Speak tweeter, and a bass modulewhose 7" woofer can be faced to the rear or the front.“An exceptionally revealing speaker,” the Rienzi com-bined tight, tuneful bass with an “exceptionally pure”midrange and treble that was “ever so slightly soft” toST’s ears. “The excitement,” he said, “is about the factthat there is no excitement.” Rienzi monitors can bepurchased alone for $3795/pair. The combination ofthe monitor’s “speed, lean or muscular tonality, andsealed bass loading added up to a speaker that couldbe a tad frustrating for its bass reticence,” concludedJM. In lieu of adding the bass modules, JM recom-mends careful auditioning and system matching.(Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand:$5500–$6000/pair, depending on finish“Meticulously built,” the Beethoven Concert Grandboasts a handsomely veneered and lacquered cabinethousing five drivers: a 1.1" hand-coated, silk-dometweeter, a 6" X3P-cone midrange driver, and threetransparent, 7" XPP Spidercone woofers. Mikey noteda “carefully and pleasingly balanced set of sonic attrib-utes,” an overall smooth, detailed, rich sound that,though sometimes slow and soft, was never boring. “Anoutstanding value,” he declared. JA, however, was dis-appointed in the Beethoven’s measured performance,noting resonances in the upper midrange that couldadd nasal coloration and low-treble hardness to thespeaker’s balance while contributing to its limiteddynamic range. Choice of finish can bump price up to$5000/pair. (Vol.29 No.5 WWW) B—RESTRICTED LFAmerican Acoustic Development Silver Refer-ence-1: $1550/pair $$$ (stands necessary)The smallest speaker in AAD’s Reference line, the two-way, stand-mounted Silver-1 offers impressive fit andfinish and employs two high-tech drivers —a 1" horn-loaded, flat-diaphragm Helical Conductive Trans-ducer tweeter and a 5" honeycomb-cone woofer. Anoccasional congestion in the lower midrange and thelack of the deepest bass were relatively minor flaws inlight of the speaker’s superbly clean upper midrange,delicate treble, and solid stereo imaging. “The Refer-ence Silver-1 costs less than you’d expect for a speakerof this sonic quality and appearance,” said JA. Match-ing stands add $300/pair. (Vol.30 No.7 WWW) DeVore Fidelity Nines: $6500/pairThe 2.5-way, bass-reflex Gibbon Nine is a narrow,medium-size floorstander (38" tall) with a nominalimpedance of 8 ohms, 91dB sensitivity, bass extensiondown to 31Hz, and a relatively high degree of place-ment flexibility. Though they lacked the size and impactof AD’s Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE speakers, theDeVores were “wonderfully nuanced” and deliveredan “enjoyably human and non-mechanical sound.” SaidArt, “The Nine’s greatest strength was its multitude ofstrengths,” and “It had more drama and sheer human-ity than I’ve ever heard from such an outwardly con-ventional loudspeaker.” (Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five: $5200/pair ✩(stands necessary)The Special Twenty-Five borrows technology fromDynaudio’s top loudspeakers. JM: “How do they sound?Fabulous. . . . But with high-quality parts, conservative(first-order crossover) design, and flawless execution,what’s not to like? (Well, okay—the Euro-nanny speakerterminals are not to like.) [$5200/pair] is admittedlyrather stiff, but the audible family resemblance to the

Evidence and Confidence goes a long way in justify-ing that.” Although further evaluation convinced JAthat the Twenty-Five is “a superb loudspeaker” with agrain-free treble, a natural-sounding midrange, excel-lent soundstaging, and well-extended bass responsedown to 25Hz, its forward-leaning treble balance con-fines it to Class B, a rating shared by JM. While the Spe-cial Twenty-Fives lacked the seamless top-to-bottombalance and impressively deep soundstage of Dynau-dio’s less-expensive Focus 140s, WP found that theTwenty-Fives were better at transporting him to themusical event, if less precise at placing instrumentswithin that space. Though they couldn’t quite matchthe Sonics Anima’s three-dimensional presentation, theSpecial Twenty-Fives offered fleshier bass and greatervolume for a more lifelike sound, said WP. While theSpecial Twenty-Five shared the Dynaudio ConfidenceC1’s full-bodied sound and solid, detailed soundstage,it couldn’t match the C1’s top-to-bottom coherence,however. (Vol.26 No.1, Vol.28 No.6, Vol.29 No.5,Vol.30 Nos.7 & 11 WWW) Dynaudio Focus 140: $1800/pair (standsnecessary)Designed to bridge the gap between Dynaudio’s entry-level Audience and higher-priced Confidence lines, theFocus series features asymmetrical cabinets with real-wood veneers, first-order crossovers, and proprietaryEsotec+ drivers-a 1.1" soft-dome tweeter and a 6.5"woofer in the Focus 140, the larger of the line’s twostand-mounts. The Focus 140 proved “solid and trueand very physical,” offering a vivid and mighty soundwith “tonal consistency and sure-footed rhythmicstomp” that belied its small size. WP found that about250 hours of break-in time were required for an astound-ing enhancement in sound quality. Despite the 140’slow price, JA noted “excellent measured performance.”(Vol.29 No.5 WWW) Focal Electra 1027 Be: $7995/pair“The Electra 1027 Be strikes me as great,” said ST, “notsomething that was built down from Utopia standards,but built up to nearly reach those standards.” The beryl-lium-dome tweeters that were once reserved for Focal’sflagship line are now found in their Electra series, butwithout the former’s samarium-cobalt ring. The 1027Be’s open and extended treble was matched by excel-lent bass response that only began to fall off below38Hz. With the 1027 Be, Sam was able to transcendthe shortcomings of his favorite old recordings and notonly appreciate the subtle details of the playing, but alsoto feel the magic and historic importance of the musi-cal moments captured. “Focal has raised the bar at$7500/pair.” “Can be a little lean. . . but that’s howFrench loudspeakers are,” he cautions. (Vol.28 No.11) Focal Electra 1007 Be: $4495/pair (stands necessary)The superbly finished Elektra 1007 Be has a black-and-aluminum front baffle, gloss-black top, polishedwooden side cheeks, a 1" beryllium inverted-dometweeter, and a 6.5" W-cone woofer. Its rich, brilliantcharacter produced a grain-free, transparently balancedsound that allowed music to communicate effectively.Its ripe upper bass occasionally made the Elektra 1007Be sound relentless with overcooked recordings, “Butfed high-quality program and driven by a muscle amp,”said JA, “the Elektra 1007 Be will convey the musicalmessage in a most satisfying manner.” A slightly ele-vated mid-treble will make the speaker intolerant ofinadequate electronics and over-reverberant roomsalike. (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Fujitsu Ten Eclipse TD712z: $7000/pair (standsincluded)A single 4.7" driver with a glass-fiber cone is mountedin an egg-shaped enclosure of artificial marble with a1.5" rear-firing port. The ovoid shape is designed to dis-tribute mechanical stresses, and its lack of parallel wallsfunctions to minimize cabinet sound. Though theTD712z wouldn’t play very loud and didn’t go very

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deep, it had clarity, transparency, resolution, timbralaccuracy, and image specificity that were “simplybreathtaking,” said RD. JA was impressed by thespeaker’s time-coincident presentation and freedomfrom cabinet resonances, though he was more both-ered by its distinctly non-flat frequency response.(Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Harbeth Compact 7ES-3: $3495/pair (standsnecessary)Bigger than a minimonitor but smaller than a floor-stander, the third iteration of the Compact 7 is 20.3" Hby 10.6" W by 12.3" D. It uses the traditional BBC-style thin-walled cabinet, and is tuned to deliver a rich,full-bodied sound at the lowest frequencies. Refine-ments over previous Compact models include improvedcabinet wall damping and a completely redesignedcrossover. With “phenomenally precise” focusing and“crazy” imaging, the Compact 7 was “one of the mostmusically satisfying loudspeakers” in ST’s experience.“A treat for sore ears and one of Sam’s favorite speak-ers ever,” he tells us. “Damn those audiophiles. ThisHarbeth is for music lovers!” (Vol.30 No.6) Harbeth HL-P3ES-2: $1950/pair (stands necessary)Harbeth’s drop-in replacement for the BBC’s LS3/5abroadcast monitor combined elegant size, first-classfit’n’finish, and the sense of participating in the con-tinuation of audio history to achieve a “high gotta-havvit quotient,” said JM. If not for their lack of lowbass, he’d live with them indefinitely. JA agreed : notquite as detailed as the similar-sized and similar-pricedStirling LS3/5a V2, but better balanced overall in JA’sroom, with a more natural upper-bass presentation.The Harbeth’s magic was most readily apparent whenJA’s ears were level with the speaker’s tweeter. (Vol.16No.12, original version; Vol.28 No.10, Vol.30 No.4,‘ES-2 WWW) Joseph Audio RM7XL Special Edition:$2299/pair (stands necessary)This updated version of the celebrated RM7si Signa-ture Mk.2 includes fully revised drivers, including atweeter assembly trickled down from Joseph’s flag-ship, the Pearl, and a completely reengineeredcrossover. BJR was most impressed by the RM7XLs’ability to dig deep into each recording, giving a dis-tinct holographic presence to the most subtle sonicdetails. The speaker’s very revealing tweeter, however,required careful equipment matching. “Must be pairedwith revealing and neutral associated gear to fully real-ize the speaker’s strengths,” decided BJR. “The ‘XLcontinues the tradition of excellent measured perfor-mance established by earlier versions of Joseph Audio’sRM7,” said JA. (Vol.30 No.3 WWW ) Monitor Audio Silver RS6: $999/pair $$$This two-way, ported floorstander uses a refined 25mmC-CAM Gold Dome tweeter with extended frequencyresponse (to 25kHz), and offers superbly extended bassdespite its conveniently small footprint. BJR was sur-prised by the RS6’s dynamics and bass extension, lackof coloration in the midbass, and low overall distortion.He raved, “The flawless and exceptional Silver RS6 gaveme more listening pleasure than any other loudspeakerI have reviewed.” (Vol.29 No.3 WWW) Opera Mezza: $1495/pair (stands necessary)Opera’s smallest loudspeaker, the two-way Mezzauses a 1" silk-dome SEAS tweeter and a 5" SEASwoofer. Though it lacked deep bass, the Mezzaimpressed ST with its pinpoint imaging, superb focus,and truth of timbre. “They offer delicacy, detail, sub-tlety, and—not to stretch too far—humanity,” praisedST. “The Mezza has a soul.” Matching stands add$695/pair. (Vol.31 No.3) Sequerra Metronome 7.7 Mk.6: $850/pair(stands necessary)Currently only sold direct (with free shipping), the Met7.7 uses two treated-paper cone drivers: a SEAS wooferthat juts out from the speaker cabinet for time-align-

ment, and a modified Foster Electric tweeter. Its MDFcabinet is clad in attractive African bubinga veneer, andeach speaker has a convenient tweeter-level controlwith range of adjustment of ±1.75dB. The Met 7.7soffered “superbly focused” sound with “pinpoint imag-ing” and “top-notch” resolution. The speaker’s lack ofdeep bass may benefit from a subwoofer, and its sensi-tivity to placement may be offset by height-adjustablestands, advised ST. (Vol.30 Nos.7 & 9) Snell LCR7 XL: $5000/pair (stands necessary)The LCR7 XL, intended for left, right, or center use,is the flagship of Joe D’Appolito’s Series 7 speakersand houses twin 5.25"magnesium-cone SEAS woofersand a 1" SEAS Millennium tweeter. Other than itslimited low-frequency extension and ultimately lim-ited maximum volume, the LCR7 XL was almostflawless, thought JA. He admired its impressively neu-tral balance, overall grain-free presentation, and out-standing imaging and soundstaging capabilities. Evenwith the price drop to $5000/pair from the original$6000/pair, however, its lack of low bass is a concern,and the sound will be a bit in-your-face in under-damped acoustics. The standard LCR7 ($2000/pair)sounds similar but its leaner LF balance makes use ofa subwoofer mandatory. (Vol.29 No.6 WWW) Sonics by Joachim Gerhard Anima: $2600/pair(stands necessary)The small, two-way, ported Anima uses a new 0.86"SEAS metal-dome tweeter and a 5.9" anodized-alu-minum woofer, and sports a very attractive cabinet ofmarine-grade plywood and HDF. Carefully placedand with their grilles removed, the Anima revealed“detail and sizzle galore,” with lifelike dynamic impactand energy, for a “tantalizing” experience that keptWP listening late into the night. Though they didn’tgo exceedingly deep, their bass performance was tautand true. JA deemed the Anima “a worthy successor”to Gerhard’s popular Audio Physic Step minimonitor.(Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Spendor S8e: $3299/pairSpendor S6e: $2599/pairMarked by simplicity, the S8e uses just two drivers: an8" polymer bass/midrange cone with a synthetic rub-ber surround, crossing over at 4kHz to a 1" Sonolex-dome tweeter. Its especially seamless sound was neverexaggerated but always honest and convincing. Thougha sub would be needed to reach any deep lows, the S8e’sbass was always well-defined, precise, and fast. A glo-rious midrange combined with stunning harmonic pre-sentation to give the illusion of live music. ST summedup simply: “Resolution. Focus. Coherence.” The sim-ilar S6e features a 6.5" woofer and a 1" soft-dometweeter, compared with the S8e’s 8" woofer and a cab-inet that’s an inch or two smaller in all dimensions. Evenso, the S6e produced only a bit more bass than the muchsmaller Harbeth HL-P3ES-2. JM felt that the dramaticimprovement in bass offered by the S8e made it thebetter value. (Vol.28 Nos.6 & 12 WWW) Stirling LS3/5a V2: $1695/pair–$1845/pair,depending on finish (stands necessary)Manufactured under license from the BBC, the cur-rent V2 version uses SEAS and Scan-Speak drive-unitsrather than the original KEF models, and employs aSuperSpec crossover said to be of higher quality. TheV2 showed no sign of the original’s nasal midrange, anda noticeable lift in the V2’s treble region was carefullybalanced at lower frequencies by a rich-sounding upperbass. “Lives up to the reputation of its illustrious ances-tor and even, perhaps, improves on what the originalLS3/5a had to offer,” said JA. Demands more care insystem matching than the similar Harbeth HL-P3ES-2. (Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Teresonic Integrum: $7995/pairTeresonic’s entry-level speaker is equipped with aLowther DX3 driver as standard, leaving little roomfor driver experimentation, and uses a 70"-long quar-ter-wave pipe for loading. “Every inch a Lowther,” the

Integrum offered tunefulness and pitch certainty withclean and clear stereo imaging, but lacked deep bass.“A superb product,” said AD, “especially for the SET-curious audiophile to whom music and sound arehigher priorities than Lowtherism’s hands-on, DIYaspect.” Adds AD: “For special tastes only.” (Vol.30No.2 WWW) Thiel CS2.4: $4900/pair, depending on finish“An awful lot of speaker for $4400/pair,” the CS2.4 hasa 1" tweeter mounted coaxially inside a 3.5" midrangecone, both driven by a single voice-coil, and a first-order crossover between the woofer and midrange unit.While WP felt that the speaker was “fairly easy to drive,”JA’s measurements showed that the CS2.4 demands alot of current from an amplifier; a good 4 ohm–ratedamp is recommended. Though the considerably moreexpensive Peak Consult Empress offered greater top-end extension and a richer tonality, WP admired theThiel’s ability to bypass intellect for an “almost emo-tionally crippling” reproduction of music. Comparedwith the Penaudio Serenade, the CS2.4’s sheer powerand physicality were more exciting, but it lacked theSerenade’s smooth upper midrange and ultra-high fre-quencies. (Vol.28 No.11, Vol.29 No.2 WWW) Triangle Antal EX: $2895/pair(See ST’s review in this issue.) Wilson Benesch Arc: $5450/pair (standsnecessary)The Wilson Benesch Arc matched well with the Ars-Sonum Filarmona integrated amp, producing a soundthat was “beguilingly smooth and easy to listen to,” saidJM. Stands included in price. (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) C—FULL-RANGEAperion Audio Intimus 533-T: $750/pair $$$The magnetically shielded 533-T is a 21⁄2-way portedfloorstander with a 1" silk-dome tweeter and two 5.25"mineral-filled, polypropylene-cone woofers. Its smallfootprint and attractive cabinet should provide flexibil-ity in most domestic situations. Though it exhibitedsome midbass warmth and lacked ultimate low-bassextension, the 533-T reproduced music with “organicease” and provided surprisingly “wide, natural dynamiccontrasts.” “It just sits there, plays music, and plays itwell,” said BJR. Class C, recommends BJR, though WPargues for a higher rating. Sold factory-direct with a30-day audition and full money-back guarantee, includ-ing shipping both ways. (Vol.30 No.4 WWW) DALI Ikon 6: $1750/pairThis attractive 31⁄2-way, bass-reflex floorstander usestwo 6.5" woofers, each housed in a diecast aluminumchassis. Its unique hybrid tweeter, comprising a 1.1"cloth-dome unit and a 0.7" ribbon, is trickled downfrom DALI’s more expensive Euphonia and Heliconlines. The Ikon 6 captivated BJR with its “rich,detailed, holographic” presentation of vocals, andoffered well-extended, grain-free highs and fast tran-sients. Though some compression and confusionbecame apparent when the Ikon was pushed to highvolumes, it seduced BJR with its uncolored detail andsweet sound, though he does note a slight warmth inthe midbass. (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) JBL Studio L880: $1400/pairJBL’s Studio L880 is a four-way floorstander featuringa supertweeter in addition to the tweeter, midrange,two woofers, and a single front-loaded port. Thoughits natural-sounding midrange and treble lacked somedetail, the L880’s low-bass extension and high-leveldynamic realism were superb. BJR fell in love with itas a home-theater speaker. “Sets a new benchmark forlow bass extension and definition and high level dynamicslam within the realm of affordable speakers,” he adds.JA was impressed by its sophisticated engineering.(Vol.29 No.9 WWW) KEF iQ9: $1300/pairThe three-way, front-ported iQ9 is the top model ofKEF’s Q line, and features KEF’s unusual Uni-Q coin-cident-driver array: a 3⁄4" aluminum-dome tweeter

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placed at the center of a midrange cone. While theiQ9 offered a detailed, transparent, colorless midrangewith “a particularly breathtaking lower midrange,”the speaker suffered from a heavy midbass warmththat proved most problematic with rock music’s elec-tric bass guitars and kick drums. But “Overall, animpressive performer for its size and price,” said BJR.(Vol.29 No.2 WWW) MartinLogan Montage: $1295/pairThe beautifully crafted Montage mates two 6.5" elec-trodynamic aluminum cones with a 1.5" by 2.25" dipolefilm tweeter. With the right amplification and sourcematerial the Montage presented a seamless response, awide and credible soundstage, and accurate reproduc-tion of voices and instruments. However, when drivenmoderately hard with music of any significant weight,the speaker exhibited an upper-bass emphasis that KRcouldn’t ignore. JA identified two major resonances inthe 200–400Hz octave and a third at around 500Hz,which left him conflicted: “Taking its affordable priceinto consideration, the Montage is a well-balanceddesign. . . . However, that lively cabinet works againsta strong recommendation.” After further investigation,he decided that “In smaller listening rooms, its limiteddynamic range may well not be an issue.” KR disagrees,feeling that a recommendation is inappropriate. (Vol.28Nos.5 & 6 WWW) Silverline Audio Technology Prelude: $1200/pairThis slim, light, two-way floorstander has driversmounted in a D’Appolito array but uses a second-ordercrossover with the tweeter wired in inverted phase.Considerable revisions to the Prelude’s design weremade during the review process, requiring RD to offerhis opinions on what were, essentially, two differentspeakers. However, both versions excelled at produc-ing a big sound with a dynamic ease uncommon for asmall speaker. The revised model’s thicker cabinet wallstempered the Original’s box colorations, and its newtweeter relieved the Original of some of its trebleemphasis. The Prelude’s excessive upper-midrangeenergy will either be heard as enhanced musical detailor a touch of nasal coloration, depending on room fur-nishings and size. (Vol.30 No.3 WWW) C—RESTRICTED LFAmphion Helium2: $1350–$1450/pair, depend-ing on finish ✩ (stands necessary)The Helium2 is a small, two-way, reflex-loaded, mag-netically shielded, rear-vented satellite with a 1" tita-nium-coated aluminum-dome tweeter and a 5.25"Nomex-cone woofer. With rich and vibrant lower-midrange tones, perfect transients, extended highs, andthe bass extension and high-level dynamics of a floor-stander, the Helium2 conveyed a sophistication, artic-ulation, and resolution of detail that BJR found “simplyintoxicating.” “A classic,” he decided. JA discoveredsome midrange resonance problems that may have con-tributed to BJR’s feeling that the speaker was some-times “hooty.” (Vol.28 No.1 WWW) BG Corp. Z-1: $599/pair (stands necessary)This rear-ported, two-way, shielded bookshelf loud-speaker uses a ribbon tweeter coupled with a 5.25" alu-minum-cone woofer. While BJR felt the Z-1’s tweeteroffered very fine levels of detail, delicacy, and imme-diacy, the speaker lacked low-bass extension whenpushed hard with complex material, when it couldsound a little hard. Experimentation with speaker place-ment was required to achieve a well-balanced midbasspresentation without sacrificing too much soundstagedepth. “Overall,” BJR summed up, “the BG Z-1 was atop performer on a wide range of music.” JA recom-mends using the Z-1 with a subwoofer, or at least closeto the room boundaries to counteract its lightweightsound. (Vol.29 No.10 WWW) Epos M5: $650/pair $$$ ✩ (stands necessary)The nicely finished M5 is a shielded, biwirable, two-way bass-reflex design using a 5.4" mineral-loaded

polymer-cone woofer and a 1" dome tweeter with agold-anodized aluminum-alloy diaphragm. Offeredmidrange naturalness, detailed and delicate highs, per-fectly reproduced transients, uncolored midbass, and ahigh-level dynamic presentation. “Epos has establisheda new benchmark at the very affordable price of$650/pair,” said BJR. ST35 dedicated stands add$200/pair. (Vol.28 No.4) Epos ELS-3: $329/pair $$$ ✩ (stands necessary)This Chinese-made 10"-tall, 10-lb speaker uses Epos’proprietary 1" aluminum-dome, neodymium-magnettweeter and a 5" polypropylene-cone woofer. TheELS-3 had “superior midbass definition and realismon a wide range of program material; high-leveldynamic bloom beyond what I’d reasonably expectfrom a speaker of its size; a level of detail resolution Inormally associate with speakers approaching$1000/pair,” said BJR. For its size, the ELS-3 exhib-ited well-extended mid- and upper bass, high-leveldynamic slam, and startling detail resolution. Deepbass lacked drama, and when pushed to high volumes,the ELS-3 compressed the sound. Nonetheless, “I canthink of no speaker that produces greater sound qual-ity for the dollar,” said BJR, who uses the Epos as oneof his long-term references. JA concurred: “The EposELS-3 is a nicely engineered little speaker that its ownerneedn’t apologize for.” (Vol.27 No.1 WWW) Era Design 4: $600/pair (stands necessary)Designed by SignalPath’s Jim Spainhour and DavidSolomon, engineered by Aerial Acoustics’ MichaelKelly, and made in China, this two-way, reflex-loaded,stand-mounted speaker offered a sound that belied itsdiminutive size. The Design 4 produced an enormous,stable soundstage that re-created performance spaceswith wide, deep, tangible realism. Though low treblewas a little exaggerated, making the speaker intoler-ant of poor source quality, images were never flattened.Adding the Era SUB10 subwoofer bolstered thespeaker’s limited dynamic range. “The Era Design 4soffered much better sound quality than you have aright to expect for just $600/pair,” concluded JA.(Vol.30 No.1 WWW) Focal Chorus 807V: $995/pair $$$ (stands necessary)The Chorus 807V is a front-ported, two-way speakerwith a 1"TNV aluminum-magnesium, inverted-dometweeter and a 7" Polyglass-cone woofer. Its attractive“V” look was developed by the Parisian design houseof Pineau & Le Porcher. A natural, holographicmidrange was matched by clean, tight, uncolored bass.However, the 807V’s fast, detailed, and well-extendedhigh-frequency performance was sometimes “ruth-lessly revealing,” said BJR; careful matching with othercomponents and recordings is recommended. (Vol.30No.11 WWW) Infinity Primus P162: $298/pair (stands necessary)The Primus P162, the largest bookshelf model in Infin-ity’s new 160 series, uses a 0.75" Metal Matrix Dia-phragm tweeter and a 6.5" woofer. It produced “anuncolored, detailed, and holographic midrange” andsurprisingly convincing and powerful bass. Though thetreble was sometimes grainy at very high playback lev-els, BJR decided that “The Primus P162 did not soundlike a bookshelf speaker.” JA agreed: “Its generous lowfrequencies and high sensitivity are bonuses for cash-strapped audiophiles.” (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) Monitor Audio GS-10: $1499/pair (stands necessary)The GS10 is a two-way, stand-mounted, reflex-loadedloudspeaker with a 1" gold-anodized dome tweeter anda 6.5" metal-cone woofer. Its beautifully finished cab-inet has radiused edges for an elegant look and feel.The sound was marked by clean, detailed treble, weightyand reasonably extended low frequencies, and a dynamicrange that belied the speaker’s modest size. A “slightpropensity to brightness,” however, will require care-

ful system matching, cautioned JA. Matching standsadd $399/pair. (Vol.30 No.9 WWW) NHT Classic Three: $800/pair $$$ (standsnecessary)This acoustic-suspension, three-way bookshelf replacesNHT’s excellent SB3. The Classic Three is smaller,more elegant, less boxy, and outperformed its prede-cessor in every sonic parameter. Its ability to renderlow-level dynamic information, its resolution of detail,and its extended, airy high frequencies combined tocreate “a startling level of realism with well-recordedacoustic works,” said BJR, who rates the speaker highClass C, adding “sounds like a much larger speaker.”JA noted “superb measured performance” for such anaffordable speaker. (Vol.29 No.11 WWW) Pioneer Pure Malt Speaker: $598/pair (standsnecessary)The cabinet of this small, limited-edition, two-wayloudspeaker is made entirely of wood salvaged fromSuntory whisky barrels. It has a 4" woven-fiber mid-woofer and a 0.75" soft-dome tweeter, while bass load-ing is via a small port on the rear panel. Though it offered“excellent imaging” and produced “very pleasant,engaging sounds” with pop, rock, and jazz, it lacked thebass extension required to adequately reproduce clas-sical music, decided JM. (Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Silverline Audio Minuet: $600/pair (stands necessary)(See BJR’s review in this issue.) Totem Rainmaker: $950/pair (stands necessary)“A beautiful and sophisticated loudspeaker” craftedwith an attention to detail uncommon in its price range,the two-way, reflex-loaded Rainmaker uses a 1" alu-minum-dome tweeter and a 5", four-layer, paper-conewoofer. BJR noted “extraordinary detail, transparency,and lack of coloration” in the lower midrange, alongwith “lightning-fast articulation of transients at alldynamic levels.” JA’s measurements found cabinet res-onances in the upper midrange that correlated with a“slightly nasal quality” BJR heard in his auditioning.Highly recommended T4S stands add $525/pair.(Vol.27 No.11 WWW) Triangle Esprit Comete Ex: $12959/pair (standsnecessary)Triangle Titus EX: $995/pair (stands necessary)(See ST’s review in this issue.) (See AD’s review in this issue.) DAlmarro M0A: $1200–$1800/pair, dependingon finishA relative newcomer to the US, Almarro has produced“an attractive, engaging speaker that’s a superb valueand performs well with a wide range of musical pro-gramming,” said BJR. The M0A’s unique two-waydesign features a full-range 4" midrange cone, a 6.5"honeycomb-cone woofer, and integrated stands thatfunction as part of the woofer cabinet. Like a SET ampli-fier, the M0A offered a combination of wide, deepsoundstage and continuous, organic low-level articu-lation. High-level dynamic capabilities were limited.“You can ask for only so much from a 4" drive-unit runfull-range,” said JA. Price includes steel stands; add $150for aluminum stands. (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Audioengine 2: $199/pair $$$ (stands necessary)The powered, reflex-loaded Audioengine 2, designedfor use on desktops and in offices and bedrooms, canfit in the palm of one hand. It uses a 20mm silk-dometweeter and a 2.75" Kevlar-cone woofer in a black orwhite gloss cabinet measuring just 6" H by 4" W by5.25" D. Its small size made it extremely versatile,portable, and fun. At reasonable volume levels, bothindoors and out, the Audioengines provided a wide,deep soundstage with impressive image specificity anddrama. BJR raved: “The level of sound quality producedby this uncolored, detailed, articulate, and dynamicspeaker, in all situations, was beyond reproach.” Though

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JA noted some distortion on high-level tones at lowfrequencies, due to the built-in equalization causingthe woofer to work hard, he was impressed by theAudioengine’s level of engineering and the quality ofits fit’n’finish. (Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Paradigm Atom v.5: $249/pair $$$ (stands necessary)The Atom v.5 is the latest version of Paradigm’s bar-gain-basement, two-way, bass-reflex bookshelf design.It uses a 1" high-purity titanium-dome tweeter and a5.5" copolymer-cone bass/midrange driver with adiecast chassis. WP was most impressed by the Atom’s“glorious midrange” and ability to sort out instrumen-tal dynamics and acoustic interactions. The speaker’sfull-bodied overall balance compensated for its lack ofbass slam, Wes felt. According to JA’s measurements,however, the Atom will require care in system match-ing to offset its slightly excessive treble and slightly looseupper bass. The v.5 outclassed the v.3 in every sonicparameter, promoting the Atom into competition withdesigns in the $300–$500/pair range, said BJR. (Vol.30No.9, Vol.31 No.2 WWW) PSB Alpha B1: $279/pair $$$ (stands necessary)The unassuming B1, the latest version of PSB’s best-selling Alpha speaker, has molded plastic front and rearbaffles connected by an MDF sleeve, and combines a51⁄4", injection-molded, polypropylene-cone wooferwith a 3⁄4" ferrofluid-cooled, aluminum-dome tweeter,both sourced from India. Low-bass extension was lim-ited, and the speaker’s otherwise clean, clear bass tonebecame muddied at very high volumes. Though highfrequencies were slightly veiled, the B1’s midrange wassuperb. JA was most impressed by the Alpha’s talentfor orchestral music: “If you are a classical-music loverwith a small room and an equally small budget, a pairof PSB’s Alpha B1s is just what you need. . . Extraor-dinary value.” Though the B1s lent more drama to bassand drums, they couldn’t quite match the ParadigmAtom v.5’s treble performance, felt WP. JA’s feels thePSB’s treble to be more naturally balanced, however.(Vol.30 Nos.5 & 9 WWW) Usher Audio Technology S-520: $400/pair $$$(stands necessary)The two-way, front-ported S-520 has a 1" silk-dometweeter and a 5" polypropylene midbass cone, and isavailable in colorful glossy finishes (add $25/pair) orstandard birch. BJR noted some highlighting of thelower highs and a lack of upper-octave air, but admiredthe S-520’s midrange and high-frequency resolution.Low-end clarity and articulation were especially impres-sive—the deepest bass notes were produced with strik-ing realism. The Usher exhibited “some solid audioengineering” for its bargain-basement price, said JA.(Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Wharfedale Diamond 9.1: $350/pair (standsnecessary)This tiny, attractive two-way offered midrange andhigh-frequency resolution commonly found in speak-ers costing three times as much. A slight thickness thatranged from the upper bass to the lower midrange indi-cated the “LS3/5a British upper-bass bump trick,” usedto give the impression of greater bass extension. Thatcaveat aside, BJR was deeply impressed, calling the 9.1“a superb value.” Likewise, JA found “superb measuredperformance,” considering the speaker’s very modestprice. (Vol.28 No.11 WWW) EApple iPod Hi-Fi: $349The shiny, white, 15-lb Hi-Fi is Apple’s one-piece iPodmusic system comprising dock, battery charger, andspeaker. It has four class-D amplifiers, two 3.14" tre-ble-midrange drivers in separate sealed internal enclo-sures, and a 5.1" woofer in a dual-ported internalenclosure. An optical S/PDIF input allows users tointegrate the Hi-Fi into a WiFi network using Apple’sAirport Express. The iPod Hi-Fi’s slick industrial design,simple user interface, extralong power cord, internal

power supply, and battery compartment make compa-rable desktop music systems seem “chintzy,” said WP.“It sounds pretty good, too—better than any other iPod-aimed boombox I’ve heard,” he adds, “but it can soundshouty at higher volumes and we don’t give Mulligansfor ambition, just results.” Even so, “I love mine forwhat it is,” he concludes, adding that it offered “deeperbass, a far more articulate midrange, and nonscreechyhighs.” MF agreed: “As another goodwill ambassadorfor the hi-fi world, it can’t be beat.” (April 2006eNewsletter, Vol.29 No.5) DV Forge ProSticks: $372This PC speaker system uses a 7" sealed-box sub-woofer for “superbly tight and tuneful bass” that sur-passed the performance of the sometimes “thumpy”Acoustic Energy AEGO2. While the ProSticks could-n’t match the expansiveness of the AEGO2s’ sound-stage, they provided slightly better focus andtransparency. “An easy recommendation for computerlistening,” said MF. (Vol.28 No.7) KMagico V3, Revel Ultima Salon2, Totem Model OneSignature, Avantgarde Uno nano, Audio Note AN-E/SPe, Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v.4, Usher V601and Be718, Dali Ikon Ii, Renaissance Audio MLP-403.5.DeletionsAerial Acoustics Model 20T, Focal-JMlab Nova UtopiaBe, mbl 101E Radialstrahler, Linn Akurate, MårtenDesign Coltrane, Opera Callas Divina, WilsonBenesch A.C.T., Shahinian Acoustics Hawk, BG Corp.Radia 520i, Spendor S5e, Magneplanar MMG, MC1,and CC3, PSB Image B25, ZVOX Audio 315, all notauditioned in too long a time; Verity Audio Sarastro,Sonus Faber Cremona, and Horning Perikles replacedby new versions not yet auditioned; Omega Grande 6and Triangle Comete Anniversaire no longer avail-able; Peak Consult El Diablo and Empress not cur-rently distributed in the US.

SUBWOOFERSAJL Audio Fathom f113: $3400 $$$The f113 is a small, sealed cube featuring a 13" drive-unit with a prominent OverRoll surround that permitshuge cone excursions. All controls and connections forJL Audio’s Automatic Room Optimization are conve-niently located across the front of the sub, beneath theremovable grille. Setup was simple and sophisticated.“Small as it is,” said KR, “the f113 makes a powerfuland musical contribution to the bottom end, even inthe context of an already full-range system.” “Remark-ably powerful and clean by any standards, it is all themore so considering its compact dimensions,” he sumsup. When passing his system’s low-end signal to thef113 below 80Hz, KR also noted “a dramatic expan-sion of the entire soundstage.” Though installing twof113s in his system required more care and time thanLG had anticipated, the improvements in soundstag-ing and deep-bass reproduction were worth the effort.“My entire system achieved its best performance todate,” he said, also noting that the JL Audio’s AutomaticRoom Optimization circuit enabled him to tune outan annoying 50Hz mode in his room acoustics.Price isfor Gloss Black finish. Black Satin costs $3200. (Vol.29No.11, Vol.30 Nos.5 & 9 WWW) REL Studio III: $9995 ✩This powered “sub-bass system” has an adjustable high-pass filter and a DC-coupled 300W amplifier. “It trulylives up to its billing as a sub-bass system,” WP said aboutthe earlier Studio II. “And it seems to do so with speak-ers that I thought needed little or no bass reinforce-ment, as well as with those that benefit from an extrahalf (or even whole) octave of bottom end. But it doesmore than that. It also makes your primary loudspeak-ers possess even more of those magical qualities you

bought them for: more airiness, more sense of space,more magic.” LG was equally enthusastic about the 205lb Studio III, which uses two downward-firing, long-excursion, 10" paper-cone woofers made by Volt. TheStudio III conveyed ambient cues and enhanced imag-ing and portrayal of space while increasing the dynamicrange of LG’s system. It offered a “softer, airier quality”than LG is normally accustomed to, but still produced“deep, tuneful bass” while moving lots of air in his largelistening room. And though it delivered ample snap, pace,and drive, it always remained “true to the music.” Lacksa high-pass filter; for optimum results, must be installedand tuned to your room by the dealer. (Vol.21 No.7, Stu-dio II, WWW; Vol.27 No.10, Studio III WWW) Velodyne Digital Drive DD-18: $4999 ✩The servo-driven DD-18 has a built-in spectrum ana-lyzer and eight-band digital equalizer, which allow thesub’s performance to be optimized for its owner’s lis-tening room, and is one of the most expensive sub-woofers on the market. LG’s system gained tight, solid,bass reinforcement with “jaw-dropping increases indefinition in the deepest notes.” The soundstage alsogained width and depth, while spatial perspective wasenhanced. LG: “The combination of its computerinstallation program and its first-rate servo-controlleddrive-unit make it a true breakthrough for aftermarketsubwoofers.” (Vol.27 No.6 WWW) BBryston 10B-SUB crossover: $3050 ✩The 10B features three balanced configurations—stereo two-way, monophonic two-way, and mono-phonic three-way—and proved extraordinarilyversatile in managing crossover slopes and frequencies.LG heard no electronic edginess and noted only theslightest loss in soundstage depth. “I found the 10B-SUB’s sound clear, transparent, and neutral—as goodas I’ve ever heard from an outboard crossover.” (Vol.18No.5, Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Genelec HTS4B: $3999This powered sub uses a magnetically shielded12"driver on the front and one 12" passive radiator oneach side panel, all sharing the same internal cavity.An outboard crossover is necessary if the Genelec is tobe used in a two channel high-end system. Once cor-rectly level-matched and equalized, the HTS4B pro-duced solid, tight, deep bass and delivered dynamicswith suddenness and impact without altering the pitch,timbre, or quality of the main speakers’ midrange.(Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Paradigm Reference Servo-15: $2500 ✩This compact, self-powered, servo-corrected sub-woofer has multiple control settings, and so offersnumerous setup options. LG says it is well-engineeredand “gives no sign of the distortion, overload, or bloatthat is heard with so many subwoofer units.” He alsosays, “Combined with dynamic loudspeakers ordynamic satellite speakers, it delivers borderline ClassA sonics; Class B with electrostatics.” KR is currentlyusing the Paradigm with great success in his multichan-nel system. Price is for black ash laminate; light cherryor rosewood adds $250. (Vol.22 No.8 WWW) Thiel SmartSub SS1: $2900Typical of all Thiel models in featuring Thiel-designedand -built high-excursion, aluminum-cone driverswith the firm’s short-coil, long-gap motor system, theSmartSub SS1 also has a single 10" driver and a 500Wlinear class-A/B amplifier with a tracking switchingpower supply. Coupled with the PX02 dedicated pas-sive crossover ($350), “everything just sounded biggerand better.” Bass was tauter, deeper, and perfectly insync with the rest of the music, benefiting Thiel’s CS2.4not only in the low frequencies, but in the midrangeand top end, too. Adding the “infinitely flexible” S1line-level crossover ($4400) resulted in “a remarkableenhancement in a loudspeaker I was already prettybesotted with,” said WP, and pushes the SS1 almost toClass A. (Vol.28 No.11 WWW)

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CEra SUB10: $1000The SUB10 is a hefty sealed subwoofer weighing 65lbs and standing nearly 19" high on its spiked feet. Ituses a 300W amplifier to drive a downfiring, 10" min-eral-loaded polymer-cone woofer. Adding a pair ofSUB10 to Era’s Design 4 minis created a genuine full-range system that provided the necessary weight andimpact. Though very low bass always lagged a bit behindthe musical pulse, JA never detected the “one-note bass”too often heard from satellite-subwoofer systems. Sam’sgot one of these and likes it, too. “Compact, versatile,”he adds. “Can be used with other speakers, not just Eras.Warmly recommended.” (Vol.30 No.1 WWW) KSVS PB13-Ultra Subwoofer.

HEADPHONES &HEADPHONE ACCESSORIESAAKG K 701: $450The K 701 is a large, open-back, circumaural, dynamicdesign with a neodymium magnet system. It featureswire frames, a leather headband, white porcelain-likerims and motor housing, and extremely comfortable,velvety ear pads that make “a dashing retro-futuristicfashion statement.” While the K 701s were not exceed-ingly difficult to drive, a headphone amp is recommen-ded. The K 701s coupled an unmatched sparkle andlife in the high frequencies with a full bottom end fora truthful, involving sound that defied simple back-ground listening. WP: “The AKG 701s have raised thebar for natural-sounding headphones.” Sam’s referencephones: “Why mess around with speakers costing tensof thousands of dollars when you can have this?” heasks, summing up “Beautiful to look at, comfortable towear. Worth every Pfenig!” JM agreed: “The 701s exhib-ited clarity and detail in abundance, as well as bass thatwas powerful and well defined.” “A bit forward-sound-ing,” warns MF, however. Stereophile’s 2006 “JointAccessory.” (Vol.29 No.8, Vol.30 No.12 WWW) Benchmark Media Systems DAC1: $975 $$$DAC1 USB: $1275Two headphone jacks but only digital inputs ratherthan analog. See “Digital Processors.” (Vol.26 No.7,Vol.27 No.5, Vol.31 No.1 WWW) Grace Design m902: $1695This revision of the Grace 901 headphone amplifierincludes an onboard DAC that now handles samplingrates of up to 192kHz, unbalanced analog outputs con-trolled by the front volume control, and a cross-feedprocessing circuit to provide a headphone-listeningexperience more akin to listening with loudspeakers.Additionally, unlike the 901, the m902 can be used asa DAC-preamplifier. “A great, high-resolution DAC ina very cost-effective package” offering remarkable clar-ity and continuity and a roundness of tone, especiallyto the midrange, thought JM. In JA’s listening room,the m902 stood its ground against the Mark LevinsonNo.30.6 processor ($17,500) and the more closelypriced Benchmark DAC-1 ($975). Using the m902 asa headphone amp via its USB input, WP found thesound “murky.” Connected via TosLink, however, theGrace offered solid bass with punch and immediacy.“Pretty miraculous,” said WP, who also recommendedauditioning the m902 as a preamplifier or as a work-horse in a prosumer digital workstation. “Highly rec-ommended,” summed up JM. (Vol.28 No.6, Vol.29No.4 WWW) HeadRoom Desktop: $1895, as reviewedThe Desktop is a hi-rez DAC, a digital switching sta-tion, a preamp, and a headphone amp rolled into one

small, easy-to-use, relatively affordable package for“true geek fun.” WP loved it: “The reason I immedi-ately began missing deadlines was that I was soentranced by the music.” JA was equally impressed:“HeadRoom’s Desktop offers excellent measurementsin both the analog and digital domains.” The upgradedHome module employs HeadRoom’s version of WaltJung’s Diamond Buffer discrete transistor design, forc-ing all active circuits into class-A bias using constantcurrent sources. WP noted improved clarity and grain-less musicality, allowing him to form a stronger emo-tional connection with the music. Standard version,$599; Options: Home module, $99; Max module,$399; DACs: Desktop, $249; Home, $299; Max, $399;volume controls options: nobel volume pot (stock),stepped attenuator ($99); power supply, $399. (Vol.29Nos.4 & 11 WWW) Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline II The Raptor:$1175The small (5.6" W by 4" H by 4.25" D) Raptor’s out-put-transformerless design uses a single 12AU7 triodetube for input gain and two 5687 driver tubes. The partsare of very high quality parts and include Holco resis-tors, Hovland MusiCaps, and Vishay resistors, for asound that can transport the listener to headphoneheaven, said ST. “The presentation was nothing shortof outstanding: dynamic, wide, with superior defini-tion and detail.” Requires break-in; sounded best afterabout an hour of play. (Vol.30 No.6) RudiStor RPX-33 mk2: $1799The utilitarian RPX-33 mk2 is a dual-mono class-Aheadphone amplifier with two RCA preamp outs. Itoffered “a noticeable step up in dynamics, bass drive,and resolving power” over the Benchmark DAC 1 andGrace m902 D/A headphone amps, felt JM: “A phe-nomenal headphone amp.” (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) Sennheiser HD650: $600The HD650s are an evolution of Sennheiser’s very suc-cessful HD600 open-back dynamic headphones,claimed to provide superior results due to hand-selectedparts with closer tolerances and the use of a speciallydeveloped acoustic silk for the driver diaphragms.Compared to the Grado SR325i, the Sennheiserssounded richer but slightly darker. JM found that theirvery effective seal created a resonant cavity that pro-duced “bass that is both quite deep and a trifle indis-tinct.” JA’s new reference cans. (Vol.28 No.6 WWW) Sennheiser HD600: $500 ✩WP, KR, and ST are unanimous in calling these thebest dynamic headphones they’ve ever heard. “The onlyones with which I have ever been physically or soni-cally comfortable,” says KR. “Sennheiser has kept allof the qualities that made the HD580 among the bestof its breed, and in several areas has even managed tobetter it impressively,” according to WP. Says ST, “Themagic of the HD600s is their midrange—a purity oftone, especially when driven by tubes, that is quite spe-cial.” Astonishingly transparent when driven in bal-anced mode by a HeadRoom BlockHead, found J-10in July 2002. (Vol.21 No.2 WWW) Shure SE530: $450Shure’s top-of-the-line in-ear headphones, originallycalled the E500PTH, include two woofers, a tweeter,and a crossover network, but are actually smaller andlighter than the E5c they replace. While retaining theE5c’s deep bass and extended top end, the SE530 offereda smoother, richer midrange. At the slide of a switch,the useful Push To Hear (PTH) module mutes themusic and activates a microphone, allowing the user tohear ambient noise. MF bought the review sample.Recent upgrades of the SE530 include modular cables,a standard Push To Hear (PTH) in-line volume atten-uator, and new isolating sleeves of black foam. In addi-tion, the SE530 comes with an “airplane attenuator,” atwo-prong converter, and a handsome aluminum case.With the proper ear fit, WP noted “extended bass anda smooth, soaring top end.” The SE530s’ reliability and

versatility made them an easy choice for everyday use,and their sound proved better than that of any otherin-ear headphone in WP’s experience. An MF fave.(Vol.30 Nos.1 & 12 WWW) Stax SRS-007II Omega II System: $3895The SR-007 Omega II Earspeaker electrostatic head-phones can be powered with either of two “energiz-ers”: the newer, solid-state SRM-717 or thesimilar-looking tubed SRM-007t. The 007t was “a bitmore immediately colorful, with softer and rounderbass and not as extended a top or bottom—but wassweeter and more engaging. The solid-state 717 alsodisplayed a full tonal palette: its bass was tighter, itshighs more extended and, yes, less sweet. But it wasquite good in the midband, which was something of awelcome surprise. J-10 summed up: “The Omega IIheadphone system is an outstanding choice for thosewho want clean, clear, fast, revealing sound. If I haveto go through life with only one of the Stax amps, giveme the tubed SRM-007t.” Soften the sound slightly bygoing for the tubes, or keep the greater extension andlovely midrange of the solid-state SRM-717. With theheadphones powered by the tube amp, MF commentedthat the SR-007 Electrostatic Earspeaker “had all thepluses and minuses of electrostatic loudspeakers,” saidMF: they were open, fast, and transparent, but withlimited dynamics and somewhat soft bass. “The com-bination of tube warmth and electrostatic transparency,plus superb build quality and a very comfortable fit,added up to a Class A listening experience,” he decided,though he feels that the Stax is ultimately better suitedto classical and jazz than rock. (Vol.18 No.3, originalOmega; Vol.24 No.7, Vol.30 No.5 WWW) Ultimate Ears UE 10: $900These discrete in-ear monitors, designed especially foruse in professional applications, are custom-molded toyour ear by an audiologist and provide superlative soundisolation. They have three balanced armature drivers,a passive crossover, and a 1⁄8" stereo minijack. The UE10s excelled at providing accurate sound across the sonicspectrum, and most impressed WP with their “natural,ungimmicky” presentation of voices. Their high sensi-tivity makes them compatible with typical portableplayers, but their low impedance at low frequenciesmay produce lean-sounding bass with earlier iPods,warned JA. Price does not include custom ear-moldfee. Stereophile’s 2006 “Joint Accessory of the Year.”(Vol.29 No.10 WWW) Ultimate Ears UE 5: $700 ✩These lightweight, sound-isolating, in-ear headphonesfeature dual balanced armatures, a passive crossover,and 1⁄8" stereo mini-jack. Their use of custom-fitted ear-pieces make it important to have a mold correctlycrafted for each of your ears. Insertion and removal ofthe earpieces was initially problematic, but soon becamesecond nature. They offered excellent isolation fromexternal sounds, were easily comfortable for long lis-tening sessions, and combined a smooth midrange andmellow highs with addictive, larger-than-life bass.“highly recommended,” concluded JA. Soft materialoption adds $50; metal carrying case adds $20. (Vol.27No.12 WWW) Ultrasone Edition 9: $1499The “extremely comfortable” Edition 9s are dynamic,closed-back headphones sporting a headband and ear-pieces of exotic leather. They use a hinge-and-pivot ear-piece arrangement with nondetachable Y cord runningto both sides. Ultrasound’s S-Logic spatial-effectenhancement technology seemed to increase “out-of-the-head imaging,” found JM. The sound was ultra-rich, lush, and seductive, while sacrificing somesharpness in the treble. When paired with the RudiS-tor PRX-33 mk2, the Edition 9s provided “extraordi-nary” performance. (Vol.30 No.6 WWW) BCayin HA-1A: $875While first and foremost a headphone amplifier, the

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HA-1A can also serve as a line-stage preamp with a sin-gle pair of inputs, or as a flea-watt integrated tube ampoffering 1.2Wpc in single-ended triode mode or 2.2Win ultralinear operation. The Cayin provided the SETexperience, sounding immediate, intimate, and alivewhile expanding the soundstage to float beyond the lis-tener’s headspace. “The HA-1A may be the best thingthat ever happened to headphones,” raved ST, thoughhe finally decides that high Class B is a where the Cayinrightfully belongs. WP compared the HA-1A to Head-Room’s Desktop/Home. While the Cayin provided atube three-dimensionality that the HeadRoom lacked,it couldn’t match the Home’s bottom-end definition.(Vol.29 Nos.6 & 11) Channel Islands Audio VHP-2: $399Though tiny (4.4" W by 2.6" H by 4" D), the dead quiet,warm, and detailed VHP-1 managed to impress WPwith its bass power and extension, and offered enoughgain to handle the Sennheiser HD-650s. “A heck of agood headphone amplifier,” he remarked. Adding theVAC-1 power supply ($159) resulted in better bassresponse and greater dynamic contrast, and made theVHP-1 “a serious rival for best of class in its price range.”Product is now RoHS-compliant and called the VHP-2. Rating is thus provisional until further auditioninghas been performed. (Vol.28 No.10 WWW) Future Sonics Atrio Series: $199These full-range, in-ear headphones “use a single pro-prietary driver to deliver exceptionally smooth perfor-mance from top to bottom of the audioband: powerfullyfast, tight bass; clean, extended, transparent highs; lowdistortion; and lots of detail,” said MF. Accessory pack-age includes several sizes of ear inserts. (Vol.31 No.3) Grado SR325i: $295Compared to the Sennheiser HD-650s, the Gradosgave the sense of greater treble extension and weremore efficient. Their generally forward sonic presen-tation, however, left JM wondering if long listeningor editing sessions would prove fatiguing. The Gra-dos use round earpieces that, unless your ears are verysmall, will perch on rather than around them. (Vol.28No.6 WWW) Grado SR125: $150 $$$ ✩BJR: “The SR125 is a neutral, detailed, and warm-sounding headphone. . . with extended frequencyextremes, wide dynamic range, and the ability to soundnatural at a wide range of volume levels.” It was in theiruse as playback monitors that BJR found how truly spe-cial they could be: “Not for one instant were they aurallyor physically fatiguing. They were simultaneouslymusical and revealing of every nuance I recorded, butwere amazingly comfortable on my head—more sothan any headphone I’ve ever used.” In BJR’s opinion,the highest bang for the buck in the Grado line. (Vol.25No.6 WWW) Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline SR-71: $395At just 3.5" by 2.5v by 1.5" and weighing 11oz, the tinybattery-powered Emmeline SR-71 “is the portableequivalent to a class-A power amp,” said WP. Despiteits being “a bit too bulky to easily slip into your run-ning shorts,” the SR-71’s sound proved so fine and addic-tive that WP was happy to invent new uses for it,hooking it up to his main review system as well as inthe bedroom. Playing uncompressed AIFF files throughan iPod, the SR-71 gave music “body and a detailedindividuality that the portable player palpably lackedon its own.” JA’s experience using the Emmeline todrive his Ultimate Ears UE-5Cs echoed WP’s enthu-siastic comments. Held its own against the MusicalFidelity X-CanV3, but lacked the latter’s bass extensionand attention to detail. (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline The Hornet:$350“A marvel of a miniature,” the portable Hornet (3" Lby 2" W by 1" H) comes in six colors, runs on onerechargeable 9V battery, uses high-quality capacitorsand resistors, and offers a mini-plug line-level input

and mini-plug headphone out. The Hornet was “a joyto use,” and proved superior to the headphone outputof the Atoll PR300 preamp. ST: “I’m in headphoneheaven. . . . How does Ray do it—big headphone soundfrom a portable amp about the size of a matchbox?”Sam takes his to the library to block out the noise ofchirping children and nattering librarians. “To get themaximum performance,” JA advised, “Hornet ownersshould use the lowest Gain setting that gives accept-able levels with their preferred headphones.” (Vol.29Nos.9. & 12, see also June 2006 eNewsletter WWW) Ultrasone PROline 2500: $399The open-backed 2500s offered a “spacious and airy”sound with “a slight prominence in the articulation ordetail-frequency ranges,” said JM. (Vol.30 No.6WWW) CGoldring DR100: $99.95Goldring DR150: $149.95Designed and engineered in the UK but made inChina, these circumaural, open-back ‘phones havewell-cushioned cups and headband and a 3m detach-able cable. The DR150s provided a rich, full soundwith a smooth midrange, silky treble, and warm bass.“These cans appear to have a little boost in the upperbass,” adds ST, “I welcomed this, even with classical—those cellos and double basses sounded swell.” Theless refined DR100s maintained most of the 150s’ bassperformance but lacked detail in the midrange and tre-ble. An outboard headphone amp should be used toachieve best sound, suggested ST. (Vol.29 No.12) Grado SR60: $69 $$$ ✩The SR60 offers a rather dark-toned balance, with afull bass and excellent resolution of detail. A more for-ward midrange, however. Uncomfortable. (Vol.17Nos.6 & 10 WWW) HeadRoom Total BitHead: $149 ✩A black plastic box weighing about 5.5oz with its fourAAA batteries, the Total BitHead measures just aboutthe same as a standard-size iPod, uses Burr-BrownOPA4743 quad op-amp chips, and features two inputs:a 1⁄8" stereo mini-jack for analog drive and a USB portfor digital feeding a Burr-Brown PCM2902 DAC.MF: “The Total BitHead seemed to equip the musicwith heavy-duty shocks and springs, giving it a tighter,more muscular drive. Rhythm, pacing, and musicalflow improved significantly. There was greater deli-cacy and image three-dimensionality.” “Quite nice,”agrees ST, who uses a BitHead with his favorite Sonyportable CD player. BD likes using his with his PC.(Vol.27 No.12 WWW) NO CLASS DISTINCTIONWestone UM56 custom earmolds: $112/pairWestone’s earmolds are made from silicone materialimpressions taken by an audiologist. When Jim Austinused the UM56s with his Shure E4s, he noted strongbass response and excellent sound isolation. A posi-tive, secure fit requires an open-jaw ear impression.Initial moldings, formed from a relaxed-jaw impres-sion, resulted in poor isolation and a loose fit. “Highlyrecommended —but open wide,” said Jim. (Vol.30No.5 WWW) KSony MDR-7506 headphones, Ultimate Ears UE-11in-ear headphones.DeletionsMusical Fidelity X-CanV3 replaced by new model; Sug-den HeadMaster not auditioned in a long time.

FM TUNERSADay-Sequerra FM Reference Signature Modifi-cation: $1680 (+ cost of tuner)David Day’s Signature Mod effectively addresses thisultimate FM tuner’s cathode-ray tube’s tendency to

burn out. Switching circuitry has been added to allowthe CRT to turn off when not needed. The SignatureMod also replaces the tuner’s incandescent bulbs withlonger-lasting LEDs, and uses hand-matched, low-group-delay filters for lower distortion and better chan-nel separation. LG noted punchy, quick bass response,a deeper soundstage, and a more transparent midrange.“The new CRT’s greater range of brightness and longerlife expectancy makes the Signature Modificationessential for owners of the DaySequerra FM tuner.”(Vol.12 No.6, Vol.14 No.12, Vol.21 No.6, FM Refer-ence; Vol.29 No.9, Signature Modification WWW) Editor’s Note: There are currently no Class B FMtuners listed.CMusic Hall RDR-1 Table Radio: $200“RDR” stands for “Radio Done Right,” and Roy Hall’stable radio, made in the same factory as the SangeanWR2 and based on that model, features a 3" horn-loaded speaker and 7W amp. Relatively large (9.4"W by 4.5" H by 7.1" D), the RDR-1 offers FM andAM presets (five each), an Aux input, and doubles asa clock radio. Its many features take some getting usedto, but ST loved the RDR-1 for its “exceptionallyquiet” AM reception, an area in which the Music Halltrounced the Tivolis. “Highly recommended,” he said.(Vol.29 No.8) Outlaw RR2150: $649One of the few low-cost, high-performance, two-chan-nel receivers still available. See “Integrated Amplifiers”(Vol.29 No3, Vol.31 No.1 WWW)DC. Crane Model CCRadio SW table radio:$149.95Resembling a classic military shortwave receiver, theCCRadio-SW comes with an AC wall wart but canalso be powered by four D or four AA batteries. It hastwo RCA line inputs, and offers fast and slow tuning,50 memory presets, and a timer and alarm. Offered“superb” AM and FM reception, and played louder thanthe Tivoli PAL, said ST. “For casual listening, especiallynews and talk, this is just fine.” (Vol.30 No.12) Cambridge SoundWorks Radio 820HD: $300The 820HD is a “splendid little FM radio,” said ST. “Itcould play surprisingly loud, and was surprisingly goodat pulling in weak analog FM signals.” HD receptionremains a question, As does its limited bit-rate, adds JA.But HD Radio does “sounds good when it comes in,better than satellite. Either it comes in or it doesn’t. Fig-ure no more than 30 miles from a transmitter, maybeless for AM. This is a fine sounding radio (on FM) withplenty of features, many of them confusing but someof them useful (like the ability to program the alarm togo off only on weekdays).” Analog AM reception wasnot so hot at Sam’s place, however. (Vol.30 No.8) Sangean HDT-1X HD radio tuner: $250The HDT-1X provides an optical digital output, theability to bypass HD reception, a force-mono position,and 20 memory presets each for AM and FM. ST was“generally pleased” with the Sangean’s analog FMreception, but analog AM was “just okay.” Though HDsound had greater clarity than analog, it lacked air, ambi-ence, and low-level detail. “MP3 quality sound fromyour FM radio, anyone?” rhetorically asks ST. HD pro-gramming options fell far short of what’s available onthe Internet. “Considering the low price of the Sangean,this is a buy— if you want to receive HD broadcaststhat aren’t otherwise available,” decided ST, “Terrificvalue for money in terms of a conventional FM tuneralone.” (Vol.31 No.1) Tivoli Audio Model One table radio: $120 ✩“The Tivoli Model One is a radio stripped to its essen-tials: no stereo, no station memories, no remote con-trol, no tone controls,” said ST. This design from thelate Henry Kloss didn’t like being played very loud, STdiscovered, but was “plenty loud for a typical office,and, ultimately, loud enough for me.” He heard “a rich-

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ness, a warmth, a generosity of tone, and a clarity thatmade for enjoyable listening. I was never fatigued.” “Abit boomy,” says JA, “but pleasantly so.” AD connectedthe Model One’s record-out jack to his preamp inputs,then muted its speaker. Matching the Tivoli with aRadioShack 15-2163 FM antenna, he found that “thecombination has been nothing short of wonderful inmy system: a flexible, great-sounding monophonicsource for a combined price of only $124.” (Vol.24 No.3,Vol.27 No.7 WWW) Tivoli Audio Model Two stereo table radio: $200✩Just like the Model One, but on “stereo-oids,” the ModelTwo uses the same 3" speaker and the same verniertuning dial, but adds a dedicated Aux position. Its AMreception is slightly better than the original’s, thoughstill not great. ST: “If you want the best AM radio pos-sible, you should probably tune elsewhere.” He sumsup: “Non-fatiguing—perhaps contoured to boost theupper bass a little and roll off the treble, but okay by me.Nuts to neutrality, especially in what is basically aradio.” He admires the Model Two for what it is, andfor not pretending to be what it isn’t. (Vol.25 No.4) Tivoli Audio PAL portable radio: $200Designed by the late Henry Kloss, the PAL, measur-ing 6.2" H by 3.6" W by 3.6" D, is a Tivoli Model OneFM/AM table radio in a plastic case with a recharge-able onboard NiMH battery to make it all portable.Sound quality through the built-in 2.25" speaker wasvery good, though not quite up to par with that of theModel One, which has a 2.75" speaker and a woodencabinet. ST uses his PAL in the backyard or when vis-iting in-laws, and has also used it as a tuner. Replace-ment battery costs $25; carrying bag adds $29.99.(Vol.27 No.12) KMagnum Dynalab MD-206.

FM ANTENNAEditor’s Note: No indoor antenna can compete witha good roof or mast-mounted outdoor antenna, butbecause apartment dwellers often don’t have a choice,we list the following indoor models that we have foundto work well: AudioPrism 8500 ($499.99, Vol.14 No.6),AudioPrism 7500 ($299.99, Vol.12 No.5), MagnumDynalab 205 FM Booster ($399, Vol.10 No.6),RadioShack amplified indoor FM antenna ($31.99, Vol.19No.11), RadioShack 15-2163 FM antenna (Vol.27 No.7),and Fanfare FM-2G ($99, Vol.20 No.12). Outdoor anten-nae we have reviewed and recommended are the AntennaPerformance Specialties Sniper ($595) and Antenna Per-formance Specialties APS-13 FM ($199), the original ver-sions of which were reviewed in Vol.19 No.3.

COMPLETE AUDIOSYSTEMSAMeridian F80: $3000(See WP’s review in this issue.) KPrimare DVD 110, Sooloos Music System.

SIGNAL PROCESSORSAAudyssey Sound Equalizer: $2500The standalone Sound Equalizer with MultEQ Prosoftware canbe inserted into any system that has line-level access between its sound processor and poweramp. No longer tethered to a mass-market A/Vreceiver, the Sound Equalizer’s more powerful digital

signal processing is entirely dedicated to equalization.In addition, the full-range Sound Equalizer offers twicethe resolution of built-in versions of MultEQxt overmost of the audioband, and eight times as much in thebass. KR heard a subtle but significant improvementin the overall sound of his system. Mid- and upper-bass emphases were removed, images were more pre-cisely placed, and low bass was tightened. Requiresprofessional installation for initial use and any subse-quent system updating. “Given a decent installation,”concludes KR, “it will provide the finishing touch, opti-mizing room-response, tonal balance and soundstag-ing.” (Vol.30 No.3 WWW) Meridian 861 with MRC room correction:$17,000–$19,000The MRC’s correction scheme is based on calculatingand inserting multiple narrow notch filters for eachspeaker in each of the 861’s applications (see “MusicSurround Components”). In order to reduce the decaytime of each strong resonant mode with respect to theaverage decay time for the room, the notch filters areconfigured to match the frequency and time parame-ters of the resonant modes. In addition, the MRC lim-its the amount of correction to avoid making an audiblechange in the immediate sound from the speakers. KR’ssystem gained seamless wraparound imaging and sig-nificantly tighter and surprisingly powerful subwooferperformance. “Perhaps the most customizable andeffective multichannel room correction system forbelow 200Hz. I am continuing to discover more aboutit with each use.” Stereophile’s 2006 “MultichannelMusic Component.” (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Rives Audio PARC analog parametric equal-izer: $3200 ✩Of this two-channel, three-band parametric equalizerwith Parametric Adaptive Room Compensation(PARC), KR said, “the PARC was completely trans-parent in both the critical midrange and the revealingtreble range,” while in the lower midrange and bass,“the PARC was changing the sound, as intended.” Deepmale voices were “always firmer, better defined har-monically and spatially, and easier to distinguish musi-cally.” Large and complex passages of music were alsoimproved: “I realized that, although there was no sap-ping of energy, there was a greatly enhanced facility tohear more of what was going on within the orchestra.PRaT (Pace, Rhythm, and Timing) fans will appreci-ate what PARC does to delineate the pulse and meterof the music.” One of Stereophile’s 2003 “Joint Acces-sories.” (Vol.26 No.7 WWW) Velodyne SMS-1: $749This little box is at once an equalizer to be connectedbetween a preamplifier-processor and subwoofer, atest-signal generator to be connected to a pre-pro’s lineinput, a display device to be connected via compositeor S-video to your monitor, and all the interactive com-putation power needed. KR found that subwoofersbenefited from the SMS-1, which linearized and flat-tened the bass. (Vol.28 No.11 WWW) Z-Systems rdp-1 reference: $4000 ✩A digital preamp, but, as KR points out, “a flexible andfriendly parametric equalizer” as well. “The best wayto correct tonal imbalance in speakers and source mate-rial. The tone control for the digital age.” However, hecautioned, it is not a universal Band-Aid. “While therdp-1 can modify the amplitude response of [a] speaker,it cannot correct phase interactions between drivers,nor can it change the radiation pattern of [a] speaker.”But used judiciously, “it is a valuable tool.” After mak-ing it his 1998 “Editor’s Choice,” JA bought one of thereview samples and uses it to apply judicious EQ whenhe masters Stereophile recordings. (Vol.21 No.7 WWW) CC. Crane FM Transmitter: $69.95Sleeker than the TAW~Global Whole House that hewrote about in the same issue, the C. Crane FM trans-mitter uses two AA batteries, comes in black, white, or

silver, and features a telescoping swivel antenna. It hasa tuning range of 88.3–107.7MHz, and its built-in input-level control works to avoid overloading the transmit-ter. Sold direct with free UPS shipping; carcigarette-lighter adapter adds $29.95. (Vol.29 No.8) DeletionsAutomated Controlled Environments SubwooferOptimization System.

RECORDING EQUIPMENTAAlesis MasterLink ML-9600 hard-disk/CD-Rrecorder: $1699 ✩With the ML-9600, MF was thrilled to be able torecord to its hard drive at any combination of 44.1, 48,88.2, or 96kHz sample rates and 16-, 20-, or 24-bitword lengths, create his own specialized Playlist, andrecord 16-bit/44.1kHz “Red Book” CDs at his choiceof speed. As a reviewer’s tool, the ML-9600 provedinvaluable: “LPs as played through different phono sec-tions, turntables, and cartridges can be archived to24/96 discs and be compared later with new productsbeing reviewed—the MasterLink’s fidelity is thatgood.” But its functions run far beyond that of the audioreviewer, and for only $1699 (street price as low as$1000), it’s a bargain: “The MasterLink has to be oneof the greatest values in audio as a CD burner, anarchival tool, or a mixdown recorder. . . . Once youunderstand how to use it, it makes creating CD com-pilations a blast. Highly recommended.” JA enthusias-tically agrees, using a MasterLink as a backup on his liverecording dates. Balanced Power Technology’s modifi-cations of the MasterLink resulted in a sound that was“warmer, less edgy, more smooth, yet with more appar-ent detail; in short, more analog-like,” said Mikey. Newmodified units cost $1799; old units can be upgradedfor $1000. (Vol.25 No.6, Vol.29 No.2 WWW) Sound Devices Model 722 portable audiorecorder: $2775JM raved: “The coolest, most desirable piece of audiohardware I have encountered in a dog’s age.” The Model722 is designed as a rugged, high-performance, fool-proof, battery-powered portable stereo recorder forelectronic newsgathering and video- and film-soundrecording. However, with its line-level XLR analoginputs, onboard A/D converters, 40GB hard drive, andheadphone amp, the 722 can also serve as a personalstereo. Offers 24-bit recording at up to a 192kHz sam-ple rate. “The apotheosis of the iPod,” said JM. “iTunesbe damned.” JA notes that the 722’s “pre-roll” feature—it starts recording five seconds before you press“Record”—saved his bacon on a live session. (Vol.29No.10 WWW) TASCAM DV-RA1000: $1500The DV-RA1000 is a component-width, two-rack-unit–high professional recorder that records “RedBook” 16-bit/44.1kHz CD data to conventional CD-Rs, or hi-rez audio directly to DVD+RW blanks, allthe way from 24/88.2 PCM up to DSD. Dilettantescan have fun with the DV-RA1000’s capabilities, whileprofessional users will have to bounce its hi-rez tracksto computer-based music-production programs. JM:“The TASCAM DV-RA1000 sounds great and is ascreaming bargain.” (Vol.29 Nos.8 & 10 WWW)

MISCELLANEOUSACCESSORIESAudio Research Tube Damping Rings: $3.95each ✩Damping rings for all AR products are now available

conrad-johnson It just sounds right.�����.FSSJMFF�%S�t�'BJSGBY �7"�������t�QIPOF�������������� ��GBY����������������t�XXX�DPOSBEKPIOTPO�DPN

Actually, you CAN have it both ways. The lucidity and harmonic “rightness” of a tube amplifier and the muscle and control of a solid-state amplifier.

Introducing the conrad-johnson ET250S enhanced triode amplifier. The sole source of voltage gain, a single

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RECOMMENDED COMPONENTSStereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

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to the public at large. They’re made of a proprietarypolymer material that converts kinetic energy toheat, and their improvements are not subtle, exclaimsBJR: tighter, cleaner, deeper, more dynamic bass;more coherent transient attacks; crisper, moreextended highs; plus “improvements in the repro-duction of subtle gradations of low-level dynamics.”Give ‘em a whirl—the cost is minimal. (Vol.23 No.2,Vol.26 No.8) AudioPrism Noise Sniffer RFI/EMI detector:$249.95 ✩An “electronic detective in the campaign to eliminatenoise,” said Chief Barry Willis. “Simply plug it in andturn up the volume—its small built-in loudspeaker willreveal where your problem outlets are.” Then you canturn to AudioPrism’s QuietLine Parallel AC line filterfor a cure. “A must-own product, period,” says BD. “10-4,” adds J-10. (Vol.21 No.12) AudioQuest binding-post wrench: $10.00 ✩A great idea improved—similar to the original Post-man, but with a metal sleeve reinforcing the sockets.(Vol.20 No.9) CAIG DeoxIT GOLD Wipes: $18.75/25ct$35.50/50ctFor cleaning electrical connections, available fromwww.markertek.com. JM: “A small but powerful stock-ing-stuffer. . . . You’ll feel like a pro!” (Vol.25 No.12WWW) ETI Bullet Plugs: $56 in copper (set of 4), $138in silver (set of 4) ✩Originally called the Eichmann Bullet, this RCA con-nector uses a clever design in which the hot signal isconducted by a hollow rather than a solid pin, andwhere a smaller, solid pin at the connector’s periph-ery takes the place of an unnecessarily massive groundsleeve. AD heard “a more open and explicit sound”with a “deeper, more open, and more inviting” sound-field. Silver Bullet Plugs made the difference “clearer,more explicit, and even smoother.” (Vol.27 No.12WWW) Sound Alignment Systems by AmericanRecorder Technologies, P770 laser alignmenttool: $250 ✩“The ideal device for positioning speakers,” RD saidenergetically, agreeing with LB that it should be “inthe tool chest of every audiophile who wants to getthe best sound from loudspeakers.” It’s easy to use—just turn it on, hold it against the speaker’s front panel,then adjust the speaker’s position until the “appropri-ate toe-in and vertical orientation are obtained”—andis much more effective than “eyeballing the speakerfrom the listening position.” (Vol.21 Nos.1 & 11, Vol.24No.8 WWW) Stabilant 22 contact enhancer: $55/5ml bottle,with 5ml concentrate, 15ml mixing bottle,applicator, microbrush ✩Used to increase the reliability of contacts, avail-able from www.posthorn.com. JM: “An initiallynonconductive complex block polymer liquidthat, under the influence of electricity, becomesconductive. Furthermore, it does not cross-linkto form sludge. Pretty nifty!” (Vol .25 No.12WWW) WBT Nextgen Signature phono plugs: $57 each;$232/4“A breeze to install,” these phono plugs feature reducedconductor mass in an effort to create a true 75-ohmRCA connector, and have a two-part polymer struc-ture that, when snapped together, holds the machinedcentral plug and partial outer sleeve tightly in place.“The Nextgen Signatures had a nice effect on my sys-tem’s high-frequency performance in particular,” saidAD. (Vol.29 No.3) DeletionsTownshend Audio Maximum Super Tweeter not audi-tioned in a long time; original WBT RCA plugs in favorof WBT “Next-Gen” plugs.

POWER-LINE ACCESSORIESAcrolink 6N-NCT 30A Isolation Transformer:$10,950The expensive dual-transformer 6N-NCT effectivelyisolates components from the outside world and canalso isolate one component from another, allowingusers to plug in both analog and digital devices. Addingthe 6N-NCT to his suburban system, MF heard a“somewhat deeper, richer, and more solid” sound. Amore profound difference might be heard in an urbanapartment complex. (Vol.29 No.6) American Power Conversion S15: $1499The S15 is a comprehensive power source, conditioner,and controller that features extensible external powerand isolated EMI/RFI filtration for each of its outletbanks. Voltage regulation is accomplished electroni-cally and without the hysteresis or rebound problemsof slower, motor-driven compensation. Protected eventhe heaviest of KR’s loads while also eliminating graycolorations and intermittent chassis vibration. “The S15made the bridged eVo6 into an even better power ampli-fier—a super amp.” (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Audience Adept Response ar12 AC power con-ditioner: $4100The Adept Response provides power-factor correction,RF noise filtering, transient suppression, and 12 Hubbellhigh-conductivity power outlets. Each outlet is isolatedfrom its input by one filter, and further isolated fromthe other outlets by a combination of two additionalfilters, allowing an entire audio system to be pluggedinto a single AR. BD noted a profound overall improve-ment in his system’s performance, characterized byenhanced clarity, precision, low-level detail, image def-inition, soundstage size and depth, and tonal density.“A thoroughly thought out, well-designed, nicely exe-cuted manifestation of all that’s currently known aboutpower conditioning,” said BD. (Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Ayre L-5xe power distributor: $1500In an attempt to dissipate unwanted high-frequencyenergy riding on the AC line as heat, the L-5xe uses acoil of wire wrapped around a nonferrous core for eachof its four AC jacks. “Its slight softening effect seemedto improve image palpability, three-dimensionality,and midband texture,” said MF. However, the Ayre’s“pleasing romanticism” lacked the believability of thefaster and more detailed Shunyata Hydra 2, he felt.(Vol.30 No.7) Belkin PureAV Home Theater Battery BackupAP30800fc-10-BLK: $400Offers sinewave battery backup, surge protection, auto-matic voltage regulation, and surge-protection in/outsfor three A/V coaxial lines, a phone line, and a networkconnector. Total capacity is 1200VA/640W with abackup time of up to 40 minutes, depending on load.KR: “Belkin’s HTBB looks good, does the job, and,with a little Googling, can be found for less than its ask-ing price.” Emitted an audible hum, however, thatbecame louder when on battery power. Current ver-sion has black finish. (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Brick Wall PW8R15AUD surge protector: $259This small, solid, black block is a series-mode surgeprotector rated for 15A loads and comes equippedwith eight outlets in four filtered banks and a captive14-gauge AC cord. Gave KR the sense that his equip-ment was safe from catastrophic insult without chang-ing his system’s performance whatsoever. (Vol.28No.5 WWW) CablePro Noisetrapper NANA power strip:$350Manufactured by Wavelength Audio Video and avail-able at most Naim Audio dealers, the NoisetrapperNANA is an eight-outlet power strip featuring 12-gauge silver-plated OFC internal wiring, silver-sol-

dered connections, and a hardwired, shielded powercord, all built into a nonmagnetic enclosure, and devoidof LEDs, MOVs, and filters which might corrupt per-formance. Plugging his entire system into this one strip,Art found “unambiguously good” performance: “Mysystem was simply easier to listen to, and required lessnervous energy on my part in order to convince myselfI was hearing music.” (Vol.29 No.3 WWW) Cardas Golden Reference AC cable: $525/5ftOne conductor group in the Golden Reference cordcontains 119 high-purity copper strands, arranged ineight layers, and utilizing the golden-section ratio tocable design, ensuring that the mass of one strand in abundle is precisely 1.618 times that of its nearest neigh-bor in order to dampen out-of-band information. AD:“Silences were silenter, sonic events were clearer, andthe whole music-making shebang had an altogethermore natural feel. . . . Virtually essential.” (Vol.29 Nos.1& 3 WWW) Empower EM2100 surge protector: $1799The Empower can be programmed to power up dif-ferent components in sequence to meet specific needs.Having four outlets in each isolated bank, the user isable to efficiently organize various components, sepa-rating digital from analog and audio from video. In addi-tion, KR found that the EM2100 lowered the quiescentnoise level of his system by a small margin. “An extremelysophisticated and flexible power control center for avery large and complex system,” he said. (Vol.28 No.5WWW) Environmental Potentials EP-2450 Home The-ater Power Supply: $800Environmental Potentials EP-2050 WaveformCorrection Absorber: $750The EP-2450, a lightweight, full-size chassis, has eightunisolated AC outlets that can pass 20 amperes of HF-filtered, ground-filtered, surge-protected AC, andcomes equipped with a filtered and surge-protectedcoaxial line. KR used the EP-2450 to rid his system ofnoise generated from other surge protectors, includingthe noisy Belkin HTBB. “Reduced amp noise to effec-tive inaudibility!” The E-2050 provides protection fromAC-borne noise by means of a tracking filter, and usesa metal-oxide varistor to clamp and absorb surges. KR:“Examination of my house’s line voltage on an oscillo-scope revealed a smoother, cleaner 60Hz signal thanbefore.” (Vol.28 No.9 WWW) Furman IT-Reference 20i power conditioner:$3499Furman Sound’s top-of-the-line power conditionerprovides four duplex outlets offering balanced andpower-factor–corrected AC, as well as two duplex out-lets offering unbalanced power for high-current-drawpower amplifiers. JM: “The IT-Reference 20i is builtlike a tank, and worked flawlessly. It brought a slightlowering of the noise floor without any reduction indynamics.” (Vol.30 No.10 WWW) HiFi-Tuning Silver/Gold fuses: $29.95–$34.95eachThese German fuses, distributed in the US by TheCable Company, have silver filaments, ceramic bodies,and gold-over-silver terminations. Mikey replaced thecheap fuses in his Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifierand was rewarded with a subtle but noticeable improve-ment in smoothness and coherence. The HiFi-Tuningfuses worked well with both the Onkyo A-9555 andPS Audio GCC-100, imparting a clearer, more dynamicsound, with crisper transients, said RD. Go figure!Available in various sizes. (Vol.30 Nos.2 & 9 WWW) JPS Labs Aluminata AC Cable: $3499 ✩The Aluminata AC has three 8-gauge Kapton-insu-lated conductors and uses a Wattgate plug and IEC con-nector, both with gold-plated contacts. Along with thematching interconnects and speaker cables, the Alumi-natas “brought a new measure of spaciousness, scale,smoothness, heretofore unimagined detail, and overallmusical ease and naturalness to my music system,” AD

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enthused. KR agrees with AD that the expensive Alu-minata lowers his system’s noise floor. (Vol.30 No.4WWW; also see CS’s VTL review in Vol.25 No.11) JPS Labs The Digital AC Cable: $349 ✩Uses “very-high-purity” stranded copper conductors,insulated to a 300V rating and said to contain a specialcompound that absorbs and dissipates high-frequencyenergy. AD: “The Digital AC endowed the music witha better sense of flow and a smoother, more ‘liquid’presentation. . . . The sound was more open. . . withan easier, more natural sense of movement from noteto note. . . . The performance as a whole also seemedmore dramatic and, in some spots, downright louder.”He purchased The Digital AC to use with his SonySACD player. (Vol.26 No.4 WWW) Kimber PowerKord 10: $15/ft, plus $120 for ter-mination ✩ST uses Kimber Kords throughout his system, andnoted tremendous differences with a Jadis Defy-7. Buttry before you buy, he warns. (NR) Kubala-Sosna Emotion AC cable: $950/mA KR favorite. See “Loudspeaker Cables.” Add $250for each additional meter. (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Panamax Max 2 Sub: $50This tiny, “inexpensive and unobtrusive” surge protec-tor plugs directly into an AC outlet, protects its owntwo outlets with a “protect or disconnect” function, andhas two sets of similarly protected RCA input/outputconnections, as well as LEDs that indicate the AC sta-tus. KR: “Together with the Environmental PotentialsEP-2050 whole-house protector and the APC S-15, theMax 2 Sub makes another small contribution to mypeace of mind.” (Vol.29 No.1 WWW) PS Audio Power Port Classic AC receptacles:$50 eachUses terminal screws made of silicon bronze and inter-nal contacts made of “high-purity” brass plated with 15coats of polished nickel. All of the AC receptacles inAD’s home that feed hi-fi components have beenupgraded to PSA Power Ports. He heard “strongermusic and blacker silence, with a slight, overall improve-ment in listening ease.” BJR agreed: “The system repro-duced far more midrange inner detail and delicacy. Theimproved dynamic range of the system was staggering.The system’s noise floor seemed to have been loweredsignificantly. . . . High-level dynamic slam seemedeffortless. . . . The lower bass seemed extended byanother half-octave.” And JA: “The apparent loweringof the electrical noise floor [from clean AC] is addic-tive.” (Vol.26 No.11, Vol.27 No.3 WWW) Shunyata Anaconda Helix Alpha: $2000Shunyata Anaconda Helix VX: $2250 ✩The top models in Shunyata’s PowerSnakes line, theAnaconda Alpha (7 gauge, 45A) and the Anaconda VX(9 gauge, 35A) use cryogenically treated CDA-101 cop-per, a patented winding geometry, and hand-braidedconductors. The VX, intended for use with digital andvisual electronics and recording equipment, fills thejacket with Fe-Si-1002 noise-reduction compound forthe absorption of electromagnetic noise. “Vaporized”fine layers of haze and noise, thought PB, while pro-viding greater dynamics and detail resolution. MF isalso a big fan: connected to the Ayre MX-R monoblocks,the Helix version of the Anacondas “noticeably black-ened the backgrounds, created more silence betweennotes, removed a milkiness . . . and improved the MX-Rs’ already superb purity of textures and timbres.”(Vol.27 Nos.1 & 8, Vol.30 No.7 WWW) Shunyata Hydra Model 8: $2495 ✩The Hydra Model 8 is an entirely passive device thathas eight cryogenically treated, silver Shunyata Venomoutlets—two digital-specific, two analog-specific—onthe rear panel of its hermetically sealed, box-within-a-box aluminum case. Fe-Si-1002 noise-reduction com-pound fills the space between the two boxes and is saidto absorb electromagnetic noise. With the Hydra 8 inhis system, PB noted “quieter backgrounds and inter-

transient silences, and a more relaxed and organizedpresentation.” “The best I’ve heard!” adds MF, findingin his review of the Musical Fidelity kWP-kW combothat the Hydra 8 proved to be “the real key to musicalsatisfaction,” smoothing out the highs, tightening thebass, and adding cohesion to the overall presentation.“An amazing product,” he concluded, “mysteriouslygood.” PB agrees, adding that he wouldn’t be withouthis Hydra 8. (Vol.27 Nos.1 & 8 WWW) Shunyata V-Ray power distributor: $3995With the Hydra V-Ray in MF’s system, jet-black back-grounds were accompanied by “a musical transparencyand transient purity” free from any filtery softness.Compared to the Shunyata Hydra 8, the V-Ray offereda slight improvement in low-level dynamic contrasts.(Vol.30 No.7)Power-line Accessories Siltech SPX-30 Classic G5 Mk.2: $700/m; $225additional 0.5m; $112.50 additional 0.25m ✩PB: “All of the Siltech cables are beautifully made andfinished and, hallelujah, are flexible, slim, and easy todress.” See also “Interconnects.” (Vol.27 No.10 WWW) Torus Power RM20 AC power isolation unit:$3000Torus Power’s Power Isolation Units (PIUs) combinesurge suppression with massive toroidal transformersto provide AC power conditioning and protection fromvoltage surges. The RM20 uses a single 2400VA toroidaltransformer to supply 120V and 20 amperes to the 10AC outlets on its rear panel. It has a 20A circuit breakerfor its On/Off switch and uses a 14AWG detachableAC cord rated at 15A/125V. “The PIU greatly enhancedsubtle details of tone, timbre, and imaging when dynam-ics were extreme or volume was loud,” said LG. (Vol.31No.1 WWW) KFurutech FP-20, e-TP80, and e-TP60.DeletionsSynergistic AC Master Coupler replaced by new modelnot yet auditioned.

STANDS, SPIKES, FEET, & RACKSGood Speaker Stands: There are too many possi-bilities, but, briefly, a good stand has the followingcharacteristics: good rigidity; spikes on which to restthe speaker, or some secure clamping mechanism;the availability of spikes at the base for use on woodenfloors; if the stand is steel, provision to keep speakercables away from the stand to avoid magnetic inter-action; and the correct height when combined withyour particular speakers (correct height can be any-thing from what you like best to the manufacturer’sdesign height for best drive-unit integration). ThoughStereophile hasn’t reviewed speaker stands, it’s notbecause we think they’re unimportant—for speakersthat need stands, every dollar spent on good stands isworth $5 when it comes to sound quality. Brands wehave found to offer excellent performance are ArciciRigid Riser, Merrill (see Vol.18 No.1, p.39), SoundAnchor, Sanus Systems Steel and Reference, and Linn.(Sound Anchor also makes an excellent turntablestand, reports TJN.) Interface material between thespeaker and the stand top plate is critical: Inexpen-sive Blu-Tack seems to reduce the amplitude of cab-inet resonances the most (see Vol.15 No.9, p.162WWW)Audio Points by Star Sound Technologies:$55.49–$119.49/set of 3Highly polished point of solid milled brass, claimed tohave been developed along the theories of CoulombFriction, transfer resonant energy through the virtualpoint away from the component. 28 sizes and threadcombinations available. (NR)

AudioQuest SorboGel Q-Feet: $125/4Now in a more reactive formulation in bright blue,these feet are the best means of isolating componentsfrom vibration. (NR) Aurios MIB component supports: $199/3 ✩RD highly recommends these footers. Of the latest 1.2version, he writes, “Do everything the originals did, butleveling is much less critical.” (Vol.24 No.5) Ayre Myrtle Blocks: $5 eachDesigned and made by Cardas Audio, each MyrtleBlock measures 0.618" by 1" by 1.618", in accordancewith the golden-section ratio. Myrtle Blocks are meantto be placed beneath the actual structure of a compo-nent in groups of three. AD heard “subtle but unam-biguously nice things” when he placed them undermost components. Beneath speakers, however, “theyrobbed the music of so much of its emotional wallopthat it was downright creepy.” “In a properly run uni-verse, these wouldn’t work at all,” sez WP. “In thisone—and assuming every other sonic hiccough isattended to—they do help,” though he refuses to spec-ulate why. (Vol.29 Nos.1 & 3 WWW) Black Diamond Racing Pyramid Cones: $20each ✩“Expensive, but very effective,” according to J-10. WPand JA, who generally use these whenever they needto support electronic components, agree. (Vol.21 No.6) Boltz CD 600 storage rack: $229; expansion kits,$179Boltz LP shelves: $529 for a three-shelf unit; eachadditional shelf: $149 ✩Surfing the Net (www.boltz-usa.com), MF found thesedo-it-yourself racks: each is 48" high, 24" wide, just 6"deep, and holds 600 CDs! You can double or triple thecapacity with the expansion kits, and the racks are nowavailable pre-assembled. Now available as equipmentracks, TV stands, and LP shelves. MF bought the LPrack, which consists of a heavy base and three shelves;additional shelves (3' wide by 10" deep) run $149 each,and you can stack ‘em to the ceiling! “Really well-madeand incredibly sturdy,” reported The Analog One. Freeshipping. (Vol.22 No.11, Vol.24 No.1) Bright Star Air Mass 3: $218 ✩Ingenious, inexpensive, and effective air-bladderproduct that damps out floor and air-borne vibrations,MF said. WP agrees. Originally called Air Mass 1.(Vol.20 No.2) Bright Star Audio Rack of Gibraltar 1 equip-ment stand: $2150 ✩Bright Star Audio Big Rock 1.1: $299 ✩Bright Star Audio Little Rock 1 Isolation Pod:$179 ✩Bright Star Mini-Rock F VPI isolation base:$199 ✩Bright Star IsoRock 6.3S: $388A very effective isolation system for control of unwantedvibrational energy. Individual components float on asand bed for energy dissipation, and are weighted downwith the Little Rock to minimize spurious vibrations.The payoff is enhanced resolution of the music’snuances, says DO. RN adds that this system consis-tently tightens the bass, increases sonic transparency,and smooths treble hash and grain. The Bright StarTNT Big Rock is a $275 sand table specially sized tosupport the TNT. MF, BD, and BJR all use one undertheir VPIs, as they provide a stable surface and offersuch sonic benefits as a lower noise floor and increasedbass. The Mini-Rock F is specially sized for use underthe TNT’s flywheel. KR placed each of his Bel Cantoe.One amplifiers atop an IsoRock and encased it withina Little Rock for a belt-and-suspenders setup that hadthe amps almost glued to the floor, creating as optimalan environment as possible. “If you are concerned aboutRF and other nasties thrown off by digital amps,” henotes, “these little guys will let you rest easy.” (Vol.16No.5; Vol.18 No.11, Mini-Rock F; Vol.20 No.4, TNTBig Rock; Vol.29 No.11 WWW IsoRock, Little Rock.)

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Bright Star Rack of Gibraltar 2 equipment stand:$2650 ✩Rigid, super-stable platform for audio equipment, andthe “carrier” for the Ultimate Isolation System: air-base(Air Mass) and sand-filled damping platform (BigRock) makes a “sandwich” of sorts. The Gibraltar 2,with its two-wide, three-high, widely spaced, largeshelves, isn’t quite ready for MoMA and boasts no neonlights, but “in its simplicity and quality it’s attractive,even elegant,” said BD. He recalled Louis Henri Sulli-van, who immortalized the phrase “form ever followsfunction.” Suitable for turntables, superbly built, andthe best BD has ever used. (Vol.23 No.5 WWW) Bright Star Ultimate TNT Isolation System$2397 ✩Simple, affordable, effective isolation system for theVPI TNT that combines a static pneumatic isolationmount with mass loading. WP noted that “high fre-quencies seemed clearer, less smeared—harmonicsleapt off strings and floated independent of the fun-damental. . . Bass sounded more deep and taut, espe-cially sustained notes or anything in the bottom twooctaves of the piano.” BD agrees, finding that the Iso-lation System lowers the TNT’s (already low) back-ground noise, resulting in subtle but noticeableimprovements in image dimensionality, ambience,and inner detail. (Vol.20 No.7) Finite-Elemente Pagode equipment rack: $6675This stylish, well-built, four-shelf audio equipmentrack with integral vibration damping uses high-strengthaluminum uprights, shelves and supports of Canadianmaple, and stainless-steel hardware. Placing compo-nents atop the HD07 resulted in “slightly but consis-tently improved” focus, resolution, and dynamicprecision. Installing a set of Finite-Elemente’s Cera feetbeneath a component, however, resulted in “huge, jaw-dropping” improvements in the same areas of sonic per-formance. Adding a set of Cerabases ($795/4) to theHD07 increased overall performance throughout. Ceracomponent feet: Ceraball, $135/4; Cerapuc, $450/4.(Vol.29 No.2 WWW) Gingko Audio Cloud 11 isolation stand: $419The Cloud 11 uses up to ten rubber-like balls strategi-cally placed between two slabs of acrylic. Mikey’s sam-ple was configured for use with the VPI Scoutmasterturntable. MF: “Putting the Cloud under the Scout-master resulted in a dramatic lowering of the noise floorand an improvement in the ‘blackness’ of the back-ground. Images stood out in clarified relief, bass tight-ened, transients sounded sharper and more natural. Thedifferences were not at all subtle.” (Vol.27 No.11) Golden Sound DH Cones, Squares, and Pads ✩With the Cones alone, J-10 “noted a lift in overall trans-parency, with a slightly tighter focus.” Using theSquares alone, “the sound was softer than theCone/Square combo. . . but nevertheless got highmarks for a sweet and pleasant presentation.” And incombination? “The highs and upper midrange werebeautiful and open, the midrange had just the rightamount of juice, the lower midrange wasn’t boomy atall, and the bass extension was excellent.” ST is also afan, particularly of the Pads, which “wrought quite animprovement in sound under my Cary SE300Bs.”Super Cones, $120/set of 3; Jumbo Cones, $90/set of3; Large, $60/set of 3; Medium, $50/set of 3; Small,$30/set of 3. Squares, $36/set of 3, $48 set of 4; SuperPads, $270 (19" by 17" by 1⁄2" thick); Golden Sound Pads,$170 (121⁄2" by 171⁄2by 1⁄2" thick); Acoustic Discs, $140/setof 12. (Vol.20 Nos.11 & 12, Vol.24 No.5) Grand Prix Audio Monaco equipment stands:$1499–$5999 ✩Despite their stylish, lightweight design, a four-shelfMonaco stand can carry up to 150 lbs per shelf, for amaximum total load of 500 lbs. PB: “More than any-thing else, the Monaco brought a sense of focus and adifficult-to-explain sense of calm” to the sound of every-thing he placed on them. Loading the hollow stainless-

steel columns with lead shot produced another incre-ment of improvement: “Backgrounds became quieter,low-level detail retrieval improved markedly, anddynamic contrasts took on greater subtlety and sharpercontrasts.” Using separate isolation footers under com-ponents only “muddled things,” providing evidence ofthe “fundamental soundness of the GPA approach tovibration control.” The amp stand is expensive but“works as promised and looks cool too,” decided MF.A 3-shelf system costs $3284; 4-shelf system, $4750; 5-shelf system, $5999; base module, $2250; short or tallmodule, $1499; amplifier stand, $1499; Formula ShelfCarbon-fiber/Kevlar composite shelf, $950. (Vol.24No.7, amp stand; Vol.25 No.12 WWW) Halcyonics Micro 40 Active Vibration IsolationSystem: $8500The laboratory-grade Micro 40 uses eight coaxial piezo-electric acceleration sensors and electrodynamic actu-ators to provide more than 40dB of isolation at 10Hzand above, and more than 25dB of isolation to as lowas 5Hz. It can support up to 220 lbs, automaticallyadjusts to its load, and, with a platform 16" W by 17.5"D, is ideal for use with a small-footprint turntable. MFfound that the Micro 40 made a dramatic improvementin the soundstaging and imaging capabilities of suspen-sionless turntables. Expensive. (Vol.29 No.6) Music Direct record rack: $299–$499; add$125–$175 for additional shelvesSturdy, attractive racks with modular shelves of 3⁄4"MDF in lengths of 31"and 59". Steel backsplashes keeprecords lined up evenly, while a series of hidden sup-port rods make sure they never fall over or bend, evenwhen the rack is only partially filled. Available in maplewith silver uprights or cherry with black uprights. Add$125–$175 for each additional shelf. MF: “Designedby vinyl enthusiasts for vinyl enthusiasts.” (Vol.27No.6) S.A.P. Audio Relaxa magnetic levitation plat-form: $795Uses pairs of opposing magnets in each of four feet thatare stabilized using a bearing/shaft mechanism designedto minimize mechanical contact. MF: “The Thorens850’s sonic charms only improved with the better iso-lation provided by the Relaxa. Image focus, and thesubtlety and clarity of musical transients, seemed to berendered more cleanly.” Compared to the GingkoAudio Cloud 11, the Relaxa demonstrated less effec-tive attenuation overall, but did a much better job ofdispensing with motor noise. (Vol.27 Nos.2 & 11) Sound Anchors Cone Coasters: $16 each ✩These discs, machined from a sandwich of stainless steel,Kevlar, and polyester, are designed to prevent speakerspikes from ruining your floors and to prevent vibra-tions from being transmitted through wooden floors.BJR found that using them with his Al;aon Vs resultedin greater perceived detail and “faster” bass. (NR) Sound Quest Isol-Pads: $25/4Each 2"-square-by-7⁄8"-thick pad consists of two slabsof ribbed rubber sandwiching a layer of isolation cork,and is said to support 75 lbs. ST is in the process ofputting them under everything. “I’m no tweaker, butthey did clean up the sound wherever I used them.”(Vol.28 No.12) Symposium Energy Absorption Platform: $659 ✩Symposium Ultra Isolation Platform: $659 ✩The top and bottom of the Ultra platform are alu-minum, while the middle is made up of several unequal-thickness layers of vibration-damping material designedprimarily to drain vibrational energy away from yourcomponent, rather than to provide isolation from exter-nal vibrations or footfalls. It succeeded at lowering noiseand enhancing resolution, while bringing “an entirelysubjective sense of ease” to listening, said JM. The less-expensive platform jazzed MF with the “top-to-bottomauthority, focus, and slam” that his system gained whenthe platform was installed under his turntable. Prices

are for 19" by 14" size; 19" by 21" costs slightly more.(Vol.20 No.5. Vol.26 No.3 WWW) Symposium Rollerblock Series 2+: $399/set of3, $499/set of 4 ✩For improved resolution from your CD player (or anyother digital equipment), ST recommended these pre-cision-machined items, which consist of a block witha ball bearing set in a hemispherical depression. Oncethey’re in place, he said, the sound “just tightens up,cleans up, clears up. I hear more low-level informa-tion. Imaging improves. Timing, too. . . Transients arecrisper. I hear improvement in just about everyrespect.” The only drawback (outside of cost) is thatthe player might “roll around a little” when you loada disc or hit Play. SD concurs with ST’s enthusiasm;MF became a believer in the “high-roller” phenom-enon when he put his Virgos on the similar Yama-mura speaker bearings. (Vol.22 No.4) Vibrapods: $6 each; available packs of 4 ✩KR: “Placed under CD players/transports, DACs andpreamps, the small (1"x3" diameter), formed Vibrapodsisolate and enhance performance. Five different mod-els rated for loads of 2–28 lbs; match the quantity tothe component. I keep a box of them around so thatno component goes without.” A KR favorite. (NR) Walker Valid Points: $350/set of 3 large conesand 5 discs; other sizes available ✩Heavy brass-alloy-and-lead cones, with points thatrest atop large, brass-ringed, lead-filled “tuning discs.”“Definitely worth checking out,” said MF, “and Walkerwill refund your money if you’re not satisfied. (Youmust return the set within 30 days in the original con-dition.)” MF adds that “not only do I like them a lot,they’re well worth the price—as I clearly found whenI put a set under the Ayre K-1 and added a few of thediscs on top.” Combined height may be too tall forsome racks. Super Tuning Kit ($525) includes threelarge cones, five discs, and four 1" discs. (Vol.20 No.5,Vol.21 No.11) KBright Star IsoNodes, Composite Products CF-1000-5 equipment stand, Composite Products amp stands.

ROOM ACOUSTICSTREATMENTSASC Studio Trap: $379 ✩Adjustable tripod-mounted room-tuning device thatrepresents the “latest in TrapThink from ASC,” accord-ing to J-10, who uses an array of Studio Traps to greateffect in his Manhattan loft. The front half is treble-reflective for a brighter sound, while the back side istreble-absorptive for a drier acoustic. He highly recom-mended the Traps for “anyone whose family will allowthem to populate the listening room with gobos.”(Gobos are “sound-absorbing panels used to surroundperformers in recording studios.”) Stereophile’s “Acces-sory of 1999.” (Vol.21 No.12 WWW) ASC SubTrap: $438 as reviewedThis “big, chunky black box” sits under a subwoofer toattack acoustic problems caused by the interactions ofa subwoofer’s output and the room’s modes. Improve-ments in room acoustics were immediate, thought KR,even with the subwoofer disconnected: “There was lessapparent energy from clapping, loud conversation, orjust stomping around.” With the system turned on,there was “less apparent bass energy from all widerangesignals.” With a Paradigm Servo-15 sub sitting atop aSubTrap, bass was deeper and more detailed: “Ah, yes—glorious bass without the boom!” Available in threesizes: 15", 18", and the 22" square model reviewed.(Vol.27 No.9 WWW) ASC TowerTrap: $832 ✩Originally called the Cube Tower, the Tower Trap is a“smaller, more cosmetically acceptable, more afford-

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ksRECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

Stereophile editors reveal the industry’s best audio products

able version of the classic Tube Trap,” writes BJR. “Veryeffective at taming mid- and upper-bass room anom-alies. Looks like an attractive Vandersteen speaker sit-ting there in the corner.” Price is for 78" version;Standard 48" version costs $512. (NR) ASC TubeTraps: $401–$798, depending on sizeand style ✩Relatively inexpensive but remarkably effective room-acoustics treatment. Tube Traps soak up low-to-highbass standing-wave resonances like sponges. WP agrees,using Traps to optimize the acoustics of his room forMartinLogan SL3 electrostatics, while BD used ‘em tooptimize his room while auditioning the Thiel CS7.2s.Using the Music Articulation Test Tone (MATT) fromStereophile’s Test CD 2 (STPH004-2), he first positionedthem for smoothest overall response and articulation,then “dialed-in depth, dimensionality, and ambience.”A chart recorder graphically showed the changes. Inthe end, “The sound was fantastic,” quoth BD, who rec-ommends them unconditionally. (Vol.9 No.3, Vol.15No.2, Vol.16 No.12, Vol.19 No.1, Vol.20 No.5, Vol.23No.2 WWW) Auralex SubDude: $59An MDF platform 23" long by 15" wide, covered witha carpet of thick felt and supported by two risers ofhigh-density isolation pad, the SubDude has a ratedload capacity of 300 lbs. KR found that the SubDudesignificantly isolated his Paradigm Servo-15 subwooferfrom the live wooden floor, and made the sound “tighterand fuller, but, conversely, less obtrusive.” When usedunder full-range speakers, the SubDudes offered sim-ilar bass results while affecting high-frequency perfor-mance. (Vol.27 No.12 WWW) Echo Busters Decorative Room TreatmentsEcho Buster Phase4: $395 each ✩Bass Buster: Helmholtz quarter-round bass absorber,wood-framed with foam core, $325 each. Echo Buster:flat-panel, high-frequency absorber, wood-framedwith foam core, $220 each. Double Buster: flat-panel,mid-to-high-frequency absorber, wood-framed withrigid convex panel core, $225 each. Echo and DoubleBusters can stand free or be hung on a wall. Effects wereoften subtle, but worth the effort. With the Bass Busters,BD found, “The room had gone from essentially unlis-tenable to having excellent bottom-end balance andarticulation.” Of the Echo Busters, he said, “Improvedimage focus was probably the biggest benefit, mani-festing itself most obviously in an increase in the dimen-sionality and tangibility—the density—of images.”Double Busters improved soundstaging, “expandingand opening up the stage, increasing the space betweenperformers, and creating around them a coherent, live-feeling space.” CS and KR are also fans of the ‘Buster,KR recommending the $395 Echo Buster Phase4. This12" by 12" by 48" column has four sides—two perfo-rated, two solid—and is filled with foam. Placing thePhase4s on the sidewalls with their perforated sides fac-ing the main speakers, KR was able to tame a bass hotspot while mitigating pesky short reflections that hadimpaired lateral imaging, all without sucking the lifeout of his system. Stereophile’s 2003 “Joint Accessories.”(Vol.26 No.9 WWW) RealTraps MondoTrap: $300Corner MondoTrap: $350The MondoTrap is a large (57" H by 24" W by 4.25"D) acoustic absorber built from “double-density” rigidfiberglass and covered in a sound-transparent fabric. Inaddition to imparting to bass instruments a “fuller,clearer, more palpable” sound, the MondoTraps seemedto reduce a “glaze,” allowing Jim Austin to hear deeperinto the music. “Far from deadening the room,” he said,“the MondoTraps made the music more involving.” “Ireally liked what the Mondo Traps did in my room,”adds KR, “although I have to agree with Jim (and mywife) that their appearance better suits a studio or ded-icated audio room than a regular person’s lifestyle.”Corner MondoTrap, designed to fit unobtrusively into

a corner of a room, costs $350. (Vol.30 No.8 WWW) RealTraps Tri-Corner Trap: $250 eachThese small equilateral triangles, 32" on a side, werethe perfect fit for the lower rear corners of KR’s week-end room, and increased bass response dramatically.“What a great idea! Completely inconspicuous basstrapping that made a noticeable and measureableimprovement in my already well-treated room.” Anotable product for those with spousal and decorativerestraints, he decided. (Vol.29 No.11 WWW) RealTraps: $110–$500, depending on sizeWith these fiberglass panels set up across the junctionof room boundaries and in corners, KR heard majorimprovements in imaging, detail, and soundstage width:“Every sound in the room, real or reproduced, is moredefined in character and location.” While KR wasgreatly satisfied with the results, he admitted that thepanels were visually imposing: “The stand-mountedHF MiniTraps are in the way all the time.” MiniTrap,$200; HF MiniTrap, $180; MondoTraps, $300; stands,$60. (Vol.28 No.1, Vol.29 No.11 WWW) RPG Diffusor Systems Acoustical Tools forHome Theater ✩Effective method of adding diffusive and absorptivetreatment to a listening room. RPG Diffusor Systems,Inc. offers a complete line of room-treatment productsand packages called CineMusic(TM). Web:www.rpginc.com. (Vol.11 No.4, Vol.16 No.5; see alsoTJN’s article on listening rooms in Vol.14 No.10WWW.) Sensible Sound Solutions Fabric-Wrapped 2"Fiberglass PanelsNeat and effective sound absorbent panels, accordingto KR. Wall-mounted or constructed into corner/sof-fit bass traps, these come in a variety of GOM fabricsfor high WAF. Other sizes and configurations are avail-able. (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) KFurutech RWL-1 Room Tuning Panels.

LOUDSPEAKERCABLES & INTERCONNECTSEditor’s Note: Rather than place cables in the usual“Recommended Components” classes, we’ve just listedthose cables that members of the magazine’s review teameither have chosen to use on a long-term basis or havefound to offer good value for money. They are thereforeimplicitly recommended. Where a cable has been foundto have specific matching requirements or an identifi-able sonic signature, it is noted in the text. “Try beforeyou buy” is mandatory with cables; many dealers have aloaner stock to make this easier.

INTERCONNECTSAudience Au24: $602/1m pair, unbalanced,$336/additional meter; $1025/1m pair, bal-anced, $672/additional meter ✩“The Au24s had a neutral, relaxed sound,” said BD,“with good extension at the frequency extremes and awide, deep soundstage.” However, they did not reachthe density of tonal colors and the extreme inner detailof the expensive Nordost Valhalla. Nor could theymatch the Nirvana S-X Ltds.’ incredibly natural sound-stage reproduction. Nevertheless, “The Au24s were noslouch, just a bit off the standard set by the very bestI’ve heard.” (Vol.25 No.8 WWW) Empirical Audio Holophonic-XPC: $630/1mpair; Holophonic-PC, $620/1m pairBD was initially underwhelmed by these interconnects:“There seemed to be some life and pizzazz missing

from the music.” However, after sufficient time withthe Holophonics in his system, instrumental tonesseemed purer and more direct, while low-level sub-tleties were more accurately portrayed. Empirical offersa 30-day money-back guarantee. (Vol.28 No.4 WWW) JPS Labs Aluminata: $2999/1m pair RCA orXLR, $600/additional 0.5mThis unusual and expensive interconnect, comprisinga quartet of 15-gauge solid-core Alumiloy conductorsinsulated with Kapton and terminated with WBT lock-ing phono plugs, made AD’s system sound larger, “witha more convincing gradation of scale between theextremes.” See also “Loudspeaker Cables.” (Vol.30No.4 WWW) Kubala-Sosna Anticipation: $350/m pair;$125/additional meterLike the K-S speaker cables (see “Loudspeaker Cables”),the K-S interconnects are based on a low characteris-tic impedance and solid construction. The results areuncolored sound and extremely low noise pickup.(Vol.29 No.7 WWW) MIT MI-350 Twin CVTerminator Series II:$1495/1m pair ✩BJR’s reference interconnect for many years. “Trans-parent, dynamic, and impressive performance at fre-quency extremes,” says he. (NR) Nordost Valhalla: $4330/m pair, with WBTNextgen RCA or XLR; additional length,$1200/m ✩Although these cables are “insanely expensive,” BD wassure that you’ll love what they do for your system. Imageswere detailed, distinct, and densely filled-in and three-dimensional. The soundstage moved out farther thanBD had ever experienced. However, while it was obvi-ous that the Valhallas were special, it was also obviousthat they had a distinct tonal signature. BD wrote, “Thesystem always had a lighter, drier sound with the Nor-dost—the tonal balance was shifted slightly upward, andthe overall presentation was a touch cooler than withother wires.” RD: “Expensive, but, boy, are they good!”AD’s long-term reference. (Vol.24 No.11 WWW) Nordost Heimdall: $670/m with RCAs or XLRs+$170/0.5mThe Heimdall interconnect uses four 26-gauge MicroMonofilament conductors, wrapped with a braidedshield and covered with an FEP jacket. AD found theHeimdalls, used in generous lengths between preampand power amp, to be the biggest bargain of the Nor-dost line. They preserved his system’s sense of pres-ence, kept spatial, timbral, and textural realism intact,and were “worth every penny, and then some,” he said.(Vol.29 No.10 WWW) Pure Silver Connection (PSC) PST 8: $450/1mpair ✩Balanced interconnects featuring solid, silver-plated6N copper and round conductors. LG reported thatthey reduced system hum problems and were “highlyrecommended!” (NR) Siltech SQ-110 Classic Mk.2 G5:$2900/1m pair,$500 additional 0.25m ✩The G5 Classic cables evolved from Siltech’s highlyregarded G3 series, and are designed to minimize thepickup of RF and EM interference while maintaininglow inductance, low capacitance, and low resistance.The wires were “open, extended, and smooth,” with a“voluptuous and rounded” midrange, “beautifullyextended” top end, and “well-controlled, deep, and pre-cise” bass. Due to their “slightly more laid-back pre-sentation and mellower overall character,” PB suggestedthey be used with components that are a bit forward.(Vol.27 No.10 WWW) Silversmith Audio Silver: $1400/3ft unbalancedpair; $1450/3ft balanced pairSilversmith Audio’s purist approach to interconnectdesign features two conductors (three for balanced) sus-pended in individual Teflon tubes and bundled into asingle larger tube and a mesh shield of silver-plated

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 127

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copper. The Silvers occupied “a great middle ground”between the Nirvana SX-Ltds and Nordost Valhallas,combining tonal neutrality with well-defined imagesand a slightly laid-back presentation to provide “a nicecombination of strengths and weaknesses that willmake them a solid performer no matter the situation,”said BD. (Vol.28 No.6 WWW) Stereovox Colibri: $650/1m pairFlexible and relatively affordable with tons of detail andno etch in the high frequencies. “Yes, I’ve heard bettercables, including Stereovox’s flagship SEI-600,” sezWP, but the Colibri interconnects balance performanceagainst price superbly. (NR) Stereovox SEI-600II: $1995/1mA BD favorite that WP and JM also like (although JMpoints out that he still prefers the more expensive orig-inal). See Stereovox LSP-600c loudspeaker cables.(Vol.30 No.2 WWW) TARA Labs The Zero: $14,900/1mThe Zero is an air-dielectric–evacuated interconnectwith noninsulated conductors. (The air pressure insidethe cable is nowhere near a vacuum, however.) Becauseneither end of The Zero’s shield is attached to ground,TARA employs the Floating Ground Station, a heavy,black box containing Ceralex, a combination of ceramicmaterials and metallic compounds that absorbs RFI andEMI. MF’s system benefited from an enormous addi-tion of lushness, texture, and warmth, along with majorextensions of air, detail, and transparency. Due to TheZero’s ultrawide bandwidth, some outside transientnoise can leak into the system when nearby appliancesare activated. But “True vacuum or not, I’ve heard noth-ing like it,” he declares, adding “a genuine breakthroughthough hideously expensive. A few readers with ‘F. . .You’ money took a chance and thanked me. Namesavailable upon request.” (Vol.29 No.12 WWW) KAudioQuest William E. Lowe Reference, Stealth Indra,Stealth Nanofiber, Crystal Cable, DiMarzio, Acrolink7N-DA6100 Mexcel.

LOUDSPEAKERCABLESAudience Au24: $1445/3m pair, single wire,$337/additional meter; $2672/3m pair, biwire,$675 additional meter ✩“It was as a speaker cable that the Au24 really shone.”BD actually preferred the Au24 to his reference Val-halla in terms of tonal balance, imaging, resolution ofinner detail, and soundstaging. (Vol.25 No.8 WWW) AudioQuest Gibraltar: $1300/10ft pair, singlebi-wire configuration, spade-lug or banana-plug termination ✩Each half of the twin lead houses a helical wind of foursolid ultra-pure copper conductors with one set for basssignals, the other for treble, while the overall twin-leadlayout keeps the two sets magnetically separated in atrue biwire design. BD found that the flexible Gibral-tar was “easy to run and accommodated most extremebends and crinks. . . . The Gibraltars caught me off-guardwith their subtlety and nuance, and even by soundingslightly muted at times. . . . Tonally, the AQs were slightlyto the warm side of neutral and a bit bigger on the bot-tom than my other cables. . . . Their soundstage was alittle narrower than that produced by my other cables,with images concentrated between the speakers and, ifanything, slightly recessed. . . . [They] also didn’t seemto produce quite as much air, or reproduce the spacearound the images as well as I’m used to.” Neverthe-less, KR has settled on a 6' double biwire run of Gibral-tar as his standard cable for speakers that permitbiwiring. The set consists of two full-length runs shar-ing only the amp-end terminals and is priced, appro-priately, at twice the price of single runs. JA also finds

the Gibraltar an excellent value. (Vol.26 No.6 WWW) AudioQuest Mont Blanc: $2200/10ft pair, single-wire, spade-lug, or banana-plug termina-tionLike the Cheetah interconnects, the Mont Blanc cablesuse AudioQuest’s Dielectric Bias System (DBS), whichAD didn’t find affected the cable’s behavior. The cablesuse pure-surface copper (PSC), single-conductor, solid-core stranded wires and AQ’s Counter-Spiraling “EarthFeature” Geometry, in which conductors in the posi-tive bundle are wound in one direction while conduc-tors in the negative bundle are wound in the oppositedirection, to minimize electromagnetic interference.Compared to AD’s homemade cables, the Mont Blancs“sounded deeper, bigger, blacker, stiller. . . albeit by asmall margin.” However, KR “loves them” (though henotes that it’s not a “lifetime commitment”). (Vol.27Nos.8 & 11 WWW) DNM Stereo Solid Core Precision: $12/ft pair,plus terminationEach conductor comprises a single solid wire moldedinto the dielectric so that the positive and negative runsare spaced precisely and consistently from one another.The four connectors required for a stereo system aremolded together, side by side, for greater control overspacing and, consequently, electromagnetic interfer-ence with the audio signal. Compared to the NordostFlatline, the DNM cable sounded “ever so slightlysmoother, with a not-so-slight improvement in spatialfocus,” said AD. When used with his Shindo Corteseamp and Audio Note AN-E/SPe loudspeakers, how-ever, the DNM’s smoothness sounded “a bit uninter-esting and lacking in texture,” he decided. (Vol.31 No.3WWW) Empirical Audio Clarity-7: $1512/8ft pairSingle-wire configuration, terminated in gold-platedOFC spade lugs for 1⁄4" or 5⁄16" speaker lugs. “Very, verygood—and well worth a listen,” said BD. Empiricaloffers a 30-day money-back guarantee. See “Intercon-nects.” (Vol.28 No.4 WWW) JPS Labs Aluminata: $8499/8ft pair,$1200/additional 2ft pairThe Aluminata’s insulated conductor cores are sur-rounded by a thick blanket of granulated aluminum,densely packed and held in place with a polymer jacket.The 6" leads at the ends of the cables are 8-gaugestranded alloy wires insulated with Teflon and termi-nated with the buyer’s choice of WBT spade lugs orlocking banana plugs. The Aluminatas offered superbtunefulness, rhythm, and musical flow, along with aspacious, smooth, and noiseless presentation. “With-out a doubt and by a significant margin, the best audiocables I’ve used,” raved AD. Somewhat unwieldy.(Vol.30 No.4 WWW) Kubala-Sosna Fascination: $800/m pair;$250/additional meterKubala-Sosna claims that their OptimiZ technology“results in a lower characteristic impedance and a higherratio of capacitance to inductance than any other cable.”Each cable consists of a hefty pair of conductors twistedaround each other, sheathed with a knitted cover, andsolidly terminated in thick spade lugs. The current ver-sions have sleek, tight jackets that make them easy tosnake and arrange. With the K-S cables in his system,KR noted a decrease in overall residual hiss and softerbut more precise highs. “I can’t say that the change issubstantial, but it is definable.” Further auditioning withhis multi-channel system completely wired with K-Scables led him to describe these cables as among thequietest and most transparent cables he has encoun-tered: “Overall, they seem to get out of the way of every-thing else and let the system do its thing.” (Vol.28 No.3,Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Nirvana Audio S-X Ltd.: $2780/2.5m pair“A dynamite speaker cable,” the S-X Ltd. was tonallyneutral and produced well-defined images, powerfuland fast transients, and incredible transparency. The

only nit BD could pick was a slight compression offront-to-back soundstaging depth. “A big jump in per-formance from the company’s SL.” Add $50/pair forbiwire configuration. (Vol.28 No.10 WWW) Nordost Valhalla Speaker Cable: $5200/m pair,with banana-plug or spade termination; addi-tional length, $2200/mThe Valhalla contains 40 silver-plated copper micro-monofilament conductors, each polished and wrappedwith a monofilament spacer prior to encapsulation inthe Teflon ribbon. Similar to the Valhalla interconnect,the speaker cable’s overall presentation was “clean, airy,and detailed,” according to BD, “without ever beingover-etched or harsh. . . . The portrayal was incrediblycompelling from top to bottom, but the midrange. . .seemed almost holographic. . . . [They] sounded almostrelaxed—but still clean and precise—and their imageswere dense, detailed, and dimensional.” An AD favorite.(Vol.24 No.11 WWW) Nordost Heimdall: $1650/2m pair (+$195/0.5mpair)The Heimdall incorporates the same Micro Monofil-ament technology found in the much more expensiveValhalla, but contains only 24 air-insulated conductorscompared to the Valhalla’s 40. The Heimdall exhibitedall of the Valhalla’s good sonic traits, allowing AD’s sys-tem to breathe freely and naturally, but added the slight-est bit of artificial texture. (Vol.29 No.10 WWW) Pure Silver Connection (PSC) R50: $1250/3mpair ✩Features biwiring via silver-plated, solid-copper spadesin tandem with gold-plated banana plugs. Optimizedspeaker response in LG’s system. “They’re solid-silverribbons, incorporating ‘Cuiletto 1’ ribbon for the highsand R30 ribbon for the lows.” Again, “highly recom-mended!” (NR) Siltech LS-188 Classic G5 Mk.2: $5600/2m pair,$600 additional 0.25m ✩“Truly excellent cables,” said PB. See “Interconnects.”(Vol.27 No.10 WWW) Silversmith Audio Silver: $2950/8ft pairThe Silver cables consist of completely separate unitsfor plus and minus, each composed of a silver ribbonsuspended in a mesh-covered Teflon tube and termi-nated with spade-type cutouts sized to match speakerbinding-post diameters. See “Interconnects.” (Vol.28No.6 WWW) Stereovox Firebird: $800/8.2ft pairLike Stereovox’s Colibri interconnect, these flexible,versatile speaker cables get you most of the way to cost-no-object land, without sacrificing convenience (bestspade/banana solution ever) or esthetics, according toWP. “Did I mention they have detail, detail, anddetail?” (NR) Stereovox LSP-600c: $3295/2mThese silver-conductor cables are small, flexible, easyto route, and “make getting a solid connection nearlyidiot-proof,” said BD. Compared to the Nordost Val-halla, the Stereovox cable exhibited a warmer tonal bal-ance, while matching the Valhalla’s speed and clarity.(Vol.30 No.2 WWW) KAudioQuest William E. Lowe Reference, Crystal Cable,Wireworld Gold Eclipse 3+, Harmonic TechnologyImproved Magic Woofer/Tweeter cables, Acrolink7N-S20000 Mexcel.

DIGITAL DATA INTERCONNECTSApogee Electronics Wyde-Eye: $59.95/0.5m;$69.95/1m; $79.95/2m; $89.95/3m; $99.95/5m; $109.95/10m $$$ ✩“If you haven’t heard this 110 ohm balanced data cable,you’re missing out!” crows LL, adding that it’s “more

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transparent, more musically honest than any I’ve heard—and it’s ridiculously cheap!”JA is also impressed, and uses 50' lengths for his Stereophile recording sessions. KR,however, while agreeing that Wyde-Eye is an excellent value, notes that it is lesstransparent-sounding than the (much more expensive) Illuminations from Kim-ber. Also available for the same price in a 75 ohm version for S/PDIF applications,using Canare’s true 75 ohm RCAs. (NR) Canare DigiFlex Gold model RCAPOO3F: approx. $12.52/3ft ✩s $$$Before you try any of the expensive coaxial links, CG advises trying this inexpen-sive, true 75 ohm cable with Canare crimp RCA connectors. He rates it as his firstchoice in a digital cable at any price, even preferring it to the Kimber AGDL. JAuses the 110-ohm version in various lengths for CD mastering. (Vol.16 No.7) Kimber Orchid: $595/1m ✩Expensive, but the best AES/EBU link JA has used. J-10 loved the Orchid’s midrangeliquidity and detail, but preferred Illumination’s S/PDIF cable overall. SD (almost)doesn’t equivocate: “Probably the best out there for now. . . . A stunner!” RH andRD are also fans. New lower price usefully brings this cable in reach of more musiclovers. (Vol.19 No.5) Kubala-Sosna Expression: $650/m, $180/additional meterA KR favorite. See “Loudspeaker Cables.” (Vol.29 No.7 WWW) Stereovox HDXV2: $200/m“Chris Sommovigo does it again with another and better and cheaper digital coax!”cries KR. This BNC-BNC S/PDIF cable comes with RCA adapters and is sturdyenough for a reviewer’s constant reconnecting and neutral enough to reveal thesubtleties of the connected equipment. “$100? I cannot imagine spending more!”decides Dr. Kal. JA agrees. (NR) KAudioQuest Optilink-5, Audience Au24, DH Labs Silver Sonic D-110.

BOOKS & COMPUTER SOFTWAREDavid Moulton’s Playback Platinum Test CDs: $44.95 each if purchasedseparately, $159.80 for the set of 4 ✩Four-volume lecture series that covers the fundamentals of audio from a popular-music production standpoint: Vol.1, Loudness, Compression, Distortion; Vol.2, StereoMiking; Vol.3, Equalization; Vol.4, Digital Audio: Sensory Listening Tests. Each volumeis on a separate CD, which comes in a hardbound, textbook-sized book that includesabout 50 pages of additional text keyed to each track of each lecture. JM: “I’mimpressed with how Moulton & Co. take material that has the potential to be daunt-ingly dry, and make it enjoyable and memorable by adopting at times a ‘radio drama’approach.” (Vol.26 No.5 WWW) Digital Recordings Audio-CD Hearing Test: $49.95 ✩This system permits useful evaluation of hearing thresholds with only a CD playerand a pair of headphones. KR reported that it reveals any significant gaps in yourhearing. (His own results were “close to ideal, especially considering my age andusual haunts.” Whew.) “Ever wonder why others don’t hear what you do? This sim-ple test will tell you, even though you may not like the answer.” Such a card. (Vol.23No.1 WWW) ELAC Technische Software CARA REL 2.1 Plus program: $74.95 ✩To use CARA, one must create a full three-dimensional model of the listeningroom, using the program’s CARACAD module. KR: “By ‘full,’ I mean that all roomdimensions and surfaces are defined: doors, windows, furniture, soffits, bays, etc.”Kal found it time-effective to reduce the complexity of the model (eg, remove smallerobjects) and the order of reflections (3–4) for the early iterations, at which pointthe number of possible speaker and user positions is large—an 800MHz PentiumIII can take 48 hours or more to run even that modest a set of variables. “Severalsimplified runs will tell you which arrangements deserve more investigation. Afterthat, you can limit the range of positions for speakers and listener while progres-sively increasing the number of reflections and adding more feature details, as aconfirmation of the optimum arrangement.” Checking predictions against theresults with ETF or with TacT RCS measurements confirmed CARA’s conclusionsto an amazing degree. KR: “Wouldn’t you like to know how well a speaker mightwork in your room before you buy it? I would.” Runs under Windows. Web:www.cara.de. (Vol.24 No.9 WWW) RPG Diffusor Systems Room Optimizer Software: $99.99 ✩When MF moved to a new home with bare, reflective walls, he was faced with theproblem of where to plunk the speakers? RPG Diffusor Systems’ Room OptimizerSoftware—available from, among others, Audio Advisor—to the rescue. Plug inthe room’s dimensions (they must be rectangular) and the program will output thelocation where the modal response is flattest and the speaker-boundary interfer-ence is minimized. It’ll also tell you where to sit! (Vol.22 No.11) KFuzzMeasure Pro, SignalScope, and SignalSuite for Mac OSX, TrueAudio spec-trum analyzer for Windows.

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Swiss Precision: The Story of theThorens TD 124 and Other ClassicTurntables

by Joachim Bung. Published by Joachim andAngelika Bung, Schmitten, Germany([email protected]), 2008. Hard-cover, 288 pages, four-color, ISBN 978-3-00-021162-1. Price: €59 plus overseas mailing.

In 1956, an engineer named LouisThévenaz presented his employerwith the prototype of a turntable ofsingularly high quality, aimed atbroadcast professionals and the bur-geoning domestic audio market

alike. The employer was Thorens S.A. ofSainte-Croix, Switzerland, and one yearlater, the first TD 124 (a tourne-disc, orturntable, with a 12" platter and fourspeeds) was introduced for the then-remarkable sum of 400 Swiss Francs.With its 10W motor, 10-lb lower platter,clutch-decoupled upper platter, combi-nation drive system of belt and idlerwheel, and sculpted good looks, the 22-lb Thorens TD 124 took the audioworld by storm: After the Garrard 301 of1953, the TD 124 was the player towhich most European and Americanhobbyists aspired, and by the time pro-duction ceased in 1967, Thorens hadmade more than 90,000 of them.

Over a half a century after its intro-duction, the Thorens TD 124 attractsmore interest than ever, from recordcollectors, audio enthusiasts, restorersof vintage equipment—and journalists.German writer and publisher JoachimBung gave us the softcover SchweizerPräzision (Swiss Precision) in 2005; forthis revised edition, Bung com-missioned an English translation—supervised by occasional Stereophilecontributor Ken Kessler—and filled itwith even more stories, technicaldetails, period advertisements, andoriginal photographs. In all, Swiss Preci-sion is nearly three times as long as itspredecessor, and seems poised tobecome even more of a benchmark.

For the second edition of Swiss Preci-sion, Bung has also expanded his scopeto include chapters on the TD 124’smany contemporary products: tone-arms from EMT, SME, Fairchild, andOrtofon, and competing turntablesfrom Lenco, Delphon, Rek-O-Kut,EMT, ELAC, Connoisseur, and, ofcourse, Garrard. Each marque gets athoughtful, fair appraisal, and while theThorens TD 124 has pride of place in

Bung’s esteem, thestrengths of its competitorsare described with genuineadmiration, just as theThorens’s own shortcom-ings are brought to light.The He-Man 301-Haters’Club this is not.

The new book works sowell, on so many levels,that I scarcely know whereto begin. When we firstmeet Joachim Bung, theauthor is at the wheel of hisVW Beetle, driving fromWestphalia to Frankfurtwith his newly bought, sec-ond-hand TD 124 perchedprecariously on the backseat. “To this day,” hewrites, “a shiver runs downmy spine at the thought of[it].” From there, Bung’slove for the 124 is unmis-takable, and his enduringaffair with all thingsThorens plays out over 288illustrated pages, somephotos published here forthe first time. For instance: Only recent-ly, in March 2007, did Bung locate thesole TD 124 prototype; his photos anddescription of it should be worth theprice of admission to any true Thorensista.

Notwithstanding the abundance ofmodel numbers, specifications, dia-grams, and production estimates, SwissPrecision is no mere orgy of gear wor-ship. We also meet the people who areintegral to the TD 124’s story: RolfUllmann, an influential Frankfurt deal-er who helped propel the TD 124 andother groundbreaking products to theirultimate success; Jacques Basset, a for-mer Thorens employee who nowowns and maintains a remarkable col-lection of the company’s prototypes;international collectors and enthusiastssuch as Stefano Pasini, Keigo Takeuchi,and Holger Trass; and, of course, theSwiss restoration specialist and manu-facturer Jürg Schopper—all still verymuch with us today, and each tied tothe living history of this product thatsimply won’t fade away. Of course, wealso meet the delightful Thorens TD184 record player (with built-in ampli-fier), the indescribably beautifulDelphon turntables from Copenhagen,and the General Electric VR-II “vari-

able reluctance” phono cartridge, easilythe best thing ever to come out ofSchenectady, New York.

As a nonspeaker of German, I don’tknow whether to credit the writing,the translation, or both, but the newedition is a smooth read: The Englishversion of Swiss Precision is as free ofcurious word substitutions and clum-sy, unintentionally funny syntax as thetypical owner’s manual is full of them.Bung is more than just a hobbyistwith a word processor: He’s a goodstoryteller with, apparently, endlessenthusiasm for his subject. The photosare uniformly superb, the layout iscrisply attractive, and, as a bonus, thepenultimate chapter—“NothingWorks without Cleaning and Lubrica-tion”—provides the nascent TD 124owner with maintenance instructionsthat are helpful and clear.

At €59 plus overseas postage, thehardcover Swiss Precision isn’t cheap—but I can’t help imagining that, like theThorens TD 124 itself, the book willcast a long shadow for years to come.Strongly recommended to all English-speaking lovers of LPs, regardless ofwhich turntable they spin them on.

—Art Dudley

BOOK R E V I E WSBOOK R E V I E WS

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 133

Surround Sound: Up and Running(Second Edition)by Tomlinson Holman. Published by Focal Press, animprint of Elsevier1 (Oxford, England, UK; www.elsevier.com). 2008. Paperback, 248 pages, ISBN 978-0240808291. $44.95.

Like the first edition of TomlinsonHolman’s guide to multichannelsound, Surround Sound: Up andRunning was written for an audi-ence of industry professionals.Large portions of it are devoted

to selecting microphones, setting uprecording studios and monitoring rooms,optical and magnetic film audio formats,and the encoding of delivery formats. Inall of this, Holman emphasizes the pro-duction and reproduction of soundtracksthat accompany film and video.

However, Holman also has deeproots in consumer audio that reachdown to his ancient but respected Apt-Holman preamps and power amps ofthe 1970s and ’80s, and rise through hiscontinuing involvement in the THXstandards for cinema and home audioreproduction and, most recently, his rolein the development of the Audysseyroom-equalization products. So it’s nosurprise that Surround Sound also encom-passes music reproduction. Indeed, asHolman makes clear throughout, musicand soundtrack recording and reproduc-tion are based on the same psychoa-coustic principles, which is why thisbook also holds great interest and rele-vance for the Stereophile reader.

It begins with “Introduction: A BriefHistory,” devoted to the development ofsound reproduction, primarily for film.Holman is not constrained by the com-monly held belief that mono begat stereo,which begat multichannel—dyed-in-the-wool stereophiles should read this chapterto learn how surround reproduction wasan assumed goal of the audio pioneersfrom the beginning. Indeed, one of thebook’s implicit themes is that surroundsound is not an enhancement of two-channel stereo, but that two-channelstereo is a highly limited if wildly success-ful implementation of the general princi-ples of realistic sound reproduction.

Making historical references to musicalworks whose composition included spa-tial effects indicated by the composer aspart of his or her artistic expression, Hol-man makes a strong case for surround

music reproduction that goes beyond thetraditional placement of performers upfront with only ambience behind.Though Holman himself makes no suchclaim, reading this made me wonder ifthe two-channel media of the second halfof the 20th century might have con-strained the development of modernmusical expression because such spatialeffects could not be conveyed by thecommercial formats available.

After providing the historical back-ground, Holman dives into the nuts andbolts of monitoring, recording, and deliv-ering sound, though not in that order.While I recommend reading the bookfrom front to back, certain chapters maybe of greater interest to music listenersthan others. Chapter 2, “Monitoring,”deals with system setup for a monitoringstudio, but it and, especially, Chapter 6,“Psychoacoustics,” should be requiredreading for anyone who has or plans to setup speakers and room for listening in twoor many channels—the issues of percep-tion, acoustics, and equipment that Hol-man analyzes here apply to domestic lis-tening rooms as well. In fact, I’m glad tonow have Holman’s discussions to backme up when I find myself in discussionsof speaker placement, bass management,side-signal localization, and my bête noir,discrete center-channel speakers vs phan-tom center-channel signals vs (yikes!) dualcenter speakers. Now I can quote Hol-man chapter and verse.

The chapter on “Delivery Formats” alsohas lots of good information, and nowincludes discussion of such new losslessformats as Dolby True-HD and DTS-HDMaster Audio. Holman also explains suchimportant but often misunderstood func-tions as DialNorm and Dynamic RangeCompression (DRC), and how they affectwhat is heard from DVDs.

The three appendices are of enormousvalue. The new placement of “MusicMostly Formats,” a main chapter in thefirst edition, acknowledges that the tech-nically successful music media of SACD

a n dDVD-Audioh a v eb e e nf a i l -ures int h em a s sm a r -k e t .

Nonetheless, this chapter remains a clearand useful explanation of those mediaand of the contexts, including that ofintellectual property issues, in which theirsuccessors are being developed.

The appendices on “Sample Rate” and“Word Length” are revelatory tutorials inthese fundamental parameters of digitalaudio, regardless of the medium or thenumber of channels. Not only does Hol-man explain the numbers in a clear anddigestible way, he also explains how theyrelate to what the listener perceives. Thesetwo sections should be required readingfor anyone who tries to understand themeaning of technical reviews, such as JohnAtkinson’s bench tests of digital players andDACs published in the pages of Stereophile.

That Holman writes in a rather acade-mic style shouldn’t be surprising—he is aProfessor of Film Sound at USC’s Schoolof Cinematic Arts. Nor is it a criticism:Each chapter begins with a list of the issuesto be covered, followed by an organizedtreatment of those issues, and concludeswith a summary of the points made. As ateaching tool, this structure is optimal.While technical in its depth and scope,Surround Sound deals more with ideas thanwith math (there’s not much of the latter),and is a pretty easy read. It can teach you alot about how recordings are made andwhy they are made that way. It can alsoeducate you in the appreciation of manyof the important technological, acoustical,and psychoacoustical issues that are funda-mental to good audio reproduction,regardless of the source material or thenumber of channels. —Kalman Rubinson

BOOK R E V I E WSBOOK R E V I E WS

1 I have written a physiology textbook that will be pub-lished by Elsevier, parent company of Focal Press.

ONE OF THE BOOK’S IMPLICIT THEMES IS THATTWO-CHANNEL STEREO IS A HIGHLY LIMITED IF WILDLYSUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERALPRINCIPLES OF REALISTIC SOUND REPRODUCTION.

by Wes Phillips

Anne Sofie von Otter’sTerezín/Theresienstadtmakes history personal

Bringing Light

Out of theDarkness

WWiegala, wiegala, weier,the wind plays on the lyre.It plays so sweetly in the green reeds.The nightingale sings its song.Wiegala, wiegala, weier,the wind plays on the lyre.

The melody is simple. The spare guitar chordssupport the hauntingly pure mezzo-soprano ofAnne Sofie von Otter.

Wiegala, wiegala, werne,the moon is a lantern.

It stands in the darkened firmamentand gazes down on the world.

Wiegala, wiegala, werne,the moon is a lantern.

Singing the second verse, vonOtter caresses the words, lend-

ing them a quiet intensitythat builds exquisitely to

the purity of the almostwhispered final verse:

Wiegala, wiegala, wille,how silent is the world!No sound disturbs the lovely peace.Sleep, my little child, sleep too.Wiegala, wiegala, wille,how silent is the world!

The lullaby was composed by the poet IlseWeber, the night nurse at the Terezín concen-tration camp, who wrote 60 poems whileimprisoned there. Some she set to guitar music,and played them while making her rounds. In1942, she voluntarily accompanied the camp’ssick children to Auschwitz, where she joinedthem in the gas chamber. Witnesses reportedthat, as she died, Weber was singing “Wiegala”to calm the children.

Terezín/Theresienstadt is Anne Sofie vonOtter’s tribute to the creative spark that canilluminate our darkest hours. In addition tovon Otter, the recording features bari-tone Christian Gerhaher, clarinetist IbHausmann, guitarist Bebe Risenfors,pianists Bengt Forsberg andGerold Huber, and the project’smusic director and violinist,Daniel Hope.

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“This project’s origins lie in my invitation to perform atthe Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust in2000,” von Otter explained. “I assumed I’d perform some-thing by Mahler or Korngold, Jewish composers I wasfamiliar with. However, the woman who organized theconference was familiar with the music that was created inTerezín and recommended I speak with Rolf Bloch, one ofthe Forum’s organizers. He sent me some of the cabaretsongs and some of Viktor Ullmann’s songs.”

Terezín—or, to call it by its German name, Theresienstadt—was the notorious “model” concentration camp near Prague,where Hitler boasted he had “built a city for the Jews.”Musicians, writers, and artists from nine countries wereinterned there for “safekeeping,” and a Nazi propaganda film

was made there, proclaiming to the rest of theworld the camp’s “enlightened” conditions.

Terezín was not, technically speaking, a deathcamp. While over 30,000 inmates died there asthe result of overwork, malnutrition, and theappalling conditions, most—more than 88,000—were transported to Auschwitz, among them15,000 children.

But Terezín was the crucible in which an aston-ishing legacy of art was created. There were, it isreported, enough orchestral musicians to staff twofull orchestras and many chamber groups.Composers included Pavel Haas, Hans Krása,Viktor Ullmann, and Erwin Schulhoff, as well aspopular songwriters Karel Svenk and MartinRoman. The inmates performed plays andcabarets as well as operettas, frequently graftingnew lyrics onto beloved melodies.

“I was aware that some music had been createdthere,” von Otter said. “But I had no idea of howmany composers, actors, playwrights, and variousintellectuals from Prague and other places wereimprisoned there. I was so taken by the songs andthe story behind them that I wanted to dig deep-er, and I spoke to Deutsche Grammophon aboutit. They responded immediately that we should dothis project.

“The cabaret songs are quite extraordinary.They are ‘everyman’ songs—they are not neces-sarily written by highly trained composers likeUllmann, but are songs that were made up on the spot—andthen there are the lullabies that were written for the childrenby Weber, who was a remarkable person. There was alsoKaffeehaus musik that was written for people in the coffeehouses—not that they had coffee, mind you, but Terezín didhave these places where people could go and perform playsor perform music.”

We ride on wooden horsesand turn round and round in a circle.We long to be dizzyBefore the merry-go-round stops.—text by Manfred Greiffenhagen, from “Wir reiten auf hölzernenPferden” by Martin Roman

“This project is my very small contribution to our not forget-ting the murders of millions of people, but it also has a personal

connection for me—although I didn’t recog-nize it until we wererecording. My father’schance meeting withKurt Gerstein hauntedhim, I think. He triedvery hard to make a dif-ference and nothingcame out of it, nor washe able to help KurtGerstein or his family.”

Von Otter’s father,Baron Gören von Otter,was the secretary to theSwedish Legation inBerlin. In August 1942,Baron von Otter lit acigarette for Waffen SSofficer Kurt Gerstein ona railroad platform nearWarsaw. When Gersteinrealized that von Otterwas a diplomat, he askedto meet with him at theLegation the followingday. Von Otter suggest-ed they talk on thetrain, where Gerstein,agitated, told von Otterthat he had witnessedJews being gassed. “Isaw more than 10,000die today,” he said,breaking down. VonOtter sent his govern-ment a report on theencounter, adding thathe found Gersteincredible. The Swedishauthorities either foundthe charges unbeliev-

able or inconvenient, and never acted on the report.“This weighed very heavily on my father, I believe, for the

rest of his life. Because of that, I feel that I have created some-thing that would have pleased him.”

Not that von Otter claims all of the credit for Terezín/Ther-esienstadt. “We wanted to make a portrait of Theresienstadtthat was complete—that represented all of the music that wascreated there. Daniel Hope performs the remarkableSchulhoff violin sonata, and Christian Gerhaher, whom Iadore, joins us to sing the songs that I couldn’t—because theywere not for the female voice, or the female frame of mind.”

Indeed. Gerhaher’s reading of Pavel Haas’s Four Songs onChinese Poetry is incendiary. Hope’s performance of theSchulhoff sonata, long a signature piece, is not only memo-

Bringing Light Out of the Darkness

Terezín/TheresienstadtAnne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano;Christian Gerhaher, baritone; Ib Hausmann,clarinet; Daniel Hope, violin; Philip Dukes,viola; Josephine Knight, cello; BebeRisenfors, accordion, double bass, guitar;Bengt Forsberg, Gerold Huber, pianoDeutsche Grammophon 477 6546 (CD).2007. Valérie Gross, Dr. Marion Thiem, SidMcLauchlan, prods.; Andrew Wedman, eng.DDD. TT: 71:40

Terezín was the crucible in which an astonishing legacy of art was created. There were, it is reported, enough orchestral musiciansto staff two full orchestras and many chamber groups.

“Work Makes Freedom” inscribed overTheresienstadt’s entry gate

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rable, but serves as the recording’s valediction, bridging therealms of song and silence, leaping beyond words.

Your homeland is there,far away in the distance,you should go home,my errant heart.—text by Wei Ying-wu, “Zaslech jsem divoké husy”(I Heard the Wild Geese), from Four Songs on Chinese Poetry byPavel Haas

Was it difficult working with material with such poten-tial to break her heart? “Normally, when one is preparing tosing, one attempts to have reserve so that the listener can

feel what the composer wanted himto—and it’s not possible if the per-former ‘feels’ too much. But prepar-ing for the disc—in reading the textsor reading about Theresienstadt—Iwas frequently emotional.

“ ‘Ich weiss bestimmt, ich werd dichwiedersehn!’ (I know for certain that Ishall see you again!) is simply so full ofgreat love and great hope—the wordsexpress the yearning that they willmeet again, but the music is so melan-choly that you know they won’t. Ofall the songs on the recording, that’sthe one that overwhelmed me.”

I know for certain that I shall see you again

and take you in my arms,and everything exults within me.

How wonderful it will beto kiss you again and again and again!All that once was has sunk from sight

and been forgotten,no shadow clouds the sunlight;who can measure our happiness?And I want to be with you for ever!—text by Ludwig Hift, from “Ich weissbestimmt, ich werd dich wiedersehn!” byAdolf Strauss

“The point of making this discwas also to show that, even inTheresienstadt, the prisoners wouldhave had moments of relief andeven happiness when they were ableto listen to and make music togeth-er. Making music—especially withother people—can transport youfrom the darkest places.”

The remarkable accomplishment ofTerezín/Theresienstadt is that von Otterand her fellow musicians have takenmoments wrested from one of our

darkest eras and created such a towering monument to our bet-ter nature. Her gorgeous tone has never been better—and engi-neer Andrew Wedman has set it in a sonic landscape that catersto its purity and power. Deutsche Grammophon has accompa-nied the disc with a lush, 60-page booklet that includes a con-textual essay by Ulrike Migdal, editor of Und die Musik spieltdazu: Chansons und Satiren aus dem KZ Theresienstadt, and songlyrics in three languages. It’s a fitting tribute.

If humanity’s worst moments make us despair for ourspecies, so do its fleeting moments of transcendence give ushope. The triumph of Terezín/Theresienstadt is that it encompass-es both—and sets us free. If the inhabitants of that infamous sitecould aspire to happiness, who are we not to honor that dream?

In the end, the music lets us soar. That’s a mitzvah. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 137

Bringing Light Out of the Darkness

The Music SurvivesIn 1937, 650 works of art that had been confiscated by the Nazi authorities andlabeled entartete (degenerate) were exhibited in Munich. Entartete art wasessentially anything the National Socialist Party didn’t approve of—because of itsmodernity, its subtext, or the “race” of its creator. The collection opened oneday after an art show of officially approved art, Die Grosse DeutscheKunstausstellung (The Great German Art Exhibition), opened in the same city.Over the next four months, the “degenerate” exhibition attracted five times asmany viewers as the sanctioned one—and when the tour traveled to othercities, another million people flocked to view it.

Less well known, however, was the Entartete Musik concert held in Düsseldorfin 1939. This “degenerate music” employed atonality, jazz inflections, Gypsy orJewish melodies, or anything else the party deemed insufficiently German. WhileEntartete Musik never gained the notoriety of the Munich exhibit, the term hassurvived as an emblem of pride for its composers, and for all musicians perse-cuted during the Holocaust. There have been international scholarly conferencesdedicated to it in Barcelona and Charlottesville, Virginia, and in the mid-1990sthe record label Decca/London impressively dedicated a series of 20 recordingsto preserve the legacy of its composers. Those discs have now been returned tothe catalog by ArkivMusic’s ArkivCD production-on-demand series (www.arkivmusic.com; in Advanced Search, enter “Entartete Musik”).

Standouts include the Hawthorne Quartet’s recording of Pavel Haas’s StringQuartets 2 and 3, and Hans Krása’s String Quartet (Decca 440 853). The musicis hauntingly lovely—and Czech to its core, which was probably its true sin.

Viktor Ullmann’s one-act opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Decca 440 854) wascomposed in Terezín, but Ullmann and librettist Peter Kein were executed before itwas performed. The libretto—its final aria was written on the back of an Auschwitztransportation list—described an Emperor so maddeningly dictatorial that even Deathis outraged, and goes on strike. The recording in the Entartete Musik series was thework’s first—the score was long thought lost. Thank goodness it wasn’t. Musically,Der Kaiser von Atlantis ranges from cabaret to Mahler, but its emotional depth—especially in that final aria, when the Emperor surrenders to Death—is profound.

Then there are Erwin Schulhoff’s Concertos alla Jazz (Decca 444 819). I wasintroduced to Schulhoff’s music when, in 1988, John Atkinson recorded violinistIda Levin performing his Sonata for Solo Violin, for Duet (CD, StereophileSTPH012-2). That work’s drive and rigorous structure are buoyed by its intoxicat-ing melodicism. Even so, the three concertos on this disc—for piano, for flute andpiano, and for string quartet—were a delight and a revelation. Best of all, the discincludes 15 minutes of piano music performed by Schulhoff himself, who wasrecorded in Berlin by Polydor in 1928—and the sound quality is surprisingly good.

Bravo to ArkivMusic for preserving this “degenerate” music. As long as it isheard, its creators triumph over death. —Wes Phillips

Von Otter and her fellow musicians have taken moments wrested from one of our darkest eras and created such a toweringmonument to our better nature.

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StarStruckN

o longer able to revel in being under-dogs, Boston is suddenly caught in thediscomfort and elation of being a front-runner: the home of America’s mostsuccessful sports franchises, thanks tothe Celtics, the Red Sox, and, yes, the19–0, er, 18-1 Patriots.

The last time Boston teams werewinning, back in the 1980s—think Bird-Parish-McKale—thecity was also in the middle of a music explosion. The Pixies,the Lyres, the Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, Mission ofBurma, the Nervous Eaters, and Big Dipper, to name just afew, were thriving. Engineer-producers such as Sean Slade,Paul Q. Kolderie, and Lou Giordano were making theirreputations one album at a time. And a former warehouseon Norfolk Avenue, in Roxbury, had become a now-leg-endary recording studio, Ft. Apache.

“It was the nexus for a lot of bands,” says Gary Waleik, BigDipper’s singer and guitar player, “and a microcosm of Bostonat the time. At the peril of sounding like an old fart, the clubscene then was amazing—much, much better than now.”

Most of the Boston bands of that era were long gone bythe time the 1990s dawned. Recently, however, the reunionbug has swept through Beantown’s ’80s legacy acts.Reforming in 2002, Mission of Burma played successfulreunion dates, saw the release of a greatest hits compila-tion, A Gun To The Head: A Selection from the Ace of Hearts Era,and has since made two new studio albums, ONoffON(2004) and Obliterati (2006). What really cinched as factthat the reunion craze was going full tilt was when thePixies, a band whose prickly members are infamous for notgetting along, decided to regroup and tour, a wrenching

The Return of Indie Rock’s Big Dipperby Robert Baird

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experience (and financial bonanza) documented in the2006 film loudQUIETloud. Charles Thompson & Co. didnot go on to make a new record.

Now, one of the great wrongs of the 1980s Boston sceneis on the verge of finally being righted. It may simply be that,cosmically, their turn has finally come, but if there was evera band that broke up within sight of wider fame and deservesa second chance, it’s Big Dipper. Their jagged, sweet’n’sourguitars over pop melodies, with lyrics drawn from suchanti–love-song topics as history and science, made them afavorite among the brainiac rock-geek set. Such songs as“She’s Fetching,” “Hey! Mr. Lincoln,” and the anthemic “AllGoing Out Together” made them a pre-cursor of Nirvana and a distinct flavor inThe Hub’s then diverse sonic palette.The band’s influence extends far andwide: “Those Weezer bastards!” saysbassist Steve Michener, only half in jest.

In a 1990 New York Times review ofa Big Dipper concert that “alternatedbetween punkish fury and dapperpop,” Karen Schoemer described theband’s music thusly: “Its members aremusical contortionists: they love to toywith extremes, juxtaposing ferociousguitar noise with celestial vocal har-monies or planting a delicate melodyin jagged rhythm.”

“The good thing about having Gary[Waleik] in the band was that hewould always add that kind of edgyguitar,” says Michener. “‘All GoingOut Together,’ when we recordedthat, I was thinking, ‘This is just a nicelittle four-chord pop song.’ But whenyou go back and listen, it’s the verynoisy guitar line that added the edge.Gary was largely responsible for keep-ing our one foot in the Sonic Youthcamp, where I was always trying topull us into the pop camp.”

Big Dipper’s tale of indie-rock riseand shatter is depressingly familiar.After three widely acclaimed albumson the well-meaning but financially limited independentlabel Homestead Records—a now-defunct imprint of alarger indie, Dutch East India Trading—the band departed,somewhat acrimoniously, to sign with Columbia offshootEpic Records, who lavished money on what would betheir major-label debut. On the eve of the release of Slamin April 1990, the man who’d signed them to Epic, sud-denly quit the label. Bereft of their champion, Big Dipperwas defenseless when Slam’s failure to quickly produce ahit made them personae non grata at Epic, who uncere-moniously dropped them. Slam quickly faded into obliv-ion. This series of events, repeated over and over with actslarge and small, has led to the ruin the major labels nowfind themselves mired in.

“They were willing to give us a couple weeks, or a monthor two, to see if anything stuck,” Michener says, “and once itbecame obvious it wasn’t going to be an immediate hit, thenthey pulled everybody off it and moved on to the next band.”

The disappointment produced by Slam’s slump loosenedthe ties between bandmembers, and two years after thealbum’s release, Big Dipper was no more. To fans and band-

members alike, the end was a bitter pill to swallow. They feltthe band had been interrupted midsentence, with still muchmore to say. Slam, panned by fans and critics alike for its glossand expansive arrangements—especially its horn charts—hasbecome something of a wraith to band members.

“I just don’t think we were up to the challenge of makinga big record,” Waleik says. “Boo-Boo [EP, 1987] cost $1000,Heavens [1988] $2000, and Craps [1989] $3000. We had$80,000 to work with [on Slam]. We really worked hard anddid it at a place where we thought we’d get the best results,but it was just too much for us. There are more ways toscrew up songs in the studio by spending too much time

than not enough, and I think that’swhat happened with Slam. I don’tthink we were good enough as musi-cians, performers, and interpreters ofour own songs to go and crack ’emwide open in that sort of environ-ment and have them live and breathelike the way they were supposed to.

“And leaving Homestead whenand how we did was a bit of a mis-take. If we had waited a year or two,I think there would have been a lotof smaller big labels or larger indielabels that were looking for a bandlike Big Dipper. We might have hadour choice, and we might havefound a much better fit.”

While he admits they could have“done a better job” of making Slam,Waleik’s lifelong friend Michenersays that, in retrospect, the album’sfate isn’t all that surprising; it’s yetanother example of the jinx thatcomes with a perceived sellout.

“It’s a classic rock’n’roll thing. Ithappens in the British press, and inAmerica too, when you leave thebasement and try and do the show.When you sign with a major label,people automatically get suspicious.It’s like when Matador Recordshooked up with Atlantic Records [a

short-lived partnership that began in 1993]. Gerard Cosloy [theMatador co-owner who’d previously run Homestead Records andsigned Big Dipper] had a great quote: ‘I’m not selling out, I’mbuying in.’

“So people listened to Slam with a little bit of a chip ontheir shoulder. And we have a little bit of a chip on ourshoulder, too, because it was the album that ultimatelydrove the band apart. We got really pilloried for doinghorns. Our inspiration for the horns was Exile on MainStreet, so to me—not that we’re the Stones, but it was like,‘Well, did anyone give the Stones a hard time?’”

Since the release of Slam, Michener’s departure later thatyear, and the band’s final dissolution in 1992, Waleik,Michener, Bill Goffrier (guitar, vocals), and Jeff Oliphant(drums) have all taken the proverbial plunge: gotten mar-ried and settled down. Waleik and Oliphant still live inBoston, where the former is a producer for NationalPublic Radio. Goffrier lives and works in New Hampshire.Michener has wandered furthest afield, to become a wine-maker and the proprietor of Trio Vintners, in the emerg-ing wine region of eastern Washington, near Walla Walla.

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Before Michener and I spoke onthe phone, his wife gave him anot-so-gentle reminder aboutmentioning the vino.

“She said, ‘The band’s fine, butjust remember how you makeyour living now’,” he says, laugh-ing. “We make a Riesling,Sangiovese, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.We’re thinking of doing a blend ofMourvèdre and Syrah for a south-ern Rhône-style blend. Oh, and aZinfandel, just for fun.”

Michener says the impetus for areunion was the illness of drum-mer Oliphant’s wife, Tracy. “Shewas a big fan of the band, record-ings of the band, but she’d neverseen it play live—she met Jeff afterthe band broke up. She asked himto get the band together, and thatkind of got her through the worst—the depths of the chemotherapy.”

Another factor was the cheer-leading of deejay Tom Scharpling,of freeform rock station WFMU(91.1, Jersey City, New Jersey),who interviewed all four formerbandmembers by telephone, oneby one, on his show, The Best Showon WFMU, in January 2004.

The final piece fell into placewhen Waleik heard that MacMcCaughan, co-owner of MergeRecords and a member ofSuperchunk and Portastatic, hadblogged somewhere that BigDipper’s recording catalog was inneed of reissue. During the ensuinge-mail friendship, Waleik asked McCaughan if he’d be inter-ested in putting his money and label where his mouth was.Another e-mail friendship, this one with Guided By Voices’Robert Pollard—arguably Merge’s biggest act, and whomWaleik describes as a “ginormous Big Dipper fan”—alsoaided the process. Another very successful Merge act, Spoon,are also known fans.

The result of all these diverse forces is Supercluster: TheBig Dipper Anthology. The three-disc set will include allthree Homestead albums, along with an entire disc ofunreleased tracks from the Homestead years. At first, therelease will be limited to 5000 copies.

Waleik and Goffrier both have new, unrecorded songsthat could be used for a new Big Dipper album, but the bigquestion—whether Supercluster will inspire an album of newDipper songs—may be answered in the four live shows theband plans to do in Boston and New York in April. Theprospect of being together onstage again for the first timein 18 years has the four stars of the Big Dipper constella-tion shimmering emotionally somewhere between abjectterror and quiet affirmation.

“You always wonder if you’re going to have another go-around with your old band that you loved so much,”Waleik says. “It was hard to take at the time, when thingswere falling apart, but it was also hard to take years later,when you thought, ‘God, we got a chance that very few

people ever get, and we blew it.’“On the other hand, I never

thought we’d have this chance, wherewe could put out a record of our beststuff on a label that really knows whatit’s doing and really cares.”

On the prospect of getting uponstage and playing again, Waleikpauses. “I think what can happen whenyou don’t play music for a long time isthat you really attack it in a way thatyou hadn’t since you were in your 20s.”

Michener, too, is gratified to haveanother chance. I heard later from hispublicist that he’d had a blast doing

our interview: his first in 18 years. “Times are just so dif-ferent now. If we’d have had MySpace.com back then, wewouldn’t have had to rely so much…we were thinkingwithin the box, and we should have been…

“There’s a certain amount of bitterness that anyonewould feel who’s put so much work into something and itdidn’t succeed, or didn’t fulfill the expectations that we hadback then. We might have been a little bit ahead of ourtime. It was those pre-Nirvana days, when this kind ofmusic was just starting to get played on any sort of com-mercial radio, and now it’s mainstream.”

At first, Michener says his job in the band was to put onvintage plaid shirts and jump around. But when it comesto April’s live shows, he grows swiftly serious. “Very, very,very nervous. I’ve already started to have the dreams whereI’m naked and I can’t remember any of the songs.”

Even if the shows sell out and the clamor grows for anew Big Dipper record, Michener has responsibilities backin the vineyards. Like Big Dipper’s music in the 1980s, hiswinemaking philosophies are just a bit ahead of their time.As global warming has progressed, it’s become possible togrow wine grapes farther and farther north, and Michenerplans to take advantage of the phenomenon.

“We’re very forward-thinking at our winery. We’regoing to have the first Alaskan chardonnay. It’ll be from uparound Juneau.” ■■

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Sta r S t ruck

The prospect of beingtogether onstage

again for the first time in 18 years has the

four stars of the Big Dipper constellationshimmering emotionally

somewhere betweenabject terror and quiet affirmation.

“Something’s wrong. It sounds confused.”

Cantus producer Erick Lichte and I were working onthe preliminary mixes for the choir’s forthcoming album ofworks by contemporary American composers, which wehad recorded last June at Goshen College, Indiana. I wassitting at the computer, Erick in my listening chair, and wewere using PSB’s Synchrony One towers as monitors.

“Ah.” I tried not to look sheepish. “I forgot to time-align the outputs from thethree pairs of microphones I used.”

Now, it’s fair to note that the improvement made by time-aligning microphones is notone of night and day. But it is an improvement, and such was the resolving power of thePSBs that the degradation in the stability and focus of the soundstage due to the differentarrival times was very audible. Sliding the pairs of microphone tracks forward and back-ward in time to synchronize the waveform in each of a centrally placed slapstick broughtthe image of the choir, as heard through the Synchrony Ones, into precise focus.

SynchronicityThe Synchrony One, an elegantly proportioned tower 43" tall, is the flagship of a line ofseven new models from Canadian manufacturer PSB. I saw a prototype at the Con-sumer Electronics Show in January 2007 (see http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2007/011407psb), and the speaker was officially announced the following September, at theCEDIA Expo. The first thing that strikes you is that there are three 6.5" woofers, oneeach at the top, middle, and base of the enclosure’s front. A 4" midrange unit liesimmediately below the top woofer, and a 1" titanium-dome tweeter is placed belowthat, just above the middle woofer. The second thing that strikes you is the absence ofany visible mounting hardware—each of the five drivers is smoothly integrated intothe front baffle of black-anodized, extruded aluminum.

In fact, the drivers are mounted to an MDF subbaffle beneath the aluminum,with a ring of hard, molded rubber smoothly filling the space between the surroundand the front of the baffle. Each woofer is loaded with its own vented subenclosure,the three ports firing from the black-aluminum rear panel. The placement of thewoofers on the front baffle, the exact reflex tuning for each, and the crossover filterslopes—each is fed from its own low-pass filter—as well as the placement of themidrange unit, were arranged to eliminate the usual “floor dip” in the response thatresults from destructive interference between the drive-units’ direct sound and thereflection of that sound from the floor. It is relatively straightforward to arrange forthe floor dip from the midrange unit to occur below its passband and that from thelowest woofer to occur above its passband, but optimizing the behavior of the twoupper woofers must have been a more complex matter.

The tweeter uses a neodymium magnet. Electrical connection to all five drivers isvia two pairs of binding posts inset at the base of the rear panel, and the upper cross-over is a Linkwitz-Reilly type, to give minimal overlap between the tweeter andmidrange unit and optimal dispersion. The lower-frequency drivers have cones offelted natural fibers laminated with fiberglass to get the requisite combination oflightness, stiffness, and self-damping. Rather than a conventional dustcap, each has acentral, stationary, aluminum “phase plug” attached to the front of its voice-coil former.Copper shorting rings on the voice-coils and aluminum rings on the rear of the mag-

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DESCRIPTION Three-way, reflex-loaded, magnetically shielded, floor-standing loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1"(25mm) ferrofluid-cooled, titanium-dome tweeter; 4" (102mm) fiber-glass/natural-fiber–cone midrangeunit; three 6.5" (165mm) fiberglass/natural-fiber–cone woofers. Crossoverfrequencies: 500Hz, 2.2kHz (Linkwitz-Reilly topology). Frequency response:33Hz–20kHz, ±1.5dB on axis;30Hz–23kHz, ±3dB on axis. LF cutoff:–10dB at 24Hz. Sensitivity:88dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance:4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended power:20–300Wpc. Supplied accessories:floor spikes, molded rubber plugs toblock reflex ports, if appropriate.DIMENSIONS 43" (1092mm) H by8.75" (221mm) W by 12.75" (325mm)D. Internal volume: 2.35 cu. ft. (67liters). Weight: 61 lbs each (28kg).Shipping weight: 71 lbs (32kg) each.FINISHES Black Ash, Dark Cherry.SERIAL NUMBERS OF UNITSREVIEWED 1610-701022/26.PRICE $4500/pair. Approximatenumber of dealers: 300.MANUFACTURER PSB SpeakersInternational, 633 Granite Court,Pickering, Ontario L1W 3K1, Canada.Tel: (905) 831-6555. Web: www.psbspeakers.com.

PSBSynchrony OneLOUDSPEAKER

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

John Atkinson

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

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SW

ANSO

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nets are said to keep THD in the mid-band below 0.1% at 96dB SPL, which ismore akin to amplifier behavior. Theresult, says PSB’s founder and chief engi-neer, Paul Barton, is a speaker that goeslouder and deeper more cleanly than hisflagship Stratus Gold i of a decade ago(see www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/704/index5.html), while beingsmaller and more elegant in appearance.

When launched 11 years ago, the Stra-tus Gold i cost $2499/pair; the SynchronyOne costs $4500/pair, which is actuallyless expensive when inflation is taken into

account. This is made possible by the newspeaker being manufactured, as are somany others these days, in China. Butalso like many other Chinese-madespeakers, the Synchrony One’s fit’n’finishare world-class. The enclosure’s gracefullycurved, veneered sidewalls, laminatedfrom seven layers of MDF, are seamlesslyfitted to the extruded-aluminum frontand rear baffles. The black grille of clothon perforated metal seamlessly fits intovertical slots either side of the drive-units.The visual impression given by thespeaker is of understated elegance.

SonicsWith its unique multiple-woofer arrange-ment, I was expecting the SynchronyOne to be more tolerant than the normregarding placement in my listeningroom. That turned out not to be the case.It was difficult to eliminate a residualwarmth that added a “humming” qualityto the sound of a piano’s lower register. Idid wonder for a while if what I washearing was the absence of the usualfloor-bounce notch in the lower mid-range, but eventually I was convinced thatit really was part of the speaker’s character.

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M E A S U R E M E N TS

My estimate of the PSB Synchrony One’s voltagesensitivity was 88.3dB(B)/2.83V/m, which iswithin experimental error of the specified 88dB.The speaker’s impedance magnitude remained

below 4 ohms throughout the midrange (fig.1, solid trace),with minimum values of 2.6 ohms at 1160Hz and 2.65ohms at 73Hz. Though the electrical phase angle is generallylow within the audioband (fig.1, dashed trace), the combi-nation of 4.1 ohms and –45° phase angle at 29Hz suggeststhat the PSB be used with a good amplifier rated at 4 ohms.

The traces in fig.1 are free from the small discontinuitiesthat would imply the existence of cabinet resonances ofvarious kinds. Investigating the panels’ vibrational behaviorwith an accelerometer revealed just two resonant modeson the sidewalls, at 340 and 420Hz (fig.2). Whiledetectable with a stethoscope as the speakers reproducedthe half-step–spaced tonebursts on Editor’s Choice (CD,Stereophile STPH016-2), these modes are relatively low inlevel and well damped. The Synchrony One’s tall cabinet issensibly braced, though one of the speakers did develop anarrowband buzz in the upper bass after several weeks ofuse. However, this was detectable only with a stethoscope;I couldn’t hear it with music during normal listening.

The small saddle around 40Hz in the impedance-mag-nitude trace suggests that this is the tuning frequency ofthe three reflex ports. However, as each of the threewoofers is loaded with its own subenclosure and port andis driven by a different crossover filter, the low-frequency

behavior of the PSB will be more complex than usual. Thisis revealed by fig.3, which shows the nearfield outputs ofthe upper woofer and its port (red traces), the middlewoofer and port (blue), and the bottom woofer and port(green), all taken with DRA Labs’ MLSSA system. Eachwoofer has a slightly different minimum-motion notch inits response between 37 and 44Hz, and the three portseach cover a slightly different region. But more important,each woofer also covers a different bandpass. The bottomwoofer’s output (green) peaks at 70Hz but rolls off rapidlyin the upper bass. The top woofer’s output (red) peaksaround 100Hz but shelves down in the midrange. Onlythe middle woofer’s output (blue) extends upward in fre-quency to cross over to the midrange unit.

Fig.3 PSB Synchrony One, nearfield responses of top woofer and port(red), middle woofer and port (blue), and bottom woofer and port(green), all plotted in the ratios of their radiating diameters.

Fig.2 PSB Synchrony One, cumulative spectral-decay plot calculated fromthe output of an accelerometer fastened to the center of the sidewall(MLS driving voltage to speaker, 7.55V; measurement bandwidth, 2kHz).

Fig.1 PSB Synchrony One, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed).(2 ohms/vertical div.)

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Joshua Fineberg, PhD Composer of contemporary

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The solution was to use one of the PSB-supplied rubber plugs to block the portloading the bottom woofer of eachspeaker. While the speaker’s balance wasthen still on the warmish side, this modi-fication cleaned up the reproduction oflower-frequency piano notes to the pointthat, with the optimal choice of amplifier(see later), it was no longer a concern.

I ended up with the speakers fartherapart than is usual in my room, whichgave the smoothest integration of theirbalance through the lower midrange. Thisdone, I fitted the supplied carpet-piercing

spikes to the PSBs’ bases and toed thespeakers in to the listening position, whichgave the best high-treble balance. I audi-tioned the speakers without their grilles:not only did I prefer the Synchrony One’sappearance au naturel, I needed the little bitof extra top-octave energy that they pro-duced without the grilles. The PSB’s toptwo octaves then sounded clean and silky,with sufficient “air.” I settled back forsome serious listening.

I’ve been listening a lot of late toSmetana’s tone poem Má Vlast, with SirColin Davis conducting the London Sym-

phony Orchestra (SACD, LSO LiveLSO0516). Recorded in concert in Lon-don’s Barbican—one of my least favoritehalls—the sound is a little on the dry side.However, from the resonant harp intro ofthe first movement through each stringentry, each instrumental choir was deli-cately delineated in space, and every instru-mental tone color was presented withoutcoloration or undue emphasis. This speak-er was also a natural for showing off thatmasterpiece of orchestration, BenjaminBritten’s The Young Person’s Guide to theOrchestra. My longtime favorite recording is

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m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

The two traces to the left of fig.4 show the complexsums of the individual port and woofer responses; thetraces to the right show the farfield responses of thewoofers and of the midrange/tweeter array on themidrange axis. The acoustic crossover point between thewoofers and midrange occurs at 600Hz, a little higherthan the specified 500Hz. Notable in this graph is how flat each set of drive-units is within its passband, and howwell-controlled the rolloffs are. The woofer output doespeak up a little in the region covered by the bottomwoofer, but there is little sign of the usual nearfield boostin the upper bass, which suggests that the SynchronyOne’s woofers are somewhat overdamped.

Fig.5 shows how these individual responses sum in the farfield, averaged across a 30° horizontal angle on themidrange axis, with the grille removed. The port can beseen to extend the bass to –6dB at 30Hz, a low frequencyconsidering the speaker’s small footprint. Again the low-frequency output peaks up a little in the region coveredby the bottom woofer, and a small discontinuity can beseen at 3.8kHz. Overall, however, this is an extraordinarilyflat response. A couple of small peaks can be seen closeto the upper edge of the audioband, and I do wonder ifthese were the reason Erick Lichte was less tolerant of theSynchrony One’s top-octave performance than I was. Myhearing cuts off above 15.5kHz these days, while Erick’s

extends to 19kHz. Then again, he’s half my age.There is nothing in fig.5 to indicate why I felt the Syn-

chrony One’s balance to be a bit forward in the mid-treble.However, looking at the speaker’s plot of lateral dispersion(fig.6), while the contour lines are commendably even andwell-controlled overall, a slight off-axis flare can be seen atthe base of the tweeter’s passband. This speaker may workbest in rooms where it can be placed well away from thesidewalls, or where the sidewalls are absorptive ratherthan dispersive as they are in my room. In the verticalplane (fig.7), the Synchrony One’s balance remains stable

Fig.4 PSB Synchrony One, acoustic crossover on listening axis, corrected for microphone response, with farfield responses of midrange/tweeter and woofers, with the summed nearfieldresponses of ports and woofers.

Fig.6 PSB Synchrony One, lateral response family at 50", normalized to res-ponse on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response 90–5°off axis, reference response, differences in response 5–90° off axis.

Fig.5 PSB Synchrony One, anechoic response on listening axis at 50",averaged across 30° horizontal window and corrected formicrophone response, with the complex sum of the nearfieldresponses plotted below 300Hz.

with the composer conducting the LSO inLondon’s Kingsway Hall (reissued on CDas Decca 417 509-2 or JVC XRCD 0226-2), but this 1963 recording sounded a bittoo brash through the PSBs. A modernrecording, of Paavo Järvi conducting theCincinnati Symphony Orchestra (SACD,Telarc SACD-60660), sounded very muchmore natural at high frequencies, and hadmuch the same weight and impact in thebass as the English performance.

The top octaves sounded smooth tome on this Telarc SACD—the delicatelybrushed triangle at the end of the finalvariation before the fugue was beautifullyresolved, without sounding spotlit—butErick Lichte was less tolerant than I ofthe PSB’s performance in this region.However, in the “Measurements” sidebaraccompanying this review, I wonder ifhe was reacting instead to the smallresponse peak between 16 and 18kHz,

which, unlike me, he could hear. Theheight of this peak is not affected by theperforated-metal grille, which proved tobe transparent other than suppressingthe speaker’s output by a couple of dBbetween 9 and 16kHz. Even so, at theend of the mixing sessions we listened toone of my 2008 “Records To Die For,”violinist Hilary Hahn performingVaughan Williams’ song of serenity, ALark Ascending (SACD, Deutsche Gram-

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over a reasonably wide range of listening axes betweenthe tweeter and the top woofer; ie, 29–39" from the floor.

To look at how this quasi-anechoic behavior translatesinto the Synchrony One’s behavior in the listening room, I took ten 1⁄6-octave–smoothed spectra for each speakerindividually in a rectangular grid 40" wide by 18" high andcentered on the position of my ears in my listening chair. (I used an Earthworks omni microphone and a Metric HaloULN-2 FireWire audio interface in conjunction with SMUG-Software’s Fuzzmeasure 2.0 running on my Apple laptop.)The spatial averaging reduces the influence of position-specific room-acoustic effects in the bass and lowermidrange; the result is shown in fig.8. The PSB’s superblyflat anechoic behavior and even dispersion translate into anequally flat response in-room, with useful bass extensionevident down to almost 20Hz. The usual floor-bounce suck-

out in the lower midrange is very much reduced in ampli-tude, but I conjecture that the slight excess of presence-region energy evident correlates with my feeling that theSynchrony One sounded a touch forward at times.

Turning to the time domain, the PSB’s step response is shown in fig.9. All the drive-units are connected with pos-itive acoustic polarity, each one’s step smoothly handingover to that of the next lower in frequency. This correlateswith the excellent frequency-domain integration of theiroutputs noted earlier. The speaker’s cumulative spectral-decay plot (fig.10) is clean overall, though a slight amountof delayed energy is apparent at the frequency of the on-axis step in the treble.

The PSB Synchrony One offers superb measured perfor-mance, as I have come to expect of Paul Barton designs.

—John Atkinson

Fig.8 PSB Synchrony One, spatially averaged, 1⁄6-octave response in JA’slistening room.

Fig.10 PSB Synchrony One, cumulative spectral-decay plot at 50" (0.15msrisetime).

Fig.9 PSB Synchrony One, step response on midrange axis at 50" (5mstime window, 30kHz bandwidth).

Fig.7 PSB Synchrony One, vertical response family at 50", normalized toresponse on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response15–5° above axis, reference response, differences in response 5–15°below axis.

m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

mophon 28947-48732-6), with nary acomplaint from either of us.

The Synchrony One really shonewith classical orchestral music, in partbecause its slightly warm upper bass andextended low bass gave the sound a firmunderpinning. The double basses on theTelarc Britten SACD had the optimalcombination of attack and weight totheir tone. This speaker did go surpris-ingly low in the bass, considering its rel-atively small stature. When I listened tothe 1⁄3-octave warble tones on my Editor’sChoice (CD, Stereophile STPH016-2),the Synchrony One gave full measuredown to the 25Hz band, with only the20Hz warble inaudible. The half-step–spaced tonebursts on the same CD werereproduced cleanly and evenly from thelowest frequency, 32Hz, with little signof doubling in the lowest two octavesand without undue emphasis on anyspecific note. There was also a com-mendable lack of wind noise from theflared ports, even at high levels.

Both the dual-mono pink noise andthe in-phase bass-guitar tracks on Editor’sChoice were reproduced as they shouldbe: as narrow, central images without anyfrequencies splashing to the sides. Withtrue stereo recordings, such as the Gersh-win Prelude arrangements on Editor’sChoice, there was no sense of imagesbeing localized at the speaker positions.Instead, individual instrumental imageswere precisely and solidly located in theplane between and behind the speakers.And when out-of-phase information waspresent in the recording, such as some ofthe effects on Trentemøller’s album ofchill-out music, The Last Resort (PokerflatPFRCD18), these wrapped around to thesides in a stable, nonphasey manner.

Not only was the PSBs’ stereo imagingstable, precise, and accurate, but through-out my auditioning of the SynchronyOnes I kept getting the feeling that Icould hear farther into the soundstagethat I had been used to. The timpani andthe xylophone in the percussion variationof the Cincinnati Britten recording wereset unambiguously behind the orchestra’swoodwind and string choirs. This was notbecause the speakers were suppressingmid-treble energy, a not-uncommonmeans for a speaker designer to fake theimpression of image depth—the PSBswere, if anything, a little hot in thisregion. Instead, there was such anabsence of spuriae that recorded detailwas more readily perceived.

But, as I said, this superb retrieval ofrecorded detail was accompanied by a

slight lift in the presence region. This wasnot nearly so much as to add brightness tothe balance, but voices were presented asbeing more forward in the mix. With theCantus mixes Erick and I were workingon, we felt we had to slightly reduce thelevel of the closer-sounding cardioidmikes in the mix to compensate for themore distant-sounding omnis. Withrecordings that are themselves over-cooked in the highs—Bruce Springsteen’sdreadful-sounding Seeger Sessions, forexample (DualDisc, Columbia 8287682867-2)—it all became a bit too much in-your-face. But with more sensibly bal-anced rock recordings, such as So Real, theJeff Buckley compilation released on the10th anniversary of the singer’s death(CD, Columbia/Legacy), the PSBs effec-tively drew forth the music from the mix.

For this reason, the Synchrony Oneproved a better match to the warmer-sounding Mark Levinson No.380S pre-

amp and No.33H power amps than thecooler Parasound Halo combination ofJC 2 and JC 1s, despite the Levinsons fat-tening up the midbass. Stereophile’s latestCD, a reissue of Robert Silverman per-forming the two Rachmaninoff pianosonatas (STPH019-2), now sounded a bittoo plummy, even with the bottom portsplugged. I ended up using the MarkLevinson No.380S preamp with the HaloJC 1 amplifiers, which gave the optimaltop-to-bottom balance with the PSBs.

As I finish writing this report, I’m lis-tening to the provisional 24-bit/88.2kHzmix Erick and I did of Cantus perform-ing Lux aurumque (Golden Light), EricWhitacre’s 2001 setting of a poem byEdward Esch translated into Latin byCharles Anthony Silvestri. Whitacre con-structs patterns of tone clusters that slow-ly move stepwise, leaving suspensionsthat you think will clash yet soundexquisitely tonal. Each of the nine singerswas clearly and precisely positioned inspace by the PSBs, with the deliciouslywarm reverberation of the Great Hall ofGoshen College reinforcing the effect ofthe suspended notes in the score. Andwhen, on the music’s final page, thework modulates—finally—to the major,with the basses rocking back and forthbetween low C-sharps and D-sharpsunder a long-held high G-sharp from thetenors (who faced away from the mikesfor this passage, in order to light up thehall with sound), the superbly neutralmidrange and the low-frequency clarityof the Synchrony Ones filled my roomwith shimmering harmonies. Ah. It’shard to see how it could get much better.

SummationsThe last two speakers I reviewed, theSonus Faber Cremona Elipsa (December2007) and the KEF Reference 207/2(February 2008), each cost around$20,000/pair. As much as I was impressedby those highfliers, PSB’s Synchrony Onereached almost as high for just$4500/pair. Its slightly forward low treblewill work better with laid-back amplifica-tion and sources, and its warmish midbassregion will require that care be taken withroom placement and system matching.But when everything is optimally set up,the Synchrony One offers surprisinglydeep bass for a relatively small speaker; aneutral, uncolored midrange; smooth,grain-free highs; and superbly stable andaccurate stereo imaging. It is also superblyfinished and looks beautiful. Highly rec-ommended. And when you consider theprice, very highly recommended. ■■

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ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTDIGITAL SOURCES Ayre C-5xe, Pioneer DV-578A universal players;Mark Levinson No.30.6, BenchmarkDAC 1 USB, Bel Canto e.one DAC 3D/A converters; Prima Luna PrologueEight CD player; Logitech (SlimDevices) Transporter WiFi music playerwith Apple Mac mini running OSX formedia storage.PREAMPLIFIERS Parasound Halo JC2, Ayre K-5xe, Mark Levinson No.380S.POWER AMPLIFIERS ParasoundHalo JC 1, Musical Fidelity 550kSupercharger, Mark Levinson No.33Hmonoblocks; Boulder 860.LOUDSPEAKERS Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa, KEF Reference207/2, Magico V3.CABLES Digital: Kimber Illumina-tions Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuestOptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Cheetah,Ayre Signature Series. Speaker:AudioQuest Kilimanjaro. AC: PS AudioLab, Shunyata Research AnacondaHelix Alpha, manufacturers’ own.ACCESSORIES Target TT-5 equip-ment racks; Ayre Myrtle Blocks; ASCTube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; PSAudio Power Plant 300 at 90Hz(sources only), Audio Power Indus-tries 116 Mk.II & PE-1, APC S-15 ACline conditioners (not power amps).AC power comes from two dedicated20A circuits, each just 6' from thebreaker box, a power amplifierplugged into each. —John Atkinson

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No matter how well you think you know the specialized world ofhigh-end audio, there are always new companies, new technologies,and new products you just haven’t gotten around to knowing yet.

At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, one company scored aperfect triple on that score. I wandered into Hansen Audio’s room,where I met Lars Hansen, heard the Emperor loudspeaker, and wasimpressed by Hansen’s proprietary drivers. The Emperors sure

sounded like the real thing, and Hansen himself was a very impressive man, but geezelouise, how likely was it that a company would come out of nowhere with not just oneproduct but an entire speaker line of seven models? It would take a ton of chutzpah tothink you could do all that overnight.

Lars Hansen has that, all right. He really is an audio polymath, creating drivers,constructing cabinets, and slaying audio shibboleths—and, oh yeah, designing awhole line of speakers that rewrite the rules.

As the months went by, Hansen and his sales manager, Wes Bender, managed toconvince me that I had to audition the Hansen Audio Prince V2 ($39,000/pair). “It’sthe right size speaker for your room,” Bender assured me. Good thing, too—in theirboxes, the Princes—42" high by 14" wide by 20" deep—barely fit in my front hall.

Princes have long hands and many earsI start with the drivers,” said Lars Hansen. “First, I found a tweeter so good that even Icouldn’t improve upon it. The motor assembly has so much control over the soft dome

Hansen AudioPrince V2LOUDSPEAKER

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Wes Phillips

Hansen Prince V2 loudspeaker

DESCRIPTION Three-way, floor-standing, ported loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweetermounted on dispersion-optimized6mm aluminum plate, 7.1" (182mm)laminated-cone midrange unit, 10.6"(269mm) laminated-cone woofer.Crossover: first-order. Crossover fre-quencies: ca 100Hz, 2.5kHz. Fre-quency response: 23Hz–23kHz,±2dB. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms.Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.DIMENSIONS 42" (1066.8mm) Hby 14" (355.6mm) W by 20"(508mm) D. Weight: 205 lbs(92.98kg) each, 540 lbs (245.5kg)system shipping weight in crates.FINISHES Various.SERIAL NUMBERS OF UNITSREVIEWED 901051/52-kb.PRICE $39,000/pair. Approximatenumber of dealers: 8. Warranty: 5years, parts & labor.MANUFACTURER Hansen Audio,Inc., 100 Leek Crescent, Unit 9, Rich-mond Hill, Ontario L4B 3E6, Canada.Tel: (905) 731-8434. Fax: (905) 731-8420. Web: www.hansenaudio.com.

that it reproduces the silences betweennotes every bit as well as the notes them-selves. I designed the midrange and thewoofer to have the most inert cones avail-able today—we use a sandwich of threelayers. The first layer is made from anepoxy based material that is comprised ofmany components and is infused withglass fibers. The second layer is Rohacel(one of the lightest materials known).The last layer is also an epoxy-basedmaterial but with a different mix than thefirst. This ensures they do not deformdeform in reproducing the musical signal.The dustcaps and the underhung voice-coils—even the cross section of the sur-rounds—everything is consciouslydesigned to eliminate colorations frombeing added to the wavepath.

“The cabinets are hand-molded ofthree layers of Hansen Composite

Matrix, which which contains up to sixdifferent components in each of the 3layers, each of these layers has a differ-ent mix, a different thickness, and there-fore a different density than the othertwo layers. After the Hansen CompositeMatrix has been removed from themould then a fourth layer, which is anacoustic damping material, is added tothe inside [Hansen calls it “the cloakingdevice”—WP], and the final result is ashape that allows the widest dispersionand is extremely inert. If it was as simpleas putting the drivers on a stick, thatwould be so nice, but every cabinet hasan effect on dispersion, so I shaped thePrince very carefully, so it ‘lets go’ of thenotes with the smallest possible effecton wave diffraction. It looks ‘organic,’people tell me, but it is very calculated.”

I asked Hansen what the Hansen

Composite Matrix was made of. “Idon’t think it is useful to get any moretechnical than saying that it is a total offour different layers and each is madefrom an epoxy based material withnumerous added components that tookmany months to get acoustically cor-rect, and cost many hundreds of thou-sands of dollars to achieve” he said. “It’snot rocket science—although there isrocket science in this loudspeaker.”

Add to that a first-order crossoverwhose components are soldered, byhand, point to point with silver solder. “Iuse the midrange driver from around100Hz out to 2500—and it remains pis-tonic for that whole range, so the wooferand tweeter can operate in their comfortzones, too. The big problem with first-order crossovers is that they frequentlyput too much strain on drivers at the

156 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

M E A S U R E M E N TS

With a speaker as large and heavy as the PrinceV2, there is no question of lifting it onto a tallstand for the acoustic measurements, tomove back in time the inevitable reflection

form the floor between the speaker and the microphone.As a result, my measurements don’t have as much detailin the lower midrange as usual, but I don’t believe thatfact invalidates my findings. (My thanks to Wes Bender,Stephen Mejias, and Danny Gonzalez for their help inmoving these speakers around for the measurements.)

My estimate of the Prince’s voltage sensitivity on itstweeter axis was a little lower than specified, at85dB(B)/2.83V/m. This speaker will definitely benefitfrom being driven by a powerful amplifier, particularly asits impedance (fig.1) drops below 4 ohms in the mid-tre-ble and above. The impedance rises with decreasing fre-quency below 1kHz, which means that tube amplifiers,with their relatively high source impedance, will soundheavier in the bass than solid-state amplifiers with theHansen. But as the Prince V2’s impedance at lower fre-

quencies doesn’t drop below 8 ohms, this speaker shouldwork well with tube amps. The traces in fig.1 are free ofthe glitches and wrinkles that would indicate the presenceof cabinet resonances of various kinds. Investigating thepanels’ vibrational behavior uncovered nothing untoward.This is an acoustically inert enclosure.

The sharply defined saddle at 31Hz in the impedance-magnitude trace reveals that this is the tuning frequencyof the large, rectangular reflex port. This is confirmed bytwo things: 31Hz is also the woofer’s minimum-motionfrequency (fig.2, blue trace), and the port’s output peaksin this region (fig.2, red). The port can be seen to havesome peaks in its stopband output, but these are welldown in level. The woofer also rolls off very slowly, due tothe use of a first-order crossover to the midrange driver(fig.2, green). The crossover frequency between these twodrive-units lies at 100Hz, exactly as specified, which leads

Fig.1 Hansen Audio Prince V2, electrical impedance (solid) and phase(dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)

Fig.2 Hansen Audio Prince V2, anechoic response on tweeter axis at 50",averaged across 30° horizontal window and corrected formicrophone response, with the complex sum of the nearfieldresponses plotted below 300Hz (black), and with the the nearfieldresponses of the port (red), woofer (blue), and midrange (green)plotted in the ratio of the square root of their radiating areas.

lowest end of their range, but our driverscan handle that without any problem.”

The Prince V2’s enclosure has a portthat fires out the front. Hansen cites thespeaker’s sensitivity as 87dB. The 25mmsoft-dome tweeter is mounted on a “dis-persion optimized” 6mm aluminumplate. The 7" (182mm) midrange driverand 10.5" (269mm) woofer certainly donot look ordinary. And the speaker,while not all that large, is heavy, as in wellover 200 lbs each.

Put not your trust in princesI initially installed the Prince V2s in mylistening room with Krell’s Evolution202 preamplifier and Evolution 600power amplifiers. Over time, I also usedConrad-Johnson’s ACT2.2 preamplifierand Musical Fidelity’s Nu-Vista 300power amp. Sources included Ayre’s C-

5xe and Linn’s Klimax DS. Cables werefrom Stealth, AudioQuest, and ShunyataResearch, among others.

The Princes liked having room tobreathe. In my listening room, I endedup with them facing straight ahead, theirrear panels 56" from the front wall, theiroutside side panels 38" from the side-walls, and their inside side panels about77" apart. In those positions they openedup, delivering everything from stagger-ing orchestral tuttis to completely con-vincing solo guitar.

Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?My first impression was that the PrinceV2 was indeed royalty in its presenta-tion of the heft and weight of instru-ments. In fact, I began seeking outrecordings I hadn’t heard in a while,

hoping to discover in them hithertounheard felicities. I succeeded. Onesuch disc was my copy of John Atkin-son’s 1997 live recording of guitaristJohn Abercrombie, pianist Marc Cop-land, bassist Peter Herbert, and BillyHart. I was at the concert and my good-ness, what a monster Hart was that day!He was playing a leased set of drumswith a piccolo snare and the smallestbass drum I’d ever seen, but his soundwas immense—and his beat impeccable.

The Princes did a superb job of bal-ancing Copland’s Steinway and Aber-crombie’s electric squonk (the guitarist isold-school when it comes to effects—between soundcheck and gig, he’dspent a solid hour resurrecting anancient Mike Matthews chorus stompbox). The Princes balanced that electriccrunch and the piano’s crisp, round

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 157

H A N S E N A U D I O P R I N C E V 2

to some concern on my part. Not only does this meanthat there is broad overlap in the bass among the woofer,port, and midrange outputs—the black trace below 300Hzin fig.2 is the complex sum of the three radiators’ outputs,taking acoustic phase into account—but the midrange driv-er’s response then smoothly rises until it reaches thecrossover frequency to the tweeter at approximately2.2kHz. The apparent bump in the Prince’s overall mid-bass output is due in part to the nearfield measurementtechnique, but this will, to some extent, balance the rise inresponse in the upper midrange. This will be especiallytrue if the speaker is used with a tube amplifier, for thereasons explained earlier.

What this behavior implies about the Prince V2’s soniccharacter will depend on what frequency region the eartakes as its reference—and that, in turn, will depend onwhat music is being played. On the positive side, the ener-gy excess at the top of the midrange will accentuaterecorded detail and enhance the reproduction of femalevoices—Wes Phillips did note how wonderfully theHansens handled voices of all sorts—but the balance

might also lead to some fatigue with overcooked record-ings, as well as project some sources more forward in thesoundstage. Alternatively, if the ear locks on to the uppermidrange as its sonic anchor, the relative lack of lower-midrange energy will make male voices sound a bit thin,and orchestras somewhat anemic. Note that WP didremark that the Princes presented the large ensemble inSchulhoff’s Double Concerto for Flute and Piano a shadeless forcefully than did the Wilson WATT/Puppy 8s, andthat the overall ensemble sound was a touch smaller—which is what I would expect.

The tweeter’s response is basically flat, but with somesmall peaks on-axis balanced by equally small dips. Andas you can see from the Prince’s lateral-dispersion plot(fig.3), the largest on-axis suckout, between 4 and 6kHz,does tend to fill in to the speaker’s sides, meaning that itsin-room balance in this region will be neutral. The tweetercan be seen to get quite directional above 10kHz, but thecontour lines below 4kHz in this graph are evenly spaced,which correlates with the excellent stereo imaging notedby WP. In the vertical plane (fig.4), a suckout at the upper

Fig.3 Hansen Audio Prince V2, lateral response family at 50", normalizedto response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences inresponse 90–5° off axis, reference response, differences in response5–90° off axis.

Fig.4 Hansen Audio Prince V2, vertical response family at 50", normalizedto response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences inresponse 15–5° above axis, reference response, differences inresponse 5–10° below axis.

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transient attack. Add Hart’s fundamen-tal clatter and roar, and I was right backin that October night in Santa Fe.

But while the Princes were superb atrendering the sound of instruments inspace, they were even better at gettingto the music’s white-hot emotionaltruth. On Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “TheOld Rugged Cross,” from Does YourHouse Have Lions? (CD, Rhino R271406), the Princes took me along onKirk’s ruminations about the crosses we

daily bear to a wailing, ecstatic, foot-stomping gospel squawk of full-blownecstasy. I doubt I’ve ever heard anyother speaker get Kirk’s leap from theroot of the tonic to dancing right on theedge of the sublime to the same extentthat the Hansens did. Is that somethingthat can be measured? I wonder.

I had a similar experience listening toEric Dolphy’s “Hi-Fly,” from Live inEurope, Vol.1 (CD, Original Jazz Classics4132). Essentially a duet between acoustic

bass and flute, “Hi-Fly” never seemed tocome from the Princes themselves.Instead, the bass inhabited my listeningroom with regal heft and low-endauthority, while Dolphy’s alto sax soaredlike silver birdsong, taking flight on levelsboth sonic and melodic. Dolphy’s state-ment that, once you’ve played a note, it’sgone, was never more forcefully refutedthan by the Princes. For the 13:49 dura-tion of “Hi-Fly,” Dolphy once again lived.

Then there’s the immense sound-

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 159

H A N S E N A U D I O P R I N C E V 2

m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

crossover frequency of 2.2kHz develops more than 5°above the tweeter axis, but the speaker does maintain itsbalance quite well for axes below the tweeter.

To examine how these quasi-anechoic measurementsadded up in Wes’s listening room, I derived my usual spa-tially averaged in-room response from 10 individual 1⁄6-octave–smoothed spectra taken individually for the leftand right speakers in a vertically oriented grid 40” wide by18" tall and centered on the position of WP’s ears in hislistening chair. (For this measurement, the speakers weredriven by a Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300 power amplifier.)The result is shown in fig.5. There is a slight energy excessbetween 500Hz and 1.2kHz, but above that region, thePrinces’ response in-room is basically flat until, due to theincreasing absorption of the room’s furnishings in the toptwo audio octaves, it smoothly slopes down with increas-ing frequency. The port doesn’t fully extend the speaker’slow-frequency output, which surprised me. The woofer’soutput integrates quite well with Wes’s room, though thedepression at 125Hz and the peak at 70Hz are mainly dueto the influence of room acoustic problems that have notbeen eliminated by the spatial averaging. However, thelack of lower-midrange energy seen in fig.2 is still evidentin this graph.

Turning to the time domain, the Prince V2’s stepresponse is shown in fig.6. A short, positive-going stepfrom the tweeter is followed first by a negative-going stepfrom the midrange unit, then a positive-going step fromthe woofer. Despite its use of first-order crossover filters

and a stepped-back front baffle, the speaker is not time-coincident. It is, however, time-coherent: connecting themidrange unit in inverted polarity allows each drive-unit’sstep to smoothly hand over to that of the next lower infrequency. The Prince’s cumulative spectral-decay plot(fig.7) is not as clean as I expected, with some low-levelresidual hash evident in the mid-treble.

In many respects, the Hansen Audio Prince V2 acquit-ted itself well on the test bench. But I was puzzled by thedecision to cross over from the woofer to the midrangeunit at a frequency as low as 100Hz. —John Atkinson

Fig.5 Hansen Audio Prince V2, 1⁄6-octave, spatially averaged response inWP’s listening room.

Fig.6 Hansen Audio Prince V2, step response on tweeter axis at 50" (5mstime window, 30kHz bandwidth).

Fig.7 Hansen Audio Prince V2, cumulative spectral-decay plot at 50"(0.15ms risetime).

scape created by certain albums—forinstance, Jack DeJohnette’s Oneness(CD, ECM 1637). On “Jack In,” percus-sionist Don Alias and DeJohnette layout a backdrop of drums that stretchesfrom one end of the horizon to theother. Pianist Michael Caine and electricguitarist Jerome Harris splash tone-bursts of color against that backdrop—it’snot a natural soundscape, but for dramaand sheer impact, it’s hard to beat. TheHansens let the magic happen.

Princes are venison in heavenI compared the Hansen Prince V2 withWilson Audio Specialties’WATT/Puppy 8 ($27,900/system) for avariety of reasons. To many, theWATT/Puppy personifies the small-scale high-end loudspeaker, and theWilson line is widely distributed; mostaudiophiles who’ve cared to have alreadybecome familiar with the sound of thesepopular monitors. The Hansens costabout 30% more than the Wilsons, sothat should be taken into consideration.

Like the Hansens, the Wilsons filllarge rooms despite a small footprint.Indeed, in terms of large-scale orches-tral impact, the WATT/Puppy ranksamong the best of the breed. Throughthe W/Ps, Bettina Wild and Aleksan-dar Madzar’s recording of Erwin Schul-hoff’s Double Concerto for Flute andPiano (with Andreas Delfs and theDeutsche Kammerphilharmonie; CD,Decca/ArkivCD 444 819-2) creates awide soundstage that just bristles withorchestral color, spiked through withthe fierce timbres of flute and pianoand laid out within the sustainingacoustic of a large concert hall.

Equally dynamic but less tonallyforward, the Princes presented thelarge ensemble a shade less forcefully,and the overall ensemble sound was atouch smaller—although the sense ofthe ensemble within the largeacoustic was very palpably there.

Three months ago, I had neverheard this disc, which is part ofDecca’s Entartete Musik series from themid-1990s, so I can’t speak as towhich presentation is “correct.” Ifpressed, however, I’d probably choosethe Hansens for nailing the sound of alarge, but not huge, ensemble sosolidly within the hall’s acoustic.

Simone Dinnerstein’s recording ofJ.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (CD,Telarc CD-80692) has lately been get-ting a lot of play chez Wes—almost asmuch for the sonic brilliance of the

sound of its 1903 Hamburg Steinway asfor Dinnerstein’s aggressively breakneckromp through the variations followingher leisurely treatment of the Aria. TheWATT/Puppys gave the Steinway a big,clattering character—the instrument wasa veritable cannon firing salvos of notesinto the rear of the room. Boom-boom.The Princes were again a tad less brash,the piano seeming more tailored to thehall (the auditorium at the Academy ofArts and Letters in New York City). Callit extremely precise small-arms fire. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat.

The alternate take of Wayne Short-er’s “Pinocchio” on the remastering ofMiles Davis’ Nefertiti (CD, Columbia467089) is one of those tracks thatunfurls as it progresses, more or lesspointing the way to the even longerform of Davis’s In a Silent Way. Davis,Shorter, and pianist Herbie Hancocksplash languid tonal colors against theskittering rhythms of bassist Ron Carterand drummer Tony Wilson. TheWATT/Puppys accentuated this drama,which I found exciting. However, theHansen Prince V2s emphasized thetrack’s sustained narrative in a way that Ifound more convincing. Forced tochoose, I’d say the Hansens gave memore of the music’s flow, the Wilsonsmore of its moment-to-moment drama.Both approaches have their adherents,but I found the Hansens more musical-ly credible.

With truly large orchestral forces,such as on Mountain Music—a collectionof three symphonies (2, 50, 66) and atone poem, Storm on Mount Wildcat, allfour works by Alan Hovhaness, dedi-cated to various peaks, and performedby Gerard Schwarz and the RoyalLiverpool Philharmonic Orchestra(SACD, Telarc SACD-60604)—theWATT/Puppys moved more air thanthe Hansens. The Wilsons get thatapproaching-the-acoustic-limits-of-the-room thing much more right than didthe Hansens, which seemed a tadrestrained. That won’t be a shortcom-ing for some, though I do enjoy crank-ing it up to “11” every now and then.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mentionhow wonderfully the Hansens han-dled voices of all sorts—if you valuesinging, the Prince V2 is a truly spe-cial speaker. Any kind of singing,from Alison Krauss and RobertPlant’s Raising Sand (CD, Rounder9075), to Anne Sofie von Otter’sTerezín/Theresienstadt (CD, DeutscheGrammophon 4776546), to theClovers’ “Devil or Angel,” from TheDoo-Wop Box (CD, Rhino R2 71463).The Princes gave singers body with-out loading their voices up with toomuch physicality. Voices floated free—and soared. Take your favorite vocalperformance and listen to it on thePrinces, but be careful. Everythingelse may then suck hind tit.

Princes and asses must always be urged“Hansen Audio Speakers are meticu-lously hand built in Canada,” it pro-claims on Hansen’s website. Hand-built? I’m not sure that any$39,000/pair loudspeaker is “mass-produced.” When you get to that level,no matter how mechanized yourassembly line, I suspect you’re stillhand-building speakers.

Even so, from the hand-assembly ofthe drivers to the individual casting ofsuspensions to the building up, layer bylayer, of its cabinets, Hansen Audio’sPrince V2 seems a bit more hand-builtthan most. Lars Hansen would say—hassaid—that he’s not interested in buildingloudspeakers any other way than his.

Is that a reasonable way to run abusiness? It depends on what you wantto accomplish. Hansen’s goal appears tobe to make an unreasonably fine loud-speaker—one he’s proud to put hisname on. I’d say, “Mission accom-plished.” ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 161

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ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTDIGITAL SOURCES Ayre C5-xe uni-versal player, McIntosh MS750 musicserver, Linn Klimax DS networkedD/A processor, Bel Canto e.OneDAC3 D/A converter.PREAMPLIFIERS Conrad-JohnsonACT2.2, Krell Evolution 202, LinnKontrol.POWER AMPLIFIERS Krell Evolu-tion 600 monoblocks, Musical Fideli-ty Nu-Vista 300.LOUDSPEAKERS Wilson Audio Spe-cialties WATT/Puppy 8.CABLES Interconnect: AudioQuestWilliam E. Lowe Reference, StealthIndra & Nanofiber. Speaker: Audio-Quest William E. Lowe Reference,Stealth Dream.ACCESSORIES Composite ProductsCF-1000-5 equipment & amp stands,Furutech eTP-609 distribution box &RDP panels, RealTraps Mini & MondoTraps. —Wes Phillips

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The first reference I saw to the Count of Saint Germain was in Fou-cault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco’s dense novel about a man whoseparanoid delusions become so overpoweringly real that, by the endof the book, the reader is left wondering whether the protagonist’senemies actually exist. That their number should include Saint Ger-main was a nice touch: Part cabalist, part confidence man, the real-life Count was thought by some to be immortal (in Pendulum he’s

pushing 300), and while Casanova wrote vividly of meeting Saint Germain at adinner party in 1757, so did the English writer and pederast C.W. Leadbetter—in1926. Like Aleister Crowley, the Count of Saint Germain can be seen peeringover the shoulders of countless parlor (but not parleur, or even haut-parleur)occultists: He keeps popping up all over the place.Still, imagine my shock at receiving from John Atkinson—editor, mentor, friend—

a carton whose original return address read “Villeneuve Saint Germain, France.”Holy blue! If the carton’s arrival signaled a curse of some sort—retaliation, per-

haps, for the time I programmed vulgar phrases into the Simaudio Moon i-7’s dig-ital readout—it was too late to turn back: I had already accepted delivery (think:Jacques Tourneur’s 1957 film Night of the Demon). I had no choice but to soldieron. So I did.

TriangleEsprit Comete ExLOUDSPEAKER

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Art Dudley

Triangle Esprit Comete Ex loudspeaker

DESCRIPTION Two-way, reflex-loaded loudspeaker for use withstands 20-30" H (not included).Drive-units: 1" titanium-dome tweet-er in molded horn enclosure, 6.3"coated pulp-cone woofer. Crossoverfrequency: 2.5kHz. Frequencyresponse: 50Hz-20kHz, ±3dB.Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4.4ohms minimum. Sensitivity:90dB/W/m.DIMENSIONS 16.5" (420mm) H by7.9" (200mm) W by 13.2" (335mm)D. Shipping weight: 41 lbs (18.7kg).FINISHES Cognac.SERIAL NUMBERS OF UNITSREVIEWED 07TEB14 0463, 07TEB140464.PRICE $1295/pair. Approximatenumber of dealers: 28.MANUFACTURER Triangle Electro-acoustique, Avenue FlandresDunkerque, Z.I. les Etomelles, 02200Villeneuve Saint Germain (!), France.Tel: (33) 23 75 38 20. Web: www.triangle-fr.com. US distributor: VMAXServices, P.O. Box 570, Chazy, NY12921. Tel: (800) 771-8279. Web:www.vmax-services.com.

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DescriptionLife is full of thoughtless generalities, andhere’s another: Triangle Electroacous-tique is France’s version of MissionAudio. Both have been around for a fewdecades, both have enjoyed commercialand critical success, and both gained fameas makers of domestic loudspeakers thatare moderately affordable and oftenremarkably good. The similarities con-tinue, from the general to the specific:the slim profiles, the proprietary drivers,the generous investments in computer-driven measurement and constructiontechnologies…

Here’s at least one distinction, whichI’m told has become a Triangle callingcard: The Esprit Comete Ex($1295/pair) has a horn-loaded tweet-er, which flares from the 1" titaniumdome at its throat to a mouth that mea-sures some 2.5" in diameter. A longishphase plug, evidently made of brassand held in place with two radial strips,obscures much of the dark-gray dome.The tweeter’s housing is molded froma smooth and apparently sturdy plastic;I at first took it to be sealed, but thennoticed a tiny opening at the apex of itsrear surface: a resistive load intended to

increase output, perhaps, or a vent toequalize the pressure on the thin titani-um diaphragm.

The 6.3" bass driver has a pulp conewith a smooth outer surface, and isshaped in a mild flare, as opposed tobeing straight-sided; its own phaseplug is proportionately short, and madeof hard rubber. Rubber of a muchmore pliant sort is used for the half-rollsurround. The basket is a light castalloy, with an integral frame for thetextile spider.

Those drivers, which are both beauti-fully made, are held to the machined

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M E A S U R E M E N TS

The Triangle Esprit Comete Ex is significantly moresensitive than the norm, my estimate of its voltagesensitivity coming in at 91dB(B)/2.83V/m. While itsimpedance magnitude drops below 5 ohms in the

lower midrange and mid-treble (fig.1, solid trace), and theelectrical phase angle is occasionally extreme, overall thespeaker will be fairly easy to drive.There are two sharp discontinuities in the impedance

traces, one at 620Hz, the other between 800 and 900Hz.Investigating the cabinet’s vibrational behavior with a plas-tic-tape accelerometer, I found some strong resonances.Fig.2, for example, shows a cumulative spectral-decay plotcalculated from the output of the accelerometer when fas-tened to the center of one of the sidewalls. There is astrong mode at 355Hz, along with some higher in fre-quency. This mode, which I detected on all surfaces, ishigh enough in level and low enough in frequency that Iwould be surprised if it didn’t affect the speaker’s soundquality, yet in his auditioning Art Dudley noted nothinguntoward in this region. I did find a strong mode at 900Hzon the top panel; this could correlate with the discontinu-ity in the impedance traces at the same frequency. But Iwas surprised that the mode at 355Hz didn’t affect theimpedance measurement.The impedance glitch at 620Hz correlates with a very

strong resonance at that frequency in the port’s output

(fig.3, blue trace). There is also a suspicious-looking peakin the woofer’s output close to the same frequency (fig.3,black), though this graph lacks the resolution to indicate ifthis peak occurs at exactly the same frequency as the portresonance. The saddle centered on 62Hz in the imped-ance-magnitude trace indicates that that is the tuning fre-quency of the port. There is, indeed, a minimum-motionnotch in the woofer’s nearfield output at that frequency,

Fig.1 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, electrical impedance (solid) and phase(dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)

Fig.2 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, cumulative spectral-decay plot calculatedfrom the output of an accelerometer fastened to the center of thesidewall (MLS driving voltage to speaker, 7.55V; measurementbandwidth, 2kHz).

Fig.3 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, acoustic crossover on tweeter axis,corrected for microphone response, with farfield responses oftweeter (red) and woofer (black), with the summed nearfieldresponses of the port (blue) and woofer (black) plotted in the ratioof their radiating diameters.

MDF baffle with hex-head woodscrews, the ones for the tweeter beinghidden behind a trim ring of hard rub-ber. The baffle is also home to a pair ofmolded reflex ports 1.5" in diameterand 2.75" long, mildly flared. Internalwiring is Triangle’s own stranded cop-per cable, fastened with slip-on con-nectors. The crossover board, whosecapacitors also carry Triangle’s trade-mark, is fastened to the rear surface ofthe MDF cabinet, which is also hometo a relatively thin cover of acousticfoam. The cabinet looks unremarkableexcept for a series of small braces thatapparently serve the same purpose asthe ribbon lining inside a stringedinstrument: to provide additional glu-ing surfaces for the front and back.

Installation and setupThe Esprit Comete Ex is intended to

be mounted on a stand, and becausethe center of its tweeter is just over 13"above its bottom surface, a stand20–28" tall would suit the average seat-ed listener. Triangle makes and sells anappropriate stand for the Comete Ex,but that wasn’t supplied for the review;instead, I relied on an old pair of open-frame supports from Chicago SpeakerStand that measure a little over 22" tall.An hour or so of fiddling proved, to mysatisfaction, that the Comete soundedbest when coupled to the stand withtiny bits of Blu-Tak, and that the best(ie, least fussy-sounding) results were tobe had when the stand’s spiked feetwere replaced with self-adhesive feltpads—green ones, in case you believethat makes a difference.

A modest amount of bottom-endreinforcement could be had by placingthe Cometes very close to the wall

behind them. However, given that spa-tial depth and detail were among thespeakers’ greatest strengths, I tookadvantage of those qualities by bring-ing the Cometes well out into theroom, farther from the walls and closerto the listening seat than is usual forme. Measured from a central point onthe front baffle, each Comete ended upbeing 71" from the wall behind it and27" from its respective sidewall.

With my Audio Control SA3050spectrum analyzer set at 4dB per step,and with its microphone set at earheight, the graphic readout was similarto what you’d see if you used a rulerand a red marker to draw a linebetween 63Hz and 12.5kHz: Apartfrom a small peak at 100Hz, theresponse was very flat, with usableresponse at 50Hz but nothing below,and a more gentle rolloff in that quaint

168 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

though the port’s output broadly peaks a little higher infrequency. The woofer rolls off quite sharply above 2kHz,though what would otherwise be a well-controlled rolloffis disturbed by a small peak at 4kHz. The tweeter (fig.3,red) is rolled off very steeply below 2kHz. While its outputis relatively uniform in its passband, it appears to be bal-anced about 5dB too high in level.Fig.4 shows how these individual measurements sum on

the tweeter axis in the farfield. While the woofer andtweeter outputs integrate nicely, the Comete Ex’sresponse rises through the mid- and high treble. The peakaround 700Hz is still evident, and the speaker’s output inthe upper bass peaks up by 7dB. Some of this boost willbe due to the nearfield measurement technique, whichassumes a 2pi acoustic environment for the low-frequen-cy radiators, but the speaker does have a somewhatunderdamped low-frequency alignment. Subjectively, this

will tend to balance the hot top octaves, but as AD noted,it does add “a bit more drumminess on some notes thanthe recording would seem to call for.”The Esprit Comete Ex’s lateral dispersion on the tweeter

axis is well-controlled and even (fig.5), which correlateswith the excellent stereo imaging noted in the review.There is only the slightest hint of off-axis flare at the bot-tom of the tweeter’s passband. The horn loading for thetweeter may increase the unit’s sensitivity, but it appearsthat the primary benefit is to match the unit’s dispersionto that of the woofer in the crossover region. The tradeoffis that the speaker becomes more directional in the toptwo audio octaves, but, as AD found, that does enable thelistener to adjust the toe-in angle to obtain a more neu-trally balanced treble. In the vertical plane (fig.6), a deepsuckout develops immediately above and more than 10°below the tweeter axis. The stands should be chosen toplace the listener’s ears close to the tweeter axis, if theComete Ex is not to sound a little hollow.In the time domain, the Triangle’s step response (fig.7)

Fig.4 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, anechoic response on tweeter axis at 50",averaged across 30° horizontal window and corrected formicrophone response, with the complex sum of the nearfieldresponses plotted below 300Hz.

Fig.5 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, lateral response family at 50", normalizedto response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences inresponse 90–5° off axis, reference response, differences in response5–90° off axis.

European neighborhood, The Trebles.Speaking of which, I preferred listen-

ing to the Triangle Cometes with theirenclosures aimed straight ahead—underwhich circumstances the central listen-ing area was off axis with respect to theCometes’ horn tweeters. Listening onthe axis, with the enclosures toed-in,the treble range was exaggerated; vocalsibilants and plosives became fatiguingafter an hour or so of listening. Thatmay seem counterintuitive, given Tri-angle’s use of a phase plug directly infront of the tweeter diaphragm, but itwas nonetheless true.

Two pairs of gold-plated connectorson the rear of the cabinet allowbiwiring, if desired, using spade con-nectors or 4mm banana plugs. I reliedon the latter, and kept the Cometes’gold-plated metal links in place for usewith my single-wire speaker cables.

ListeningThe speakers’ best places chosen andtheir positions all tweaked, I beganauditioning the Esprit Comete Exeswith Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, from thenewly re-reissued Fruit Tree boxed set(LP, Universal Island 006025 17457034). Notwithstanding its small size, theComete didn’t lose one bit of the rich-ness in Drake’s baritone: I was relievedto hear the sound of his voice repro-duced with all the body I’d expected,the art of his singing with all its nuance.

And scale: The Cometes sounded bigand easy, not tiny and fussy in the man-ner of other small boxes. Likewise,Drake’s steel-string guitar had realisticbody and scale, and just as much beau-tiful richness of tone as I could havehoped for. The sound of the guitarappears to have been equalized duringthe making of the original recording, to

give more prominence to its lowerstrings—an untrue sound, maybe, butone that was reproduced truly by theCometes.This wasn’t a curse at all!Then I listened to Mendelssohn’s

Symphony 3, with Peter Maag and theLondon Symphony Orchestra (LP,Decca/Speakers Corner SXL 2246),and was pleased to hear not only thesame timbral richness as in the NickDrake, but a literally satisfying—notoverwhelming, but perfectly satisfy-ing—degree of bass weight in the low-est brasses and strings. The quality ofthe bass was a bit less dry than that ofthe Audio Note AN-E/Spe HE, with abit more drumminess on some notesthan the recording would seem to callfor—yet without stooping to the sort ofone-note bass of other reflex designs.The bass rolloff was fairly drastic,

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reveals that both drive-units are connected with the samepositive acoustic polarity and that the tweeter stepsmoothly hands over to the woofer step. The tail of thelatter’s step, however, is overlaid with some gentle undu-lations with a period equivalent to a frequency of 710Hz,the same as the small peak in the on-axis frequencyresponse. A ridge of delayed energy can therefore be seenin the speaker’s cumulative spectral-decay plot (fig.8),though the initial decay of the speaker’s sound is other-wise impressively clean. The tweeter’s dome resonanceoccurs just below 20kHz, which is a bit close to the audi-ble band for comfort for younger listeners.The Comete Ex’s measurements are not at all bad con-

sidering its price, and suggest that the speaker’s ownercan experiment with toe-in and placement to get the opti-mal balance between the high- and low-frequencyregions. Its high sensitivity will also allow it to work wellwith low-powered amplifiers. But I am suspicious of thefact that the port resonance, the cabinet panel resonance,

and the slight peak in the farfield response coincide with-in a quite narrow region of 620-900Hz. –John Atkinson

Fig.8 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, cumulative spectral-decay plot at 50"(0.15ms risetime).

Fig.6 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, vertical response family at 50", normalizedto response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences inresponse 45–5° above axis, reference response, differences inresponse 5–45° below axis.

Fig.7 Triangle Esprit Comete Ex, step response on tweeter axis at 50" (5mstime window, 30kHz bandwidth).

though, with some kettledrum notes inGeorge Szell and the Vienna Philhar-monic Orchestra’s recording ofBeethoven’s Egmont overture (LP, Lon-don CS 6675) missing entirely, whileothers in the same line rang out nicely.

As with intimate pop recordings, theComete’s sense of scale with orchestralselections was appropriate to the mate-rial—in addition to which, its spatialqualities added significantly to myenjoyment. Listening to the Cometesfrom 7' away or so, I heard a really sur-prising, impressive degree of stagedepth. Yet this goodly sized soundfieldwasn’t of the airy, phasey, fussy sort:The string sections on both sides of thestage had real substance. It isn’t veryoften that stereo imaging and “sound-staging” impress me all that much; thiswas a happy exception.

Yet for all that, the Esprit Comete Exdid a satisfying job of reproducing oldmono recordings: Other speakersdeliver more substance and scale, butthe Cometes sounded bigger and lessfussy than I expected.

Back to stereo: Ravel’s Piano Concer-to in G (LP, RCA/Classic LSC-2271),with pianist Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer, Charles Munch, and theBoston Symphony, gave cause for moreadmiration. From the startling firstbars, the Comete followed the musicwith sharp, right-sounding pitches andrhythms, as well as engagingly openand clear yet perfectly rich sound. Buthere, finally, was the first evidence thatthe Comete’s bass was not as generousas that of other speakers: the piano did-n’t sound quite as big, heavy, or power-ful as it should, nor did the orchestralbass drum toward the end of the firstmovement. The sense of touch on thepiano was good, but not as good orconvincing as that of the guitar in theNick Drake track.

Spoken-word recordings sounded realand right, with no egregious col-orations. In Procol Harum’s side-long“The Worm and the Tree,” from Some-thing Magic (LP, Chrysalis CHR 1130),Gary Brooker sounded present andvery much himself: not chesty, nasal,hooty, shouty, pinched, strained, orsore. The superb depth and tonalroundness that the Comete conferredon Chris Copping’s electric bass anddrummer B.J. Wilson’s floor tom werealso welcome. And while I don’t knowwhat the late actor Klausjürgen Wus-sow sounded like in real life any morethan I understand his German, his

recitations between and on top of themusic selections on the Szell-VPOEgmont were convincing enough.

Best of all was that masterpiece of thechoral repertoire, Vivaldi’s oratorioGloria, with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the evergreen Janet

Baker (LP, Argo ZRG 505). Especiallywith the Cometes well away from thesidewalls, their excellent lateral imagingmade it easier than usual to enjoy themanner in which the recording (not tomention the composer) hands the leadline through the various sections of thechorus, as in Et in terra pax. Similarly, inDomine Deus, the perspective betweenBaker and the chorus behind her wasclearly laid out. And, of course, Baker’srich, powerful mezzo-soprano wasreproduced with beautiful clarity andwarm, human realism.Flaws? The Esprit Comete Ex was the

sort of product that seemed to haveonly forgivable shortcomings, and fewof those. It lacked the overall drama

and sense of touch often brought to thescene by other, more sensitive speak-ers. Surprisingly good though it was,the Comete didn’t have as much bassas, say, the Audio Note AN-E/Spe, norwas it as sensitive—though, again, for asmaller, easier-to-place product that

costs one-sixth the price, it did awfullywell. And it wasn’t quite as easy toenjoy off axis as the Audio Notes,whose very-high-frequency dispersionseems more consistent over a widerrange of positions: With the Cometesfiring straight ahead, sitting off to oneside often put me in line with thetweeters—which, as I’ve said, was a lesslistenable perspective.

ConclusionsThe Esprit Comete Ex is a fine thing: amuch better and more musical loud-speaker than one usually finds at thisprice and size, or from such a main-stream company. It’s a shame to thinkthat some Cometes will end up in bor-ing systems driven by boring amps play-ing boring CDs; having now heard thevery sensitive Cometes driven by one ofthe finest amps on the planet and fed areasonably steady diet of good record-ings from a classic record player, I knowwhat heights it can reach. By the end ofa review period I’m often at least some-what anxious to get rid of the producton loan, so I can go back to the things Iknow and love; the Cometes could havestayed here indefinitely, and I wouldn’thave minded at all.

If you’re looking to assemble a vinyl-or SACD-based system around a very-high-quality amplifier of 10-70Wpc,and especially if your living arrange-ment allows for nearfield listening to aloudspeaker placed well away fromthe room boundaries, the TriangleEsprit Comete Ex is a very strong rec-ommendation. Unless something bet-ter for the price comes along, I couldsee the Comete Ex remaining in our“Recommended Components” list foran awfully long time, if not quite eter-nally. ■■

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T R I A N G L E E S P R I T C O M E T E E x

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTANALOG SOURCES Linn LP12 (withLinn Basik power supply), ThorensTD-124 Mk.II turntables; Naim Aro,Rega RB300 tonearms; EMT JSD 5,Denon DL-103 cartridges.DIGITAL SOURCE Sony SCD-777ESSACD/CD player.PREAMPLIFICATION Auditorium 23Standard, K&K Audio step-up trans-formers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.POWER AMPLIFIERS Quad IImonoblocks, Shindo Cortese.LOUDSPEAKERS Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE.CABLES Interconnect: Audio NoteAN-Vx, Shindo silver. Speaker: Audito-rium 23. AC: JPS Labs The Digital(Sony SACD/CD player).ACCESSORIES Mana ReferenceTable, three Mana short tables(under turntables); big piece ofwood under SACD/CD player.

–Art Dudley

THE ESPRIT COMETE Ex IS A FINE THING: A MUCHBETTER AND MORE MUSICAL LOUDSPEAKER THAN ONEUSUALLY FINDS AT THIS PRICE AND SIZE, OR FROMSUCH A MAINSTREAM COMPANY.

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 173

Ialways look forward to Stereophile’s Home Entertainment Shows, where Iscout out interesting new models of affordable loudspeakers. At HE2007 inNew York City, I was struck by the Silverline Audio room—not only by thesound I heard there, but by the way Showgoers reacted to that sound.

In his fairly large and acoustically favorable room, Silverline’s Alan Yunwas getting impressive sound from the diminutive Minuet bookshelf speak-ers ($600/pair). Alongside the Minuets stood a pair of Silverline’s larger,

floorstanding Preludes ($1200/pair, reviewed by Robert Deutsch in the March 2007Stereophile). After hearing some bombastic orchestral music reproduced at loud lev-els, several listeners asked Yun which pair of speakers had been playing. Though itwas obvious that a pair of speaker cables connected the amplifier to the Minuets andno speaker cables were connecting the Preludes to anything, the high levels of bom-bast and bass emanating from the system were so convincing that the listeners sim-ply couldn’t believe that it was all coming from the tiny Minuets.

I couldn’t believe it either. Immediately, I decided I had to get a pair of Minuetsto test out in my home reference system.

Design goalsThe Minuet is the least expensive of Silverline’s 12 two-channel loudspeaker

Silverline AudioMinuetLOUDSPEAKER

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Robert J. Reina

Silverline Audio Minuet loudspeaker

DESCRIPTION Two-way, bass-reflexstand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" silk-dome tweeter, 3.25"paper-cone woofer. Crossover fre-quency: 3.5kHz. Frequency range:60Hz–28kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB/W/m.Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Rec-ommended amplification: 10–300WRMS.DIMENSIONS 9" (230mm) H by5.5" (140mm) W by 7.25" (185mm)D. Shipping weight: 15 lbs(6.8kg)/pair.FINISHES Cherry, Dark Rosewood(both vinyl).SERIAL NUMBERS OF UNITSREVIEWED 2237 A/B.PRICE $600/pair. Approximate num-ber of dealers: 31.MANUFACTURER Silverline Audio,936 Detroit Avenue, Unit C, Concord,CA 94518. Mailing: Silverline Audio,P.O. Box 30574, Walnut Creek, CA94598. Tel: (925) 825-3682. Fax:(925) 256-4577. Web: www.silverlineaudio.com.

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models, which top out at the GrandeurMk.II ($18,000/pair). The companyalso manufactures an amplifier, audiocables, and two center-channel speak-ers. The Minuet is a conventional, rear-ported, two-way minimonitor with asecond-order crossover. According toSilverline, its stable 8 ohm impedancecurve makes it easy to drive with alow-powered amplifier.

Mounted on the braced cabinet of5⁄8"-thick particleboard is a bass driverwith a 3.25" paper-pulp cone and arather large magnet. The 1" silk-dometweeter has a heatsink at the back of its

magnet, designed to enhance thevoice-coil’s heat dissipation in anattempt to increase its power-handlingcapability. I found the Cherry vinyl fin-ish quite attractive; a Dark Rosewoodvinyl finish is also available.

I placed the Minuets on my trusty 24"Celestion Si stands, which are loadedwith sand and lead shot. Although AlanYun slightly prefers listening to the Min-uets without their grilles, for greaterdegrees of detail and transparency, Ithought the speakers sounded a bit morecoherent with the grilles on, which ishow I did most of my listening.

ListeningIt was immediately apparent that oneof the Minuet’s greatest strengths wasits midrange neutrality, transparency,and detail resolution, so I began tomine my collection for recordings ofacoustic piano. I followed every nuanceof Paul Bley’s articulate style on “MyOld Flame,” from his Live at Sweet Basil(CD, Soul Note 121235-2), whichsounded rich and natural. The Min-uet’s superb resolution of micrody-namics made it very easy to followBley’s unique phrasing.

Next I turned to vocal recordings.

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M E A S U R E M E N TS

As is to be expected from its small size, the Silver-line Minuet offered lower-than-average voltagesensitivity, at an estimated 85dB(B)/2.83V/m.This is significantly lower than the specified

88dB. However, its impedance magnitude (fig.1)remained above 6 ohms over the entire audioband, drop-ping only briefly below 5 ohms in the mid-treble. Theelectrical phase angle is overall a bit higher than normal,but given the fairly high magnitude, the speaker will befairly easy for the partnering amplifier to drive.

The traces in fig.1 are free from the small wrinkles anddiscontinuities that would imply the existence of cabinetresonances of various kinds. Investigating the enclosurepanels’ vibrational behavior with a plastic-tape acceler-ometer, I found little to note. Yes, there was a high-levelmode at 879Hz on the side panels (fig.2), but this is suffi-ciently high in frequency to have minimal subjective con-sequences. A second mode can be seen at 400Hz; thiswas present on all surfaces, but is low enough in level tobe innocuous. At low frequencies, however, the cabinetsidewalls do appear to “pump” a little at the frequency ofthe lower impedance peak.

The saddle between the twin impedance peaks in thebass lies between 60 and 70Hz, implying that this is thetuning frequency of the rear-facing reflex port. The port’soutput, measured in the nearfield (fig.3, blue trace), does

peak in this region, with the woofer’s minimum-motionnotch (fig.3, black) lying at 68Hz. The port’s output is com-mendably free from any resonances above its nominalpassband. The woofer has a slight peak in its response, vis-ible at the top of the midrange, before it begins its second-order rollout. Though a couple of small peaks can be seenan octave or so above the crossover point, these are wellsuppressed by the low-pass filter. The crossover to the

Fig.1 Silverline Minuet, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed).(2 ohms/vertical div.)

Fig.2 Silverline Minuet, cumulative spectral-decay plot calculated from theoutput of an accelerometer fastened to the center of the sidewall(MLS driving voltage to speaker, 7.55V; measurement bandwidth,2kHz).

Fig.3 Silverline Minuet, acoustic crossover on tweeter axis, corrected formicrophone response, with farfield responses of tweeter (red) andwoofer (black), with the nearfield response of port (blue) and woofer(black) plotted in the ratio of their radiating diameters.

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“Our Prayer,” the opening, a cappellatrack of Brian Wilson’s SMiLE (CD,Nonesuch 79846-2), was presented asan angelic and seamless blend of malevoices, though I was easily able to fol-low each individual vocal line. EvenAimee Mann’s highly processed vocalson her Bachelor No. 2 or The Last Remainsof the Dodo (CD, Super Ego SE 002)sounded silky and holographic, and theoverall instrumental picture was coher-ent, with a nice weight to the bass guitar.

Speaking of bass, the tiny Silverlinesdidn’t seem the least bass-shy, even inmy large main listening room, whichusually presents a challenge to thesmallest bookshelf speakers to repro-duce a realistic bottom end. (I’m curiousto see John Atkinson’s measurements ofthe Minuet’s bass talents.) And, yes, the

most prominent instrument in the Sil-verline’s reproduction of “Hejira,” fromJoni Mitchell’s Misses (CD, Reprise46358-2), was Jaco Pastorius’s fretlessFender Jazz bass. From my notes:“Nothing bloooooms more than Jaco’sbass on ‘Hejira.’” While the speaker hasno low-bass extension, every midbassinstrument I cued up, whether acousticor electric, was uncolored and forceful,its reproduction by the Minuets resem-bling the dynamic envelopes repro-duced by much larger speakers.

At the opposite end of the frequen-cy spectrum, the highs were clean,extended, and uncolored. The Min-uet’s natural highs, combined with itssuperb resolution of low-level dynam-ics and fast but unetched transients,made it an excellent match for percus-

sion recordings. Is there a better jazzdrum solo than the one on the titletrack of Art Blakey’s A Night in Tunisia(LP, Viktor LX-1115)? Blakey’s subtle,low-volume phrasing and melodic useof tom-toms are so captivating that Ifound it difficult to take notes whilelistening to this track. I then turned toone of my favorite drummers, PaulMotian, particularly his Garden of Eden(CD, ECM 1917). I’ve often said that Icould listen to Motian play a singleride cymbal indefinitely and never getbored, and that’s just about what I did.I’d never heard a small, affordable,bookshelf speaker render a ride cym-bal more naturally than the SilverlineMinuet did for each of this CD’s 14tracks. Although with certain record-ings I’ve heard other speakers reveal

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m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

tweeter (fig.3, red) lies at 2.3kHz, rather lower than thespecified 3.5kHz. The tweeter rolls off below the crossoverfrequency with a fourth-order, 24dB/octave acoustic slope.

Fig.4 shows how these individual outputs sum on thetweeter axis in the farfield. The Minuet’s low-frequencyextension is modest, as is to be expected from the fairlyhigh port-tuning frequency, and the usual nearfield bumpin the upper bass is missing, implying a rather overdampedalignment. I am somewhat at a loss, therefore, to under-stand why the speaker’s performance in the mid-bassupward was so favored in the auditioning. The speaker ispretty flat in the midrange, but there is then a broad, 3dB-high peak in the mid-treble, due to the tweeter’s being alittle more sensitive than is necessary. I do wonder if thisboost contributed to Bob Reina finding the Minuet to offersuperior resolution of “midrange detail.” (Although of ahigher frequency than the midrange, this boost will act alittle like Photoshop’s “Sharpen” tool.) The top-octaveresponse is slightly shelved down, but the tweeter is still

operating at the 30kHz upper limit of this graph.The Minuet’s lateral radiation pattern is shown in fig.5.

The contour lines are evenly placed in the uppermidrange, but while the usual off-axis flare can be seen atthe bottom of the tweeter’s passband, the speaker getsquite a bit more directional in the region between 4 and7kHz, roughly where the on-axis output features that 3dBpeak. It is difficult to predict whether this off-axis behaviorwill work against or reinforce the audibility of the on-axispeak in the mid-treble. I suspect that the speaker’s bal-ance in a typical room will be a little bright, due to theroom’s reverberant field being boosted a bit between 3and 4kHz, which is probably why BJR preferred to audi-tion the speakers with their grilles in place. The tweeterbecomes very directional above 11kHz, which, in conjunc-tion with the on-axis response in the same region, willmake the Minuet sound a little lacking in top-octave air,except in rooms with lively acoustics. In the vertical plane(fig.6), the Minuet maintains its balance over quite a wide(±10°) window centered on the tweeter axis, meaningthat the speaker will be tolerant of stand height. Large

Fig.4 Silverline Minuet, anechoic response on tweeter axis at 50",averaged across 30° horizontal window and corrected formicrophone response, with the complex sum of the nearfieldresponses plotted below 300Hz.

Fig.5 Silverline Minuet, lateral response family at 50", normalized toresponse on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response90–5° off axis, reference response, differences in response 5–90° offaxis.

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more high-frequency inner detail, theMinuet’s highs never once deviatedfrom neutrality.

It was at the upper end of the dynam-ic spectrum where the Minuet mostimpressed me. No matter what type ofdifficult program material I spun, andno matter at what volume level, the Sil-verline never sounded like a smallbookshelf speaker. Speaking of “A Nightin Tunisia”—in the Brooklyn Sax Quar-tet’s iconoclastic reading of this tune, onA Far Side of Here (CD, Omnitone12206), the saxes cover their entireranges of frequency and dynamics. Thistrack’s wide dynamic swings werereproduced by the Silverlines without ahint of attenuation: they breathed BIG.When I took a spin with Timothy Seel-ig and the Turtle Creek Chorale’srecording of John Rutter’s Requiem (CD,Reference RR-57CD), the Minuetsreproduced the huge acoustic of therecording venue with ease. Organ-pedalnotes bloomed naturally, and there wasnary a hint of compression or colorationon the more full-throated passages.

Similarly, the more bom-bastic passages of AntalDorati and the London Sym-phony’s recording of Stravin-sky’s The Firebird (CD, Mer-cury Living Presence SR90226) blasted through theroom as if from a pair of largefloorstanders. Bass-drum for-tissimos were relatively natur-al-sounding, but I’ve heardother speakers render themwith more bottom-endextension. Rock music atloud volumes also cookedthrough the Minuets. Listen-ing to “Becuz,” from SonicYouth’s Washing Machine (CD,Geffen DGCD-24825), I rev-eled in the pounding drumsand the extended upper har-monics of the shimmeringelectric guitars—and this ataround 95dB in my verylarge main listening room.

The Minuet’s superior resolution ofmidrange detail and wide, deep sound-

stage created an extraordinary sense ofacoustic space with the better record-ings I auditioned. Last year, my jazz

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 179

S I LV E R L I N E A U D I O M I N U E T

m e a s u r e m e n t s , c o n t i n u e d

suckouts develop in the crossover region at more extremeangles; as always, don’t listen to this speaker when stand-ing up.

In the time domain, the Minuet’s step response (fig.7)indicates that both drive-units are connected with thesame positive acoustic polarity, with the tweeter’s outputsmoothly handing over to the woofer’s. The cumulativespectral-decay plot (fig.8) is extremely clean.

Overall, the Silverline Audio Minuet measures well for arelatively affordable design. —John Atkinson

Fig.6 Silverline Minuet, vertical response family at 50", normalized toresponse on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response45–5° above axis, reference response, differences in response 5–45°below axis.

Fig.7 Silverline Minuet, step response on tweeter axis at 50" (5ms timewindow, 30kHz bandwidth).

Fig.8 Silverline Minuet, cumulative spectral-decay plot at 50" (0.15msrisetime).

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quartet Attention Screen gave a specialimprovisational concert at New YorkCity’s ABC No Rio performance space,augmented by a number of improvisingmusicians including saxophonist BlaiseSiwula (formerly with Cecil Taylor)and West Coast percussionist MattHannafin. John Atkinson recorded theperformance with a single pair of car-dioid microphones. The acoustics ofthe space are extraordinary; throughthe Minuets, each of the dozen musi-cians was placed in precisely the sameplace on the soundstage as he was onthe night of the performance.

As I continued to listen to the Min-uets, the word that kept popping intomy mind was drama. On well-recordedworks that made organically involvingmusical statements, the Minuets capti-vated me—it was as if I were listening tolarger floorstanding speakers, or even toa live performance. A classic examplewas pianist Elliot Kallen’s “Ellis Island,”from the KliP trio’s Sonny Boy Blount(LP, Should I Be Concerned AboutThis? 1001-02). The trio creates an aurallandscape depicting a shipload of immi-grants arriving in New York City at theturn of the last century. Bassist JohnLauffenberger creates the foundation bybowing a long, low-register note. Per-cussionist Garth Powell alternatesbetween a brooding ostinato on deaconchimes and pounding bass drums,while Kallen introduces the wailingmodal melody. Although Kallen playsthis on a highly electronically alteredRoland synthesizer, it sounds as soul-ful and articulate as any jazz horn.With the Silverlines, I shut my eyesduring the entire track. I could smellthe seawater, see the smoke risingfrom the ships’ stacks. By the end ofthe piece, I was teary-eyed.

ComparisonsI compared the Silverline Minuet($600/pair) with the Epos M5($695/pair) and the Nola Mini($600/pair when last available).

The Epos M5 rendered even moreinner midrange detail than the Min-uet, with more delicate and morearticulate highs and an even finerreproduction of low-level dynamics.The Epos also produced slightly deep-er bass and slightly better high-leveldynamics. The Nola Mini providedstill deeper bass and great high-leveldynamics, but its highs weren’t as deli-cate as those of the Epos or Silverline.The Nola’s midrange detail and neu-

trality were as good as the Silverline’s,but its low-level dynamic resolution wassuperior to the Minuet’s, and equal tothat of the Epos.

But the Epos is more than twice thesize of the Silverline, and the Nola ismore than three times as big. In termsof bass extension and high-leveldynamic resolution, the Minuet’s abili-ty to play in the same league as thesetwo much larger speakers was quiteimpressive.

Summing upSilverline Audio’s Minuet is an uncol-ored, detailed, and dynamic performerthat competes with the best designsI’ve heard at its price. But it is evenmore special than that. If comparedwith speakers of equivalent size, itwould likely be compared with modelsthat are less expensive and less reveal-ing, or that require bass reinforcementfrom a companion subwoofer. As such,the Silverline is ideal—and may be theonly choice I’ve heard—for the audio-phile who wants a big, neutral sound,but whose spouse won’t stand for larg-er bookshelf speakers in the livingroom. It’s a brilliantly designed lifestylechoice that will satisfy audiophileswhile providing a Spouse AcceptanceFactor that’s off the charts. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 181

S I LV E R L I N E A U D I O M I N U E T

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www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 183

The audio industry may have lost a legend and a prolific innovator inHenry Kloss a few years back, but it still has another affable, creativeeccentric in Peter Ledermann. In the mid-1970s, Ledermann wasdirector of engineering at Bozak, where, with Rudy Bozak, hehelped develop a miniature bookshelf speaker and a miniature pow-ered subwoofer. Before that, Ledermann was a design engineer atRAM Audio Systems, working with Richard Majestic on the designs

of everything from high-power, minimal-feedback power amplifiers and pream-plifiers to phono cartridge systems. He was also an award-winning senior researchengineer at IBM, and the primary inventor of 11 IBM patents.

Somehow, more than 35 years ago, Ledermann also found time to start TheSoundsmith, which he calls an “audio mentoring” company—one that teachesaudio engineering in an arrangement that sounds like a cross between an appren-tice program and a school, the tuition subsidized by the repair and restoration ofhi-fi gear. Students learn and earn by doing. Fifteen years ago, Ledermann leftIBM to devote himself full-time to Soundsmith. When not mentoring, hedesigned, manufactured, and marketed strain-gauge cartridges, preamps, ampli-fiers, loudspeakers, and subwoofers.

Never heard of Ledermann or Soundsmith? You’re not alone. On the first page

SoundsmithSMMC1MOVING-IRON PHONO CARTRIDGE

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Michael Fremer

Recent running changes to the SMMC1, include: tapped brass mounting flanges and a stylus guard.

DESCRIPTION Moving-iron phonocartridge with ruby cantilever. Stylus:nude line-contact, 0.12mm2. Recom-mended tracking force: 1gm. Effec-tive tip mass: 0.32mg. Compliance:28μm/millinewton. Frequencyresponse: 20Hz–20kHz, ±2.5dB.Channel separation: >25dB at 1kHz;>20dB, 50Hz–15kHz. Channel bal-ance: <1.6dB. Output voltage:2.12mV, 5cm/s lateral modulation.Recommended load resistance: 47kohms. Recommended load capaci-tance: 400pF or greater.DIMENSIONS Weight: Cartridgealone, 1.6gm; with universal mount-ing adapter, 6.8gm.SERIAL NUMBER OF UNITREVIEWED Michael Fremer–builtSignature Edition.PRICE $749.95 with polycarbonate1⁄2" adapter. A selected version of theSMMC1, in ebony, the Aida, sells for$899.95.Approximate number ofdealers: 1 (sold direct). Warranty: “Allcartridges are warranted againstdefect in workmanship for a periodof not less than one year.”MANUFACTURER The Soundsmith,8 John Walsh Blvd., Suite 417, Peek-skill, NY 10566. Tel: (800) 942-8009,(914) 739-2885. Fax: (914) 739-5204. Web: www.sound-smith.com.

of the Soundsmith catalog, Ledermannacknowledges his company’s low visi-bility: “We don’t get out much.” LikeHenry Kloss, Ledermann isn’t wiredfor business or for image-marketing—Amar Bose he’s not. Also like Kloss,Ledermann is more a dreamer and ide-alist than a schemer.

That catalog, for instance: Whilefilled with an extensive line of elec-tronics, and loudspeakers that alwayssound impressive at trade shows, itsproduction values reek of Kinko’s. Theexception is a slick-looking ad tackedon at the end, for the CDT-4 automat-ed CD player tester—an ingenious andseemingly useful electronics repairper-son’s trouble-shooting tool that Leder-mann invented in his spare time.

Visit Ledermann’s repair and pro-duction facility in Peekskill, New York,and you’ll find yourself negotiatingcanyons of vintage gear stacked onshelves from floor to ceiling. Some of itawaits repair or restoration, but a lot ofit is there “just because”—this isn’t howbusinesses usually operate, but it suregives Soundsmith personality.

Soundsmith also specializes inrepairing electronic and mechanicalproducts from such Scandinavian com-panies as Tandberg and B&O. Repeat-ed contact with disenfranchised B&Oturntable owners unable to get replace-ments for B&O’s proprietary but long-discontinued moving-iron plug-in cartridgesinspired Ledermannto contact B&O andseek permission tomake them himself.

That was fine withB&O. Unfortunately,they had discarded allthe tooling and engi-neering blueprints,and in B&O’s opin-ion, reverse-engineer-ing from survivingsamples would beimpossible.

But that’s preciselywhat Ledermann did.His plug-in (akin to P-mount) clones of B&O’s original car-tridges are now available in a variety ofconfigurations, and continue to sellvery well to owners of B&O turntablesworldwide.

After the first rush of orders, whendemand had begun to taper off, Leder-mann designed a universal mountingadapter for B&O’s MMC series, which

he calls theSMMC series:from theSMMC4 withdiamond ellip-tical stylus anda l u m i n u m c a n t i l e v e r($149.95), tothe top of theline, the limi-t e d - e d i t i o nThe Voice( $ 15 9 9 . 9 5 ) ,with ruby can-tilever, nudecon t a c t - l i nediamond sty-lus, lower-massmoving iron, and the closest-tolerancemeasurements. The Voice is built notby Soundsmith’s usual team of skilledcartridge crafters but by Ledermannhimself. Prior to the introduction ofThe Voice, the SMMC1 ($749.95)reviewed here was the top of Sound-smith’s cartridge line, as had theMMC1 been the top of B&O’s.

MMC = Moving Micro CrossIn a typical moving-magnet (MM) car-tridge, a tiny permanent magnet,attached to the cantilever and positionedbetween two sets of fixed coils inside thebody of the cartridge, induces a tiny cur-

rent in the coils when it is vibrated bythe stylus’s motions as it navigates therecord groove. In a moving-coil (MC)cartridge, the magnet is fixed; it is thecoils attached to the cantilever thatmove. The mechanical and electricaladvantages and disadvantages of bothdesigns are best discussed elsewhere.

Moving-iron designs such as the

SMMC1, or theGrados, use sta-tionary coils andmagnets and asmall piece of“moving iron.” Inthe original B&Odesign, whatmoves is a cross-shaped piece ofultra- low-mass ,high-purity ironattached to a softe l a s t o m e rdamper stabilizedin a plastic frame.The iron alsoincorporates aminuscule tube

into which the cantilever is inserted.Each arm of the iron cross is associatedwith a fixed-coil/magnet structure andas the cantilever moves, it varies thedistances between the four arms of theiron cross and the four fixed-coil/magnets, thus inducing tiny volt-ages within the coils. The advantagesof this arrangement include ultra-lowmoving mass, even compared to anMC design; relatively high output(because the stationary magnet/coilstructure can be made large); high sus-pension compliance; and low verticaltracking force (VTF).

The SMMC1’s one-piece cantileveris made of ruby to which is attached anude line-contact diamond stylus witha tip of very low effective mass(0.32mg). The compliance,28μm/mN, is moderate to high. TheSMMC1’s frequency response is citedas 20Hz–20kHz, ±2.5dB, while itschannel separation at 1kHz is greaterthan 25dB and its channel matchingwithin 1.6dB or better. (The Voice’schannel balance is specced at betterthan 0.5dB.) The recommended resis-tive loading is 47k ohms, while the rec-ommended capacitive loading is equalto or greater than 400pF, including thecapacitance of the tonearm cable.Soundsmith recommends a trackingforce of 1gm.

Though the SMMC1 is intended foruse with an MM phono preamp, itsspecified output is a relatively moder-ate >2.12mV at 5cm/s. (A typical MMcartridge’s output is 4.5mV.) And whilethe cartridge itself weighs only 1.6gm,the addition of Soundsmith’s universalmounting adapter of clear plastic, withthreaded brass mounting blocks, bringsthe total to about 6.8gm.

184 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

A moving iron “cross”/cantilever tube in elastomer-filled frame held by tweezers under a microscope.

The new “Aida” version of the SMMC1 features tighter tolerances,an ebony mounting adapter, and a $899.95 price tag.

Building the SMMC1A get-acquainted visit to Sound-smith late last summer turnedinto a hands-on tutorial whenLedermann sprang a surprise:Would I like to build my owncartridge?

Of course! Under the expertsupervision of a veteran Sound-smith cartridge builder, I learnedto cold-weld, though he told methe chances were slim that I’d beable to actually accomplish themini-welds needed to secure theends of the coil wires—which mustbe done while viewing one’sprogress through a microscope.But I managed it.

The next step was to carefully andevenly slide the moving-iron assembly’splastic frame (its four tiny holes are pro-duced during the molding) onto thelocating rods that jut from the coil/mag-net housing, and stop it the correct dis-tance from the coils—before the instant-setglue hardened. That took more than afew attempts, but eventually I got itright. Ledermann then took the assem-bly to his workstation and installed thecantilever and stylus assembly into themoving iron’s tiny tube.

Installation and OptimizationInstalling the SMMC1 requires a bit ofextra care—there’s no stylus guard,though if you’re worried about damag-ing the cantilever, you can unplug thecartridge from the adapter and installjust the adapter (which is not tapped,but secured with tiny nuts). Theplug-in ability also means you canswitch between the various SMMCmodels in seconds (like inserting theleast expensive when you want toteach your kids to spin vinyl), orremove it entirely for visits of theDreaded Cantilever-Snapping Clean-ing Person.

Because the SMMC1 is relativelylightweight, has a high compliance, alower output than most MM car-tridges, and requires a low trackingforce, it straddles a number of analogfences, both electrical and mechani-cal. The MMC series was originallydesigned for B&O’s low-mass tone-arms. With the trend in recent yearstoward low-compliance, heavy-track-ing cartridges and matching tonearmsof medium to high mass, I was con-cerned about the SMMC1’s compati-bility with the Graham Phantom andother medium-mass arms, and with

the 40dB gain typical of most MMphono preamps.

The SMMC1’s low output definitelymeans you’ll be setting the volumesomewhat higher than you may beaccustomed to for an MM cartridgewith a typical 4.5mV output. This didn’tturn out to be a problem with theSMMC1 and the variety of quiet phonopreamps I tried, which included WhestAudio’s whestTWO (currently underreview), the Graham Slee Era Gold V,and the excellent if underappreciatedCamelot Technology Lancelot Pro.However, if your phono preamp isnoisy, consider that before choosing theSMMC1 or any MMC cartridge.

The Graham Phantom tonearm’s11–12gm of effective mass, plus theSMMC1’s approximately 6.8gm, added

up to about 17gm. For that effectivemass and a compliance of 28μm/mN,Wally Malewicz’s graph of tonearm res-onances (see “Analog Corner,” October

2007, p.31) suggests a resonant fre-quency of about 7Hz, which is justbelow the margin of acceptability(8–12Hz). The Hi-Fi News TestRecord’s excellent tracks of verticaland horizontal resonant frequencyconfirmed that number. This sug-gests that if your arm’s effective massis above 11–12gm, and especially if itdoesn’t offer damping, the SMMC1might not be a good match.

That said, although 7Hz is notideal, the SMMC1 performedextremely well in the Phantom, inpart because of that arm’s excellentsilicone-fluid damping system.While some users don’t use damping

fluid with their Phantoms, I recommendit for a lightweight, high-compliancecartridge such as the SMMC1.

I also found Soundsmith’s recom-mended capacitive loading of 400pF orgreater to be accurate. In fact, I pre-ferred the SMMC1’s high-frequencybalance with 350pF added to the Hov-land MusicGroove2 cable’s capacitanceof 261pF/m (for a total of 611pF).While these settings will be, to somedegree, a personal preference as well assystem-dependent, be sure to at leastknow what your phono preamp’sdefault capacitive-loading setting is—or,if it’s adjustable, what your options are.

Soundsmith’s channel-separationspec of >25dB at 1kHz provedextremely conservative. I measured36dB—possibly the greatest channel

separation I’vemeasured for anycartridge. How-ever, the statedchannel balanceof <1.6dB provedaccurate (I mea-sured and got thesame figure)—atleast with thesample I built—and in my opin-ion, that’s at themargin of accept-ability. I heard nochannel imbal-ance, however,which is a goodthing—my pre-amp has no bal-ance control!

I gave theSMMC1 sufficient break-in time (atleast 40 hours) at the recommended1gm of downforce, during which time itprovided nothing but thorough musical

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 185

S O U N D S M I T H S M M C 1

Mikey gets expert advice before attempting to assemble his cartridge.

The SMMC1 on the Graham Phantom shows the original,polycarbonate adapter before the addition of tapped brass

side mounts.

pleasure and frequent amazement.Then the serious listening commenced.

SoundThe SMMC1 effortlessly producedmusic from “black” backdrops. It pro-duced big, vibrant, well-formed imageson a luxuriously wide if not particularlydeep soundstage. The incisive immedia-cy reminded me of the best of what wasgreat about hi-fi’s “good old days,” andwhy some audiophiles still swear by“old school” MM cartridges fromEmpire, Pickering, and the like. In short,it was about as clean and articulate atracker as you’re likely to experience forany price—the kind of cartridge thatmade me forget about audiophile per-formance checklists and just kick backand listen for pure musical enjoyment.

You won’t mistake the SMMC1’sretrieval of detail, or its less-than-first-class reproduction of microdynamic gra-dations, for those of a premium-pricedmodern MC—nor did it reveal the mostdelicate inner musical textures, asthose top-shelf transducers do. But itmore than compensated with arefreshingly robust and musically con-vincing sound free of obvious col-orations or artifacts. Its rejection ofsurface noise and other playback detri-tus was among the best I’ve heard atany price—and without lopping off thetop-end extension.

The SMMC1’s frequency balancewas subjectively ultrasmooth, flat,and free of low-end bumps or high-frequency peaks. In that regard it bet-tered most of the competitivelypriced high-output MCs I’ve heard.Like the better moving-iron Grados,the SMMC1’s most alluring qualitieswere its silky, coherent midband pre-sentation and its freedom from tran-sients that sounded edgy, sharp, or inany way unnatural.

However, unlike the Grados, whichto my ears and in my system producetransients that are too soft and polite,the SMMC1 struck an almost idealbalance of transient speed and naturalinstrumental suppleness. Well-record-ed female voices sounded particularlynatural and vibrant, never hard, shrill,or etched. Transients were bold with-out becoming overbearing, and yetwere also texturally nuanced and agilewithout inducing boredom or a desirefor greater sharpness and definition.

Comparing three different pressingsof Nick Drake’s Pink Moon demonstrat-ed the SMMC1’s ability to point out

the subtle but important tonal and spatialdifferences among them. This is such agood recording that ruining it would bedifficult, but the Simply Vinyl LP, with itsflattened, forward perspective thatemphasizes string detail to the detrimentof the guitar’s woody overtones, andwhich misses all of the spatial and tonalsubtleties, must have been sourced from adigital tape. (But who knows? SimplyVinyl simply refuses to reveal sources.)The UMG Japan reissue, with its superi-or image and spatial definition and subtledecay characteristics, sounds as if mas-tered from an analog source. The UKIsland second pressing (orange and bluelabel) offers a somewhat more distant,less intimate, yet more detailed and eerilybelievable sound.

Thanks in part to the SMMC1’s strik-ingly effortless midband, all three werefree of mechanical artifacts, and infusedwith an evocative clarity and transparen-cy by the cartridge’s believable transientperformance and black backdrops. Have

you ever picked up an acoustic guitar?When you listen to the SMMC1’s pre-sentation of a good recording of theinstrument, you’ll recognize it.

The SMMC1’s low-frequency pre-sentation was equally well balanced,satisfying, and free of rubbery over-hang and/or midbass bloat posing aslow-bass extension. Bass transientswere reproduced with great authority,though the SMMC1 couldn’t producethe supple textural and tonal subtletiesthat produce the sensation of reality.

I pulled out some long-forgottentreasures for this review, such as LewTabackin’s Trackin’ (RCA Japan RDC-3), a direct-to-disc 45rpm set recordedin 1977 by Lee Hershberg at WarnerBros. studios. Through the SMMC1,Shelly Manne’s drums, upfront andcenter, had great snap, crackle, andshimmer, while Tabackin’s tenor sax, inthe right channel, sounded all the rightreedy elements. Toshiko Akiyoshi’spiano was also upfront, rich withwoody transient impact, yet not har-monically truncated. The entire pre-sentation sounded vibrant and “live.”

Switching to the Ortofon Winfeld, acartridge costing almost five times asmuch—part of a system costing far morethan anyone contemplating buying a$750 cartridge is likely to own—revealedwhat the SMMC1 couldn’t do. The farmore costly cartridge revealed therecording context of Trackin’, with subtlespatial cues that described the isolatedspace in which the drum kit had beenplaced. Heretofore masked micro-dynamic shifts in Manne’s drummingproduced the sensation of a living,breathing musician sitting there makinginstantaneous decisions about how hardto hit his cymbals and skins. The skinswere better textured, and the cymbalsproduced greater depth behind the initialtransient, with more ring and betterdecay. Tabackin’s tenor was more fleshedout and rounded than it had been before.

But, to the SMMC1’s credit, and with-out comparing it to a far more expensivecartridge, it produced a satisfying perfor-mance, with an overall sound that wassmooth yet bold, rhythmically nimble,and free of edge and etch without beinglimp or soft. Listening to it for hours at atime, I never missed what I knew wasn’tthere, even though I could get it at theflick of a few buttons and by cuing up theContinuum Audio Labs Cobra arm onthe other side of the CAL Caliburn turn-table—what was there was so damn satis-fying. Even if it missed some of the more

186 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTANALOG SOURCES ContinuumAudio Labs Caliburn turntable, Cobratonearm, Castellon stand; GrahamPhantom tonearm; Ortofon Winfeldcartridge.DIGITAL SOURCES Musical FidelitykW SACD player, BPT-modified AlesisMasterlink hard-disk recorder.PREAMPLIFICATION Manley Steel-head, Einstein Turntable’s Choice,Whest Audio whestTWO, GrahamSlee Era Gold V, Camelot TechnologyLancelot Pro phono preamplifiers;Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifier.POWER AMPLIFIERS MusicalFidelity kW monoblocks, MarantzSM-11S1.LOUDSEPAKERS Wilson Audio Spe-cialties MAXX 2, DALI Helicon 400Mk.2.CABLES Interconnect: TARA LabsZero. Speaker: TARA Labs OmegaGold. AC: Shunyata Research Ana-conda, TARA Labs The One ACCobalt Helix, JPS AC.ACCESSORIES Finite ElementePagode stands; SymposiumRollerblocks Audiodharma CableCooker; Shunyata Research V-RayReference power conditioner, OyaideAC wall jacks; ASC Tube Traps, RPGBAD & Abffusor panels; VPI HW-17F,Loricraft PRC4 Deluxe record-clean-ing machines. —Michael Fremer

S O U N D S M I T H S M M C 1

subtle aspects of sound, the SMMC1produced music.

ConclusionJust because you’re spending $750instead of $3000 or more on a cartridgedoesn’t mean it deserves less attention insetup. In fact, the Soundsmith SMMC1demanded lots of attention before itsounded its best. This was especially trueof its capacitive loading—if you don’t payattention to that, you may find theSMMC1’s leading-edge transient per-formance not etchy and/or bright, butsimply too pronounced, creating a skele-tal performance that leaves the musicalsustain and decay too far in the back-drop. But get those picofarads correctand the tonal picture will lock into place.

Also, be sure that the SMMC1’shigh compliance is compatible withyour tonearm. Peter Ledermann toldme that he’s making the more expen-sive The Voice with two different com-pliances, to better match it to a widervariety of tonearms. [The SMMC1 willalso be offered in two versions, with high ormedium compliance.–Ed.]

Otherwise, track the SMMC1 at 1gmor a bit more, pay attention to antiskat-ing, and, if your tonearm is up to it, you’llhave smooth sailing no matter what’s inthe groove or how heavily it’s been mod-ulated. You’ll also experience a big,vibrant, dramatic, well-focused, well-organized sound that will never let youdown, regardless of your musical tastes.

Right now I’m playing Classic Records’reissue of Ella Fitzgerald’s Clap Hands,Here Comes Charlie! (Verve V6-4053),which some, at the time of its release,complained sounded hard, strident, evenbrittle. I hadn’t played it in years. Today,after being demagnetized, it sounds big,spacious, detailed, and—especially on LouLevy’s piano—harmonically full and wellorganized. Herb Ellis’s distinctive hollow-bodied electric guitar, which can be swal-lowed up in the piano’s richer passages, isbeing separated out with unforced clarity,even when Levy and Ellis comp on thesame notes. Most important, Miss Ella’ssparkling presence is right here, sweet andfree of grain, her sibilants cleanly ren-dered and utterly nonmechanical.

Although I’m sure some of its compo-nents come from overseas, the Sound-smith SMMC1 is made right here in theUSA—when you buy one, you’re notpaying for its importation and a devalueddollar. The cartridge is a bargain at $750.It would be a good value at $1000. It’sthat good. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 187

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When I first learned that Meridian had co-badged, with Ferrari,a $3000 table radio, I was tempted to cynically dismiss it as amarketing gimmick—an attempt by the audio manufacturerto leverage the brand loyalty of the Italian automaker to itsown highly developed industrial designs. The problem was,that required that I dismiss everything I knew about Meridian

and its singular head designer, Bob Stuart.Meridian has always stressed its industrial design—in fact, the company’s full

name, Boothroyd Stuart Meridian, gives top billing to industrial designer AllenBoothroyd—so I should have realized that teaming up with Ferrari was more thanan excuse to slap some Rosso Corsa on a few boxes.

Not to mention that you don’t usually see Ferrari’s cavallino rampante on just anychassis. The guys in Modena are pretty picky about putting that horse on winners.

Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build enginesPatting the F80’s curved red flank, Bob Stuart paused for a minute. “This is whatFerrari contributed to the project. Their materials research division developed thisbarium-loaded composite material which we could mold into a rigid monocoquechassis with separate chambers for two stereo loudspeakers and a rear-firing .1subwoofer.”

MeridianF80HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

E Q U I P M E N T R E P O R T

Wes Phillips

Meridian F80 Home Entertainment System

DESCRIPTION Compact home enter-tainment system with 2.1 speakersystem and DVD drive. Drive-units:two 3" alloy-cone full-range units,oval fiber-cone woofer. Amplifierpower: 80W. Supported media: CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, WMA-CD, MP3-CD, DVD-A/V, CD,CD-DA, CD-R. Tuner bands: AM, FM,DAB. Inputs: 2x 3.5mm analog, opti-cal digital, dock, RS232, “future.” Out-puts: composite video, S-video, opti-cal digital, 3.5mm headphone. Anten-nae: 2x F connector and internal(assignable by band).DIMENSIONS 16" (408mm) W by9" (230mm) H by 7.3" (185mm) D.Weight: 14.3 lbs (6.5kg)FINISHES Rosso Corsa (dark red),Modena Giallo (yellow), ArgentoNurburgring (bright silver), Nero(black), Bianco Avus (off-white).SERIAL NUMBER OF UNITREVIEWED F8010002211.PRICE $3000. Approximate numberof dealers: 127.MANUFACTURER Meridian AudioLtd., Latham Road, Huntington, Cam-bridgeshire PE29 6YE, England, UK.Tel: (44) (0)1480-445678. Fax: (44)(0)1480-445686. US: MeridianAmerica Inc., 8055 Troon Circle, SuiteC, Austell, GA 30168-7849. Tel: (404)344-7111. Fax: (404) 346-7111.Web: www.meridian-audio.com.

The chassis resembles half of a verylarge M&M candy—it’s half of anoblate spheroid—and comes in candycolors, too: Modena Giallo (yellow),Argento Nurburgring (bright silver),Nero (black), Bianco Avus (off-white), as well as Ferrari’s familiarRosso Corsa crimson. It’s affixed to adiecast base that contains the disctransport, amplifiers, and “digitalengine”: the amplification and DSPequalization.

“We’ve been perfecting DSP sincethe early ’80s,” Stuart said, “so we usedrivers of our own design, using digi-tal signal processing and active equal-ization to get big sound out of such asmall enclosure.” The forward-firingdrivers are alloy-cone designs that Ireckon to be about 3" in diameter(Meridian doesn’t list the specs on itswebsite), and the rear-firing woofer hasan oval fiber-filled driver. The amplifi-er is rated at 80W.

The F80’s slot-loaded Meridianoptical disc drive “allows you to listento 24-bit/96kHz files,” said Stuart,who was active in promoting hi-rezDVD-Audio files. It also lets you playDVDs, as the F80 has both compositeand S-video outputs. As well, the F80plays CD-DA, CD-R/RW, MP3,WMA, DualDisc, and DVD±R/RW.

The F80’s display is easy to read andallows you to display either a DVD’stop menu or disc menu without hav-ing to connect it to a video monitor.While the remote control has only 15buttons, it allowed me to control everyfunction I ever required. That’s goodindustrial design.

The F80 is packed with inputs,unobtrusively tucked into the lowerpart of its rear panel. In addition tothe composite and S-video outputjacks, there’s a DIN socket labeled“FOR FUTURE ACCESSORIES,” a 3.5mmstereo jack, digital optical in, an opti-cal digital out/headphone jack, andtwo antenna inputs.

The F80 is billed as “portable,”which, at just over 14 lbs, it is—you canpick it up by its molded-in handle andtake it somewhere else. It isn’t battery-powered or all that easy to schlep, butyou could carry it with you if youwanted to. And I nearly forgot—theF80 is a clock radio, too.

It really is striking. I put it on a coun-tertop in our kitchen, where—other thanoccasionally thinking Holy crap, thatsounded good—I quickly took it for grant-ed. However, whenever anyone

dropped by for the first time, we had todiscuss that brilliant-red objet d’art.

If he can’t do it with Ferrari,well, he can’t do itLet’s get the big one out of the wayright up front: The Meridian F80 is a$3000 table radio. Ask Bob Stuart whothe F80 is aimed at and he’ll respond,“Anyone with a job who loves music.”

I’ve heard him say that, but isn’t itjust the slightest bit glib?

“Not really. Meridian’s core cus-tomer continues to be people who arejust a little fanatical about hi-fi, and forthat customer, we’ll gladly sell an 808.2CD player—or two. But there are a lotof people who like nice things, who

may have even bought an expensiveflat-panel video monitor, and whenthey go to buy speakers or somethingto listen to music or their DVDsthrough…well, they either see ourvery-high-performing but very largeboxes or else overpriced clock radios.

“So who would buy the F80? Peoplewith eyes, people with ears, peoplewho are tired of settling for ‘goodenough.’ The F80 makes a very satisfy-ing home entertainment center—per-haps too good. A few of our loyal cus-tomers have told us they aren’t listen-ing to their big Meridian systems sincethey bought F80s.”

Do I buy that argument? Prettymuch—but I have to admit that I was

slow to accept it. At first, the F80 reallywas just a radio to me, albeit a veryhandsome one. First, I came to realizethat its AM section sounded uncom-monly good, allowing me to enjoy myfavorite shows, such as On the Mediaand Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! at theirmore convenient WNYC-AM broad-cast times. In the beginning, I was justhappy that the AM tuner was quiet,but I came to realize that it also sound-ed more than acceptably fine.

The FM tuner, not surprisingly, is farbetter, which is a bit of a pity when youconsider the debased signals most com-mercial broadcasters transmit thesedays. Give it a good signal to lock on toand the F80 will shine. I caught

WNYC’s broadcast of Bach’s ChristmasOratorio on the winter solstice, and itsounded huge. All that sound comingfrom that little red thing? Mercy!

Win some, lose some, crash someIf I seem to have given the F80’s discdrive scant notice, that’s because I did,at first. Thinking of it as a table radiowill do that for you. One evening, Iwas attempting to tell my wife howcompelling I found Raising Sand, byRobert Plant and Alison Krauss (CD,Rounder 9075). Giving up, I randownstairs, grabbed the disc, andloaded it into the Meridian.

The room turned into a torrid

190 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

The F80 packs a lot of circuitry into its cramped interior.

THE MERIDIAN F80 IS NOT JUST A TABLE RADIO. IT MIGHT BE THE BEST TABLE RADIO EVER.

swamp as Jay Bellerose’s big beats rangout and Marc Ribot and T Bone Bur-nett’s reverb’d guitars began twiningaround one another. The sound wasn’tjust big—it was enveloping. Immense.Intense. Immediate.

The Meridian F80 is not just atable radio. It might be the best tableradio ever.

I took Raising Sand into my listeningroom, where I had the Ayre AcousticsC-5xe universal player, Conrad-John-son ACT2.2 preamplifier, and MusicalFidelity Nu-Vista 300 power amp driv-ing a pair of Hansen Prince V2 loud-speakers. It sounded good, real good.Big, too. There was really no way inwhich this album didn’t sound betterthan it did on the F80—yet the big riglacked that frisson of sounding betterthan it ought to.

The Meridian is one of the fewaudio products I’ve had that actuallymade me a bit giddy. It seemed almosttoo good to be true—but it really wasthat good.

Years ago, when I lived in Oregon, Ispent one Tequila-fueled evening onthe coast with a professional photogra-pher and two models. We wound updancing on the beach by moonlight to“Judy in Disguise (with Glasses),” byJohn Fred and His Playboy Band—asong that had never particularly movedme. As the song ended, we plungedinto the surf because we just couldn’tdance any more. After our swim, as wetried to make our way back to the tideline, I caught my friend’s eye. “Whatdid we ever do to deserve this?”

“You don’t deserve it,” he replied,“but you got it anyway.”

The Meridian F80 reminds me ofthat night—maybe I don’t deserve atable radio this good, but I got to listento it anyway.

On December 15, 2007, I had theopportunity to hear Neil Young’sChrome Dreams II tour at the Unit-ed Palace of Prayer, at 175th andBroadway. Neil flat-out rocked thatnight, playing close to three hours.And thanks to Young’s active tapingunderground, I had a two-CDR copyof the concert within the week—recorded with Schoeps Mk.Vs, yet.

I spent an afternoon cooking jam-balaya, listening to live Neil Young,and it was like being given a ticketto my adolescence again. Not theNeil part—I have to admit to not get-ting him back then—I mean the vis-ceral connection to the music that I

remember from cruising around inmy Plymouth Valiant. I’ve had bettercars, I’ve had better car stereos—hell,I’ve had way better hi-fis—but I’ve sel-dom had as intense a connection withthe music as I did from the headymixture of being a teenager awayfrom grownups, listening to musicthat was mine. Somehow, the F80helped me have that same kind ofbond with the music.

Through my big rig, Neil Young’sUnited Palace of Prayer concert was alittle too reverberant. Through theF80, it took me there.

Am I making too much of the F80’sability to take this old fogey into hissecond (third?) teenagehood? Perhaps,but on the evening before I flew out toLas Vegas for the 2008 ConsumerElectronics Show, my neighbor JeffWong dropped by to say so long. Wesat down at the kitchen table withsmall glasses of Bulleit bourbon andyakked about many things. I’d burnedJeff copies of the demo discs I was tak-ing to Vegas, so we played them whilewe talked.

Charlie Haden’s “Silence,” from InMontreal, his live duet album withEgberto Gismonti (CD, ECM 1746),began playing. Gismonti played a fewquiet piano chords, then Haden’s dis-tinct double bass rang out. Jeffstopped talking for an instant andclosed his eyes. “That has to be Char-lie Haden,” he said. “Nobody elsesounds like that.”

He let it soak in for a few minutes,then said, dreamily, “He sounds… so…”

“Big!” my wife and I chorused withhim. It was true. Haden was as big aslife and he was right there. Nine min-utes later, we could speak again—butfor those moments, all we wanted inthe world was to listen.

My accountant tells me you can’t sell a Ferrari that isn’t redThe Meridian F80 is a very handsometable radio. I loved it in Ferrari’s classicred livery, but the chrome yellow is an

eye-opener, and the black and silver arereally nice, too. If you’re Apple’sJonathan Ive, you’ll go for the white.

But at $3000, I guess the F80 isexpensive for a table radio. I have aLinn Classik in my kitchen, which,without speakers, is over $2000. Ithought the F80 was a better radio,and it also plays hi-rez DVDs, whichmakes it more versatile, too. As BobStuart suggested, the F80 wouldmake a nice companion to a high-res-olution monitor.

But where the F80 really glowedfor me was as a sort of hearth. I’d set-tle in for some morning news and acuppa coffee. I’d catch some greatmusic at noon, while I was reheatingleftovers and relaxing at lunch. AndI’d groove to my music in the evening,waiting for my wife to get off work.True, I could have done any of thatat/with other radios I have (includinga very fine reproduction of a classicmagic-eye tuner), or with/at any oneof several other systems in my house.However, I usually ended up listeningto the Meridian, not out of someoverly developed sense of duty, butbecause I liked it.

Ultimately, the only reason to own a$3000 anything is that it makes youhappy. Every day at my house, theMeridian F80 easily passed that test.Looking at it made me happy. Listen-ing to it put me in paradise.

Will it do the same for you? Itwouldn’t be the first time Rosso Corsabelonged in the winner’s circle. ■■

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 191

M E R I D I A N F 8 0

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTANALOG SOURCE R601PW ClassicMono FM tabletop radio.DIGITAL SOURCE Ayre C-5xe univer-sal player.PREAMPLIFIER Conrad-JohnsonACT2.2.POWER AMPLIFIER Musical FidelityNu-Vista 300.CD RECEIVER Linn Classik.LOUDSPEAKERS Mirage IncognitaHDT-WM1 (in-wall), Hansen PrinceV2. —Wes Phillips

I USUALLY ENDED UP LISTENING TO THE MERIDIAN, NOT OUT OF SOME OVERLY DEVELOPEDSENSE OF DUTY, BUT BECAUSE I LIKED IT.

High-end audioHome Theater

Home automationHDTV

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 193

RECORD REVIEWSRECORDING OF THE MONTH

Enrico Rava and Stefano Bollani represent two cate-gories—two eras—of Italian jazz musician. Rava is 67,mostly self-taught, andwas famous when almost

no Italian jazz musicians wereknown outside Italy. He haslong been acknowledged asone of the greatest jazz trum-pet players, but because, beforethe new millennium, no otherItalian approached him instature, he was regarded as aone-off.

Bollani is 35, a graduate inclassical piano with honorsfrom the Conservatorio LuigiCherubini in Florence, and ispart of the generation that hasrecently established Italy as themost important jazz scene inthe world outside the US.Bollani has played in Rava’sbands since he was 24. Ravawas instrumental in persuad-ing him to abandon “theunconditional fidelity to thetext” (Bollani’s words)imposed by classical music,and to devote himself—and hisextraordinary piano tech-nique—to improvisation.

As an ensemble format, theduo is overrated. Jazz duos, for all their reductivism, areoften paradoxically crowded, too busy, too contrapuntal.Virtually no major jazz musician, living or dead, is firstremembered for work in a duo.

This duo is different. The Third Man takes place on a spacioussonic landscape. Rava plays ambiguous lines that hang in theopen air, unresolved. Rava, with Tomasz Stanko, is one ofEurope’s two great existentialist trumpet players. But Rava’stone is pure and blindingly bright, without Stanko’s rasp andspit. Bollani, from measure to measure, might play anything. Hemight configure intricate patterns that suggest his hours at theconservatory studying Poulenc or Milhaud. But more oftenhere he pares himself down. He sounds focused and deeply cen-tered in the creative imperative of this stark joint venture.Alongside Rava’s veering trajectories, he sets fragmentary single-note lines of austere lyricism. It is possible to hear Bollani’s eru-dition and academic discipline in his sense of structure. You hearthe impulsive emergence of his ideas, and then it is exhilaratingwhen you realize that they have made a new form.

The 12 tracks contain many possibilities of song. Thereare specific songs, such as “Estate,” by Italian popular singerBruno Martino; “Felipe,” by Moacyr Santos; and “Retratoem Branco y Preto,” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. There areoriginal song concepts by Rava or Bollani, and the title track

is an entirely improvised cryptic threnody. Their moment-to-moment melodicism makes them all songs, but they are

snatches of melody that floatand dissolve and recrystallize.

Even if you know the melodyof “Estate,” you might not at firstrecognize it in the tentativechiming with which Bollaniopens the track in the right chan-nel, or in the drawn-out smearswith which Rava responds in theleft. But “Estate” is present forboth players, freely imagined.Rava’s chops are epic—the forceof his ascents knocks you back inyour chair. More important arethe endless implications of hisunexpected and open-endedphrases. More important still iswhat Rava and Bollani createconcurrently. They listen to oneanother intensely, the lead posi-tion seamlessly alternatingbetween them. Their commin-gling counterpoint arrives atmany startling lyric break-throughs. On Rava’s “Birth of aButterfly,” each player simulta-neously creates his ownmetaphor for coming into being.

“The Third Man” is thetrack that provides a way of

understanding the particular nocturnal atmosphere of thisrecording. After the fact, Rava and Bollani dedicated thatimprovised piece, and the entire album, to Orson Wellesand the film noir tradition. The art of both Rava and Bollaniis highly cinematic. Their previous collaboration, the trioalbum Tati (2004), was a tribute to French actor-directorJacques Tati. In its musical ambivalence and after-midnightambience, The Third Man indeed evokes film noir, but in aniteration that is never one-dimensional or complacent. Bothplayers, especially Rava, are always willing to explodethrough the quietude in response to creative impulse.

The sonic character of this album is atypical for ECM.Stefano Amerio (who seems to have replaced Jan ErikKongshaug as producer Manfred Eicher’s engineer of choice)recorded The Third Man in the Auditorio Radio Svizzera, inLugano, Switzerland. The music is clearly taking place in thelarge acoustic space of an empty concert hall. Compared to ahighly detailed ECM studio recording, there are much longerdelays on Rava’s trumpet, and Bollani’s piano notes are morediffuse. The physical setting of this recording is inseparablefrom its aesthetic realization. It sounds and feels as if, in thisspace, Rava and Bollani have shut themselves off from the restof the world. Yet, mysteriously, we are allowed to listen.

This duo is different. —Thomas Conrad

ENRICO RAVA/STEFANO BOLLANI The Third Man

Enrico Rava, trumpet; Stefano Bollani, pianoECM 2020 (CD). 2007. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Stefano Amerio,Gabriele Kamm, engs. DDD. TT: 72:06Performance ★★★★1⁄2Sonics ★★★★

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classicalSÉRGIO & ODAIR ASSADJardim Abandonado

Sérgio and Odair Assad, guitarNonesuch 278140 (CD). 2007. Françoise-Emmanuelle Denis, prod.; FrédéricBriant, Manuel Mohino, Michael W. Huon, engs. DDD.? TT: 57:35Performance ★★★★★Sonics ★★★1⁄2

We live in the golden age of the classical guitar.The finest guitars ever built are being craftedtoday—the equivalent of the violin world’sStradivaris. Our universities and conservatories

turn out players of unmatched talent, seasoned by numer-ous national and international guitar competitions. Neverin its history has the instrument been so prolifically andidiomatically written for by such an international cadre ofcomposers and arrangers, many of whom are themselvesvirtuoso guitarists.

Against this backdrop comes this release from the AssadBrothers—a duo that frequently ratchets the bar up beyond thereach of all other contenders. Both Sérgio and Odair are gui-tar masters in the truest sense. Each possesses total commandof the technical promise of his instrument, as well as sensitivi-ty, sheer musicality, and soul. Their individual talents are mul-tiplied as they play together, infusing the unfolding music witha kind of telepathic anticipation of each other’s phrasing that isakin to the harmonizing of sibling singers.

Three of the pieces on this recital are by Sérgio’s daugh-ter, Clarice Assad—an accomplished composer with a formi-dable grasp of writing for two guitars. The rest are Sérgio’sremarkable arrangements of works by fellow BrazilianAntonio Carlos Jobim, American Broadway composerAdam Guettel, and Milhaud, Debussy, and Gershwin—remarkable because Sérgio manages to conjure both orches-tral and chamber-music dimensions in these settings whileinfusing them with his own personality, forged from hisBrazilian culture and his intimate knowledge of the guitar’smyriad colors and personalities.

Sérgio himself composed the disc’s highlight, “Tahhiyya liOssoulina,” a bittersweet, episodic, modal work that twinesdizzying Middle Eastern–tinged ornaments with rappingson the guitar body, brilliant strokes of instrumental color,and Egberto Gismonti–like rocking out, all somehowencased in the smoldering aura of Brazilian music’s sense offate. Close behind is the Assads’ performance of Gershwin’sRhapsody in Blue, which delivers the work’s orchestral colorsand jaunty character with innovative style.

All 15 tracks were recorded in Belgian churches of superbacoustics for the guitar. The sound is outstanding—warmand rich without being overblown, capturing in detail thebrothers’ uncanny knacks for blend, complement, fire, andflow. —Daniel Buckley

GLASSBook of Longing: A Song Cycle Based on thePoetry and Images of Leonard Cohen

Philip Glass, keyboard; Leonard Cohen, spoken text; Dominique Plaisant, sopra-no; Tara Hugo, mezzo-soprano; Will Erat, tenor; Daniel Keeling, bass-baritone;

Megan Marolf, Kate St. John, oboes, English horns; Andrew Sterman, flute, pic-colo, saxophones, bass clarinet; Tim Fain, violin; Wendy Sutter, cello; EleonoreOppenheim, double bass; Mick Rossi, keyboard, percussion; Michael Riesman,keyboard, conductorOrange Mountain Music omm0043 (2 CDs). 2007. Michael Riesman, DonChristensen, prods.; Dan Dryden, Stephen Erb, Michael Trepagnier, engs. DDD.TT: 88:24Performance ★★★★Sonics ★★★★

The fate of being one of the most sought-after and pro-lific composers of our time is that your output can behit and miss. I’ve probably heard and seen stagedmore of Philip Glass’s work than the bulk of music

writers in the world today, stretching back to his earliestworks in the style now called minimalism. I’ve heard hiswork evolve, ebb, and flow, with points of inspiration andodd twists along the way. In the past decade I’ve taken inworks that were brilliant and others that sounded phonedin. But Glass is always at his best when working in collabo-ration, especially with his personal heroes. And like AllenGinsberg, with whom Glass paired for Hydrogen Jukebox,Leonard Cohen has lent the composer a profound word-scape in which to muse.

I was not prepared to like Book of Longing. After a lonepass on the CD player, my first impression was that thiswas salon music for the melancholy—lovely, lonely, sac-charine, and precious. But with deeper listening, theseductive charms of this song cycle began putting theirhooks in me. And while I remain conflicted about itsplace in Glass’s overall output, owing to several sectionsthat sound almost stereotypical, there is so much aboutthe work that springs fresh, unexpected and superblycrafted, that it must be considered among the upper tierof Glass’s recent stage works.

Book of Longing is economically scored for single strings,woodwinds, keyboards, percussion, and vocal quartet, andin this musical palette Glass finds great variety, contrast,and drama. His gift for vocal and instrumental melody hasrarely been put to better use. While traditional in its tonalgrounding, the score’s unfolding chord progressions oftentake appealingly surprising turns (as do Cohen’s poems),sometimes in alliteration and rhythmic mimicking of thetexts, often in tension-inducing contrast to them. Theinterplay of massed and thinned forces, the architecturalshape of individual and collective segments, and the sur-prisingly virtuosic and moving solo sections speak to Glass’smature mastery of song and instrumental form.

I can’t overemphasize the individual and collective effortsof these players, who have clearly put their souls into thismusic. Nor, for that matter, would these two CDs be near-ly as powerful without the rich, full-bodied, yet unoccludedsound its engineers have captured. —Daniel Buckley

HUELGAS ENSEMBLELa quinta essentia

Masses by Ashewell, Lassus, PalestrinaPaul van Nevel, Huelgas EnsembleHarmonia Mundi 901922 (CD). 2007. Markus Heiland, Tritonus, prods. andengs. DDD. TT: 77:19Performance ★★★★★Sonics ★★★★★

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This is a crucial recording for those who loveRenaissance polyphony, and even more for those wholike it but, for the most part, are convinced that it alltends to sound the same. Granted, there are great sub-

tleties that the layperson—even the true fan—may never spot,but conductor Paul van Nevel and his Huelgas Ensembleseem incapable of making a poor recording, and here theyperform three different mass settings, one each in “the threemajor styles of the Renaissance”: Roman, Franco-Flemish,and English.

The mass by Orlando de Lassus (1532–1594), Tous lesregretz, has a resonance that immediately buzzes in thehead, with quick imitations of little bits of melody, andelegance and stature that make it seem the aural equiva-lent of a perfectly constructed private chapel for royalty.Based on popular chansons by Gombert, it isn’t deeplypious; its melodies, rhythms, and quickly changing tex-tures are too interested in entertaining. Van Nevel’s tem-pos are quick compared with the reading by Singer Pur onArs Musici, and although the Huelgas consists of 14singers and Singer Pur of only six, the Huelgas is clearer.Just listen to the first of the “Hosannas” (there are two inthe Sanctus); its 25 seconds are maddeningly composed,busy as a hive, and clear as a bell.

Next is the longest (34 minutes) work here, Ave Maria,by Thomas Ashewell (ca 1478–ca 1513), a little-knownEnglishman with only two known complete works to hiscredit. Van Nevel refers to him as “late Gothic” rather thanRenaissance, and the distinction is interesting; his music ismore filigreed, more flamboyant. There are frequent dis-sonances, the vocal lines are wildly melismatic (particular-ly in the prominent treble line), and the strange rhythmskeep the listener on his toes. There are more twists andturns than can be described; at times it’s the equivalent atlooking at too many colors on a palette, but seconds later,they all make sense. This great ride is endlessly inventive—I’ve listened to it a dozen times in two weeks. Ashewellsounds vaguely like the Flemish composer AntoineBrumel (ca 1460–ca 1515), whose counterpoint and imita-tion can sound psychedelic. Hot stuff—someone should belooking in church basements all over Great Britain formore of his work.

The mass by Giovanni Palestrina (ca 1525–1594), Ut remi fa sol la, is the picture of linear clarity (well, if anythingin Renaissance polyphony can be), based as it is on thesimple scale of its title. The effect is of ever reachingupward, and that scale is invariably identifiable in thehigher voices, making it a comfortable listen. Palestrina’sriffs on the scale are what make this mass so great; itreaches its apotheosis in the deliberate Agnus Dei, six min-utes of inevitable beauty and faith in which every word,every piece of counterpoint, is spotlessly lucid, and whichends just where and when you’d want it to.

The recording space is as un-churchlike as one couldwish for; there’s no decay time at all, which is a great ben-efit in music this complex. It is the Museum of Water inthe Convento dos Barbadinhos in Lisbon, a building ofglass with what look like hardwood floors laid atop stone.The sound is warm and direct, and, as usual, the HeulgasEnsemble’s control of pitch, dynamics, diction, and heartare models of what this sort of music requires. Like NigelTufnel’s guitar amp, this should be rated on a scale slight-ly higher. —Robert Levine

rock/popRONNIE EARL & THE BROADCASTERSHope Radio

Stony Plain SPCD 1324 (CD). 2007. Lorne Entress, prod.; Huck Bennert, eng.ADD? TT: 78:23Performance ★★★Sonics ★★★

Acreative presence on the blues scene since the 1980s,when he joined Roomful of Blues, followed by along string of records under his own name, RonnieEarl remains a dominant blues guitarist rightfully

famed for his instantly recognizable tone and uncommonlysoulful attack.

More than most musicians, however, blues players, whowork in a well-worn traditional form, often need a pro-ducer to keep their records provocative and give themteeth. And if you’re going to make an all-instrumentalrecord like Hope Radio—one without vocals, horns, or anyinstrumental foil other than an organist on Hammond B-3, whose shimmering tones Earl has often used to greateffect—you really have to mix it up. Too many long bluesballads can make an instrumental record sleepy, and Earlhas fallen prey to that on this album, recorded live in thestudio before an audience.

Beginning with track 4, “I Am With You,” Earl and thelatest version of the Broadcasters, abetted by guest and long-time Earl bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward, wend their waythrough a clump of ballads that ends five cuts later, with“Beautiful Child”—a long stretch that slows the album’smomentum to an agonized crawl. By “Beautiful Child,”Earl is stuck in slow, heard-it-before, indulgent noodle.

Still, Earl is easily one of the most consistently interestingand impassioned blues guitarists playing today. When hefinally snaps out of it, in “Blues for Otis Rush,” his stingingsingle-note leads and precisely right moves are as impressiveas ever. But never let a bluesman wander on record by his-self. —Robert Baird

DANNY & DUSTYCast Iron Soul

Blue Rose BLU CD 0417 (CD). 2008. JD Foster, prod.; Bruce Olsen, eng. AAD?TT: 45:09Performance ★★★★Sonics ★★★1⁄2

It’s amazing what happens to rockers once a little age sets in.Back in 1985, in what amounted to a lark, the DreamSyndicate’s Steve Wynn (aka Dusty) and Green on Red’sDan Stuart, two central figures in L.A.’s mid-1980s PaisleyUnderground scene, fell into a side project record togetherthat they called The Lost Weekend. Cut in a single marathonsession of 36 hours, the album has since become the kind ofout-of-print prize that sends obsessive fans on fire-in-the-eyes quests.

Now, after enduring more than two decades of geeks giv-ing them static about not having made a second record (seethe opening song here, “The Good Old Days”), the pairhave reunited and made another craggy classic of sorts. Butwhere The Lost Weekend used the famous film of the same

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title as inspiration and was all sloppy charm and boozytwang rock, the duo’s return is a more serious affair.

Much of the seriousness this time around comes fromtheir lyrical preoccupations with mortality and roads nottaken. Although they’ve come off in interviews as jolly joke-sters who’ve tossed off another one just for fun, Cast Iron Soulshows more discipline and introspection, and nowhere is thatmore apparent than in the first and last tracks. “The GoodOld Days,” a rollicking bar-band sing-along fest, mocks fans’enthusiasm while pondering the questions they ask: “Whatwas so damn great about being young and free / Wasting allthose hours ignoring destiny / So you went through a cou-ple million and got sued once or twice / Did you finally losethat hard-on andfound a lifein Christ?”The finalt r a c k ,“ T h a t ’ sW h a tB r o u g h tMe Here,”is the duo’sp e r s o n a ltake on thearchetypalg l a n c ebackward.The soundis also morem a t u r e ,being veryfull-bodied and rich for a rock session.

Then there’s the songwriting, which has turned careful,tuneful, and—in the case of a tune like “New York CityLullaby,” in which horns drive a funky arrangement—styl-istically adventurous. Chunk buzz guitars à la DreamSyndicate appear in “JD’s Blues” (after producer JDFoster), an Exile on Main Street vibe permeates “Hold YourMud,” and Green on Red’s pedal-steel alt-country bag fla-vors the closer. Along the way are love songs both good(the let’s-stay-in-bed “Let’s Hide Away”) and bad (“It’sMy Nature,” a litany of codependent emotional combat).In between, the pair trade the lead-vocal slot, only occa-sionally trading off verses but almost always harmonizingon the choruses. Thanks to hard knocks absorbed, CastIron Soul is a very rare instance of a youthful side projectbeing even better when revisited. —Robert Baird

MACEO PARKERRoots & Grooves

Heads Up HUCD 3134 (2 CDs). 2008. Joachim Becker, Lucas Schmid, prods.;eng. ADD. TT: 102:36Performance ★★★★★Sonics ★★★★★

JASON MILESPresents Soul Summit

Shanachie 5770 (CD). 2008. Jason Miles, prod.; eng. ADD.? TT: 68:17Performance ★★★Sonics ★★★

Since the 1970s, American vernacular musics such asthe blues and soul have been in an epic battle for sur-vival. Genuine soul, whose heyday ostensibly came toan inglorious end with the rise of disco, has been

occasionally reborn, most recently in the hands of suchyoung performers as Anthony Hamilton, John Legend,Amy Winehouse, and Joss Stone. Like the blues, soul valuesauthenticity as a critical ingredient, though this is preciselywhat is sacrificed by many of today’s performers in theirattempts to bridge the divide between vintage and modern,then and now. Soul, like the blues, must be not merely imi-tated, but felt.

So it is with these two live albums, Maceo Parker’s Roots &Grooves and Jason Miles’ Soul Summit. The former is from anartist of the vintage funk era, the latter from one of morerecent vintage.

Recorded on a recent European tour and originallyreleased in Europe on the fine Intuition label, Parker’sRoots & Grooves is performed by a German-based big bandof some 20 pieces. The ensemble is enormous, figurative-ly and literally. Conducted by Michael Abene, the bandscreams through raw, beautifully articulated charts,enhanced by the repertoire. In disc 1, a tribute to RayCharles, Parker blows and sings his way through a handfulof the Genius’s greatest hits, and fans of both will bepleased to hear Parker’s delightfully raspy vocals. Disc 2includes a crisp runthrough of Parker’s own explosiveinstrumental blasts. The funk tunes, especially “To Be or

Not To Be” and the epic closer, “Pass the Peas,” obviouslyderive from Parker’s stint with James Brown, and areenhanced by the massive band. Gorgeous mastering cap-tures a generous tonal spectrum.

Jason Miles’ Soul Summit stands in contrast in manyways. The recording is vastly more intimate, which is odd,considering that it, too, was recorded at a festival: lastyear’s Berk’s Jazz Festival, in Reading, Pennsylvania. Thegig features cameos from a variety of musicians, includingSusan Tedeschi, Richard Elliot, Mike Mattison, and KarlDenson. But the music is built on a rhythmic foundationconsisting of session legends: drummer Steve Ferrone(AWB, Clapton, Petty, Fleetwood Mac), bassist Bob

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Babbitt (many Motown artists), andguitarist Reggie Young (DustySpringfield, Ray Charles, ElvisPresley). In spots, as on Tedeschi’sfine cover of “Son of a PreacherMan,” the ensemble nails down grittySouthern soul.

But while the song choices andperformances are good, the energylevel occasionally flags, and the over-all production doesn’t do the reper-toire justice. This is especially true of“What a Man” and “It’s Raining,”both of which offer good playing butsuffer from lackluster dynamic range.Still, the idea is good, and whileMiles’ closing James Brown medleycan’t hold its own against Parker’s“Pass the Peas,” it does feel as iftoday’s soul music is in very goodhands. —Bob Gulla

TIFT MERRITTAnother Country

Fantasy FCD-30455 (CD). 2008. George Drakoulias,prod.; David Bianco, eng. AAD? TT: 42:02Performance ★★★1⁄2Sonics ★★★

I n the charming notes accompany-ing this, her third album, TiftMerritt describes renting a flat inParis’s 10th arrondissement and the

adventures she had while living in theCity of Lights: “I wrote songs. Iplayed piano. I wrote stories. I tookpictures. One day I wrote so muchthat I convinced myself that I must bedying. Otherwise, how could I possi-bly write so much? How could therebe so much inside to say? It was thehappiest I have ever been.”

The songs on Another Country,whose seeds were sown in France,aren’t always so happy. “My Heart IsFree,” the catchiest one here, is actual-

ly about the earthly contradictions ofwar. (Although she doesn’t sing it, thispoignant line appears on the lyricsheet: “Seems it’s always for a few menthat so many of us die.”) The song,with scorching guitar from onetimeDylan sideman Charlie Sexton, hasthe alt-country jangle that made2004’s critical fave Tambourine so deli-cious. But, for the most part, AnotherCountry is gentler, more inward-look-ing than its predecessor.

And it sounds gorgeous. ProducerGeorge Drakoulias often plays upMerritt’s singing and Sexton’s guitarin perfect balance, while the rest ofthe band blends in sweetly behindthem. But the album is sometimesconfounding. As a singer, Merrittbrings different voices to the party.On the lovely, piano-bathed titlesong, she invokes the great Britishsinger Sandy Denny, while at othertimes there are flashes, probablyunintended, of Natalie Merchant andKim Richey. In “I Know What I’mLooking for Now,” Merritt almostsounds as if she’s discovered thesecret of life, though she never quitedivulges it. A brief moment in theverse vaguely reminds me of theTraveling Wilburys’ “Handle WithCare,” a title that feels apt here.

Merritt’s music is powerful yetgraceful, something tosavor delicately. Whilethe jangled joy of suchsongs as Tambourine’s“Stray Paper” is in lessabundance here, thistime around Merritt issearching for somethingmore tangible and ever-lasting. And that Parisretreat has helped makeher music all the moreintrospective and heart-felt. —David Sokol

THE HEAVYGreat Vengeance and FuriousFire

+1/Counter 625978000724 (CD). 2008. TheHeavy, prods., engs. AAD? TT: 33:30Performance ★★★★★Sonics ★★★

“And I will strike down uponthee with great vengeanceand furious anger!” So thun-dered hit man Jules

Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), quot-ing the prophet Ezekiel, in one of Pulp

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Fiction’s more memorable and violentscenes. Britain’s The Heavy likewisecomes out, guns a-blazing, on theirdeliberately like-titled album, a thickmélange of psychedelic soul and heavy-ass garage rock—imagine CurtisMayfield fronting the MC5.

The band came out of nowherelast year, from the tiny English coun-try town of Noid, near Bath, andblew away critics, first with a pair ofsingles and then with Great Vengeance.Now available on these shores, it’sone of those rare UK albums thatactually makes sense to Americanears in terms of potential stayingpower and cultural currency.Mayfield is uncannily channeled bylead singer Swaby, who is a-swaggerwith a sexy falsetto that could pop

bra clasps at 20 paces as he showcas-es his vocal gifts on such tunes as“That Kind of Man” (a horns’n’gui-tars blaxploitation score in search of afilm), “Coleen” (pure Temptationsfunk-soul), and “Set Me Free” (withan insistent 1960s West Coast folk-rock strum and a cheeky cowbell liftfrom “Honky Tonk Women”). Theband wears its influences on itssleeve—one hears classic Britishblooze à la Led Zep, Free, andHumble Pie in “You Don’t Know,”and the Spencer Davis Group in“Dignity.” But it’s also clearly work-ing within a contemporary tradition,being British kin to the likes of nu-soul lynchpins Sharon Jones & theDap-Kings, garage goons theDirtbombs, and jukebox terroriststhe Detroit Cobras.

In a word, heavy. Watch out, heathens:these folks gonna smite ya. —Fred Mills

jazzPAT METHENYDay Trip

Pat Metheny, guitar; Christian McBride, acousticbass; Antonio Sánchez, drumsNonesuch 376828 (CD). 2008. Pat Metheny, prod.;Pete Karam, eng. DDD. TT: 68:08Performance ★★★★Sonics ★★★★

Pat Metheny is one of the fewreal jazz musicians who can fillsoccer stadiums. As such, he isable to record voluminously.

Surprisingly, he has not, until now,recorded the trio with which he hastoured the world since 2002.

What is more sur-prising is the type ofalbum that Day Trip hasturned out to be. Inperson, Metheny andChristian McBride andAntonio Sánchez notonly fill arenas withfans, they fill them withsound, in wave afterpowerful wave. But DayTrip belongs to a classictradition of electric-gui-tar trio recitals by mas-ters living (KennyBurrell, Jim Hall) anddead (Jimmy Raney,Barney Kessel). It is tentight, focused tracks, allMetheny originals.They are varied, attrac-

tive forms on which Metheny impro-vises with intricate elegance, some-times (“Son of Thirteen,” “Let’sMove”) at blinding velocity.

Day Trip does not employ the vasttimbral vocabulary that Metheny typ-ically achieves through electronicsand synthesizers and overdubs. Itdoes not send up any of the giganticMetheny solos that fly over the hori-zon and take his audience with himto ecstasy. Yet even as it establishesMetheny’s mainstream guitar creden-tials, Day Trip manifests certain quali-ties of risk and quest that identify it asa Pat Metheny album.

For example, Metheny turnsMcBride and Sánchez loose to sur-round the music in vast, complex,intelligent, ongoing energy. No bebopguitarist would know what to do withsuch a rhythm section. Sánchez, anElvin Jones for the new millennium,

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has upped the ante on how muchdetailed information a drummer canprovide without intruding. Pieces suchas “At Last You’re Here” reveal thatMetheny still plays the longest guitarlines anywhere. And he still alwaystells stories that arrive at epiphanies,some extroverted and keening(“When We Were Free,” “The RedOne”), some personal and inward(“Dreaming Trees,” “Is ThisAmerica? Katrina 2005”). The lamentfor New Orleans goes beyond indig-nation. Its sadness accumulates as itshifts between the light of specificmemories and the darkness of theirloss. —Thomas Conrad

ED REEDEd Reed Sings Love Stories

Ed Reed, vocals; Peck Allmond, flute, alto flute,clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, trumpet,trombonium, kalimba; Gary Fisher, piano; JohnWiitala, bass; Eddie Marshall, drums, recorderBlue Shorts 001 (CD). 2007. Bud Spangler, prod.;Dan Feiszli, eng. DDD. TT: 63:02Performance ★★★★1⁄2Sonics ★★★★

The history of jazz is litteredwith promising but unknownmusicians whose careers werederailed by addiction and other

misfortunes. Vocalist Ed Reed almostfell into that yawning abyss, butinstead he’s released a ravishingalbum at the age of 78, and it’s thework of an artist eager to seize themoment. Growing up amid the jazzsplendor of Los Angeles’s CentralAvenue in the 1940s, Reed per-formed informally with some of themusic’s greatest figures. But everytime he came close to making a namefor himself, his habit took him threesteps back, and he spent most of the1950s and ’60s in and out of prison,detox, and psych wards.

Somehow, in all that chaos, Reedabsorbed the influences of Nat “King”Cole and Bill Henderson, honing anidiosyncratic style all his own. He’smostly a balladeer who delivers eachsong like an expert raconteur passingon hard-won wisdom, as on an achingversion of “Ghost of a Chance.” Thealbum opens with “A Sleepin’ Bee,” asong he learned while incarcerated atSan Quentin, where he and fellowmusical inmates Joe Pass, FrankButler, and Art Pepper wrote downsnatches of the tune whenever it cameon the radio.

Reed, who has been sober since

1986, performed at little gigs aroundthe Bay Area for decades withoutgaining much notice. Then, two yearsago, he encountered Berkeley-raised,Brooklyn-based saxophonist andtrumpeter Peck Allmond, who wasimmediately struck by Reed’s haunt-ing rendition of the rarely coveredstandard “If the Moon Turns Green,”one of the highlights of Sings LoveStories. Determined to document thesinger, Allmond recruited veterandrummer and producer Bud Spanglerto oversee the project. Allmond hascrafted canny, uncluttered arrange-ments that provide Reed’s slightlyweathered baritone with lithe, oftenimaginative countertextures, such ashis artful use of kalimba on “There’s aLull in My Life.” The rhythm sectionprovides expert support, never lettingthe slow tempos drag, and Allmond isa lyrical improviser on both tenor saxand trumpet. But this is Ed Reed’scoming-out party, and he gives theperformance of a lifetime.

—Andrew Gilbert

HORACE SILVERLive at Newport ’58

Horace Silver, piano; Junior Cook, tenor saxophone;Louis Smith, trumpet; Gene Taylor, bass; LouisHayes, drumsBlue Note 03163 (CD). 2007. George Avakian,remote recording supervisor; Michael Cuscuna,prod.; Adjutor Theroux, Buddy Graham, engs. ADD?TT: 44:48Performance ★★★★1⁄2Sonics ★★★1⁄2

It is a subset of our era of jazz reis-sues: Recordings by the great mas-ters, never released, keep gettingdiscovered in somebody’s tape

vault. Their publication creates chal-lenges for jazz polls. In 2005, the“New Releases” category of mostmajor polls was dominated by record-ings made between 40 and 60 yearsbefore: At Carnegie Hall, byMonk/Coltrane; One Down, One Up,by Coltrane; Town Hall, June 22, 1945,by Gillespie/Parker. It was sufficientlyembarrassing that both JazzTimes andDownBeat, going forward, changedtheir “Reissues” category to“Historical Recordings,” to includenewly released old stuff.

Live at Newport ’58 will beomnipresent in the “HistoricalRecordings” sections of the 2008 jazz

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 199

R E C O R D R E V I E W S

continued on p.203

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Wireworld Silver Electra 52

Editor:I thank Michael Fremer for explainingthe unique design concepts of our SilverElectra 52 power cord in his January 2008“Analog Corner” column. We believethat our Series 52 power cords are uniquein their ability to remove the power-linenoise that causes the distinct changes inharmonic structure that we hear whenchanging power cords. Of course, insome cases, the Silver Electra’s reductionof noise-induced brightness can producea sound that is too dark, as it did inMichael’s system, especially when the sys-tem had been “dialed-in” with more con-ventional power cords. As always, if theharmonic structure is not balanced, theresult will not be musical. Despite theunusual imbalance that Michael heard, hestill identified the tighter image focus andcerebral quality of the Silver Electra. Ibelieve that those observations illustratethe advantages of reducing noise inter-modulation, which otherwise tends todiffuse images and obscure musical sub-tleties. David Salz, President

Wireworld Cable Technology

The Fried MystiqueEditor:We at Fried Products were pleasantlysurprised to see “The Fried Mystique” inJohn Marks’ “The Fifth Element” in theFebruary issue (p.45). The origins of thecompany, as detailed in the article, are,for the most part, accurate. Bud Fried’sfirst and ultimate passion was classicalmusic. However, his interest in loud-speakers originated from a childhoodspent working at the movie theaters hisfamily owned and his desire to re-createthe same “big” sound at home.

Whatever arguments cloud the gene-sis of Fried speaker technology, back tothe transmission-line work of ArthurBailey, the Wireless World papers, and theearly recognition accorded first-orderseries crossover networks in theRadiotron Designer’s Handbook, it must beconceded that Bud Fried properlyhomogenized these virtues and champi-oned all of the designs, whether manu-factured in-house or outsourced.

Paramount in Bud’s theories, as wellas the design goal for our loudspeakerseven today, is that reproduction of musicis less about sinewaves and frequencyplots and more about transient perfor-mance. Music consists of tremendouswavefronts of acoustic energy, and thegoal of any loudspeaker is to reproducethese wavefronts in proper time withoutcompression. Proper time refers to the

separation of the fundamental from har-monics, which is the downfall of repro-duced music and the key to re-creatingthe live experience. We believe the onlyway to reproduce these tremendouswavefronts with proper time cues isthrough the use of transmission-lineloading and series crossover networks. Acomplete description of the Fried Tech-nology and its virtues is available on ourwebsite, www.friedproducts.com.

Bud was also truly mystified by thedysfunctional hi-fi industry, and dis-cussed the state of high-end audio withanyone who would listen. He couldn’tunderstand why anyone would accept orspend vast sums of money for speakersthat failed to abide by the laws of physicsand didn’t come close to reproducing thesound of “live” music.

We suggest that John include ourCompact 7 in his search for contempo-rary speakers that represent very goodvalue in today’s dollars. The Compact 7has far superior performance than previ-ous designs of similar size.

Speaking of value, Fried is beginningan update program for older Fried loud-speakers with deteriorating foam sur-rounds; some are already available. Anupdated Q-series woofer will be avail-able very soon; details will beannounced on our website. David Finley,

Stephen Hluchan, Jonathan RainesFried Products Corporation

TriangleEditor:On behalf of the whole team at Triangle,I would like to thank John Atkinson, ArtDudley, and Sam Tellig for their timespent analyzing and listening to the lat-est versions of the Titus, Comète, andAntal loudspeakers. The respective writ-ers’ enthusiasms for these Esprit-seriesupdates is also a source of great satisfac-tion for all of us, and only fortifies Trian-gle’s commitment to offer a combinationof engineering expertise and listeningpleasure in all their products.

When Art Dudley mentions how theComète’s abilities are not limited to itsassociation with equipment at its ownprice level, to us he demonstrates theadded value of a product that can growinto a still-higher-end sound system.And with John Atkinson’s measuredhigh sensitivity, value also becomes ver-satility, the Comète being equally com-fortable with tube and solid-state designsin a quality two-channel system or adynamic home-theater setup.

To Sam Tellig, our appreciation onceagain for his time spent educating his

readers in the culture that is Triangle, onethat was born with the founding of thecompany by Renaud de Vergnette in1980, and that continues today with theadded presence of Olivier Decelle. Withthe additional talent of a growing engi-neering team, one can rest assured of con-tinued originality in design and passionfor a job well done. Richard Kohlruss

Triangle Electroacoustique

Rethm SaadhanaEditor:We at Rethm Loudspeakers are verygrateful to Art Dudley for having takenthe time to live with the Saadhanas andfor sharing his insights and opinions onthem with all of us. We are flattered anddelighted that he seems to have enjoyedlistening to them.

Having been an enthusiastic reader ofArt’s reviews since his Listener days, Iknow that he has a pair of ears that aresecond to none and superior to many asa result of his “musically nuanced” lis-tening. Therefore, if Art says he is hear-ing a certain something, many of us situp and listen to what he has to say.

However, as the designer of the Saad-hana, it is my responsibility to offeranother perspective on Art’s insightfulcomments on the bass presentation ofthe Saadhana.

Most reviewers, Art included, almostalways very thoughtfully connect theequipment under review to a variety ofpartnering gear: electronics, front ends,cables. The utility of this practice to thereader is beyond question, as it providesinvaluable insights into the particularunit’s characteristics in varying systems.Unfortunately, there is one element inthe playback chain that reviewers do not,or cannot, change—but one that doessubstantially affect and alter the repro-duction of any system: the room.

And the room’s most significant con-tribution is to the frequencies from thelower midrange on down. Getting themidrange and up to sound good in mostrooms is seldom a problem—but I willnot say the same thing for the lower fre-quencies. Both the geometry of theroom and its construction play a part inhow a system sounds in a space.

As the manufacturer, I have had thegood fortune (out of necessity) of hearingthe Rethm Saadhanas in about a dozendifferent rooms over the last year, rangingfrom 200ft2 to 1000ft2, and every roomhas reproduced the lower frequencies dif-ferently (counterintuitively, it has sound-ed best in the largest spaces!).

I share this observation in no way to

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 201

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disagree with what Art was hearing. It isonly to suggest the possibility that thebass characteristics of the Saadhanawould, in all likelihood, be different (theycould be better, they could be worse!) in adifferent space. Jacob George

Rethm Loudspeakers

Silverline Audio MinuetEditor:Thanks for another great Stereophilereview of a Silverline speaker.

Fig.4 precisely reflects the Minuet’ssuperior resolution of midrange detail,and fig.8 shows that the cumulativespectral-decay plot is extremely cleanand measures well. Special thanks toJohn Atkinson’s state-of-the-art mea-surements.

In the review, Robert J. Reina saysthat “The Minuet’s superior resolutionof midrange detail and wide, deepsoundstage created an extraordinarysense of acoustic space…. SilverlineAudio’s Minuet is an uncolored,detailed, and dynamic performer thatcompetes with the best designs I’veheard at its price. But it is even morespecial than that.” Hearty thanks toRobert for his thorough and detailedaudition of our Minuet speaker.

At Silverline Audio, we have a goal to

make quality speakers that excel in per-formance in an overengineered andunderpriced manner. Alan Yun

Silverline Audio

Meridian F80Editor:“Looking at it made me happy. Listeningto it put me in paradise.” We are delight-ed that Wes Phillips saw (and heard) soclearly the point of the F80, and thankhim very much for taking the time. Thisis a typical response to this all-in-onesystem. Another reviewer said, “Whenyou see it you smile, when you hear ityou want one.”

The F80 is a serious music system: atransportable entertainment system withbuilt-in radio, CD, and DVD, andenough connectivity to allow threeexternal sources. Each part is fanaticallyoptimized, right down to the config-urable external and internal antennas.But for us, even more important is that itembodies 30 years of know-how ofactive and digital loudspeaker design, afanatical appreciation of what reproducesmusic (and what breaks that illusion),and processing informed by psychoa-coustics. It is no accident that the F80makes a big sound, fills a room, deliversa wide range, and renders dynamics and

coherency. All that is the “how,” and toappreciate what Wes is saying, you needto hear one.

The “why” is to provide immense andlong-lasting pleasure, and to bring seri-ous music enjoyment with no fuss tomany more locations in the home, anapartment, on vacation, etc. We also seethe F80 as an ambassador for not onlyMeridian and our values, but for themessage high-end audio needs to bringto the unaware. Bob Stuart

Meridian Audio Ltd.

LFD Integrated Zero Mk.IIIWe listed the wrong contact informationin Sam Tellig’s report on the LFD Inte-grated Zero Mk.III amplifier in Febru-ary (p.21). The correct e-mail address forLFD Audio is [email protected] LFD’s website, still under construc-tion as this issue went to press, iswww.lfdaudio.com. —John Atkinson

www.Stereophile.com, April 2008 203

M A N U FA CT U R E R S ’ C O M M E N TS M A N U FA CT U R E R S ’ C O M M E N TSM A N U FA C T U R E R S ’ C O M M E N T S

polls. In the vaults of Columbia Records, producer MichaelCuscuna found a professionally recorded, three-track masterof a long-lost Horace Silver set at the Newport JazzFestival.This “new” album, from Sunday, July 6, 1958, is especiallyvaluable for four reasons.

First, the Horace Sil-ver Quintet was thebest, most consistenthard-bop band ever.They played a pure,clean-burning versionof the genre. No won-der—they invented it.

Second, Newport ’58 isthe Quintet’s onlyknown recording withLouis Smith, a forgottentrumpet player who wasin a league with BlueMitchell and CarmellJones. Unlike so manyjazz musicians withshort careers, Smith didnot self-destruct, butbecame a music teacher.Smith eats alive the fourtunes on this album

with a glittery metal tone, sharp ideas that rarely repeat, anddrop-dead chops. His three choruses on “The Outlaw” kill.So does all of Junior Cook’s gut-level–honest work here,with its limber swing. Junior Cook was always money.

Third, there are two rarelyheard original pieces of flawlessSilver funk, “Tippin’” and “TheOutlaw,” both with hooks that setdeep.

Fourth, live recordings of Sil-ver’s band are almost nonexistent.Silver was a perfectionist whopreferred recording in a studio,yet he played his best piano forlive audiences. Every note ofevery one of his tight, locked-insolos here pops like a little explo-sion of joie de vivre. His compingis wicked, with perfectly placedstabs of propulsion.

If you turn it up a little, thesound is decent, and the music isworth the 50-year wait.

—Thomas Conrad

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R E C O R D R E V I E W S

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Acoustic Sounds . . . . . 158, 162–163Acoustic Zen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106American Power Conversion. . . . . 19Analysis Plus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Angstrom Loudspeakers . . . . . . 45April Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Archive Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Aria Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Atoll Electronique. . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Audio Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Audio Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . 172Audio Nexus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Audio Plus Services. . . . . . . . . . . . C4Audio Vision SF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Audio Visions South. . . . . . . . . . 150Audioengine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Audiowaves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178AudioQuest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Aurum Acoustics. . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Avalon Acoustics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Ayre Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Balanced Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–9BC Acoustique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Bel Canto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Benchmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Bryston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Cable Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Canton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Cardas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Coincident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Conrad Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Crystal Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132, C3CSA Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Dynaudio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Elusive Disc. . . . . . 38–39, 128, 138Esoteric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Festival Son and Image. . . . . . . 192Fidelis Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Galen Carol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Gateway Sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Goodwin’s High End . . . . . . . . . 176Hansen Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2HCM Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182HeadRoom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58High End Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Immedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Innovative Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187JL Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Joseph Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26JPS Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59JS Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Kimber Kable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Koetsu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Lamm Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94LAT International. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Laufer Teknik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42–43Legacy Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Linn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Lotus Group (Acoustic Revive,Oyaide). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Manley Labs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Mark Levinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65May Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114MBL of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Merlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Montana Loudspeakers . . . . . . 118Music Direct. . . . . . . . . . . 14-15, 200 Musical Sounds. . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 77Musical Surroundings . . . 154, 166Musikmatters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124NAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Nagra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Naim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Nawrocka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Needle Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Ne Plus Ultra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Nordost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Nuts About Hi Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Overture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Palmetto Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Parts Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Paradigm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Pass Laboratories. . . . . . . . . . . . . 100PS Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90PSB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85RealTraps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Reference 3A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Reference Recordings . . . . . . . . 199Reno Hi-Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Rives Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Rogue Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Salagar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Sanus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Shunyata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Siltech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Simaudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Sound By Singer. . . . . . . . . 116, 152Sound Organisation. . . . . . . . . . 122Stage 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Sumiko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27The Sound Experience . . . . . . . 142Totem Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7Tyler Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51United Home Audio. . . . . . . . . . 207Upscale Audio . . . 66–67, 141, 160Van den Hul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Vandersteen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134VAS Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Verity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Vincent Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128VTL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Walker Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Wavelength Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . 134WBT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Wilson Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 25YG Acoustics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Zu Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104ZVOX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Stereophile (USPS #734-970 ISSN: 0585-2544) Vol.31 No.4, April 2008, Issue Number 339. Copyright © 2008 by Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. All rights reserved. Published monthly by Source Interlink Media,Inc., 261 Madison Avenue., 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals Postage Rate is paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription rates for one year U.S., APO, FPO, and U.S.Possessions $19.94,Canada $32.94. Canada Publications Mail Sales Agreement No. 40612608. GSTReg. 87209 3125 RT0001. Canada returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Canada.Foreign orders add $15 (U.S. funds). POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Stereophile, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Mailing Lists: From time to time we make our subscriber list available tocompanies that sell goods and services by mail that we believe would be of interest to our readers. If you would rather not receive such mailings, please send your current mailing label, or an exact copy, to: Stereophile, Mail PreferenceService, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Subscription Service: Should you wish to change your address, or order new subscriptions, you can do so by writing to the same address. Printed in the USA.

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C L A S S I F I E D

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210 www.Stereophile.com, April 2008

AU R AL ROBE RTRober t Ba i rd

Love’s Labour’s Found

Years ago, in Santa Fe, New Mex-ico, I was sitting at my desk atStereophile, on Delgado Street,minding my own business,probably writing somethingunkind about Sting’s latest

record or some such other deservingpiece of—well, you get the idea—when anunfamiliar voice on the other end of thephone line informed me that he had ahalf-track analog tape of Gram Parsonsand the Flying Burrito Brothers playingat the once legendary, now sadly defunctPalomino Club, on North Hollywood’sLankershim Boulevard. He said his namewas George Bullfrog. Uh-huh. SoGeorge Bullfrog has an unreleased tapeof Gram? I was, to put it mildly, skeptical.

As it turns out, he did indeed have a finetape of Gram, which Stereophile editor JohnAtkinson rescued from certain deteriora-tion and transferred to CD. Mr. Bullfrogthen became one of my dearest friends,and several years later, under no duress orspell of John Barleycorn, he began tellingme another tale. It involved that sameGram tape, but this time someone elsewanted to transfer and release it legally. Inother words, some poor glutton for pun-ishment was going to try to clear a bootleg.

In music-biz legalese, clearing means pay-ing off everyone who was a part of theband’s universe at the time: band members(or their estates), the band’s record label,the song publishers, etc., etc., etc., on andon. It’s an endeavor only fools or zealotswould attempt. Enter Amoeba Recordsowner, David Prinz.

“I wanted to show that it could be done,that it could actually be a little profitable,and to give us credibility with other artistsso that we could perhaps get into their cat-alogs and their archival stuff. There’s atremendous amount of people who wantto hear archival stuff from their artists, whowant to hear different stuff. How manytimes can you listen to Gilded Palace of Sin?Honestly, it’s so nice to hear some newsongs. There are a million different ways toget new music out if people are just a littleless rigid about it, and a little more open. Ithink it can happen.”

As you may have deduced from thosestatements, Prinz was exactly the rightman for the job. A nice guy, with a mix ofmusic-business savvy and extreme obses-sion, he also happens to be what he calls“the craziest Gram fan in the world,”before quickly adding, “but I’m not intohoarding it and not letting other peoplehear it. I went to battle for all us Gram

fans, not just forme.”

Battle doesn’t beginto describe the seriesof near miracles thatpreceded the releaseon Amoeba Records—not of the Palominodate, which willappear sometimelater—of The GramParsons Archives Vol.1:Gram Parsons & TheFlying Burrito Brothers,Live at the Avalon Ball-room 1969. An unbe-lievably pristine-sounding live record-ing, this two-CD, 27-track rare jewel features two entire sets(April 4 and 6, 1969), and knockout coverperformances of such songs as “Dark End ofthe Street,” as well as Parson originals—suchas “Sin City.”

The Queens, NY-born Prinz, openedAmoeba Records on Telegraph Avenue inBerkeley, California, in 1990, and has sincegone on to open stores in San Franciscoand Los Angeles. For music fans of all erasand genres, the L.A. store is ground zero ofrecord retail: the largest, deepest CD/LPstore on earth; a supermarket-sized spacewith its own parking garage. Prinz, whohas since signed a new artist to Amoeba,singer Brandi Shearer, admits he got intothe record-label business to issue previous-ly unreleased and uncleared Gram Parsonsrecordings. The first steps on this torturouspath have taught him a lot.

The Avalon recordings were ownedby Owsley Stanley, better known as“Bear,” the LSD wizard and GratefulDead sound engineer who is responsiblefor that band’s massive tape library. Onlythrough the intercession of frequent JerryGarcia collaborator Dave Grisman wasPrinz able to get Bear to sign off on theParsons project. It then took more thantwo years, and the able assistance ofentertainment lawyer and author DonPassman (his All You Need to Know Aboutthe Music Business is now in its sixth edi-tion), to get the okey-dokey of Vivendi,which owns what’s left of the Burritos’label, A&M Records. Finally, ex-BurritoChris Hillman was persuaded to sign arelease only after Paul McCartney madean in-store appearance in Los Angeles.

“Paul decides he’s going to do an in-storefor the first time in his career, and he wantsto do it at our store,” says Prinz. “That

week, my lawyer calls me and says, ‘I’veheard from Hillman, I think they’re goingto sign.’ So the answer to getting Hillmanto sign,” Prinz laughs incredulously, “was tohave a Beatle do an in-store?”

Prinz has at least four more Parsonsreleases ready to come out—assuming hecan clear them. Included in that batch area 1973 Parsons show with his post-Burri-tos solo band, the Fallen Angels, and a1969 show at the Kaleidoscope in LosAngeles with the Byrds. Prinz also has apossible line on the recordings of theByrds performing at the Grand OleOpry, as well as Parson’s much-rumored“Lost Album.” In the meantime, RobertPlant has become a fan of the Gram Par-sons Archives series—he recently made apoint of being photographed wearing apromotional T-shirt for Live at the AvalonBallroom 1969.

Perhaps the biggest question, at leastfor those who care about sound, is theeternal problem with bootlegs: listenabil-ity. Too many bootlegs are marginal audi-ence tapes that are, at best, muddy andmuffled. But as with everything else inthis story, Prinz has both worked hard—inthis case, on improving the sound—andbeen lucky: much of the source tapes he’sfound are high quality.

“Literally, I said, ‘Alright, this is howwe listen to Gram boots from where I’mfrom: You turn the bass down, you turnthe treble up a little, and then you canhear his voice.’ In the studio, we tried tode-emphasize the instrumentals andbring up the vocal mike. In the end,some people of course said the vocals area little too high, and you know what I sayto them? ‘I got a bunch of bootlegs if youwant to hear his vocals down. ■■

Sir Paul, Brandi Shearer, and David Prinz.

CO

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