June 24, 2000
Subject: Monarchy amps
Can you tell me if you have ever listened to
the SM 70 amps by Monarchy. If so, what did you think of them? I plan on getting two and
monoblocking them to an older pair of Maggie .5s. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Steve Casey
Hey Steve:
I haven’t heard them myself, but
I looked ‘em up on the web just now and found a link to Frank Alles’ review on SoundStage! that makes ‘em
sound pretty cool. If you buy ‘em let me know what you think. They’re an
interesting design.
ATB...Wes
June 24, 2000
Subject: Speakers
I am using a Jadis Defy 7 power amplifier and
a Jadis JPL preamplifier with a Mark Levinson No.39 CD player as source and a old pair of
Monitor Audio Studio 20 speakers.
I want to upgrade my speakers, and I am not
sure which to go for. I have listened to the Sonus Faber Electa Amator II (very involving
sound) and the new B&W 805 (more dynamic, more bass, but I think less involving and
intimate).
I like jazz, and acoustic music, but sometimes
I listen to rock music too. For you, which speaker is the better match for my 100Wpc Jadis
Defy 7? What other models do you recommend?
ReDiVINE
Dear ReDiVINE:
I like being involved myself, so
I’d always opt for a speaker which has this quality. Wait, that’s kind of a joke
-- I don’t really think of involvement as a quality of the speaker. It’s an
interpretation of your response to the speakers. Sometimes "involvement" can be
a quality that will wear on you in the long run -- although I think this is rare.
It’s usually a cue that the speaker closely matches your conception of the
music. In my opinion, if you’re content that your comparison was thorough and fair,
trust your instincts and consider buying the Sonus Fabers.
ATB...Wes
June 24, 2000
Subject: The usual $1000
I’m looking to purchase an integrated amp
and a pair of speakers. I have auditioned the B&W 602 S2 with Arcam 7R, Adcom and KEF
also. Would you be able to recommend a set?
Hoi Chan
Dear Chan:
At a grand, you get a lot of really
great choices and the Arcam/B&W combo should work just fine. Other amps to consider
include the Creek 4330, Musical Fidelity X-A1, and Rega Brio. Speakers to audition would
have to include Linn Tukans, Paradigm Reference Studio 20s, PSB Image 4Ts, as well as many
others.
ATB...Wes
June 23, 2000
Subject: Problem with high-end speakers
I recently found your website and enjoyed
spending some time browsing it. I'm not sure whether you can help on my individual
problem, but here goes.
I recently bought a pair of Sonus Faber
Concerto speakers. They were half of the new price, mail order, but the dealer wouldn't
send on approval or sale/return, so I had to buy without auditioning. Bad idea I know, but
with 2nd hand stuff you don't always get the chance. I had read many good reviews at www.audioreview.com, and also an online review by
Alvin Gold in AudioFile (February 6 1997), which was very complimentary.
Huge disappointment when firing them up --
where's the "treble of pellucid purity and transparency" which Alvin described?
The top end is so dull, it makes my CDs sound like a cassette deck with Dolby B switched
on. Bass, vocals and midrange are fine, but high-hat cymbals and other top-end frequencies
are very distant and unclear compared with my previous speakers (small Mission
standmounts). I know from the reviews that the Concertos have a reputation for being
difficult to position, but this doesn't seem to be an issue -- the treble isn't clear even
if I put my ear right up to the speaker.
Any ideas? My amps are Alchemist Kraken pre
and power, 55Wpc. I don't know whether the treble could be affected by not having enough
amplification, or by being on basic stands, or what. In case it's of any help, the speaker
cables are Goertz MI 1, but they transmitted the treble OK to the Missions, so again
presumably not a factor.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can
offer,
Bob Connell
Dear Bob:
It’s a little late to offer this
advice, but I wouldn’t deal with anyone who didn’t offer a
satisfaction-guaranteed policy -- especially in used gear. I know you don’t need to
be told this, but I feel I must state this emphatically.
That said, your problem doesn’t
sound like any Sonus Faber I’ve ever heard, so I suspect you have a blown crossover
(or crossovers). I seem to recall that MF found a slight HF notch in the Concertos when he
reviewed them is Stereophile, but that was such an overwhelmingly positive review
that it doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re experiencing either.
Contact Sumiko (510-843-4500) and find
out who services Sonus Faber in your area. You probably will have to pay for your repair,
but properly working Concertos will certainly sound lots better than what you have
now.
ATB...Wes
June 22, 2000
Subject: Stereo advice?
I am looking to purchase a home audio/video
system. I need something that will be useful for the next 5 years. I want something that
will be good for both use with my DVD player, and use as a stereo. I am confused about a
lot of things.
Right now I live in a dorm room, but I will be
moving into an apartment next year. Either way, keep in mind that I don't have a house,
and won't have a house before I upgrade to a newer system. I am looking to spend $2000
total. I want to buy a CD changer, reciever, and speakers. I saw a lot of information on
preamps, but I don't understand any of that, and I don't even know if I need one. I was
thinking of buying the Pioneer 301 disc changer because I like the idea of having all my
CDs in my CD component, but I don't know what you would think of that component. I was
also thinking of buying the Bose Acoustimass 15 speaker system, but I believe you frowned
on that idea too.
If you could give me information on a
reciever, CD changer, if I need a preamp, and speakers for my price range I would greatly
appreciate it. I listen to a lot of techno and rap, so I like powerful and clear bass
sounds. I also want to put my new DVD player to it's full potential. I understand that you
are busy and may not be able to help me with my search, but any information you could give
would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Michael B
Dear Michael:
I recently had an epiphany concerning
mega changers -- previously, I just didn’t get ‘em. I thought they were
mechanically unreliable and made it difficult to listen to specific CDs. Maybe that was
true at one time, but modern jukebox changers seem plenty reliable -- as part of the
review process for a commercial website, I left one working continuously for months
without any glitches. Better yet, many mega changers have keyboard inputs and allow you to
program your collection with great specificity.
This means you can divide your CDs
into categories, types of music say, or specific artists, or even music that matches
certain moods turner the CD player into your personal radio station, stocked only with
your favorite music. Pretty cool.
And that’s not all -- most mega
changers have digital out, so you can pair them with an upsampling DAC and get even better
sound now.
I don’t want to get into a debate
over Bose -- I haven’t actually ever reviewed a Bose product, so I can’t speak
from more than a casual acquaintance with their products. On my limited exposure to the
Bose speakers I have heard, I’d say you tend to pay a lot for what you’re
actually getting. However, you should listen for yourself. If you like them, buy ‘em.
I’ve heard small systems from PSB, Paradigm, Gallo, and NHT that I could certainly
live with, so you might look around to see if you can find something along these lines.
As to a receiver, you’re in luck
-- I can’t believe how much receiver you can buy for a few hundred bucks these days.
I’ve heard great sounds from Denon, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Sherwood Newcastle -- but
I think it would be hard to go too far astray these days. I’d narrow it down by
finding out what your favorite audio store carries and buy the combination of changer,
speakers, and receiver that combines good sound with your best discount. (BTW, receivers
have preamps built in, so you don’t need a separate preamp.)
And, even if it means stretching your
budget, don’t neglect that upsampling DAC! That way, you should have great sound that
will last for years.
ATB...Wes
June 22, 2000
Subject: Speaker hobbyist disdain?
Hello! I'm very glad I've found you. Things
are very different now for your buddies back in New Mexico, huh? I miss the old days when
you wrote for them -- I know you've heard it a few billion times, sorry to say it again.
Oh well, life's full of such nostalgia.
Why do you think speaker hobbyists like
myself, who also happen to be audiophiles, get such smug and disdainful attitudes from so
many people in the audio hobby? In conversing with them, I usually have to keep that part
of myself a secret, to avoid ridicule from those who are so far into the
"high-end" that they don't even care what makes speakers work in the first
place! The word I see all the time in the journals is "jaded," but I think
"hollow conspicuous egotism" is all too often a better way to describe it.
I'm speaking of those
"high-end-insider" types, who think they've heard it all, and look down on
everyone who either doesn't buy what they sell, or otherwise own themselves. Several of
these even review for magazines, on occasion. Not that that should surprise anyone, I
suppose.
Kind regards,
Carl
Dear Carl:
You have a point -- there has
simultaneously been a huge reduction in the number of DIY projects available to
audiophiles and a marked loss in the respect that DIYers receive from their fellow
audiophiles. We’ve come a long way from the era when the true audiophile
assembled his own gear and the arriviste had it assembled (or, as Flanders & Swann put
it, fobbed off upon them) by a store.
I’m currently looking for good
audio assembly projects to review -- DIY is fun, is a superb way to learn more about the
way things work, and can ensure that you get exactly what you want. I’m in the
process of building my own electric guitar, right now. By doing it myself, I get all the
features I’ve ever lusted after (two Joe Bearden Strat Deluxe pickups plus a Tone
Bridge pu, skinny Tele neck, Strat-style Lacewood body w/hand-rubbed French Polish finish,
and black chrome Schaller hardware), while gaining an immense amount of respect for how
the major companies manage to sell their guitars for so little. The limited amount of
speaker building I’ve done has had a similar effect on me.
Have I ever heard a DIY speaker that
matched Wilson X-1s or Revel Salons? Well, maybe -- the thing about building a single
pair of speakers is that you can focus on matching a specific amplifier and room and
listening position. With good ears and a lot of patient fiddling, you can tweak ‘em
out to where it’s really hard to find fault. Of course, making a second pair that
matches the first can be tricky (and could be considered what separates the speaker
hobbyist from the pro). Further, David Wilson and Kevin Voecks, unlike the talented
amateur, have to design their products to work in a wide range of systems and rooms.
I agree that many audiophiles seem
content to just consume, but let’s be fair -- they just don’t know what
they’re missing. And us apartment dwellers don’t always have access to table
saws and the like, so we’re dependent upon friends with workshops or high-quality
kits, which are few and far between. But I intend to agitate for a return of the
do-it-yerself ethos and you should too -- most people just don’t know what
they’re missing!
ATB...Wes
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