February 28, 2001
Subject: What class?
If you classify the Soliloquy 5.0, in which class: A, B, C
or D? Thank you. You are my favorite writer.
J. Lugos
Dear gentle reader:
Thanks! That's always nice to hear.
I'm not all that happy with graded systems, despite
my former job as the compiler of Stereophile's RekCom list. I liked the Soliloquy
quite a lot, so it almost seems insulting to call it Class C. However, it was built to
satisfy certain performance and cost parameters and, within those parameters, it's a real
winner. On the strictest grading scale possible, it's right on the cusp between low B and
high C, but I'm tempted to nudge it into B ever so slightly.
As a teacher, I was never any good at grading
either.
ATB...Wes
February 27, 2001
Subject: 2 channel to 5.1
Hi Wes:
A question or two for you; I am using for my hi-fi
speakers, a pair of Fulton Musical Industries (FMI) 80s, and after all this time they
still sound fairly musical. Over the years, electronics have changed. But with home
theater I now have a need for a center speaker and, of course, surround speakers. The main
focus will still be music with movies second and I am more apt to watch movies that use a
surround for subtleties as much as gee-whiz effects. I feel fairly confident in the
electronics department. I just could use some guidance as to what is out there speaker
wise that might have similar sonics to the Fultons.
While you're at it, your thoughts on a subwoofer would be
welcome. I am an apartment dweller, so volume is not a problem ( I really don't need that
much unfortunately).
Many thanks for any ideas you have.
Thanks,
Michael
Hi Michael:
Wow, Fultons -- take me back to the source why
don't you? Cool speaker.
You'll read a lot of nonsense about center
channels, but the fact is that it's the most important channel in a home-theater setup.
Not only must it reproduce all the same sounds as the left and right front speakers, it
handles about 95% of all dialog and if you don't think that's important, try watching a
movie with the volume off sometime. Maybe an Adam Sandler movie would make just as much
sense without dialog, but most won't.
To match your Fultons, I'd suggest a really good
center channel speaker, such as the Aerial Acoustics CC3. It's the cherries.
As to a sub -- with the Fultons and living in an
apartment, do you really want to go there? If so, consider something like one of the Hsu
subs (say it five times fast) -- they aren't at all expensive and they sound awfully good.
ATB...Wes
February 25, 2001
Subject: Change my amp?
I have Wadia 830 feeding GamuT 200 power amp into Shahinian
Obelisk speakers. Love all sorts music. Would change of amp to Krell 300C be worthwhile?
Keep up the good work.
Tony
Hi Tony:
I don't know the GamuT at all, so I couldn't say.
But it's almost always edifying to hear Krell on your own speakers. You may prefer it to
all others or you might not, but it's certainly worth asking your dealer if you can
audition the 300C in your own system. I like the Obelisks a lot, BTW -- they're severely
underrated.
ATB...Wes
February 25, 2001
Subject: Upgrade source or amp?
I am just starting in the hi-fi world. My system consists
of NAD C520 CD player, NAD C340 integrated amp and a pair of Paradigm minimonitors. I am
looking for guidance in terms of an upgrade. Most people tell me that the logical way to
upgrade my system would be to go for a power amp, but I tend to lean more towards the
source. I've been looking at inexpensive DAC's and I've read the reviews for the Perpetual
Technologies P-3A, the MSB Link DAC III and the Bel Canto DAC1.
I listen to a wide variety of music, from classical to
world to rock to some Latin and jazz (no pop, rap or R&B). When I listen to music, I
tend to prefer resolution, detail, and soundstage rather than sheer power. That's why I
tend to think that an improvement in the source would be better than an improvement in
amplification.
Do you think a DAC is a more logical upgrade than a power
amp, generally speaking?
Thanks beforehand for your advice.
Leo
Hi Leo:
You've got a nicely balanced system there, so it's
hard to point to a weak link. I suspect your NAD CD player has plenty of resolution for
the moment, and the 340 has 100Wpc, so I'd probably look at a speaker upgrade. You already
have Paradigms, so I'd suggest auditioning some others in their line, as well as PSBs and
B&Ws, all of which should be easy to find.
Good luck...Wes
February 24, 2001
Subject: In need of some help
Hey Wes,
My name is Jeff and I am hoping you may be able to be of
some assistance. I am a small business owner who is looking for some new equipment for my
new office. I wanted to know if there is such a product as a stereo system that either has
an intercom system built in, or has the capabilities to have an intercom hooked up with
it. I hope I am making sense to you. If there are companies who make these systems, would
you be able to recommend a company who has high quality equipment? Any and all feedback
would be greatly appreciated on my end here. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jeff Jackson
Hi Jeff:
I can think a few ways to cobble such a system
together, but I think you'd be best served not combining your stereo with an intercom --
both for sound-quality reasons as well as protecting your loudspeakers. If your problem is
hearing the intercom when your hi-fi is playing, let me suggest a blinking light
attachment, such as studios and the deaf use. They're readily available and don't put your
tweeters at risk.
ATB...Wes
February 24, 2001
Subject: Cambridge loudspeakers
I am interested to hear your opinion on the Cambridge
Soundworks T300 and T500 loudspeakers. I have never heard them, but the specs look
favorable. Also, as you might have guessed I am in the market for new speakers. I would
like to spend as little as possible on quality, not crap. I am willing to spend up to
$2000. However, I would like to spend less. Would you please give me your opinions to help
find that needle in the hay stack.
Thank you very much,
Melisio Casas
Hi Melesio:
I haven't heard them, either. As you say, they spec
out fine, but I'm confused about why you're looking at $200 and $400 loudspeakers if you
really can budget $2000 for speakers. I'm not encouraging you to squander your hard-earned
money, but the quality difference between a really, really good $200/pr loudspeaker, such
as the CSW-300 and a really, really good $2000 loudspeaker like the Thiel CS1.5 is, well,
not to put too fine a point on it, an order of magnitude. And, if you've never heard that
difference, a revelation.
I don't know about the rest of your system, so I
can't really offer any advice. It's possible that your two grand might be best spent on a
balanced high-end system rather than going completely toward loudspeakers. But whatever
you do, don't settle for a speaker without hearing what a really good one -- whether the
Thiel or a ProAc or a Soliloquy or many other models -- can do. Life is short -- make the
most of it with a good hi-fi.
ATB...Wes
February 22, 2001
Subject: Neophyte question
Wes,
Sorry to bother you with a mundane question, but I'm new to
the appreciation of high-end audio equipment, and at the moment, I have a neophyte's
question: What is the benefit of a system using an amp and a preamp over a regular old
receiver that has everything in one box?
Thanks for your help.
Dave
Hi Dave:
It all depends. If you were a manufacturer and you
wanted to optimized every penny in your construction budget, you'd build a receiver -- it
has a single chassis, not three and a single power supply for all the components involved.
Your customers would save, big time, on cost and space.
Now if you were an audiophile and you looked at
that design, you could say that putting a radio next to a power amplifier wasn't a good
idea and that discrete power supplies offered better sound and better control. And you'd
be right.
However, if cost isn't an issue and you're just
looking at performance, there are some benefits from combining components. Signals don't
have to go through multiple connections and travel several inches through a yard of cable.
And you can design a receiver with discrete power supplies and internal isolation, if cost
isn't your sole consideration.
So, there are high-end integrated amplifiers and
receivers, such as Mark Levinson's No.383 and Magnum Dynalab's MD 208, which have been
built to exhibit the sonic integrity of separates combined with the space- and
money-saving attributes of conventional receivers, but they tend to be the exception to
the rule.
ATB...Wes
February 19, 2001
Subject: Room problem
First off, kudos to you on your
terrific reviews and columns. Cutting to the chase, I live in a loft with 17' ceilings and
hardwood floors. The dimensions of the room are approximately 20' by 45'. Currently I have
my home theater set up with the front and back speakers facing each other against the 45'
walls. The problem is that the room acoustics are awful. In general, the room sounds
"loud," and quiet sounds will often be amplified (you can literally hear a pin
drop downstairs when you are up stairs in the loft bedroom). In particular, there is a lot
of echoing and quite often the bass will be very boomy. What are your suggestions to
fixing this problem other than speaker placement? I thought about hanging something on the
walls to lessen the echoing but do not know what would be suitable. Will simply hanging up
some glass-framed pictures be enough. Any help you can give me would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your time and keep up the great work.
Sincerely,
Edward Tam
Hi Edward:
Despite your current problems, it sounds like you
have a potentially great room. The real answer to your problem is you need more stuff in
there. What you're describing is slap-echo and it's caused by all the bare walls and bare
floors.
Now do you want an audiophile solution or a normal
person's solution? If you want an audiophile's solution, there are a number of products
sold that can tame echoes -- look to RPG and Acoustic Science Corporation for these. The
bad news is that they're not cheap; the good news is that you don't have to treat every
square inch, just try to break up reflections between parallel surfaces. Both companies
can give you advice on how to use their products.
For a normal person's solution, think about putting
down some area rugs (pads help) and hanging some textiles (rugs, weavings,
curtains…and if you mount fiberglass panels behind the textiles, all the better) on
your walls. Not glass.
Don't forget to treat the wall up above your heads,
especially important in a room with ceilings as high as yours. Some strategically placed
bookshelves will help, too. Don't overdo it (probably not a problem, given the size of
your room) -- a mixture of reflective and absorptive surfaces is best.
Or get yourself a copy of F. Alton Everest's Acoustic
Techniques for Home and Studio, which is pretty technical, but gives you all the
information you'll need for building your own acoustic treatment.
I know you specified "other than speaker
placement," but a word on speaker placement is warranted. Your "rear"
speakers should be located at or slightly behind your preferred listening position and
about two feet above your seated head level. This alone may solve some of your boominess.
Hope this helps,
ATB...Wes
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