October 31, 2001
Subject: Sounds
Being rather new at the whole hi-fi audiophile thing, I was
wondering what some reviewers and salespeople mean when they speak of speakers or
components having a certain "sound." A word such as "accurate" is
pretty self-explanatory; however, adjectives like "musical," "British- or
American-sounding," "warm," "rhythm and pace," etc. are hard to
associate with a particular sound. Initially, I assumed the best-sounding system would be
one which did absolutely nothing to alter the original signal. However, the more I read
reviews and listen to different systems, the more I realize that if all these systems
sound so different they must be doing something to the signal. So as I move closer to
purchasing my first "real" system, I hope to be able to comprise a list of
components to audition. Most of the items on my list will most likely come from hi-fi
magazines/websites. So it would be a tremendous help to understand what the reviewer means
when describing the sound of a component.
Dan
Hi Dan:
The language of audiophiles is complex and
frequently seemingly contradictory. The two most precise "neologers" were Harry
Pearson and J. Gordon Holt, who tried to create a highly specific vocabulary to cope with
the "sound" of different components. However, few writers are as precise as
Pearson and Holt and, over the years, mis-use and fuzzy thinking on the parts of other
writers have slurred the precise distinctions intended by these great men.
And, of course, some writers seem to magnify
differences between components in the belief that a little imprecision saves a ton of
explanation.
But I'm sure that as you read more reviews and
become more comfortable with audio jargon, you'll find certain reviewers who seem to speak
to you and some who definitely do not -- this will guide you better than mastering the
argot.
October 30, 2001
Subject: NAD
Would the NAD C370 amplifier matched with NAD C660 CD
recorder drive a pair of B&W CDM 1NT speakers? The room size is around 10 by 23 feet.
Thanks,
Claudio
Hi Claudio:
I can't see why not. But I'm sure you can either
take the speakers home or bring your NAD in to the store just to be sure.
October 30, 2001
Subject: Paradigm Active/40 speakers
I was intrigued by your review of the Paradigm Active/40s.
Actually, I keep running into people who tell me "You've just got to hear these
things!" I noticed that Doug Schneider of SoundStage! was simply stunned by them and compared them to
the $7000 JMlab Mini Utopias!?
However, I've gotten burned quite a few times running after
the latest and greatest by the newest reviewer, and quite frankly it just gets old. For
example the Black Cube phono stage was quite a disappointment. It wasn't that it was bad;
it simply wasn't GREAT, and that was how it had been pitched and I was stuck with it.
Now, I am quite happy to take the time and audition
equipment myself, but in this case, Active/40s are apparently not readily available at my
local hi-fi dealers. I was able to hear a pair in Miami, Florida for ten minutes
(literally), and that was all. They were very impressive. However two songs in an
unfamiliar room and system is just no way to evaluate these things. Although flying to
Florida may be highly desirable, it's not practical. From your old Stereophile
days, what would you classify these speakers as "Class A", "Class B"
or "Class C"?
Gratefully,
David Vair
Hi David:
I at a loss as to how to answer your question,
since I spent an entire review trying to explain exactly that. I appreciate that you have
been "burned quite a few times running after the latest and greatest by the newest
reviewer." But I'm not sure how that applies to me. You can look up several years of
reviews by me at this website, and another five years or so in the Stereophile
website's archives, so I suspect you can figure out for yourself what my track record is
with products you know well. If you still can't figure out how highly I regard them after
that, I don't know what I could say to explain it further.
October 30, 2001
Subject: Kits versus commercially available speakers
I have been looking at the commercial offerings and feel
that I can get better value building my own speakers. Plus, living in Finland, there is no
shortage of skilled carpenters! I have recently surfed the Internet for kits to build, and
I found the SEAS Odin kit that would fit into my room quite well, which is fairly small.
They have highish sensitivity and, although they are a 4-ohm load, they should not be a
problem for my Electrocompaniet EC1.
However having only heard SEAS drivers in Jamo
Concert-series speakers, I am unsure about the sound of magnesium cones in general,
although I like the punchy, neutral sound of them in the Concert 8. Would you recommend
the SEAS Odin over commercially available speakers like the Dynaudio Contours or the
B&W Nautilus series?
I currently own Mission 752 Freedom speakers and they seem
to have some sibilance problems, which I have not been able to tame through interconnects
or speaker cables. Do you have any suggestions to remove that? Biwiring makes no
difference!
Thank you very much for your time.
Eugene
Hi Eugene:
I don't know that I know the "sound" of
magnesium drivers, but I have to say that when it comes to loudspeakers the overall design
accounts for as much of the sound as the drivers do, if not more. I've heard different
designs use the same two drivers and they sound, well, different.
So, while you should certainly use the best drivers
you can afford in your DIY projects, you should be sure the overall design is, ummm,
sound.
That said, DIY may or may not be the best way for
you to get more speaker for your money. I personally enjoy woodworking and once worked as
a carpenter, so I take great pleasure from cabinet building and even more from finishing
-- I love to "pull" a shiny French Polish finish, and I can happily spend hours
with a pad in hand -- but other people can't stand the work involved and might not be
happy with their handiwork at the end of the project, especially if it didn't live up to
the standards set by commercially available speakers.
On the other hand, I've seen people live happily
for years with butt-ugly speakers they'd proudly made.
If you don't enjoy doing your own work, you can
still find high-value speakers from companies such as Legacy Audio, which sell direct to
the consumer. Only you know what kind of consumer you are -- and be witheringly honest
when you determine this. Half-finished projects are far more expensive than spending
slightly more for a completed loudspeaker.
October 28, 2001
Subject: Musical Fidelity CD player
G'day!
I have a Denon AVR-3801 receiver and a pair of Monitor
Audio Silver 8i loudspeakers, and I'm thinking of buying a CD player. What I have in mind
is the Musical Fidelity A3CD. Do you think it will match my current system? Is it
upgradeable to play DVD-A?
Thanks!
Henry
Hi Henry:
I think it would go just swell with your system.
And no, no CD player I know of is "upgradeable" to play any kind of DVD.
October 27, 2001
Subject: Ascend Acoustics speakers
I stumbled on a speaker company called Ascend Acoustics.
They produce a speaker called the CBM-170. They are very reasonable priced at $359 per
pair. All of the reviews I have read online are excellent, but none of the major reviewers
or magazines have covered them, so I am interested in a second, professional opinion. Are
you familiar with these speakers, and if so, what do you think?
"Setting a new performance standard for accurate sound
reproduction for two channel stereo reproduction AND multi-channel home theater.
- Extremely 'flat' frequency response
- High efficiency and high power handling
- Incredibly detailed and smooth vocal characteristics
- Suitable for professional studio monitoring
- 6.5" Aerogel woofer and 1" soft-dome neodymium
tweeter
- Rear-ported enclosure delivers tight and accurate bass
- Only 12" high
- Magnetically shielded"
Geoffrey Taylor
Hi Geoffrey:
I don't know anything about the company, but all
the points you cite sound like typical advertising copy to me. But when I hear a company
throwing around terms like "suitable for professional monitoring" about a
two-way with a 6.5" woofer, my bullshit detector goes off, perhaps unjustly. This is
just my opinion, but I've been in a lot of studios and never seen a speaker remotely like
that used for serious monitoring.
On the other hand, there are certainly some
fantastic speaker values currently available, such as the Triangle Electroacoustique Titus
XS ($495) and the Axiom Millennia M3Ti SE ($275), so the Ascends might be all they say
they are -- I just haven't heard them or heard of them.
October 26, 2001
Subject: Simple question
If high-current amplifiers such as those from Denon add so
much punch and clarity to the final sound, why is it that huge manufacturers like Sony
don't at least make one high-current model?
Stan Tarala
Hi Stan:
I can't read minds, but Sony frequently seems to
experience not invented here syndrome. And, of course, every audio
manufacturer wants to have a story that distinguishes its line from all the others, so
there are very few areas of universal agreement.
October 25, 2001
Subject: Impedance
Greetings Wes. I hope you don't mind, but I have a
question. You once did a review of the newer B&W Nautilus 801 speaker. I own a pair of
B&W801s that are from 1980. My question is: The impedance of my speakers is rated as 8
ohms nominal throughout the entire operating range, but dipping to 3 ohms. I am interested
in the Denon AVR-5800 A/V receiver at 120Wpc for surround sound. The receiver states that
any speaker with an impedance below 4 ohms may result in the protection circuit activating
during long play and high volume. This shuts down the receiver temporarily, which will be
very annoying. Do you recommend this receiver, and do you think if I played at low volume
the receiver's protection circuit wouldn't activate?
Have you had any experience with speakers that are rated 8
ohms to 3 ohms and powered by the Denon AVR-5800 or comparable power source?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve:
I know you think you're asking me one question, but
to be fair, It should be two.
To be perfectly honest, I love the Denon
5800. It's a great example of how much technology your money can buy in today's A/V
receivers. I unreservedly recommend it.
And it should probably drive your 801s, but
you need to closely consider a few things before going ahead with this combination. If
you're only driving a single pair of the 801s with the 5800, I don't think you'll
experience any problems unless you listen at stupid-approved levels all the time. If you
use the original 801's bass EQ module, which adds about 6dB boost at 20Hz (if I recall
correctly), you might occasionally trigger the Denon's protection.
If you're talking about driving five 801s,
then, no -- I don't think the Denon is up to it, especially if the bass EQ is employed.
But I don't think any A/V receiver is equal to that task. Five 801s without the
bass EQ plus a good sub -- then, probably, yes.
I suspect you're asking about using your 801s as
left and right main speakers with a different center and surrounds, in which case I think
the 5800 will do just fine. But I suspect you'll find it really hard matching the center
to the L/Rs unless you look at an awfully good center-channel speaker, which, by the way,
is the only way to go.
October 20, 2001
Subject:Speakers
I'm looking for a new pair of speakers. Do you have any
opinion on speakers that are either DIY (e.g., Hammer Dynamics, GR Research) or
available through the Internet only (e.g., nOrh, Diva by Swans)?
For the past two years I've resisted the urge to visit my
dealer and pay retail price. I'm so disillusioned with my hobby/passion due to the
incredibly steep price tags (has it always been like this?) of audio equipment that I
don't even enjoy the hobby anymore.
My equipment has been stored in the garage for the past 18
months (Golden Tube Audio SE-40SE amp and SET preamp with phono stage, SOTA Sapphire/Blue
Point turntable, Marantz CD67SE CD player, etc.). What really burned me out was my
perception that high-end audio reviewers seem to be unconcerned about the rising cost and
unfairly dismiss DIY, mail order, and Internet equipment as not worthy of a review in
their pages (so as not to do a disfavor to their readership).
Geez, these magazine reviewers and policy makers are the
same guys and gals who cut their teeth on Dyna kits, improvised on their own store-bought
equipment, and soldered and tweaked their way to audio bliss along the way.
I enjoyed your "Car Tunes" column, and I just
wished they'd put in a column for DIY and Internet/mail-order equipment reviews too, but
that has not happened.
Sorry for the rant. Did I say I like your website?
Gil Mendoza
Hi Gil:
I think you're writing about several different
subjects which are not as interrelated as you seem to think. Obviously, it is possible to
assemble equipment that is high value and high performance without spending an
unconscionable amount of money, as your own system shows. Of course, there are a great
many expensive products out there and, yes, they get reviewed. A lot.
On the other hand, everything you own has been
reviewed, so the good stuff still gets talked about, no matter what price it is.
As to the brands you mention, Hammer Dynamics, GR
Research, nOhr, and Swans all produce well-respected speakers or kits -- as do Parts
Express and Madisound Speaker Components. And if you're looking for a company that seems
to do Web-only retailing that offers extraordinary value on completed loudspeakers, add
Legacy Audio to your list.
I'm getting to where I'm considered an old fart,
and I was just on the cusp of the DIY movement -- and by the time I was serious
about audio, Dyna and Heath kits were gone. I think a lot of writers simply don't know
about the pleasures of kit building.
I also think that most DIYers greatly overestimate
how interested people are in this aspect of the hobby. Stereophile's website ran a survey recently on
how many audiophiles were truly interested in building their own gear and there were very
few positive responses -- and a lot of them showed a complete lack of awareness of
professionally designed kits. This doesn't invalidate the experience, of course -- it
simply means that magazines might need to educate their readers about the existence of DIY
before their readers start to show an interest in it.
I've enjoyed the kits I have built, which include
the Assemblage DAC-1 and the Dayton Audio SW-10 subwoofer, and I look forward to doing
some more challenging projects, such as some speakers and the AES tube preamp kit. But I'm
fortunate enough that I can pretty much do whatever interests me without having to justify
it to bean-counters -- at least as long as people keep reading the site (thanks, y'all).
There will always be reviews of expensive audio
equipment. Some of it is expensive because it costs a lot to manufacture and some of it is
expensive because it is rare and some of it is expensive because its manufacturer isn't
interested in making very many components per year, but still wants to live well. I try to
report on the first type -- especially if its performance justifies the price. I also am
interested in the second type because it can teach us about what works and doesn't work in
hi-fi. I'm not all that interested in the third type, however, and will seldom waste my --
or your -- time with it.
I try to find "affordable" gear that
delivers extraordinary performance, and I like writing reviews about such items, but I
write somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 reviews per year. I can understand why someone
who can only cover ten products per year would want to stick to a smaller list of products
he or she was convinced were worth spending the time and effort on -- and you can review a
lot of cheap hi-fi before finding the gems.
But let's remember that music is much bigger than
this hobby or the magazines (or websites, obviously) devoted to it. Don't let your loss of
respect for magazines, reviewers, or manufacturers sour your enjoyment of the music
itself. If you like your system, don't even look at the magazines (but keep reading this
website, of course); simply listen to the music. And that will inevitably improve your
outlook.
Sorry for my rant.
October 16, 2001
Subject: Sennheiser HD 600 and Bryston B60
I own (and love) a Bryston B60. Its headphone jack runs
directly off the linestage and supposedly has a 1W output. Is this enough to drive the
Sennheisers you reviewed last month? Keep up the great site. "The Eight Warning Signs
of Audiophilism" had me in stitches.
John Park
Hi John:
Indeed, the Bryston is a perfect amp for headphone
users. Its headphone jack has a clear, powerful signal, and I spent many happy hours
listening to the HD 600s through it when the B60 was part of my office system at Stereophile.
October 15, 2001
Subject: Musical Fidelity amplifiers
I have been reading your reviews on the Internet with great
interest. I am interested in buying a Musical Fidelity A300 amplifier, but I am a bit
confused since this product is not available in India, which means that I will have to
pick it up from Singapore.
I need your assessment regarding the sound quality of this
amplifier:
- Is this amplifier A300 is better than A3 in terms of quality
of sound?
- If you rate A300 with 100 points, how will you rate A3 and
A3CR (pre and power)?
- If you rate the A300 with 100 points, how many points you
will assign to Marantz PM 17 and PM 14?
Please oblige with your expertise.
Warm regards,
Kavaljit
Hi Kavaljit:
Sorry, I simply haven't heard the A300, so I can't
help you there.
October 15, 2001
Subject: Power amplifier
I'm thinking of buying a Musical Fidelity MA50 class-A
power amp. Do you know anything about this piece? The seller wants $900. I would
appreciate any information you could give me. I cannot find in any of my old books. It's
about seven or eight years old.
Thank you
Larry W.
Hi Larry:
I don't know a lot about the item, but MF usually
has good build quality and first-rate parts quality, so it should retain its value pretty
well once the initial depreciation has been allowed for. That said, $900 seems high for a
unit of that vintage, unless there's something that makes it particularly collectable that
I'm not aware of.
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