Can Classé rock?
January 31, 2004
Hi Wes,
I read your review of
the Classé CDP-10 CD player with interest. I don't know if you respond to these types
of questions or not. If not, I understand. I've seen about three or four reviews of the
new Classé player, but none of them address how the player sounds with more up-tempo
music. I listen to older-generation rock and a lot of electric blues. Everybody who has
reviewed this player has referenced only classical music, choral groups, acoustic jazz and
the like. I have Classé CAM-200 monoblock amps and, although they have the more laid-back
Classé "house" sound, they do adequately with more up-tempo music. Can the
CDP-10 do justice to something like B.B. King or Stevie Ray?
Audie O'Phile
I certainly think it can. I listened to a ton of blues
and jump music while I had the CDP-10 in for audition and it did just fine.
Does Classé have a "house" sound? Well, sure --
most lines that truly follow a basic philosophy do, it's the "me too"
manufacturers who are all over the sonic map. That doesn't mean Classé products don't
rock, but it might mean that listeners who listen exclusively to rock will prefer a line
that has a more aggressive (read: hard-edged) sound. That's not a shortcoming on the
product's part, it's preference -- and it's why people really need to audition stuff for
themselves with their own music.
Since you know the Classé sound, you know how you react to
it -- and I'd predict you'd get along with the CDP-10 just fine.
Axiom or Ascend?
January 27, 2004
Dear Wes,
I am looking to purchase a new set of
bookshelf speakers for my HT system. I currently have a HKAVR520 receiver and was looking
at either the Axiom M3s or M22s and the Ascend Acoustics CBM 170s.
Any recommendations would be greatly
appreciated.
Morrewine
Boy, ask a toughie, why don't you?
I haven't heard the Ascends, but my SoundStage!
colleague Doug Schneider was
pretty gaga over 'em, which makes me really want to check 'em out. They sound like
they're pretty special.
Of course, so are the Axioms, which I
still use as affordable references.
Since they're all good choices, I'd
buy based on aesthetic considerations and size -- the CBM 170s are compact, which may open
up some placement possibilities that the taller Axioms do not. On the other hand, it might
work the other way -- tall and narrow may trump shorter and wider.
What a marvelous dilemma!
Congratulations, and a new CD player
January 22, 2004
Wes,
First of all, I read your November 15th
commentary, and it was inspiring. Congratulations on your weight-losing efforts. I
have battled weight problems throughout my life, so I understand how it is. At some point
I thought I had it under control. I had lost a lot of weight and kept my weight at a
healthy level for about five years. Then I finished school, integrated into the work
force, the "real world" (and boy does it suck!), got lazy with the new
lifestyle, and within two years I had gained about 90-100 pounds. Anyway, this year I
started eating better, but was kind of half-assing it and your article was truly
inspiring. I started exercising again, and have taken my eating habits more seriously. All
in all I've lost about 30 pounds (throughout this year), and hopefully before the summer
I'll have my weight down to the level I want it. Anyway, just wanted to say
congratulations and keep up the good work.
I got a good deal on a demo Perreaux R200i (bought it at
half price for $2000) and took the chance, and man is it good. I had owned the E160i
entry-level integrated, and for a little while when considering upgrades I had the 200iP
integrated (which Doug Schneider favorably reviewed on SoundStage!), but the R200i
is just another beast altogether. Boy is this thing ever quiet. Granted, I don't have the
vast experience a lot of you guys do (I only started getting into the whole audio thing
about a year ago), but I never exactly understood what the whole "quiet" thing
meant until I got this puppy, and I'm not even using a great power-line conditioner to
assist in lowering the noise floor, as all I have right now is a PS Audio High-Current
Ultimate Outlet (which I'm thinking about upgrading to a Shunyata Hydra Model-8 as soon as
money allows and after I upgrade my source). My speakers are Polk Audio LSi15 and
cables are Analysis Plus Silver Ovals.
As of right now I have the same source I've had for a while
now. A Pioneer DV-47A universal player, which I intend to keep and have the output stages
modified. It sounds OK on CDs (better than most DVD players anyway), but I still want a
good CD player, something that will do my music collection some justice. I mostly listen
to Latin jazz, jazz, Afro-Caribbean music (like all the work that has come out from Cuba
after the Buena Vista Social Club CD, and a lot of Puerto Rican folk music), and,
occasionally, rock. I had a player for a little while that I liked, but unfortunately the
transport mechanism was apparently damaged during shipping, and every once in a while it
would refuse to play my CDs. I really loved the sound of it, but the occasional
malfunctioning became really annoying, and I ended up returning it. The problem is it was
the last one they had, a demo, so I was left with no option but to look for another CD
player.
Reading your review of
the Classé Audio CDP-10 CD player was interesting, but I came away thinking your
description of it sounds a like it is a really mellow player, but I could be wrong. I was
wondering if you have heard the Ayre Acoustics CX-7 or the Simaudio Moon Nova players and
how would you compared them to the Classé. Other players that I'm considering are the
Cary Audio 303/200 or the Arcam FMJ CD23T.
Another possible solution would be to get a good-sounding
outboard DAC and pair it with the Pioneer (I've heard they make pretty good transports),
maybe use a jitter suppressor like the Monarchy DIP-24/96. My budget is in the $2000 to
$3000 range, but saving a buck here and there never hurts.
Felo
Congratulations on the new health regime. BTW, I read a
study that said that high blood pressure affects hearing acuity, so getting in shape could
be considered a tweak -- just in case you need additional inspiration.
I wouldn't call the Classé soft -- I think it gets the
tonal information pretty much right. There are players with more air on top, but different
listeners will not necessarily agree that more is better when it comes to CD playback.
Also, as tempting as I find the notion of a universal
player, if CD playback is your biggest concern, I've found that single-box units offer
superior sound, especially in the $2000–3000 price range. Go figure.
I'll be reviewing the Ayre in a few weeks, so hang in
there. The Arcam and Cary are interesting alternatives, but I haven't heard 'em yet.
Headphone amp
January 20, 2004
Wes,
I really enjoy your website, and you seem to be very
knowledgeable about system synergy and component selection. Could you please recommend an
amplifier for my system? I'm running Grado SR-325, Sennheiser HD 580, and Etymotic ER-4P
headphones off a Panasonic portable right now, and I can tell I'm missing a lot of the
music.
I've thought about the HeadRoom Little, Perreaux SHX-1, and
Creek OBH-11 headphone amps, but I really don't know which would best suit the varying
impedances of my 'phones.
Tony
You're right -- that's quite a collection of headphones
and they do all represent different loads -- and therefore different challenges.
Any of your three candidates would probably work fairly
well. I'm a big fan of HeadRoom's spatial-recovery circuit, but I recently heard a
friend's Perreaux and was really knocked out by it. It almost certainly offers more kick
for the '580s and seems like a bargain at $350.
The Creek is a worthy contender, especially the SE version,
which is similar in price to the Perreaux, but the SHX-1 has bass that goes down forever.
Super tweeters and high-resolution audio
January 14, 2004
Hey Wes,
First, thanks for replying to my earlier questions. I've
come up with another one about the new SACD and DVD-A formats and super tweeters. Here's
my understanding of the new formats and the benefits they offer.
Both formats offer significantly higher bandwidth. DVD-A
does this by using higher sampling rates (96/192kHz) as well as larger word size (24 bits)
than the CD format (44.1kHz and 16 bits). Though SACD uses a different concept, both these
formats should translate into a "smoother" (more analog-like) sound.
Also, the limit on the highest frequency that can be coded
is raised. Shannon's Sampling Theorem says that the highest frequency that can be
correctly reconstructed is half the sampling rate (and because the highest frequency that
we can hear is 20kHz, the CD's sampling rate was chosen as 44.1 kHz).
While I completely agree with the first, my question
revolves around this second purported benefit and the use of super tweeters to make the
most of it. If I can't hear beyond 20kHz, what's the point in having a super tweeter to go
beyond? When I tried to research this on the Internet, this is the kind of stuff I found:
"What the super tweeters reveal is complementing harmonics in all program material,
not to be mistaken for ultrasonic information which isn't audible to the human ear."
Sounds pretty dodgy to me. What do you think?
Punit
I haven't listened to any speakers employing super
tweeters in my own system -- at least not for extended auditions. However, I do have an
opinion about what's "going on up there" (to use John Atkinson's memorable
phrase).
The Shannon-Nyquist Theorem does indeed state that a signal
needs to be sampled at least at twice the highest-frequency component present in the
signal to avoid loss of information, but read that carefully. It says "at least twice
the frequency."
Many of us objected to the sound of early compact disc and
were told that the Shannon-Nyquist Theorem proved that digital was theoretically perfect
and that we were therefore mistaken. Oddly enough, perfect has gotten better in the last
few decades.
Higher sampling rates do produce more realistic
sound -- I cannot tell you why this is so, but I have experienced this in listening to
recordings John Atkinson and I have made. When we recorded Hyperion Knight's Rhapsody
[Stereophile STPH010-2], we used two Nagra D reel-to-reel digital recorders at
96kHz/24-bit resolution.
We took the first day's edits home and listened to them on
JA's system. Hyperion was really knocked out by what he heard -- until John said,
"Now let’s hear it down-sampled to CD quality."
Cue sound of three jaws hitting the floor. We were stunned.
Did I expect to hear a difference? Possibly a small one, but what we heard was immense --
the difference between "good enough" and "who are you kidding?"
Were we hearing more high-frequency information? Possibly,
although we didn't have any super tweeters in that system, which used John's B&W
Silver Signatures. However, there was more presence, life, and dynamics -- all qualities
which make music come alive.
Do I know why higher-resolution digital recording sounds
better? No, not in any empirical sense. I do know that high-rez does sound better and I
want better sound.
And, while I find not understanding why this is true
frustrating, I don't find it frustrating enough to disregard the evidence of my ears.
Hope this helps.
Speaker short list
January 7, 2004
Hi Wes,
I'm looking for speakers ($11,000-$16,000) that can work
within ten inches from the front wall. My listening area is around 10'W x 20'L x 9'H. I
listen to 80% jazz/vocal and 20% both pop and classical, at moderate volume levels. I
prefer a focused, detailed presentation, without an upper-midrange glare and boomy bass,
with a soft, smooth, and warm presentation.
The rest of my system is Krell FPB-400cx amp and KPS 25sc
preamp/CD along with Transparent RXL-MM/Cast cables.
My preferences so far are as follows (in no special order):
Avalon Opus Ceramique
Dynaudio Confidence C2
Wilson Audio
Sophia
Or maybe I should consider monitors like JMlab Micro Utopia
Be, Dynaudio C1, Sonus Faber Guarneri, or Revel. Which one of the speakers can work close
to the wall and match best to my room and the Krells? Thanks for your ideas and
suggestion. Keep up the excellent work.
Tomer
Quite a "short list" you have there! Those are
all speakers I respect very much, but I haven't lived with all of them and your biggest
consideration is your need to place them within ten inches of the wall.
Most of the speakers you name work best with a tad more
breathing room than you can give them. However, the Sophias really have the ability to
come alive without too much real estate behind them, so I can be reasonably confident that
they'll work in your room.
Of course, you can always use that as a bargaining chip
with your local dealer -- assuming he doesn't sell Wilson. Simply tell him you're going to
buy the Sophias from his competition unless he can prove another speaker works better in
your room. If your dealer does sell Wilson, of course, he'll just say, "OK."
The worst that can happen is that you buy the Sophias --
which makes it a no-lose proposition.
Champagne tastes, beer budget
January 5, 2004
Hi Wes,
I'm on a tight budget and looking for an inexpensive
integrated amp and CD player to match with my old near-mint B&O S45 speakers, or my
parents' old Dynaco A-25s (also near mint) to tide me over until I can afford a better
system. I only have about $1200 to spend now, but want to upgrade again as soon as
financially possible. Unfortunately I have champagne tastes and a beer budget.
I have been looking at the NAD 320BEE amp and NAD 541i CD
player, as well as the Cambridge Audio Azure 540A amp and 540A CD player. Both sound OK,
but neither has blown me away like the Naim Nait or Rega or Creek systems I have heard. I
also have a Denon DVD-1600 that I use in my home-theater setup that could also be used in
this system.
Would I be better off using the Denon as my CD player, and
allocating my budget on a better amp, allowing an upgrade path with fewer hardware
changes? Are the two CD players I mentioned considerably better, if at all, than my Denon?
Are these speakers too inferior to these other components? Would I be crazy to buy a used
Nait 5 and gradually change my CD player and speakers?
Shawn
No, following your passion is never crazy. I would
definitely consider buying either Creek, Rega, or Naim used, since all of those companies
treat their customers well -- all of them, from the first owner to the last.
I think your strategy of keeping your current CD player and
improving the amp first makes a great deal of sense. In fact, I'd consider upgrading your
loudspeakers before the CD player. The Dynacos, although classics with great bass, are
pretty colored compared by even reasonably priced loudspeakers these days. The B&Os
don't have all that much bottom end, although their high-frequency response is more open
than the A-25's. Given that you're reasonably happy with your Denon, I'd make replacing it
last on your to-do list.
Klipsch good enough?
January 2, 2004
Dear Wes,
Thanks for a great website. My current system is and NAD
320BEE integrated amp, NAD C541i CD player, and Klipsch Forte speakers purchased way back
in '87. This system gives me a nice helping of hi-fi. It has good imaging and
soundstaging. The dynamics are fine, and on good recordings it gets my toes tappin'. Even
though, the sound is a bit bright.
Even though the Klipsch are not the newest or most
sophisticated of speakers, will I be able to appreciate the sonic differences and
advantages of better equipment with them? I feel I would. But there is the school of
thought that if you don't have the best speakers you can afford, you will not be able to
appreciate what better equipment will do. I'd like your opinion before I start lugging
home equipment. I also have to drive at least 1 1/2 hrs for the equipment. Any thoughts
would be greatly appreciated.
Scott
Yes, I believe you will be able to appreciate true
differences, not least because your speakers, although not new, certainly ain't too
shabby. I used to sell the Fortes, and they had a lot going for them -- maybe they didn't
have the sweetest highs ever offered, but they had great bass impact and presence. They
played music.
So I agree with you that you should look at the electronics
first. I'd suggest checking out Arcam, the Portal Audio Panache,
and Creek. Musical Fidelity has a new integrated slated for early January release, which
ought to be worth checking out (and new releases always seem to force good prices onto the
old models, both new and used).
Speaking of used, consider the option of allowing someone
else to take the depreciation. Audiophiles frequently churn new gear over for reasons that
perplexes ordinary music lovers, so you can find deals on almost-new gear. Not everyone is
comfortable with this, but some of the best gear I have ever owned has been previously
owned. Do check the warranty policies of any products you are considering -- I recommend
buying only from firms that offer transferable polices. You may never need to resort to
the warranty program, but that's usually a pretty good indicator of how the company treats
its customers.
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