Table of contents for October 2024 in The Absolute Sound

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: Nextscreen LLC, 1801 Red Bud Lane, Ste B, Round Rock, TX 78664 Sharing Our Love of Music Robert Harley's editorial in the Fall 2024 issue about audio shows hit the nail on the head. I attended about three shows a year starting in the 70s. Back then, as a novice music lover, I asked my musician friend to recommend a decent system. When I told him my budget was $250, his raised eyebrows told me that he would help and that I should trust his judgment. A week later I was $2500 poorer but extremely happy. It was a mid-fi system consisting of a Marantz 2265 receiver, Altec Lansing Stonehenge speakers, a Dynaco equalizer, Technics 1600 turntable with a Pickering cartridge, and a BIC tape deck.…

Even the hardest of hardcore audiophiles will allow that there's a difference in the way he or she listens at a live performance as opposed to the experience at home in front of a meticulously calibrated stereo system. At a show—in a concert hall, sitting up close in a jazz club, standing in the rain at an outdoor venue—the focus is on the music. Do you approve of the conductor's Mahler interpretation? Is the vocalist singing in tune? Is the band really cooking or just going through the motions on a Thursday night at the latest stop of their 50-city tour? There's rarely any mention of imaging, soundstage, tonal neutrality, detail, microdynamics, or air. This distinction was very much on my mind as I auditioned the latest floorstanding loudspeaker from…

Drivers: 1x 1.5” softdome tweeter, 1x 6.7” paper-compound woofer, 1x 6.7” paper-compound subwoofer Sensitivity: 90dB SPL/normalized to 1m/2.83Vrms Low frequency cut-off: 45Hz @–3dB referred to C4 WETS Crossover frequencies: 170/1500Hz LinkwitzRiley 4th-order Rated impedance: 4 ohms Dimensions: 9” x 40.5” x 14.5” Weight: 57 lbs. each Price: $6650 MONARCH SYSTEMS LTD. (U.S. Distributor) 16 Inverness Place East, Building B Englewood, CO 80112 (720) 399-0072 info@monarch-systems.com chariohifi.com…

In season 3, episode 9 of The Bear, pastry-chef Marcus is watching the documentary Deceptive Practices: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay. It's of course about magic tricks. “You tell them you're going to deceive them before you deceive them,” Jay explains. “In some way that makes it more difficult.” This strikes me as a perfect metaphor for the audio arts. When we sit down in front of our stereos, we know perfectly well that we're not in our local jazz venue hearing Cécile McLorin Salvant weave her own kind of magic or at the Berlin Philharmonie waiting for Kirill Petrenko to signal the downbeat. Nor do we expect the ghost of Jascha Heifetz suddenly to come to life, playing his fiddle before us, or that of Leonard Cohen,…

What are the advantages of locating the port of a bass-reflex loudspeaker on the top surface? It is kind of unusual. The distance between floor and ceiling in most rooms is the smallest distance between hard surfaces, hence the lower-order standing wave modes in that direction are most likely to be interfering with the “body sounds” of vocals or wood instruments, for example. By placing the port opening at the top, these modes are excited as little as possible. You also get the lowest room gain from a port at the top, which is probably the main reason why it is unusual—the R1 does not need the extra room gain. The large size of the port makes sure that it does not suffer from turbulence, which is also a benefit…

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets: Indoor Safari. Yep Roc. At 75, pub-rock pioneer Nick Lowe comically immortalizes the simple act of attending a cocktail party in the album opener, “I Went to a Party”—a catchy rave-up supercharged by the quirky Nashville-based surf-revival champs Los Straightjackets (known for performing in Mexican wrestling masks). As a youth, Lowe penned such classic rockers as “(What's So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” and “Girls Talk,” both covered by a young Elvis Costello. More recently, he recorded a string of critically acclaimed mature pop albums between 1994 (The Impossible Bird) and 2011 (The Old Magic), six albums that chronicled the life of a rocker slipping into middle age. At times, Indoor Safari is closely aligned to his halcyon days with the bar-band Rockpile—that vibe…

“High end is the natural continuation of looking for a better sound.” How and when did your interest in high-end audio begin? I think it's right to say that before highend audio comes audio. I guess my interest in this field started in childhood when I first received a portable radio/tape recorder. I can remember listening to the radio and tapes from any kind of music in our hands. And of course, the need to open it to see what's inside came shortly after. High end is the natural continuation of looking for a better sound, which was a topic that I started to have interest in as a teenager. What components made up your first “true” high-end system? I can remember the day when my father came home with…

In this issue's Letters, reader Earl Shick asks how his nearly 50-year-old Carver receiver, Revox turntable, and Dahlquist speakers compare to today's “unaffordable” equipment. Specifically, he asks whether he could hear a difference between his vintage gear and today's products. His letter made me reflect on the dramatic changes in high-end audio over the last 50 years, in technology, sophistication, industrial design, types of manufacturers, and yes, pricing. An audiophile from the 1970s touring a modern high-end show would be astounded by the industry's radical transformation. First, there are vastly more manufacturers competing today than in the past. The market was once dominated by a smaller group of companies, each of which sold products in relatively high numbers. For example, at the Carver Corporation's peak, the company was manufacturing and…

ACCORDING TO YEE, “at the front end of most amplifiers is a pair of transistors that amplification is based on. This is often called a ‘differential amplifier’ (or diff amp) where accuracy and noise are paramount. The large-die bipolar transistor pair, which we call the ‘Super-Matched Pair,’ now used in the Phonomena III allows it to operate with almost mathematically perfect behavior. Where most preamps are using integrated op-amps usually intended for general purpose use, our signal path is fully discrete, with a total of 17 transistors in each channel, 15 of them used to linearize the front end.” The power supply of the Phonomena III has also been upgraded, Yee informed me, “to the ‘Frequency Matched Impedance’ power supply of the Nova and Super Nova line. This includes multistage…

Type: 3-way bass reflex Driver complement: Coaxial 5.5” magnesium midrange cone and 1.38” beryllium dome tweeter; two 7.1” aramid fiber woofers Frequency response: 27Hz–100kHz Crossover points: 250Hz, 1800Hz Impedance: 4 ohms Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/1m Dimensions: 15½” x 47½” x 21½” Weight: 141 lbs. Price: $65,000/pair TECHNICAL AUDIO DEVICES LABORATORIES, INC. Professional Audio Design (U.S. Distributor) 199 Winter St. Hanover, MA 02339 technicalaudiodevices.com…

Since its inception in January 2017, Fyne Audio has continued to advance coaxial point-source-driver technology, which is exactly what you would expect from a cadre of mostly ex-Tannoy employees with decades of collective experience. At the helm of this Fyne effort is Dr. Paul Mills, whose design expertise is second to none (see my interview with Dr. Mills in Issue 350—RH). Hence, it isn't surprising that Fyne Audio is now fully in control of its own intellectual property, including such driver components as waveguides, cones, surrounds, magnet systems, and high-frequency compression drivers. I find that most reassuring as I tend to be distrustful of speaker manufacturers who source their drivers from external vendors and therefore lack full control over the manufacturing process. Fyne Audio's Special Products line is special indeed.…

Type: Three-way floorstanding loudspeaker Driver complement: Two 6.29” UHQD woofers, three 6.29” UHQD passive radiators, one C112+ coaxial ribbon midrange/ tweeter Frequency response: 32Hz–50kHz Nominal impedance: 4 ohms Sensitivity: 90db Recommended amplifier power: 20–250 watts Cabinet finishes: White, black, aluminum Dimensions: 8.27” x 46.06” x 12.2” Weight: 99 lbs. Price: $19,995 MOFI DISTRIBUTION 1811 W Bryn Mawr Avenue Chicago, IL 60660 (312) 738-5025 mofidistribution.com…

Inputs: 1 pair stereo RCA and XLR, 1 mono RCA and XLR Outputs: Stereo: 4-, 8-, and 16-ohm speaker taps; mono: 2-, 4-, and 8-ohm speaker taps Tube complement: 8x EL34, 6x 12AU7 Damping factor: 7 (at 1kHz, 8 ohms) Power: Ultralinear stereo (EL34/KT88/KT120/KT150): 70/72/85/89Wpc; mono: 140/145/175/188Wpc Power: Triode stereo (EL34/KT88/ KT120/KT150): 38/43/45/51Wpc; mono: 82/88/94/109Wpc Frequency response: 9Hz–60kHz ±1dB; 8Hz–70kHz ±3dB THD: Stereo/mono: < 0.1% @ 1W; less than 2% at rated power S/N ratio: 95dB (105dB A-weighted) Input impedance 100k ohms Input sensitivity 1100mV Weight Net: 68.2 lbs. (31kg) Dimensions 15.2” x 8.1” x 15.9” Shipping: 79.2 lbs. Price: $5295 DUROB BV P.O. Box 109 5250 AC Vlijmen The Netherlands primaluna.nl HARMONIA DISTRIBUTION (U.S. Distributor) 1712 Corrigan Court La Verne, CA 91750 harmoniadistribution.com Associated Equipment Phono front end: Kuzma…

SL-103 Linestage Preamplifier Inputs: 3 XLR (L+R), 2 RCA (L+R) Input sensitivity: 2/4/8V RMS (XLR and RCA) Input impedance: 10k ohms (XLR and RCA) Outputs: 3 total, two selectable between XLR (L+R) and RCA (L+R). 1 tape out (L+R) Output impedance: 80 ohms (XLR and RCA), 75 ohms (tape) Frequency response: +800kHz (XLR and RCA) Signal to noise ratio: >110dB@1kHz (XLR and RCA) THD + noise: <0.01% (XLR and RCA) Volume control: -90dB to +18dB (relay-controlled fixedresistor network) Dimensions: 435mm x 135mm x 428mm Weight: 25kg Price: $40,000 SM-103 MK.II Power Amplifier Inputs: 1 XLR, 1 RCA Outputs: 2 sets for biwiring Input sensitivity: 2V RMS Input impedance: 10k ohms Output impedance: 0.075 ohms Power: 100W RMS into 8 ohms, 200W RMS into 4 ohms Frequency response: +800kHz Signal-to-noise ratio:…

Bobby Hutcherson: Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963–1970. Mosaic (7 CDs). This set, which collects all of vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson's best leader dates, was Michael Cuscuna's last labor of love, and it's a fitting finale for the great producer. These classic recordings epitomize the style associated many of Blue Note's best music from the 1960s, drawing from free jazz, post-Coltrane modal thinking, and the complex reframing of the hard bop approach exemplified by Miles Davis’ mid-1960s quintet. The contents of 11 classic and near-classic records are included, along with eight previously unissued tracks. Sidemen include trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, tenor titans Sam Rivers and Joe Henderson, and pianists McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, and Andrew Hill. Special mention is due to saxophonist Harold Land and drummer Joe Chambers, who appear on…

If you haven't heard of Chario yet, that's okay. The company began making loudspeakers back in 1975 and hasn't had a large footprint in North America, at least until recently. They're an Italian company with deep roots in the local market, with all of their components made in local factories and assembled by local hands. Local woods, local drivers, local nearly everything, so far as anyone can make anything completely local these days. The Pegasus Mk.II Loudspeakers ($6650) are part of Chario's Constellation lineup, and they embody the spirit that makes Chario an extremely fascinating company. The Pegasus are floorstanders measuring around 40.5” tall and 14.5” deep. They weigh a solid 57 pounds each. The driver complement includes a 1.5” soft-dome tweeter, a 6.7” paper-compound woofer, and a 6.7” paper-compound…

Type: Two-way, vented, dual-chamber tuning Driver complement: 75mm titanium-dome compression tweeter; 250mm IsoFlare point-source driver; 250mm multi-fiber woofer with FyneFlute™ surround Sensitivity: 94dB (2.83V/1m) Nominal impedance: 8 ohms Frequency response: 24Hz–26kHz (–6 dB typical in room) Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 850Hz Crossover type: Bi-wired, 2nd-order low pass, 1st-order high pass Dimensions: 19.9” x 47” x 18.4” Weight: 123.5 lbs. Price: $19,999 FYNE AUDIO LIMITED Suite 42, Grovewood Business Centre Strathclyde Business Park Bellshill, Lanarkshire ML4 3NQ, Scotland fyneaudio.com HARMONIA DISTRIBUTION (U.S. Distributor) 1712 Corrigan Court La Verne, CA 91750 harmoniadistribution.com Associated Equipment Phono front end: Kuzma Reference turntable; Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 VTA tonearm; Clearaudio da Vinci V2 mc phono cartridge Phonostage: PrimaLuna EVO 400 Line preamplifier: PrimaLuna EVO 400 Digital front end: Denafrips Terminator DAC Digital source: Qobuz streaming via…

I can tell you exactly when my admiration for Davone Audio's Reference One loudspeaker turned to love. It was a Friday spring evening and my beloved Phillies had just lost a game in extra innings, one that they should have won, and I was stewing about it. Adding insult to injury, this catastrophe unfolded two time zones to the west—it was 11:30 p.m. in Philadelphia, and I was agitated. How could I expect to get to sleep in this frame of mind? Perhaps some music would help. For several weeks, I'd been listening to the Danish manufacturer Davone's flagship product daily and had developed an impression of the speaker as a capable, well-balanced transducer. I put on Glenn Gould's 1959 recording of J.S. Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat major,…

Type: 3-way 4-driver floorstanding loudspeaker Loading: Bass reflex Drivers: 2x 8” paper/ carbon cellular cone woofers; 1x 6” carbonfiber-sandwich cone midrange; 1x 1.1” soft dome tweeter Frequency response: 30Hz– 22kHz (45Hz–18kHz ±1.5dB) Nominal impedance: 4 ohms Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/1m Crossover: 250Hz/2.2kHz Dimensions: 10.6” x 47” x 14.5” Weight: 110 lbs. Price: $14,999 for white and black; $16,999 for walnut and wenge MOREL AMERICA 1820 E Ray Rd. Suite A206B Chandler, AZ 85225 (877) 667-3511 morelhifi.com…

Type: monoblock amplifier Topology: Nexus discrete differential current feedback, no coupling capacitors or DC servos, continuity transconductance output stage Power output: 200W into 8 ohms; 350W into 4 ohms Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz –0.1dB, –3dB 500kHz Total harmonic distortion: <0.01 % at 200 watts RMS 8 ohm Intermodulation distortion: <0.01 % CCIR 200 watts into 8 ohms Signal-to-noise ratio: >120dB referenced to full output Damping factor: >200, 20Hz–20kHz Gain: 22 (28dB) Input impedance: 47k ohms single-ended, 47k ohms balanced Size: 16” x 3.875” x 12” Weight: 55 lbs. Price: $1599 (per channel, two required) SCHIIT AUDIO The Schiitr (store) 22508 Market Street Newhall, CA 91321 schiit.com…

Vitus Audio SM-103 Mk.II Monoblock Power Amplifier and SL-103 preamplifier We at AVA Group would like to extend our greatest gratitude to everyone at The Absolute Sound and to Mr. Jonathan Valin for the all-encompassing and incisive review of our Signature preamplifier and monoblock power amplifiers. It is a pleasure to read the sincerity and mindful enthusiasm Mr. Valin conveys through his abilities as a verbal alchemist, weaving a web of words that absorb one's complete attention. We and Aldo Filippelli from Luxury Audio Group were quite perplexed when we saw the challenge of getting the Signature separates up to Mr. Valin's third-floor listening room, but we are now buzzing with optimism to find the solution needed to install our top Masterpiece products for the ultimate encore! Alexander Vitus Mogensen…

Let's start with some dates. Paul McCartney released his first solo album in April 1970, a few weeks before The Beatles’ swan song, Let It Be, showed up in record stores. Up next was Ram, credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, from May 1971. In December of that year Paul's new band, Wings, rolled out Wild Life. In May 1973 Wings released Red Rose Speedway, and Band on the Run appeared in November of that year. Between those brackets, Paul McCartney got over some major humps as an artist. Acknowledging that The Beatles were a tough act to follow, we can appreciate the loose vibe of McCartney, whereupon an ex-member of the Fab Four let us know, post-breakup, that he was more concerned with finding terra firma than matching his…

Gabriel Fauré. Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Capuçon. DG. For a composer who shied away from the orchestra, and often assigned to others (e.g., Koechlin, Roger-Ducasse) the dirty work of scoring his music, Gabriel Fauré contributed some pretty nice pieces to the repertory. Several of them are presented here, along with the only surviving movement—the substantial opening Allegro— of his 1879 Violin Concerto in D Minor. The latter is beautifully played by Renaud Capuçon, who also conducts the entire bill of fare as head of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. In addition to the rarely recorded concerto movement, this collection includes Masques et Bergamasques; the celebrated four-movement suite Fauré drew from his incidental music for Pelléas et Mélisande; the Élégie (in the version for cello and orchestra, played by…