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July TAS & Stereophile looking up

108.22.233.51
Posted on June 10, 2012 at 12:45:09
ruxtonvet
Audiophile

Posts: 456
Location: maryland
Joined: September 25, 2004
 Interesting reviews in the new TAS & Stereophile. Interesting in that many are negative. A good sign IMO. Makes all the reviews more trustworthy. TAS: Harley's review of Venture Ultimate Reference Loudspeaker- This is a $140,000 speaker whose bass "didn't plumb the depths of the lower most octaves". Has an uneven tonal balance- "a slight reticence in the lower midrange couples with a slight prominence in the upper-mids". " The Reference is best partnered with forgiving sources and electronics". The wood finish is very nice. So so review of the Nola Metro Grand Reference Loudspeaker by Jim Hannon. Excellent review of the Raidho C 1.1 Loudspeaker by Johathan Valin. Interesting article on "How I Justify Buying Expensive Stereo Equipment". Stereophile: Lansche Audio 5.1- A $41,000 to $46,000 speaker reviewed by John Atkinson. The low frequencies need room reinforcement. Needs solid state amps to sound transparent, clean and detailed but the speaker does not jell unless used with tubes. A real problem there. Audio Note CD-4.1x reviewed by Art Dudley. This is a $12,000 CD player. This player had terrible measurements and I mean terrible. The reviewer still liked the sound. Thought provoking. Excellent review of the Audio Research Reference 150 Amplifier by Erick Lichte. There is hope for these magazines yet.

 

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RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 10, 2012 at 14:54:13
abs1
 I particularly enjoyed Dr. Rubinson's review of that $3995 Oppo BDP-93.

 

RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 10, 2012 at 16:29:46
jkaschyk
Audiophile

Posts: 225
Joined: April 16, 2005
 "This player had terrible measurements and I mean terrible. The reviewer still liked the sound."

Nothing new here. In general, there's an inverse relationship between J.A.'s measurements and Art's fondness for a piece of gear. I'm not saying either one is wrong. Just an observation over the years.

 

RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 10, 2012 at 19:23:22
RGA
Reviewer

Posts: 8059
Joined: August 8, 2001
 Audio Note digital is very widely viewed as the best sounding digital available so it's not just Art.

I enjoyed the issue and it should dispel the silly arguments that Stereophile covers only advertisers since they dedicated a significant amount of space to Audio Note - the speakers too, in this issue.

I don't know if they do measurements to keep Art honest or they keep Art on staff as a check on the measurements. Just as JA's question along the lines of - does the AN CD player sound good (implying he felt it sounded good too) in spit of the measurements or because of them? And of course that's two sides of the same coin because the ends justifies the means in audio.

And like I said awhile ago about their speakers and their amps - ANYONE can design a well measuring CD player, Speakers, or Amp. They make deliberate decisions to choose better sound even if it means a hit on the graph.

And to further illustrate this - I have heard plenty of $100K plus SS great measuring speakers. The best system I have heard (for normal listening rooms) has been a complete Audio Note system.

So you take that terrible measuring CD player, and you run that into a SET amplifier (with the worst measurements of amplifying devices) and then you use Silver cables (BRIIIIIGHT!!!!) and then in their speakers of "questionable" measured response and then you stick them in corners (WROOOOOOONG) and you get sound that frankly embarrasses most of the high end great measuring SS mega watt jaw dropping low distorting flat frequency response stuff out there. Several wrongs make a right? OTOH if it sounds that good can it be wrong?

 

I agree, but, posted on June 10, 2012 at 23:56:53
Frihed89
Audiophile

Posts: 13072
Location: Copenhagen
Joined: March 21, 2005
 (or and) I have found that using a Crimson cable from the 4.1x to the next AN component changes the sonic presentation in a way I like. I had expected that a copper cable would sound about the same as AN Lexus by adding more body to the sound one hears from speakers (or headphones) at some expense to inner details compared to Vx or Sogon. But that was not the case. What it did was to partially replace the quality of the AN signature sound that invites you into the music with more immediate and realistic presentation that was not edgy or bright. (Bob Neill can describe the effect better than I can).

Try it.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.

 

RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 11, 2012 at 06:54:04
soulfood
Audiophile

Posts: 3310
Joined: August 9, 2001
Contributor
  Since: July 18, 2011
 "In general, there's an inverse relationship between J.A.'s measurements and Art's fondness for a piece of gear."

Consider this, if someone other than AD reviews the equipment he's fond of, the measurement will remain the same.

 

I'm waiting for the "Bose Vs. Magico" issue to see if . . . , posted on June 11, 2012 at 15:29:05
mr grits
 real negativity can be attained.

 

Humm, I only just received my June issue of Stereophile in Denmark, posted on June 12, 2012 at 01:35:11
Frihed89
Audiophile

Posts: 13072
Location: Copenhagen
Joined: March 21, 2005
 I wonder if Stereophile delays mailing for overseas subscribers?
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.

 

RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 14, 2012 at 06:57:14
the old school
Audiophile

Posts: 635
Location: marin county
Joined: April 9, 2011
 At the 2010 CAS, I heard the $4,000 Audio Note CD player with the E speakers, and that was the ONLY time I had ever been impressed with the sound of digital. A CD of a big band sounded very real, with room-filling sound and correct timbre. They had no analogue, so I was unable to play any of my vinyl records. I hope AN brings a tt the the 2012 CAS.

 

RE: July TAS & Stereophile looking up, posted on June 14, 2012 at 14:42:56
josh358
Industry Professional

Posts: 8479
Joined: February 9, 2010
Contributor
  Since: February 3, 2012
 I was puzzled by those Lansche Audio speakers. Why would someone go to all the trouble and expense of making a world-class plasma tweeter and then couple it to undersized woofers and with a poor overall balance?

Of course, they're hardly the first manufacturer to couple a great tweeter to mediocre cones, but the other manufacturers who did it puzzled me as well. :-)

 

Oh, stop yer bellyachin'..., posted on June 28, 2012 at 15:21:15
Neil49
Audiophile

Posts: 8576
Location: Northern Virginia
Joined: June 13, 2003
Contributor
  Since: August 29, 2003
 We don't even get daylight until several hours after yours arrives!

 

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