RE: Is this the article?

Posted by the old school (A) on June 5, 2012 at 21:58:32

In Reply to: RE: Is this the article? posted by RGA on June 5, 2012 at 00:42:00:

I love Hi-Fi Choice's blind tests, but they usually don't test components that I am interested in. What speakers did the Audio Note speakers beat in a blind test? BTW, the Audio Note's that I heard at the 2010 CAS were the only ones that made CDs sound pleasant (yes, using an Audio Note cd player). The Audio Note AN-Es also properly load a room, and here only a handful of speakers can match the Es in this regard (my Dunlavy's image great, but don't match the room-filling sound of the Es). My Fulton Js are fully competitive with the Es in loading a room. The Acapella High Violoncello II ($80,000) were the only speaker at the first two CAS shows that could load a room. I suspect that TTT's Dunlavy's SC Vs with sub-woofer could do this, but very few speakers can do this on their own. I have not found any measurements that tell how well a given speaker loads a room. You just have to listen.

As far as measurements go, digital is NOT always superior to analogue. As JA himself admitted in the May Stereophile, " the LP's RIAA equalization results in the LP having better resolution than CD where it is most important--in the presence region, where the ear is most sensitive--but not as good where it doesn't matter, in the top or bottom octaves". Plus, as audio is analogue, digital systems must convert the original analogue sound to digital bits, and, then, after manipulating those bits in billions of ways, must reconvert the digital sound back to analogue so that human beings can listen to the music. IMO, whenever possible, the simple route is nearly always superior to the more complex (at least in audio). Until I heard some recent high res digital, all digital sounded brittle and constricted in the highs.

I have loved many of Audio Research's tube units; they sacrifice very little to ss in the reproduction of the initial attack of notes, and very little to most tube amps in proper decay. They can power almost any speaker. SET amps are another story. Three of my four favorite rooms at the 2010 and 2011 CASs were driven by SET amps. Done properly, they would seem to be a more simple and direct route to amplifying sound. To my ears, they simply sound purer than push-pull tubes or ss amps. Why I am not sure (no negative feedback?). However, you need a highly efficient speaker, with an easy load. Very few efficient speakers are truly full-range. Look at the Voxativ Ampeggio speaker: despite Stereophile's claim that they have "deep, well-controlled bass", JA's own measurements show them to be down about 20 dB at 60 Hz, and that's surely NOT deep bass!!!

Unfortunately very few dealers carry SET amps here in the SF bay area, so it's extremely hard to compare SET amps to other tube types.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Not one, but TWO Listening columns devoted to the Belts? - Steve Eddy 09:23:45 05/12/12 (38)

RE: Not one, but TWO Listening columns devoted to the Belts? - tmsorosk 08:31:09 05/21/12 (0)

Could've been worse - for instance, something about interconnects.... - carcass93 08:58:52 05/15/12 (0)

Belt Foil tweek on cd - hawkmoon 06:01:35 05/14/12 (2)

Funny... - Jim Austin 12:22:13 05/17/12 (1)

RE: Funny... - Kloss 18:11:21 05/17/12 (0)

Yeah, that *was* interesting to finally read about the Belts! nt - Beetlemania 20:19:52 05/13/12 (0)

One belt is too much but two are never enough. nt - viridian 11:34:40 05/13/12 (0)

RE: Not one, but TWO Listening columns devoted to the Belts? - the old school 23:03:00 05/12/12 (27)

For the record, Art did do--or at least facilitate... - Jim Austin 13:55:19 05/15/12 (26)

RE: For the record, Art did do--or at least facilitate... - geoffkait 07:25:47 05/16/12 (1)

"Never up, never in." Right. * - Enophile 08:22:38 05/16/12 (0)

Yeah but by your standard he still prostituted himself, ... - bjh 16:55:57 05/15/12 (23)

Art and I ... - Jim Austin 17:58:41 05/15/12 (22)

RE: Art and I ... - the old school 22:53:58 05/19/12 (21)

RE: Art and I ... - BubbaMike 17:33:17 05/20/12 (19)

RE: Art and I ... - the old school 21:48:55 05/22/12 (18)

RE: Except that the amps used must have been Lamm or Naim... - restock 23:20:54 05/25/12 (1)

RE: Except that the amps used must have been Lamm or Naim... - tmsorosk 05:49:38 05/26/12 (0)

Let's see the curve. - Tony Lauck 09:37:45 05/23/12 (13)

RE: Let's see the curve. - the old school 21:10:26 05/23/12 (12)

Is this the article? - Tony Lauck 09:38:48 05/24/12 (11)

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 21:08:20 05/24/12 (10)

RE: correction to your post - restock 22:56:01 05/28/12 (1)

RE: correction to your post - the old school 21:19:44 05/29/12 (0)

RE: Is this the article? - Tony Lauck 21:59:47 05/24/12 (7)

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 22:22:24 05/25/12 (6)

RE: Is this the article? - RGA 00:42:00 06/05/12 (1)

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 21:58:32 06/05/12 (0)

RE: Is this the article? - Tony Lauck 13:57:51 05/26/12 (1)

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 08:59:04 05/27/12 (0)

RE: Is this the article? - John Atkinson 08:52:02 05/26/12 (1)

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 10:09:03 05/26/12 (0)

RE: Measurements - restock 23:34:32 05/22/12 (1)

RE: Measurements - the old school 06:42:02 05/24/12 (0)

RE: Art and I ... - Tony Lauck 09:43:36 05/20/12 (0)

Hey ya' never know, something good may come of it ... - bjh 21:37:36 05/12/12 (1)

Funny word - Jim Austin 13:56:32 05/15/12 (0)

RE: Not one, but TWO Listening columns devoted to the Belts? - geoffkait 14:41:14 05/12/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: Is this the article? - the old school 21:58:32 06/05/12 (0)

RE: Is this the article?

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