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- Category: Reader Feedback
- Created on Saturday, 18 May 2013 08:38
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Reader
To Howard Kneller,
I was searching the Internet to understand what the Audio Research LS27’s gain settings do when I came across your great review. First, as a former recording engineer (from the '70s through the '80s), I appreciate your reverence for the 808.
You noted ARC recommended you listen using the highest gain setting. Any explanation why? Do you have any views on the qualities and the reason for such a recommendation?
I have the LS27 paired with ARC Reference 210s and Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario speakers. My previous "real" stereo had a PS Audio preamp, which had a switch that essentially made the preamp a straight wire with the potentiometer, as you describe, but amazing transparency came with that mode.
I know it all comes down to what you like (and I love to crank rock with the High setting), but I am trying to understand what ARC is doing with the three settings and now, why they recommend High.
Thanks much!
Stacy Baird
Thanks for your e-mail. My review of the LS27 was several years ago. However, as stated in my review, I used the highest gain setting based on Audio Research's advice and the characteristics of my components at the time. Unfortunately, I don't recall what impressions I had, if any, with the lower settings.
I checked with Audio Research's Dave Gordon and he had the following to say about the issue: "The gain of the LS27 is 24/18/12dB via its balanced outputs, 18/12/6dB via its single-ended outputs (High/Medium/Low). The full "native" gain of the circuit is 24dB balanced, 18dB single-ended. The Medium and Low outputs simply attenuate the full gain of the LS27, with a slight loss of information. We do this because some people need the full 24dB BAL/18dB SE of gain; for other people that is too much gain, depending on the output level of the source (CD player, tuner, phono stage, etc.) and the sensitivity of the amplifier. If it is usable, the High gain setting will provide the most transparency, detail and dynamics because there is no attenuation."
I am glad to find someone out there who also appreciates the 808s. Most people don't know how good or influential they were. I hope this helps. . . . Howard Kneller
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- Category: Reader Feedback
- Created on Thursday, 16 May 2013 06:35
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Reader
To Doug Schneider,
Thanks for your interesting 2009 review of the Harbeth M30. Have you heard the M30.1? I have been thinking of buying these speakers or the Dynaudio Confidence C1s or the Penaudio Cenyas. I have a medium-size room and listen to a wide variety of music, but especially jazz and vocals. Thanks so much for any input you can give.
Charles Klein
Funny you should bring that speaker up. I was just at High End 2013 in Munich and I stopped by the Harbeth booth to admire it. It wasn’t playing, mind you, but I was thinking that we should probably get a pair in for reivew; in fact, I was talking with the North American distributor last year at the TAVES event and he was suggesting a similar thing. The M30 did some special things, especially with voices, so the M30.1 is definitely worth checking out since designer Alan Shaw said he improved upon the original design substantially. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how they’d compare to the C1s or the Cenyas, at least right now, but I do promise to follow up on this. . . . Doug Schneider
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- Category: Reader Feedback
- Created on Sunday, 12 May 2013 08:46
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Reader
To Doug Schneider,
I'm in the hunt for a pair of loudpseakers to match my new Leben CS600 (32Wpc) and came across your review of the beautiful Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand SE published in Soundstage! Hi-Fi in October 2011 with the links to their measurements. I'm not technically minded enough to interpret the impedance and electrical-phase-angle measurements. May I trouble you on what they show about the Mozart Grand SE's sensitivity and ease of drive?
Regards,
Ing-Kui
No trouble at all. Our measurements show the Mozart Grand SE’s sensitivity to be 85.5dB (2.83V/1m), which is below average. Its impedance remains around 8 ohms or higher above about 1.8kHz, but it remains mostly under 8 ohms, dipping to as low as 3 ohms, below that frequency, which will make a pair difficult for some amplifiers to drive.
The CS600 isn’t powerful, and from what I know about their designs, they don’t perform well into difficult loads. I suspect the 3-ohm dip that the Mozart Grand SE exhibits could really cause the CS600 grief. You can still try the CS600 with a pair of Mozart Grand SEs and listen to the result, but on paper they don’t seem well matched, so I suspect you’ll have to continue with your hunt. . . . Doug Schneider
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- Category: Reader Feedback
- Created on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 08:56
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Reader
To Doug Schneider,
I just read your response to a reader. I have the Leben CS600 and Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand speakers. At low and medium volume, they are magical. However, when I turn up the volume to "room filling" levels, the treble becomes harsh and brittle sounding. I've tried different tubes and various positions but nothing works. At this point, I'm ready to sell and try something different.
Ed Tiesse
I’m not surprised that the amp works well at low and medium volume levels since it doesn’t take that much power to get half-decent output from a speaker. To go louder, though, you might need quite a bit more power since each 3dB SPL increase from the speaker requires a doubling of amplifier power. That harsh and brittle sound you’re hearing is likely nothing more than the amp running out of power and distorting. . . . Doug Schneider
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- Category: Reader Feedback
- Created on Saturday, 27 April 2013 13:48
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Reader
To Doug Schneider,
I would love to see you do a comparison of a Plinius amplifier and a Bryston 4B SST² amp if possible. I would like to know what your thoughts would be on this comparison.
Thanks,
David Plon
Plinius, Plinis, Plinius. It’s not surprising that you should bring that brand name up because it comes up often in e-mails from readers; however, Plinius has never sent us a review product in about ten years, even when we’ve asked. Bryston, on the other hand, does send us products quite regularly. So until Plinius cooperates, we can’t really compare the two. Perhaps an e-mail to the Plinius headquarters in New Zealand is in order to try to rectify the situation. . . . Doug Schneider
