Old
layout vs. new
December
28, 2012
Marc,
One
semi-coherent man's opinion: I prefer the old format (where the leading review appears on
the Home page). It looks tidier. I've always held a high opinion of your e-mag's
appearance. This new format I see as a notch below.
Mike
Silverton
Thanks
for your feedback. Because I got rid of the "Latest Reviews" listing at the
bottom of four of the navigation pages but still wanted that information to be somewhere,
I came up with putting it on the Home page. If others tell me they feel the way you do, I
can easily change it back, but perhaps the new Home-page layout will grow on you.
-Marc Mickelson
BMC
review -- when?
December
24, 2012
Marc,
Do
you have any idea when you'll be reviewing the BMC gear? I'm particularly interested in
the DAC1 Pre as both preamp and DAC, compared to my MSB DAC IV and Bel Canto PRE3vb.
Bob
Siegel
I
am reviewing the entire BMC system -- everything but the company's speakers -- and, as you
can probably imagine, this takes quite a bit of time and listening. I had hoped to have
the review online before CES, but I won't make that deadline. So you'll see the review
sometime in early 2013. I don't have any experience with the MSB and Be Canto units you
mention, but I will offer some insights into the BMC DAC1 Pre. -Marc Mickelson
Zanden
or CAT?
December
18, 2012
Marc,
I
read your
review of the Zanden Audio Model 3000 and your comparison to the Convergent Audio
Technology (CAT) SL1 Legend. I have the Legend at home and I have decided to move toward
the Zanden. I'm searching for a more transparent sound, but I do not want to lose the CAT
low-end extension and control. Do you think I'm going in the right direction with Zanden?
Giuseppe
D'Agata
You
ask a tough question for me to answer, because I haven't had the Zanden Model 3000 in my
system for a very long time. I have a CAT SL-1 Legend here and listen to it as often as I
can, given reviews I'm working on. It's a rarity among tube preamps because of its
rhythmic drive and low-end weight with control. Looking at my Zanden review, in which I
compare the CAT and Zanden preamps, I note that the SL1 Legend's bass "has honest
heft, not a false perception of such caused by midbass bloat." I don't remember the
Model 3000's bass in the same terms, saying it "was quick off the mark and very well
controlled. . . , though with digital. . .I did note a touch of leanness in the midbass
that reduced the bouncy power." While the SL1 Legend is more likely to give you the
"low-end extension" you seek, I don't think you'll find the Model 3000's bass
lacking in control, though you likely will find it to be leaner, which may or may not be
an issue for you.
Let
me add another variable for you to consider, given all that you're seeking: the VTL TL-7.5
III, which Paul Bolin is reviewing right now. I have one of these preamps in my system as
well, and it's both highly transparent and possessing bass that may be all that you're
after. I don't want to give too much away in advance of Paul's review, but the '7.5 is
definitely worth investigating as well. -Marc Mickelson
Cable
believers and nonbelievers
December
12, 2012
Marc,
I know
I keep asking this question, but why do people not see cables as a component? Is it
because they say, "All it has to do is pass power or signal"? I mean, I just
read a something where people could not tell the difference between a coat hanger and
Monster Cable, and they use that as proof that cables don’t make a difference. My
friends know that I spend money on cables, and I know they think I am probably
ill-informed for doing so. It’s also not like my friends don’t have good
systems, because they do. One has a full Triad setup and the other has a full Legacy Audio
setup. Plus, the first knows a lot about audio and the second is a drummer, so they both
know music.
I
keep on thinking about a line from one of Matrix movies: "Not everyone
believes what you believe, Morpheus." His answer: “My beliefs do not require
them to." That’s how I feel. If they don’t believe that cables matter, that
is fine. I do. I don’t think it’s all in my head, but we cable believers are
getting more rare, I think, and we have to be careful who we talk to about this stuff.
When it comes to power cords, forget it. Don’t even start on that. The thought is,
power is power and delivery is delivery. If it comes to your house, what possible
difference could a special power cord make? They think it is all snake oil and one big,
fat conspiracy.
I
just needed to talk to someone who does not think I am crazy for thinking cables make a
difference.
Mike
Doukas
Here
is a slightly different spin on the issue. As much as we say that being an audiophile is
"about the music," for some of us it clearly is not. I've crossed paths with
more than a few self-professed audiophiles who rely more on a priori theories -- like
"cables make no difference" -- than their ears. Clearly, some of these people
can't hear the difference between a coat hanger and an audiophile cable, and because they
can't hear it, they presume that you can't as well -- and that you're fooling yourself by
saying that you do. But perception is not a constant. Some people are more aware, more
perceptive, than others, and I suspect we're among them, at least where sound is
concerned, as I can clearly hear differences -- often big differences -- between cables,
and so do others whose ears I trust. Naysayers can sometimes offer interesting and useful
opinion, but don't let them convince you that you don't hear what you know you do -- and
don't expect that your enjoyment of music is also what they derive from this hobby.
-Marc Mickelson
". . .how does one meaningfully A/B speakers?"
December
7, 2012
Marc,
I
posted a thread on Audiogon that asked the question whether a person can really compare
two speakers, even if the comparison is at the same dealer, in the same sound room, with
the same equipment and the same source material. My point was that every speaker has its
own electronic signature -- efficiency, impedance, capacitance, phase angle, and so forth
-- that changes over the entire frequency range. So even if two speakers are being A/Bed
with all variables being the same, I question whether the comparison is valid. Some
speakers will simply match better with a tube amp, others with solid state. I've read many
posts that complained that the Paradigm Signature S8 v3s were "hot." Could be
the poster was right. But what amp was he using? I drive my S8s with an Audio Research
VS115 tube amp. I do not detect any top-end tipping at all. So my question really is, if
my thesis is valid, how does one meaningfully A/B speakers?
Bruce
Feinstein
I
understand what you're contending in theory about comparing speakers, but in practice it
can be done -- either one after another or even side by side, as Wilson Audio often does
it. There are amplifiers whose electrical properties make them suitable to drive most (and
perhaps all) speakers on the market. Sonically, they may not be each audiophile's first
choice for long-term listening, but electrically they can do the job. Therefore, it is
possible for the "variables," as you refer to them, to be inconsequential or
nearly so. Yes, an amp with razory highs will make a speaker sound that way, but this
would be a constant for all speakers used with it (barring a serious impedance mismatch,
that is, in which case the amp isn't right for the job).
Frankly,
greater variables than the electronics are placement and positioning within the room. If
they're ideal for one speaker (in terms of distance from boundaries and toe-in) and less
so for another, the results can be wildly different -- and misleading. And simply putting
the speakers in the same spots with the same toe-in won't solve this issue, as speaker
size and porting may require different placement for each. -Marc Mickelson
Wilson
Alexandria XLFs and room size
December
4, 2012
Marc,
I've
just read your review of the Wilson Audio Alexandria XLF. Thanks for covering this
statement product. A few questions and a few observations. First, what are the dimensions
of your room and how is it oriented, meaning do you have the speakers on the longer or
shorter wall? Was the bass port set to fire front or back in the final setup? How are the
speakers placed in your room, meaning how far from the boundaries?
I
have been a Wilson owner for several years: Sophia 2 followed by WATT/Puppy 8. The W/P 8
have been in my system for almost four years. The rest of the system consists of an Audio
Research Reference Anniversary and Reference 210s that have been upgraded to the KT120
tubes, Esoteric P-03/D-03/G-0s digital rig, Kimber Select 1126 and 3038 cables, Shunyata
Research Anaconda and King Cobra power cords, eight 20-amp isolated circuits fed by a 5KVA
isolation transformer.
I've
heard the XLF twice now: once in NYC (at Innovative Audio) and once in San Francisco (at
Music Lovers). I should mention that both of these high-end audio retailers are
outstanding representatives of their products and are prime examples of the few remaining
specialty stores that "do it right." I have an outstanding dealer of my own in
Dallas, TX: Audio Concepts. The XLF characteristics that I noticed were, first, how quiet
the background was. Reviewers often write about "black backgrounds," but this
trait is noticeable with the XLF in my opinion. The noise floor was so much lower and I
heard more detail in familiar recordings than ever before. All of the points you made
about the bass reproduction were easily evident, and the smoothness of the high
frequencies was astounding. The speaker was, as you said, seamless -- not at all sounding
like a collection of various drivers. At Innovative, I had the opportunity to quickly take
the CD we were listening to on the XLF system and run next door to hear the same recording
on a system featuring Sasha W/Ps. Yes, the rooms, electronics, and cabling were all
different, but the Sasha sounded broken in direct comparison. Both systems were put
together with top-end components.
I
am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Alexia at my local dealer. I'm hoping it sounds
something close to the XLF, with the same characteristics. I'm interested in the answers
to the questions above because I think the perfect-size platform for my room is something
like the Alexia, but I'm curious to know if the XLF would work in a room that is 21' x 16'
x 9'. Our speakers are on the long wall, so the listening position is about 9' from the
front plane of the speakers.
Thanks
for your time. I enjoy your website and reviews, and I visit often.
Ralph
Sorrentino
First things first. My room is 20 feet wide by 29 feet long, with a 10-foot
ceiling, and it opens on one side to our kitchen and on the other to a short hallway, so
it's a large space. The speakers are on the shorter wall -- right in front of a set of
French doors. You can get an idea of this here.
With
the Alexandria XLFs, the port is firing to the rear. The speakers, as set up by John
Giolas of Wilson Audio (who has set up many speakers in my room), are roughly
55" from the side walls and 57" from the front wall (the wall behind them).
Interestingly, as I mentioned in my review, we recarpeted our house, and I positioned the
speakers afterwards myself. I had them within a few inches of where John put them on his
recent visit, but the sonic difference was vast. Where I had right, left and center
channels, John achieved a soundscape continuous in all dimensions that simply occupies
that end of my room. It's spectacular.
As
for your room, I am sure that the Alexandria XLFs would sing in it. Because of their
copious adjustability, as well as the front-or-rear-firing port, they can be make to work
sonically in many rooms that they overwhelm visually. Your room is actually generous, so
I'm sure they would work better than "pretty well" there. -Marc Mickelson
Amplifier
power for the Alexandria XLF
December
1, 2012
Marc,
In
your review of the Wilson Alexandria XLF, you said that an amplifier of
20 watts could drive these speakers. My perception would be that an amplifier in the
commonly used range of 100-200Wpc would therefore have enough reserve to provide even more
musical satisfaction. Yet your choices were 600- and 1000-watt amplifiers. So my question
is, what do these large amplifiers give you musically that the 100-200Wpc amplifiers did
not with a speaker that is reasonably efficient?
Michael
Goldin
Once
a workable power threshold has been reached with a given speaker -- enough to power the
speakers to a volume level, without clipping, where I wouldn't want to listen for an
extended period of time -- amplifier sound quality becomes important, and this is the
product of so many things, including the amp's overall design and the parts used. All of
the amps I mentioned in my Alexandria XLF review, including the 18W Lamm ML2.2 monoblocks,
were a good match for the speakers, and they all sounded distinct. However, given the
speakers' monumental capabilities, especially in terms of dynamics and bass, the Analog
Domain and VTL amps matched best to my ears, bringing out the most in the speakers,
including a sense of effortlessness at all volumes. Perhaps this was due to the amps'
power reserves (the designer of the Analog Domain amps would say that such power is a
prerequisite for realistic sound), or perhaps simply to their inherent overbuilt nature.
It could also be purely subjective, although I suspect anyone would hear what I mentioned
in my review, even if reactions would differ. No matter the cause, while the XLFs
responded well with any of the amps I mentioned in my review, the Analog Domain and VTL
amps were truly first among near equals here. -Marc Mickelson
