Reference Audio Hi-Fi Systems: Some Tentative Recommendations [Issue No. 12]

Reference Audio Hi-Fi Systems: Some Tentative Recommendations: Reference A; Reference B

It would be too soon after our comeback, with not enough tests of current equipment under our belt, to make sweeping judgments here of what is absolutely "the best," but we do have a few candidates.

When we were younger and still a little brash, more specifically in our Winter/Spring 1979 issue (Vol. 2, No. 1), we wrote that "...only two choices of equipment are of genuine interest to the serious audiophile: (A) the best in sonic performance, regardless of price or other considerations, and (B) something reasonably close to the best, at a much, much lower price-if such a thing exists. Thus, the world's third-best preamplifier over $1000, or the fourth-best under $500, is an absolute bore even if it happens to be a respect able engineering achievement and the designer's mother is proud of it. The fact is that only Reference A and Reference B, conceptually speaking, are worth considering at any given time in any given component category, unless some very specific reason exists for a substitution." That was the rationale behind our two different reference systems, which we kept revising and updating; we suspect that some of our more impatient readers were interested in little else when a new issue came out.

Since then the climate of the audio world has changed so greatly that our assertions regarding these matters can no longer be so sweeping. There are at least twice as many different products on the market today, maybe more, the vast majority of which will never be tested by us or any other audio publication. Even the most important and/or most intriguing items constitute a forbiddingly large group for the conscientious equipment tester, whose only consolation is the undeniable convergence toward a single standard of quality in similarly marketed and priced components, so that omissions are of smaller consequence than they used to be. Most significantly, a tremendous change in price structure has taken place, putting certain high-end items (e.g., $33,333 speaker systems-see below) into the never-lend it-to-anybody category and making even B-level choices extremely difficult because of the A-ish price tags.

Thus the recommendations below must be taken as expressions of our admiration and considered judgment, rather than as absolute rankings, and certainly not as the conclusions of any kind of comprehensive survey. It is quite possible that substitutions of equal or even higher quality could be found in each category, but that reservation applies to any all-star team.

Reference A

Those who look for The Best no matter how much it costs always run the risk of being talked into something that is best merely by virtue of having the highest price tag.

Many ultrahigh-end audio products are poorly, indeed irresponsibly, engineered, not only because the emphasis is on the sizzle, not the steak, on image rather than solid concept and execution, but also because the designer is often an ego-tripping cultist instead of a disciplined technologist. In our admittedly fallible opinion the Reference A components we have selected here, staggeringly expensive as they may be, are essentially honest products designed with performance rather than the maker's early retirement in mind.

Loudspeaker System

Although we have not tested it in our laboratory, we auditioned the Martin-Logan "Statement" ($33,333.00) at the Betsy Rosenfield Gallery in Chicago in June and have to report that we have never been quite so impressed by a speaker system. We were promised the opportunity to measure it and put it through any test we wish at a nearby location as soon as it is installed there, but they will not ship us the Statement from Kansas City on loan. (Can you blame them?) We are listing it here anyway because we know of no other speaker likely to beat it.

Each side of the stereo system consists of a slightly curved, seamless electrostatic panel 6 feet high and 3 feet wide, similar to the CLS but with about twice the surface area, and a separate 7-foot tower enclosing four very costly 12-inch woofers. An electronic crossover/equalizer comes with the system; crossover frequency is 120 Hz. The sound can best be described as life-size and lifelike-overused words almost automatically discounted by audiophiles as hyperbolic but in this case perfectly fitting. The dynamic capability of the electrostatic transducer is claimed to be 120 dB average SPL at 5 meters at all frequencies, and what we heard seemed to corroborate that specification. It is possible that the huge room in which the Statement was demonstrated contributed significantly to these impressions.

Power Amplifiers

Since we formed our opinion of the Statement speaker system as demonstrated with Krell amplifiers, and since Martin-Logan has worked closely with Krell in developing and testing the speaker, it is reasonable to assume that Krell would be the right-or at least a right-choice here, even though we have not tested any of their power amplifiers so far. What we do know is Dan D'Agostino's uncompromising design philosophy (see Issue No. 10, page 16) and sky high construction standards-so why not drive the Statement the way Martin-Logan prefers to, especially when price is not an issue? To drive the electrostatic panels, then, two top-of-the line Krell KRS-200 mono power amplifiers ($16,000.00 the pair) would be the ticket; below 120 Hz, to drive the woofer towers, two of the dirt-cheap but twice as powerful Krell KMA-400 mono amps ($11,000.00 the pair) will be just perfect. Balanced operation is standard in both models.

Now, if you think $27,000 for power amplifiers alone is a little on the crazy side-and the thought has occurred to us, too-we have an alternative for you at less than half that price: four Boulder 500 stereo amplifiers bridged for mono ($3295.00 each, $13,180.00 total). The bridged 500 is the finest power amplifier we have actually tested and lived with; it can swing 70 volts into the load, more than either Krell, although the pure-class-A Krells have the stiffer power supply. A pair of bridged 500's connected in their optional balanced mode is our own reference at this writing; they sound magnificent and are undoubtedly compatible with the Martin-Logan speakers.

Preamplifier

Exactly the same argument applies in this category to the Krell KRS Balanced mono preamplifiers ($10,000.00 the pair) as in the case of the Krell power amps above. They were part of the Krell/Martin-Logan system that sounded so fantastic in Chicago; although we have not tested them, we know that they are designed without the least compromise and superbly constructed-so why break up the set? Again, at less than one third the price, the Boulder MS stereo preamp system ($3,144.00) with the balanced output option is our own reference and giving us total satisfaction.

Wires/Cables

The mono amplifiers should be positioned behind the speakers in such a way that each connection to the speaker terminals is only a couple of feet long; this will make the choice of speaker wire completely uncritical as long as it is, say, No. 14 or thicker-notwithstanding tweako howls to the contrary. At line level, the balanced outputs must be connected to the balanced inputs by means of professional XLR-type connectors and matching cable with two conductors plus shield, designed for balanced operation; thank heavens the mystics, pseudo-scientists and gougers have not invaded this specific territory yet (we could be behind the times, though), so that the very best you can find should be quite acceptable in price. We use Canare Cable (courtesy of Boulder), but others should be equally suitable.

Turntable and Tonearm

We have not tested it and are unlikely to do so in the near future, but the Versa Dynamics 2.0 ($11,500.00; optional noise shield for the air pump, $600.00) just has to be the turntable/tonearm of choice here from all we can judge on our own and have heard from others. Apparently a true delight to those who love to fuss a little and listen a lot (to LP's, that is), it looks to us like a real piece of machinery, unlike that snobby French exercise in unearned techno elitism, the Goldmund Reference ($27,250.00, oooh la la).

The $4000 increase in the price of the Versa Dynamics since its debut looks to us a bit arbitrary, however. As our readers know, our own reference is the Win SEC-10 turntable ($4000.00) with SDA-10 tonearm (discontinued), and we feel absolutely no need to upgrade it.

Phono Cartridge

Out of the relatively limited number of ultrahigh-end designs known to us, the totally new and different phono transducer we reviewed in the last issue, the Win FET-10 ($2250.00, complete with electronics), would be our logical choice here, but we have two reservations about it. One is that some users might consider the hiss level from the fixed outputs of the electronic source module just a little high for an "ultimate" system; the attenuator-controlled variable outputs provide the better signal-to-noise ratio but are unlikely to be plugged into the preamplifier of a system in which all program sources are expected to be more or less matched at line level. (Future production units will not have this minor problem, we are told.) Secondly, regardless of the choice of outputs, the cartridge makes no use of the costliest part of the preamplifier, which is the phono stage.

(The modular design of the Boulder MS eliminates this dilemma; you can buy it without the phono module.) To those who must absolutely have the Krell, then, we recommend the Highphonic MC-D15 ($1500.00), one of the two finest-sounding moving-coil cartridges in our experience (the other is the discontinued Win Jewell). There is also an MC-D15 Signature (1995.00), which we have not heard.

CD Player

Judging from its description, technical specifications and all the right noises its marketers are making, the Wadia Digital 2000 Decoding Computer ($6500.00) would be the obvious D/A converter for this system, but we have not tested it yet. As a front end to it-from disc to digital output, with controls-the Philips CD960 ($949.00) has all the right stuff, but so do a number of others.

Tuner

We have no opinion at all in this, to us, low-priority category. One of these days... (Hint: freedom from low level "birdies" is the rarest quality in FM stereo reception.)

Reference B

Ten years ago, when we made our first Reference B recommendation, the idea was to keep the price of the entire system in the middle two thousands. Those days are gone forever; audio component prices have increased tremendously, so that to satisfy our B requirements any system today will have to be almost disturbingly costly, though still far short of the A bracket. Maybe we should start thinking about a Reference C, even if it sounds a little less good...

Loudspeaker System

This is an easy and unequivocal choice. The Carver "Amazing Loudspeaker" ($1576.00 the pair) is not only the best speaker system known to us in its price range but also a plausible contender against all comers-though not necessarily for all tastes-up to almost the Reference A class. In our opinion, it is true a classic. It must be broken in, however, before you can form any kind of opinion about it, and it is far from efficient. On the other hand, its bass performance is so good that you will not even have to think about a subwoofer.

Power Amplifier

The Carver speaker soaks up lots of watts (without the slightest distress, to be sure), so the problem here 'is to find something very powerful and accurate at a lower price than those qualities generally cost. The solution could very well be the Carver M-4.0t ($799.00), but we have not been able to test it yet although it is definitely in production; in fact, our promised review sample is overdue. The reason why we feel we can recommend it, at least tentatively, is that it is Bob Carver's "t-mod" of a pair of his deliberately and parodistically over-engineered Silver Seven mono tube amplifiers ($17,500.00 the pair), which we reviewed very favorably in Issue No. 11. On the basis of previous experiences with the Carver t-mod technique, we can assume with some degree of confidence that the M-4.0t is an exact sonic clone of the Silver Seven. Enough said (except to knee-jerk Carver resisters, of course).

Preamplifier

We have tested such a limited sampling of the current crop in this category that we are in no position to have strong opinions on the subject. The Citation 21 ($599.00), which we did test, fits in here very nicely, but it would be unfair to other contenders (Adcom, Hafler, PS Audio and more than a few others) to make that an "official" recommendation. We simply need more time.

Wires/Cables Much the same comments apply here as in the case of Reference A above. If you put the stereo power amplifier between the speakers (you can watch the level and clipping display that way), only about four feet of speaker wire will be needed to reach the speaker terminals on either side, and therefore ordinary No. 14 wire (No. 12 if you are worried) will do just fine. The line-level connections should be made with premium-quality phono plugs (Tiffany, for example); this is more important than the brand of shielded coaxial cable you use as long as it is not cheap junk (the aforementioned reasonably-priced Canare Cable is very good in this configuration, too).

Turntable and Tonearm

The last time we looked at mainstream (i.e., other than ultrahigh-end) phono components was quite some time ago, so once again we have no definitive recommendations to make. The Systemdek IV ($850.00 with arm) looks like a good choice to us, based on what we understand about the design and on favorable reports from highly knowledgeable users. We would have to test it, of course, to confirm that impression.

Phono Cartridge Since the good Japanese MC cartridges have priced themselves out of the Reference B bracket, we would be inclined to opt for the Grado Signature MCZ ($300.00), a sophisticated magnetic design incorporating all that Joe Grado has learned about phono transducers in the last 30 years, which is considerable. We have never measured it, but we know the Grado scene well enough to recommend it quite confidently.

CD Player

The best bet here would be to find a Sony CDP-910 in a factory-sealed carton (discontinued but still available in the upper $300's if you look for it hard enough) and then have the Precision Audio D1 Analog section replacement ($450.00) put into it. If you cannot find the CDP-910, ask Precision Audio for their latest recommendation. They know what they are doing.

Tuner

See under Reference A above; the same comments apply here.

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[adapted from TAC, Issue No. 12]

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Also see:

Further Thoughts on Double-Blind Listening Comparisons at Matched Levels

Various audio and high-fidelity magazines