Notes Toward the Definition of Two Different "Reference" Systems (Vol.1, No.6: Spring-Fall 1978)

We make our first attempt at specifying matched systems to serve as standards of sonic quality. Reference A is an all-out (though not very sensible nor affordable) system for the purist. Reference B aims to provide the cleanest sound per dollar in the middle two thousands.

What we're trying to do here is doomed to at least partial failure from the start. It's in finitely easier to determine which is, for example, the cleanest, most accurate preamp that money can buy than to tell someone sight un seen what his complete stereo system ought to be in his particular listening environment for his particular needs. Any specific combination of components can be much too easily criticized for this or that reason, and we're really asking for opposition and brickbats by committing ourselves to a limited set of choices. On the other hand, the time has come for us to communicate more clearly what sort of total sound we have in mind when we say that something else doesn't sound as good. Concrete examples are the only way.

So please bear with us in this somewhat tentative exploration of constantly shifting ground. We don't even want to print our recommendations as an uninterrupted list, lest certain people with a short attention span should seize upon it as "official" and not even read our qualifications. Hence the format that follows.

Incidentally, we have confirmation from very high up that picking components for a system on the basis of sonic merit is fraught with intolerable peril. As you may have read in the newspapers, President Carter's own stereo system was selected by lottery instead. His son Chip pulled slips of paper out of a hat stuffed with the names of leading component manufacturers. We subsequently fired our Washington lobbyist.

Reference A

There are no restrictions in this category.

Price, easy availability, practicality of installation, convenience in use don't count. The sound is everything. On the other hand, profligate spending as a ''head trip" is also eschewed; any-thing that costs more must manifestly sound better before it's considered for Reference A.

It should be stated at the outset that many well-heeled audiophiles would be better off building their price-no-object installations around either the Beveridge 'System 2SW-1' or the Mark Levinson HQD System. That way they will have one-stop recourse to their Beveridge or Mark Levinson dealer in case of difficulty, whereas Reference A comes from five different sources on the power amp/speaker end alone. We believe that this "back end" of Reference A is superior to the Beveridge in every respect except dispersion geometry and possibly midrange coherence.

The superiority is most evident at the extreme top and bottom of the audible range and, especially, in power capability (i.e., headroom), where there's simply no comparison. Reference A also exceeds the headroom of the HQD System, which it more closely resembles, and is more accurate in several respects while costing incomparably less. Even so, either the Beveridge or the HQD will be more suitable for the consumer who doesn't like to be his own field engineer.

Speaker System

The top and the bottom are obvious choices in the light of our latest findings; it's the proper fill-in between the two that's somewhat problematic.

The tweeter is the Pyramid Model T-1 rib bon unit ($990 the pair), for the reasons set forth in our review in this issue.

The woofer is the Janis W-1 ($1350 the pair), not because it's the theoretically ideal low-frequency speaker, but because in its current form it's the best such device we know of that can be bought as a system, ready to play. (See also the follow-up review in this issue.) The midrange speaker, selected after the elimination of more immediately promising candidates, is the Koss Model Two electrostatic ($1500 the pair), with its cheap dynamic tweeter completely removed and its midrange panel allowed to roll off by itself without any crossover.

Koss seems to be the only manufacturer of electrostatic panels that are reasonably ac curate, free from ringing, and at the same time able to produce very high sound pressure levels in ordinary air. This ability is due to their unique multilayered construction. That Koss doesn't build absolutely top-notch speakers out of these excellent panels is of no concern to us here; all we need out of them is the five octaves from 100 Hz to 3 kHz, and that they do deliver with high accuracy and headroom to spare. The only problem is a very annoying mechanical resonance at 50 Hz, which is knocked down 18 dB by the Janis crossover but still manages to be marginally audible from time to time. (See also Vol. 1, No. 4 for our review of the Koss Model One/A, which suffers from the identical resonance.) We're now working on a promising cure for this far from incurable condition; meanwhile the system is so obviously superior in all other respects that the glitch fades into relative insignificance.

Without amplifiers and external crossovers this is a $3840 stereo speaker system, a price that reflects all the physical and electrical redundancies that could be eliminated in an integrated design. We believe that a single manufacturer could sell something like this at $2500 the pair and make a profit. Compare it with $6500 speakers such as the Infinity QRS and weep.

Power Amps and Crossovers

These are all new and reviewed in this issue. The Janis woofers are driven by Janis Interphase 1 bass amplifier units ($495 each, two needed), incorporating 100 Hz electronic crossovers with 18-dB-per-octave slopes.

The modified Koss Model Twos are driven by the Rappaport AMP-1 stereo power amplifier ($1800); two of them bridged would be an even better idea, since the speakers can certainly handle the extra power, but one will do quite nicely.

The Pyramid Model T-1 tweeter can be connected in parallel with the Koss (the built-in high-pass filter takes care of the crossover) or, better yet, the latest version of the Futterman H-3aa tube amplifier ($895 the pair) can be used to drive the tweeter separately, fed from the second high-pass output jack on the Interphase 1. It just so happens that the T-1 provides a reasonably good impedance match for the Futterman's output tubes and the combination is really something to hear. On the other hand, the Futterman can't drive the low- impedance Koss.

Preamplifier and Interface

The sonically most accurate preamplifier we've found so far is a last-minute arrival, the Precision Fidelity C4 tube unit ($1095). As we point out in the review in this issue, it has complete switching facilities for the usual variety of sources plus two tape decks, but no tone controls. Between the C4 output and the Janis crossover input, we specify a Cotter NFB-2 noise filter/buffer ($350) with Cotter PW-2 power supply ($200); we have yet to test a system that didn't sound better after the insertion of this time-domain corrected sub sonic/ultrasonic filter, which is also reviewed in this issue.

The Cotter PSC-2 phono stage ($350), similarly powered by the PW-2, appeared so promising in our brief examination of an early prototype that we must contemplate the possibility that production units will surpass the phono stage of the Precision Fidelity C4, in which case we'll recommend plugging the PSC 2 into one of the "aux" inputs of the C4. The latter will remain in the system, in any event, since the Cotter high-level stage with controls is still far off in the future. When it comes, it will also be powered by the PW-2. (Cotter products were formerly sold under the Verion name.) This part of Reference A is still very much in a state of flux.

Phono Cartridge and Transformer

We haven't found anything so far to equal the Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk 3F moving-coil cartridge ($230), which is reviewed in this issue.

And we wouldn't even think of plugging it into anything but a moving-coil pickup transformer, a category in which the Cotter MK-2 ($425) rules supreme. The latter is electrically identical and physically slightly superior to the Verion MK-1, which is no longer made.

Tone Arm

The perfect match for the Fidelity Research cartridge is the Fidelity Research FR 66s arm ($1250), which we prefer very slightly to the FR-64s. The two are identical except for the former's greater length and therefore somewhat lower peak error in lateral tracking.

The FR-66s fits easily on our Reference A turn table base; in case of any substitutions only the FR-64s is likely to fit. Both are reviewed in this issue.

Turntable

The Cotter B-1 turntable base (approx. $1300; see review in this issue) is mandatory for the kind of immunity from acoustical excitation we require in Reference A under high-level playback conditions. It comes with either the Technics SP-10 Mk II ($800) or the Denon DP 6000 ($680) modified and built in. At this point we have no distinct preference between these two quartz-locked direct-drive turntables, but we recommend that you stay away from their factory-built bases.

The total retail price of Reference A ranges from $12,160 to $15,205, depending on the various options discussed. Considering what it offers, it's a bargain.

Reference B

This system represents what in our opinion is the minimum level of sonic accuracy that makes it worthwhile to become an audiophile.

For anything less than this, a deep involvement in the subject doesn't make much sense to us except as a purely intellectual exercise. The next step down is supermarket audio, even if it still costs a lot of money.

Speaker System

At this level, trade-offs are the name of the game, and it becomes pretty much a matter of personal taste what qualities you're willing to give up and what you consider nonnegotiable.

To us, the DCM 'Time Window' ($660 the pair) still appears to offer the best blend of trade offs. It may not be quite as free from certain audible colorations as the newest generation of "minimonitor" speakers, but it has some bass, without which music is incomplete, and it has plenty of headroom plus good dispersion, so that it's capable of sounding dynamic and alive-like real music. It remains the most appealing speaker for the money.

Power Amplifier

This one is easy. The Audionics CC-2 ($489) may well be the most outstanding buy in high fidelity today. We can count the power amps that sound better on the fingers of one hand, and not one of them is even remotely in the same price category as the CC-2. In a field that's flooded with high-priced garbage, this neat little black box is a monument to intelligence and commercial integrity.

Preamplifier

Out of a number of possible candidates here, we consider the Apt/Holman pre amplifier ($493) to be the safest bet. It's amazingly well made for this price range, as versatile in its control functions as any preamp at any price, and sonically surpassed by only four or five units, all at significantly higher prices. (See review in this issue.)

Phono Cartridge and Transformer

Contrary to commercial propaganda and untutored audio cults, conventional magnetic cartridges in the $100 to $200 range do nor offer high-fidelity reproduction of the information in the groove. We must therefore insist on a moving-coil cartridge and transformer for this all-important stage of Reference B, and they might just as well be the best available, as in Reference A. Get the Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk 3F and Cotter MK-2 combination ($230 plus $425) and be done with it. Reference B is good enough to make compromises on the phono end perfectly audible.

Tone Arm

The Series 20 Model PA-1000 carbon fiber tone arm ($150) is our choice at this level of expectations, for the reasons explained in our review in this issue. A little more mass added to the headshell, such as a gob of Duxseal, may be beneficial with the medium-compliance FR cartridge.

Turntable

The Kenwood KD-500 direct-drive turn table ($250) is our choice here, with one reservation. Its isolation from mechanically trans mitted feedback is quite poor, so that it may have to be placed on a Cotter B-2 isolation plat form ($150). The distance of the turntable from the speakers, along with the physical characteristics of the room and the installation, will have to determine this extra expenditure.

Even at $400, we don't know of a turn table/base combination to beat this one.

The total retail price of Reference B comes to either $2697 or $2847, depending on the isolation platform option. That isn't exactly pin money but it gives you what The Audio Critic considers high fidelity.

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Important Advice

Never judge a power amplifier or preamplifier from the way it sounds immediately after you turn it on. Most circuits take longer to stabilize than you think. Some preamps, especially, take as long as a day or two to sound their best, and all preamps and power amps sound better after a few hours. So leave them on as long as you can. (Those who deny this don't make their living evaluating audio equipment.)

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[adapted from TAC]

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Also see:

Records & Recording: A Discography for the Audio Purist, Part 1

Various audio and high-fidelity magazines