 “TWBAS 2009”
January 29, 2009
Editor,
I’ve been following your “TWBAS 2009” thread
on the AVS Forum. There are as many opinions on what to include in the system as there are
choices available. It appears to be a tremendous amount of work for a review, however.
Will you be reviewing each component separately in your column? Please keep doing what you
are doing. It keeps the hobby interesting. Thank you.
Mathias
Thanks for keeping up with the thread. There won’t
be individual reviews of each component, but there will be multiple articles about
“TWBAS 2009.” You’ll see the first of these roll out on March 1 and then
the lion’s share of them on April 1. Then we’ll wrap it up on May 1 and begin
planning for the next one. Be sure to check the "Galleries" section of the new Ultra
Audio (launching February 1) on March 1 also, as there will be photos of equipment as
it begins to roll in....Jeff Fritz
Which computer to go with Weiss?
January 20, 2009
Editor,
I bought a Weiss DAC a few days ago for computer audio
based on your recommendation. Should I use a Mac or a PC? Which playback software is best
for the PC? How do I tweak the PC for the best sound? For Mac, should I get a MacBook or
an iMac?
Tang
Either a PC or a Mac will work fine. If you get a PC
you’ll use a program like Media Monkey and you will want a Lynx sound card so that
you can use the AES/EBU digital output to interface with your Weiss. Using the Mac,
you’ll use the FireWire 400 digital connection to feed your Weiss. Be careful,
though. I’ve been told that some of the MacBooks that were just released don’t
have the FireWire output. Check that before you buy....Jeff Fritz
JL Audio Fathom f212?
January 12, 2009
Editor,
I read your review of the JL
Gotham g213 subwoofers in your “The World’s Best Audio System” column.
You went to great lengths to get the most out of them, and I can only imagine how great
your system sounded. I cannot afford the Gothams, but was looking at the JL website and
noticed the f212s are available. They are slightly smaller and about half the price. Have
you heard them, and how do you think they would compare to the Gothams?
Roland
I have not heard the Fathom f212, but I have heard all
of the other JL Audio subwoofers and they are terrific across the board. I have no reason
to believe that the f212 would be anything other than a knockout. In fact, I’ve heard
some scuttlebutt on the Internet that the f212 might be the best JL subwoofer yet. But
there is also another contender that just came on the market you should also audition: the
new Paradigm Sub25. This monster has a single 15” driver with a claimed 3” of
peak-to-peak excursion. I’ve heard it in another system, and it was quite awesome.
Check it out before you buy anything....Jeff Fritz
Replacing Vandersteens with Rockports
January 5, 2009
Editor,
I have owned Vandersteen 5A speakers for around three years
now. I am finding that although my bass performance (on my suspended floor) is excellent,
I am searching for a more refined midrange/upper-frequency performance. I have owned a
handful of speakers, and as it shakes out my favorite overall has been the Verity Parsifal
Encore. They were just so right-sounding in those higher frequencies. I sold them because
I simply craved a speaker that played bigger. I did seek out the Sarastro, but I was not
enamored (just learned that word) with the ribbon tweeter. It seems that I am a soft-dome
guy. They just sound the most natural and right to my ears.
I will not ramble any longer here. My question is about the
Rockport Mira, and the Ankaa, which is really the one I would like to step up to. I am
sure I can find a bank or two to knock off on my way to Rockport, ME. My room is 12'
3"W by 23' 4"L, and the ceiling is 8'. There is an 8’ opening that
essentially goes in to the adjacent dining room. Yep, my listening room is our living
room. I have taken great measures in stiffening the floor using jacks in the basement
below. I am firing down the long wall, so I am working with that 12' 3' width for the
speaker spread.
In this size room, would you think the Ankaa (15.31"W)
would work? The alternative would be the Mira, which I believe a good 4" narrower.
Lastly, I am struggling a bit with the whole side-firing woofer thing. Not only do I have
that opening (to the dining area), but my walls may not be the best for supporting the
bass. That opening begins just about where I sit, which is approximately 10’ away
from the speakers, which are pulled out 7’ feet from the back wall. The Vandersteen
speakers are 14"W, and they are approximately 2.5’ from the side walls, measured
from the center of the drivers.
Don Nigro
I would definitely go with the Ankaa in your case. It
is a newer design and is more advanced from its drivers to its cabinet. Two specific
advantages it has over the Mira are a more advanced Rockport-coned midrange and a better
Scan-Speak tweeter. From my brief listening experience with the Ankaa, it does provide a
more refined midrange and upper-frequency sound as compared to the Mira, which is already
very good in that regard. As for your side walls, Rockport does recommend that you face
the side-firing woofers toward the insides, thereby lessening their interaction with the
side walls, so I don’t think that will be a problem. The Rockport speakers all seem
to share a warm, resolving, weighty sound that gives great body to music. I’d
definitely give the Ankaa a listen....Jeff Fritz
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