Weiss Minerva still a good choice?

October 31, 2009

Editor,

I recently read your review on the Weiss Minerva DAC. I was curious if you still felt as enthusiastic today as you did last year when you reviewed it. I guess you might say I’m curious if there is something else out there that you’ve fallen for since then that has either eclipsed it or come close to it for a lesser price.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Jonathan

Funny you should ask. Right now I’m greatly enjoying the $2495 Bel Canto Design DAC3 with the $1495 VBS1 (Virtual Battery Supply). This combo is slightly less expensive than the Minerva, but its sound is easily in the same league. The VBS1 is a great, cost-effective upgrade for the DAC3 that you will be reading about in our sister publication SoundStage! very soon. But what I’m perhaps most excited about is the updated version of the DAC3, the DAC3.1. We wrote about this in our coverage of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. We’ll keep you updated on its development and release. . . . Jeff Fritz

Paradigm truly high end?

October 16, 2009

Editor,

Even though I do not have the financial resources that are often required to own the gear reviewed on Ultra Audio, I do greatly enjoy reading about them. It's a delight to learn what the cutting-edge and state-of-the-art manufacturers are doing. It seems reasonable to me that any advances in the audio industry will eventually, over time, benefit the overall audio community. If a cutting-edge company genuinely raises the standard by introducing a new technology or approach, the rest of the audio industry eventually has to respond -- if the new approach is successful in the marketplace. The point is that I think it’s great that someone is committed to reviewing the ultra in the audio world.

However, for me, and many other financially challenged audiophiles, the state-of-the-art designs will simply remain out of reach. The question for us is, "How much of a good thing can we access?" In other words, "What of the state of the art, if any, is affordable?" Frankly, I hadn't thought there really was much that was actually available, except in the used market (a wonderful resource), but your recent comment ["The Great North American Loudspeaker Tour: Paradigm Loudspeakers"] regarding Paradigm had me rethinking this:

"Some companies have vastly more resources than others, and Paradigm is an interesting example. It was clear from my tour of the plant with marketing director Mark Aling that, under the Paradigm and Anthem brands, Paradigm builds some of the highest-value audio products in the world. Yet their manufacturing capability, engineering talent, and testing facilities must be the envy of those firms that make the world’s highest-priced audio gear. Many of the most technically sophisticated audio products available can be had from Paradigm for what most audiophiles consider entry-level prices."

I haven't heard Paradigm speakers in years. I just learned that they have a new Signature series (v.3), which uses a beryllium tweeter and new crossover. This sounds like fancy stuff . . . which no one has yet reviewed.

You have probably auditioned more of the cutting-edge speakers in the world than most reviewers; in light of this, your opinion carries a certain credibility on the issue. Would you be kind enough to share with me your candid opinion regarding Paradigm's best speakers? Are they just good for the money, or is this company now making genuinely great and reference-quality speakers? Would their S2 v.3 be able to compete sonically against Revel, Magico, Rockport, Wilson, etc.?

Maybe it's unrealistic to make this kind of comparison, but any light you could shed on how good their speakers actually are would be helpful. I can't afford a $20k speaker, but a $3k speaker is possible -- one just wonders if it is still "chopped liver," or simply fancier "mid-fi." For people like me, there is the question of whether to save up for a new product from someone like Paradigm, or to buy a used brand-name product that is now affordable.

Appreciatively,

David

Your question really gets to the crux of a major issue in high-end audio: many audiophiles, and most reviewers, equate a product's high price with it automatically being better. It’s just not true. Paradigm is a prime example. Take, for instance, their driver design. First, they design and build their own loudspeaker drivers, and this is no small consideration. There are many boutique speaker manufacturers that have nowhere near the technical/engineering capability or the manufacturing expertise and resources to do such a thing. This is a prime example of an advantage a company like Paradigm has that places them above most of the companies that make the high-priced fare. Another advantage is testing facilities (a reference-class anechoic chamber) and engineering. Paradigm pays out more per month in engineering salaries than many companies pay out in total payroll in a year! The upshot is that Paradigm is able to produce loudspeaker systems that perform far better than their price would indicate -- if that price is considered against the boutique brands, that is. So, ultimately, the answer to your question is that, yes, Paradigm is the real deal and they make speakers that are wonderful and perform better than many of the highest-priced speakers you always hear about in the magazines.

My answer would not be complete, however, without discussing how a speaker like a Paradigm Signature can be improved upon, because there are better speakers out there than a Paradigm Signature S8 v.3. But it takes a special company and a lot of stars have to align for that to happen. First, the company has to have engineering capability that is also world class. A fancy box and a nice finish don’t equate to top-notch sound. Second, the high price you pay for such exalted loudspeakers must be realized in properly engineered design, testing, construction, etc., and be verified with listening and measurements that clearly indicate that it is a better loudspeaker. That just doesn’t happen very often. In most instances, a company’s failure in one or more areas means that the expensive speakers fall short in an important area that the Paradigm simply excels in.

So, to put it bluntly: most of the high-priced speakers out there don’t stack up across the board to a Paradigm Signature product. But there are a few that do, and those are special products that are worth the high prices that they command. The key is to be able to separate the pretenders from the high-priced state of the art. And we do that here at the SoundStage! Network, each month, to the best of our abilities. . . . Jeff Fritz

Thiel Audio CS2.4SE speakers

October 8, 2009

Editor,

Thanks for your review of the impressive Thiel Audio CS2.4SE speakers. The hi-fi in my main, large home in Sedona, Arizona, is an all-analog, all-Linn system: current LP12 with Akiva cartridge, Klimax preamp, and active five-way Akurate speakers. You get the idea.

But in our part-time condo in Santa Barbara I have a digital source system (you can only store your record collection in one home, as a practical matter) with a Linn Unidisk powered by the new Krell S-300i integrated amp and the Thiel CS2.4SEs. The speakers are nothing short of magnificent. It's terribly sad they are Jim Thiel's last design. I have several pairs of his in-wall speakers in secondary listening areas of both my homes, and they're amazing also. Thanks for your fine and thorough review of the SEs.

Kind regards,

Michael Dubrow