 Gotham positioning
January 28, 2010
Editor,
I read your excellent article on integrating the
Gotham subs. Sorry, not trying to butter you up, but I have suffered for some time on
the inability to set up any system with subs in phase.
I have been upgrading my system: I bought a Velodyne 1812
but am selling it (new) to get the JL Audio (from a listening experience). I am between
the Gotham and the f212. By the way, I am also between the Magico M5 and Q5 -- I have
ordered the Q5 but have a deal to swap it out for my dealer’s M5 if I am not
satisfied. In short, either speaker will need two subs to properly pressurize my room.
The most interesting part of the article was setting the
equal-distance positioning of the drivers. While this makes perfect sense, I rarely see
this in people’s systems (with the subs usually shoved back in the room or directly
behind the speakers).
I would be very interested if you had a picture of the
setup you described. I can only imagine getting this equal-distance structure by putting
the subs behind the speaker but closer together in the room. Am I not understanding this
correctly?
Kind Regards,
Brian Herlihy
I don’t have a photo, but I can easily describe it
for you. I placed the Gothams just to the outside and slightly ahead of the Rockport
Technologies Altair speakers. The Rockports feature side-firing woofers, which are the
drivers that would have some overlap with the Gothams’ drivers. Therefore, it was
quite easy to get the distance correct. The Magicos have front-firing woofers, so it might
be a little more difficult, but still doable. What you describe -- placing the subs
between the speakers and slightly back -- should work fine. Be prepared to use your tape
measure to get the distance perfect. You will not have to be so heavy-handed on the phase
control by doing this and will end up with better sound if you sweat all the details. Good
luck and let me know if you have any other questions. . . . Jeff Fritz
Super-system front end
January 21, 2010
Editor,
I just stumbled across your review of the impressive Esoteric SACD/CD
playback system (April 2005). You concluded that it was everything one could want in
SACD/CD playback. I would very much appreciate your current thoughts regarding these same
components vs. everything else that has come along since that review.
My wife and I are narrowing down a wish list of SACD/CD
playback systems. The Esoteric components that you reviewed are one of the favored
choices, though we have been impressed by reviews and owner feedback regarding the newest
Ayre, Audio Research Corporation, MBL, and Boulder components.
It has taken some time, but we are now fortunate enough to
be able to buy this type of ridiculously priced stereo system. And, given this recent
opportunity, and not of this mindset years back, we haven't been involved in this elite
echelon of equipment offerings. Therefore, we would very much appreciate your opinion on
our short list. They all seem amazing, yet I suspect there are pros and cons to each
selection, and your thoughts would be wonderful to read. ARC is the question mark because
I am not too sure that we want to get involved with tubes and their inherent replacement
issues.
Speakers are still under consideration. We'd like to decide
on the front end first. The Esoteric is the only component scenario that would not include
its own preamp and amps. We would opt to mate them with the Boulder equipment.
Our sincere thanks!
Matt Brennan
You have the audiophile world at your feet, it seems,
and there are truly no dogs in the bunch. But there are differences, and many of them I
can’t describe for you. In terms of sound quality, you would need to hear them side
by side. I haven’t, and I suspect it will be hard for you to do so as well. What I
would recommend is to find a dealer with as many choices as possible and spend a few days
auditioning them. The sonic signature of each will vary, and something might stand out of
the pack as perfect for you.
There are also other considerations: Does the unit have
the functionality you seek? Does it have a good warranty and dealer support in your area?
Is it set up for the future as it involves things like computer playback? These are not
trivial considerations and, with the money you are considering spending, they all need to
be answered in depth. Personally, I have never had MBL in my system. I have been impressed
with Ayre, Boulder, Esoteric, and ARC. One thing I would do is buy the latest-model gear
you can get your hands on. The realm of digital moves fast, and I would want to be as
future-proof as possible. . . . Jeff Fritz
Clarification on DAC reviews
January 3, 2010
Editor,
I have read and reread several times your recent Ultra
Audio reviews of the Weiss Minerva (October 2008) and the Audio Research DAC7
(April 2009) and I am not able to nail down the resolution of the signals you were using
in each instance. For example, I assume you used ripped files on your MacBook as the music
source for both reviews. What was the bit rate/sampling frequency for each of these files?
In the case of the DAC7, were you forced to send 16/48 signals to the DAC because of the
restricted USB specs? In the case of the Weiss DAC, were you sending higher than 16/48
signals from the computer? If your answers to these questions are yes and yes, I find it
difficult to understand how these two DACs turn out to sound so similar and so good. Is
the ARC DAC7 somehow making up for the poor USB connectivity to the computer? As a total
newbie in learning about computer audio, I am considering both of these DACs (along with
some other similar products such as Steve Nugent's Overdrive DAC). At this early stage of
moving into this very exciting playback mode, I am trying to move in a direction that
carries me into the future as much as one can hope for in our rapidly changing world of
technology. I happen to have owned several ARC components for the past 20 years and feel
that this is one company I can probably depend on for long-term support. In any case, I am
planning on using whatever DAC I end up buying with my ARC CD1 as well as with a Wadia
170iTransport and a MacBook Pro laptop. Thank you very much for any clarification you can
offer.
Regards,
Reed Detar, PhD.
I primarily used 16-bit/44.1kHz signals -- CD resolution
-- derived from my CD collection and stored on my MacBook using Apple Lossless encoding.
As with most audiophiles, the vast majority of my music collection is CD, and therefore
that was the source for most of my comparisons. The higher-resolution material still poses
somewhat of a problem for certain DACs when mated with Apples. You are right that the ARC
DAC7 is limited on the USB side, and this does handicap it when compared with the Weiss
Minerva, which can accept a FireWire connection from the Macs. There is no question that
the Weiss, when fed 24/176.4, for instance, pulls ahead of the ARC in many significant
ways. Probably your best bet is to use the mini-optical connection derived from the
headphone jack on your Mac for signals up to 24/96, which you can then send to the
ARC’s TosLink input. Ultimately, the ARC DAC7 is a good DAC, and its USB input is not
bad at all. But you were right to point out that it is limited as compared with products
like the Weiss, and even the Ayre QB-9, when mated to Apple computers. . . . Jeff Fritz
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