Barner@ee.udel.edu (11/08/90)
First I'd like to thank all those who sent me tuner/pre-amp recommendations.
I had dozens of recommendations, most for the Adcom GTP-500-II. I
decided, however, to go somewhat against the grain. I am trying out, and
will probably keep, the Soundcraftsmen PRO-PT FIVE-R Pre-ceiver. The unit
seems to be fairly sound from what I can tell from my old speakers. Which
brings me to my point. I was buried in recommendations for the
Vandersteen 2Ci's but I'd like some other suggestions as well. Has
anybody listened to the new Snell C/IVs (~$1600 discounted)?
Unfortunately there is not a single high end store in Delaware (no sales
tax but no stores either) so I'm trying to do as much as possible on
recommendations. Are there any other favorite speakers around $1500 that
people have? Also, has anyone heard the dbx Soundfield speakers? What is
the patent on the speakers for?
Any recommendations/comments are appreciated.
Ken Barner
barner@huey.udel.edudrm2@mvuxn.att.com (David R Moran) (11/12/90)
In article <7512@uwm.edu>, Barner@ee.udel.edu writes: > First I'd like to thank all those who sent me tuner/pre-amp recommendations. > I had dozens of recommendations, most for the Adcom GTP-500-II. I > decided, however, to go somewhat against the grain. I am trying out, and > will probably keep, the Soundcraftsmen PRO-PT FIVE-R Pre-ceiver. The unit > seems to be fairly sound from what I can tell from my old speakers. Which > brings me to my point. I was buried in recommendations for the > Vandersteen 2Ci's but I'd like some other suggestions as well. Has > anybody listened to the new Snell C/IVs (~$1600 discounted)? > Unfortunately there is not a single high end store in Delaware (no sales > tax but no stores either) so I'm trying to do as much as possible on > recommendations. Are there any other favorite speakers around $1500 that > people have? Also, has anyone heard the dbx Soundfield speakers? What is > the patent on the speakers for? > > Any recommendations/comments are appreciated. > At your price point I would strongly urge you to try to audition the Allison AL 135s, which excel in all respects. Allison's number is 508-788-1500. Other allison models are close. I have no connection with the company but I do test speakers for a living (CD Review). I also worked at dbx through the 80s in engineering and marketing. The soundfield patent (it does not apply to the DAK line; DAK purchased the brand name only) covered a particular kind of phased array, a real phased array, not in the sense that Dahlquist uses the term (their designs are not phased arrays). In the radar sense, in other words. The software circuit-analysis derived phased array aimed for a radiation pattern that gave the same frequency response at all forward angles and favored the inside output of the speaker 5 dB louder than the frontal and 9 dB louder than the outside output. The paper on the design was published in the AESJ 11/87. Real dbx Soundfields sound and measure great, a bit bright for some tastes but easily warmed with a treble tone control. Some models came with their own controller. The SF150 I see is still available out of mail-order places in NYC. dbx is effectively folded and sold off by the Calif venture group that bought us from BSR (Carillon or CTI was its name). The dbx SF 2500 is cheap and amazing if you can find one. I have no connection with dbx or Carillon etc. The new line of ADC SoundStage speakers if you can find them ever or anywhere is of the same design by the same designer. The 5500 series is spectacular. What the design accomplished was genuine Listen Anywhere stereo balance spatially as well as tonally. No other company (Ohm, Bose, et al.) making this claim has accomplished anything like this or even close, except for the Allison IC10 and IC20, which do it without violating the patent. One consequence of the design is not just the wide-angle imaging but a seamless spaciousness to and integration of the treble, without the honky hifi sound signature that characterizes beamy-treble designs (the conventional standard for decades). Imaging hounds often find Soundfield designs not just spacious but spacy. Live music is like that though, but dbxes are not to everyone's taste. The story of the design and dozens of speaker measurements on it and other designs are covered in the Boston Audio Society *Speaker* vol 17 no 6 in a long retrospective I wrote on the research project at dbx and on my current work and protocols at CD Review.