kucharsk@number6.Solbourne.COM (William Kucharski) (09/13/90)
As promised, I've finally the time to write about my Apogee Caliper Signatures.
It took about four weeks from the time I placed the order to the time they
arrived at my dealer. As with the Stages, they come in two rugged cardboard
boxes, and some assembly is required. You must attach the front "feet" --
really triangular spikes, and then the back feet which are spikes on a screw
which screw into a panel extending back from the speaker, like the following:
"Spike"
II
===============II====
/ II
Foot -> / II
You then use the plumb bob (!) supplied to elevate the back of the speaker
(using the screw spike) to align with a punch mark on the foot plate. It sounds
more time consuming than it was; both speakers were set up in about 30 minutes'
time.
Like the Stage, connections on the back are pretty straightforward -- two 4-way
binding posts per speaker for High/Midrange and Woofer connections. (For those
who didn't see my Stage review, I say "4-Way" because they don't provide a hole
for stripped wire ends.) Apogee provides a shorting bar, but suggests you biwire
for better sound. I chose to use the shorting bar, as my speaker cable is
serviceable at best, and I'm waiting to make and investment in better cable.
Above the posts is a three-way toggle switch which controls the speaker's treble
response marked "High-Low-Normal." The switch's effect is very subtle but
noticeable; I leave both of my Calipers set at "Normal."
Unlike the Stages, when I first powered up the Calipers, they were not shrill;
they had a lively sound and good bass, but in general were very "tight" and
somewhat lifeless. I liked what I heard, though, and knew they would need at
least a week to break in properly. I settled them into their final resting
places (the combination of their spikes and the fact that they weigh 75 lbs
each meaning you have to "walk" them into place.) I started some initial
listening and the added bass and much broader soundstage (no doubt a result of
their larger size) made me instantly happy that I paid the difference in price
between the Calipers and Stages -- it was money well spent. However, in initial
listening, I noticed while playing the Philip Glass soundtrack to
_Koyaanisqatsi_ that sustained, low bass notes would cause the left speaker's
frame to rattle somewhat. Somewhat disconcerted, I noted that playing pipe
organ music at apartment-rattling levels wasn't what I purchased the speakers
for anyway, so I just resolved to phone Apogee in the morning. I knew the
speakers would need break-in, so I left them tuned to FM interstation noise for
the next 24 hours.
I phoned Apogee the next morning and asked how I might be able to correct the
vibration. It turns out that an Apogee's frame and the speaker assembly are
connected by Velcro! (Which actually makes sense -- what else makes for a
good vibration-resistant connection?) They said that they would send me some
additional Velcro and that it should solve my problem.
Meanwhile, the Calipers had begun their break-in nicely and the music was sheer
joy to behold. The bass -- oh the bass -- had power and a firmness never
achieved with the Stages. When you listen to higher-end Apogees playing a bass
note, something just doesn't seem right -- your mind thinks you need a large
enclosure to generate bass like that, and a 3" thick speaker can't do it -- but
it definitely does. Beautiful planar sound was evident -- no restrictions, and
a nice "bloom" around each speaker.
I decided to play Devil's advocate and try the heartbeats from "Dark Side of
the Moon" -- something the Stages had not handled well at all -- and found they
weren't really the Calipers' cup of tea, either. I'm beginning to suspect that
my Adcom may actually be at fault, but since I can't afford that Krell KSA-150
yet, it'll have to do :-)
However, the Calipers did deal with the Telarc 1812 much better than the Stages
did. While it was still relatively easy to invoke woofer ribbon "thwok," the
cannon shots had a nice sound and authority I've only heard on the Divas and
Infinity IRS. Very nice.
Later in the week, the Velcro arrived from Apogee, along with disassembly
instructions. While I was quite nervous about tearing apart my brand new
speakers, I went ahead and removed the frame from the speaker and added the
additional Velcro.
NOTE: NEVER attempt to disassemble an Apogee speaker without instructions and
additional Velcro. The nature of the attachment is such that the pieces
of Velcro will remain closed and one side or the other will tear away
from the glue attaching it to the frame or speaker assembly, and if you
don't have additional Velcro handy the speaker and frame will never
reseal properly.
I reassembled my speakers and the vibration was gone. Quick solution, total
amount of my time was about 30 minutes, and response time from Apogee was the
amount of time it took for a package to make it from Apogee to my home via
first class mail.
I could go on and on gushing about my Calipers, but then this would begin to
sound like an Apogee ad. Let me just relate what effect they've had on me:
Last weekend I went into a stereo store where various systems were playing and
heard: cabinets. I could hear the sound of each speaker cabinet giving a
distinct sonic signature. I guess that's what living with planars does to you.
I'll live with it :-)
Please feel free to email if you have specific questions about what I've written
or about the Caliper Signatures.
--
===============================================================================
| Internet: kucharsk@Solbourne.COM | William Kucharski |
| uucp: ...!{boulder,sun,uunet}!stan!kucharsk | Solbourne Computer, Inc. |
=== The sentiments expressed above are MY opinions, NOT those of Solbourne. ===bui@uunet.uu.net (09/17/90)
Could you be more specific about the placement ? How far away from the back wall and the side walls should the speakers be for optimal sound ? I love the spacious sound of planars, but have a small room. My speakers can only be at most 6 f apart, 3 f. from the rear wall and 2 f. from the side walls. Also is the sweet spot very narrow ? Thanks, Terence Bui - uunet!hfsi!bui
kucharsk@dancer.Solbourne.COM (William Kucharski) (09/18/90)
In article <6352@uwm.edu> hfsi!bui@uunet.uu.net writes: >How far away from the back wall and the side walls should the speakers >be for optimal sound? Optimally, they should be at least 4' from the rear walls and 2-3' from side walls. >I love the spacious sound of planars, but have >a small room. My speakers can only be at most 6 f apart, 3 f. from the >rear wall and 2 f. from the side walls. I think you'd get acceptable sound from this, depending upon what's on the wall behind the speaker and what else is in your room. My room is kind of odd-shaped, so I have the speakers about 4' from the rear wall but the right speaker is about 2' from the side while the left speaker is about 12' from the left wall (there's a hallway on the left of the left speaker). Amazing, but it works. Oh, they're about 8' apart so they can have a WIDE berth around my TV -- those Apogee magnets are strong and will start to affect TV picture if they're closer than about 3-4' to a picture tube (ref: Sony KV27XBR-15). >Also is the sweet spot very narrow ? Actually, it's about the width a few couch cushions, I'd say about 3' or so. The degree and shape of the sweet spot depends upon toe-in; Apogee recommends no toe-in, but I need to toe-in mine about 5 degrees due to the aforementioned room dimensions, and thus my sweet spot is a bit smaller than "normal." For example, I have no problems sharing the sweet spot with my wife while sitting on the couch. -- =============================================================================== | Internet: kucharsk@Solbourne.COM | William Kucharski | | uucp: ...!{boulder,sun,uunet}!stan!kucharsk | Solbourne Computer, Inc. | === The sentiments expressed above are MY opinions, NOT those of Solbourne. ===