Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/focal-kanta-no3-loudspeaker

“Other vaguely contemporaneous rock tracks flowed out from the Kanta No3 loudspeakers as my enjoyment of what they could do grew. The driving rhythm section of Genesis surged through the title track from Abacab [Virgin CBRCD 102], with all those keyboard stabs swirling and jangling through the mix. Meanwhile, the slow burn of Steely Dan’s ‘Babylon Sisters’ [from Gaucho; MCA 0602498605103] was wide open and slinky, with a lovely focus on the instruments and the backing vocals in particular.

This big, focused and layered sound was also very well-suited to the lush production values of a spot of yacht rock – well actually, perhaps the ur-yacht track, Toto’s ‘Africa’ from Toto IV [CBS 450088 2]. Forget the noticeable whiff of cheese and give up on trying to work out what on earth the lyrics are banging on about. Through the Kanta No3 the smiles begin with that opening percussion, grow with the great thump of bass, and continue throughout the taut gutsy sound, the synth fills beautifully clear, as are the vocals and those lyrics. Oh well, you can’t win them all!”

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“As you will have surmised, then, this loudspeaker isn’t just a device for superior reproduction of scale, space and, yes, rich bottom octaves: it’s also a champion with vocals. The interplay between Rawls and Reeves has long been one of my aural litmus tests, and the ‘III sailed through it with aplomb. Detail, controlled sibilants, ideal contrast in the vocal textures – the title track oozed warmth and realism, even sounding valve-like when driven by the D’Agostino Momentum Stereo.

On to Keb’ Mo’s Peace… Back By Popular Demand [Okeh/Epic EK92687] to hear the twang of the bottleneck guitar, the sublime piano on ‘Imagine’ – the Electa Amator IIIs simply sang. I could surely live with these, concerned with only one downside: I’d be up every night until 3am, trying to hear my entire record collection just one more time.

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“As in many Monitor Audio loudspeakers, a threaded rod is fastened to the rear of each woofer; these extend through openings on the cabinet’s rear panel, where they are secured on the outside by large, decorative nuts. This not only eliminates visible mounting hardware on the front but also provides increased bracing. Not that the latter’s in short supply: The cabinet’s 18mm MDF walls are extensively braced.

Two HiVe (high velocity) reflex ports are around back; foam plugs are provided to block them if desired (I didn’t). Two pairs of input terminals offer biwire or biamp options. For single-wire/single-amp use, the Gold’s terminal shorting links are wire rather than the usual solid metal straps. The cabinet’s sturdy outrigger feet can be used with or without spikes. As is increasingly common, the provided spikes are neither long enough nor tapered sharply enough (likely due to safety concerns) to penetrate a carpet.”

https://www.hifichoicemag.com/content/fyne-audio-f702

“The company quotes a power handling of 30 to 200W, and the speaker can stand 100W RMS of power continuously. Sensitivity is put at 92dB per watt, which is very good by class standards and means that many valve amplifier users will naturally be drawn to the F702. Nominal impedance is 8ohm, and Fyne Audio says that in a typical room, the frequency response is 30Hz to 34kHz (at -6dB). Being a human being, my ears prevent me from verifying the higher frequency claim, but the back of my chest confirms that the F702 goes down extremely low in my listening room, at least.

One of the joys of loudspeaker reviewing is the sheer diversity of sound you get to hear. Experience soon teaches you to expect a certain style of presentation from a particular type of speaker; for example, Quad electrostatics are way different to horn-loaded Klipschs. So with a large floorstander with a point-source treble/midrange driver and an equally sizeable bass unit, odds are that it’s going to be expansive, widescreen fun – and so it proves. “

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“At only $10,000/pair Alta Audio has indeed pulled a rabbit out of a hat with the Alec. As a low cost compromise between the majestic Titanium and its smaller and addictive sibling Celesta while retaining the unique signature sound quality that makes all of Alta audio speakers so special, another winner is born; within arm’s reach of perfectly bridging the two.”

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“Compared to the Salinas, the Goss Concerto provides a stark contrast, in terms of scale, orchestration and, musically speaking, within itself. It is classically structured in three movements for a single guitar and full orchestra, the composer overcoming the dynamic constraints and limited level of the solo instrument by amplifying it to allow broader dynamic range and greater musical contrasts. The three movements are also essentially independent, the first reflecting the music of the United States, with its own distinctive musical idiom and jazz rhythms, the third a Latin piece with a broader, typically elegiac second movement evoking British classical traditions. When the piece is played live, the orchestra can effortlessly shift between the different tonal and chromatic palettes demanded by the score, but for audio systems, the switches are not so easy, their dynamic and tonal limitations compressing the distinctions — especially given the composer’s stated dynamic goals. It’s an acid test of any speaker’s expressive capabilities, reflecting both bandwidth and musical coherence, dynamic and tonal compression — a test paper that definitely favors the bigger, more sophisticated candidates.”

https://hometheaterreview.com/kef-blade-speakers-reviewed/

KEF’s goal was to not only create a full-range point-source speaker system with the Blade, but also one more forgiving on the listener. Their intent was to improve off-axis imaging so there was less dependence on the sweet spot. Sonically, the Blades do a very impressive job of delivering a convincing soundstage to not only the sweet spot listener but also someone sitting to the left or right. A properly acoustically treated audio room could very well further enhance the off-axis presentation.  I found that precise micro adjustments to the side walls and front wall vastly improved the sonic character. Instruments seemed to float in their own space and there was a real sense of a black background for each one. While toe-in is recommended, I discovered foregoing toe-in widened the soundstage and improved the imaging. Naturally, this is very room dependent.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/elac-navis-arf-51-active-loudspeaker

The driver complement kicks off with a concentric treble/mid unit, the 25mm soft-dome tweeter being mounted centrally within a 10cm aluminium-cone midrange for enhanced integration and focus, both the shape of the mid cone and a mesh grille helping control the tweeter’s dispersion. Below that sits a pair of 13.5cm bass units, again with aluminium cones, while within the speaker are the amplifiers for each driver. These comprise a 160W BASH (Bridged Amplifier Switching Hybrid) module for the bass, a similar 100W amp for the midband, and a 40W conventional Class AB amplifier that drives the tweeter.

ELAC may, rather modestly, describe these speakers as being ‘powered’, but by any accepted use of the term this is an active design, with separate amps for each drive unit, and a user-adjustable electronic crossover. There are ±1dB adjustments for the mid and treble, a +1/–4dB selector for the bass, and also a 60Hz/80Hz/flat high-pass filter, handy should you want to use the speaker in conjunction with a subwoofer. The idea here is that – at least when used wired – the speakers are ‘analogue in, analogue out’, with no digital intervention in the signal path. It’s worth noting that the amps used here are all analogue, including the BASH modules for the midrange and bass, which combine a modulated switching power supply with a conventional Class B amplifier [see Investigation,