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 Im curious if there is
something else out there that youve 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 Im 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 Im 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.
Well 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 its 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 worlds 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. Its 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 dont
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 doesnt happen very often. In most instances, a companys
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 dont 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
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