Audio Emporium Newsletter 05-1-2010

Updated Catalog- Again & Continually!

        Changes in our products are coming at an unprecedented pace. The economy is rebounding so things that have been stuck in the pipeline for about 2 years are coming out a mile a minute.

        We will keep up as best we can by including changes in the catalog we post on our site. You’ll note we have now posted the date BY DATE on the front page so you can determine if your version is the latest! Keep coming back to check in.

B&W N804D Now On Display! $7500 pr.

        The N804D is the first version of the 804 to use the Diamond tweeter technology. This is exciting because it’s the least expensive model in the line to use the Diamond tweeter AND the surroundless FST midrange driver. It uses the Matrix cabinet technology. It uses the Nautilus tweeter technology. To boil it all down, 804D is the first model in the line to do almost all of what B&W can do. The things 804D doesn’t do, it’s bigger brothers do – BIGGER.

         The most important question is, how does 804D SOUND? It sounds significantly cleaner in the middle than its predecessor! I’m surprised by the large improvement. The middle has less box around the sound. It is competitive with the 802D2’s Marlan head. It isn’t quite there as far as disappearing, but you’ll be impressed! The tweeter is tremendously open and smooth as silk- just like the other Diamonds. This is no surprise!

          Just because it uses the same tweeter, that’s no guaranty that it will sound the same. An example… Paradigm uses the same Titanium tweeter on its Titan as it does on its Mini Monitor. The tweeter is voiced distinctly brighter on the Titan. There’s more to voicing a speaker than just deciding on the driver material.

          On to the bass. The muscle with 804D is substantial. It tends to be on the lean side instead of the fat side. From my vantage point, that was the right choice! I don’t like murky towers. I don’t want a built in loudness control. Literally all of the speakers out there with built in subs are sludge city in the bass. The vast majority of speakers with 12” and larger woofers are muddy in the bass. The 804D uses two 6.5” Rohacell woofs and the balance is excellent- tighter than not!

          Of course $7500pr is real money. But look at N804D as it is- closer to state of the art than anything LESS. It has a modest foot print and you’re getting driver technology in a range where the vast majority of competitors are screwing Scan-speak (respectable as they are) drivers into cabinets! By the way, if you check competitors up to $45k pr, that’s still pretty much what they’re doing.

B&W ASW-610XP Subs

         Over the years we’ve been fortunate to offer some wonderful subs by B&W and Paradigm. In our dedicated theater now we’re running a pair of B&W ASW-610XPs ($1200ea). The 610XP is a sealed cabinet, featuring a massive 10” long through driver, 4” voice coil and muscular 500w amp. Not only are these guys strong and deep- they’re very fast. Hearing a pair of these in our 23x16’ room is a treat! But be forewarned. We might be trying to trick you! Sometimes we just have ONE turned on! The 610XP is so impressive that literally EVERYONE who has heard the system swears we have TWO on. Well… sometimes we do.

Kimber IsoMike CDs: Beethoven & Haydn String Quartets

         Kimber has a unique recording system dubbed IsoMike. The mics are spaced about 10’ apart and a large absorptive “cloud” is placed between the mics. The recording levels are not overdriven, so the peaks are dynamic- but the soft parts are quiet. If you want to hear space and dynamics better than you’ve heard before, buy one of these CDs. They have the SACD and hybrid layer. We think you’ll find these strikingly better sounding than traditional recordings!

Pretty Spoiled!

          A few weeks back I went to an all Chopin recital by Maurizio Pollini in Chicago. Our seats were about 50 feet away. To sit that close to a real world-class talent is the next best thing to having him in your living room with you. He played three encores and blew us all away. Scherzo #2 was the finale- whew!

          Then a week or so ago I heard Lang Lang play Prokofiev’s Third piano concerto with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Our seats were about 30 feet away. Once again, sitting so close to a world-class talent with technique to burn was phenomenal!

          While the typical model of a record company selling discs by having the performer tour seems to be slowing down, you can still see world-class talent without too much trouble! Tickets were about $50. I think that’s a fine deal!