14 PAGES OF HOT PRODUCT PREVIEWS STEREO • MULTICHANNEL AUDIO • MUSIC REDEFINING VALUE Levinson’s NAD’s New Triumphant Amp & CD No.436 Player Amplifier Wadia Resurgent! NHT CLASSIC ThREE World’s Best $1k Speaker? www.theabsolutesound.com Contents February 2007 COVER STORY 64 NHT Classic Three Loudspeaker Chris Martens on an $800 three-way monitor with refinement, resolution, and imaging. 45 High End Returns to its Roots: The Third Annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Jonathan Valin, Robert Harley, and Neil Gader report. 88 Mark Levinson Nº 436 Monaural Power Amplifier A 35-year tradition of excellence continues, says Sue Kraft. Equipment Reports ABSOLUTE AnalOG: 38 London Reference Phono Cartridge Jonathan Valin on a new reference with an old pedigree. 70 Tannoy Autograph Mini Loudspeaker Tom Martin gets a solid glimpse of the state of the art. 7 Plinius SB-301 Amplifier Neil Gader with a sneak preview. 74 NuForce S9 Loudspeaker Robert E. Greene reports on something different. 80 Wireworld Audio Silver Electra and Stratus 5 Series Power Cords Neil Gader plugs in. 8 Pioneer S-2EX Loudspeaker Bridging the divide between home and studio speakers, by Neil Gader. 94 Quad ESL-805 Loudspeaker Jim Hannon on the latest classic elecrostatic; Paul Seydor comments. The Cutting Edge 104 Wadia 70se CD Transport, Series 9 DAC, and 581 CD/SACD Player Alan Taffel auditions Wadia’s reference and entry-level players. 10 Krell LAT-1000 Loudspeaker Anthony H. Cordesman on an open challenge to the status quo. February 2007 The Absolute Sound Contents founder; chairman, Harry Pearson editorial advisory board editor-in-chief Robert Harley editor Wayne Garcia executive editor Jonathan Valin 06 Letters managing and Bob Gendron 118 Manufacturer Comment music editor acquisitions manager Neil Gader and associate editor 16 From The Editor art director Torquil Dewar 18 Industry News 22 Future TAS senior writers John W. Cooledge, Anthony H. Cordesman, 6 Start Me Up Robert E. Greene, Chris Martens, Dick Olsher, Andrew Quint, Sallie Reynolds, NAD C 325BEE Integrated Amplifier and C Paul Seydor, Alan Taffel 525BEE CD Player; Nuforce P8 preamplifier Barry Willis and Chris Martens. reviewers and contributing writers 35 iTAS Soren Baker, Greg Cahill, Dan Davis, Andy Downing, Jim Hannon, Jacob Heilbrunn, Polk Audio I-Sonic. Robert Harley on the Sue Kraft, Mark Lehman, Ted Libbey, Swiss Army knife of desktop audio. David McGee, Bill Milkowski, Derk Richardson, Don Saltzman, Max Shepherd, Barry Willis Music 120 hp’s equipment setup Danny Gonzalez 150 Recording of the Issue web producer Ari Koinuma Tom Brosseau: Grand Forks Absolute Multimedia, Inc. 131 Jazz chairman and ceo Thomas B. Martin, Jr. The scoop on the newest discs from Charles vice president/publisher Mark Fisher Tolliver, Steve Swallow, Exploding Star advertising reps Cheryl Smith Orchestra, Joe Zawinul, and Muhal Richard (512) 891-7775 Marvin Lewis Abrams. And, two hybrid SACDs from MTM Sales Chesky and a 200-gram Horace Silver LP. (718) 225-8803 reprints and e-prints: Jennifer Martin, Wrights Reprints 139 Classical toll free: (877) 652-5295, Outside the U.S.: (281) 419-5725, [email protected] Boris Berezovsky tackles Hindemith, Paul subscriptions, renewals, changes of address: Lewis interprets Beethoven piano sonatas, phone: (888) 732-1625 (US) or (815) 734-5833 (outside US), or write The Absolute Sound, Simon Rattle and Szymanowski’s Songs of a Subscription Services, PO Box 629, Mt Morris, IL 61054. Ten issues: in the US, $36; Canada $52 Fairy-tale Princess, Ryan Brown on Sacchini’s (GST included); outside North America, $71 (includes air mail). Payments must be by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Oedipe a Colone, Kronos and Mogwai team American Express) or US funds drawn on a US bank, 35 with checks payable to Absolute Multimedia, Inc. up for The Fountain, and the Capucons editorial matters: Address letters to the editor, plumb Inventions. Plus, three SACD reviews The Absolute Sound, PO Box 1768, Tijeras, New Mexico 87059, or e-mail [email protected]. and LPs from Speakers Corner. classified advertising: Please use form in back of issue. newsstand distribution and local dealers: 149 Rock Etc. Contact IPD, 27500 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 400, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, (239) 949-4450 Reviews of the latest CDs and LPs from publishing matters: Contact Mark Fisher at the address Ghost, Clinic, Eric Clapton, Vince Gill, Yusuf, below or e-mail [email protected]. Kellie Pickler, Tartit, Jay-Z, Menomena, and Publications Mail Agreement 40600599 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Neil Young. Plus, the Beatles on DVD-A. Station A / P.O. Box 54 / Windsor, ON N9A 6J5 e-mail: [email protected] Absolute Multimedia, Inc. Records of the Year 4544 S. Lamar, Bldg. G-300 Austin, Texas 78745 159 Cast ‘em in stone. Bob Gendron, Andrew phone: (512) 892-8682 · fax: (512) 891-0375 e-mail: [email protected] Quint, and Derk Richardson pick 2006’s best www.theabsolutesound.com albums. 160 TAS Back Page 11 Questions for Michael Hobson of 2007 Absolute Multimedia, Inc., February 2007. The Absolute Sound (ISSN#0097-1138) is published ten times per year, $42 per year for US residents. Absolute Multimedia, Inc., 4544 S. Lamar, Bldg G300, Austin, Texas 78745. Periodical Classic Records Postage paid at Austin, Texas and additional mailing offices. Canadian publication mail account #1551566. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Absolute Sound, Neil Gader. 160 Subscription Services, PO Box 629, Mt Morris, IL 61054. Printed in the USA. 4 February 2007 The Absolute Sound Letters And never once have I seen Jon Valin make the statement “SACD SACD Better is better than CD,” until now. With the possible exception of the Mark Levinson-produced recording that he so dearly loved awhile Than CD? back. JV has always praised CD, starting in the year 2000 with the As a subscriber who goes back to the very beginning of The MBL gear. Absolute Sound, I have come to the conclusion that my ears— Maybe it’s the recordings. I listen to Red Book only with occasionally described by friends as “golden”—must have turned Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi, Chesky [discs], etc.—recordings to “dross” (from old age?), because I don’t get it. that have 20-bit dynamic range, even on the 16-bit consumer I listen to, say, Ivan Fischer’s new recording of Mahler’s Second release. I’m a very happy listener. Symphony on Channel Classics, and am so stunned by the awesome John Harnick sonics of this SACD—and this has happened so often with other SACDs from Channel, Harmonia Mundi, Pentatone, even Jonathan Valin replies: While it is true that I had and have Abbado’s Mahler Sixth on DG—that I can’t believe people are still problems with the treble-range noise artifacts of certain SACD debating whether it’s superior to Red Book CDs. Have I suddenly players and SACD discs and did not and do not think that SACD become deaf? It’s clearly time for the industry to adopt SACD beats out all other playback media (as Mr. Mankiewicz does, and for quality music recordings and leave the television, computer, many others do), that does not mean that I think CD playback is and movie junkies to argue about other things important to them. superior to SACD. I quote from the very review that Mr. Harnick Music lovers should unite behind SACD and inevitably improve it mentioned: “The EMM Labs and the Krell [SACD players] share with time. Further debate will only exacerbate the economic woes certain generic virtues: Their overall clarity is markedly superior of the industry. to CD, and in the [EMM Labs] DAC6e’s case to vinyl; their dynamic Christopher Mankiewicz range and scale is superior to CD and, in the DAC6e’s case competitive with vinyl; their bass is significantly better defined and more extended than it is on CD or vinyl; and, minus the noise SACD Worse problem, their treble range extension and detail is much better than CD… The EMM Labs is in a class of its own, quite literally. It Than CD? simply doesn’t sound like anything else, and what it does well, it What can I say about Red Book CD? It’s definitely improving, as does unparalleledly well. While it doesn’t beat out analog disc or you confirmed with your Meridian CD player review: It “invites a tape in musical realism, it is competitive on its own terms. I just comparison to a live microphone feed.” Other reviewers in high- wish more SACD software was worthy of it.” end audio are reporting similar findings. A few highlights:Positive Having said this, let me also note, in defense of Mr. Harnick’s Feedback’s Robert Levi recently reported that the 20k Metronome position, that in spite of its superiority to CD I simply haven’t CD system surpassed Ed Meitner’s top-notch gear—even when found SACD a compelling enough alternative to vinyl to make it played SACD. Even Levi didn’t think this was possible. Then it my primary source and that when I listen to digital (and I do there are the Soundstage boys—with the Zanden gear up against listen to digital once in awhile) I tend to listen to CD, partly Esoteric’s latest SACD player. The verdict? “With (Red Book) because I have many more CDs than SACDs and partly because sounding this good, who needs new formats?” Even Jules CD playback, as I noted above, has improved enough, both Coleman, a respected on-line reviewer (there aren’t too many), on the software and the hardware side, to make it a pleasant spends most of his time with digital via the Reimyo CD player, alternative to LP.