Sam Tellig

Spendor D7 loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Sam Tellig  |  Nov 19, 2014  |  25 comments
Hi-fi firms have begun in garages. The English Spendor company was started in a bathtub. Or was it a kitchen sink?

By days in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Spencer Hughes worked as part of the BBC's loudspeaker research team. Among other accomplishments, he helped develop the 5" midrange/woofer for the fabled LS3/5A loudspeaker.

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Acoustat Spectra 11 loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker Reviews
Sam Tellig, Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 09, 2014  |  First Published: Jan 01, 1990  |  0 comments
666acoustat11.jpgI wish I could be enthusiastic about the Acoustat Spectra 11—an electrostatic/dynamic hybrid selling for $999/pair. At first glance, the Acoustat Spectra 11 looks like a good deal. They could almost be called knock-offs of the Martin-Logan Sequels—they're about the same size. As with the Sequels, there are moving-coil bass cabinets below, electrostatic panels on top. The Spectra 11 cannot be bi-wired and does not come with spikes. Tiptoes are recommended, and I used them. I let the speakers run in for about 24 hours before doing any serious listening.
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Musical Fidelity V90-DAC D/A processor
Budget Component ReviewsDigital Processor Reviews
Sam Tellig, John Atkinson  |  Jul 18, 2014  |  First Published: Apr 01, 2014  |  14 comments
They can't sound very good—they're not big enough. As we all know, in hi-fi, big products mean big performance. Musical Fidelity's V90 series can't be any good. They don't cost enough. With your golden ears, you must pay through the nose.

The V90 components turn all this around. They are tiny. Inexpensive. Beautifully built.

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Dynaudio Focus 160 loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker Reviews
Sam Tellig  |  Jul 16, 2014  |  First Published: Jan 01, 2012  |  2 comments
These are great times for hi-fi gear, especially loudspeakers.

I latched on pretty fast to Dynaudio's Excite X12, but I wasn't the first at Stereophile to discover that loudspeaker. That was Bob Reina.

Drat!

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Audio Alchemy Digital Decoding Engine v1.0
Budget Component ReviewsDigital Processor Reviews
Robert Harley, Sam Tellig  |  Jun 18, 2014  |  First Published: Aug 01, 1991  |  0 comments
No, the $399 price listed in the specification block isn't a misprint. And yes, the Audio Alchemy Digital Decoding Engine v1.0 is indeed a full-function outboard digital processor. And since this is the August issue, not April, you can stop worrying that this review is some kind of joke.

The $399 Digital Decoding Engine is for real.

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Adcom GCD-575 CD player
Budget Component ReviewsCD Player/Transport Reviews
Sam Tellig, Peter W. Mitchell  |  Jun 13, 2014  |  First Published: Mar 01, 1989  |  1 comments
I once told Larry Archibald it might be worth, say, a 10% loss in sound quality with CD not to have to jump up and turn over the damned record. Sometimes a CD saves you from popping up twice—Mahler's Fifth or Bruckner's Seventh on a single disc instead of three LP sides—or three times—Mozart's Magic Flute on three CDs instead of 6 LP sides. That might be worth a 15% sacrifice.
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Arcam rBlink Bluetooth D/A processor
Budget Component ReviewsDigital Processor ReviewsComputer Audio Reviews
Sam Tellig, John Atkinson  |  Feb 14, 2014  |  First Published: Dec 01, 2013  |  6 comments
Am I the only one who values content and convenience over sound quality?

There. I've said it. I am not an audiophile; ie, someone who's in love with recorded sound for its own sake. The search for ideal sound can leave a person burned out and broke.

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Parasound Halo CD 1 CD player
CD Player/Transport Reviews
John Marks, Sam Tellig  |  Dec 03, 2013  |  First Published: Jun 01, 2013  |  4 comments
For the high-performance audio market, it makes a lot of sense to process digital audio data via sophisticated software running on a dedicated personal computer. Which brings us to Parasound's Halo CD 1 CD player ($4500). Some might find it questionable to release today, as one's first digital-disc player, a machine that plays only "Red Book" CDs, rather than a universal or near-universal (non–Blu-ray) player.
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Boston Acoustics A40 loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker ReviewsBudget Component Reviews
Sam Tellig, Alvin Gold  |  May 14, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 01, 1985  |  3 comments
The Boston Acoustics A40 loudspeaker ($150/pair) has become "legendary" (ie, it's stayed around for a while), probably because a pair of them images as well as Rogers LS3/5As. Unfortunately, it is no match for the LS3/5A in terms of smooth midrange response. Of course, at $150/pair, it shouldn't be.

I was originally going to do a review comparing the Spectrum 108A ($200/pair) and the Boston Acoustics A40. On first listen, I was mightily impressed by the A40. But after Stereophile's Larry Archibald schlepped me out a pair of the 108As, I didn't much want to listen to the A40s.

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Peachtree Audio nova125 integrated amplifier
Budget Component ReviewsIntegrated Amp Reviews
Sam Tellig  |  Apr 25, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 01, 2013  |  2 comments
With Peachtree Audio's new nova125 integrated amplifier, most decisions are made for you.

Need a DAC with three S/PDIF inputs (two coax, one optical)? An asynchronous USB DAC? A line stage? A tubed output buffer? A power amp that should be able to drive even difficult speaker loads? Remote control? You've got them all for $1499. Just add speakers. (I assume you have a laptop computer and several disc spinners.) You may want a separate phono stage, because there is none onboard.

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