More On Listening to the Sampan Music Box.

I have listened to the Sampan Music Box driven by the Logitec Squeezebox Touch on and off for a few days. Listening to the Sampan Music Box driven by my smart phone was very engaging and exciting. However, listening to the Sampan Music Box driven by the Logitec Squeeze Box Touch is definitely a more audiophile experience: The elements of the soundstage are more clearly defined, instruments and voices are more cleanly delineated, there is more weight to instruments and voices, and the system sounds larger. There are also less electronic artifacts in the Music Box/Logitec Touch presentation. However, whenever I switch back to the smart phone the sound is livelier and the listening experience is a little more exciting. It is just amazing how the quality of audio available on smart phones keeps improving. I suspect some manufacturer will put a high quality DAC in a smart phone soon.

Some preliminary measurements of the Sampan Music Box

Figure 1: Sampan Music Box quasi anechoic far field response

Figure 2: Sampan Music Box near field vent frequency response

Preliminary measurements of the Sampan Music Box shows its amazing frequency response, especially low bass extension. Quasi anechoic measurement of the Sampan Music Box in Figure 1, taken on axis at one meter from the speaker, show an extremely linear response. The graph suggests a frequency response of +/- 3 dB from 320 Hz to 20,000 Hz (each vertical increment is 2.5 dB). The neutral mid-range frequency response shown in Figure 1 is the hallmark of an excellent imaging speaker.

The vent frequency response in Figure 2 shows low bass frequency response is below 35 Hz. This indicates that he low bass frequency response of the Sampan Music Bar meets the THX requirement for subwoofer response. A composite response will be published in the future.

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Sampan Stereo 100 Music Box

I had one of the most engaging listening experiences ever last night. I took home the first, freshly minted, Sampan Stereo 100 Music Box, plopped it down on a small table in front of a couch, plugged in the power and connected my smart phone to the Music Box. I had planned to listen to the to the Music Box on a desk but I could not move.I sat less than two feet away and maybe a foot higher than the Music Box. But could not hear the Music Box. Instead I was presented with  a huge soundstage. The finished product sounded was way better than what I had heard during development and testing. As I leaned into the extreme nearfield, the soundstage widened, deepened and became more enveloping. There was something alluring about the simplicity of the setup. One cable into the back: power. One cable connecting my phone. An on/off volume knob on the front. No DAC. A perfect audiophile listening experience? No! A thoroughly enjoyable listening experience? Yes!  As ran through various artists on my phone, the simplicity of moving from one cut to another, the quality of the music, and the depth and width of the sound stage was intoxicating. I had to keep the volume down because my family was asleep. But even listening at low volume was thoroughly enjoyable. I listened for hours. I finally turned in after 1 AM.

This morning after my family left, I plopped the Music Box on a book case and turned it up. Still sounding good. Still going through my collection. I decided to have breakfast so I left it on Bob Marley's "Songs of Freedom" anthology.   I was listening to the third disk when I noticed a dramatic change. Like a car going up hill changing gears. The system reached a break-in threshold. Bass: deepened. Vibrating the walls. I cranked up the volume even higher and now the system was really boogieing. Some Studio One. Heaven.

What is the Sampan Music Box? A 42 inch by 4.5 inch by 5 inch active stereo speaker using single full range 3.5 inch drivers in folded transmission lines, driven by a 50 watt per channel T-amp. What is also impressive is how it fills my rather large room that is open on two sides with truly magical sound. Today, I will listen to the Sampan Music Box driven by the Logitech Squeezebox touch. More about that later.
ER.

SEE: www.roleaudio.com

Can sound quality be measured? What do you think?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20113895-47/can-sound-quality-be-measured/?tag=cnetRiver

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U.S. warns formaldehyde found in plywood and pressboard that are used to make loudspeakers may cause cancer.

A US Government report delayed for years because of fierce lobbying by manufacturers, strengthened the warning that formaldehyde, found in plywood pressboard that are used to make loudspeakers is a human carcinogen. (NY Times, June 10, 2011.)
This is why we are making our loudspeakers with formaldehyde free boards and non-toxic paints. We care about your health and the environment.
ER.

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The Role Audio Skiff is ideal for audio mixing.

Monitoring will now be via a pair of Role Audio Skiff speakers. 
Why? Well Michael Jacksons 'Thriller' was mixed entirely on a pair of Auratones, which for those not familiar, are a small near field single driver speaker used as a reference in studios in the 70's, 80s and 90's. They provide a brilliant image of your mix focused primarily  on the midrange, and the Role Audio Skiffs have superb midrange and are my Auratones for this mix.
http://www.desktopaudio.com.au/index.php/the-quest-for-a-better-mix

The Quest for a better mix

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SKIFFS best desktop speaker?

SKIFFS best small desktop speaker? Dimensions: 4 X 6 X 5 inches (W X H X D).

As Steven Stone points out: "... the Role Skiffs may well be your ideal desktop speaker..."(enyoythemusic.com)
Just in: "Their midrange is scary good, seriously good in fact and unlike many full range drivers do not seem to be rolled off in the top end as one would expect. Dynamics are excellent too 'Daddy Longlegs' by Joe Robinson off the 6 String Theory album, the solo guitar has superb punch and detail and at no stage sounds lacking in punch or bottom end extension...Even when the deep bass passages start, the full weight is there, amazing....a fairly stunning speaker that offers so much with so few negatives.Desktop Audio News and Previews (Australia, May 10, 2011)


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