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| Letters -- November 2007 Springing for the Signatures November 26, 2007 Editor, I greatly enjoyed your review of the Paradigm Signature S6 v.2, especially due to its timing and the fact that you use the Studio 100s as your reference speakers. I'm currently torn between going relatively cheap (Studio 60/100, B&W 683) or coughing up the big bucks for the S6. My observation was the same as yours -- the S6 seemingly does nothing wrong. I auditioned the Studio 60s and 100s a couple of times in a medium-sized room (2400 cubic feet), powered by a 250Wpc McIntosh integrated amp. While I liked their overall sound, both of them were lacking bass impact and had a couple of frequency-response aberrations. The S6s were in a separate and much larger room (3500 cubic feet), also powered by a 250W Mac. Their bass blew me away (my audition references are Collective Soul's "Heavy" and Springsteen's "Human Touch"). It is powerful and tight, and I will not need to augment with a subwoofer for two-channel listening for most material. I had them briefly cranked at an "annoy the staff even with the doors closed" level and they absolutely rocked this large room. Compared to the Studios, vocals (Marc Cohn, Aimee Mann) are smoother and more open, the soundstage is deeper, and the speakers are more transparent. A mildly annoying upper-bass peak that I heard on the Studios was gone, and the upper-midrange boost is subdued. Individual violins are clearly discernable in passages with an entire orchestra playing. Thanks for your review. It gave solid reinforcement to my perceptions. Now my dilemma is whether or not to spend 2.5 times what I planned! Jon Rose My advice is to go for the Signatures. If you can swing the price, I don’t think you’ll regret it. Remember that old saying about enjoying your purchase long after the price is forgotten. The reverse would be true if you were disappointed once you got your new speakers home -- you’d still be unhappy with them long after you forgot the money you saved….Jeff Fritz Rockport Altairs and amplifiers November 14, 2007 Editor, I enjoyed your Rockport Altair review very much. Now, I have few questions regarding your amplifier choice for the Altairs. Your current reference amp is the Vitus SS-101. Is it powerful enough in class-A mode to drive the Altairs without any problems? Since you decided to add a Simaudio Moon P-8 preamp to your system I have is a logical question: How much better is the Vitus SS-101 with the Moon P-8? Just as a hint: How big is the difference between the Pass X600.5 (since you mentioned that it will be reviewed soon) and the Vitus SS-101 on the Altairs? Thanks in advance for your answers and keep up with your excellent writing at Ultra Audio! Kreso The Vitus SS-101 is certainly powerful enough to drive the Altairs in class A. My understanding is that the SS-101 will output several times its rated power into musical peaks, and I believe this accounts for its seeming unlimited power despite being a 50Wpc amp while in class-A mode. I’ve never run out of power with the SS-101 on any speaker I’ve paired it with. I don’t think the Simaudio preamp improves or harms the sound quality of the Vitus SS-101 per se. That is perhaps the highest compliment I can give it because it seems completely transparent and on par with using the Vitus alone. The P-8 does allow me to dial in the correct volume setting much more accurately, though, due to its incredibly fine volume steps. This has greatly increased my enjoyment of certain recordings that require a precise volume setting to “work” musically. There is quite a difference in the sound of the Pass Labs amps and the Vitus amp, but not in terms of perceived power output. The review of the X600.5s will be coming sometime before the end of the year, so stay tuned….Jeff Fritz MacBook as a source November 6, 2007 Editor, I noticed in your review of the Paradigm S6 v.2s that you use a MacBook as a source. I am curious what software and formats you use for your music. Do you have an external hard drive with everything in .AIF format, and, if so, have you compared it to Apple Lossless? My system does not approach the level of yours, but I am tweaking my computer playback for the best sound and would like your input. Also, how do you feel about the MacBook as a source? Is it quiet? I am looking at buying one to replace a dying PC laptop. Carl I import CDs via Apple Lossless into iTunes as you have surmised. I’ve found the process quite easy and seamless, and I’m not by any means an expert on computer-based audio at this point. However, I do like the MacBook a lot and find that it has been quiet and reliable. The only time it becomes intrusive is when you are importing CDs and listening at the same time. I don’t do that any more and therefore it has become a non-issue. I have not tried any other formats but many experts seem to think the lossless formats are fairly equivalent – the key being "lossless." Perhaps that would be a better question for someone with more experience than I have. As for an external hard drive for backup, that’s my next move….Jeff Fritz
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