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PPP Means pianissimo
Remote controlled? "Yes, you can choose CleanWave or MultiWave operation and control the display."
It's Kuzmarific!
The Gear Shop's Scot Markwell chimed in, "What can we say? It sucks—and that's the bottom line."
Platters Flatter
Furutech is the "somebody" who did. The $1360 DFV-1 Disc Flattener is a one-step, no hassle solution to those pesky disc warps. Just mount the disc on the spindle, close the clamshell case, and latch it shut. Then press a button and your hard work is done. Gentle heat is added to the case's pressure—the complete cycle takes about two hours, including cool down. Listen to another record or drink an adult beverage. When the process is complete, the DFV-1 will sound a chime to alert you.
With Feeling
And yes, we know there's no such word as "uniquest," but Pathos really does take unique past its normal limits.
A Shot of Adrenalin
Ambient?
"Aren't you concerned that people will think Ambient speakers will fade into the background?" "That's exactly what we want them to do—cosmetically! We thought our Charisma and Chara were striking, but many consumers don't want to look at their loudspeakers, they want them to blend in with their decor. The Ambient speakers don't really shout 'Look at me.'" The floorstanding Ambient Chronos ($7000/pair) looked pretty striking to us, but we were there for the sound. The Chronos didn't disappoint. Its side-firing 8.5" aluminum woofer got the down low surprisingly, um, low—while the front-mounted .75" fabric tweeter and 4.75" midrange driver were harmoniously detailed. Fade into the background? Not hardly.
NEW Shanling MC-30
In the Music Hall suites, everything shouts: "NEW!" Except for the scotch, of course, which is hidden beneath tables and aged for many years. This is the new flea-powered (3Wpc) Shanling MC-30 music center ($995). In one chassis, it combines a CD player, tuner, iPod input, and tube amplification. I especially like the concealed input selector and volume controls (mounted atop those front cylindrical supports).
An Incredible Challenge and a Good Hobby
"That must include shirts," responded Jon Iverson, noting that every GamuT representative was sporting stripes of some sort. Besides great looks, the Phi3 also features a tweeter design that Lars Goller has been developing for over a decade. His passion for music and wonder of technology are undisputable. "If it doesn't sound like music," he said, "there is no point. Designing a loudspeaker is an incredible challenge, but it's very interesting." He paused. "And it's a good hobby," he smiled. The lovely Phi3 costs $2500 and will be available by the end of February.
The GamuT Tweeter
Danish Hospitality
In a perfect world, CES's high end audio sector would take over a small neighborhood every year, and we'd just caravan from house to house.
Classy Class-A
What makes it special? "I'm a tube guy, but I like power too. The H-80A has 12AX7 input tubes feeding a MOSFET output stage. It sounds sweet, but it'll drive just about any load. It's rated from 10Hz–40kHz." "Try to pick it up!" Leung reached into a drawer and pulled out a weight-lifting belt. "It weighs 77 lbs.!" We declined.
Like a Cathedral
The 60W monoblocks (approximately $45,000/pair) are built around the KR 845 tube. "It's an extraordinary tube," said Yamada. "It's so good, I simply had to design a new amplifier to take advantage of it."
Beautiful Singing
No preamp? "This is how I listen at home most of the time," Stronczer said. "Actually, our newest product was designed to solve a problem I've been running into—the e.One DAC3 sounds so good, I've almost stopped listening to LPs, so I had to design the PHONO3 analog-to-digital phono section to give my albums the same resolution my CDs have." Audiophile heresy! But he was getting beautiful sound.
The Oldest Trick in the Book
Those? They were tiny.The $3950/pair Trenner & Friedl ART Ivory minimonitors have Corian baffles and Zebrawood-veneered enclosures. The enclosure is vented and the speakers are rated from 48Hz–40kHz. We listened to more SRV. Yup, those little guys flat-out rocked!
Too Much Fun
"As you know, we introduced the ART preamp in a limited edition of 250. When we upgraded it to the Art Series 2, we stayed within that number. We recently discovered we still had the metal work for the last 30 unfulfilled ARTs. Not only that, but Bill Conrad and I had I had a few ideas about improving it. As it turned out, we replaced almost everything except the metal work, which makes it a lot more expensive than the original ART at $25,000." So there's no possibility for upgrading the older ARTs? "We can do it—and we will do it for our customers, but it's not an inexpensive upgrade since it is so extensive." Is it worth it? Lew just grinned widely and nodded his head.
Door Number Two
To Boldly Go
Anything else? "Well, yes. It has two inputs—high gain and low gain with adjustable resistive and capacitive loading."
But Wait, There's More
Repping the Brands
New KEF References
The 2007/2 was on static display, but I very much enjoyed the sound of my new Cantus CD played on a pair of the smaller Reference 205/2 speakers, driven by an Esoteric SACD player and Audio Research amplification. But I also appreciated the picture of KEF founder, the late Raymond Cooke, at the back of the system. He is resting on the original R105, the launch of which in 1977 was a highlight of my first year as an audio journalist.
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