Muse Erato II Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 9:29 PM ET
By Wes Phillips

Poor Kevin Halverson! Since Hesiod only named nine muses in Theogony, Kevin has had to double up as Muse's line of players has increased. The Erato II is available as a transport ($5300) or one-box CD/DVD/DVD-A player ("up to" $7300).

What does "up to" mean? "Like our other players, including the Polymynia you reviewed, you can have it configured to your needs.

"As a transport, the Erato II supports 2 / 4 / 5.x / 6 & 7.x channel formats from MAP-Link, HDMI, or bitstream interfaces. When configured as a player, both two channel and multichannel material is properly routed to a stereo pair. On-board 24-bit multi-bit converters are configured in the now famous highly differential-instrumentation amplifier topology. 24-bit/192kHz recordings make Red Book resolution sound broken, but it plays them really well, too.

""I'm ready to add Blu-Ray to it, but I'm not sure my customers are," said Halverson. Can we quote you on that?

"It beats the heck out of 'It doesn't suck,'" said Halverson.

That floor sample is kind of squished into the rack there, do you have any static display samples I could photograph?

"Funny thing, that," said Halverson. "I started the show with lots of static display samples to show all the options available. But other people's source components kept breaking down and now all of my static samples are working samples."

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Isn't It Purty, Mama? Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 9:27 PM ET
By Wes Phillips

That line got me a kitten when I was five. It doesn't seem to work so well on audio manufacturers, though. I must have lost me some cute.

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Rainy Sunday Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 9:25 PM ET
By Wes Phillips

"Basically, what we're offering is some fun for a rainy Sunday afternoon," said Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal, who had two replacement I/V op-amp upgrades for the $2499 Prima Luna ProLogue Eight CD player. Both are ready to just pop in as replacements for the Eight's existing board. The Basic ("around" $150) has open slots for bypass capacitors and a heavy-duty PS. The Super ("around" $225) already has surface-mount caps and the HD PS installed.

"We offer the Basic for guys who like the smell of solder," said Deal. "Both are just meant to be fun—they increase bandwidth (about 10x) and slew-rate (50%), which means the Eight gets faster and more detailed. Some people are looking for that—some won't prefer it..

"I don't have a sophisticated marketing scheme. I just sell the stuff that I'd want to buy. Hopefully, other people do too."

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McIntosh Spins! Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 9:23 PM ET
By Wes Phillips

I got another chance to see—and this time, hear— the $9000 MT10 turntable. "You know, this product generated more comments in our CEDIA2007 blog than any other component."

"Yeah," said the McIntosh rep. "Mostly about how ugly it looks. I think it looks a lot better in person." Me, too—plus, they were playing a huge stack of new Warner Music Group LPs. What's cooler than new vinyl?

Big Mac is touting the MT10 as plug-'n'-play: Tracking force, antiskating, and cartridge "position" are preset at the factory. The tonearm has two horizontal sapphire bearings and two vertical ceramic bearings for "the possible friction." The ebony-bodied cartridge has an elliptical stylus and puts out 0.5mV.

"Did the speed meter say 78RPM in Denver?"

"Yep."

"I missed that detail."

"Yes, you did."

They say the real test of someone's beauty is if spending time with them is worth your while. The MT10 is growing on me—checking it out just might be time well spent.

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Totem's The One Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:58 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

Totem was showing their special anniversary model, The One ($3595). Along with Naim electronics, the sound created was powerful, fast, and fun. We listened to "How I Love That Woman," a soaring instrumental by Bob Brozeman.

And I could tell exactly how Brozeman loves that woman.

It's a serious kind of love. And it was clear that he was playing a National Baritone Tricone guitar. No doubt about it.

The One hits the US market in about three weeks. It's a beautiful speaker.

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Totem and Naim Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:55 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

Totem's The One sounded excellent with Naim's CDX2 CD player, amplification, and power supplies.

I'd never heard the Totems matched with Naim gear. "I really like this combination," I told Totem's Nico Bruzzese.

"We like to match our speakers with lots of different brands of electronics to show just how versatile they are," he replied.

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Totem's Tribe Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:53 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

As usual, Totem did a wonderful job of transforming their booth to provide a fun and distinct listening environment. The company was also playing their Tribe wall-mount, which provided a surprisingly robust sound.

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Going to Bed with the Vandersteens Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:47 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

It was late. I was exhausted. After a delicious dinner, I stopped at the Venetian with the intention of picking up my laptop, camera, and other heavy things before returning to my hotel room and passing out. When I reached the 29th floor, however, I ran into Richard Vandersteen and his family. They were also coming from a dinner, also looking exhausted.

"Stephen Mejias," announced Richard’s daughter, Jaclyn Gooding.

"Hello, Stephen," said Richard.

"Hello. How are you?"

"Doing good. Why haven't you been to our room?"

"I have been. Every time I stopped by, no one was there."

"How did you like the sound?"

"Nothing was playing!" I exclaimed—almost miffed, feeling righteous or something.

"You were in our display room," Jaclyn informed me. "We've got another room right around the corner."

"Oh. Well, bite my tongue."

"You wanna come in for a listen now?" asked Richard.

His wife's tired eyes shot open for just a second. But how could I say no? I was embarrassed. Plus: I had wanted to play a couple of songs for Jaclyn.

Once inside, the Vandersteens sat behind me, allowing me to relax in the sweet spot while we listened. The system included the very cool Aesthetix Callisto Eclipse line stage with dual power supply and remote ($22,000), dazzling Joule Electra VZN-160 Mk.III Grand Marquis monoblocks ($18,000/pair), and handsome Vandersteen Carbon Fiber 5A ($21,900/pair). I played Henry Fiol's "Ahora Me Da Pena." The sound was involving and gentle and true—that is, it matched my recollection of it in my own listening room. I mentioned this to Richard.

I listened and listened and listened, suddenly feeling revitalized. I played Orquesta La Conspiracion's "Sangre La Colora." I asked to hear something by John Lee Hooker. His voice was incredible, almost as if he was in the room. Beside me was a stack of wonderful music: Chet Baker, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles. I listened to another and another. I lost sense of time and place. I wanted to listen to more, share more.

Excited now, I turned around to ask a question.

It would have to wait. I whispered goodnight and let myself out.

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Hegel's Top-of-the-Line Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:43 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

I met Hegel's Bent Holter at HE 2007, and I was instantly attracted to his combination of tech-talk and passion for music. Bent is at once serious and strangely wacky.

When I asked if he'd please pose with his top-of-the-line CDP4A CD player ("Sorry about all the numbers and letters," he said), P4A preamp, and 2 x 300W H4A power amp—all making their US debuts—he immediately jumped down onto the floor and gave me a big smile.

The CDP4A ($4500) uses Hegel's own server board and offers 24-bit/352kHz synchronized upsampling. The P4A ($4500) is a fully-balanced preamp, and the big, class-A/B H4A ($8000) is designed to eliminate all crossover distortion for "a smooth sound with great dynamic range," said Bent.

Hegel's best-selling unit, however, is their H200 integrated amp which, according to Bent, provides 95% of the performance at just over a third of the price of their P4A and H4A.

I played a bit of Henry Fiol's great Fe, Esperanza, y Caridad, which sounded really fine—large and alive—and Bent got down.

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Getting Down with Hegel's Bent Holter Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:40 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

Bent Holter loves his work. And the camera.

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Atohm Grand Thrill Series Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:36 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

The Atohm Grand Thrill Series made its world premiere at CES 2008. Designer Thierry Comte is pictured here with the very handsome GT 1 bookshelf speaker which exhibited an almost uncanny ability to fill the room with deep, powerful bass. Highs were also impressive: crisp, clean, and fast. Overall, I felt the presentation was tightly focused and lively, without being overly sharp.

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The Atohm's Tweeter Control Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:33 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

Both the GT 1 bookshelf and GT 2 floorstander loudspeakers offer a handy tweeter control for "precise adjustment of the frequency response in relation to the listening room and associated equipment," said Thierry Comte.

The tonal shifts from "soft" to "medium" and from "medium" to "bright" were subtle, but noticeable.

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The Indiana Line Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:26 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

The totally new-to-me Indiana Line, imported by VMAX Services, was a great surprise. VMAX Service's Richard Kohlruss tells me the company's been around for 30 years. Their Arbour Series of loudspeakers are finished in an attractive real-wood cherry veneer with nicely rounded front panel edges. At just about 37" high and only 25lbs, the 5.02 is not only easy on the eyes, it's also practical for small listening rooms like mine.

Matched with Tangent Audio's budget-priced CD50 and AMP50 ($259 each), the Indiana Line 5.02 provided stable, appropriately-sized images spread across a wide and deep soundstage, and produced surprisingly full, controlled bass. The 5.02's down-firing reflex vent utilizes the low frequency reinforcement of the floor to move lots of air. Very fine.

The cost? Also very fine: $495/pair.

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Triangle's Quartet Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:21 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

You wouldn't tell by looking at him, but Martin Tremblay is camera-shy. He's modest, though he has every reason to be proud. Triangle's new Genese Series continues the French firm's tradition of sophisticated styling. With its slender, elegant cabinet and smooth, glossy finish, the $4900/pair Quartet descends from Triangle's Magellan Series and is just as lovely.

It uses a TZ2500 titanium-dome tweeter which is semi-pod mounted for "increased spatialization and reduced directivity," said Tremblay. Triangle's "Twin/Vent" system is said to reduce distortion and limit decay, while providing deep, tight bass.

Used here with the Hegel CDP 2A CD player ($2899) and exquisite Graaf GM50B all-tube fully-balanced integrated amplifier ($7000), the sound was fast and detailed without being harsh.

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Just Bananas Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 8:18 PM ET
By Stephen Mejias

After days filled with wildly-shaped loudspeakers constructed from all sorts of fantastic materials, I must say it was refreshing to see a familiar face—the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3, a speaker that looks like a speaker.

Bananas!

For this show, John DeVore dressed up his littlest monkey in a fine mahogany stain. The price remains the same: $2000/pair.

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PBN Montana's KAS2 Kicks... Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 5:59 PM ET
By John Atkinson

PBN's Peter Noerback had emailed me back in December about his new Montana KAS2 tower. The 300lb, 6'-tall speaker has twin 12" woofers top and bottom powered by a 1kW amplifier, with what appear to be top-of-the line 9" lower and 5" upper midrange units from SEAS flanking a 1.125" tweeter. An active, line-level bass extender, the Olympia EX, pushes the low-frequency extension below the resonance point of the woofers. Sensitivity is specified as a very high 93dB/W/m. The sealed cabinet features a solid-maple front baffle and is an asymmetrical hexagon in shape to minimize internal resonances. Price, considering the enormous size of the speaker, is a relatively realistic $38,000/pair, which includes the bass extender.

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Definitive Technology Shows Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 5:57 PM ET
By Larry Greenhill

"Wes Phillips said you would be coming by to take pictures of our loudspeaker," said Paul DiComo, Vice President of Marketing at Definitive Technology. Paul then took me over to a pair of the company's slim Mythos ST Super Tower loudspeakers driven by Pass Labs XA 100.5 100W solid-state monoblocks. Standing just over 48" tall, the speakers had a width of 6.75" and a depth of only 9.5" What a change from the massive transducers I had seen at other venues at CES 2008!

Taking me over to another pair with the front grilles removed, Paul (right) introduced me to Sandy Gross, Definitive Technology's founder and designer (left). Together, they described these slim towers in some detail. Each tower has two 5.25" cast-magnesium–basket, polymer-cone, upper midrange drivers surrounding a 1" aluminum-dome tweeter in a D'Appolito configuration. Lower down on the column, there is one 6" x 10" long-throw "racetrack shaped" driver coupled to two 6" x 10" long-throw "racetrack" passive radiators. Each Mythos ST column has a built-in, class-D amplifier to power the woofer.

I was most impressed by the deep and wide soundstaging I heard with the Mythoses playing the all-male chorus on Reference Recording's John Rutter Requiem. Good work, Paul and Sandy!

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Escalante's Pinyon Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 5:43 PM ET
By Larry Greenhill

Escalante Design's CEO and Founder, Matthew Waldron, and the company's design engineer, Tierry Budge, were on hand to introduce the $11,000/pair Pinyon, a lighter and less expensive version of their Fremont loudspeaker, which I review in the Febraury issue of Stereophile. Weighing 35 lbs each, the Pinyon includes two direct-coupled 6.5" woofers, and the same 1" ScanSpeak ring-radiator tweeter found in the Fremont. It comes with the Hoodooh Monitor stands that have a brushed aluminum inlay. Waldron had it playing with the 210 lb, 12", powered (500W), UINTA subwoofer, which is rated from 16–100Hz.

The same great bass was heard with this combination playing Master Tallis' Testament on the Pipes of Rhode Island (one of my 2008 "Records to Die For") that I first heard on the Fremonts at the 2007 Home Entertainment Show. This is no surprise, because the $7,500 UINTA has the same driver as in the Fremont.

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Eggleston's The Nine Loudspeaker Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 5:41 PM ET
By Larry Greenhill

Jim Thompson from Egg.Works, the firm that manufactures Eggleston loudspeakers, was eager to tell me more about the Eggleston Nine. I'd seen the firm's loudspeakers in many different CES suites over the years, but never had a chance to listen to them before.

Jim described the $12,900/pair Eggleston "The Nine" speakers as having a frequency response of 27Hz–24kHz and a voltage sensitivity rated at 88dB. The speaker's nominal impedance is 8 ohms with a minimum of 5.6 ohms, a very comfortable load for amplifiers. It uses a 1" cloth-dome tweeter, two 6" polypropylene-cone mid-bass drivers, and one 8" woofer in a dual-ported enclosure. Although it only stands just 42" tall, each enclosure weighs 120 lbs.

I was impressed by the smoothness, soundstaging, imaging, and transparency of these speakers.

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Hyper Chang Posted Sat Jan 12, 2008, 5:37 PM ET
By Jason Victor Serinus

In a room dominated by imposing Antique Sound Labs tube electronics and Reference 3A Grand Veena loudspeakers, the Chang folks were demonstrating their new Hyper Drive "hyper noise shunting mechanism." Designed to bring AC noise down further than conventional Chang Lightspeed power conditioners, the Hyper Drive will be incorporated into 2008 Reference models such as the Chang Mk III ($3500).

Paired with the Antique Sound Labs Cadenza DT 60Wpc push-pull amplifier ($6500) and Flora EX-DT preamp ($3000), Reference 3A 90dB-sensitive Grand Veena ($8000/pair), and a none-to-shabby EMM SACD player, the system absolutely captured the soul of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's artistry. The hyper drive, which was being demmed in external, switch-in/switch-out fashion, also successfully tamed a slightly obtrusive bright edge to the voice.

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