|
Recent Additions
Budget Components Audacious Audio J. Gordon Holt
Loudspeakers
Amplification
Digital Sources
Analog Sources
Accessories Listening / Art Dudley The Fifth Element / John Marks Music in the Round / Kal Rubinson Fine Tunes / Jonathan Scull Special Features Reference Interviews Think Pieces Historical Recording of the Month Records 2 Die 4 Music/Recordings Stephen Mejias Robert Baird Fred Kaplan Wes Phillips Audio News Past eNewsletters RMAF 2009 SSI 2009 CES 2009 RMAF 2008 FSI 2008 CES 2008 RMAF 2007 CEDIA 2007 HE 2007 FSI 2007 CES 2007 China 2006 RMAF 2006 HFN 2006 CEDIA 2006 HE 2006 FSI 2006 CES 2006 Forums Galleries Vote Previous Votes AV Links Audiophile Societies Contact Us Customer Service New Subscription Digital Subscription Renew Give a Gift Sub Services Recordings Backissues More . . . Phono Preamp Hi-Fi Phono Cartridge Amplifiers Stereo Speakers |
The Pot of Gold at Rainbow's End
I wouldn't be surprised if Peter’s SF-810 Strain Gauge phono cartridge achieves legendary status. Paired with the VPI HRX turntable, Schroeder Reference tonearm, and Silver Circle Power conditioner and cables, the Silversmith line-up—top-of-the-line Soundsmith Strain Gauge, Soundsmith SG-180 full-function, remote-control, 5-input preamp, HE 2006 300Wpc MOSFET power amp, and Soundsmith Monarch Bookshelf speaker—delivered some of the fullest, roundest, most colorful sound I encountered at the show. I found the sense of all-enveloping warmth heard from Peter's LP of vocalist Radka Toneff irresistible. Not only was her voice seductive, but the glistening sound of the piano accompaniment on high notes was a thing of wonder. It reminded me of the scent of spring flowers as they first open in the sun. Lord knows, the sound drew me into the music like a bee in heat. [Ulp—Ed.] Wilma Cosa Fine's Mercury Living Presence reissue of Antal Dorati conducting Stravinsky's Firebird raised the temperature a major notch, delivering the full colors and impact of the orchestra in a most thrilling manner. How Peter gets so much full-range sound (56Hz–22kHz) out of 14"-high speakers undoubtedly reflects his years as chief engineer of the Bozak Corporation. These are must-audition components, folks. Thanks, Peter, for closing the show for me on such a high note. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Odin: the Ultimate
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Salagar Active Speakers
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (3)
Steve McCormack & the VRE-1 Preamp
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
The ClairAudient Loudspeaker
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Aah, the mbls
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Listen Up
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
NSR: New Boys on the Block
Lots of folks were wowed by the D3 at RMAF. I look forward to making further acquaintance with the finished product. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Avalon Ascendant
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (3)
Let the Music Continue!
As I continued to listen to Stallings, then finally some of my own music, I remained transfixed by the system's fabulous, deep, recessed soundstage and its ability to communicate the heart of musical expression. No wonder. The system consisted of ESP Bodhran SE speakers ($16,000/pair) that feature 91dB sensitivity, 8 ohm impedance, and all new drivers, internal wiring, and crossover parts; Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference 110W class-A hybrid monoblocks ($21,690/pair) and LL2 Deluxe tube preamp ($4990); Argento Audio interconnects (distributed by Daniel Barnham of Half Note Audio); Abbingdon Music Research AMR CD-77 CD player ($8500); and Critical Mass Systems Grand Master Series Isolation Systems (price varies). Quite a system, and quite an experience. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Neutrality Rules
External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
The Rest of JA's RMAF System
I allowed listeners to compare the 24-bit, 88.2kHz-sampled master files for some of my Stereophile recordings with Red Book (CD) versions and MP3s encoded at either 128kbps or 64kbps. Despite what you might have thought from having read in the New York Times and other mainstream media, where MP3s are proclaimed as being of "CD quality," no-one had a problem hearing differences between the different versions of my recordings. And I was well pleased with the sound the system produced from my high-rez masters, even in the bare-walled room.
Thank You Roy
I photographed Roy with one of the Avalon Evolution NP2 speakers we were using, me for my digital dems and Roy for his analog set-up dems. At $1995/pair, the two-way Avalons were the least-expensive ingredient in the system, yet coped admirably with the wide dynamic range of my 24-bit, 88.2kHz master files. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
The Best-Laid Plans...
Wouldn't you know it: for the only time in three years, my right-channel interconnect decided to make only half a connection, throwing off the timbral balance and pushing everything over to the left. Because I was sitting way to the left to begin with, I didn't fully grasp the problem until more than half the visitors had left my house wondering why I thought my system was anything special. Well, a similar disaster happened to the Scaena room shortly before I entered the room. Given the positive critical response to the assembled components, I expected great things from George Bischoff's Scaena Model 3 loudspeaker system ($44,000 complete with woofers, electronic crossover, and subwoofer amp), ASR Emitter One 150Wpc integrated amplifier, Nova Physics Memory Player with tube-DAC output, Audience Adept Response Power Conditioner, and Silversmith Palladium cables. After having to wait several minutes for my Harmonia Mundi CD of Schubert's "Arpeggione Sonata" to rip to the Memory Player’s hard drive—pause for new pet peeve: exhibitors who only make a hard drive option available for playback limit visitors’ ability to play their own music—and doing my best to ignore the intrusive bass from the adjacent mbl room, I heard a very clear, focused presentation. While I noted fine overtones on the piano, there was nothing about the sound itself that put it in a class above "excellent hi-fi." It was only later, when I encountered Jeff of Silversmith in the hallway, that I learned that the cause of my dissatisfaction was a cable that had been plugged into the wrong receptacle. I was only able to return to the Scaena room for a few minutes, but what I heard sounded dramatically more natural and less "hi-fi" than on my previous visit. I wish I could have stayed longer, because there were indications of greatness in that room. Scaena's line-source speakers are based on a ribbon tweeter and a ceramic-cone midrange module that can be stacked 12, 15, or 18 high. This module was acoustically inert when subject to John Atkinson's standard knuckle-rap test. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Glorious Sound—The Essence of Music
I have this same LP at home. While I haven't played it for many years, I recalled that Baker's performance of Richard Strauss' "Wiegenlied" was the most sacred, intimate rendition of that song I have ever experienced. For this lullaby sung by a pregnant woman to her as-yet-unborn child, Baker chooses the slowest and softest tones imaginable. I have played many vocal recordings on many systems over the years. I've also attended a host of live recitals—recitals that have allowed me to sit in the first row for Susan Graham and Frederica von Stade, and the second row for Olga Borodina and the Takacs String Quartet. I have heard close up what great artists can do. But until now I have never—never, ever—heard a recording by one of the great vocal artists of our time reproduced on a system that allowed me to get so close. It was almost as if I was the microphone, and Baker was singing directly into me. I sat in near disbelief, enraptured by her ability to sing extremely softly with such depth of feeling and clarity of focus. I was equally enraptured by the system's ability to reveal so much detail without in any way sounding forced or etched. Thanks to the Musical Surroundings "Audio Unlimited" system, I experienced two miraculous performances at once. The equipment that made my visit to Audio Nirvana possible consisted of two brand new units and one prototype: the Pathos Endorphin CD player ($8500—not auditioned this time around but definitely on my wish list), Clearaudio Performance turntable/Satisfy Carbon Fiber tonearm ($2500), and Benz "Super Glider" prototype cartridge (estimated $3000). Equally important were the Focal Alto Utopia speakers ($20,000/pair), the extremely attractive Pathos Inpol2 integrated amp ($10,000), Aesthetix Io phono stage ($6,500), and Tara Lab cabling. A Running Springs Audio Jaco Conditioner may have also been used. Thank you, Garth. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (14)
Tenor is Back—Good Kharma Abounds!
I auditioned the Tenor Audio 350M Ultimate Reference monoblocks ($75,000/pair). These amps take two weeks to build, and feature all pre-burned in parts that are hand-matched. Paired with a North American premiere pair of Kharma Mini-Grand Ceramique speakers ($33,500/pair), which boast 92dB sensitivity and a 4 ohms impedance, and are specifically designed for small to medium-sized rooms, this admirably neutral-sounding system exhibited a magical sense of space. When I played a recording of one of Brahms' early piano trios, the sound of the piano and cello was to die for. The system lent especial body to the middle of the tone, which was special indeed. Lest I forget, the rest of the components were none too shabby. How about the mbl 6010-D reference stereo preamp ($19,680) and high-level Kubala-Sosna Emotion cabling? (I wish I could tell you what CD player was in use, but it was not included on the room’s crib sheet). Alas, I didn't have the opportunity to hear the Lamm LP-2 Deluxe phono stage and V.Y.G.E.R. Baltice M turntable/SME 312 tonearm and Air-Tight PC1 Cartridge, but I’m sure Michael Fremer has more than a thing or two to say about those babies. "The 350M looks the same as the old 300s because we couldn’t find a design we liked better," Fairhead explained, "but they are totally different inside." Though I would hardly complain about the old amps, I can't wait for my next opportunity to experience the new Tenors paired with the Kharma Mini-Grand Ceramique and the other components in the chain. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Happy Anniversary
This is a very different baby than what we've heard previously. All drivers have been changed, and are sourced from Europe rather than China. Most important, they have all been manufactured to perform at the same 89dB sensitivity (up from the original speaker's 87), which allows Albert to use a simplified crossover, with fewer parts in the signal path. Dusty Vawter of Channel Islands Audio (CIAudio, right) was displaying a lot of exciting, economically priced gear, some of which was already packed up on the last day of the Show to allow Dusty to fly home for his wedding anniversary. Thus I missed hearing the new VDC.SG upgrade power supply for the Slim Devices Squeezebox ($259), which is said to eliminate noise caused by the standard switching supply. When connected to the VDA-S/VAC.1 external DAC, CIAudio claims that you can create a wireless digital audio source that "competes with some of the world's most expensive CD players." I also missed the D-500 500W class-D monoblocks ($4500/pair), but greatly enjoyed the D-200 class-D monoblocks ($2299/pair), new PLC-1 Passive Line Controller full-function remote controlled preamp ($899), VDA-2 24/192 DAC ($599), and VAC.1 Upgrade Power Supply ($179). Paired with the Von Schweikerts and an Oracle CD player, this hardly burned-in system exhibited fine depth, good snap, a very solid midrange, and a large soundstage in which some sounds moved forward in a most captivating way. Few systems equipped with such relatively inexpensive components can reproduce piano overtones as well as this one. I look forward to hearing everything in completely finished, broken-in form. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
The Big Jump
For better or worse, Harrell powered the tweeter with a Cary SE1-Signature SET kit from Audio Electronics, the midrange with a Sound Creative SET that he bought on an eBay fire sale, and the woofer with an Audio Source 50Wpc solid-state amp. A Dynaco PAS3 preamp with upgraded power supply, Denon 2910 player modified by Underwood HiFi, PS Audio P300 Power Plant sent to MultiWave P4, and homemade 18-gauge silver-over-copper cabling completed the circuit. Talk about a grab-bag approach to sonics. The resultant presentation was sedate, polite, and relaxed, and exhibited significant midrange presence. How these speakers would sound with other electronics is yet to be revealed. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Air and Heart
The DeHavilland Electronics were paired with the Wilson Benesch Trinity integrated, stand-mounted, two-way monitor ($10,450/pair) mated with the W-B Torus infrasonic generator ($5950) and Torus Amp ($4350), Gamut CD player ($4000), and Kubala-Sosna Eagles speaker wire and interconnects. With the darker presentation common to most SETs, DeHavilland has achieved something very, very special. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
Art Loudspeakers' US Debut
In the second room, the larger Art Emotion Signature ($20,000/pair) was connected to AcousticPlan's Sarod tube preamp ($9300) and 50Wpc class-A hybrid tube amp, which features a triode input and MOSFET output ($9300). This system produced a fuller, warmer, extremely quiet, most inviting sound, with significantly more overtones and microtonal shadings, but there was also a hint of driver integration issues. External Link :: Blog Entry :: Comments (1)
1 2 3 4 Older Posts >
|







