Stereophile: Additionally, In Addition and Furthermore,

Every now and then, work infiltrates my dream-life. Deadlines, forum issues, an e-mail I forgot to respond to — these and other things have, at times, disturbed my gentle sleep.

I don't like that. In fact, it kind of pisses me off. I don't get paid to think about work while I'm sleeping. It's not all bad, though. Last night was filled with work-related thoughts, but they were sweet. I dreamt I had an iMod.

Funny, but true. It was one of those dreams that seemed to last the entire night. I had an 80GB iMod and I filled it with so much music, and I listened happily as all of my favorite songs played, randomly, one after another.

I don't remember much else, except that loading and listening to the iMod was a lot of fun. And I'm happy to tell you that this dream will soon be a reality. Red Wine Audio's Vinnie Rossi and ALO Audio's Ken Ball have teamed up to create an iMod and Dock Cable combo just for me. I feel kind of spoiled.

I will also soon be receiving (again, in real life) the Trends TA-10.1 amplifier, which I mentioned on Tuesday. If you're wondering, this is not a coincidence. Vinnie was also the first to tell me about the Trends, and, ever since, I have been hearing about it everywhere. So, I will listen to it myself, and let you know what I think. Koby Koranteng of Hi-Fi Logic in good old Maplewood, New Jersey — just a short drive from where I was born, on the opposite side of the Garden State Parkway — is pretty certain I'll be pleased. He even says he's got a loudspeaker that'll knock my socks off for a little under $900/pair. "Be ready to be amazed," he warns.

Additionally, in addition and furthermore, VMAX Services' Richard Kohlruss has agreed to let me listen to the entry-level Tangent integrated amp and CD player ($259 each), along with a pair of similarly inexpensive loudspeakers. I first discovered Tangent last summer while collecting data for the 2007 Buyer's Guide. We completely sold out of that little darling just yesterday, I'm happy to report. Just in time, in fact, for the preparation of the next Buyer's Guide. Our new intern, Ariel Bitran, will be enjoying (we hope) his first day with us tomorrow, and he'll be handling a lot of the heavy lifting: requesting information from manufacturers, making sure the data is presented properly, etc.

So. We've been busy. Busy having fun, making dreams come true. I think I might even have a subwoofer waiting for me at home. Oh, and a music lover named Glenn would like to know what I think about the Musical Fidelity 550K (that's the model number, not the price) Supercharger.

Musical Fidelity says that the Supercharger is one of the most exciting products they've ever produced. No big surprise there. It's a power amp, of sorts, which is placed in between your speakers and existing amplifier. Keep your present amp where it is. Now you have another. You disconnect the speaker cable from your loudspeakers and connect it to the Supercharger's input terminal. Then connect the Supercharger's loudspeaker cable to the speaker. Plug in the Supercharger, and it boosts the power of your existing amp, rated anywhere between 50 and 200W, to an enormous Musical Fidelity-approved 550W.

Hmm. That's a lot of power.

And, you know, Musical Fidelity believes in power. Super-powered amplification, they say, allows your system to reach its full potential. And we should all be able to reach our full potential, yes?

I'm happy to let you, Glenn, and anyone else who's interested, know that we currently have a 550K tubular tower of power on hand for review. If all goes according to schedule, that report should appear sometime after the August issue. I'm not sure, however, if I'll have the opportunity to listen to the intriguing 550K. I think I'll be too busy having fun with my iMod and little itsy-bitsy amplifiers.

< Previous Post | Blog Home | Next Post >

Reader Comments

Posted Fri Jun 1, 2007, 6:01 AM — By Guy F

Am I the only one who doesn`t see the point of the Supercharger? If you need more power, sell your amp and buy something bigger - don`t apply a bandage. I`ll bet a secondhand pair of Parasound JC1`s will put a bigger smile on your face than any MF "add-on".

Posted Fri Jun 1, 2007, 10:01 AM — By Christian

I got the promo email from MF as well. After reading it I remember thinking that sounds really cool. Then I thought, what is the difference between this and a pair of monoblock amplifiers. Unless you don't have pre-outs from your amp in which case wouldn't you be better served upgrading your integrated? I am curious no doubt, particularly about the price, but I am sceptical about what this product really does differently.

Posted Fri Jun 1, 2007, 8:24 PM — By Monty

I'll bet it has something to do with impedance correction.

Posted Mon Jun 4, 2007, 11:57 AM — By Christian

I think they have a pill for that now. How would such correction work? Is it possible to to tell if your amp has an impedance problem to see if such an upgrage would be helpful?

Posted Wed Dec12, 2007, 1:46 PM — By dayton donnelly

for anyone looking into the 550k supercharger. absolutly remarkable improvment for a low power fantastic tube amp.especially if,like me your driving high power (1kw) capable speakers. can`t say enough praise. keeps the magic of my amps intact, but added dynamics, impact, slam and resolution of detail that is stunning.

Add Comment