vienna acoustics` radical new speaker + vienna

Transcription

2009 Editors’
Choice AWARDS
DISPLAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15TH 2009
www.theabsolutesound.com
SEPTEMBER 2009
$6.99 us / $6.99 can / £4.50 uk
S T E R E O • M U LT I C H ANN E L AU D I O • M U S I C
Vienna
Acoustics’
Radical New
Speaker
+
Head-to-Head:
Amps at $1k & $40k
Tube Power
from Vincent
Munich High-End
Show Report
Contents
124 Vienna Acoustics “The Music”
Loudspeaker
“The Music” rewrites the rules of loudspeaker
design with a dual-pivoting top enclosure and
an innovative new concentric midrange/
tweeter. Jim Hannon reports enthusiastically
on the highly musical results.
21
This is the Big
One! Forty-two
pages of the best
gear in every
category at
every price.
2 September 2009 The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound September 2009 3
Contents
Equipment
Reports
8 Letters
10 From the Editor
12 Future TAS
New products on the horizon.
15 Industry News
We report from the Munich High-End
Show.
132 HP’s Workshop
HP hands out his own Editors’ Choice
Awards for 2009.
108 Spendor SA1
Loudspeaker
Steven Stone on why you must
hear Spendor’s latest effort in small
loudspeakers.
MUSIC
138 Feature
Blues for the 21st Century:
Will a New Queen Arise?
David McGee on three vocalists who
redefine the way we think about the
ladies who sing the blues.
140 Rock
New releases from Wilco, Jesse
Winchester, and Rhonda Vincent, a
four-disc retrospective of songmeister
Richard Thompson, and Jennifer
Warnes’ The Hunter on Cisco vinyl.
144 Classical
Mozart, Grieg, Wagner, and Bruckner
on newly recorded SACDs, Prokofiev
reissued on CD, and Esoteric’s ultrahigh-end and very pricey remasters of
three classics on SACD and vinyl.
148 Jazz
114 Vincent V-60
Integrated Amplifier
Neil Gader falls in love with tubes all
over again, courtesy of this Germandesigned and Chinese-built integrated.
118 Odyssey Khartago
Power Amplifier
Jonathan Valin reviews a sub-$1k power
amplifier? And loves it? You heard
right.
Recent offerings from Allen Toussaint,
Five Peace Band, and Grant Geissman,
plus reissues of Freddie Hubbard on
CD and Thelonious Monk on LP.
151 Top Ten
Wayne Garcia’s choices for the best
rock concerts on DVD.
152 Back Page
Charlie Randall of McIntosh Labs talks
with Neil Gader.
www.theabsolutesound.com
founder; chairman,
editorial advisory board
editor-in-chief
executive editor
acquisitions manager
and associate editor
music editor
and proofreader
Harry Pearson
Robert Harley
Jonathan Valin
Neil Gader
Mark Lehman
creative director Torquil Dewar
art director Shelley Lai
senior writers
Anthony H. Cordesman, Wayne Garcia,
Robert E. Greene, Chris Martens, Tom Martin,
Dick Olsher, Andrew Quint,
Paul Seydor, Alan Taffel
reviewers and
contributing writers
Duck Baker, Soren Baker, Greg Cahill,
Dan Davis, Andy Downing, Jim Hannon,
Jacob Heilbrunn, Sue Kraft,
Ted Libbey, David McGee, Bill Milkowski,
Derk Richardson, Don Saltzman,
Steven Stone
the absolute sound.com
executive editor Jim Hannon
NextScreen, LLC, Inc.
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Letters
e-mail us: [email protected]
or write us a letter: The Absolute Sound, 4544 S. Lamar, G-300, Austin, TX 78745
Budget
Pavarotti?
Build Your Own
Music Server
Did you ever hear Pavarotti sing a high C
up to a certain price level? Did you ever
see Dame Sutherland perform the best
Lucia you’ve heard for the money? Or
a Desdemona by Tebaldi up to a certain
price category? Maybe Jascha Heifetz
limiting his standards so that people could
purchase tickets for his performances?
TAS has consistently raised the bar
in reporting standards by separating
descriptions of equipment performance
from qualifications through price. That
is the way it should be. Description and
assessment of performance is just that,
and only that. Establishing value is entirely
different from describing performance.
It is so refreshing to read through most
of TAS free from the cliché “It is so
good at this price level . . ..” Yet, the crutch
pops up once in a while. See Anthony
Cordesman’s Golden Ear Award for the
Thiel 3.7 speaker: “It makes advances...
that I have not heard at anything like
its price.” Please, liberate us from this
reporting crutch. Just describe the
performance! If you must judge value, do
so independently of your performance
description. Just describe what it does.
Don’t lean on the price crutch! .
Steven Stone’s article on the Sound
Science Music Vault [Issue 193] was
interesting and well written. I am one of
the people who “cobbled together” my
home music server and wanted to share
that experience.
First off, I am very computer savvy.
Though not a computer technician I am
very comfortable with computers and
work for a software company. There
was a lot of troubleshooting and one
particularly stressful seven-hour day on
the phone with four different support
technicians located in the Philippines
(not fun). But at the end I do have a very
reliable, high-quality music server with
2.5TB (2500 gigabytes) of storage for
under $1000.
I started with an HP Home Server that
came loaded with Microsoft Home Server
on a 500-gigabyte hard disk that cost
approximately $500. I then purchased
two 1-terabyte hard disks from Amazon.
com for $200 (each drive from a major
brand was $100 and the price has dropped
since). I added the Logitech Duet ($300)
and installed its software on the Home
Server. Logitech says it doesn’t support
the Duet on the Microsoft Home Server,
but tech support still helped me.
Now I have 1500 CDs ripped in
Lossless WMA on my server (backed up
on a duplicate drive and still plenty of
space to grow) and have the Duet sending
the digital stream to my own DAC. The
Logitech remote control with its LCD
display has been just fabulous! Having my
entire music collection at full fidelity with
all the sorting capacities of any iPod is
truly wonderful. It’s like I’ve rediscovered
my music collection all over again!
I would not recommend this solution
to everyone—you have to have some
computer savvy and initially a lot of
patience. But if you’re on a tight budget
Carlos E. Bauza
Credit Where
Credit Is Due
Greg Cahill captured the essence of Dan
Hicks pretty much spot-on in his review
[Issue 193] with one important element
left out—no mention of the girls. The
sound of the Lickettes is a big part of
Dan’s signature sound. Of course, just
because my wife is one of them doesn’t
mean that I am in any way biased.
Joe Cohen
The Lotus Group
this system delivers the benefits of a
music server without the high price.
Once it’s up and running, there’s no
further maintenance unless you upgrade
the hardware or software.
After experiencing a digital music
server I would never go back to those
little shiny discs ever again. Arleigh Taylor
Biased Against
Tube Biasing
As a dedicated lover of tube playback
electronics, it was interesting to see that
Teac has introduced a new tube amplifier.
However, $19K for a 45 watt per channel
amp that can’t have the bias set at home
without voiding your 3 year warranty?
You have got to be kidding me. I just got
rid of an Audio Research VT-100 Mk. II
amp because I considered the mechanical/
electrical design fatally flawed because of
the tube-biasing scheme. Just to test/
set the bias on the output tubes requires
removing 27 screws from the top plate.
Need to change the driver tubes? Now we
get to warm the amp up for 30 minutes,
take off both side plates in addition to
the 27 screws on the top plate, and then
fiddle with balancing out the bias circuit.
Now Teac has done that bias scheme
one better by requiring its user to return
the amp to a dealer which may or may
not involve shipping costs each time as
well as the very real chance of incurring
damage every time you ship it.
The bottom line is that biasing output
tubes is a normal part of owning a tube
amp and manufacturers should not
expect or demand that their customers
return their amps to a dealer each time
bias needs to be checked or reset.
Based on Teac’s pricing model, I am
surprised my Jadis Defy 7 doesn’t cost
$100k when measured by build-quality,
looks, and sound quality.
Mark Pearson
FROM THE Editor
The 2009 TAS
Editors’ Choice Awards
How We Choose
In this issue you’ll find our 2009 Editors’ Choice Awards, the comprehensive feature
in which we list every product in every category that we recommend. At forty-two
pages, the Editors’ Choice Awards is by far the largest single feature we publish.
In some cases, however, one product is so clearly superior
to another of the same (or higher) price that we simply cannot
recommend the competitor. We can’t imagine any listener
preferring what we regard as the lesser product and so we
remove it from the list. This happens most often in digital
sources, where a new design outperforms older units.
We then ask the reviewers of the newly added products to
write the capsule descriptions. Those capsules are integrated
into the master document, and then the whole thing is edited
and prepared for layout.
It’s quite a process, but in the end we have a single feature
that represents the condensed wisdom (we hope) of the entire
TAS editorial staff and freelance writers who collectively have
more than 240 years of experience reviewing high-end audio
gear. Looking over the finished document, it struck me that
the TAS staff has listened to, and formed opinions about,
the roughly 500 products selected as winners of a 2009 TAS
Editors’ Choice Award. We hope that you find our selections a
useful guide in assembling or upgrading your music system.
TAS founder Harry Pearson’s selections can be found in
this issue’s HP’s Workshop.
If you haven’t been to www.avguide.com for awhile,
you’re missing a wealth of high-end audio news, stories, factory
tours, product previews, commentary, and other great reading.
For example, you can read about my experience with “The
Best Stereo System I Ever Heard” and Jonathan Valin’s visit
with some of Japan’s foremost audio artisans. Other topics
include a listen to Magico’s new Ultimate horn loudspeaker,
an illustrated tour of cable manufacturer Transparent Audio’s
factory, a loudspeaker 20 years in the making that uses 32
full-range 3" drivers, and “One of the Best Preamps You’ve
Never Heard,” to name a few.
The Absolute Sound’s Web site isn’t a one-way street; you are
welcome to comment on anything we say, or respond to other
readers. It’s an exciting and vibrant forum for TAS writers and
readers that I hope you’ll join—and it’s free. Robert Harley
TELL ROBERT WHAT YOU THINK HERE... avguide.com/BLOG
But how do we determine which products make the cut—and
which don’t?
We start by taking last year’s Editors’ Choice Awards
document and methodically fact-checking every listing to see
if the product is still current and available for purchase, if
there’s been a price change, and whether the product is still
handled by the same distributor. Discontinued products or
those that no longer have North American distribution are
automatically dropped. We next provisionally add to the list
every product that’s been reviewed in the intervening twelve
months.
Now that we have the raw material, the next step is a series
of marathon conference calls among Neil Gader, Jonathan
Valin, and me (the entire full-time editorial staff) to determine
which products from the previous years should remain,
which should be deleted, and which of the recently reviewed
products deserve to be added. We consult the reviews to see
how enthusiastic (or not) the writer was about the product,
and if there’s a question, I ask the reviewer if he or she thinks
the product is worthy of an Editors’ Choice Award.
But what makes a product worthy of a TAS Editors’
Choice Award? There’s one simple criterion: Would one of
us buy the product with our own money or recommend that
product to a close friend or relative? If the answer is “yes,”
the product stays. If not, it’s gone. It’s that simple.
What’s not so simple is when we encounter similarly
priced products that have different musical attributes or form
factors. For example, the category “Loudspeakers from $1500
to $2000” has nine entries, including such widely divergent
products as the PSB Synchrony Two, Tannoy Autograph
Mini, Magnepan MG 1.6, and the Reference 3A Dulcet. In
this case, we can envision a system, environment, and listener
that these loudspeakers will best suit. There’s no clear answer
to the question: “What’s the best $1500 to $2000 speaker?” All
we can do is give you a short list of speakers we’ve found to
have merit, and provide our view of each product’s strengths
and shortcomings. From there, it’s up to you to do your own
listening and find the best match for your musical priorities.
2008 Interconnect & Speaker Cable of the Year.
Robert Harley writes:
“...putting Oracle MA into the system rendered a jaw-dropping increase in bottom-end weight,
spatial resolution, and sheer naturalness. This cable must be heard to be believed.”
2008
Interconnect &
Speaker Cable “...Magnum MA...delivers many of the same sonic qualities for considerably less money.
of the Year Had I not heard Oracle MA, Magnum MA would be my reference.
Music Interface Technologies
More than Just Cable!
TM
®
4130 Citrus Avenue, Suite 9, Rocklin, CA USA 95677 Ph: 916/625-0129 www.mitcables.com
©2009 CVTL, Inc. All rights reserved
FutureTAS
Neil Gader
A Twin-Cartridge Solution
The Esoteric E-03 phonostage preamp boasts a signal path so direct and quiet that it eliminates
the need for the balanced circuits commonly used to achieve lower noise. This means zero
microprocessors and switching circuits in this no-holds-barred design. Highly configurable,
it features two analog phono inputs and fully adjustable input-signal settings with up to seven
impedance positions to accommodate two moving-coil cartridges. The E-03 also allows
selection of three different capacitance values for moving-magnet cartridges—0pF, 100pF, and
330pF. It is also equipped with a demagnetization circuit for path and cartridge. A three-pointsupport, dual-split chassis provides the rigidity and isolation that Esoteric is known for.
Price: $5500. esoteric.teac.com
Redefining Definition
Tannoy’s latest Definition range
represents the evolution of its
proven 8" and 10" Dual Concentric
drivers—reinforced by auxiliary bass
drivers in the floorstanding models.
The wideband tweeter is an ultra-rigid
titanium dome driven by a neodymium
magnet assembly rigidly coupled to
the rear of the acoustic cavity. The
bass-reflex cabinets are constructed
from top-grade birch plywood; the
trapezoid shape is engineered to
minimize resonances and internal
reflections. Each driver is coupled
to the cabinet with a unique bracing
mechanism for extreme rigidity.
The all-new crossover benefits from
Tannoy’s Deep Cryogenic Treatment
(DCT). High-purity silver-plated OFC
wiring is used throughout.
Price: DC8, $1800; DC8t, $2800;
DC10t, $3800. tannoy.com
Silence of the LAMMs
Two new preamplifiers join the LAMM family. The LL2.1
preamplifier replaces the LL2 and includes upgrades like builtin remote on/off for LAMM amplifiers, gain attenuation, new
internal parts, and some key schematic changes. It is available in two
versions—standard and deluxe, with the latter sporting a more robust
power supply and top-drawer polystyrene capacitors. The LAMM LL1
Signature is a monaural, pure Class A, single-stage, line-level, vacuumtube preamplifier with a separate power supply featuring a full-wave
vacuum rectifier. Specially selected high-transconductance dual triodes
are used in the signal path with TKD stepped potentiometers for
volume control. The preamp has three inputs, one tape/HT processor
loop, single-ended and pseudo-balanced outputs, and attenuation for
12dB gain reduction.
Price: LL2.1 deluxe version, $5990; standard, $5690. LL1
Signature, $42,690. lammindustries.com
Industry NEWS
ALAN SIRCOM
september 2009
The 2009 Munich
High-End Show
M
unich…best known for beer, BMWs, and now big, big audio. Over the
last few years, the Munich High-End show has eclipsed many other
formerly significant audio expos to become one of the most important
events in the world audiophile calendar. Running across four days in May (a trade
event Thursday and public admission Friday through Sunday), the show is held
across two upper and two lower halls in Munich’s MOC expo center.
A surprising number of big names from America were at the expo. Krell
and Audio Research (as well as Vienna Acoustics, vdH, and Sonus Faber) were
exhibiting in the Audio Reference stand. Inside the booth, Audio Research
was making one of the first public demonstrations of its extremely adjustable
Reference 2 phonostage, played through a pair of Vienna Acoustics Klimpt
“Kiss” loudspeakers and using an EAT Forte turntable. Among the American
products on demonstration, the YG Acoustics Anat Reference II and Kipod and
the Magico M5 were universally praised for making good sound, while perhaps
the most ambitious switcheroo demo of the show was run by the importers
of the likes of Ayre, Bryston, Mark Levinson, JBL, and Revel; the company
swapped between JBL Everest horns and Revel Salon2, both playing through the
new Mark Levinson SACD player, preamp, and No 53 power amplifier towers.
Set away from the show, Wilson Audio took a room in a nearby hotel to introduce
the newest addition to the family—Sasha, the
most radical change to the WATT/Puppy
loudspeaker design since its inception nearly
Wilson’s new
Sasha replaces
20 years ago. With a W/P 8 standing sidethe WATT/
by-side with the new speaker, the changes
Puppy 8
in the two designs were clearly evident and
the remodelled production/engineering
process has meant the newcomer is some
$3000 cheaper than its predecessor, and yet
promises to sound better than ever.
Industry NEWS
september 2009
Naturally, a German specialty audio
show has a lot of German specialty audio
on show. To many outside the country
that means Burmester. The company
gave an excellent demonstration of
its chrome-fronted Top Line product
range (CD, preamp, power amp, mains
conditioner, and loudspeakers), also
highlighting the Reference Line system
above this, and the two beneath the Top
Line products. The company was also
Transrotor’s
justifiably proud of its new automotive
new ’table feawing, as it had secured the exclusive
tures magnetic
bearings
audio system rights for the new
Porsche Panamera. “It says my name
six times inside the car,” giggled Dieter
Burmester. “It only says Porsche on the steering wheel!”
Shiny chrome is a common thread among German high-end, as are turntables.
Put the two together and you have Transrotor. The sci-fi Artus and the 1970schic-meets-21st-century-engineering Argos decks share completely decoupled
magnetic bearings, damped pendulum anti-vibration tables, and more chrome
than all the surviving Edsels on the planet. They also share a price tag in excess of
$150,000. Elsewhere, there were the new four-tonearm Tafelrunde deck from D
Klimo, a more down-to-earth $1400 Concept turntable package from Clearaudio,
the violin-bow arm on the piano-shaped Horo turntable (dedicated to Bill Evans,
apparently), and the first Thorens turntable not to look like it was designed in
the 1960s—the colourful TD309. Called the Tri-Balance, this new $1400 deck is
designed to be set up using just one Allen wrench; it includes a DC motor driven
by a switch-mode power supply and a feedback-based speed-control system.
New electronics were relatively thin on the ground. Budget superstars Cambridge
Audio announced its new Azur 650C $550 CD player and 650A $600 integrated
amplifier, with a soon-to-follow tuner in the wings. Creek Audio followed with its
new $1000-per-product Evolution 2 range of lower-priced electronics. Meanwhile,
Arcam and Pioneer announced new Blu-ray devices. As did Goldmund (its
$140,000 player set tongues wagging). By way of contrast, Gryphon’s Scorpio
CD player and Antila integrated amp suddenly sounded like bargain basement
products at a mere $10,900
apiece.
And then there’s Finite
Elemente. The German stand
Bow Technologies Wizard CD
player
Chord
electronics
and Kharma
loudspeakers
Industry NEWS
september 2009
designed to work in free space, its big
claim to fame is the first use of a fully
isolated Balanced Mode Radiator drive
unit for midrange and treble. BMR
designs act like a conventional pistonic
drive unit at lower frequencies, but more
like a NXT panel or an electrostatic
panel in the treble. Naim speakers have
ARC’s Terry
struggled to find favor with non-Naim
Dorn demo’s
the Reference
users in the past, but this might be the
2 phonostage
exception.
The High End show remains one
of
the most exciting events on the
Four tonearms, anyone?
company has been working
audiophile calendar. Numbers overall
A spangling Klimo turntable.
with the Fraunhofer Institute
were down from last year, although
to develop an active equipment
not as substantially as many expected
support. The unnamed, unpriced
and—despite the home soccer team
prototype used piezo-electric devices on the shelves that deliver
having a vital end-of-season playoff on Saturday—the halls
resonance-cancelling signals on the fly. Finite Elemente had a
and rooms were busy across the whole weekend. And that’s
cool demonstration using a tuning fork; this worked normally
worth celebrating—bring on the weißbier! TAS
and then went completely dead when the piezo devices were
turned on.
In another “concept car” design,
KEF Audio showed its Blade
loudspeaker. Unlike the Finite
Elemente stand, this is unlikely to
make it to market, but Blade shows
what happens when designers
are given free rein to develop a
product without boundaries. Forcecancelling, side-firing drivers, a
custom-made Uni-Q speaker, and a
unique-looking woven-carbon-fiberover-balsawood cabinet all made
for a stunning sound. Pity it’ll never
make it to the shops.
The Brits have always been well
known for loudspeakers, and they
didn’t disappoint at Munich. Studiomeets-the-home expert PMC announced its new Fact range of
speakers, starting with the $7500 Fact
8 floorstander. This transmissionline speaker features drivers made
specifically by the company for the
Fact range. A stand-mount speaker
is expected very soon…and that’s a
Fact!
Last, but by no means least, Naim
Audio announced its new $10,000
Ovator S-600 floorstanding speakers.
One of the first Naim speakers
TAS 2009 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Welcome to the 2009 edition of The Absolute
Sound’s Editors’ Choice Awards, our annual
Recommended Products list. On the following pages
we present the gear that our editors and writers
have selected as most worthy of your consideration.
These are the components we ourselves would
buy—or recommend to friends and family. Each product
category is divided into price ranges, with components
listed in order of ascending cost (though a few items,
like cables and accessories, are listed alphabetically for
clarity’s sake). Each recommendation is also accompanied
by a capsule review, the original reviewer’s name or initials,
and the issue the review appeared in. Note that in a few
cases a product may have been reviewed in one of our sister
publications, Playback or AVguide.com, or the review may
be pending publication, or the product may not have been
formally reviewed but earns a recommendation based on one
or more writer’s extensive experience with it.
Given that this is the high end,
where components generally
have long lifespans, some of our
recommendations look back
several years. At the same
time, in an effort to be as
selective as possible, we have
dropped some components
that appeared on last year’s
list, usually because they
have been discontinued but
sometimes because fresh
competition has caused
us to reconsider.
TAS founder Harry
Pearson’s selections
can be found in this
issue’s HP’s Workshop.
LOUDSPEAKERS
Loudspeakers
Under $500
PSB Alpha B1
$279
psbspeakers.com
GE
07
Yet another “how does he
do it?” loudspeaker from the
prolific mind of Paul Barton.
The new, more curvaceous
Alpha combines mind-bending
dynamics and rich mids in
a speaker barely a foot tall.
Even the midbass has a power
and pitch definition rarely
experienced in this modest
price range. Only the nebulous
soundstaging is less than
excellent. Reviewed by Neil
Gader, Issue 170
KRK Rokit 6
$398
krksys.com
An entry-level active mini with
warmth, presence, and a lavish
soundstage. The Rokit 6 has a
distinct dynamic comfort zone
that should limit it to smaller
rooms. True to its pro-monitor
roots there’s plenty of versatile
input connectivity. A fine, dualpurpose, portable speaker that
proves that even a pro-monitor
can cater to the new breed
of multitasking, downloading
audiophiles. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 191
Paradigm Mini Monitor V.6
$478
paradigm.com
The newest version of
Paradigm’s second-leastexpensive speaker provides
more than a taste of what music
sounds like played through
speakers made by people
who care about the sound of
live music. The Minis offer a
surprising level of sonic quality
for a ridiculously low price.
They aren’t elegant looking, but
if you close your eyes you won’t
care. Reviewed by Steven Stone,
Issue 190
Usher S520
$479
usheraudiousa.com
Four things distinguish Usher’s
P-3ES2s, the Triangle speakers
display similar upper bass and
lower midrange. Once broken
in the Titus EX makes beautiful
Gallic-flavored music. Reviewed
by SS, Issue 186
S520 from run-of-the-mill, sub$400 mini-monitors: a crisp and
revealing treble, an unusually
open and dynamic midrange,
taut and surprisingly extended
bass (no midbass hump here),
and eye-popping build-quality.
One caveat: The S520 needs
lots of break-in, so be patient.
Reviewed by Chris Martens in
AVgM, Issue 10
AV123 X-Static
$999
av123.com
Focal 705V/706V
$495/$650
focal.tm.fr
Although nominally a bookshelf
speaker, the Focal 706V delivers
an oversized presentation,
with the bass power, weight,
and extension of many small
floorstanding units. Highly
dynamic and visceral, it has a
forward perspective that puts
vocals right up front. Shines
on rock, blues, and orchestral
music. Highish sensitivity makes
it an easy load for an amplifier.
If you can get by with a little
less bass extension and output
consider the 705V for $150 less.
Reviewed by Robert Harley,
Issue 173; 705V reviewed by SS,
Issue 183
$500–$1000
Magnepan MMG
$599
magnepan.com
GE
08
PoY
07
At just under $600, it is hard to
imagine a better speaker than
this mini-Maggie, provided
you have the space and a
powerful-enough amplifier. Like
all Maggie dipoles, the thing
sounds open, airy, coherent, and
unusually lifelike. Not the last
word in resolution, low bass, or
top treble, the MMG’ll still give
you a larger taste of high-end
sound than virtually anything at
or near its price. Reviewed by
Jonathan Valin, Issue 177
B&W 685
$650
bwspeakers.com
GE
08
PoY
07
B&W’s 685 has fine balance,
tremendous rhythmic authority,
an open soundstage, impressive
bass response, and a singing
treble; it plays loudly without
strain, and, thanks to a forwardfiring port, it can be mounted
on a wall, shelf, or stand. A
slight, lingering edginess in
the very upper treble makes it
both exciting to listen to as well
as slightly sharp with female
voices. Reviewed by Wayne
Garcia, Issue 176
PSB T45/55 $799/$949
psbspeakers.com
As successors to the popular
Image Series, the T45 and
T55 had big shoes to fill.
These small and mid-sized
floorstanders do not disappoint.
Both are well balanced tonally,
with superior driver integration,
excellent output capability, and
a fair amount of extension.
Soundstaging is merely
adequate, and the treble is
coolish, but macrodynamics are
gutsy and fine details delicately
reproduced. T45 reviewed by
Jim Hannon, AVgM, Issue 11;
T55 reviewed by NG, Issue 152
Triangle Titus EX
$995
vmax-services.com
Within its SPL limits the
Titus delivers surprisingly
good sound. Its exponential
horn tweeter is physically
time-aligned behind the
midrange/woofer, and this
phase coherence produces
very accurate imaging and
soundstage reproduction.
Compared with the classic
“British sound” of the
comparably sized Harbeth
Although its price has gone
up since our review appeared,
AV123’s X-Static remains a
stunning value. Designed in
Colorado and built in Colombia,
this medium-sized, open-baffle,
D’Appolito-configured tower
is very musical, developing
a remarkably large, threedimensional, almost spooky-real
soundstage. The only quibble
is a slight grainy texture in the
midrange. Internet-direct sales
only. Reviewed by WG, Issue
189
$1000–$1500
B&W CM1
$1000
bwspeakers.com
Like many small speakers, this
tiny, jewel-like mini-monitor
trades bass extension and wide
dynamics for midrange purity.
Through the mids, the CM1 is
magical, with a timbral realism,
freedom from grain, palpability,
and lack of coloration that
many five-figure loudspeakers
don’t deliver. Stunning on vocals
and small-scale acoustic music.
Reviewed by RH, Issue 173
PSB Imagine B
$1000
psbspeakers.com
Think Imagine T minus
a midbass driver and a
floorstanding enclosure. There’s
the same voice in the expressive
midrange and treble and, with
only minor exceptions, the same
superb balance. The B can’t
quite chew on bass lines and
kick drums and organ riffs as if
they were rice cakes like the T
can, but as if to compensate the
B seems a bit lighter and fleeter
of foot in the upper mids and
lower treble. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 189
LOUDSPEAKERS
PoY
05
Magnepan MG12/QR
$1195
magnepan.com
Revel Concerta F12
$1498
revelspeakers.com
This affordable two-way quasiribbon takes you remarkably
close to the best performance
Magnepans are capable of.
When it is properly placed—
around three feet from walls—
its clarity is addictive, with a
wide deep soundstage and
terrific transient response. The
MG12 performs satisfyingly
down to about 50Hz, and
because of its larger panel has a
slightly bigger soundfield than
the amazing bargain-basement
MMGs. Reviewed by JV, Issue
177
The Concerta F12’s greatest
strengths are extended bass
response, a neutral tonal
balance, midrange nuance, and
wonderfully consistent voicing
from top to bottom. Though it
may not offer the last word in
transparency or the nth degree
of bass articulation, this speaker
is easy to drive with real-world
amps, and always produces an
inviting, well-balanced sound.
Reviewed by Arnie Williams,
Issue 157
Spendor S3/5R
$1395
bluebirdmusic.com
Now in its third iteration,
designated by the “R” suffix,
the S3/5R boasts greater
neutrality, for a tonal balance
of strong appeal to those
who value musical naturalness
above all else. Deep bass is
wholly lacking, midbass is
modest, and loudness levels
are extremely limited, meaning
that small‑room applications
and moderate playback levels
are mandated. But within these
restrictions, a very accurate and
musical subcompact monitor.
Reviewed by Paul Seydor, Issue
182
$1500–$2000
PSB Synchrony Two B
$1500
psbspeakers.com
Another brilliant two-way
compact from the wand of Paul
Barton and crew. The “MiniMe” to the larger Synchrony
Two, the Two B is more of
a classic “voice” speaker and
a windfall for choral-music
listeners and singer/songwriter
aficionados. Capable of solid
60Hz extension, the Two B only
shows a bit of port push and
wobbly pitch as it approaches
its bottom-end bump-stops. A
decathlete with a well-honed
balance that few competitors
will be able to match. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 177
Vienna Acoustics Haydn
Grand $1495
sumikoaudio.net Sheer transparency
and musicality make this
Viennese mini as sweet as a
Sacher torte. Factor in the
exquisite construction and
finish, the richly detailed
midbass, and stunning
soundstaging, and the result is
nothing less than one of the
high end’s great little values.
Only a bit of spotlighting in
the treble suggests a less than
neutral tonal balance but it’s
a minor glitch in an overall
glowing effort. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 176
Reference 3A Dulcet
$1790
reference3A.com
True to its name, this Canadian
bonbon produces smooth
and melodious sound, and
as a bonus is reasonably well
balanced through the bass
range. Its sonic demeanor is
such that it should happily
partner with even-less-thansterling digital front ends.Reviewed by Dick Olsher, Issue 171
Tannoy Autograph Mini
$1799
tannoy.com
“Easily the best desktop
monitor I’ve heard,” says TM.
These speakers aren’t going
to fill a large room, but from
2 or 3 feet away they sound
phenomenal. They may be
expensive for their size and
application, but how many
other sub-$2000 audio products
give you a solid glimpse of the
state-of-the-art? Reviewed by
Tom Martin, Issue 169
Magnepan MG 1.6QR
$1895
magenpan.com
Now a recognized classic, the
Magnepan’s MG 1.6 is simply
one of the greatest high-end
speaker values. Its bass is well
defined and tuneful down to a
respectable 40Hz; its highs are
sweet albeit a bit soft; its mids
are magical. A music lover’s
delight, it needs space and
power to sound its best. The
speaker JV himself would buy,
were he shopping in this sector.
Reviewed by JV, Issue 124
Quad 22L.2
$1900
quad-hifi.uk.co
According to JH, the 22L
“comes closer to my beloved
electrostats than any other fullrange speakers with dynamic
drivers I’ve heard under $2k.”
Strengths include excellent
lateral imaging, vivid and threedimensional soundstaging, very
low distortion and coloration,
and high timbral accuracy. For
even more dynamic oomph and
deep-bass extension, add Quad’s
L-series subwoofer. Reviewed
by JH, Issue 156
Harbeth HL-P3ES2
$1995–$2495
fidelisav.com
This latest version of Alan
Shaw’s subcompact monitor is
so cannily designed it almost
transcends the limitations of
its genre. Neutrality and natural
tonal balance reign supreme,
but the Harbeth can also play
loud and descend to depths
in the bass that leave both the
original LS3/5a and its other
British derivatives at the post.
Exceptional driver integration,
coherence, and openness also
characterize the design. PS’s
favorite mini-monitor. Reviewed
by PS, Issue 193
Epos M16i
$1999
musichallaudio.com
An English-designed, Chinesebuilt speaker possessing truly
special performance qualities,
the Epos M16 can whisper
yet still be clearly heard; it can
play loudly without getting
aggressive; it is tonally quite
neutral, has excellent rhythmic
drive, and, with the best
recordings, can do quite the
disappearing act. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 179
DALI Ikon 6
$2000
dali-usa.com
PoY
06
If power, substance, and clarity
are important qualities to
you, the DALI Ikon 6 should
be on your very short list.
This speaker is easy to drive,
effortlessly delivers the goods
dynamically, and has a smooth
overall balance. The midrange
and treble are a touch forward,
so match electronics with care.
Reviewed by Robert E. Greene,
Issue 164
KEF XQ20
$2000
kef.com
Based on KEF’s signature Uni-Q
driver array and equipped
with a dispersion-controlling
“tangerine” waveguide, the
XQ20 offers a remarkably
open and focused sound, with
stunning 3-D imaging that
remains convincing even when
you sit off-axis. Though not
the last word in dynamic clout
or deep bass, it delivers sonic
LOUDSPEAKERS
refinement out of proportion
to its price. Reviewed by CM,
Playback Issue 20
PSB Imagine T
PoY
08
$2000
psbspeakers.com
Tonally neutral and dynamically
turbocharged this short, two-anda-half-way tower offers a balance
of audio virtues that is classic
PSB. From the vivid midrange
to the powerful and extended
midbass, nothing seems out of
joint. And that goes for the T’s
seamless, curvilinear enclosure,
the lack of exposed hardware,
and the luxe fit ’n’ finish. Not as
nuanced as Synchrony but more
than good enough to make you
feel like a big spender. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 189
$2000–$3000
MartinLogan Source
$2195
martinlogan.com
GE
08
PoY
08
This modestly sized, attractive,
two-way, electrostatic/cone
hybrid sounds astonishingly like
a “single-driver” speaker, with
simply outstanding transient
response (particularly in the
midband), superior low-level
resolution, and superb treble.
Though the Sources don’t
soundstage as well as certain
other speakers and are a little
“forward” in imaging (sort of
like headphones), they are still
one of the best electrostatic
hybrids ML has yet offered.
Spendor SA1
$2195
spendoraudio.com
Due to its not insubstantial
price the Spendor SA1 has a
lot of competition for your
attention. But for a small
listening room the SA1 may well
prove to be a more musically
rewarding choice than the
vast majority of larger, more
physically imposing transducers.
If you are assembling a highend nearfield computer desktop
system the Spendor SA1
definitely deserves to be among
your Top Five must-audition
options. Reviewed by SS in this
issue
Vandersteen 2Ce Signature II
$2195
vandersteen.com
PoY
02
This classic three-way
floorstander delivers excellent
top-to-bottom balance and an
engaging musicality. Moreover,
Vandersteen’s baffle-less, timeand-phase-coherent design can
suggest the spatial focus usually
heard with planars. It benefits
from bi-wiring and should
be placed away from walls.
Reviewed by Shane Buettner,
Issue 139
Sonics Anima
$2600
immediasound.com
Just thirteen inches tall, the
Anima reveals all kinds of colors
and details in the midbass and
gives a very satisfying impression
of low-frequency muscle. It
also delivers harmonics and
speed akin to a ribbon driver.
Dynamics are a bit pinched
with orchestral fireworks, and
the slight elevation of the lower
treble adds whitish sparkle and
detail, but overall this is a very
serious speaker. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 172
Usher Be-718
$2795
usheraudiousa.com
a single 6.5" mid/bass driver to
DALI’s hybrid dome/ribbon
tweeter module. Exceptionally
quick, clear, and free from
overhang, it combines low tonal
coloration and agile dynamics
in a musically compelling blend.
Emerald Physics CS 2
$2995
emeraldphysics.com
A pair of dipole woofers
in a baffle combined with a
forward-radiating wave-guided
compression driver (operating
above 1kHz) and knit together
by an external digital signalprocessing crossover makes for
remarkably truthful and musical
sound of considerable dynamic
capacity, surprising bass
extension, ultra-precise stereo
imaging, and very flat response.
Bi-amplification is required.
Unusual but fascinating.
Reviewed by REG, Issue 188
and bottom octaves, the
Synchrony Two offers bonerattling, dynamic excitement in a
sleek, five-driver, two-way, bassreflex design. Two of its woofers
high-pass to the tweeter at
differing frequencies, giving this
PSB marvelous coherence and
extension from bottom to top. A
slight dip in the presence range
and some residual lag in the bass
suggest that careful attention to
setup is required. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 177
Harbeth C7ES-3
$3495–$3795
fidelisav.com
GE
07
Arguably the ne plus ultra of
BBC two‑way designs, with bass
down to 46Hz, an essentially
perfect midrange, and a top
end that reproduces ambience
fantastically well. The 7ES‑3 will
play loud enough for serious
music listeners (though not for
head-bangers). With respect to
accuracy, neutrality, and natural
tonal balance the 7 establishes
for PS a new benchmark for
compact two‑ways. Reviewed by
PS, Issue 171
ProAc Response D2
$3500
proac-loudspeakers.com
PoY
07
$3000–$5000
A return to form for ProAc’s
founder and chief designer
Stewart Tyler. The compact
two-way D2 channels the ghost
of the legendary Response 2
and ups the ante with improved
extension at both frequency
extremes and higher output,
along with the stunning imaging
and soundstaging that have
been hallmarks of Proac from
the earliest days of the Tablette.
Only a hint of port noise and
some upper-treble brightness
color what is an altogether richly
satisfying listening experience.
Reviewed by NG, Issue 186
This stand-mount two-way
delivers surprisingly deep bass
extension from its 7" woofer,
and the beryllium tweeter is
clean, sweet, extended, and
highly resolving. The Be-718’s
treble reproduction is notable
for its lack of grain and glare,
even when pushed hard.
The spatial presentation is
spectacular, with a wide deep
soundstage. A great speaker and
a tremendous value. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 176
Definitive Technology Mythos
STS/ST
$3000/$4000
PoY
07
definitivetech.com
DALI Mentor 2
$2800
dali-usa.com
PSB Synchrony Two
$3000
psbspeakers.com
Totem “The One”
$3595 ($4170 with
T4S stands)
totemacoustic.com
Falling midway between the
Ikon and Helicon lines, the
stand-mounted Mentor 2 mates
A sonic extrovert, with a dark
voluptuous tonality that reaches
deep into the lower midrange
A fitting salute to Totem’s 20th
Anniversary, the limited edition
The One is a superb small
The ST, and its slightly scaleddown brother, the STS, deliver
exceptional sound quality in
an easy-to-drive package. With
integral powered woofers and
whopping 93dB sensitivity, the
STS and ST can be driven to
satisfying levels with moderately
powerful amplifiers. Reviewed
by CM, Issue 178
GE
09
LOUDSPEAKERS
monitor delivering exceptional
coherence, a large holographic
soundfield, a defined yet never
too bright treble, and surprising
wallop in the bass. The
midrange is warm and natural,
with essentially no sound from
the enclosure. Most importantly,
The One grabs your emotions,
making for addictive listening.
Reviewed by WG, Issue 184
Gershman Sonogram
$3695
gershmanacoustics.com
PoY
08
A high-output, three-way
floorstander with near-fullrange capabilities and priced to
move, the Sonogram is both
lively and balanced with almost
inextinguishable dynamic
reserves. Despite a bit of added
emphasis in the sibilance range
and some vagueness of pitch
in the bass, the Sonogram
succeeds in providing nothing
less than an Old School E-ticket
ride. It delivers—often on a
thrilling scale. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 186
hybrid-electrostatic line. The
mids flow naturally with
commendable clarity. Imaging
cohesiveness is superb. Tonal
balance is on the lean side,
which suggests placement near
room corners. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 168
Acoustic Zen Technologies
Adagio
$4300
acousticzen.com
The Adagio’s strength is a
clarity that spans its entire
range. Elements of its design—
transmission-line mid/bass
enclosures, modified circular
ribbon drivers—contribute
not only to the speaker’s
overall lucidity, but also to its
seamlessness, tonal accuracy,
sparkle and sweet detail in the
highs, richness and nuance in
the mids, and depth and detail
in the bass. The soundstage is
satisfying. Reviewed by Sallie
Reynolds, Issue 162
Vandersteen 3A Signature
$3950
GE
02
vandersteen.com
Like all Vandersteens, the 3A
Signature is time-and-phase
accurate. Its driver complement
features the patented midrange
and tweeter used in the
vaunted Vandersteen 5. The
3A Signature has a relaxed
presentation, is musically
seductive, and will appeal to
those who want to forget about
the sound and enjoy the music,
though it does trade off some
dynamic contrast and midrange
resolution for its overall ability
to involve the listener. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 122
MartinLogan Vista
$4295
martinlogan.com
Those of you in search of the
closest approach to midrange
realism would be hard-pressed
to do any better than the
Vista—one of the smallest
and most affordable members
of MartinLogan’s revamped
Focal 1007Be
$4495
audioplusservices.com
These superior two-way minimonitors may not take you all
the way to Magico Mini Land,
but they’ll drop you off in a
nearby neighborhood for onesixth the price. Subjectively,
a little tipped toward the
treble in balance (despite their
exceptionally flat frequency
response), they are models of
transparency and resolution,
with simply phenomenal
soundstaging (as is the case with
all really good two-ways).
sonic virtues that earned its big
brother, the Total Eclipse, a
2001 Golden Ear Award. The
midband is slightly warm, with
highs that are gloriously open,
tight, and extended, and bass
that is well controlled. Mirrorimage side-firing 8" woofers
can be positioned facing in
or out, necessitating some
experimentation for proper
room setup. Reviewed by Sue
Kraft, Issue 146
Sunfire CRM-2 satellites and
Sunfire SRS-210E SubRosa
subwoofer
$4600 ($1600 for CRM2/$3000 for SRS-210E)
sunfire.com
The CRM-2 packs a 5'-long
ribbon driver into an enclosure
you can hold in the palm of
your hand. Augmented by
dual 4.5" side-firing bass/
midrange drivers, the CRM-2
offers the seamless coherence,
transient quickness, and low
coloration inherent in ribbons.
Soundstaging is spectacular.
Careful setup is essential to
realizing the CRM-2’s potential.
Must be used with a Sunfire
subwoofer. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 184
Magnepan MG 3.6
$4995
magnepan.com
Yet another great deal from
Magnepan, this large, fullrange ribbon/quasi-ribbon
dipole gives you much of
the phenomenal detail and
transparency of its big brother,
the 20.1, for considerably less
moolah. As with the 20.1, be
sure to bring a high-power,
high-quality amp to the party,
and make sure you have
sufficient space to let these
things “breathe” or the ribbon
tweeter will start to glare.
$5000–$10,000
Coincident Partial Eclipse II
$4499
coincidentspeaker.com
Sonics Amerigo
$5500
immediasound.com
A three-way floorstander, the
Partial shares many of the same
The first Sonics model
manufactured in the U.S.,
this three-way, bass-reflex
floorstander is an unalloyed
success with a clean, nearly
boxless character, fast microdynamic reflexes, and a
superior spacious presentation.
Musically its attention to detail
is classic Joachim Gerhard
(known for Audio Physic
prior to launching Sonics).
Its understated beauty and
excellent fit and finish make this
wideband, full-bodied speaker a
standout in its class. NG, review
forthcoming
Pioneer S2-EX
$6000
pioneerelectronics.com
GE
07
Making TAD technology more
affordable, Pioneer offers a
three-way stand-mount with
pinpoint imaging and powerful
dynamics that put many
floorstanders to shame. The
S2-EX’s coincident midrange/
beryllium tweeter is stunningly
fast and accurate. Maybe a bit
clinical up top, but remarkably
uncolored overall. You’ll never
again feel the same about
a stand-mounted speaker.
Revel Performa F52
$6998
revelspeakers.com
PoY
06
A near paradigm of tonal
neutrality with muscular
dynamics, unflappable
composure at insane levels, and
superior construction quality
and finish. Capable of playing
all musical genres with class
and confidence. Some may
quibble about a minor forward
tilt, or a treble that could use a
bit more bloom, or a shallow
soundstage. Still, this is one of
the great values to come down
the high-end pike. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 162
Hyperion Sound Design HPS968
$7000
hyperionsound.com
JH’s new valued-priced, fullrange, dynamic-loudspeaker
reference achieves a level of
transient quickness, immediacy,
LOUDSPEAKERS
soundstage depth, and clarity
that is difficult to match at any
price. While setup is a bit tricky
for one person, the speaker
is quite efficient and couples
easily with more affordable
electronics, offering smoothness
with a touch of warmth, plus
very good dynamic impact and
detail. Reviewed by JH, Issue 186
A refined speaker that can also
rock, the Rienzi’s unusual bass
enclosure allows owners to
choose either a front- or rearfiring arrangement, which adds
flexibility to room placement.
Esoteric MG20
$7800 includes stands
esoteric.teac.com
Detailed, yet relaxed, the Piega
caresses musical lines with
speed, finesse, and no artificial
aftertaste. A proprietary coaxial
ribbon is responsible for pure
textures through the critical mids
and upper octaves. Forget British
mini-monitors—the Piega is the
champ when it comes to imaging
precision and stability. Slightly
laid-back balance, with limited
bass extension. Subsonics are
an issue during vinyl playback.
A subwoofer is recommended.
Reviewed by DO, Issue 176
GE
08
A musically compelling
performer, with exceptional
coherence, transient speed, and
resolution due to exclusive use
of magnesium-alloy diaphragm
technology. Images like a minimonitor with tight and palpable
outlines. Nicely balanced with
sufficient mid- and upper-bass
energy to properly flesh out the
power range of an orchestra.
Deep bass extension is limited
to about 45Hz. Requires at least
40Wpc. Reviewed by DO, Issue
177
Gradient Helsinki 1.5s
$7999
www.gradient.fi
GE
08
This unusual design from
Gradient’s Jorma Salmi, with
wave-guided tweeter, discmounted midrange, and sidefiring dipole woofer, is intended
to erase your listening room
from the sound you hear. And
it delivers the goods: Few other
speakers can give you an equal
sense of being transported
to the performance venue.
With the right setup, its spatial
performance is at the top level
attainable at any price. Bass
is limited below 50Hz, and a
subwoofer will be needed for
ideal presentation of largescaled music. Reviewed by
REG, Issue 189
Verity Audio Rienzi
$8795
verityaudio.com
A compact, two-piece, threeway, floorstanding design,
Verity’s Rienzi is a model of
neutrality, resolution, and
transparency at its price-point.
Piega TC-10X
$9000
audiophilesystems.com
Quad ESL-2805
$9500
quad-hifi.co.uk
Quad 2905
$12,000
quad-hifi.co.uk
GE
08
Although JV would love to
own $30k Magico Mini IIs
or, if he really hit the lottery,
$89k Magico M5s, in the real
world these large Quads—the
biggest ’stats that the venerable
company has yet made—are
one of the high-end speakers
he would (and could afford
to) buy. No, they aren’t the last
word in dynamic range, deep
bass, top treble, or wall-to-wall
soundstaging. And, no, they
don’t disappear like minimonitors. All they do is sound
real on just about any kind
of music at moderate levels.
GE PoY
GE07 PoY07
08 08
The addition of mass and
bracing to Peter Walker’s
revolutionary ESL-63 design
and of improvements in the
manufacture of the panels
yields bass that is more
extended (but not subterranean)
and powerful, image focus
that is even more stable, and
dynamic range that is enhanced.
Mated to the right amplifier,
this speaker is capable of
reproducing music with a
realism and naturalness that
are compelling and addictive.
Reviewed by JH/PS, Issue 169
$10,000–$20,000
Usher 8571 MkII Dancer
$10,200
usheraudiousa.com
GE
08
An overachieving floorstander
poised to eat any number of
high-end sacred cows for lunch,
the Dancer produces a big,
finely focused, high-resolution
sound that is dynamically
alive. Bass power, extension,
and clarity are very good, too.
Overall sonics are reminiscent
of Wilson’s Sophia or WATT/
Puppy speakers, but at a
fraction of the price. Reviewed
by CM, Issue 154
Sonus Faber Cremona M
$12,800
sumikoaudio.net
The latest addition to the
Cremona family, the Cremona
M retains the lute-shape
enclosure that Sonus Faber
popularized in its flagship Amati
and Guarneri models. The M
is powerful and passionate
with a rich, warm balance. Yet
it’s no wallflower dynamically.
In its timbral sophistication
and impressive dynamic range,
even at peak orchestral levels, it
achieves the kind of top-tobottom coherence that makes
magic happen. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 189
Vienna Acoustics Mahler 1.5
$12,800
sumikoaudio.net
When partnered with the right
electronics and with careful
room placement, the Mahler
1.5 is cable of tuneful authority,
finely textured and filigreed
harmonic resolution, and a
wonderfully solid soundstage.
Needs extensive break-in and an
amplifier with a high damping
factor. Reviewed by Guido
Corona, Issue 188
Thiel CS3.7
$12,900
thiel.com
MBL 121
$12,580
mblusa.com
A stand-mounted
omnidirectional three-way
that brings legendary MBL
performance to smaller
listening rooms. Stunningly
dynamic and extended in its
bass response for its compact
size. Enveloping, immersive,
and passionately romantic
with symphonic works, it can
also sound a bit amorphous
on studio-made discs. Setup
requires attentiveness—to
balance the direct sound with
the reflected sound. Needs
power and the finest ancillary
components to truly bloom.
NG, review forthcoming
GE
09
The best speaker yet from one
of the world’s top designers,
with major breakthroughs
in driver design, overall
technology, and build-quality
for the money. More important,
it boasts reference-quality
sound with flat response,
superb resolution and transient
response, bass depth and power
just short of the most expensive
super-speakers, and excellent
soundstaging and imaging. One
of the most coherent speakers
around without a touch of
romance or exaggerated highs.
Reviewed by Anthony H.
Cordesman, Issue186
Harbeth M40.1
$12,995
harbeth.co.uk
GE
09
The new version of the M40
LOUDSPEAKERS
(REG’s reference) has a slightly
more midrange-forward, more
“domesticated,” less “pro” tonal
balance, and higher sensitivity.
A BBC-style three-way monitor,
with Harbeth bass and mid
drivers and SEAS Excel tweeter.
Neutral sound, exceptional
midrange clarity, refined and
extended treble, almost full
bass extension in room, and
surprisingly “out of the box”
imaging. Reviewed by REG,
Issue 190
Wilson Audio Duette
$13,400
wilsonaudio.com
Dave Wilson’s first full-range
compact two-way achieves
outstanding bass response
(down to the high thirties) and
dynamic range, low distortion,
high resolution, and excellent
size, scaling, and freedom from
cabinet resonances. However, its
tonal balance is quite lean, with
a trough in the upper-bass/
lower-midrange (150–300Hz)
that reduces warmth, which
means that, more than most, it
is definitely a listen-before-you
buy proposition. The Duette
is an impressive achievement,
but it will not be to all tastes.
Reviewed by PS, Issue 161
EgglestonWorks Nine
$13,900
egglestonworks.com
An excellent performer for the
price with outstanding timbre
and surprising deep bass and
dynamics. Unusually good
reproduction of the subtleties
of female voice and the
differences between different
makes of violins, pianos, and
other acoustic instruments.
Natural, realistic soundstage,
with imaging and depth that
match what is on the recording.
Reviewed by AHC, Issue 184 Nola Viper Reference II
$15,000
alon.com
If you are frustrated by
loudspeakers that occasionally
impress in a hi-fi sense, but
don’t really allow you to focus
on the music, TM found the
open-baffle, multiway, ribbon/
cone Nola Viper to be a
breakthrough—neutral, nonanalytical, and highly musical.
Viper I reviewed by TM, Issue
181 (updated Reference II not
yet auditioned)
Rockport Technologies Mira
$15,000
GE
rockporttechnologies.com
04
The Mira is seductively warm
and rich, yet gives up little in
detail and openness. Perhaps
its most notable strength,
because it usually comes with
only the most costly designs, is
a dynamic energy in the upper
bass and lower treble regions
that brings tricky instruments
such as drums, bass, brass, and
strings to vivid life. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 149
Jamo R 909
$16,000
jamo.com
GE
07
This remarkable speaker, which
uses dynamic drivers in an open
baffle, offers the openness and
resistance to room problems
of a dipole planar combined
with a power, solidity, and bass
extension that few planars can
dream of. Coherent, dynamic,
extended in the bass (to 27Hz),
very low in distortion, and
tonally well balanced, the R 909
does a positively spectacular job
of reproducing the scope and
power of large-scaled music.
Wilson Audio Sophia 2
$16,700
wilsonaudio.com
GE
02
The Sophia 2 builds on
the original’s strengths—
extraordinary transient fidelity,
deep bass extension, a huge
spatial presentation, and a
cabinet that contributes little
sound of its own—with a
smoother midrange and treble
and even greater resolution.
One of the great values in
high-end audio. RH, review
forthcoming
Vandersteen Model 5A
$16,900
vandersteen.com
GE
03
GE
08
The 5A is an ultra-highresolution speaker that’s
coherent and musically engaging
from top to bottom, with the
kind of convincing depth of
imaging that only time-andphase correct designs can
provide. It may not play as
loudly as some competitors, but
offers superior performance
in other respects. A relative
bargain among statement
loudspeakers. Reviewed by SB,
Issue 139
that Fred Kaplan thought
only mini-monitors could.
Fundamentals and overtones are
pure, uncolored, and detailed;
the crossover is seamless; and
dynamics are captured with
effortless agility. Until the
speaker fully breaks in there is
some discontinuity between the
bass and the midrange/treble.
Reviewed by FK, Issue 160
Usher Be-20
$18,860
usheraudiousa.com
Offering true full-range
frequency response and a
sound that is highly dynamic,
extremely detailed, and
very three-dimensional, this
beryllium driver-equipped
floorstander is the complete
high-end package. The Be-20
is accurate enough to delight
left-brainers, yet soulful enough
to capture the hearts of rightbrainers. It looks stunning, too.
Be aware that this hefty speaker
needs room to breathe and
works best in larger spaces (for
mid-size rooms, try the smaller
Be-10). Reviewed by CM, Issue 183
$20,000 and above
Sonus Faber Elipsa
$20,800
sumikoaudio.net
GE
07
Yet another gorgeous speaker
from this outstanding Italian
manufacturer, the Elipsa’s
tone colors are ravishing, its
overall sound smooth, warm,
and intensely seductive. At the
same time, it will easily show
differences in recordings as
well as associated components.
Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation
$20,995
verityaudio.com
They take a long time to set
up properly and an extremely
long time to break in, but these
speakers disappear to a degree
Martin Logan CLX
$21,832
martinlogan.com
GE
09
A long time coming, this
successor to MartinLogan’s
one-and-only previous fullrange electrostat, the CLS,
bests the original in every way,
particularly in tonal balance
where its lower midrange and
upper bass are no longer sucked
out but flat as pancakes (if flat’s
your idea of a good pancake).
The most transparent-tosources loudspeaker JV has
auditioned, the CLX is the very
model of resolution, neutrality,
and realism. It is also, alas,
limited to about 55Hz in the
bass, which means you’ll need
a pair of ML’s Descent-i subs
to get the whole orchestra.
However, if you don’t care
much about low bass, then this
is the speaker for you. It is for
JV—his electrostatic reference.
Revel Salon2
$21,998
revelspeakers.com
PoY
07
The result of five years
of intensive research into
every aspect of loudspeaker
performance, the new Revel
Salon2 represents a genuine
breakthrough in dynamic
loudspeakers. Although
LOUDSPEAKERS
impressive in every performance
aspect, the Salon2’s treble is
the cleanest, most natural, and
best-integrated RH has heard
from a dynamic transducer.
Bring a high-powered amplifier.
GE
05
B&W 800D
$23,000
bwspeakers.com
“Wholeness” and
“seamlessness” were the
qualities that most struck
reviewer Sue Kraft while
auditioning B&W’s diamondtweeter-studded 800D. The
800D’s other attributes include
world-class imaging, high
resolution, a taut, well-defined
bass, and unruffled response at
high playback levels. Reviewed
by SK, Issue 156
GE
03
Sound Lab M-1PX
$23,970
soundlab-speakers.com
Like a CLX with low end, this
huge and hugely wonderful
electrostat has the biggest
soundfield, far and away
the deepest bass (true 20Hz
extension), and most lifelike
dynamic range of any ’stat—in
addition to the traditional
virtues of ’stats (gorgeous
tone color, lightning transient
response, single-driver
coherence, and phenomenal
inner detail). Can sound a bit
overly warm and dark in balance
and overblown in the bottom
octaves if placement and
amplification aren’t carefully
minded. Reviewed by JV, Issue
122
Magico V3 $27,000
magico.net
GE
08
PoY
08
Magico’s V3 is an astonishing
achievement in loudspeaker
design, delivering a level of
performance that is in many
ways competitive with $100k
loudspeakers. Although it won’t
play as loudly as the six-figure
speakers, the V3 has a timbral
realism and palpability in the
midrange that approach the
state of the art. Properly set
up and driven by sources and
electronics of commensurate
quality, the V3 is musically
transcendental. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 179
Vienna Acoustics “The
Music”
$27,000
sumikoaudio.net
GE
09
Here’s a full-range, multi-driver
unit with ’stat-like coherence
due to its remarkable flat
midrange driver with coincident
tweeter. Equally at home with
power music and small-scale
works, it has a referencequality ability to reproduce
the complete soundstage. A
thrilling, accurate, yet musical
speaker with fast transients,
precise layered imaging, natural
timbre, and articulate, extended
bass. JH, reviewed in this issue
back depth rival the best. A
stunningly gorgeous music
lover’s dream come true.
Reviewed by SK, Issue 194
auditioning, but priced at levels
where the competition is very
demanding. Reviewed by AHC,
Issue 193
Gershman Acoustics Black
Swan
$36,000
GE
07
gershmanacoustics.com
Venture Audio Excellence III
Signature
$56,000
venture-audio.com
The Black Swans rivaled
the realism of AHC’s far
more expensive TAD-1s,
bringing classical, jazz, and
rock recordings convincingly
to life. Strings, woodwinds,
brass, and piano were not only
“right” in timbre, but detail was
exceptional where the recording
actually provided it. The bass
was also outstanding—flat and
deeply extended. Reviewed by
AHC, Issue 168
GE PoY
06
Magico Mini II
07
$32,000 (with stands)
magico.net
The beautifully made Minis
from perfectionist speakerbuilder Alon Wolf are
triumphant examples of twin
applied arts—industrial and
acoustical design. Though
limited to about 40Hz in
the bass, the two-way Minis
are everywhere else models
of limitlessness—of what
is possible when price is no
object—with standard-setting
coherence, resolution, neutrality,
and soundstaging. The best mini
money can buy. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 179
Meridian DSP7200
$34,995
meridian-audio.com
Offering many of the
same features as Meridian’s
spectacular flagship DSP8000,
the musicality, neutrality,
dynamics, and goose-bump
imaging of the more compact
DSP7200 is a testament to
the no-compromises potential
of integrated components.
Limited only in the last bit
of bass extension, its top-tobottom seamlessness, threedimensionality, and front-to-
Driver technology is a key
design element of this highly
successful electrodynamic
loudspeaker. Designer Njoo
Hoo Kong’s reliance on a
Heil Air Motion Transformer
tweeter and custom graphiteloaded paper-cone drivers
elevates this three-way design
to high-end audio’s Promised
Land. Pristine upper octaves,
smooth harmonic textures, and
exceptional dynamics make for
a highly musical experience.
Requires careful selection of
amplification. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 186
MBL 101 E Mk II
$59,990
mbl.com
Hansen Audio The Prince V2
$39,000
hansenaudio.com
Highly revealing of upstream
components, The Prince V2 is
capable of exquisite musicality
when matched with the right
sources and electronics. The
Prince V2 is characterized by a
remarkable coherence, accurate
timbre, deeply extended and
powerful bass, fabulous buildquality, and gorgeous finish.
Reviewed by AHC, Issue 186
Loiminchay Chagall
$40,000
loiminchayaudio.com
The kind of highly personal
design that can produce the
illusion of a live performance
in a slightly warm hall with
exceptional conviction. Unique
styling and visual impact, easy
to drive, and excellent, very
deep bass for its size. Slightly
more romantic than accurate,
but this complements most
modern recordings. Well worth
GE
05
PoY
05
MBL’s stunning-looking,
four-way, omnidirectional
Radialstrahler References have
a treble like Maggie’s ribbons,
bass like Nearfield’s eight 18"
subwoofers, soundstaging and
coherence like Kharma’s CRM
3.2s, dynamics like Avantgarde’s
Trios, and a “disappearing act”
second only to their fabulous
big brothers, the 101 X-Tremes.
For sheer excitement on largescale classical or power pop they
are hard to beat. Reviewed by
JV, Issue 154
DALI Megaline
$60,000
dali-usa.com
GE
04
This large, elegant speaker
offers a superior combination
of virtues—power and scale
on one hand, and purity
and resolution on the other,
with distortion lower than
electrostatics and a dynamic
capacity no electrostatic ever
dreamed of. With ribbon
tweeters that seemingly go
on forever, bass that extends
solidly below the bottom of the
LOUDSPEAKERS
orchestral range, and an even
tonal balance, the Megalines
make for the most convincing
reproduction of orchestral
music REG has encountered.
They are also superb on more
intimate music. Reviewed by
REG, Issue 146
Wilson Audio MAXX 3
$68,000
wilsonaudio.com
The MAXX 3 may be the baby
brother of the stupendous
Alexandria 2, but it doesn’t
concede much ground to its
sibling. This powerful and
dynamic loudspeaker has been
significantly improved over the
MAXX 2, displays tremendous
pitch accuracy, and explores the
bass region like few others. It
works best in larger rooms and
favors a highly detailed over a
lush sound. Reviewed by Jacob
Heilbrunn, Issue194
Magico M5
$89,000
magico.net
The M5 may not take you all
the way to the Promised Land,
but, for the first time, it let JV
see the shoreline in the distance.
Superb at everything, it is,
overall, the best loudspeaker JV
has heard in his system—and
his new reference. (Compared
to some other topmost
contenders it is also a bargain.)
JV, review forthcoming
Rockport Technologies
Hyperion
GE
$94,500
03
PoY
02
rockporttechnologies.com
Though they don’t soundstage
like Magico Minis or “disappear”
like MBL 101 Es, the Rockport
Hyperions earn laurels for just
about everything else—gorgeous
tone color, tremendous dynamic
ease and authority, natural
instrumental size and scale, and
superb treble and bass extension.
If you have the space and the
moolah, they will take you about
as close as you can come to the
absolute sound short of (and not
very) the Magico M5s. Reviewed
by JV, Issue 136
Wilson Audio Alexandria X-2
Series 2
GE PoY
$158,000
09 08
wilsonaudio.com
The new Series 2 Alexandria is
quite simply the best all-around
loudspeaker RH has heard in
his room. It delivers stunning
bass extension, truly effortless
dynamics, and a palpable
musical realism that elevate it to
world-class status. The design,
build-quality, and finish are
world-class. Robert Harley’s
reference. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 186
Subwoofers
REL Britannia B3
$1995
sumikoaudio.net
PSB SubSeries 5i
$549
psbspeakers.com
At this point no one should be
surprised at what this Canadian
speaker company can do in the
lower-price range. Even so, the
performance of this econo-sub
is semi-unbelievable. Extension,
dynamic slam, and good
musicality from this 10" bassreflex design make it the perfect
match for misers with the Midas
touch. Reviewed by NG, TPV,
Issue 48, and CM, TPV, Issue 69
Focal Grande Utopia EM
$180,000
This statement loudspeaker
bowled over Roy Gregory
with its combination of low
coloration, complete ability to
disappear into the soundstage,
and stunning dynamic authority.
The electromagnetically driven
woofer allows fine tuning to
the room, and the front baffle’s
variable curvature dials-in the
performance for any listening
distance or height. Reviewed by
Roy Gregory, Issue 193
MBL 101 X-Tremes
$250,000
mbl.com
PoY
08
These “mirror-image array”
Radialstrahler towers (like two
101 Es, one facing up and
the other facing downward
directly above it), with separate
powered bass towers, simply
don’t sound like other speakers
(even MBL’s 101 Es). The Xes
are tonally neutral and sonically
nearly invisible; voices and
instruments don’t seem to be
coming from drivers in frames
or boxes. Instead they hang in
space—free-standing objects
that are so three-dimensionally
“there” that listening to the 101
Xes is like going to a play, where
listening to other speakers is like
going to the movies. They must
be driven by powerful amplifiers
such as the MBL 9011 and
carefully set up. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 189
GE
05
The ultimate self-effacing
team player that never imposes
colorations on the music, the
B3 is divinely unbox-like. At all
reasonable levels port noise and
overhang have been banished.
Only low-pass filtering is on
tap, so make sure your main
speakers are up to the task. Set
up with care, the B3 earns the
rarest of compliments—you’ll
never even know it’s there.
JL Audio Fathom f112/f113
$2800/$3600
GE
jlaudio.com
07
REL T2
$798
sumikoaudio.net
PoY
07
A contemporary, streamlined
version of REL’s classic subs
with the brand’s traditional
virtues. Strikes the right balance
between extension, output,
and low-frequency musicality
without dominating the listening
room. Filter selectivity is less
flexible than top-line RELs but
for most sub/sat applications
the T2 is easy to integrate with
the system and a medium/small
room. Also available in two
other sizes. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 176
Definitive Technology
SuperCube I
$1199
definitivetech.com
With dual 10" passive radiators,
the SuperCube I mixes the
precision of a sealed-box sub
with the additional oomph of
a ported enclosure, and reaches
down to the mid-20Hz range
at extreme SPLs. A built-in
1500-watt amplifier guarantees
sufficient power. Reviewed by
NG, TPV Issue 42
PoY
06
PoY
07
These two subs—identical
except for woofer size (12"
vs. 13.5") and amplifier power
(1500W vs. 2500W)—raise the
bar in subwoofer performance
with their unlikely combination
of brute-force power and tonal
and dynamic finesse. Although
capable of delivering high SPLs
at very low frequencies with no
sense of strain, the Fathoms are
equally adept at resolving the
pitch, fine dynamic shadings, and
tone colors of an acoustic bass.
Reference-quality performance
at an eminently reasonable price.
Fathom f112 reviewed by CM,
TPV Issue 75; Fathom f113
reviewed by RH, Issue 170
Thiel SS2 SmartSub/SI 1
Integrator
$4900/$4400
thielaudio.com
PoY
05
Five years in the making, Thiel’s
Integrator/SmartSub is the
first subwoofer that enables
consistent integration by design.
As such, it is a landmark in
subwoofer development. In its
present state, the Integrator in
particular lacks a few features
and the last ounce of transparency. Yet no other subwoofer
system brings so much needed
structure to the integration
process, while affording such
plentiful and powerful means of
adapting the sub to its surroundings. Reviewed by Allen Taffel,
Issue 154
The WB generates bass by
suspending a featherweight PoY
06
18" carbon-fiber membrane
between two massive rare-earth
magnets fitted to a pole piece
that runs through the center of
the driver. Like a carbon-fiber
Magneplanar, the membrane
is pushed and pulled between
the two magnets, resulting in
outstanding control of starting
and stopping transients. Though
not the deepest-reaching sub,
the W-B Torus is high among
the most articulate and musical.
POWER AMPLIFIERS
LOUDSPEAKERS
Wilson Benesch Torus
Infrasonic Generator
$5950 (sub only), $10,300
(with amp/crossover)
GE
soundorg.com
07
JL Audio Gotham
$12,000
jlaudio.com
PoY
08
This subwoofer delivers the
ultimate in bass power and
extension, all with perfect pitch
and unflappable stability. With
proper setup—a non-intuitive
process best left to the dealer—
the Gotham also won’t interfere
with main speaker purity. Still,
this sub is not for everyone, as
some (including me) may find
it too tight and controlled. Note
that JL recommends deploying
the Gotham in stereo pairs.
Reviewed by AT, Issue 184
Power amplifiers
Under $1000
Odyssey Audio Khartago
$795
odysseyaudio.com
Although the 115Wpc Odyssey
Khartago solid-state stereo
amp has been around for better
than a decade, it was new to
JV until amp-connoisseur
Alon Wolf (of Magico, no
less) told him he used it in his
shop and it was excellent. The
Wolfman was right. Although
the Khartago doesn’t have all
the articulation and transparency
of the standard-setting $40k
Soulution 710 stereo amplifier, it
has a shockingly similar (and very
neutral) balance, no discernible
grain, high resolution, and a
deep, wide soundstage. Positively
the best budget amp JV has
heard. JV, reviewed in this issue
NAD C 272
$799
nadelectronics.com
Every few years, we encounter
certain NAD products that
seem to have that extra ounce
of sonic magic, and the C 272
is one of them. At 150Wpc, it
offers the current needed to
handle difficult speaker loads,
and sounds more powerful
than its specifications would
suggest, with good resolution,
three-dimensionality, and an
overall warmth and robustness.
Reviewed by CM, Issue 148
Parasound Halo A23
$850
parasound.com
PoY
02
Parasound’s A23 isn’t the last
word in low-end authority, and
it’s a bit cool in the midrange,
but what it lacks in oomph it
makes up for in finesse and
pitch definition. Moreover,
this reasonably priced amp
is musically quite involving.
Reviewed by SB, Issue 138
Belles Soloist 5
$995
belles.com
A paradigm of minimalism
and musicality, this small,
cool-running sixty-five-watter
is stuffed with sonic virtues: a
forgiving tonal balance, good
soundstage dimensionality, and
natural depth. Paired with its
companion preamp, the solid
Soloist 3 is a great way to get into
separates at an integrated-amp
price. Reviewed by NG, Issue 174
$1000–$2000
Vincent Audio SP-331
$1199
wsdistributing.com
PoY
07
The SP-331 is one of the
best-sounding sub-$1k power
amplifiers we’ve yet heard.
A hybrid tube/solid-state
amplifier, it combines the
richness and subtlety of fine
tube designs—especially
through the midrange—with
the sheer low-frequency grunt,
control, and agility of a good
solid-state amplifier. In the
treble the amplifier sounds
slightly softer but also more
delicate and refined than solidstate competitors in its price
range. Reviewed by CM, Issue 173
Quad 909
$1550
quad-hifi.co.uk
GE
01
Its sound quality sets a
benchmark for its size and
price. Its midrange, in particular,
is exceptional. Up and down
the scale, this latest iteration of
Peter Walker’s patented “current
dumping” circuit displays ease,
relaxation, and naturalness.
PrimaLuna ProLogue 5
$1599
primaluna-usa.com
GE
05
The 36Wpc vacuum tubepowered ProLogue 5 sounds
more authoritative than its
rating would lead you to expect,
and offers a warm, rich sound,
yet really does not sound
“tubey” in any traditional sense,
producing clean, deep, tight
bass and grand soundstaging.
A synergistic match with the
companion ProLogue 3 preamp.
Reviewed by SR, Issue 156
Naim NAP 150X
$1650
naimusa.com
While the NAP 150X’s tonal
balance is slightly cool, this
little amp possesses terrific
speed, rhythmic drive, dynamic
precision, and a very low noise
floor. It can also recreate a
broad, deep, and focused
soundstage. Keep in mind that
Naim’s unique cable and powersupply design require matching
with a Naim preamp, such as
the NAC 122x found elsewhere
on this list. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 177
$2000–$3000
Parasound Halo A21
$2000
parasound.com
An excellent Class AB stereo
transistor amp, designed by the
redoubtable John Curl, capable
of 250Wpc into 8 ohms (400
into 4 ohms). Though not
the last word in solid-state
amplification, the A21 offers a
lot of power at an affordable
price. Reviewed by JV, Issue 168
Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000
$2000
wyred4sound.com
While many amplifiers use
Bang & Olufsen ICE output
devices, the SX-1000 combines
it with its own direct-coupled,
balanced, dual-FET input stage
designed by Bascom King. The
SX-1000 Series II is a powerful
amplifier capable of effortlessly
delivering copious amounts
of power. The SX-1000 Series
II also serves up detail with
the aplomb of a sommelier
uncorking a prize bottle.
Reviewed by SS, Issue 193
Rogue Audio Stereo 90
$2495
rogueaudio.com
This tube monoblock combines
a rich treble and midrange
with a gutsy, controlled bass
and a brilliant clarity unusual
in its class. Its soundstaging
is particularly fine. Its one
shortcoming is a tendency
to push the midrange a bit
forward. Reviewed by SR,
Issue 171
PrimaLuna ProLogue Six
$2599
primaluna-usa.com
These beautifully built,
affordable, and “hassle-free”
70Wpc monoblocks will alter
your preconceptions about tube
gear. Indeed, their transient
quickness and ability to drive
difficult loads may fool you into
thinking you’re listening to a
very good hybrid. Yet with four
very musical EL34s per chassis,
they still have that wonderful
tube magic. Reviewed by JH,
Issue 169
POWER AMPLIFIERS
Cambridge Audio 840W
$2699
cambridgeaudio.com
PoY
08
The key to the 200Wpc 840W
is its proprietary XD topology,
which allows pure Class A at
low levels and a transition to an
“enhanced” Class B without the
crossover distortion normally
associated with Class AB
designs. The result is a wide
soundstage, excellent microdynamics, and near limitless
power—plus that familiar,
buttery, pure Class A vibe.
$3000–$5000
speed, extension, and control
one expects from a high-end
transistor amp without any
associated brightness. It has the
natural timbre and sonic realism
we typically associate with
tubes, coupled with startling
transparency and holographic
imaging. Pace, rhythm, and
timing freaks will love this thing.
Reviewed by JH, AVgM, Issue 5
Conrad-Johnson LP66S
$4300
conradjohnson.com
Have your sights set on a
romantic tube stereo power
amplifier? This 60Wpc
design is it! Tonal emphasis
is squarely on the lower
midrange. Timbres and
textures are slightly liquid and
warm—highly complimentary
to violin. The treble range is
laid-back. Count on a mellow,
relaxed presentation with an
exceptionally low listenerfatigue factor and plenty of
imaging magic. Reviewed by
DO, Issue 193
Balanced AudioTechnology
VK-55
$3995
balanced.com
Vincent Audio SP-T800
monoblock
$4500
wsdistributing.com
A remarkable amp and terrific
value, BAT’s 55-watt tube
model may not be as revealing
as some, but it offers a high
degree of harmonic, textural,
rhythmic, and ambient
information. Tonally, the VK-55
is a bit warmer than neutral,
with a gorgeous, well-balanced
midrange, an easy, natural top
end, and quite respectable
weight in the bass. A 3-D
soundstage and tight focus
round out the virtues of this
highly musical design. Reviewed
by SK with WG comment,
Issue 153
This 200Wpc hybrid amp is
a remarkable performer. Its
tube signature shines through
clearly in the midrange, albeit
slightly diluted by the solidstate output stage. Soundstage
dimensionality is superior to
that of conventional solid-state
designs. It closely fulfils the
promise of a hybrid design:
Tube magic with plenty of
bass crunch and drive in one
nicely “gift-wrapped” chassis.
Edge G4
$3995
edgeamps.com
NuForce’s best Class D
amps yet, the Ref 9 SE V.2
monoblocks deliver the
expected virtues (articulate,
well-defined mids and deep,
tightly controlled bass), plus
noticeably sweeter, more
grain-free highs than previous
A downsized version of Edge’s
more costly amplifiers, the
100W G4 offers some of the
same sonic attributes as its
more expensive brethren—the
PoY
08
NuForce Reference 9 Special
Edition (SE) V.2 monoblock
$5000
NuForce designs. The SE V.2’s
clarity, definition, and control
can bring certain speaker
systems alive, but they can also
make some high-resolution
speakers sound slightly
“clinical.” Reviewed by CM,
Issue 188
$5000–$10,000
Meridian G57
$5495
meridian-usa.com
Rated at 200Wpc into 8 ohms,
the G57 is capable of delivering
a full kilowatt, when bridged,
into four ohms. As with other
G Series components, the
sound is expansive, soothing,
and relaxing, yet with plenty
of moxie when needed. The
soundstage is impressively
broad, tall, and deep. And
almost as gorgeous as the sound
is the sleek new full-width look.
Bel Canto 1000 monoblock
$5990
belcantodesign.com
If you like the concept of
an amplifier that is compact,
efficient, powerful, transparent,
musical, and extremely reliable,
the Bel Canto Ref 1000 Mk II
could be the last amplifier you’ll
ever want or need. While the
Bel Canto may not warm up an
overly sterile-sounding system
like a classic tube amplifier, it
certainly won’t subtract any
harmonic warmth. Reviewed by
SS, Issue 193
Atma-Sphere M-60 Mk III
OTL
$6800
atma-sphere.com
Atma-Sphere’s uniquely
simple, all-tube, OTL (output
transformer-less) design offers
a rare and exhilarating glimpse
into the music few others
can duplicate. This triodebased classic also possesses
outstanding neutrality, clarity,
definition, soundstaging, and
unfettered dynamics. With 60W
of pure Class A power on tap,
relatively sensitive speakers
with an impedance of 8 ohms
or higher are recommended
for best bass performance.
Chord SPM 1050
$6995
bluebirdmusic.com
A relatively affordable design
from England’s Chord, the
compact SPM 1050 delivers
200Wpc and is all but
unflappable when pushed hard.
Indeed, it likes it that way. It
has terrific control and grip
over speakers, delivers explosive
dynamics as well as nuance, and
is coherent across the band.
Cool under fire, the 1050 never
sounds forced or exaggerated.
WG, review forthcoming
McIntosh MC402
$7000
mcintoshlabs.com
GE
09
PoY
04
Co‑winner (with another Mac,
the all‑tube MC2102), of
TAS’ Amplifier of the Year
in 2004, this solid‑state giant
boasts a tube‑like solidity
and continuousness allied
to absolute tonal neutrality
(combining warmth and detail),
with seemingly unlimited
reserves of power and with
noise and distortion figures that
rival anything from Halcro. By
any measure, a great amplifier
and PS’s reference. Reviewed by
PS, Issue 147
Parasound Halo JC 1
$7000
parasound.com
The latest collaboration
between legendary designer
John Curl and Parasound has
resulted in the Halo JC 1:
“silky-smooth, crystal clear, and
abundantly detailed. The kind
you could listen to all day long
without fatigue.” Reviewed by
SK, Issue 141
Plinius SB-301
$8685
eliteavdist.com
GE
07
PoY
07
Big and heat-sinked to beat
the band, the Plinius outputs
310Wpc of the sweetest Class
AB NG has ever heard. A
model of silken control and
neutrality, it doesn’t sound
like tubes or transistors, or
any combination of either.
Rich in tone color, with wide,
open dynamics and sweet,
embraceable highs, it never
failed to improve any set of
speakers that it hooked up with.
POWER AMPLIFIERS
The Air Tight ATM 300 is
one of the handful of 300B
SET amplifiers that lay claim
to magical sound extending
beyond the midrange. This
amp’s airy highs, natural
tonality, and low-bass extension
defy common perceptions of
300B SETs. Reviewed by Scot
Markwell, Issue 128
Air Tight ATM 300
$8795
axissaudio.com
Balanced Audio Technology
VK-75SE
GE
$9000
01
balanced.com
BAT’s VK-75SE is a tube design
that, while displaying many of
the attributes we love about
glowing glass—smoothness,
liquidity, depth, harmonic
complexity—does so with, as
reviewer Sue Kraft puts it, a
“lack of candy-coating in the
midrange.” In addition, the VK75SE is virtually grain-free and
excels at dynamics. Reviewed by
SK, Issue 133
Mark Levinson No. 433
$11,000
marklevinson.com
Edge G8+
$13,488
edgeamps.com
The No. 433 power amplifier
embodies the classic Mark
Levinson sound, with a
slightly laid-back and inviting
perspective, tremendous
soundstage depth and
dimensionality, and a rock-solid
bottom end. Although a threechannel design, the No.433
holds its own with many
higher-priced stereo amplifiers.
Ideal for multichannel music
and theater systems to drive the
front three channels. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 161
The Edge designs don’t have
the darkness and grain that
so frequently plague even the
best solid-state amps. That
said, there’s no faux vacuumtube sound here either, just a
remarkable sense of neutrality,
openness, and detail that doesn’t
draw attention to itself but
instead serves the music. When
the G8’s compared to the best
tube models, the only things
lacking are the last degrees of
air, decay, and bloom. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 149
Pass Labs X350.5
$11,550
passlabs.com
PoY
02
A 350Wpc solid-state stereo
amp that has what Pass
amps always seem to have
in abundance: remarkable
midrange presence and
immediacy. A shade darkersounding and less bloomy than
something like an Edge 10.1,
it is exceptionally lively from
top to bottom, with remarkable
deep bass and fast, sweet treble.
JV
“Budget-priced” (for a Boulder),
these 200Wpc monoblocks
brought a new level of realism
to MS’s system, excelling in
low-level resolution, dynamics,
and bass reproduction. Through
the 850s, the soundstage
was more three-dimensional,
instruments more realistic in
timbre, lyrics better articulated,
vocals more life-like, and the
music ultimately more engaging.
Reviewed by Max Shepherd,
Issue 166
This 80-pound, dual-mono,
bridgeable amplifier is
Simaudio’s premier stereo
unit, boasting 250Wpc into 8
ohms (an even thousand when
bridged). Like its companion
preamplifier the P-8, the W-8
is tonally neutral, has iron
control yet exquisite finesse,
and appears to do nothing but
amplify the signal fed to it.
Mark Levinson No. 436
monoblock
PoY
$14,500
07
marklevinson.com
$10,000–$20,000
Boulder 850 monoblock
$11,000
boulderamp.com
Simaudio MOON W-8
$13,500
simaudio.com
Nagra PMA monoblock
$12,295
The Nagra monoblocks
confound expectations. They
are small and lightweight,
and possess only two output
transistors. No, they’re not as
powerful as monster amps. But
they have more than enough
power to get the current-hungry
Magnepan loudspeakers up and
running. What’s more, they do
it with the finesse of only a few
other select amplifiers. Their
smooth luminous sound is
utterly enchanting. Reviewed by
JHb, Issue 173
Smooth, sophisticated, and
superbly musical, the Levinson
436 power amp is the definition
of refinement. There’s no lack
of detail or three-dimensionality
with this 350Wpc powerhouse.
Images are beautifully layered
and sculpted, with rock-solid
control in the bottom octaves,
as well. The overall presentation
is eminently easy on the ears,
relaxing, and a bit dark and laidback, ever so gracefully pulling
the listener into the music in
what can only be described as
classic Levinson style. Reviewed
by SK, Issue 169
Pass Labs XA100.5
monoblocks
$16,500
passlabs.com
PoY
08
These Class A masterpieces
from Nelson Pass brings the
virtues of Class A to a more
efficient package. The XA100.5
monoblocks have a purity and
transparency that are jawdropping. Timbres are also
well served, with a warmth and
ease reminiscent of tubes but
without “tubey” colorations.
Gorgeous build-quality and
metalwork. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 186
Spectral DMA-360 MKII
monoblock
$17,990
spectralaudio.com
The DMA-360 monoblocks
combine high output
current with lightning-fast
audio circuits, producing an
unparalleled portrayal of
music’s dynamic expression.
These amplifiers also deliver
what is in RH’s experience the
largest, best-defined, and most
accurate spatial presentation
of any amplifier he’s heard.
Timbral realism is also the
DMA-360s’ strong suit, a
consequence of the amplifiers’
amazing resolution of fine inner
detail. These are referencegrade amplifiers at a fraction of
the price of competing units.
Air Tight ATM-3 monoblock
$18,195
PoY
axissaudio.com
08
These beautifully made,
metered, push-pull, 6CA7based monoblocks combine the
realistic textures and timbres
of SET amplifiers (though
they are not SETs) with the
fine resolution, more extended
bandwidth, more neutral
balance, and superior transient
speed of Class A solid-state
(though they are not solid-state,
either). Little marvels of fidelity,
they mate wonderfully well with
fast, neutral loudspeakers like
Quad 2905s or Focal Micro
Utopia Be’s. Offering 100Wpc
POWER AMPLIFIERS
in ultralinear mode, they can
also be switched to 50Wpc
triode mode. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 188
Esoteric A-100
$19,000
esoteric.teac.com
natural and slightly “soft,” and
the amp has terrific harmonic
integrity. Reviewed by AHC,
Issue 192
GE
09
This innovative tube design
offers fantastic resolution
of a recording’s origin and
acoustic signature. If you
crave tube magic, rest assured
that the A-100 delivers the
goodies. But it also breaks
through the traditional barriers
of tube amplification; lowdistortion harmonic textures,
transient speed, and resolution
are integral to its music
reproduction. It is the state-ofthe-art in medium-power tube
amplification. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 191
Audio Research Reference
210 monoblock
GE
$19,900
05
audioresearch.com
Lamm M1.2 Reference
monoblock
$22,290
lammindustries.com
GE
09
Another winner from the
fertile mind of Vladimir
Lamm. Combining brawn
and finesse, the M1.2 drives
even challenging loads with
ease. Its siren song of suave
harmonic textures, tight bass
control, articulate transients,
kinetic drive, and essential
tonal neutrality is musically
most persuasive. And there’s
enough tube magic under the
hood to infuse the midrange
with invigorating warmth and
spaciousness. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 188
PoY
06
Audio Research Corporation
has been making Class AB,
6550-based, pentode-tube
power amplifiers since the
1970s. In better than thirty
exceptional years, the company
has not made better amps than
its 220Wpc Reference 210 and
600Wpc 610T monoblocks,
which are significantly faster,
lower in noise, more extended
in bandwidth, and higher in
resolution and dynamic range
than any previous ARC efforts,
without a sacrifice of the
bloom, air, size, and space that
ARC pentode amps are famous
for. Reviewed by JV, Issue 159
$20,000 and above
Pass Labs XA160.5
monoblock
$22,000
passlabs.com
“An amplifier with soul,” the
XA160.5 is the most “tube-like”
transistor amp AHC has heard.
Its sound is warmer than most,
and the music emerges from
deep black silence. Moreover,
its soundstage depth matches its
width, dynamics are musically
VK-600SE monoblock
GE
$26,000
05
balanced.com
This fully-loaded version of the
VK-600 possesses a remarkable
transparency and immediacy
that are musically vivid without
being sonically vivid, although
soundstage depth is slightly
foreshortened. The top end
is extremely smooth and
non-fatiguing, with perhaps
a very slight loss of air in the
upper treble. The VK-600SE’s
300W into eight ohms, and
ability to double its power as
the load impedance is halved,
means it will drive virtually any
loudspeaker. Needs an unusually
long warm-up to sound its best.
Lamm ML2.1 monoblock
$29,990
lammindustries.com
GE
03
The single-ended-triode ML2.1
sounds nothing like the typical
SET. It does not trade off
accuracy for euphony; it is not
bandwidth-limited; and it is
surprisingly powerful sounding
(though not particularly
“bloomy”) within its 17-watt
limits. Given a sufficiently
sensitive speaker it will produce
one of the most detailed,
spacious, dynamic, and beautiful
sounds on the market. Like all
Lamm products, the ML2.1s are
a bit dark in balance, very quiet,
and very reliable. JV
Audio Research 610T
GE
monoblock
GE07
$39,900
08
audioresearch.com
PoY
07
Capable of better than 600Wpc
into any real-world load, the
pentode-tube-powered Class
AB 610T is quite simply the
single best tube amplifier JV
has yet heard, with seemingly
limitless power, gorgeous tone
color, huge soundstaging,
minute resolution of lowlevel detail, and truly lifelike
bloom. With the right front
end and speakers ranging from
cone Magico M5s to planarmagnetic Symposium Acoustics
Panoramas, the 610T comes
closer to sounding “real” than
anything else JV has tried. His
tube reference. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 177
Soulution 710
$40,000
axissaudio.com
Jaw-dropping resolution and
transparency-to-sources set this
120Wpc (into 8 ohms, 240Wpc
into 4) solid-state stereo amp
apart from any other JV has
tested. It is preternaturally
“not there,” making inherently
neutral speakers, in turn,
sound more “not there,” and
music (and the engineering
and mastering that went into
putting that music on LP or
disc) “more there.” If you
truly want to hear what’s on
your records—good, bad,
or indifferent—audition this
supremely honest, astonishingly
colorless, incredibly low
distortion amplifier. JV, review
forthcoming
Boulder 1050 monoblock
$42,000
A truly superb power amp that
offers the very best in bass,
power, transients, and lowlevel detail. It’s slighlty warmer
and more tube-like than many
solid-state designs, but this
adds to musical realism. Upper
midrange and treble are truly
exceptional. If you want the
real-world sound of acoustic
instruments, this may be the
amp for you. Reviewed by
AHC, Issue 188
VTL Siegfried monoblock
$50,000
GE
vtl.com
08
PoY
08
At 800 watts per side, VTL’s
superlative Siegfried monoblock
is prodigiously powerful. It
features an array of features,
including automatic biasing
of the 6550 output tubes, to
banish many of the problems
traditionally associated with
tubes and high power. Driving
the Wilson MAXX 2, it
displayed iron-fisted control
over the bass, and spooky
clarity, and, above all, represents
a decided move away from the
more romantic sound of earlier
VTL designs. Reviewed by JHb,
Issue 180
MBL 9008A/9011 monoblock
$50,380/$87,800
GE
mblusa.com
05
The massive 9011 monoblocks
remain the most powerful and
beautiful solid-state amplifiers
JV has heard in his system,
particularly when driving MBL
speakers. While the “littler “
9008s sound very much like
their bigger brothers—which
is to say they have sensational
(albeit not quite 9011-level)
front-to-back transparency, lowlevel resolution, and large- and
small-scale dynamics, as well as
gorgeous tone color and a topto-bottom liquidity that (along
with a slight overall darkness)
is an MBL signature—they
don’t have quite the same grip
or transient speed as the more
expensive 9011s, or the 9011s’
nearly unique ability to “grab
POWER AMPLIFIERS
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS
hold” of a note from starting
transient to lingering decay.
Nonetheless, both are highly
recommendable, and the 9011 is
state-of-the-art. JV
Krell Evolution One
monoblock
$60,000
krellonline.com
While the Evolution One is not
a radical sonic breakthrough, the
best aspects of the original Krell
sound-character and “voicing”
have been preserved, but the
original virtues of deep-bass
power and rich natural timbre
have been steadily enhanced,
while air, life, microdynamics,
soundstage depth and detail, and
the upper octaves have improved
to contenders for the state-ofthe-art. A true sonic benchmark
you really need to listen to.
Soulution 700 monoblock
$115,000
axissaudio.com
Just like the Soulution 710
but with more potential
power and the capability
of bi-amplification, these
incredibly expensive Swiss
monoblocks are the solid-state
paragons of neutrality and
transparency-to-sources. So
low in distortion and high
in resolution they will reveal
every detail of music-making,
miking, engineering, and
mastering (many of which will
have gone previously unheard
and unresolved) on every disc
in your collection. And like
their stereo little brother, they
disappear as sources, making
really good speakers disappear
as sources, too, leaving only
the music and the quality of
the recording behind. JV’s new
solid-state references. JV, review
forthcoming
Integrated Amplifiers
Under $1000
NAD C315 BEE and NAD
C325BEE
$349 and $449
nadelectronics.com
The entry-level C315 is still
the go-to amp for audiophile
newbies who crave sonic
neutrality, good power output,
nice tactile feel, and NAD’s
characteristic quality control.
NAD family values have
always been about the sonic
results rather than the outward
flash. NAD’s honest approach
to tonal balance rejects sonic
additives that make for a
fatiguing long-term relationship,
choosing instead to be lightly
subtractive at the frequency
extremes and in soundstage
dimensionality. The portableplayer mini-jack on the front
panel is a welcome addition.
Looking for more oomph,
the 50Wpc C325 will make
BEElievers of the most jaded
audiophiles. C315 reviewed by
WG, Issue 140; C325 reviewed
by NG, Issue 183
Cambridge Audio Azur
540A v2
$499
PoY
06
The Azur 540A is quite an
overachiever, delivering ultrasmooth, almost tube-like
liquidity from a budget solidstate integrated amplifier. The
amplifier sounds more powerful
than its 60Wpc rating. Nice
build-quality, lots of features,
and an outstanding remote
control round out this bargain.
Rega Brio 3
$695
soundorg.com
A very good sounding, wellbuilt little amp at a fair price,
the Brio 3 outputs 49Wpc
into 8 ohms and 64Wpc into
4 ohms—enough to drive
any reasonably sensitive
loudspeaker, and its input
array will accommodate
the typical assortment of
sources owned by most music
fans. The inclusion of a real
phonostage—not just a linelevel input labeled “phono”
requiring an outboard device—
is a nice touch. Reviewed by
BW, Issue 167
Vincent SV-129
$799
wsdistributing.com
Another barebones integrated,
Vincent’s AV-129 is a bit dark
and grainy, but it really delivers
the essence of the music. An
immediate, communicative
midrange leads to burnished
tone colors, explosive dynamics,
tight, forceful bass, fine
ambience-and-depth retrieval,
and sufficiently wide dynamics.
Dussun T6
$900
aaa-audio.com
A replacement for the already
good DS99, Dussun’s T6 maintains the minimalist vibe of its
predecessor while improving on
it in a few key areas. In addition
to having greater overall transparency than the DS99, the T6
has tightened up the lower-mid
frequencies and opened up the
highs. Moreover, the soundstage of this terrific amp is now
broader as well as a bit deeper.
NAD 372
$999
nadelectronics.com
NAD’s 150Wpc 372 is a plainlooking device designed to
deliver high performance and
good value. But unlike many
NAD amps over the years,
which have sounded romantic,
the 372’s tonal balance is quite
neutral. While it misses the
last degree of subtle phrasing
and dynamic scaling, the 372 is
surprisingly detailed, delivers a
hug of a soundstage with lots
of air, depth, and ambience, and
has power to spare. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 177
$1000–$2000
PrimaLuna ProLogue One
$1375
primaluna-usa.com
The sweet and affordable
ProLogue One features a
12AX7, 12AU7, and a pair of
EL-34s per channel in a very
simple circuit. In classic EL-34
style, the ProLogue throws a
very wide and deep soundstage,
and has a wonderful midrange
without sounding gooey like
a Dynaco Stereo 70 or other
vintage design. Very neutral
with little signature of its own.
Reviewed by JD, Issue 151
Naim Nait 5i
$1450
naimusa.com
One of the great bargains in
high-end audio, this new version
of the Nait 5i brings more than
a taste of expensive separates
to a mid-priced integrated
amplifier. The Nait is sweet
without sounding rolled-off,
presents a huge sense of space,
tremendous separation of
images, and, most importantly,
sounds like music. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 183
Exposure 3010S
$1795
bluebirdmusic.com
Exposure’s electronics deliver
the goods by beautifully
balancing detail with warmth,
rhythmic precision with
lyricism, and delicacy with
power. With an optional phono
card, the 3010S morphs with
the music as each recording
demands; it can be either
sweet and mellow, lean and
mean, or a combination of the
above depending on the disc.
Cambridge Audio Azur 840a
$1799
The 120Wpc Azur 840A
solid-state integrated amplifier
features Cambridge’s innovative
“Class XD” circuit. Apart from
its substantial power output, the
840A’s greatest strengths are its
articulate, well-defined sound
and its lifelike dynamics (this
is not one of those polite, selfeffacing British amps). What
is more, the 840A is highly
flexible, offering multizone
GE
05
GE
05
GE
08
PoY
02
PoY
04
PoY
08
capabilities and home-theater
“pass-through” modes. Reviewed by CM, Issue 167
Goldenote S-1 Signature
$1866
koetsuusa.com
This Italian-made integrated
exhibits wide dynamics,
generous transparency, and a
gorgeous rendering of timbre.
Although it is highly resolving,
detail is presented in a natural
rather than analytical way.
Superb build-quality with
oversized power supply and
heat-sinking make the S-1
Signature sound more powerful
than its 60Wpc rating. “A real
find” said RH. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 193
version of Quad electrostatics
and fine mini-monitors with
a sound that is sweet and
seductive, yet also vibrant and
dynamic. PS, review forthcoming
PrimaLuna DiaLogue 2
$2625
GE
primaluna-usa.com
08
PoY
07
The first product in PrimaLuna’s higher-performance line
of tube units is a real honey,
surpassing the ProLogue
Two’s performance across the
board. Rated at only 38 watts
in ultralinear mode, it sounds
much more powerful due to
its outstanding transformers,
but requires speakers that are
at least moderately efficient.
Remote triode-switching and a
home-theater bypass mode are
welcome additions. Reviewed by
JH, Issue 186
$3000 and above
Vincent SV-236 Mk II
$1995
wsdistributing.com
The well-built Vincent SV-236
integrated amplifier combines
the best of two worlds by
using a vacuum-tube preamp
to drive a 150Wpc solid-state
power amplifier. Listeners
will appreciate the Vincent’s
combination of deep, powerful,
authoritative solid-state bass
and tube-fueled delicacy,
shimmering detail, and almost
surround-like imaging. New Mk.
II version features increased
power and better parts for the
same price. Review forthcoming
$2000–$3000
Cayin Audio A 88T
$2395/$2495 (KT88/6550)
acousticsounds.com
Costing a mere fiver under
$2500, this hand-built honey
boasts fit and finish that would
do McIntosh proud, while
its designer freely admits it
was made to sound like Mc’s
fabled MC275. A no-apologiesnecessary, low-price alternative
to the latter, it will drive any
Pathos Classic One MK III
$3199
This is not only a fine amplifier;
it is beautiful in every sense of
the word. But if sheer dynamic
scale and loudness are priorities,
this 70Wpc tube model may
not be for you. Instead, this is
an amplifier that always gets
the tone, timbre, and balance
of music right, but only if
played at natural levels and over
reasonably sensitive speakers.
Audio Space Ref 3.1 (300B)
$3990 audiospace.com.hk
Just amazing! This integrated
offers extreme soundstage
transparency coupled with
crystalline clarity. Truly
high-definition sound, on a
par with the best solid-sate
designs can offer, but with a
spatial conviction solid-state
rarely approaches. Substitute
vintage 6SN7 or 7N7 triodes
for an instant sonic upgrade.
A stunning accomplishment
at its asking price and DO’s
nomination for Product of the
Year. Reviewed by DO, Issue 194
The VTL IT-85 bathes music
in a warm, golden glow that is
hard to resist. While it is not
the most powerful integrated
amplifier—careful matching to
loudspeakers (preferably minimonitors) is a must—the IT85 provides a large soundstage
and effortless mids and highs.
No other integrated in its price
range comes close to offering
as musical and pure a sound.
Reviewed by JHb, Issue 168
an effort that’s as beautiful to
listen to as it is serious to behold.
From the heavy aluminumclad chassis and massive power
supply to the silken midrange
transparency and airy top-end,
this conservatively rated sixtywatter is pure high end. It’s also
thoroughly modern, sporting
a hands-free bias control that’s
fully automated, compensating
for the wear of each tube. To
extract the V-60’s full sonic
measure, a speaker’s sensitivity
is an important consideration.
Reviewed by NG in this issue
Muse Model 200
$4500
eliteavdist.com
ATC SIA2-150 $5000
atc.gb.net
The Two Hundred operates
from music’s interior, gleaning
details from images without
overlaying any of its own
editorial slant onto music
sources. In general tonality,
it strikes a middle balance
that allows it to yield to the
personality of the source,
veering where appropriate to
the warm or cool, the lean or
rich. With its flexible MAP
architecture, Muse asks how
you want your music served up
and then proceeds to dish out
huge, complex sonic portions.
There is nothing Old School
about the performance of
this Art Deco-styled 150Wpc
integrated. The midrange is all
forthrightness and fluidity. Its
neutral-to-warm tonal balance
never crosses the threshold into
the starkly clinical. Upper mids
and lower treble are smooth and
biased to the sweeter side of
the spectrum. Perhaps the most
impressive aspect is the wide net
the ATC casts in soundstaging
and imaging. A thoroughly
modern instrument that quickly
gets down to the business of
making music. One of the best
NG has heard. Reviewed by
NG, Issue194
VTL IT-85
$4250
vtl.com
Plinius 9200
$4835
plinius.com
The 9200 is a thorough and
timely re-imagining of the brilliant but aging 8150/8200. Still
compact in size, it pumps out a
healthy 200Wpc, and thanks to
its strong Class A bias, the 9200
is sweeter and richer than ever.
Even the all-new phonostage is
quieter and more dynamic. Bass
doesn’t sound as darkly ominous
or extended as in years past,
but control and definition are
strikingly improved. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 156
Pathos Logos
$5495
Boasting cutting‑edge styling
and a sonic personality that
eschews any form of audiophile
hype, this tube front‑end/
transistor back-end hybrid is
a real music lover’s delight.
Minimalist with a vengeance,
the only controls are source
selection, volume, and mute
(though at least they are
available via remote). Reviewed
by PS, Issue 182
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Vincent V-60
$4995
wsdistributing.com
Pass INT-150
$7150
passlabs.com
The V-60 is one of Vincent’s
new flagship offerings and it’s
Powerful, subtle, effortless, Pass
Labs’ first foray into the ultra-
STEREO RECEIVERS, CD RECEIVERS AND ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEMS
PREAMPLIFIERS
competitive integrated amplifier
market is an unvarnished
success. This control amplifier
doubles its prodigious 150Wpc
output into 4 ohms making it a
good candidate for less-sensitive
loudspeakers. Its character
suggests near complete
neutrality tempered with
pleasing warmth—an ease and
fluidity that’s not euphonically
tube-like but more characteristic
of solid-state with a strong
Class A bias, which is a feature
of this amp. A powerhouse
design with a heart that should
make anyone rethink the
“separates” option. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 184
Simaudio MOON i-7
$7500
simaudio.com
Simaudio’s Moon i-7 is
designed and built like a
separate preamplifier and power
amplifier in the same chassis,
with dual-mono construction,
a sophisticated and expensive
stepped-attenuator volume
control, and fully balanced
circuitry. With an absolutely
gorgeous rendering of tone
color and tube-like liquidity, the
i-7 is one of the all-time-great
integrated amplifiers. The buildquality and chassis metalwork
are absolutely first-class. This is
a product for those who want
the performance of separates
but the form-factor of an
integrated. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 179
Accuphase E550
$13,000
axissaudio.com
Stereo Receivers, CD
Receivers, and
All-in-One Systems
NAD C720BEE
$599
nadelectronics.com
Heir to the classic 7020 receiver,
the C720BEE represents
NAD’s no-frills, no-nonsense
philosophy—in this case,
50Wpc of rich midrange
and noise-free, glitch-free
performance. Solid and sensitive
tuner performance makes it
appealing for radio junkies,
too. Except for a lack of air in
the treble and some lax pitchresolution down below, this is
one honey of a BEE. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 167
Polk i-Sonic
$599
polkaudio.com
This tabletop marvel plays
CDs and DVDs, receives
FM and XM satellite radio,
and has inputs for external
sources such as portable music
players. But best of all, the
i-Sonic sounds terrific, with an
extremely neutral and uncolored
tonal balance. The bass goes
surprisingly deep, and the
treble is highly refined and silky
smooth. Reviewed by RH, Issue
169’
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The Accuphase E550 is
high-end audio at its finest.
This full-featured integrated
is an exercise in precision and
accuracy without being overly
analytical, while its 30 Class
A watts will drive all but the
most demanding of loads.
Sweet, musical, and delightfully
dynamic, the E550 is destined
to be a classic. Reviewed by SK,
Issue 181
Arcam Solo Mini
$999
americanaudiovideo.com
Beneath its brushed-aluminum
skin, USB-jack and slot-loadedCD mechanics, the Mini offers
articulate and highly listenable
sonics without over-reaching
at the frequency extremes.
There’s genuine bass refinement
although the deepest bass will
not be fully resolved. With a
cool-running 25Wpc and a
high-resolution Wolfson multi-
bit DAC from the premium
Arcam DiVA CD73, the Arcam
is well suited to drive any
fine compact loudspeaker of
reasonable sensitivity. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 186
Peachtree Audio Nova
$1199
signalpathint.com
The versatile Nova can serve
as an 80Wpc hybrid integrated
amp, a tube preamp with three
analog and five digital inputs,
a Class A tube headphone
amp, or a solid-state USB
DAC (based on the superb
ESS Sabre DAC) with remote
input-switching. But frankly,
the Nova’s DAC section alone
justifies its price, making the
other good stuff pure “gravy.”
Reviewed by CM, Playback Issue
21
NAD Viso Two
$1299
nadelectronics.com
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A DVD-receiver that is not
only drop-dead gorgeous but
features discrete amplifier
output stages, a progressivescan DVD player (with 1080i
upscaling via HDMI output),
and provisions for an XM
module or iPod docking station.
The two-channel version
sports 50Wpc of NAD’s
conservatively rated power.
Sonically the VISO Two hews
to the NAD philosophy of
top-notch dynamics and a tonal
balance with a mellow character
near the frequency extremes.
Suddenly saving space doesn’t
seem like such a sacrifice. Reviewed By NG, Issue 188
April Music Aura Note
$1895
aprilmusic.com
The Aura Note looks as if it
stepped out of a time machine
onto London’s Carnaby Street,
circa 1965. There’s a lot of
tech here (50Wpc and twin
USB inputs) but it’s designed
for the nostalgic sensualist
with a feeling for audio history.
Robustly built, the Aura Note
offers impressive oomph in the
bottom end and is more than
persuasive reproducing a broad
soundstage and the dynamic
swings of the full orchestra.
Resolution Audio Opus 21
$2500 amp, $3500 CD
player, $1500 tuner/phono
preamp
GE
resolutionaudio.com
07
Implausibly, the Opus 21
component stack combines all
the advantages of an all-in-one
box—intuitive operation, stylish
aesthetics, reasonable cost—
with those normally reserved
for serious high-end systems—
modularity, flexibility, and
superior resolution, dynamics,
and extension. This little stack’s
practicality will thrill your
Significant Other; its big sound
will thrill you. And if you don’t
need the full stack, consider
the standout CD player, which
constitutes its own bargain.
Primare DVDI10
$2595
soundorg.com
Beneath the bespoke look,
aluminum casework, and
discrete top-mount controls
is a multi-tasker of substance,
thanks in part to its coolrunning 75Wpc Class D
amplifier and an onboard
A/D converter. Sonically the
DVDI10 features a strong
sense of pace and timing and
an appealing tonal balance that
neither veers toward the warmly
romantic or the coolly clinical.
Given appropriate speakers
and a vivid 1080p display it will
perform at levels certain to raise
eyebrows amongst audiophiles
and videophiles alike. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 193
PreamplifierS
Under $1000
NAD C162
$599
nadelectronics.com
Like other NAD products,
the C162 delivers plenty
of resolution and three-
PREAMPLIFIERS
dimensionality while drawing
out the natural warmth and
expressiveness of instruments
and voices. To get the most
from it, try matching it with
the companion C272 amplifier
via a set of PNF Audio Icon
interconnects and Symphony
speaker cables. Also features an
astonishingly good phonostage;
some listeners may buy it for
that feature alone. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 148
Vincent Audio SA-31
$599
wsdistributing.com
The SA-31 is a well-made entrylevel vacuum-tube preamp that
provides tone controls and a
loudness contour switch. The
preamp’s sound is characterized
by a rich, seductive midrange
and hearty and solidly
weighted bass. Though not
quite the equal of today’s best
$1k preamps in resolution,
definition, or high-frequency
“air,” the SA-31 offers terrific
bang for the buck. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 173
PS Audio Trio P-200
$995
psaudio.com
The heart of the P-200’s
circuitry is PS Audio’s “gain
cell” technology, said to deliver
excellent linearity because input
signals aren’t attenuated or
shunted to ground through a
potentiometer. Robustly built
and very easy to use, the Trio is
an excellent minimalist linestage
preamp, ideal for pared-down
music systems. Reviewed by
Barry Willis, Issue 170
Rogue Audio Metis
$995
rogueaudio.com
PoY
05
Rogue Audio’s award-winning
Metis is a USA-made, vacuumtube-powered (6SN7-based)
preamplifier. The dynamic
liveliness and harmonic richness
we expect in any good tube
design are present here, and
at levels that remind us of the
sound of $2500 tube preamps.
But unlike tube designs that
sound focused in the midrange
but soft at the frequency
extremes, the Metis’ great
strength is sound that remains
evenly balanced and finely
resolved from top to bottom.
$1000–$2000
Van Alstine Transcendence 8
$1099–$1697
avahifi.com
Configured as a linestage (the
optional phonostage fared less
well), the T8 is one of those
rare products that genuinely
transcends the constraints of
budget amplification. Its sound
is not particularly smooth or
euphonic. But it won praise
based on its stable imaging and
killer dynamics. It benefits from
being mated with a romantic
tube amp. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 173
provides a sense of immediate
connection to the music. Its
midrange sounds pure, its
dynamics nimble, and vocalists’
phrasing seems just right. A
slight coolness aside, this unit
lets you forget about gear and
enjoy the music. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 177
$1599
primaluna-usa.com
The vacuum-tube-powered
ProLogue 3 preamp makes an
ideal companion to PrimaLuna’s
ProLogue 5 tube power amp.
Like the power amp, the
preamp combines tube warmth
and richness with a clear, crisp,
precise presentation reminiscent
of the best solid-state designs.
Bass, too, is taut and clear.
Cambridge Audio 840e
$1799
cambridgeaudio.com
Quad 99/QC-24
$1100/$1100
quad-hifi.co.uk
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01
Along with a dandy mm and
mc phonostage, the Quad 99
features a novel “tilt” control
for tone correction. A solid
middle-level performer, it
lacks the ultimate transparency,
liveliness, and dynamic
openness of the very best
units. The all-tube QC-24
linestage is the least expensive
to suggest that elusive quality
of “continuousness” in its
presentation. The QC-24
has first-rate imaging in all
dimensions, and a lively,
engaging, remarkably neutral
presentation. Reviewed by PS,
Issues 128 and 135
Naim NAC 122x
$1450
naimusa.com
Because Naim preamps have
no built-in power supplies, they
must be mated with one of the
company’s amps or outboard
supplies to operate. When so
configured, the NAC 122x is
a notably quiet performer that
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PoY
08
The preamp companion to the
840W amp, the 840E is highly
configurable, with excellent
connectivity and a wonderful
premium resistor-ladder
volume control. Of course,
none of this would matter if
the musicality and neutrality
were anything other than at the
top of class and they are. It’s
almost unsettling how quiet this
preamp is. The 840E/840W
tandem represents one of the
most satisfying debuts in recent
years. Reviewed by NG, Issue
186
$2000–$4000
Manley Laboratories Shrimp
$2300
manleylabs.com
Stepping up to the plate with
spunk, clarity, and wall-towall soundstaging, the Manley
Shrimp tubed linestage is a
serious contender in the sub$2k price range and beyond.
Leaning to the warm side of
neutral, its minimalist, singleended-only design can be soft
on top, but offers eminently
musical and inviting sound. An
excellent value for the music
lover and tube enthusiast and
now equipped with an RF
remote control. Reviewed by
SK, Issue 178
ModWright SWL 9.0SE/SWL
9.0 Signature Edition
$2495/$2995
These two all-tubed linestages
(the Signature Edition adds a
number of design upgrades)
offer particularly wide and
deep soundstaging, coupled
with an extended bottom-end
and a sweet treble. “Addictive,
seductive, beautiful, exciting” is
how SR summed up the SWL
9.0 SE Signature Edition.
Vincent Audio SA-T8
$2500
wsdistributing.com
This tube line preamplifier is
about bass precision, spacious
soundstaging, speedy transients,
pure midrange textures, and
rhythmic drive. The lower treble
is a bit coarser texturally relative
to the midrange. Microdynamic
nuances are reproduced with
commendable conviction. A
rare musical blossom at this
price point, and an absolute
steal considering its twin virtues
of crystalline clarity and ample
boogie factor. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 188
Linn Majik Kontrol
$3100
linn.co.uk
The Kontrol preamplifier is
arguably the strongest single
component in Linn’s Majik
Series family. Its signature
characteristics are effortless
clarity and transparency, and
an ability to reveal rich layers
of transient and textural
details. One welcome touch is
a line-level input that users can
re-configure as a surprisingly
effective mm or mc phonostage.
PREAMPLIFIERS
Artemis Labs LA-1
$3500
aydn.com
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$5000–$10,000
Meridian G02
$4495
meridian-audio.com
One of three debut
components from this
fledgling company, this 5687based tube design digs deep
into the heart of the music.
Beautiful without being overtly
romantic sounding, the LA-1
is exceptionally holographic,
dynamically lively, tonally
and texturally natural, and,
audiophile-speak aside, simply
more musically engaging than
most of the competition in this
range. Reviewed by WG, Issue
155
The G02 controller replaces
its predecessor, the 502, and
features balanced dual-mono
construction as well as a unique
dual-differential volume control.
SK called it “effortless, refined,
and absolutely gorgeous” when
combined with Meridian’s other
G Series gear, concluding “these
machines have class written in
spades all over them.” Reviewed
by SK, Issue 152
Conrad-Johnson ET2
$3500 ($1250 for phono
option)
conradjohnson.com
The all-tube Calypso delivers
most of the performance of
Aesthetix’ two-box $13,000
Callisto linestage for about a
third the price. What’s more,
it benefits from Aesthetix’s
second-generation styling,
functionality, and industrial
design. Sonically, the Calypso is
characterized by extremely good
dynamics and dynamic nuance.
Although the treble is smooth
and somewhat laid-back,
transparency and resolution
are first-rate. Noise floor is
highly dependent on tube
quality, which has been variable.
Competes with the megabuck
preamps. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 151
Despite its entry-level status,
the ET-2 is a low-distortion,
high-resolution line preamplifier
that delivers timbral accuracy
and phenomenal bass control.
The overall presentation is
clean, smooth, slightly laidback, yet highly detailed, with
an emphasis on harmonic
accuracy. It can certainly hold
its own in elitist company. The
optional phonostage can also
be confidently recommended.
$4000–$5000
Parasound Halo JC-2
$4000
parasound.com
GE
08
The JC-2 is that extreme
rarity—a near-reference-quality
product that many of us can
actually afford. Neutral and
natural, transparent-to-sources,
quick and delicately detailed
(though not as hard-hitting
and detailed as the higherpriced spreads), here is one
solid-state preamp that
doesn’t trade away key parts
of the baby (air, bloom, color,
three-dimensionality) for the
bathwater of razor-cut imaging
and iron-fisted control. The
poor (or poorer) man’s ARC
Reference 3. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 182
Aesthetix Calypso
$4500
musicalsurroundings.com
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Atma-Sphere MP-3
$4750
atma-sphere.com
This no-frills tubed preamp
from Atma-Sphere is a musthear for the purist music lover.
Offering a crystal-clear, smooth,
and concise window on the
music, the MP-3’s expansiveness
is a perfect match for both tube
and solid-state amplification.
Balanced-only operation; phono
optional. Reviewed by SK, Issue
184
McIntosh C46/C2200
$5500/$6000
mcintoshlabs.com
GE
04
Sonically and functionally a
great preamplifier, the solidstate C46 features a truly useful
set of controls, including an
eight-band equalizer that is
even up to correcting some
room-related problems. It also
has an excellent phonostage.
In day-to-day use PS has never
experienced a more pleasurable
unit. McIntosh’s first new alltube preamp in more than 40
years, the C2200 is a triumph
that sports a gallery of features
(including a good phonostage)
and classic McIntosh sound.
The midrange is the most
neutral PS has heard in any tube
unit, the bass response is equally
fine, at once firm yet natural,
and the highs are sweet, pure,
and extended. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 147
Edge G2
$5898
edgeamps.com
Like its amps, Edge’s preamps are
a different kind of solid-state—
grain-free, open, neutral but not
cold, and not at all dark or grainy.
The sound described is with the
G2 powered by its internal gel
batteries. When the G2 is driven
by AC, the sound is noticeably
drier, hashier, and less magical. But
given that the batteries only need
charging once a week, this is not
a practical concern. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 149
BAT VK-42SE
$6995-$8245 (depending
on options)
balanced.com
BAT designer Victor
Khomeno is rightly proud of
the numerous programming
features on the 42-SE
preamplifier. But that’s only
the start of the story. A
preamp that punches above its
weight and a great value, this
exemplary solid-state design is
most notable for its smooth,
silky sound and superbly low
noise floor. Where it falls short
of more elaborate designs is
in resolution and dynamics.
Hovland HP-200
$7500 (add $2000 for
P-200 phonostage)
hovlandcompany.com
An uncommonly beautiful piece
of audio gear, Hovland’s HP200 is an elegant, detailed, and
natural-sounding preamplifier.
Its detail doesn’t wow you in
that “I never heard it like that
before” sort of way, but rather
reveals the inner workings of a
performance. And it’s natural in
that it allows instrumental and
vocal timbres and textures to
sound like themselves. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 162
Pass Labs XP20
$8600
passlabs.com
GE
09
Very quiet, with no trace
of solid-state hardness,
excellent musical life, and the
best low-level detail AHC has
yet encountered. Soundstaging
is as real in imaging, width, and
depth as the recording permits.
Excellent deep bass, and clean,
detailed, upper midrange and
treble that gets the most out
of flute, clarinet, strings, and
piano. And it does the same
with the full range of male
and female voice. AHC’s new
reference preamp, although it
was a hard choice relative to
the Boulder 1010. Reviewed by
AHC, Issue 192
Audio Space Reference 2
$9900
audiospace.com
A genuine Audio Space oddity,
the Reference 2 is a 300Bpowered preamplifier. Despite
its peculiar gain strategy (or
perhaps because of it), it sounds
more like the real thing in the
midrange (when used strictly
as a linestage) than any other
preamp JV has auditioned, with
nonpareil midband timbre,
imaging, and bloom. Though
it has its own built-in mm/
mc phonostages, both were
too noisy for JV’s taste. The
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07
PoY
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PREAMPLIFIERS
PHONOSTAGES
Ref 2 is, however, a superb
combination with ARC’s PH7
phonostage. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 174
Spectral DMC-30SS
$9995
spectralaudio.com
Spectral’s DMC-30SS is a tour
de force in preamplifier design,
with its ultra-fast circuits,
heroic volume control, and
meticulous attention to every
detail. Its sound is hard to
describe because it imposes
so little signature on the signal
passing through it. Putting the
DMC-30SS into the system is
like washing months of winter
off a picture window. Timbres
are richly saturated, soundstages
huge and defined, and resolution of transient detail is
unmatched, provided that these
qualities exist in the recording.
ability to adjust the level of
each input to match. Excellent
remote-control features. Superb
Boulder construction. A true
high-end product. Reviewed by
AHC, Issue 188
Simaudio MOON P-8
$13,500
simaudio.com
If it weren’t for the absence
of a mode (i.e., stereo/mono)
switch, PS would find this twochannel, dual-chassis, dual-mono
preamplifier literally perfect in
function and user-friendliness.
Like any superior modern solidstate unit, it’s tonally neutral
and pretty much characterless.
Additionally, its transparency is
see-through, dynamic response
hair-trigger and very wide, detail
amazing, with that paradoxical
combination of iron grip and
utter ease. Drawbacks? Well, it
does cost $13,500. Reviewed by
PS, Issue 165
VTL 7.5 Series II
$18,500
vtl.com
$10,000 and above
Mark Levinson No. 326S
$10,000
marklevinson.com
PoY
06
The No. 326S possesses greater
transparency and fidelity to
the source than previous ML
preamps, with less of the
characteristic ML house sound.
Astonishingly focused, and
detailed, yet smooth, suave, and
sophisticated. Superb features
and ergonomics make the No.
326S a pleasure to use on a daily
basis. Reviewed by RH, Issue
161
Boulder 1010
$13,000
boulderamp.com
A preamp that complements
all of the sonic virtues of the
Boulder 1050 power amp,
and does so with exceptional
resolving power and detail.
An excellent phonostage. The
This latest iteration of VTL’s
preamp ups the ante by
improving parts quality and
lowering the noise floor by
moving from a 12AX7 to
a lower-gain 12AU7 tube.
The result is an extremely
explosive and neutral-sounding
preamplifier that will appeal
especially to lovers of orchestral
works or rock and roll. Swapping
tubes might provide more
bloom, but no one will accuse
the unit of being lush or colored.
Rex
$20,000
balanced.com
This massive, two-chassis,
all-tubed preamplifier sets a
reference standard in midrange
liquidity, palpability, and lack of
electronic artifacts. The Rex is supremely seductive and engaging,
making the listener forget he’s
listening through the electronics
to the music. The only caveat is
that the Rex runs hot, even in
standby mode. If you can handle
the cost, heat, and rack-space
requirements, RH knows of no
sweeter-sounding preamplifier.
MBL 6010 D
$23,800
mblusa.com
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05
One of the two best solid-state
preamps JV has auditioned. Its
noise floor is so incredibly low
that it consistently resolves fine
harmonic and dynamic details
that simply aren’t audible on
other great preamps. At the
same time its transient speed
and authority are beyond
compare. To ice the cake, it
has absolutely gorgeous tone
color, the same liquidity and
transparency that so distinguish
MBL’s 9011 amps, excellent
imaging and soundstaging,
and superb ambience retrieval.
Soluution 720
$40,000
axissaudio.com
The other of the two best solidstate preamps JV has heard.
More dead-neutral in balance
(though sweet enough in the
mids and treble never to sound
clinical) and less dark and liquid
than the MBL 6010 D, the 720,
like Soulution’s amplifiers, is
killer-transparent to sources.
It’s not more detailed than the
ultra-high-resolution 6010 D,
but it’s not less. Like the 700 and
710 amps, this is a component
that just “disappears” as a
sound source, allowing other
components ahead of and
behind it to show their true
colors (or their lack of same)
more completely. Probably the
preamp for the audiophile who
wants to hear everything on
every disc but doesn’t want to
turn his stereo into a sonic X-ray
machine. JV, review forthcoming
Krell Evolution Two
$50,000
krellonline.com
The Krell Evolution series puts
the third dimension back in
music by providing exceptional
depth. It also provides
exceptional reproduction
of hall sounds and musical
mechanics—bowing sounds,
score rustling, etc. This effect
is enhanced by the imaging
qualities of the Evolution
Two. When the imaging on a
recording is natural and detailed,
the Evolution preserves the
size, the place, the stability, and
the layers of imaging. The result
is a more open soundstage,
better reproduction of life and
air, and a greater ability to lose
yourself in the music. Reviewed
by AHC, Issue 158
PHONOSTAGES
Under $2000
Parasound Zphono
$150
parasound.com
The mm/mc Zphono is
excellently built and makes very
nice sounds: large soundstage,
excellent layering and bloom
with remarkably good balance,
dynamic range, and detail. To
be sure, a little veiled, a little
lacking in ultimate definition,
with a vague sense of things
being held somewhat at arm’s
length. But at $150, you really
can’t complain. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 172
Gram Amp 2 SE
$399
elexatelier.com
This stripped-down little number
has a sweet, mellow sound, and
very low noise and perceived
distortion. It’s strictly for moving
magnets and high-output
moving coils. The sound is a
little veiled (though remarkably
grain-free), and, while not the
last word in wide dynamics, has
astonishing composure and
musical integrity. Reviewed by
PS, Issue 134
Grado PH-1
$500
gradolabs.com
The wood-bodied PH-1 is a
versatile unit that works equally
well with high- and lowoutput cartridges. Though it is
PHONOSTAGES
susceptible to environmental
noise, the sound is open
and easy, with an expansive
soundstage, natural highs,
and bass that has texture,
tonal refinement, and power.
assembled ($995; $1295 for
moving-coil version), surely
ranks among audio’s great values.
Its 47k Ohms impedance and
low output make it best for mm
and high-output mc cartridges.
Reviewed by WG in Issue 175
Simaudio MOON LP3
$500
simaudio.com
PS Audio GCPH Phono
$995
psaudio.com
Simaudio’s little LP3 is a very
convincing performer, and quiet
too. It offers 40dB gain for
moving-magnet and 60dB gain
for moving-coil cartridges, and
either 100 or 47k Ohms loading,
and parts quality is militaryspec. Though its frequency
extremes aren’t particularly
extended and its midrange is a
mite hooded, this is an excellent
mid-entry-level phonostage.
PS Audio’s GCPH phonostage
is one of the best-sounding
and most versatile offerings
in its price class. Notable
strengths include killer bass,
natural warmth, a highly threedimensional sound, and silent
backgrounds. Welcome design
touches include externally
adjustable gain and load
switches, and a remote control
with volume and absolute-phase
adjustments. And yep, it can
directly drive power amps, too.
Nova Phonomena
$999
Phonomena II
$600
The sequel to the original
Michael Yee design, the
Phonomena II is based on the
latest discrete circuitry of the
top-flight Nova Phonomena,
minus the battery pack. Like
the original it’s easily adjustable
and quite extended, with a
kind of heavy gravity in the
bass octaves. A bit cooler and
brasher on brass fortissimos,
but the sound is alive and
electrifying with dynamic
energy. For balance and value
the Phonomena II is a stunner.
Marchand Electronics LN112-AA
$995
marchandelec.com
A sweet, open, and very natural
sounding tube phonostage,
the LN-112, which can also be
ordered either as a kit ($595),
or partially ($795), or fully
GE
02
Grace, poise, low noise, and
neutrality characterize this
excellent unit, which includes
options for fine-tuning the
loading and gain of both moving
coils and moving magnets. Add
the external power supply for
even lower noise and distortion,
and greater transparency. Some
listeners may want more dynamic
“punch” and personality, but
this is hard to beat for low
coloration. Add $600 for BPS
power supply. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 172
JR Transrotor Phono II
$1500
axissaudio.com
Splendidly machined from
a chunk of aluminum with
enough heat-sinking for a
reactor, the Phono II has yet
to meet a cartridge it can’t
convincingly drive. Fully
adjustable for mm and mc, it
may well be the last phonostage
you’ll ever want. Sonically on
the cooler and clinical side—but
only slightly so. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 172
Simaudio MOON LP5.3
$1500
simaudio.com
PoY
08
A stellar performer, the LP5.3
is quiet, transparent, and tonally
neutral, and is capable of not
only recreating a remarkable
sense of the space an LP
was recorded in, but also the
subtlest interactions of the
musicians who occupied it. The
LP5.3 is flexible, too, with four
levels of impedance loading
and single-ended and balanced
outputs. Reviewed by WG, Issue 180
$3000–$6000
Aesthetix Rhea
$4000
PoY
03
With three inputs, variable
cartridge-loading—adjustable
at the listening chair via remote
control—and a front-panel
display of gain and loading, the
Rhea is the Swiss Army Knife
of phonostages. Although it
has tons of gain, the noise
level is extremely low, making
it compatible with a wide
range of cartridge outputs.
The Rhea’s family resemblance
to the Calypso linestage
is unmistakable: transient
quickness and speed without
etch, a feeling of effortlessness
on crescendos, and a deep,
layered soundstage. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 151
Naim SuperLine
$5950 (with SuperCap 2)
naim-audio.com
With no built-in power supply,
the SuperLine is designed
to mate with either another
Naim component or one of
three standalone Naim power
supplies: the FlatCap2x ($1100),
the HiCap2 ($1900), or the
SuperCap2 ($5950). With
any of the three it’s a terrific
phonostage, but when mated
with the SuperCap it blossoms
into one of the finest tools
available for LP playback.
Audio Research PH7
$5995
audioresearch.com
GE
07
PoY
07
Meet the new boss. If you can
imagine a remote-controllable
phonostage with the air, color,
and bloom of the Aesthetix
Io and the dynamics and
soundstaging of the Lamm LP2
Deluxe, then you’ve got an idea
of what ARC’s all-tube PH7
phonostage sounds like. That
said, you really have to hear this
one for yourself to get a true
sense of its transparency and
the magical way it images. ARC
hasn’t been on such a roll since
the heady days of the SP10 and
D79B. Reviewed by JV, Issue
172
$6000 and above
Artemis Labs PL-1
$4000
aydn.com
Lamm LP2 Deluxe
$7290
lammindustries.com
Like its companion linestage,
the PL-1 is a tube phonostage
that delivers exquisitely musical
and lifelike sound. Record after
record left WG with that “as
if hearing it for the first time”
feeling. Beautifully balanced,
with low noise and a great range
of tone colors, the PL-1 is also
dynamically explosive and very
transparent. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 155
With a superb built-in coupling
transformer to handle loweroutput moving coils, the all-tube
Lamm LP2 phonostage has the
inestimable advantage of being
dead quiet, which makes it ideal
for folks, like JV, who live in RF
Valley. Though not as “alive”
or bloomy as the Aesthetix Io
or ARC PH7 on large-scale
dynamics, the Lamm is rich,
beautiful, and extraordinarily
delicate-sounding on all
music, with superior detail and
transient response. Reviewed by
JV, Issue 157
GE
03
GE
04
PHONOSTAGES
MUSIC SERVERS
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
Aesthetix Rhea Signature
$7000
The Signature version of
Aesthetix’ Rhea vividly
demonstrates the value of
component quality. Although
the circuit is identical to that
of the Rhea, the Signature
uses cost-no-object parts
throughout. The sonic result is
a much better defined bottom
end, even smoother timbres,
and (surprisingly) greater
dimensionality. An expensive
upgrade over the $4k Rhea, but
worth it. RH, review forthcoming
Manley Steelhead
$7500
manleylabs.com
GE
04
The Steelhead should be
counted as one of the
great phonostages, and its
extraordinary set of features
makes it a vinyl-tweaker’s
fantasy rig. Driven by an
outboard solid-state power
supply, the main chassis houses
six tubes, two moving-coil and
moving-magnet inputs, fixed
and variable inputs, and a bevy
of front-panel controls. The
sound is superb—rich but
not fat, detailed yet natural,
extended, controlled, and highly
involving. Plus, it has the huevos
to drive an amp directly and
now has a remote control.
Audio Tekne TEA-2000
$12,000
tangramaudio.com
Audio Tekne’s exquisitely made
and expensive electronics are
examples of the artisanal high
end—in this case the work of
Japanese master Kiyoaki Imai.
Built around very-high-quality
power transformers, two superb
step-up transformers (one for
very-low-output moving coils
and one for typical coils), and a
tube gain stage, the TEA-2000
is a wonderment. Unlike other
step-up-transformer-based phonostages, the TEA-2000 gives up
nothing in the way of transparency and detail. Indeed, it sounds
so much like a very slight and
pleasantly warmer, considerably
higher-output, marginally more
detailed PH7, it is uncanny. JV
Music Servers (listed
alphabetically)
Apple TV
$329
apple.com
When you consider its price and
sonic capabilities it’s hard to
understand why any audiophile
with a computer and Wifi
doesn’t already have an Apple
TV in his system. It retains the
essential nature and feeling of
the music as faithfully as a good
CD transport. You’ll never have
the impression that the music
was merely “there” as with
many mid-fi components. A
true 21st century music-delivery
device is finally here. Reviewed
by SS, Issue 183
Logitech Slim Devices
Transporter
$1999
slimdevices.com
The Transporter is a versatile
product whose flexibility may
be its best and worst trait. It can
be used as a music server, DAC,
or stand-alone digital preamp,
so many users may employ it
in a way that prevents it from
sounding its best. Still, if you
are thinking of buying any
$2000+ DAC you absolutely
must consider a Transporter. It’s
simply that good. Reviewed by
SS, Issue 193
Logitech Squeezebox Duet
$399
slimdevices.com
The Duet is the radio king.
Through it you can listen to
almost any FM radio station in
the world. Its full-color remote
can leap through tall buildings
with a single bound and it even
doubles as a digital clock. The
sound quality and ergonomics
of the Logitech Squeezebox
Duet make them worthy of
installation in the most exalted
high-end system. It also doesn’t
hurt that it is ridiculously cheap.
Music Vault II Hard Drive
MusicVault II 500, $1485;
MusicVault II, $1725;
MusicVault II, 1500, $1920;
MusicVault II 2000, $2265
soundsciencecat.com
If you peruse the Internet
you will discover that NAS
hard drives can be had for as
little as $100. If you buy the
right one and have the skills,
you can conceivably cobble
together a device that has nearly
all the capabilities of a Music
Vault II. But your home-brew
unit will not have is the same
degree of customer service and
ergonomic ease as the Music
Vault II. Reviewed by SS, Issue
193
anyone to enjoy music anywhere
in his home makes it the
greatest thing since sliced bread.
Sooloos Music Server
Price varies with
configuration
sooloos.com
Along with Qsonix, Sooloos
offers a much easier to
use music server than the
competition thanks to its
touchscreen user-interface. The
tools for finding and presenting
you with the music you might
want to hear are exemplary.
After living with a Sooloos, it’s
hard to go back to searching for
CDs. Now owned by Meridian.
Digital Processors
Audyssey Sound Equalizer
$2500
audyssey.com
Qsonix Q110 Music Server
Price varies with
configuration
GE
08
qsonix.com
When it comes to music servers,
the user interface is paramount.
This is where the Q110
excels—its touchscreen panel
and “drag ’n’ drop” operation
justify the higher price
compared with building your
own PC-based server. Qsonix is
continually adding new features,
including seamless integration
with the MusicGiants on-line
store. Reviewed by RH, Issues
177 and 184
Sonos BU 150 (includes
ZP-90 ZonePlayer, ZP-120
ZonePlayer, CR100 Controller
100, and CC100Charging
Cradle 100)
$999 (bundle price)
sonos.com
I read somewhere that the
Sonos system is about as
sexy as a toaster. That may be
true, but it’s also as reliable,
unintimidating, and easy to use
as a toaster. The fact that the
Sonos system makes it easy for
The Audyssey compensates
for room effects to produce
remarkably smooth, uncolored,
and neutral sound and it can
even do this over quite a large
listening area. The chosen
“target curve” is flat down
through the bass, with none of
the curve-shaping (with bass
up a little) that is common in
room-correction devices. The
result sounds rather lean with
many recordings, and user
control of the target curve is
minimal: Only some top-end
roll-off options are offered.
This is a surround unit with
eight channels, but is usable for
two-channel. Reviewed by REG,
Issue 178
Copland DRC 205 Room
Compensation Device
$2990
GE
07
divergent.com
This relatively inexpensive
device can revolutionize your
system. It offers automatic and
rapid setup without a computer,
but can be further adjusted to
listener preference using a PC
(software included). Compatible
with all sources via analog input
and output, it goes in your tape-
PoY
07
DIGITAL PROCESSORS
DIGITAL SOURCES
monitor loop, where it corrects
what is wrong with your room/
speaker combination. Pure
sound, and true sonic accuracy
at the touch of a button Reviewed by REG, Issue 173
TacT Audio RCS 2.2XP
$5190 (base unit)/$6860
(fully loaded)
GE
tactaudio.com
05
Recently upgraded to a “P” GE
designation, TacT’s 2.2 lets 05
you do a crossover-plus-timedelay at, say, 200Hz from a
corner-placed woofer to a
main speaker out in the room
(where midrange and treble
response are smoother and
imaging better). The RCS
2.2XP also does the overall
“room correction” to bring the
in-room response to whatever
“target curve” you choose.
Lyngdorf Audio TDAI ADC RP
2200
GE
$7200
07
lyngdorf.com
A superb digital amplifier
combined with the
“RoomPerfect” system,
which corrects room/speaker
problems but preserves general
speaker character (by-passable
if desired). No choices except
some overall balance curve
selections are offered, but
RoomPerfect gives excellent
results on its own. Setup is
rapid and easy (no computer).
Also useable for the Lyngdorf
corner-woofer setup. Reviewed
by REG, Issue 170
Digital Sources
Under $1000
High Resolution Technologies
Music Streamer/Music
Streamer+
GE
09
$99/$299
hirestech.com
Unlike many inexpensive DACs,
which may sound clean but
lack the “juice” that makes
recorded music sound right,
the MusicStreamer retains
music’s essential timbres. Even
320kbps MP3 music files have a
musical rightness that very few
DACs manage to convey. For
under $100 the MusicStreamer
qualifies as the biggest bargain
SS has heard in a long, long
time. The MusicStreamer+ may
be an even bigger value than its
little brother the MusicStreamer.
Couple it with transparent
electronics and be prepared to
get closer to your music than
you ever thought possible from
a $299 USB DAC. It does not
support higher-res files, but
what the MusicStreamer+ does
must be heard to be believed.
Oppo DV-980H
$169
oppodigital.com
PoY
06
Oppo’s DV-980H is, hands
down, the best universal player
$169 can buy. It’s a more than
respectable entry-level CD
player, an even better DVDAudio/SACD player, and a
surprisingly good upscaling
DVD player, too. Offering
smoother, more detailed, and
more focused sound than
anything near its price, the DV980H makes a perfect, multiformat, audiophile’s starter
player (though “gild-the-lily”
types should note that Oppo’s
$395 DV-983H raises the
performance bar higher still).
Bel Canto USB Link 24/96
$295
belcantodesign.com
The USB Link 24/96 is a
cleverly conceived USB-toS/PDIF converter that enables
any PC to play music through
virtually any DAC. Along
with this flexibility comes
higher resolution than most
USB-capable DACs, plus a
less plastic, more dynamic,
airier sound. The Link cannot
completely overcome USB’s
intrinsic sonic limitations, but it
is ideal for those who must use
that interface. Reviewed by AT,
Issue 194
Musical Fidelity V-DAC
$299
musicalfidelity.com
Musical Fidelity’s humblelooking V-DAC (which provides
coax, optical, and USB inputs)
is an astonishingly good
performer. In terms of voicing
and handling of timbres and
textures, it nearly equals the
sound of some of the nicer
four-figure CD players we’ve
heard, sacrificing only a touch
of bass extension and an elusive
bit of three-dimensionality.
But at this price, why quibble?
Reviewed by CM, Playback Issue
20
NAD C515 BEE
$299
nadelectronics.com
PoY
08
Joins the C315 BEE integrated
amplifier as the entry-level
tandem in NAD’s high-flying
BEE line. In both cases the
BEEs hold their own, revealing
orchestral minutiae, dynamic
thrills, and timbral details that
would have escaped a sub$300 player a short while ago.
There’s more bloom in the
treble, although it’s still on the
dry side. Inner dynamic lines
may not be as pristinely defined
as higher-priced units, but the
sonic delights of the C515 BEE
should make all listeners look
long and hard at their options
in the under-$1000 range.
Reviewed by NG, Issue 183 Cambridge Audio 540C v2
$499
The 540C CD player sounds
far more sophisticated and
refined than any $439 machine
has a right to. The midrange
is relatively grain-free, and the
treble lacks the metallic sheen
often heard in entry-level
products. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 162
Focusrite Saffire
$499
focusrite.com
Focusrite’s FireWire-toS/PDIF converter constitutes
a genuine breakthrough in
extracting audiophile-grade
sound from a PC. Though
not quite reference caliber in
inner detail, instrumental body,
or bass definition, the Saffire
delivers a rich, relaxed, airy,
rhythmically cohesive, fleshand-blood presentation that is
the antithesis of USB. Note that
the Saffire is a minor pain to
install and set up. Reviewed by
AT, Issue 194
NAD C 542
$499
nadelectronics.com
NAD’s C 542 delivers a warm,
easy, and open sound, though
it is slightly rough around
the edges and a bit forward
in perspective. Given the
NAD’s overall musicality and
value, these flaws are hardly a
distraction. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 137
PS Audio Digital Link III
$995
psaudio.com
The DL III’s upsampling
feature takes standard
44.1kHz CD playback into
the high-resolution realm.
At user-selectable 96kHz
or 192kHz sampling rates,
it made standard-issue CDs
sound similar to their SACD
counterparts. Reviewed by BW,
Issue 170
Rega Apollo
$995
soundorg.com
PoY
06
Rega’s Apollo CD player is the
finest sub-$1000 CD player CM
has heard, offering substantially
more resolution than other
players in its class, plus a richly
textured sound that spans the
entire audio spectrum (though
faint hints of treble hardness
do occasionally poke through).
DIGITAL SOURCES
$1000-$2000
Benchmark DAC1Pre
$1575
GE
09
benchmarkmedia.com
PoY
08
According to REG, this
controversial unit delivers
absolutely top-quality
performance that belies its small
size and modest price. For its
amazing sound quality, jittersuppressing D-to-A conversion,
and superb analog linestage, all
at a modest price, REG called it
“the beginning of a new era in
audio”; the reaction of others
has been more mixed. Reviewed
by REG, Issue 183
Exposure 3010S
$1795
bluebirdmusic.com
A highly articulate CD player,
Exposure’s 3010S possesses
impressive breadth and depth,
and good air and detail. Initially
hard-sounding, after run-in
the Exposure rewards with a
musically natural presentation
capable of bloom, complex
harmonics, excellent rhythmic
pace, and deep, authoritative
bass that’s always easy and
effortless sounding. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 181
NAD Masters Series M55
$1795
nadelectronics.com
NAD’s M55 universal
player boasts first-rate video
performance (thanks to
Faroudja processing) and
sound quality that takes NAD’s
traditional house sound to
much higher levels than ever
before by offering dramatically
increased levels of resolution,
transient speed, definition, and
three-dimensionality. The player
performs equally well with CDs
and high-resolution discs, and is
a compelling value for money.
Reviewed by CM/TM, Issue
174
Cambridge Audio Azur 840C
$1799
PoY
07
quality that’s competitive with
$6k players, standing out for its
ease, smoothness, resolution,
dimensionality, and stunning
spatial presentation. The 840C’s
technology is also different
than its competitors, with
custom digital filtering that
upsamples to 384kHz/24-bit,
dual-differential DACs, a beefy
custom transport, and a massive
power supply. A great CD
player at an unbelievable price.
$2000–$3000
$3000–$5000
Creek Destiny
$2495
musichallaudio.com
Audio Research DAC7
$3495
audioresearch.com
Like its companion piece from
Creek, the Destiny integrated
amp, the Destiny CD player
rivals the performance of
more expensive separates and,
in combination with the amp,
does some things better than
any other digital and solidstate combo that JH has heard
at anywhere near its price.
Reviewed by JH, Issue 170
The ARC DAC7 is at the
vanguard of a new wave of
digital components that pull
off the miraculous, analog-like
feat of being detailed, musically
insightful, and relaxed at the
same time. The DAC7’s sound
is big, airy, and gorgeous. Its
bass is simply stellar, and its
USB input, though limited to
16/48 resolution, is among
the best-sounding available.
$2499
primaluna-usa.com
Bryston BDA-1
$1995
bryston.com
AT’s new reference DAC,
the Bryston BDA-1 reveals
previously unattainable
(from digital) worlds of
information about the sound
and performance of the music
it plays. Though not quite as
sweet-sounding as the ARC,
the Bryston is slightly more
revealing and rhythmically taut,
while still maintaining a relaxed,
analog-like presentation. Only
a sub-par USB input mars an
otherwise exceptional product.
Sony BDP-S5000ES
$1999
sony.com
A Blu-ray battleship if there
ever was one. Ruggedly built,
with Ethernet and memory
card at the ready for BD-Live
content, it also offers 14-bit HD
video processing and onboard
7.1-channel audio processing
of the latest multichannel highresolution formats. Audio and
picture quality are crystalline;
even stock CDs fared well. The
premium price suggests it’s for
the Sony system completist–
not that there’s anything wrong
with that. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 193
The Azur 840C shatters the
price/performance equation
in CD playback with sound
An amazing value with a unique
tube-based clock. At its best,
with the board upgrade, the
Eight closes in on even the
most expensive competition. It’s
blessed with plenty of boogie
factor, superb clarity, sensuous
mids, and lovely harmonic
bloom. Its portrayal of the
soundstage is wonderfully
transparent. Out of the box,
upper octaves are a bit grainy
and bright. Tube dampers help
significantly, as do vintage preamp tubes. Reviewed by DO,
Issue 183
Bryston BCD-1
$2695
bryston.com
GE
08
PoY
08
A CD player for the ages,
this new Bryston is truly
reference-caliber at an
eminently reasonable price. The
BCD-1 sports the latest digital
components, an audiophilegrade Class A output stage,
user-friendly operation, durable
construction—and gets the
music right. Particularly
impressive are its dramatic
dynamics and ability to unravel
interwoven musical lines.
Buoyant without being lean,
this player requires a good set
of tiptoes to achieve its full
potential. Reviewed by AT,
Issue 183
Arcam DV-139
$3499
arcam.co.uk
With Arcam’s Full Metal Jacket
(FMJ) chassis construction,
a first-rate video scaler, and
meticulous attention to audio
circuits, the DV139 delivers
outstanding performance. Great
on DVD-A, it’s a bit softer in
the treble on SACD, which is a
benefit on many discs. Stunning
video quality on DVD. Overall,
a terrific one-box solution to
the format wars. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 174
Denon DVD-5910CI
$3800
denon.com
The first DVD player to employ
the Silicon Optix HQV videoprocessing chip, the Denon
DVD-5910 naturally has terrific
video performance. But the
audio is equally good, whether
you’re playing CD, SACD, or
DVD-Audio. The massively
overbuilt player delivers
powerful bass and a smooth yet
extended treble, with a musically
involving character. A flat-out
bargain for its capabilities with
all formats. Reviewed by BW,
TPV Issue 67
Classé Delta CDP-102
$4500
classeaudio.com
Another Classé tour de “source,”
the CDP-100 combines the
sensuous design elegance of
the TFT-touchscreen-equipped
DIGITAL SOURCES
CP-500 with solid but mellow
PCM performance that never
fails to flatter the music.
Textures are velvety smooth,
with terrific fluidity across the
tonal spectrum. Although less
forward than some and a little
light in the bass, it shares the
high musicality and build-factor
of the other Delta electronics.
Berkely Audio Design Alpha
DAC
GE PoY
$4995
09 08
berkeleyaudiodesign.com
The Alpha DAC is not only one
of the best-sounding digital-toanalog converters, it’s also an
amazing bargain. In addition
to world-class decoding of CD
sources, the Alpha DAC can
handle any sampling rate to
192kHz and word lengths to 24bit. The robust analog output
stage and variable output level
allow the Alpha DAC to drive
a power amplifier directly. This
feature is significant, because
the Alpha DAC is capable of
such resolution, timbral purity,
and dynamics you’ll want to
hear it without the limitations
of a preamp in the signal path.
A reference-quality product at
a moderate price. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 189
Meridian G08.2 $4995
meridian-audio.com
PoY
04
The G08.2 replaces the
popular 588 and is built
around a computer-style CD/
DVD-ROM drive capable of
spinning the disc much faster
than needed for standard
CD operation. According
to Meridian, this allows for
multiple high-speed re-reads,
providing ten times the errorcorrection capability of a
conventional CD player. As
with the rest of the G Series,
the sound is effortless, refined,
and gorgeous. Reviewed by SK,
Issue 152
$5000–$10,000
Luxman DU-50
$5000
onahighernote.com
Preferring to emphasize
its sonic virtues, Luxman’s
importer calls this a “music
player,” but it will in fact play
any five‑inch disc on the planet
save for Blu-ray Discs. Yet its
musical presentation—delicate
and refined, or rich, robust, and
dynamic, as called for—makes
it one of the best digital players
and the best universal player
PS has yet auditioned, with far
and away the most user‑friendly
ergonomics. A novel feature is
a choice between two on‑board
DACs. Reviewed by PS, Issue 177
Plinius CD-101
$5225
plinius.com
The CD-101 is a lavish musical
performer and attentiongrabber with drive and pace to
burn. Its lack of edginess brings
new heights of resolution
and a reduction in distortion.
Without a numeric display,
the lethargic track navigation
system (via pulsating pin lights)
takes a few spins to get used to.
The massive machined remote
control could easily be a lethal
weapon. Reviewed by NG, Issue
156
Linn Unidisk SC
$5510
linn.co.uk
According to Barry Willis
this Linn universal player’s
sound quality “was in a class
by itself—simultaneously lush
and detailed, with a deep, silent
background and reach-outand-touch-it soundstaging.”
The Unidisk SC is more than
a uni-player; it’s also a remotecontrolled preamp, digital-toanalog converter, and the hub
of a Linn-centric, networked,
distributed-audio system.
Reviewed by BW, TPV Issue 67
Esoteric X-05
$5995
esoteric.teac.com
GE
09
The X-05 is, in its own soulful
way the anti-digital disc player.
With the X-05’s silky upperoctave harmonics and air, and
its effortless transients, music
emerges freed of the glassy
haze that overlays most digital
playback. The familiar sonic
chasm between digital and
analog truly disappears. This
CD/SACD player represents
the full realization of SACD’s
high-resolution potential.
Simaudio MOON Supernova
$6500
simaudio.com
First-rate sound and firstrate construction make the
Supernova a contender for the
last Red Book player you’ll ever
need. With a slight nod to the
cooler side of neutral, it’s surefooted with images, fleshy and
dimensional, with a sprinter’s
speed off the transient line. The
Supernova possesses a special
sensitivity with micro-dynamics
that draws it ever closer to
the best SACD playback.
Ergonomically, Simaudio’s
trademark fast-reaction
mechanism and software will
make the Supernova, well,
super to use. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 179
Marantz SA-7S1
$6999
marantz.com
PoY
07
This elegant and superbly
built CD/SACD player has a
wonderfully smooth and yet
extraordinarily detailed sound
that puts it among the top
echelon of CD and SACD
playback devices. Unusually,
three digital-filter options
are offered for each format,
each option giving a subtly
but definitely different sound.
Wadia 581
$6950
wadia.com
Wadia is back, and its 581
is a landmark release that
combines the sophistication of
the company’s flagships with
a newfound sense of musical
freedom. The 581’s CD sound
is big and boisterous, exhibiting
reference-caliber dynamics,
extension, and imaging. It also
does full justice to SACDs,
albeit in two channels only.
Esoteric X-03SE
$8200
esoteric.teac.com
Glare, grunge, and grit are utterly
foreign to this full and mellowsounding model, which is more
interested in the big picture than
spotlighting details. The Esoteric
lingers over notes, giving them
their full value. Its sound is not
effervescent, but stately with
extremely measured pacing.
Classé CDP-502 $8500
classeaudio.com
The CDP-502 is one of the
few players that offers DVD
compatibility and outstanding
CD-sound quality. A robust
bottom-end, slightly forward
midrange perspective, and a
clean treble presentation make
the CDP-502 competitive
with similarly priced CD-only
players. Throw in outstanding
video quality and DVD-A
compatibility, and you have a
one-box solution to the CD/
DVD player dilemma. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 183
$10,000 and above
MBL 1521 A CD Drive/1511 F
DAC
$10,950/$10,650 GE
PoY
07 06
mblusa.com
As with other MBL electronics,
these digital items are helping
to redefine what’s possible
in their categories. It’s not
that they sound like analog;
they do not. What they do is
provide a richness of tone
color, seamless resolution of
musical lines, refinement of
dynamic nuance, dimensionality,
and sense of involvement that
go beyond anything WG has
before experienced with digital
playback. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 164
Compatible with every disc 07
format, the P-03 Uni/D-03
takes the universal-player idea
to the extreme. Featuring
Esoteric’s own state-of-theart VRDS disc-transport
mechanism, the P-03 Universal
player, in combination with
the D-03 DAC, delivers sound
that is among the best digital
playback RH has heard. Video
quality (1080p output via
HDMI) is also state-of-theart. Note that the P-03 Uni
is available without video
capabilities (P-03) for $4000
less. Adding the Esoteric
G-0Rb rubidium clock vaults
performance even higher.
TURNTABLES
DIGITAL SOURCES
Esoteric D-03 D/A converter/
Esoteric P-03 transport
$14,000 (D-03 D/A
converter); $14,000 (P-03
CD/SACD transport);
$18,000 P-03 Uni (CD/ GE
07
DVD/SACD transport)
esoteric.teac.com
PoY
Meridian 808.2 Signature
Reference
$15,995/$16,995
meridian.co.uk
Although the 808.2 shares its
model number with the 808,
this new machine is an entirely
different animal. With a unique
“apodising” digital filter that
removes a particularly nasty
form of distortion that is largely
responsible for “CD sound,”
the 808.2 realizes a surprising
improvement in CD playback.
“The most significant product
in the history of the Compact
Disc,” said RH. The 808.2i
adds preamplifier with volume
control and source-switching.
Esoteric G-Orb Rubidium
Master Clock
$16,000
esoteric.teac.com
In digital-audio playback, who
would have thought you’d need
the precision of an atomic
clock? That’s exactly what the
G-0Rb is, and when used with
transports and converters with
clock inputs, it elevates their
sound to a new level. Expensive,
but worth it. Stunning build and
metalwork. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 180
Nagra CDP and CDC
$14,295 and $16,750
[email protected]
Spectral SDR-4000 Pro
$17,500
spectralaudio.com
Whether you choose the
volume-controllable CDC
or the straight CDP, Nagra’s
designs rank among the finest
of today’s ultra-pricey compact
disc players. (Note: the CDP’s
straighter signal path retrieves
somewhat more musical detail
and emotional expression.)
Beautifully built on compact,
brushed-aluminum chassis, the
Nagras have outstanding tonal
purity, exceptional clarity and
resolution, and a sheer beauty
of sound. The Patek Philippes
of CD players. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 176
The Spectral SDR-4000 Pro,
along with the Meridian 808.2,
is the state-of-the-art in CD
playback, in RH’s experience.
The player possesses a stunning
combination of super-high
resolution with an unparalleled
sense of ease, qualities that are
usually mutually exclusive. The
Spectral also conveys a sense
of space, and of instruments
within that space, like no other
CD-playback device. Throw in
lightning-fast dynamic reflexes,
and you’ve got a presentation
that is not only intellectually
engaging but emotionally
satisfying. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 190
MBL 1621 A CD
Transport/1611 F Digital-toAnalog Converter
$24,000 and $24,750
mblusa.com
If you’re heavily invested in
Red Book CD, you may not
know how good it can get until
you audition this pricey-butworth-it transport and DAC
from MBL. This combo is
capable of eliciting magical
levels of musical detail—much
of it previously unheard—from
silver disc, with unusually lifelike
timbres and transient response,
and unparalleled extension,
definition, and slam in the bass.
More exciting and higher in
apparent detail than the dCS
gear, it is also less holistic and
more “hi-fi,” although I can see
where many would prefer this
presentation. JV
PoY
dCS Scarlatti/Puccini
08
dCS Scarlatti Transport,
$32,999; Scarlatti Clock,
$9999; Scarlatti DAC,
$23,999; dCS Puccini
$17,999; dCS Puccini
U-Clock, $4999
audiophilesystems.com
The Scarlatti is dCS’s top-ofthe-line CD/SACD player. A
three-box solution—separate
transport, DAC, and clock—it
upsamples PCM to DSD
and plays back SACD via
the same five-bit Ring DAC
technology found in dCS’s
single-box Puccini. However,
parts-quality in the Scarlatti is
across-the-board higher than
in the Puccini, and its sound
is commensurately better.
Of all the digital gear JV has
reviewed or tested, the Scarlatti
and Puccini come closest to
sounding “complete”—to fully
blending many of the virtues
of analog with those of digital,
particularly in CD playback.
Burmester 069 CD player $59,995
PoY
burmester.de
08
A contender for the absolute
top of the state of the art in
every aspect of CD listening—
imaging, detail, dynamics,
bass, and upper octaves—and
superbly built and finished. Gets
the best out of “ordinary” CDs,
and not just the best recordings.
Like most of its competitors
for this level of quality, it is,
however, extremely expensive
and careful auditioning is
needed to determine whether
its nuances are: (a) the ones you
prefer, and (b) worth the cost.
Soulution 740
$60,000 (transport and DAC)
axissaudio.com
A bit darker in balance than the
dCS Scarlatti/Puccini, this expensive Swiss CD player is, nonetheless, the highest-resolution,
highest-transparency digital device JV has yet heard, capable of
sounding “fool-you” realistic on
well-recorded CDs. At this price
point, one would be well advised
to listen to all the contenders
before pulling out that Rubidium
Mastercard; nonetheless, if you’re
shopping for the very best, the
740 is an absolute must-hear. JV,
review forthcoming
Turntables and
Record Players
Under $1000
Pro-Ject Debut III
$349 (with arm and Ortofon
OM5e cartridge)
sumikoaudio.net
The Debut III offers music
lovers a lot of analog virtues,
like warmth and naturalness, at a
bargain price. With the cartridge
already installed, this ’table is
very easy for even a novice to get
going. One can improve clarity,
bass articulation, and pitch
stability by substituting a better
Ortofon OM stylus, using an
isolation platform (or pucks), or
adding the inexpensive Pro-Ject
Speed Box MkII. Reviewed by
JH, Issue 172
Rega P1
$395
soundorg.com
PoY
07
Rega’s P1 is entirely Britishmade and uses the classic Rega
motor, drive system, and main
bearing. But instead of glass,
the platter is made of MDF,
and the arm is the new RB100,
which comes pre-mounted with
the Ortofon OM5e movingmagnet cartridge. You won’t get
much frequency extension or
wide dynamics here, but what
you do get is the pace, musical
interplay, and involvement that
makes analog special. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 171
TURNTABLES
Music Hall MMF 2.2
$450
musichallaudio.com
This entry-level ’table/arm/
cartridge combination is
“point-and-shoot” analog, with
no set-up or operational fuss.
The tonal balance is somewhat
weighted toward the upper
midrange, with limited bass
extension. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 191
Pro-Ject RM-5-SE
$699 with arm; $999 with
arm and Sumiko Bluepoint
No. 2 cartridge
sumikoaudio.net
The RM-5 is a scaleddown version of Pro-Ject’s
larger ’tables, and its sonic
performance, aided by a
carbon-fiber arm, tear-shaped
plinth, and isolation feet, is a
pleasant surprise. It’s a step up
from entry-level ’tables and will
appeal to audiophiles looking
for more resolution, control,
and realism, as well as a more
flexible platform for tweaking.
Rega P3-24
$895
soundorg.com
A standard for some 20 years,
the latest edition of Rega’s P3
sports an improved plinth,
motor, and tonearm. Known
for its rhythmic incisiveness,
the P3-24 also delivers greater
dynamic range, a more
convincing sense of air and
space, a lower noise floor, richer
tonality, and improved bass over
earlier versions. For an extra
$375 one may add the TTPSU
power supply, which takes the
performance to a significantly
higher level. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 180 and PS, Issue 191
Pro-Ject RM-5SE/Sumiko
Blue Point No. 2
$999
sumikoaudio.net
Easy to assemble, Pro-Ject’s RM5SE features a teardrop-shaped,
black-lacquered MDF plinth, a
suspended motor assembly, a
stainless steel and Teflon bearing,
and a 9" carbon-fiber arm. As
supplied, with Sumiko’s Blue
Point 2 cartridge, the RM-5E
is musically involving, with a
warm balance, stunning rhythmic
incisiveness, fine dynamic
shading, good detail, and a natural
feeling of depth. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 180
$1000–$2000
Pro-Ject Xpression III
$699
sumikoaudio.net
Rega P5
$1395
soundorg.com
The Xpression III features an
acrylic platter, machined cone
feet, a carbon-fiber arm tube,
and other refinements rare
at this price. Supplied with
Sumiko’s Oyster cartridge, the
Xpression III has excellent
clarity, smoothness, and a wide
and deep soundstage. Reviewed
by PS, Issue 191
When paired with Rega’s Exact
phono cartridge, this ’table
produced a highly musical sound
that JH preferred to most digital
players, regardless of price.
The P5 is a low-vibration/
low-coloration design that “is
as close to a ‘set it and forget it’
analog front-end as you’re likely
to find,” and “the absence of
‘groove noise’ is astonishing.”
Reviewed by JH, AVgM, Issue 15
Clearaudio Emotion/ Satisfy
$1400 with Satisfy Carbon
Fiber and ceramic magnetic
bearing; $2000 with
Maestro cartridge musicalsurroundings.com
The Emotion sports an acrylic
plinth, high-quality bearing
assembly, and matte acrylic
platter, which is belt-driven
by a decoupled synchronous
motor. The Satisfy arm is a
gimbaled-bearing design whose
minimalist, one-bolt cartridgecarrier makes alignment a snap.
It offers a dynamically lively and
engaging presentation, conveys
bass with power and speed, and
works well with any number of
cartridges. Reviewed by CM,
AVgM, Issue 9
Sota Comet S301 w/
PoY
08
Dynavector 10x5
$1545 with cartridge ($1150
without)
sotaturntables.com
SOTA uses internal damping
to isolate the Comet from
vibration; the bearing cup
is made from a Teflonimpregnated self-lubricating
polymer; the platter assembly
consists of a high-density
polymer main platter, which
sits atop a polymer-based
sub-platter, and is driven by
a 24-pole AC synchronous
motor. The result is an easy,
authoritative presentation that’s
warm, rich, and solid, with wide
as well as nuanced dynamics,
and a large, 3-D soundfield.
Pro-Ject RM 9.1
$1799 ($2299 as tested
with Sumiko Blackbird
cartridge, which is $899
when sold separately) PoY
sumikoaudio.net
06
With the RM-9.1, Pro-Ject has
made an already good design
much better, without raising
the price. Like some of its
competitors, notably the Rega
P5 and VPI Scout, it includes an
arm that is far superior to the
stock arms you’ll find on entrylevel turntables, and the Sumiko
Blackbird’s performance comes
close to that of some higherpriced lower-output moving
coils. Reviewed by JH, Issue 164
VPI Aries Scout w/JMW-9
$1850
GE
vpiindustries.com
08
If you want to experience a
huge taste of analog heaven
without the hellish price tag,
the VPI Aries Scout deserves
your attention. This simple,
affordable ’table uses an
inverted bearing with a Teflon
thrust plate and a scaled-down
version of the JMW unipivot
arm to create an exceptionally
quiet background and high
signal-to-noise ratio. Music
leaps out of silence into the
room. Reviewed by JHb, Issue 172
$2000–$5000
Kuzma Stabi S
$2075
themusic.com
GE
05
The Stabi S is Kuzma’s least
expensive turntable, but you
wouldn’t know it listening to the
thing. Blessed with deep, warm
background silences, the Stabi
S makes a great complement
to the Stogi S tonearm. Not
a good choice for rooms
where footfalls are a problem
(because it is unsuspended), it
is otherwise a fine mid-priced
’table. Reviewed by CM, Issue 159
Clearaudio Performance
$2799 with Satisfy CarbonFiber arm
The Performance’s precision
ceramic-magnetic bearing
allows its platter to float on a
cushion of air, contributing to
this turntable system’s startling
transparency, openness, and
clarity, very good native speed
stability, and low noise floor.
Its improved Satisfy arm is
equally at home with a highperformance moving coil or
a modest moving-magnet
cartridge. Like most massloaded designs, a rigid stand is
required for this gem to shine.
TURNTABLES
Well Tempered Amadeus
$2800
welltemperedlab.net
GE
09
This latest version of William
Firebaugh’s inventive ideas on
turntable and arm design has
an ultra-quiet background,
superbly non-resonant, neutral
sound, complete speed stability,
surprising bass extension,
easy setup and operation, and
compatibility with a wide range
of cartridges. Only one caveat:
Add-on isolation devices may
be needed. Overall, highest high
end at a budget price. Reviewed
by REG, Issue 191
Linn Sondek LP12
$2810 (turntable only)
linn.co.uk
Nottingham Analogue StudioSpace 294
GE PoY
07
$3999 with Ace- 07
Space 294 arm
aslgroup.com/Nottingham
Nottingham’s Space 294 beltdrive turntable is a beautiful
analog playback platform that
offers very good speed stability
and nearly noise-free operation.
Driven by an ultra-low-torque
motor, the 294’s massive
platter must be push-started
by hand (you’ll get used to it).
Completing the picture is the 12"
unipivot Ace-Space 294 carbonfiber tonearm. The system
strikes a fine balance between
resolution and musicality.
The original high-end turntable,
Linn’s LP12 conveys the rhythm
and pace that are the very
foundations of music, and it
gets better with age—owners of
any vintage LP12 can upgrade
to the current model. Reviewed
by SB, Issue 136
Basis 1400 Signature
$2900
basisaudio.com
PoY
02
Clean, lively, and nimble,
the Basis 1400 lacks the
great authority, deep black
backgrounds, and projection
of size and scale of the really
great turntables. But this ’table
proves eminently satisfying and
doesn’t leave you hankering for
something else. Reviewed by PS,
Issues 132 and 140
Pro-Ject RM-10
$2999 with arm; $3499
with arm and Sumiko
Blackbird cartridge
sumikoaudio.net
GE
07
The RM-10 improves upon
the fine performance of the
RM-9.1 by adding a longer
arm, a more massive plinth
and platter, an isolation base,
and magnetic repulsion. These
enhancements produce blacker
backgrounds, more solidity in
the bass, and a cleaner window
on the soundstage. Reviewed by
JH, Issue 172
Wilson Benesch Full Circle
analog system
$4750
soundorg.com
Wilson Benesch’s Full Circle analog system bundles the Full Circle turntable, A.C.T. 0.5 tonearm,
and Ply moving-coil cartridge in
a specially priced package. The
Full Circle succeeds brilliantly as
a high-quality, mid-priced turnkey analog system, and it also
happens to be visually appealing
audio products. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 163
$5000–$10,000
Clearaudio Ambient
$5500 with Satisfy Satiné
arm; $6000 with VTA base;
$5200 without arm; $5800
with Satisfy Carbon-Fiber
The Ambient uses a multilayer,
highly compressed wood (“Panzerholz”) as the core of the
’table’s plinth, adding richness
and warmth to the Clearaudio
“house sound.” Yet, it retains
the rock-solid speed stability
of Clearaudio’s bigger ’tables.
TW Acustic Raven One
$6500
highwatersound.com
Recently improved, the Raven
One is arguably the single
finest value in quality record
players. With its superb speed
stability, detail, low-noise floor,
and highly involving sound
this beautifully made German
design is so good that you have
to spend a lot more to do a lot
better. (Reviewed in tandem
with the Tri-Planar UVII arm.)
Well-Tempered Lab Reference II
$6578
welltemperedlab.net
This belt-driven turntable
(equipped with the “trapezelike” Well-Tempered arm) is
as rich-sounding as the best,
and as long-term listenable.
All it lacks is a little dynamic
oomph, a little openness in the
top treble, and a little detail in
comparison to the top arms
and ’tables. Reviewed by REG,
Issue 142
SOTA Cosmos Series IV
$6665
GE GE
sotaturntables.com
04 08
This classic turntable boasts
superior tonal neutrality,
soundstaging, background
silence, and isolation. Virtually
any tonearm that weighs
less than 2.5 pounds can be
accommodated, while the
massive suspended subassembly
renders the Cosmos essentially
immune to any form of
feedback. A vacuum hold-down
system eliminates warps while
binding the record to the platter
far more intimately than any
clamp or ring. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 145
SME Model 10A
$9900
sumikoaudio.net
This magnificent integrated
turntable is one of those rare
products with that difficultto-define sense of rightness.
The arm is SME’s excellent
309, the platter/mat/clamping
system rivals some vacuum
hold-downs, and the sound has
extraordinary stability, control,
definition, dynamics, and detail,
sacrificing only that last degree
of blackness of background
and size and scale that heavier
turntables seem to command.
$10,000 and above
Basis 2200 Signature turntable and Vector Model 4 arm
$10,8000
GE PoY
basisaudio.com
08 08
Designed by A.J. Conti, the
2200/Vector 4 setup redefines
for PS what is possible in the
playback of vinyl sources.
In every area and aspect of
vinyl performance, this Basis
combination outperforms all
other turntable/arm setups with
which he has long experience in
some four decades of pursuing
high-end audio (this includes
several costing multiples its
price). Design, engineering, and
precision in machining, fit, and
finish approach a standard of
perfection surpassed by none
and equaled by virtually none.
Basis Audio 2800
$15,100
basisaudio.com
GE
07
PoY
07
Built to an amazing degree
of mechanical precision,
the Basis 2800 Signature is
nothing short of revelatory
in its ability to seemingly
disappear from the playback
chain. This ’table imposes no
discernable colorations on the
music, allowing a deeper and
more immediate connection
with your LPs. In a world of
six-figure turntables, the Basis
2800 Signature just might hold
its own with anything out there.
Basis Debut Signature
$15,900 ($20,500, vacuum
version)
GE GE
basisaudio.com
01 03
This beautifully made vacuum
hold-down turntable from A.J.
Conti gives up little to the very
best. All it lacks in comparison
is a touch of weight and
authority in the bottom octaves,
some stage width and depth,
and a bit of overall smoothness
and dynamic life. Detailed,
authoritative, and rich in tone
color, the Basis combines
extremely well with the Graham
unipivot tonearm and Conti’s
own Vector arm. Debut V
TURNTABLES
SME Model 20/II
$17,000 with IV.VI arm
sumikoaudio.net
GE
03
SME has deliberately designed
the tweaking out of its turntables, and this middle-of-thetop-range model is a beautiful
example of the SME approach.
Although some have accused it
of being over-built, this ’table
and arm are masterpieces of
industrial engineering and
design, with a greater degree of
control over the playing of LPs
than any others PS has used.
TONEARMS
TW Acustic Raven AC-3
GE
08
$18,000
highwatersound.com
The three-motor Raven AC-3
is an unsuspended ’table of
relatively low mass made from
very high-quality materials,
including spectacular bits of
copper. Every part of this black
beauty has been machined to
the highest possible tolerances;
every aspect of its design
(from its standard-setting
speed controller to its gelfilled, copper-topped platter)
has been tested and retested
by measurement and by ear.
The result of all this labor
and ingenuity is a ’table that
reproduces the duration of
notes—from starting transient
through lingering decay—more
completely than any other.
Perhaps the most purely
“musical” ’table on the market.
Avid Acutus Reference
$19,000
avidhifi.co.uk
Avid’s Acutus Reference is one
of the most musical-sounding
record players you can buy.
It is also one of the most
intelligently designed—compact
in size, thoroughly engineered,
beautifully made—and one
of the easiest to set up and
maintain. The Acutus Reference
clearly ranks among the handful
of top analog playback systems.
SME 20/12
$28,000 with tonearm
sumikoaudio.net
GE
07
Alastair Robertson-Aikman’s
last ’table was designed as an
overall system to accommodate
SME’s lightweight, yet rigid, 12"
magnesium tonearm. With its
jet-black backgrounds, ultralow bearing noise and tracing
distortion, superb isolation,
precise speed accuracy, and
rock-solid speed stability, this
reference turntable system has
an effortlessness and sense of
rightness that are mesmerizing.
If you insist on using a shorter
arm, try a different SME ’table.
Kuzma Stabi XL Reference
turntable and Air Line arm
$31,800 ($33,250 w/VTA
adjustable tower)
themusic.com
This gorgeous, wonderfully
well engineered, and easy-touse-and-adjust, twin-motored,
belt-driven ’table and outboard
air-bearing arm challenge the
vaunted Walker Black Diamond
in resolution, transparency, and
transient response (although
the Walker beats it convincingly
in timbre, soundstaging, and
overall realism). Reviewed by JV,
Issue 167
SME Model 30/2
$36,000
sumikoaudio.net
GE
05
PS praised the 30/2’s tonal
neutrality, pitch accuracy,
resolution, transparency,
rhythmic grip, ambience, low
coloration, and soundstaging,
with the SME Series IV.VI arm,
concluding that its specialness
“lies in three related areas of
sonic performance: background
silence, dynamics, and that
elusive impression of liveliness,
vitality…that persuades you the
music has come alive in your
living room.” Reviewed by PS,
Issue 154
AAS Gabriel/DaVinci
$45,000 without arm
tangramaudio.com
GE
09
Like DaVinci’s Grandeeza
tonearm, with which it is
intended to be used, the
Swiss-made AAS Gabriel/Da
Vinci turntable is an object
of considerable beauty. The
arm support and the motor
controller are mounted on
separate massive cylindrical
pillars, the extremely heavy,
acoustically inert, magneticallysuspended platter (the AAS
Gabriel was one of the very
first magnetic-suspension
’tables) on its own gigantic
cylinder. In combination with
the Grandezza arm, this is
a record player capable of
state-of-the-art resolution and
transparency—as finely detailed,
faithful to sources, and tonally
neutral as any ’table/arm JV has
heard. Reviewed by JV, Issue
191
Walker Proscenium Black
Diamond
GE PoY
$57,000
07 06
walkeraudio.com
The Walker Proscenium Black
Diamond air-bearing turntable/
tonearm transforms many
of the smartest ideas from
turntables past into a work of
audio art that not only looks
fantastic but sounds fantastic,
too. And now, with Walker’s
new and improved tonearm,
the best source component JV
has tested thus far has taken
a significant leap forward in
overall sonic quality (and it was
scarcely chopped liver to start
with). Gorgeous in tone color,
extraordinary in resolution,
superb on bass, and nonpareil
on soundstaging, it is JV’s long-
standing reference. Reviewed by
JV, Issue 167
Clearaudio Statement
$150,000
PoY
08
This over-the-top, 4'-tall, 770pound turntable/arm costs
more than an S-Class Mercedes,
but delivers a level of LP
playback that is unmatched in
Don Saltzman’s experience.
The Statement is utterly quiet,
stable, and capable of extracting
the finest detail from record
grooves. Reviewed by DS, Issue
186 (see also HP’s Workshop
this issue)
Tonearms
Under $2000
Rega RB301
$495
soundorg.com
Turntable manufacturers
who don’t build their own
arms frequently package their
models with Rega’s terrificsounding and affordable RB300.
Musically compelling, with
excellent balance and good
detail, if not the final word in
any one category. Reviewed by
DM, Issue 127
Kuzma Stogi S
$1225
themusic.com
GE
05
The Stogi S is a hydraulically
damped unipivot with a simple
string-and-weight anti-skating
mechanism, dual underslung
counterweights, and provisions
for making both coarse and
fine azimuth adjustments. In
our reviewer’s system, this arm
enabled a Shelter 90X cartridge
to produce almost shockingly
three-dimensional sound with
rock-solid bass. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 159
VPI JMW-9 Signature
$1400
vpiindustries.com
Compared to the standard
JMW-9, the Signature version
offers worthwhile upgrades
such as a stainless-steel bearing
assembly, Nordost Valhalla
TONEARMS
CARTRIDGES
wiring, variable fluid-damping,
mechanical anti-skate control,
and higher effective-mass
design. HP praised the
Super Scoutmaster Signature
package for its “considerable
dynamic ‘jump’” and “musical
authenticity.” CM (Reviewed by
HP, Issue 159)
Wilson Benesch A.C.T. 0.5
$1795
soundorg.com
Wilson Benesch’s unusual
A.C.T. 0.5 tonearm features a
tapered carbon-fiber arm tube
with a kinematic bearing that
handles much like a unipivot.
The 0.5 works beautifully
with affordable cartridges, but
can also tap the potential of
higher-priced moving coils. An
arm your system can grow with
over time, the A.C.T. 0.5 is also
included in Wilson Benesch’s
Full Circle analog system. Reviewed by CM, Issue 163
$2000 and above
SME 309
$2195
sumikoaudio.net
A black tapered titanium beauty,
the 309 is a rarity in today’s highperformance models—an arm
with a removable head shell for
easier cartridge-swapping. Also
see SME Model 10A, above.
VPI JMW-10.5/JMW-12.5
$2300/$2600
vpiindustries.com
Available in 10" and 12"
versions, this beautifully made
unipivot may be trickier to set
up than some, but its sound
rewards the effort. It’s highly
revealing without being cold,
with some of the deepest, most
powerful bass to be heard. VTA
adjustment during playback
allows for exceptional finetuning. Reviewed by AHC, Issue
129
Basis Audio Vector Model 4
$3800
GE
basisaudio.com
07
Basis Audio’s A.J. Conti has
solved a fundamental problem
with unipivot tonearms—
dynamic azimuth error. Rather
than allowing the arm to “roll”
when the cartridge encounters
record warp, the Vector
maintains perfect azimuth
alignment via Conti’s simple
yet ingenious new design. The
result is an extremely neutralsounding arm that RH has yet
to hear mistrack on any LP.
Graham Phantom B-44 Mk II
$4700
GE
graham-engineering.com
07
The culmination of all that
Bob Graham has learned about
tonearm design over the past
few decades, the Phantom
utilizes Graham’s trademarked
“Magneglide” stabilization
system to eliminate the “rolling”
effect that plagues unipivot
arms. The Phantom’s tracking
is exceptional, creating a sound
that is extremely smooth
and detailed, with a large
soundstage, extended highs, and
a deep, nuanced bottom end.
Tri-Planar Ultimate VII
$4700
GE PoY
triplanar.com 04
05
GE
08
This classic example of great
arm design is now in an
“Ultimate VII” version, which
the company expects to remain
constant for another three-tofive years. If earlier models were
characterized by tremendous
solidity, focus, dynamic agility,
bottom-end reach, overall
neutrality, and transparency to
the source, then the beautifully
built Ultimate is quite simply all
that multiplied by many degrees.
SME Series V
$5300
sumikoaudio.net
Robust and dynamic-sounding,
the now-and-forever classic
SME V is rich with features
that include a cast-magnesium
one-piece wand, ABEC 7
bearings, and fluid-controlled
lateral damping. The V projects
a ripe, soothing character with
unsurpassed bass resolution,
excellent inner detail, and great
tracking ability. NG
Da Vinci Grandezza “Grand
Reference”
$9700
tangramaudio.com
This 12" transcription tonearm
is a genuine work of audio
art. A gorgeous concoction of
tone wood, wolfram, plantiumor gold-plated bronze and
stainless-steel, it is a thing of
indescribable loveliness, and
sounds as wonderful as it
looks. As neutral and as nearly
invisible as air, it is a truly
transparent tonearm, capable of
revealing tremendous detail with
tremendous energy, within a
tremendously large, beautifully
laid-out soundstage. Costly, but
worth it, the Grandezza is the
best pivoted arm JV has heard or
used. Reviewed by JV, Issue 191
Cartridges
Under $500
Shure M97xE
$89
shure.com
An incredibly affordable
entry-ticket to the world of
analog sound, Shure’s M97xE
moving-magnet cartridge offers
generally neutral tonal balance
with slight hints of roll-off
at the frequency extremes,
unflappable tracking, and an
overall presentation that is
unfailingly smooth. A great
starter cartridge. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 172
Grado Prestige MC+ Mono
$90
gradolabs.com
Interested in dipping your
toes into the mono waters,
but not in taking a financial
bath? This is the cartridge
for you. The Grado mono is
an excellent tracker that fully
shows the virtues of mono
LPs—sledgehammer bass and
excellent imaging solidity. More
expensive cartridges will flesh
out the sound more and offer
greater detail, but the Grado is
a joy to listen to. Reviewed by
JHb, Issue 180
Ortofon 2m Red and Black
$99 and $669
PoY
ortofon.com
08
The swansong design of
Ortofon’s former chief engineer
Per Windfeld, the entry-level
2M Red uses a tipped elliptical,
while the 2M Black wields a
formidable Shibata diamond
stylus—the same as used on the
vaunted MC Jubilee. Compared
with the now-extinct Shure
V15 series, the 2M Black has
a lighter touch and certainly a
faster one with a more resolved
character irrespective of
frequency. The Black’s greatest
attribute, however, is how it
provides a more transparent
window into the world of
micro-energies, plumbing the
complexities of orchestral
depth and dimension. In
comparison, the 2M Red clocks
in as a little drier and sounds
as if it’s making more of an
effort in the upper treble. Keep
in mind that although it lacks
some of the velvety finesse and
smooth harmonic finish of the
Black, this is one sophisticated
and musical cartridge—for the
price of a nice dinner for two.
Grado Prestige Gold 1
$220
gradolabs.com
Grado’s Prestige Gold cartridge
has its flaws—a lack of inner
detail and audible grain chief
among them—but its strengths
are such that you can easily
listen through them. These
include a somewhat warm yet
pleasant balance, a sweet if not
hugely airy treble, and taut if
not layered bass. The overall
presentation is lively. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 141, CM, Issue 172
PoY
07
Grado Reference Platinum 1
$350
gradolabs.com
The Platinum 1 is the most
affordable of Grado’s mid-tier
Reference models, offering
reduced coloration plus superior
resolution and tracking relative
to Grado’s entry-level Prestige
models. Though it could use
more openness, detail, and “air,”
the Platinum can nearly equal the
performance of $1k+ moving
coils, making it a bargain at
its price. Musical and unfussy.
Sumiko Blue Point Special
EVOIII
$399
sumikoaudio.net
The EVOIII offers substantial
improvements over the
original Blue Point Special—a
fundamental heartiness, terrific
top-to-bottom consistency, and
the ability to gracefully handle
tracking challenges. This is one
moving coil that will not bite
you with excess edge or glare.
$500–$1000
Grado Reference Sonata 1
$600
gradolabs.com
A wonderful performer,
the Sonata may lack the
Benz Micro ACE S Class
$700
The ACE offers a wide-open
midrange, plenty of definition
and air around instruments and
voices, and tight, clean bass.
With the right phonostage, it
can do a great job of walking
that fine line between resolution
and smoothness. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 147
Sumiko Blackbird
$799
sumikoaudio.net
This high-output moving-coil
is smooth yet detailed, with a
wide soundstage and fine lowend authority. Massed strings
lack the upper-midrange glare
one hears with some moving
coils; midrange instruments are
particularly seductive; images
are stable; and transparency,
transient quickness, and inner
detail are all good. Reviewed by
JH, Issue 164
Dynavector Karat 17D3
$950
GE
07
dynavector.com
Dynavector’s 17D3, the third
generation of a twenty‑year‑old
design, is ruler-flat top to
bottom with all the life and
liveliness of past Karats, the
see‑through transparency, the
superb tracking, the crackling
musicality, brilliance, and clarity
abounding. It also throws a
sensationally wide and deep
soundstage with extraordinary
dynamics and resolution.
Clearaudio Maestro Wood
$995
Sharing the solid-Boron-rod
cantilever and stylus of the
esteemed Insider MC cartridge
the Maestro Wood, a moving-
magnet design offers an
easygoing balance and gushes
sweet sonics like squeezing
a ripe, red plum. It exudes a
warm, darkly sensuous tonal
balance but it’s not a softy in the
dynamics department nor does
it smear inner details. Whether
it rounds transient details and
rhythms too much will remain
a question of taste. Rated
at 3.6mV it won’t tax most
phonostages either. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 186
musical design that offers
wonderful value. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 166
Shelter 501 Mk II
$995
axissaudio.com
Wilson Benesch PLY
$1795
soundorg.com
The 501 Mk II is one of
those rare products that does
everything well. Its threedimensionality brings to life
recordings one thought lacking
in spaciousness, while its neutral
tonal balance, resolution,
focus, air, transients, extension
at both frequency extremes,
and overarching cohesiveness
“always seemed cut from whole
cloth.” Reviewed by CM, Issue 147
Built by Benz to Wilson
Benesch specifications, the
carbon-fiber-framed PLY
moving-coil cartridge blends
some of the virtues of the
Sumiko Blackbird and the
Shelter 501 MkII, offering a
touch of the dynamic liveliness
and transient detail of the
Blackbird, plus a taste of
the three-dimensionality of
the 501 MkII. It’s a pleasing
combination. Reviewed by CM,
Issue 163
$1000–$2000
Benz Micro Glider SM
$1000
It’s all about superlative tonal
balance in the medium-output
(0.8mV) Glider SM. There’s a
reassuring dash of warmth in
the lower mids and bass, a lush
midrange and a presence range
and treble that have the air and
harmonic delicacy but none of
the dreaded etch and dryness.
Not as warm as the Clearaudio
Maestro Wood but with
added inner detail and energy.
Lyra Dorian
$1110
immediasound.com
PoY
06
Lyra’s entry-level Dorian—
also available in a mono
configuration—is a relatively
high-output moving coil with
terrifically good sound that Lyra
fans will recognize. Though
not as detailed, dynamic, and
nuanced as the company’s
top models, it is a very clean,
Grado Reference 1
$1500
gradolabs.com
A beautiful-sounding movingiron cartridge. Not the last
word in detail or transient speed
or top-end air, the Reference
is nonetheless enormously
musical. Reviewed by Adam
Walinsky, Issue 112
Ortofon Kontrapunkt C
$1900
ortofon.com
GE
08
This latest and best of
Ortofon’s Kontrapunkt
Series, the C images more
precisely than any pickup in
PS’s experience, a function
of its unsurpassed grip and
control. The C’s background
is almost unbelievably black,
music emerging in bas‑relief.
Neutrality is absolute, resolution
breathtaking. By any measure,
an outstanding pickup.
Shelter 5000 and 7000
$1950 and $2800
axissaudio.com
Shelter cartridges enjoy a
reputation for smoothness,
vibrant tonal colors,
holographic soundstaging, and
an eminently listenable sound,
but designer Yasuo Ozawa
hoped to give his new models
“more life”—meaning more
CARTRIDGES
The second-generation version
of the Bluepoint Oyster—long
considered a go-to choice
among affordable, high-output
moving-coil cartridges—the No.
2 offers improved resolution,
superior three-dimensionality,
richer and more potent bass,
and smoother, less aggressive
highs. A huge step up from
entry-level cartridges. Reviewed
by CM, Issue 172
transparency and resolution of
the very best, yet it delivers a
naturally sweet treble, refined
tone colors, and very good
detail, particularly in the
midband. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 141
Sumiko Bluepoint No. 2
$299
sumikoaudio.net
detail, transient speed, and
explosive dynamics. Those
qualities are exactly what
Shelter’s 5000 and 7000 deliver,
though the latter justifies its
higher price by providing
more finely resolved and
open-sounding highs, more
potent, refined bass, and greater
dynamic poise. Reviewed by
CM, Issue 180
CARTRIDGES
$2000 and above
Clearaudio Concerto v2
$2400
This is the entry-level cartridge
in Clearaudio’s “super-class”
of moving coils, and super it is!
The Concerto uses wood to add
a touch of warmth and richness,
yet retains the superb focus,
resolution, transient quickness,
and top-end extension that have
been hallmarks of Clearaudio’s
reference cartridges. Reviewed
by JH, Issue 167
Depending how you hear it, this
is allied to or accentuates one of
the loveliest midranges around:
fat, lush, fabulously rich. Is
it tonally neutral? No, but it
sure is musical and beautiful.
Clearaudio Stradivari v2
$3500
GE
musicalsurroundings.com 07
PoY
07
In his recent survey of five
moving‑coil pickups, PS gave
the Stradivari his personal
“Golden Mean” award because
it ideally mediates warmth and
detail, control and relaxation,
liveliness and listenability, at
virtually no sacrifice to tonal
neutrality. There is an organic
rightness about this pickup that
elevates it to reference caliber.
Koetsu Rosewood Signature
Platinum
$3500
koetsuusa.com
An excellent soundstager with
phenomenally good bass, the
Helikon is a little cool and white
in balance, though not analytical.
The bargain in high-end movingcoil cartridges. HP’s Workshop,
Issues 132 and 136
The great-great-grandson of
the cartridge that started the
moving-coil craze (the Supex),
the Rosewood is relatively high
in Technicoloration, but who
cares? When something sounds
this beautiful, exceptions should
be made—and regularly are
by audiophiles who are more
interested in hearing timbres
sound gorgeous. JV
Transfiguration Phoenix
$2750
profundo.us
Ortofon MC Windfeld
$3750
ortofon.com
The Phoenix doesn’t stand out
for its detail, speed, rhythmic
precision, dynamic range, topor bottom-end extension, or
pretty neutral tonal balance. It
stands out because it manages
to bring all these things into
a highly coherent, beautifully
balanced package that makes it
hard to stop listening. Reviewed
by WG, Issue 177
If you value high neutrality and
high resolution, low coloration
and low distortion, and tracking
ability to rival the best moving
magnets, then this outstanding
new moving coil—the pinnacle
Lyra Helikon
$2555 ($2780 for SL and
Mono versions)
immediasound.com
Benz Micro Ebony L
$3500
The L exhibits the familiar Benz
broad, shallow presence trough
from about 1kHz–10kHz.
design from the longest
established and still the largest
manufacturer of phono pickups
in the world—is for you. It won’t
guild your vinyl lilies, but it will
reproduce them with highest
fidelity. PS’s new reference.
Dynavector XV-1s
$4500
dynavector.com
Big dynamics and a robust,
lively quality characterize this
outstanding moving coil. The
XV-1s retrieves layer after layer
of inner detail, all without
sounding etched. RH, not yet
reviewed (see also HP’s Editors’
Choice Awards in Issue 186)
Dynavector XV-1s Mono
$4950
dynavector.com
The Dynavector XV-1s mono is
an excellent tracker that excels at
detail retrieval and bell-like clarity. Fast and lithe, it pokes into
the crevices of the soundstage,
excavating the tiny nuances that
help provide the illusion of the
real thing. An extremely neutral
creation, it will never be mistaken for a forgiving cartridge.
London Reference
$5295
mayaudio.com
London/Decca’s classic, cantilever-less, “positive-scanning,”
moving-iron cartridge has just
been brought into the 21st century with a new stylus, chassis,
and magnetic engine. Transient
response is simply terrific. The
London doesn’t have quite the
very-low-level resolution of a
great mc, but then it doesn’t
have the hi-fi etch, either. A poor
tracker, it will require careful
tonearm-matching and setup.
Lyra Titan mono
$6340
immediasound.com
GE
03
The Titan mono is a stunning
achievement, delivering taut
bass and a wealth of detail. If
you have a substantial mono
collection, the Titan will prove
more than worthy of its name
and its steep price. JHb, review
forthcoming
Air Tight PC-1 $6800
GE
07
axissaudio.com
PoY
06
Here is a genuine surprise—a
world-beating mc from
SET-manufacturer Air Tight.
Although JV just extolled
the London for its transient
speed, the PC-1 sounds like a
London on steroids. Whip-fast,
exceptionally high in resolution
and low in coloration, and a
great soundstager/imager, to
boot. Reviewed by JV, Issue 173
Da Vinci Audio Lab Reference
Cartridge Grandezza
$7300
tangramaudio.com
The veritable Soulution of
moving-coil cartridges, this highmass, low-output moving coil
from Da Vinci in Switzerland is
a model of transparency, neutrality, and detail, wowing everyone
who’s heard it. It may not have
all the weight of the PC-1 Supreme or the soundstage breadth
of the Goldfinger v2—its two
foremost rivals—but, thanks
to its colorlessness and clarity,
it beats both in fine resolution
of timbre and texture. Be aware
this is a very low-output coil
(0.17mV), which means you’ll
need a suitable phonostage.
Air Tight PC-1 Mono
$7300
axxisaudio.com
The performance of the Air
Tight PC-1 on mono LPs is
a revelation. The Air Tight
combines whip-lash speed with
potent dynamics. But its most
spellbinding characteristics
are its ease of presentation
and refulgent timbres. On a
fiendishly difficult Joan Baez
recording on Vanguard, it
impeccably tracked the most
treacherous passages without
distortion or breakup. Awesome.
PoY
08
GE
09
Clearaudio Goldfinger v2
$10,000
GE
musicalsurroundings.com 08
PoY
07
The latest Goldfinger, with twice
the number of magnets and
lower-weight coils, is astonishingly
accurate in timbre, very fast,
From the folks that hone and
own the FM analog-tuner
market comes this dedicated
XM Satellite tuner tricked out
within an inch of its bit-life
by Magnum’s innovative
radio-head, Director of Audio
Design Zdenko Zivkovic.
The MD0609T proves that
rather than fear the digital
compression of the XM codec,
it is better to overcome it by
designing the DAC and audio
boards that turn the sonic key
to success. Not quite as good
as Dynalab’s analog best, but
far better than anyone would
have imagined. Of course
you’ll have to pay for the XM
subscription, but with 170-plus
station offerings you’ll never tire
of the breadth of the content.
Magnum Dynalab MD106T
$4395
magnumdynalab.com
A high-end system isn’t
fully dressed without a great
FM tuner, and this all-analog
triode design emphatically
makes that case. Its quiet, black
backgrounds, and sparkling, airy
treble easily exceed Magnum’s
own budget-conscious winner,
the MD-90. Terrific sensitivity
and selectivity give the MD106T
exceptional focus and soundstaging. Reviewed by NG, Issue 152 The Gargantua II is well
named. At $1488, it is hardly an
accessory, but it surprised SR
by revealing in her reference
system a new level of its native
sweet clarity. SR uses the $350
Tsunami II with less-expensive
gear and in her small system.
Both cords have the nice habit
of clarifying delicate highs,
deepening perceived bass, and
opening up and airing out the
soundstage. SR
Argentum Acoustics
Aureus-2 Speaker Cable and
Mythos Interconnect
Interconnect: $400/1m (RCA)
Speaker: $1500/3m
argentumacoustics.com
The Argentum is an agile
performer with swift and
spicy transients. It has a strong
midrange flavor even with
the audience perspective just
slightly back of the front couple
of rows. In both cable and
interconnect, the continuous
cast (Ohno) mono-crystal
copper conductors are rated
as laboratory-grade and are
cryogenically treated. The cable
may be muting the interplay
of micro-dynamics and
transparency, but not much.
An excellent mid-priced entry
with an “excitement factor” that
is written all over the music.
AudioQuest Columbia/DBS
Interconnect and CV-8/DBS
Speaker Cable
Interconnect: $450/1m
Speaker: $800/8'
audioquest.com
The entry-level interconnect for
AudioQuest’s battery-powered
DBS (dielectric bias system)
technology, the Columbia’s
highs are well defined yet
Cable Research Lab Silver
Cable and Interconnect
(RCA), $1550/2m (RCA)
Speaker: $1700/6'
Power cords: $795/1.5m
cableresearchlab.com
PoY
08
Classic cabling that stays out
of the way of the signal never
goes out of style. In spite of
CRL’s serpentine look, its
construction quality, materials,
and terminations are superb.
Easy to maneuver, it is also
one of the more easygoing and
natural sounding cables we’ve
heard, with solid dynamics,
soundstaging, and harmonic
detailing. A “stealth” cable
that deserves serious attention.
Crystal Cable CrystalConnect
Micro Interconnect /
CrystalSpeak Micro Speaker
Cable
($615/add’l meter)
Speaker: $2320/2m ($770/
add’l meter)
crystalcable.com
Clean, composed and
transparent, the jewel-like
Crystal Micro cables offer an
open soundstage where images
snap into focus and music
is conveyed with a turbine-
INTERCONNECTS, SPEAKER CABLES, AND POWER CORDS
As good as the AT PC-1 is,
this new considerably pricier
moving-coil from Air Tight is
substantially better in every way.
Like the PC-1, the Supreme
is a model of low internal
impedance and high energy.
Killer good on transients top to
bottom, with phenomenal grip
and definition in the low bass,
it is also exceptionally lifelike
in the midband, with even
more of the gorgeous density
of tone color, high resolution,
and superior soundstaging that
made the PC-1 one of JV’s
mc references. Along with the
Grandezza and the Goldfinger,
the best mc on the market.
Magnum Dynalab MD0609T
$3995
magnumdynalab.com
Acoustic Zen Technologies
Tsunami II and Gargantua II
Power Cords
$350 and $1488
acousticzen.com
sweet-sounding; its bass is taut
yet possesses plenty of weight
and warmth and a heaping
helping of three-dimensionality.
Though not the last word in
transparency, the Columbias
do a great job of balancing
clarity and smoothness. The
least-expensive speaker cable
that has AudioQuest’s batterypowered DBS technology,
the CV-8 offers well-defined
and nicely weighted bass, a
neutral midrange with a hint
of warmth, clear but never
edgy highs, and truly excellent
soundstaging. Roundness on
transients makes this cable easy
to listen through for hours on
end. Reviewed by NG, Issue
147, and CM in AVguide.com,
11/2003 Reviewed by CM,
AVgM, Issue 2
TUNERS
Air Tight PC-1 Supreme
$9000
axissaudio.com
Tuners
Interconnects,
Speaker Cables, and
Power Cords (Listed
alphabetically)
CARTRIDGES
A friend of JV’s said, quite
accurately, that the Koetsu
Onyx Platinum was like
returning to an old girlfriend.
She may have packed on five
or ten pounds, but she’s ohso-comfy to come home to.
This dark, gorgeous-sounding
cartridge may not have all
the energy, detail, and staging
of some coils, but it makes
up for any shortfalls in sheer
musicality. Kind of like the
Quad 2905 of moving-coil
cartridges. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 186
smooth, and extended, and (as is
always the case with Clearaudios)
extraordinarily high in detail with
the widest, deepest, and tallest
soundstage of all coils. A little
grainier than the Grandezza,
not as purely beautiful as the
Koetsu Onyx Platinum, nor as
overall well-balanced as the PC-1
Supreme, it still belongs in this
exalted company. Reviewed by JV,
Issue 176
Koetsu Onyx Platinum
$8000
koetsuusua.com
like smoothness. Even some
softness in the bass and a bit
of forwardness in the treble
don’t diminish one of the
most transparent cables NG
has heard. Unique splitter
rings allows easy change-out
of terminations or bi-wire
upgrades. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 164
extended highs, a delightfully
full and natural midrange, and
solid bass. You may find other
pricier interconnects that excel
in one specific area or another,
but when it comes to overall
system synergy, this is one
cable you’ll be “wearing” like a
favorite pair of shoes. SK
Harmonic Technology Magic
Reference II SE Power Cord
$1499
GE
harmonictechnology.com
09
Furutech Reference III and
Evolution Interconnect and
Cables
Reference III Interconnect:
$1320/1.2m (XLR),
$1155/1.2m (RCA)
Reference III Speaker:
$1573/3m
Reference III Power: $1210
Evolution Interconnect:
$740/1.2m (XLR), $650/1.2m
(RCA)
Evolution Speaker: $770/3m
furutech.com
Furutech uses cryogenically
treated, ultra-high-purity, OCC
(Ohno Continuous Casting)
single-crystal copper conductors
in both its mid-priced Evolution
and premium-priced Reference
III audio cables. The top
models offer better connectors,
superior dielectric materials, and
passive EMI-absorption filters
made from GC-303 (and EMIabsorbent material developed
by 3M Company). Furutech’s
cables have great transparency
and purity, plus an uncanny
ability to block out noise, hash,
and grunge. Reviewed by CM,
Issue 173
Harmonic Technology Magic
Link Two Interconnect
$820/1m (RCA), $900/1m
(XLR)
harmonictech.com
With improved clarity and
articulation over Harmonic
Tech’s more affordable Pro
Silway line, the Magic Link Two
consistently yields smooth,
Designed for use primarily
with front-end components,
the Reference II SE delivers
tremendous clarity, smoothness,
and definition across the entire
frequency spectrum, and
does so without constricting
dynamics or softening the
treble. Built-in noise filter acts
as an AC conditioner to remove
line noise. SK
Harmonic Technology Pro-11
+ Speaker Cable
$575/8'
harmonictech.com
The TechPro-11+ is sensual,
romantic, and highly present
with vocals, with full rich
body and a slight forwardness.
There’s a distinct sweetness in
the upper octaves that, once
experienced, makes it tough
to live without. Soundstage
reproduction is also a strong
suit, as the full weight and
breadth of an orchestra seem to
laterally expand with this wire.
Kimber Kable Hero
Interconnect/8TC Speaker
Cable
PoY
02
Interconect: $200/1m
Speaker: $400/8'
PoY
kimberkable.com
06
Yielding only a tiny bit in
sheer control, ultimate top-end
transparency, and inner detailing
to PS’s reference Kimber Select
KS-1021, Hero’s bass lives
up to its name, prodigious in
amplitude and definition (rather
better even than its pricier
brother). This interconnect
is either dead neutral or tilts
a notch to the yang, with
dynamics at once powerful yet
finely resolved in an essentially
grain-free presentation. Tilting
a tad toward the yin, the 8TC
has that elusive ability to remain
musical no matter what is
happening fore or aft, ideally
mediating detail, liveliness,
tonal neutrality, and dynamic
contrasts within a very realistic,
holographic soundstage. Hero
reviewed by PS, Issue 138;
8TC reviewed by PS, Issue 146
The soundstaging is equally
impressive, delivering a huge
and transparent rendering with
precise placement of images.
Small knobs on the termination
boxes allow you to fine-tune the
sound to your system. Reviewed
by RH, Issue 190
MIT AVt 1 Speaker Cable
$599/8'
mitcables.com
Baldur brings much of the
balance and harmonic integrity
of state-of-the-art Valhalla
to prices even “normal”
audiophiles (as opposed to
normal people) can afford.
It has a buttery way with
transients and low-level details.
Although never edgy, there is a
whitish zone in the lower treble.
Perhaps not as weighty and
focused as some, but with an
overall balance and musicality
that are addictive. Reviewed by
NG, Issue 164
Perhaps canted ever so slightly
toward the yang, the MIT AVt
1 counts power and definition
among its many virtues. Perhaps
there is ever so slightly less
bloom than with other cables,
but the AVt 1 nevertheless
suggests great openness, with
a remarkable ability to project
musical events into the room
and an impression of snap
and bite that in the best sense
of those words is irresistible.
MIT Oracle MA Speaker Cable
$24,900/8'
PoY
mitcables.com
08
Over the past four years, no
cable has dethroned MIT’s
Oracle V2 in RH’s system—
until MIT’s new MA (Maximum
Articulation) showed up.
Although priced the same as
the discontinued Oracle V2,
the new MA is vastly improved,
with far greater resolution,
greater separation of individual
instrumental lines, more space
and depth, and a shocking
increase in bottom-end depth,
power, and articulation.
MIT Oracle MA-X
Interconnect
$7995/1m
mitcables.com
PoY
08
Like MIT’s Oracle MA speaker
cable, the companion Oracle
MA-X interconnect fully reveals
the textural warmth, body, and
saturation of tone colors one
hears from live instruments.
Nordost Baldur Interconnect
and Speaker Cable
Speaker: $1499/3m
nordost.com
Nordost Blue Heaven
Interconnect and Speaker
Cable
Speaker: $610/8'
nordost.com
Similar in personality, the Blue
Heaven interconnects and
cables excel at low-level detail,
upper-octave smoothness, and
transient speed. Also expect to
hear exceptional inner detail and
nuance emerge from the velvety
black and silent background.
Note that it may be a bit on
the cool clinical side for some
treble-happy systems, but
remains ideal for neutral and
darker ones. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 138
PNF Audio Icon Interconnect
and Symphony Speaker Cable
Icon: $190/1m
Symphony: $400/10'
pnfaudio.com
PNF produces one of the finest
sets of reasonably priced cables
we have heard. We say “sets”
here, because the Icon and
Symphony offer complementary
strengths and work best when
used together, with a huge
amount of resolution and focus,
clear and deeply extended bass,
dynamic expressiveness, and
the ability to enhance both
clarity and smoothness. They
lean toward the “clarity” side,
so avoid components with
midrange brightness or edge.
Reviewed by CM, AVgM, Issue 4
transmission system is purely
one of perspective. From the
amplifier’s point of view the
power cord is the first few feet
of the power-deliver system.”
With the Python, expect
greatly improved transparency,
soundstaging, tighter focus,
and air, “fostering a greater
impression of hearing an actual
instrument in an acoustic space.”
Paul Speltz “Anti-Cable”
Speaker Cable
$80/8'
anticables.com
Purist Audio Design Dominus
Interconnect and Speaker
Cable
Speaker: $10,980/1.5m
puristaudiodesign.com
The all-silver Dominus is very
detailed, very dynamic, very
rich. Less open than Nordost
Valhalla and darker in balance,
it is also quieter, and because of
its fluid-damped construction,
virtually immune to floorborne
and airborne vibration. JV
Rega Couple Interconnect
$195/1m
soundorg.com
The Couple offers plenty of
upper midrange/treble detail,
with fine resolution of textures,
yet without exaggerated
transients or edginess. Its bass
is tight and punchy, and it is
wonderfully neutral throughout
the midrange. While it doesn’t
offer the almost “luminous”
midrange quality you’ll hear in
some very expensive cables, its
essential neutrality makes a fine
substitute for a “pennies-onthe-dollar” price. Reviewed by
CM, AVguide.com, 10/2003
Shunyata Python Alpha Helix
CX Power Cord
$1095
GE PoY
05 06
shunyata.com
As RH put it in his review, “the
idea that a power cord comes at
the end of a very long power-
A godsend to those who want
good sound but don’t want to
spend big bucks. SK was blown
away by its neutrality and lack
of coloration, high frequencies
that were open and clear with
no tizziness, a midrange of
exceptional clarity, transparency
and detail, and bass that was
extended, with remarkable
articulation. Reviewed by SK,
Issue 162
Synergistic Research Alpha
Interconnect
PoY
$150/1m
03
synergisticresearch.com
Balance and transparency are
its strengths, along with a rich
midrange and a sweet, smooth,
never forced or strident treble.
The affordable Alpha challenges
some of the finest reference
cables out there. Reviewed by
NG, TPV Issue 38
Synergistic Research RELspec Reference Subwoofer
Cable
$1320/3m
Pricey but potent, these
inspired subwoofers cables are
specifically optimized for REL
subwoofers and include RELspecified Neutrik connectors.
They improved the inherent
musicality and pitch precision
of the Britannia B3 in every
instance—the lowered noise
floor yields more detail, an
enhanced sense of space, and
expanded ambience retrieval.
Synergistic Research Tesla
Series Interconnect and
Speaker Cable
Accelerator interconnect:
$1400/1m
Accelerator speaker cable:
$1700/8'
Precision Reference
interconnect: $2600/1m
Precision Reference speaker
cable: $2800/8'
Apex interconnect:
$3600/1m
Apex speaker cable:
$7400/8'
Some of the most transparent
cable at any price. A splendid
balance of detail, romantic
richness, and Grand Canyonlike soundstaging that is
magnified as you move upward
through the line. The top-ofthe-line Apex, however, is the
real low-level resolution master,
mining details and harmonic
shadings like few wires NG has
heard to date. Sneak Preview by
NG, Issue 171
TARA Labs RSC Air 1 and Air
1 Series 2 Interconnect and
Speaker Cable
PoY
Interconnect: $1295/1m 06
($225 each add’l meter);
Speaker: $2495/8' ($225/
add’l foot)
taralabs.com
Everything about these cables
says big—dynamics, extension,
and volume. It’s also one of the
mellower cables NG has heard
with a darker character, and a
deeply polished and resonant
signature that should appeal to
many. They have an expansive
soundstage, and orchestral
images always seem more rooted
and stable. Ambience retrieval is
at a cutting-edge level. Separate
positive and negative speaker
runs for each channel. Reviewed
by NG, Issue 164
TARA Labs The One Power
Cord
$1495/6' ($140/add’l foot)
taralabs.com
Although the difference it
makes might not be quite as
staggering as the interconnect,
speaker, and digital cables
mentioned below, TARA Labs’
“The One” power cord has
much the same effect as the
company’s other remarkable
wires, and it rounds out the
top-of-the-line package with
top-of-the-line sound. WG,
review forthcoming
TARA Labs Zero Gold
Interconnect and Omega Gold
Speaker Cable
PoY
Zero Gold interconnect:
07
$14,900/1m ($2000 per
add’l meter)
Omega Gold speaker cable:
$22,000/8' ($3000 per
add’l foot)
Zero Gold digital cable:
$8900/1m ($1000 per add’l
meter)
Zero GX Phono Cable:
$3800/1m
taralabs.com
JV is fully aware that
recommending any wires that
put you out 40 to 50 grand is
borderline insane. (Well, not
even borderline.) Nonetheless,
the Zero’s X-ray ability to
clarify very-low-level tone
colors, dynamic nuances,
and performance details, its
remarkable level of ambience
retrieval, its electrifying transient
speed and definition, its frontto-back transparency, and its
bottom-octave color, clarity, and
authority are unrivaled thus far
in his experience. Reviewed by
JV, Issue 159
Transparent Audio The
Link interconnect, The
Wave speaker cable, HighPerformance Powerlink
AC cord, PowerWave 8 AC
conditioner
transparentcable.com
The Link: $85/meter
The Wave: $180/8'
High-Performance Powerlink:
$105
PowerWave 8: $995
Although we have experience
only with Transparent’s
lower-priced offerings (at the
moment), what we’ve heard
has been extremely impressive.
The $85 The Link interconnect
HEADPHONES AND HEADPHONE AMPS
brings more than a taste of
high-end interconnects to an
entry-level price. Similarly, the
$180 The Wave speaker cable
is a bargain, offering superior
tonality, wider dynamics, and
a more open soundstage.
The $105 High-Performance
Powerlink AC cable is a vast
improvement over stock AC
cords, and just might be the
most cost-effective upgrade
possible in an entry-level
system. The Powerwave 8
conditioner is also an extremely
cost-effective upgrade,
rendering wider dynamics,
smoother timbres, and a greater
sense of musical involvement.
RH, review forthcoming
Wireworld Platinum Eclipse
Interconnects
$3000/1m
wireworldcable.com
When Wireworld’s David Salz
builds a new reference cable it’s
worth taking note. With Ohno
Continuous Cast pure silver
conductors, and trick carbon
fiber connector shells sporting
silver contacts sonics are fluid,
naturalistic and exceptionally
detailed. Not inexpensive but
so transparent you’ll simply
forget they’re there. NG, review
forthcoming
Wireworld Stratus 52 Power
Cords
$100/2m
wireworldcable.com
Conventional wisdom says
power cords should be thick
and unwieldy. Offering
competitive performance with
elite power cords costing many
times their price, the Wireworld
Stratus 52 have a defiantly flat
profile, are lightweight, and
are available in color choices.
Another major factor in the
Stratus’ favor–they are pliable
enough to negotiate corners. A
major advancement for today’s
well-groomed media rooms. Reviewed by NG, Issue 169
iPod or other digital player.
While they are comfortable, keep
in mind that as an “open air”
design the SR60i is not ideal for
noisy environments. Reviewed
by TM, AVgM, Issue 3
headphones and
headphone amps
(listed
alphabetically)
Bose Quietcomfort 2
$299
bose.com
The overall octave-to-octave
balance of the Quietcomfort
’phones is quite good, and
transparency is fairly high. TM
rates them on a par in pure
musicality with some of the
better Sennheisers. And they
have noise cancellation, which
TM rates as a must when in
transit. Reviewed by Tom
Martin, Issue 166
Cayin HA-1A Head Amp
$875
acousticsounds.com An exercise in unalloyed
hedonism, the sexy Cayin
is actually a vacuum tube
integrated amp that offers the
pleasure of switching between
triode (great for orchestral) and
ultralinear (more punch for
rock) settings. Highly adjustable
for headphones of various
high to low impedances, it also
has speaker terminals for a
set of high sensitivity desktop
speakers. Reviewed by NG,
Issue 178
Etymotic ER4PER/4S
$299 each
etymotic.com
GE
05
Etymotic’s iPod-friendly ER4Ps
have greater sensitivity and bass
output than other ER4 models
(the ER4Ss are more accurate,
but harder to drive). From
the lower midrange on up, the
ER4Ps offer truly impressive
transparency and clarity, plus
bass that is reasonably warm
and full—provided you insert
the ER4Ps deeply enough
within your ear canals to achieve
a good seal. CM
Grado GS1000i
$995
gradolabs.com
An open air dynamic design
that is comfort personified
and built for long listening
sessions. Your ears will never
feel more coddled than with
these luxury foam ’phones from
the maestros at Grado Labs.
They are terrific for low-level
listening with an unforgettably
mind-expanding soundstage.
A bit laid-back and relaxed so
not for tonal neutrality freaks.
The full coverage ear pads can
get a bit warm for some users.
Grado RA1 Head Amp
$350
gradolabs.com No frills from this compact,
battery-powered amp. Only
neutrality and terrific bottomend control. It seemed to mate
(coincidentally?) well with
the Grado GS1000. Perfect
for high-end road warriors A
specialist that brings out the
best from Grade’s rich and
varied line of headphones.
Grado SR325is
$295
gradolabs.com
Though some listeners find
Grado ’phones overly bright,
they sound completely different
from everything else, with a
unique hear-through-the-veils
kind of transparency. Reviewed
by DS, Issue 156
HeadRoom Desktop Head
Amp [with DAC]
$999 (configurationdependent)
headphone.com
If your idea of ideal PC
listening involves headphones,
it’s hard to imagine a better
experience than that delivered
by the HeadRoom Desktop
Amp. Use the USB input and
you’ll be treated to headphone
sound that is open, refined,
detailed yet gentle, and tight in
the bass. If you must drive the
HeadRoom via its analog inputs,
be sure not to skimp on cables.
HeadRoom Total BitHead
Portable Head Amp
$159
headroomaudio.com
These portable devices work
wonders on all music sources
played through headphones—
most especially with MP3
files, boosting sound levels
and improving dynamics.
Moreover, Headroom’s
proprietary processing circuit
solves the “in-the-head”
imaging of headphone listening
by seemingly projecting the
image in front of the listener,
generating something like a
soundstage. Reviewed by RH,
Issue 155
Grado SR60i
$79
gradolabs.com
Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline
Hornet Head Amp
PoY
$370
06
raysamuelsaudio.com
The Mighty Mouse of
headphones, Grado’s SR60i
offers superb midrange
transparency and natural
dynamics. Treble is wellbalanced, though not quite as
smooth or refined as in some
higher-priced designs. Bass is
well-defined, but rolls off a bit
early. The SR60i can also be
driven directly from an Apple
This miniature headphone
amplifier is perfect for a
portable (or even a desktop)
music system, with its
combination of small size,
rechargeable battery, and
amazing sound quality. When
used with an iPod, the Hornet
renders a huge increase in
clarity, resolution, dynamics, and
bass weight and definition. RH
HEADPHONES AND HEADPHONE AMPS
iTAS
Ray Samuels Audio
Predator Portable USB DAC/
Head Amp
$495
raysamuelsaudio.com
This excellent unit adds a
USB DAC to the outstanding
headphone-amplifier circuit of
the Hornet. Tiny size makes it
ideal for travel. RH
Sennheiser CX-300
$89
senneheiserusa.com
The CX300 is Sennheiser’s
most capable in-ear headphone.
Bass is robust, but not painfully
exaggerated, midrange
frequencies are pleasingly clear,
and highs are bright and crisp
without being overly harsh
or strident. Though not the
last word in absolute purity or
accuracy, the comfortable CX300s offer many attributes of
higher-end models at a bargain
price. CM
Sennheiser HD650
$599
sennheiserusa.com
A very revealing model, the
HD650 has a smooth upper
range and well-balanced middle
and lower registers. While not
quite as dynamic as some,
these have a silky-sweet sound.
Reviewed by DS, Issue 156
Shure E5c/SE530
$549/$449
shure.com
In an era when “ear bud”
headphones are a dime-adozen, how can Shure possibly
sell a $549 model? Because
the E5c offers stunning sonic
performance and amazing
comfort in a compact package
that elevates the portable-audio
experience to a new level.
When combined with the Ray
Samuels Emmeline Hornet
products and a good source
(no MP3s, please), the E5c has
electrostatic-like resolution,
surprising bass extension, and
outstanding clarity. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 155
Sony MDR-NC500D
$399
sony.com
These beautifully built and
technically advanced headphones
combine excellent sound quality
with the best noise-canceling
process available. The MDR500D employs sophisticated
DSP that analyzes the noise
source and contours the cancellation signal for maximum noise
attenuation. The audio signal is
digitized and DSP processed.
Built-in rechargeable lithium battery provides hours of use. RH
Stax SRS-2050 II Earspeaker
System
$750
yamasinc.com
stock PC speakers on a tight
budget. The tiny alloy satellites
are surprisingly dynamic,
detailed, and extended, while
the sub is reasonably tight, if a
bit hollow sounding. The two
balance well and even generate
air and a decent (albeit 2-D)
soundstage. Though somewhat
ergonomically challenged,
sonically this system is
unquestionable a major upgrade
from off-the-shelf PC speakers.
B&W Zeppelin
$599
bowers-wilkins.com
Combining the SR-202
electrostatic open-back
headphone and SRM-252 II amp
this may be Stax’s most basic
system but it should be required
listening for any audiophile
who wants to understand the
addictive nature of headphones.
With the exception of the
lack of bottom octave slam,
the Stax provide the kind of
speed, transparency, and low
distortion that are beyond the
reach of most contemporary
loudspeakers. NG
Employing advanced amplifier
and driver technologies
found in B&W’s upper-end
loudspeakers, the Zeppelin is
the best-sounding and coolest
looking iPod speaker system
we’ve heard. The shape isn’t just
for good looks; it also happens
to be the ideal acoustical
platform for the system’s
dual 3.5" midrange drivers, 1"
tweeter, and single 5" woofer.
Throw in advanced digital
signal processing along with five
separate amplifiers (150W total)
and you have one serious musicmaking machine. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 178
UltraSone PROLine 2500
$399
ultrasoneusa.com
FatMan iPod
$649
fat-man.co.uk
The German-made UltraSone
moves the driver off the center
of the earpiece, so that rather
than firing straight into your
hearing canal it fires at the folds
making up your outer ears. The
2500 is an open design with a
titanium-plated driver and has
an overall outstanding balance
of virtues, purity, and extension,
though with some recordings it
can sound strident with strings.
Reviewed by DS, Issue 156
Fatman’s two-piece iTube is a
combination iPod dock with
13Wpc vacuum-tube integrated
amplifier. The amp sports two
inputs—one for the dock (which
comes with an excellent remote)
and one for an auxiliary source.
Though not terribly powerful,
the Fatman is long on tonal purity, resolution, and soundstaging,
making it one the best purposebuilt iPod systems we’ve heard.
iTAS
DussunT2i
$800
aaa-audio.com
Acoustic Energy Aego M
$299
acoustic-energy.co.uk
Consider the Aego M if you
want significantly better than
A small, vertical design for
desktop applications, Dussun’s
T2i includes an 8x oversampling
Sigma-Delta USB DAC that
accepts digital signals directly
from a hard drive, as well as
two line-level inputs and a
headphone jack. While warm
and easy-sounding, it’s also a
little thick and rolled-off—but
very cool on the job and
excellent for its intended use.
Meridian F80
$2999 (i80 universal dock,
$399)
meridian-audio.com
Arguably the world’s coolest table
radio, Meridian’s little Ferrariindustrial-designed F80 combines
a CD/DVD player, AM/FM
tuner, an 80Wpc amplifier, hightech speakers, and Meridian’s
acclaimed Digital Signal
Processing technology into one
sweet package. That skims the
surface. Play some favorite tunes
through the F80, and prepare to
be blown away by the sound from
this amazing portable audio/
video sound system. Reviewed by
WG, Issue 179
Sony XDR-F1HD Radio
$200
sony.com
A ridiculously good tuner for
a price so low it is almost an
embarrassment to the high end.
The actual tuner is better than
the audio section, but this is
only apparent if you are lucky
enough to have one of the few
FM stations that really tries to
set high-end audio standards.
The overall sound is still
excellent, and the ability to get
FM, AM, and HD-radio for so
little money makes this a truly
exceptional value. AHC, review
forthcoming
Wadia 170 iTransport
$379
wadia.com
PoY
08
Wadia’s 170 iTransport is the
first Apple-sanctioned iPod
docking device that lets you
tap into the iPod’s digital
output, bypassing the iPod’s
compromised internal D/A
converters and analog output
stage. This digital output
appears on a standard jack for
connection to an outboard
D/A converter, providing
the convenience of the iPod
with the sound quality of your
outboard DAC. Reviewed by
RH, Issue 186
POWER CONDITIONERS
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iTAS
Equipment Racks
Billy Bags Equipment Racks
$300–$1200 (for Standard
Series)
billybags.com
These sturdy, sensibly priced
equipment racks lack state-ofthe-art features such as those
found in, for example, the
Grand Prix products, but are
effective, highly functional,
attractive, and can be ordered
in custom configurations.
Optional lead-shot loading and
spikes elevate performance. The
Pro-Series prices increase up to
$3000. RH owns Billy Bags racks
Sanus Natural Furniture
Audio Racks
$329 (four-shelf) to $379
(six-shelf)
sanus.com
Available in black, cherry, or
maple, Sanus’ Natural Furniture
racks are handsome and
affordable. The rigid frame and
¼" glass shelves let your gear
sound quite neutral and alive,
while the open construction
allows for good air flow and
makes installation and hook-up
a dream. WG
Solid Tech Rack of Silence
Stands and Accessories
Pricing varies
The aptly named Rack of
Silence helps damp (or
dissipate) equipment vibrations,
thus fostering audibly quieter
backgrounds and a heightened
sense of resolution and detail.
The core of the system is
a sophisticated, extruded
aluminum rack with skeletal,
X-shaped equipment “shelves.”
Complementing the rack is
a broad range of optional
vibration-fighting accessories
such as damped suspension
pods and the like. Though tricky
to assemble, this system works
exactly as advertized. Reviewed
by CM, Issue 194
Symposium Acoustics Isis
Equipment Stand
Price depends on
configuration
symposiumusa.com
The Symposium Acoustics Isis
combines three different kinds
of damping: mass, constrainedlayer, and (for lack of a
better word) tectonic. Using
heavy-duty steel shelves that
are themselves damped with
constrained-layer material and
heavy-duty, segmented, aircraftgrade aluminum legs that are
isolated from the shelves, from
each other, and from the floor
via Tellurium/copper spikefeet and Symposium’s patented
rollerblock technology, the Isis
eliminates all lateral and vertical
motion induced by floorborne
or airborne resonance. Its
effectiveness is astonishing. JV
Walker Audio
Equipment Rack
$4500–$7500
walkeraudio.com
GE
03
A large (four-and-a-halffoot long) beautifully made
equipment rack, constructed of
three thick, oiled slabs of rock
maple suspended between shotfilled tubes and balanced on
Walker Audio’s huge Valid Point
feet. Like all of Walker Audio’s
tweaks, the Walker rack kills
vibration without killing the life
of the music. JV
Power Conditioners
Audience aR1p
$495
audience-av.com
A compact single-outlet power
conditioner and isolation
device, based on the massive
twelve-outlet versions of which
Audience is rightly proud.
an area where far too many AC
conditioners are inconvenient,
promise more that they deliver,
and are badly overpriced.
Used with a CD player its
enhancements in soundstaging
and dimensionality and
depth can be profound. With
demanding high-current devices
such as amplifiers, transients
seemed a little soft and an
audition is recommended.
Audience aR12
$4100
audience-av.com
This expensive but extremely
effective twelve-outlet
conditioner delivered significant
improvements in bass definition
and depth, overall resolution,
and soundstage depth. Buildquality is exemplary. Reviewed
by Max Shepherd, Issue 162
PS Audio Duet, Quintet,
PowerPlant Premier
GE
$295, $495, $2195 08
psaudio.com
The PS Audio Duet, Quintet,
and Power Plant Premier
provide superb surge-protection
at a wide range of prices. The
PowerPlant Premier, however,
goes much further. You may
not hear a striking improvement
using its output—which is
capable of dealing with all
but the largest possible Class
A amps—but you’ll never
have low-level noise; sensitive
equipment like video projectors
is likely to live longer; and you’ll
know you’re getting the best
your equipment can deliver.
PS Audio Soloist
$199
psaudio.com
PoY
08
Finally, one of the best AC line
filters and conditioners around
at an affordable price that can
fit into a wall socket and handle
even the most demanding
power amps. Not up to PS
Audio’s top of the line AC
supplies, but a real bargain in
Running Springs Audio Dmitri
$4495/$4995/$5995
runningspringsaudio.com
The Dmitri not only confers
the traditional benefits of line
conditioning, but does so while
actually increasing dynamic
contrasts—the Achilles’ heel
of most power conditioners. In
addition to increasing timbral
purity, soundstage transparency,
and a sense of depth, the 67pound Dimitri reveals a system’s
full measure of bottom-end
extension, weight, and dynamic
impact. A reference-quality
product. Reviewed by RH, Issue
193
Shunyata Hydra-8 Reference
V2/V-Ray Reference V2/
Hydra-2
GE
05
$2995/$4995/$495
shunyata.com
PoY
06
When used as a complete
system with the Hydra-8 on
the front-end components and
Hydra-2 on the power amps,
along with Shunyata’s AC cords,
the improvement in sound
quality is nothing short of
spectacular. The improvement
in low-level resolution alone
is worth the (hefty) price of
admission. But the Shunyata
system also renders a huge
increase in soundstage focus,
size, and depth, and midrange
and treble liquidity. One of
the two best AC-conditioning
system RH has heard. Reviewed
by RH in Issue 163
Synergistic PowerCell 10 SE
$5000
Power conditioners can be
something of a mixed bag, but
the Synergistic Power Cell did
not appear to limit current.
Instead, it offers even blacker
backgrounds and seems to
lower grit and distortion. As
with all conditioners, however,
auditioning the Synergistic in
POWER CONDITIONERS
ACCESSORIES
your own system is a must, as
the quality of electricity varies
markedly from home to home.
Tara Labs PM 2 AC Power
Screen
$495 (for two 15-amp
sockets)
taralabs.com
A stout, well-made, relatively
inexpensive two-outlet box that
is the only AC-conditioning
device that JV has tried
that does not (even slightly)
diminish dynamics, even with
amps plugged into it. On the
contrary, everything sounds
“super-charged” through the
Power Screens; transparency
and resolution are also clearly
increased along with dynamic
contrasts. The only downside
(if it is that): a slight darkness to
the soundfield, due to increased
bass weight and color, that is
typical of Tara Labs. JV
Accessories AcousTech Electronic Stylus
Force Gauge
$139
acoustechelectronics.com
Getting the most out of any
turntable requires an accurate
vertical tracking force setting—
and yes, kids, you can easily hear
up and down changes as slight
as a tenth of a gram. Not only
is AcousTech’s new gauge a
relative bargain; it is small, has a
backlit display, is incredibly easy
to use, measures weights from
0.001 to 5.000 grams at the
height of an LP’s surface, and
is said to be accurate to within
+/-0.002 grams. WG
Acoustic Room Systems (now
part of Cinema Tech)
GE
$20,000–$50,000
03
acousticroomsystems.com
PoY
Money spent on real
02
acoustic treatments is, in RH’s
experience, the most effective
allocation of your hi-fi budget.
RH has lived with different
acoustic products, but none
has been as effective as, nor
blended into the décor like
the Acoustic Room Systems
package does. The ARS system
greatly improves bass tautness
and definition, allows the hi-fi
system to better resolve spatial
cues, and adds to the music’s
sense of palpability and realism.
Aesthetix ABCD-1MC
Cartridge Demagnetizer
$199
can expand soundstage depth.
There are lots of questionable
acoustic products on the
market, but Tube Traps are the
real deal. RH
AudioQuest BPW BindingPost Wrench
$9.99
audioquest.com
This battery-operated device
sends a special signal through
your moving-coil cartridge,
removing stray magnetism in
the coils. Used every two weeks
or so, the ABCD-1 will restore
tone colors and soundstage
clarity. Issue 188
AudioQuest’s binding-post
wrench, featuring durable metal
socket-inserts, eliminates the
need for a bulky socket set.
This compact double-ended
nut driver, small enough to slip
into a shirt or pants pocket, fits
7/16" and 1/2" binding posts.
Essential for tightening down
speaker cables to speakers and
amps. NG, Issue 188
Analogue Productions: The
Ultimate Analogue Test LP
$39.99
acousticsounds.com
AudioQuest Anti-Static
Record Brush
$20
audioquest.com
Amazingly well-conceived as
well as manufactured to the
highest standards, The Ultimate
Analogue Test LP is the new
reference in test discs. It’s
loaded with useful test signals
that are encoded with high
precision, and the record is
pressed on 180-gram virgin
vinyl. Reviewed by RH, Issue
186
What’s the best way to keep
clean records clean without
attracting dust particles? One of
our favorite methods is to use
AudioQuest’s anti-static record
brush, whose bristles are made
of “over a million polished
carbon fibers.” A swing-down
brush guard doubles as a bristle
cleaner to prevent dirt build-up.
CM
ASC Tube Traps
$498–$2638
tubetrap.com
Auralex Acoustics
Studiofoam Wedges
Price varies
auralex.com
Unless you have a professionally
designed and treated room,
Tube Traps from Acoustic
Sciences Corporation are
absolutely indispensable to
improving your system’s sound.
They are able to solve a wide
range of acoustic problems
with strategic placement and
orientation. Boomy bass can be
cured with a pair of 16" Full
Rounds in the corners behind
the loudspeakers. Placed along
the sidewalls between you
and the loudspeakers, Tube
Traps kill unwanted sidewall
reflections, prevent flutter echo,
and aid in diffusion. A single
Tube Trap in the center of the
wall behind the loudspeakers
If you’ve logged much time in
home recording studios, odds
are that you’ve already seen
and heard Auralex Studiofoam
Wedges in action. Studiofoam is
highly absorptive, and therefore
can be just the ticket for taming
slap echoes or audible combfiltering effects that can result
when listeners are seated too
close to the back walls of their
listening spaces. CM
Avid Level 45: 45RPM
Adapter and Bubble Level
$100
musicdirect.com
This two-piece kit combines a
precision machined-steel 45-rpm
adaptor with a high-quality bubble
level. The level sits atop the
45rpm-adapter, which together
weigh 180 grams—exactly the
same as a high-quality LP for
accurate leveling. Issue 188
A/V Room Service Ltd. Metu
Acoustic Panels and Corner
Traps
Price depends on
configuration (but
affordable)
avroomservice.com
Although the set of Metus
that came to JV—and that
he now depends on—came
in a particularly unattractive
Fudgsicle brown, these wallhanging, cloth-faced, rectangular
acoustic panels (mounted
to wooden backboards) and
cloth-faced corner traps can
be precisely color-matched to
your paint scheme or be made
to look like framed art of any
kind (from posters to paintings).
Designed by Jim Varney, who
did the acoustical treatment
of Robert Harley’s room, they
are the real deal—precisely
calibrated room treatments
that use a patent-pending
adjustable diaphragmatic/
sound absorptive technology
to reliably reduce all sorts of
colorations—more effectively
than any other wall-mounted
room treatment JV has tried. JV,
review forthcoming
Blu-Tack Adhesive Putty
$10
blutack.com
The original acoustic putty
and adhesive from Bostik of
England that damps resonances
and mechanically couples a
compact speaker to the top
plate of its stand. Sonically
you’ll hear tighter bass and
improved image. Considered “a
flexible semi-liquid that behaves
like a solid” it also offers a
safety bonus by preventing a
stand-mounted speaker from
being inadvertently toppled.
CM, Issue 188
ACCESSORIES
Caig Pro Gold G100L
Treatment
$21.99
caig.com
Caig’s ProGold G100L has
long been the go-to lubricant
for cleaning, preserving, and
conditioning all electrical
connections. Packaged in a
handy dispenser bottle with a
little applicator-brush built into
the caps, it can and should be
used for any junction (short of
an AC wall socket) where a metal
connector (like the male RCA
plugs of your interconnects) are
plugged into metal socket (like
the female RCA plugs of your
preamp, amp, or CD player). JV,
Issue 188
Cardas RCA Caps
$49.99 (set of 12)
cardas.com
Pop these RCA shorting plugs
into your preamplifier’s unused
inputs and you’ll hear a blacker
background, more micro-dynamic
detail, and an overall cleaner
sound. NG, Issue 188
Cen-tech SPL Meter
$40
acousticsounds.com
An indispensable and fun soundintensity meter for confirming
channel balance (especially
helpful for hi-res multichannel),
adjusting subwoofers, checking
peak settings, optimizing EQ
settings, or just verifying that
you’re endangering your hearing.
With seven SPL ranges, A and
C weightings, slow- and fastresponse peak measurements, and
average noise levels. CM, Issue 188
Clearaudio Double Matrix
Record Cleaner
PoY
$5200
07
effectively cutting in half the
amount of time you spend
cleaning your LPs, and it does it
considerably more quietly than
the Matrix, while also adding
effective anti-static treatment to
the formula. If you’re seriously
into vinyl, the Double Matrix
is unquestionably the record
cleaner of choice. Reviewed by
JV, Issue 180
Clearaudio Matrix
Record Cleaner
$3600
GE
03
Clearaudio’s Matrix record
cleaner is the Porsche of
record-cleaning machines. Built
to a higher standard than many
turntables, the Matrix provides
bi-directional platter rotation,
powerful two-level vacuum, and
an adjustable brush. Reviewed
by JV, Issue 142
Clearaudio Spirit Level
$60
Turntables sound their best
when they are level—something
careful listeners will want to
check at set-up time and verify
periodically. (Remember:
Furniture and floors sometimes
settle a bit over time.) Use a
good multi-axis spirit level such
as this one from Clearaudio to
keep your ’table on the level.
CM, Issue 188
Clearaudio Strobo-disc and
Strobe Light
$60 and $180
Featuring grooves that create
the additional stylus drag
necessary to accurately measure
your turntable’s speed—while
at the same time doubling as
a cartridge break-in device—
Clearaudio’s Strobo-disc and
Strobe Light are great tools for
the serious vinyl junkie. HP’s
Workshop, Issue 159
The Double Matrix not only
does everything that the Matrix
does, it does it to both sides
of your records simultaneously,
Composite Products CarbonFiber Cones
$75 (3-Pack)
Made from layers of carbonfiber cloth bonded into a solid
with epoxy, the Composite
Products Carbon-Fiber Cones
are extremely stiff and well
damped. Place a set under a
component to reduce and damp
vibrations. JM, Issue 188
Echo Busters $175 and up
echobusters.com
The cool thing about Echo
Busters, as well as most other
room treatment, is you don’t
have to buy the whole shebang
at once. SK recommends starting
off with a couple of Bass Busters
or maybe just a set of Corner
Busters. The effect is dramatic
and cumulative, and you can
add on as your budget allows.
Feickert Adjust+
$350
feickert.com
If you’ve ever wondered
whether you’ve gotten your
cartridge’s azimuth just right
and thereby maximized channel
separation, here’s a solution that
doesn’t entail an oscilloscope
or guesses by mirror. Dr.
Feickert––he who makes that
fabulous cartridge-alignment
protractor––has come up with
a nifty bit of software (PConly) that will tell you when
azimuth is dead on (and all sorts
of other useful things about
your cartridge, turntable, and
phonostage, including ’table
speed). JV, Issue 188
Feickert Universal Protractor
$250
feickert.com
Feickert’s invaluable protractor
includes a white disc with
markings on each side—for
Baerwald and Lofgren
geometries and 50 and 60Hz
strobe patterns—an impressively
machined aluminum measuring
device that turns accurately
measuring stylus to pivot
distances from hair-pulling
frustration to child’s play, and
a step-by-step instruction
booklet that makes fine-tuning
your cartridge’s geometry a
remarkably easy procedure.
Furutech LP Flattener
$1890
furutech.com
Expensive, but worth it if you
have a large LP collection. Just
put a slightly warped LP into
the Flattener and the gentle
heating and pressing action
restores an LP to perfect
flatness. JH, review pending.
Furutech deMag
$1980
furutech.com
What’s that you say,
demagnetize vinyl—a plastic?
Yes, it seems that the pigment
added to the plastic contains
small amounts of ferrous
material that magnetizes vinyl
LPs. A quick 20-second zap
to each side of an LP results
in audible improvements to
noise floor, dynamic range,
and perceived resolution. The
same goes for optical media,
including DVDs, and evidently
cables and power cords, too. WG
Gryphon Exorcist
Demagnetizer
$230
acousticsounds.com
These nifty devices are designed
to do the same thing—one
system-wide, the other for
phono cartridges—rid audio
gear of magnetic build-up.
The size of a remote control,
the Exorcist hooks up to your
preamp’s aux or line input,
while you plug your arm leads
into the Black Exorcist. Audible
results include less glare and
hash, tighter bass, and greater
perceived detail and musical
integration. WG
Hannl Aragon
$3995
eliteavdist.com
Though pricey, this Germanmade LP cleaner has a small
footprint, is relatively cool-
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ACCESSORIES
looking, and features an infinitely
variable-speed platter, which
allows you to choose a faster
speed for fluid application and
scrubbing, and a very slow speed
for the vacuum process, and a
platter that rotates both directions, which is useful with LPs
that need a thorough scrubbing.
Lyra SPT Stylus Cleaner
$45
immediasound.com
Mission accomplished. Puts
the fluid where it belongs.
Lyra’s formulation scrubs each
precious stylus clean without
globing on and ultimately
reducing the compliance of the
cantilever. A tiny angled brush
is included. NG, Issue 188
MYE Sound Magneplanar
Stands
$515–$655
myesound.com
No self-respecting Magnepan
owner should be without them.
It’s as simple as that. Grant van
der Mye’s eponymously named
and relatively inexpensive stands
drastically improve the sound
of any Magnepan by reducing
vibration induced, primarily,
by bass drivers that torque the
frames of these wonderful
planar loudspeakers. Bass
appears to extend down another
octave. JHb, review pending
Nordost Eco 3 Spray
$40 (eight-ounce bottle
nordost.com
Designed to eliminate the
build-up of static charges on
cables and interconnects, this
stuff works equally well on
equipment racks, CDs, DVDs,
and turntable platters. Use when
installing new cables or re-squirt
every few weeks. The sound is
noticeably better. WG, Issue 188
Marigo White 3mm Tuning
Dots
$35 (set of 12)
marigoaudio.com
Precision Audio Cable
Elevators Plus
$160 (set of eight); $20
each
musicdirect.com
These tiny adhesive, constrainedlayer resonance-control “dots”
provide an effective bit of
damping to tubes or signal
connectors that may see airborne
or floorborne vibration, even if
isolated on stands. Also useful on
the headshells of tonearms or,
judiciously applied, on the top of
phono cartridges. JV, Issue 188
Cable Elevators are porcelain
cradles designed to lift cables
and interconnects off the floor,
shielding them from vibration.
The salubrious effect they can
have on just about every aspect
of sound is hard to believe
(though, like tiptoes, they can
also thin tone colors out a bit).
Mobile Fidelity Rice Inner
Sleeves
$20 (50-pack)
mofi.com
RPG Diffusor Systems B.A.D.
(Binary Amplitude Diffsorber)
Panels
Price varies
rpginc.com
A precious collection of LPs is
only as good as its scratch-free
surfaces. Offered for decades,
Mobile Fidelity’s familiar rice
paper-style inner sleeves are
renowned for their anti-static
properties that avoid drawing
dust and grit into the delicate
grooves. They remain the archival
sleeves to beat. NG, Issue 188
RPG’s B.A.D. panels are thin
absorptive diffuser panels that
can help tame problem room
acoustics without quashing
dynamics or swallowing
midrange and high-frequency
details. The design of B.A.D.
panels is deceptively simple, but
their effects can be remarkable.
In rooms treated with B.A.D.
panels, speakers often exhibit
lower coloration, more
focused imaging, and deeper
soundstages. CM, Issue 188
Sanus SF26 Steel Foundation
Speaker Stands
$170/pr.
sanus.com
Sanus’ thoughtfully designed
and beautifully executed
SF series speaker stands do
everything you could want a
good set of stands to do, and at
a price that makes sense. Strong,
rigid, and resonance-free, they
include provisions for installing
sand or lead-shot damping, and
are easy to assemble. Reviewed
by CM, AVgM, Issue 1
Shakti Electro-Magnetic
Stabilizer Stone
$199
shakti.com
Ben Piazza’s Shakti Stones
employ “proprietary noise
reduction circuitry to absorb
and dissipate electromagnetic
interference (EMI) and radio
frequency interference (RFI).”
In other words, nobody’s quite
sure how they work, but work
they do when placed over the
transformers of amps, preamps,
and other electronics, reducing
noise and enriching timbre. JV,
Issue 188
Shakti Hallographs
$999/pr.
shakti.com
Master of the inexplicable,
Shakti’s Ben Piazza has followed
up on his magic “Shakti stones”
with yet another impossibleto-explain-but-effective-asclaimed item, the Hallographs.
With direct-radiating or omni
speakers, these large, rotatable,
free-standing, tuning-forkshaped items work some kind
of voodoo when placed in the
corners of a room (behind the
speakers), masking chaotic wall
reflections and “clarifying” the
soundfield (just as Shakti says
they do). JV, Issue 188
Shelter Carbon Fiber
Cartridge Screws
$190 (8mm x 2mm in sets
of two); $200(10mm)
elusivedisc.com
Precision is the name of the
game when it comes to cartridge
setup. The carbon fiber cartridge
screws from Shelter are not only
low in resonance but the rigid,
precision threading means it
less likely to strip a headshell or
cartridge. Cheap insurance for
that extra special rig. Includes two
polycarbonate nuts. CM, Issue 188
PoY
Shunyata Dark Field
08
Cable Elevators
$129 (4-Pack) or $295 for
a set of 12
shunyata.com
Most people agree that elevating
interconnects, cables, and power
cords off the floor (and away
from vibration and each other)
is a good idea, but Shunyata
argues that using an electrical
insulator to do this creates a
relative static charge differential
between the cable and floor.
When an electrical signal is
sent through the cable, the
signal can become distorted or
inter-modulated by this static
charge. The materials used in
Shunyata’s elevators prevent this
static buildup. The net result
is an audibly cleaner signal. JV,
Issue 188
Shure SFG-2 Stylus Force
Gauge
$20
shure.com
Although ultimately not
accurate as the best digital
gauges, the classic “teetertotter” Shure is simple to use,
cheap, and does the trick very
nicely. WG, Issue 188
Stillpoints Vibration Control
Cones (3-Pack)
$300
When placed under
components these sturdy
ball-bearing equipped cones,
which actually use two layers
of ball-bearings—and a large
ceramic bearing and a second
tier of balls inside the cone
ACCESSORIES
that the ceramic bearing sits
on—convert vertical motion
into horizontal motion and
resonant energy into heat. CM,
Issue 188
the chassis. The Sinks are
exceptionally effective with
non-suspended turntables. PS,
Issue 188
Symposium Acoustics Fat
Padz
$119
symposiumusa.com
Kind of like Rollerblock Jr.’s
in a single unit, Symposium’s
Fat Padz employ constrainedlayer damping to turn resonant
energy into heat. Ideal for
supporting lightweight
equipment like preamps and
CD players. JV, Issue 188
Symposium Acoustics
Rollerblock Jr.
$225 (set of 4)
symposiumusa.com
A set of Rollerblock Jr. gives
you four top and bottom
units and four tungsten-steel
ball-bearings, which are then
combined to make “Double
Stacked” isolator/coupler
sandwiches. Every top and
bottom block is constructed
of black-anodized, aircraftalloy aluminum with a special
cup in each into which the
tungsten-steel ball-bearing is
inserted. Ingeniously combing
tectonic and constrained-layer
damping, the Rollerblocks are,
when placed under even heavy
components, among the most
highly effective resonancecontrol devices on the market.
JV, Issue 188
Tributaries T12 power strip
$120
tributariescable.com
The T12 is the perfect power
manager for the low current demands of a nest of transformers
and peripherals. Equipped with
three rows of four outlets, most
rotate 90 degrees so that plugs
can lie flat along the floor. Meanwhile, LEDs indicate operation, grounding, and protection
status. Offering plenty of surge
suppression and noise filtering
for AC power as well as signalline protection for telecomm,
network, and cable, it’s a bargain
for its segment. Various cords
included. Reviewed by NG, Issue
186
VPI 16.5 Record Cleaner
Bundle w/Fluids, Brushes and
Sleeves
$550
vpiindustries.com
Walker Audio Silver Speaker
Jumpers
$250 (set of four
conductors
walkeraudio.com
All vinyl lovers need a recordcleaning machine, and there’s
no greater “bang for the buck”
in cleaners than VPI’s classic
16.5. Simple to use and highly
effective, the 16.5 produces
quieter surfaces from even
heavily soiled LPs. The Bundle
adds two bottles of Mobile
Fidelity cleaning fluid, a Mobile
Fidelity Record Brush, and 100
inner sleeves for just $10 more
than the 16.5. JM, Issue 188
These 6" solid silver conductors
(with ¼" solid silver spades) are
perfect for two-piece speakers
systems that require a jumper
between a bass module and a
mid/treble “head” unit. JV
VPI Typhoon Record Cleaner
$2000
vpiindustries.com
A good record cleaner is a
vital tool for any good record
collection. The Typhoon is
the best combination of price,
convenience, and effective
cleaning AHC has yet found.
Noise levels have been reduced
since the early production
runs, fluid control is excellent,
operation is quick and reliable,
and it is a pleasure to use.
UltraBit Platinum Disc
Treatment
$65
ultrabitplatinum.com
Walker Audio Prelude Quartet
Record Cleaning System
$185
walkeraudio.com
A spritz of UltraBit Platinum
on a CD renders a surprising
increase in smoothness,
resolution, and soundstage size.
There are many excellent
record-cleaning solutions out
there, but this one, developed
by analog guru Lloyd Walker,
is superb. Designed to work
in conjunction with most
record-cleaning machines, the
four-step Prelude system (which
involves the manual application
of two enzyme-based cleaning
solutions and two ultra-pure
rinses, each followed by
machine vacuuming) really
does reveal details that have
gone unheard beneath layers
of dust and wear. A bit timeconsuming, but no machineapplied cleaning solutions can
compare. JV, Issue 188
Townshend Seismic Sinks
$400–$900 (depending on
weight capacity)
townshendaudio.com
Vibrapods
$5.99 each
vibrapod.com
Townshend Seismic Sinks
are air-bladder-suspended
isolation platforms, available
in several sizes and weights
to accommodate a wide
variety of components. Setup
is straightforward and easy.
Because the Sinks act as filters
(around 2–4Hz), they isolate
far better than cones, which
anchor components solidly but
in so doing allow vibrations
to be transmitted directly to
Vibrapods are small, flexible
vinyl pucks that can transform
a system. They’re numbered
by their weight-bearing loads:
Put them under speakers and
electronics and hear bass extension and smoother highs. At four
for $25, who says great tweaks
have to be expensive? Just out,
Vibrapod Cones—use them as
standalone footers or combine
with Vibrapods to get even more
out of your system. Issue 188
Walker Audio Valid Points
$525
walkeraudio.com
Valid Points, Walker’s
massive version of tiptoes,
are sensationally effective
under most components,
particularly when used with
Walker Resonance Control
discs, which, themselves, can
have a salubrious effect on
components under or on top of
which they are placed. JV
Xtreme AV Quicksilver
Contact Enhancer
$90
xtremecables.com
This 100% silver contact
enhancer has been cryogenically
treated to produce the optimum
conductive surfaces for audio
signal connections. Works
on RCA jacks, tube sockets,
AC cords, and cartridge pins.
Comes with a complete kit of
cleaning tools. Issue 188
Zerodust Stylus Cleaner
$69
musicdirect.com
Not a fluid or brush-based
stylus cleaner, the Zerodust uses
a polymer bubble that gathers
stylus dust and debris onto its
ultra-soft surface. A winning
alternative for those concerned
with overusing liquid cleaners
that can leave residues and build
up over time. Zerodust can be
cleaned with tap water and a
magnifier is included. CM, Issue
188
BOOKS
Books
The Complete Guide to HighEnd Audio, Third Edition
Robert Harley
Acapella Publishing, 640
pp., $34.95 (paper), $44.95
(cloth)
hifibooks.com
The most complete, up-to-date,
and useful guide to the high
end you can buy, filled with
information about how audio
components work, how they
should be set up, how they can
be optimized after setup that is
indispensable to neophyte and
veteran audiophiles alike. JV
Home Theater for Everyone,
Revised Second Edition
Robert Harley
pp., $19.95
hifibooks.com
Like its audio-only companion
piece, The Complete Guide, Home
Theater for Everyone is an up-todate, encyclopedic compendium
of essential information about
home theater components,
setup, and tweaking. Don’t set
up a home theater without it! JV
Introductory Guide to HighPerformance Audio Systems
Robert Harley
pp., $19.95
hifibooks.com
The Introductory Guide does for the
novice what The Complete Guide
does for the more experienced
audiophile: provides an entirely
lucid handbook of genuinely
useful information about stereo/
multichannel gear and setup. No
one explains technical matters to
the layman better than our Mr.
Harley. Reviewed by JV, Issue 172
The Master Handbook of
Acoustics, Fourth Edition
F. Alton Everest
McGraw-Hill/TAB, 592 pp.,
$39.95
This classic book, updated
over the years, is a crash course
in how sound behaves in a
room and how to treat rooms
to improve sound quality. It’s
not audiophile-oriented, but
explains the basic physics that
audiophiles need to know when
choosing or treating listening
rooms. RH
Mastering Audio: The Art and
the Science
Bob Katz
Focal Press, 319 pp., $39.95
Although written for
professional mastering
engineers, Mastering Audio:
The Art and the Science contains
a wealth of information of
interest to the audiophile. If
you want to know what goes on
behind the scenes in recreating
the music you enjoy, and learn
more about digital audio, this
comprehensive, insightful, and
accessible book is without peer.
RH
McIntosh ”For the love of
music”
Ken Kessler
McIntosh Laboratory Inc.,
315 pp., $150
This profusely illustrated and
carefully researched book on
the celebrated audio company is
lively and informative and just
plain fun to read. It is primarily
a social history, but the social
history is irresistible, and the
book gives a feel for the early
decades of high fidelity. REG
Music, Sound, and Technology
John Eargle
Springer, 368 pp., $114.95
Meant primarily for college
students, Eargle’s book is what
it claims to be—a classic guide
to musical acoustics. If you’re
looking for the best resource
on hi-fi systems, buy Robert
Harley’s Complete Guide. If
you’re looking for a book on
how the various instruments
make the sounds they make and
what those sounds comprise,
The NPR Listener’s
Encyclopedia of Classical
Music
Ted Libbey
Workman, 979 pp., $19.95
Quad—The Closest Approach
Ken Kessler
International Audio Group,
215 pp., $80
U.K. audio writer Ken Kessler
has documented the history,
products, and contributions to
Sound Bites: 50 Years of Hi-Fi
News
Ken Kessler and Steve Harris
IPC Media, London, 224 pp.,
£14.95 (U.S. availability:
MusicDirect or amazon.com)
While Hi-Fi News at fifty is the
occasion for this book, it’s no
self-congratulatory piece of
puffery. After a long chapter on
“pre history,” i.e., telescoping
audio in the first half of the
last century, it’s structured as
a loose, anecdotal history of
audio, centering principally on
the men who made the medium
from the beginning of stereo
to the present. Reviewed by PS,
Issue 162 TAS
Addendum
We inadvertently left these three award-winning products
off our master list. Our apologies to their manufacturers
for the mistake. — Ed.
Paradigm Signature
Reference S1 Loudspeaker
$1498
paradigm.com
This stand-mounted, sealedbox, two-way speaker just
doesn’t understand how small
it is, delivering a big, robust,
and dynamic sound. An
exceptionally neutral tonal
balance coupled with pinpoint
imaging make the S1 the king
of sub-$1500 mini-monitors.
Simaudio Moon i-1 Integrated
Amplifier
$1500
simaudio.com
Another great integrated amp
from Simaudio, the entry-level
i-1 offers excellent large-scale
dynamics, rhythmic liveliness,
transient speed, and overall
musicality. Extremely robust
build-quality and a hefty power
supply allow this 50Wpc amp (8
ohms) to double its output into
4 ohms. One of the purest and
most transparent integrateds in
its class. Reviewed by WG, Issue
185
Simaudio Moon i-1 CD Player
$1500
simaudio.com
The companion to the i-1
integrated, this CD player boasts
amazing build-quality for the
money, along with a very low
noise floor, a lack of glaze and
hash, outstanding dynamics and
rhythmic flow, and, like the i-l
integrated, a musicality that’s rare
at this price. Reviewed by WG,
Issue 185
BOOKS
TAS contributor Ted Libbey
has written a must-buy for the
classical music lover—from the
novice to the knowledgeable.
Written in a friendly yet
informed style, this book is not
only chock-full of information
it has a very cool interactive
feature (via the Naxos Web site)
that allows you to hear recorded
examples while you’re reading.
WG
audio of one of the seminal
high-end companies. The book
contains interviews with Quad
founder Peter Walker and
his son Ross, reprints of old
ads, Walker’s original papers
on loudspeaker and amplifier
design, and other bits of
interest to Quad fans. RH
harmonically, dynamically,
and temporally, Eargle’s is the
standard text. JV
Equipment Report
King of the
Midgets?
Spendor SA1 Mini-Monitor
Steven Stone
F
or over 40 years Spendor has produced audiophilegrade loudspeakers. The new SA1 represents its latest
thinking on small-footprint sealed-box monitors.
Spendor has plenty of competition in this crowded
category—I can’t think of many speaker companies that
don’t make at least one mini-monitor. So how do the SA1’s
stack up against all the competition? Splendiforously!
Built the Same, But Different
At first glance the Spendor SA1 speakers don’t seem
dissimilar from scores of other diminutive wooden boxes
stuffed with a pair of drivers and a crossover, but inside
they are very different. The SA1 uses a SEAS 22mm “wide
surround hybrid” synthetic-silk dome tweeter that allows
for a longer throw with less distortion and more linear
response at its excursion limits than a conventional silk
dome tweeter. The new Spendor 15cm (6") diameter ep38
polymer cone midrange/bass driver sports a magnesiumalloy chassis, advanced surround material, and a largeexcursion motor system. It is assembled entirely by hand
at Spendor’s East Sussex factory specifically for the SA1.
According to Spendor’s owner Philip Swift, “The 15cm
drive unit has a flat frequency response up to almost
10kHz. So we are able to cross that speaker over at a high
frequency (4.8kHz). We don’t have the crossover down
at the usual 2kHz, which is generally the worst area of
operation for the tweeter.”
The SA1’s crossover uses Spendor’s own precisiontapped inductors that are mounted on circuit boards
with gold through-hole plating for better conductivity.
Philip Swift believes that Spendor’s inductors are
clearly superior to other types. “With the circuit topology
we use in our crossovers, having the facility to design the
inductors like this gives us tremendous control over the
way we shape the frequency response of the crossover
network. Using an analog crossover, as we do, you can
bend or shape the frequency response in a very elegant
way.” Spendor employs a second-order 12dB/octave slope
on its midrange-woofer and a third-order 18dB/octave
slope on the tweeter crossovers. To keep the two drivers in
phase the leads on the tweeter are inverted.
Spendor employs a special methodology to mount its
drivers to the cabinets, which its calls “dynamic damping.”
EQUIPMENT REPORT - Spendor SA1 Mini-Monitor
With dynamic damping a rigid visco-elastic damping material
is clamped between the drive unit chassis and the cabinet to
dissipate micro-vibration. Any energy flowing into the cabinet
from the drivers is turned into heat by this special material.
Silver-plated pure copper wire with halogen-free dielectric
and gold conductors are used for all the internal wiring. Unlike
many dynamic-driver speakers which employ a double pair of
connectors to allow for bi-wiring, the SA1 uses only a single pair
of WBT five-way binding posts, flush-mounted on the back of
the speakers. Spendor doesn’t offer bi-wiring on the SA1 because
it feels that it’s better to use one run of the best speaker cable
you can afford rather than two runs of a lesser cable for the same
total investment. Also the SA1’s two drivers have been balanced
so precisely that using two different cables in a bi-wiring setup
could actually degrade the overall sound quality.
While the SA1’s drivers and crossover include substantial
amounts of proprietary technology, the speaker’s cabinet ranks
as its most distinctive feature. The vast majority of speakers,
regardless of size or type, rely on some form of mass damping
to reduce internal resonances, but Spendor employs a different
approach, which it calls “thin-wall damped panel design.” Rigidly
braced, the cabinet is constructed with three different panel
thicknesses. Each panel has a specific resonant characteristic, and
their different natural resonances combine evenly to dissipate
vibrations. According to Philip Swift, “‘If you make a cabinet
four inches thick, what you’re going to do is push the coloration
down to very low frequencies, but you are still going to hear it.
Even if you do push it right down to the tens of Hertz, you are
still going to get second and third harmonics of that. So getting
rid of it, that’s the answer!” Spendor believes that the even
dissipation of cabinet resonances through its thin-walled design
is more efficient and effective than other methodologies.
The SA1’s exterior finish is as meticulous as its internal parts.
Spendor offers book-matched real-wood veneers in either
gloss zebrano, piano black, or satin wenge. My review samples
were gloss zebrano. This finish is not for those whose interior
decorating schemes favor conservative-looking speakers. The
gloss finish is thick and shiny and the wood is flamboyantly
grained, not unlike the wood equivalent of a corduroy jacket. The
speaker grilles utilize a magnetic attachment system with magnets
that stick to the metal screws securing the drivers, so when the
grilles are removed no attachment hardware is visible.
The Sound of Spendor SA1’s
I listened to the Spendor SA1 speakers in two radically different
environments. The first system was in my computer desktop,
which puts the speakers in the near-field, only two feet from my
ears. The second system was room-based where the speakers
were seven-and-a-half feet from my primary listening position.
In both systems I used subwoofers to augment the SA1’s bass
response. (Other details of my review systems are listed in the
associated equipment section.)
When I first began listening to the Spendor SA1’s I thought
they sounded slightly tight and lean. Since I had been told that
they would need some serious break-in time to sound optimal
I was not overly concerned about their lack of immediate star
power. According to Philip Swift, “The actual break-in period for
the SA1 depends to a large extent on how loud and long you play
the speakers. If you have the opportunity to let loose for many
hours with a sensibly powerful amplifier and a broad selection
of dynamic, wide-frequency-range program the speakers can
be sounding good within a day or two. But if you play more
modestly and less frequently it can take as long as 2-3 weeks for
the loudspeakers to reach optimum performance. Another factor
is temperature, if your loudspeakers have been recently been
shipped or stored in low temperatures they may sound a bit ‘flat’
for the first few playing hours.” After approximately 100 hours
of break-in I began listening in earnest.
The first thing that impressed me about the Spendor SA1s
was their musically personable nature. By this I mean that these
speakers have a low fatigue factor similar to the Harbeth PSE2E speakers. This non-fatiguing character makes it easy to listen
at higher volumes in a nearfield environment for long periods
of time. But unlike the Harbeths, which sound as if they have
a built-in soft-compression circuit that reduces the differences
between double and triple fortissimo passages, the Spendors show
no signs of compression. They are more akin to the Paradigm
S1 and ATC SCM7 speakers, which both preserve high-level
SPECS & PRICING
Enclosure type: Sealed
Drive units: HF, 22mm widesurround dome with fluid
cooling; LF/MF, 150mm (6in.)
ep38 polymer cone
Frequency response: 75Hz–
20kHz +/-3dB anechoic on
reference axis
Frequency range: -6dB at 65Hz
anechoic
Dispersion: Within 3dB of
response on reference axis
Horizontal: Over 40° arc
(+/-20°)
Vertical: Over 20° arc ( +/-10°)
Sensitivity: 85dB for 1W @ 1m
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal
(6.3 ohms minimum)
Crossover frequency: 4.8kHz
Power handling: 125 watts
unclipped program
Dimensions: 12" x 6.5" x 7.5"
Weight: 12 lbs.
Price: $2195 per pair
Associated Equipment
Desktop System
EAD 8000 Pro CD/DVD player
and transport, MacPro Dual
core computer with i-Tunes
7.61, Devilsound USB Dac,
High Resolution Technologies
MusicStreamer+, Bel Canto
Dac 3, Reference Line
Preeminence One B passive
controller, Bel Canto S-300
stereo amplifier, Accuphase
P-300 power amplifier,
Modified Dyna St-70 amplifier,
Earthquake Supernova mk
IV 10 subwoofer, PS Audio
Quintet, AudioQuest CV 4.2
speaker cable, AudioQuest
Colorado interconnect
Room System
CEC TL-2 CD transport, Oppo
BDP-83 Blu-Ray/Universal
transport, Sony BPS-300
Blu Ray Player, Apple TV,
Sonos Z-90, Lexicon MC12B HD pre/pro, Bel Canto
M-1000 power amplifiers,
two JL Labs Fathom F112
subwoofers, two Genesis 2/12
subwoofers, Sound Anchor
single column 24” speaker
stands, PS Audio Quartet and
Duet AC devices, Synergistic
Research Designer’s Reference
interconnects and speaker
cables
Comment on this article on the Forum at avguide.com
EQUIPMENT REPORT - Spendor SA1 Mini-Monitor
dynamic differences. Compared with the Paradigm S1 speakers
the Spendors do not have quite as much headroom before they
begin to sound stressed, but the Paradigms have a greater ability
to play at high volumes without signs of stress than any small
monitor I’ve encountered.
This is as good a place as any to state the obvious—small
speakers are designed for small rooms. The Spendor SA1 is no
exception. The smaller your listening room, the more likely you
will find the SA1 to your liking. Personally I preferred the SA1’s
in my nearfield desktop system as opposed to my mid-sized
room system.
Part of that preference stems from the Spendor’s relatively low
85dB sensitivity. If your music demands 90dB peaks at listening
position, a nearfield placement is far more likely to deliver these
SPLs without stressing the speakers or the power amplifier
driving them. Also the proximity effect of nearfield placement
reduces lower midrange and upper-bass deficiencies that are
almost inevitable when you ask a small box speaker with smalldiameter drivers to reproduce music with a wide dynamic range.
Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s
recording of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti [Telarc] is about as dynamic
a commercial recording as you’ll find. On my desktop the SA1’s
had no trouble conquering this recording’s dynamic demands, but
in a mid-field situation the orchestra’s fortissimos and the soprano
duets don’t have quite the same dynamic authority, due in large
part to the speakers’ limited air-moving capabilities in the lower
midrange and upper bass.
Another readily apparent fact is that small box speakers image
well. But not all small-footprint speakers image equally well. The
Spendor SA1’s are among the best at disappearing completely.
Even on my desktop they do a surprising complete vanishing
act that outpoints comparably sized speakers such as the ATC
SCM7s. Compared to the ATCs the front of the Spendors
soundstage begins farther back behind the speakers’ front grilles.
Also the Spendors are slightly more three-dimensional with
phase-coherent recordings. Coupled with my highly modified
Dyna Stereo 70 the SA1s created an eerily fleshed out threedimensional picture of an entire soundstage. On my own live
concert recordings each row of musicians could be easily located
and even the back wall occupied a firm and exact location in the
soundstage.
Besides having excellent image specificity the SA1’s create a
larger listening window than many small monitors. Minor changes
in your listening position shouldn’t create any image shifts, and
with the Spendor SA1’s they don’t. The Spendors allowed me
greater freedom of movement at my desktop than even the
much smaller-footprint Role Kayak speakers. This was especially
surprising since the Roles had been the reigning champs at
producing the most wiggle room in my desktop system.
Some audiophiles feel that a soft dome tweeter, while it may
be smooth and musical, gives up a certain amount of resolution
and acuity to metal or ribbon drivers. The SA1’s resolution of
low-level detail ranks with small monitors that use more exotic
materials. Compared to the Paradigm S1, which has a titanium
tweeter, the Spendor SA1 displayed an equal level of detail and
musical information. Also the Spendor’s top end had a similar
amount of air and openness.
The midrange is where most of the music is, and the SA1’s
do a wonderful job of getting that midrange right. Whether it’s
Willie Nelson’s beery baritone or Todd Rundgren’s reedy tenor
the SA1’s capture each vocalist’s unique harmonic signature
with complete veracity. Female vocalists also retain all their
individuality. I’m a huge Tori Amos fan. On her Past The Mission
EP CD Amos performs a live version of “The Waitress.” The
SA1’s preserve every aspect of her sometimes less than subtle
lyrics and delivery: “And I believe in peace, BITCH!”
I mentioned earlier that I used a subwoofer with the SA1’s.
Actually I used several subwoofers in my room-based system—
two for each channel. Since the SA1 has a sealed cabinet with
no bass-enhancing ports or vents to increase its low-frequency
output, if you want to get anything below 80Hz (the specifications
state that the speaker is down 3dB at 75Hz) you’re going to have
to mate it with a subwoofer.
The good news is since it doesn’t have any ports or vents there
are no group-delay issues or bass humps that might prevent the
SA1 from mating seamlessly with a sub. Only the Spendor’s low
efficiency of 85dB could present any problem. That’s because
you will need to set your subwoofer’s input settings higher than
with more efficient speakers. Depending on the subwoofer, you
might detect some audible hum, since subwoofers are prone
to a 120Hz hum when their input controls are turned up. But
when you get the blend right, which shouldn’t be too tough, the
SA1’s will do a more than serviceable job delivering the leading
edge of a bass instrument while the subs deliver the body and
fundamentals.
When speakers are on my computer desktop I often rest my
fingers on their surfaces to see how much the cabinets vibrate.
Due to Spendor’s “thin-wall damped panel design” the SA1’s
cabinet sides and top vibrate more than any mini-monitor I’ve
had in my home. But unlike cheap plastic computer speakers
where cabinet vibrations have a noticeably negative effect on the
speaker’s performance, the SA1’s cabinet vibrations don’t seem
to have any influence on the speaker’s ability to image or resolve
low-level details. I can only assume that Spendor’s unconventional
cabinet design works just as its designers intended.
King of the Midgets?
I’ve read too many reviews where pricey mini-monitors were
crowned as the best. I can’t in good conscience claim that coronet
for the Spendor SA1. Not that it doesn’t deserve a title, since it
combines a compelling set of attributes and has few deficiencies,
but it’s not my place to bestow crowns.
Due to its not insubstantial price of $2195 a pair the Spendor
SA1 has a lot of competition for your attention. But for a small
listening room the SA1 may well prove to be a far more musically
rewarding choice than the vast majority of larger, more physically
imposing transducers.
If you are assembling a high-end nearfield computer desktop
system, the Spendor SA1 deserves to be among your top-five
must-audition options. I have yet to experience any speaker
whose sonic characteristics are better suited to the demands of
extended intimate listening. In a desktop environment the SA1
ranks as a grand champion, and if not worthy of a crown, it
has certainly earned membership in my personal mini-monitor
pantheon. TAS
Equipment Report
Vincent Audio V-60
Integrated Amplifier
Real-World Sonics
Neil Gader
I
’m not an ideologue on the issue of solid-state versus
vacuum tubes. No allegiances whatsoever. But I recognize
that tube components possess a special appeal—particularly
to audiophiles who crave greater involvement in the sport.
Charting tube life, rebiasing, swapping output tubes from one
former Eastern Bloc country or another are big parts of the
color and enthusiasm users bring to high-end audio. The truth
is, the Vincent V-60 is not that kind of tubed amp. Even Vincent
admits that it’s been designed for reliability and longevity. It
doesn’t ask to be coddled and it ain’t finicky. You simply turn it
on and it goes. In a word, my kind of integrated amplifier.
Visually the V-60 is unique in the Vincent lineup. Rather
than being housed in the familiar enclosed box that defines
most high-end electronics, the V-60 looks almost soaring and
architectural with polished vertical columns rising from its steeland-aluminum-clad chassis, a transparent and illuminated acrylic
front panel, and a pagoda-inspired top plate—a virtual shrine
to the golden age of tube power. In order to replace or check
tubes, you have to remove four burly aluminum knobs at each
corner of the heavily vented top panel (each knob has an ultrathin nylon washer to protect the brushed-metal surface). The
V-60 outputs 60Wpc thanks to eight Russian-made 6CA7 power
tubes. These are versions of the classic EL-34 pentode but with
greater power reserves, according to Vincent Audio. The 6CA7s
are augmented by a pair of 6CG7 while the preamp stage uses a
pair of 6922s—again all Russian-made. The output transformers
and the toroidal power transformer are robust—isolated within a
lined and shielded casing. A unique, hands-free, fully automated
biasing system maintains optimal operating voltages and current
control, and is constantly compensating for the age of each tube.
There are four selectable inputs along with four- and eight-ohm
speaker taps. The binding posts and tube sockets are plated in
gold. A small aluminum-clad remote control handles volume and
mute functions.
EQUIPMENT REPORT - Vincent Audio V-60 Integrated Amplifier
For many, tubes and transistors still represent competing
versions of reality—the former lush and romantic, the latter cold
and analytical. Although these views have been largely discredited
by current designs, a shred of truth remains. The V-60, however,
presents no such quandary in this regard. Except for the heat
factor which is, oy, very real, the V-60 is not, in the textbook
sense, immediately recognizable as a vacuum tube integrated amp.
I found no exaggerated frequency humps, dips, or imbalances
that could redefine a familiar piece of music. Its tonal balance
does lean toward a darker richer character in the midrange, but
this counts as a plus for me. The amp has the requisite bloom in
the lower mids but it’s not an unreserved romantic. The treble
is extended and unstressed. Its resolution of the decay of bass
information is superior, as is its individuation of notes. In order
to glean the most from the music’s wide dynamic envelope in
the lower octaves the user will need to show some sensitivity
to speaker-matching, but that’s to be expected. There’s a sense
of harmonic information being lightly rolled off in comparison
to a high-caliber solid-state amp, but this is mostly in head-tohead comparisons and is quickly factored in and forgotten. In
transient behavior, the amp is a bit laid-back—Bill Cunliffe’s
grand piano on Live at Bernie’s [Groove Note] was neither as
tight nor as aggressive on attacks, as if the felt hammers of his
instrument were a bit thicker.
Sonically a couple of key things resonated with me immediately.
The first is the V-60’s midrange musicality. Its timbre and inner
detail held me transfixed in my seat. I can’t count the number of
times I’ve heard Elton John’s “Indian Sunset” (SACD and LP),
but the distinctions between the loose acoustic bass and tight
electric bass were never as well-defined as they were through
the Vincent. And on Madman Across The Water, the amp showed
a willowy delicacy retrieving the gentle splash of a ride cymbal
on the iconic title track. Similarly during Jennifer Warnes’ duet
with Max Carl on “Somewhere, Somebody” from the new Cisco
remastering of Warnes’ The Hunter, Carl’s vocal—set back and
slightly in the shadow of Warnes’ lead—had more convincing
presence; even at its lower volume level, it became a virtual
physical object, replete with weight and dimension.
The midrange, from the tiniest interior detail to the most
extroverted dynamics, is authoritative, substantial, and almost
Technicolored in its saturation. It captures acoustic timbres,
harmonics, and textures in a way that is nothing less than
breathtaking. Anne-Sophie Mutter’s violin on the Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto [DG SACD] was sweetly aggressive with high
resolution of Mutter’s well-rosined bow—aspects necessary to
the accurate experience of this instrument. The low-level legato
lines were so fluidly laced together they became exemplars of the
concept of continuousness.
The second key aspect of the V-60’s sound was the quality of
the soundstage it created. It was not just a broadly dimensional
stage, it was also virtually unbroken—there were no hotspots or
dead zones. Rather, the stage was one continuous platform. But it
went beyond that. The Vincent transformed the soundstage into
a more immersive, semi-wrap-around arena. Instrumentalists and
singers didn’t stand so much in isolation from the venue; they
inhabited it. It created a more organic, integrated relationship
between musicians and the acoustic of the venue—a quality that
distinguished it from my solid-state rig’s propensity to separate
images in a more clinical and, frankly, graceless manner.
Yet for the V-60, there was an occasional eccentricity. On
soprano Anna Netrebko’s most extended high notes throughout
Sempre Libera [DG], the V-60 seemed to thrust even more air
and harmonic energy into the hall. This was an occasion where
the hall did not seem as specifically connected to the voice, an
overlaid coloration that made me long for the more rigid precision
of a solid-state amp, even if the trade-off was a bit more hardhearted. So, while I’m convinced of the V-60 treble competence,
it’s still not quite the ne plus ultra in this region.
Generally however, pitting the V-60 against solid-state revealed
more similarities than differences. During “Alone Together”
from Something Cool [Telarc], a ruthlessly revealing track with
just acoustic bass and Tierney Sutton’s playful vocal, there’s no
protective blanket of complex instrumentation and sophisticated
mixing to cover up flaws. While my solid-state reference possessed
the edge in sheer, off-the-line transient speed—that spring-loaded
right now quality—from both bass and vocalist, the Vincent V-60
defined the air of the recording venue differently. That air was
thicker, as if more humid and slightly more enveloping. With
solid-state, Sutton’s vocal was presented with more heavily drawn
image boundaries. The V-60 softens these edges. Both permit
great extension on the standup bass, but the V-60 has a real
ripeness that to me speaks more authentically—and this in spite
of the additional dynamic slam and control of the solid-state
gear, where every bass note is almost too perfectly defined. The
less rigid interpretation of the V-60 somehow seems more akin
to the real world in comparison.
In the final analysis, performance trumps topology and types
of output devices. The Vincent is the rare kind of integrated
amp—a tube amp, no less—that even the most unshakable
solid-state fan will recognize as something musically very special.
I did. Whichever side of the argument you stand on, once you
experience the Vincent, the most strongly held convictions begin
to waver. The V-60 is a tube amp that even a solid-state fan could
love. TAS
SPECS & PRICING
Power Output: 60Wpc
Inputs: Four RCA
Outputs: One RCA (rec out)
Dimensions: 17.7" x 8.4" x 16.5"
Weight: 75 lbs.
Price: $4995
WS Distributing (U.S.
Distributor)
3427 Kraft SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512
(866) 984-0677
wsdistributing.com
vincent-tac.de
Sota Cosmos Series III
turntable; SME V tonearm;
Clearaudio Maestro Wood;
JR Transrotor Phono II;
Esoteric X-05; Pass Labs
INT-150; Sonics Amerigo, ATC
SCM20-2, PMC DBIi; Tara
Labs RSC2 Air, Synergistic
Tesla Apex, Nordost Baldur;
Synergistic Tesla, Wireworld
Silver Electra & Kimber
Palladian power cords
Equipment Report
Odyssey Audio Khartago
Stereo Amplifier
Good Enough
Jonathan Valin
F
or the past six months I’ve been using the superb $40k
Soulution 710 stereo and $115k 700 monoblock solidstate amplifiers from Switzerland in my system—the latter
the same amp with which Magico triumphantly debuted its M5
speakers at CES this past January. I’ll be reviewing the Soulution
electronics in an upcoming issue, but I can already tell you they’ll
get a rave. I’ve never heard any amplifier, tube or solid-state, as
low in noise and high in transparency as these Swiss numbers.
With a suitably transparent speaker like the MartinLogan CLX
or the Magico M5 and a suitably transparent front end like the
Walker Black Diamond or the AAS Gabriel/Da Vinci (both
fitted out with the Da Vinci Grandezza cartridge), it’s as if the
electronics aren’t in the system. And their disappearing act makes
the disappearing act of the front end and the back end that much
more complete. That’s what transparency of this order buys
you in an amplifier or preamplifier—less of the physical and
electronic presence of all of your gear, more of the presence of
the music, the musicians, and (sigh) the recording and mastering
engineers.
Why am I talking about the Soulution amplifiers in a review
of Odyssey gear? Because I heard about both from solid-stateamp connoisseur Alon Wolf of Magico. I wasn’t a bit surprised
when he recommended the Soulution 700s—they cost a fortune
and had a helluva reputation for excellence. But I was surprised
when he suggested that I also give a listen to a little amp called
the Odyssey Khartago. First of all, I’d never heard of Odyssey,
though, as it turns out, the company’s been around for a decade,
and second…well, I’ll get to that in a moment.
“I’ve been using the Khartago in the factory for years,” said
he, “to test loudspeakers. It isn’t a Soulution 700, but it’s…good
enough.” Good enough for the Wolfman is good enough for
me, thought I, and promptly called Klaus Bunge of Odyssey,
who happens to be located a scant two hours away in picturesque
Indianapolis, Indiana. A week or two later Klaus, a big bearded
bear of a man, drove down to Cincy with a Khartago and a pair
of Stratos monoblocks in hand—both hands, actually. (Though I
won’t have the space to talk specifically about the Strati, you can
take it for granted that everything I say about the Khartago goes
double for Odyssey’s monoblocks.)
Bunge has been importing German hi-fi into the United States
for better than twenty years. Indeed, throughout the eighties he
almost single-handedly put the German electronics company
Symphonic Line on the map. In the late nineties, he decided
to offer a more “cost-effective” line of amps and preamps in
addition to his pricey imports. Somehow he managed to talk
the folks at Symphonic Line into supplying him with the same
circuits it used in its amps, which Klaus then builds, stuffs, tweaks,
sticks in handsomely finished custom-made anodized-aluminum
boxes, and sells factory-direct. (All this work is done in the good
ol’ U.S. of A.) The Khartago, for instance, has specs that are
nearly identical—as they should be, considering they use virtually
the same boards—to those of the celebrated Symphonic Line
RG-1 Mk IV. Both output 115Wpc into 8 ohms; both have a
bandwidth that extends out to 400kHz; both have high damping
factors, exceptional slew rates, and oodles of current. The only
thing they don’t share is price. The Symphonic Line RG-1 Mk IV
is currently $6800; the Odyssey Khartago costs $799.
Yep, you’re reading that right: $799. That was the second reason
I was surprised by Alon Wolf ’s suggestion. When a guy with his
champagne taste recommends a beer-budget amplifier like this
EQUIPMENT REPORT - Odyssey Audio Khartago Stereo Amplifier
one, you tend to pay attention.
Apparently, eliminating the distributor and retailer and
selling factory-direct pays some pretty handsome dividends to
Odyssey’s customers. (See my interview with Klaus for details.)
Of course, the version of the Khartago that Klaus brought me
didn’t cost $799. Since it had a better Plitron transformer, an
extra bit of power-supply capacitance, and superior parts—three
options among many (including Nichicon Muse caps, Vishay/
Dale resistors, extra WIMA metal-film caps, custom colors)
that Bunge offers, along with his standard twenty-year transferable
warranty—it cost a whopping $995.
You would think that switching from the $115k Soulution
700 monoblocks to the $995 Khartago with what is probably
the highest-resolution speaker I’ve had in my home, the $89k
Magico M5, would result in a tremendous falling-off, sonically.
With amps in the Odyssey’s price range, you have every right
to expect decent sound, but you don’t expect Soulution-level
refinement. There will be noise; there will be grain; there will
be soundstage constriction, timbral anomalies, dynamic and SPL
limits, less detail, less everything.
Not with the Khartago. Here there was none of the usual
peppery solid-state grain (and I mean none), no added brightness
and coarseness in the upper mids, no added spikiness on hard
transients (the kind that turns a Martin acoustic guitar into a
National Steel guitar), no transistor darkness in the treble (indeed,
the Khartago has an ARC-like touch of light and bloom on top),
no constriction of soundstage width (although I did get a bit
less soundstage depth), no sense of listening through a scrim.
Nope, what the Odyssey Khartago sounded like, for all the world
and in direct comparisons, was a somewhat-less-finely-resolving,
somewhat-less-transparent-to-sources, somewhat-less-low-innoise-and-coloration, somewhat-less-well-controlled-in-the-bass,
somewhat-less-energetic-on-top, somewhat-less-deep-and-widein-soundstaging Soulution 700. In overall tonal balance, the two
amps were surprisingly similar—which is to say almost deadcenter neutral with, in the Khartago’s case, a bit more tube-like
warmth and roundedness.
By the way, when I say “somewhat less,” I mean a little not
a lot. It’s not as if you won’t hear plenty of fresh detail through
the Khartago; you just won’t hear it in the superabundance of
the incomparable Soulution 700. If you want a concrete measure
of the difference between the two amps (other than that one is
115 times more expensive), listen to Ricky Lee Jones’ fabulously
moody, muttery, whispery, sometimes-hard-to-decipher cover of
The Left Banke’s great “Baroque ’n’ roll” anthem “Walk Away
Renee” from Girl At Her Volcano [Warner]. With the Khartago
the catchy refrain is clear up until the third line, where the amp
grows momentarily tongue-tied. What you hear (without straining
to hear) is: “Just walk away Renee/You won’t see me follow you
back home/The empty sidewalks dum-dum-DUM-dum-dum
the same/You’re not to blame.” Through the Soulution (and, I
should add, only through the Soulution in my experience) you
hear the whole quatrain with crystal clarity every time Ricky Lee
sings it: “Just walk away Renee/You won’t see me follow you
back home/The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same/
You’re not to blame.”
Or take the Steve Hoffman reissue of Joni Mitchell’s Blue.
With the Soulution gear, as I’ve noted several times before, the
overdub of Joni singing backup to her own lead on “Carey” and
other numbers is unmistakably potted in. It sounds exactly like
what it is—a different spot of space and time cameo’d into the
soundstage. With the Khartago, the artificiality of this bit of
engineering is a bit less obvious (as, by the way, it was meant
to be). Although you still hear the overdub as an overdub, the
effect doesn’t stand out quite as nakedly as it does through the
Soulution 710 or 700.
These differences in resolution and articulation aside, the
Odyssey and Soulution amps are fundamentally more alike than
different. Put on any well-recorded disc—say, Holly Cole’s Tom
Waits’ tribute album Temptation [Metro Blue]—and listen to
SPECS & PRICING
Power: 115Wpc RMS @ 8 ohms
Bandwidth: 2Hz–400kHz
Current: 40 amps
Distortion: <0.04% THD
Damping factor: >500
continuous damping factor
Input impedance: >22kOhms
Inputs: One pair RCA
Weight: 30 lbs.
Dimensions: 18" x 18.5" x 4"
Price: $799 ($995 as supplied)
Odyssey Audio
Orders: e-mail to odav@
odysseyaudio.com, or call (317)
299-5578
odysseyaudio.com
JV’s Reference System
Loudspeakers: Magico M5,
MartinLogan CLX
Linestage preamps: Audio
Research Reference 3, Audio
Space Reference 2, and
Soulution 720
Phonostage preamps: Audio
Research Reference 2, Lamm
Industries LP-2 Deluxe, Audio
Tekne TEA-2000
Power amplifiers: Audio
Research Reference 610T, MBL
9011, Lamm ML-2, Soulution
700
Analog source: Walker Audio
Proscenium Black Diamond
record player, AAS Gabriel/
Da Vinci turntable with
DaVinci Grandezza and Nobile
tonearms
Phono cartridges: Air Tight
PC-1 Supreme, Clearaudio
Goldfinger v2, Koetsu Onyx
Platinum, DaVinci Grandezza
Digital source: Soulution 740,
dCS Scarlatti with U-Clock,
ARC Reference CD8
Cable and interconnect: Tara
Labs “Zero” Gold interconnect,
Tara Labs “Omega” Gold
speaker cable, Tara Labs “The
One” Cobalt power cords,
Synergistic Research Absolute
Reference speakers cables
and interconnects, Audio
Tekne Litz wire cable and
interconnect
Accessories: Shakti
Hallographs (6), A/V Room
Services Metu acoustic
panels and corner traps, ASC
Tube Traps, Symposium Isis
equipment stand, Symposium
Ultra equipment platforms,
Symposium Rollerblocks,
Symposium Fat Padz, Walker
Prologue Reference equipment
stand, Walker Prologue amp
stands, Shunyata Research
Hydra V-Ray power distributor
and Anaconda Helix Alpha/
VX power cables, Tara Labs
PM 2 AC Power Screens,
Shunyata Research Dark Field
Cable Elevators, Walker Valid
Points and Resonance Control
discs, Winds Arm Load meter,
Clearaudio Double Matrix
record cleaner, HiFi-Tuning
silver/gold fuses
EQUIPMENT REPORT - Odyssey Audio Khartago Stereo Amplifier
the same song, like her great cover of
“Invitation to the Blues,” on both amps
and be amazed at how similar they make
Cole’s voice, Aaron Davis’ powerful
piano, David Piltch’s big acoustic bass
(admittedly, a bit tauter on the Soulution
amps), and the light accents of Dougie
Bowne’s drumkit sound in timbre,
texture, and dynamic. Even performance
details—like the characteristic way Cole
drops her voice in pitch to “comment”
ironically on lyrics she has just delivered
in a sweeter, higher, softer, more childlike
voice (as, for instance, in “Little Boy
Blue”)—are reproduced clearly by the
Khartago, though not as clearly as they
are by the Soulution, which practically
hands you the script and stage directions
from which Cole, who like all fine singers
is also an excellent actor, is working.
Yeah, the 700 and 710 are slightly, but
nonetheless audibly and unmistakably,
more neutral, lower in noise and color,
and higher in resolution and transparencyto-sources than the Khartago—as well,
they should be. (The Soulution amps
also, as noted, have better grip in the bass,
more clarity and power on top, and better
staging.) For a lucky few, these advantages
will be decisive. For the rest of us, here is
an under-$1000 amp that sounds so much
more like a $115,000 amp than any cheap
Class AB solid-state amp I know of (and
I’ve heard and reviewed a few) that it is
downright astonishing.
I’m not saying you should run out
and buy one of these things instead of
a Soulution 710 or 700 if you own or
are planning to purchase Magico M5s or
Wilson MAXX 3s or Rockport Arraki
(although, if you’re pinching pennies
on the rest of your system to leverage
a pair of pricey speakers, you could do
plenty worse than the Khartago). What I
am saying is that the Odyssey amp gives
you more of the taste of the high-priced
spread than I thought possible for $995
(or anywhere near that price). And since
the Khartago works into loads as low
as 2 ohms, it mates up with virtually
anything—not just Magico M5s. But don’t
take my word for it. Try it for yourself.
Odyssey offers the Khartago (and all its
products) with a 30-day, no-questionsasked, money-back return policy. There is
no “restocking” fee.
If all that isn’t good news, then I’m
fresh out of headlines. TAS
JV Chats with
Klaus Bunge
of Odyssey Audio
Tell us about the development of the Khartago.
All of the different Odyssey models are based on the same singular design—a design
from Symphonic Line, which by itself dates back to 1986. The Khartago is pretty
much based on what was then a $4200 Symphonic Line stereo amp, the Stratos
monos on an $8400 Symphonic Line mono amp. Both designs have been constantly
tweaked and tuned, maturing for over two decades. Time is the real secret to our
success here.
How do you build your amps?
When the boards and the parts are ready, we hand-populate and hand-solder every
single board in our shop. Then we go through a five-part QC process, including
substantial listening to each and every product. There are no bad apples or
fluctuations in manufacturing-quality or parts-quality here.
For various reasons, including humanitarian ones, we try to be as U.S.-made as
possible. For instance, all of our face- and back-plates are aircraft-aluminum billet,
CNC-machined here in Indy. I personally hand-brush all the metal. Then they go to
the anodizer, also here in Indy, and finally to the laser engraver, also in Indy.
I am very proud of the fact that after twenty years we are still unique. There is not
another outfit that has the same factory-direct model with a true high-end design
that has matured for 23 years, that has the same price structure as ours, and that
offers 100% hand-made-in-the-U.S products.
How do you keep up with demand?
We have been back-ordered for at least 2–3 weeks since December of 2000. By
not having units on the shelves, we essentially build amps to order. This gives me
the chance to talk to every single customer, to see what he/she likes and is looking
for, and get a detailed list of associated gear and room environs. In that way we are
able to customize any amp for the prospective buyer. Not just the biasing, where
we adjust the amp somewhat to suit either a bright or dark speaker, but actually
customize to exact systems and rooms.
How do you do it all at such a low price?
When I started Odyssey I was looking to make a living, not a fortune. I honestly
wanted to offer absolute bang for the buck with massive performance and massive,
heavy, machined cases. Reviews weren’t important to me. I wanted a customer who
was so blown away by the quality of what he bought that he couldn’t keep quiet and
had to chatter about it nonstop. That was my goal and my business plan, and (thanks
in part to the Internet) it worked. For a decade now, word of mouth has given us
over 3000 customers. We have sold in excess of 5000 amplifiers. Plus my hopes for
happy customers have been met. The loyalty of our guys is truly amazing.
Money isn’t everything, after all. I come from a true blue-collar Volkswagen
factory-worker background. You know, the first in a large family to get the Abitur
(highest high school diploma in the German tripartite system), the first to go to the
University, etc. With this background, and being from Germany, social justice and
human decency have always been more important to me than making millions. I have
three Masters degrees and an unfinished Ph.D.—none of which I used in starting this
business. Ah, well....
by J
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L
arge, full-range, multi-driver loudspeaker systems can be thrilling and a
lot of fun, yet in my experience, they frequently suffer from a lack of
coherence between at least some of their drivers. My former Infinity Beta
and RS1B speaker systems, with their separate woofer towers, generated
plenty of goosebumps, yet their lack of coherence ultimately destroyed
the illusion of a live performance for me. Modifications to the external
crossovers, cabinets, and drivers helped, but not enough to keep me from parting with
them. Indeed, getting woofers or subwoofers which plumb the depths to mate seamlessly
with smaller quicker drivers is a major design challenge. Full-range electrostatics, as well
as some highly regarded two-way dynamic systems, solve the coherence problem at
the expense of bottom-end extension and weight, and most limit dynamic output. I’ve
typically accepted these trade-offs and voted in favor of coherence over goosebumps.
However, as subwoofer advocates can attest, that bottom octave not only gives the
performance a solid foundation and dynamic impact, but additional spatial cues which
help soundstaging and musical realism. When I heard Vienna Acoustics’ new “The Music”
loudspeaker for the first time at CES 2008, I was mightily impressed that here was a
full-range, multi-driver speaker system that provided plenty of goosebumps without
sacrificing coherence, plus it also had an extraordinarily expansive and deep soundstage.
Having lived with The Music for many months, and then again for several more after it
returned from an appearance at a trade show, my appreciation for this brilliant loudspeaker
has grown on many levels.
The Music occupies the uppermost rung in Vienna Acoustics’ new Klimt Series of
loudspeakers, named for the Viennese artist, Gustav Klimt. The connection between art
and music is intentional, as The Music advances the art of loudspeaker design, while also
being quite an artistic statement, in both physical appearance and performance, staying
true to “the music” and, in many respects, preserving the illusion of attending a live
concert. It is a beautifully finished speaker,
with a relatively small footprint that does
not dominate the listening or living room,
but also breaks new ground for Vienna
Acoustics, propelling the company
with great velocity into the reference
loudspeaker ranks. Its remarkable flat,
concentric, Spider-Cone midrange driver
with a coincident silk dome tweeter is
a stunning technical achievement (see
sidebar), providing The Music (and
presumably other speakers in the Klimt
Series) with an absolutely breathtaking
soundstage and the core of a level of
coherence difficult to match by any fullrange, multi-driver system. The Music is
thrilling, dynamic, eminently musical, and
truly full-range, with deep-bass extension
and weight, as well as highs that go out to
the stratosphere.
In my experience, if a transducer can
reproduce the human voice coherently
over its entire range, from lyric soprano
to bass, limitations elsewhere in the
frequency spectrum can be more easily
tolerated. Full-range electrostatic speakers
from SoundLab, Quad, and MartinLogan
pass this vocal coherence test with flying
colors, and so does The Music—it is very
close to “being of one cloth.” What makes
The Music different from most fine multidriver systems is that voices come from
a single point source in a phase-coherent
time plane that is devoid of a crossover
throughout this critical range. The Vienna
Acoustics’ flat, concentric midrange driver
alone covers an amazing seven octaves
of music, which closely approximates
the bandwidth of the human voice. It
is skillfully coupled with a handcrafted
silk dome tweeter at its center that
extends beyond 20kHz. This remarkable
coincident planar midrange/tweeter array,
housed in a separate, enclosed cabinet
that Vienna Acoustics calls the “Music
Center,” is a major sonic breakthrough.
Indeed, these Vienna Acoustics
speakers certainly have an engaging, almost
irresistible way with both male and female
voices. I love to listen to vocal recordings
to test loudspeakers, because it’s so easy to
detect coherence problems and frequency
anomalies. To help aid in this evaluation,
I listened to several vocalists, including:
Holly Cole on ”I Can See Clearly Now,”
Peggy Lee on her signature tune “Fever”
from The Best of Peggy Lee [Capitol], Mirella
Freni on French and Italian Opera [EMI],
Ella Fitzgerald on Let No Man Write My
Vienna Acoustics “The Music” Loudspeaker
Epitaph [Verve/Classic Records], Nick Drake’s Pink Moon [Universal Japan], James
Taylor on the recent Sweet Baby James reissue [Warner Bros.], as well as several operas
including Verdi’s Aida [Decca] and Puccini’s La Bohème [ London]. On each and every
recording, I noted that the voices were precisely focused and continuous across their
respective ranges, without any chestiness or bloat in the upper ranges of male vocals,
or excess sibilance on female ones. Better still, voices had a musical realism and
natural tonal balance that avoided being either too clinical or too warm. Mirella
Freni’s and Ella Fitzgerald’s voices were “to die for,” beautifully portrayed with no
stridency even during wide dynamic swings, and both Holly Cole’s and Peggy Lee’s
had an engaging openness, clarity, and sense of life. On the Aida recording, both
male and female soloists were distinct while still being nicely integrated with the
whole, and the layering of massed voices with the full orchestra was stunning.
Yet, making the most of its superb coincident midrange/tweeter array doesn’t
begin to tell this loudspeaker’s whole story. Many promising hybrid designs have been
undone by the mating of a ’stat or some exotic wide-bandwidth driver with dynamic
woofers that just can’t keep up with it, impinging on the purity of the midrange and/
or changing the timbre of instruments as the sound moves from one type of driver
to another. However, the transition from the deep bass to the midrange in The Music
was also quite seamless—far better that I have been able to achieve over decades of
trying to match subwoofers with either ’stats or mini-monitors. Paul Tortelier’s cello
on the Brahms Double Concerto [EMI/Testament], Ray Brown’s string bass on Ben
Webster Meets Oscar Peterson [Verve], and Joe Mondragon’s bass fiddle on Peggy Lee’s
“Fever” were first-rate and eerily realistic, maintaining timbral coherence throughout
their ranges (and in the Brahms from the highest notes of the violin to the lowest
of the cello) with wonderful transient quickness. Indeed, the overall speed of its
bass was matched by the amazing transient speed of The Music throughout its entire
range, giving the speaker tremendous rhythmic drive and a sense of “aliveness.”
Reaching down even further, the low bass notes on Hans Zimmer’s scores on the
soundtrack recordings for Black Hawk Down and Gladiator [Decca], had weight,
dynamic punch, and control, producing a spaciousness that was awe-inspiring, while
also validating the speaker’s rated 22Hz low-frequency extension.
Even more stunning than The Music’s remarkable coherence was its enormous,
focused, deep, and layered soundstage with well recorded source material like
Miklós Rózsa’s score to Ben Hur [Decca Phase Four], Gil Evans’ Out of the Blue
[Impulse/Alto], and Mozart’s Requiem [Deutsche Grammophon/Speakers Corner].
Performers were precisely arrayed across the stage, giving the music a wonderful
sense of spaciousness. Instruments like woodwinds floated in space and were stable
as they descended the scale and moved back up again. Mass voices had an engaging
layered depth that one experiences in a live performance and were literally wall-towall on the Rózsa. With The Music, I was able to “see” the entire stage, from left-toright and front-to-back.
This level of soundstaging and imaging performance is what one would predict
with a coincident driver array approximating a perfect point source, and The Music’s
soundstaging is as good as it gets from the plane of the speakers to the back wall. In
contrast to many fine loudspeakers, the soundstage is not truncated at the back of
the stage, nor is there a narrow sweet spot where only one person can experience this
spectacular imaging. Like other top models featuring coincident driver arrays, most
notably from TAD and KEF, The Music accommodates and encourages a broad
range of listening positions, like a great concert hall. Soundstaging is even quite
respectable while one is standing, which you’re likely to do, as the rhythmic drive and
snap of The Music often make listeners want to get up and dance.
Another outstanding sonic attribute of The Music was its ability to realistically
reproduce the leading edge of transients. Rim-shots, cymbal crashes, strummed
guitars, plucked stringed instruments, and double-and-triple tongued brass had
lightning quickness without overhang. I felt as if some tympani strikes on power
orchestral music might have knocked me down had I been standing and certainly
Vienna Acoustics’ Revolutionary Driver—
The Ideal Realized?
Imagine a dynamic loudspeaker employing a revolutionary
flat midrange driver that covers the entire range of the
human voice and works seamlessly with a handcrafted,
coincident silk dome tweeter without producing any
objectionable frequency anomalies. What you’d have
is a time-accurate and phase-coherent point source
covering the range where most music lives, resulting in
a presentation with truth of timbre, an incredibly broad
and deep soundstage, and an ultra-wide “sweet zone.” It
certainly sounds too good to be true, but Peter Gansterer
and his team at Vienna Acoustics have achieved it with
their Klimt Series loudspeakers, and the results are
stunning!
Driver arrays that replace the dust cap of the
midrange cone with a tweeter and align the centers of both
units coincidently have been around for decades. Perhaps
the best known is the Uni-Q tweeter/midrange array from
KEF, now in its tenth generation, according to the KEF
Web site. Two speakers utilizing coincident driver arrays,
the KEF Model 207/2 and TAD Reference One, have been
highly praised recently in these pages by AHC, and I have
been impressed by their respective performances, along
with that of the TAD Compact Reference One Monitor, at
trade-shows. Along with Vienna Acoustics’ Klimt series,
these concentric-array speakers share a lot of compelling
sonic attributes, most notably in projecting an expansive
soundstage with subtle spatial cues across a wide listening
area, in time alignment, in enhanced coherence, and in
better matching of directivity, when compared to their
more traditional, “separated” driver counterparts.
The heart of Vienna Acoustics’ remarkable The Music
loudspeaker is a patented 7" flat concentric midrange
driver that is both an engineering and sonic breakthrough.
This is not just marketing speak, but a major achievement,
aided by advances in materials science and the skillful
application of computerized Finite Element Analysis (a
numerical modeling technique using calculus to obtain
approximate solutions to vibration systems, and typically
used to solve complex elasticity and structural-analysis
problems). Combined with its first-order crossover, for
greater phase coherency, this flat midrange with coincident
tweeter is housed in a separate sealed enclosure, which
not only helps to extend the midrange driver’s range but
completely decouples it from the bass cabinet to preserve
clarity and natural musical timbre. Moreover, it can be
swiveled both horizontally and vertically via an ingenious
pivoting mechanism, allowing minute adjustments for
both rake and toe-in. The ability to aim this top cabinet
separately from its lower one, housing three nine-inch bass
drivers and a Murata super-tweeter, gives The Music a lot
128 September
September 2009
2009 The
TheAbsolute
AbsoluteSound
Sound
of flexibility, helping to lock-in the soundstage and achieve
better tonal balance and coherence.
While mounting a tweeter coincidently within the
midrange driver produces numerous sonic benefits, it does
present other design problems that need to be overcome.
With the tweeter placed at the throat of the cone, time
alignment suffers and horn loading results, which can
produce “cupped-hands” highs or squawks. Another
problem is that the addition of the tweeter to the midrange
driver increases its overall mass, which can affect transient
quickness. Over time, designers of coincident arrays
have used lighter materials for both the midrange and
tweeter drivers; they have also shortened the depth of the
midrange cone and flattened its surround. However, unless
the midrange driver is completely flat, phase distortion
occurs, as the output of the cone pumps the highs unevenly
at the listener, resulting in a somewhat ragged on-axis
frequency response. While a crossover can correct the
irregularities in frequency response, it also alters the
character and natural launch of the sound, thus affecting
the purity of the midrange.
So why haven’t designers of coincident midrange/
tweeter arrays just flattened out the midrange driver
to eliminate these somewhat deleterious cone effects?
The primary reason is that the conical shape of most
conventional drivers provides the stiffness needed to
generate sufficient output and frequency response; flat
drivers are, by comparison, too soft and pliable. The cone
also acts as a wave-guide for the coincident tweeter.
However, Peter Gansterer saw the design challenges
associated with a flat midrange “cone” as opportunities.
Indeed, some would suggest that he has been evolving his
reinforced-cone driver technology towards this goal since
the introduction of his first Musi speaker in 1991. To stiffen
its flat midrange driver, he used FEA to determine where
to place its Spider-Cone web—essentially a lightweight
net to reinforce the driver and increase its stiffness.
He also employed Vienna Acoustics’ proprietary X3P
“self-quieting” driver material, which provides soft inner
damping but adds glass fibers in the molding process,
for even more rigidity without increased mass. Adding a
“self-quieting” silk dome coincident tweeter ensured that
acoustic energy would be effectively dissipated across the
entire surface of the array.
Voilà, problems solved! Well, not so fast. Peter and his
team spent several years honing at least five successive
pre-production models trying to get everything right, even
changing seemingly small related materials elements like
glues to improve the sound. With such a sophisticated
driver, there were also considerable production problems
that had to be solved, but eventually
these were too overcome, and the flat
midrange/tweeter array became a reality.
Because of the extended lowfrequency response achieved with the
flat midrange unit, Gansterer was able
to use a relatively low crossover point
(approximately 100Hz) between it and
the three new 9" Spider-Cone woofers.
Thus, he was also able to avoid a
crossover throughout the entire practical
range of the human voice. Like the flat
midrange driver (sans some glass),
these low mass, but incredibly stiff,
bass drivers are composed of a similar,
yet stronger, X3P material, and benefit
from a similar lightweight reinforcing
web, developed and positioned on the
underside of the drivers using FEA. While
all three woofers work in parallel, the
first has its own chamber within the bass
cabinet, and its primary job is to match
the performance of the flat midrange
driver. The other two woofers, which are
ported out the back of the speaker, add
bass weight and reach down below the
20Hz range.
This design approach—utilizing a
wide bandwidth, flat midrange/coincident
tweeter array, first-order crossovers,
Spider-Cone technology, and very
similar low-mass, self-quieting driver
materials—helps give The Music its
outstanding coherence, soundstaging,
clarity, transient quickness, and timbral
accuracy. Add to this a Murata supertweeter, and The Music enjoys seemingly
unlimited high-frequency extension and a
more life-like presence. JH
provided plenty of goosebumps. On the Gill Evans recording, the three trombones
had that initial “ping,” “blat,” and “spit” that made them feel as if they were in the
room.
In addition to its reference-quality soundstaging and superb coherence and
transient quickness, The Music delivered the sonic goods in many other areas. It
extracted micro-fine layers of inner detail, like Martha Argerich’s fingernails clicking
on the ivories, Oscar Peterson talking to himself and singing along while playing,
audience whispers on live recordings, and Xuefei Yang’s finger movements on
the neck of her classical guitar. Its ability to accurately replicate the natural timbre
of instruments and voices was also uncanny. This Vienna Acoustics flagship was
equally at home with all types of music, from small-scale, intimate works to power
orchestral, big band jazz music, and electronica. It convincingly conveyed the weight,
dynamic range, tonal balance and power of the piano, as well as its ability to seduce
with a gorgeous singing tone.
The formidable strengths of this remarkable speaker were even more evident
when compared to a live performance. During the review period, I had the
considerable good fortune to be given tickets to the best seats in the house at a
San Francisco Symphony performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony conducted by
Michael Tilson Thomas, arguably this country’s greatest conductor today. I listened
to the famous Solti Decca recording on The Music, both prior to and right after the
concert, and subsequently using more powerful electronics in an even larger listening
room. Whereas the live performance was a musical “peak experience,” the speakers
were able to replicate so many of the attributes of the live performance that I was
shocked—most notably the natural timbre of instruments and voices, along with the
The Music is priced in an increasingly competitive
segment of the market, yet it also compares
favorably with reference speakers costing far more
width, depth, and height of the entire soundstage. The Music accurately reproduced
the top end shimmer of the violins, along with their “feathery” delicacy and bite. It
handled all the complex interactions among choruses, orchestra, and soloists without
getting confused. The mallet strikes against the tympani were well preserved and
nearly as thrilling as in life. The soprano soloist and the piccolo cut through the mass
of performers in the recording, much as they did in the live performance. While
the speakers could hardly be expected to move the amount of air these hundreds
of voices and instruments generated during the live performance, particularly the
pressure one feels against the breastbone on fortissimos, The Music conveyed the
large dynamic swings of the Symphony of a Thousand (well, in this case, about 400)
much better than I expected. In the larger listening room, with far beefier amplifiers,
the gap between the recorded and live performance was closed still further, most
notably improving the sense of scale, drama, and ease, as well as adding a cushion
of air behind the massed strings. As in the live performance, the sound through The
Music was big, bold, dynamic, and supremely musical, with plenty of goosebump
moments, as when the sudden chime-strikes sent shivers down my spine.
Given its superlative performance across the board, it was difficult to find fault
with The Music. This speaker was like a chameleon—minor flaws I thought were in
The Music were ameliorated by changes in electronics, listening room, or recordings.
Although it was quite revealing, and did not mask problems elsewhere in the system,
The Music sounded marvelous with a wide variety of recordings, not just a treasured
few. Admittedly, I was aware of more surface noise on some of my more well-worn
analog recordings, but I also heard a lot more of what was buried deep in their
groves. With its Murata super-tweeter, The Music has seemingly unlimited upperend extension and air but also more lifelike presence. It is less warm than what
SPECS & PRICING
Type: 3-way loudspeaker
system employing
integrated sub-woofers plus
super-tweeter
Frequency Response:
22Hz—100kHz
Sensitivity: 91 dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
Power Requirement: 50W
minimum, 500W maximum
Driver Complement: One
midrange/treble coincident
driver (7" Vienna Acoustic
Flat-Spider-Cone with 1"
vented neodymium-magnet
silk dome); one Murata 0.5" super-tweeter; three
9" Vienna Acoustics spidercone bass drivers
Dimensions: 10.75" x 50.98"
x 24.80"
Weight: 180 lbs. each
Price: $27,000
IMPORTER INFORMATION
SUMIKO
2431 Fifth Street
Berkeley, California 94710
(510) 234-0182
sumikoaudio.net
Clearaudio Anniversary
turntable with Helius Ruby
tonearm and Benz Ebony
H cartridge; Pro-Ject
Perspex with Sumiko
Celebration II cartridge;
ARC PH7 phonostage and
REF 3 preamplifier; MFA
Venusian preamp (Frankland
modified); Pathos INPOL2
and PrimaLuna DiaLogue
Two integrated amplifiers;
Pass Labs X600 amplifiers;
Pathos Endorphin CD
player; REL Studio III
subwoofer; Nordost Valhalla,
Audioquest King Cobra,
Virtual Dynamics and
Goertz cables; etc.
might be characterized as Vienna Acoustics’ house
sound, but its neutral tonal balance is more like
the real thing. Lastly, while the speakers seemed to
just disappear, I was occasionally reminded I was
listening to a box enclosure.
A few caveats are also in order. With The
Music’s ingenious dual-pivoting mechanism for its
top enclosure, you can really lock in the soundstage
and achieve a neutral tonal balance. However, don’t
think you can plop this loudspeaker down where
you’ve placed others in your listening room and
extract all the performance this loudspeaker is
capable of producing. A dealer trained in Sumiko’s
technique of loudspeaker placement, where the
bass from the left speaker is optimized first, is
invaluable here. In my listening room, the speakers
were pulled farther forward and apart than what
one would expect using the “rule of thirds.”
The top modules were pointed right at my ears,
whereas the bottom cabinet, housing the woofers
and Murata super-tweeter, were directed at my
shoulders.
Also, don’t judge these speakers until the
flat midrange driver with its coincident soft dome tweeter has had
considerable time to break in. Until then it will sound a bit too thin
with a slight plastic coloration in the upper midrange, but given time
to settle down, The Music begins to bloom. With its relatively high
sensitivity (91dB) and 4-ohm impedance, the system can be powered to
great effect by lower-powered amplifiers. I used the stellar 45-watt per
channel Pathos Inpol2 integrated amplifier for most of my listening,
and it was a wonderful match. Certainly, in a room larger than my 22'
by 16' space, I’d go for more amplifier power. Driven by the Pass Labs
X600 amplifiers in a big room, the speakers were really able to breathe,
the soundstage was even more expansive, and the sense of scale and
dynamic range increased.
The Music is priced in an increasingly competitive segment of
the market, yet it also compares favorably with reference speakers
costing far more. If you feel you should have to spend more on a
reference speaker, I might suggest adding a REL Studio III subwoofer
(with a cross-over point at 22Hz so you don’t impinge on The Music’s
coherence) for even more concussive impact and a greater sense of
the hall from the plane of the speakers to the listening position. Given
how musically satisfying The Music is by itself, this might appear to
be wretched excess, but the overall performance of this Vienna
Acoustics/REL combo is even more amazing.
Vienna Acoustics’ The Music loudspeaker system is aptly named,
because it is so true to the music. With its extended, flat midrange
driver with coincident tweeter, it pushes the performance envelope
on multiple fronts. Here’s a thrilling full-range loudspeaker of
reference quality that supplies plenty of goosebumps, but also has
’stat-like coherence, superb time and phase accuracy, and breathtaking
soundstaging. It is an accurate, yet musical speaker with fast transients,
precise layered imaging, and articulate, extended bass. You may have
noted that I frequently used the phrase, “just like in a live performance,”
when describing the sonic prowess of this Vienna Acoustics flagship
loudspeaker. And that’s just it. The Music compares surprisingly well
to a live performance, and that’s very high praise. TAS
I
n this edition of Editor’s Choice, I am up to something
different. First, I am listing the reference equipment I
use that I consider good enough to be a reference in
anyone’s system. Many of these components you’ve
seen mentioned in past Workshops (for example, the
Magneplanar 20.1s), and so some of the comments
on the long-standing gear will be brief. I have
omitted equipment we keep around as backup,
for example, the remarkable Tom Evans Groove
phonostage, solid-state and worthy of inclusion
here, and some of the cabling, AC cords, and
other exotica that I will deal with later.
Going a bit further, I have expanded on the
accessories, which can, in themselves, make or
break a high-end assemblage. And in a separate
category, I am listing the components that are being
evaluated as this issue went to press. Some may not
make the cut. The list is not conclusive. I have kept a
couple of secrets, including several that have turned my
head around and caused re-assessments of the standing
references—there are wonders afoot out there.
Cartridges & Arms
Clearaudio Goldfinger
Version Two moving-coil
cartridge. I have come to
see that there is more to this
cartridge than I suspected, as
you will learn in the next issue.
Let’s just say, for now, it is less
colored and more revealing (in
the best sense) than I thought
originally. [Golden Ears, HP’s
Workshop, Issue 182.]
Price: $10,000.
to the absolute. Beautifully built
and worth its price, especially
because it gives you two other
recording curves in addition to
the standard American RIAA—
curves that will be a revelation
on some European issues, and
early Columbia discs in the U.S.
You haven’t heard Bernstein
and Bruno Walter until you hear
their recordings through the
Columbia setting on the Zanden.
[See Review, Issue 184.]
Price: $19,625.
zanden-usa.com
Miyabi Lab/47 Black. The
old reliable. Superior groove
tracing and first-class sonic
reproduction. Be careful
though about the arm in
which you mount it. With
some combinations, its solid
bottom-octave performance can
become dramatically emphatic
(some do like it that way). Best
used with the Triplanar VII
pickup arm.
Price: $4400.
www.sakurasystems.com.
Triplanar VII
Price: $4750.
triplanar.com
Phonostages
Zanden Model 1200.
Dynamically alive, and faithful
McIntosh 2300.
I’ve included this because of the
excellence of this full-feature
preamplifier’s moving-coil and
moving-magnet phonostages.
[Note price information below.]
Turntables and
Turntable Systems
Clearaudio Statement with
Statement TT-1 StraightLine tracking arm and
Goldfinger Version Two
moving-coil cartridge.
If ever there were a state-ofthe-art turntable, this be it. [See
Golden Ears, HP’s Workshop,
Issue 183.]
Price: $150,000.
VPI The Classic with JMW
10.5i Memorial Arm.
[See Golden Ears, HP’s
Workshop. Issue 193.]
Price: $2500. (Additional
features can drive the price
up, e.g., the stainless-steel
version of the 10.5i, which
is sonically superior to the
standard issue: $200 more.)
vpiindustries.com
CD Players
Edge Reference Signature
1.1 battery-operated CD
player. Review in progress. I’ve
listened enough to this player
to say that maybe you need
isolation from the AC power
lines to get the best sound out
of the digital medium.
Price: $15,000.
edge-electronics.com
Meitner TSD deck and
DAC-2.
Designer Ed Meitner says
he has removed all jitter from
CD playback, and since jitter
remains the yet unconquered
and primary digital distortion,
on this unit you’ll hear the highs
with a decided difference, not to
mention the rest of the frequency
spectrum. [See Golden Ears, HP’s
Workshop, Issue 193.]
Price: TSD drive, $ll,000;
DAC-2 converter, $9599.
emmlabs.com
Miyabi Pi/Tracer player.
Improved. (See reviews, HP’s
Workshop, Issue 178; of the
original, Issue 164.) Cranky
and klutzy in operation, but a
sweetheart in sound, especially
in the difficult top octaves.
Price: $28,000 (with one
power supply, $2000 more
with the extra one).
sakurasystems.com
Preamplifiers
McIntosh 2300. Given the
craftsmanship of its design and
finish, its combination of a
linestage, moving-magnet and
moving-coil phonostages, and
the sound, this is a best buy.
Period. [See Golden Ears, HP’s
workshop. Issue 193.]
Price: $6000.
mcintoshlabs.com
Linestages
conrad-johnson ART III. The
Anniversary Reference Triode
design was a limited edition
product from the company.
It has been, I am informed to
my sorrow (for all of you who
may not get to hear its tubed
wonders), discontinued. I would
say it is well worth searching
out on today’s lively used-gear
market. Not only is it solid in
construction, but in the time
it has been here, it has worked
flawlessly, and about how many
tubed products can you say
that? [See Review, Issue 173.]
Price: $25,000. Owners of
the first two generations of
the ART may have factory
upgrades to the III level.
conrad-johnson.com
Basic Amplifiers
McIntosh 2301. Review in
progress. 300-watt monoblocks,
with eight KT-88 tubes per
side, and the legendary Mc
transformers, and, of course,
built with a vengeance, so great
is the attention to detail. They
sure don’t sound like anyone
else’s tubed electronics. [See
Golden Ears, HP’s Workshop.
Issue 193.]
Price: $22,000 the pair.
mcintoshlabs.com
Bryston 28B. The best-
sounding transistorized amp
from Bryston ever, and with
1000 watts per channel,
dynamic headroom to spare,
not to mention considerable
neutrality and little character of
its own. [See Review, Issue 189.]
Price: $16,000 the pair.
bryston.com
Burmester 911 Mk III. If
it’s the last word in uncolored
high-definition solid-state
amplification you want, this
Burmester, which can also
be used as a monoblock with
a simple flick of the switch,
is among the world’s best.
So colorless and free of any
“character,” it is hard to fault.
Makes a superb bass amp as well.
Price: $29,995.
burmester.de
Edge GAV-65 multichannel
amplifier.
Used in HP’s multichannel 5.1
SACD playback system with
six 500-watt modules. Also
available in 250- and 1000-watt
(!) modules.
Price: $14,970.
edgeamps.com.
Price: $8000, basic finishes
(red-cherry & American
maple); others more
expensive.
reference3a.com.
Speaker Systems
Scaena 1.4/v.2. A classic. As
Magneplanar 20.1.
it happens, a quite recent and
major improvement in the Room
3 reference system has shown
that the Scaenas are capable
of even greater retrieval of
subtleties than I had thought.
[See review, Issue 192. Golden
Ears, HP’s Workshop, Issue 193.]
Price: $12.500 the pair.
magnepan.com
Price: $99,600.
scaena.com
Reference 3a Grand Veena–U
(as in upgraded). A subtle yet
audible improvement over the
speakers I reviewed in Issue 184.
The originals were an artistic
triumph, letting virtually all of the
music through intact, and with
great coherence. That coherence
now borders on the sublime.
Updated review in progress.
In a class by itself.
Interconnects and
speaker wires
Nordost Odin. A triumph,
and very much audibly better
than the company’s vaunted
Valhallas. (Updated look in
progress).
Prices: Interconnects:
$14,000, first meter the
pair; $2000 each additional
half-meter pair (keep in
mind they don’t sell halfmeters all by themselves).
Speaker cables: $19,999,
first meter pair, $3000 each
additional half-meter pair.
nordost.com
Accessories
The Elations are a decided
improvement over the earlier
Emotions, which were more
colored. The Elations are also
extended at both frequency
extremes, though in the vital
and all important midrange,
the Emotions were true to the
music, and given the stratospheric
pricing of their nearest
competition (guess who?), a best
buy. The Elations are sweeter, in
the sense that music is, and I’d
say they are on the same level as
the Nordost Valhallas, perhaps
better for the music lover. The
Valhallas are closer in character
to a great transistor amp, while
the Elations are more like an airy
wide-bandwidth, low-distortion
tube amp.
Each of these accessories is,
in my estimation, as important
a part of a good system as
any of the components listed
above—if not, in some cases,
more so. Each will make a quite
audible improvement in any
high-resolution system. Briefly
here, I will try to explain how
they affect the sound.
Prices begin at: $6000 the
first meter for interconnects,
$1200 each additional;
$6600 first meter for
speaker cables, $500 each
additional.
kubala-sosna.com
Audience aR-12T power
conditioner. It is, sonically, like
the difference between a regular
DVD and a high-definition one,
like the best Blu-rays or any
of the Toshiba HDs, so great
is the increase in clarity. The
T stands for the Teflon caps
that lifted the regular Audience
conditioner into the realm of
the rare. [See review, Issue
186; also Golden Ears, HP’s
Workshop. Issue 182.]
Price: $8000.
audience-av.com
Stillpoint Spider Component
Stand revised. Place this sort
of spread-eagled-like device
of double bars under any amp
and you’re going to hear an
extension of the top octaves
and a significant increase in the
linearity, purity, and articulation
of the midbass and lower lows.
This is a newer version of the
first Spider, and to these ears,
audibly better. Have also had
a brief listen to the company’s
isolation platforms and found
my jaw nearly unhinged, so great
was the overall improvement.
Price: $995 (four-bars
edition).
stillpoints.usa
L’Art du son CD cleaner. I’ve
mentioned this many a time in
the past. All CDs will benefit
from its use. I believe the laser
light reading the grooves smears
a bit when confronted with a
regular CD (which usually has
far from immaculately clean
surfaces). I think the use of a
CD cleaner is indispensable.
L’Art is not inexpensive. Its
competitors, the Clarity and the
Optrix, are far more reasonable
in price, but they sound a bit
brighter and more hi-fi-ish than
the musically smooth L’Art.
[See review, Issue 154.]
Price: $45 (for 750 ml).
eliteavdist.com
VPI HW-27 Typhoon recordcleaning machine. If you don’t
want to go for the Clearaudio
Double Matrix, which can clean
both sides of a record at once
(it is not, in my opinion, as
well-built as most Clearaudio
products, though it does create
a cleaner sound than any other
such device in my experience
and costs a bunch, bunch,
bunch), then the less-expensive
VPI will do the job quite nicely,
thank you. (You can always give
the disc an extra cleaning if
you’re compulsive.)
Price: $2000.
vpiindustries.com
Kubala-Sosna Elation
Under
Evaluation
T
hese are among the more
promising components that I
now have at hand. That does
not mean that I will be reviewing all of
them, only the best or most striking of
the bunch.
A word of explanation is in order
here. Some quite high-priced gear has
come through these doors in recent
months, and did not strike me as being
exceptional, particularly in relation to
cost. What I am looking for at any price
level is a component with outstandingly
musical qualities, reflecting honorably
on the absolute. (You may note the
exceptional VPI table, The Classic, that
company’s best in more than one aspect
and, at the price, a steal.) And so, to wit:
Soundsmith Sussurro movingiron phonograph cartridge.
It’s been years since I’ve taken a
serious listen to the higher-output
varieties of moving-magnet cartridges.
At first listen, the Sussurro sounds
likes a moving-coil design. Thus I am
impressed, so impressed that I’ve
ordered some other of the higher-output
cartridges to see if, given technological
advances, they are worth a further look.
(FYI: The McIntosh 2300 preamplifier
has a moving-magnet input stage, which
includes adjustable capacitance, a
necessity to cartridges of this sort.)
Aesthetix Callisto and Io
linestage and phonostage. (with
two power supplies for each unit). A
significant improvement over the earlier
units, and far quieter. Much more to
come on these within a few issues.
Edge Signature Reference 1.1
(battery-operated) linestage.
Promising, promising. But I have
withheld judgment since, as it turned
out, our unit was damaged in shipment.
(That did not interfere with its sonic
performance, but rather its mechanical
operation.)
Zanden 3000 linestage. Being
broken in at present.
conrad-johnson TEA1
phonostage. This unit comes in three
versions. The one I have sells for $7000.
There is also a $10,000 and a $5000
version of this basic design. I will, in the
review, get to the differences. (I hope
that the 100-hour break-in my unit
required is not true of future production
runs.)
Ortofon PW moving-coil
cartridge. Not yet mounted.
Nordost Quantum. For the
moment, and to whet your curiosity,
let’s call it the mystery box.
You may write to me at hpsaudiomall@
aol.com
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Music
New Blues for the
21st Century:
Will a
Queen
Arise?
David McGee
Bessie Smith, the original Queen of the Blues
As this piece was being written came the sad news of Koko Taylor’s death
in Chicago. Though beset by illness in her later years, The Queen of
the Blues had rebounded in 2007 to release the most powerful album of
her distinguished career, Old School, the music every bit as defiant and
resolute as the album title. Per Thomas à Kempis, “How quickly the glory
of the world passes away.”
Who now, then, to assume the Queen’s
vacated throne? There’s gonna be an argument,
likely some filibustering as well, but the crown
is probably Susan Tedeschi’s for the taking.
However, Tedeschi’s emergence and success
in 1995 has inspired a new generation of blues
women, three in particular who seem poised
to assume the throne one day, sooner, maybe,
than later: flame-tressed Liz Mandeville (who
has recorded three albums as Liz Mandeville
Greeson, returning to her given name on her
latest, Red Top), Christine Santelli (represented
here by her new long player, Any Better Time),
and the Blues Foundation’s 2008 Best New
Artist Debut honoree, Gina Sicilia (cited for
her independently released debut, Allow Me To
Confess, now with a new CD out, Hey Sugar).
Whether any of these artists are ever anointed
as blues royalty, their approaches to the genre
may well augur the appearance of a new kind
of blues artist for the 21st Century, one steeped
in blues but embracing country and folk as
essential elements of their aesthetic. They also
represent a new model for the blues artist, or to
put a fine point on it, a new model for the rock
press to mull over, because they are female and
do not conform to the highbrow mainstream’s
image of the blues artist as quintessentially
poor, black, uneducated, bedeviled, and male.
These women hail from middle-class families,
are college grads (Mandeville has a BA in Music
from Columbia College in Chicago; Sicilia
a BA in journalism from Temple University;
Santelli a BS in psychology and a Master’s in
Education from the State University of New
York at Plattsburgh), and don’t seem especially
bedeviled, although their songs do reveal them
to be, when cut, bleeders of the first rank.
Mandeville, who resides in Koko’s home
base of Chicago, embraces old school
blues with a rock edge, courtesy of her
consummate, tasty guitar work lending a
brittle or, as the occasion demands, lyrical
edge to her songs, and (also Koko-style)
can really take it out on a man who’s
done her wrong (check out her seething
“Dog No More” for proof positive) or,
conversely, and in no uncertain terms,
invite a good man to partake of unbound
pleasures (Red Top includes a salacious
double entendre beauty called “Spanky
Butt,” in which she outright coos to be
whupped on her backside). She uses a
horn section at times, a B3, congas, and
sings in a reedy, emotive alto, not unlike
the young Koko, in fact. Over the course
of four albums she’s also become a pretty
good producer, too, as evidenced by Red
Top’s bright, sizzling sound, which has
the roomy fire of a live recording but
the sonic depth of a good studio effort,
which it is.
But Mandeville, Santelli, and Sicilia
share the trait of having their musical
identities shaped by more than urban
and/or rural blues. All born in the last
half of the 20th Century (in Sicilia’s case,
the last half of the last half), the wide
range of roots music they’ve absorbed
has informed their blues, much as the
early rock ’n’ rollers created something
fresh out of country, blues, and gospel.
What could be said of Messrs. Berry,
Perkins, Presley, et al., is surely true of
Mlles. Mandeville, Santelli and Sicilia.
Consider:
“In high school, my friends were all
into the neo-folk thing,” Mandeville says
in her online bio. “We’d get together and
jam on Lightnin Hopkins, Lead Belly,
Leonard Cohen; the first song I learned
to play was Mississippi John Hurt’s
‘Sugar Babe.’ I didn’t realize there was a
difference between folk and blues until I
saw Luther Allison play in a little town in
Wisconsin where I was studying theater
and film at a state college.”
“I started getting into the blues side
of things when I was 12,” Santelli says.
“Bessie Smith was the first thing I ever
listened to. Then I got into Etta James,
I loved her voice, Koko Taylor, Brownie
McGhee, John Lee Hooker—but then I
gravitated to Bob Dylan, folk artists from
the 60s. Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen.
So I started out doing folk kind of stuff,
then I went into electric blues in college,
then found my way back to the acoustic
songwriting later on.”
Sicilia, at 24 the youngest of the
triumvirate, and a professional performer
for all of about two years now, honed her
considerable vocal chops—and those are
true wonders of nature in all their sturdy,
big-voiced bravado and affecting, aching
sensitivity—mostly in her bedroom,
singing along in her high school years to
and emulating Aretha Franklin, first and
foremost, as well as “Etta James and a lot
of great female singers—I tried to listen
to every kind of music and tried to get
better.”
She certainly got better—a lot better
from 2007 to 2009, in fact. Hey Sugar will
knock your socks off with Sicilia’s bold
belting of big band blues and tear-stained
immersions in raw country. She wrote
one beautiful, yearning, country hearttugger for the album, “What the Moon
Couldn’t Do,” but her cover of Dolly
Parton’s career-making “Coat of Many
Colors” is nothing short of astonishing in
the singer’s naked emotional vulnerability.
She makes a personal statement of this
legendary tune, which is rather like taking
“I Walk the Line” away from Johnny
Cash.
Literate and rootsy, Santelli’s songs are
more in the vein of short stories in their
vivid third-person tales of various misfits,
heartbreakers, and bad moons rising. Her
hoarse, Joplinesque yawp is dramatically
gripping, and she works her magic over
a tight, basic, guitar-driven band but
adds a big sky flavor to the music with
accordions, celeste, pump organ, B3,
pedal steel, violin—strings and keys that
keep the music earthy and rural-flavored.
On Any Better Time the songs betray her
immersion not only in blues (“Good
Day For a Hangin’”) but also in country
(the album-ending hoedown, “On the
Farm”), acoustic folk (the winsome
“Brown Haired Girl”) and even 60s-style
pop (“Butterfly”).
Sicilia and Santelli share both a label
(Vizztone) and a producer, Dave Gross.
The former represents a big step up
from the DIY route they had traveled;
the latter crafts for both artists robust
sonic palettes, more boisterous and
rowdy in Sicilia’s case, more spare and
atmospheric in Santelli’s, and keeps the
mix hot and the instruments and voices
in admirable balance, especially during
quieter moments. Might a queen rise
from this stable? Perhaps. What’s certain
to ensue is more music of a higher caliber
and broader vision, blues newly defined
and refined for the 21st century by artists
to the style born, and proudly female to
boot. TAS
Rock Music Reviews
Recording
of the Issue
Music
Sonics
Richard Thompson: Walking on a
Wire (1968–2009).
Shout!Factory 11087 (four CDs).
As the supporting cast shifts around
Richard Thompson through the
chronologically arranged four CDs of
this new career-spanning anthology, the
listener hears the central protagonist
develop into one of the most fully realized
artists from the baby-boom era. After
71 tracks—starting from the first album
by the seminal British folk-rock band
Fairport Convention and finishing with
2007’s brilliant Sweet Warrior—the case
for Thompson as a peerless triple-threat
musician (scorching guitarist, refined song
craftsman, emotionally engaging singer)
has been irrefutably established.
Staunch fans of the 60-year-old
London-born Thompson need little
convincing on those scores; and few of
them may need to add this compendium
to their collections. But by plotting a
steady course through Thompson’s
catalog of releases, Walking on a Wire
provides a superb introductory overview
to those only familiar with a few “big”
songs (“1952 Vincent Black Lighting,”
“Wall of Death”) and cover versions by
Bonnie Raitt, R.E.M., et al.
More initiate-friendly than 1993’s threeCD Watching the Dark and 2007’s five-CD
RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson,
this compilation breaks little new ground.
But it boasts a smooth flow and puts a
magnifying glass to the transitions and
connections between periods and projects.
Hearing Fairport Convention’s “Sloth”
lead into “Roll Over Vaughn Williams,”
and “The Angels Took My Racehorse
Away” segue into “The Great Valerio”
(with then-wife Linda Thompson)
illuminates the evolutionary quicksteps
of Thompson’s early career. A handful
of live tracks (“Beat the Retreat,” “From
Galway to Graceland,” “Persuasion”
[with son Teddy Thompson], “Hard on
Me,” The Who’s “A Legal Matter,” etc.)
show off Thompson’s jaw-dropping
acoustic and electric solos that tend to
be more economically compressed in the
studio. A few off-mainstream additions
(including the main title theme from
the documentary Grizzly Man and three
songs from the overlooked factory-lifethemed Industry CD with bassist Danny
Thompson) exhibit Thompson’s breadth
as a composer. And a 60-page booklet,
with new notes by biographer Patrick
Humphries, fleshes out the context.
Notably untapped are recordings with
the Bunch (1972), French Frith Kaiser
Thompson (1987, 1990), the GPs (1991),
Philip Pickett (1998), and 2005’s Front
Parlour Ballads, but it’s hard to fault the
decision to highlight Thompson’s greatest
albums: the Richard and Linda classics
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
and Shoot Out the Lights and the solo-era
Rumour and Sigh and Mirror Blue.
Thompson
writes
and
sings
predominantly about love—less like a
classic confessional singer-songwriter
than a playwright who creates characters
and scenes through which to probe
tragicomic, bittersweet, and perverse
nuances of romance. The results,
influenced by everything from Scottish
ballads and Fats Waller to Buddy Holly
and Jerry Lee Lewis, include songs that
hold up to the best in folk and rock of
the past 50 years: “Dimming of the
Day,” “A Heart Needs a Home,” “Shoot
Out the Lights,” “Tear Stained Letter,”
“She Twists the Knife Again,” “Valerie,”
“Waltzing’s for Dreamers,” “Beeswing.”
The sonics on Walking on a Wire vary
but steadily improve over the course of
the set, reflecting technological advances
and Thompson’s ability to work with the
later producers to achieve a more realistic,
detailed, and airier sound in the studio.
Music
Sonics
Wilco: Wilco (The Album).
Nonesuch 516608.
A most stunning moment on Wilco (The
Album) comes just four cuts in as the
Chicago sextet launches into the pulsating,
Krautrock horror show of “Bull Black
Nova.” “Blood in the sink/Blood in the
trunk,” a guilt-ravaged Jeff Tweedy wails
over incessant, stabbing synths and a
typhoon of distorted guitar. “This can’t
be undone/Can’t be outrun.”
This is the kind of thrill expected when
Tweedy revamped Wilco’s lineup back
in 2004, bringing on the likes of guitar
virtuoso Nels Cline. But though the
crew quickly evolved into a live monster
(documented on the excellent concert
album Kicking Television), it proved unable
to translate that energy to the studio on
2007’s pretty-but-sleepy Sky Blue Sky.
Unfortunately, “Bull Black Nova”
turns out to be the oddball on an album
populated by breezy, lovelorn ballads.
Yes, the songcraft remains impeccable—
tunes like “One Wing,” “Everlasting”
and “You and I” are almost achingly
gorgeous—and the sonics are impressive
throughout (dig the sighs of pedal-steel
haunting “Deeper Down”), but there’s a
lingering sense we’ve already heard much
of this before. The same can’t be said of
the joyously goofy “Wilco (The Song),”
three minutes of feel-good guitar and
sunny, self-help sloganeering: “Wilco will
love you, baby.” Andy Downing
Derk Richardson
Further Listening: Richard Thompson:
Live from Austin TX; Various: Beat the
Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson
Further Listening: Andrew Bird: Noble
Beast; Neu!: Neu!
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Music
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Rhonda Vincent: Destination Life.
Rounder 0623.
Jennifer Warnes: The Hunter.
Cisco 7063 (LP).
Where to begin enumerating the many
virtues of Rhonda Vincent’s anxiously
awaited new album? The songwriting
is strictly top shelf, and shows Vincent
herself growing as a writer, too, especially
on the album-opening lover’s lament,
“Last Time Loving You”—a winsome
reflection curiously done at a barnburning
pace, which provides a splendid introductory exhibit of transcendent banjo
playing by Aaron McDaris, late of the
Grascals, new to Vincent’s Rage quartet.
Vincent’s singing is arguably better than
ever, especially in the Alison Krausslike vulnerability she summons in the
backwoods country strains of Pete
Goble’s loping tearjerker, “I Can Make
Him Whisper I Love You.” (Again,
McDaris’s banjo playing, restrained and
evocative, is a marvel.)
With McDaris on board, the Rage has
raised its own high standard, fashioning
stimulating to-and-fro dialogues on the
fast-paced tunes, offering tight ensemble
work and keening vocal harmonies on the
aching ballads. Vincent goes for the vivid
sound she favors on stage, with warm
voices and close-miked instruments
sharing equal ground in the soundscape,
but all well defined and engaged in a spirited conversation throughout the dozen
cuts. As both a musical and a human experience, Destination Life is nothing short
of enthralling. DM
Sometimes artists are typecast by their own
success. For songbird Jennifer Warnes,
that success arrived as a pair of mid1980’s duets—the mega-hits “Up Where
We Belong” with Joe Cocker and “(I’ve
Had) The Time of My Life” with Bill
Medley. Whether it was that association
or Warnes’ famous independent streak,
she never attained more than an insider’s
popularity while other, lesser singers
prospered.
The Hunter was Warnes’ neglected
follow-up to her acclaimed 1986 release
Famous Blue Raincoat. A superbly balanced
collection of urban tales of love, loss, and
longing, songs like “Way Down Deep,”
Donald Fagin’s “Big Noise, New York”
(he sings backup), and the sexy, predatory
vibe of the title track still click, aptly
abetted by such crack studio musicians as
drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, percussionists
Lenny Castro and Roscoe Beck, and
bassist Jorge Calderson.
Remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie
Grundman Mastering, the sonics are luscious. Warnes has always had an audiophile’s ear and was hands-on with this
effort—one of the last from now-defunct Cisco Records. It soars effortlessly,
restoring warmth and delicacy, and easily
besting the earth-bound but otherwise
excellent CD. It’s an example of both an
artist in full charge of her powers, and
analog at its very best. Neil Gader
Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester has
mellowed since the early 70s when the
Robbie Robertson protégé emerged with a
mix of Southern-rock vitality and country
gentleman charm. His first studio album
in nine years finds Winchester maturing
as a songwriter and performer, delivering
some of his best stuff to date—not bad
for a fellow whose work has been covered
by everyone from Joan Baez to Elvis
Costello to Jimmy Buffet.
On this very nicely recorded disc he’s
backed by an ace country band that includes such seasoned players as lap-steel
guitarist Jerry Douglas and acoustic guitarist Russ Barenberg as well as newcomers Guthrie Trapp (mandolin) and Andy
Leftwich (fiddle). Winchester’s duet with
the young vocalist Claire Lynch, on the
splendid cover of Ann Lucas’ whimsical
“Loose Talk,” is about as good as country
gets. It’s one of three covers, but this
filling station also offers nine new originals from the man Bob Dylan called one
of the finest songwriters of his generation. Musically, the originals range from
pop (“O What a Thrill”) to country-rock
(“Wear Me Out”) to Western swing (“It’s
a Shame About Him”) to sweet-but-wry
sentiment (“Bless Your Foolish Heart”),
all of them custom-made for Winchester’s
easy-going front-porch style and endearing tenor crooning. Greg Cahill
Further Listening: Valerie Smith &
Becky Buller: Here’s A Little Song; New
Coon Creek Girls: Our Point of View
Further Listening: Linda Ronstadt:
Simple Dreams; Joni Mitchell: Court
and Spark
Further Listening: Jesse Winchester:
Live from Mountain Stage: Jesse
Winchester; Levon Helm: Electric Dirt
Jesse Winchester: Love Filling
Station.
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Classical Music Reviews
Recording
of the Issue
Music
Sonics
Dvorák: Symphony No. 9, New
World.
Istvan Kertesz, Vienna Philharmonic.
Music
Sonics
Falla: The Three Cornered Hat.
Ernest Ansermet, Suisse Romande.
Music
Sonics
Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 20
and No. 27.
Clifford Curzon, piano; Benjamin
Britten, English Chamber Orchestra.
Esoteric LP and hybrid SACD (all three)
Highly praised for its superb digital
playback equipment, Esoteric of Japan,
the high-end division of TEAC, is
reissuing a small number of classic Decca
titles on hybrid SACD and limited-edition
200-gram vinyl.
The project was overseen by Esoteric’s
president, Motoaki Ohmachi, using
Esoteric’s D-0IVU D/A converter,
G-ORb Master Clock Generator, and
MEXCEL cables. The vinyl editions were
handled by Japan’s JVC Mastering Center,
and only 1000 LPs will be released
worldwide. Interestingly, Ohmachi and
the JVC remastering engineer agreed—
after “extensive testing and listening
sessions”—that the best-sounding source
for the vinyl editions was the same DSD
masters used to create the SACDs.
The lacquers were cut on custombuilt Neumann machines specially made
to Esoteric’s specifications, with no
filtering or other equalization. Each 200gram platter is pressed directly from the
“mother” mold created by the master
lacquer, which limits the number of
copies and also eliminates two stages
from the pressing process.
If you’re thinking that the efforts
noted above sound like an expensive
undertaking, you’re right. And by
necessity these are especially pricey discs.
The Esoteric hybrid SACDs sell for $60
a pop, while the LPs command $80 per
platter (good thing these aren’t 2-disc
45rpm editions!).
Musically, it’s hard to argue with
Esoteric’s choices. Two of these titles,
the Falla and Dvorák, both from 1961,
are famously excellent, great sounding
performances, and while the Mozart
concertos, recorded in 1970, may not
have quite the same pedigree, they are
nevertheless very good sounding recordings of lovingly played masterpieces.
Just 32 when he conducted this first
of several New World recordings, Kertesz
and the Vienna Philharmonic put on a
fiery show in his Decca debut. Recorded
in the famed Sofiensaal, the sound here
is stunningly good. The soundstage
essentially wipes away speaker boundaries,
with tremendous orchestral width, depth,
and instrumental focus. The sound is
warm, velvety-textured, and lively.
Falla’s score for The Three Cornered
Hat was commissioned by Diaghilev
for the Ballet Russes, and Ansermet’s
reading, with its prancing Iberian
rhythms, Moorish themes, and percussive
punctuation, has long been an audiophile
favorite. Esoteric’s superb editions
bring out the recording’s exceptional
air, dimensionality, rich textures, and
explosive dynamic accents.
While the recording doesn’t quite
match the level of the others the Curzon/
Britten interpretations of these great
Mozart concertos are absolutely beautiful
and deservedly prized.
The difference between the formats on
each of these is what you might expect—
the SACDs are brilliantly clean, quiet, and
slightly tonally cooler than the LPs, which
have a slightly thicker, warmer, more lush
presentation. Supporters of either format
will not be disappointed. Wayne Garcia
Further Listening: Stravinsky:
Petrushka (Ansermet); Bartók:
Bluebeard’s Castle (Kertesz)
Music
Sonics
Wagner: Lohengrin.
Semyon Bychkov, Cologne Philharmonie.
Profil PH09004 (3 hybrid
multichannel SACDs).
There are already two excellent complete
Ring cycles available on SACD and this
new Lohengrin, recorded at the Cologne
Philharmonie after a pair of concert
performances, is also a winner.
Conductor Semyon Bychkov understands that Lohengrin is a work firmly in
the high Romantic operatic tradition,
rather than a ground-breaking piece like
the Ring, Tristan, and Parsifal. He leads
with dramatic thrust and lyricism; the
opening Prelude is ethereal, but one
always feels a metric pulse. The Cologne
WDR Symphony Orchestra has a robust
ensemble sound and the chorus has been
well prepared.
Taking on the title role with assurance
and resonant voice is the South African
heldentenor Johann Botha; Adrianne
Pieczonka gives an affecting portrayal
of Elsa. The baddies, Falk Struckmann
(Telramund) and Petra Lang (Ortrud),
are also experienced Wagnerians, and
Kwangchul Youn’s King Henry has the
necessary moral authority.
Multichannel recording technique is
aptly employed for the famous Wedding
March, at first distantly placed behind,
then arriving in front, then receding.
Vocal/instrumental balances have a
natural concert hall character. Andrew
Quint
Further Listening: Wagner: Der Ring
des Nibelungen (Fisch) (SACD);
Wagner: Arias. (Heppner) (SACD)
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Classical Music Reviews
Music
Sonics
Music
Sonics
Mozart and Grieg: Two-Pianos
Pieces.
Dena Piano Duo. 2L 57 (music-only
Blu-ray disc + SACD).
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5.
Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia
Orchestra. Telarc 60706 (2 hybrid
multichannel SACDs).
Those who fret over SACD’s future as a
high-resolution multichannel format will
want to hear the Norwegian label 2L’s
latest music-only Blu-ray offering. The
Dena Piano Duo—Heidi Görtz and her
former student, Tina Margareta Nilssen—
present a program of satisfying symmetry.
They open with Mozart’s Sonata in D
Major for Two Pianos, K. 448. The
players render the piece with an alluring
songfulness and transparency. On the
other end of the recital is Edvard Grieg’s
Old Norwegian Melody with Variations, Op.
51. Grieg subjects a folk song theme to 14
variations, some intentionally composed
in the style of other composers including
Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt,
Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and Mussorgsky.
The works ends majestically but the
two players never resort to pounding.
In the middle is Grieg’s arrangement of
Mozart’s Fantasia in C minor, K.475. The
Scandinavian composer, and the Dena
Duo, obviously respect the original yet
amplify the chromatic richness.
2L provides an SACD version of the
program as well as a Blu-ray disc with 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio and LPCM stereo
programs, the latter boasting 24-bit/192
kHz resolution. Multichannel provides an
on-stage sonic perspective. AQ
Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia
play Anton Bruckner’s majestic 1876 Fifth
Symphony with complete understanding
and sympathy in what is perhaps the best
digital-era performance of the work.
Tempos are a tad brisk (but never hurried),
and the feeling more Schubertian, the
overall mood lighter and more optimistic
than in many traditional interpretations,
though Zander makes his vision of
the music both beautiful and entirely
convincing. Telarc’s recording offers
a huge dynamic range, wide and deep
soundstage (especially in the multichannel
presentation), detailed but blended
textures, and tremendous authority—just
what’s needed for Bruckner’s gigantic
conception.
At 68 minutes, Bruckner’s masterpiece
fits on one disc. The second disc is taken
up by Zander’s insightful commentary
(illustrated with many musical examples)
that illuminates both the shadowy corners
and the grandiose architecture of this
imposing Gothic cathedral of sound.
Even Bruckner devotees will be surprised
by how riveting Zander’s exposition
can be. (Zander’s commentary discs
accompanying his Mahler symphony
recordings, as Jonathan Valin and I noted
in our interview with him in Issue 159,
are also superb.) Mark Lehman
Further Listening: Divertimento
(Trondheim Soloists); RimskyKorsakov: Piano duo arrangements
(Pizarro/Panomariovaite)
Further Listening: Mahler: Symphony
No. 1 and No. 4 (Zander, Telarc)
Music
Sonics
Prokofiev: The Five Piano
Concertos.
Boris Berman, Horacio Gutiérrez,
piano; Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, conductor.
Chandos 10522 (2 CDs).
Prokofiev’s five piano concertos, along
with Bartók’s three, are among the
greatest concertos of the last century.
They overflow with unforgettable tunes,
dazzling pianism, inexhaustible invention,
inimitable pungency, limitless brio.
There are a multitude of recordings. If
pressed for “best-evers” I’d say Graffman
for the First Concerto, Browning for the
Second and Fourth, Janis for the Third,
and Richter for the Fifth. No set of all
five is faultless, though Ashkenazy on
London is certainly a contender, as is this
Chandos with two different pianists—
Boris Berman (in Concertos 1, 4, and
5) and Horacio Gutiérrez (in Concertos
2 and 3)—accompanied by the Royal
Concertgebouw under Neeme Järvi.
Recorded in the early 1990s, these are
straight-ahead, no-nonsense readings
in detailed and high-impact if just a
touch glassy sonics. Berman is an adept
but rather self-effacing performer;
Gutiérrez, on the other hand, is a fiery
and charismatic virtuoso. Indeed his
rendering of the glorious and sweeping
Second Concerto ranks among the best
ever captured on disc, whether vinyl or
polycarbonate: by itself reason enough to
buy this bargain-priced set. ML
Further Listening: Bartók: The Three
Piano Concertos (Anda, DG); Koppel:
Piano Concerto No. 3 (DaCapo)
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Jazz Music Reviews
Recording
of the Issue
Music
Sonics
Thelonious Monk: The Complete
Thelonious Monk At The IT Club.
Mosaic MRLP-3001 (four LPs).
Thelonious Monk was a few days short of
thirty when he made his first recordings
as a leader in 1947, and made most of his
greatest records during the following ten
years. These include solo, trio, small group,
and big band masterworks and feature
collaborations with such icons as John
Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins.
Monk then settled into a richly productive
period that saw him plumbing the depths
of the repertoire he had already defined
for himself, making occasional additions
to an enormously important body of
original compositions, and finally enjoying
a sustained period of steady employment
and public acceptance. Naturally enough,
this is the most heavily documented
portion of his career, and the only part
about which any significant difference
of opinion lingers. No one is likely to
argue that any of the records Monk made
between 1959 and 1969 represent his
greatest work; the question really is how
far off an impossibly high standard these
recordings are. Are we talking about a
Picasso slipping into cruise control once
his place in history was assured, or a Van
Gogh, continuing to create at a high level
right up to the end?
In the quality of his own playing, Monk
never flagged at all. On his own records
he always played well, something that can’t
be said for very many jazz musicians. So
the question is more about his sidemen,
and primarily about his regular quartet
between 1959 and 1967, when Charlie
Rouse was his tenor saxophonist. Before
joining Monk, Rouse had for several
years co-led an interesting group called
Les Jazz Modes, but he adapted to the
more astringent sound of Monk’s quartet
admirably. No one will accuse Rouse of
being on the level of Coltrane or Rollins,
and he is a bit more limited than his
predecessor in the group, Johnny Griffin,
but Rouse’s acerbic tone, bop phrasing,
and sharp attack suited his employer to
the ground.
On signing with Columbia records
in 1962, Monk embarked on a series of
consistently rewarding studio dates and
live recordings. Among the best of these
last were taped at the IT Club in Los
Angeles over two nights in 1964, though
they remained unreleased until 1982.
Originally a two-LP set, the material was
expanded to two CDs in 1998, and Mosaic
Records has now issued everything that
was recorded, including a few previously
unheard items, in a deluxe four-LP boxed
set. Mosaic’s high production values are
in evidence everywhere, from the stateof-the-art remastering to superb 180gram pressings to insightful liner notes
by Bob Blumenthal.
Two things help this music stand out
from other live work of the period;
the inclusion of several tunes Monk
performed but rarely, and the fact that it
was among the first dates that featured
bassist Larry Gales and drummer Ben
Riley. Both Monk and Rouse sound
happy, and inspired by this hard-swinging
rhythm team, and it’s a treat to hear the
newcomers handle approaches to the
material that had become fairly standard
for Monk and Rouse. After the first set
or two, we also hear the principal soloists
finding completely new things to say, as
both do on “Nutty.” The inclusion of bass
and drum solos on many of the tracks
may be distracting for some listeners, but
apart from that, you can’t go wrong with
this release. Duck Baker
Further Listening: Thelonious Monk:
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John
Coltrane at Carnegie Hall; Thelonious
Monk and Sonny Rollins
Music
Sonics
Allen Toussaint: The Bright
Mississippi.
Nonesuch 480380.
For over 40 years, composer, producer,
arranger, and pianist Allen Toussaint has
been a prime architect of New Orleans
soul and R&B, working with Lee Dorsey,
the Meters, Dr. John, and many others.
Beyond bayou-bred idioms, his touch
has graced pop recordings by the Pointer
Sisters, Labelle, The Band, Paul Simon,
Wings, Joe Cocker, and Elvis Costello.
Toussaint’s solo discography, however,
is sparse. In this, his first major solo
album since the mid-1990s, he’s joined
by guitarist Marc Ribot, clarinetist Don
Byron, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist
David Piltch, and drummer Jay Bellerose.
Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist
Brad Mehldau appear in cameos. Led
by Toussaint’s barrelhouse piano, the
musicians go from the traditional “St.
James Infirmary” and “Just a Closer Walk
with Thee” through early jazz tunes by
Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, and
Django Reinhardt to more modernist
compositions by Thelonious Monk, Duke
Ellington, and Leonard Feather. Despite
Toussaint’s full-fisted approach to the
keys there’s nothing rushed about his
interpretations. His fluid exchanges with
Payton, Ribot, Mehldau, and Redman and
his lone vocal on “Long Long Journey”
distill the project’s intimate elegance
to its essence. Sonics balance clarity
with resonance in a three-dimensional
soundscape. DR
Further Listening: Allen Toussaint: The
River in Reverse; The AT Collection
JL Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Sumiko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
jlaudio.com
sumikoaudio.net
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Kimber Kable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Symposium Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
kimber.com
symposiumusa.com
Acoustic Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86, 87
Lamm Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Synergistic Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
acousticsounds.com
lammindustries.com
Atma-Sphere Music Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Laufer Teknik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Thiel Audio Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
atma-sphere.com
lauferteknik.com
thielaudio.com
Audio Plus Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover III
Lominchay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Totem Acoustic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
cambridgeaudio.com
lominchayaudio.com
totemacoustic.com
Audio Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Magico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Transparent Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
audiounlimiteddenver.com
magico.net
transparentcable.com
Audio Vision San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Magnum Dynalab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Upscale Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 105, 131
audiovisionsf.com
magnumdynalab.com
upscaleaudio.com
AudioQuest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover IV
ModWright Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Vacuum Tube Logic (VTL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
audioquest.com
modwright.com
vtl.com
AVguide.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
MSB Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Vincent Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
avguide.com
msbtech.com
wsdistributing.com
Axiss Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7
Music Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 134, 135
Walker Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
axissaudio.com
musicdirect.com
walkeraudio.com
Bel Canto Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Music Interface Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Weinhart Design, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
belcantodesign.com
mitcables.com
weinhartdesign.com
Boulder Amplifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Musical Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
XLO Argentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
boulderamp.com
musicalsounds.us
argentumacoustics.com
Bryston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Musical Surroundings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
YG Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 37
bryston.ca
yg-acoustics.com
Burmester Audiosysteme GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Nagra USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
burmester.de
nagraaudio.com
Cable Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 123
Needle Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
fatwyre.com
needledoctor.com
Cable Research Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Nuforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
cableresearchlab.com
nuforce.com
Cardas Audio, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
OPPO Digital, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
cardas.com
oppodigital.com
Crutchfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Overture Audio Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95, 121, 133
crutchfield.com/tas
overtureav.com
Crystal Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Paradigm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
crystalcable-usa.com
paradigm.com
Definitive Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover II, page 1
Pass Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
definitivetech.com/tas
passlabs.com
Edge Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Precision Audio Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
edgeamp.com
precisionav.com
Electrocompaniet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pure Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
electrocompaniet.com
pureaudio.net
Elusive Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 106, 107, 136
Reno HiFi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
elusivedisc.com
renohifi.com
Enjoy the Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Revel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
enjoythemusic.com
revelspeakers.com
Esoteric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Rhino Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
teac.com/esoteric
rhino.com
Front Row Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
frontrowtheater.com
audiofest.net
Furutech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Running Springs Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
furutech.com
runningspringsaudio.com
Goodwin’s High End . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sanus Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
goodwinshighend.com
sanus.com
GTT Audio and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Shunyata Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
gttgroup.com
shunyata.com
Hansen Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Simaudio Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
hansenaudio.com
simaudio.com
Herron Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Sound Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
herronaudio.com
soundorg.com
Upcoming in
ISSUE 196
• Special Speaker Issue!
- Reviews of B&W, Epos, Acoustic
Energy, Rega, Verity, Sonics, and
Von Schweikert
- Jonathan Valin on the Magico
M5
- History of technology
advancements in speaker design
• Aesthetix Rhea Signature, Janus
Signature, and Atlas—PLUS and
interview with Aesthetix’ Jim
White
• Rotel’s affordable new integrated
amplifier and CD player
• Rega’s upscale Elicit integrated
amplifier
• DCS Puccini CD player with
U-Clock
Now on AVguide.com
• Robert Harley’s controversial blog
“The Best Stereo System I’ve Ever
Heard”
• Jonathan Valin’s illustrated
travelogue on Japan’s premier
audio artisans
• Sennheiser HD800 headphones
• Join the discussion of all things
audio!
Jazz Music Reviews
Music
Sonics
Music
Sonics
Music
Sonics
Freddie Hubbard: Without a Song:
Live in Europe 1969.
Blue Note 36957.
Chick Corea and John McLaughlin:
Five Peace Band Live.
Concord Records CRE-31397.
At the peak of his powers during the
early 60s, when he recorded such Blue
Note classics as Ready For Freddie and HubTones, and also featured prominently on
Herbie Hancock’s Empyrean Isles and Eric
Dolphy’s Out To Lunch, Freddie Hubbard
was playing the trumpet like no one else
on the planet. No one blew louder, faster,
higher, and with more conviction than
Hubbard at that time. By 1969, when
these live concert recordings were made,
he was still flying high, blowing brashly
into the stratosphere with bold tones and
ideas, swaggering as he swung.
The ease with which Hubbard doubletimes a tempo and executes his signature
dazzling runs is evident on the title track,
the hard-charging “Blues by Five,” and
on his spirited romp through Dizzy
Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia,” which
includes a breathtaking cadenza by the
trumpeter. Elsewhere, Hubbard acquits
himself with thoughtful lyricism and
grace on ballads like “The Things We Did
Last Summer” and “Body And Soul,” and
treads into avant-garde territory on his
own adventurous composition, “Space
Track.” In short: an excellent outing by
the late, legendary trumpeter and his
stellar crew of pianist Roland Hanna,
bassist Ron Carter, and the marvelous
drummer Louis Hayes. Bill Milkowski
A dream ensemble for fusion fans, the
Five Peace Band brings together longtime
colleagues Corea and McLaughlin, two
venerable jazzmen who first played
together in 1969 on Miles Davis’
groundbreaking In A Silent Way. Joining
them on this live 2-CD set, culled from
a 2008 European tour, is a crew of super
sidemen in bassist Christian McBride,
alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and
drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.
Colaiuta’s crisp, powerhouse percussion
fuels McLaughlin’s exhilarating “Raju,”
which also features virtuosic turns by
Corea on Fender Rhodes electric piano.
Corea’s “The Disguise” is an affecting
vehicle for the band while his exploratory
27-minute opus “Hymn To Andromeda”
gradually builds to a cathartic crescendo
with some impassioned blowing by
Garrett. McLaughlin, at age 67, shows that
he’s lost none of the fire as he takes off
with uncanny speed on his “New Blues,
Old Bruise” and on “Senor C.S.,” his
Latin-tinged tribute to Carlos Santana.
Herbie Hancock, who
played
alongside Corea and McLaughlin on
that same pivotal Miles session, appears
as a special guest on a medley of “In A
Silent Way/It’s About That Time.” After
all the fireworks, the collection closes on
an intimate note with an elegant duet of
“Someday My Prince Will Come.” BM
How cool is Cool Man Cool? Way cool, man.
Especially on the expertly executed 60s
and 70s hipster jazz that haunts the title
track. But stylistically, the genre-leaping
Geissman roams freely, even dishing up
a Dixieland-style romp (“Minnie Lights
Out”) with Van Dyke Parks on accordion
and Charlie Bisharat on violin. That’s just
a taste of an all-star guest roster that also
features Chick Corea, Tom Scott, Jerry
Hahn, Patrice Rushen, Chuck Mangione,
Alex Acuna, and Russell Ferrante.
Bandleader and guitarist Grant
Geissman is equally adept at comping
with fat jazz chords or teasing octavestyle licks a la Wes Montgomery. He can
go funky, as he does on “Chicken Shack
Jack” (featuring saxophonist Tom Scott)
or hipster heavy, as he does on the bluesy
“Too Cool for School,” or even slide on
by the lounge, as he does on the kitschy
“Tiki Time.” And Geissman is never
shy about letting his stellar combo—
especially flautist and saxophonist Brian
Scanlon and organist Jim Cox—take the
spotlight.
Sonically, this is a great sounding disc
with rumbling bass lines and an expansive
soundstage that on the Spanish-flavored
“Chuck and Chick” gives plenty of room
for Chuck Mangione’s breathy flugelhorn,
Chick Corea’s intricate piano runs, and
Geissman’s acoustic flamenco-style guitar
work. GC
Further Listening: John McLaughlin:
Floating Point (Abstract Logix); Return
To Forever: Returns (Eagle)
Further Listening: Grant Geissman:
There and Back Again; Grant Geissman
and Friends: Surf Update
Further Listening: Freddie Hubbard:
Breaking Point (Blue Note); Woody
Shaw: Stepping Stones: Live at the
Village Vanguard (Columbia)
Grant Geissman: Cool Man Cool.
Futurism 2054.
Top Ten List
Top Ten Rock Concert DVDs
While albums are great, rock ’n’ roll is best seen live. Short of that, re-experiencing past performances or
watching shows you missed on a well-done concert DVD can be the next best thing. While waiting for the
40th Anniversary edition of Woodstock to arrive, here are ten more to check out.
captures the Stones at their
1969 peak, and the horrors of
a free concert at the Altamont
Speedway.
4. Led Zeppelin (Warner).
Tracing performances from
1970 to 1979, this exceptionally
2. The Complete Monterey well done set was supervised by
Pop Festival (Criterion).
Jimmy Page, and it sizzles.
The original and best
5. Neil Young & Crazy
rock festival, beautifully
documented, with unforgettable Horse: Rust Never Sleeps
(Sanctuary).
and exceptionally varied
The weird and wonderful Neil
performances.
Young in performances that
3. Rolling Stones: Gimme could raise the dead (from a
Shelter (Criterion).
1978 tour).
This Maysles brothers’ film
1. Bob Dylan: The Other
Side of the Mirror: Live at
the Newport Folk Festival
1963-1965 (Columbia).
Witness Dylan morph from
awkward folkie to inspired
songwriter to rock and roller.
6. The Last Waltz (MGM).
Now on Blu-ray, Martin
Scorsese’s 1978 documentary
features The Band, and a rather
talented bunch of friends, in a
farewell concert.
7. The Who: The Kids Are
Alright (Sanctuary).
Recently remastered, this 1979
film uses archival and concert
footage to show that these kids
were more than “alright”!
8. Nirvana: Unplugged
(Geffen).
It took 15 years to appear
on video, but this unedited
performance of Nirvana’s
Introducing the new
Updated and
redesigned
for easier
browsing,
sharing and
shopping!
remarkable set is not to be
missed.
9. Leonard Cohen: Live in
London (Sony).
Illustrating my opening point,
if you missed or couldn’t
afford recent concerts, here he
is—hallelujah!
10. Wilco Live: Ashes
of American Flags
(Nonesuch).
Captured at five venues in 2008,
Wilco live is an exceptional
experience that keeps on getting
better. —Wayne Garcia
Classifieds
Wanted
usedcable.com
We buy used cables. We sell used
cables. Good advice.
Hi Fi Stereo Gear, old/new, amps,
preamps, turntables, speakers,
tuners, tubes, parts. Quality Brands
considered, working or not.
850 314 0321, Cell 850 543 7025,
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Back Page
Neil Gader
12 Questions for Charlie Randall,
President, McIntosh Labs
the Rochester Institute of Technology. That was a quarterly
program where it’s school ten weeks, work ten weeks. You have
to get a job in the field that you’re studying. I was fortunate
enough to get into McIntosh Laboratories, which was only
thirty miles from my hometown.
So was your first high-end system an all-McIntosh
system?
It was and it was given to me by [renowned McIntosh designer]
Sidney Cordeman. It was an MR74 tuner, a C26 preamp, and
a 2155 power amplifier. It was my first taste of a real high-end
audio system and, believe it or not, the only thing I’ve ever
used from that point on was the home brand.
What did you use for speakers?
McIntosh XR250s, also given to me by Sidney.
Where do you see our industry in the next ten years?
That’s a great question. In the two-channel world, content
is becoming more and more accessible from the Internet
and components will need to adapt to this new reality.
Traditionalists will continue to argue about which format is
better—vinyl, CD, or digital content. And we will continue
working to create high-quality products, including those that
might seem old-fashioned but are still much sought-after by
enthusiasts. Here’s an example: Ten years ago, very few people
would have thought that turntables would still be in as high
demand as they are today—but they are still prized by purists.
Are you surprised at the resiliency of vinyl?
As McIntosh celebrates its 60th anniversary, do you
think it would have surprised Mac founders that tubes
are still so popular today?
Back when we did the original commemorative C22 and
MC275 we found a lot of collectors and people who still
desired vacuum tubes. Once we did that we started dabbling
with more vacuum tubes until today tube components are
some of our mainstay products.
Is this all nostalgia-driven?
I think it’s crossing over to a younger demographic as well.
When you look at all the audio that’s available to youngsters for
download, they’re discovering music they don’t hear everyday
on [commercial] radio. That’s given new life to a wide variety
of music. I look at that as an advantage.
What ignited your passion for audio?
We had an electronics program in our high school in Milford,
Pennsylvania. At sixteen I had a passion for my first car, and at
sixteen-and-a-quarter my first passion for car audio. When you’re a
teenager, a car might as well be your house. I did my own car stereo
and pretty soon all my friends knew that I could do it and later I
kind of became the town installation-guy, even before car audio
had really taken off.
And you pursued audio in school?
I went two years to a local community college that had a
great electrical engineering program and then transferred to
For my parents it was the only medium at the time. Everyone
who enjoys music looks at it as an investment—not in terms
of money but as a way to continue to support their vinyl
collection. And part of it is due to the fact that some of the
older original stuff has a character you don’t hear on CD or
MP3 downloads, and some of it is just not out there to be
downloaded.
Do you spin vinyl?
I do not. I grew up in the age where cassettes were popular and
then hit the dawn of CDs. I’m not old enough to appreciate
that part of it.
As President of McIntosh, do you continue to keep a
hand in the design side of things?
All products that leave McIntosh have my input and approval
before their release. They are a collaborative effort between
sales and marketing, engineering, and myself. We rely heavily on
customer feedback, as well.
What do you do for fun?
My oldest sister is a real-estate broker and we actually build log
cabins. That’s my relaxation. I built my own house, a replica of
a farmhouse. I actually grew up on a dairy farm.
What still inspires you?
I’ve been here 23 years, although honestly it feels more like
ten. I’m still heavily involved in the product side of it, and it’s
truly a family atmosphere. But when you see the consumer’s
reaction, that’s the best part—it truly is. TAS

vienna acoustics` radical new speaker + vienna

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