April - Audio Emporium

Audio Emporium Newsletter 4-1-12
McIntosh Theater Separates Now In!
When you’re ready to outgrow a
large surround receiver, please consider
the new McIntosh theater separates.
McIntosh has just brought out a trio
of outstanding home theater separates at
about half the price of their predecessors!
You’re going to see these raved
throughout AV mags and E-zines.
You get “built like a tank” McIntosh
quality featuring XLR and single ended
connections.
The sound quality of these pieces is
very smooth and warm. What a wonderful
addition to the great heritage of McIntosh!
MVP-891 Universal Blu-ray Player, 5500
MC-8207 Power Amp, 7x200w, 6k
MX-121 Preamp Processor, 6k
PeachTree Nova Pre $1000
In 2008 PeachTree announced plans to come to market with a new preamp featuring an on
board DAC, tubes in the pre section, a fine headphone amp and a myriad of other fine features. My
math tells me it has been over three years and the Nova Pre is JUST NOW coming to market!! What
kept ya?
First and foremost, PeachTree wanted to get the USB input set properly for the asynch 24/192
DAC in the Pre Nova. They have done so with an edge of the art ESS Sabre 9023 DAC. Feed your
computer source straight in and go!
It needed the same performance with Coax. There are numerous COAX based sources out
there. Nova pre has TWO Coax ins. The OPT supports 24/96.
They wanted a tube buffer that would smooth the harsh edge of some music. It took a while to
determine their best choice would be the 61NP tube. They have opted to let you activate it- OR NOT.
So it’s your call. Use the tube or run solid state.
They wanted a fine sounding headphone amp. No problem. They offered that in predecessors
but it is improved in Pre Nova.
They also offer an analog AUX in. They feature two sets of single ended outs- for power amps
or powered subs!
Nova Pre comes with a detachable power cable, in case you want to run the update road.
4 3/8h, 14 3/4w, 11.5d, 22 lbs!
Who is a candidate to buy Nova Pre? Anyone who owns separate components is a potential
buyer! Odds are you have an analog preamp from yesteryear. It is perfectly fine at running the signal
from your turntable. But Nova Pre can make almost any CD player out there sound better by running
its digital out into the Pre Nova’s Coax input! This is even before we brag about how good it can
make your computer based music sound, whether fed from your computer, Sonos or Apple TV.
Nova Pre doesn’t have phono on board. That’s fine! We have numerous affordable outboard
phono preamps, like the Rega A2D ($175k MM/USB) and the Rotel RQ-970 ($200, MM/MC). It’s
tough to put phono on the same PCB as a DAC and have the phono survive without noise &
distortion anyway.
Grand Pre $3000
The Grand Pre is a nice step up from Nova Pre. For 3x the price you get a superior DAC and
fully balanced technology. Grand Pre is finding a home in some edge of the art systems where its
DAC is a big part of the equation. The tubes warm things up nicely. If you have a big power amp you
plan to stick with for a while- consider mating it with the Grand Pre!
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer (1683-1764)
In the 1700s he was instructing a singer to speed up
her pace. The singer argued, “If I sing it so fast the public
will not be able to understand the words.” Rameau replied,
“That doesn’t matter. I only want them to hear my music!”