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According to the official CES website, this was the most highly attended show ever, with attendance over 150,000.

This is quite a jump from when it was only about 110,000 back in 2009, shortly after the economy tanked in the fall of 2008. The number is calculated by tallying everyone who physically got a badge holder, not just those registering.

Just down the street, the Venetian hotel showcased 95% of the “High Performance Audio” exhibits, with dCS, Nagra, Audio Plus Services and a few others across the street, displaying in the Mirage hotel.  The Home Entertainment Show was located a few blocks down the street at the Flamingo, more of a consumer show; similar to THE Show in Newport Beach and managed by Richard Beers, who handles both shows. Unfortunately, the Vegas THE Show is nowhere near the draw of its southern California counterpart.  It remains the ghost town that it’s been for the last few years.

Without taking an official tally, attendance seemed a bit off at the Venetian this year, as it was last year since CES has moved to a “middle of the week” format.  Now taking place Tuesday through Friday, instead of the usual Thursday through Sunday, the schedule change eliminated a lot of the bloggers and such from the world of high end audio, as many were unable to leave their day jobs to attend, leaving foot traffic steady, yet manageable. Many vendors commented that though foot traffic was down, qualified inquiries were way up.

As I mentioned on our Facebook page, If you are interested in room by room coverage, with commentary on every rack of gear present, visit the Stereophile site.  They did an excellent job and had a full compliment of writers on hand, working tirelessly to get fresh coverage up each day.

Here’s my take on what was trending:

More products with high aesthetic sense.  While “lifestyle” is such a dirty word in the high end audio industry, more products are appearing that wouldn’t look out of place in a design conscious environment.  I.e., hifi doesn’t have to be just for the man cave anymore.  With some great examples from Meridian, BelCanto, Nagra and Peachtree, to name a few, perhaps the most stunning product introduced this year is the Intuition from Wadia Digital.

Combining a Wadia DAC with a 350 watt per channel (into 4 ohms) integrated amp, this product looks like a bit of a variation on the Apple MacBook Pro design brief.  Available in four finishes: matte black, matte silver, turned aluminum and the nickel plated masterpiece you see here, the Intuition features multiple digital inputs (of course, it will grab the digital bitstream from your Apple device) and an analog input.

Picking up on the trail blazed by Devialet at the 2011 CES (by far the coolest product at the 2011 show), the Wadia is poised for success.  Retail price, depending on finish will be in the neighborhood of $8,000.  We look forward to a full review as soon as it’s available.

Happily, vinyl just keeps gaining steam, with more turntables, phono cartridges and phonostages than ever.  Regardless of budget, spinning records has never been easier or more fun.  Who would have thought ten years ago, that vinyl would be so vital in 2013?

Streaming continues a meteoric rise, with nearly all of the majors offering a streaming product, incorporating your tunes ripped to various storage devices, along with incorporating your favorite internet radio station, or online music provider all from the convenience of your mobile device. Simaudio’s MiND 180 is the perfect example.  This technology has become far less garage and much more glamour in the last year, making it easier than ever to get music from the net to your home.

Personal audio is still on a rising trajectory, with more of the majors getting into the headphone amplifier game.  This Pathos Class-A amplifier shown here at $1,495 underscores the majors commitment to performance and style.

The most intriguing development on the software side of the equation is the new PONO player, brainchild of Neil Young and Bob Stuart (of Meridian Audio).  I heard a very exciting demo of music via the PONO process, and it is well done.  Neil Young is calling it “sound from God.” I’d say he’s not far off track. More info when my NDA’s expire.

Another welcome trend, is that of more women on both sides of the fence.  There were more women presenting and attending this segment of the show than in years past and this will dovetail nicely with the women joining the TONEAudio staff in the next few months.  Stay tuned for their observation on the industry, the gear and their own personal pursuit of hifi.

-Jeff Dorgay

Every day there’s a new rant on what is or isn’t the “future” of high end audio.

One camp insists that the vinyl resurgence is essential to gaining more minions, another hates vinyl with a passion, claiming that LP’s have inferior specs and no potential for multichannel reproduction (talk about dead horses!), while still another feels headphones and personal audio will save the world. I submit they are all missing the boat in a major way.  The constant whining about formats and hardware is short sighted at best and drives people away from audio at it’s worst.

The enjoyment of music should enhance your life and the minute it becomes a hassle in todays fast paced, attention deficit driven world, people change the channel. As someone who’s been obsessed with audio most of their life, sold it and now covers it on a daily basis, I’ve discovered a major change in the game.  Women are the key to high end audio’s future.

Back in the early days of high end audio (to me, that’s the 70s and 80s), audio gear, like sports cars, motorcycles and such were manly things to do and women were rarely if ever considered or invited to the dance.  How many of you, long in the retail game, had customers that made purchases insistent on using a certain credit card or checking account that “their wives didn’t see?”  Much like the focus group scene in Mad Men, where Don Draper asks Roger Sterling what women think and he glibly answers, “who cares?”

But as Ice-T says, “Shit ain’t like that anymore.”

You need look no further than the recent T-Mobile ads with the devilishly attractive woman on the sport bike racing around, or the female hosts on The Attack of the Show, to see that times have changed.  Watching the teens and twenty somethings of today, women have become just as excited about technology as men are, and they are just as efficient.  While my 19 year old daughter doesn’t check her oil as often as I would like her to, she knows what’s going on under the hood and a number of her friends have geeked out cars with exhaust pipes big enough for Honey Badger to climb into.  And they are no slouch at setting up a wireless router, either.

I can’t tell you how many times in the last few years, I’ve gone to a friends house and commented on their massive flat panel TV only to find out it was their wife or girlfriend that insisted on a 70-inch screen instead of the 50-inch model they thought they would have to beg for.  You’ll get my wife’s Meridan F80 compact music system ($2,995 MSRP) away from her when you pry her cold, dead hands from it, and like many women I know, was very influential in our early adoption of the Sooloos music server. A recent visit to Ears Nova in New York City confirms this.  When we were discussing who makes the purchase decisions in 2012, owner Joshua Cohn said, “Women key in on great sound and the emotional involvement right away. It’s usually the men that need to do more research, compare specs, or get an additional opinion from someone on an internet forum. Women are rarely if ever the ones that object to the sale.”

The bottom line is that enthusiasm breeds engagement, which translates into purchases.  When your female partner says, “Let’s get that new pair of MartinLogan speakers,” or “I want a better turntable,” most guys aren’t going to say “Let’s buy a couch instead.”  The fact that we are living in a world of technologically savvy women can only mean good things for the consumer electronics industry.

Many audiophiles still revere the original Krell KSA 50 power amplifier.  A 50 watt per channel monster, it is able to double its power with halving of impedance all the way down to one ohm.

Ken Kessler will have a full story in Issue #51’s “Old School” column, but suffice to say this amplifier is still fantastic, stacking up handily to todays hardware.

Our thanks to Michael Trei for finding us a mint, one owner example.

Time for some listening, and to revisit history!

Jeremy Kipnis and I are investigating the effects of the new LossLess Black Body field conditioner.

Black Body claims better sound via absorbing unwanted radiations in the listening environment,
both from equipment and room noise.  So far, this has been an intriguing exercise.  Watch for
details on our new site, aptly labeled, “Tweakasaurus,” coming soon.

The current version of TONEAudio’s Gear Index is now available for free download.

We admit after 47 issues, that’s a lot of content to go through when you’re looking for
that one review.

Now you can find them all here in one spot.  Take 15 sec to download our PDF, which
has every review, divide by category – revealing the issue that it was originally published.

Click this link to begin the download.

Enjoy!

If you ask any number of audiophiles and speaker designers what they consider to be the holy grail of speakers, chances are high that many of them will answer “The Quad 57.”

The original Quads have a tonal purity and coherence that is still a benchmark, over 50 years after their introduction.  While this is not a full range speaker in the sense that they have limited output beneath about 45 hz, the quality of what is available is scrumptious.  And, yes, they have limited dispersion, making them a “one person” speaker, but building a system around the 57s is a somewhat self indulgent thing to begin with.  Lastly, these are not serious rock and roll speakers, but again with the GamuT S9’s in room one, we’ve got that box ticked.

While this sounds limiting at first, the second you put your favorite vocal record on the turntable, you forget about the Quad 57s limitations are and realize that what they do right, is intoxicating.

So follow us on the journey of putting together a system based around these wonderful speakers.

The room will be 13 x 16 feet and we’ve purchased a pair of rebuild 57s from Quads Unlimited.  An artisan shop, Quads Unlimited can work with your existing speakers, or find you a pair and do a complete rebuild.  We’ll discuss that more in depth in a future update, but suffice to say the end result is better than new. Keep in mind, QA is a small company, so it’s not like you can call today and have a pair delivered tomorrow. Your patience will be rewarded.

Years ago, more horsepower meant getting under the hood and bolting on some parts.

Today, I get the engine management EPROM reflashed to achieve more horsepower.  And so it goes with digital audio.  While some may question the logic of a four-box digital audio player that still plays physical media, today just underscored why the dCS Paganini is worth the money I’ve invested in it.  It’s modular design makes it obsolete-proof.

Rather than having to take a bath on selling the Pag to get the newest thing from dCS, they sent me a pair of CD’s to upgrade the software in the Upsampler and DAC portions of my Paganini stack, which consists of a Transport, (for SACD and CD discs) the DAC, an upsampler and a word clock.

The whole process took about 40 minutes per box and the instructions were straightforward.  The result?  Being ever skeptical of digital, I was shocked at how much of an improvement took place.  Of course more listening will be required, but immediately there was a much bigger spatial perspective, with more clarity from the top to the bottom of the frequency spectrum and a huge layer of midrange cloudiness that I didn’t know existed is now gone.

It’s sounding a LOT closer to my analog rig.

The Munich High End show opened yesterday and it’s clear that the Europeans are serious about analog!

This display from Pro-Ject is just a smattering of the wide range of turntables here on display.  Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Legendary amplifier manufacturer Bob Carver just sent us a pair of his latest tube mono block amplifiers, the Cherry 180’s, which produce 180 watts per channel into 8 ohms and feature six KT88 power tubes per channel.  Decidedly old school, these amplifiers are built in America at Carvers Kentucky facility.

These red machines sound even better than they look.

Full review and factory visit in progress.

Read more about Carver Amplifiers here:

It’s All One Song
By Bob Gendron

January is traditionally a slow time for live shows. Yet soon enough, announcements for spring dates, the excitement associated with South By Southwest, and the unveiling of lineups for destination festivals will put everyone back into a virtual club—or, in the case of Lollapalooza, a virtual lakefront park). Such anticipation prompts reflection on the year that just was.

In addition to reporting for the Chicago Tribune on the three-day fests otherwise known as Lollapalooza, Pitchfork Music Festival, and the Dave Matthews Caravan, and taking in the Montreal International Jazz Festival for TONE Audio, I had the privilege of witnessing more than 60 standalone concerts in 2011. Of the more than 250 artists I saw onstage, here are my ten favorite performances.

1. Deadmau5 at Lollapalooza (August 7, Chicago)
Starting his headlining performance almost exactly at the moment a pounding rainstorm commenced, the Toronto electronic maestro turned Grant Park into the world’s biggest and liveliest mud pit with a scorching light show and nonstop dance beats.

2. Drive-By Truckers at Vic Theatre (February 25, Chicago)
Playing with tremendous purpose and intensity, the always-reliable Truckers delivered a career-spanning set that made a case for the Alabama ensemble being the best live rock band on any given night.

3. Janelle Monae at Aragon Ballroom (May 27, Chicago)
Drawing on everything from golden-era silent films to science-fiction themes, the R&B phenomenon sang, danced, and painted her way through a breathtaking affair teeming with fervent energy and bold vision.

4. Guns N’ Roses at Allstate Arena (November 15, Chicago)
Fans that waited nearly two decades for Axl Rose to channel his old self were rewarded with a marathon extravaganza that, while falling short of the excellence displayed in 1991-92, eclipsed the original band’s 1993 trek. Don’t believe it? Cue up “Estranged” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOzrtr3IsBc.

5. (TIE) Prince at Metropolis; Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman at Theatre Maisonneuve (June 25, Montreal)
On one night, pianist Mehldau and longtime collaborator Redman gave a clinic in pointillistic jazz while, hours later, the Purple One took over a small club with unrivaled showmanship, astounding instrumental acumen, and an enviable way with song.

6. Twilight Singers at Metro (May 17, Chicago)
On his best showing since the Afghan Whigs disbanded, Greg Dulli led his enthusiastic band through an unforgettably soulful show that renews one’s faith in music and prompts them to binge on the performer’s catalog for weeks.

7. Titus Andronicus at Lollapalooza (August 8, Chicago)
Setting a new standard that all Lollapalooza openers should follow, Titus Andronicus blazed through underdog-themed anthems tailor-made for a society mired in economic disparity and social unease.

8. Rihanna at United Center (June 15, Chicago)
No mainstream pop star better understands the secrets to an engaging arena spectacle than Rihanna, who buffeted a balanced blend of costume changes, visual props, and dance routines with a constant stream of contagious hits.

9. Elvis Costello at Chicago Theatre (May 15, Chicago)
The return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook concept found Costello recharged, tearing through five opening songs in less than 16 minutes and accenting older material with avant-garde solos plucked from Thurston Moore’s playbook.

10. Brandi Carlile at Park West (December 1, Chicago)
Blowing away anything she’s put on record, the Seattle-based singer-songwriter went it alone and charmed with a disarming voice and independent streak that suggested Adele-like fame could be in her future if she makes a solo record absent a backing band.

PS Audio has come a long way since the end of the 90s’ when they introduced their first Power Plant PS300. Where many power line conditioners use extensive filtering schemes to scrub the noise and distortion components from your AC mains, the P10 regenerates new, 120 volt (or 220 for European customers) power, eliminating the noise and distortion from the power feeding your gear. We’ve just finished the photography on the P10 you see here, so watch for a review soon. We will be posting comments here and on our FB page, so feel free to ask questions and interact with us along the way!

Our editor Bob Gendron (who lives in Chicago) just tipped me off to this incredible real estate deal…

No, it’s not a vacation timeshare in some bizarre place, it’s a luxury condo right in downtown Chicago. Show off your enthusiasm for modern architecture and Wilco with this 2 bedroom condo located in Bertrand Golberg’s Marina City, also displayed on the cover of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Here’s a link: http://bit.ly/n3NJEo

$535,000 and a 42nd floor view of Chicago can be yours. Very cool.

With all of the emphasis on digital music recording these days, I’ve decided to make an about face and dramatically go old-school. Back in the 80s, the Nakamichi 550 was the ultimate portable analog recording deck. With peak reading meters and solid frequency response out to 18khz, it’s highly capable as a home or portable machine. Originally, it was meant to run on an AC adapter or 8 D-Cell batteries. (Buying that many batteries made me feel like Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing. “I said D batteries, motherfucker!”) To stay green, a Black Lightning rechargeable battery supply is on the way from Red Wine Audio http://redwineaudio.com/components/black_lightning .

The unit pictured here is just about finished getting tuned up by the master, Willy Hermann from Willy Hermann Services. If you’ve got a Nakamichi deck that needs attention, give Willy a call. He rebuilt my Nakamichi Dragon to perfection and since its return, my reel-to-reel deck has been collecting dust. Who knows? Perhaps the 550 might make an appearance at one of next year’s hi-fi shows.

www.willyhermannservices.com

After hundreds of hours of initial listening, the Decware Zen Torii continues to improve, as designer Steve Deckert said it would.  While the full review will be in issue 40, suffice to say that this is one of the most musically engaging amplifiers I’ve had the pleasure to experience.  If you’ve ever spent time with a great SET and thought “If this only had 2-3 times the power, I could live with it,” your ship has arrived.  After owning a number of the world’s finest SET amplifiers, I can easily support Deckert’s claim that the Zen Torii is certainly the equal of any SET I’ve owned.

The best news is that the Zen Torii has 25 watts per channel.  Utilizing a pair of EL34 power tubes per channel as well as tube rectification and voltage regulation, it offers a sound that is fast, detailed and dynamic, with bass and treble controls that let you fine tune the amplifier to your speakers.  These are not tone controls in the classic sense, altering the frequency response of the amplifier.  The bass control controls the impedance match with your speakers, so it doesn’t increase or decrease the amount of bass as it does change the tonal character of the bass from soft to taut – so there is no right or wrong setting, but it does allow you to tailor the sound exactly to your liking.  Per the instruction manual, the treble control allows a gentle roll off of the high frequencies and is not in the actual signal path.

Digging further in the well written and illustrated owners manual reveals that this amplifier is a tube rollers’ delight, with a number of options available.  So far, we’ve stuck with the stock tubes, but when the rainy winter season hits the Pacific Northwest again, it will be time for some experimenting.  I’ve been stockpiling a few different types of EL34’s, some variations on the 5U4 rectifiers and even a couple of different voltage regulators.  If for no other reason, the blue glow of a pair of OB3’s looks like fun.

But all techie goodies aside, this amplifier sounds wonderful.  Pricing for the standard Zen Torii is $2,975 and the model reviewed here features a $500 V-Cap upgrade and a 21 position stepped attenuator, which will also allow you to maximize the output of your preamplifier to get maximum dynamic range.

These are 25 of the best watts you will find anywhere, at any price.  If a 25wpc tube amplifier is your idea of nirvana, I suggest calling Mr. Deckert now and getting in line, there is usually a waiting list for one of his amplifiers – but your patience will be rewarded!

www.decware.com

(photo courtesy of Decware)

Last night in Portland you could have spent $30 on going to see Pirates of the Caribbean.  But for the price of a movie ticket, 16oz. Diet Coke and some some soggy popcorn you could have gone to the Wonder Ballroom and experienced The Twilight Singers and a beer.  Watch for our editor Bob Gendron’s coverage of the band’s performance in Chicago in our next issue, but suffice to say if you’re of the mindset that “there’s no good music anymore,” you’re just plain wrong.

If you are in the San Francisco area, join us tomorrow, Thursday evening (April 28) at AudioVision San Francisco.

They will be hosting their 4th installment of their “Fiscally Sound Event,” which will be featuring two moderately priced systems with gear from Simaudio Moon, Triangle Loudspeakers and Nordost, to name a few.  The event takes place from 7:30 – 9:30 and refreshments will be served.  Of course, they’ve got a few surprise goodies to hand out and manufacturers reps will be on hand to answer your questions.  I’ll be there to chat with the crowd and talk to you about all things audio too, so if you’re nearby, stop on in!

In 1992, MartinLogan debuted the Aerius loudspeaker, shrinking the sound of their Sequel II in to a smaller and more affordable sized speaker, with an 8-inch woofer, at a retail price of $1,995 per pair. Stereophile’s John Atkinson gave these speakers a highly enthusiastic review, saying the panel/woofer integration was “seamless” and that “he was struck by the unity of the Aerius’s sound.”

I bought a pair of Aerius’s, based on that review, because while I had loved my former CLS’s, my current digs did not afford the room that the CLS required, but I really missed the MartinLogan sound. So out went my Acoustat 1+1’s and I was back in LoganWorld! My system consisted of a Klyne Audio Arts SK-5 preamplifier, a Conrad Johnson MV-50 and a Rega P3 with Dynavector Ruby Carat cartridge and I was digging the panel goodness. The Aerius’s could definitely rock out better than my Acoustats were able to.

Over the last 19 years, I’ve owned and reviewed a lot of speakers, but I always remember that pair of Aerius’s well. A little sniffing around the internet reveals a doggedly loyal following, even today. Considering that you can still get a replacement set of ESL panels for your Aerius’s, it’s easy to keep them singing.

At the end of 2010, Devin Zell (MartinLogan’s Marketing Manager) started talking about a new hybrid ESL that was going to come in right at $1995, to which I said, “Is this going to be a 21st Century Aerius?” Zell’s excitement for the project was tough to keep under wraps, as I had obviously hit a hot button. We then proceeded to nerd out about all things MartinLogan for a while and a review pair was promised.

Zell went way above and beyond the call of duty this time. He not only sent me a pair of the ElectroMotion speakers you see here in my driveway, but he had a pair of Aerius’s refurbished at the factory for me to use for comparison purposes! I felt this was so cool, I had to meet the challenge. My MV-50 just got back from Conrad Johnson, freshened up with their current CJD Teflon capacitors, so it will sound even better than it did back in the early 90’s when I first had my Aerius’s and I found a mint Klyne preamp as well. Add a current Rega P9 with Dynavector cartridge and it’s as close to going back in time as I can muster.

So, stay tuned. This will certainly be a fun review – of both speakers.

For now, here’s a little more information on the ElectroMotion’s:

While visiting Washington DC, I had quite the audio experience at contributing writer Jacob Heilbrunn’s house. After attending an outstanding dealer event at JS Audio, that was packed until well past closing with demos from Wilson Audio’s Peter McGrath and Rich Maez from Boulder, the real treat was yet to come.

Heilbrunn’s purpose built room, featuring the Continuum Caliburn turntable with a matching pair of Cobra tonearms (featuring the Lyra Titan mono and the AirTight PC-1 Supreme), and the Ypsilon phono stage, showcasing a pair of Wilson Audio Alexandra 2’s driven by a pair of Classe 600 watt monoblocks. Digital was handled by the Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD player and all sources channeled through the Messenger preamplifier. If this pair of enormous full range speakers wasn’t enough, Heilbrunn had a pair of Wilson Thor subwoofers, which McGrath had just recently installed in the room for a future review in The Absolute Sound. But the system was as much a testament to finesse as brute strength.

Running through a gamut of jazz, blues and classic rock, I was stunned at the system’s limitless dynamic range and perfect tonality. While many audiophiles like to think that recorded music can’t approach the real thing, it’s only a pile of cash away. In this case, about 400 large (Clevelands not Franklins), and it unquestionably delivers the goods. Having been to Wilson Audio’s Valhalla – David Wilson’s living room, even his spectacular system comes up short in terms of the delicacy and ultimate resolution I experienced here. McGrath went on to say that while listening to a live jazz recording as he was packing up at Heilbrunn’s house, the people chatting on the couch at the back of the room just added to the ambiance. “I really felt as if I was sitting right there in the club, experiencing a live show.”. McGrath also confirmed my analysis of Heilbrunn’s system and felt it might be the best he’s ever experienced as well. But he left it open with a wry smile, as he said “There is one customer of ours in Spain…”

This is truly a system that does it all. The monstrous X-2’s disappeared in the room completely; we didn’t need to dim the lights as a parlor trick. It was if they were coated with something from the Army’s latest stealth arsenal. (With the Pentagon only a few miles away and Heilbrunn’s day job covering politics, who knows? Maybe I did have an X-Files experience?). These six foot tall speakers never drew attention to themselves and had a top to bottom coherence that even the best panel speakers lack.

In the quest for even higher fidelity, Heibrunn is in the process of building a new sound room when he moves in fall. As we leave for the airport he ponders, “Is there more resolution available?”

We will see. Watch for the complete chronicle of his new project later this year in a future issue of TONEAudio.

I’ve been using Running Springs Audio power line conditioners in my two reference systems for the last four years now with excellent results. I’ve tried damn near everything else and everything else that I have tried has fallen short. Nothing has been able to offer the combination of lowering the noise floor and cleaning up the power line grain without compromising dynamics like the RSA products. Even the mightiest pair of monoblocks haven’t had an issue with the Maxim conditioner that I have plugged into a dedicated 20 amp line. I have their Dmitri connected to another 20A line for my line level components (and a few small power amplifiers, as needed) and a Haley on yet another 15A line strictly to keep the power going to my dCS Paganini stack and Sooloos music server performing at their best.

My only beef has been that this level of performance doesn’t come cheap. Their prior entry level product, the Haley tips the scale at around $2,000. It’s worth every penny, and in informal comparisons has often outperformed other PLC’s costing twice as much, but has been out of reach for the person with a more reasonable system, or perhaps someone not having such heavy current demands. Enter the Elgar, with a list price of $999.

A full review is in progress, but on first listen today with my Woo Audio 5 headphone amplifier, utilizing 300B SET amplification, my first impression is “fantastic!” For more information, visit the Running Springs website here:

-Jeff Dorgay

Somewhere between the odds and ends at T.H.E. Show, just down the street from the Venetian, where CES is featuring most of the high performance audio, there is a beacon of light. Well, sound, actually.

Should you be attending T.H.E. Show, do not miss the Blue Light Audio exhibit in Room 4044. Jonathan Tinn is has a stellar exhibit, that is by far the best sound at the show.

On display is his new Wave Kinetics reference direct drive turntable with a Durand tonearm and the Ortofon MC A-90 cartridge, the Playback Designs MPS-3 player darTZeel amplification and the amazing Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne speakers.

The most amazing thing is that this six figure reference system is driving a $2,000 pair of speakers (not a typo) and the combination is fantastic. With solid bass down to 35hz, these small but stylish speakers threw a huge soundstage, with a tonality so realistic, you’d be hard pressed not to think you were listening to at least a $10-15,000 pair of speakers.

So, even if you only have 20 minutes to spend at T.H.E. Show, drop in the lobby and see the wonderful ladies from The Montreal Salon Son & Image Show (you can’t miss them, they have blue hair) and stop by Room 4044. You won’t be disappointed.

Early this morning, the UPS Grrrl dropped off the highly anticipated DAC from REGA.

To some audiophiles, another DAC is certainly no big deal, but to those familiar with REGA, you know that Roy Gandy gets things done at his own pace and only when he is happy with the results. This new DAC uses the Wolfson chipset (similar to what is used in their Apollo and Saturn CD players) and a buffer circuit similar to the one employed in their flagship Isis CD player. As with their other digital products it is substantial, both from a physical standpoint (this little box is very hefty when you pick it up!) and the amount of functionality it offers. The DAC has a pair of RCA SPDIF digital inputs, a pair of optical digital inputs and a USB digital input.

While the REGA DAC accepts digital source material in 16, 20 or 24 bit word length, at sample rates from 32kHz all the way up to 192kHz, it does not upsample. Though a point of argument for some, the implementation is good here and initial listening with high res files has been pleasing. The only potential turnoff for computer audio users is that the USB input will not play high resolution files. Similar to Simaudio and a few other manufacturers, they have chosen to concentrate their effort on the SPDIF inputs for now as a way to get high resolution digital files into their DAC.

Another very intriguing function offered with the REGA DAC is its ability to choose between five different digital filters, with one of them an apodizing type. This will drive you crazy or lead to better digital playback, so I’ll leave the end users to sort this one out. Either way, I think it’s a nice touch to give the user the option.

A full review is under way and will be included in our last issue of the year, due out right at Christmas time. For our United States readers, the REGA DAC should start arriving in your dealers next week. If you’ve been considering adding a DAC to your system, I highly suggest an audition. I think you will be pleased at what REGA has to offer at a very reasonable price of $999. Stay tuned for more information.

http://www.rega.co.uk

While there were a lot of familiar faces at this year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, these gorgeous matte black speakers from Estelon took me by surprise. Haven’t heard of them? Don’t feel bad, no one has, but company founder Alfred Vassilkov has been the brain trust behind numerous other loudspeaker and crossover designs in Europe for over 25 years. Now he brings this wealth of knowledge to a fresh design of his own.

As you can see from the shape, this is definitely a new twist on speaker design. A scientist, first and foremost, Vassilkov has addressed many of the issues that have plagued past designs and has even started with a proprietary crushed marble based composite material for the enclosures you see here.

And the sound? We’ll know more next week when Alfred arrives to fine tune the speakers in my listening room, but he was getting great sound at the show, and that’s no small feat. In the relatively small rooms of the RMAF, partnered with Lamm gear, Kubala-Sosna cable and Running Springs power conditioning, their setup had a very open feel, with plenty of weight on the bottom and a clarity that I’ve never heard with ceramic drivers before.

So stay tuned, there will be a full review in the December 23 issue of TONEAudio…

UPDATE: Nov. 31

While everyone else in the neighborhood was out hunting for Halloween candy, I had a treat of my own. Alfred and Bill from Estelon were here optimizing speaker placement here in our studio. I’ll buy my own chocolate bars. The hard work paid off; after removing a bit of room treatments, and some careful positioning the speakers disappear in the room perfectly. Now that they have been playing continuously for the last five days all is well. I look forward to spending the next two months listening intently.

Music editor Bob Gendron and I are here in upstate New York at Kutsher’s Country Club, covering the ATP (All Tomorrows Parties) Music Festival. Scroll down to the On Tour section or click here to read our coverage of Friday night’s bands: The Scientists, Mudhoney, Sleep and of course, Iggy Pop and the Stooges.

More to follow in the next day or so, along with a full feature in issue #32.

We’ve managed to get our hands on Chord’s new Indigo DAC. Complete with wireless capability and a built in iPod dock, this looks to be one of the most versatile digital control centers available. This is a very fashion forward DAC, addressing every possible need.

Full review to follow!

While known for their megabucks, state of the art turntables that can run into the six figure range, Clearaudio has produced a winner for the audiophile that doesn’t have a fortune to spend with their new Concept turntable.  Priced at $1,400, it is a belt drive table that features a tonearm that I’d expect to pay $1,400 for alone, utilizing a magnetic bearing with outstanding build quality.

Clearaudio dealers have been offering a package price on select Clearaudio cartridges bundled with the table.  As I just happened to have a Clearaudio Maestro Wood moving magnet cartridge sitting on the shelf, it was the perfect match for the table. (I believe you can buy the two as a set for $2,200)

The full review will be up on the Gear section of our website shortly, but I think the Concept is the new heavyweight champ in the $1,500 turntable range.  Stay tuned for more info…