High-Performance Audio Reviews
Music News, Show Reports, And More!
Celebrating 29 Years Of Service To Music Lovers
International CES 2009
& THE Show Report
Consumer Electronics Show & THE Show 2009 Preview
EgglestonWorks will be showing their Andra III
(pictured) and the Dianne loudspeakers at CES 2009. While the original Andra met with immediate critical acclaim, the Andra III has been lavished with improvements over the original model. The external changes are obvious and include a high-gloss paint finish with the addition of aluminum side panels and baffle plates. Internally, the Andra III employs a completely redesigned network, bass porting for pressure release, carbon-fiber coned midrange drivers, and several other proprietary advances. The driver array includes a 1-inch cloth dome tweeter, a pair of 6-inch carbon fiber double magnet midrange drivers, and
dual 12-inch woofers compound-loaded with a single port. Frequency response is from -3dB @ 18 Hz to well beyond 24 kHz and has a
sensitivity of 88dB/W/m with an 8 Ohm impedance (6 Ohm average). The smaller Dianne aspires to flesh out the company's extensive line of audio excellence, yet is a compact package. A single 1-inch offset cloth dome tweeter is mated with a 6-inch polypropylene double magnet midrange/woofer. Frequency response is from -3dB @ 51 Hz to beyond 24 kHz and is 88dB/W/m sensitive while presenting an 8 Ohm impedance (6 Ohm
minimum).
VPI will be debuting the company's 30th
anniversary "Classic Turntable" ($2500), which comes standard with the unipivot JMW-10.5i tonearm in rigid mount mode. The Classic Turntable uses new VPI pure copper wire, a solid plinth with black oak or walnut finish, a solid mounted AC synchronous motor, silent inverted bearing, and new isolator feet. The sound of the "Classic Turntable" is claimed to be "fast, clean, wide open, with deep powerful bass, and unequalled in speed stability." VPI took great care in this special design, with speed stability on par with a master tape, high noise rejection, a lack of random motion between the motor, platter, and tonearm plus an absolutely solid, non-resonating laminated one-piece chassis holding all components.
Magico LLC, one of America's premier high-performance loudspeaker manufacturers, will world premier their newest member of its fabled
M-Series. The Model 5 ($89,000/pr) is the company's latest achievement, bringing together the ambitions of Magico's design, engineering, and production teams. This four-way system utilizes their proprietary MR-1 ring radiator tweeter, two optimally-balanced
6-inch Nano-Tec drivers, and new Titan 9-inch Nano-Tec woofers. Retaining Magico's revolutionary 'tension-coupling' mechanism plus combining their signature 17-ply Baltic Birch cabinet with a convex baffle, they have created what is claimed to be "the ideal housing for our massive new bass drivers"
according to the company. Sensitivity is 89dB/W/m and the Model 5 present a 4 Ohm load. Frequency response is from 22 Hz to 50 kHz, dimensions are 53 x 21 x 18 (HxDxW in inches) and each unit weights in at a staggering 360
lbs.
"Computer Audio is here to stay so let's make it sound right!" says
Peachtree Audio. The company's new Nova is an 80 wpc integrated amplifier with digital and analog inputs and outputs to satisfy virtually all new digital devices. It can also handle 'old school' devices including turntables (w/external phono preamplifier), tuners, etc. The preamplifier section employs a 6922 tube with a Class A output stage. This stage is coupled that with an Class AB amplifier in the final stage. The Nova has a USB input for computer audio in addition to a pair of coax, and two optical inputs for digital sources. If users desire adding a subwoofer or outboard amplifier, the Nova features a Class A variable preamplifier output and a fixed line output. Peachtree Audio's Nova DAC is the ESS 9006 Sabre, with 24-bit/96kHz upsampling D/A converter
capability. The ESS Sabre DAC's patented jitter reduction circuit re-clocks the digital signal to an
immeasurable level before passing it through. There are 11 regulated power supplies for the DAC and Peachtree Audio transformer-couples each digital input stage to virtually eliminate noise associated with ground problems and switching power
supplies.
Legendary audio manufacturer Pass Labs' will have their SR1 ($25,000/pr) loudspeaker at CES 2009 that features premium furniture-grade cabinetry and many advanced design highlights. The new SR1 is Pass Labs' second loudspeaker, following and replacing the Rushmore. The SR1, a four-way floorstanding system consisting of four independently adjustable amplification packages plus a four-way active electronic crossover integrated with four highly efficient loudspeaker drivers. Like the Rushmore, the SR1 leverages the ability of dedicated, active electronics to enhance and complement the performance of its passive components. More than the Rushmore, the SR1 emphasizes absolute audio performance over driver sensitivity, and offers more flexibility in selecting complementary power amplifiers and crossovers, which can range from totally passive to active quad-amplification. The SR1 has been designed to harness the classic "mass controlled piston" model, in which the speaker's radiating surface behaves as a rigid surface. This yields a well-defined characteristic in the spectral region where the sound is proportional to the electrical current through the voice coil. At the boundaries of this frequency band, the response falls off in a predictable manner. The SR1's drivers are said to be the very best available
— Nextel-coated cones and a Crescendo tweeter from the renowned Seas of Norway. They present the best combination of low distortion, high dynamics, and predictable performance. Finally, the SR1 uses dual enclosures, with a large bass enclosure with ten-inch and eight-inch drivers to handle the bottom four octaves and an adjustable smaller enclosure that carries the midrange and the
tweeter.
Pass Labs will also have their XP-10
(pictured) and XP-20 preamplifiers at the 2009 CES ($5250 and $8600 respectively). The XP-10 and XP-20 were created by gifted audio designer Wayne Colburn with the convenience of remote control and, in the XP-20, an external power supply isolated from the analog circuits in a matching second chassis. Like all Pass Labs designs, the XP-10 and XP-20 deliver exemplary, highly reliable performance while minimizing the number of components and stages in the signal path. Both units provide listeners with a very wide choice of listening levels, employing 64 volume steps in small increments. The XP-10 and XP-20 present a dramatically superior noise floor to other designs and very fine detail retrieval. As exceptional as the XP-10 is, the XP-20's isolated power supply further enhances its performance, thus calimed to "convey musical bass with significantly more impact, articulation and timbral accuracy." Both the XP-10 and XP-20 are housed in sleek chassis of brushed aluminum, measuring 17 x 12 x 4 (WxDxH in inches). The XP-20 has a second matching chassis for its external power supply, which can be turned on using the remote control. Both preamps furnish two balanced and three single-ended
inputs.
NAD's new T 747
(pictured) and T 737 receivers are aimed towards multi-channel home audio and video systems ($1299 and $799 respectively). The T 747 AV receiver produce 60 wpc to 7.1-channel systems and includes the newest lossless audio CODECs from Dolby and DTS, including TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. An Auto Calibration function using a special microphone and test tone makes loudspeaker set-up easy and highly accurate. A high quality AM/FM tuner offer 50 station presets, as well as XM (120V) or DAB (230V) Ready sockets for clear access to these digital broadcasts using NAD's XM or DB 1 adaptors. The T 747 also supports NAD's optional IPD 1 and IPD 2 Docks for iPods, allowing audio, video and images stored on an iPod to be played directly on an NAD Home Theater. On the video side, the T 747 fully support signals up to 1080p resolution from HD set-top boxes and Blu-ray players, and includes 4 HDMI inputs with a repeater function that automatically passes along the HDMI signal after stripping the audio portion. It's capable of 'upscaling' older analog video formats to digital HDMI output, and standard definition signals to HD using award-winning Faroudja DCDi technology. The T 737 AV receiver delivers 40 wpc to a 7-channel system and has three surround modes that automatically cater to multi-channel DVDs using Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES, plus encoded two-channel recordings with Dolby ProLogic IIx and DTS Neo:6, and NAD's own EARS and Stereo Enhanced modes. It also offers the same AM/FM and digital tuner features. Video handling includes Composite or S-Video, while HDMI signals are simply switched without any extraneous processing or loss of
quality.
Torus Power has announced the introduction of the AVR Series of power conditioning products, which compliments the company's existing line of Torus Power products. The AVR line (Automatic Voltage Regulation) provides all the advantages of the original Torus Power designs, such as ultra-clean AC power, complete isolation from the outside power grid and series-mode surge suppression, plus the added benefit of stabilized voltage to connected equipment. Torus Power AVR series for the North American market includes six models:
RM10 AVR - 10 Ampere (two rack height)
RM15 AVR - 15 Ampere (three rack height)
RM20 AVR - 20 Ampere (required dedicated 20A outlet, three rack height)
RM20 BAL AVR - 20 Ampere (requires dedicated 240V balanced input and
20A, three rack height)
RM45 BAL AVR (four rack height)
RM60 BAL AVR (four rack height)
The AVR series has been engineered to maintain optimal voltage (115 to 125 volts at 60Hz) and current to connected audio/video equipment, enabling devices to perform at their best. With stabilized voltages, power amplifiers can provide their full rated power regardless of variations in input voltage. Should a fault condition occur (anything lower than 85 or higher than 135 volts), the Torus AVR units can be user-programmed to automatically turn off, protecting all associated electronics. Torus AVR units also feature a dimmable front panel display indicating input voltage, output voltage, and output current. A 12-volt trigger input allows the unit to be switched on for system automation, and a 12-volt trigger output is available to switch on an external device in case of a fault condition. AVR models also include an Ethernet interface with built-in web browser, allowing homeowners to view voltage and current readings or turn ON/OFF their Torus Power unit from any Internet-connected computer.
High-Performance Audio Reviews
EgglestonWorks will be showing their Andra III
(pictured) and the Dianne loudspeakers at CES 2009. While the original Andra met with immediate critical acclaim, the Andra III has been lavished with improvements over the original model. The external changes are obvious and include a high-gloss paint finish with the addition of aluminum side panels and baffle plates. Internally, the Andra III employs a completely redesigned network, bass porting for pressure release, carbon-fiber coned midrange drivers, and several other proprietary advances. The driver array includes a 1-inch cloth dome tweeter, a pair of 6-inch carbon fiber double magnet midrange drivers, and
dual 12-inch woofers compound-loaded with a single port. Frequency response is from -3dB @ 18 Hz to well beyond 24 kHz and has a
sensitivity of 88dB/W/m with an 8 Ohm impedance (6 Ohm average). The smaller Dianne aspires to flesh out the company's extensive line of audio excellence, yet is a compact package. A single 1-inch offset cloth dome tweeter is mated with a 6-inch polypropylene double magnet midrange/woofer. Frequency response is from -3dB @ 51 Hz to beyond 24 kHz and is 88dB/W/m sensitive while presenting an 8 Ohm impedance (6 Ohm
minimum).
VPI will be debuting the company's 30th
anniversary "Classic Turntable" ($2500), which comes standard with the unipivot JMW-10.5i tonearm in rigid mount mode. The Classic Turntable uses new VPI pure copper wire, a solid plinth with black oak or walnut finish, a solid mounted AC synchronous motor, silent inverted bearing, and new isolator feet. The sound of the "Classic Turntable" is claimed to be "fast, clean, wide open, with deep powerful bass, and unequalled in speed stability." VPI took great care in this special design, with speed stability on par with a master tape, high noise rejection, a lack of random motion between the motor, platter, and tonearm plus an absolutely solid, non-resonating laminated one-piece chassis holding all components.
Magico LLC, one of America's premier high-performance loudspeaker manufacturers, will world premier their newest member of its fabled
M-Series. The Model 5 ($89,000/pr) is the company's latest achievement, bringing together the ambitions of Magico's design, engineering, and production teams. This four-way system utilizes their proprietary MR-1 ring radiator tweeter, two optimally-balanced
6-inch Nano-Tec drivers, and new Titan 9-inch Nano-Tec woofers. Retaining Magico's revolutionary 'tension-coupling' mechanism plus combining their signature 17-ply Baltic Birch cabinet with a convex baffle, they have created what is claimed to be "the ideal housing for our massive new bass drivers"
according to the company. Sensitivity is 89dB/W/m and the Model 5 present a 4 Ohm load. Frequency response is from 22 Hz to 50 kHz, dimensions are 53 x 21 x 18 (HxDxW in inches) and each unit weights in at a staggering 360
lbs.
"Computer Audio is here to stay so let's make it sound right!" says
Peachtree Audio. The company's new Nova is an 80 wpc integrated amplifier with digital and analog inputs and outputs to satisfy virtually all new digital devices. It can also handle 'old school' devices including turntables (w/external phono preamplifier), tuners, etc. The preamplifier section employs a 6922 tube with a Class A output stage. This stage is coupled that with an Class AB amplifier in the final stage. The Nova has a USB input for computer audio in addition to a pair of coax, and two optical inputs for digital sources. If users desire adding a subwoofer or outboard amplifier, the Nova features a Class A variable preamplifier output and a fixed line output. Peachtree Audio's Nova DAC is the ESS 9006 Sabre, with 24-bit/96kHz upsampling D/A converter
capability. The ESS Sabre DAC's patented jitter reduction circuit re-clocks the digital signal to an
immeasurable level before passing it through. There are 11 regulated power supplies for the DAC and Peachtree Audio transformer-couples each digital input stage to virtually eliminate noise associated with ground problems and switching power
supplies.
Legendary audio manufacturer Pass Labs' will have their SR1 ($25,000/pr) loudspeaker at CES 2009 that features premium furniture-grade cabinetry and many advanced design highlights. The new SR1 is Pass Labs' second loudspeaker, following and replacing the Rushmore. The SR1, a four-way floorstanding system consisting of four independently adjustable amplification packages plus a four-way active electronic crossover integrated with four highly efficient loudspeaker drivers. Like the Rushmore, the SR1 leverages the ability of dedicated, active electronics to enhance and complement the performance of its passive components. More than the Rushmore, the SR1 emphasizes absolute audio performance over driver sensitivity, and offers more flexibility in selecting complementary power amplifiers and crossovers, which can range from totally passive to active quad-amplification. The SR1 has been designed to harness the classic "mass controlled piston" model, in which the speaker's radiating surface behaves as a rigid surface. This yields a well-defined characteristic in the spectral region where the sound is proportional to the electrical current through the voice coil. At the boundaries of this frequency band, the response falls off in a predictable manner. The SR1's drivers are said to be the very best available
— Nextel-coated cones and a Crescendo tweeter from the renowned Seas of Norway. They present the best combination of low distortion, high dynamics, and predictable performance. Finally, the SR1 uses dual enclosures, with a large bass enclosure with ten-inch and eight-inch drivers to handle the bottom four octaves and an adjustable smaller enclosure that carries the midrange and the
tweeter.
Pass Labs will also have their XP-10
(pictured) and XP-20 preamplifiers at the 2009 CES ($5250 and $8600 respectively). The XP-10 and XP-20 were created by gifted audio designer Wayne Colburn with the convenience of remote control and, in the XP-20, an external power supply isolated from the analog circuits in a matching second chassis. Like all Pass Labs designs, the XP-10 and XP-20 deliver exemplary, highly reliable performance while minimizing the number of components and stages in the signal path. Both units provide listeners with a very wide choice of listening levels, employing 64 volume steps in small increments. The XP-10 and XP-20 present a dramatically superior noise floor to other designs and very fine detail retrieval. As exceptional as the XP-10 is, the XP-20's isolated power supply further enhances its performance, thus calimed to "convey musical bass with significantly more impact, articulation and timbral accuracy." Both the XP-10 and XP-20 are housed in sleek chassis of brushed aluminum, measuring 17 x 12 x 4 (WxDxH in inches). The XP-20 has a second matching chassis for its external power supply, which can be turned on using the remote control. Both preamps furnish two balanced and three single-ended
inputs.
NAD's new T 747
(pictured) and T 737 receivers are aimed towards multi-channel home audio and video systems ($1299 and $799 respectively). The T 747 AV receiver produce 60 wpc to 7.1-channel systems and includes the newest lossless audio CODECs from Dolby and DTS, including TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. An Auto Calibration function using a special microphone and test tone makes loudspeaker set-up easy and highly accurate. A high quality AM/FM tuner offer 50 station presets, as well as XM (120V) or DAB (230V) Ready sockets for clear access to these digital broadcasts using NAD's XM or DB 1 adaptors. The T 747 also supports NAD's optional IPD 1 and IPD 2 Docks for iPods, allowing audio, video and images stored on an iPod to be played directly on an NAD Home Theater. On the video side, the T 747 fully support signals up to 1080p resolution from HD set-top boxes and Blu-ray players, and includes 4 HDMI inputs with a repeater function that automatically passes along the HDMI signal after stripping the audio portion. It's capable of 'upscaling' older analog video formats to digital HDMI output, and standard definition signals to HD using award-winning Faroudja DCDi technology. The T 737 AV receiver delivers 40 wpc to a 7-channel system and has three surround modes that automatically cater to multi-channel DVDs using Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES, plus encoded two-channel recordings with Dolby ProLogic IIx and DTS Neo:6, and NAD's own EARS and Stereo Enhanced modes. It also offers the same AM/FM and digital tuner features. Video handling includes Composite or S-Video, while HDMI signals are simply switched without any extraneous processing or loss of
quality.
Torus Power has announced the introduction of the AVR Series of power conditioning products, which compliments the company's existing line of Torus Power products. The AVR line (Automatic Voltage Regulation) provides all the advantages of the original Torus Power designs, such as ultra-clean AC power, complete isolation from the outside power grid and series-mode surge suppression, plus the added benefit of stabilized voltage to connected equipment. Torus Power AVR series for the North American market includes six models:
