High End Society 2003 Show Frankfurt Germany

Saturday Page 3

  In the Gryphon room was their new Mikado top loading CD player (€9,700) that makes great use of the Philips pro transport mechanism. The unit upsamples to 24-bit/96kHz and is upgradeable as technology permits. The unit is a slim design with evolution from their previous CD player.

SQF had their sensuous looking Son Of Pharao (€8,400) integrated stereo amplifier that has an octet of Ruby Tubes EL34B output devices to produce 40 watts per channel. The pre-amplification stage accepts four inputs with separate level control for each. It is also a high current, relay controlled design for precision. Signal to noise is an astonishingly low >100dB! If you love light shows, it also has the Magic Eye tube to display the output level.

Vitus Audio from Denmark produces a 100-watt "Class A" unit that includes a single power supply. While it is normally electrically powered, the amplifier can be battery powered for those who want to delve into the glories of battery-powered devices. All analog circuitry is of the true balanced design. Donald North Audio (DNA) model Sequence (€12,000) and are a bi-amplification design with active crossover and include a bass equalizer. The upper section (midrange and highs) is 94dB/W/m sensitive so they are very tube friendly. The woofer is a dipole design.

River Audio's M7B tube monoblock amplifier (€12,500) is industrial designed in Sweden; the curved glass is sourced from Italy, whilst the main unit is made in Russia. This is a parallel, single-ended 300B unit with an autoformer to act as a cathode follower. Split high voltage rails are implemented so no blocking caps are required. KT88 tubes are employed as current source for the 300B output tubes. This unit produces a total of 25 watts.

The Master Sound room had more tubes than you can shake a stick at (and i can shake a mean stick). They were using the Reference 3A for loudspeaker duties.

Italy rejoices as Master Sound's new 300B monoblock (€7,000) uses two 300B in parallel single-ended to produce 24 watts per channel. This elegant design is said to value intimacy over audio pyrotechnics. A special new driver circuit employs a 6SN7 and bias control is fully automatic to stabilize the performance according to the Master Sound representative. They wind their own transformers in Italy and naturally the unit has zero feedback.

Pass Labs' XA160 is designed by solid-state guru Nelson Pass to exacting standards. Large side heatsinks keep the output devices operating cool while the pleasingly curved front panel frames in the analog meter. Producing 160 watts in "Class A", the XA160 weighs in at a hefty 150 lbs.

V.Y.G.E.R. had their Atlantis spinning the tunes with their precision liner tracking tonearm and special air system. One look at this turntable and you know your ears will be in for a treat.

Air Tight's new Reference Pre Amplifier ATE-2001 (€15,000) has selectable phono input with MC 3 ohms, MC 20 ohms, or MM. Three additional line inputs augment the phono stage while the entire unit can be operated in stereo or mono mode.

Here's a world scoop... The new Keith Monk record cleaning machine (€2,500) marks the first time in 17 years it has been improved. It can now support separate cleaning brushes for different size records. Furthermore, a second cleaning brush/fluid applicator can be mounted on the top so one can serve for cleaning normal vinyl, the other for shellac. The unit operates very quietly, unlike some other vacuum cleaner roaring machines.

Seen here is KEF's biggest and smallest loudspeaker based on their Uni-Q technology. Specifically, the Reference 207 (€16,000) floorstanding unit and their ultra-small new satellite for their upcoming satellite/subwoofer 5.1 surround sound system (€800). The surround system will feature these 3-inch Uni-Q based drives housed within an aluminum cabinet.

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