T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2012

The Home Entertainment Show 2012
Report By Steven R. Rochlin

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  Welcome fans and enthusiasts to the grand opening of T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2012! Today was quite busy, with many people filling the rooms to enjoy the music.

 

Looking for flexibility? Then step right up to the world premiere of AVM Audio's Pre, which is a fully modular preamplifier ($10,000) with rear slots for adding inputs such as multiple phonostages, analog inputs, etc for upwards of eight modules total. There are two slots for outputs, which can be either balanced via XLR or unbalanced RCA of course. The internal leads are gold plated for signal integrity and reliability plus the board's signal traces also benefit from gold plating. There are both tubed and solid-state boards, so you can choose the glow of tubes or solid-state. They also offer a smaller Evolution PA5.2 preamplifier ($6000).

 

Ayon Audio had a truly impressive setup here at T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2012 with Spheris pre, CD5s disc player... and of course their highly desirable tube monoblocks. Fast and clean sound, yet never sterile.

 

Ultimate Reference speakers by Venture ($139,000) show the top-line efforts for those seeking the very best from the company.

 

A wonderful variety of gear from the retailer AudioRevelation.com who operates out of California.

 

T.H.E. Show Newport Beach 2012 has a special large room called the Marketplace where you can buy CDs, vinyl, record cleaners and much more. Business looks quite good, especially for those seeking new vinyl pressings.

 

Speaking of record cleaners, here is the highly popular Spin Clean... yet there is news to be found here! The Spin Clean unit will soon be offered in a limited edition see through design. You can watch it clean your records! There will also be a made in USA wood cabinet for $99 for those seeking a lovely wood case for their Spin Clean unit.

 

Teaming up together is Concert Fidelity and Toni Acoustics, with the new Concert Fidelity ZL-120V2Se monoblocks making their grand appearance ($34,000 per pair). Judging from Enjoy the Music.com's review of other gear from Concert Fidelity, the new unit is a must-audition for those seeking top-end amplification.

 

YG Acoustics Anat III Signature Studio was being driven by Luxman amplifiers and cabling was by Kubala-Sosna. Expensive? Yes. Amazing sound? Yes. 

 

Joseph Audio had their Pulsar $7000 were driven by Bel Canto C7R ($2995). Always great to see Jeff Joseph at shows and he is always the welcoming host. Cabling was by Cardas, which i truly love within my home studio/DAW system.

 

Silverline Audio had their new Grand Bolero in back and Sonatina IV ($30,000 and $6000 respectively). The sound was fast and lively, with an appropriate fullness.

 

And of course we have Channel D for you Mac lovers. Look if you have a Mac and want perhaps the best software for ripping vinyl, enjoying your digital files, etc, then like I tell others, just get the Channel D software and don't look back.

 

Lynx Hilo ADC/DAC 24-bit/192 kHz ($2500) unit is a preamplifier and headphone amplification unit. What is really nice is how it uses a 4.3 inch touch screen for ease of use. It can easily be controlled via the front panel or an Apple iPad.

 

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