CES Show Report

Friday

  Harmonix has their TU-800EX ($270) is for vinyl lovers looking to tweak thir replay system by adding a special surface.

 

PrimaLunas ProLogue 7 ($2,695/pr) has Solen capacitors and other audiophile goodies. It can take many different tube, is self-protecting, adaptive auto-biasing... and look at the build quality!!!

 

Transrotor's three-arm turntable, Appolon ($15,000 without arm/cartridge), is precision milled from a sold block of aircraft aluminum. A specially designed high-end motor controller allows for speed adjustment and insures stability. There is so much more, as they have been building turntable for over three decades.

 

Totem Acoustic had their Winds ($8,000/pr) have a lovely tilted top; sculpted upper sides, and has rear porting. The tweeter is a 1-inch Seas aluminum dome, a pair of 5.25-inch mids, and an 8-inch paper cone woofer. A pair of gold-plated binding posts on the back allow for bi-wire/amp'ing. Freq 24Hz to 22kHz with 88/dB/W/m with a fairly stable 8 ohm load.

 

As covered within our pre-event coverage, the Swedes have descended upon CES with many products from the country's foremost manufacturers.

 

In the Swedish Statement room was the development, 15 years in progress, is the Nordic Concept Artist Signature turntable ($18,000 including air bearing tonearm, magnetic bearing optional). They were using the Dynavector XV-1 cartridge, while a damping platform is dampened, the motor is battery powered, and all metal parts are CNC machined.

 

Wavelength Audio, known for their single-ended tube amplifiers and tubed DAC unit called The Brick that is a great for computer audio, had their new Jupiter 50 monoblock ($6,000 on up depending on configuration). This is the first time in decades a Type 50 amplifier has been widely commercially available and it produces 5 watts. Esoteric parts have copper, or optional silver transformers, Black Gate capacitors, etc.

 

LA Audio has this eye candy tubed preamplifier called the Pre-11 ($3,000) with 12dB of gain, 5 inputs, and frequency response from 5Hz to 80kHz. This hand wired, dual-mono design uses four 6SL7, two 6SN7, and two GZ34.

 

    

Bolzano Villetri had their Laurana large floorstanding loudspeaker is a two-way unit with 94dB/W/m sensitivity, 27Hz to 20kHz frequency response, and a very single-ended tube friendly design. There are four 6.5-inch poly midrange/woofers and four 1.25-inch soft dome tweeters.

 

Sounthsmith had, without a doubt, the 'far out man' grooviest cartridge. With over 35 years of experience, this prototype will come in three models. One will have an outboard preamplifier unit that shows with a meter the tracking force and force per groove wall. A tubed version and solid-state will be available. These units are battery operated. As for the light, the needle tracking the groove generates it! Frequency response is from 10Hz to 50kHz with only 10 degrees maximum of phase shift. The stylus is user replaceable. No pricing set at this time.

 

Pass Labs, known for their outstanding amplification, is once again releasing yet another loudspeaker. This time is it a three-way unit with Fostex tweeter, a Lowther-inch full range driver, and 15-inch subwoofer. Basically, now stay with me here, the woofer is self-powered with a built-in amplifier/crossover, the tweeter has a crossover but is amplified via whatever unit you use and is adjustable with the woofer, and the Lowther-ish full range driver is pure passive without any crossover. NOTE: Everything is subject to change as this is a prototype. Ok, you got that?

 

Click here for Saturday's coverage.