High-End Audiophile
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Gear Reviews, News, Show Reports, And More!
Celebrating 28 Years Of Service To Music Lovers
The Chester Group's New York Audio
Show 2013 -- Sunday
Astell&Kern
is perhaps the world's best portable music player, yet is only $699. So that actually leaves you $300 for a set
of headphones and then you're all set. Welcome to the wonderful world of high-quality
music-on-the-go, which can be all yours for well under $1000.
DSPeaker
Anti-Mode ($395) is an automatic subwoofer correction unit made in Finland. If
you have deep bass problems in your system you should check this out!
Aura Vivid CD player/DAC ($1000) just makes it in this
list. Oh wait, I just looked online and it is really $1256 (Amazon.com). Hmmm,
the room rep said $1000 so go ahead and ask them to sell it to you for $1000.
They said it was $1000 to me, so it should be $1000 to you, too.
Stello U3 24-bit/192kHz upsampler ($600) has a USB 2.0 input
and AES/EBU and S/PDIF output. The outputs are Galvanic Isolated and there is
a Lock indicator LED on the front panel.
Meridian Explorer USB 2.0 DAC ($299) follows in the line of
all the other super small USB DACS that replace your computer's soundcard. Of
course it easily can playback iTunes, Spotify, YouTube or high resolution
music files.
Looks like everyone is working instead of being lazy and
hanging out in the press room. Rumor is that on Friday a few guys were just
dilly dallying in the press room instead of working. For the official record,
I never used the press room, wasn't there, didn't see anything, and
you can't prove a thing officer. Besides, there are too many great items to
hear, see and report on at the
New York Audio Show 2013 to just be sitting about doing not much of anything.
Audeze
LCD-2 headphones ($995). You know ‘em, you've read the reviews, and yes
they are remarkable!
SoundStageDirect
had an enthusiastic young lady promoting Steve Garvey of the Buzzcocks shindig.
Enjoy the Music.com reviewer Ron Nagle chimes
in and says "If you mention a best sound at the New York show I elect room 1121 Beauty of Sound & Laufer Teknik. Especially the Italian Leonardo Model 8 Ribbon-Planar Speakers ($65,000 per pair) They were driven by a single TubeGuru "The Mig" 6C33C SET amplifier @ 14wpc. $9500 and TubeGuru "Reference" 5 input phono stage with ECC808 tubes @ $5400. Front-end was the
Tourbillion turntable $15,450 and Ikeda Labs KAI MC cartridge @ $9,500." Thanks
Ron!
Well, that just about wraps up my report, kinda sorta. As
always, I did take a few moments to capture the sights of New York City and all the great things this
city that never sleeps has to offer. As a Brooklyn boy, this place always gets
my creative juices flowing. Another added
benefit, how about a variety of free
music on the streets (ok, I do tip the great talented musicians a fiver). So below are a few
camera pics during my very brief
moments exploring the Big City. FYI: The night photo is the view from the
hotel room.
I'd like to thank everyone at the Chester Group for
putting on such a great show! Everyone seemed very happy and the foot traffic
was quite good. One thing I have noticed at shows recently is the quality
of attendees is up and the time sucking lookey-loos grabbing-literature-and-go
guys are down. Also, am hearing less 'audiophile' music and more tunes I'd actually want to jam to on the drums. This is a very good thing IMHO! Of
course nearly every front-end manufacture had a new DAC. A reviewer could
spend two years just trying to review 10% of the new DACs out in 2013.
Turntables... they're not just
for breakfast anymore as many rooms were spinning that Black Magic. Lessee,
what else? Hmmm... I really did visit every room today to ask if they had
something under $1000 and the above are the results.
My feet hurt, my back is a bit sore and legs a tad
wobbly, yet not sure if that is due to walking the show or some other
activity. Whatever the case, am wrapping up my New York Audio Show 2013 report
and going to take my lovely Zumba and Body Pump loving wife Heather out to whatever fine restaurant she'd like to dine in. Ladies choice! After all,
when the show is done you are right here in New York f---in' city baby!!! As
always, in the end what really matters is that you...
High-End Audiophile
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