| August 08 - Gryphon Mikado - Gryphon Audio Designs' new Mikado Signature CD player combines a modified Philips CD-PRO2 transport with 32-bit/192kHz processing via four stereo DACs for a dual mono fully symmetrical balanced architecture with separate regulated power supplies to create optimal conditions for digital and analog circuits. Retail is 12,600 euros. |
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| August 08 - Rogue Apollo - Mark O'Brien continues to raid the Greek pantheon to name his components. "Boasting 250wpc, Rogue Audio's new flagship amplifier pair is ready to rock the audio industry. The Apollo's ability to reveal the finest musical details combined with seemingly unlimited dynamics mark this as a new benchmark in reference level amplifiers. Three pairs of KT88/KT90 output tubes are driven by a pair of 12AU7' and a 12AX7 input tube. The Apollo has both balanced (XLR) and two sets of RCA single-ended inputs. Weighing in at 100 pounds each, these amplifiers contain massive LCR type power supplies inside their exquisitely machined aluminum exteriors. Suggested retail price is $9,995/pair." |
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| August 08 - GMA - Green Mountain Audio completely overhauls its website design. |
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August 08 - Natty design - "NAT Audio's new Symbiosis Se Reference integrated amplifier design features:
- DC coupled circuit (without capacitors or inter-stage transformers im the signal path).
- hybrid pure single ended type (unique construction)
- 100W of pure class A (@4ohms and @ 8ohms, set on rear panel)
- zero feedback configuration
- dual mono with over 200,000uF/channel of capacity
- four (4) special designed chokes in power supply
- full stabilization for tube driver
- 6N23P-EV long life tube with input N.O.S. ECC85 for driver purposes
- custom designed power transformer of 1,400VA
- separate transformer for digital control
- full blue color dot-matrix display
- remote control made from two separated pieces of aluminum
- adaptive bias (to control degeneration of the output stage)
- WBT output terminals
- relay attenuation network for volume control
- all aluminum modulated chassis
- Unit weight is over 62Kg (over 137 lbs) & dimensions are 19“W x 11“H x 23“D
This is a single-ended design that uses two tubes per channel (over 10,000 hours of life) + four industrial grade hex-fet transistors without any capacitors or resistors or inter-stage transformers in the signal path.
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| August 08 - 15 years and going strong - Yamamoto Sound Craft of Japan celebrates its 15th business anniversary this month. Congratulations to Shikegi-San and his team! |
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| August 08 - Revised website - Allen Wright, founder and CEO of Vacuum State GmbH in Switzerland's Schaffhausen announces a complete revamp of his web presence. |
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| August 08 - Mystery feet - Ron Hedrick of Marigo Audio reports availability of his new Mystery Feet. "I have spent 2 years on this product's development and have done serious R&D creating and testing 120 prototype sets. The final product is exceptional." |
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August 08 - Vinyl blog'zine - "Big Black Disk launched its vinyl-specific website, covering news about the resurgence of vinyl records in popular culture as well as publishing reviews of new music being published to vinyl records. Calling itself a Blog'zine,Big Black Disk aims to combine elements of popular media together to create an interesting and informative site.
"Although audiophiles and record collectors have often been cited as the foundation for vinyl's new found life, the site is focused primarily on speaking to the younger vinyl set: college students and teens. "It would be a mistake to think that the older generation is the driving force behind vinyl's return," says Chris Sommovigo, BBD's founder. "Teens and college-age adults have always been the most significant factor in a music format's viability, and there's no mistaking that they are the driving force behind the resurgence." Sommovigo points to the variety of new records being released as evidence of the young demand: 'There is more new vinyl coming our from new bands and artists, indie labels and majors alike, than there has been in the past 10 years or more. And while I'm sure the reissue market is thriving, I'm thrilled to note that there are new releases from bands as small as Liquid Limbs to rock-establishment types like R.E.M. and Beck." |
"Sommovigo has made the case for vinyl records being the best value in music commerce, and his logic is difficult to argue with: "Let's just look at what you get in exchange for your investment -if you buy a vinyl record nowadays, you're usually given a companion CD with the entire album in digital form - or a coupon for a one-time download of the whole album as an MP3 compatible with your iPod. It's a 'eat your cake and have it, too' proposition. But if you spend your real money on virtual property, you have nothing but a file which loosely translates to an extended rental. You can't sell that file like you might be able to sell your record."
"Aside from the difference in sound, often noted as being warmer or more organic sounding, the record as collectible is one of the draws bringing CD-age listeners to the vinyl format. Noted are the easier to read liner notes and lyrics and the large format of the artwork, as well as the high quality sleeves - often gatefold - making the entire object desirable for collectible reasons. It's hard to argue the collectability point with vinyl afficionados, one look at eBay reveals records being sold for over $1,000 with fair regularity." |
| August 08 - Music Image - Proving that hi-end audio demoed in proper environs is still a practiced art, Ongky informs us that his new soundroom in Jakarta is open for business. |
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August 08 - Lumination - Joseph Cohen of Lotus Group USA: "We are proud to present to you the work of our good friend Bob Spence and his partner Johan van Zyl. Five years in the making, the Maxxhorn Lumination loudspeaker is the culmination of an exhaustive effort. While they had a clear concept of where they wanted to take this design from the beginning, to fulfill its ultimate promise they had to wait to discover the Feastrex driver.
"We presented Maxxhorn in one of our rooms at the Rocky Mountain show last year and were mightily impressed with their first iteration of the Lumination using the Feastrex D5nf driver. While at the show, Mr. Teramoto, the designer of Feastrex drivers, intuited that the D5 Monster Alnico driver might be better suited to their design. We traded out drivers at the show with spectacular results. Bob and Johan then worked with the driver over many months to fine tune the Lumination.
"The design that Johan settled on is best described as a tractrix flair with subtle tweaks. The forward-firing driver is mounted on the side of the horn, that is, not loaded at the beginning of the horn, but part way down, like a flute player blowing into a tone hole. The Lumination delivers effortless bass and high frequencies. In fact, the bass from this enclosure is far beyond what one would expect is remotely possible from a 5" driver. If I had to pin down what the MaxxHorn Lumination does better than anything else, it would be transparency. In the midrange, I haven't heard a more revealing speaker. It had the same quality as classic electrostatics, but without the power limitations, thereby revealing dynamics that stats can't." |
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August 08 - TopDog - From Olivier Mischon: "Dynatone is a high-end company located in Switzerland. After 3 years of R&D and 30 prototypes later, we are proud to introduce our new high-end/ultra-fi speaker - the TopDog. Our new offering is a two-way dipole/waveguide speaker with a 10" dual-cone wideband unit and an 18" woofer with a fully activated crossover and extremely high output and +100dB efficiency producing a flat 35Hz-21kHz listening experience. 1600cm2 of combined drivers surface easely accommodate output from real instruments and deliver an extremely realistic and lifelike presentation. The speakers are ideally suited for bi- and quad-amping. TopDog works extremely well with bi- or quad-amped 1-watt triode-amplifiers all the way up to 2kw monsters, thus being capable to make an SPL of 115dB or better at 0.12% averaged distortion. Distortion measurements at 90db/w/m drop below measurement threshold. Designed as high 4-ohm load, TopDog safely works together with every amplifier.
"Periodically we release free maintenance crossover data through our site that download with two mouseclicks to the system - keeping the TopDogs a safe investment that gets better and better over time. Hardware updates for TopDog will create an ever more efficient system over time as technology progresses. TopDogs are designed as an ecological product with low power requirements, ultra long product life, use of recycled high-quality materials and eco-harvested veneers and leathers. Chemically inert materials, wherever possible, make your living room a safer place to be." The TopDog, exclusive of shipping and handling, retails for USD 8.245/pr, Euro 5.549 or Swissfrancs 8.900. |
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| August 08 - Lotus Group additions - The Lotus Group announces that it now represents fo.Q, makers of highly advanced damping materials including Phone Art, a significant upgrade for ear buds and headphones; and Audio Replas, makers of highly sophisticated accessories for AC delivery, vibration control and analog devices. |
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August 08 - Aussie king - Australian custom loudspeaker specialist Aslan Acoustics has just released its flagship speaker. The state-of-the-art Reference 1 (R1) is a monolith that incorporates 3.2 kilowatts of amplification, high quality drivers, laptop-adjustable active digital crossovers/filters and equalisation, and potential for direct-digital input. This innovative design features design elements based on principal Andrew Ward’s thirty years of speaker-building experience.
Referred to as a “subwoofer and main system” single box design, the driver configuration includes a massive 15-incher directly driven by its own 1000 watt amplifier, handing over to a D’Appolito array based on flanking twin 10-inch drivers, twin 6.5-inch midrangers and the centrally-mounted outstanding Mundorf Air Motion tweeter. All drivers are mounted on a classy brushed aluminium-accented baffle and are contained within their own individual chambers. The digital equalisation is based on a 14-band parametric EQ per driver with crossover slopes up to 48dB per octave. EQ and crossover adjustments are conducted via direct laptop connection into USB inputs on the speakers’ rear panel.
The massive 275kg enclosure is sharply angled and tapered so as to aid dispersion and is a three-layer construction with an inner chassis encased in solid hardwood. Aslan Acoustics quotes a superb frequency response of 15Hz to 35KHz at a +/- 1.5dB.
Reportedly, during a brief audition, our reviewer Edgar Kramer was impressed by the system’s sheer brute force, overall accuracy and stunningly powerful bass. The R1 is made to order and is priced at AUD$79,995. |
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| August 08 - Undigitize - First there was copying CDs to black discs to improve the sound. Then came EAC. Then the absolute polarity pundit George Louis. Now there's Undigitize. What separates this new outfit is their pricing. A single CD treatment is $50 - which requires you send 'em your CD. And their site is loaded with legal disclaimers. See what you make of it. |
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| August 08 - Amadeus - Reader Martin forwarded a link to the Well Tempered UK importer's website to direct our attention at William Firebaugh's new table. Martin further said that "it now replaces all previous Well Tempered models and Bill considers it to be superior to any previous Well Tempered design. Having had some time to play with it, I think it's rather special. After the initial 'what... is... that' feelings have worn off, its design really starts to grow on you. Well, it did on me!" Check it out at Pear Audio's link. |
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| August 08 - Of the rack bespoke - Anything from Shale Audio Design is manufactured to order and specific requirements, meaning lead times of 2-8 weeks. The company works its equipment supports in real wood and employs inset resonance-absorbing custom slabs of constrained-layer materials. |
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| August 08 - Acuhorn updates - Wojciech Unterschuetz of Poland "would like to present the 96dB Acuhorn Nero 125 loudspeakers. This is a model from our Modern Music line. Its first version was granted Product of the Year 2004 Award in Poland. Today it is equipped with the latest iteration of our Acuhorn neodymium driver in newly acoustically reengineered enclosure with additional bass chambers sourced from its older sister, the Acuhorn Rosso Superiore 175". |
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August 08 - Feastrex - Joseph Cohen of The Lotus Group imports Feastrex drivers from Japan among other items. He reports: "New from Feastrex is the Nf 5ex Naturflux field coil driver. The Nf 5ex delivers all of the pristine glory and purity of its more expensive bretheren. The Naturflux spherical yoke was a groundbreaking innovation. Coupling it with Feastrex's field coil technology was a stroke of brilliance. The higher priced D5e Type II that I have been living with (very happily) delivers a bit more bass energy, however, the Nf 5ex ranks as one of the cleanest and purest drivers I have ever heard. What we have with Feastrex is an embarrassment of riches: Choose any of their drivers and you will have deep fulfillment. Each driver is like a living creature. Each has its own unique character and energy. The Nf 5ex is a thing of rare and subtle beauty.
The Feastrex Lineup includes:
D5nf 5" Naturflux in black or gold finish
D5 5" Monster Alnico
Nf 5ex 5" Naturflux Field Coil
D5e I 5" Field Coil Type I
D5e II 5" Field Coil Type II
D5e III 5" Field Coil Coil Type III
D9nf 9" Naturflux
D9 9" Monster Alnico
D9e I 9" Field Coil Coil Type I
D9e II 9" Field Coil Coil Type II
D9e III 9" Field Coil Coil Type III
PB-9 9" Passive Radiator
Available upgrades include machined phosphor bronze framework and Urushi Lacquer coating for framework and phase plug." |
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| August 08 - Peak Consult Dragon - "The Dragon boasts an extremely linear frequency response, on-axis as well as of-axis." This 3-way ported design uses 180Hz and 3750Hz crossover points and covers a frequency range of 18 - 45,000Hz -3dB in room. Impedance is said to be 5-ohm linear to 30Hz, with 94dB sensitivity. Dimensions are 57" x 15.4" x 27.6", and weight is a colossal 225kg ea. Drivers are a 1" ScanSpeak ring radiator, twin 6" Audiotechnology mids and dual 11" Audiotechnology woofers. Crossover parts are Dual Peak foil capacitors, silver carbon resistors and oiled/waxed Duelund Coherent inductors. |
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| August 08 - Cardersound in the US - "Nat Distribution is proud to announce that we are the new USA and Canadian distributor for Cardersound speakers." Following up this announcement, I took a look. Cardersound whose speaker enclosures are designed by Scott Lindgren of the UK, specializes in Fostex widebander designs which, cosmetically, recall the work of the late Terry Cain of Cain & Cain. Like him, they eschew MDF in favor of real wood enclosures; use wooden discs to mount the drivers in certain models; stepped transitions for inner corners; and wooden outriggers to broaden the footprint. |
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August 08 - CBM - Writes Peder Beckman, the US importer: "The Clearaudio Emotion Turntable is now available with CMB bearing. The Clearaudio CMB (Ceramic Magnetic Bearing) is a result of long-term research and development and based on a Clearaudio patent. Two aligned opposing magnetic fields are perfectly aligned one on top of the other, thereby rejecting each other. The magnetic fields are completely shielded from the outside through the careful application of very sophisticated materials. A high precision ceramic vertical axle fits perfectly into a bronze bearing. This perfect fit is essential and can only be achieved through the highest precision hand polishing. High-performance synthetic oil is used for lubrication. The combination of these carefully selected components produces the effect of the platter floating by itself on an air cushion, and not on a ball bearing or bearing point. The results of this magnetic bearing are one of the lowest frictions in turntable bearing design and until now, un-reached rumble measurements and an unbeatable new standard in speed accuracy.
The CMB as a upgrade kit for an existing Emotion turntable is $400 and as a complete Emotion CMB $1500 and Emotion Color $1700." |
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| August 08 - Wyetech Labs rustles - "There's definitely something rustling behind your curtain." (Max to Adolf in the movie Max.) The same is true for Roger Hebert of Wyetech who has been quietly working on his Ruby statement monos. While not ready yet, he's a lot closer - and shared that they'll use 4 x 211s or 300Bs per side in a unique parallel/series single-ended configuration "never attempted before to my knowledge". A 5687 voltage gain stage and 12B4 triode driver stage will be common to both models and as final specs and photos become available, we will update this listing. |
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| August 08 - Phono - Audia Flight, manufacturer of high-end solid-state electronics is pleased to announce the introduction of its newest member in the lineup called Phono with 77dB gain and 16-step each MC & MM selectable impedance with one more input for custom impendance. MC impedance ranges from 6,9 to 47000 ohm, MM impedance is selectable from 47 to 597pF. The user can order one MC input and one MM input, two MC inputs or two MM inputs. RIAA is passive and the phono stage is fully active sans step-up transformer, with an external twin transformer power supply. Analog outputs are RCA and XLR, MSRP is $6,100. |
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| August 08 - From Blue to Black - Explains the US importer that the Italian BlueNote brand name is now split up into 'GoldeNote' (all the classic BlueNote products) and 'BlackNote' which is the new brand name under which they are developing some very interesting digital-only products. The new CDP300 is a 6922-based CD player which outperforms the Stibbert Tube". There are also flash-memory "digital static source" players with 15 and 30GB storage to eliminate transport-based jitter issues and read errors; 32-bit AKM-based DACs; "Natural Speed" transports which slow down digital transport speeds to near analog turntable specs; and more. |
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| August 08 - Croatian cables - Reader Nenad Grakalic points us at Sumic Audio and the hand-made cables fabricated there for the last eight years by engineer Damic Sumic. "All our cables use a spiral geometry and ultra-short crystal silver conductors of dissimilar diameters that have been heat treated and then polished. Larger Teflon tubes create a mostly air-dielectric environment while shielding protects the signal against HF contamination. We use WBT silver solder for terminations of WBT and Audioquest plugs and connectors." |
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| August 08 - Cheap 'n' cheerful - And small. That's the recipe for class D integrateds. Add the 50 EU Kama Bay. For once it's not a Tripath-based design but relies on the YDA138 D-3 chip by Yamaha. With dimensions of 152 x 113 x 41mm (WxHxD), a colossal 480 grams and 10wpc, the Kama Bay is aimed at PCs but the maker also means to see it used in serious Hifi applications. Standard trim includes gold-plated RCA sockets, speaker terminals, a swappable fascia (black or silver) and a matching power supply. |
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| August 08 - Valve Audio whispers -"Great news! The first batch of Valve Audio Whisper RIAA phono preamplifiers rolled off the (hand) production line. Their new owners are very much impressed with the long awaited product being finally a reality - it has been more that 13 years in development. Features include: hybrid preamp stages; front panel cartridge loading at the touch of a button; top model features both MM and MC stages on a single chassis, each channel fully independent from the next both electrically and mechanically; oversized, regulated power supply unit; rugged construction with standard 19" front-panel width; top quality components, top quality craftsmanship; each unit assembled by hand with most parts also individually hand-made or finished." - Dewald Visser (I am not affiliated with Valve Audio in a commercial manner. I am a very pleased customer.) |
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| July 08 - Stereo gets knighted? - That'd be Stereo Knight, a new brand by James Zhang, former partner of US Melody importer Mingus Chu. James tells us that Stereo Knight isn't an OEM brand but out of his very own mainland China factory. The first products are a 40wpc stereo amp, 70-watt dual-differential KT88/6550 monos and a TVC passive. The monos shown retail for $3,850 the pair and use a transformer to generate the push/pull counter phase. |
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| July 08 - Whiny cables? - Not if Red Wine Audio has anything to say about it. Vinnie Rossi's new cables come in one flavor rather than good, better, best - just best he'd say, for his electronics naturally but suitable of course also for others. Manufactured by Ken Ball of ALO Cables for RWA, there's a gold-plated solid-silver interconnect with copper returns, cotton sleeving and Eichmann Bullets; and an all-copper speaker cable with Vampire bananas. Various lengths are available, pricing starts at $450/600/pr for the IC and speaker cable respectively. Need we add that the color of either cable sleeving is red? (If you want green, start your own company and call it Green Wine Audio.) |
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| July 08 - Bellinissima - Now Red Wine Audio has amps, a preamp with optional built-in DAC and headphone module and the same converter module of the Isabella preamp as a stand-alone digital-to-analog 3-input converter called the Isabellina [$2,500], a non up/over or undersampling design. Plus the above cables. And, Mr. Rossi warns of yet another exciting announcement to come down the pike soon. Hello? Will he come out with a digital server next seeing that the USB-driven MacBook is about as trick as it gets on that count? Our oracle says, not. Instead, we think loudspeakers. With a MacBook source, this would make for a complete front-to-back off-the-grid compact system voiced as a system. How will the cookie really crumble though? Not the faintest. We're just putting out an ambitious idea. Because talking ideas is so much easier than executing them... |
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| July 08 - Oehlbach XXL Powersocket 808 - This German power strip offers eight receptacles, four unfiltered, four HF-filtered for digital appliances. The casing is metal, the power outlets are ceramic with 2.5mm² copper contacts and wiring. There's a power mains switch, built-in phase indicator and overload protection. Pricing is 299 euros. |
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| July 08 - Soulution CD 740 - This Swiss CD player separates out three power supplies (one for the transport, one for the digital circuits and one for the analog circuits) into a second chassis for a dirty/clean box approach. At 29,500 euros, this is a statement effort with RCA and XLR analog outputs, 4 digital in- and outputs each, an external clock link, a transport sub-chassis, 24-bit/352.8kHz upsampling and an output stage borrowed from Soulution's 720 preamp. |
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July 08 - Acapella News - A manufacturer known for designing and building loudspeakers utilizing a patented ion plasma tweeter has introduced a new version of its Violon loudspeaker.
"The new Violon & High Violon MKIV have remained unchanged on the outside. All the improvements have been made on the inside which include new and improved larger woofers, updated crossover, internal cabinet modifications and advanced tuning techniques."
These speakers are currently on display in Parker, Colorado. A second pair is available for audition in Redwood City, California (auditions by appointment).
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| July 08 - This Teo isn't your uncle - "Kingston, Ontario-based Teo Audio has announced its new Liquid Cable line is now complete, with both single-ended and balanced interconnects and speaker cable available. Hailed as the first truly revolutionary idea in high-end audio cabling in decades, Teo Audio employs patent-pending liquid metal conductors; breaking down previously encountered barriers to electromagnetic signal transmission. Their proprietary liquid metal alloy, along with production processes distilled from years of research and development, are praised for their ability to vividly render both timbre and dynamic contrasts. Worldwide distribution is managed through Teo Audio Distribution in Austin, TX, USA." |
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July 08 - Stumble over new tunes - "StumbleAudio is a social music discovery site with a mission to help you find music by new and exciting artists that you would like, rather than play or sell you the hits by known artists that you are expected to love.
"Our catalog has over 2,000,000 tracks by over 120,000 artists ready to be played in full length, high quality, free of charge. StumbleAudio started to build its recommendation engine by importing massive anonymous data of saved favorites, music preferences and buying patterns from several online download and actual music CD stores. As you use StumbleAudio the system learns from your thumbs up and thumbs down and constantly adjusts the music offered to your liking. |
"We are committed to making our recommendation engine more accurate and relevant as we collect more real use data. We will also soon have various social network applications and widgets to share you music discoveries with your friends on Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and others.
"P.S. And, yes, artists do get paid when their songs are played on StumbleAudio." |
| July 08 - Coil that field - Reader Russell Dawkins discovers for us this site on field-coil manufacture dubbed, fittingly, field-coil.com. If you thought this approach to driver magnetics quaint and passe, not so. Since the industry is always looking for a new thing to package, perhaps this vintage technology is simply waiting in the wings to be rediscovered and marketed again? Be that as it may, Atelier Rullit is doing it now, with exotica like a 15" widebander with leather surround, 100dB voltage sensitivity, a hybrid celluluse/balsa diaphgragm and wooden spider. |
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July 08 - Jungson Audio - "Grant Fidelity has officially become the exclusive distributor for Jungson Audio's tube audio line of products and cabling in North America. Grant Fidelity is a Western Canada based business specialized in providing hi-fidelity tube audio at affordable prices through a network of dealers, demonstrators and direct sales to those outside the range of a dealer. Grant Fidelity is headed by Ian Grant, a lifetime audiophile, engineer and music lover; and business partner Rachel Zhang, who is born in China but educated in Canada.
"Jungson Audio is one of the leading Chinese high-end audio manufacturers who is renowned for providing OEM services to many top international brands for the past 15 years. Jungson has its own design team and manufacturing facility in Southern China. The name of Jungson is the sonic translation of their corresponding Chinese brand - it means "the spirit of ancient bells". The bell has been used as musical instrument in ancient China since 2100 BC (yes, BC) and it represents the highest musicality. In the past, Jungson's products have been showcased at many international audio tradeshows such as CES and were well reviewed in Europe, Australia and by customers worldwide. However, Jungson hasn't been very successful in tapping the North American market because of language barrier and limited understanding of North America audio supply chain.
"After initial contacts, factory visits in July 2007 and nearly 12 months market research and product testing, Grant Fidelity has won the exclusive distributorship right from Jungson to carry its full line of tube audio and cabling products. The exclusive distributorship will allow Jungson tube products to be priced consistently and distributed only through authorized channel along with a real North America warranty. |
"Accessing factory warranties of Chinese-made products has been a huge issue for North American consumers. In the past few years, many non-export versions of Chinese tube audio products (sometimes with cheaper parts) have flooded into North America through un-authorized sellers in and outside of China for quick profit. Such products do not have any factory warranty at all although the sellers often claim so. To differentiate the authentic products from those via grey market, all Jungson tube products and cabling will be sold under the "Grant Fidelity" brand only.
"Through Grant Fidelity's thorough understanding of North American audio market, Jungson high end tube audio and cabling products will be available to North American consumers at affordable prices. The flagship product just launched under the distributorship is Grant Fidelity Reference KT-88 integrated tube amp - we fondly call it RITA (reference integrated tube amp). MSRP is set at $5,299 but special introductory pricing is available. Grant Fidelity is now actively recruiting store-front retailers as well as home-based demonstrators throughout North America."
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July 08 - HeadRoom Workstation - "Audio enthusiasts who sit in front of a computer all day and yearn for a high quality listening experience should turn off their computer speakers and listen to this," reads the press release. "HeadRoom Corporation (a Bozeman Montana based firm) has recently redefined high-end computer workstation listening with the introduction of their Audiophile Desktop System. Many options are available, but the basic system consists of: a headphone amp/pre-amp to switch between input signals and adjust the volume; a power amp/s to drive the speakers; speaker stands which properly position speakers at ear height and on axis, and the speakers themselves which can be selected and purchased either through HeadRoom or at your local audio dealer.
"The HeadRoom Desktop Headphone Amp is the center of the system and provides all the switching between input signals and volume control. The volume controlled preamp output on the rear of the headphone amp is sent to one of three HeadRoom Desktop Power Amps available: a 50wpc Desktop stereo amp; a pair of 170-watt monoamplifiers; and a pair of 50wpc Desktop Bi-Amps for speakers that are capable of bi-amplification. All the electronic gear can conveniently mount inside the speaker stands ensuring the desk is a clutter-free as it is good sounding. A few pre-configured packaged systems are available; call for personalized configuration and package discount." |
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| July 08 - Trendy: Trends Audio launches its UD-10.1 Lite USB converter for a pre-order price of US$79 (retail US$99) with a shipping date around August 5, 08. "It was shaking up the hifi market when we released the Trends UD-10 USB DAC in 2006. It was the first component specifically designed to transform your PC/Mac into a high-resolution audio media server at an affordable price," said David Ho, marketing director of Trends Audio."Our new Trends UD-10.1 Lite USB delivers bit-perfect digital audio signal via 2 digital outputs (optical and RCA coaxial). Trends' UD-10.1 Lite uses a 3.5mm analogue output to connect directly to the amplifier and also offers a headphone output." |
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July 08 - Mhi: From Ed Kojima: "I've developed my own speaker brand at the end of last year and been selling the system in the US and Japan. The name of the brand is mhi (musical heart instruments), and the first product is a small two-way. The brand concept is "compact, high performance and affordable." I used to work for an audio/video company for a long time. I did product planning and design for TVs and speakers up to $60,000. However, I think none of those products were really that desirable. That is why I decided to produce my own brand.
"For more than 10 years I have been using tube amps but most small speaker systems are low sensitivity with a 2-3kHz xover. Those are not good matches for tube amps, especially SETs. My Evidence is the answer for that - 90dB, one 4.5" Mogami paper-cone widebander reproduces the whole range from 65Hz to 10kHz, with the treble augmented by a ribbon tweeterout to 120kHz."
Ed Kojima
Musical Heart Instruments
1235 Countess Drive Corona, CA 92882
Phone 951-898-1121
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| July 08 - Synthetic marble speakers: JR Geoffrion alerts us to Mark & Daniel's dedicated US site which just went live. 6moons readers won't need an introduction to this brand so we'll send you straight over to check out the above link... |
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| July 08 - White or pink - just noiz: M&H forwarded this link to "the best free white noise generator on the Internet". If you work in an office, Chatter Blocker promises help from surrounding din. Mac user can get their noise fix here. |
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July 08 - Point 'n' shoot: Poinz, short for Poindexter of AudioTropic in Hawaii, gets - um, big points for upgrading the aesthetics of his classic Music Machine integrated and Moebius preamp, the latter a favorite with the late Terry Cain of Cain & Cain. There's radiused wooden corners, 10-layer wood finishing, clear-coated floating metal tops and bottoms for improved air flow, fancy powder-coated transformer covers, a new inset master control and top-line connectors around back. The newly designed website bares all - including optionally available, John Chapman of Bent Audio designed premium remote volume control for both pieces now. The 4-5wpc triode-connected Music Machine runs on 6V6s with 6GK5 drivers and is available with valve or transistor rectification (the designer prefers the latter). Base pricing is $3,990 for the Music Machine, $1,990 for the Moebius with new 6T4s over the previous 6AQ5s. Custom options carry a surcharge of course.
For the real men and women of course who don't give a shit about cosmetics and conveniences and insist that performance is all that matters, Poinz has also upgraded sonics with top-line Silk transformers with lower DC resistance on the secondary and 10% higher power delivery, new coupling caps, circuit refinements, no-microphony tubes and more. Someone's been busy in paradise... |
 
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| July 08 - Liveline out, get rescued: Since Franck Tchang of Acoustic System International runs no website, he requested that we inform our readers that yes, his new Liveline interconnects in both RCA and XLR termination are in full production and shipping now. |
Marja & Henk on staff visited Franck's headquarters in Paris last weekend for the real deep-throat stuff and Laurent Thorin took delivery of a few pairs for the French magazine he edits. I predict word on this stuff will spread rapidly. The first informal review on the Hong Kong AudioExotics site is out already. |
July 08 - Spendor invades US: Bluebird Music is pleased to announce it has been appointed North American distributor for Spendor loudspeakers effective immediately. Spendor is one of England's most accomplished manufacturers of high quality loudspeakers, and is well known for their innovative pioneering work with the BBC.
According to Jay Rein, president of Bluebird Music, "What makes Spendor unique is their experience and commitment to design and engineering excellence. As one of the few companies which manufactures their own drive units, Spendor enjoys many competitive advantages. Spendor has also developed an innovative cabinet design which allows their relatively modest enclosures to effectively eliminate the problems assosiated with cabinet resonance. With their unique drive units and cabinet technology, Spendor speakers are capable of a performance normally only achievable by speakers using very exotic materials and costing many times the price." |
Spendor will be sold through a limited network of highly skilled Authorized retailers. Bluebird is looking for specialist, value added retailers who care about great sound, who are willing to make the effort to properly present high quality audio products such as Spendor, and who need a high quality, exclusive line they can add value to. Bluebird Music will be stocking the full range of Spendor speakers, including the recently updated Classic R series, in the US. |
July 08 - Micro horniness: My inbox showed this surprise announcement: "Hi Editor, we are a small speaker manufacturer in China/Hong Kong. We have recently developed a series of front-loaded wood horn speakers using proprietary 3" drivers. The drivers are patented units not available for the open market.
- The front-loaded horn are constructed from bonded plywood layers milled to form the shape
- Back-loaded horns are constructed from layered plywood compacted together.
- The big front-loaded horn system consist of a 3" wide bander for the horn, a supertweeter and a back-loaded horn on the 3" driver to augment its bass drive.
- The bookshelf monitor is another fullranger with a rear-loaded horn using the same 3" driver.
Please let us know if you are interested in testing the above speakers so that we can arrange samples. Andy Yeung."
Sure I said yes and no, a website is currently still under construction. However, others curious enough to investigate this project further can use the above e-mail link to contact Andy Yeung already. Let no one say we keep this kind of stuff to ourselves.
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| July 08 - You diffuse me, baby: Reader Angelo points us at the Thomas Labusga site for its outrageously sculptural sonic diffusors done up in a variety of designer finishes. |
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| July 08 - Jarek Waszczyszyn's latest: Ancient Audio's new SingleSix monos [EU 10,000/pr] utilize the Russian 6C33C triode made popular by BAT and Lamm. Operated in class A single-ended mode for a rated 18wpc into 8/4 ohms, the twinned driver tubes are NOS E88CCs. Input sensitivity is 900mV , full-power bandwidth 10Hz to 70kHz. Coupling caps are V-Cap Teflon tinfoils while internal hookup wiring is silver ribbon in Teflon insulation. Bias stabilization is automated, output transformers are double C cores and the chassis is Ancient's signature granite sandwich with intermediary damping layer. |
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| July 08 - Get ripped: Jon Nelson reports that "the AVA RS3 is a Network Attached Storage device with built in CD ripper. The unit is designed to be on 24/7 serving digital audio through out the home. The unit is 'headless' - no keyboard, mouse or keyboard is required. The unit is based on a Microsoft Windows Home Server and has a pedigree automated ripping engine built in. Simply insert the CD in the AVA RS3 and the rest of the ripping and tagging is done for you. The AVA RS3 uses AMG, MusicBrainz and freedb to achieve accurate title and track information including album art. The AVA RS3 automatically rips each CD into two formats: lossless (FLAC for example) for high quality playback and MP3 for mobile devices. The AVA RS3 is a perfect match for Sonos, Logitech, Linn and other digital music players. The AVA RS3 is pre-configured with a number of music servers including: TwonkyMedia, SqueezeCenter, (SlimServer), iTunes Server, DNLA." |
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July 08 - Who is your daddy? - Bill McKiegan of Krell Industries "wanted to make sure you knew we have begun shipping our new Papa Dock iPod power amplifier, a dedicated power amplifier for the Krell KID iPod dock."
The press release explains: "Externally simplistic but internally advanced, the Papa Dock circuitry follows an award winning Krell recipe – great power and refined circuitry. Featuring a massive 450-watt, 40,000 microfarad power supply, the Papa Dock is engineered to drive virtually any speaker to realistic listening levels. Balanced circuitry in the KID Krell Interface Dock delivers music to the Papa Dock via a custom connecting link, which then feeds signal to the Papa Dock output stages. Physically isolated from each other, the left and right channels incorporate discrete, direct-coupled topology, twelve high current output devices and terminate in WBT speaker connectors. Automatically responding to the insertion of an iPod, the KID powers on the Papa Dock with the reverse being true when an iPod is removed. Suggested retail price for the KID is $1,500, for the Papa Dock $2,500." |
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July 08 - Canton Chrono - "Canton, Germany's largest loudspeaker brand, has expanded its Chrono line of value-oriented high-performance loudspeakers with two new models, the three-way Chrono 511 DC tower and the compact Chrono 501 on-wall speaker. The new models become the largest and smallest models in the lineup, which now consists of six full-range models and a powered subwoofer.
"The Canton Chrono 511 DC is a three-way bass reflex floorstanding model with two 9-inch Aluminum cone woofers, and a remarkably detailed 7-inch aluminum midrange. At just under four feet tall, it is the largest model in the line, and has an extremely linear and solid bass response that extends all the way to 20Hz. It also features Canton's exclusive DC technology, which uses a proprietary high-pass filter to eliminate signals below the audible frequency range, which can otherwise generate high levels of unwanted harmonic distortion in the audible lower bass range. DC technology allows the speaker to provide clear, linear bass reproduction at much lower frequencies than could be attained with conventional crossover designs.
"The Canton Chrono 501 is a compact 2-way sealed enclosure speaker designed for on-wall mounting, making it ideal for use in the surround channels of a home theater system, or as high-performance architectural model when in-wall designs are undesirable. It features a 6-inch aluminum bass driver, and is capable of surprisingly powerful midrange and bass response that extends as low as 40Hz." |
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| July 08 - Onkyo Blu-ray player - "Onkyo Corporation has announced that it will release its first Blu-ray Disc Player for the international market in late 2008. This player is designed to partner with Onkyo's high-definition A/V receivers equipped with full HDMI processing of 1080p video and decoding of Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound formats." |
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| July 08 - New DNA speakers - "Donald North Audio (DNA) introduces new Studio model loudspeaker. Inspired by their Sequence model, the DNA Studio is 93dB sensitive, making it compatible with lower power tube amplifiers including single ended triodes. Equally notable is its custom 12-inch woofer operating in dipole mode, self powered by an internal 180W amplifier. Dipole operation energizes the listening room's standing waves less to yield more natural and effortless sounding bass. Particular attention has also been paid on the arrangement of the dual 5.75 inch Nomex paper cone midbasses and horn-loaded 1 inch fabric dome tweeter. The trio are time aligned and configured to reduce coloration caused by early room reflections. Frequency range is 38 - 18kHz with dimensions of 30.5" H x 15.5" W x 11.25" D. Housed in a carefully braced and damped cabinet, the speakers are finished in natural cherry hardwood and veneer and retail for $12,000/or including custom stands. They will make their public debut on July 13th at Acoustic Image to the Los Angeles/Orange County Audio Society, being co-featured with Yarlung Records classical music." |
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| July 08 - Cable Isolators - Ryan of Cable Isolators reports a redesign of their cable lifts: "Designed from expensive Electro Static Dissipative polyurethane, ESD Cable Isolators are easy to setup and effective in any hi-fi system. Each ESD Cable Isolator measures 4" x 4" x 2" (HxWxD). The semicircular cradle on top is 3" wide by 1.375" deep which will accommodate even the largest of cables. Our introductory price is $99.95 per set of 12." |
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| July 08 - T for Teflon - John McDonald of Audience announces the T versions for his power conditioner lineup which upgrades their standard filter caps with the newest Audience Teflon capacitors. Like the standard aR conditioners, these new products are offered in six and twelve outlet systems, with retails of $4,600 and $8,000 in black or plain satin anodized aluminum. |
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| July 08 - X for Xandra - Holfi of Denmark introduces the Xandra MP universal player with battery powered linear power supply. The machine is compatible with CD, SACD and DVD-V in stereo and multi-channel applications. A virtual center speaker VCS function promises multi-channel sound without center speaker. Technical data include dimensions of 45.5 x 8.0 x 33cm W x H x D; weight of 9kg; power consumption of 25W with 5W standby; audio outputs for stereo and 5.1 surround; coax digital out; video outputs in RCA, Prg.sc. comp. RCA, DVI; bandwidth of 1Hz to 50 KHz + 0/- 0.5 dB; THD of < 0,008%; output level of 2 Vrms; output impedance of 220 Ohms; and recommended load of 800 Ohms or higher. |
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July 08 - Artemis Labs TT - Sean Ta of Aydn, exclusive distributor of Artemis Labs in the US, shares "a few details about our Artemis Labs SA-1 turntable, designed by Mr. Frank Schroder in Berlin. Retail is $7,800 without tonearm. The table is produce here by Artemis Labs in Southern California. The development of this turntable stems from Mr. Frank Schroder's years of experience in the field of reproduction of vinyl records. Some of the features that set this turntable apart from other designs past and present are:
"The 15Lbs platter anodized aircraft grade aluminum, turned to an extremely tight tolerance in all directions. The platter's thickness is maintain from center to the outer rim to avoid variations in the mechanical impedance "seen" by the cartridge. Platter damped with proprietary paper/felt inlay, allowing for the use of different platter-record interfaces. The massive, 3Lbs bearing is of the non-inverted type, utilizing a large diameter, case hardened spindle and unusually long self lubricating phosphor bronze bushings. The clearance is kept very small but the defined surface "roughness" of the spindle maintains an extremely stable oil film and creates drag at the same time. This turntable is driven by an extremely high quality Swiss DC motor for a combination of high torque and smooth rotation, transfering power via 1/4" magnetic tape to the outer rim of the platter. Unlike other turntables featuring a form of tape or belt drive, the tape is routed past a tensioning lever/pulley to reduce both slippage to zero and minimize the side thrust on the platter greatly. Residual motor vibrations cannot reach the platter directly, but are absorbed by the suspended pulley.
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"To maintain absolute speed, there is no sensor-based feedback loop, instead the current drawn by the motor is monitored and kept steady through a clever feed -orward circuit designed by Mr. John Atwood. Wow and flutter is well below audibility, certainly on par with the best direct drive designs. The turntable can be set to both 33 rpm and 45 rpm, both individually adjustable via set screws in the power supply." |
| July 08 - RITA - Grant Fidelity's Sino-sourced $5,299 Reference Integrated Amplifier weighs in at 90 lbs and claims 15 years of experience building hifi equipment behind it. "Custom hand-wound, highest quality, high tolerance chokes; power and output transformers ensure that Rita has the right amount of power on instantaneous call for low noise and high dynamics. A custom 30 point digital stepped volume ensures that all your music is not getting lost in your volume control. Rita even remembers what volume you left her at. The hand carved remote is a pleasure. Point to Point hand wired circuitry with excellent quality capacitors and resistors allow for the high bandwidth, low distortion character of Rita. She performs like solid state, with high and proper dampening control and speed for low frequencies, but with that special sound we love about tubes."
Specifications include:
Power: 45W/ch Class A UL (450w/ch pp max)
THD: ≤1% (1 kHz/1W)
S/N ratio: ≥ 95dB
Frequency response: 18 Hz - 38 kHz
Input impedance: 100kΩ
Output impedance: 4-8Ω
Voltage: 120v ± 10 %
Size (LxWxH): 22×18×13.5”
Weight: 90 lb.
Class A, balanced and non-negative feedback tube circuits
Valves: EH KT-88 x 4 and EH 6SN7 X 2, Sovtek 6SL7 X 2
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