CES 2013

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CES 2013
Sennheiser Momentum
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 10, 2013  |  0 comments
With all the headphone options out there, it might be hard to find the one that’s right for you. If quality, rather than superficial associations with aging rock bands, is what you want, one outstanding option would be Sennheiser—a company that’s been perfecting the art of headphones even longer than Motorhead’s been playing “Ace of Spades.”

And that's a long time.

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CES 2013
Motorheadphones!
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 10, 2013  |  4 comments
It seems like everyone and their grandma is releasing a headphone these days. If you’ve got a brand (or a band), you might as well add a line of headphones. One of the latest to join the trend is the English rock band, Motorhead, famous for their jukebox wonder, “Ace of Spades.” Lead singer, Lemmy, was on hand to introduce his Motorheadphones. (Hee hee.)
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CES 2013
Musical Surroundings MYDAC II Digital Analog Converter
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  0 comments
Mike Yee (shown here holding his DAC) has been working for the past several years on a unique approach to DAC design. He has invented a technique (for which he has applied for a patent) he calls MODR or Musically Optimized Digital Reconstruction.

Yee uses an FPGA (field programmable gate array) to intercept the digital signal as it comes into the DAC. The FPGA provides a proprietary "pre-emphasis" conditioning of the signal before the DAC chip to "remove the DAC's effect on quantization error." After the DAC chip, an analog stage provides de-emphasis prior to output.

There are SPDIF and Toslink 24/192 inputs as well as a 16/48 USB port. On the front are LEDs to indicate the sample rate. Introductory price is $1,000

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CES 2013
Meridian Media Source 200
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  0 comments
Meridian's Bob Stuart is holding the recently introduced Media Source 200 which allows current Meridian Digital Media System (Sooloos) owners to add another zone to their system for $1,000. As with other components in the MDMS line, the Media Source 200 includes Meridian's apodising upsamping filter.

There is an ethernet jack on the rear to connect to the network and then a combination analog/digital jack so you can connect the Media Source 200 via stereo analog cable or optical SPDIF. There is also a SpeakerLink output for connecting directly to Meridian DSP loudspeakers.

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CES 2013
EMM Labs TSDX CD/SACD Transport
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  0 comments
EMM's new transport sports an Esoteric drive and is intended to mate with the company's DAC2X DAC. Retail price is $17,000 or $30,000 when bought together with the DAC2x. When the two are connected, "CDs and SACDs are automatically upsamples to 5.6 MHz, which is double SACD's standard sampling rate." There is an optical out for DSD and AES/EBU for PCM (from CD or SACD).
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CES 2013
McIntosh D100 Digital Preamplifier
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  2 comments
McIntosh had their new D100 digital preamplifier on hand with five digital inputs (each with their own DAC according to the company's Marc Lamb) and remote controlled volume. The preamp/DAC has been optimized to work with headphones and will retail for $2,500.
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CES 2013
Jiverson Candy
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  2 comments
"I had no idea the day was going to start like this," exclaimed a jovial Jiverson.
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CES 2013
Affordable Amplification from Cambridge Audio
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 09, 2013  |  2 comments
Cambridge Audio’s good-looking Azur 351A integrated amplifier ($599) is rated to deliver 45Wpc into 8 ohms, has a front-panel iPod input, headphone jack, balance and tone controls, and a handy USB input mated to an onboard Burr-Brown DAC so you can connect your computer and get better performance out of your music files.

Also new to the line are the 75Wpc Azur 651A ($799) and 120Wpc Azur 851A.

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CES 2013
Micromega MyZic and Focal Spirit One
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  0 comments
The track was “Common Exchange” from Emika’s awesomely sensuous, dark, and alluring self-titled debut.
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CES 2013
Audioengine A2+ desktop loudspeaker
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  7 comments
Audioengine’s A2+ will offer several attractive upgrades over the original A2.
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CES 2013
Rogue Audio Sphinx
Stephen Mejias  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  5 comments
At $1295, Rogue Audio’s latest hybrid integrated amplifier is also the company’s most affordable amplifier. Don’t you love that? I do. The Sphinx is rated to deliver 100Wpc into 8 ohms; looks tough; has a phono stage, headphone amp, and an optional remote; and is handmade in Pennsylvania, USA.
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CES 2013
Antelope Rubicon Atomic AD/DA Preamp
Jon Iverson  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  0 comments
I was looking forward to seeing Antelope's recently announced Rubicon Atomic AD/DA Preamp at CES, but so is the company. At the time I visited the room, DHL still hadn't found and delivered it, so we have Director of Sales and Marketing Marcel James standing next to the poster.
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CES 2013
Stereophile's Products of 2012 Awards
John Atkinson  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  3 comments
The first morning of CES is traditionally when we present the awards for our Products of the Year. 15 minutes before the 2013 Show started, here are the awards, awaiting the 2012 awardees.
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CES 2013
Cabasse Teams up with Teac-Esoteric
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  0 comments
After a few years absence from the U.S. market, France's oldest loudspeaker company, Cabasse, has signed a distribution agreement with Esoteric and Teac. In the next few months, many of Teac-Esoteric's 125 US dealers will begin distributing the Cabasse line.
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CES 2013
Sennheiser's Kilobuck Earbuds
Robert Deutsch  |  Jan 08, 2013  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2013  |  1 comments
Although most of the products on display at CES Unveiled were not in the audio category, there were a few products that were of interest to Stereophile readers: winners in the Best of Innovations 2013 contest, which had products nominated in various categories of consumer electronics. The Sennheiser 800IE earbuds are the result of several years of research, and are claimed to have a frequency response of 8Hz–41kHz, ±3dB—an astonishing achievement for a single transducer. The price is $999. For many people, earbuds are almost a disposable item, and are often left on planes. I would be very afraid of losing these.
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