Jason Victor Serinus

Nordost Displays Valhalla 2
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  5 comments
Intrigued by Ariel Bitran’s initial assessment of Nordost’s new Valhalla 2 line, as well as the repeat responses of website readers who seem determined to answer the modern koan, “What is the sound of one hand clapping in the hot wind?” I spent awhile listening to Valhalla 2 in Nordost’s room in the Hilton. Paul Ritchotte (L) and the ultra-modern Rune Skov were only too happy to oblige, switching between Valhalla 2 and the original Valhalla line (including the power cables that are currently—pun intended—on my desktop’s iMac and Dynaudio Focus 110A self-powered loudspeakers).
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Wadia Does It All
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
Kevin Wolff of VANA Ltd., the US distributors of Vienna Acoustics and Primare products (left) joined Sunil Merchant (right) in his second Sunny Components room to show off the absolutely brand new, impressively slim and stylish Wadia Intuition 01 ($8500) shown atop the equipment rack. This new all-purpose baby combines 350 watts of class-D+ amplification with a 32-bit AD/DA digital preamp that, on USB, can decode both 384/32 and DSD files.
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The Marketplace Heats Up
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
“Get ‘em while they’re hot,” was the operative term at the sizable Marketplace off the Hilton lobby, as early attendees snatched up what they could while they still could.
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Reference Recordings’ Lovely Jan
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
The lovely Jan Mancuso, beautifully bedecked in bountiful floral bouquet, beams positive vibes throughout "The Marketplace" as she smilingly extols the praises of Reference Recordings’ ever-expanding catalog of superbly recorded classical, jazz, and blues, including Stereophile’s "Recording of May 2013," Doug MacLeod’s There’s a Time, which is now available on LP and which Jan co-produced.
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John Atkinson Sounds the Cowbell
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  8 comments
Despite being the kick-off seminar presenter on Friday, and starting just one hour after the doors opened, John Atkinson herded almost a full house to "Garbage In, Garbage Out." An expanded version of a seminar he originally delivered at RMAF 2012, the description reads:
Making value judgments on audio components using commercial recordings has pitfalls that many writers gloss over. The way recordings are made drastically affects what you hear from your system, explains John Atkinson using his own recordings as examples.
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The Trumpet Shall Sound!
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
A trumpet fanfare? For the opening of the largest consumer audio show in North America, nothing less would suffice. As Bob Levi (right), President of the largest audio society in North America (or perhaps the entire galaxy), gave the cue, the ribbon could be cut and the music could pour forth. The trumpet player was William Artope Jr, whose band gave concerts later in the show.
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The Momentous Ribbon Cutting
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  4 comments
You thought ribbon cutting was simple? Not when the esteemed ribbon cutters—from left to right, David Robinson (Positive Feedback On-Line, in white shirt), Michael Fremer (Stereophile and AnalogPlanet.com), Robert Harley (The Absolute Sound), and John Atkinson (Stereophile)—were faced with 1001 photographers, a ribbon that looked as though it was manufactured of industrial-strength mylar, and a giant golden scissors that couldn’t cut its way out of a paper bag. No wonder Bob Levi of the Los Angeles & Orange County Audiophile Society (far left) and show organizer Richard Beers look relieved when the ribbon finally snapped.
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Holger Stein
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
Holger Stein (center), designer of the Stein Harmonizers that have such a baffling effect on system performance, was beaming in the Hilton lobby. Perhaps he was thinking about all the attention his new phono cartridge is getting.
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EveAnna Manley
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
Racing in shortly before the show was to begin, Manley Labs’ one-and-only EveAnna Manley was liberally dispensing hugs and smiles in the lobby.
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The Showman
T.H.E. Show Newport 2013
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 04, 2013  |  0 comments
Last year, after my photo of him briefing a cadre of adoring acolytes appeared on this site, Richard Beers forbid me to ever publish pictures of him that were taken unawares. So this time, with his full knowledge and consent, the miracle man whose expertise and persistence makes T.H.E. Show(s) possible, has allowed me to reveal to the world what he looks like at 10:12AM, before his 25th cup of coffee.
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