LATEST ADDITIONS

CES 2017 Jake Shimabukuro CES 2017

Jake Shimabukuro in the dCS Suite at the Mirage

Jon Iverson Jan 10, 2017

Covering CES with a perpetual smile and fresh ears is usually a challenge. But sometimes, you can feel like the luckiest reporter alive when everything falls into place.

Yes, it'll sound like I'm gushing, but unless you meet him, it's hard to comprehend what a positive and gracious human being Jake Shimabukuro is. Everywhere we went he stuck his hand out and, with a smile, exhibited unending excitement and curiosity at what he was hearing. And watching him play, up close and in person, is amazing. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

CES 2017

AudioQuest's New Niagara 5000

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

Virtually identical in appearance to the Niagara 7000the only outward differences are two little lights and one buttonAudioQuest's new 38-lb Niagara 5000 ($4000) "Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System"(shown sitting atop the Niagara 7000) is one-half the price and 50 lbs lighter than its big brother.

CES 2017

Esprit High-End Audio Cables

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

Esprit, a French cable company celebrating its 20th anniversary, was represented by Richard Cesari. Now imported by Source Systems Ltd., the cables are all handmade. "It takes 16 hours to make one cable," said Cesari.

CES 2017

Stage III's New Entry-Level Cables

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

There's no connection implied between their position on the floor in the photo above and their status as Stage III Concepts' new entry-level offerings

CES 2017

Transparent Branches Out

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

Transparent Audio has added to its line the Opus power cord ($5750/2m) and Opus Power Isolator ($15,950 including an Opus power cord). Claimed to use all-new technology that improves vibration control and hence lowers the noise floor, these are the company's new top-of-the-line products in their respective categories.

CES 2017

Wilson Benesch Evolves

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

Winner of a coveted CTA Innovation Award, Wilson Benesch's A.C.T. One Evolution loudspeaker, here shown in the P1 version with eye-catching blue carbon-fiber composite cabinet ($38,800/pair, or $36,500/pair with standard cabinet), maintains the company's use of carbon-fiber technology.

CES 2017

Micro Golden Oval from Analysis Plus

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2017

"Jake Shimabukuro uses my cabling, and hangs out in our booth at NAMM," said Mark Markel of Analysis Plus. Having just whistled two pieces with Jake, and had the opportunity to marvel at his musicianship and openness to collaboration, I consider that quite an endorsement.

CES 2017

Delta 3 Stereo Amplifier from Classé

Larry Greenhill Jan 10, 2017

Classé premiered its new Delta 3 amplifier series at CES 2017. Rated at 350Wpc RMS, the Delta 3 Stereo ($10,000) employs lateral MOSFETs in its output stage and 234,000 microfarads of German-made 4-pole Mundorf electrolytic capacitors in its power supply.

CES 2017

And Now For Some Audio Jewelry

Larry Greenhill Jan 10, 2017

Jewelers Philippe and Mathieu Tournaire add 18-karat bands of gold at each end of the Utopia's headband, and each is set with three 1-karat diamonds in square, triangular, and round shapes, representing the three stages of life: the past, the present, and the future.

CES 2017

M2Tech Stack O' DACs

Jon Iverson Jan 10, 2017

First, let's list what is in the photo (left stack first, top to bottom): EVO PhonoDAC Two ($1,600), EVO Clock Two ($640), HiFace EVO Two ($640), EVO Supply Two ($500), EVO Plus DAC Two ($890), and the EVO DAC Two ($630). Common to the DAC products: 32/384 PCM and DSD 256 processing, while the EVO Plus DAC Two has an additional clock input. Go to their website to check all the other little differences, but with pricing like this, I think listeners are in for a treat. I loved the pricier M2Tech Young DAC when I reviewed it a couple years back, so I trust their ears are in the right place with these new lower priced products.