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Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

HiFiMAN HE-5, HE-5LE, HE-6, and HE500 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Tyll Hertsens May 22, 2011

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Just a year and a half ago I walked into the CanJam area of RMAF, and right smack-dab in the middle was Fang Bian, head of Head Direct and the HiFiMAN brand of headphone gadgetry. Fang always has something new going on; I wondered what it would be this time. He smiled, stood, and cheerfully greeted me, then pointed towards center-stage on one of his tables.

"Would you like to hear my new planar magnetic headphones?"

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought.

Fred Kaplan

John Hollenbeck's Shut Up and Dance

Fred Kaplan May 20, 2011

Shut Up and Dance, on the French label Bee Jazz, should catapult John Hollenbeck into the pantheon of living big-band composers, along with Maria Schneider, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim McNeely, and (if his debut works are matched by what's to come) Darcy James Argue, among perhaps a very few others. I've praised some of Hollenbeck's earlier albums in this space, especially his Large Ensemble's Eternal Interludes and his Claudia Quintet's Royal Toast, but I have to say I admired them more than I liked them. His arrangements were . . .

Munich High End 2011

Cardas Audio

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

Andy Regan (left) and George Cardas are excited about the current state of hi-fi and music. They strongly believe that the asynchronous technologies found in today’s digital-to-analog converters can erase any negative effects the Compact Disc has had on music and on our enjoyment of music. It’s possible to achieve improved sound quality and enjoy a better overall listening experience by removing the disc from the equation, playing high-quality music files stored on a hard drive.

Munich High End 2011

Joseph Audio

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

Unfortunately, Jeff Joseph’s shipment of gear was delayed due to a short FedEx strike which occurred in Paris. Joseph was understandably tired and frustrated, but he hadn’t lost his great sense of humor.

“I can still play the speakers,” he said with a straight face.

I thought for a moment that he would employ some powerful new wireless technology; Joseph was an early proponent for computer-based audio.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. What would you like to hear?”

He covered his face with the press release for his lovely Pulsar ($7000/pair) and began to sing.

I can’t remember what song we listened to, but it really was like hearing live music. There was almost nothing separating us from the song.

Munich High End 2011

Minx from Cambridge Audio

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

These two kitty-clad women have been following me all over the show. They’re here to promote Cambridge Audio’s new Minx series of mini-speakers, made to match a small, stylish design with true high-quality sound.

Genius.

“You two are so hot, you should be illegal,” I told them.

They laughed.

“What did you just say to them?” Rosemarie asked.

“I told them they were so hot they should be illegal.”

“God, you’re such a guy.”

“Danke!”

Munich High End 2011

Audiolab 8200 Series

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

The controls on these sleek Audiolab 8200 Series components were pure pleasure; I could have played with them all day long. The 8200CD CD player uses the Sabre 32-bit DAC from ESS Technology&#151hot. The 8200Q preamp’s six line-level inputs respond to remote control, but you’ll want to caress this thing; the volume knob is a motorized potentiometer for precise tracking, while a separate gain control enables sensitivity to be matched to different power amps and source components. Finally, the clean, simple 8200P power amp provides 100Wpc into 8 ohms.

Munich High End 2011

Castle Acoustics

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

Castle Acoustics is a brand we don’t talk too much about in the States. This is the Richmond Anniversary, its mirror-matched pairs beautifully veneered in luscious Lacewood.

Munich High End 2011

Luxman D-30u CD player

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

I was drawn to the smoky, nearly sunburst finish of the Luxman D-30u CD player, which offers a choice between solid-state and ECC82 vacuum tube playback. The matching SQ-30u vacuum tube integrated amp offers 30Wpc and has a selectable MM/MC phono stage; MC cartridges are handled by a step-up trannie. Cool.

Munich High End 2011

Luxman's NeoClassico Series

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

Luxman had a small, attractive, vintage-inspired system on display: The 12Wpc NeoClassico Series SQ-N10 vacuum tube amp (which includes a moving-magnet phono stage), a D-N10 CD player (not shown here), and lovely minimonitors made to match.

Munich High End 2011

Albedo HL1.2

Stephen Mejias May 20, 2011

I received a special request for more pictures of Rosemarie, so here she is, posing with the very attractive Albedo Model HL1.2 loudspeaker, a two-way, linear-phase design with a 4” mid-woofer, 1” tweeter, and super-sexy striped ebony finish.

Afterward, Rosemarie would tell me that several people here at the Munich High End Show recognized her from this show report. “You’re making me famous,” she said.

“That’s what I do,” I explained. “I make girls famous.”