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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand Reference Speaker, Aesthetix Mimas Integrated Amplifier, Chord Qutest DAC, VPI Super Prime Scout Turntable and Voyager Phono Preamplifier
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 11, 2020  |  1 comments
The two A La Carte Productions rooms at the Florida Audio Expo both featured speakers from Austria's Vienna Acoustics, including the North American debut of the Beethoven Baby Grand Reference ($9498/pair). Said to have been three years in the making, the new model is the younger sibling to the larger and aptly named Beethoven Concert Grand Reference tower; the two models share similar drivers and technologies.
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News
Gryphon Ethos CD Player/DAC at New York City's Sound By Singer
Stereophile Staff  |  Feb 11, 2020  |  0 comments
On Thursday, February 13 from 5 to 9pm, Manhattan retailer Sound By Singer will present a musical evening centered around the Gryphon Audio Designs Ethos CD player/DAC. Alongside host Andrew Singer, Philip O'Hanlon of On A Higher Note—Gryphon's North American distributor—will demonstrate the Ethos with hand-curated selections . . .
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Volti Audio Special Edition Rival Loudspeaker, BorderPatrol P20 EXD Power Amplifier and DAC SE-i, Innuos Zenith Music Server and Phoenix USB Reclocker, Triode Wire Labs Cables
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 10, 2020  |  0 comments
In celebration of their first 10 years in business, Volti Audio unveiled a newly redesigned version of their Rival SE (Special Edition) speaker ($19,900/pair), seen here in an eye-catchingly exotic bubinga wood veneer (a rosewood option is also available). Although its side-curved form appears quite substantial, the horn-loaded hybrid floorstander can be sonically suitable for larger or smaller spaces. With its horn drivers and a sensitivity spec of 100dB, the Rival SE also makes for an easy to load-perfect for the 300B-powered BorderPatrol P20 EXD amplifier. The three-way Volti also features matching external crossovers that are user-adjustable, and Triode Wire Labs internal wiring.
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Fyne Audio F702 Speakers, Pass Labs INT-60 Integrated Amplifier and XP-17 Phono Stage, Aurender W20SE Music Server, Aqua LaScala MkII DAC, VPI HW-40 40th Anniversary Turntable
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 10, 2020  |  11 comments
Suncoast Audio presented Fyne Audio F702 speakers ($8995/pair) in their US debut. Handmade in Scotland, the two-and-a-half-way floorstander features a concentric point-source tweeter/midrange array with a titanium center that seemed almost hornlike in its appearance and delivery.
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Stenheim Alumine 3 Loudspeakers; VAC Master Line Stage and Signature 200iQ Stereo Amplifier; Acoustic Signature XX Turntable, TA-2000 Tonearm, and TANGO Reference Phonostage; Dynavector XX2 MC Phono Cartridge; Critical Mass Systems Sotto Voce Rack; Cablin
Jim Austin  |  Feb 09, 2020  |  3 comments
When I heard the Stenheim Alumine 3 at AXPONA last year, I frankly wasn't impressed. The tweeter seemed a little hot, the character a little buzzy. I learned just this morning that Jean-Pascal Panchard, Stenheim's CEO and designer, wasn't happy with them, either. He didn't think they were ready, but they had committed to presenting them at AXPONA, so he kept his commitment. They only produced three pair in that configuration. After that show, changes were made.
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Kiso Acoustics HB-N1 Speaker, Metronome DSS Streamer and Le DAC, Thales Slim II Turntable, Karan Acoustics KAL MK3 Preamplifier, KAS 400 Stereo Amplifier, and PH1 Phonostage, EMT STX 5/10 Step-Up Transformer
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 09, 2020  |  1 comments
Wynn Audio of Toronto presented a lovely demo with a couple of new products: the Swiss-made EMT STX 5/10 step-up transformer ($9280), which employs a toroidal transformer with pure silver wiring to provide output options for 14dB or 20dB of gain with a lower noise floor for higher resolution, and the Métronome DSS Streamer (DSS stands for Digital Sharing Streamer), which was released in January but seen for the first time here in the U.S.
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Raven Audio Ce'Lest and Corvus Speakers with Osprey MK3 Integrated Amplifier and Silhouette MK2 Reference Preamplifier and Monoblock Amplifiers
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 09, 2020  |  1 comments
Known primarily for its sharp-looking tube amplification ranges, Raven Audio of Texas has been busy cranking out a plethora of new products, including some entirely new categories for the company: the debut of two loudspeakers (with the same high efficiency, spec'd at 94dB) and a line of cables. Raven presented two active demos: a reference system and a more affordable setup featuring the maker's latest offerings.
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Piega Premium Wireless 701 Loudspeakers
Jim Austin  |  Feb 08, 2020  |  2 comments
This was a surprise.

When I walked in to this room and saw these skinny towers, I didn't expect much. When I saw that they were wireless, I expected even less. But the Piega 701s made some very fine sounds, with good bass, tweeters that didn't draw attention to themselves, and a stereo image that didn't collapse when I moved off-center.

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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Pure Audio Project Quintet10 Horn2 Speaker, Pass Labs XP12 Preamplifier and XA25 Amplifier, VPI Prime Turntable, Luminous Audio Arion Phono Stage
Julie Mullins  |  Feb 08, 2020  |  7 comments
It's not every day that you encounter a high-end loudspeaker that the end user actually assembles. Pure Audio Project has taken this unorthodox approach in introducing its brand-new Quintet10 Horn2 speaker at the Florida show . . .
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Florida Audio Expo 2020
Joseph Audio Perspective 2 Speakers, Doshi Audio V3 Stereo Amplifier and Line Preamplifier and Evolution Series Tape Preamplifier, Berkeley Reference Series 3 DAC, Aurender W-20SE Streamer, Cardas Clear Beyond Cabling
Jim Austin  |  Feb 08, 2020  |  20 comments
I'm surprised how many principals and designers are at this show, as opposed to local dealers and distributors—although perhaps I shouldn't be, considering that it's February and this is Florida.

In the Cardas/Joseph/Doshi room, I found both Jeff Joseph and Nick Doshi. I also found very good sound, produced by Jeff Joseph's Perspective 2 Graphene loudspeakers ($15,000/pair), which John Atkinson reviewed in the July 2018 issue of Stereophile. I won't comment on the speakers except to say that they sounded great; I'll just refer readers to JA's review.

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