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T.H.E. Show 2021
Wyred4Sound's New Aura Preamplifier, Gallium Power Amplifier, RS-1 Loudspeaker
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 16, 2021  |  3 comments
Folks were already packing up in the Wyred4Sound room when I happened upon an active display of their just-completed prototypes, none of which is listed on their website. If you total up the total cost of the Aura preamp ($2999, Aura GaN amplifier ($2999), MS i3 music server ($2999) with its outboard HCPS power supply ($999). Isolink USB reclocker ($399), 10th Anniversary DAC ($4499), and Reference Standard 1 speaker ($14,999/pair), plus cables and all the rest, you end up with a $31,213 system.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Pietra Marble and Granite Model 3.10 Loudspeakers, Benchmark Amplifiers
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 16, 2021  |  1 comments
It's been a few shows since I've encountered one of Jeff Candy's granite Pietra loudspeakers, whose distribution is mostly confined to Southern California due to the high cost of shipping a speaker that weighs in excess of 350lb. Which doesn't mean that you can't get one shipped to upstate New York if that's where you live.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Tonian Labs Oriaco G6 Loudspeaker with Denon and Marantz
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 16, 2021  |  0 comments
In this moderately priced system, speaker designer and recording engineer Tony Minasian paired his new Oriaco G6 standmount loudspeaker ($3500/pair with stands) with Denon and Marantz gear. "Most of the sound comes from the full-range driver," he told me. "The tweeter mostly acts like a supertweeter." From what I could tell, its impact is major.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
AGD Gran Vivace GaNTube Monoblock Amplifiers & Andante Pre-DAC streamer Phono plus Ocean Way Eureka loudspeakers = Wow!
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 16, 2021  |  4 comments
I love when industry veterans get excited by new discoveries. Thus, when David Solomon of Qobuz began one of our interactions with, "Have you been to the room that's premiering the GaN (gallium nitride) tubed components?" I asked him to tell me more. David followed with something like, "I couldn't figure out how anyone could have possibly incorporated GaN class-D power technology into KT150, K88, and K120 GaNTubes™ until the guy showed the 'tubes' to me." That's when I knew I had to visit.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
More Marketplace: the CSP, EVP, and CVP Show
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 15, 2021  |  5 comments
This report could also be titled "My Visit with Cable Support Plate and A/V Room Service," but that's hardly as eye-catching. And catching your eye is my goal, because there was a lot of import at these two booths.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Marketplace Discoveries: M•A Recordings & Periodic Audio
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 15, 2021  |  0 comments
By a long shot, most people who visited the marketplace immediately headed to the LP bins and rummaged away. In fact, if my photo had come out, I could show you how busy the room was at 10:15AM on Friday, a time reserved for press, when a combination of vinyl-hungry exhibitors, attendees who managed to get in early, and press people from online publications that are dedicated to serving their owners first were pouring through bins, looking for buried treasure.

Hopefully, some of those folks made it over to Todd Garfinkle's M•A Recordings booth and discovered some his fabled audiophile recordings (above).

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T.H.E. Show 2021
Voss Steve Keiser Magnum Opus power amplifier & Vitra preamplifier; Graham LS5/8 loudspeakers with Townshend super tweeters, and more
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 15, 2021  |  5 comments
Voss Audio, a southern California-based brand new to me, made an extremely strong show debut with its Voss Steve Keiser Design Magnum Opus stereo power amplifier ($80,000) and Vitra preamplifier ($50,000). The amp’s designer, who died last year, was one of the founders of B&K components. John Voss’s company also manufactures the Vitus phono preamplifier ($45,000). Rather than showing it, he teamed up with Philip O'Hanlon's On A Higher Note (shown above) to use a Revox/SonoruS PR99 open-reel deck to play master tapes through Graham LS5/8 loudspeakers ($14,000/pair) with Townshend super tweeters ($1500/pair). Cabling was all Gryphon.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Sunny Components Presents Premieres: Stenheim Reference Ultime 2 loudspeaker, CH Precision M 1.1 amplifier, Wadax Atlantis Reference DAC & Wadax Reference Streamer, Neodeo Origine S2 CD player
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 14, 2021  |  11 comments
There was something for everyone in Sunil Merchant's Sunny Components room. Even if you didn't have a spare half million dollars to give for great music reproduction, you could still listen to MoFi's Lenny Mayeux spin vinyl on the Brinkmann Taurus turntable with 12.1 tonearm ($21,000) and Koetsu cartridge ($3995). Amplification was a CH Precision M 1.1 Amplifier ($54,000), L1 line preamplifier ($34,500), P1 phono stage ($31,000), and X1 dual power supply powering the P1 and L1. And if you had questions afterwards, you could always approach Merchant, Mayeux, or CH's Ralph Sorrentino.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 loudspeaker
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 14, 2021  |  4 comments
Lest you think I've left something out of this headline, I haven't. The 24lb Heavenly Soundworks active FIVE17 loudspeaker ($10,000/pair), shown at T.H.E. Show with matching stands ($1000/pair), needs only a computer or other streaming/choice and some cabling to do its thing.
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T.H.E. Show 2021
Spatial Audio M3 loudspeakers, Quad Artera Solus Play, Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable, Cardas cables
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 14, 2021  |  3 comments
Nothing has changed with Spatial Audio's M3 loudspeaker ($4950/pair) since the last time I heard it. The design is the same, as is the speakers' ability to totally disappear at very close range.
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