T+A K8 7.1 Blu-ray HD Receiver

T+A K8 7.1 Blu-ray HD Receiver

Though not strictly a digital audio product, I'm not sure that anyone else will cover this, so wanted to include it here. In addition to the Blu-ray player and amplification features, the $9,500 T+A K8 sports a full complement of digital inputs including USB, as well as an audio streaming client for most formats.

Mach2 Music Mac Mini Upgrade Package

Mach2 Music Mac Mini Upgrade Package

Mach2 Music offers two services: they will sell you an upgraded Apple Mac Mini computer optimized for digital audio music serving, or take your already purchased 2010 or later Mac Mini and perform their upgrades on it.

They had the first option on hand, which includes a 40GB solid state OCZ Vertex drive to replace the factory drive, Amarra 2.1.1 installed and set up, 8GB RAM installed, cables from Most Beautiful Sound (they cut the power lead in the Firewire 800 cable) and a power cable from PI Audio Group.

Also included, but missing from the photo above due to shipping issues, is a PI Audio Mac Sandwich clamp system. Dayton Audio Brass Speaker Spikes (shown in black) complete the package which retails for $2,995 through the end of this month. All you need to add are external hard drives, a monitor (or iPad/iPod control device) and music.

Hegel Music Systems HD2, HD10, and HD20 DACs

Hegel Music Systems HD2, HD10, and HD20 DACs

Hegel Music Systems was on hand to show off their ever-expanding range of DACs. The smallest sitting at the top right is the $350 HD2 USB "music streamer" that can handle 24bit/96kHz USB data and output it either as analog audio or digital data over SPDIF.

Under the HD2 is the $1,200 HD10 which offers USB, coax and optical digital inputs as well as both balanced and unbalanced outputs. To the left of the HD10 is the newest DAC from Hegel, the HD20, which in addition to the inputs and 24/192 conversion found on the HD10, offers remote control and display for $2,000.

Wisdom Audio and Mark Levinson Seminar at Sound Components in Miami, FL

We will host Wisdom Audio and Mark Levinson on Tuesday, Jan 18 and Wednesday, Jan 19 at our store. We have the L150 Line source speakers on display with the STS subwoofer in stereo and multi channel.Presentations are at 6pm and 7:30pm each night. Please rsvp to mark.goldman@soundcomponents.com, 305-665-4299 ext 101. Our address is 1536 south dixe highway
Coral gables, Fl 33146

Video: Tony Faulkner talks about orchestral recording

Possibly my favorite classical recording engineer, the man talks about his "stuff" here:
http://www.recordproduction.com/tony-faulkner.htm
When did he begin using higher-than-Red-Book standards (i.e., 16-bit/44.1 khz)? I have a Naxos title (Samuel Barber: Sym 1 & 2, recorded late 1998) that notes "Recorded and edited at 20-bit..." and later Naxos/Faulkner pairings are 24-bit. Given their native rez, I wish Naxos would release high-rez FLACs.

Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 Digital Media System

Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 Digital Media System

Meridian keeps slimming down the original Sooloos system not only reducing the price but also its footprint. The Media Core 200 looks like a slightly puffed Mac Mini sat on its side, and requires only an iPad to complete the system, though it can also be connected to the company's Control 10 or 15 touchscreens.

The MC 600 contains a 500GB hard drive, analog, SPDIF and Meridian SpeakerLink outputs and has a retail price of $4,000. Available within the month.

Meridian Media Core 600

Meridian Media Core 600

For those looking to set up the full-featured Sooloos system, Meridian will be releasing the Media Core 600 sometime in the near future for a price still to be determined.

What we do know, however, is that it will have 6 zone outputs each with S/PDIF, SpeakerLink, and fixed and variable analog outputs. Each zone also has an independent clock which means different sample rates are possible at the various outputs. The multiple zone clocks are also slaved to a central clock, keeping the multiple zones in synch in case sound bleeds from one to another.

Meridian Sooloos Media Source 600

Meridian Sooloos Media Source 600

Here is the back panel view of the Media Source 600 which acts as a network endpoint and DAC for your most critical listening zone in a Meridian Sooloos system. It can be combined with the Media Core 600 in an elaborate multi-room network.

It has both balanced and unbalanced outputs in addition to Meridian SpeakerLink.

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