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Audioaero LaSource

Audioaero’s LaSource ($44,000) combines an SACD/CD player with a preamp and DAC, and its “hybrid circuitry” makes use of 32-bit re-sampling technology and a “subminiature” tube output stage. It uses an Esoteric VRDS-NEO/VMK 5 transport mechanism and has a dedicated master clock for jitter and noise reduction.

I spoke with Audioaero’s managing director, Jerome Andre, who explained that, with the LaSource, the company’s goal was to create a future-proof product. “We wanted to make something that would last forever.”

CES 2011 will see the debut of the Audioaero LaFontaine…

New Gear from Audioaero, Brinkmann, and Vivid

Products making their debut at the 2010 RMAF from Philip O’Hanlon’s On a Higher Note: The interesting LaSource SACD player/preamp/DAC from Audioaero ($44,000), Vivid G2 Giya loudspeaker ($50,000/pair), and Brinkmann 9.6 tonearm ($4000), Brinkmann Pi cartridge ($2700), and Brinkmann Edison tube phono stage ($12,900).

When I walked into the room, I thought something looked odd about the speakers. The Vivid G1 Giyas were smaller than I remembered from when John Atkinson and I replaced their drive units during a visit to Wes Phillips’ home. Perhaps the large room at RMAF was playing…

Aperion Audio's New Verus Grand

Aperion Audio introduced their new Verus Grand line of speakers: the Verus Grand Tower ($1798/pair), Verus Grand bookshelf ($598/pair), and Verus Grand center channel ($699), all with very nicely finished, curved cabinets in attractive high-gloss cherry or piano black lacquer.

The compact tower measures 43.5” H x 8” W x 12” D, weighs 65lbs, and has a claimed sensitivity of 92dB, while the bookshelf measures 13” H x 7.5” W x 9” D, weighs 14lbs, and has a claimed sensitivity of 87dB. The speakers were partnered with a Marantz AV-8003 preamp/processor ($2599), Marantz MM8003 power…

PMC's Fact 3

I was impressed by the looks and sound of PMC’s new Fact 3 monitor ($9500/pair). PMC’s Ian Verdugo explained that the company gave the model the “deluxe audiophile treatment,” with a completely new design and modified transmission line. Shown in an attractive Tiger Ebony finish, the Fact 3 uses two 5.5” SEAS mid/woofers and a 0.75” Sonomex soft-dome, ferro-fluid cooled tweeter. On the speaker’s brushed anodized rear panel, users will find two switches for adjusting the high frequency and bass response.

The speakers were partnered with electronics from Bryston: the 4B SST2…

Lots of Headphones

There were lots and lots and lots of headphones at CanJam, a headphone lover’s paradise.

JH Audio's JH 5 Pro

JH Audio, founded by Jerry Harvey (formerly of Ultimate Ears, and also known for his work as Van Halen’s audio engineer), had on display an entire line of in-ear monitors, from the single-driver JH 5 Pro ($399) to the 3-way JH 16 Pro ($1149). I listened to a bit of Tool’s “Schism,” from the album Lateralus (a John Atkinson fave), through the Ray Samuels Emmeline The Shadow (which was cute as heck), playing from an Apple iPad, and the JH 5. Nice! I was struck by the deep, grumbling lows, the expressive, truthful guitar tones, clarity of the voices, and the pure drive and impact.

HiFiMan's HM-602

And here’s the new HiFiMan HM-602 ($439) which offers much of the functionality of the larger HM-801, but lacks that model’s modular headphone amp. It uses a Philips TDA-1543 DAC, offers 16GB onboard flash memory, and is about the size of an iPod Classic. Cool.

Jude Mansilla’s System

Here’s a look at one of Jude Mansilla’s systems: Apple iPad, Head-Direct HiFiMan HM-801 portable music player, Grado Head-Fi Series HF-2 headphones. I took a quick listen and enjoyed the liquid midrange, the smooth, easy sound.

Head-Fi's Jude Mansilla

I enjoyed a conversation with Jude Mansilla, founder of Head-Fi, organizers of the CanJam conference which was sort of tucked away in the Marriott’s grand Rocky Mountain Event Center. The entire perimeter of the space was occupied by long tables, each showcasing headphones and headphone accessories from companies such as Sennheiser, Head-Direct, JH Audio, Ultimate Ears, CEntrance, Grado, Audeze, and Ray Samuels Audio.

Mansilla explained that he had no idea Head-Fi would grow to be one of the most popular hi-fi communities on the web.

The site’s audience is dominated by…

AudioDeskSysteme's Record Cleaning Dream

A dream machine for the used LP lover: AudioDeskSysteme’s record cleaning machine cleans both sides of an 12” record simultaneously, quietly, and thoroughly, without any effort from the user. Just push a button and walk away. Five minutes later, the record is clean and dry. At $3495, however, it’s expensive. Such luxuries don’t come cheap.