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Focal-JMlab Grand Utopia loudspeaker Battle of the Titans

Sidebar 1: Battle of the Titans

Suddenly and unbelievably, the hottest market niche for loudspeakers is the hefty $65,000 to $75,000 range. At this essentially price-no-object level, the diversity of design approaches incorporate virtually every speaker material and technology currently available: vertical arrays, powered subwoofers, active external crossovers, and single-/bi-/tri-/quad-amplification, to name a few. As a consequence, one longstanding audio myth can be safely laid to rest.

It has been generally believed that price is the limiting factor in equipment design. The…

Focal-JMlab Grand Utopia loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 2: Specifications

Description: Three-way, five-driver dynamic loudspeaker system. Drive-units: 15" woofer, 11" midbass/lower midrange, two 6.5" midrange units, 1.2" inverted-dome tweeter. Crossover points: 400Hz, 3kHz. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 3.2 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 95dB/W/m. Frequency response: 20Hz–25kHz, ±3dB. Maximum spl: 118dB. Maximum program power: 500W.
Dimensions: 69" H by 20~" W by 30" D. Weight: 397 lbs.
Price: $65,000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 6.
Manufacturer: Focal-JMlab, BP 201-42013 Saint-Etienne Cedex 2, France. US distributor:…

Extraction vs Generation

Many years ago I bought the first model of the Audio/Pulse ambience synthesizer. Like many audiophiles, I was convinced (and still am) that the standard two-speaker stereo experience provides an unsatisfying concert-hall impression. But the Audio/Pulse didn't remain long in my stereo system. You see, at best the unit provided a fair reproduction of the sound of my upstairs bathroom, topped off with a nasty flutter echo. I already get that sound every morning in the shower.

Between 1973 and 1978, after escaping the execrable sound of the Audio/Pulse, I auditioned various other "ambience…

Extraction vs Generation Page 2

After a few hours of listening in ambience-generation mode, I found the Yamaha to be a mixed bag—its coloration is successfully masked when playing large orchestral works, but on much chamber and folk music, that distinctive Yamaha sound could not be escaped, no matter how it was adjusted. In fact, I cannot agree with BS that it is worth an audiophile's time to fine-tune hundreds of potential Yamaha permutations until it closely matches the ambience on an original recording. This strikes me as audiophile masochism, especially when there is an alternative available: ambience extraction.…

Shintaro Sakamoto: How to Live With a Phantom

I knew nothing about Shintaro Sakamoto, but there was just no way I could have resisted such provocative album art or a title like How to Live With a Phantom. Good thing I didn’t.

Sakamoto creates a strange but lovely mood with elements of funk, soft rock, and smooth jazz, and touches of psychedelia, tropicalia, and salsa. We get two sides of album cuts and two sides of groovy, laid-back instrumentals. I can’t decide which I enjoy more. The lyrics are sung, mostly, in Japanese. Though I can’t understand the words, and am therefore missing out on even greater levels of pleasure, my…

Wrecking Ball

We love the man. He enjoys being perhaps the most giving, unselfish live performer in the history of popular music. He made Darkness on the Edge of Town. He made The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. He’s The Boss. And now he’s made Wrecking Ball. All true longtime Bruce fans knew deep in their Thunder Road hearts that this day would come. The day BRRRRRrrrruucccceeee would make a less than inspiring record. A record we didn’t much care for. A record we did not need to go back to more than once.

Before we get into the specifics, a little context. More than practically any…

Arcam Sonlink DAC

Aimed straight at the Sonos owner, Arcam's new DAC has a form factor similar to a Sonos ZP90 and plugs right in. It forms a base for the Sonos to sit on and is similar to the company's rLink DAC with TI PCM5102 chip, supporting streams up to 24/192. Retail price is $299 and it is available now.

Auralic VEGA Digital Audio Processor

The VEGA is another DAC employing a femto clock for extremely low jitter and retails for $3,500 (a low price point for the femto feature) . It handles PCM streams up to 32/384 as well as DSD, DXD and 2xDSD. The VEGA can also function as a digital preamp and includes a remote that can control the output level. Inputs include AES/EBU, 2xSPDIF, Toslink and "ActiveUSB". Analog outputs are both balanced and unbalanced and the front panel sports a very easy to read display.

iFi iDAC and iUSB Power Plant

In the small DAC department is the iFi iDAC for $299 and for those that would like a better power supply, add the optional iUSB Power Plant for $199. Though this is the first CES for the iDAC, Michael Lavorgna has already reviewed it quite favorably over at AudioStream.com.

The iDAC sports a 24/192 USB asynch input with headphone amp, analog volume control and ESS Sabre DAC. Adding the Power Plant means your computer USB is no longer doing the heavy lifting and all of the iDAC components get a "super-regulated" filtered power supply.

dCS Debussy DAC DSD Update

When listening to audio systems in hotel rooms at shows, all bets are off. But once in a while you get a wonderful sound in the confines of the spot where the bed would normally sit.

Such was the case with the dCS room in the Venetian. The company is celebrating their 25th anniversary and Sony offered an assist in the form of a couple dozen DSD tracks straight from the vaults to hard drive. The Debussy DAC can now process DSD 64 via USB (free software upgrade available from the dealer next week), and for my demo I picked Santana's "Black Magic Woman", settling into audio ecstasy.

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