I was doubly grateful because, while Lyra's top models are expensive, demand is high and regularly outstrips supply. This is because every Lyra cartridge is handmade by the same…
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My 0.56mV-output Lyra Atlas moving-coil cartridge ($11,995) has put in four years of heavy-duty use. But not long ago I began to hear some problems with sibilants from records that previously hadn't given me trouble in that department. Lyra's Jonathan Carr and Stig Bjorge suggested I bring my Atlas to the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, held last January in Las Vegas, where they would exchange it for a new one.
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil phono cartridges. Output levels: outputs 0.25mV (Atlas SL), 0.56mV ((Etna SL), both at 5cm/s zero to peak 45° modulation. Source impedance: 1.52 ohms and 1.9µH inductance (Atlas SL).
Prices: $9995 (Etna S) and $12,995 (Atlas S).
Manufacturer: Lyra, Japan. Web: www.lyraconnoisseur.com. US distributor: AudioQuest, 2621 White Road, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 585-0111. Web: www.audioquest.com.
Stereophile tried something a little different for our CES coverage last year: we brought a musician to the show. Graham Nash heard his yet-to-be-released album, This Path Tonight, on a variety of systems at the Venetian, and provided his unique commentary on the results.
This year several new artist names were tossed about, and when Jake Shimabukuro came up we jumped at the chance to bring him to Las Vegas. Jake is a stellar musician, and has turned the ukulele into a respected instrument with his interpretations of classical and modern works, collaborating with a wide range of artists…
This week's Industry Profile features Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Audio Labs. In essence, Jim is Hagerman Audio Labs all-in-one, as he impressively functions as owner/designer/engineer/tester/builder/shipper/customer service, and so on. Hagerman Audio Labs first caught my eye a couple years back when I started getting into DIY projects. Though he has since eliminated DIY from his offerings (you can read why below), Jim continued to interest me because: 1) his website lists an address in Honolulu (a rarity in high-end audio), 2) he publishes his schematics, and 3) his candid approach to social…
Hitting newsstands, tables, and mailboxes next week, the February 2017 issue features the 27th edition of our perennially popular "Records 2 Die 4," where the magazine's writers and editors each list two recordings that they will take with them when they go. And we haven't forgotten the hardware: John Atkinson waxes lyrical over the Magico S5 Mk.II speaker; Ken Micallef does likewise over the unique NEAT Iota Alpha; Mikey Fremer drives his Wilsons with humongous Boulder monoblocks; Art Dudley and Herb Reichert listen to idiosyncratic digital components from EAR and Schiit; and Herb Reichert…
'Twas the night before showtime
And to our delight
Our entry was easy
With nary a fright.
And to our delight
Our entry was easy
With nary a fright.
I don't know if there really is a Santa Claus, but perhaps he was responsible for the smooth flights, relative ease of transportation from Las Vegas's McCarran Airport to Stereophile's Treasure Island campground, the ease of hotel check-in, and lack of grinding music during dinner. Even the level of cigarette smoke in the hotels was at an all-time low. If this is an omen of things to come, this is going to be a good show to cover.
First things first, however. Four of our…
The woman in the cage looked at me funny. I could see her pegging me as either a low roller or a whale. My suit was scruffy but I was copping a lot of black, so before I walked away, I gave her a little toke (so she wouldn't take me for a stiff.) The Venetian is no sawdust joint, so I stood up straight and adjusted my cabretta. When I got to the elevators, I lost the sunglasses and put on my CES badge. As I boarded the lift, I wondered
did I have enough juice to enter the Wilson or Magico suites? Probably not. I'll leave that to Jason and John or Jon and Jana. I figured I'd better stick to "…
Yes, you've heard that before. But what you haven't heard, and what was announced on Thursday at CES 2017, is that:
Pandora and Rhapsody/Napster have announced hi-res streaming.
15,000 hi-res albums are now available from major and indie labels.
…
Tidal has begun streaming MQA content for all Tidal HiFi tier subscribers. An initial 200 albums are listed at Tidal.com/us/masters, with thousands more available via artists' pages. "Masters" content, which is what Tidal calls MQA, is expected to "grow rapidly." Many of the titles are from the Warner Music Group catalog.
Pandora and Rhapsody/Napster have announced hi-res streaming.
15,000 hi-res albums are now available from major and indie labels.
…
Today's audio world is beginning to be populated by innovative integrated amplifiers that fit into our homes and lives in new ways: products that are not only practical and user-friendly but can make us happy when we walk in the door and see the thing sitting on a desk or shelf—waiting for its master to touch and appreciate it. Crystal Cable's new CCI integrated ($12,700) is a perfect example of this new breed. Its beautiful Illuminated logo and compact vertical tower called out to me from the CES hallway as I walked by.
The CCI is handsome in an artful way, and operates in class-AB,…
Once an hour, Mike Mettler, music editor of our sister publication Sound and Vision, introduced live demonstrations in the Hi-Res Audio Pavilion's mini-simulation of the Capitol Recording Studios. Each session was conducted by a different award-winning engineer or producer.
When I visited on January 5 in the afternoon, Eric Boulanger, mastering engineer for releases by Green Day and Rufus Wainwright, was preparing to speak. When I asked him what would be going on, he quipped something like, "We're trying to impress people with our big speakers." Having recently auditioned the massive…