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Distributor Axiss Audio was showing the new Piega Coax 711 loudspeaker ($25,000/pair). Everything in the speaker—including its coaxial ribbon tweeter/midrange, bass drivers, and all-aluminum enclosure—is designed and manufactured by the Swiss company. Touted as producing "the finest coaxial ribbon sound"—it certainly sounded lovely and extremely musical in a relatively small space, thanks in no small part to Air Tight amplification—the speaker is actually designed for music lovers with "larger living rooms and a need for even stronger and deeper bass reproduction."
As Stereophile's minister without portfolio, my goal was to find something interesting that didn't quite fit into traditional categories. The prize was an introduction, at a Harman demo room in the Hard Rock Casino/Hotel, to Lexicon's SL-1 loudspeaker prototype (price TBD) and the SoundSteer technology that distinguishes it. It was emphasized that SoundSteer is "highly scalable," and visitors were treated as a focus group to generate ideas for specific products and applications.
The SL-1 prototype is shaped like an hourglass or a dress form. Each waist is belted with 12 dome tweeters…
In addition to having an awesome sounding setup in a smallish room, Simaudio's Lionel Goodfield was putting the final polish on the new Neo MiND. The Neo is a network streamer and music player that supports most PCM formats up to 24/192 and has a variety of output jacks for connection to your DAC. For networking, Bluetooth, ethernet and WiFi is included in addition to a SimLink in and out. Track sample rate and input choice are indicated on the front panel.
In addition to networking with your drives, the Neo MiND also includes support for several online music services including: Tidal,…
It's bad enough that CES makes us advertise for Sony everywhere we go with those bright yellow lanyards. Now they've added a new "feature" to our badges: how long you've been going to CES.
Everyone I asked who got one of these tags (I saw a couple that said 40+ years!) said they made them feel old, not special. I realize the organization behind CES was trying to reward our persistence, but yes, with twenty-somethings like Jana on our staff, who needs a badge telling the world that we've been here since before many in the crowd were even born. Sigh.
Note: Stereophile is rooted in…
Lindemann announced a group of four new gorgeous-looking music players all with preamp control built in: MusicBook 10:DSD (USB music player/$3,495), MusicBook 15:DSD (USB music player plus CD/$3,995), MusicBook 20:DSD (Network music player/$4,495), and the MusicBook 25:DSD (Network music player plus CD/$4,995 - pictured above). The network models support WiFi and ethernet. Also new are two models of matching Class D amplifiers.
Common to all models is the ability to convert any signal, including the optional CD and Bluetooth sources, to DSD 128 or DSD 256 which can then me sent to the DAC…
First, let's list what is in the photo (left stack first, top to bottom): EVO PhonoDAC Two ($1,600), EVO Clock Two ($640), HiFace EVO Two ($640), EVO Supply Two ($500), EVO Plus DAC Two ($890), and the EVO DAC Two ($630). Common to the DAC products: 32/384 PCM and DSD 256 processing, while the EVO Plus DAC Two has an additional clock input. Go to their website to check all the other little differences, but with pricing like this, I think listeners are in for a treat. I loved the pricier M2Tech Young DAC when I reviewed it a couple years back, so I trust their ears are in the right place with…
Although some doubters of the value of high-end audio refer to my audio system as "audio jewelry," at CES 2017 I finally saw the real thing. Focal, manufacturers of the Utopia full-range loudspeaker, held a press conference/cocktail reception at the Rockhouse, a trendy bar reached by walking around the outside balcony of the Venetian Hotel. There, the French company introduced its most exclusive headphone, the $120,000 Utopia by Tournaire. Jewelers Philippe and Mathieu Tournaire add 18-karat bands of gold at each end of the Utopia's headband, and each is set with three 1-karat diamonds in…
Classé premiered its new Delta 3 amplifier series at CES 2017. Rated at 350Wpc RMS, the Delta 3 Stereo ($10,000) employs lateral MOSFETs in its output stage and 234,000 microfarads of German-made 4-pole Mundorf electrolytic capacitors in its power supply. These capacitors are said to offer lower equivalent-series resistance (ESR) and equivalent-series inductance (ESL) than other brands. The lateral MOSFETs require less current drive, and have a higher slew rate in their Delta 3 circuitry, which delivers 10% of its output power in pure class-A. Classé's Dave Nauber announced that both the…
Covering CES with a perpetual smile and fresh ears is usually a challenge. But sometimes, you can feel like the luckiest reporter alive when everything falls into place.
Yes, it'll sound like I'm gushing, but unless you meet him, it's hard to comprehend what a positive and gracious human being Jake Shimabukuro is. Everywhere we went he stuck his hand out and, with a smile, exhibited unending excitement and curiosity at what he was hearing. And watching him play, up close and in person, is amazing. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
We met for breakfast in the Mirage at 9AM and…
"Jake Shimabukuro uses my cabling, and hangs out in our booth at NAMM," said Mark Markel of Analysis Plus. Having just whistled two pieces with Jake, and had the opportunity to marvel at his musicianship and openness to collaboration, I consider that quite an endorsement.
This time, instead of showing the cable that I assume Jake uses—the Analysis Plus Micro Golden Oval guitar and instrument cable—Markel showed the company's new Micro Golden Oval reference interconnect ($5494.50/1m pair). This is a double-shielded cable with three 18 AWG conductors of gold, silver, and copper, and…