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Raven Audio Amplification and Loudspeakers, Mytek Digital, Soniquil Cables

There's a cliché that says that New Yorkers are fond of wearing black. It's a true cliché. But fascination with the dark side isn’t restricted to New Yorkers. Texas’s Raven Audio manufactures sweet-looking tube-powered gear and loudspeakers, and the bulk of it, you guessed it, is black.

The noir-loving Raven Audio room included the new Nighthawk Mk3, a 20Wpc, class AB, ultra-linear tube integrated amplifier ($2995); the new Blackhawk Mk3 integrated amplifier ($3795); the Silhouette Mk2 Monoblock amplifiers ($25,995/pair); CeLest Tower Speakers ($3995); and Corvus Tower System ($…

Luminous Audio and the Pure Audio Project

I mentioned earlier how uncolored, detailed, transparent, and image-specific an open baffle loudspeaker can sound. Unfortunately, not all open baffle speakers are created equal, and making a coherent and musically satisfying open-baffle speaker is much more complex than just bolting a few drivers to a sheet of plywood. The question any loudspeaker designer must ask is, how far should I go? When is done right?

To my ears, “done right” describes the Pure Audio Project’s Quintet15 Horn1 Modular Open Baffle Loudspeakers ($9995) I auditioned at CAF. Pure Audio Project offers a range of tall,…

Triangle Signature Delta Loudspeakers, Tsakiridis Orpheus Monoblock Amplifiers, Alexander Line Stage, and Zeuss Phono Preamp, Soulines Kubrick DCX turntable with SME Tonearm, Cabling by Analysis Plus

I have limited experiences with the well-established French brand Triangle Manufacture Electroacoustique. But every time I encounter a system with Triangle speakers, I stop and take serious notice of their refined but lively sound. As I did Sunday in the room sponsored by The Antal Audio Group.

Triangle is a mainstream European manufacturer, like KEF in England or Golden Ear in America. Triangle makes loudspeakers, subwoofers, and audio cables at every price point. To my ears, Triangle speakers deliver an exceptional amount of sonic virtue for the dollar.

The two models I have…

Genesis Maestro Loudspeakers, Merrill Audio Christine Linestage and Element 116 Monoblocks, EMM Labs DAC2x, Genesis Racks, Cables, and Power Cords

Do you know why New Yorkers are always depressed? Because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.

My friend Laurence Borden told me that joke. He has a PhD in neuropharmacology and is the owner-operator of Distinctive Stereo in River Vale, New Jersey. (Don’t neuropharmacologists study the effects of drugs on the brain and nervous system?)

I told Larry, when an audio system is really good, I need a neuropharmacologist to explain why. He replied, “The audio system you are listening to is really good and here is part of the reason why.” Whereupon he introduced me to…

Joseph Audio Loudspeakers, Unison Research DAC and Amplification, Balanced Audio Technology Phono Stage, Feickert Turntable, Schick Tonearm, My Sonic Lab Cartridge

On the last day of the show, loudspeaker designer Jeff Joseph showed no signs of slowing down. Remote in hand, he bounced around his room like the proverbial battery bunny, welcoming attendees, switching his rig between analog and digital playback, and generally smiling his way through it all.

Jeff's rig included a Feickert Firebird turntable ($12,995), Thomas Schick Tonearm ($2290), My Sonic Lab Signature Gold Cartridge ($8995), Balanced Audio Technology VK-P12SE phono stage ($9995), Unison Research CD Due DAC ($4995) and Unico 150 Integrated ($6495), and his Joseph Audio Perspective2…

Tekton Moab, McGary Audio SA-2 Integrated Amplifier, Exogal Comet DAC and Ion Power DAC, Anticables

I like speakers with dark wood finishes. My friend Sphere loves speakers painted red. My partner “bb” prefers blue ones that match her room. Tekton Design makes speakers in these and many other colors and finishes. Tekton speakers, though, also have many tweeters, which gives them a distinctive look.

I always get happy seeing Tekton Design’s principal Eric Alexander. I’ve reviewed two of his speakers (the Pendragon and the Impact Monitors), and I am a fan of Eric’s "tweeter arrays;” they deliver a precise and seamless midband that must be heard to be appreciated. It's not that looks don't…

Cube Audio Mini Nenuphar Loudspeakers, EMIA Audio Electronics, TW Acoustic Raven GT Turntable with Schroeder Reference SQ and Schick Tonearms and Soundsmith Sussurro and Ortofon SPU Royal N Cartridges

Jon Ver Halen’s Refined Audio room was the opposite of the Audio Company’s VAC/Von Schweikert room. It was small, had one grim light, gray carpet, gray walls, no banners, and two little black directly-heated triode amps with two tubes driving single-driver full-range (Cube) speakers in small, plain boxes. No Hollywood glitz socialite glamor, but the sound was rich, highly detailed, and pure. Here's why:

The $10,900/pair Cube Audio “Mini Nenuphar” speakers use only one paper-cone, full-range driver with no crossover. These single-driver speakers were powered by mono single-ended…

The American Sound Rooms: Wadax Electronics, Avantgarde Loudspeakers, Transparent Cabling

American Sound distribution presented three rooms featuring Avantgarde horn loudspeakers, and, in the two rooms I visited, Wadax digital products. This was the U.S. debut of Wadax’s much-talked-about flagship, the Atlantis, the company's all-out assault on the state of the digital art. If looks are any measure, the Atlantis was designed to compete with brands like dCS and Esoteric. The design of their casework is distinctive.

The Atlantis consists of three components that may be purchased separately: a Transport ($45,000), DAC ($69,000), and server $20,000. In the main room,…

ModWright Ambrose Ai325 Integrated Amplifier, PH9.0 Phono Pre, and modified Pioneer CD Player, Fern & Roby Tredegar Turntable (Schroeder Tonearm, Soundsmith Cartridge) and Raven Loudspeakers, Stereolab/Black Cat Cabling

I been watching the development of ModWright Instruments’ Daniel Wright since he started, many years ago, as a modifier of Sony and Oppo CD players. Dan is emerging as a manufacturer of some of the most refined-sounding and distinctive-looking tube amplifiers and pre-amplifiers on the high-end scene. As a reviewer, I’ve been waiting to see a ModWright product that just jumped out of the deck and said, “Herb! Review me.”

I just spotted it. It's Dan’s latest creation, the beautiful Ambrose Ai325 Tube Integrated ($9995 intro price). The Ai325 uses pairs of 300B directly heated triodes in a…

Overture Room: Technics’ SL-1000RE-S turntable, Van Den Hul Master Signature Cartridge and Grail SB Phono Preamp, Magico M2 Loudspeakers, Esoteric Grandioso C1 Preamplifier and Grandioso M1 Amplifiers, Shunyata Cables, HRS Racks, Artnovation Room Tuning

I saved the Overture room for last because for me and my taste, this room had the best sound at CAF 2019. It had the best sound because Technic’s US rep Bill Voss, has evolved into a master DJ and product elucidator. Bill was showcasing Technics’ new SL-1000RE-S turntable to brilliant effect. The word-on-the-street is, the SL-1000RE-S is in the running for some kind of Best Turntable Ever award, and I can believe it.

With every record Bill Voss played, I could feel the SL-1000RE-S forcing the system to ‘power the room’ and, when that happens, music sounds very there. Bill played…