Atma-Sphere's Ralph Karsten was not in attendance, but his amplifiers were, including his MP1 preamplifiers ($12,100/pair), and MK3.3 Novacron monoblocks ($12,000/pair): 60Wpc; four Russian 6C33 power triodes per channel; class-A, Circlotronic®…
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John Wolff brought his Classic Audio Loudspeakers T-3.4 Field Coils ($29,500/pair) to the Show. This speaker comprised an all wood cabinet, 300 HTZ radial wood Tractix horn, two 15" woofers, a "4" beryllium tweeter diaphragm by Truextent loaded into 6475 2" throat field-coil compression driver," and a 16 ohms impedance. They weigh 350lb apiece.
CAF 2022 was fantastic! There were many great sounding rooms, and everyone was in good spirits. Soon after the show kicked off, many rooms became so packed, I couldn't enter. SRO! As always, my eyes and ears bulge to take it all in. CAF organizer and promoter Gary Gill (above) has much to be proud of. But rather than have me espouse my opinions on the most important hi-fi show on the East Coast post-pandemic, I asked a few industry friends to chime I, beginning with Gary Gill:
“Roundup? Is it ever over? Maybe it was the perfect storm with a dismal day outside and people working from home…
Fidelis Distribution and Heretic Loudspeakers Co. brought their high-sensitivity Heretic AD612 loudspeakers ($9290/pair) to CAF, paired with CEC and Lab 12 equipment.
Designer Robert Gaboury's Canadian-made The Heretic AD612 is a two-way, ductless, high-sensitivity, point-source coaxial monitor rated at 97dB/2.83Vm into 8 ohms, made of FSC 12-ply, birch plywood construction. Its 303 Heretic coaxial transducer contains a 12" high-power, low-frequency transducer, a 1" coaxial compression driver, and a short exponential horn. Crossover is a 2nd-order, serial type Linkwitz-Riley with Air…
The Kinks: Muswell Hillbillies/Everybody's in Show-Biz
BMG BMGCAT720DBOX (6 LP, 4 CD, Blu-ray). 2022. Ray Davies, Andrew Sandoval, prods.; Mike Bobak, Matt Jaggar, Kevin Gray, others, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ***½
BMG BMGCAT720DBOX (6 LP, 4 CD, Blu-ray). 2022. Ray Davies, Andrew Sandoval, prods.; Mike Bobak, Matt Jaggar, Kevin Gray, others, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ***½
Despite world-class songwriting and great singing from Ray Davies, solid guitar work from brother Dave, a run of six classic albums from Face to Face (1966) to Muswell Hillbillies (1971), multiple hit singles and albums in the US and the UK, the Kinks are rarely mentioned, on either side of the Atlantic, in the same breath as contemporaries the Beatles and the…
When scouring the labyrinthine halls of big audio shows for products to review in Stereophile, I use three main markers to determine which rooms to visit: a must-hear designation from Editor Jim Austin; a company or brand whose products always light my fire; and systems fellow Stereophile correspondents have described, in a text or an in-person conversation, as worth checking out. Other times, though, I just follow my nose.
Such was the case at AXPONA 2022, held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center near Chicago. At the coffee and pastry stalls on the first floor, I ran into P.…
To my eyes, the Pure Fidelity Stratos MC cart—which, as previously noted, costs extra—looked like a rebranded Hana, but it isn't that. "The Stratos is built to our specs in Italy," Stratton explained. "It's a joint venture with a Japanese company that provides the cantilever and stylus. It's then shipped to Goldnote for final assembly. Goldnote manufactures the special duralumin body for us."
The Harmony is one of the best-looking turntables I've seen, with striking but subtle cosmetics (including aesthetically contrasting functional elements like that matte-black Delrin platter)—in all,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive turntable with ultra-MDF plinth, Delrin platter, 6061 aluminum alloy and stainless steel subplatter, AC synchronous motor, Conductor speed controller, 6061 aluminum isolation platform, IsoAcoustics GAIA IV feet, SS10 Record Isolator, tonearm.
Dimensions: 17" W × 6" H × 14" D. Weight: 45lb.
Finishes: High-gloss Quilted Maple and Piano Black; semigloss Santos Rosewood or Quarter Cut Walnut.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 21-143.
Tonearm: Origin Live Encounter dual-pivot aluminum-alloy. Length: 239mm; overhang: 17°; Pivot-to…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable/4Point tonearm/EMT TSD15 N MC cartridge, Luxman LMC-5 cartridge.
Preamplification: Sugden LA-4 line preamplifier; Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono preamplifier.
Power amplifier: Pass Labs XA-25.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), Analysis Plus Silver Apex (RCA). Speaker: Analysis Plus Silver Apex Speaker (bananas). AC: Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU Record Cleaning Machine; Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl…
What does it mean to be Stereophile's Product of the Year? It's an honor, certainly, and probably helps the winner sell more products, but is there anything more we can say about it?
The PotY competition is the culmination of a whole year of the magazine's work, starting with the choice of products to review. Only products we review or consider carefully in a column qualify for the competition, and every product we review is eligible for the competition: We only review products we think will have a decent shot at being among the best.
Every product is subjected by the reviewer…
Amplification Component of the Year
Gryphon Apex Stereo power amplifier ($99,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer in August 2022, Vol.45 No.8 Review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Ayre Acoustics Ex-8 2.0 Integrated Hub ($6750–$8850; reviewed by Ken Micallef and John Atkinson in November & December 2021, Vol.44 Nos.11 & 12 review)
Gryphon Commander preamplifier ($63,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer in July 2022, Vol.45 No.7 review)
Luxman M-10x power amplifier ($19,995; reviewed by John Atkinson in May 2022, Vol.45 No.5 review)
Rotel Michi S5 power…