Above the Hydra, at the top of the Reference line, will sit a 4-way model with three 14" woofers. It has a projected price of perhaps $400,000/pair. All models are designed to have a frequency response of 16 or 17Hz–30kHz, ±3dB, and a…
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In the hallway outside the JMF Audio/Ideon Audio room, Benno Baun Meldgaard, former speaker designer for Gamut, Raidho, and Gryphon, discussed his prototype Hydra loudspeaker. Expected in October, the cost for the for the entry-level 3-way floorstander—the smallest model in Baun's forthcoming Reference line of speakers—is projected at "around $150,000/pair."
"It's the gateway drug to the High End," Vanatoo's Rick Kernan quipped of the larger of Vanatoo's two diminutive active loudspeakers. He was speaking of the successor to the Vanatoo Transparent One Encore that I reviewed in 2019, the Transparent One Encore Plus (T1E+) active loudspeaker ($650/pair, up from $599/pair four years ago).
The T1E+ offer a better tweeter, better Bluetooth support for Apple and Android, a DAC that continues to process files up to 24/96 but converts them to 24/48, and a removable power cable. The new power cable inlet, installed at my urging, unfortunately only…
Entering Klaus Bunge's intentionally low-lit Odyssey room was like entering another dimension. Showgoers may have had no idea what the purpose of the room was—even I couldn't discern it from the display—but they could not possibly have been less than fascinated.
If you spent a while in the room, peered beyond its candlelit fantasy, and could get Bunge (above) to talk about audio rather than politics or his sheer exhaustion from his huge journey, you learned a bit about his $4200/pair loudspeakers—speakers that aren't even listed on his website, but that expand on his Kismet…
One of the highlights of my visit to PAF 2023 was the debut of Klaudio's $80,000 Magnezar Turntable. The world of super-premium turntables is curiously large and active these days, and it's not that surprising to hear of another one hitting the market. From the first glance, though, it was obvious that Klaudio's Magnezar was something extraordinary. For starters it eschewed the "platter plus pods" structure that's become synonymous with super-premium turntables. Instead, it's a modern take on the traditional plinth, armboard, and platter configuration, giving it a chunky, more integrated look…
The relationship between Linear Tube Audio (LTA) and Daedalus Audio loudspeakers is so close that the special pair of LTA 20Wpc Ultralinear+ power amplifier monoblocks ($6800/each) on display in room 2106 at PAF—the second of these companies' two joint rooms—boasted a custom faceplate designed specifically for their owner, Daedalus founder Lou Hinkley.
The system was also distinguished by Daedalus Audio Argos v.3 loudspeakers (above, $15,850+/pair), a pre-production prototype of the forthcoming LTA R2R + ZOTL DAC ($TBD), LTA flagship MicroZOTL preamplifier Level 2 ($5750), three…
Visiting Chuck Miller's Millercarbon room at PAF gave me the opportunity to check in on Townshend Audio, a quirky British manufacturer of audio gear best known for its well-engineered and very effective isolation products. I've always respected the engineering that went into the development, and liked their "luxurious execution meets form follows function" aesthetic. I've always smiled too, at their straightforward, almost simplistic approach to marketing, one that assumes customers will use logic and common sense to make purchase decisions. The Townshend products in use included $2650/pair…
Spatial Audio Lab may have considered its main suite on the 13th floor of the hotel's tower, but its second exhibit in room 2210 offered plenty to love. I was taken in by the wonderful clarity, excellent depth, and openness delivered by Spatial's Q6 prototype open-baffle loudspeakers ($4995/pair and expected in August). Infected Mushroom's "Avratz" was a knockout.
Although a change of ownership wasn't publicized at the time of sale, David Whitt now owns Spatial Audio Lab. David's son Sam Whitt, 23, engineers the speakers, and former owner Clayton Shaw continues in sales and distribution…
No show coverage would be complete without a preview of Børresen's major M6 loudspeaker ($550,000/pair) world premiere. Joining forces with products from the three other companies that comprise Audio Group Denmark, Børresen's M6 dominated an exceedingly large room in the extremely attractive exhibit mounted by US Distributor/Dealer Next Level HiFi.
At the heart of the M6 lies a "topology-optimized 3D-printed basket made of zirconium" designed to ensure maximum rigidity and minimum vibration and resonance. There's a lot more original thought and technology behind the speaker, of course,…
Even though I knew what to expect, I was still a bit overwhelmed when I walked into the Triangle Art room at PAF 2023. Their products aren't bashful. They practically scream engineering and display a build quality and attention that Ferrari would envy. If MOMA wants an exemplar of industrial art, they need look no further. I wanted to go over each and every one with a fine-toothed comb but—I was on a mission. My plan was to focus on the three turntable models that were being played, sort out their similarities and differences, and determine the extent to which the differences were reflected…
At every show, I make it point to visit at least one company making their debut at the show AT PAF 2023, it was Bella Sound, based in Half Moon Bay, CA, and the offspring of Mike and Barbara Vice. Mike Vice described their path to PAF 2023 as having begun around 2010 with what was to be their first product, the Hanalei power amplifier. It had been ten years in the making and wowed everyone who heard it, but Mike decided that it "just wasn't ready". After eight more years of refining the Hanalei and developing a few other components, Mike and Barbara decided that the time was right and created…