Drawn by the lyre emblem on the faceplate and the promise of Swiss engineering, I took note in early April when longtime distributor Jay Rein of Bluebird Music was named exclusive North American distributor for Orpheus Lab. My interest deepened when I learned about Orpheus Lab’s five Absolute components ($12,900–$22,900/each) and the brand’s newer Heritage Opus II lineup. According to Rein’s press release, "The SACD player with separate power supply is priced at $54,900; the stereo preamplifier with separate power supply is $52,900; and 800W (into 4 ohms) monoblock power amplifiers are…
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Audio Reference of Hamburg, in collaboration with many of its distributed brands, set up a mind-blowing system at Munich High End, valued at well over $3 million. At its heart were Wilson Audio’s WAMM Master Chronosonic loudspeakers ($685,000/pair)—Dave Wilson’s final design—and a massive Wilson Thor’s Hammer subwoofer array ($25,000/each).
The setup also featured four eye-catching D’Agostino Relentless monoblocks ($349,500/pair), a three-piece Relentless preamplifier ($165,000), a full dCS Vivaldi front end (roughly $90,000 total), and a VPI Direct Drive turntable that…
Edward Mott Robinson (above), a Quaker tycoon from whaling-era Massachusetts, would turn down fine cigars. He preferred the cheap kind. "I smoke four-cent cigars, and I like them," he declared (footnote 1). "If I were to smoke better ones, I might lose my taste for the cheap ones that I now find quite satisfactory."
Robinson wasn't so much guarding his palate as preserving his contentment. A simple pleasure had settled into place, untroubled by ambition, and he knew to leave it alone.
I think about Robinson's four-cent stogie sometimes, usually when someone asks whether a $10,000…
The big news in Nordost land was twofold. First, the company has upgraded its entire entry-level Leif line to the new Leif 3 series. The latest offerings, presented by PR representative Meredith Gabor, include Blue Heaven 3 digital interconnects, Ethernet and USB 2.0 cables, and (soon) a White Lightning 3 tonearm cable.
Nordost engineer Dennis Bonotto demonstrated the forthcoming QNet7 network switch, priced at $5500. Far bigger than the original QNet network switch I reviewed about three years ago, the model 7 is a Layer-2 Ethernet device that is claimed to yield improved…
Moonriver brought a prototype of its forthcoming 606 integrated amplifier to Munich. Due in the fourth quarter, with a projected, tariff-dependent price of approximately $12,000, the unit will offer optional modules for phono, DAC, and streaming.
“The dual-mono design outputs three times the power of the 404 Reference Integrated you reviewed,” said chief engineer and founder George Polychronidis. “It also includes a headphone amplifier and a new MOSFET-based 120V preamp that delivers greater dynamic range. The circuit is extremely minimalistic, with only one MOSFET.”
A year without an MBL fix is a year incomplete. Hence, off to the spacious MBL suite I went, to experience a complete MBL Reference Line system ($750,000; price approximate, converted from Euros). Dominated by two 101 X-Treme Mk.2 Radialstrahler loudspeakers, the setup also featured a pair of 9011 mono power amplifiers, a 6010 D preamplifier, a 1611 F D/A converter, and a 1621 A CD transport. Eagerly awaited: the new Reference Line streamer.
As much as this system was about power, it was also extremely musical. The midrange sounded gorgeous. On Tower of Power’s "Diggin’ on…
Gryphon's long-awaited pure class-A Antileon Revelation amplifier, the successor to the Antileon EVO, will hit dealer shelves late August in both stereo ($39,800) and mono ($45,500/each) versions. We used to say, “It will arrive late August if the creek don’t rise;” these days, we replace creek with tariffs.
The stereo model delivers 160Wpc into 8 ohms and 320Wpc into 4 ohms; the mono version increases that to 180W into 8 and 360W into 4 ohms. Output impedance is rated at 0.04 ohms for stereo and 0.02 ohms for mono. Power supply capacitance is 2×335,000µF for the stereo amp and…
Woot, woot! I was thrilled when I saw the announcement for this amplifier. I was tempted to order one sight unseen and sound unheard. Why? First off, it employs the newest (as of March 2025) class-D amplification technology. Second, it can accommodate all sorts of audio systems, from an eight-channel surround setup to a megalomaniacal two-channel stereo system. Third, the specs, even in the context of its technology, are impressive. And fourth, I can lift it by myself—easily! How can I pass this amplifier up?
Peter Lyngdorf has played a major role in the development of modern class-D…
The MXA-800 in stereo
I am always seeking out new and interesting music, by any means necessary. I stumbled on a fascinating new recording just as I was preparing to sit back to try to get a handle on how my system sounded with the MXA-8400. Live in Berlin, performed by Kinan Azmeh and CityBand (16/44.1 download, Dreyer Gaido 21163), is a live and lively recording of some fascinating music. In the years following the Syrian uprising in 2011, Azmeh created this music "inspired by anger, sadness, frustration, and above all the need to hold on to one's optimism, hope and creative tools…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 8-channel power amplifier based on Purifi Eigentakt class-D technology. Inputs per channel: 1 XLR (balanced). 12V trigger in/out, Auto-Sense on/off. Error indication via front power LED. Input impedance: 10k ohms. Input sensitivity for rated output (High, Low): 2V, 6V. Gain (unbridged): 26.1dB (High), 16.6dB (Low). Gain (bridged): 31.7dB (High), 22.2dB (Low). Frequency response, 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB. Rated output power: 400Wpc into 4 ohms, 200Wpc into 8 ohms (both equivalent to 23dBW). Rated output power (bridged): 800Wpc into 8 ohms (29dBW). THD in…