Obsolescence is obsolete—at least according to the slogan coined by PS Audio's Paul McGowan when he introduced their PerfectWave DirectStream DAC ($5999). Allowing for a bit of marketing hyperbole, he had a point. While the DirectStream's hardware platform has stayed the same, the use of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) has allowed its designer, Ted Smith, to come up with ever more refined versions of the firmware (they now call it an operating system), each major revision bringing audible benefits. Best of all…
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RD Auditioned the Yale firmware upgrade in November 2015 (Vol.38 No.11):
I first heard MartinLogan's new flagship speaker, the Neolith, at the 2015 CES—and, as an electrostatic fan from way back, I was disappointed by the sound, which seemed to lack the transparency that I expect from this kind of speaker, and that I've heard from MartinLogan's less-expensive models. I refused to believe that something went wrong in the design of the speaker, and attributed the disappointing performance to less-then-optimal setup and other components in the system, like the Krell amplifiers being used.
The first room I visited at the 2015 TAVES, held this past weekend in…
The Abis SA-1.2 tonearm, from November 2015 (Vol.38 No.11):
Few recent tonearms have more impressed me than the Abis SA-1, which I wrote about in our March 2014 issue. A relatively high-mass design with an effective length of 9" and a static downforce mechanism positioned well in front of its fulcrum, the Japanese-made SA-1 sounded fine with my Thorens TD 124 turntable and Denon DL-103 cartridge, and appeared to generate lots of e-interest among lovers of low-compliance moving-coil cartridges in general.
But before long, Phillip Holmes of Mockingbird Distribution, which imports…
Cellist Vincent Bélanger (above) is getting to be a fixture at audio shows, the sound of the instrument and Bélanger's impeccable musicianship always serving as a welcome reminder of what our hobby is all about. He played at the party TAVES put on for the industry and media in a large ballroom, and first apologized that the sounds he was about to make were not nearly as loud as people were used to in the demo rooms. I think there's a lesson in there—and it's not that Bélanger was playing too softly!
Vincent Bélanger expressed his gratitude to Michel Plante (on the left in the…
In its latest new location, the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, NY, the 2015 edition of the Chester Group's three-day New York Audio Show kicks off on Friday, November 6. The hotel, which is located on 37 acres of woodlands, comes complete with what are reported to be "panoramic view of lush gardens," two swimming pools, tennis courts, whirlpool, sauna, spa, fitness room, walking and jogging trails. While that may be of interest only to out-of-towners staying for the weekend, local guests will want to learn that the venue is a five-minute cab ride from the nearest Metro North train station (…
TAVES 2015 presented the World Premiere of the ACA Seraphim Skogrand Edition speakers ($58,500/pair), with Skogrand cable CEO/Designer Knut Skogrand (above) on hand for the event. "Manufactured in a small workshop in the mountain hills of Norway," Skogrand cables are designed to "let any system perform at its full potential." This search for perfection does not come cheap: a 3m pair of SC Beethoven speaker cables costs $32,500!
In their 14-layer, lacquered Piano Rosewood finish, the ACA Seraphim Skogrand speakers certainly looked beautiful, and—in a system featuring VAC Electronics,…
Anaheim dealer Scott Walker Audio (1215 North Tustin Avenue, CA 92897) is showcasing Magico's newest S-Series speaker, the S7, on Sunday, November 8, from 1–5pm. Also being demonstrated will be Magico's S1, S3, & S5 loudspeaker systems, presented by Peter MacKay, VP Global Sales for Magico.
Tinseltown. La-La Land. Smell-A. First, of course, there's the climate. No way to hate sunshine and ocean breezes. And if you were somehow able to erase all the people in Southern California, the land itself—rising from the blue Pacific to high desert to timbered, sometimes even snowy mountaintops—is gorgeous. Then, of course, there's the unusually attractive human flora and fauna roaming SoCal. How did Brian Wilson put it . . . ? "Dolls by a palm tree in the sand."
Although the residents of America's two great metropolises are supposed to detest each other's hometown, or at least that…
UpTone Audio's USB Regen is a powered, single-port USB 2.0 hub that takes the USB signal from your computer, regenerates (ie, reclocks) the data, provides cleaned-up 5V power from a built-in, ultra–low-noise regulator, and sends an impedance-matched signal to your DAC. The Regen is designed to sit as close to your DAC as possible; UpTone supplies a male/male USB A/B adapter—a solid, double-ended plug, which they recommend over the 6"-long male/male USB A/B cable they also provide.
At one end of the Regen's small (2.2" wide by 0.7" high by 1.8" deep) case of black-anodized aluminum is a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered, single-port USB 2.0 hub.
Dimensions: 2.2" wide by 0.7" high by 1.8" deep.
Price: $175.
Manufacturer: UpTone Audio LLC, Mariposa, CA 95338. Tel: (209) 966-4377. Web: www.uptoneaudio.com