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Chord Electronics, distributed by Bluebird Music, took pride of place in two systems in their multi-chambered suite on the 35th floor. In the main system sat the Chord Blu Mk.2 CD transport ($11,788), Dave DAC ($12,488), CPA 5000 preamp ($20,000), and SPM6000 750W monoblock amplifiers ($50,000/pair). Kubala-Sosna Elation cabling ($28,000 total)—my undying thanks to Gregg Kubala for going on a heroic quest for a bottle of water to help yours truly reduce the discomfort of desert-induced dehydration—and Vienna Acoustics Liszt speakers ($14,998/pair) drew a darker sound from the same Lou…
Sitting next to its big brother DAC/transport combo, Chord Mezzo 75 amplifier (75Wpc into 4 ohms, $4995), and new Spendor A2 loudspeakers ($2395/pair) was the diminutive new Chord Qutest DAC ($1795). A replacement for the 2Qute, this DAC does not contain a headphone amp, uses the same FPGA as in the Hugo 2, has a cleaner power supply than its predecessor, and includes four filters and the ability to output three different voltage levels. Expect it in stores in February.
Although the Qutest was not in operation when I visited, what was active in the system exhibited very clear…
KEF has just upped the ante on the LS50W, the wireless version of its lauded LS50 bookshelf speaker, with the release of the LS50W Nocturne Special Edition ($2499.99/pair). Engineered by KEF Head of Acoustics Jack Oclee-Brown and sporting an eye-catching design by Dutch Designer Marcel Wanders—I regret that my photo fails to capture all the graphic detail on KEF's Uni-Q driver and cabinet—the LS50W Nocturne Edition will be available on January 15.
The LS50W Nocturne Special Edition features 2.4GHz/5GHz Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 aptX, and optical (Toslink) connectivity; includes a 192…
Master & Dynamic, known mainly for their headphones and earphones, recently launched their MA770 wireless loudspeaker ($1800 each). Designed by Sir David Adjaye, who also designed D.C.'s new Smithsonian Museum, the 35-lb speaker's cabinet is made from exceedingly inert composite concrete. Designed to operate solo as a stereo unit—two can be linked together via WiFi for a wider stereo image—the speaker contains dual 4" woven Kevlar long-throw woofers, a 1.5" titanium tweeter powered by 100W of class-D amplification, and anodized aluminum controls. Its stainless steel grille is removable,…
Replacing the mid-size chassis offerings from M2Tech that were originally targeted to desktop and secondary system use, the new Rockstar line is now intended for main systems as well. The Young MKIII preamp/DAC features include additional digital inputs and analog inputs and outputs, DSD 256, full MQA, and Bluetooth APTX .
In the photo: on top is the Young MKIII preamp/DAC ($1,699), in the middle the Crosby power amp (80 watts per channel 8 ohms at $1,299), and at the bottom is an optional external linear Van Der Graaf MKII power supply ($980) which can power up to four devices and do…
Lumin's popular D1 has been updated to the D2 (black unit on top in photo above) with several new features: internal switch-mode power supply (no more wall wart), dual-mono Wolfson WM8741 DAC chips, reworked board layout, and DSD 128 support. There is also SPDIF out and you can bypass the internal DAC.
Importer Mark Gurvey stressed that Lumin products are designed by commercial engineers, not consumer electronics engineers, and they have created products such as set-top boxes for the satellite industry. "They design Lumin products for full firmware, software and FPGA updating so that…
Importer Mark Gurvey notes that this is the first time that fidata has shown products in the US, and they include a 1TB server (HFAS1-S10U at $5,000) and 2TB server (HFAS1-XS20U at $7,000) that are now available. Inside are sets of 500GB SSD Samsung pro-grade drives, and both servers are built on what Gurvey says is a "true audiophile" platform designed from scratch with physically isolated sections within the chassis for each function.
The impressively built (my opinion) fidata servers allow users to capture and tag music from a variety of sources and formats including DSD, WAV or FLAC…
dCS, D'Agostino, Wilson, Transparent, and HRS—how often have we found products from these companies making a synergistic and most musical match? As you'll learn from Jana Dagdagan's video once it's posted, Jana, John Atkinson, and I visited the spacious suite in the Mirage Hotel in which these companies paired a dCS limited edition Vivaldi 1 ($80,000 or, in the striking bright nickel finish seen in this room, $92,000) and Rossini clock ($7999); an HRS VXR rack; D'Agostino Master Systems Progression preamplifier ($22,000) and Progression stereo amplifier ($22,000); Wilson Audio Sasha 2 speaker…
Harman's performance audio director of engineering, Todd Eichenbaum, was on hand to explain the ".5" updates to the ML 585. "The 585.5 is the same at the original 585 integrated, but adds the same phono stage as the 523 and 526 preamps." The 585.5 has been shipping since late last year at $16,000
Next to the 585.5 is the new 515 turntable which was in prototype form at last CES and is now shipping. Cost is $10,000 without cartridge or $12,500 with an Ortofon Cadenza Bronz cartridge installed at the factory.
Slated for release in the next several months, the "Be" indicates beryllium tweeters. Harman's Todd Eichenbaum explained that all of the drivers in the new series are updated from the original performa series.
"In addition to the beryllium tweeters, the drivers are what we call a deep anodized aluminum cone. The deep anodize forms a very thick layer of aluminum oxide on both sides of the cone, which is ceramic--almost as if it were an aluminum/ceramic sandwich. This gives us very good rigidity and damping--the best of both materials."
In the photo is the F228 Be, which retails for…