Here I heard a pair of Sopraninos in two different configurations. The first was atop EnigmAcoustics M1 loudspeakers ($14,900/pair). Paired with Ayre's V5-XE amplifier and K5-XE preamp, a Mac Mini as source, and Cardas' Golden Cross speaker cables, Clear balanced interconnects, and USB cable, the system produced a…
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I've previously praised EnigmAcoustics' Sopranino self-polarizing electrostatic supertweeter ($3690/pair), which I first encountered at T.H.E. Show Newport Beach. The Sopranino claims a flat response to beyond 40kHz and fully passive operation without the need of external bias.
While I didn't reach anywhere near the altitude of the planes leaving SFO's runways, I was finally making headway on the Westin's 3rd floor. The home of many of CAS' exhibits, it got even homier when I entered the room sponsored by Pass Labs. Pass rarely if ever makes an appearance at a consumer show, but with no dealer in the greater Bay Area—the closest is Reno Hi-Fi, which happily arranges in-home demos for CA consumers—the company's Desmond Harrington and Kent English finally decided to let "local" consumers hear why so many critics rave about Pass products.
Neither Desmond nor Kent…
This front view of the Music Lovers Audio/Musical Surroundings room gives but a hint of the huge, expansive, amazingly coherent, air-filled, three-dimensional soundstage of this system. My hands-down "Best of Show," the room was dominated by dominated by Wilson Audio Alexia loudspeakers ($48,500–$50,000/pair, depending upon finish)—another pair of Alexias now resides at John Atkinson's home for review—and Spectral Audio DMA-400RS monoblock amplifiers ($28,000/pair). Peter McGrath of Wilson Audio (left) and Hugh Fountain of Music Lovers Audio (right), as well as Garth Leerer of Musical…
There's nothing like highlighted text from Stereophile brother Art Dudley to get a fellow writer's attention. Then again, so do the Burwell & Sons Homage Series loudspeakers ($80,000/pair), whose price will tempt many vintage horn lovers to burn a hole their pockets.
Equipped with Altec Lansing's "Voice Of The Theater" model 804 A compression drivers for the high-frequency horns and model 803 A woofers for the low-frequency cabinets, and a port that has been tuned since their show debut to improve bass response, the Burwell & Sons beauties joined forces with Esoteric's K…
Hey, we were in earthquake country, the land from which Carole King may have received inspiration to write, "I Feel the Earth Move Under my Feet." Then again, she could have received equal inspiration from the Von Schweikert VR-100 XS 4-piece loudspeaker system ($140,000/pair). Paired with the debut of Raven Audio's Silhouette monoblock amplifiers ($12,995/pair) and Reference Silhouette preamplifier ($12,995), it sure inspired me with its ability to move air with musicality.
I returned to this oversized exhibit on the last day, after a defective cable and music server had been replaced.…
The fourth California Audio Show had just come to an end, but from the vigor with which the Music Lovers Audio staff launched into take down (above), it could have just as well been set-up day. Perhaps some of their energy reserves arose from the fact that attendance seemed significantly lighter than anticipated, even on Saturday.
Why have I devoted so much time and energy to writing up rooms at what was essentially a modestly sized regional show? To my way of thinking, exhibitors, both newbies and industry regulars, invested so much time and energy into making a good showing at CAS that…
Things didn't start off auspiciously. I'd been after Symphonic Line's Klaus Bunge for more than a year to send me the Kraft 400 Reference monoblocks. Finally he called. He said he was going to be in town for a few days, and he had with him a pair of what he described as his "traveling" Kraft 400s, which he proposed to leave with me (footnote 1).
Klaus showed up with the enormous amps encased in high-mileage cardboard domestic travel boxes so crisscrossed with packing tape they looked mummified. I eagerly poked around Klaus's Trooper for the cart I just knew he had to have with him. He…
The 400s never wavered or faltered on this complex and orchestrally dense work. Every string tone, organ note, musical thread, precisely placed and layered instrument, and small acoustic detail was rendered with equal importance. The result was a mammoth, transparent, concise, extremely coherent sound that brought us the ultimate power of the orchestra by perfectly tracking the many voices of each individual instrument. This certainly has much to do with designer Rolf Gemein's theories regarding proper distribution of energy throughout the frequency spectrum, and to his attention to time…
Sidebar 1: Measurements
A full set of measurements of the Symphonic Line Kraft 400 was made in its unbalanced mode. Balanced measurements were not made, for reasons explained below.
Following the 1/3-power, one-hour preconditioning test, the Kraft 400's heatsinks were barely warm to the touch—so cool, in fact, that it seemed that the heatsinks are far larger than they need to be.
The input impedance measured a low 9.8k ohms. Some care should be exercised to avoid matching the Kraft 400 with a preamp having an unusually high output impedance. The output impedance was 0.04…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Solid-state, handcrafted power amplifier with class-A output stage. Maximum output power: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW); 500W into 4 ohms (24dBW). Current capability: >150A. Frequency range: 1Hz–1MHz. Damping factor: >1500, equivalent to an output impedance of 0.005 ohms.
Dimensions: 21" W by 30" D by 14" H. Weight: 260 lbs each.
Price: $25,000/pair, installed (1995); no longer available (2013). Approximate number of dealers: 12 (1995).
Manufacturer: Rolf Gemein, Scharnhorststr. 9-11, D-47059 Duisburg. Tel: 49 (0) 203-315656. Fax: 49…