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However, I was rather touched by the banner promoting the stated aim of CES: "A Better Life, A Better World." It's hard to argue against this sentiment.
For those interested in audio, the products on display at Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) are of little interest. And yet...I don't think I would feel that I've attended CES unless I spent a few hours at LVCC. I figured that it would be best to go on the first day of 2015 CES, before the show really got going.
That turned out to be a wrong assumption. There were huge crowds, and long lines for the shuttle buses. And going to the LVCC serves to remind us that the world of high-performance audio is a relatively small part of what is broadly…
Thiel is back! Following a period of reorganization necessitated by the death of Jim Thiel, the "new Thiel," while varying in specifics, promises to respect Jim Thiel's sonic ideals while developing speakers for both two channel and multichannel. Presented by Paul Fisher, pictured here, the new models form the Third Avenue Collection, and include the TT1 tower ($5798/pair), the compact TM3 ($3498/pair, and the TC1 ($2500) center channel.
Bryston's James Tanner and Brian Russell (left to right) seemed pretty happy at CES, and with good reason. The Bryston Middle T has just received a highly favorable review from Kal Rubinson in our February issue, and the Mini T ($3195/pair in glossy black) was sounding truly excellent in the system demoed at CES. Bryston can no longer be thought of as just a manufacturer of electronics!
That was the subject heading of an email that I received from GoldenEar's Sandy Gross back in November. These turned to be another tower speaker, the Triton Five ($1999.98/pair) and a new subwoofer, Super-Sub XXL ($1999.99 each). The Triton Five is a step up from the Triton Seven, and includes design improvements learned from the design of the Triton One (which I reviewed in the February,2015, issue.) Unlike the Triton One and the Triton Two, but like the Triton Seven, the Five is not powered. Listening to a pair of Fives, the resemblance to the One (and the Two) was quite obvious, with the…
For years, I have greeted Rogue's Mark O'Brien with the question, "Anything new in digital?" fully knowing that Rogue Audio is committed to vacuum tube-based analog. This time I asked "Anything new that is not digital?" and Mark beamed. Finally, I had asked the right question and he was happy to show me Rogue's $3500 preamplifier, the P5. This all-new device includes a MM/MC phono stage with adjustable loading and gain as well as a tube-driven headphone amplifier. Modern conveniences include a 10-function remote control and a 2-line VFD display for input selection and volume.
At Musical Surroundings, the Metis line-stage preamp from Aesthetix, first seen at the 2014 RMAF, was running the big demo system. This new 4-tube preamp replaces the multi-chassis Callisto at about $25,000. Notable features include the replacement of traditional interstage coupling capacitors with proprietary circuits and a so-called "Invisible" power supply within the main chassis. The PS sits inside but, with the Metis placed on a flat surface, separate supports lift the power supple free from the chassis so that it is isolated from all the audio and control devices.
One of the trends in amplification this year is the large number of stereo integrated amplifiers with digital inputs. Among these, the Parasound Halo Integrated stands out for its impressive feature set. It is based on the successful P5 preamplifier that Art Dudley reviewed in April 2014. Indeed, it looks like a taller version of the P5 with two pairs of multiway speaker terminals added to the back panel and a front panel with a new sculpted Parasound logo, an illuminated volume control and nicely overall styling.
In addition, the entire digital input module has been re-engineered for…
Those who’ve read my reviews will already know how much musical pleasure my vintage Creek 4330 integrated amp has given me. On the first day of CES I got to relax and listen to the legendary Mike Creek show and tell about the Evolution 50CD ($1695) which is really a high-end DAC with a built in transport. It can handle a total of six digital sources, including CD, and it has two digital outputs plus a Creek RC bus.
I stood fascinated while Mike showed me every tiny component in the new EVO 100A integrated amp ($2195) which uses a clever class-G output stage to increase power to 100Wpc…