Driven by an Audio Aero SACD player and the Convergent Audio Technology's SL1 Ultimate Mk. II preamp and JL2 Signature power amps, the Emperors sounded quite regal. We suspect they…
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Hansen Audio needed a speaker that wasn't quite as, um, lordly as its $65,000/pair King floorstanders, so Lars Hansen designed the $49,000/pair Emperors. The four driver three-ways are constructed of Hansen's composite matrix material in an enclosure that employs Sound Wave Refraction Distortion Elimination technology. The midrange (7.2") and bass (10.6") drivers are all multilayer composite sandwiches.
Roy Hall was blunt as usual. "I'm bringing in some obscenely expensive tubes. They're Telefunken ECC803Ses, which is one of the best tubes available, but Cool Valve measures them and selects the most perfectly matched, and then bonds their EAT Cool Damper to them. The result is lower operational temperatures, longer life, and lower microphonics. They cost . . . "
My hearing must have stopped at that point—or else I couldn't make any sense of what Roy had said. "Say again?"
"They cost $250 each." Pause. "You know me, I'm cheap. I'd never even consider them, except they work…
If $250 per tube seems too dear, you can supply your own 12AX7, ECC 83, E83CC, 7025, 5751, 7058, 7729, 6681, CV492, CV8156, or 6057—and add Cool Valve's Eat Cool dampers for $40 each, as seen on the right..
Proac's $6000/pair Response D-28 was making real music connected to Sugden's $3000 CD21SE and $4000 A21SE 30Wpc integrated amplifier. I eyed the 42.5" floorstander, noting its 1" silk dome tweeter and 6.5" midrange/woofer—but I saw no port.
Had Proac gone to a sealed-box enclosure? Then my eagle eyes bespied a slight elevation of the cabinet off the plinth. I reached down to check—and yes! There was a downfiring port.
Of course, Jon Iverson caught me in the almost proctological examination position.
Sugden's US importer analog George Stanwick proudly preens with his A21SE 30wpc Class-A integrated amp and CD21SE CD player. What made the Keith Jarrett trio sound so good—was it the electronics or was it the Proac Response D28s?
"We think it's the combination of great loudspeakers and well-built electronics," he answered diplomatically.
"And maybe the new Proac speaker cables," Proac's Richard Gerberg added.
"And that, of course," Stanwick said diplomatically.
Naum Dorkhman was chuffed about Audes' new Excellence series of loudspeakers. "I told he engineers to take a blank sheet of paper and make loudspeakers that would satisfy audiophiles, not the bean counters," he said.
The flagship Excellence 5 ($5995/pair) has an extremely rigid front baffle, SEAS drivers (1" silk dome, two 5" midrange, and two 8" woofers) are from SEAS, the capacitors are from Munden, and the speaker terminals are from Cardas.
The proof ain't in the ingredients, however, it's in the listening. On that level, the Excellence 5s are at least 90 proof. Jon…
We always make a point of visiting DeVore Fidelity's rooms because John DeVore always makes music come alive—and we are so down with that.
This year, J-DeV was showing off The Nines ($6500/pair), which he described as a 2.5-way DeVore Fidelity Super 8 ($4000/pair) clone "that just kept getting better." The side firing 8" woofer begins to taper off "around 100Hz or so," DeVore explained.
Very smooth—and very deep.
"What's that?" I was pointing to EMT's JPA-66 Varia-Curve Full Function Preamp (price TBD). I was hypnotized by its VU meters, but Tone's Jonathan Helpern…
Music Hall's new $999 Trio CD receiver puts a CD player, tuner, and integrated amp together. What makes it different? Tubes, for one thing—you get 50Wpc of tubey goodness. Just add speakers and cook!