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Audio Analogue Enigma

The Audio Analogue Enigma ($1949.99) is a very fine-looking chunk of brushed aluminum. An unusual size and shape — half-width and very deep — the Enigma combines a CD player with an AM/FM tuner, tube preamp using an ECC88 valve, which is visible through a small, oval port on the faceplate, and a 54Wpc power amp.

I like the convenience and simplicity provided by such attractive all-in-one systems as the Audio Analogue Enigma. Others I've seen here include the absolutely beautiful Primare CDI10 ($2195) and very affordable Music Hall Trio ($999).

Music Hall Trio

You can't see it from the photo, but the faceplate actually reads "Uno."

"This is just a pre-production model," Music Hall's Leland Leard stressed. The final product will be a bit more refined, with different knobs, and, of course, won't hold the name "Uno."

Perhaps it was too close to "Solo."

"We thought 'Trio' was more appopriate," said Leland.

If the Music Hall Uno performs anything like the Solo, the company will definitely have a winner. The Trio combines a 50W stereo amp, AM/FM tuner, and CD player with Music Hall's uncommonly affordable…

Reference 3A's Flagship, the Grand Veena

Divergent Technologies’ Tash Goka introduced a new top speaker in the Reference 3A line: the Grand Veena ($7500/pair), which, in addition to two woofers, a midrange and a tweeter, also has a Murata supertweeter that covers the range from 20kHz to 100kHz. The sonic contribution of the supertweeter is acknowledged to be "not easily detectable by conventional means," but is said to improve the speaker’s spatial quality and have positive effects outside of its nominal operating range. The Grand Veenas sounded mighty nice driven by Antique Sound Labs' new Cadenza amps ($6500/pair).

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Maximal Directivity from the Copernicus

When it comes to directivity in loudspeaker frequency response, the trend has been to make them less directional, both vertically and horizontally, so that the speakers would be less sensitive to seating position and allow more then one person to enjoy the same tonal balance. The new Copernicus II ($21,000/pair with powered subwoofers and digital equalization/phase correction) from Alltronics Technical Systems takes the opposite approach, going for maximum directionality/focus. The drivers form a vertical line source with a concave curve, the speakers being "aimed" at a seated listener…

Musical Fidelity Tackles the Future

The SignalPath suite at the Mirage featured the company's Era speakers and Musical Fidelity electronics—but wait! What's that sitting on top of the kW250 integrated amplifier? It's a laptop!

SignalPath's David Solomon and Jim Spainhour strongly feel that the iPod/iTunes revolution should be embraced by High-End Audio and they asked MF's Antony Michaelson if he would include a USB port on his new XDACv8 D/A processor (left). Ever-obliging, Antony did just that, and the sound in the suite was sourced from iTunes playing uncompressed WAV files.

But what's that on top of the…

VTL's New Phono Stage

VTL introduced a new phono preamplifier at CES, the $6500 TP-6.5 Signature Phono Stage, as well as an upgraded MB-450 Signature monoblock amplifier. Using the single-chassis configuration of the TL-6.5 line preamplifier, VTL's phono preamplifier follows its hybrid design approach, using a low-noise J-FET to drive high-current 12AU7 tubes. It features switchable, five-corner, passive RIAA filtering. Gain, cartridge load impedance, phase, muting, rumble filter, and power on/off can be switched by remote.

The VTL TP-6.5 was driven by a RPM Spiral Groove turntable, fitted with a Graham…

Get Out of My Face

Bagheera is really a sweet-natured kitty, but she does get irritated with me and my camera.

ProAc's D28

Modern Audio Consultants’ Richard Gerberg showed me a new $6000/pair loudspeaker from English company ProAc, the two-way D28. The 60 lb floorstander, designed by ProAc founder Stewart Tyler , includes a 1" silk-dome tweeter and a 6.5" bass/midbass driver. I was able to audition the loudspeakers driven by a new $3000 Sugden 21 SE CD player, a $4000 Sugden 21SC integrated amplifer, and ProAc speaker cable. The D28’s sound was smooth, detailed, and musical. I particulary enjoyed playing Jamie Cullen’s Twenty Something album. Richard told me that the album had been recorded and edited…

Shure Gets Into Reviewer's Head

I’m not fond of using earplugs, so I haven’t really investigated listening to music with in-the-ear-canal type earphones. However, I've read reports from the likes of Wes Phillips and John Atkinson, extolling the virtues of these type of earphones, so when I saw the sign at the Shure booth that they had some new models in this series, I thought I'd give them a listen. The ones I tried were the top-of-the-line SE530 ($449.99), which are described as "triple TruAcoustic microspeakers," with a separate tweeter and two woofers. I listened to "Nessun Dorma" sung by Pavarotti—the source was…

The Rise of the House of Usher

Press conferences can sometimes be tedious affairs, with the presenter going on-and-on about his company's past accomplishments, and how even greater things are coming in the future. But this description did not apply to the press conference for Usher Audio Technology at this year’s CES. This was more like an informal party for friends than the prototypical press conference. People stood around and chatted for a while, and then Atul Kanagat of MusikMatters, Usher’s North American distributor, talked briefly about how Usher’s line of high-value/high-performance loudspeakers is…