KEF Goes Wireless with Fashion
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 WandersI regret that my photo fails to capture all the graphic detail on KEF's Uni-Q driver and cabinetthe LS50W Nocturne Edition will be available on January 15.
Kimber Kable Carbon-Infused Cables
There was a brief back and forth as to whether they wanted to release information on the new cables (seen above in prototype form), but eventually Ray Kimber said yes. Kimber's Lonny Gould described these as "a carbon-infused eight wire cable." No pricing or release dates are set yet.
Klipsch Heritage Series
"All products in the Heritage Series are built in the Klipsch factory in Hope Arkansas," the company's Kerry Geist begins. Klipsch has chosen to only demo the Heritage stuff here in the Venetian, with the bulk of their contemporary line back at the main convention center. And the room is quite crowded, so they clearly understand their demographic.
Lamm and Friends Think Big
Given the dramatic drop in the number of high-end audio exhibits at CES, only two companies chose to occupy the huge, high-ceilinged suites on the Venetian Hotel's 35th floor. The first, Lamm Industries, from the quiet little hamlet of Brooklyn, NY (where John Atkinson also lives), threw caution to the winds with a system whose total retail price was $649,440.
Lovely Sound from VTL
VTL has finally released its long-promised TP-2.5i phono preamplifier ($3750). A completely redesigned replacement for the venerable 2.5, which was in production for close to two decades, its upgrades include shunt regulation and technology trickled downoh, how I hate that phrasefrom VTL's flagship TP-6.5 phono stage. JFET/tube hybrid circuitry is used for the MC stage, and all-tube circuitry for the MM stage. It has what VTL calls "enhanced" RIAA compensation and a front-panel-switchable filter/mono function.
Lumin D2 Streamer/Renderer/DAC
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.
M2Tech Rockstars Series
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 .
Marantz ND8006 Network Audio and CD Player
Emmanuel Millot, from Sound United (Marantz's parent company who also owns Denon, Polk, Definitive Technology, and others), was on hand to walk us through the new Marantz ND8006 CD and network audio player/streamer. Retail is $1,199 and it became available late last year.
Mark Levinson 585.5 Integrated Amplifier
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
Mighty Impressive Sound from Elac
Both Andrew Jones, who designs Elac loudspeakers, and Peter Madnick, who is responsible for Elac's Alchemy series of components (the successors to the Audio Alchemy brand), were on hand to demonstrate a system that sounded equally wonderful on both of the "Red Book" files I heard there. I loved how beautifully this system captured the seductive midrange of David Roth's voice on "Before I Die" as it conveyed his music with captivating warmth and lovely layering. Timbres on Count Basie's 88 Basin Street were also natural and compelling.