Made in the USA, Enjoyed Everywhere
I loved taking a look at the exposed circuitry of the new Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamp ($2200; review to come from Brian Damkroger). Made in the USA, enjoyed everywhere.
Stephen Mejias
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Blackfire Research
Spend some time with Ravi Rajapakse, President and CEO of Blackfire Research, and you might get the impression that he’s some sort of control freak.
Bluebird Music
Peak Consult is a new brand for Jay Rein’s Bluebird Music, and the company’s attractive InCognito XII loudspeaker ($22,000/pair) sounded just perfectly at home with Chord Electronics’ Red Reference MkII CD player ($25,900), CPA 5000 preamp ($21, 900), and 500Wpc SPM 1400 monoblocks ($32,900/pair). Cables were Van den Hul’s Nova speaker wire ($3295) and MC Silver interconnects ($7268).
Chordette Gem
The cute Chordette Gem Bluetooth DAC ($799) measures approximately 6” x 3” x 1.5”, comes in a variety of bright colors, and will be reviewed by Art Dudley in the January 2011 issue of <i>Stereophile</i>.
Clarity and Detail from Hegel
Hegel provided a great demonstration on the effects of jitter. Using a <a href="http://stereophile.com/computeraudio/logitech_squeezebox_touch_network_… Squeezebox Touch</a> ($299) as a source we listened to a track first through the onboard DAC in Hegel’s entry-level 70Wpc A70 integrated amplifier ($2000) and then through their outboard HD10 DAC ($1200). Speakers were the B&W 802 Diamonds ($15,000/pair).
Big Sound from Tel Wire, Revel, Rogue, and Robyatt Audio
I walked into the Rogue Audio room and was nearly swept up by the <i>vitality</i> of the music being played. There was more <i>life</i> in here. Hugh Masekela was throwing <i>a party</i>, starting <i>a revolution</i>.
Audio Physic Celebrates 25 Years
Audio Physic is celebrating their 25th anniversary with the special edition Virgo 25 ($12,500/pair-$14,000/pair, depending on finish), “a miniature version” of the company’s top-of-the-line Cardeus. Partnered with the Virgo 25 at the time I visited was the Trigon CD II CD player ($4000), Trigon Dialog preamplifier ($9000), and Trigon Monolog monoblocks ($18,000/pair). Also on display was the Trigon Energy integrated amplifier ($5000). Supporting the gear was a Creaktiv Trend-Line 1-3 audio rack ($1300) and Creaktiv amp stands ($1000 each).
Analogue Productions and Sony
Acoustic Sounds’ Chad Kassem provided a wonderful demo of some of his fine <a href="http://www.aporecords.com/FLASHindex.cfm">Analogue Productions</a> releases, including Jimmy Lee Robinson’s <i>All My Life</i> and Elvis’ <i>24 Karat Hits</i>—all sounding absolutely <i>seductive</i> and <i>enveloping</i> with an extremely liquid and relaxed sound—through a system featuring a Clearaudio Concept turntable ($1400), which Kassem was particularly fond of—“for the price, this ‘table is hard to beat”—and Sony’s SS-AR1 loudspeakers, seen here.
Dynaudio and More T+A
Dynaudio’s Mike Manousselis pulled me into his room with the familiar sounds of the XX. On display here were T+A’s more affordable R-Series components, less flashy than the V-Series, but no less elegant: G1260 R turntable ($3250 with tonearm; $3600 with arm and cartridge; $4300 with built-in phono), PA1260 R integrated amplifier ($5000), CD1260 R CD player ($3800), and MP1260 R DAC streaming client ($4200, providing internet radio, two USB inputs, and wired or wireless streaming abilities).
Awesome Gear from T+A
It was awesome to see the limited edition <a href="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/dynaudio_sapphire_loudspea… Sapphire</a>, cloaked in a stunning clear blue piano lacquer over a veneer of bird’s eye maple. The sound was just as fine: cymbals and horns had a natural bite, without edge or glare, blooming and blooming and blooming into the room.