LAS VEGAS CES 2006

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και λιγο απο εκει....

McIntosh XR2Kw ($80,000 per pair) stands about 7 feet high, has 110 drivers and 11 pairs of loudspeaker binding posts! Without a doubt this gets my award for the most of everything. You wanna be more better, this is bigger larger huger

 

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ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ!!!!!!

From Greece, with love. This year, my vote for Best Sound at Show goes to the Audio Analysis Loudspeaker room for a system based around the Omega full-range planar ribbon loudspeaker ($14,990/pair). These superb speakers bear a strong visual resemblance to the Apogee planars, but as the US distributor Michael Kalellis (MK Audio) explains it, form follows function in this case. The sound here was exemplary - fast, detailed and cohesive in a manner that captured the essence of live music - and illustrates what can be achieved even under show conditions if sufficient time is spent on system building. The emphasis today, driven by various magazine recommended component lists, is on components, which inevitably leads audiophiles down a path to "audio hell" - disappointment and constant tweaking of mismatched systems. Let me therefore spell out each link in this showcase system since it is all about synergy. Matching amplifiers were the Antique Sound Labs AQ 1009 845 DT monoblocks ($5,600/pair). Home Grown Audio (HGA, Inc.) provided speaker cables (X32 and X16 Bi-wire) and interconnects (model DNA $389.95 per 1-meter pair). Power cords were the Bybee Power Golden Goddess ($1,250). The front end consisted of the VPI Industries Super Scoutmaster Signature turntable feeding the Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline XR-10B phono stage ($4,500) and Stealth tube preamplifier ($2,495). CD playback was via the Audio Research Reference CD7. Finally, equipment racks were courtesy of MK Audio.

M Π Ρ Α Β Ο

 

[unforgiven]

Μιχάλη, όλα τα links των εικόνων είναι σπασμένα.

 

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Sunny Cable Model 2 Loudspeakers ($8000 pair, 94dB). Not as BIG as the Model 3.

pipedreams 100,000$ pair

 

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Nola Viper Reference ($12,000 pair) with Plinius SA Reference ($14,500), Eichman cabling, and the Alon Thunderbolt subwoofer, in the Elite Audio Video room. Always liked the Nola stuff and these new Vipers (shown at the last RMAF) really sound good!

 

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Von Schweikert VR-9SE loudspeakers, Dartzeel NHB-18NS preamplifier, NHB Model 8 amplifiers, EMM Labs CDSD and DAC6 in the Jonathan Tinn's room. Killer sound! Liked this better than at RMAF even though the room was about a fourth the size! Morphine kicked ass!

 

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The new Grand Prix Monaco turntable ($15,000). Very nice and very simple direct drive. Using their experience with carbon fiber and composites, this table was sweet!

 

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Accustic Arts' CD Player 2 CDP 24bit/192kHz

 

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Acapella Fidelio 2 loudspeakers ($6800 pair). Sounded bigger than they looked.

 

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Hermann Winters of Acapella with High Violon MK3 Loudspeakers ($48,000) pair, Einstein The Last Record Player MK-2 ($7490), Einstein tube preamplifier ($13,850), Symposium Precision Aluminum Frame ($6000), and various Isoclean products. Have been very impressed with their rooms in the past and this year was no exception. Nice people too!

 

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Einstein The Final Cut MK60, OTL monoblock amplifiers ($25,250 pair). Gorgeous stuff! Simply wunderbar!

 

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AAA Audio XLH Reference 1812 Loudspeakers ($50,000 pair), XLH SL-11XS balanced dual mono preamplifier ($5000), XLH M-2000 self-analyzing balanced mono amplifiers 600 watts at 8 ohms ($25,000 pair), XLH custom designed interconnects and speaker cables, Original Leonardo CD-A9.3 CD player balanced dual 24 bits/192 kHz ($3000). While one would expect these speakers to sound ...well like they look, truth is they sounded rather nice and not like they looked at all! No hint of a giant-metal-horn-staring-you-down thing in the least. We will have a review of this system soon...

 

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The Original CD-A8T CD player, HDCD, tube, and solid state?you make the call! Very elegant and very cool!

 

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Also in the AAA Audio room were the Dussun V8i integrated amplifier dual mono hyper class-A 250w per channel at 8 ohms ($2898), V6i integrated amplifier dual mono hyper class-A 150w per channel at 8 ohms ($2098), D9 multi channel integrated amplifier 5 channels 130w per channel at 8 ohms ($2298). Tetra loudspeakers showed along side the stuff from AAA Audio to good effect.

Tetra 306 loudspeakers. Amazingly good and BIG sound from something that looked like it belonged somewhere else. Perhaps a sci-fi flick or something from the Middle East ...a sci-fi move from the Middle East!! Even so, with a downward-firing port, these played BIG.

 

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Gershman Acoustics Black Swan loudspeakers ($30,000 pair) showing with a Manley Shrimp preamplifier and M250 amplifiers.

 

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In the Kubala-Sosna room, we found Bryan Gladstone looking at Kharma Mini-Exquisite Speakers ($45,000 pair), the Kharma MP150-SE monoblock amplifiers, with Kubala-Sosna Emotion Single Wire ($3500 2.0m ), Emotion 15Amp power cords ($1200 ea, 2.0m ), and Emotion XLR ($6700 6.0m ).

 

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McCormack Audio MAP1 multi-channel analog preamplifier, UDP1 Universal Disc CD player, and HD5 amplifier.

Another surprise in the Adire Audio room was an early prototype ionic wind type speaker. According to Adire Audio's Dan Wiggins this is the subject of an ongoing collaborative effort with Kronos Air Technologies who are developing a super high-efficiency "ionic breeze" air purifier, said to be much more efficient than current commercial models such as those from the Sharper Image. The Kronos anode/cathode structures does not generate byproduct ozone and the technology is said to be scalable for increased sound pressure levels.

LAMM Industries was making sweet music indeed with an analog front end that consisted of a VPI H-RX turntable, JMW tonearm, Dynavector DRT XV-1S cartridge, and the LAMM LP2 phono preamplifier and L2 Reference line preamplifier. This was in keeping with a growing trend - a return to vinyl for critical listening. The rest of the system included the Wilson Audio Maxx 2 speakers and the LAMM ML2.1 tube monoblocks. Silversmith Audio Palladium cables wired the system.

 

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In the NuForce room was the Reference 9.02 amplifiers and Usher CP8571 loudspeakers. Nice and natural with no hint of stridency or the digital-amplification-demons!

 

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Musical Surroundings featured Vivid Audio K1 loudspeakers ($20,000 pair) with Pathos InPower monoblock power amplifiers and the InControl preamplifier. This sounded really good with a very open and clean sound. Amazingly deep bass from smallish speakers. Why? From the Vivid site, "K1 employs a single D50 mid range driver (patent pending), between 900Hz and 4 kHz with the range beyond being handled by a D26 tweeter (patent pending). Below 900Hz the K1 uses four C125 mid-bass drivers (patent pending), two mounted on the front baffle and two mounted on the rear baffle of the cabinet. These four drivers are internally coupled in pairs via screw tensioning units for reaction canceling. All drivers receive the same signal at frequencies below 100Hz while above this point the drive to the rear is progressively attenuated leaving only the front upper driver to operate all the way to 900Hz to ensure good vertical dispersion at crossover. Fourth order filters ensure phase coherence through both main crossover points resulting in a seamless and symmetrical polar performance." Really cool.

The soon-to-be-released Pathos Endorphin CD player $7950 (D/A Conversion: dual differential 24-bit delta-sigma DACs. Analog stage: dual, fully balanced tube, class A, zero feedback. Conversion rate: up to 192kHz. Available April 2006.) Very Italian ...very beautiful.

 

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Clearaudio Statement turntable ... a cool $100,000. Very slick and very wanting of table am I ...but alas!

Clearaudio LP Flattener ($2300).