Sunday, April 3, 2005
All prices in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

Musical Fidelity seems to keep its Canadian distributor, Kevro, flush with new products. Above are the A5 CD player (top, $3300) and A5 preamp ($5000). Both have a tube output stage.

The Musical Fidelity kW 500 integrated amp ($9000) outputs 510Wpc and will reportedly be limited to a "mere" 500 units.

One of two nearly identical-looking integrated amps, the Raysonic SP-100 ($2280) uses EL34 outputs tubes to deliver 40Wpc. The matching SP-120 ($2380) uses KT88s for 50Wpc. Both are remote controlled and prove that the silver-and-gold finish combination must be very popular.

More silver and gold, this time gleaming and from France. Jadis distributor Pierre Gabriel showed two new CD players. On top is the Symphony Evolution ($3495), and below the higher-end JD3 Evolution ($11,000). In terms of fit'n'finish, both are immaculate.

Not to be outdone in terms of its looks, the Jasmine EL34 integrated amplifier ($2000) has a curved side panel. Power output is 43Wpc into 4- or 8-ohm loads. A Jasmine headphone amp and phono stage are also available, although neither looks as stylish as the integrated.

The Tetra Manhattan 105 is available in custom artistic finishes that add $500 to the speakers' $1900 list price. The speakers on display seemed like a novelty at first, but then their unique beauty grew on us.

Known mostly for high-performance, budget electronics, Odyssey Audio will soon begin selling on-wall speakers with artistic flair. The speakers use all ScanSpeak dynamic drivers -- no flat-panel drivers here -- and the series will include the speaker shown above, which can be used for L/R and surround duties ($1295-$1500 USD per pair), and a dedicated center-channel speaker ($750 USD).

Artwork is easy to swap out and be created from various sources, including snapshots. There are 80 standard pieces of artwork available. The frame is available in various colors.