Sunday, January 12 -- Series 2
VPI's new HRX TNT turntable ($10,000 including
tonearm) is a visual standout. It uses dual motors and an inverted bearing. The price
includes the SDS motor drive.
PBN's new Montana EPX ($9999/pair) put out very
low organ notes with ease and sounded good with Aimee Mann's delicate voice too.
Audio Aero's Prestige A/V is a dual-chassis
SACD/DVD-V/CD player that sells for $15,000. [www.globeaudiomkt.com]
Audio Note UK displayed their new brand new
DAC 2.1X ($3850), a tube-based design.
Audio Physic's least expensive loudspeaker is
the Yara Monitor, which comes in at $900 per pair.
Boulder's spanking new 1050 monoblock ($17,000
each) weighs in at 140 pounds and has 56 output transistors that help it deliver 500
watts.
German speaker giant Canton unveiled more
room-friendly versions of their well-finished Karat line. Left to right, the Karat
S 8 DC floorstander ($2000/pair), AS 200 SC subwoofer ($1000), S 1 bookshelf
($750/pair), and CS 4 center-channel speaker ($500) can be combined into a $4200 5.1
system.
Ensemble displayed four new or updated
products. Top to bottom are the Dirondo CD transport ($7000), Dichrono High-DAC
digital-to-analog processor and preamplifier ($7000), Dirondo CD player ($8000), and Evivo
power amplifier ($6000). [www.aaudio.com]
Well known for their stunning glossy finishes,
Canada's Focus Audio unveiled the new FS-788 two-way floorstander, shown here in what
Focus Audio calls bird oak finish. [www.focusaudio.ca]
A prototype of Anthony Gallo Acoustic's
forthcoming Reference #3 speaker proved to be an eye-opener. Projected cost is $3600/pair.
[www.roundsound.com]
Gryphon's Mikado CD player looks beyond
classy and costs a cool $9500.
New manufacturer IMF introduced the Musica 25
($1500/pair), a slim two-way speaker that disappeared ably with music.
The company formerly known as Legend Audio
Design, now Von Gaylord Audio, introduced the Mk II version of its Startlet integrated
amplifier ($2995). It is available in a wide array of striking colors to match VGA's
speaker line.
