TAVES, which stands for Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show, is in its second year and the SoundStage! Network is covering the event right now. The show runs from September 28-30 and is held at the King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto, Canada. The first TAVES event in 2011 was a resounding success; the 2012 show promises to be just as good, if not better. You can find the coverage now on SoundStage! Global, the SoundStage! Network’s specialized publication designed specifically for event coverage and company tours.
Mountain View, California-based Oppo Digital has announced two new universal Blu-Ray Disc players today. The new BDP-103 and BDP-105 players support Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD (SACD), HDCD, and CD formats. Additionally, the players feature three USB ports as well as wired and wireless networking to support popular video and audio file formats including AVCHD, MKV video, high-resolution WAV and FLAC music, and digital photos. The players provide access to popular entertainment network services such as Netflix, VUDU, Film Fresh, Pandora, and YouTube.
Oppo products are known for their excellent picture quality, and the BDP-103 and BDP-105 reportedly continue in this tradition. Using a two-step video-processing approach that utilizes a custom dual-core SoC and the latest generation of Marvell’s Qdeo video processor, the players deliver a stunning theatrical experience with true-to-life picture. Additional video processing features include 4K upscaling, 2D-to-3D conversion, 1080p-24Hz output, HDMI 1.4 with Deep Color, Source Direct output, and extensive picture control and enhancement options. Two HDMI outputs are provided, adding to the players’ versatility by allowing one output to be used for video and the other for audio, and even enabling the player to drive two displays at the same time.
On the audio side, both players support all of the high-resolution audio formats with bitstream output and onboard decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. For SACD playback, users can choose between sending native DSD or converted PCM through the HDMI and analog outputs depending on their preference and equipment compatibility. The BDP-103 provides a configurable 7.1-channel analog output that can be used in stereo, 5.1-channel, or 7.1-channel mode. The BDP-105 adds audiophile-grade components, including an analog output section sporting two ESS Sabre32 Reference DACs, a newly designed toroidal linear power supply, dedicated stereo outputs with both RCA and XLR balanced connections, and a headphone amplifier connected directly to the DAC. The players also add two HDMI input ports, one on the front and one on the back, with the front HDMI input doubling as a Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) input. Users can connect external devices such as set-top boxes, network streaming devices, and even mobile phones to take advantage of the players’ video processing power. The BDP-105 takes this a step further by adding an asynchronous USB DAC input that supports the USB Audio 2.0 standard, along with additional coaxial and optical digital inputs. Users can stream bit-perfect audio from their computer to the BDP-105 without worrying about the jitter performance of their computer’s master clock thanks to the USB DAC’s asynchronous clock mode.
The suggested retail prices are $499 USD for the BDP-103 and $1199 for the BDP-105. Although the exact launch date has not yet been set, Oppo expects to release the BDP-103 in October and the BDP-105 by the end of 2012.
On September 14 and 15, 2012, Cambridge, UK-based dCS introduced the Vivaldi four-box digital-playback system to North American audiences at EarsNova in New York City, New York. The Vivaldi system consists of a separate digital-to-digital upsampler ($19,999 USD), CD/SACD transport ($39,999), digital-to-analog converter ($34,999) and master clock ($13,499). At nearly $110,000 for all four pieces, it's one of the most expensive digital-playback systems in the world.
According to dCS's August 2012 press release, the Vivaldi system “represents the pinnacle of their no-compromise approach to product design and sets a new standard for the future of digital audio playback.” The press release also states that this system is more “powerful, flexible and musical” than anything which has ever been developed.
The Vivaldi system utilizes next-generation versions of the dCS Ring DAC, Digital Processing Platform, and Clocking System technologies. It is designed to play music from any source and processes all high-resolution musical formats up to DXD (24-bit data at 352.8 and 384kHz). The Vivaldi also supports DSD. The optimized DSP filters and clocking architecture ensure listeners can extract every last nuance of musical detail and feeling by tuning the system to suit personal preferences. The system even features a dCS app for controlling NAS storage devices via iOS or Android phones or tablets.
The Vivaldi components are now available at EarsNova and other authorized dCS dealers.
Full Dynamic Range High Definition (FDRHD) has announced its website. Comprised entirely of FLAC high-resolution downloads, the site is solidly aimed at audiophiles who want the highest-quality audio files possible.
Director of FDRHD, Tom Dodds, writes: "At FDRHD, we've always thought about the mastering process as orientated around the RMS of the program material and not the peak. This concept is something that has been lost in our opinion, after the introduction of digital audio the focus has shifted to the peak, hence the quest for loudness continues unabated without the previous physical restrictions of older formats such as vinyl to consider. We have always seen the restriction of the peak as an output format requirement and not wholly as part of the mastering process as it was with the restrictions of the physicality of cutting to vinyl and its differences to audio CD. This means we, as with many other engineers, have always made a full dynamic range master but have had to limit them because of the client's requirements. All of this has eventually led us to the launching of the download store selling these full dynamic range master versions in high definition at the same grade as the mastering process."
To present their case for HD, FDRHD is offering a free download with a sampling of cuts from its catalog.
The SoundStage! Network's popular Ultra Audio publication has been redesigned, refined, and relaunched as of today. Ultra Audio, which grew out of a column of the same name that was on SoundStage! Hi-Fi, began as a publication in 2002. Since then, it has been the SoundStage! Network's key site for featuring extreme, high-end hi-fi product reviews and other features on the subject. Ultra Audio is also home to "The World's Best Audio System" (TWBAS), a popular feature column penned by editor-in-chief Jeff Fritz.
Ultra Audio was originally branded with the tagline "Sound to the Extreme," but as part of the redesign and relaunch has now been co-branded with the name SoundStage! Xtreme, which better reflects its purpose and place within the SoundStage! Network. Two URLs -- UltraAudio.com and SoundStageXtreme.com -- will take you there.
Thiel Audio of Lexington, Kentucky, USA, announced the release of the new CS2.7 loudspeaker. According to the company's August 30 press release: "The CS2.7 employs the coincident tweeter/midrange driver, widely considered an engineering masterpiece and pioneered in the company’s flagship model, the CS3.7 -- named one of the world’s top 100 loudspeakers of all time. The CS2.7 also uses a short-coil / long-gap 8-inch woofer coupled to a passive radiator for fast, accurate bass response. The new CS2.7 features a cabinet engineered from the ground up using bent-plywood sidewall technology also adapted from the CS3.7, as well as carefully engineered internal bracing used to minimize cabinet resonances. The CS2.7 employs a completely new first-order phase-and-time-coherent crossover network -- a signature of the Thiel brand for over 30 years."
Design work of the CS2.7 is now complete and production is underway, with shipping to dealers to commence in September 2012. The CS2.7 has a suggested retail price of $9900 USD per pair.
On August 10, 2012, the SoundStage! Network team toured Rockport Technologies, makers of the Mira, Avior, Alya, Altair, and Arrakis loudspeakers, which range in price from $16,500 to $225,000 per pair. All Rockport speakers are designed by Andy Payor, the company's founder, whose goal is to provide best-in-class performance in each speaker's price range.
The full tour, which also includes listening impressions of the Altair ($97,500/pair) and brand-new Avior ($29,500/pair) loudspeakers, appears on SoundStage! Global, the SoundStage! Network site specifically designed for company tours and show reports.
California, USA-based Magico announced the release of the new S1 loudspeaker, which complements the S5 that's already part of their S-series line. According to Magico's August 9 press release: "In 2004, the Mini, Magico's first commercial product, set new benchmarks for what can be achieved with two drivers in a sealed enclosure, immediately changing the landscape of the high-end audio industry. Widely heralded as the world’s first 'super monitor' and one of the most momentous loudspeakers in audio history, the Mini placed Magico among the most influential loudspeaker manufacturers in the world. Eight years later, with numerous landmark loudspeakers introduced in the interim, the S1 continues this legacy. Featuring a uniquely contoured cabinet drawing design cues from the Mini and M6, the S1 utilizes the world’s first monocoque 3/8"-thick, 12” diameter extruded-aluminum loudspeaker enclosure, minimizing diffraction effects, internal resonance, and damping requirements. At only 9" deep and available in an array of Magico's new M-COAT® paint blends, the S1 will fit effortlessly into any listening environment, making it the most versatile and accessible Magico product to date."
The S1 is a floorstanding, two-way design that measures about 43"H x 8.5"D x 9.75"W and weighs about 95 pounds. It features Magico's 1" beryllium-dome MB30 tweeter and 7” M390 Nano-Tec midrange-woofer. The S1's sensitivity is rated as 86dB and the impedance is specified as 4 ohms. The S1's retail price starts at $12,600 USD per pair (depending on finish), making it Magico's least-expensive loudspeaker so far. The S1 will be available in the fourth quarter of 2012.