Audience's John McDonald is proud of his company's new 2+2 stand-mounted loudspeaker, which retails for $5000. The 2+2 has two of Audience's proprietary full-range drivers on the front and another two on the back. A side-mounted passive radiator is in place to augment the bass. We listened to the 2+2, and it sounded very transparent and spacious. [www.audience-av.com]
Audio Research Corporation debuted the DS450 stereo power amplifier at CES 2010 ($7995). This unit outputs 450Wpc into 8 ohms and 550Wpc into 4 ohms. The solid-state DS450 can also provide up to 700W into a single channel (4 ohms). Impressive power from a moderately sized amp! [www.audioresearch.com]
April Music's Aura Neo CD player/DAC ($2250) appears to bridge the gap between performance and domestic acceptability. It's small and attractive, but we're told there is still a serious focus on sound quality. There are three digital inputs on the Aura Neo, including one USB. [www.aprilmusic.com]
The Aura Neo now has a natural partner in the form of the Aura Groove integrated amplifier ($2375). This stereo unit is specified to output 75Wpc into 8 ohms. Oh, did we mention it has an onboard DAC with a USB input? [www.aprilmusic.com]
April Music also showed the Eximus CD5 ($9000), which is their most ambitious source player. The CD5 sports a really nice aluminum chassis and uses PCM1704K DACs. It also has four digital inputs. [www.aprilmusic.com]
The remote controls that come with high-end CD players are often clunky and cumbersome or flimsy and cheap. But the all-metal remote that comes with the Eximus CD5 is shapely and sleek. [www.aprilmusic.com]
Gutwire has a new flagship power cord, the SP-18.1 ($7499). One unique feature of this model is the use of several natural minerals such as amethyst and Binchō-tan, which are said to absorb noise.
Genesis introduced two versions of their new SMC-1 preamplifier. The standard version retails for $4000, while the SE version, said to offer even better performance, is priced at $8000. Genesis says that the SMC-1 is a fully balanced design. [www.genesisloudspeakers.com]
VTL used CES 2010 to launch the TL-5.5 Series II Signature preamplifier. This tube-based preamp can be purchased with an internal phono stage for $8000 or without for $6000.
The Naim UnitiQute ($1995) is a 30Wpc-into-8-ohms integrated amplifier with many built-in features: wireless music streaming, tuner, iPod and MP3 interface, and the ability to play music stored on USB-equipped drives.
The internals of the Naim UnitiQute are quite tidy for such a well-equipped product. If you have compact speakers in a small listening space, the UnitiQute might be all you need for a full-featured stereo system.
Hansen's new 10-driver Grand Master loudspeaker is priced at an astonishing $239,000 per pair and is obviously meant to be a statement-type product. But with the decidedly big-bottomed styling, we're not sure what kind of statement the company is trying to make. Whether you look at the Grand Master from the front ...
... or the side, it's, well, not quite attractive.
On the other hand, Peachtree Audio knows how to style a product at a fraction of the Hansen Grand Master's price. Enter the iDecco (right, $999), an integrated stereo amplifier (40Wpc into 6 ohms) with a built-in Sabre DAC, iPod digital docking station, and tube-based preamplifier section. To the left is the $799 Decco2, which also has a Sabre DAC but doesn't have an iPod dock. It, too, outputs 40Wpc into 6 ohms.
Atma-Sphere debuted the MA-1 Mk 3.1 mono power amplifiers at T.H.E. Show, which is held at the Flamingo hotel. These units retail for $16,800 per pair. Perhaps most interesting about these products is designer Ralph Karsten's philosophy on circuit design and, specifically, sound versus measurements. It's too much to go into here, but I'm sure Ralph would fill you in if you contact the company.
Jaton's newest speaker, the A3 ($12,000 per pair), is a three-way floorstanding design that incorporates a Mundorf Air Motion Transformer high-frequency driver along with a 6.5" midrange and a 10" woofer.
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