San Francisco-based Parasound has begun shipping the new John Curl-designed Halo JC 3 phono preamplifier. John Curl was the designer of the Vendetta Research SCP28 phono stage that was released almost 20 years ago and was considered a reference at the time. According to Richard Schram, Parasound’s president and founder: “This project has taken several years, but after listening to the end result it was worth every minute. Curl's Vendetta was so good that it was almost magical, but each one was essentially hand made, and would probably cost over $8000 to build today. Now, Parasound has a new design that draws from the same creative genius while offering amazingly high performance from each piece we produce."
The Halo JC 3 is a dual-mono design that features single-ended and balanced outputs, and has a three-position input-impedance switch that will accommodate 47k-ohm moving-magnet cartridges, as well as 100-ohm and 47k-ohm moving-coil cartridges. Other features include dual-mono power supplies with R-core transformers, direct-coupled amplification circuits that use DC servos, FET followers on each channel’s board for circuit isolation, and a 12V trigger input for auto-turn-on capability. According to the company’s December 8 press release: “All these efforts have lead to a phono preamp with impressive performance. The JC 3's signal-to-noise ratio is 83dB with the MM input and 73dB for MC input, and the RIAA curve is accurate to within 0.2dB. It is quiet enough to excel with even the lowest-output premium phono cartridges.” The Parasound Halo JC 3 is available now and is priced at $2350 USD.
Canada’s Torus Power is introducing the WM 60 BAL AVR power conditioner at CES 2011, held January 6-9 in
The retail price of the WM 60 BAL AVR is $6900 USD. Torus Power also has other models in the Torus Power WM series that are rated up to 100 amps.
Acorn Media Group, a leading independent media company located in Maryland, has acquired rights to the popular British detective series Foyle’s War and other television programs from Greenlit Rights Limited, formerly a leading UK independent production company. Though Acorn has had DVD rights to Foyle’s War for several years, this transaction gives Acorn permanent ownership and control of all rights, including DVD, underlying intellectual property rights, Internet streaming, download-to-own, and broadcast television. The acquisition marks the first time Acorn Media Group has acquired ownership rights to one of its British series.
In addition to Foyle’s War, the acquisition also includes several other highly praised programs from Greenlit, including Vexed, a three-part, 2010 comedic drama starring Lucy Punch (Doc Martin) and Toby Stephens (Jane Eyre); Honest, a six-part comedic drama starring Amanda Redman (New Tricks); The Man Who Lost His Head, a comedic drama starring Martin Clunes (Doc Martin); Menace, a gripping drama written by Horowitz and starring Stephen Moyer (True Blood); and The Swap, a gripping psychological thriller starring Jemma Redgrave.
Linn Records will be selling prepackaged digital collections of music through December 31, 2010. The label is also offering free shipping anywhere in the world through that date.
Each collection is pre-loaded on a portable USB hard drive and shipped direct to the customer. They each come expertly tagged, with all artwork embedded, ready for the customer’s media player of choice. In addition to high-resolution 24/96 and 24/192 files, Linn will also include the CD-quality and MP3 versions of each album as well, should one wish to burn to CD or listen on an iPod.
Four different collections are spotlighted: Top 10 Studio Master Collection, Top 20 Studio Master Collection, Top 50 Studio Master Collection, and the Ultimate Studio Master Collection, which contains Linn’s entire collection of Studio Master recordings, which is over 195 titles.
In addition to the collections, Linn is offering free gift cards to those who spend over certain specified amounts.
Shout! Factory has released all 89 original episodes from the six seasons of The Larry Sanders Show, packaged together for the first time. The winner of three Emmys and 56 Emmy nominations, the show aired from 1992-1998 on HBO.
The Larry Sanders Show is credited with raising the bar for Hollywood and television satire. It innovatively used both video and film to distinguish on-air from off-air, displaying the jarring dynamic between Larry’s on-camera poise and back-stage neurosis.
In the show, Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) is a neurotic late-night talk-show host flanked by Artie (Rip Torn, 30 Rock), his caustic, foul-mouthed producer, and "Hey Now" Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development), his hopelessly insecure, ethically inept side-kick. Off-air it’s all train wrecks and egos, but when the lights go down and the theme music kicks in, you get late-night at its finest.
Bonus features include:
WS Distributing has been announced as the official distributor of the Swiss-made Thorens products for the US market effective immediately. WS Distributing will have a "comprehensive line-up of Thorens turntables beginning at a retail price of $399.95."
Thorens celebrated its 125th birthday in 2008, reportedly making it the oldest electronics entertainment company in the world. The most recent introduction from Thorens is the sleek and stylish TD-309 turntable, which the SoundStage! Network reported on in our CES coverage at the beginning of this year. The TD-309 features an "innovative Tri-Balance Suspension, low-noise DC motor, precision-machined sub-platter and a tonearm designed specifically for the TD-309. MSRP for the TD-309 is $1699 including tonearm and cartridge."
WS Distributing plans to sell Thorens through traditional retailers in major US markets, a select group of retailers in smaller markets throughout the country, and two or three "e-tailers" including Audio Advisor. "Thorens is a wonderful addition to the family of products we represent at WS Distributing, and we foresee having success with this legendary brand via a presence in both online and traditional retailers," said WS Distributing sales director Tom Myers. "Dealers can expect efficient product delivery and service beginning December 1 thanks to our warehouse/service center here in Michigan as well as service centers on each coast," Myers added.
Audioengine has introduced the N22 desktop stereo amplifier that is said to be a "cool-running" class-AB design that will deliver 22Wpc continuously (40W peaks), enough power for small, passive loudspeakers set up in a desktop-type configuration. The company recommends using the N22 with their new P4 loudspeakers, their first passive design. The N22 features two inputs (for iPod, iPhone, computer, etc.), a high-performance headphone output, a variable preamp output, a USB charge/power port, gold-plated speaker connectors, a detachable power cord, and a high-quality analog volume control. The cabinet is made from hand-finished MDF and comes with an integral stand since the N22 is meant to stand upright.
The N22 sells for $199 USD. Audioengine sells all of their products factory-direct through their website.
For almost three decades, the Krell brand name has been synonymous with high-end amplifiers, preamplifers, and digital components. In recent years, the company branched out into loudspeakers. Now they’re entering the cable market with their first power-cord product, the Vector HC, claiming it is the only power cable "engineered to the same rigorous standards as Krell electronics, and the first to address the total AC needs of high-current components.”
According to the company’s October 21 press release, the Vector HC is constructed as follows: “Three conductors of finely stranded oxygen-free 11 AWG copper make up the conductor complement. Each conductor is separately insulated in a Teflon-based material providing a linear and predictable dielectric constant. A spiral sheath of individual fiberglass strands protects the conductors in a flexible yet strong framework. Providing increased mechanical stability, a clear PVC jacket secures the entire package. Furutech power connectors, widely recognized as the industry leader, complete Vector HC cables. These connectors feature a unique, sprung-metal bridge tying the various parts together, shunting any noise potential to ground and significantly reducing distortion for ultra clean and stable power transfer.” The retail price for the Vector HC starts at $1500 USD for a 3-foot length.