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Coverage of HI-FI '99 from Chicago, USA -- May 12-16, 1999
The new Wilson Watt/Puppy 6 is claimed to offer an octave greater bass extension and the ability to be aligned in the time domain, making it more tunable for a particular listening room. The cost for these advancements? A mere $500 more than its predecessor in the same finish -- $18,900/pair in any color. They produced big and expansive sound driven by the big and expensive Wadia 790 PowerDAC digital amplifiers, which take the place of amp, preamp, and DAC.
The Nearfield Acoustics Pipedreams Model 15 speakers ($23,500/pair and up) looked like a million tube amps in the premium bubinga finish. Two pairs of Lamm amps drove them and their matching subwoofers, producing sound that was very spacious even in the smallish room. The Model 15 has a claimed efficiency of 94.5dB/W/m and come with an external crossover. An upgraded crossover is available at higher cost.
The new Naim NBL speaker ($11,300/pair) is designed to sit near the rear wall but far away from the side walls. Essentially a pair of cabinets inside another cabinet, the NBL sounded full-range driven by (what else?) an all-Naim system.
The lovely Margules Audio U280sc amp ($3250) from Mexico is a stereo unit that can be strapped to mono too. It can use a variety of output tubes (6500, KT88, KT90) to produce 60Wpc in stereo and 120W in mono.
The Margules Audio SF220 linestage ($2195, $2595 with remote control) has a fully regulated power supply and comes in a version that you can use in two systems simultaneously.
Ayre was showing a prototype modular DVD player that will begin to ship in 30 days. The model name is not finalized, but the approximate prices have been set. The basic transport unit will sell for approximately $4500. This will give you transport functionality with 24/96 digital output. The stereo DAC option (goes inside, dealer or factory installed) will add $2500 to the basic price. The zero feedback 10-bit-DAC video-output option will add $500 to the price and enable the player's DVD playback. The final option will ship 30 to 60 days after the the others. This is a progressive scan option for DTVs and projectors that can support progressive-scan DVD signals. Retail price for this option is approximately $1000. |
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