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The Best in Show Reporting
| SoundStage!
LIVE Pre-Show Article |
Ears to the Ground
Updated: January 4, 1999
The SoundStage! Coverage Team is always
on the lookout for what's new and upcoming. Keep checking out this list to find out what
new products we hear will be debuting in Las Vegas. Manufacturers, if you are introducing
a new product please email editor@soundstage.com
and state the details.
Companies listed alphabetically (all prices in US
dollars unless otherwise indicated):
- Apollo Audio/KR Enterprise - KR Model 6000
VT monoblocks ($9200 pair). New KR preamp (price not available). KR Model 32 BSI VT
integrated vacuum-transducer amplifier ($8600). KR Model 800 VT NT monoblocks ($21,000 per
pair). Tubes constructed exclusively for Cary Audio Design, Inc.: Model T-1610, Model
T-200, Model T-100, Model T-90. Others: Model KR 10 (double triode), Model KR 2A3, Model
KR PX25, Model KR 300BXSL, Model KT VT Vacuum Transducer (power output device for high-end
audio).
- Art Audio - VPS dual-mono linestage with
separate tube-regulated power supplies, solid-state rectifier, separate left and right
24-step attenuators for volume, separate toroid transformers and suspended 2-ounce
copper-trace circuit boards and a star ground system ($3600). Carissa mono amplifiers,
which employ the KR Enterprise VV 52BX high-current output tubes (price to be determined).
- Audio Aero - Prestige monoblocks,
40W class-A single-ended tube amplifier featuring TRAC system -- Tube Relay Amplification
Concept, triode and pentode together for the power stage -- ($19,900 per pair). Capitole
CD player, top-loading, clock 3 from Trichord Research with separate PSU and variable tube
output stage ($4200). Capitole power amp, 50W class-A tube amplifier featuring TRAC system
($7980). Prima integrated amp, 50W hybrid integrated amplifier ($1600). Prima CD player,
variable tube output stage ($1600).
- Audio Refinement - Complete Alpha
integrated amplifier, Pre 5 Complete preamplifier, Multi 3 Complete power amplifier. All
designed by Yves-Bernard André of YBA (prices to be determined).
- Audion - New solid-state Flux 50Wpc amp
with no active voltage gain.
- Audio Specialiste - offering 29
models with four series of products: the Virtual, Dimension, Crescendo, and Prophecy. High
performance, high value models range from $259 to $12,000 a pair US retail. A full line of
complete home theater systems including a powered sub woofer, is offered ranging from
$1350 up to $ 28,157 retail.
- Avalon Acoustics - world debut of
the Sentinel loudspeaker and the new Eclipse Classic.
- Bel Canto Design - SEP1
single-ended triode, remote-control preamplifier, with balanced inputs and output, and
upgraded internal parts over the SEP2 ($3,500). SEP2 single-ended triode remote-control
preamplifier with RCA inputs and outputs ($2,500). 24/96 internal DAC upgrade for SEP1 and
SEP2 (price to be determined). Phono upgrade for SEP1 and SEP2 with
"easy-operation" adjustable loading (price to be determined). SETi 40 40W
single-ended triode remote-control integrated amplifier ($5200). SET80 MkII 80W
single-ended triode monoblocks ($8200 per pair).
- Blue Circle Audio - BC21 line-stage preamp
($1500), BC23 phono stage ($1250), BC2000 mono amplifiers and BCG2000 power supply
($20,000 per pair), BC2.1 mono amplifiers ($9800 per pair). Blue Circle power cords, all
six-foot lengths: BC61 ($110), BC62 ($220), BC63 ($420), BC64 ($500). BC65 extension cord,
up to 30-foot length ($240).
- Bright Star Audio - Reference-series
isolation products that combine carbon fiber and heat-fired glass crystal. Air Mass 2
Reference ($750), Air Mass Reference 3 ($650), Big Rock 2 Reference ($500) Big Rock 3
Reference ($450), Little Rock 2 Reference ($500), all in black pearl finish. Gemini 2
Isolation Twin combines the award-winning Air Mass pneumatic mount with the
industry-standard Big Rock platform into a single vibration-control device ($379 in dark
granite finish, $399 in black granite).
- Cambridge - D300 CD player with 24-bit
Crystal DAC and Sony drive and laser assembly ($359). D500 CD player with 24-bit Crystal
dual-differential DACs, quality clock module with jitter reduction, Sony drive and laser
assembly ($459). S700 IsoMagic DAC with SAA7350 (DAC7) state-of-the-art DAC, PMD 100 HDCD
digital filter, separate power supply with 15 regulated power rails ($799). A300
remote-control integrated amplifier, 45Wpc ($299). A500 remote-control integrated
amplifier, 55Wpc ($449). C500 remote-control preamplifier with audio-grade transformer and
specialized component shielding ($299). P500 power amplifier, 55Wpc ($349). SRC-01 remote
control, system remote for all new Cambridge components ($49).
- Cinepro - PowerLight 1800 line conditioner,
features spike and surge protection, delayed amplifier turn on sockets, and pull-out
illumination lamps ($359). Also introduced, 3k6 MKII amplifier. Improvements include
increasing the output transistors from 10 per channel to 14, larger high-current power
supply; 150,000mfd capacitance (up from 120,000) and several other changes to make the
amplifier even more dynamic and transparent. Rated power is 355Wpc x 6 into 8 ohms, and
525Wpc into 4 ohms ($3795).
- Coincident Speaker Technology -
Eclipse loudspeakers ($3995 US pair - Cherrywood Veneer, also available at $4995 pair with
magnesium midranges - called the Super Eclipse).
- CR Developments - Kalypso 15Wpc EL84 tube
integrated amp ($1495), Athena 38Wpc 6550 tube integrated amp ($3095), and the Artemis
class A 35-watt 6C33B monoblocks ($8695).
- Creek/Music Hall - Creek 4330SE,
a special edition of the award-winning (Stereophile Budget Product of the Year);
boasts a larger power supply (50Wpc) many more capacitors in the power supply and much
higher-rated output transistors ($895). Creek OBH-11SE headphone amp; true class-A
amplifier with two headphone jacks; comes standard with an OBH-2 regulated power supply
($350). Creek OBH-14 D/A converter; uses the latest Crystal Semiconductor 24-bit DAC; has
one optical and one RCA input and one set of analog outputs; comes standard with the OBH-2
regulated power supply ($350).
- Discovery Cable - The Essence interconnects
($850 per meter pair with additional meters at $250, RCA or XLR same price). The Essential
speaker cables ($800 per 8' pair).
- G&D Transforms - UCD-2 CD
player with Crystal DAC, low-jitter clock, proprietary analog stage ($2395). MOBIE Maximum
Overdrive Break-In Engine assists with break-in of analog interconnects, digital links and
phono cables ($250).
- Gershman Acoustics - New X-2
"Stand-woofer" that works with X-1 slope-sided minimonitor (around $3200). New
center-channel speaker for home-theater applications.
- Headroom Corporation - AirHead
compact headphone amplifier, newly re-designed ($179).
- Heybrook - Octet speakers; use the new
Audax gold-foil piezo gas-filled tweeter which is flat to 25kHz ($3,910 per pair).
- Jean Marie Reynaud - Euterpe, a three-way
with two drivers ($2040 per pair). Trente minimonitor with separate baffleless tweeter
enclosure ($2320 per pair). Evolution 3 floorstander with separate baffleless tweeter
enclosure ($2970 per pair).
- Jena Labs - Trio line of handmade
interconnects and speaker cables.
- JMlab - New JMlab 99 series of speakers.
Tantal: three bookshelf and two floorstanding models, center-channel speaker, effects
speakers and subwoofer ($300–$1100). Opal bookshelf speaker ($750). Cobalt: one
bookshelf and three floorstanding models, center-channel speaker, effects speakers and
subwoofer ($1050–$2500). Electra: one bookshelf and two floorstanding models,
center-channel speaker, dipole speakers and subwoofer ($2300–$5000). Utopia: one
bookshelf and three floorstanding models, subwoofer ($6500–$70,000).
- Lamm Industries - LL2 linestage
preamplifier
- Linn - Klimax 500 watt single speaker power
amplifier, Classik CD Music System, Kan and Keosa loudspeakers, Kolektor
preamplifier, Diskreet in-wall loudspeaker, Linn LK85 and LK140 power amplifier, and
the Knekt Multi-Room System, capable of distributing and controlling up to 16 audio
sources simultaneously in up to 128 rooms.
- Loth-X - Bard horn loudspeaker, 108dB
efficient ($18,000-$22,000 per pair depending on finish) Ion 3 loudspeaker, 94dB efficient
($720 per pair). Carmen acrylic turntable ($3000 without tonearm).
- Melos - DVT DVD/DAD/CD player ($995).
Quartetto 100Wpc fully differential triode amp that can be converted to 28Wpc SET
operation by moving one tube ($1995). Pipedreams speaker, which includes two 40"
towers and one subwoofer with two 18" drivers and an electronic crossover ($4995)..
- Merlin Music Systems - TSM-SE, a fully
circuit-damped version of TSM ($2300 per pair in standard finish and $2900 in choice of
clearcote). Battery-powered BAM, rechargeable (price to be determined).
- NZX - Wraith flat-panel speakers. M1
floorstanding ($3600 per pair), M2 floorstanding ($3600 per pair), M3
wall-hanging/floorstanding ($2800 per pair) B1 bookshelf ($1800 per pair), R1 rear-channel
($1500 per pair), C1 center-channel ($700).
- pARTicular contemporary design -
Duetto loudspeaker stands.
- Paragon Acoustics - Visions Cinema series:
time-coherent speakers featuring European drivers at modest cost ($500 per pair bookshelf,
$750 per pair dual-woofer two-way tower, $1000 per pair dual-woofer three-way). GEM
series: three models with features such as Cardas posts and internal wiring, potted
crossovers, Caddock resistors, custom-designed caps, lead-damped cabinets and very
high-quality drivers (Pearl , $1395; Emerald, $2395; Ruby, $3395). Excelsior,
no-holds-barred three-way with custom version of Scan-Speak 5" midrange driver
($10,995).
- Placette Audio - a passive,
remote controlled line stage volume control. I has a 126 step resistive matrix attenuator
that uses only Vishay S-102 resistors in all audio signal paths ($1000); three input
passive line stage offering three source inputs that are selected by the remote control
($1,200); full featured line-stage with five inputs plus a tape loop and head-phone output
($3000).
- Quadrature - Model 5a DSP floorstanding
loudspeaker; error-correction of both phase and amplitude.
- Raudio - Auditorium ($ 6880) and Chadwick
($ 7880) speakers. Both models feature two-way double-traveled transmission-line
construction.
- Rosinante - DarkMatter Isolation
Stands -- developed for the past three years and come in two sizes: 13" X
18" (retail $500) and 18" X 20" (retail $700).
- Sennheiser - m@h 20, m@h 40 and m@h 80
headphones for home stereo use and PC applications ($10 to $99). For computer speech input
and video conferencing: m@b 15, a single-sided, formfitting ear bud that hooks around and
into the ear; the m@b 25, a single-sided, over-the-head, open-air design; and m@b 30 and
m@b 40, dual-sided, over-the-head, open-air headsets ($15 to $69). For computer
speech-input and voice-recognition applications: m@m 40 neck-worn and m@m 60
monitor/desk-mountable electret condenser microphones (under $40). The medi@coustic DSP
360 ($149.99) and DSP Pro ($269.99) surround-sound processors, which convert analog
signals of televisions, audio receivers and VCRs into true Dolby Surround sound and
require only a pair of headphones or stereo pair of speakers. Surrounder computer-gaming
and surround-sound collar (price to be determined).
- Silverline Audio - Grandeur loudspeaker
($35,000 per pair). Frequency response: 18Hz to 35kHz, 93.5dB sensitivity (2.8V/1m), 8-ohm
nominal impedance; drivers: 1.25" soft-dome tweeter, 1.25" ambience titanium
tweeter, 3" soft-dome midrange, 11" woofer, 11" subwoofer; crossover
frequencies: 200Hz, 800Hz, 3500Hz; recommended power: 25 - 2000W; dimensions: 62"H x
18"W x 27"D; finish: high-gloss black; weight: 248 pounds each.
- SimAudio - MOON Eclipse cd player
-- 24/96 capability ($4995); Celeste I-5080 integrated amplifier ($1299)
- Thiel - MCS1 three-way multichannel
magnetically shielded speaker system designed for home-theater and music systems ($2200
each). SCS3, a two-way magnetically shielded bookshelf-sized speaker system designed for
home-theater and music systems ($1400 each).
- Thor Audio - TPA-30 all-tube 30W monoblocks
($9990 per pair).
- VansEvers - New Pandora power cords with
sliding tuning collars. Single- and double-collar models available.
- Von Schweikert Research - VM-3
minimonitors (approximately $2000 per pair).
- Wavelength Audio - Triton Signature 300B
single-ended monoblocks, 12.5W ($10,000). KIR KR52B single-ended monoblocks, 32W
($10,000). Cornet 300B parallel-feed single-ended integrated amplifier ($3500). Sine v3
vacuum-tube remote-controlled line-level transformer-coupled preamplifier ($3500). Cosine
vacuum-tube 24/96 tube DAC with digital battery supply ($3000). Tangent vacuum-tube phono
preamplifier with integral MC step-up transformer ($3000).
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