WINTER |
2002 |
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Page Four |
ANALOG
GRAHAM ENGINEERING: Bob Graham debuted the
final version of his cost-effective Robin tonearm.
Incorporating engineering advances derived from the highly
acclaimed 2.2 tonearm, and built to exacting Graham Engineering
standards, the medium-mass Robin shares the identical
fixed mounting pattern cut-out of their more expensive arms.
This design allows the use of the patented Graham off-turntable
cartridge alignment tolls and gauges (purchased separately),
not to mention easy upgrade to the 2.2 at a later date!
Adjustable VTF, VTA and anti-skate and a special Rega
drop-in mounting plate make the Robin an ideal choice
for both new turntable purchases and upgrading turntables
in the field. Price Priced at only $795.00.
Two new Graham arm cables were also announced, both incorporating
a new DIN connector designed by Bob Graham.
At $295.00, the IC-40 employs stranded copper conductors
and is terminated with the new Bullet RCA connectors from
Australia.
The upscale IC-70 becomes Graham’s flagship cable
offering, selling for $695.00 for a 1M length. Ultra high
purity stranded silver is used in a shotgun configuration,
capped off with the aforementioned Bullet connectors.
CLEARAUDIO: The entire range of Clearaudio
turntables were on display in the Musical Surroundings room.
The line is broad, with turntables starting at just $1000.00
(Champion) and ranging to $12,500.00 (Master Reference).
Certain elements will be found in all Clearaudio turntables.
They include the inverted bearing made of bronze, brass
and hardened steel. Motors are decoupled and shielded to
eliminate any negative impact of the motor on the turntable's
chassis and thus the cartridge. Consequently, we they guarantee
that all Clearaudio turntables will run smoothly, without
wow or flutter.
BASIS: A.J. Conti’s released his latest creation,
the Vector tonearm. His 16 years of analog design
experience have been poured into the new creation, which
employs a unique strategy of combining elements from both
unipivot and fixed bearing designs. The new, advanced bearing
system is said to solve problems that have plagued previous
designs, including bearing chatter, lack of azimuth correction
and azimuth “rocking” created by record warps.
The Vector armtube is fabricated using a “matrix”
alloy, a metallurgical development which controls the crystalline
structure, optimizing both strength and resonance control.
Further internal damping is employed to yield an inert armtube
that effectively controls vibration.
Like all Basis products, Vector is beautifully constructed.
Attention to detail and fit and finish is first rate. The
cutout required is the same as that for the Rega, allowing
an easy upgrade path for users of this popular brand. Price
is $2475.00, or just $2000.00 if purchased with a Basis
turntable.
A.J. Conti mentioned that a number of industry luminaries
dropped by the CES suite and commented favorably on the
Vector. Of note, the esteemed David Fletcher (designer
of the Sumiko The Arm and the SOTA turntables) said "You
solved some of the key problems we were never able to."
WallyMalewicz (offers the superb Wally turntable set-up
tools) noted "If I had designed this arm, I would
not change one thing." Strong praise indeed from
folks that know analog design.
Of course, as with any audio product, performance is everything.
Read what one of our clients has written about his experience
with the Vector in his letter to A.J. Conti.
"Let me take a minute to tell you about this fantastic
combination. My old Well Tempered table/arm was very similar
to the 2001/Vector in that it presented an analog warmth
that our 5" aluminum disc format can never match, but
that is where the similarities end. The WTT was a
bit ripe in the mid-bass, while missing deep bass and was
slightly etched sounding in the upper midrange. The 2001/Vector
was a completely different animal. First and foremost, the
2001's suspension produced an extremely quiet, jet-black
background. The last time I felt this amount of silence
was when I heard a VPI TNT atop an active Vibraplane.
And at one-third the cost of that setup, the 2001 is a force
to be reckoned with. Secondly, the 2001/Vector combination
produced the deepest, tightest bass that I have ever heard
in this price range. The upper mids and lower highs
were extremely smooth and natural. When listening,
at night, to Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat"
I was startled more than once at the sheer realism in her
voice. I actually opened my eyes to see if she was
really there. Combined with Transfiguration's Spirit cartridge,
this combination is by far the best "bang-for-the-buck"
package I have ever had the pleasure of listening to in
my home. Thank you so much for working with me. I
look forward to many beautiful, evening listening sessions
with my new analog front end. Best Regards,
David F.
HOME THEATER
DLP Projectors: CES 2002 offered up a veritable
plethora of DLP projectors sporting the latest chip from
Texas Instruments. The HD-1 DMD chip (the first 16:9 ratio
devoice of it’s kind) offers 1280 x 720 resolution. The
chip is a remarkable technical achievement when you understand
that there are 921,600 tiny micro-mirrors packed into an
area no more than a few inches square. Amazing such an idea
works at all, but perform it does. All of the projectors
employing the chip served up tasty visuals, though clearly
some were better than others. I narrowed the field a bit,
but am still evaluating to decide which of them we want
to handle. More soon.
You can read more about the technology behind DLP by visiting
the Texas Instruments Website: http://www.dlp.com/dlp/home.asp
TOTEM: Totem introduced Dreamcatcher,
a humbly priced home theater speaker grouping. The sound
was amazingly good, and at only $1695.00 for the set, the
Dreamcatcher system is an unqualified steal. The
price includes four two-way monitors, a three-driver center
and a powered sub!
For anyone looking to do home theater on a budget, these
speakers in combination with a receiver or value-priced
separates will knock your socks clean off! http://www.totemacoustic.com
FAROUDJA: As is usually the case, Faroudja
wowed attendees with a superb demonstration and incredible
picture. On tap this year was the DVP-5000 scaler
that line doubles HDTV. Just when you thought HDTV was as
good as it gets, here comes a way to improve upon even that
incredible resolution. The results were stunning.
The company also introduced a very high-end DVD player,
the Digital Cinema Source, with built-in Faroudja
processing. Using an internal DVD drive, the digital video
information is sent directly to the processing stage, where
it is deinterlaced to a 480P signal. The Native Rate processor
then scales the progressive signal to the native pixel resolution
of the display. After scaling, the signal is further refined
by the Faroudja True Life enhancer for edge processing of
both luminance and chrominance information, thus improving
edge detail. The optimized digital signal can then be sent
to the display via a DVI connection or via RGB outputs using
high performance digital to analog converters. Retail $10000.00
.
TAW: Without a doubt, one of the highest
quality video at the show was seen in the TAW enclave. On
display was their heavyweight CRT, the HD9000. Coupled
to the TAW Rock+ (see below) video processor and their own
DVD player (see below), the HD9000 with its 9” CRT’s
was producing an absolutely amazing picture. Many home theater
enthusiasts have turned toward smaller and lighter projectors,
but the CRT’s are still the best choice for the absolute
best in picture fidelity.
TAW displayed their latest version of the Rock+
video processor and an all-new DVD player, the DigiLink.
The player is so named for its Serial Digital Interface
(SDI) link that allows digital connection when coupled with
the new Rock+ universal video scaler. Using a digital
interface between the DVD player and video processor eliminates
the digital to analog conversion step (that normally occurs
in the DVD player), dramatically improving picture fidelity.
At just $2500.00, the DigiLink is one of the first
DVD players to offer SDI.
SIM AUDIO:
Beautifully built and great sounding, Sim Audio offers some
of the best home theater gear on the market. Known more
for their two-channel offerings, their entry into the world
of H/T a few years ago has gone relatively unnoticed by
the mainstream press, but has become quite a favorite among
enthusiasts.
The lovely Attraction Surround Sound Processor
comes loaded with all the latest surround formats: Dolby
DigitalÒ Surround EX 7.1, Dolby DigitalÒ 5.1, DolbyÒ Pro
Logic, DTS-ES 6.1Ô, DTS Digital Surround 5.1Ô, MPEG2 Digital
Audio and HDCDÒ. The Attraction is also ready for
both DVD-Audio and SACD formats with analog pass-through
for two, six and eight channel devices. Price $6295.00
For replay of source material Sim offers the Stellar
DVD player. This capable piece plays video DVD, CD, CD-R
and CD-RW. An optional Faroudja DCDiÔ line double can be
added for sate of the art picture fidelity. Price is $3995.00
or $5995.00 with the Faroudja doubler.
Providing speaker drive, the massive Titan power
amplifier is available with from two to seven channels.
It delivers 200 watts per channel in to 8W loads, doubling
to 400 watts into 4W. A five channel Titan
goes for $5995.00.
Also planned for release later this year, a less expensive
surround processor, DVD player and multi-channel amplifier.
Please give us ring if you questions about
any of the products you've read about here.
210-805-9927
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