WINTER	2003
Page Three

BASIS: The always cordial A.J. Conti was on hand displaying his new Vector tonearm ($2500). I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with this wonderful arm over the last few weeks, and I can say it is a very special product indeed. The explosive dynamics are as good (maybe better) than any tonearm I’ve heard. Bass is another outstanding quality noted during my limited exposure. 
            Space here is limited, but I will have a full report on the Vector appearing shortly on this Website. Be sure and check it out, or give me a call and I’ll be happy to fill you in.

MUSIC HALL: Music Hall used the 2003 CES to introduce their new flagship turntable, the MMF-9. The three layer plinth employs sorbothane between each tier to reduce structural vibration. The outboard motor further reduces noise through its physical isolation and a because of a special speed control circuit. 
            An inverted ceramic bearing supports the 1” thick acrylic platter which is topped off with a Ringmat XLR turntable mat (see the Featured Product section for details on this excellent product).
           The tonearm is a carbon fiber version of the arm found on Project 9.1 turntable. Factory-mounted is the new Music Hall Maestro high output moving coil cartridge (a modified version of the Goldring Eroica) with a Vital stylus. The cartridge alone retails for $550, which makes the $1695 asking price of the MMF-9 look like a bargain. But then, all the Music Hall ‘tables are serious bargains! 

ADCOM: It was with great sadness that we watched California Audio Labs fade into oblivion, cast aside by the large conglomerate Sonic Blue who purchased CAL’s parent company, Go Video. CAL products had, for years, been among the industries most innovative and best sounding. 
               I'd heard a rumor that a good number of the engineers from the now defunct California Audio Labs had moved over to Adcom. Not only is that rumor true, but a group of previous “CAL dudes” have actually purchased the company. Hallelujah!
               As CAL for well over a decade, I had come to know and trust the folks there. Both their designs and personalities made it a pleasure to represent their products. It was both a shock and a disappointment to learn of the CAL's demise, but walking into the Adcom suite at CES was a real homecoming, greeted by all the wonderful people I’d known for so long. Under their guidance, Adcom has undergone a transformation. Let's peek.
                The offerings are many, but there’s room here to highlight just one. The new GVD-850 DVD player shown (first of a planned three DVD players) offers progressive scan 480p output (on pro grade BNC connectors), DVD-Audio and high resolution CD playback, 192kHz, 24 bit DACs, 32 bit RISC video DSP, BIFET pure class A analog circuitry, component, “S” and composite video outputs. Ok, so guess the price. $4000? Nope. $3000? Uh, Uh. $2000?? No way. How does $1000 sound? Almost too good to be true. Even more enticing, Adcom will be releasing two more players soon, one of them will be a true universal player, offering replay of CD, SACD, DVD-A and DVD-Video!
              Adcom offers up three surround processors (priced from $1400 to $2400) and six multi channel amplifiers (ranging from $1100 to $3200). The products are loaded with the latest features, too numerous to detail here. I invite you to visit Adcom on the World Wide Web for a complete rundown of all their products.
               Over the next few weeks we will be receiving a good number of the new offerings and will be able to give you the low-down soon. 
              While Adcom has focused on the home theater market for their initial product launch, they have not forgotten about their roots in the two channel arena, and are planning the release of a number of new and exciting products in that vane.

Page   1   2   3   4