BASIS: A.J. Conti unveiled his statement turntable at this year’s show. To be known as the Work of Art, the futuristic beauty is a massive design, sturdy enough to withstand a nuclear attack. Along with the muscular construction came an air of elegance and sophistication and was clearly a study in careful engineering. All hallmarks of Basis designs.
          No expense was spared in the creation of the flagship design; A.J. aspiring to offer a product that represented the summation of his well respected engineering and fabrication abilities. All the knowledge gained and lessons learned over Mr. Conti’s entire career have been poured into this project.
          Many will desire this wonder, few will have the resources to actually own one. At and anticipated cost of $49000 ($53000 with vacuum table and stand), this is an expensive product. If you are one of those fortunate enough to consider this analog rig, you’ll savor the pleasure of owning the very best. Let’s see, if I take out a second mortgage…

MUSICAL FIDELITY: Dedicated analog fans all, the guys at Musical Fidelity decided it was time to introduce a turntable bearing their name. Looking sexy in clear Perspex with satin silver highlights, the Model 1 is fitted with a new arm by SME. Said to be designed specifically for M.F., the all new SME uses the exceptional bearings (ABEC grade 7) seen in the SME V. The clear chassis and second layer sub-chassis make for a stunning visual presentation. The fit and finish were first rate. Price is anticipated at $5600. We’ve got one headed our way, so ring me up for a full report. 

SUMIKO: A colorful new Pro-Ject turntable was displayed for the first time at CES. Fitted with an Ortofon cartridge and priced at just $249, the Debut 2 will be available in no less than nine colors. On hand I saw red, yellow, purple, green, black, orange, white and blue. Spiffy looking record spinners!
          Also under the Pro-Ject banner, a tube phono stage priced at only $499. The Tube Box (novel name) has gain enough to accept both MM and MC cartridges. A pair of 12AX7’s bring harmonic fullness and dimensionality. Additional features include adjustable loading for MC’s, dual mono circuitry and subsonic filtration.
          Sumiko also presented a new SME arm, that appears to be the same one used on the Musical Fidelity M1 ‘table (described above). The sign said “Price to be Determined” but offered no other details. We’ll keep you posted as more details become available.

Home Theater

AERIAL: Rarely do we witness the introduction of a truly unique product. Aerial had just such a creation this year in form of their new System 1.         When considering a speaker system for home theater (or music and home theater), two options existed. You could place the speakers out into the room for best sound, or locate them in the wall for a clean architectural look and sacrifice performance. People have grappled with this thorny issue for years. Innovative designer Michael Kelley and the team at Aerial put on their thinking caps to come with a solution seeking to satisfy both issues. Enter the System 1.
          The Aerial System 1 is a multi-channel high performance system that, for the first time, integrates speakers and large projection screens into a single elegant unit. The system includes three column speakers for left center and right, two subwoofers, two subwoofer amplifiers and custom grilles, all coupled to a frame sized to fit your choice of Stewart screen. The overall depth is only 12” deep and can be used stand alone or can be built into a wall. The freestanding aspect is really nice because it can be placed in most any room with no custom fabrication. Further, it can easily be moved to a different location. A very practical design.
          The system is so well integrated, I had no idea the beautiful cloth-covered enclosure surrounding the screen concealed a complete front-end speaker system with subs. I was amazed as they pulled the grilles to reveal the multitude of drivers.
          If you’re planning a upscale home theater system, you simply must have a look at the Aerial System 1. Priced about $20k

NORDOST: On display, the new line of high performance video cables. The Silver Screen HD range offers composite ($125), S-Video ($260), component ($300) and RGB ($500) – prices are for 1M lengths. Using Nordost patent-pending Dual Micro Mono Filament Technology, the designs are said to conduct signals at over 90% the speed of light. Nordost claims “a more sparkling and precise image with a real sense of three dimensional space to the image.” I will say that the stunning quality of their video display did indeed seem to support these claims.
          See also our description of Nordost’s new AC cables elsewhere in this Newsletter. They are said to be exceptional compliments to high-end video systems.

SIM2: At CES Sim2 bowed their latest three-chip DLP, the HD500. Unfortunately I arrived early at their invitation-only suite, and the gorgeous beauty wasn’t yet up and running. Drat! Unfortunately their off-site venue prevented a later return.
          Sim2 garnered the prestigious Innovations 2004 at CES, a prestigious competition that honors product excellent in design and engineering. Entries in the Innovations 2004 Design and Engineering Honors Programs were judged by prominent industry experts, designers, engineers and journalists.