WINTER	2005

It’s that time of year again. Time to head for the grand audiophile party in the desert we call the Consumer Electronics Show.
The notable event leads us to the bright lights of Las Vegas for a celebration of the best audio and video has to offer. It’s sensory overload to the max. Guaranteed to have your ears drooping and your eyes watering by the time you leave. Doesn’t that sound tempting? What, you couldn’t go? No worry, just read on and I’ll show you around.

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New Stuff
 

HERRON AUDIO:  Did I mention we’ve taken on the Herron Audio line? I guess not, so consider yourself informed.
          Though released shortly before the show, CES served as the stage for the formal release of Keith Herron’s new VTSP-2 remote controlled tube line preamp.
          I had the opportunity of spending time with the VTSP-2 prior to the show and really fell in love with it. The speed and transparency of this preamplifier rivals anything I’ve heard. At any price. That said, speed and transparency aren’t everything, and it’s not the end of the story for the Herron either. The abilities of this preamp are many, in fact, I’m not sure I’ve found any weaknesses. The VTSP-2 is never grainy, never bright and not in the least bit fatiguing. You can listen to the thing for hours.
          The super low noise floor is also surprising for a tube preamp and allows the Herron to uncover the most subtle details. I can guarantee you will hear things on your most familiar records you did not know were there.
          An interesting fellow, Keith Herron. You’ll want to read more about the man and the unique philosophies behind his products our Featured Product Page.

SPECTRON: The new Musician III shown at last years CES show proved to be a far more daunting task to manufacture than Spectron could have envisioned. Slated for delivery last summer, the amps are only just now shipping.

          The Musician II was one of our favorite amps of all time. It’s character was neither solid state nor tube, but seemed to capture qualities of both. Needless to say, I’m quite jazzed about the prospect of the new model rolling in. The unit is on the way and should be in hand by the time you read this. $4995

STEREOVOX: A number of years back, Chris Somovigo introduced a range of ground-breaking digital cables. The Illuminati line was instantly recognized for revolutionary design, superb performance and high value, and in the process, defined a new industry benchmark.
       Chris is at it again. His new Stereovox Studio cables, like his earlier products, offer innovative design and remarkable performance at exceptionally reasonable cost.
      HDSE (High Definition Single Ended) is a small diameter interconnect of unusual precision. Constructed from pure tape-wrapped Full Density PTFE Teflon, a silver-plated copper woven shield, an FEP jacket and a single high-purity copper conductor with an unusual feature: it is a micro-sized tube with a wall thickness of just 0.008".
        “Microtube" technology offers the skin profile of a 32 AWG conductor while maintaining the lower resistance of a larger gauge conductor. As a result, the HDSE performs with the agility and grace of ultra thin conductor designs without suffering from their limitations caused by high resistance. The advanced nature of Microtube technology also eliminates problems associated with stranded and "litz" designs.
         We’ve been enjoying great results with HDSE interconnects in our systems here, finding they offer speed, clarity and openness that belies their modest cost. Our impressions have been supported by extremely positive feedback from our clients. That we hear similar characteristics in different systems suggests the HDSE has very low “system dependency,” and should work very well with a broad range of gear.
         Equally positive results have been achieved with HDXV video/digital digital cable as well. HDVX and HDSE preserve picture and sound in a way that conventional cables seem unable to match. At just $195 for the  HDSE and only $98.00 (1M) for the HDVX, they may be the bargain of the new century!
         Jumpers anyone? Stereovox introduced a set of jumpers using their unique connectors that allow for connection via spade or banana. $99 bucks, we’ve got ‘em.
          While in the Stereovox suite, Chris introduced me to a line of tube damper rings (Duende Criatura) made by a friend of his in the Netherlands. The rings use a Teflon ring held in place around the tube by a titanium wire clip. The Teflon provides high heat resistance, so no worries about melting, the titanium ring does not create eddy-currents. They’re a good by at $19.95pr.  

WAVAC: You’ve probably seen and read about these incredible electronics from Japan. Made with a Zen like attention to detail, the sparkling cosmetics only hint at the performance they offer. Collect all the descriptive audiophile terms that make up the language of our hobby, distill them down to a single word, and it spells WAVAC.
          Like others who’ve experienced WAVAC, I was drawn into its web. That thanks to the devious importer Jim Rickets. A mean man if there ever was one, Jim pulled a downright nasty trick - he brought some by. That was all it took to have me signing on the dotted line. Last time I let Jim in the door!
           I could write page after page about these delightful amplifiers, and whether you want me to or not I will, but that will have to wait for a bit. There just isn’t room here.
          At this point, simply heed my warning – stay the hell away from this stuff! On the other hand…

SPENDOR: Since the killer review appeared in Stereophile, the Spendor S5e has been on fire. And with good reason. This speaker offers an amazing combination of strengths that are exceptionally uncommon in this price range. The bass is nicely extended, with tunefulness and speed. Though it’s not likely to set off any seismometers, you’ll find it quite adequate for most situations. The top end, served up by the silk dome tweeter, is refined and smooth. And the midrange, oh boy, the mids! Spendor have made their reputation producing speakers that are true to the midrange and all of their speakers excel in that department. The S5e included.
          Snap up a pair of these little darlings for your very own and you’ll be sending me Christmas presents for years to come! $1799
           Need a bit more speaker for a larger room? Not to worry, the boys at Spendor have just the ticket. The S9e is a three way floor stander that adds extension, power and muscle to the wonderful sweetness in the midrange and top end we like so much in other Spendor designs. Remarkably compact for its capability, the size (and pleasing cosmetic design) makes the S9e likely to win spousal approval.
           The S9e moves a surprising amount of air for a compact design, thanks to its sophisticated 220mm bass drive unit (made in house) that features an incredibly light and rigid Kevlar® composite cone, dual suspension, cast magnesium alloy chassis and a massive fully vented all black magnet/coil motor system. Have your cake and eat it too! $4999
          Note: SoundStage! voted the S9e/Emotive Audio/Symposium suite as one of the best at CES!

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