WINTER	2006
Page Three

JOLIDA: Jolida introduced a variant of the superb JD-1000A full tube integrated amplifier at CES. The remote controlled JD-1000RC features a large window in the front panel permitting full view of the glowing bottles inside.

From what we know, the circuitry is the same as the JD-1000 - only the cosmetics and the addition of the remote make it different. That’s well and good, because the JD-1000A is an outstanding performer. The JD-1000RC will not replace, but rather coexist alongside the JD-1000A.

If the convenience of remote control is enticing and the allure of that heavenly glow are important attributes, the JD-1000RC may just be your next amplifier. $2495

NuFORCE: You probably haven't heard of this company, but I can guarantee you will. The NuForce amplifier technology represents a step in a new direction - a patented circuit topology like no other. The NuForce circuit is neither analog nor strictly Class D digital. Though they share the advantages of digital amplifiers (small, lightweight chassis and cool operation), NuForce believes their amplifiers avoid the drawbacks inherent in those designs.

The NuForce amps were just named Editor’s Choice by The Absolute Sound magazine, complimenting rave reviews from around the World. The most amazing attribute of NuForce amplifiers is their price; just $1599 for the Model 8 mono and only $2499 for the Reference 9 mono - and that's per pair!

There have been a half-dozen wildly enthusiastic reviews of the NuForce amplifiers including The Absolute Sound, Six Moons, Soundstage and Stereo Times. Check out the NuForce website for reprints of the full review, then give me a call… you'll want to order a pair!

At the CES NuForce introduced the IA-7 integrated amplifier and P-8 preamp. Though small and light, just like the other models, the IA-7 boasts 100 watts per channel (288 watts peak into 8 Ohms). A full function remote control adds convenience and a memory holds the previous volume and input settings. There are three line level inputs, one bypass and a 3,5mm jack for your iPod (or other portable player). The thing is tiny at only 1.75”H x 8.5”D x 16”D and weighs just 6 pounds.

Our IA-7 isn’t fully broken in yet, but initial impressions suggest it’s super! $1195
            The P-8 preamp features the same input array found on the integrated, adding a very special digitally controlled analog volume control. It has a super wide gain and attenuation range (from -95.5dB to +31.5dB in 0.5dB steps) and will work with any amp in any system. I’ve felt for a long time that the world needed a great preamp under $1500, and we may have just found it. $1095

Take advantage of our in-home audition program!

ESOTERIC: The wide range of digital offerings from Esoteric filled their suite to overflowing. The active display featured their very best; the incredible P-01 transport and D-01 mono DACs synched with the G-Os Master Clock. These extraordinary components represent an all out, cost no object assault on digital replay. Their development was a slow and painstaking process that left no stone unturned.

The head of Esoteric Japan asked for, and received, carte blanche access to the Company’s resources for the project. Their goal: design the very best digital reproduction chain on the planet - no expense was spared. Anyone who has experienced this system will agree that nothing else comes close. For $50,000 ($25,000 for the P-01 transport and $25,000 for a pair of the D-01 DACs), you’d expect the best, and Esoteric delivers it.

            Introduced at the show, the P-03 transport and D-03 DAC fall in line below the exotic P-01 and D-01 system at $25,000 for the system. The combo is said to offer 80% of the performance for half the price.

            Esoteric debuted the X-01 Limited ($13500), an upgraded version of the highly regarded X-01 CD/SACD player. Employing upgraded capacitors and resistors, like those used in the P-01/D-01 system, Esoteric has enhanced DAC and analog output stage performance. Internal wiring has also been upgraded using new proprietary 6N purity wiring. In a joint collaboration with Mitsubishi Cable Industries and Acro in Japan, Esoteric developed a wire that they feel significantly improves musical texture and timbre. Topping off the upgrades, the output connectors have been replaced with outstanding WBT NextGen RCA jacks.

Current X-01 owners will be happy to know their unit can be upgraded. The cost should be less than $1000. Call us if you’d like us to schedule a return to the factory for the modifications.

The X-01 is on everyone’s short list of the truly great digital products on the market. If the upgrades offer the boost in performance Esoteric promises, the X-01 Limited should be a killer!

Our unit has just arrived (I’m all tingly!), so check back in a few weeks for our impressions. 

HERRON AUDIO: Great components, great sound; to these ears, some of the best at CES. Whether playing LP or CD, the tunes in the Herron suite were just fabulous.

The company offers the superb VTSP-2 ($4995) remote controlled tube preamp, an awesome solid state unit (HL-1 $3495), phono preamp (VTPH-1 $3150) and mono amplifiers (M1 $6850, pr). Each of the components are terrific, but it’s the VTSP-2 that has received all the press. Not only does the VTSP-2 sound incredible (as clean and refined as any preamp I know), but it is practical, flexible and convenient to use. If your are thinking about a new preamp in this price range, you should definitely check it out. For more detail see our past Feature and and the HiFi+ review.

Keith’s new (prototype) speakers are really amazing. Unfortunately they aren’t available yet, but I’ll be the first in line when they are. When might that be? Well, let’s just say Keith is methodical, so that coupled with the success of the electronics has kept him extremely busy. So, the speakers are on the back burner. I just wish he’d turn up the heat a little!

QUAD: Two new electrostatic speakers debuted at CES. As you might imagine, their introduction created quite a stir at the show.

The 2805 uses four electrostatic panels, like the 988, and the 2905 has six panels, the same number found in the 989. While the new models mimic their brethren in many ways, cosmetics isn’t one of them.

            I think we’d all agree, the 988 and 989 aren’t the most attractive speakers on the planet. Not unsightly mind you, but clearly in need of some freshening to bring then into the new millennium. So the challenge for Quad was to improve the looks and the sound. But how does one go about improving upon a legend? Carefully, very carefully!

            Increasing structural rigidity was a prime focus. From it’s introduction, lack of structural integrity was seen as a significant weakness of the ESL-63. A myriad of solutions have appeared over the years, some moderately effective, but none ideal. Arcici introduced a stand which supported the speakers (ESL-63) vertically, along the sides, and that worked well, but had distinct limitations. Quad themselves addressed the issue with the introduction of the ESL-63 USA Monitor, which featured a more substantial frame. That helped, but still was not perfect. In the spirit of DIY, audiophiles conjured up their own (sometimes very odd) solutions. I recall a system where a guy used two-by-fours as braces between the speaker and the back wall! Ugly, yes, maybe even gruesome, but it did improve performance.

            Fast forward to 2006 and let Quad engineers deal with the issue. They did, and those solutions are realized in the new speakers. Steel frames that are stiffer still, a more substantial base and an innovative brace (which seems particularly effective). At the rear of the speaker Quad has installed a tensioned, triangulated strut which runs from the top of the speaker down to the base. The upgrades have significantly reduced the tendency of the speaker to rock back and forth. Further, the heftier pedestal base (which houses the electronics) adds mass underneath, lowering the center of gravity.

            What’s the sonic payoff? I heard significantly tighter bass, with better control, and a good deal more kick (the fellows at Quad tell me that in-room response measures flat to 30Hz!). There was also increased clarity of high frequency tidbits, string plucks, cymbal shimmer and the like, compared with my recollections of the 989. These were impressive performance gains, given the fact the speakers had not yet been spiked (it was early in the show). Unquestionably, proper floor coupling will pay even greater dividends. While we’re on the subject of spikes, the new ones included with the speakers are really, really nice. They’re better described as a floor coupling system - the term “spikes” doesn’t do them justice.

Only the 2905’s were in action, but I heard enough to know what to expect from the 2805. While I can’t call the improvements mind bending, they would certainly convince me the cost difference is justifiable. The significantly improved styling alone is (to me anyway) cause for celebration, but to improve upon a classic is a real achievement indeed. The 2905’s are $11500, the 2805’s go for $9000.
            The already excellent 99 CD player has been updated. The CDP-2 benefits from software upgrades and a new transport mechanism. Sound quality has improved, but the price, surprisingly, has remained the same. It’s a great machine at only $1350.

Will wonders never cease? Quad released the 24P, a stand alone phono preamp. The hefty critter (must have a big power supply?) displays the same form factor as the rest of their classic line, matching the other products in that Series. The 24P has a volume control and enough output to drive an amp directly – a one-piece solution for a phono-only rig. Details were sparse, but I believe it is MM/MC capable. Price is $2K

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