WINTER	2007
Page Two

CONVERGENT AUDIO: The concept was revealed two years ago at CES, but a working version of the new CAT Legend preamp was actually in play at this year’s show. Externally, the preamp is very similar to the Ultimate. The tip off is the much thicker milled top and bottom panel (which will further increase structural rigidity while reducing vibration and resonance). I understand the circuit design is very similar to the Ultimate, but the Legend benefits from a bevy of top drawer parts and build techniques.
        Inside you’ll find exotic and hyper-pricey Black Gate capacitors (which use a solid electrolyte with graphite particles rather than foil that, according to designer, Ken Stevens,  has a tendency to “ring”) and other crazily expensive bits. All the circuit boards are Teflon, a material that is both frightfully pricey (50 – 80 times that of FR4 material) and difficult to process. Few circuit board manufacturers have the technical expertise and specialized facilities needed to fabricate Teflon boards. Though I have not heard and A/B comparison with the Ultimate, I’m told the difference is remarkable. $15995
        As always, sound in CAT suite was excellent. That was also the case in other venues employing Ken Steven’s products (I saw more than one CAT amplifier in show demo systems). His amplifiers, in particular, are amazing. Frankly I’m surprised they don’t get more attention in this Country where overseas they win numerous awards and receive the very highest praise from reviewers, manufacturers and end users alike.
        Convergent amplifiers are amazing in their ability to drive difficult loads. Ken Stevens shocked everyone by driving the MBL 101 with his tube amplifier (Ken, in fact owned MBLs for a number of years) at a CES several years back. I’ve heard stories from owners about the ability of the amp to drive anything they throw at it. Part of the reason is the massive power supply. The CAT amps use a 55 pound power transformer (the largest of any amp in the world!) and 1000 Joules of energy storage. As a result, these amplifiers offer some of the best bass on the planet, regardless of technology. Many who hear the CAT amps for the first time often comment that this is the first amplifier to truly marry the strengths of tube and solid state.
         There are two models in the line, the stereo JL2 Signature Mk II stereo amp ($16995) and the awesome JL3 Signature Mk II mono blocks ($35995). If you’re comfortable in this lofty price range, you can own one of the very best amplifiers available today.

CREEK: Music Hall presented two new pieces from Mike Creek. The Evolution Series CD player and integrated amplifier are priced at only $900 apiece, which is a heck of a deal for Creek performance! The Evolution gear looks a lot like the new Destiny range – sleek, stylish and well finished.        
         The Evolution Amp, rated at a hefty 85 wpc, features a robust power supply with 20,000 mfd of storage and dual winding transformer (providing separate feeds for the output section and front end). How about remote control? Got it. Be nice to have a headphone jack too. Done.
         Conceived and executed with similar passion and flair, the Evolution CD promises to be an equally enticing introduction. Internally we find the digital circuits are stabilized and isolated by no less than eight regulators. The three separate power supplies feed the analog, digital and clock sections independently. The Evolution CD is designed with a low jitter oscillator module that clocks the data from the drive to the D-A converter and also synchs the microcontroller.              

EPOS: There’s a new Epos speaker in the house. Music Hall intro’d The M16.2, a 3-way floor standing design employing a 130mm bass driver, 130mm mid/woofer and their 25mm (ferrofluid cooled) tweeter. It’s a step up from the 15.2 ($1395) and offers an extra woofer for significantly more kick down low. $1595.
        Mated to the M16.2 was another new member of the family, the M subwoofer. The 372mm x 342mm x 450mm enclosure houses a 10” woofer driven by a 300 watt amplifier. It was tight, fast and powerful, and mated very well indeed to the M16.2. I was surprised that the 10” driver was able to move enough air to fill the demo space, but it did an excellent job. More importantly, it never called attention to itself and blended nicely with the full range speakers. $1195 

ESOTERIC: The fertile minds at esoteric have been hard at work, as evidenced by the number of products introduced at this years show. Stunning stuff here...
► There’s a new version of the X-01, the X-01D2. The new offering represents the new pinnacle of the X-Series, but does not replace the X-01 Limited. The X-01D2 features a newly designed VRDS-NEO disc tracking sled. The new drive also features a “shutter” system that isolates the disc from vibration and airborne contaminants. As in the X-01, there are four DACs per channel in a dual differential configuration. Unique to the X-01D2 is a native Direct Stream Digital (DSD) allowing conversion of PCM to DSD. $16000
►    SA-60: Many listeners asked for an audio-only version of the DV-50S, and now we have it! The SA-60 uses a Vertically Aligned Optical Stability Platform (VOSP) clamping and drive mechanism. A host of other features include proprietary up-conversion technology (allowing upsampling to 32X), native DSD mode (for optimum SACD playback), PCM to DSD conversion and proprietary up-conversion filter algorithms. Great value. $4500
►    SA-10: Bringing Esoteric quality to a popular price point, the SA-10 will certainly become a best seller. The new CD/SACD player features a VOSP drive (see SA-60 above) and fully dual mono digital and analog circuits. The unit has both balanced XLR and single ended RCA outputs. Slated for a March/April introduction. $3500
►    AI-10: To partner the new SA-10 player, Esoteric introduced the AI-10 integrated amplifier/DAC/Master Clock Generator. Some combination!
              The MI-10 is a Class D design producing 150 wpc (into 8 Ohms) using a super fast, highly efficient power supply with oversize torroid transformer. It offers a 192kHz/176.4kHz DAC with digital input, making it an ideal way to decode digital signals from other components (a DVD player for example). The high resolution master word clock synchs to any Esoteric player, improving performance by increasing clock accuracy. The unit offers 3 line-level inputs including magnetic phono. The AI-10 includes both balanced XLR and single ended RCA inputs and outputs. We've been so impressed with the AZ-1 that we're eager to give this lovely a listen! $4000
►   Cables: Available in Japan and Europe for some time, Esoteric has introduced their line of interconnects and speaker cables to the US market. Esoteric believes the purity of the conductor materials is tantamount to superior performance. To this end Esoteric, in conjunction with Acrolink, have refined copper to the ultra-pure level of 99.9997%. The conductors are stress relieved then surrounded by PTFE Teflon tape and Polyethylene insulation and double shielded with copper foil and braided UEW then wrapped with an outer jacket of UV resistant Polyurethane. Interconnects are terminated with the pricey WBT Nextgen connectors.
►    MG-10 and MG-20 Speakers: That’s right, speakers from Esoteric. Designed by the President of Esoteric in Tokyo, the new models feature pure magnesium cone drivers. The design is all Esoteric, as are the drivers and crossover, but they are assembled by the famous British loudspeaker firm, Tannoy. There are two models (both two way designs), a monitor ($5000pr) and a floor stander ($8000pr).
        Esoteric has developed the worlds first all magnesium diaphragm speaker system. Magnesium, according to Esoteric, is an ideal material for speaker cones, being both stiff and light with excellent internal damping properties. The problem is that the stuff is maddening to work with. Special processes (co-developed by Esoteric and Nippon Kinzoku) had to be developed to realize the design goals.
        I heard about the speaker just prior to leaving for “Lost Wages,” and was pumped to hear them. On entering the demo space I knew the speakers would be at a disadvantage. The room was positively huge (the ceilings must have been 20’ high), a much larger space than the speakers could pressurize. That said, I was definitely impressed with their quickness and clarity. More to come on these.
        A small run of the phenomenal UX-1 Limited is being produced in black. We’re not sure how long they’ll be around, so if you want one, act fast. $14100  

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