WINTER	2006
Page Five

PS AUDIO: The long delayed Power Plant Premier line conditioner is now shipping. The all new design is, like its predecessors the P-300 and P-500, a regenerator. Increased efficiency means much less current draw at idle, less heat and greater current delivery for its size. Priced at $2195, the Power Plant Premier has really taken off. Our customers who have received their units are very impressed. We don’t have a demo yet since we asked PS Audio to ship our allocation to our customers with backorders first (aren’t we nice guys!), but I should be able to report back soon.
         There is also a passively filtered version as well, the Quintessence. Think of it as a Premier, without the regeneration ability - all the filtration and spike and surge protection remains. $1195
         Two smaller power centers, the Quintet (10 outlets, $695) and Duet (4 outlets, $395), offer ffiltration and spike/surge protection in a more compact enclosure. Both units feature micro-processor controlled over/under voltage monitoring (which shuts the unit down if either condition is detected). The circuit breaker, IEC power connector and filtration are housed in a removable “powe cartridge,” which can be replaced if damaged by a lightning strike or very large surge.
         In particular, the Quintet looks like a great choice for an elaborate multipurpose installation as it offers both coax antenna and phone line protection in addition to a 12v trigger and turn on sequencer.

REFERENCE 3A: There it was, a curiously large Veena. I suspected either steroid abuse or an accidental mega-dose of radiation. I was relieved to learn that the speaker on display was a new model, the Veena Grand. It has the same basic shape as the Veena, but that’s where the similarity ends.
        The Grand Veena stands 51” high (compared to its sibling at 36”), uses five drivers (the Veena has two) and can easily fill a large space. Like the Veena, the Grand employs their proprietary hyper-exponentially shaped driver. This remarkably extended transducer covers an remarkably wide frequency and is only augmented at the very top and lowest frequencies by complimentary drivers. This makes for a very coherent and integrated sound, even though there are five drivers.
        Like other Reference 3a designs, the Grand’s are still an easy load, even for modest tube amps. Their sensitivity is high at 90dB, but the real key is their flat impedance curve which varies only plus/minus 0.5 Ohm from the 5 Ohm nominal impedance.
        Two powerful 8” woofers carry the Grand Veena down to 36 Hz and a silk dome tweeter takes care of the treble range. For the ultrasonic stuff, Reference 3a employed Murata to develop a super tweeter just for this project. Crossing over at 20 kHz, the super tweeter extends response to a startling 100 kHz! Typically super tweeters are an aftermarket add on, and can cost up to $1000 a pair, so it’s interesting to see them incorporated in a speaker at this price level. The effect super tweeters can have can be startling. It’s amazing how they can open up the top end. $7500 in Maple, $8250 in piano black lacquer.

 REGA: The Brits from Rega decided to skip the show this year – they’re too busy building Apollo and Saturn CD players to leave home. The Apollo has become our most popular player in the sub-thousand Dollar category, and with good reason. Here’s quote from the recent review in The Absolute Sound: “While other mid-priced CD players have been edging toward sonic excellent by making gradual, incremental improvements, the Rega (Apollo) has moved forward with giant, confident strides to deliver sound reminiscent of that of multi-thousand-dollar players”. – Chris Martens. We heartily agree with his findings!
        If you haven’t heard one of these players yet, you’re in for a real treat; sweet, musical, non-fatiguing. $995 for the Apollo, the Saturn is $2395.
        But wait, that's not all; Rega has just announced two new record players. The new  P2 still uses the tried and true RB-250 tonearm, but has a number of upgrades to the platter and plinth. According to Rega, it clearly outperforms the previous P2. Price is $525, or $625 with a factory-fitted Rega Bias cartridge (you save $25 buying the package).
         There's a new version of the P3 is expected in a couple of months. Still in the final design stages, Rega has released no details, only to promise that performance will be considerably improved over its predecessor.
          As an upgrade to the P1, Rega offers the Plattermatter. For $69 you get a glass platter and the felt mat used on the P2 and P3 (good value considering the mat alone sells for $24). The Plattermatter upgrade brings you better dynamics, clarity and bass control.

SHANLING: A boatload of new stuff here, too much to describe in detail, so here’s a brief synopsis.

• CD-T1500 Tube CD player - $2750 – An all new design featuring Burr-Brown PCM1794 DAC chips and Philips CD-Pro 2 linear pickup mechanism (mounted in a vibration reducing aluminum alloy frame).
• CD-T1000se Tube CD player - $1995 – replaces the well liked CDT-100 and offers 24-bit/192kHz upsampling and a Philips CD1201 transport mechanism. No mention of any changes to the analog section.
• CDT-3000 Pro CD player - A break from the exposed tube appearance, the CD-3000 is housed in an enclosed chassis. It features a 6922 based tube output stage, Philips CD-PRO 2 pickup mechanism, separate power supply and balanced as well as single-ended outputs.
• A-3000 Integrated Amplifier $1595 – Tipping the scales at over sixty pounds, the powerful A-300 a handful. Inside the 200 wpc beast are two separate transformers and a huge bank of capacitors totaling 80,000 micro Farads. There are two 6922 tubes for an input buffer stage and the unit features four RCA and twp XLR inputs. The A-3000 and CD player, paired with Epos M16.2 speakers, sounded very nice indeed.
• MC-30 Music Center - $999. Combines a CD player, tuner and amp (with a tube output stage!) in a cool looking package for just $995. There’s even a cradle for an iPod (or other MP3 player) and 1/8” mini cable provided for connection. Geez, how can they make the stuff for this price?

As with all the Shanling products, the offerings are gorgeous; total eye candy.

SHUNYATA: The audio world is abuzz with excitement over the new V-Ray line conditioner. An evolutionary product, the V-Ray builds on the strengths of the superb Hydra 8, besting it in several key areas. What’s inside that makes if different?
        Dramatically more sophisticated filter arrays and new buss structure are the focal points of the new design. Caelin Gabriel stressed the significant differences in the filter networks as being a big leap forward in performance over his previous designs.
        Looking at the two side by side, you’d say the V-Ray looks exactly like a Hydra 8 with a new face plate. And you’d be right. Rather than spend money on a new chassis or other cosmetic enhancements, Shunyata decided to focus on performance over pizzazz.
        Our first unit arrived a couple of weeks before the show. While there wasn’t enough time to take the V-Ray through a full break-in cycle, I was able to get in a bit of listening before I left for CES. The short answer is that it’s very, very good. But how does it compare to the Hydra 8? The V-Ray is not a departure from the character of the Hydra 8, but rather a progression, building on its strengths, taking the concept to the next level. $3995

Attention Hydra 8 owners! Upgrade to the V-Ray for only $2595! (Call for details)

        Any Mini Cooper fans out there? Turns out Caelin Gabriel is, and has built himself a racing Mini. Dubbed the “Mutant Mini,” this car puts out 328 hp at the front wheels and routinely overtakes Z-1’s on the straightaway! All the wiring was replaced with Shunyata cabling, taking three seconds off his lap times! Just kidding. Check out the test report in Euro Tuner Magazine.

 SIMAUDIO: The replacements for the venerable P5 preamp and W 5 amplifier were announced. The P5.3 and W5.3 appear to be worthy successors to the throne.
        The W5.3 Power Amplifier embodies all the circuit refinements of the W-5 Limited Edition, yet even with the improvement in performance, the price is actually 20% less than the W-5! The W5.3 pushes 150 wpc into 8 Ohms, doubles into a 4 Ohm load and can swing 38 Amps peak current.
        From the beautifully sculpted front panel to the neat as a pin fit and finish, this amp looks fantastic! Like all Simaudio products, the W5.3 is covered by one of the best warranties in the business; 10 years, bumper-to-bumper. $4800
        The P5.3 Preamplifier is a balanced preamplifier that is heavily based on the Evolution Series P-7.  Numerous improvements have been made making the P5.3 closer in performance to the P7 than the P5, and yet it is priced 35% less than the P5. An optional phono board can be added at any time. The plug in board offers both MC/MM capability and includes adjustable gain, capacitance and loading. $3500 
        Also on hand was the Moon Classic LP5.3 phono preamp. This is probably the most full featured phono preamp I’ve seen at the price. Design features include: XLR and RCA outputs, RIAA and IEC EQ curves, variable capacitive and resistive loading, adjustable gain (40dB – 72dB), hefty internal supply (with optional outboard supply available), four layer PCB traces with dedicated ground and power planes. $1400