WINTER	2008
Page Four

REFERENCE 3A: Tash Goka had the Reference 3A speakers tuned to perfection in the Divergent Audio room. Powered by the Antique Sound Labs Cadenza tube amp and the Flora transformer-based preamp, the Grand Veena’s were awesome. After a bit of enjoyable listening, Tash introduced me to their new release, the Episode.
       Positioned between the Veena ($3500) and Grand Veena ($8000), the $5500 Episode shares the sleek angled enclosure and super-tweeter found in the Grand Veena. Kicking in at 20 kHz (where the tweeter trails off) and extending out to 100 kHz, the super-tweeter adds a sense of delicacy and air. I can’t tell you why these things work, but they do indeed enhance performance in a subtle but meaningful way.
       Though I don’t think the Episode was fully broken-in, the sound was still wonderful. Not quite as extended in the bottom end and lacking a bit of the scale heard in the larger speaker, but the differences were not huge. I could have listened for hours! You can listen for the rest of your life, if you buy a pair… hint, hint. $5500 in wood finish, $6100 in piano black lacquer. Call for CES Show Specials!

EMM LABS: The phenomenal CDSA player was seen in a number of rooms (always a good indicator of high performance). The great sounding player has been updated with a new German-sourced drive mechanism featuring stabilizing rods for the sled assembly and all metal tray. These changes make for a more stable and quieter drive, and loading is smoother and faster as well. Cool custom machined isolation feet have been added that both improve performance and enhance visual appeal.
      Price for the updated CDSA is $11500.
      Good news for existing owners – upgrade your machine for just difference in price between the two versions! $1500 will bring your machine up to date with the new mechanism, isolation feet and a new front bezel. Call us to schedule.

WHEST: Music Hall, the US Distributor for Whest Audio displayed the company’s latest introduction, the PS.30R phono preamplifier. At $3995 it’s not inexpensive, but the unit promises outstanding performance, and if history is any indicator, it should be a winner.
       The sound in the Music Hall room was very good, but it would be hard to single out the Whest for its contribution. And even though the supporting cast of components was very good, the Whest would have been more at home with gear further up the ladder. That said, I’d be shocked if it were anything but exemplary.

WESTERN ELECTRIC: W.E. is expanding their product line beyond vacuum tubes. A CD player, line preamp, phono preamp and a high end pair of triode monoblocks were demonstrated.
       Last year the company displayed a massive pair of mono amps, which appeared to be prototypes. This year’s show brought out the finished product, which looked (and sounded) superb. A bit on the pricey side at $50k, the “monster-monos” (with circuitry modeled after the famed Marantz Model 9) is loaded with 300B tubes producing 120 triode watts per channel into 8 Ohms. As testament to their overbuild philosophy, the amps are capable of 600 watt peaks.
       The line preamp and phono stage are two-box affairs, each with a hefty outboard power supply. The CD player has an internal power supply. All were very nicely finished. Price for each component should come in at $7500

PHONOMENA: Michael Yee’s Nova Phonomena battery powered phono preamp has been an unqualified success. Those of you lucky enough to get your hands on one know what I mean. It offers a wealth of flexibility along with outstanding resolution and extremely low noise floor. The new circuit topology designed for the Nova has proven itself a winner, so why not borrow a bit of that magic for a less expensive offering?
       The all new Phonomena II is borrows much from the circuits found in the Nova and Super Nova and exhibits the sound that these outstanding California-born-and-bred-designs are famous for.
       A peek inside reveals an all discrete circuit, a feature surprising at this price point given most of the competition have resorted to ICs. Another feature copied from the Nova is the impressive array of gain and loading switching, easily accessible via rear panel mounted switches.
       I’ve not had a Phonomena II in my system yet (due for release in about 60 days), but I can tell you that the music it made when paired with the new Benz SLR Gullwing was lovely. At $600 it’s an unqualified no-brainer! CES Show Special $539!

BELLARI: Music Hall debuted a new tube-based phono preamp from Bellari. The VP-530 mimics the musicality and richness of their VP-129, but adds a USB output for direct connection to a computer. As an added plus, the VP-530 also has a headphone output allowing monitoring while recording or for dedicated headphone listening. $399.  CES Show Special - $359!

EURO AUDIO TEAM: I’d heard some really good things about these all handmade ultra-tubes from Europe, but knew little about them or the company that produces them. I had the opportunity to meet with Jozefina Krahulcova, owner of EAT, at the show to get some background.
       There are lots of companies producing tubes these days, so competition is stiff, but it was clear to me from the first moment we met that Jozefina was passionate about music (she attends live concerts in Vienna regularly) and just as passionate about the mission at EAT. She wanted to separate EAT from the pack by producing the finest handcrafted tubes available – quality, rather than quantity, was the goal.
       EAT assembled a group of engineers from the UK, Switzerland and the original Tesla factory in Prague to design and build the tubes. Every step of the process is tightly controlled, with great care and dedication poured into each procedure, with final testing carried out in Switzerland. Ms. Krahulcova believes the extra time spent in manufacture, followed by the rigorous testing, results in a tube which sounds better and lasts longer. The tubes are expensive, to be sure, but with better life expectancy and better sound, the cost seems justified.
        HiFi+ magazine in the Britain tested a range of KT-88 tubes and awarded the EAT Product of the Year. In short, they claimed the EAT KT-88 exceeded the performance of all those tested, including the legendary NOS MO/GEC KT-88! The magazine tested Electro Harmonix and Svetlana in addition to the NOS MO/GEC and found the EAT to be superior stating – “…as if we were listening to an amplifier at three times the price…” 
        KT-88 - $399ea, ECC-803S (12AX7) or ECC88 (6922, 6DJ8) - $225ea. Call for CES Show special pricing!
        Another novel product from EAT is the Cool Damper. There are a number of devices on the market designed to damp vibrations in the glass envelope of the vacuum tube, and many are effective, but the Cool Damper is both a damper and a cooler.
       The Cool Damper eliminates the vibration in the glass envelope which causes distortion and microphonics. Performance improves in a number of areas, with listeners reporting more controlled and deeper bass, a cleaner sound stage, greater dynamic range, and better focus of the entire sound field.
        Did you know that cooling a tube will increase lifespan? Experiments by the military proved it. The Cool Damper has been shown to reduce the operating temperature of the glass envelope by about 10%, a significant amount that can appreciably extend tube life. With the high cost of good tubes, the price of admission may well be justified for this reason alone. Add to that the sonic improvement and it’s a simple decision to order one for every tube in your system. CES Show special Pricing! $34 each.

SPECTRON: I didn’t see John Ulrick and crew at CES, but I wanted to remind you that the new Signature version of the Musician amplifier is now shipping, and it’s a killer! How good? Well, TAD felt it was good enough to demo their $40,000 speaker system at the show.
        We’ve been thrilled with the performance of the Musician III Signature here driving our Final Sound 1000i speakers. The transparency and cohesiveness of the sound through this system is incredible. There’s a “completeness” to the performance, melding texture, rhythm and harmonic structure, that’s mesmerizing. Part of it I know is the speakers’ abilities to bring this picture to life, but the speaker can’t reproduce something that’s not there. And so far, the Spectron brings these qualities into focus better than any other amplifier I’ve tried.
         The Musician III Signature is way powerful too, at over 600 watts per channel into 8 Ohms it’ll drive anything, but the neat thing about the amp is it doesn’t sacrifice delicacy for brute force. Some muscle amps do have kick, but they often gloss over nuance, lacking the ability to define the subtle end of the dynamic envelope.
         Treat yourself to an audition, if you dare. $6495

HERRON AUDIO: I couldn’t get in the room! The Herron suite is always a popular spot and this year was no exception. The three times I popped my head in the door, all the seats were taken. I phoned Keith after the show to get the low down on his new preamp and he apologized (no need) and said he would have been happy to arrange for a private audition.
        Introduced this year is the VTSP-3 tube preamp. The R&D project began with goal of improving the VTSP-2, which could then be offered as an “SE” version. The technical advances proved so significant that Keith decided a new model was in order. Note: The VTSP-3 does not replace the VTSP-2.
        The heart of the VTSP-3 is a new daughter board that is piggybacked onto the main board of the VTSP-2. There have been significant improvements in the analog circuitry and power supply regulation. Two selectable gain settings (12dB and 6dB) have been included to allow better matching to a wide range of systems. According to Keith, performance is “better in every category.” Retail is $6550.
        VTSP-2 owners will be excited to know that an upgrade path is available. For just the difference at retail ($1550) performance of your VTSP-2 can be vaulted into the nether-regions with a trip back to Herron. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to schedule your baby for the treatment.

MUSIC HALL: Music Hall adds a nifty new creation to their line of budget electronics. The Trio combines a CD player, amplifier and tuner into a single chassis; just add speakers you’re making music. $995 - CES Show Special $850

OUTRIGGERS: This is product we picked up before CES, but I wanted to mention them here. Outriggers are an ingenious design that couple high quality spikes to a solid ¼” steel beam. Bolted to the bottom of the speaker (using the existing mounting points for the spikes), the Outriggers provide solid, stable footing for increased coupling. You’ll appreciate the added stability and be surprised by the improvement in performance. Tighter more dynamic bass and cleaner high frequencies with better soundstage focus are common.
        In an effort to reduce front baffle reflections, designers have reduced cabinet width, resulting in a speaker that is tall and narrow. That’s great for sound, but it makes for a very unstable speaker. Children, large pets, or even accidental contact, can topple a speaker, with disastrous results. Here’s a great solution to the problem that will not only add stability but improve performance as well. Outriggers come in four sizes, which you’ll need depends on the width of your speakers. Prices range from $95 - $105 per pair and you’ll need two pair. You can read more about them on our website.