CES 08: The Best New GeaR

S T E R E O • M U LT I C H A N N E L A U D I O • M U S I C

USHER’S BE-20
WORLD-CLASS SOUND,
REAL-WORLD PRICE
plus
Speakers from
EgglestonWorks
and NOLA
Class A
Integrated
from
Accuphase
The World’s
Number One
Audiophile
Contents
APRIL/MAY 2008

p. 29 HIGH-END AUDIO
EXTRAVAGANZA!
hot new gear from the
2008 Consumer
Electronics Show
The Cutting Edge/Cover Story Equipment Reports
108 88
Accuphase E-550 Integrated
Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker Amplifier
Chris Martens on Ten grand for 30 watts per channel? Yep, but
they might be the sweetest watts you’ve heard,
a flagship speaker says Sue Kraft.
from Usher that
92
re-defines the ModWright SWL 9.0SE Tube
price/performance Linestage
Sallie Reynolds on two editions of a mid-priced
equation. tube linestage with a hint of magic.

96
Nola Viper Reference
Loudspeaker
Tom Martin discovers something special in this
latest design from Carl Marchisotto.

100
EgglestonWorks Nine
Loudspeaker
Anthony H.Cordesman on a speaker that favors
musicality over hi-fi fireworks.

116
HP’s Workshop
Harry Pearson on the 2008 CES.
 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Letters
e-mail us: rharley@nextscreen.com
or write us a letter: The Absolute Sound, PO Box 1768, Tijeras, New Mexico 87059
Affordable
Alternatives
I have a suggestion for those who complain
that TAS does not review affordable
equipment: Just turn to Page 47 of Issue
175 and read the Editors’ Choice Awards.
Every category has a wide range
of equipment and prices. Those who
can afford $3000 or so can easily find
alternatives—as can those who can afford
$300,000 or so.
As an aside, perhaps you could include
in your reviews information about the
size of the room. For example, our
room has 4500 cubic feet, with corner
placement the only option for the
speakers. The closest listener sits 16 feet
from the front speakers. That layout plays
a critical role in the selection of speakers
and the amps needed to drive them.
Great magazine! I read and save each
and every one.
Dave Saunders
Purposeful Apple
Omission?
Following up on the letter of John
D. Colombo in the November issue
about the use of Apple computers
as music servers, I was astonished to
read the so-called “comprehensive”
review of music servers in the December
issue. I subscribed to TAS for many years
and I forgot the reason I stopped, but
your review reminded me. It carefully
avoided describing the possible use of
Apple computers as music servers and the
number of advantages Macs have over
Window-based systems (no Windows
kernel, direct optical output, etc.). It is
hard to believe that such a mistake was
not purposely made, but it certainly makes
the review far from comprehensive.
Andrea Tubaro
 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
RH replies: We have no anti-Apple agenda;
Steven Stone is working on a feature on using a
Mac as a music server. In fact, many on the TAS
staff are Macintosh users, and this magazine is
created on a Mac.
Arrogant and
Defensive?
I was just reading the letter from Richard
Watson saying the responses to letters in
The Absolute Sound are defensive if not
arrogant. His letter was received with two
defensive, arrogant responses. In fact, all
of the responses to letters in this same
issue had this same subtext. They all read
as condescending to your readers. Perhaps
you could use some rude, arrogant letters
sent back, claiming you simply don’t see
what the readers are trying to say. You
brush off the issues without facing them
head on. The point is the responses
shouldn’t be a test of apologetics but
answer the concerns of your subscribers.
Steven Kippel
RH replies: I apologize if my responses were
perceived as arrogant and defensive; those are not
adjectives applied to me by anyone who knows me.
I believe that I have the right and responsibility
to disagree with reader letters, but always try to
do so from a foundation of civility. Sometimes, a
reader letter asserts a view that is so wrong (in
my view) that it requires a strong response, such
as the letter below.
Awards and
Advertising
I find myself in full agreement with
Mr. Sanford’s assessment of McIntosh
equipment [Letters, Issue 178]. McIntosh
does not pay for advertising as evidenced
by the dearth of Mac ads in TAS and
other audio magazines. TAS regularly
features glowing reviews and “Product
of the Year” choices that center on
the advertisers who pay for ads in the
magazines.
One example of this fact is the 2007
“Product of the Year Awards” where
the reader sees 33 reviews on the top
products in audio for 2007. Of those 33
products, a quick scan of the advertisers
list shows that at least 24 of the products
named come from current advertisers
or those who have posted ads in the last
three-to-four months. The actual tally is
probably even higher than 24/33 because
I didn’t spend much time researching the
“back roads” advertisers who sell many
of these offbeat European and Chinese
products as dealers and pay TAS ad
money under their own company names
as dealers for these items and not under
the names of the actual equipment. Not
remarkably, the “Overall Component
of The Year” [sic] comes from another
regular advertiser. Do these advertiser
links taint the veracity and honesty of the
TAS reviews? I’ll let the folks who read
this letter decide that for themselves but
I will “ad” that you dance with the one
who pays your admission.
Tom Basinski
RH replies: Your cynical view, Mr. Basinski,
that TAS gives coverage and awards only to
advertisers is flat wrong. You cite the fact that 24
of the 33 companies receiving a 2007 Product
of the Year Award advertise in TAS as evidence
of a quid pro quo. That’s like suggesting Car
& Driver is on the take because every one of the
cars on their annual 10 Best list is advertised in
the magazine. The fact is that with an average
of about 90 pages of advertising every issue,
it’s inevitable that we’ll cover, and give awards
to, companies that advertise. This is, after all,
a relatively small industry, and TAS publishes
more pages per issue of advertising than any
other English-language audio magazine.
But let’s apply an objective test to your
hypothesis that TAS exchanges reviews
and awards for advertising dollars. By your
Letters
reasoning, companies that don’t advertise receive
less coverage (if any) and fewer (if any) awards.
Let’s examine two companies (Macintosh and
Audio Research), and see how they have fared in
TAS over the past three years.
McIntosh products have been reviewed (highly
favorably) five times, have received four Golden
Ear Awards, and two Product of the Year
Awards. They have also had eleven products on
our Editors’ Choice Awards (cumulative total,
including repeated inclusions). The number of
ads they’ve run in TAS during that three-year
period? Zero.
Audio Research has received six reviews,
four Golden Ear Awards, and four Product of
the Year Awards, including our 2007 Overall
Product of the Year Award. Audio Research
products have enjoyed 25 inclusions in our past
three years of Editors’ Choice Awards. In fact, no
other company has had more reviews and awards
in The Absolute Sound over the past three
years than Audio Research. The number of ads
Audio Research has run in the past four years?
One—in December, 2007. We give awards to
Audio Research because they consistently produce
first-rate products.
Moreover, you obviously haven’t done your
homework, Mr. Basinski, in stating “Not
remarkably, the ‘Overall Component of The
Year’ [sic] comes from another regular advertiser.”
Our Overall Product of the Year Award went
to the Audio Research Reference 610t amplifier,
a company that, as I just stated, has purchased
exactly one ad in the past four years. In fact, you
have to go back to the June/July 2003 issue to
find Audio Research’s last ad.
Let’s examine your charge from another
perspective. In Issue 178, I wrote that music read
from a hard-disk drive in a music server sounded
better than the same music played from a CD
(Issue 177, pages 60-61). How many music-
server companies advertise in TAS? Zero. How
many companies making disc players advertise
in TAS? Lots. If our editorial agenda revolved
Upcoming in
• 2008 Golden Ear Awards
• Special report on the Chinese
audio industry
• BAT’s Rex preamp
• Budget cartridges from
Dynavector
• High-res audio on Blu-ray Disc
10 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
around serving advertiser interests, why would
I have gone on the record with my conclusions
about the sound quality of hard-disk drives vs.
CD players? I could simply have not raised the
issue. But I did raise the issue because it’s in our
readers’ interest to know how the sound of music
servers compares to that of CD. And the reader
always comes first.
Bravo
I’ve been meaning to write this for a
couple of months now—which just goes
to show how easy it is to put off a letter
when you’re feeling good, not angry,
about something (and which undoubtedly
explains the ratio of “good” vs. “angry”
letters you get every month)!
To put it bluntly, I think you and the
crew at TAS are doing a terrific job. Over
the last year or so, you have really fine-
tuned the components and presentation
of the magazine so that it mirrors all
the qualities we search for in high-end
audio equipment. The breadth of your
equipment reviews—from budget to
manageable to fantasy-zone, and from
old-school analog to cutting-edge digital
servers and such—is astonishing in itself.
But more importantly, that breadth, and
the reviews themselves, have grown
steadily more useful. Sometimes you
even include measurements in a sidebar or
supplement! Who would have dreamed
that would ever happen here?
And it is very gratifying to be able to
turn to the music reviews in the back
of the magazine. Pages and pages of
them, done by topflight critics! Nice mix
of vinyl, CD, and SACD too. (I really
appreciate your decision to bring on
Andrew Quint with a new classical SACD
review column. It is a stunning example
of your commitment to true quality, in
ISSUE 182
• JV on the John Curl-designed
Parasound preamplifier
• Gershman’s new Sonogram
loudspeaker
• Spendor S3/5R classic
mini-monitor
the face of the North American market’s
continuing indifference to same.) Please
keep it up.
I also think the refreshed graphics and
layout are also mostly successful. Having
had to cope with design “upgrades” in
the professional journals I work with,
and having seen the dismal results in
other prestigious music publications
(Gramophone seems to careen blindly from
one layout-and-fonts disaster to another,
monthly), I can only offer congratulations
on the fresh but readable look you’ve
achieved. Bravo.
Well, sorry to gush so much. Hope
it doesn’t reduce the credibility of this
sincerely meant communication. I could
go on and on. The February issue is a
marvel: factory tour, interviews, Rocky
Mountain Audio Fest coverage, Magico
V3 review, and so much more. Your
“From the Editor” column, which has
become another must-read feature for
me, was both pertinent and concise.
All these things give one hope that this
wonderful pursuit will endure.
Thanks for all your efforts.
Lawrence Schenbeck
Back in the
Saddle
I have been prompted to write based upon
some of the letters which I have read over
the past months. I am an “old” newbie
to our hobby, having been out of it since
the late 70s. I got back into high-end
audio equipment four years ago. My old
equipment was Pioneer Elite electronics,
with a Dual direct-drive turntable and a
Stanton cartridge that I picked up at an
audiophile store in Harvard Square many,
many years ago. My last purchase was a
CD player.
So, when I decided to re-enter the
hobby, I knew that I needed to be
educated as to where the hobby was
and where technology had brought us.
So I picked up your magazine and also
Stereophile. I felt both magazines were
very helpful to me, realizing that both
had their respective personalities and
perspectives—just what I needed to help
my quest for knowledge. I purchased
subscriptions to both magazines and
Letters
maintain them to this day. I did not
know anything about jitter, clock speed,
sampling rates, outboard DACs, advances
in moving-coil cartridges, and so forth. I
cannot overemphasis the help that I got
from reading TAS, which provided me
guidance in my purchases. I also found
your book, The Complete Guide to High-
End Audio, to be invaluable. This book
should be required reading for anyone
considering re-entering the hobby, or
simply re-educating oneself.
All this said, I find the articles and
equipment reviews of both high-
priced and mid-priced items to give me
perspective and I welcome it. I really do
not understand the criticism that I read in
the letters section.
There is not a “right” answer to any
equipment purchase in my mind. It is
all about reading and learning (from
your magazine) and then listening to the
various components and then purchasing
what pleases you.
I’m not sure I buy into the $1000+
interconnects or speaker cables, but I do
know that there are differences in these
products and I’ve heard the differences.
I’ve put together a new system that is
not the high end of high fidelity by any
stretch, but it works wonderfully well for
me.
I felt it important to let you and TAS
know that you folks do a great job. I
find your magazine to provide insightful
information, which I can expand upon if
I am interested, via the Web, or I can visit
a store that sells high-fidelity equipment.
You and your staff at TAS should know
that you “reached me” without even
knowing it and helped me get back into
such a great hobby.
Jeffrey Mead
THIS MONTH ON
AVguide.com
More from our High-End Audio
Extravaganza issue:
• New Usher Audio and Nola Viper loudspeaker reviews
• The $10k Accuphase Integrated Amplifier
• CES 2008 coverage including Best of Show
• Plus dozens of new music reviews
12 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Blind Listening
Tests, Yet Again
I have been a subscriber to TAS (and
the other audiophile journals) for a very
long time. I have rarely been compelled
to write, but the spate of letters about
the cost of equipment being reviewed,
and also recent discussions about blind
testing have motivated me to put my two-
cents into the mix.
It seems to me that how we approach
this hobby should be simple. Years ago
Gordon Holt opined that there is a
simple straightforward standard for how
to evaluate high-end audio equipment.
High-end gear should be judged by
how well it can recreate the sound of
live un-amplified music in our homes.
To me that seems pretty simple and
spot on. Holt specified un-amplified
music because recreating the sound of
another amplifier and speaker moves
us one step further from the “music.” I
don’t think that it’s worth agonizing over
the un-amplified point, but I do think
this simple standard is a very useful and
good one for audio reviewing.
That brings me to my second point
on the topic of the cost of  equipment
being reviewed. Personally, I hope
that The Absolute Sound will continue to
review, publicize, and encourage audio
equipment that strives toward the goal
stated above: reproduction of the sound
of live un-amplified music in the home.
Cost should not be a consideration for
your reviews. Of course, cost will be
an issue for buyers, but so long as you
maintain the standard of reproducing the
sound of live music in the home, systems
that approach that will be built, and
eventually the cost of approaching that
ideal will come down. This doesn’t mean
that you should not review more modestly
priced gear, just that you should always be
reviewing equipment that approaches the
ideal, regardless of its cost.
Finally I want to mention a related and
also seemingly contentious subject: blind
testing of audio gear.
It is simply nonsense for TAS to
reject the concept of blind testing. Blind
testing is the basis of all good science and
rejecting rational process just makes non-
audiophiles think that we are all deluded
nut cases.
Yes, designing a good experiment is
not simple; this is true for any type of
science. Yes, it may be inconvenient and
expensive to design a way to do good
blind comparisons, but just because it
is inconvenient and perhaps expensive
doesn’t mean that it should be rejected—
that’s just non-science. TAS spends
hundreds of thousands of dollars on
audio gear [actually, we borrow review
samples—RH], and you would truly be
breaking new ground if you got some
clever audiophile scientists together and
came up with a way to conduct good
blinded tests. You might have to build
a room someplace to do it, but it most
certainly is not impossible.
I am absolutely convinced that well-
conducted blind testing would prove
that experienced listeners can routinely
select superior audio gear. Give it some
thought—TAS could really do some
cutting-edge stuff with blind testing.
Don’t be afraid of the results; embrace
them, that’s what science is about. We’d all
benefit from blinded testing; audiophiles,
manufacturers and reviewers. I bet we’d
get closer to Gordon Holt’s ideal if we
were willing to try it.
 Michael Glembourtt
RH replies: I sent Mr. Glembourtt a copy
of my Audio Engineering Society paper “The
Role of Critical Listening in Evaluating Audio
Equipment Quality” (updated and reprinted in
the third edition of The Complete Guide to
High-End Audio) in which I present a detailed
argument against blind listening tests, but did not
hear back from him.
 FROM THE
Editor
Man Bites Dog
T
he mainstream media consistently distorts and sensationalizes high-end audio—when it chooses to
cover the subject at all. We’ve all seen the newspaper and magazine articles that portray those of us
who pursue musical realism in the home as wild-eyed fanatics, out of touch with reality.
The latest in this long and unfortunate procession is the
“Portals” column in the January 16th Wall Street Journal. The
title, “If You’re Not Insane About Sound, Maybe You Can
Just Go Crazy,” reflects the author’s agenda. In the second
paragraph, “Portals” columnist Lee Gomes sets the stage
with this definition: “Audiophiles, as you probably know,
are the hi-fi zealots who think nothing of spending $50,000
on a turntable. I’ve learned over the years that audiophiles
actually come in two varieties: the totally insane and the
merely crazy.”
First, I don’t know any audiophile, no matter how well-
heeled, who would spend even a fraction of that amount on
a turntable without extensive deliberation. Second, note that
the price and the product-category examples were chosen to
elicit the greatest sense of shock and alienation. The defini-
tion could have read “Audiophiles are music lovers who will
spend $2000 on a pair of carefully chosen loudspeakers that
sound more like live music” but that’s merely a “dog bites
man” story.
Just before the 2006 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, a
reporter from the Denver Post interviewed me for an article
he was writing about the show. Before the interview began, I
implored him to report on the industry accurately rather than
sensationalize it with accounts of $100,000 loudspeakers
and $20,000 cables. Journalists often take the easy way out,
I told him, by using the hook of a few high-priced products
that represent only a small niche within a larger industry
rather then learning what the field is really about. I then laid
out for him my view of high-end audio:
• High-end audio is for anyone who enjoys music.
• High-performance audio doesn’t necessarily mean
high-priced audio—a quality system from specialty
manufacturers can be had for not much more than mass-
market commodity hi-fi.
• Anyone can tell the difference between mediocre and
superb sound quality—it doesn’t take a “golden ear” to
hear the difference.
• The better the quality of the reproduction, the deeper the
listener’s connection to the music.
• The value of hearing your favorite music wonderfully
reproduced night after night cannot be overstated.
14 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Yes, it’s possible to spend $100,000 or more on a pair
of loudspeakers, I said, but sensationalizing that fact does a
disservice to the truth.
I read the story in the Post two days later and, of course,
it opened with an account of an audiophile who spent more
than $100,000 on a pair of speakers. The tone of the piece,
as with other mainstream coverage of high-end audio, is
akin to the writer putting on a freak show for his readers:
“Look at how bizarre these people are.”
Reporters are looking for the sensational because that’s
what’s “newsworthy.” They need an “angle” on which to
hang the story, and pointing to audiophiles as wackos serves
that purpose. Oddly, however, mainstream journalists don’t
have a problem reporting favorably on other expensive
goods and services such as exotic cars, gourmet food,
vacations, hotels, yachts, and spas. In fact, they exalt these
products and experiences as something to aspire to.
Another factor driving the anti-audiophile agenda within
the mass-market press is the writer’s attempt to position
himself as the consumer’s advocate. By reporting that high-
end audio (particularly cables, the mass-media’s whipping
boy) is a waste of money, the writer appears to be protecting
readers from a consumer scam.
The mainstream media could more accurately write
about the schoolteacher who owns a modest, yet musically
rewarding system—made up of a high-quality integrated
amplifier, CD player, and bookshelf speakers—that was
priced well within his means. The article could convey how
much this hi-fi system has enriched its owner’s life by serving
as a more faithful conduit of the musicians’ expression. It
could mention premium cables costing less than $100 per
pair that sound significantly better than zip cord. Such an
article could describe how much more rewarding it is to
buy from a skilled and dedicated specialty-audio retailer
who helps you find just the right system rather than from
a clueless appliance-store clerk handing you boxes over the
counter.
But that story wouldn’t sell many newspapers.
Robert Harley
 Industry NEWS
april/may 2008
The World’s Number One
Audiophile
ROBERT HARLEY
“Y
ou have to see it with your own eyes to believe
it.” So I was told by more than one person
during the GuangZhou audio show about
the hi-fi system—no, make that systems—of a Mr. Ji Hui Li.
Everyone who mentioned Mr. Li invariably referred to him
as “The World’s Number One Audiophile.”
The show was winding down and we were leaving the
next afternoon for Zhu Hai to visit the Original CD-player
factory. The town in which Mr. Li lived was a few hours
out of the way—would we like to visit? How could I pass
up the opportunity to visit “The World’s Number One
Audiophile?”
We arrived at a nondescript building in the middle of the
city of Yang Jiang. The exterior looked like all the other
buildings on the busy street, with no hint of what lay inside.
Mr. Li, an extremely jovial and friendly man, greeted us
himself with great enthusiasm when our cars pulled up. He
led us to the elevator of his seven-story “house,” and the
tour started on the second floor.
The elevator doors opened and the first thing I saw were
16 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Top left: A small part of the “museum” section of Mr. Li’s house.
Top: Each floor housed a pair of AC power stabilizers.
Above: Some of the “museum” is behind glass.
two massive AC power stabilizers—to power his hi-fi gear.
(And these were just the stabilizers for the second floor;
each floor had an identical pair.) Entering the house itself, I
was confronted by a veritable museum of classic hi-fi gear,
much of it displayed behind glass, but some of it connected
and working. Marantz Model 8s and Model 9s? Check. Altec
Voice of the Theaters? Check. Classic JBL studio monitors?
Check. Original Spendor LS3/5s? Check. The world’s first
CD player? Check. The collection of classics was seemingly
endless—there must have been a hundred pairs of vintage
speakers and scores of electronics on display.
We walked into an adjacent room, a large, acoustically
treated space with four Wilson WATT/Puppy loudspeakers
and a Wilson WATCH center channel in a 5.1-channel
configuration. Two massive Sony CRT projectors hung from
 Industry NEWS
april/may 2008

at the moment. The walls of both rooms were lined with

CDs and LPs, and CD jewel boxes were stacked on coffee
tables in front of the listening seats. We didn’t stay to listen;
there was too much more to see. Unfortunately, I didn’t
take detailed notes of all the sources and electronics in each
room; it went by quickly and cataloging everything would
have been a major job. Nonetheless, I didn’t see any gear
that was less than first-rate.
We took the elevator up a couple of floors to find another
system based on the JMlab Grand Utopias driven by the
massive Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks. As with
most of the rooms, this

Top left: The four WATT/Puppies

and WATCH delivered outstanding
multichannel music.
Far right and below: A pair of
Levinson No.33H monoblocks
drove JM Lab Grand Utopias.
Near right: Venture speakers
driven by Burmester electronics.
Bottom: Another multichannel
room based on MartinLogan
Statements.

the ceiling and a projection

screen dominated the wall behind the speakers. This was one
of the multichannel music rooms that could also serve as a
home theater. The electronics were an EMM Labs DAC6e
six-channel DSD decoder, EMM Labs transport, and EMM
Switchman six-channel preamplifier. The room was filled
with other gear, most of it not connected, including about
five other pairs of expensive loudspeakers. Mr. Li’s assistant
(he has a full-time employee to
take care of the systems) played
some multichannel SACDs and
the effect was mind-blowing. The
spaciousness, continuousness of
the soundstage from front to back, one featured two turntables, one fitted
and sense of immersiveness were with multiple arms and cartridges. All the
as good as I’ve heard from any turntables in Mr. Li’s house were spinning
multichannel setup. and ready for action. We didn’t stop to
We left the “Wilson room” to listen to this system; it just happened to
enter a smaller space with a pair be on our way to a huge room, this one
of Venture loudspeakers (about featuring the MartinLogan Statement
$65k) and a whole host of top-end loudspeaker. The Statement is a massive
electronics and sources, including four-piece electrostatic-dynamic hybrid
a huge Burmester power amplifier. about eight-feet tall with similarly
A pair of Dynaudio Confidence sized dynamic woofer columns. It is
speakers was off to the side, unused MartinLogan’s state-of-the-art effort, and

18 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

 Industry NEWS
april/may 2008
Clockwise from top left: Kharma Exquisite Reference speakers; the
Thorens Reference turntable; one sidewall of the Kharma room; Mr. Li in
the LP vault; most listening rooms were adjoined by LP- and CD-storage
rooms.
costs, if I remember correctly, about $85,000 the pair. This
room also had video projection and multichannel capability.
Electronics included a Mark Levinson No.40 Media
Controller ($30k). The LFE channel was reproduced by a
pair of Wilson WATCH Dog subwoofers. Again, the sound
was spectacular—effortless dynamics, huge soundstage, and
tremendous bass extension and power.
On the way to the next stop on the tour, we saw a small
room with just one listening seat and a pair of Venture mini-
monitors set up for nearfield listening. The main attraction,
however, was the adjacent space, which housed a pair of the
big Kharma Exquisite Reference loudspeakers. One of the
turntables was the giant multi-tonearm Thorens Reference
(I don’t remember the other), and the CD source was a top-
of-the-line Goldmund player. The walls of this room, like
the others, were lined with CDs and LPs. This is where we
spent the next 45 minutes listening, with Mr. Li choosing
selections from his vast library. Watching him adeptly run
20 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
the system and
noting his ability
to put his hands
on any piece of
music he wanted
to play proved to
me that all this
gear wasn’t for
show; it was being used as a vehicle for exploring the world
of music. There was a reason we spent most of our listening
time in this room; the sound was extremely warm, beautiful,
and musically engaging. Mr. Li had only had the Kharmas
two weeks and said they needed more break-in time.
Would we like to see the LP collection? I thought we
already had, in the rows and rows of LPs lining entire walls
of most of the rooms and in walk-in-closet-sized rooms
adjacent to the listening areas. But on the third floor I was
shown a 60,000-LP archive, which consumed about 700
square feet of floor space, with shelves to the ceiling. The
collection was well organized and protected by temperature
and humidity control systems. The music spanned a huge
range, including European classical music, jazz, traditional
 Industry NEWS
april/may 2008
Top: The music and hi-fi club seats about 40 and is open to the public to
discover and enjoy music.
Above: One-quarter of the newly acquired 200,000 LP archive awaiting
cataloging and a permanent home.
and contemporary Chinese music, and rock. (This was in
addition to the estimated 10,000 LPs I’d already seen in the
listening rooms.)
We had finished the tour of Mr. Li’s house, but there
was more. Mr. Li had set up a hi-fi club in a nearby building
for the benefit of anyone interested in music and high-end
audio. The club was a large space with about 40 seats and a
system consisting of classic Westlake loudspeakers driven
by Gryphon monoblocks. A huge array of top-end sources,
preamps, and power amplifiers was arranged behind the
system. A pair of newly acquired VTL Siegfried monoblocks
were off to the side, partially uncrated. Conrad-Johnson’s
flagship ART preamplifier was also on hand, as was a dCS
digital stack along with Pass Labs’ top-of-the-line phonostage
and a Mark Levinson No.326S preamp. A pair of $40k Nagra
tubed monoblocks was also waiting its turn in the front line.
The walls were lined not with an LP collection, but with single
LPs mounted as tributes to musicians and music. Portraits of
composers also hung on the walls.
22 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
In addition, the club housed the rest of Mr. Li’s LP
collection. The rest of it? Mr. Li recently bought the entire
200,000-LP archive from a library in Japan. The library,
which might have been the equivalent of the U.S. Library
of Congress—I couldn’t get the answer—had digitized all
its LPs and wanted to divest itself of the vinyl. The LPs
had just arrived in containers at the club and were awaiting
organization, and, presumably, a new home in Mr. Li’s
house. I would estimate that these 200,000 LPs consumed
a volume of about 5000 cubic feet. The photo shows one
room of LPs; there were three others just like it.
This description doesn’t do justice to the vast array of
gear in every room and to the massive range and amount
of music everywhere. In each of the rooms, I would
look around and catch sight of other gear on hand—a
Linn CD12 CD player, a Jadis preamp, a top-of-the-line
Goldmund phonostage. The list was seemingly endless.
All this gear is put to good use; Mr. Li opens his
house to anyone who wants to come and listen. He’s
extraordinarily passionate about music and high-end
equipment, and shares that enthusiasm with anyone who’s
interested. Similarly, the club is open to the public so that
ordinary people can come and hear great music faithfully
reproduced. What a wonderful gift to the people of Yang
Jiang.
Several people in the hi-fi industry made the trek from
the GuangZhou show to Mr. Li’s home, and afterward
we shared a wonderful meal in Mr. Li’s restaurant. The
photo below shows, from left to right, Mr. Li, Dick
Diamond (representative for YG Acoustics), me, Peter
Lau (founder and designer of Audio Space), and Alfie Liu
(the U.S. representative of Audio Space).
So, is Mr. Li “The World’s Number One Audiophile”? If
he isn’t, I can’t imagine who else is. TAS
Start ME UP
Borderline Addiction
Exposure 3010S CD Player and 3010S Integrated Amplifier
Wayne Garcia
A
udio critics seem to forget that the people buying the
stuff they write about are doing so for a pretty simple
reason: to get musical pleasure. And while it is their job
to convey how successfully or not a component accomplishes
this, after reading about tube-like warmth, liquid midranges,
punchy bass, and silky highs, some readers may find themselves
exasperatedly pleading, “Okay, fine—but tell me if I’m going to
enjoy listening to this thing!”
I’ll get to the whys and hows in a bit, but the first thing you need
to know about the Exposure 3010S CD player and integrated
amplifier is this—yes, you will very much enjoy listening to music
with these items. They deliver the goods by beautifully balancing
detail with warmth, rhythmic precision with lyricism, and delicacy
with power.
24 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Exposure’s Web site proclaims, “Proudly Made in England by
Music Lovers,” which from what I’ve been able to gather remains
true, even though Exposure’s parent company is now Malaysian.
I also understand that some metal and circuit-board work is
done in Malaysia, with design and assembly taking place in Great
Britain, in order to help the company meet its goal of building
high-performance gear of moderate cost.
Founded in 1974 by John Farlowe, a designer who once
worked with Pink Floyd, The Who, and David Bowie, Exposure
had a spotty history in North America until Canada’s Bluebird
Music took over distribution in 2005. Since then, Exposure has
been getting a lot more of same—and so have Bluebird’s other
brands, which include Chord Electronics, Van den Hul, and Neat
Acoustics speakers.
 START ME UP
The 3010S Series, which also includes a power amplifier, fits
between Exposure’s budget 2010S Series and its top-end Classic
Series. The CD player sells for $2695 and the integrated amp for
$2295 (add $495 for the optional phono card). And though the
3010S line is cosmetically as plain as can be, the casework and
faceplates are fashioned of aluminum and built solidly, conveying
a nice sense of heft.
As the “S” designation implies, these units were once known
as the 3010 Series. According to chief designer Tony Brady, “The
sound has been refined to be tauter in the lower-end and more
open in the treble, without compromising on richness in the
midrange.”
The latest 3010S CD player is said to benefit from a large
toroidal transformer with separate windings for the transport
and audio stages, a new custom-made CD transport, Burr-Brown
DACs, a discrete output stage, and a high-stability crystal clock
reference and power-supply regulator for the transport and audio
stages that are said to result in very low jitter.
The 110Wpc 3010S integrated amplifier sports a larger power
supply than its predecessor and features a custom-made toroidal
transformer, as well as custom power-supply caps, shorter signal
paths, improved component parts, and what are said to be faster
bipolar output transistors. A remote control is included that
functions for both units.
What this brief technical description cannot tell you, however,
is that Exposure’s “Proudly Made in England by Music Lovers”
tagline isn’t just marketing BS. It’s clear that the people behind
these products know what music sounds like and are able to
design components that bring music’s emotional and intellectual
power alive in a way that makes both standouts in their price
class.
Although I listened to them separately, it quickly became
apparent that these 3010S components were designed together,
26 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
and as good as they are on their own they have a special synergy
when paired.
For example, when I placed the CD player into my reference
system and popped HK Gruber’s Frankenstein!! [Chandos] into
the tray, I immediately noticed how articulate the composer’s own
highly expressive style of singspiel was, complete with comically
exaggerated rolled “Rs” and hard, practically spit-out consonants.
The orchestra itself was laid out with impressive breadth and
depth; there was also good air and detail, although initially a bit
of hardness. (You will want to heed the manufacturer’s notice that
it takes at least 48 hours for these items to “run-in.” They sound
relatively hard and bright at first power-up, become noticeably
warmer and easier over the first few hours, and really blossom by
the second or third day. Leave them continuously on during this
period, playing music as much as possible.)
The real magic began to happen when I placed the integrated
amplifier in the system. Lingering electronic artifacts on
Frankenstein!! started to vanish, leaving a highly natural-sounding
and easy—not the same as mellow—sonic presentation, from
the bloom of a harp to the taps of a timpani to the rhythmic
thrust of cellos and basses to the ear-splitting brightness of a toy
whistle. Gruber’s expressive vocal remained intact, but he now
sounded that much more believably “real,” and the overall tonal
balance was rich and warm, but not overly so. Again the word
“natural” sums it up best.
The opener from Radiohead’s In Rainbows [TBD Records],
“15 Step,” was presented with a large, bold soundscape of wide
separation, dense atmospherics, deep punchy bass lines, and
complex harmonics. The amplifier’s 110Wpc rating seemed
conservative; even when the 3010S was played at a fairly healthy
level, the sound remained smooth, easy, and unforced.
As should be the case with good high-end components, the
presentation morphed dramatically from record to record. With
 START ME UP
the Nels Cline Singers’ The Giant Pin [Cryptogramophone], I got
an inherently warm but largely uncolored sound (the Exposure
gear had also been running for a few days by this point), with
Specs & Pricing
excellent detail and a wonderful sense of how guitarist Cline BlueBird Music Limited Dimensions: 17.3" x 4.5" x
and his rhythm section were completely locked in to each 4500 Witmer Industrial 11.8"
other’s playing. (Check out the relatively improvised, free jazz Estates Weight: 27.5 lbs.
composition “Fly Fly.”) Niagara Falls, NY Price: $2295 (add $495 for
The 3010S integrated amp’s optional mc phono card was also (416) 638-8207 mm or mc phono cards)
impressive, which, for $495, makes it a superb value for vinyl bluebirdmusic.com
spinners. It, too, displayed the qualities that so easily won me over Associated Equipment
to this Exposure duo. Whether it was the tonally rich orchestration 3010S compact disc player TW Acustic Raven One
of Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible [Merge], with its underlying knotty Outputs: RCA analog, coax, turntable; Tri-Planar Ultimate
rhythmic tracks, the loping acoustic guitars and back porch and optical digital VII arm; Transfiguration
intimacy of Johnny Cash’s rich easy baritone combined with Bob Dimensions: 17.3" x 3.5" x 11.8" Axia cartridge; Nagra CDC
Dylan’s sweet faux-Okie tenor on Nashville Skyline’s “Girl From Weight: 12.5 lbs. compact disc player; Artemis
The North Country” [Columbia], or the angular, almost choppy Price: $2695 Labs PL-1 phonostage and
strings of the Arditti Quartet playing Henze’s String Quartet No. LA-1 linestage, Kharma MP150
1 [Wergo], the 3010S again sounded very natural and musically 3010S integrated amplifier monoblock amplifiers and
“right.” As each recording demands, it can be either sweet and Power output: 110Wpc into 8 Mini Exquisite loudspeakers;
mellow, lean and mean, or a combination of the above in various ohms Tara Labs Zero interconnects,
guises. Inputs: Five line-level, aux/ Omega speaker cables,
In short, these Exposure electronics do what great audio phono The One power cords, and
should—step aside and let the music do the talking. But to Outputs: Two preamp, one AD-10B Power Screen; Finite
suggest that they merely “get out of the way” does injustice to tape, one bi-wire speaker Elemente Spider equipment
Exposure’s efforts. The 3010S CD player and integrated amplifier (banana only) rack
make listening to music so intensely involving that it borders on
an addiction. TAS

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 27

HIGH-END AUDIO EXTRAVAGANZA!

the hottest new gear from the

2008 Consumer
Electronics Show
affordable loudspeakers.................................................................................................... 30
mid-priced loudspeakers ...................................................................................................... 36
solid-state amps, preamps, and integrated amps...................................................42
disc players, transports, and DACs ...............................................................................48
“next-gen” audio ......................................................................................................................... 56
tubed gear ..................................................................................................................................... 62
turntables, arms, cartridges, and phonostages ..................................................68
high-end loudspeakers ...........................................................................................................74

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 29

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Affordable
Loudspeakers Chris Martens
Today, the economic barriers to entry to our hobby are falling hard and fast. These
days almost anyone can afford loudspeakers that deliver musical satisfaction, and in
ways even owners of premium-priced gear can respect. Over the course of the show, I
spotted three main trends in affordable speakers. I’ll describe each below, and illustrate
my points with specific product examples.

Left, Audioengine 5 self-powered speaker in bamboo finish; middle, NuForce’s Icon-1 mini-monitor sports a 3.5" full-range titanium driver;
right, NuForce’s Icon-1 10Wpc class D integrated amp is smaller than a paperback book.

Power to the Pod & PC beautiful set of compact, waveguide-loaded mini-monitors

Now more than ever, speaker-makers understand that, for many
listeners, the audio source component of choice is either a PC
or an iPod. Accordingly, manufacturers are offering self-powered
speaker systems designed specifically for use with PCs or iPods
that also cater to high-end sonic tastes. Judging by what I heard
at CES, today’s best iPod and PC speakers can achieve impressive
results indeed. Let me illustrate this point with products from
three manufacturers: Audioengine, NuForce, and Focal.
The Audioengine 5s ($350—all speaker and monoblock
amplifier prices in this report are for the pair) are the larger
models in the firm’s two-speaker lineup, and they incorporate
both rear-mounted inputs as well as a top-mounted mini-jack
input that allow iPods or other MP3 players to plug ’n’ play
directly through the speakers. The sound is surprisingly warm
and refined, reminiscent of that produced by some of the nicer
sub-$400/pair passive monitors I’ve heard. As a cool added
touch, Audioengine also offers a slick wireless module where a
sending unit clips onto the user’s iPod and a receiver module
onto the speaker, allowing fingertip control of the speakers from
across the room.
NuForce, perhaps best known for its award-winning Class
D amplifiers, demonstrated an intriguing and affordable desktop
speaker/amplifier package called the Icon-1 ($399) that includes
a tiny, paperback-book-sized Class D integrated amp and a
based on distinctive 3 ½-inch full-range titanium drivers. While
bass extension from the tiny Icon-1 speakers is understandably
limited, the system’s overall sound is strikingly transparent and
dynamically alive. NuForce CEO Jason Lim says the firm hopes
to fine-tune the mini-monitors for a bit deeper bass response
before final release.
Finally, one of the most impressive desktop systems I heard
at CES (or anywhere else) is the new self-powered 2.1-channel
Focal XS system ($750). It not only sounds superb, with the
natural warmth and smooth tonal balance that characterize bigger
Focal speakers, but also offers amazingly solid bass performance.
What is more, the little rig is extremely versatile. The XS system
features two desktop speakers, a powered under-desk subwoofer,
an iPod dock that provides traditional analog inputs, plus—get
this!—a USB port that feeds a built-in DAC/soundcard. This means
you can pull digital audio files directly from your PC, and then let
the XS rig’s superior electronics handle the D-to-A conversion
workload.
Overachieving Bookshelf Monitors
The year 2007 yielded an amazing crop of high-end bookshelf
speakers at all price points, and judging by new models seen at
CES we can expect a bumper crop in 2008, too. From a technical
standpoint, two related developments seem to be driving progress

30 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
Affordable Loudspeakers
in bookshelf speaker designs. First, drive-unit enhancements are
yielding simultaneous improvements in transparency and power
handling. The result is small speakers that sound clearer than
before and that can safely be driven harder with high(er) power
amplifiers. Second, many modern tweeters can safely be crossed
over at much lower frequencies than in the past, which helps
designers achieve unexpectedly spacious imaging from two-way
designs. Let me illustrate these points with three models seen at
CES.
First, let’s consider Focal’s new Dôme 2.1-channel system.
The heart of the system is a pair of compact but ever-so-capable
two-way Dôme mini-monitors, whose enclosures are shaped—
you guessed it—like domes. The monitors sell for
$750, are extremely articulate, and can handle gobs
of power without complaint (in fact, the importer
described them as being “nearly indestructible”).
Add the Dôme subwoofer ($745), and you’ve got an
amazingly competent near-full-range system—for
under $1500. I played some bass-torture-test discs
and came away wowed by the seamless integration
between the Dôme monitors and sub.
Next, consider a wonderful piece of trickle-down
technology in the form of the new Signature S1
mini-monitors from Paradigm ($1499). What
makes the S1s so special is that they offer basically
the same 1" beryllium tweeters and 6" cobalt-
infused aluminum mid/bass drivers featured in the
firm’s flagship Signature S8 v.2 floorstanders, but in
a compact mini-monitor format. The S1 enclosures GINI Systems’ LS3/5A
replica with bass stands.
are based on beefy, die-cast metal frames for
extraordinary rigidity and structural integrity. If
you want full-range bass (and you would, wouldn’t you?), you
can tack on Paradigm’s excellent Seismic 10 subwoofer ($1499)
and enjoy the equivalent of a poor-man’s Signature S8 for a tick
under $3000.
Finally, one of my favorite discoveries of this year was the LSA
Group’s LSA1 Statement monitor ($2500). This attractive
Left, Audio Plus’ John Bevier holds the Focal Dôme monitor; middle, Paradigm’s Signature S1 mini-monitor (right) packs Signature Series
technology in a compact package; right, LSA Group designers John Tucker and Guo Feng show off the LSA1 Statement monitor.
32 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
speaker features a folded-ribbon tweeter, a 6.25" mid/bass driver,
and premium-grade crossover parts. The LSA1 Statement is one
of the two best sub-$3000 monitors I’ve ever heard (the other is
the award-winning Usher Audio Be-718). These speakers sound
highly detailed, yet are unfailingly smooth and offer very good
bass extension for their size. They also produce enormous 3-D
soundstages and easily reveal subtle differences between good/
better/best amplifiers.
Affordable Floorstanders to Rock Your World
Some of the finest values in high-end audio today come in the
form of cleverly designed, attractively priced, overperforming
floorstanders. Some, as you you’ll see in a moment,
start out as monitors (or LCR speakers) to which
high-performance bass modules have been added—
often with astonishingly good sonic results. I’ll
illustrate this by describing tower-type offerings
from DCM, Gini Systems, Mordaunt-Short, and
Definitive Technology.
Audiophiles of a certain age may recall a
firm called DCM whose famous Time Window
loudspeaker enjoyed a cult-following for many years.
Well, DCM is still around and building speakers
that offer astonishing value for money. A case in
point is the firm’s three-way, four-driver TFE 200
tower-type speakers, which sell for $1000. Though
not the last word in transparency or refinement, the
TFE 200s are brilliant all-round performers whose
well-balanced sonic virtues include near-full-range
bass.
TAS readers may know Gini Systems as the
distributor of Audio Space electronics, but Gini also offers
value-priced speakers. One of its sweetest deals is a replica of
the LS3/5A BBC mini-monitor, which was being demonstrated
with a clever companion bass-extension module that also acts
as a stand for the LS3/5As, effectively turning the classic mini-
monitors into compact, near full-range floorstanders ($1190 for
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Affordable Loudspeakers
the monitors plus bass stands). Two things stood out for me
about this system. First, I was wowed by the sheer faithfulness
of Gini’s recreation of the original LS3/5A’s sound. Second, I
CM’s Best of Show
was floored by the gorgeous and absolutely seamless integration Best Sound: Though Most Important Trend:
between the LS3/5As and the new bass modules. This is a perhaps not the most “ac- The high-end community’s
music lover’s speaker system, pure and simple—one that offers curate” system at the show, wise decision to embrace
ridiculously high performance for the dollar. Nola’s Baby Grand Refer- and not resist the adop-
Mordaunt-Short is a venerable British speaker maker (and the ence speaker system ($55k), tion of iPod- and PC-based
sister company of Cambridge Audio), whose expensive, flagship as driven by Audio Research audio systems. In the end,
Performance 6 floorstanders have earned critical acclaim. At CES source and amplification technologies that stimulate
2008 the firm’s affordable new 2 ½-way Mezzo 6 floorstanders components, captured the interest in music always
($1900) took centerstage. The speakers look conventional on the “feel” of live musical events work for the greater good,
outside but bristle with trickle-down technologies on the inside, more effectively than any- and while high-fidelity sound
including the firm’s distinctive rubber-mounted, ATT (aspirated thing else I heard at CES. is important, passion for mu-
tweeter technology), high-frequency drivers, CPC mid/bass sic must always come first.
and woofer drivers, and enclosures that feature a variant on the Greatest Bargain: In
bracing system used in the top-tier Performance models. The terms of sheer performance/ Most Significant New
result is a floorstander that offers open airy highs and impressive dollar, Definitive’s Mythos Product: Wadia Digital’s
transparency for the money. STS has few if any peers. Model 170 iTransport ($349).
Not content to rest on the laurels earned by its Mythos ST More than a “good deal,” This is the device that will
speaker, Definitive Technology announced a size- and cost- the STS is by any standard turn the iPod into a serious
reduced version of the ST called the Mythos STS ($2998). a superb loudspeaker that high-performance digital
Following the pattern established by its bigger brother, the puts high-end sound within transport/server suitable for
slim Mythos STS sports a top-mounted D’Appolito array reach of Everyman. use in high-end systems.
below which resides a powered subwoofer module based on
a distinctive oblong woofer and two similarly-shaped passive Most Surprising Greatest Technologi-
radiators. Though about two-thirds the size of the ST, the less Discovery: Learning cal Breakthrough:
costly STS sounds remarkably similar to the larger model, with that the latest-generation The arrival of HD DVD and
slightly reduced dynamic capabilities and a slightly higher low- Apple video iPods provide Blu-ray Disc in conjunction
frequency cut-off point. Even so, the STS is surely one of the mechanisms for exporting with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-
most refined, well-rounded, and thoroughly capable $3000/pair digital audio bitstreams and HD Master Audio codecs.
speakers on today’s market—an instant classic if ever I heard component-video signals, Let’s hope content-creators
one. [I was also impressed by the sound and value of the STS.—RH] too. This development opens will take advantage of these
the door for using iPods in formats to create the most
conjunction with high-per- beautiful concert videos
formance DACs and displays we’ve ever seen—or heard.
without modifying the play-
ers in any way.

Left, Definitive President Sandy Gross proudly displays his new Mythos STS (left) alongside the original Mythos ST (right); right, DCM, which
brought us the classic “Time Windows,” now offers its TFE 200 floorstanders, delivering big bang for the bucks at just $1k/pair.

34 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
MID-PRICED
Loudspeakers
T
he last time I covered speakers for a CES report a few
years ago, the trend was clear: Multichannel was ascendant
and every other manufacturer seemed to be offering
“suites” of loudspeakers, i.e., matched sets of five channels plus
subwoofer. These have by no means disappeared. However, in
the high end, at least with loudspeakers from $3k–12k per pair,
the emphasis was once again on good old‑fashioned two‑channel
stereo, an impression unmistakably reinforced by the associated
gear—a helluva lot of vinyl as source material and a surprising
lot of tube and audiophile‑oriented solid‑state amplification.
Some shows have really good sound, others less so. This year it
was the latter for me. My overriding impression is that I heard a
lot of tweeters—I mean both many tweeters and too much tweeter.
Contributing to and inseparable from this is the dominance of
compact two‑way speakers in various configurations, whether
boxes or small floorstanders. I appreciate the virtues of compact,
high‑performance two‑ways as far as they as go. But I encountered
so many of these at the show that I frankly got tired of listening
to them: Whatever their merits, as a group they lacked deep and
sometimes midbass (and often warmth), had projected presence
and too many highs, and in general did not sound like music
to me. When you consider the quite extraordinary advances in
driver technology and materials, to say nothing of digital signal
processing, it’s puzzling that so many manufacturers in the
$3k–12k category continue to go for designs that by definition
cannot produce the full frequency spectrum necessary for natural
reproduction of music.
For these reasons and others, I am choosing to concentrate on
the heavy hitters in this category, beginning with two of audio’s
Left, the Salagar Sonata S207 has an internal amp and DSP; right,
Emerald Physics’ CS2 is another DSP-controlled loudspeaker.
36 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Paul Seydor
most distinguished designers. Harbeth’s Alan Shaw, the keeper
of the BBC flame, debuted a new version of his Monitor 40
(the reference these last several years of our own Robert E.
Greene), forced on Shaw when his woofer manufacturer abruptly
stopped producing it (without informing him!). The changes,
which involve more than just the woofer, aren’t retrofittable, but
I’m happy to say that the new version ($11.5k) remains arguably
the definitive large monitor, a speaker of matchless accuracy and
authority.
Jorma Salmi, the Finnish auteur of the Gradient Revolution
and long one of audio’s most original thinkers, has at last come out
with a new version of the Gradient 1.3. Called the Helsinki 1.5
and priced at $4500, this is a three‑way open‑baffle floorstanding
configuration of strikingly modernistic styling. The sound was
beautifully clean, clear, and open, with, always a hallmark of
Salmi’s designs, a solid soundstage of very precise imaging.
Speaking of original thinking, there were two outstandingly
innovative designs, both employing digital signal processing,
from new American companies. Salagar Sonics out of Illinois
introduced the Sonnet S207, a slightly larger‑than‑usual
two‑way, superbly engineered and built, with a sealed enclosure
that contains both amplification and a choice of four DSP curves
to compensate for the effects of boundary or freestanding
placement. It can be used with or without Salagar’s Sonata
S112 subwoofer (also amplified). The ensemble with dedicated
stands comes just under $12k—bear in mind, this includes all
necessary amplification and eliminates speaker cables. The curvy
enclosures are nothing if not high‑style statements, but it was
the sound that really caught my attention. With the Minnesota
Symphony playing Rimsky‑Korsakov’s Dance of the Tumblers (in
Reference Recordings’s superlative sonics), the Salagar ensemble
threw a huge soundstage of Cinerama width, depth, and quite
eye‑popping height. The dynamic range, weight, punch of the
presentation were breathtaking—one of the most convincing
renditions of a large symphony orchestra at the show. Equally
convincing was Diana Krall and company, rendered life-size with
great articulation, control, and nuance. For all their dynamism
and ability to project size and scale, the Salagars were always
musical and natural sounding, never “hi-fi.”
Emerald Physics, from Park City, Utah, had its new CS2
Controlled Directivity Speaker playing in several rooms.
At just $3000, this 54"‑high open‑baffle panel is a two­‑way with a
big difference. The mid/treble driver is a 1" compression driver
mounted inside a 12" acoustic waveguide crossing over to a pair
of 15" midrange/woofers at 1kHz. An outboard DSP controller
adjusts amplitude response, crossover, and time alignment
(bi‑amping is required). Since a review is already in the works
from REG, I’ll just offer a preview: Across the board the CS2
is a superb speaker that images like crazy and has wide dynamic
range, extended frequency response (well into the deep bass),
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

MID-PRICED Loudspeakers
and natural tonal balance.
Priced at $5500, the Reference 3A Episode is a less
expensive version of the speaker that so impressed HP a couple
of issues ago. Austerely but handsomely styled in a polished
birch cabinet with a sloping baffle, this two‑way boasts extreme
transparency, with extraordinary resolution and detail, and casts
a soundstage of impressive width and depth. As regards tonal
balance, I found it a bit “presence‑y” (“presence galore,” reads
one of my notes), a little overly brilliant, and somewhat lean in
the hips, though this may have been a function of the room.
Kunhap Audio Technology, a Chinese company, is a name
new to me, but with Reference Recordings’s Symphonic Dances
playing through its S‑860 floorstanding three‑way ($7000), I heard
lovely strings (perhaps a tad toppy), a robust, open midrange, and
Far left, Reference 3A Episode in birch cabinet; left, Kunhap O.A.T. floorstander; right, the Rethm Saadhana uses a single 6” driver in a horn-
loaded enclosure; far right, Westlake BBSSM-6 with foam surround.

a warm and balanced bottom end. Imaging and dynamic range

were likewise excellent. With each driver in its own enclosure, the
tweeter below the midrange, the 42"‑high array resembles a kind
PS’s Best of Show
of squared‑off Robby the Robot. Best Sounds: The Quad
Priced at $5500, the Reference 3A Episode is a less (ESL-2905) and Harbeth
expensive version of the speaker that so impressed HP. (Monitor 40) rooms were is-
Austerely but handsomely styled in a polished birch cabinet with lands of respite in a cacopho-
a sloping baffle, this two-way boasts extreme transparency, with nous tempest. Must musi-
extraordinary resolution and detail, and casts a soundstage of cally enjoyable experience:
impressive width and depth. As regards tonal balance, I found it the whole of Beethoven’s
a bit “presence-y,: a little overly brilliant, and somewhat lean. Choral Fantasia over Vivid
Another unusual enclosure comes via Rethm, a Los Angeles Audio’s Giya G‑1 speakers
company that manufactures in India. Its Saadhana ($7800) ($54,000), imported by Phil-
consists of a single custom‑modified Lowther DX‑55 6" ip O’Hanlon’s company On
full‑range driver housed in a horn‑loaded enclosure of novel a Higher Note, despite what
and attractive design. Though the principal advantage of a single struck me as a room‑com-
driver is claimed to be imaging, in Las Vegas I heard merely a promised low end—though
very wide soundstage, with something of hole in the middle, that at one demonstration bass
never truly cohered (nor did I find the imaging to be otherwise was so powerful it dislodged
recessed lights from the
ceiling! Which gives the TAD
Reference One ($60,000)
top honors. Playing The Tape
Project’s open‑reel reissue of
Reference Recordings’s Tutti,
the TAD presented one of the
most completely persuasive
facsimiles of a symphony
orchestra I’ve heard from a
sound system. Voices and
smaller groups were equally
convincing, with unsurpassed
tonal truth and beauty. For
me, this was the sonic Ever-
est of the show, indeed, of
Left, Opera’s new Callas two-way; right, Angstrom’s Obbligato IIf
many a show.
with Profundo subwoofer.
Greatest Bargains:
Two in my category, one
not. Quad’s 2805 and
Harbeth’s Monitor 40 offer
state‑of‑the‑art perfor-
mance at prices not inex-
pensive but eminently fair.
There are turntable setups
passing the $100k mark that
pale beside A.J. Conti’s Ba-
sis 2200/Vector combina-
tion. Peerless performance
and precision make its
$10,800 price a bargain.
Most Surprising: The
persistence of two‑channel
and vinyl.
Most Important Trend:
DSP used in speaker sys-
tems (e.g., Salagar, Emerald
Physics).
Most Significant New
Product: Peter Lyngdorf’s
“Room Perfect” DSP
available by itself, the RP‑1
($3800).
Greatest Technologi-
cal Breakthrough:
Must have missed it.

38 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

 2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

MID-PRICED Loudspeakers
particularly precise). Very midrange‑y,
warm enough no doubt but lacking in
both mid‑ and deep bass. Highs were
also somewhat lacking, which I point
out almost with some relief. All the
same, the Saadhana has an enthusiastic
cult following, so anyone interested in
single‑driver speakers should check it
out.
Westlake Audio, with feet in both
the professional and consumer markets,
introduced its BBSSM‑6 ($8500), a
large box with a difference: four drivers
configured for horizontal placement.
It is here pictured with Westlake’s
SpeakerMuff, a foam frame intended
to absorb or otherwise help eliminate
diffraction effects. The sound invited
none of the usual clichés of detailing and
resolution; instead, completely free from
any hint of audiophile razzle‑dazzle, it
had an old‑fashioned honesty that I found
both admirable and satisfying (Sinatra
sounded like Sinatra, for example).
Final Sound 1000i and 600i electrostats.
There were some notable exceptions
to my earlier complaints about compact
two‑way performance. ProAc’s subwoofer. They come finished in
Response D2 ($3400) eschewed handsome wood veneer and priced at
detail‑is‑everything thinking for a $10k for all four units. Playing Symphonie
surprisingly warm and inviting sound. fantastique established this as the setup for
The same for Esoteric’s MG‑10 listeners who want really deep and powerful
($5400), which rendered symphonic bass on a somewhat restricted budget.
music with an appropriately filled­‑out Indeed, the bass rather overpowered the
bottom end. But the MG‑10 was demoed presentation, compromising both clarity
in a room far too large, so its dynamic and transparency, but I am inclined to
limitations became apparent in a way that attribute that to the room.
the ProAc’s did not in its much smaller Given my longstanding devotion to
venue. Both speakers come in attractive Quad ESLs, I was particularly interested in
wood veneers, but their styling pales two manufacturers of electrostatic panels.
beside the glowing finish of the Italian Final Sound was showing its 600i
company Opera’s new Callas ($5000). ($7500) and 1000i ($10,000), and King
This compact two‑way combines a 5" Sound (from China) its King ($7000)
midrange/woofer with three tweeters, one and Prince II ($4000) full‑range panels.
of them rear‑firing. The result is an open, Though all the electrostatic virtues of
airy presentation that, surprisingly, didn’t transparency, clarity, and coherence were in
appear to balance overly much toward evidence, the demonstrations were fatally
the treble, though I wouldn’t describe it compromised, I felt, by limitations in room
as warm either. And Joseph Audio’s size and placement (entirely too close to
revised RM22 (a two‑way floorstander, the walls). Still, every one of them is worth
$3200), with new drivers, sounded very further investigation away from CES.
civilized whether playing a string quartet But isn’t that always the case? Regardless
or Ella by starlight. of context, despite its reputation as the
A sub/satellite system from Canada Gretna Green of the West, Las Vegas is
is Angstrom’s Obliggato IIf tower rarely the best place to make decisions
paired with the Profundo powered regarding lasting engagements.

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 41

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
Solid-State Amps,
Preamps, &
Integrated Amps
Left, turning any iPod into a high-end media server is Wadia’s trick iTransport; right, Pro-Ject’s “Box Series” components.
I
f there’s one constant that I take away from Las Vegas every
January it’s that CES exhibitors and attendees are a hardy lot.
It takes a lot more than the darkening clouds of a sub-prime
mortgage crisis, recession worries, or hundred-buck-a-barrel oil
to dampen their optimistic spirits. But that’s not to say there
wasn’t a fair share of nail-biting, particularly for importers stung
by the weakening U.S. dollar.
Throughout the high end this show represented the broadest
contrasts in gear that I can remember, particularly at the front-
end of the chain. From unimaginably exotic analog rigs to The
Tape Project—a subscription only mastertape club—to iPod
docks and hard-drive media servers, there was a level of diversity
I’ve not seen before.
Bridging Generations
Among the many four-letter words uttered during the four days
of blissful chaos is the one that has been most deeply disturbing
to audiophiles, i-P-o-d. Rather than bemoaning the high end’s
future while holding its collective nose, a few savvy high-end
manufacturers are rolling out gear that just might bridge the
divide. And who has better credentials than Wadia and Krell?
From Wadia, the iTransport ($349) is the first Apple-licensed
dock to bypass the player’s internal D/A converter and offer
full resolution in file formats like WAV and Apple Lossless. It
delivers bit-perfect digital audio from the current roster of iPod
players. It can also access video content. Who knew you were
walking around with a hip-pocket media server? Connectivity
is excellent—the back panel has SPDIF digital-audio and
42 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Neil Gader
component-video outputs as well as analog AV outputs.
While the Wadia only extracts the digital datastream in order to
hand it off to the outboard D/A converter of your choice, the
Krell takes more of a systems approach. The Krell Interface
Dock or KID ($1500) is a fully operational DAC/preamp/
docking station for iPod devices. It features balanced-differential
Class A circuitry, a 255-step volume control, composite and S-
video outputs, and a 1/8" stereo connector on the front panel for
other portable players. The Papa Dock is the 150Wpc power
amplifier docking system designed to interface specifically with
the KID. It features balanced and single-ended outputs. The
price should be announced soon.
Desktop High End and Combi-Receivers
It’s not too much of a stretch to predict that portable media players
like the iPod are also inspiring a new generation of miniature high
end. Still to be determined is whether this “desktop” trend might
represent a devaluation of what “audiophile quality” means. One
thing is certain—TAS will continue to weigh in on this subject.
To that end, Kharma International (as high end as they
come) is expanding its Matrix line of electronics by adding the
Matrix preamp ($5000) a single-ended Class A unit that joins
the MP150 switching monoblocks ($7800). Remote-control-
equipped, the preamp includes four inputs, one balanced and
three single-ended. Yet to come are a CD player, phonostage,
and stereo amp. No dock or USB? Hopefully, soon. Meanwhile,
Arcam unwrapped two new entries in its successful Solo lineup,
the Solo Mini ($999) a 25Wpc stereo CD-receiver with a front-
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
Solid-State Amps, Preamps, & Integrated Amps
Left, Lenbrook’s Mark Stone with a new hive of NAD BEEs; right, sexy NADs—the VISO FIVE and VISO TWO.
panel interface for connecting personal music players via Arcam’s
rDock or rLead. For cinephiles there was the Solo Movie 2.1
($2499) a 50Wpc DVD-receiver—a two-channel version of the
Solo 5.1
Setting the desktop miniature/modular standard is the new
Box Series from Austrian turntable maker Pro-Ject. The
Box Series includes a Pre Box, Amp Box (30Wpc stereo or 35W
mono flavors), and a Phono Box. Later this year, look for the
Dock, Switch, DAC, and Tuner Boxes. Each will be priced in the
$300–$400 range.
Everyone was abuzz about NAD’s budget BEE line. At its
Hard Rock hotel suite NAD debuted the C 315BEE integrated
stereo amplifier ($349) and C 515BEE CD player ($299), which
boasts 24-bit/192kHz DACs. With 40Wpc of “honest” NAD
output and short signal paths, the new 315BEE calls to mind
the legendary 3020 of yesteryear. NAD may well be the place to
BEE for budget-conscious audiophiles in ’08.
Top, the Aura Note CD-receiver; bottom, a dynamic one-box
solution from France’s YBA—the YS201 Music Center.
44 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Prior to entering the NAD suite I thought I’d crashed the
wrong party when I saw the large posters for the new DVD/CD
receivers, the VISO FIVE for surround and VISO TWO for
two-channel ($1799 and $1299, respectively). Their curvaceous
wrap-around front panels are a marked departure for NAD. On
the video side both feature an HDMI video output, upscaling
to 720p or 1080i, and a vivid on-screen display. There’s plenty
of video connectivity and a subwoofer output, as well. An XM-
ready input allows an XM satellite module to be easily connected
for XM Radio reception, and a rear-panel data port accepts
NAD’s optional new IPD-1 dock for connecting an iPod. NAD’s
upscale Masters Series is joined by the M4 ($1299), an AM/FM
tuner with XM-ready connectivity and a full complement of IR
sensors and 12V triggers.
In a class all by itself is the Aura Note CD-receiver ($1850).
Designed by noted British industrial designer Kenneth Grange,
the Note is defiantly retro with chrome surfaces and a slide-away
glass cover for the top-loading CD mechanism. However, don’t
be fooled by the “Austin Powers meets Mission Impossible” styling.
The Aura Note is a thoroughly modern machine, sporting dual
USB inputs for streaming audio from a PC or for recording
sources directly to a memory stick. Power output is 50Wpc, and
it comes with a remote control.
YBA Design has largely been off the radar in the States in
recent years but that could be about to change with the YS201
Music Center ($4000 estimated). Like a Swiss Army knife,
it’s easier to ask what it doesn’t do than try to list the things it
does. Perhaps the most ambitious convergenceiver yet, it combines
a 50Wpc MOSFET output amplifier section with a DVD/CD
player, tuner, 500-gig music server, and 1080p scaler with GUI
via HDMI output. It can gather all music metadata via Ethernet
and USB. Due this summer.
Super Separates and Ascendant Integrated
Amplification
It wasn’t only convergence being spoken in the high end,
however. Stalwarts of the old school still commanded attention
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Solid-State Amps, Preamps, & Integrated Amps

and deservedly so. Notably, the eagerly awaited Cambridge that would make Tiffany & Co. envious.
Azur separates—the 840E preamp ($1499) and 840W Finally, GamuT has added the 120Wpc Si-100 ($5000)
amplifier ($2199)—were displayed, and should be shipping by integrated to bolster the success of its integrated $10k flagship,
April. The 840E will feature eight inputs including a balanced the DI-150. It combines prodigious headroom in a more compact,
pair, input gain trims, nameable tone controls, and a customizable lower-profile package.
front-panel display. The 840W pumps out a healthy 200Wpc
via second-generation Class XD—a design that, according to Odds and Ends and Buzz
Cambridge “gives pure Class A operation at low levels” and A couple entries recently announced or displayed at the Rocky
moves “smoothly into an enhanced version of Class B at higher Mountain Audio Fest are now shipping. The Model 860
levels.” Both units will be available in black or silver. integrated amp from Boulder ($11,500) is shipping and boasts
I also enjoyed a sweet demo of the Electrocompaniet a rock solid 150Wpc, four inputs, and the robust build-quality
five-channel amplifier system that should make both cinema Boulder is widely noted for. The new flagship preamp of the
and stereo hobbyists happy. Fed by the EMP-1 Multiplayer Plinius line, Tautoro ($7300), has begun shipping (add $1200
($11,000) and the EC 4.9 Complete pre/pro ($8500), the for phonostage). Also look for NuForce to release a media
five channels of amplification reside in a pair of amps—the server later this year. And sitting on the floor in the darkened
AW3x120-M three-channel ($9400) and the AW2x120-M Tara Labs room were working prototypes for a new Tara amp
two-channel ($7400). Linked by microprocessors and remote and preamp.
control, they selectively can output in 5-channel mode; however,
if the listener so desires, a mere flick of a button switches each
amp into 400W bridged two-channel mode (the third channel of
the three-channel amp is bypassed).
NG’s Best of Show
The recent surge in uptown integrated amplification continues Best Sound: As a staunch, be cheap, but all it took was
as audiophile icon Pass Labs unveiled its first-ever integrated, compact-speaker fan I’d a quick demo to prove that
the oversized and intimidating INT-150 ($6500). In typical Pass have to give the nod to every link in the chain can
fashion it outputs 150W into 8 ohms and doubles that number TAD’s soon-to-be-released be significant.
into 4 ohms. No wonder it bristles with heavy heatsinks. Based Compact Reference (north
on the company’s acclaimed X-150.5 stereo amplifier, the INT- of $20,000). It’s a three- Most Important Trend:
150 embodies the design technology and refinements—including way stand-mount based on Hands-down, it’s media
patented Super-Symmetry circuit–of Pass Labs’ larger X.5 amps. the vaunted Reference One, server or hard-disk-driven
The Jeff Rowland Design Group rolled out the using the same cutting-edge technology.
Continuum, an integrated amp available in two iterations based cabinetry and beryllium
on the Class D technology of JRDG’s 501 and 201 monoblocks. coincident tweeter/midrange Most Significant New
With a choice of 500Wpc or 250Wpc, driving any loudspeaker driver, but with a single Product: Wadia’s $349
should be a walk in the park. The 500 version ($8800) adds active woofer. Driven by TAD Labo- dock. The only licensed and
power factor correction (PFC) and universal AC input voltage ratories prototype mono- currently available dock that
for a new level in power conditioning. The 250 version is $7200. blocks, this might be the can receive the raw digital
Quality is inimitably Rowland, with chassis and lustrous casework speaker to give the Magico stream from an iPod’s 32-
Mini II a serious run for the pin output without someone
money. modifying or hacking into
the personal media player
Greatest Bargain: PSB itself.
Speakers’ yet-to-be named
prototype lineup will likely Greatest Technologi-
bring near-Synchrony level cal Breakthrough:
performance and styling Large-capacity micro-drive
at a price that should have flash memory, like Scan-
competitors reaching for the Disk’s 72-gig drive, is going
Tylenol (again). to change the face of digital
storage not only for comput-
Most Surprising Dis- ers but also for the way
covery: The difference a we listen to and transport
USB cable can make! The music.
Synergistic Research Tricon
Top left, Cambridge Audio’s Azur 840E preamp; top right, desktop
USB cable ($550) may not
high end by Kharma; bottom, Jeff Rowland’s Continuum.

46 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

DISC PLAYERS,
TRANSPORTS,
& DACS Robert Harley

Another harbinger of the future of digital playback was

perhaps the coolest new item at the show—PS Audio’s
Memory Transport. The slim device is a CD transport that
incorporates a jitter-removing Digital Lens buffer (up to nine
minutes of stereo audio) and an HDMI output carrying data on
an I2S (pronounced “I squared S”) bus. The I2S connection uses
a separate clock line so that the low-jitter output from the Digital
Lens isn’t corrupted by the SPDIF interface. PS Audio will offer
a matching digital-to-analog converter with HDMI input.
But that’s only part of the Memory Transport’s story. You can
connect external hard drives via USB or Ethernet ports and rip
CDs from the Memory Transport to the hard drives. The drives
can be located outside the listening room where you won’t hear
them whirring. You can then access music on the hard drives
via the Memory Transport’s front-panel graphic display, or better
yet, through an Wi-Fi-enabled Apple iTouch ($299) running a
Boulder’s new 1021 Disc Player introduces unprecedented
features.
custom application that allows you to scroll through album art
with the touch of a finger. In essence, the Memory Transport
is a music server built with high-end sensibilities, a terrific user

I
usually cover all digital products at shows, but this year I split interface, and a bargain price ($1695). (One reason the price is so
the task with Alan Taffel. I took the disc players, transports, and low is that you supply your own hard drives.)
DACs, and Alan tackled “Next-Gen Audio” (hard-disk-drive Accuphase debuted its DP-700 CD/SACD player
storage, Web-based content acquisition, wireless access, and high- that uses a novel DAC architecture. When playing SACD, the
end products with Ethernet ports). This turned out to be a good 2.8224MHz Direct Stream Digital bitstream decoded from the
move, as this show saw the introduction of many conventional disc is upconverted by 2x and then input to a series of delay lines,
digital playback products, along with a wide range of next-genera- with each delay line feeding its own DAC. The result is digital-to-
tion gear that signals a new direction in high-end digital playback. analog conversion that has inherent in it a high-pass filter with
Some products, however, didn’t fall so neatly into defined perfectly linear phase characteristics. This so-called “moving
categories. A good example is Boulder’s new 1021 Disc
Player. I took one look at the machine and thought “Why
hasn’t someone done this before?” The “this” in that question
is a large LCD display that provides a listing of tracks on the
disc, with highlighting of the track that’s playing. The 1021 has
an internal database of metadata for tens of thousands of titles,
along with an Ethernet jack for connecting to the Internet to
retrieve metadata for new titles or those not in the database.
These features required Boulder to include a computer in the
1021 and write the control software from scratch.
On the audio side, the player is built around the transport
mechanism’s mechanical integrity. The on-board computer not
only runs the player, it also controls an audio buffer than can
store more than one minute of audio data. The front-panel
display shows where you are in a track, along with the current
listening point in the buffer. Digital filtering is provided by
custom Boulder-written software running on a DSP platform. As
Esoteric’s X-05 CD/SACD player employs a new version of the
you might expect from this sophisticated feature set and build- company’s acclaimed VRDS transport mechanism.
quality, the 1021 isn’t cheap: $24,000.

48 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
DISC PLAYERS, TRANSPORTS, & DACS
RH’s Best of Show
Best Sound: I hate to be
in a rut, but I didn’t hear
anything better than the
Magico V3 loudspeaker fed
with Reference Record-
ings HRx 176.4kHz/24-bit
source. The MIT Oracle MA
interconnects and cables (my
reference), Pacific Microson-
ics Model Two decoder, along
with top-of-the-line Boulder
electronics, didn’t hurt. Other
great sounds included the
Meridian 808.2/DSP7200
system described below, TAD
Reference One and Compact
One loudspeakers, and Vi-
enna Acoustics’ new flagship
speaker called The Music.
Two industry icons: Paul Barton
of PSB Speakers (left), and
Sunfire’s Bob Carver (right).
Greatest Bargain: This
is a bit premature, but the
prototype of a $1500-per-
pair loudspeaker Paul Barton
(of PSB Speakers) showed
me could redefine what’s
possible in sub-$2k loud-
speakers. The still-unnamed
product employs a radically
different cabinet-construc-
tion method that could
revolutionize the industry.
Most Surprising
Discovery: The show’s
biggest surprise was the
huge, transparent, extremely
dynamic, and tonally pure
sound that emerged from the
tiny Meridian F80 portable
50 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
audio system. This tabletop
package sounded like a full-
scale, high-quality hi-fi.
Most Important Trend:
Music servers, iPod integra-
tion, and hard-disk storage
are poised to revolutionize
how we access music. Tradi-
tional high-end companies
are starting to bring their
technical expertise and
musical sensitivity to the
party—it’s going to be an
interesting 2008.
Most Significant New
Product: The PS Audio
Memory Transport. This
ingenious device promises
to deliver high-end sound
quality, music-server con-
venience, massive storage
capacity, and an outstanding
user interface—all for the
price of a good CD player.
Greatest Technologi-
cal Breakthrough:
Meridian Audio’s new digital
filter in its 808.2 CD player
avoids some problems of all
previous filters. CDs played
through the 808.2 and the
new DSP7200 active DSP
loudspeaker sounded like
high-resolution recordings.
The CD format just might
get a new lease on life.
average filter” obviates the need for a separate low-pass filter
after the DACs. The transport mechanism is beautifully built—as
is the rest of this $22,000 machine.
Three of the guys behind HDCD and the Pacific Microsonics
Model Two professional HDCD encoder have formed Berkley
Audio Design Associates to deliver high-quality consumer
products. Their first endeavor is the Alpha DAC, a $5000 unit
that will decode high-res sources (up to 192kHz/24-bit). The
Alpha offers different digital-filter options, HDCD decoding,
balanced and single-ended analog outputs, advanced jitter-
rejection, and a variable-level analog output for driving power
amplifiers directly (IR remote control supplied). The forward-
looking Alpha is firmware upgradable, and features a BADA
port for future support of HDMI and other DRM formats. The
Alpha sounded magnificent decoding 176.4kHz/24-bit Reference
Recordings HRx files driving TAD Reference One loudspeakers
(one of the show’s best sounds).
The Alpha DAC from they guys behind HDCD will decode high-
resolution sources.
Esoteric expanded its “X” series with the new X-05 CD/
SACD player. The player brings many of Esoteric’s technologies
to a lower price point, particularly the VRDS transport
mechanism. The new VRDS-Neo/VMK-5 mechanism offers
the stability and precision of the previous-generation VRDS
mechanism in a more affordable implementation. A new patent-
pending disc-handling system, called “differential gearing,”
provides exceptionally smooth operation with fewer parts and
reportedly greater long-term reliability. The X-05 is a dual mono
design that features dual-differential DACs. Price: $5500.
Edge Electronics has upgraded its highly regarded GCD
CD player ($6038) with new parts, including an entirely fresh and
different transport mechanism that’s damped and suspended in
the chassis. I heard the unit with Edge’s newly upgraded preamp
and 12.1 signature power amplifier, and thought it was also one
of the show’s best sounds.
A new CD/SACD player from Wadia expands on the company’s
proprietary technologies. The upscale 781 runs Wadia’s DigiMaster
2.5 upsampling and filtering software that creates 1.4112 million
samples per second at 24 bits. A new jitter-reduction circuit
(ClockLink) reportedly provides “state-of-the-art” performance
from both CD and SACD, and the 781 includes a discrete version
of Wadia’s SwiftCurrent current-to-voltage converter. The Class
A output stage uses no global feedback. The $12,000 781 is also
available as the 781i, with the latter adding digital inputs and digital
outputs for a $1500 price premium.
NAD has always produced benchmarks of performance at
affordable price points, a trend the company hopes to continue
with the new C515BEE CD player. The $299 C515BEE is the
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
DISC PLAYERS, TRANSPORTS, & DACS
Meridian Audio’s Bob Stuart shows off the new DSP7200 active
DSP loudspeaker and 808.2 CD player.
matching companion to NAD’s new C315 integrated amplifier
($349), and sports multiple regulated power supplies (including
completely separate analog and digital supplies), separate analog
and digital boards, and the latest 192kHz/24-bit DACs. Watch
for a full review of this promising pair.
MBL demonstrated the final production version of its new
1622 Reference CD/SACD/DVD-A transport. The gorgeous
1622 outputs high-resolution data via HDMI to MBL’s newly
upgraded DAC. The combination reportedly reduces jitter to
inaudible levels. The chassis work and finish of this $25,000
device is simply stunning.
Data Conversion Systems (dCS) introduced a one-box CD/
SACD player packed with dCS’ technologies, most notably its
Ring DAC. The $19,995 Puccini is a scaled-down version of
the company’s three-box, $45,000 Paganini that debuted a few
months ago. The Puccini can drive a power amplifier directly
from its balanced or unbalanced analog output jacks. Digital
inputs and outputs are included, as is a word-clock input for
adding an external clock.
Many audiophiles aren’t aware that Meridian Audio and its
co-founder Bob Stuart conduct fundamental research on DSP,
psychoacoustics, digital audio, and the correlations between
technical performance and what we hear. Bob Stuart was made a
Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society for his work in this area.
52 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
In the quest to improve the sound possible from the CD
format, the Meridian team developed a new filter algorithm that
eliminates pre-echo in digital filters, which Meridian discovered
is largely responsible for many of the sonic flaws associated
with CD. This new filter architecture, which is the subject of an
AES paper, is available in the new 808.2 CD/DVD-A player.
The so-called “apodising” filter is “minimum phase” rather than
the conventional “linear phase,” and requires DSP power of a
whopping 150MIPS (millions of instructions per second) per
channel to execute.
I heard the 808.2 ($15,000) driving Meridian’s new DSP7200
($35,000), with the system connected via CAT-5 cable carrying
balanced digital signals. The DSP7200 is an active DSP speaker,
meaning that it takes in digital data from a transport and
executes the crossover in the digital domain. The filtered digital
signal for each driver is then converted to analog with its own
D/A converter, and separate amplifiers power each driver in
the enclosure. The DSP processing can achieve any crossover
characteristics and perfectly time-align the outputs from the
individual drive units.
This system was one of the show’s best sounds. Specifically,
the music wasn’t overlaid with the “CD fingerprint” of hard
timbres and a sense of constriction. Rather, the system made
CDs sound almost like high-resolution sources. It was impossible
to ascribe this characteristic to just one of the components in
the system, but according to Bob Stuart, much of that quality I
heard is the result of the new digital filter. With no replacement
for the CD in sight, it becomes imperative to get the best sound
from the CD catalog—and this new filter could be a big step in
that direction. Watch for a full review of the 808.2 and DSP7200,
along with technical details on the new filter.
Other Significant Introductions
I’ll report on a few significant products outside my beat that my
colleagues missed because of the show’s massive size.
First, Mark Levinson (the company) showed early versions
of two promising new power amplifiers, the No.53 and
No.532. The No. 532 is a stereo linear amplifier with 200Wpc
The new Mark Levinson No.532 power amplifier is a more
ambitious effort from the designer of the outstanding No.433.
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
DISC PLAYERS, TRANSPORTS, & DACS
into 8 ohms (400Wpc into 4 ohms). What got me excited about
the No.532 is that the amplifier is a ground-up effort by the same
designer who created the outstanding No.433, which I’ve been
using nearly exclusively for the past year. The new amplifier has
a 40% shorter signal path than the No.433, and being a two-
channel amplifier (the No.433 has three channels), more of the
build cost can go into each channel. The No.532 will be available
in May at $15,000.
Mark Levinson’s second amplifier offering is very different.
The No.53 monoblock employs an output stage that is based
on switching technology, but is unlike any previous switching
amplifier. The output stage, a proprietary technology developed
by parent company Harman International, delivers 500W into 8
ohms and doubles its output power as the impedance is halved,
all the way down to 2kW into 2 ohms. According to the company,
the No.53 is the best-sounding amplifier Mark Levinson has ever
created. The $50,000-per-pair monoblocks go on sale in May.
Pass Labs made two significant product introductions at the
show. The first is the INT-150 reported on by Neil Gader earlier.
The second is the new X.5 series of power amplifiers. The five
new models range from the 30Wpc XA-30.5 to the 200Wpc
XA-200.5. All the new amplifiers feature sonic improvements
over the earlier models, along with a 20% increase in efficiency,
54 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
PS Audio’s Memory Transport might combine outstanding sound
quality with music-server convienience for the price of a CD player.
greatly increased ability to deliver current to low-impedance
loads, and improved bias control. All the amplifiers in the X.5
series are pure Class-A. I’m scheduled to receive the 100Wpc
XA-100.5 monoblocks for audition.
Shows are not the ideal venue for evaluating cables, but I
heard three cable demos that were startling. The first was in the
Transparent Audio room where the company introduced
MM2 technology. MM2, now used in every cable in the
Transparent line, reportedly “encompasses significant advances
in network design and calibration, network topology and
assembly, resonance damping, superior network components,
and connector technology.”
I heard a side-by-side comparison of a mid-level loudspeaker
cable from the existing MM line with the same model with MM2
technology. The difference was quite significant—like switching
from a mid-level cable to a top-of-the-line model. Notably, all
prices will remain the same for the new models.
Crystal Cable also put on a demo of its new Dreamline
cable, comparing it with the company’s previous products. The
improvement in soundstaging, bloom, timbre, and resolution
was striking.
Turntable manufacturer Basis Audio demonstrated the
transparency of its new loudspeaker cables by playing its system
connected with 1.9 meter runs of speaker cable, and then
substituting the right channel’s 1.9 meter run with one 19 meters
long. It’s not a good idea to use different lengths of loudspeaker
cable, but I could hear no difference with the longer cable run.
Over at the Hilton, a venue many of my colleagues didn’t have
the time to visit given the show’s size, Focal introduced a new,
more affordable line in its Electra series called the Electra S.
(JV reviewed the Electra 1007Be in Issue 176.) Focal has replaced
the beryllium tweeter with a conventional dome tweeter and
spent less money on the cabinet finish to knock $2000 off the
price ($8000 vs. $6000). Focal had a static display, so I couldn’t
hear the new models.
Finally, the Italian loudspeaker brand Chario (the largest
in Italy) is now being distributed in the U.S. again. The U.S.
distributor is Koetsu USA, which also imports the full line of
Koetsu cartridges. Chario has a huge range of beautifully crafted
products and it’s good to see them back in the U.S. market.
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
NEXT-GEN AUDIO
L
ast year I railed against CES 2007’s pervasive sense
of stagnation. Rather than emphasizing advanced
technologies—like DSP-based room correction, high-
resolution source material, or multichannel playback—that hold
the promise of substantial gains in sonic realism, manufacturers
exhibited ever more expensive fine-tunings of the status quo,
with barely incremental fidelity gains to show for them.
This year was different. CES 2008 was exactly what a CES
should be: a look into the future. Between what was and,
significantly, what wasn’t on display, the shape of next-generation
audio has never been clearer.
Next-Gen Audio Is Stereo
In my thorough, if not exhaustive, exploration of the show, I
saw not a single multichannel audio demonstration. To be sure,
I heard plenty of multichannel sound, but always and exclusively
in conjunction with movies. I queried both DTS and Dolby,
whose new audio formats for Blu-ray and HD DVD discs could
easily support discrete, multichannel, high-resolution music.
Neither has plans for anything of the sort. Indeed, so concrete
is the assumption that music will be stereo for the foreseeable
future that DTS displayed a sophisticated new process that
emulates surround sound from two speakers. Called Surround
Sensation, the gimmicky-sounding product was actually highly
convincing in a headphone-based demo. How well it will work
through speakers remains to be seen, but DTS has clearly done
its psychoacoustic homework.
The lack of multichannel audio was, for me, the biggest surprise
of the show. When done right—a major qualification, I know—
multichannel is irrefutably more like being in the presence of the
real thing. However, the trend, at least for now, is clearly toward
higher-resolution stereo as opposed to more channels. Which
leads to the next observation:
Resolution Audio’s Opus stack. The iXS module now features an
iTunes software client and Wi-Fi.
56 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Alan Taffel
True High-Resolution Audio Has Arrived
All too often, industry references to “hi-res” audio actually mean
“CD-quality” audio. How low our MP3-influenced standards
have fallen! For example, the so-called hi-res offerings of Apple’s
iTunes Plus are actually CD-quality at best, hardly the last
word in fidelity. But this situation is metamorphosing. Joining
Linn Records, which has been offering true hi-res (up to 96/24)
downloads for a year, is AIX Records’ iTrax service (also
96/24). But what really caused a stir at CES was Reference
Recordings’ new HRx format. Imagine music sourced from
uncompressed, bit-perfect copies of 176.4/24 mastertapes. This
is no dream, it is reality. And the product was demonstrated
to great effect in the TAD, FIM, Magico, and Luxman rooms.
A Reference Recordings rep told me the company has been
inundated with interest in the format from artists and labels alike.
We appear to be on the brink of a rapidly expanding selection of
truly high-resolution digital recordings.
High-End Audio to Blu-ray and HD DVD: No
Thanks!
It’s no secret that both SACD and DVD-Audio are officially
dead [although SACD lives on in new playback hardware and significant
software support from independent labels—RH]. But whereas early
industry speculation was that one of the new HD-video discs
would ultimately emerge as a replacement, that no longer appears
to be the case. Not only do purveyors of these formats have no
plans for multichannel music, as noted above, they have no plans
for music at all. The high-end community, however, is taking
matters into its own hands. Notice how every one of the hi-res
services and formats described above is delivered via download?
This is no accident. By making music available as files, record
companies can propagate new titles quickly and at far lower cost
than via physical discs. Essentially, “HD audio” has skipped a
generation compared to its video counterpart.
One reason this is possible is that even very high bit-rate audio
files are paltry in size compared to HD video. This is particularly
true when there are only two channels rather than six. Still, some
readers may be concerned about the time it will take to download
large audio files. Fear not—the cable and telecom industries are
coming to the rescue. Both see downloadable HD movies as the
Holy Grail. But the current infrastructure, which averages a few
Mbps per subscriber and tops out at around 16Mbps, doesn’t
yet support such a service. The industry giants are moving to
rectify this situation. Comcast, for example, wowed a packed
keynote crowd with its new 160Mpbs cable modem. In a live
demonstration, the company downloaded an entire HD film in
just four minutes! With capacity like that coming, we can look
forward to receiving our hi-res music files in no time flat.
Music Servers Will Displace CD Players
Just how will everyone play all these better-than-CD music files?
There is only one way: via a music server. TAS recently covered
these devices in depth, and noted their groundbreaking flexibility,
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

NEXT-GEN AUDIO

Left, Thiel branches out with this powerful whole-house media server, the db1; right, the Naim music server.

user interface, sound quality, and ability to engage listeners in ds1-networked amp (for non-Thiel speakers), or Thiel’s own
musical discovery. Add to these benefits yet another: They are network-addressable SCS40 speaker with built-in DAC and
not limited to CD’s 44.1/16 standard. Indeed, their Internet amp.
connectivity and computer foundation allows them to download Similarly sophisticated, but here today, is Naim’s series of
and play music in a variety of hi-res formats. music servers, the NS01, NS02, and NS03, which range in
Naturally, music servers were a significant presence at this year’s price from $6200 to $9500, depending upon the number of zones
show. Suppliers generally fell into two camps: those that believe supported and whether the user desires a touch-panel interface.
PCs or Macs make perfectly good music servers, and those who All three models are self-discovering, plug-and-play units that can
chose instead to build stand-alone components. Among the interface with any Netstreams-compliant device. Naim eschews
former were Resolution Audio, which is upgrading the XS wireless connectivity, feeling it cannot deliver consistent quality
module of its Golden Ear Award-winning stack to the iXS. of service. The company prefers Ethernet with special clock
The iXS ($2500, 2Q availability) contains an iTunes client that synchronization. Inside the servers are mirrored 400GB drives,
communicates wirelessly with any Mac via the Apple Lossless for redundancy, but the NSes can access any network-attached
format. In a slick move, the server can be remote-controlled by storage for unlimited expansion.
an iPhone or iPod Touch.
In contrast, Vincent Sanders of VRS Audio distrusts (rightly DACs Are Back
so, in my opinion) all consumer audio PC software. So he turned Virtually all music servers contain built-in DACs, but they also
to the pro world, where he claims to have found software for sport a variety of digital outputs. To take best advantage of
Macs that is “the most transparent available.” We’ll have to wait those pristine, high-grade digital streams, the once moribund
three to six months, and pay between $800 and $1400 to test this field of separate DACs has gained new life. Most of the new
claim. VRS will also offer a Firewire DAC and an external clock, units offer not only SPDIF but also USB inputs, and support
each for $5–$10k. Obviously, this will be a serious music server. today’s high bit-rates. Among the promising new models were
The big boys were also jumping on the media/music server Bryston’s BDA-1 ($1995, 2Q) and the tubed Cayin DAC1
bandwagon. Microsoft was showing its new Home Server
software, a completely clueless offering. In contrast, Hewlett-
Packard displayed its impressive new MediaSmart Server
software, which can operate on any PC or within one of HP’s
dedicated servers ($599 for the 500GB model, $749 for the
1T version). Either way, the server works in conjunction with
the company’s new Digital Media Receiver (about $400 in
April), which fronts any of multiple hi-fi systems presumably
scattered about the house. Everything communicates via the
home Ethernet, and MediaSmart is able to see and to consolidate
music from any PC on the network.
As for stand-alone, dedicated music servers, two ambitious
new offerings stood out. Thiel is going the Meridian/Goldmund
route of offering a system that is digital end-to-end. In Thiel’s
case, a brand new offering called the db1 (price TBD, availability
late ’08) will anchor a whole-house media system. With resolution
up to 192/24 per channel, the unit will be capable of streaming
up to 7.1 channels into eight independent zones over Ethernet,
Cayin’s tubed USB-compatible iDAC.
power lines, or wirelessly. At the receiving end will be either a

58 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

NEXT-GEN AUDIO
($799). Goldmund is adding a USB input to its complete line of
digital preamplifiers, which range in price from $5700 for the 10-
channel Metis preamp to, well, a whole lot for more powerful
units. In each case, Goldmund has gone to great lengths—from
re-clocking and re-building the entire digital stream to fabricating
its own proprietary USB chipset—to avoid the timing problems
and digital noise it believes are inherent in standard PC interfaces.
(My own preliminary testing of USB interfaces confirms
Goldmund’s concerns.)

Digital Room Correction Is Reaching Critical

Mass
One of the most promising areas for improving audio quality,
DSP-based digital room correction, also turns out to be one of the
most difficult to do well. Companies such as TacT, Lyngdorf,
and DEQX have spent years refining their algorithms and user
interfaces. After hearing the effect of TacT’s new 12-channel

AT’s Best of Show

Best Sounds: The future
may be bright, but the
sound at CES 2008 was not
spectacular. No single room
stood out as having the best
sound, though several were
impressive in their own way.
Magico’s Mini II, dynami-
cally hobbled by low-wattage
electronics, nonetheless
evinced unparalleled musical
integrity. In a separate room,
with Boulder electronics, MIT
cable, and a Magico-built mu-
sic server that may or may
not reach production, the
company’s V3 had terrific dy-
namic punch. The TAD room
was noteworthy not just for
its excellent speakers, but
also for the best-sounding
source of the show: The Tape
Project’s direct-from-master
analog tape.
Greatest Bargain: The
Wadia iTransport is the
missing link between an
iPod, with its undeniable
convenience and ability to
store lossless digital files,
and a top-flight audio sys-
tem. Built with Wadia’s usual
uncompromising quality, the
unit is a steal at $350.
Most Surprising
Discovery: Multichannel
audio is apparently dead, at
least for now.
Most Important Trend:
The proliferation of truly
high-res source material.
Most Significant New
Product: The Lamm ML3
Signature single-ended
triode monoblock amp.
Although bass shy at the
Venetian—perhaps due to
room limitations—these
amps meted out pure magic
through the Wilson MAXX
2 speakers. The big Wilsons
have never sounded so ut-
terly invisible, or so breath-
lessly musical.
Greatest Technologi-
cal Breakthrough:
Reference Recordings’
HRx ultra-high resolution
(176.4/24) digital music
format. Let’s hope it catches
on in a big way.
Top, the new DEQX HDP3 preamp and room corrector; bottom,
Lyngdorf’s DPA-1 preamp with the estimable RoomPerfect circuit.
digital controller ($12,000) with Digital Room Correction, I felt
sorry for every other exhibitor at the show. With DRC engaged,
the sound was clean and neutral; when it was disengaged, things
turned quite boomy and typical of a trade showroom’s lousy
acoustics.
DEQX was showing its new HDP3 preamp with room
calibration (approx. $5500, February). And several surround
sound processors, such as Anthem’s updated D2 ($7499 or $399
to upgrade earlier models), are now incorporating the feature.
But by far the most aggressive entrant in this field was Lyngdorf.
The company’s RoomPerfect system strikes me as among
the most thoroughly thought-out available. This circuit is now
available in integrated amps (last year’s $7190 TDAI-2200), the
new DPA-1 preamp ($5690), the D1 8-channel digital controller
($17,000), and as a stand-alone processor, the $3790 RP1. Once
again, the demo proved the effectiveness of these devices when
implemented well, banishing the room’s boominess, the tendency
for voices to sound chesty, and a muddy soundstage.
Conclusion
While the high end will and should always be about sonic
refinement, the industry has also begun to embrace new
technologies that are more revolutionary than evolutionary. With
high-resolution source material, hard-drive-based playback, the
prospect of maintaining the signal in the digital domain end-to-
end, and the ability to tame room anomalies, our industry is on
the cusp of a great new era.

60 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

TUBE GEAR Dick Olsher

Left, the great new LAMM Industries ML-3 single-ended monoblock amplifiers; right, Trulife Audio SET amplifiers on display.

I
t was gratifying to discover that interest in tube audio has coupling for all actives stages. And these are extremely high
not only remained strong year-to-year, but judging from the quality interstage transformers—bandwidth is said to exceed
number of rooms with tube products, appears to be surging 2MHz! Output transformers are no slouches either, being flat
at every imaginable price point. A case in point is the release by to 80kHz. Trulife amplifiers appear to closely approach the full
TEAC Esoteric, a leader in digital technology, of a stereo tube sonic potential of directly heated triodes. As you can imagine,
amplifier. “Why a tube product, and why now?” are questions I price tags are steep—$50,000 and beyond.
raised during the Esoteric press function. The official answer was At the other end of the price spectrum, PrimaLuna
that these decisions were driven by market interest and demand. expanded its DiaLogue line with the addition of the KT88-based
The A-100 ($18,500) derives 45Wpc from a pair of KT88s DiaLogue 7 monoblocks ($4999). The DiaLogue products
operated in push-pull mode. During the demo, and driving the represent a step up from the ProLogue line and feature primarily
Esoteric MG-20 magnesium-alloy speakers I recently reviewed, better output transformers. Recall that the DiaLogue 2 integrated
it became crystal clear that this amp sounded far different than earned our Product of the Year award; I can’t wait to audition
the typically pleasant and sluggish push-pull tube amplifiers of the 7!
the 1950s. In no way did it blunt the speed, transparency, and EveAnna Manley, high priestess of tube audio, proudly
resolution of the MG-20s. displayed the latest incarnation of the Stingray—one of the most
LAMM Industries launched the ML3 Signature popular tube integrated amplifiers of the modern tube era. The
($139,290)—a no-compromise 32Wpc single-ended tube Manley Stingray-II features a beefed-up power supply, which
amplifier based on the GM-70 directly heated triode. It’s the
Ferrari of single-ended amps, considering the wattage to price
ratio of over $4000 per watt. No doubt about it, that first watt
is pretty pricey, but it’s the first watt that sets the stage, and is
responsible for much of the musical enjoyment. Rest assured
that in this case, the first few watts appear to be as good as it
gets in the domain of single-ended designs. The custom output
trannies are capable of wider bandwidth at full power than
competing designs. In other words, bass and treble response are
not compromised for the sake of an exquisite midrange.
Single-ended design passion is also burning bright in Greece. I
met up with Velissarios Georgiadis, managing director of Trulife
Audio (TLA), headquartered in Athens, Greece. Formed in 1995,
as a division of Elmet, a specialty transformer manufacturer,
the TLA principals combined technical knowledge and musical
experience to fashion a most impressive lineup of single-ended
amplifiers using the 300B and 845 power triodes. Common
design threads are the avoidance of feedback, elimination of
PrimaLuna Heaven.
coupling capacitors in the signal path, and usage of transformer-

62 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
TUBE GEAR
The Triode Corporation’s TRV-M300SE 300B monoblocks.
EveAnna says is responsible for its bigger sound character, as
well as an iPod dock. The latter is of no great consequence to a
baby boomer like me, but should be of great interest to a new
generation on the go.
Audio Research has finally replaced the SP16 entry-level
preamp. Its replacement, the SP17, is available as a line only
version ($3000) and also with an optional phonostage ($3500).
I spent quite a bit of time at the Herron Audio room listening
to excerpts from recordings by the late John Blaine, courtesy of
Keith Herron. The sound here was excellent, a byproduct of
the new VTSP-3 preamplifier ($6550), M1 monaural power
amplifiers ($6850), dCS Puccini CD/SACD player, and a pre-
production version of Keith’s new 2104A loudspeakers.
Although there was nothing new on display, I never miss a
chance to listen to WAVAC Audio Lab gear. The MD-805
Mk. II 60Wpc monoblocks were driving a pair of Venture Audio
La perfection speakers. The front end consisted of the Einstein
Last Record Player and the WAVAC PR-T1 preamp. WAVAC is
now being distributed in the U.S. by Covenant Audio Consulting.
The Cary Audio Design CAD 805 Anniversary
Edition SET monoblocks ($11,000) were on display in the
Cary room. This is the amp that started my love affair with SET
amps some 15 years ago. The CAD 120S ($5000), a 120Wpc
stereo amplifier (60Wpc in triode mode), was teamed up with
the Proclaim DMT-100 loudspeaker—a most musical coupling.
A quartet of KT88s is used per channel with 6SN7-based input
and driver stages.
The Triode Corporation of Japan recently celebrated its
10th anniversary. It offers several affordable SET amplifiers. My
favorite is the TRV-M300SE 300B monoblocks, featuring a
pair of 300Bs per channel operated in parallel. Power output is
20Wpc. U.S. distribution is via Twin Audio Video.
No discussion of single-ended amplification would be
complete without Wavelength Audio. Gordon Rankin has
juiced up the Signature Series Cardinal 12Wpc, 300B-
based monoblocks ($7500), with optional silver-wired output
64 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
transformers ($25,000). In addition, a 274B rectifier tube option
is available instead of the standard 5AR4.
Speaking of the 274B, Western Electric tubes (300B and
274B) are now being distributed in the U.S. by AXISS Audio.
AXISS, of course, has been the long-time distributor for Air
Tight products. The designer, Mr. Muira, proudly showed off
the ATM-2001 Reference monoblocks. My attention was also
focused on the much more modest ATM-1S stereo amplifier, a
version of the amp that kindled my passion for Air Tight years ago.
Some of the best sound at the Show was to be had in the
AcousticPlan room. One of the reasons is undoubtedly the
systems approach used by founder and music devotee Claus
Jäckle. His design philosophy is strongly based on a minimalist
approach to amplification and selection of the best devices for a
particular application. He has also shown a penchant for naming
his products after Indian musical instruments. Take, for example,
the Sarod preamplifier ($11,000; $13,000 with relay-operated
remote volume control, and an additional $4100 for optional
moving-magnet phonostage). Its linestage uses a single triode for
amplification and interstage transformers as coupling devices.
The Santor ($11,000) is a hybrid power amplifier (50Wpc into
8 ohms; 100Wpc into 4 ohms) using triodes for the input and
driver stages and power MOSFET devices at the output. With
the new AcousticPlan Vadi CD player ($14,500) as the front end,
and driving the open-baffle AcousticPlan Veena loudspeaker,
which incorporates a Lowther full-range driver and four active
bass woofers ($28,000), the sound was intensely musical with
gorgeous midrange.
Atma-Sphere’s much-decorated OTL amplifier, the M-60
($6350), has received a face-lift and is now designated as the M-
60 Mark III. Designer Ralph Karsten, who is always a pleasure
to engage, was on hand for a lengthy technical discussion. With
the M-60 driving the Classic Audio Reproductions T-1
($27,500) loudspeaker, the sound quality was far superior to that
I had noted from this speaker in past years. It turned out that
this was no ordinary T-1: the horn-loaded compression driver
was configured for field-coil operation and was energized with
an external DC power supply. I can personally attest that this is
a big deal. There was talk of also converting the woofer to field-
The AcousticPlan system. Synergy in spades—one of DO’s
favorites.
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

TUBE GEAR
developed a reputation for excellent value. A case in point is the
SA-T1 tube preamplifier, which is priced at $1499. It was part of
a Vincent Audio electronics package responsible for driving the
Ambience 1600 loudspeaker to excellent sound quality.
Seen and heard in the Stillpoint room were the new David
Berning Quadrature Z monoblock amplifiers ($29,995).
Last seen in the ZH-270, the Quadrature takes the RF mapping
“OTL” technology to a new level of power and current drive
(200Wpc into 8 ohms).
No visit to CES would be complete without a visit to the
Conrad-Johnson room. After all, over the years I don’t recall
auditioning any C-J product I did not like. New this year is the
LP66S stereo power amplifier ($4300), which features the same
circuit architecture as the more costly LP70S but substitutes less
costly parts. Also new is the ET2 Enhanced Triode preamplifier
($3500) whose circuit topology consists of a triode voltage gain
Lew Johnson of Conrad-Johnson showcasing the new LP66S
stereo power amplifier.
stage direct-coupled to a high-current output buffer.

coil operation… I wonder if this retrograde technology is a sign

of things to come?
DO’s Best of Show
Valve Amplification Company’s Kevin Hayes was on Best Sound: Kudos again from digital powerhouse
hand to introduce me to the top-of-the-line VAC Phi Beta series to Mike Slaminski—the audio TEAC Esoteric with the
and, in particular, the preamplifier ($14,500). This represents engine behind Precision speed to match Esoteric’s
VAC’s finest effort, a fully balanced, zero-feedback, triode-based Audio & Video. Although MG-20 speakers.
design with an external power supply. either of his rooms at the
The production version of VTL’s new reference- Venetian could have gotten Most Important Trend:
line phonostage, the TP-6.5 ($8500), was being actively my vote, in the end, and by Continued evolution of metal
demonstrated. Luke Manley, VTL president, was quoted as saying a small margin, I opted for cone drivers, including mag-
that “developing a great phonostage is something like scaling the the system consisting of nesium-alloy designs.
Mount Olympus of two-channel audio.” I think he’s quite right, the Venture Audio Grand
judging by the paucity of great phonostages I’ve auditioned. Excellence III Signature Most Significant New
Italian high-end audio is distinguished by its combination speakers, Silicon Arts Product: The $1695 PS
of good sound and exquisite styling. In this context I should ZL-120 monoblock power Audio Memory transport;
mention the first-rate sound in the Profundo room care of amplifiers, Concert Fidelity potentially, the most cost
Bob Clarke. Tube electronics were Viva Audio designed CF-080 linestage preampli- effective solution for CD
by Amedeo Schembri, specifically the Linea F preamp with fier and DAC-040, Silicon playback jitter reduction.
phonostage ($22,000), and the Viva Audio Verona Tre mono Arts SPA-4B phonostage,
amplifiers ($24,900). For the record, the matching speakers were Spiral Groove SG-1 turntable Greatest Technologi-
the Trenner & Friedl “Miles” ($27,000). The preamp is a outfitted with a Graham cal Breakthrough:
new product that combines most of the circuitry of the Fono Phantom B-44 arm and David Berning’s extension
($15,900) with the linestage of the Linea XP ($16,900). Transfiguration Orpheus car- of the Zero-Hysteresis (ZH)
I should also mention three other Italian manufacturers. First, tridge, TEAC Esoteric UX-1 technology “OTL” to higher
the Pathos integrated stereo amplifier based on its INPOL transport, Sound Application power levels. At the core of
hybrid technology—it’s a thing of beauty. Second, Nightingale RLS power conditioners, and the technology is a mapping
has expanded its Gala line with the addition of a battery-powered FMS cable. of the audio signal onto an
preamplifier. The model PTS 03 ($8000) takes the preamp off RF carrier frequency, fol-
the power grid, a very good thing in my experience. Finally, Greatest Bargain: Any lowed by a high-frequency
Unison Research, now distributed in the U.S. by Epitome AV, of the Disc Doctor record power converter, which
introduced a line of affordable integrated tube amps. Technical and stylus cleaner products extracts a high-current and
director Giovanni Sacchetti was on hand to answer questions. starting at $25. low-impedance drive signal
This year marks my first close encounter with Vincent suitable for driving a loud-
Audio’s designed-in-Germany and built-in-China electronics Most Surprising Dis- speaker.
line—a confluence of German engineering and Chinese covery: A tube amplifier
manufacturing. Much of the stuff is very affordable and has

66 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Turntables, TONEARMS,
CARTRIDGES &
PHONOSTAGES Jim Hannon
If the number of new introductions of turntables, tonearms, cartridges, and
phonostages at CES and THE Show is any indication, analog playback is alive and
well. The plethora of significant releases in each category was amazing. Coupled
with a host of new vinyl releases and reissues, analog is looking healthier than it
has for a long time.

Turntables VTA ($7500). Magnum versions of the Performance ($4200)

European companies took the lead at CES with many new
turntable releases. Pro-ject’s, Debut III USB ($449), distributed
by Sumiko, is not only an ideal entry-level turntable, but includes
an Ortofon cartridge, a built-in moving-magnet phonostage, an
A/D converter, and a USB output so you can transfer your vinyl
collection to your computer. A new RM-5 SE bundle ($899)
improves upon the performance of the RM-5 with the addition of
an upgraded, multilayer platter, and a pre-mounted Blue Point II
cartridge. In contrast to its mass loaded RM9.1 and RM10 designs,
Pro-ject’s new PerspX (less than $2000) is a fully suspended table
using opposing magnets for the suspension, a sub-chassis made of
a very dense Corian-like material, an acrylic plinth, and a sandwich
platter with a top section made from recycled records. The PerspX
includes a new single-piece carbon-fiber arm, the Pro-ject 9cc
Evolution, improving upon the 9cc with upgraded bearings, a
larger bearing housing, and a Sorbothane-ringed counterweight to
help damp the arm.
Indeed, magnets are being increasingly applied to turntables.
Several Clearaudio ’tables employ its proprietary ceramic
magnetic bearing (CMB) technology, lightweight but dense
Panzer Holtz plinths, and excellent VTA mechanism which
allow continuous VTA adjustment during play, including the
Ambient CMB VTA ($6000) and Ambient Magnum CMB
and Ambient add 70mm platters instead of their standard 40mm
ones, and the new Solution Basic ($3000) can be configured with
multiple tonearms and is field upgradeable all the way up to the
Maximum Solution AMG Wood CMB.
TransRotor appears to be making a serious push in the
U.S. with its extensive line of turntables. Several of its ’tables
use magnetic drive, including its flagship Artus ($150,000),
or magnetic repulsion to float the platter, like the Enya 12
($12,000) which also includes TransRotor’s Merlo MC cartridge
and 5012 arm, derived from SME’s outstanding 12" tonearm.
Continuum’s Criterion turntable ($49,995), based on
the Caliburn turntable, was making great music in the VTL,
Continuum, Koetsu, and BAT rooms. It uses a magnesium alloy
for both the platter and the chassis and includes vacuum hold-
down, a unique motion control system, and a new decoupled
armboard design using magnetic stabilization. While all the units
I saw used Continuum’s “Copperhead” tonearm, the Criterion
can be used with other arms. Despite the formidable acoustic
challenges of the ballroom floor, the Criterion (coupled with an
Air Tight PC-1, Artus electronics, and German Physiks Carbon
Mk IV speakers) spinning a test pressing of a live Crosby, Stills,
and Nash concert was one of the best sounds I heard at the show
with natural timbre, fine detail, spaciousness, and image solidity.

Left, Pro-ject PerspX with its 9cc Evolution tonearm; right, Clearaudio Performance Magnum.

68 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
Turntables, TONEARMS, CARTRIDGES, PHONOSTAGES
Left, Continuum’s “Criterion” turntable and “Copperhead” tonearm, with Koetsu “Coralstone” cartridge; middle, Artemis Lab’s turntable
and Schroeder tonearm; right, Thorens TD 550 turntable with matching electronics.
The VPI HR-X with the new Rim Drive option was producing
a wonderfully spacious and natural soundstage, with excellent
speed stability, in concert with Herron Audio electronics and
custom speakers. Although the Rim Drive is surprisingly massive,
it can be easily added to several VPI models. A new custom
turntable from PBN Audio uses a VPI drive system and platter,
SME 312S, and a plinth made of four layers of maple ($8000
with arm). Combined with a Clearaudio Accurate cartridge,
PBN electronics, and the Montana KAS2, it produced music
with a great sense of hall acoustic, delicacy, and slam, without
stress or strain.
Last year, I was very impressed by Merrill-Scillia’s MS21
turntable ($24,000) with its aerospace machining, advanced
suspended design, and sophisticated speed control. Its
performance has been improved by new precision-machined
springs, providing even compression and eliminating side
deflections. Combined with a Tri-planar VII arm and Ortofon
Jubilee, it offered rock-solid speed stability, jet-black backgrounds,
and incredible inner detail. A less costly version, the MS2 ($8000)
has the same spring technology and “guts” as the MS21 and can
be upgraded with the MS21’s digital 2-speed power supply.
Another great analog front-end featured Artemis Labs’ new
turntable (~$6000), designed by Frank Schroeder, incorporating
a multilayered plinth made of bamboo, a 15-pound platter
fashioned from aircraft aluminum, and a huge bearing. It uses
a self-tensioning tape drive, comes with a universal armboard,
and will be manufactured in the U.S. The demo ’table sported a
Schroeder arm and a Soundsmith “Voice” cartridge, with Artemis
Labs electronics driving Verity Fidelio speakers. The sound was
as natural as I heard at both shows.
McIntosh and Thorens introduced high-performance ’tables
that match their respective electronics. The McIntosh MT10
($9000 with arm and MC cartridge) uses a magnetic bearing
and is set up at the factory, and the beautiful Thorens TD
550 ($12,925) is a suspended design with an Ortofon arm and
balanced and unbalanced jacks. It can accommodate 9-, 10-,
or 12-inch arms. Thorens also showed its impressive new TD
160 HD ($2899 with arm) with its progressively dampened,
suspended subchassis.
70 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
To sum up, more companies used analog front-ends to
highlight their products this year. In addition to the new releases,
the VPI HR-X and TNT-6, SME 20/12 and 20/2, Basis Audio
2800 Signature and Debut Signature, Grand Prix Monaco, TW-
Acustic Raven AC, among others, were spinning away. It was
quite an analog fest!
Tonearms
While many analog rigs sported Tri-planar Mk VII, Graham
Phantom B-44, JMW-12.7, Basis Vector Model 4, SME V, or
SME 312S tonearms, several new high-performance arms
were introduced that may challenge them. Linear tracking fans
should love Clearaudio’s new TQ-1 arm ($9500). Mimicking
the Statement arm, the wheels are enclosed in a glass tube and
the arm seems to glide effortlessly across the table. Thorens,
actively re-establishing itself on these shores, announced a new
arm, the TP 125 Special Edition (~$10,000) designed by
DaVinci Audio Labs that appears to be derived from DaVinci’s
Grandezza arm that some regard as the best in the world.
Kuzma introduced its 4Point tonearm (~$7300), offering
an ultra-high-performance pivoted alternative to its AirLine
tonearm. Both were mounted on the Stabi XL 4 turntable on
VTA towers offering easy and repeatable VTA adjustments. The
4PT has a unique horizontal and vertical bearing configuration, is
effectively an 11" arm but fits on a cutout for 9" arms, and offers
bi-wiring to enable the use of two different phonostages.
Musical Surroundings was showing two versions of the
Helius Omega tonearm ($3500 standard; $5000 deluxe). The
Omega’s counterweight is on the same plane as the stylus, to
improve stability and efficiency, and its large bearing housing
improves motion control. An Omega, Clearaudio Anniversary
table, and Stradiveri cartridge combination had amazing transient
speed and clarity without blurring.
Phono Cartridges
While several top-shelf analog rigs used Koetsu, Air Tight,
Clearaudio, and Dynavector cartridges, a number of new carts
debuted at CES and T.H.E. Show. Benz Micro was particularly
active, introducing a new series of phono cartridges—the “S
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Turntables, TONEARMS, CARTRIDGES, PHONOSTAGES

Class” incorporating lower mass coils, improved suspensions Wavestream Kinetics introduced a Deluxe Edition of its
and materials, and upgraded styli. There are S Class versions phonostage ($7500). Like its Standard Edition, this all-tube phono
of Benz’s popular Wood Body ($1500), Glider ($1000), and stage can drive a Koetsu Coralstone (0.2mV) in utter silence
Ace ($700) cartridges. The new LP S ($5000) uses a brass without any step-up transformers. The Deluxe Edition offers three
frame, Ebony body, and “evolved ruby square plate generator” switchable inputs with individual loading. The sound produced in
to reduce vibrations and control resonance as well as improve concert with its companion linestage and V8 monoblocks driving
dynamics, bass extension, and resolution, and the new “open air” Chario Serendipity Speakers, with a Coralstone/Criterion front-
SLR gullwing ($2500) is derived from the LP S, with a frame end, was very dimensional, effortless, and beautiful.
machined from brass, and a generator similar to the Benz Ruby. The modular Nagra VPS Valve Phono Preamplifier
Both the LP S and SLR gullwing have an output of .35mV. ($5995) is based on the phono circuit in Nagra’s PL-P tube
Sumiko continues to improve its venerable Celebration preamp but is more fanatical. It includes new custom-designed
cartridge line. The Pearwood Celebration II ($2000) uses transformers and can run with only a tube gain stage or in a hybrid
an improved cartridge body and an ultra low-mass stylus. The configuration for additional boost. Aesthetix defended its
company also showed an unnamed yet quicker, quieter, and more phonostage turf with a Signature version of its Rhea phonostage
resolved cartridge with a body of Pao Ferro (~$3500), a wood that ($7000). Its Io phonostage (starting at $14,000) utilizes costly
offers more detail than Rosewood. It uses an Alnico magnet and Stealth caps throughout with new chassis dampening and either
an enhanced generator and was mated with the wonderful SME single or dual power supplies.
20/12 turntable, Audio Research electronics, and the new Vienna
Acoustics “The Music” loudspeakers to produce a very wide
soundstage, with excellent focus, transient speed, and coherence.
Oracle Audio was using its new Thalia cartridge ($1500)
JH’s Best of Show
with its Delphi Mk V turntable, turbo power supply, and Oracle/ Best sounds: No clear-cut mis Labs room sounded more
SME 345 tonearm. The Talia is a high-output (2.5mV) moving winner, so excellent source natural than larger ones.
coil with an ebony wood body. With its warmer tonal balance, it material tipped the scales
seems like the perfect complement for the Delphi table. for me. I loved the massed Greatest bargain:
Soundsmith has new versions (high and medium compliance) strings and dynamic head- Pro-ject Phono Box II USB
of its moving-magnet Voice cartridge ($2200) with sapwood ebony room via The Tape Project’s at $179. If you want to move
bodies. The high-compliance version should be great in low-mass mastertape on the TAD Ref- your record collection over to
arms. Soundsmith’s Strain Gauge cartridge (starting at $6000) has erence One, the boldness and your computer or iPod, this is
a new suspension for improved resolution, imaging, and clarity. Its naturalness of a tape of Ella’s an inexpensive way to do it.
immediacy, timbre, and transparency make me want to try it. voice via Nagra electronics
driving the Verity Sarastro Most surprising dis-
Phonostages IIs, the scale of the orchestra covery: A single Definitive
One of the most significant phonostages is also one of the on an EMI test pressing of Technology’s Solo Sound
least expensive. Pro-ject’s Phono Box II USB ($179) can Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande Array SSA-50 ($1099) did
accommodate both moving-coil and moving-magnet cartridges on a Lyra/Tri-Planar/Atma- a surprisingly good job of
yet it also has an A/D converter and a USB output, and your Sphere/Classic Audio Repro- creating the illusion of being
computer recognizes it as a soundcard. Its performance is said to ductions system (the best surrounded by five speakers.
be somewhat better than the internal unit in the Debut III USB horn speaker system I’ve
turntable. Musical Surroundings introduced a new version heard), the palpable perfor- Most important trend:
of its popular low-cost phonostage, the Phonomena II ($600), mances from a CSN concert The resurgence of analog in
which is based on the SuperNova and Nova circuits and offers test pressing spinning on a an increasingly digital world
mc/mm switching and loading adjustability. Criterion in the Continuum/ and the continued technical
The competition in the high-performance phonostage segment Vitus/German Physiks room, innovation in this category.
has intensified with several wonderful phonostages making their CES and the realism and focus of
debuts. New tube entries from VTL, Wavestream Kinetics, Nagra, the piano on a 1963 McCoy Most significant new
and Aesthetix offer high gain, flexibility, and most importantly, Tyner “Impulse” recording product: ThielNet. This
silence. The new VTL TP-6.5 Signature Phonostage ($8500) spinning on an SME 20/12 makes high-quality, whole
is designed to complement VTL’s high-performance linestages and with unnamed Sumiko house audio with great
offers incredible flexibility with a lot of mc gain (up to 68 dB) and cartridge/Audio Research sound much more practical.
mc and mm load settings, dual inputs with discrete load settings, electronics/Vienna Acoustics
remote control and front-panel control of inputs, gain, loading, “The Music” speakers. In Greatest technologi-
phase, rumble cut, etc. It uses a hybrid moving-coil gain stage and general, smaller systems like cal breakthrough:
sounded glorious with the VTL 7.5 Series II linestage, MB-450 Series the Verity Fidelio in the Arte- Wireless ThielNet.
II Signature monoblocks, and Wilson Watt/Puppy Series 8s.

72 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
High-End
Loudspeakers
My beat was loudspeakers above $12,000.
Do you have any idea how many
loudspeakers above $12,000 were shown
at CES 2008?
I do. Practically every room on the 29th, 30th, 34th, and 35th
floor of the Venetian hotel—which is to say, every room in the
CES’ primary high-end-audio exhibition area—had a pair or two
playing merrily away in the spots where minibars stocked with
four-dollar cans of Coke and fifteen-dollar nips of Scotch once
stood. Not to mention the half-dozen or so $12k+ speakers in
the Venetian’s ground-floor Meeting Rooms or the scores off-
site at the Mirage, the MGM Grand, the Alexis Park Hotel, the
St Tropez Resort, etc. I did my best to cover the field, but I
failed miserably. My apologies to all those companies I missed. I
tried—believe me.
As usual, I brought my own music to CES. This year, my
selections included folk (Joan Baez in Concert and Joan Baez Volume
2, both on LP), acoustic blues (Came So Far, on CD), soft rock
(live versions of Marc Cohn’s “Ghost Train” and “Perfect Love”
and Babyface’s cover of “Fire and Rain,” both on CD, and Chris
Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” on LP), chamber music (Prokofiev’s First
Violin Sonata with Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg and Sandra Rivers,
Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata with Heifetz and Brooks Smith, Mr.
John Cage’s Prepared Piano, and Reiner Bredemeyer’s “Schlagstück 5,”
all on LP), vocal music (Mario Lanza Live in London, on CD), and
orchestral music (Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra, on LP).
I begin on the 29th floor of the Venetian, where the first
room I visited happened to house Scaena 3.2 ribbon/cone-
Left, Scaena 3.2 ribbon/cone loudspeaker; right, Quad Reference ESL-2905 electrostatic loudspeakers with Quad’s new II-eighty amps.
74 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Jonathan Valin
hybrid line-source loudspeakers ($45k)—the littler brother of
those barber-pole-like speaker that HP reviewed in Issue 180.
Driven by BAT electronics, these Scaenas showed considerably
better than they did at RMAF. A bit dry and hollow, because
of what sounded like (possibly room-induced) suckout in the
upper bass/lower midrange, the 3.2s did an otherwise fine job
of reproducing Marc Cohn’s “Ghost Train,” though his fretwork
wasn’t as clear as it is when I listen to this cut at home and the
whole presentation had a curious midrangey emphasis. Still,
this was a big step forward for Scaena in show sound-quality
compared to Denver.
Next door was the handsome, floor-standing Merlin VSM
Mxe two-way loudspeaker ($45k) driven by Joule electronics.
Once again, the sound was a little hollow in the Merlin room
and a touch forward, making Captain Luke’s rumbling basso on
“Rainy Night in Georgia” (from Came So Far) sound more spotlit
than it actually is. Both he and his guitar were quite articulate,
however, and freed up from the enclosures. The Merlins also
reproduced the gravel in Guitar Gabriel’s voice on “Keys to
the Highway” (also from Came So Far) distinctively, and had
particularly beautiful tone color on his guitar.
This year Alon Wolf ’s stand-mounted two-way Magico
Mini II ($29.6k) made its CES debut (the speaker was on static
display last year), driven by Pathos electronics in the Musical
Surroundings room. Despite being a bit underpowered by the
Pathos gear, which is notably warmer, darker, and more “tubey”
than the ARC gear I favor, the Mini II did nothing to harm its
reputation as one of the world’s supremely great loudspeakers.
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
HIGH-END LOUDSPEAKERS
On the Marc Cohn, Captain Luke, and Guitar Gabriel cuts (and
every other CD or LP I threw at it,), it was superb, boasting
the kind of astonishingly lifelike fine detail, density of timbre,
bass, imaging, and staging I’m used to hearing at home, with any
differences in dynamics and overall tonal balance attributable to
the difference in source and electronics. Clearly, this was one of
the very Best Sounds at CES.
I liked the Ambience Reference 1600 ribbon/cone
hybrids ($12k) at this year’s RMAF, and I liked them again at
CES. They reproduced the difficult Mario Lanza track “Il
Lamento di Federico” with a light, transparent balance and no
break-up on fortissimos. The speaker may have a bit of cone
coloration in the lower midband (where the woofer crosses over
to the ribbon, around 400Hz), and it was hard to tell about its
imaging because of the very nearfield setup (you actually had to
stand across from it to listen). Nonetheless, the Ambience 1600
is an excellent speaker—reminiscent of the superb Symposium
Acoustics Panorama, which is also a ribbon/cone hybrid.
On the 29th floor, I also heard, for the first time, the
big Quad Reference ESL-2905 ’stat ($13,800).
The largest and most full-range Quad ever, with
eight electrostatic panels fitted into a rigid extruded-
aluminum-and-stainless-steel support structure,
it was exceptional—pure, focused, with gorgeous
timbre on voice and piano on the Lanza disc (and
everything else), and particularly fine performance
at lower volumes. Driven by Quad’s new II-eighty
“valve” amps, the 2905 was another strong contender
for Best of Show.
Powered by Nagra electronics, the three-way,
floorstanding, WATT/Puppy-like Verity Audio
Sarastro 2 ($40k)—with 12" woofer (in its own
McIntosh XRT1k
ported enclosure), and a 5" midrange and Verity’s loudspeaker.
own ribbon tweeter (in an enclosure of their own)—
also showed very well, making Baez’s voice and guitar
on “Gospel Ship” sound beautiful, if not particularly “you-
are-there” real. Though a bit smaller in size and more forward
than I’m used to, Heifetz’s violin and Brooks Smith’s piano also
sounded lovely. Nitpicks aside, I’d have to say that this was the
best I’ve heard a Verity speaker sound at a trade show.
At first glance, I thought the four-way Vivid Audio G1 Giya
loudspeaker ($54k) was a B&W Nautilus clone, with its gorgeous
hand-layered-fiberglass cabinet capped with a curl, like the girl in
the nursery rhyme. Little did I know that the G1 was engineered
by Lawrence Dickie, the same guy who designed the Nautilus
for B&W! The little curl on top turned out to be an exponential
tube to load the aluminum-domed tweeter, which Vivid makes
in its own facilities. (Indeed, Vivid makes all the drivers used in
the G1.) The Giya was very neutral on voice, with a nice sense
of delicacy on Baez’s “House Carpenter.” I did think that the
center image was canted a bit to the right (undoubtedly a room or
set-up problem) and that the G1 was a bit better on voice than it
was on guitar, which it reproduced with more body than string. I
heard the same slight image wander on Chris Isaak’s “Dangerous
Game,” and the same (perhaps room-induced) touch of lower
76 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
midrange/mid-to-upper bass thickness, which slightly obscured
the ostinato of the Fender bass.
The Abbington Music Research LS-77 Professional
Monitor ($13.5k) is a two-way with an “iso-planar” tweeter (a
direct descendant of the legendary Decca “Volt” tweeter) and
a 10" Kapton mid/woof in an aluminum chassis. I heard a
stacked pair, driven by AMR’s own electronics, and the sound
was light and fast, with exceptional pace, rather like a Naim
speaker—but less irritating. A little leanish in balance, the LS-77
was exceptionally open and clear on all the cuts I played, with a
very good blend of planar tweet and cone woof.
The American Acoustic Development 7001i ($12.5k)
is a stand-mount ribbon/cone-hybrid two-way with a 6" passive
radiator on the back of its sealed box; it is intended primarily
for studio-monitor use. Driven by Parasound electronics, it had
a nice neutral midrange and very good detail. A little forward
and nasal, it sounded very present on “Ghost Train,” although it
lacked bass extension (as studio monitors tend to do).
The three-way floorstanding Avalon Acoustics
Eidolon Diamond ($34k), with diamond tweet,
ceramic midrange, and Nomex/Kevlar woofer,
was being driven by Hovland electronics. On Marc
Cohn’s “Ghost Train,” the Diamond sounded a bit
smaller-than-life-sized but downright beautiful, with
exquisite delicacy of timbre and dynamic. It was also
supremely lovely-sounding on Guitar Gabriel’s “Keys
to the Highway,” making the old man’s gravely voice
sound rich and robust, albeit a little “prettified.”
The Tidal Contriva ($44.9k), an all-ceramic-driver
multiway floorstander powered by ASR electronics,
reproduced Mario Lanza with superb focus, a nice
sense of spatiality, and very good bloom. Although I
detected a bit of strain on the fortissimos of the Cilea
aria, the speaker never broke up. It had excellent bass
extension and definition. Though the Contriva was
quite neutral on voice and instruments, it was also a little bleached-
sounding, forward, and polite, as ceramic-driver-equipped speakers
(and ASR electronics) can sometimes sound.
The multiway floorstanding Chario Serendipity with
isobaric bass modules ($32k), driven by Wavestream electronics
and a Continuum ’table with Koetsu Coral cartridge, was also a
bit disappointing. On the Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra,
the pizzicatos in the Passacaglia were muffled (perhaps the
volume was too low, although the rest of the orchestra was at
once bright, confused, and muffled, too).
Driven by Western Electric electronics, the three-way Isophon
Arabba ($60k), with Acuton ceramic and diamond drivers, was
bright, clear, and uncolored, with good bass. Like several other
diamond/ceramic-driver speaker, however, it was also a bit
antiseptic, sounding positively clinical on the Lutoslawski.
The Silverline La Folia ($12k), also a three-way with Acuton
ceramic tweeter and Eton midrange, fared much better than the
Isophon, with a nice, smooth presentation.
Comes now one of the show’s genuine surprises, the McIntosh
XRT1k multi-driver line-source loudspeaker ($35k), powered, of
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
HIGH-END LOUDSPEAKERS
Kharma’s new Exquisite Galileo 2.5-way loudspeaker with Tenor
electronics.
course, by McIntosh tube electronics and McIntosh’s new record
player (sourced from Clearaudio). Smooth, sweet, robust, and
breathy, it shocked me with its realistic presentation of “Ghost
Train.” As lifelike and enjoyable as anything I heard at CES, the
Mac speaker was not just an ear-opener but also a clear candidate
for Best of Show. Who’d have thunk it?
The Escalante Freemont ($21k), three-way floorstanders
with a Manger midrange (see below) and a concentrically-mounted
tweeter and two 10" woofers inside a bandpass enclosure, was
being powered by KR Audio’s cool-looking DX amps, which
use the giant T1610 dual-triode output tube. The sound here
immediately reminded me of contemporary
ARC equipment, which is a very good thing.
Marc Cohn’s voice and guitar had nice presence,
bloom, and air. The Freemont didn’t develop
much soundstage width (due to the room) and
the bass was a bit subdued, but the midrange
was marvelous. Some swell amps.
We move now to the 30th floor, where the two-
and-a-half-way Kharma Exquisite Galileo
($87k), with diamond tweet and two ceramic
mid/woofs in Kharma’s superb “Exquisite-
grade” cabinet, made its debut, driven by Tenor
electronics. On the Lutoslawski, the Galileo
reproduced both harp and bass pizzicatos in
the Passacaglia with excellent transient speed
and astonishing detail, albeit without the full
weight of the basses (or later, in the chorale, Nola Baby Grand Reference
of the bass drum). String tone was bright but ribbon/cone loudspeaker.
lovely, although flute and piccolo were a touch
too bright to my ear. However, the Galileo was nearly peerless
on Bredemeyer’s highly percussive “Schlagstück 5,” making
every instrument from piano to scraper sound spine-tinglingly
realistic. The speaker was a bit of an enigma. Clearly, the fastest,
most dynamic, most detailed, most transparent Kharma I’ve ever
auditioned, it was also just the slightest bit canted toward the
treble (perhaps because it was not yet fully broken in).
Which brings us to another Best of Show contender, the
three-way, floorstanding Magico V3 ($25k), reviewed by
Robert Harley in Issue 179. Before I discuss this superb speaker,
I have to confess (or re-affirm) that I am not wild about the
Boulder electronics that were used to drive it. To me they sound
78 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
too flat and controlled, too solid-state. As a result, Captain
Luke’s voice on “Rainy Night in Georgia” didn’t have all the
depth, bloom, and whisker-chinned detail I know it has. That
said, his rumbling basso still sounded superbly lifelike, as did
Guitar Gabriel’s cracked, gravelly, old man’s baritone. Even the
electronics couldn’t disguise the realism of timbre and dynamic,
the sheer coherence and cohesiveness of Alon Wolf ’s newest
marvel. Though, to my ear, the V3 is not quite as “there” as the
Mini II in the midband, it was certainly a very close call between
these two superb speakers on every cut I listened to (allowing for
the differences in electronics and source), with the advantage in
dynamic range and power and extension in the bass clearly going
to the less-expensive V3.
Hong Kong’s KingSound King System ($16k), a tall
floorstanding electrostat with a line array of cone woofers in
a separate enclosure, was very dynamic on “Ghost Train” and
other cuts, with excellent density of color in the midband, It was,
however, slightly thumpy in the low bass and a bit dry overall.
Not my cup of Earl Grey.
Another import (this from Great Britain), the venerable B&W
800 D ($20k), sounded (as it usually does) bright, lively, highly
detailed, and just a bit aggressive. This is the kind of loudspeaker
that will give you a superb sense of the stickwork on drumkits and
the fingerwork on bass guitar. Transient response is its forte.
The Art Deco 10 ($23k), a ported floor-
standing two-way using a 10" SEAS woof and a
SEAS soft-dome tweet with ultra-pricey Jensen
caps in its crossover, appeared to be another
in the long parade of would-be Magico Mini
killers. In the same room were Audio Teckne
electronics and the beautiful DaVinci AAS
Gabriel turntable ($37k) with Nobile arm
($6200), which gave me the chance to listen to
vinyl on a first-rate source. On the Prokofiev
First Violin Sonata, the Art Deco got the violin
harmonics at the close of the third movement
just right; the piano was also excellent. This
speaker (or this ’table and arm) had very full
bass for a two-way. On top, the fiddle was just
a bit wiry, though still lovely. On “Schlagstück
5,” the high-pitched percussion was also a tad
bright. The speaker was very interesting, the
’table and arm way cool.
Speaking of way cool, my second huge surprise at CES (after
the McIntosh room) was the Nola Baby Grand Reference
($55k), an open-baffle, floorstanding, three-way ribbon/cone
hybrid driven by superb ARC electronics. In every way, this was
the best Nola loudspeaker demo I’ve ever heard, and undoubtedly
one of the very Best Sounds at CES. “Rainy Night in Georgia,”
“Keys to the Highway,” the Mario Lanza aria, all sounded superbly
lifelike. The Grand Reference was exceptional—open, airy, and
realistic, with instrumental and vocal images simply bursting with
bloom, energy, and color. Nola ought to demo with ARC at every
show from here on out—the combination was that winning.
The Revolver Cygnis ($14k) is a three-way floorstander with
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
HIGH-END LOUDSPEAKERS
Left, Gershman Black Swan three-way dynamic loudspeaker;
right, Cessaro Alpha 1 horn-loaded three-way loudspeaker.
aluminum tweet, carbon-fiber mid, and paper woof in a ported
enclosure. Very good on voices, like Joan Baez’s on “Banks of
the Ohio,” with nice neutral mids, it was otherwise a bit bright in
balance and, thanks to a poor room, relatively lacking in depth.
The Usher Audio Be-10 ($15k), a handsome floorstanding
three-way with beryllium tweet, beryllium mid, and Eton Kevlar
woofer, was another semi-surprise. Driven by Oracle electronics,
it sounded terrific on “Ghost Train” and other acoustic cuts,
with very good breadth and depth of stage, nice detail, and
excellent transients. The bass might have been a little plummy in
this room, but otherwise the speaker was an ear-opener from a
company that I haven’t previously paid serious attention to.
Driven by Tenor electronics, the 2.5-way Kharma 3.2.2
($33.5k), essentially a CRM3.2 with an additional ceramic mid/bass
driver, was being shown with an open-reel tape machine that gave
it a, uh, slight leg up on source material. It sounded fantastic with
the tapes—sweet, rich, and full-bodied. But I was actually even
more impressed with the way it showed on select cuts of vinyl, like
Baez’s “Banks of the Ohio.” It’s funny to hear tapes and LPs side
by side. LPs don’t sound as detailed, transparent, or continuous
as tapes, but they’re somehow more solidly there and if not more
realistic, more beautiful. At least, they were in this Kharma room.
The Siltech Pantheon 25 ($13k) was a three-way, four-
driver loudspeaker, with two 16" woofers (isobaric loading), a
patented 6" midrange driver, and a Cadence electrostatic tweeter
from India that is energized by internal lithium batteries! The
Pantheon was very controlled—too controlled, I thought. Maybe
the speaker or electronics needed more break-in, but the sound
was a disappointment. Bass was too tight and not as extended as
you would expect from such large drivers; as a result, the overall
presentation tended toward the dry and analytical.
In contrast, the Gershman Black Swan ($36k) with Lamm
amplification, while a bit darkish in balance, was one of the
Best Sounds of the Show, with superb bass (superb everything,
actually, from top to bottom). It isn’t news anymore, but this is
one terrific loudspeaker.
80 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Hansen Audio demonstrated a new version of The Prince
($39k), a three-way employing proprietary cabinet and driver
technologies. Driven by CAT electronics and a Red Point Model
D turntable fitted with the $15k Koetsu Coralstone cartridge, The
Prince V2 delivered excellent dynamics and a huge soundstage
The four-way, floorstanding Von Schweikert R-5 ($26k)
with quasi-transmission-line loading of the bass drivers
showed exceptionally well, thanks, I think, to Audio Space’s
wonderful (Product of the Year Award-winning) Reference
Two preamp and new Reference Three amps. These electronics
literally transformed the previously unimpressive R-5, adding
wonderfully realistic clarity and detail to Marc Cohn’s voice on
“Ghost Train”—so much detail that you could almost hear the
spit in his mouth. Same with Guitar Gabriel on “Keys to the
Highway” and Captain Luke on “Rainy Night in Georgia.” The
utterly unstrained, non-electronic transparency of these Audio
Space products from Peter Lau is phenomenal. Clearly, one of
the very Best Sounds at CES.
The Manger 109-AG ($25k) is a handsome stand-mounted
two-way equipped with the Manger bending-wave transducer
(which is rather like a spherical planar) operating from 140Hz–
35kHz, and a Scan Speak 8" bass driver below 140Hz. Fed by
Metronome’s Calista transport and C3A DAC, the 109-AG made
Marc Cohn’s touching “Perfect Love” sound nearly perfect, with
superb imaging size and height, very fine detail, and lovely timbre.
The sound was liquid, without much power in the bass but with
decent balance, nonetheless.
The Cessaro Alpha 1 ($60k) was an imposing three-way
horn loudspeaker with a TAD compression tweeter, a 2" TAD
midrange loaded by a spherical horn, and a backloaded 16"
TAD woofer. Electronics were from Zanden, which left their
lovely imprint on the Alpha 1, making it sound very low in horn
coloration, smooth, spacious, and not aggressively detailed but
not missing anything important, either. On “Schlagstück 5” the
Alpha 1 demonstrated absolutely incredible transient response in
the treble (and everywhere else)—the best transient response
I’ve ever heard on cymbals and bells. It was superb again on the
gamelan-like prepared piano in Mr. John Cage’s Prepared Piano. Had
it not been for a slightly shelved up response in the upper mids,
this would have been my undisputed choice for Best Sound of
CES 2008. If Cessaro can add a little more density of color to
the upper bass and lower mids, it will have a world-beater here.
As it stands, the Alpha 1 did something no other speaker did at
CES—it showed me a new level of resolution and realism.
I was considerably less impressed with the three-way
floorstanding Venture Reference 3 Signature ($135k),
with four woofers and an AMT tweeter, which sounded just okay
driven by Venture’s electronics and a Weiss DAC and transport.
The Acapella High Violin Mk IV ($59k), however, was a
different story. This beautiful three-way with horn-loaded plasma
tweeter, spherical-horn-loaded midrange, and two 11" woofers
in an isobaric enclosure, made a beautiful sound—very smooth,
liquid mids and dark, sweet, liquid highs. The bass was also quite
dense in color and nuance, though it overloaded the room a bit
on one side. The High Violin might not have been the most
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW
HIGH-END LOUDSPEAKERS
dead-neutral sound at CES but, driven by Einstein electronics, it
was certainly among the most musical.
We now leave the 30th floor and leap to the 34th, where the
Wilson Audio MAXX 2s ($45k) made their best showing
since I heard them driven by ARC electronics several years
ago, thanks to Vladmir Lamm’s fabulous new four-chassis ML-
3 monoblock amplifiers (priced at a cool $139,290) and TW
Acustic’s supremely musical AC-3 turntable (reviewed by me in
Issue 180). This marvelous system reproduced the Prokofiev
First Violin Sonata with superb definition, timbre, bass, and
soundstage depth, combining incredible “sustain” on pedaled
piano notes with incredible control and detail in the fiddle. That
said, there was a slight, persistent spot of added brightness in the
upper mids and lower treble followed by a slight roll-off in the
top treble—a profile I associate with Wilson’s tweeter. Still and
Left, Avalon Indra three-way dynamic loudspeaker; right, Andrew
Jones with his newest creation, the TAD Compact Reference One.
all, this was a great stereo system (and a great debut for Vladimir’s
amp). Clearly, another top contender for Best of Show.
And so was the three-way/four-driver Avalon Indra ($20k),
which reproduced Cohn’s “Ghost Train” (and other select cuts)
with exceptional openness and astonishingly good, powerful,
and detailed deep bass (from two 7" Nomex/Kevlar woofers).
Though a bit smaller than life in imaging, this speaker disappeared
more completely as a sound source than anything I’d heard up
until that point (save for the Mini IIs and V3s). Another top
contender for Best of Show.
The big, D’Appolito-arrayed, multidriver Dynaudio
Evidence Temptations ($30k) were being shown in the
Boulder room, along with Boulder’s 1021 CD player, 1010
preamp, and 1050 monoblocks. I have to admit that the sound
here was what I would have called, before RMAF, “typical
Boulder,” which is to say, typical solid-state. But having heard the
Boulder gear sound wonderful with Focal speakers in Denver,
I don’t know if what I heard at CES was the result of a bad
room or a poor combination of electronics and loudspeaker, or,
contrarily, if what I heard at RMAF was just a lucky accident.
82 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Next-door was the IsoMike room, where eight huge Sound
Lab Pro-Stats ($34k/pair) were being fed IsoMike surround
tapes through EMM Labs electronics. The recording I heard, of
piano, was superb. IsoMiked or not, the Pro-Stats (commercial
versions of the Sound Lab M-1a’s) are one of the truly great full-
range electrostats, with simply gorgeous timbre.
Also on the 34th floor was Andrew Jones’ beautiful, three-way,
floorstanding TAD Reference One loudspeaker ($60k)—with
its famous concentric beryllium midrange/tweeter and two ported
10" woven-Aramid-sandwich woofers—fed by Ayre electronics
and one of The Tape Project 15ips, two-track tape players. The
sound on the tapes was, needless to say, astonishing. On my own
discs, the results were mixed—very good on Captain Luke’s
voice and guitar on “Rainy Night in Georgia,” less impressive
on Mark Cohn’s “Ghost Train,” where the bass seemed weak.
Perhaps it was the arid Ayre electronics, of which I am no fan.
Nonetheless, I know these speakers are special, and they need a
review in TAS. In an adjoining room, I heard the gorgeous, three-
way, stand-mounted TAD Compact Reference One ($TBA)
with Jones’ concentric beryllium mid/tweet and slot-loaded
Aramid-sandwich woof. Though they’re not Magico Mini killers
yet (they’re still in development), the sound they made driven by
TAD’s own preamp and 300W Class A amp was big, robust, and
beautiful, with very deep bass, very good dynamics, and very nice
staging (in spite of the fact that the speakers were parked against
a wall). Overall, the Compact R-1s were a smidgeon darker than
life but still extremely attractive. I’ll be waiting for them with
open ears and arms, when Jones deems them ready for review.
On to the 35th floor, where Sumiko debuted the Vienna
Acoustics Klimt Series “The Music” ($25k), a statement-
level three-way with a coaxially mounted tweet on a flat polymer/
glass-fiber cone that together play from 150Hz to 20kHz, with the
low bass handled by three woofs. Though the bass was overblown
on Marc Cohn’s “Ghost Train” (perhaps a room resonance), the
sound was otherwise excellent. Detail here was extremely high,
with exceptional resolution of fingerwork on Guitar Gabriel’s
guitar (the sound of fingers sliding on strings was astonishingly
present) and a warm, sweet tonal balance.
From the 35th floor I headed down to the Venetian Meeting
Rooms in the Sands Expo and Convention center, where I heard
the most enigmatic speaker of the show—the omnidirectional
MBL 101 Extreme ($180k!). Those of you who remember my
CES report from last year will recall how disappointed I was with
this flagship from MBL’s Wolfgang Meletzky. This year, though
ultimately also disappointing, was different. I can honestly say that
no other speaker at CES reproduced Marc Cohn’s “Ghost Train”
with more three-dimensionality, more body and sock, more sheer
density of tone color (Lord, you should have heard that guitar!),
more sheer exciting realism than the Extreme. And yet, on other
music the speaker was bright and shrill and confused-sounding.
Part of the problem was the horrible room, which had what
looked like forty-foot-high ceilings—a veritable echo chamber.
Part of the problem was poor setup (even the channels were
reversed). And part of the problem was the volume level that
MBL insists on playing music at. I understand, from experience,
2008 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

HIGH-END LOUDSPEAKERS
why MBL plays loud—the Radialstrahlers sound better loud. But
loud is one thing; deafening is another. And deafening is where
the volume pot was generally set. This won’t do, not for a $180k
JV’s Best of Show
speaker driven by half-a-million dollars worth of electronics. Best Sounds: No single Most Important Trend:
MBL really needs to get its act together with these babies, speaker stood way above The persistence of analog. In
because they just might be great. In fact, they were great on the the pack this year in my the spite of the iPod and the
Cohn disc. So…Best of Show? Worst of Show? Probably, a little price range, so I’m going to computer-based music serv-
of each, though more, alas, of the latter. name several Best Sounds of er, the turntable just keeps
I’ll end this report with another speaker that suffered from Show: the Magico Mini II, the spinning along, and now
terrible room conditions (it, too, was parked in a Venetian Meeting Magico V3, the Quad Refer- reel-to-reel tape is making a
Room echo chamber with forty-foot ceilings)—the German ence ESL-2905, the Cessaro mini-comeback in the form of
Physiks Carbon Mk IV ($39k), a “bending wave”-driver Alpha 1, the Nola Baby Grand The Tape Project decks and
(like a neo-Walsh driver) loudspeaker that uses a carbon-fiber Reference, the Von Schweik- 15ips half-track tapes.
cone and a carbon-fiber enclosure. To be honest, I didn’t really ert R-5, the McIntosh XRT1k,
come to hear the German Physiks speaker but the Continuum the Gershman Black Swans, Most Significant New
Criterion turntable with Copperhead arm that had been so the Wilson MAXX 2s, the Products: The Lamm ML3
disappointing at last year’s show (and was not overly impressive in Avalon Indras, the TAD Refer- monoblock power amplifier.
various rooms at this year’s). With an LP from Acoustic Sounds’
Chad Kassem—a Speaker’s Corner EMI reissue of Maurizio
Pollini playing Chopin’s First Piano Concerto—spinning on the
Criterion, I sat down to listen, not expecting much. Guess what?
In spite of the terrible room the German Physiks sounded quite
respectably good, with very nice detail on string choirs, good
depth and separation, excellent piano tone and imaging, and a
marked liveliness without aggression. This was much better than
the German Physiks and the Continuum had sounded in the past
(or than the ’table/arm sounded elsewhere at the show). I think,
next year, these guys ought to do themselves a favor and find a
smaller, less daunting room to show in. If the speakers and ’table
could sound this good in awful conditions, imagine how both
might sound in better ones. TAS

ence One and TAD Compact Greatest Technologi-

Reference One, and the
Kharma 3.2.2s.
Greatest Bargain: In
my neck of the woods, that
would have to be the Quad
Reference ESL-2905.
Biggest Surprises: The
Cessaro Alpha 1, the Nola
Baby Grand Reference, the
Von Schweikert R-5, and the
McIntosh XRT1k.
German Physiks Carbon Mk IV “bending-wave” loudspeaker.
cal Breakthrough:
Though it isn’t exactly a
technological breakthrough
(in fact, it’s a technological
throwback), the one product
at CES 2008 that raised
the bar on musical realism,
reproducing information that
I had never heard before
from discs and LPs I know
by heart, was the Cessaro
Alpha 1, which simply set
a new standard in lifelike
treble-range resolution and
transient response.

84 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

Equipment Report
Class (A) Act
Accuphase E-550 Class A Integrated Amplifier
Sue Kraft
F
ollowing in the footsteps of Accuphase’s celebrated E-
530 flagship integrated, the newly revamped successor
model E-550 is an inspiring combination of elegance and
feature-rich convenience teamed with the uncommon clarity,
brilliance, and musicality of pure Class A operation.
Perhaps the most significant addition to this conservatively
rated 30Wpc single-box unit is the incorporation of a scaled-
down version of the Accuphase Analog Vari-gain Amplifier, or
AAVA volume control. Formerly only found in the company’s
top-of-the-line preamplifiers, the E-550 is the first integrated
from Accuphase to boast this marvel of modern technology.
Replacing a more conventional resistance-based potentiometer—
that inherently raises impedance, thus introducing noise as volume
levels are increased—AAVA adjusts listening volume via 16
current switches, which are then fed into 16 converter amplifiers.
Through the selective use of these converter amplifiers, the
actual gain is changed, thus eliminating changes in impedance
and the resulting deterioration of signal-to-noise ratio.
The volume-control knob’s position is detected by the CPU,
which in turn selects the appropriate current switches. Although
the AAVA’s control system is digital, the signal path is pure analog.
The number of possible volume steps as set by the combination
of converter amplifiers is 2 to the 16th power or 65,536, which
means you’d be beyond help if you couldn’t find just the “right”
volume setting for those delicate audiophile ears. The “feel” of the
volume control knob was as smooth as any, although I did cheat
by using the supplied RC-200 remote for most of my listening.
88 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
I know that I’ve bragged in the past about how I seldom use
remotes as I enjoy the exercise of getting up and down, but that’s
only when the component in question is raised off the floor and
doesn’t involve both walking and bending to adjust volume. (This
bird ain’t no spring chicken.) In this case, the E-550 was placed
on the floor between the speakers, atop one of my Symposium
Svelte shelves. Were I ever fortunate enough to own one of
high end’s ultimate integrateds, I’d invest in a dedicated stand
for the obvious sonic merits as well as easier access to the many
features and functions. For those without the luxury of wide-
open spaces, the E-550 doesn’t run as hot as you’d think for a
Class A amplifier. My handy-dandy every-girl-ought-to-have-one
temperature meter locked in readings ranging from 115–127
degrees (F) across the top of the chassis after 2–3 hours of
operation. With proper ventilation, the Accuphase ought to be
quite happy in more confined quarters.
Another benefit of the highly precise AAVA electronic circuit
is the virtual elimination of left/right tracking errors. And
because channels can be kept separate, crosstalk is not a problem
either. The functions of the attenuator and balance control are
also covered by AAVA, eliminating the need for additional circuit
stages.
While the power amplifier section features Accuphase’s tried-
and-true current-feedback principle, further improvements
were implemented via “MCS+” circuit topology for even better
electrical characteristics. Power MOSFETs arranged in a triple-
parallel push-pull configuration populate the output stage and,
 EQUIPMENT REPORT - Accuphase E-550 Class A Integrated Amplifier
as mentioned earlier, are driven
in Class A. A large 430VA high-
efficiency toroidal transformer
along with eight 10,000µF
filtering capacitors shore up linear
progression of output power:
The E-550 is rated at 30Wpc into
8 ohms, 60Wpc into 4 ohms, and
120Wpc into 2 ohms. Accuphase
guarantees all its measurements,
which suggests that these numbers
have to be on the conservative
side. (It wouldn’t make sense to
guarantee power ratings at the
high end of the spectrum.) These
conservative measurements were
confirmed in listening tests, as
I had no problems at all driving
the B&W 800D at my normal,
moderately loud listening levels.
If you’re looking for the kind of
impact that will knock holes in your listening room walls, then I’d as well. The champagne-
say maybe the E-550 isn’t for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be too gold chassis has the
quick to dismiss this integrated based on what is obviously a very easily identifiable look of
conservative 30Wpc power rating. understated elegance that
Not only will the persnickety purist audiophile appreciate the has been the hallmark of
E-550, but the feature-philes among us will likely be gratified, Accuphase for years. An
input-selector knob on

Specs & Pricing the left side and volume-

Output power: 30Wpc into 8
ohms, 60Wpc into 4 ohms,
120Wpc into 2 ohms
Inputs: Five line-level RCA,
two (line/CD) balanced XLR,
one unbalanced RCA power
amplifier input
Outputs: Two pairs of speaker
terminals, one RCA pre-out
Dimensions: 18-5/16" x 7-11/16"
x 16-13/16"
Weight: 52.7 lbs. (net)
User Options: DAC-20 ($995),
AD-20 ($995), and LINE-10
input boards
Price: $9995
Axiss Audio (U.S.
Distributor)
17800 South Main Street,
Suite 109
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 329-0187
www.axissaudio.com
90 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
Meridian 808 & G08 CD
players; Meridian G02
controller, Atma-Sphere MP-3
preamp, BAT 3ix preamp,
Sonic Euphoria passive
preamp; Meridian G57 amp,
BAT VK-55 amp, Atma-Sphere
Novacron amps, Atma-Sphere
M60 amps; B&W 800D & 704
speakers, VS VR4jr speakers,
Coincident Super Eclipse
speakers; various Harmonic
Technology, Synergistic
Research, Audio Magic, Paul
Speltz, Elrod, Cardas, JPS,
Tributaries, Bright Star Audio,
and Symposium cables &
accessories; Chang Lightspeed
Encounter & CLS 705
powerline filter; Echo Busters
& ACS room treatment
control knob on the right
side straddle a pair of
classic Accuphase blue
power meters; most of
the other buttons and
switches are hidden behind
a drop-down door on the
lower front panel. Features
include all the usual suspects such as bass, treble, and balance
controls, compensator (loudness), power-amp input attenuator,
and headphone jack. Preamplifier outputs and power amp inputs
allow each section to be used separately. The back panel includes
five RCA inputs, a pair of balanced (XLR) inputs, a tape in/out,
two sets of speaker terminals, and three slots for optional input
boards.
If you’re like me and haven’t used a tone control in decades,
you needn’t worry. There’s also a tone-control defeat-switch
on the E-550. I enlisted the aid of a friend for an afternoon
of experimenting with the tone control, as sometimes it can be
rather discombobulating to be jumping up and down constantly
while trying to do a comparison. (The only remote functions are
volume and input selection.) Although not dramatic, I did hear
some signal degradation with the tone control in the circuit, but
then it’s tough to sneak anything by a revealing speaker like the
B&W 800D. With a less-revealing speaker, you may not hear
much difference at all.
And lest anyone think I’m a tone-control snob, I must already
 Accuphase E-550 Class A Integrated Amplifier - EQUIPMENT REPORT
recant the statement that I haven’t touched a tone control in midrange, the bottom registers had nice body and substance
decades, as I just remembered the Proton table radio, which I and definition. The dynamics were lively and addictively precise.
have owned for years. I fire it up on occasional for my “fix” of There’s nothing heavy or sluggish about the E-550. Soundstaging
60s bubblegum from a local oldies station. The Proton’s tone had room-sized width and depth, images were stable, transparency
controls, along with external speakers and a line conditioner was phenomenal, with the kind of separation among instruments
(we’re so crazy, aren’t we?), make the music almost listenable. and vocals that I could drive my car through, if I owned one.
Just don’t tell anyone my dirty little secret about enjoying 60s All kidding aside, the Accuphase E-550 is a top-flight integrated
bubblegum or my audio reviewer’s license may be revoked. from a company known and respected in the industry for its
After a few weeks break-in time, as well as sufficient warm- service, reliability, and technological innovations. Sonically, this
up periods before listening sessions, the E-550 blossomed into conservatively rated 30Wpc pure Class A amplifier is a dream. As
a real sonic barnburner. I had a tough time finding any fault my friend was leaving that afternoon he turned to me and asked,
with this one, as it would seem the folks at Accuphase know “If the world ends tomorrow, can I borrow the Accuphase
exactly what I like to hear. Without a direct comparison to the today?” This is the one you might want to take with you. TAS
company’s flagship predecessor, it’s hard to
know how much credit is owed the AAVA
volume control. Suffice it to say the E-550
is as clean and clear as any amp I’ve heard,
perhaps even more so. I’d almost call it clarity
to a fault, but not to the point of sounding
sterile. Quite the opposite is true. There’s
a pervasive and quite addictive energy and
light emanating from within that makes the
music dance and sparkle with excitement.
This is the sonic attribute that sets the
Accuphase apart for me, as I rarely hear
components with this kind of brilliance.
And just so there is no mistake, brilliance
does not equal brightness. Brilliance and
sparkle (at least for me) are qualities that
separate live events from recorded ones.
The Accuphase E-550 sets a stage that is
light and airy, gratifyingly three-dimensional,
precise, and intricately detailed. Highs had a
silky quality to them, but not the kind of
euphonic silkiness that often comes from
components glossing over the fine details.
I heard a few more flaws than I usually do
in some recordings, but nothing that made
the E-550 sound ruthless. My entire system
leans to the revealing side, so I can’t entirely
blame (or give credit to, depending on your
perspective) the Accuphase. One recording
with no apparent flaws was Audiophile Vocal
Recordings [Chesky]. I hate it when reviewers
say lame things like they were blown away, so
I won’t, although I was. Vocals were just so
naturally smooth and breathy, with palpable
body and substance. Rebecca Pidgeon’s lips
weren’t the size of the Grand Canyon and
her face didn’t stretch from the ceiling to
the floor. Images were realistically life-sized,
with heads attached to actual bodies. What
a concept! And what a lovely evening spent
listening.
Like baby bear’s porridge, top-to-bottom
tonal balance was “just right.” And like the
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 91
Equipment Report
Tiger Tamers
ModWright SWL 9.0SE Special Edition and
9.0SE Signature Edition Vacuum Tube Preamplifiers
Sallie Reynolds
T
he ModWright SWL 9.0SE Special Edition linestage has
been with me for some months, performing well and
musically. Its two 5687 output tubes are easy to install,
and it offers inputs for CD, tuner, DVD, and home-theater
bypass. All according to Hoyle. More than Hoyle, actually. The
ModWright adds a patina of high-end performance to reasonably
priced tube-based systems.
On all music, the ModWright revealed deep, tight bass and
extended, sweet highs. The Jacques Loussier Trio’s Best of Play
Bach [Telarc] was rich in musical nuances and vibrant instrumental
timbres, particularly the piano, which is dominant in the mix.
On Glenn Kotche’s percussive cornucopia Mobile [Nonesuch],
high-hat cymbals had nice sparkle thanks to the ModWright. The
midrange was full and resonant on both albums. The linestage
seemed unusually low in distortion, throughout.
Soundstaging was especially deep and wide, and images
were solid and distinct (an enveloping, almost holographic,
soundspace is one of the things I love about tubes). All of this
was in wonderful evidence in full orchestral works, such as Fauré’s
Requiem [Collegium], which includes singers and an organ.
Transients were a little soft—no surprise in a tube setup—but
still had good “edge,” so the Kotche was more than listenable.
Overall, soundstaging and bass were what won my admiration
with this preamp driving tube amps. Good solid performance,
with clarity and excitement.
But I suspected the ModWright had more to offer, so to
turn the ModWright loose, I tried it with contemporary Class
D amps. At shows this linestage is often paired with the Class
D Red Dragon Leviathan amps and the Acoustic Zen Adagio
92 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
loudspeakers (my references). So, I used the Red Dragon and
NuForce Class D monoblocks to give the ModWright an acid
test.
Class D amps are famous for extraordinary bass, great “speed,”
extra-worldly clarity, and a sense of sheer force. But they also
come with a warning tag: “Can be overly aggressive.” With a
solid-state preamp, which I used on both Class D amps as a point
of comparison, “aggressive” was actually a kind description.
Now, in went the ModWright, bringing to the mix its own
clarity, low-distortion, and purported tiger-taming skill. Sure
enough, the pain went away—even on the NuForce, which is
a little wilder in dynamics and edgier, a little more of a “new”
sound than the Red Dragon. With this two-fisted combination,
I heard transients crisp and tingling. Speed? Yes, indeedy—and
drive. With the ModWright in command, this system took off.
Small ensembles came into tight focus. When string players’
fingers moved like lightning, you heard that precisely. Without
blur. The bass player’s artistry in the Loussier disc was no longer
veiled by the piano but audible even in the densest passages. The
gamelan on Harrison’s Gamelan Music [Musicmaster Classics], my
standby for judging subtleties, had spine-tingling resonances and
a shining clarity. Subtle? In the details, yes, but emphatically not
in impact.
The soundstage deepened, as if some bass-barrier had melted,
leaving a palpable sense of depth. For me, the genius of this
preamp is that, with Class D amps, it brings the passion, drive,
and depth of musicians to life.
On well-recorded large stuff, heaven smiled. McPhee’s
Tabuh-Tabuhan [Mercury], a shimmering symphonic wave, was
 ModWright SWL 9.0SE Special Edition and
EQUIPMENT REPORT - 9.0SE Signature Edition Vacuum Tube Preamplifiers

particularly lush and wonderful when the ModWright was driving
the Red Dragons. The NuForces on this recording traded some
lushness for an extra punch of power. The sound was as good,
just different. To be thorough, I slipped the solid-state preamp in
for this recording for comparison. And rushed to get back that
ModWright! Ah, sweet relief.
Problems? On badly multimiked orchestral works and really
hashy recordings (e.g., The Long Black Veil), the sound was—ugly.
Every problem stood out like a boil—with both amps. (It was
worse with a solid-state preamp.) But this is a sonic malady I’m
afraid even Dr. ModWright cannot cure.
At about this moment, I received the confusingly named (too
many meanings for “SE”) SWL 9.0SE Signature Edition, a new
preamp from ModWright with a number of design changes,
among them a rectifying tube in the power supply. I hooked the
Signature up to the Red Dragons, and on advice, let it warm up.
Two hours later I was surrounded by music—a wave of sound,
from top to bottom, no ceiling. I cranked up the volume. More
music. More enveloping sound. That lift of the ceiling is vinyl-
like, but without vinyl-like distortions.
The Signature distills the virtues of the Special. The Best of
Play Bach had even deeper, clearer bass; Jacques Loussier’s piano,
particularly on solos, was so dramatic that it brought tears to my
eyes. Transients were swifter than swift. The really fast sections,
the plucked bass and piano runs, had no blurring. Did I say “no
blur” earlier? Now I heard “no blur.” The drum tremors on Mickey
Hart’s Planet Drum [Ryko] were no longer a distant rumble, but
good, crackling thunder. Every microtone of Kotche’s was clear
and sparkling. Gongs rang with life; taps on metal sang and
bloomed. And yet, in the midst of this almost scary clarity, the
center held. Soundstage? The Mercury Tabuh spread out like a
feast in my room, surrounding me. The wash of sound unraveled
until I could understand the warp and woof of this quirky piece,
while the cloth remained intact. Music to dream about.
The new ModWright did much the same with the NuForces. A

Specs & Pricing
ModWright SWL 9.0SE
linestage preamp with remote
Inputs: CD, tuner, DVD, and
home-theater bypass
Outputs: Two
Dimensions: 17" x 12" x 4"
Weight: 24 lbs.
Price: $2495
ModWright SWL 9.0SE
Signature Edition linestage
preamp with remote
Inputs: as above
Outputs: as above
Dimensions: 17" x 12" x 4"
Weight: 24 lbs.
Price: $2995
94 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
ModWright Instruments
21919 NE 399 St.
Amboy, WA 98601
(360) 247-6688
modwright.com
Frank L. Kraus (U.S.
Distributor)
(856) 374-4757
FLKraus@netzero.net
Associated Equipment
Acoustic Zen Adagio
loudspeakers; Musical Fidelity
A5 CD player; Red Dragon and
NuForce Class D amplifiers;
NuForce preamplifier; Acoustic
Zen and Nordost cabling
bit more oomph in the bass than with the Red Dragons, whose
“balance” feels softer, but only by a cashmere thread. Did either
combo make bad recordings listenable? Not with large music. But
when I learned of his death, I played Rostropovich’s recording
of Bach’s Cello Suites, and the single instrument, not optimally
recorded by EMI, was glorious.
I haven’t heard either ModWright preamp with a non-Class D
solid-state amplifier, so I can’t promise they’ll perform as nobly
there. I suspect they will, and I know the Special Edition was
superior with tube amplifiers. But if you hope to set off for the
stars, try either ModWright preamp with Class D amplification.
Both extract the harshness, without adding any tube vices that I
could hear. The high-octane Signature version, which costs about
$500 more than the regular, takes a giant step forward in depth,
soundstage, and transparency.
This ModWright Signature preamp/Class D amp combo
makes, to my ears, a new vibrant sound. Ninety percent of its
presentation is addictive, seductive, beautiful, exciting—a musical
experience far from anything I’ve known. The only question is:
How many bad recordings do you love?
Revelation isn’t perfection, nor is magic always a soft ride. But
this was an A-ticket trip for me. And it might just send you, too,
right out of this world. TAS
Equipment Report
Just Right
Nola Viper Reference Loudspeaker
Tom Martin

L
et’s get right down to it: This
speaker sounds significantly differ-
ent than most other speakers any-
where near its lofty $12,000-per-pair asking
price. A natural follow-up question would
be, “Is that a good thing?” And I’d give a
solid “Yes” as an answer. I really, really liked
listening to this speaker, and I can’t say that
about more than a few speakers in the $7000
to $20,000 price range. Because the differ-
ences between the Viper Reference and
other speakers are so big and so musically
beneficial, I think every audiophile should
consider the issues this speaker raises.
The Vipers’ sound isn’t obviously
a function of their design. They ap-
pear to be fairly conventional three-way,
floorstanding, acoustic-suspension speak-
ers. They use two smallish (8.6") woof-
ers instead of one larger woofer, which
is hardly exceptional. The midrange and
tweeter are mounted on an open baffle
board, which allows some of the midrange
and treble sound to be directed rearward,
which is a bit less common. And the Vi-
pers incorporate a few certifiably unusual
technologies, including Alnico magnets in
their drivers, crossovers that are separate
from the speaker enclosures, and ball bear-
ing-coupled isolation platforms. But, if we
really need a technological reason for their
different sound, it seems most likely to lie
in the years of experience and attention to
detail that Carl Marchisotto—head of the
Nola design team—brings to this speaker.
A better way of understanding the
Vipers is to consider a few characteristics
of their sound. First, let’s take the analyti-
cal view. Here are my listening notes from
that perspective:

• Even tonal balance, though definitely

not bright
• Not the last word in transparency,
though quite open-sounding
• Shy on deep bass; upper bass warm
and full
96 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
 Nola Viper Reference Loudspeaker
• Good central image and depth; image
height a bit constrained
• Dynamics slightly soft, but large-scale
material seems uncompressed
Most products end up with listen-
ing notes that resemble this list in the
sense that there are pros and cons. Most
products we review in the pages of this
magazine have more pros than cons
because the staff spends a large amount
of time vetting the interesting products
from the mass of average products in an
endeavor to focus their reviewing time
and your reading time on the real con-
tenders.
Judged simply from this analytical
perspective, you could conclude that the
Nola Viper is “another good speaker.”
By “another good speaker” I mean that
the designer, facing the laws of physics
with a specific budget, wisely chose
certain trade-offs from what was pos-
sible. But the designer could have made
other wise choices from among those
tradeoffs, which would have yielded
other pros and cons, and “another good
speaker,” albeit a different one.
As a reviewer (and perhaps as a
reader) you tend to hate this situation
because it doesn’t serve up very inter-
esting narrative material. “New Techno-
logical Breakthrough” or “David Beats
Goliath” or “Much Closer to the Sound
of Live Music Than Anything I’ve Ever
Heard” are more compelling story lines.
But in the case of a lot of analog equip-
ment, the technology is relatively mature
and many of the designers are quite
good, so the reality is that there are mul-
tiple “good products” making different
tradeoffs in sensible ways.
Leaving our view of the Nola Viper at
the level of “another good speaker” has
several problems, however. While we’re
still thinking analytically, I believe that
the reader who cottons to this perspec-
tive intuitively salutes a certain philoso-
phy. This philosophy could probably be
expressed in multiple ways, but basically
it comes down to the idea that the best
audio products, especially speakers, are
those that do the most things well. If
a speaker has deep bass and extended
highs and flat frequency response and
wide dynamic range and even polar re-
sponse, and low resonances, and wide
and deep soundstaging, etc., then it is
good. One speaker is better than another
when it does more of these things well.
That seems pretty reasonable, at least on
the surface.
The problem with this view for the
Nola Viper is that I don’t think it looks
so hot when judged this way. Frankly,
there are other speakers at lower prices
that will do “more.” So, if you take my
comment seriously that I really, really
like the Viper, we have a problem.
Either I mean that the Viper would be
a very likeable $5000 speaker that, at
its price, ends up being another (kinda,
sorta, but not really) good speaker, or I
mean something that falls outside of the
analytical perspective.
Of course if you’ve stayed with me
this far, you can guess I mean the latter.
We tend to call the perspective where
the Nola shines the musical perspective.
Let’s take a look at my listening notes
from this perspective:
• Natural sounding
• Unstrained, not edgy
• Sense of grip and control
• Each instrument sounds like it exists
in a real space
• Nice sense of air
I value these things rather highly, and
so I’d have to say that in my world this
musicality trumps the analytical score-
board, although ideally I’d like to have
my cake and eat it too. From listening
to the Nola Viper, I would suggest that
there are ways to make the analytical trad-
eoffs that I’ve described either in more
musically coherent or in less musically
coherent ways. The Viper design seems
focused resolutely on musical coherence
and lets some of the typical audiophile-
checklist things fall by the wayside. My
experience is that the Viper’s musical
design philosophy is decidedly in the
minority.
Now I want to add a third view,
which I think helps explain my positive
response to the Vipers even more than
the musical perspective. Let’s call this
the Kodachrome perspective.
Long, long ago, photographs were
taken using cameras that recorded their
images on chemically-coated film, not
on silicon sensors. There were many
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 97
 EQUIPMENT REPORT - Nola Viper Reference Loudspeaker
types of film, and photographers chose a type of film based
in part on how well that film’s recording of light and shadow
seduced the viewer into the feeling of the image being recorded.
Re-read that sentence, please. Yes, I said, “seduced the viewer
into the feeling of the image.” Now, photographers and pho-
tographic journalists are professionals, so they didn’t talk about
it this way. They discussed seemingly neutral terms like “color
accuracy” and “contrast” and “resolution.” But somewhere at
the core of this discussion everyone knew that this was a seduc-
tion process because everyone knew that they were representing
a three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional form.
Because they understood that they weren’t literally reproduc-
ing reality but were creating a feeling, photographers felt a certain
freedom to distort their images. Everyone knew that Kodachome
film distorted colors, but some loved it because that distortion
did a better job of seducing the viewer into the feeling of the
scene than a more technically accurate film would have. Another
way of saying this is that accuracy is accuracy-to-feeling and is
measured not at the surface of the print but in the mind of the
viewer. This is philosophically very different from the way we
tend to discuss audio.
Returning to the Nola Vipers, from the Kodachrome perspec-
tive I give you this one, final listening note:
• Lots of discs sound very involving versus a few discs sound-
ing stunningly realistic
The “involving” part of this note is interesting. Whenever I
hear the phrase “musically natural,” I think, “Yeah, and boring.”
But that isn’t the Viper. Music on the Vipers is exciting and enter-
taining with the richness and texture of good live music.
The other interesting part of this observation for me is the
realization that rather frequently the pursuit of stunning realism
on the occasional disc yields products that are close to unlisten-
able on most other music. I don’t know if that is because some
ultra-high-transparency products actually strive for transparency
through some kind of distortion. Or because most recordings
are “off ” and musical-sounding products are distorted to com-
pensate. It doesn’t really matter to me. I simply note that a few
recent products, like the Viper, seem designed to sound good
on a lot of material without the side effects of obvious color-
ations. At the same time these products rarely sound completely
amazing on some parameter on certain (very few) discs. That’s a
“tradeoff ” that I could live with every day of the year.
The Vipers seem to accomplish this consistent listenability in
part by being so well balanced across the musical spectrum. The
Vipers reproduce the frequency range of each major instrument
solidly and clearly. This seems rather mundane, except that when
we say most other speakers are balanced we are making a much
broader statement, something on the order of “bass, midrange,
and treble are in proportion” to one another. That’s true of the
Viper, but it also regularly spotlights instruments whose output
occurs in narrower frequency ranges than “bass” or “midrange.”
If I had to hazard a guess, part of the Viper’s secret is that it
reproduces the upper bass and lower midrange quite richly, and

Specs & Pricing
Driver complement: Two 9" Associated Equipment
woofers, one 4.5" midrange, Meitner CDSA SACD player,
one 1" tweeter Esoteric DV-60, Musical
Frequency response: 25Hz– Fidelity A5 and Lector CDP
30kHz 7TL CD players; VPI Super
Sensitivity: 89dB Scoutmaster turntable;
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4 Dynavector DV-1S cartridge;
ohms minimum Aesthetix Rhea phono
Dimensions: 9.5" x 46" x 15" preamp; conrad-johnson
Weight: 80 lbs. each ART 2 preamp, mbl 6010D
Price: $12,000 preamp, conrad-johnson MET
1 multichannel linestage;
Accent Speaker conrad-johnson Premier 350
Technology, Ltd. amplifier, Classe CA-M400
1511 Lincoln Avenue amplifiers, Audio Research
Holbrook, NY 11741 300.2 amplifier, mbl 101e
(631) 738-2540 loudspeakers; Velodyne
nolaspeakers.com DD-15 subwoofers, Nola
speaker cable, Tara Labs The
Zero speaker cable and 0.8
interconnects; Nordost Thor
power distribution; RPG B.A.D.
abfusors and Flutterfree
diffusors.
98 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
that is where the fundamentals of many instruments lie. Getting
this part of the spectrum right lends the Viper’s presentation a
sense of weight similar to what you hear at concerts. The Viper’s
smooth and open midrange and treble ensure that the sense of
weight seems musically right and never
slow or ponderous.
A noteworthy parallel to the Viper’s
ability to make many discs sound good
is that the Viper is quite easy to set up.
Roy Gregory, reviewing the Vipers as
part of a system in Hi-Fi+, had a similar
experience. The Viper doesn’t seem to
be as sensitive to room placement as
some speakers, which suggests that
more than a few consumers will be able
to take advantage of its many merits.
So, the Viper is a different beast to be
sure. If stunning transparency on the oc-
casional recording is essential to you, the
Viper is not your speaker. If you listen to
a certain kind of music and must have
some particular parameter just so, the
Viper won’t be your speaker either. If,
on the other hand, you are frustrated by
products that occasionally impress but
don’t really allow you to focus on the
music, I think you’d find the Nola Viper
to be a breakthrough. I did. TAS
Equipment Report
Seeking the Sound of Real Music
EgglestonWorks Nine Loudspeaker
Anthony H. Cordesman

I
t may seem strange to begin a speaker review by talking about a trip
to China, but one thing I find striking about my visits to China is the
number of hotels that actually have live acoustic music in their lobbies.
The jazz is usually forgettable, and often amplified. The classical music,
however, is acoustic, ranges from a solo grand piano to string quartets,
and lasts a good part of the late afternoon and early evening. There is a
natural focus on Mozart, perhaps the best known Western composer, but
composers like Pachebel, Scarlatti, Telemann, and Schubert also enter the
scene. The musicians are usually students or recent graduates, and many are
quite good. Their performances are also casual, and it is easy to sit down
near the group and hear what live music really sounds like. The end result is
a true high-end experience, and listening to a true reference standard.
This kind of casual experience with live music is all too rare in the U.S.
You can find similar reference experiences, however, in hotels in some
parts of the Middle East. They used to be common in parts of Europe,
particularly the grander resort hotels, but have faded away with the years.
You are, however, still more likely to hear members of family or friends
perform live music during a social occasion in Europe, like a dinner, than
in the U.S. Many parts of Europe have better live street music (without the
boom-box common in the U.S.), and many small towns and schools give
their own concerts. Liturgical music is easily accessible in most European
cities and often quite good. Many churches also hold live classical concerts
at lunchtime or in the early afternoon. If you care, you can also time your
touring to hear live music in a natural setting from true professionals in places
like Salzburg or at the Marais festival in Paris. Open-air band concerts are
still common. Once again, a true high-end experience, and a true reference
standard.
Live classical music in the U.S. tends to be more formal, subject to rigid
seating assignments, and accompanied by synchronized coughing. This is
one reason I often prefer listening to rehearsals to the performance, or
listening to local and university groups rather than major orchestras and
headline performers in the company of a mass of the over-moneyed, and
increasingly aged or living dead. There is plenty of good, live, unamplified
acoustic music in the U.S., but it takes a lot more work to go and listen. It
does not casually surround you and tell you what you really should listen for
in a high-end system, if what you want is realism rather than an interesting
electronic experience. It is harder to be constantly reminded that “best of
show” is no substitute for “best of live.”
This brings me to the EgglestonWorks Nine loudspeakers. They are not
EgglestonWorks’ top of the line, and they are not enshrouded in granite.
They don’t attempt to revise the laws of physics and use some dramatic
new form of drivers. The speaker enclosures look like speakers and not the
set for Metropolis. They also are priced in the $13,000 bracket, which is now
an all too common price bracket for high-end audiophiles, so they have to
compete against some extremely demanding peers.
That said, the EgglestonWorks Nines still stand out if they are compared
to the only reference standard that matters: They sound a lot like live music.

100 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

 EgglestonWorks Nine Loudspeaker - EQUIPMENT
One key part of this success is their timbre at every level of
dynamics. The dictionary defines timbre as “the quality given to a
sound by its overtones: the resonance by which the ear recognizes
and identifies a voiced speech sound, and the quality of tone
distinctive of a particular singing voice or musical instrument.”
It is a quality that is badly underrated in a high end where far too
often the search is for a kind of detail that never occurs in live
music and which comes at the cost of the natural warmth and
richness of the upper bass and lower midrange.
The EgglestonWorks Nines are not warm to the point of
being romantic, although I greatly prefer that sin to excessive
upper-midrange energy and speakers that are analytic. They do,
however, get every aspect of the timbre of grand piano, the cello
and viola, organ, oboe, and the many other instruments with
critical levels of upper-bass and lower-midrange energy right. For
example, they do a superb job of reproducing the timbre of the
all-Strad string quintets on the L’Achibudelli and Smithsonian
Chamber Player recording of Mendelssohn’s and Gade’s Octets
for Strings [Sony Vivarte SK 46 307].
Far too many current high-end speakers may measure well,
but at least slightly depress or suck out the upper bass and lower
midrange, and exaggerate the upper end of the audio spectrum.
This may produce the illusion of extra musical detail, but scarcely
the kind of detail and imaging you hear in live music. It also
REPORT
comes at the cost of the qualities that give music so much of its
aesthetic and emotional impact.
At the risk of being a bit unfair to those who insist on
listening to music at unnaturally loud levels, I wonder how much
of this search for high-end “detail” is the product of a “deaf
white male” syndrome. Is the result of a loss of upper-octave
sensitivity what drives the listener to seek out more energy than
ever occurs in real-world performances? If so, such a form of
“DWM” is probably better than the “dead” version of DWM
taught in history courses. Nevertheless, it turns classical music
into something you never hear live—even when you are standing
four or five feet from the performers. It comes at the cost of
hardness in the brass, excessive sibilants in female voice, and a
host of other unpleasant colorations that only seem to exist in
recorded or amplified music.
This is why I have focused so much on live music in my preface
to this review. If you have seriously listened to live music before you
audition the EgglestonWorks Nines, you almost cannot help but be
impressed. Take along virtually any decent acoustic recording—clas-
sical, jazz, whatever. The EgglestonWorks Nines do not have a touch
of “deaf white male” syndrome, and they get about as close to the
timbre of live music as recordings permit. They reproduce music with
the consistent sonority it should have from the top to the bottom of
the frequency spectrum. Furthermore, the midrange is natural and
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 101
 EQUIPMENT REPORT - EgglestonWorks Nine Loudspeaker
blends smoothly into the frequency extremes without any disconti-
nuities or changes in image size and soundstage character.
You will not hear artificial highs and exaggerated “air.” The
EgglestonWorks Nines have slightly rolled highs by the standard
of most high-end speakers. Yet, this is musically natural and it
does not mean a loss of upper-midrange and treble energy on
good recordings, new or old.
I happen to prefer listening to recordings of “small music:”
the kind of jazz group or chamber music you might actually
hear in a home. My favorites include a large collection of older
recordings on the Accent label—LPs, a few tapes, and some older
CDs—made largely in Belgium during the time I was working
there for the State Department. I heard some of the groups
live in the venues involved, and I still find these recordings to
be remarkably accurate in reproducing chamber music in ways
where the air, depth, soundstage, and imaging of the original
performance comes through. (The Accent LPs are particularly
good—although almost totally unavailable in the U.S. even
as used records. A wide range of much more modern Accent
recordings are available from ArkivMusic.com. The release dates
are given as 1999 and onwards, but some of the actual recordings
seem to have been made far earlier. (Please also note that this
classical Accent label has nothing to do with the popular music
GRA Accent label. )
The EgglestonWorks Nines do not achieve upper-bass and
lower-midrange sonority in reproducing such records at the
cost of masking the highs. Far from it, they have a remarkable hear from the lower to the upper octaves may owe much to the
extension that preserves all of the natural upper-midrange choice of tweeter and midrange speakers. The EgglestonWorks
and treble information in these recordings. They also do not Nines use what the manufacturer calls “One 1” cloth dome with a
“forgive” the close-miking and added upper-midrange energy of large-diameter vent on its pole piece and a big aperiodic damping
many digital recordings at the cost of making LPs too warm. Try chamber that imitates infinite-baffle loading. The tweeter is
out a range of Deccas, RCA Red labels, and other great older manufactured on a special production line under “laboratory
recordings you are familiar with, and you are going to hear the conditions.” While this is not mentioned in the EgglestonWorks
entire frequency range. Even on older and somewhat warmer Nine data on the manufacturer Web site, the Nines’ tweeter with
recordings, cymbals really do sound like cymbals, the flute is fully “its vent and large chamber, the tweeter doesn’t see any back air-
reproduced without loss, and upper string tones on older violins pressure to speak of, allowing it to operate in free-air.” A final
and string instruments are very good to excellent. advantage of this tweeter is that its crossover is as simple as can
A lot more than timbre is involved, however, and the be, consisting of one Hovland Musi-cap and two Vishay resistors
EgglestonWorks Nines do equally well with far more recent as an L-pad.
digital recordings. The upper octaves, soundstage detail, and air This tweeter is mixed with two 6" polypropylene, double-
of “homemade” CDs and uncompressed digital transfers that magnet mid/bass drivers, each with a 3"-diameter voice coil.
friends have given me of their recordings of student and local EgglestonWorks says that the “extremely rigid structural physics
amateur productions come through with nothing missing. The and the piston-like action of these drivers produce exceptionally
same is true of the best commercial CDs, DVD-As, and SACDs. quick transients and a complete absence of coloration. The very
Try, for example, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players short transmission-line lengths are the result of specific stuffing
SACD recording Mozart Chamber Music for Winds and Strings on densities derived from the slowing effect of damping material on
BSO Classics 601. It provides a mix of clarinet, horn, oboe, and the speed of lower-frequency sound waves.”
flute quintets and quartets. The EgglestonWorks Nines not only EgglestonWorks also states that “we re-evaluated the whole
get each instrument right from top to bottom, they provide a approach to transmission lines. We worked with experts in the field
remarkably natural mix of stable, naturally sized imaging, solid of stuffing material and decided on a specialized acoustic stuffing
centerfill, and naturally proportioned soundstage width with material known as ‘Acousta stuff.’ Acousta stuff is a polyester
some illusion of depth. For an orchestra with the focus of a strand which is crimped every millimeter. This makes each strand
solo instrument, and a more natural miking of the soundstage, a complex shape, capable of providing greater diffraction to
try the Bassoon Concerto (Bands 7-8) on David Chesky’s Urban the sound waves traveling through it. And because the strands
Concertos [Chesky SACD 326]. interlock, they never settle. The result is a material which slows
The mix of natural sound, detail, and soundstage that you will lower frequencies while attenuating the higher frequencies. After
102 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
 EQUIPMENT REPORT - EgglestonWorks Nine Loudspeaker
Specs & Pricing
Drivers: One 1" cloth dome
tweeter, two 6" polypropylene
mid/bass, one 8" woofer
Frequency response: -3dB @
27 Hz to well beyond 24kHz
Sensitivity: 88dB
Impedance: 8 ohms, nominal
Dimensions: 11" x 16" x 44"
Weight: 125 lbs.each
Price: $12,900 per pair
EGGLESTONWORKS
540 Cumberland Street
Memphis, TN 38112
(901) 525-1100
104 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Associated Equipment
Dynavector 20X , Sumiko
Celebration, and Koetsu
Onyx Cartridges; VPI TNT
HRX turntable and JMW 12.7
tone arm; Tact 2.2X digital
preamp-room correction-
equalizer-D/A converter; EMM
Labs SACD/CD player; Pass
Xono phono preamp;Pass X0.2
stereo preamp; Pass X600A
power amplifiers; TAD Model 1
and Thiel 7.2 speakers; Kimber
Select, Transparent Audio
Reference XL, and Wireworld
Super Eclipse and Eclipse
interconnects and digital cables
an extensive amount of trial-and-error experimentation, we
determined the exact ratio of cabinet length to stuffing weight
we needed for a quasi-transmission-line loading. What we ended
up with performs extraordinarily well—we’re not aware of any
other speaker on the market which shares this loading system.”
EgglestonWorks says that the use of two 6" drivers allows it
to avoid any strain on the midrange drivers and to use a simple
and uncolored crossover design: “After extensive trial and error
we arrived at the simplest crossover of all, no crossover. The two
Morel 166 drivers are connected directly to the amplifier. This is
possible due to the Morel driver’s smooth 6dB-per-octave roll-off
above and below its frequency range and ability to handle large
power input without bottoming out or distorting. We didn’t even
look at woofers or tweeters until we had assured ourselves that we
were getting everything out of the midrange that was possible.”
So much for technobabble. To get back to the sound, the
EgglestonWorks Nine does have some limits. It uses only one
8" woofer in a dual-ported enclosure. It also does not use the
combination of MDF and granite used in EgglestonWorks’
most expensive speakers, such as the Andra II, Savoy, or Ivy
Reference. The EgglestonWorks Nine does, however, use a very
solidly built 125-pound enclosure, and is a floor-standing design
that measures 11" x 16" x 44". A little low for ideal image height,
the enclosure is carefully shaped to minimize driver-cabinet
interaction and high enough to produce a normal soundstage
height without any “balcony” effect.
It will play loud, and certainly as loud as is healthy to the ear.
It does lose a little of its resolution and detail as you push the
volumes up to unlistenable levels, but it can crank out Mahler’s
Symphony of a Thousand or Saint Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 with
excellent mid- and deep-bass performance for a speaker its size
and weight.
The overall soundstage also again matches the performance—
to the extent anything can do this in a home environment. As
was the case with chamber and small jazz group music, imaging
is natural and stable, rather than etched or exaggerated in size.
Very good centerfill. Natural perspective in terms of depth and
width, rather than exaggerated width.
The Nines do a surprisingly good job of reproducing organ
fundamentals—much better than I expected. Try the opening
of the Andre Previn/Vienna Philharmonic recording of Also
Sprach Zarathustra [Telarc CD 801167]. You can also crank up
the volume on Kodo drum recordings. If you are into deep bass
percussion, the EgglestonWorks do very well for any speaker of
this size and driver-mix in reproducing the demanding drum and
full orchestra music in the “Lacyrmosa” movement of Britten’s
Requiem on the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra recording Britannia
[Telarc SADC 60677].
Oh yes, and my sons tell me it does very well even with
the deep bass on electronic synthesizer at high levels of rock,
although it “will not drive the room.” I wouldn’t know; I leave
the house when the windows start bulging outwards.
The EgglestonWorks Nine is a great high-end value if you
really care about reproducing the sound of live music versus the
sound of the high end, even in a very competitive and demanding
price bracket. TAS
 M
MUSICAL
COMPREHENSION
MACHINE
Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker
Chris Martens
photography by Adam Voorhes

M
usic appeals to me on multiple levels, beckoning first on the
plane of pure emotion—evoking feelings I find too power-
ful, subtle, or complex to be framed as ideas or expressed
in words. But it also stimulates me on an intellectual level, triggering
profound curiosity. Something in me simply needs to know and un-
derstand how beautiful and complex things, such as the orchestration
of a Mahler symphony or the intricacies of a Jaco Pastorius jazz bass
solo, have been put together in the first place. For me, and I suspect
for many of you, musical experiences involve both heart and mind—
the pursuit of emotional enrichment and, at the same time, deeper
comprehension of the structure of music and sound itself. Let me
begin this product review, then, by saying that Usher Audio’s flagship
Be-20 loudspeakers ($16,400/pair) are cutting-edge components that
do an uncommonly fine job of addressing both halves of the musical
equation—appealing to listeners’ hearts and minds in equal measure,
and with exceptionally high levels of refinement. What makes the Be-
20s so special and how did Usher get so good at this game so fast? Let
me answer both questions by giving a brief guided tour that charts the
speaker’s evolution.
As some of you already know, Usher Audio is a Taiwanese firm
that has been making loudspeakers for over 30 years. In recent years
Usher’s top-tier speakers, collectively known as the Dancer series,
have been designed primarily by company founder Mr. Tsai Lien-Shui,
who handles core driver design and overall speaker configuration,
working in collaboration with Dr. Joseph D’Appolito, who handles
crossover tuning and helps guide voicing of the speakers. What some
TAS readers may not realize, however, is that Usher has spent years
developing capabilities as a world-class driver manufacturer whose
products can (and do) go toe-to-toe with the finest designs that
European and Scandinavian driver specialists produce.

108 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

 TAS Cover Story

Some years ago I asked Dr. D’Appolito about the comparative

benefits of Usher’s drive units and he cited two particular areas
where they are strong performers. First, Dr. D’Appolito
told me, Usher drivers offer inherently low distortion, even
at high volume levels, and second, they offer unusually
symmetrical fore and aft diaphragm movements—owing
to Usher’s proprietary “Symme-Motion” technology.
(You might think all high-end drivers would exhibit
perfectly symmetrical pistonic movements, but I’m
told this is not necessarily the case.).
Another dimension of Usher’s expertise involves
advanced materials technologies. In past years,
Usher used to offer a high-end speaker that featured
ceramic drivers sourced from Europe—drivers
similar to those used in certain Kharma speakers.
Usher was pleased with the overall sound of its
ceramic-driver-equipped models, but felt the
European drivers could be improved upon
both in sonic performance and robustness.
Accordingly, Usher began a development
effort to create a new series of drivers based
on beryllium (or more accurately, a light,
stiff, and very strong ceramic material
called beryllium oxide). The first result of
this development effort turned out to be
Usher’s magnificent “beryllium” tweeter,
which figures prominently in all Dancer
models (including the CP-8571 Mk II
Dancer I reviewed in TAS 154, and
the Be-718 “Tiny Dancer” that Robert
Harley reviewed in TAS 176). My
conviction is that the Usher tweeter
is among the top three or four
voice-coil-driven high-frequency
drivers on the planet, and from
the standpoint of reproducing
high frequencies in a manner that
appeals to both heart and mind, I
think it may be the very best of
them all. While I would concede
that certain tweeters, most
notably the ScanSpeak Super
Revelator, can perhaps confer
a sense of slightly heightened

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 109

 Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker
transparency vis-à-vis the Usher tweeter, I personally find this
extra transparency sometimes comes at the expense of highs that
sound—how shall I put this?—ever so slightly “freeze-dried.”
In contrast, the Usher tweeter excels in its ability to convey tons
of information while preserving two endearing qualities almost
always heard in live music: inherent smoothness and a touch of
natural sweetness. The only trick, really, lies in coming up with
midrange drivers fast enough and subtle enough to keep up
with Usher’s beryllium-oxide tweeter.
For its CP-8571 Mk II and Be-718 speakers, Usher developed
mid/bass drivers whose pulp/composite diaphragms come
ever-so-close to matching the voicing of its beryllium tweeter.
But, much though I respect both those designs (which offer
stunning performance for the money), if you listen to either
speaker very intently, you may discern extremely subtle speed
and textural differences between their beryllium-oxide tweeters
and pulp/composite-coned mid/bass drivers. However, in the
Be-20 (and in its somewhat smaller sister model, the Be-10)
these admittedly subtle discontinuities are banished completely,
thanks to Usher’s new beryllium-oxide midrange driver.
The new midrange driver, which was under development for
roughly two years and the cause of more than a few delays in
the Be-20’s release schedule, was absolutely worth the wait. It is
lightning fast, richly detailed, subtle as the day is long, a dynamic
powerhouse, and—best of all—perfectly voice-matched to
110 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Usher’s beryllium-oxide tweeter. Together, these two beryllium-
oxide drivers come closer to the theoretical ideal of “speaking
with one voice” than any other tweeter/midrange combo I’ve
yet heard.
Completing the driver complement is a pair of 11-inch
Eton woofers from Germany (similar to those used in the
Avalon Eidolon) whose exotic composite diaphragms are said
to be capable of prodigious excursions without breakup. The
woofers and other drivers are housed in one of Usher’s typically
gorgeous, overbuilt cabinets.
The enclosure is loosely shaped like a swept-back boat hull
and is divided into two ducted chambers. The upper chamber
houses the tweeter and midrange drivers, while the lower
chamber houses the woofers and crossover assembly. Thick,
curved cabinet walls are formed from laminated sheets of MDF,
while the tilt-back front baffle is similarly milled from a thick
MDF sandwich. On the inside, the woofer chamber deadens
resonance through mass (sheets of dense metal are placed at
key locations to damp vibrations), heavy felt blankets (which
line the cabinet walls), and other damping materials. Near the
bottom of the cabinet is a small chamber that can, at the user’s
option, be filled with lead shot or other mass-loading material.
As a tasteful detail touch, the chamber features a machined-
aluminum cover plate with two recessed pockets in which will
be engraved the speaker’s serial number and the owner’s name.
 Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker
Then, at the very bottom of the enclosure is a heavy cast-metal floor plate faced with
a synthetic, constrained-layer damping pad, which gets sandwiched between the floor
plate and the Be-20’s lovely, bolt-on hardwood floor plinths. The speaker comes with
a set of beautifully machined floor spikes made of solid brass.
Let me be clear: The Be-20 is a big (55.1" high x 35.2" deep x 14.4" wide), heavy
(293 pounds, each) and somewhat physically imposing speaker designed for use in
medium-to-large-sized rooms (for medium-to-small rooms, the similar Be-10 would
plainly be the better choice). Yet thanks to the enclosure’s curved lines and stunning
woodwork, the overall visual effect is more gracious than massive—making the
Be-20’s seem like “gentle giants.”
The sound of the Be-20 is, at bottom, defined by the shared voice
of its beryllium-oxide tweeter and midrange driver, and I would
characterize that sound as possessing—in three equal parts—
exceptional resolution, dynamic punch, and smoothness. Of
these three qualities, the speakers’ uncanny smoothness comes as
perhaps the greatest surprise. Frankly, most speakers that can even
come close to retrieving as much musical information as the Be-
20s do are saddled, in some measure, with an underlying quality
of cold, analytical sterility (bordering, at times, on edginess).
But in contrast, the Be-20 simply goes about its business,
presenting layer upon layer of sonic detail without imposing
so much as a hint of edge, coldness, or glare. At bottom,
it’s this unexpected admixture of resolution, dynamics, and
smoothness that makes the speaker so successful at engaging
listener’s heads and hearts at the same time.
On complex pieces rich in textural and transient details,
such as the excerpt from Tavener’s Icons of Eros found
on Reference Recordings 30th Anniversary Sampler, the
Be-20 is really in its element. In the composition cited a
series of passages alternates back and forth developing
two motifs. One is a relatively fast-paced dance theme
propelled by strings and medieval-sounding percussion
instruments, while the other is a slower, more luxurious
and more contemplative theme carried by strings and
chorus. Tavener uses the sound of a deep gong to draw
sharp lines of demarcation between the passages, and
the entire recording is captured in what obviously is a
highly reverberant acoustic space (after notes cease,
reverberation tails seem to float in the air almost
forever). For many loudspeakers, this much musical
complexity captured in a resonant recording venue
would be a recipe for sonic mush, but the Be-20
makes seeming child’s play of disentangling the tightly
interwoven instrumental voices and contributions of
the recording space itself.
In the faster-paced dance passages, for example,
you can easily hear the distinct, skin-taut voices of
the individual percussion instruments, or the bowing
techniques applied to individual stringed instruments.
In fact, the Be-20s offer an open invitation to relax and
follow individual instrumental threads within the larger whole,
just as one might do at a live concert. And when Tavener’s gong is
sounded, oh my, the Be-20s made my whole listening room light up with the
instrument’s spectacular attack and then resonate with its dark, extended, shimmering
overtones. But the biggest revelation comes in hearing the Be-20s handle the slower,
more beguiling string and chorus passages. There, the Be-20 lets you tap straight into
the quintessential warmth of the gentle strings—something more analytical speakers

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 111

Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker
tend not to do—while simultaneously showing you the reverent hush that falls over
the hall as the chorus quietly begins to sigh.
We can learn several things about the Be-20 from its performance on the Tavener
The Be-20s piece. First, it effortlessly delineates complicated, multi-layered sonic details, yet does
so—and this is very important—without shining a searchlight on its own prodigious
allow listeners resolving powers. Second, it captures much of the “feel” of hearing live instruments
to connect with at play. In string passages from Icons of Eros the speakers sharply contrast the incisive
cut and thrust of rapid bowing and the slower blooming warmth of sustained
performances— notes. Similarly, the Be-20s vividly exposed the elastic “pop” of individual skin-taut
drumheads being struck, the subliminal mouth-sounds heard as well-trained chorus
as much on members began to sing, and especially the majestic way that the sound of the large
emotional as gong came alive and then gradually decayed within the reverberant space. Finally,
the Ushers remove conventional “hi-fi” artifacts to such an extent that the listener
cognitive levels simply falls headfirst into the music, following individual melodic or instrument lines
at will, just as at live events.
What makes the Be-20 so good at conveying the elusive “feel” of real instruments?
I think it has much to do with the way the speaker’s timbral, temporal, and dynamic
qualities work in perfect synchrony—never as disparate characteristics drawing
attention to themselves in isolation. The result is that the Be-20s allow listeners
to connect with performances—as much on emotional as cognitive levels—
in deeper ways than is often possible with other top-tier speakers.
The Be-20 also offers two or three other musically significant
characteristics I should mention, the first of which is unconstrained dynamics.
To state this simply, let me say that the Be-20 sounds more dynamically
open and uncompressed than just about anything I’ve heard, short of some
of the great horn loudspeaker designs. For example, whenever I played
familiar recordings and adjusted volume levels on soft passages, thinking I
had made appropriate allowances for louder passages to follow, the Be-20s
consistently surprised me by revealing the ensuing crescendos to be much
more explosive and energetic than I had ever imagined. In short, if what
the Be-20s are doing is right—and I think that it is—then an awful lot of
the speakers I have heard have been guilty of compressing or quashing
dynamics, at least to some degree.
An interesting example can be drawn from “Moten Swing” on Clark
Terry’s Chicago Sessions 1995-96 [Reference Recordings]. As the beautifully
recorded song begins it initially seems to have quiet and subdued dynamics
until, about 30 seconds in, a trumpet section simply erupts—snapping
you to attention with its power and presence. The Ushers flat out nailed
the swagger of that trumpet section coming to life in a way that, in my
experience, leaves most other speaker systems sounding a bit mechanical
and lifeless. Later, at 1:34 into the cut, the Ushers again surprised me by
showing how the De Paul University Big Band suddenly and dramatically
stepped up its energy level to make an emphatic musical point. Over time,
the Ushers gradually condition listeners to expect much wider dynamic
range from familiar recordings than they may ever have experienced
before. With these speakers, you experience dynamic shifts not only as
changes in volume, but as changes in physical sensation. You get the
sense that you can both hear and feel the energy-level of the performers
rise and fall, which is a revelation.
Next, I would draw attention to the Be-20’s imaging and soundstaging,
which are uniformly superb with great analog source material, though
perhaps not quite as good with typical digital source material. When
recordings are up to the task, the Ushers do a wonderfully holographic job
of placing performers in precise locations onstage, and of revealing the overall
size and acoustics of recording venues. The only catch, I found, is that the Be-20
is not particularly tolerant of recordings where mixing engineers have ham-fistedly
pushed performers hard to the left- or right-hand sides of the soundstage. In such

112 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

Specs & Pricing
Type: Three-way, four-driver,
floorstanding dynamic
loudspeaker
Driver complement: One
1.25" beryllium-oxide dome
tweeter, one 5" beryllium-
oxide mid/bass driver, two
11" Eton composite woofers
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 90dB/1W/1m
Frequency response:
22Hz–40kHz, +0/-3db
Power handling: 200 watts
Crossover frequencies:
544Hz and 3.84kHz
Dimensions: 14.4" x 55.1" x
35.2"
Weight: 293 lb. each
Price: $16,400/pair
Musikmatters (U.S.
Distributor)
(214) 638-3500
musikmatters.com
114 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Associated Equipment
Nottingham Analogue
Systems Space 294/Ace-
Space 294 turntable
and arm, Shelter 5000
and 7000 moving coil
cartridges, Sutherland Ph3D
phonostage, Musical Fidelity
kW SACD player and kW 500
hybrid integrated amplifier,
NuForce Reference 9 SE and
Reference 9 v2 monoblock
amplifiers, Solid Tech stands
and vibration isolation
components, Furutech power
distribution, interconnect,
and speaker cables, RPG
and Auralex room acoustic
treatments.
cases, the Be-20’s normally three-dimensional presentation
tends to collapse, at least to a degree. Good though the Be-
20’s spatial characteristics are, however, I suspect Usher could
improve the speaker further still by eliminating sharp creases
on the front baffle plate and giving the baffle more deeply and
smoothly radiused surfaces (much as Revel has done with its
new Salon2).
Finally, I must comment on the Be-20’s bass, which is at once
well-defined, deeply extended, and very powerful. Whether you
find the Be-20’s bass balance slightly too prominent or “just
right” will, I think, be both a matter of taste and the size of
your listening room. Understand that the Be-20 is voiced to
sound well-balanced in larger rooms, even when playing what
Jonathan Valin calls “power music” (think Mahler symphonies,
high-energy rock, and the like). When used in inappropriately
undersized spaces the Be-20’s bass can and will overload
rooms; for smaller spaces the Be-10, which is a down-sized,
single-woofer version of the Be-20, would clearly be the better
solution. I should also mention that, on a qualitative level, the
Be-20’s low-frequency presentation is quite different from
that of, say, speakers such as the Magico V3s. Based on my
admittedly limited experience with the Magicos, I would say the
V3s perhaps enjoy an edge in tautness and almost pluperfect
critical bass damping, while the Ushers offer arguably deeper
(and in some instances more realistic) reserves of mid-to-low
 Usher Audio Be-20 Loudspeaker
bass energy and punch. Of course what one man hears as ideal
bass, another might perceive as bass that is overblown.
To appreciate what the Be-20s can do down low that
many other top-tier speakers cannot, try listening to the
opening movement of the Abbado/Chicago performance
of Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite [Deutsche Grammophon,
LP]. The movement begins quietly enough, but within about a
minute reaches a point where loud concert bass drum “thwacks”
signal a shift in mood. Now any top-tier speaker worthy of the
term will produce a loud, low sound when those bass drum
notes arrive. But what the Usher does is convey the sensation
of massive bass wavefronts moving from the front of the hall meaningful bass content is part of your listening repertoire, the
to the rear like sonic tsunami waves—a sensation I find highly Be-20 (or Be-10) could be a great speaker for you.
lifelike and compelling. It’s the ability to reproduce those big,
almost tactile low-frequency wavefronts that sets the Be-20 Conclusion
apart. Similarly, if you listen to rock or fusion jazz recordings Having lived with the Usher Be-20 for many months, and hav-
that prominently feature bass guitars, you will again find the Be- ing heard many of its closest competitors (almost all of which
20s faithfully capture the instruments’ ability to momentarily fall in a higher, $20-30k per-pair price class), I feel confident in
pressurize rooms with bass energy—especially when slap-style saying that the Be-20 offers terrific value for money, exhibiting
bassists attack their strings with real vigor. I played the Be-20s two qualities most music lovers prize. The speakers retrieve suf-
for an accomplished electric bassist and he listened, plainly awe- ficiently deep levels of musical information to fully engage our
stuck, and then commented that they were the only high-end minds, while at the same time conveying the more vibrant, emo-
speaker he had ever heard that could convincingly create the tive, soulful elements of music in ways that will surely win our
illusion of hearing real electric basses played in small club or hearts. In short, the Be-20s are wonderful machines that foster
theater settings. The bottom line is that if “power music” with deeper comprehension of music—in all its aspects. TAS

The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 115

HP’s WORKSHOP
The High End at CES
Toward a
New Realism
Harry Pearson
M
ake no mistakes about it. There
just isn’t any way that, in not
quite four days, anyone can
cover all the high-end industry puts up for
sonic exhibition at the annual Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
There were, by my rough count, at least
373 exhibitors at the Venetian. At what
I call the “off-campus” sites, principally
T.H.E. Show, there were 102 companies,
either at the St. Tropez or next door at
the Alexis Park, former home of the high
end in years past. Topping things off,
Left, Navison parallel single-ended monoblocks; right, Verity Audio Sarastro.
116 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
at least a dozen more companies were
at the Mirage, the Hilton, or in private
homes. That makes at least 500 places
a compulsive reviewer might feel guilty
about mostly missing. Consider these
estimates: Officially, you’d have 33 hours
or so to cover the exhibitions; that is, you’d
have to visit at least 15 manufacturers per
hour, or spend about four minutes per,
leaving no time for the endless walking
involved.
What does all this prove? That the high
end has grown up and become a serious
business in the 35 years of its existence.
And with a look below the surface, you’ll
find a well-developed dichotomy between
the folks who design products to sound
“good” and those in pursuit of the more
abstract goal of reproducing a facsimile
of the real thing, the absolute sound. It
is upon the latter I shall concentrate this
report, for, surprisingly enough, a pattern
began to emerge, that of a new realism
at the cutting edge of audio; bits of that
“realism” can be found in most of the
components herein.
I had decided, beforehand, to
concentrate on the folks chasing that
ultimate audio rainbow, reality, and so
concentrated my efforts largely on the
“off-campus” exhibitors, but since there
were also rainbow-chasers at the Venetian,
I elected to spend a day there.
A very rough journal of the places I
found interesting, with a few side notes.
That first day, the first thing, I was
scooped up by Ray Lombardi (an importer
of esoteric tubed gear, Audionics and
Audiovalve) and his friends, and whisked
10 miles out of town to a miniature
 HP’s WORKSHOP
palazzo in a gated subdivision, inside It was designed by the engineer Laurence were the speaker systems.
of which GamuT of Denmark had set Dickie, the speaker maven behind B&W’s What is lost in an accounting of things
up shop. Make that the “new” GamuT highly successful Nautilus (which I had I heard are the threads, textures, and sub-
(preferred pronunciation now: Ga-mut). heard in passing at places, without having themes. A principal one has been lowering
GamuT has changed hands since the my curiosity especially pricked). The the noise floor that once seemed inherent
days when Ole Christiansen enchanted Vivid, however, is an entirely different in audio reproduction, either at the
reviewers with his strikingly musical critter, with a kind of transparency in front end by magnetic-drive turntables
solid-state designs. Christiansen was, on the upper midrange and octave-to-octave and battery-operated phonostages or
the face of it, a better designer than a smoothness rare in any design. It was that by signal processing of some kind. For
businessman. The company was rescued transparency, over a quite wide spectrum, example, toward the end of the first day,
by Lars Goller, described by one as which struck me as being most lifelike. It I had a long discussion in my suite at
“Danish as a Viking.” Goller was for eventually set me thinking, in retrospect, the Alexis Park with Jack Bybee, whose
seven years the director of engineering for about what I had heard in the show, and noise-reduction technology has been the
ScanSpeak (world-famous for its drivers). what I heard that impressed me most topic of hot debate behind the scenes.
He and a partner, Paul Rossing, purchased
the feeble and nearly bankrupt GamuT
two years ago, and last year Goller took
complete control. This was his chance to
show off for his American distributors
and dealers, and he did. Inside there were,
set up in three rooms, complete playback
systems (speakers, electronics, and CD
players).
I am not going to detail my impressions
of the sound from the big system Goller
and his guys had set up (it took two days
and five people to furbish the stylish
modern house with audio gear), except
to say I saw/heard the potential and was
duly impressed. One thing that struck me
was the fact that, as in the Reference 3a
Grand Veena, the GamuT midrange was
direct coupled, which, to these ears, is the
way to go in a multi-driver system. And
one of the coming things in new multi-
speaker designs.
Back to Vegas and the Mirage, where
there were several manufacturers,
including Wilson (a static exhibit, with
the far-from-static Sheryl Lee and Dave
holding court), Luxman, and Nagra.
Nagra was where I landed. I had never
heard the Verity speakers, but I had
earlier been quite taken with the new
generation of Nagra electronics, most
particularly, the new CD player, recently
demonstrated for me by John Quick on a
visit to Sea Cliff.
The first thing on Tuesday, back to the
Mirage to the Luxman suite, where being
demonstrated was a startlingly attractive-
looking and wonderfully lucid speaker
called the Vivid, from South Africa. This
thing, a bright reddish color, is shaped like
Clairaudient loudspeaker.
dropped taffy or an incomplete teardrop.
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 119
HP’s WORKSHOP
Bybee is one of those ultimate techno-
whizzes from the military-research world;
he had specialized in sonar development,
in which quietness is all. He says he found
a way to reduce or eliminate the noise
produced by electrons rushing through
wires. (I have a pair of his devices under
evaluation here in Sea Cliff.) They were
successfully incorporated into the Grand
Veenas, and some were making a hard
push to get the Bybee “noise purifiers”
into more systems. On the other hand,
there was a distinctly contrarian view,
and not from competitors, that the Bybee
devices softened and sweetened top-
octave sounds.
After the vividly Vivid speaker
demonstration, I returned to the quieter
climes of T.H.E. Show. I liked the
concentration of the high-end community
at the Alexis Park, where the sonics were,
in general, appreciably better than those
at the Venetian.
120 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
At the AP, I visited the recordings
exhibit (mostly LPs), which included
Classic Records, Reference Recordings,
Cisco, and M.A. Mostly just hellos
here, but something stopped me cold at
Reference. Turns out there’s a new higher-
definition technology in the making (and
on exhibit at the Venetian in the Magico
room, among other places I went), called
HRx that is playable via a DVD-R disc
through a special computer setup. Derned
if I know how the thing works, except to
say that none other than Keith O. Johnson
(some of whose recordings are about to
be released in this format) tried to explain
it over breakfast one morning, to my
befogged mind. One of the recordings I
heard along the way was Johnson’s do of
the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances. If I
heard him aright, he said the new high-
resolution system could provide an exact
copy of his mastertape. The implications
of this are staggering. (See sidebar.)
Thence, next door, to Keith Herron’s
exhibit, where I had hoped to snag a
commitment for his tubed gear, especially
the VTSP-3 preamp, and found myself
considerably bewitched by his prototype
full-range loudspeaker system, which, I
learned later, he has been showing for
quite awhile and promising to produce
forever. I pushed him for a probable price
and he said, $18 to $20k, probably.
If so, a steal. These speakers go all the
way down into the bottom octave, 20Hz,
and were, to these ears, almost completely
without colorations. (In this general price
range, only the Maggies sound as neutral.)
He played recordings made by a friend of
his, and the Agnus Dei from the Duruflé
Requiem was a singular experience.
With me were some of the choice CDs
I wrote about in the last issue’s Workshop,
but I wound up playing only one, that of
The Planets (XRCD, Mehta, L.A.), and
usually just two cuts, “Mercury” and

“Saturn,” which, in tandem, revealed
all I thought I needed to know about a
system’s potential. I thought I knew all
there was to know about the recording,
but, hardy-har, I would soon find out that
I did not.
At the next stop, I got a chance to hear
John McDonald’s Clairaudient (“hearing
clearly,” from the Latin) speaker system,
along with the tubed Navison electronics.
(I have had McDonald’s Adept Response
power conditioner in my system for
some time now and, aside from a most
favorable mention, have dragged my
feet over its evaluation.) Now he is
introducing what he describes as a much,
much better version and “much more
expensive, too,” thanks to a rather huge
and hefty capacitor he found. McDonald
is a completist and someday soon wants
to demonstrate a system that is “99.9
per cent” his. He used a Denon CD
player he had modified and the sweet
HP’s WORKSHOP
and sexy Navison electronics (which I
shall soon have in hand for evaluation),
a linestage and two 40-watt-per-channel
monoblocks, whose triode tubes looked
like candles, complete with a “flame”
at the top. The interconnects were also
of McDonald design and manufacture.
It’s hard to tell about these things when
part of an unfamiliar system, but the
sound from that Clairaudient speaker was
something else, something new.
The speakers consist of eight (per
side) 50mm cones with a moving mass
(per driver) of 1.5 grams. Thus sayeth
McDonald, “They are exceedingly
fast and exhibit rise times similar to
electrostatic speakers, but without
having the electrostatic’s limited dynamic
spectrum.” The enclosures are small, the
cabinets curved, and since the speakers
extend down to only 70Hz, McDonald
also supplies a subwoofer (two 12-inch
drivers, each with its own 500-watt Class
G [sic] amp). The thing here is that there
are no crossovers in the main towers. No
crossovers has become the holy grail of
cutting-edge speaker design, much wished
for, seldom found.
The looks were so unimposing I didn’t
expect much. Then out came The Planets,
and I found I could hear more deeply
into subtle, and heretofore obscured
instrumentation, than I had on any other
system, either in Sea Cliff or in Vegas.
Just one example of what was there that
hadn’t been: Toward the end of “Saturn,”
heavenly sounding orchestral bells come
in. (The idea of course is to show what lies
beyond the “old age” that Saturn brings.)
Normally in this cut, large tubular bells
dominate. But on this speaker, there are,
now I find, whole subsets of bells, tolling
more softly and spread widely across the
stage. Such were the nuances revealed by
this system. If there is a problem with the
system, heard under the circumstances,
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 121
HP’s WORKSHOP
Meinwald (the American importer),
Keith O. Johnson and J. Tamblyn Henderson on and the designer of the tubed gear and
magnetic-drive table, Baron Tim de
the HRx System from Reference Recordings Paravicini, were on hand. So what was so
Keith O. Johnson: We supply files that have exact copies of digital data from our good here? The Marten speakers (small-
master recordings. These are loaded to a computer or server that has been set up with ish compared to the ones I had such
player software and a special sound card to provide precisely timed signals to operate kind thoughts about some issues back),
an external high-quality digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Our first releases are two- as heard via the electronics and turntable
channel/24-bit high-resolution copies that are sampled at 176.4 or 88.2kHz, the same immediately caught my ear. They are
PCM formats that have been used by the professional industry for many years. called the FormFloor ($6.5k the pair), with
For the first time, listeners are at the top of the food chain. They will experience a single FormSub ($4450). The long and
clarity, resolution, and a seductive ease of listening—the same presentation production short of it—superb. Again, there were, in
people, like ourselves, hear at sessions and from masters. Older release formats had this show, speakers of a kind of tangible
filters, tape recorders, record cutters, and coding devices further down the chain that realism, suggesting a breakthrough going
obscured or veiled this experiential connection or collective consciousness. on in high-end speaker design.
High-speed data handling and powerful processing are fundamental to A flash forward: The last speaker system
contemporary media. Technology is replacing old methods, which had to compromise I heard (at the St. Tropez) was a German
sound in order to fit the recording to the early release formats. Consumer high fidelity product, the Lansche, which sported a
began in the 1950s with professional equipment that was state of art for its time. plasma tweeter atop a multi-driver (and quite
High-resolution systems are emerging from a similar development path. handsome) enclosure. The top octave was
We use a simple Dell computer with Microsoft XP operating system. We downloaded as good as that portrayed by the Audience.
and set up Media Monkey as its player. A Lynx AES 16 card was installed to provide Beneath that, the sound was as smooth as it
a re-clocked ultra-low-jitter professional AES signal. A single cable routes this signal comes, though without an adequate bottom
to an outboard digital to analog converter unit. We like the Berkeley Audio Design octave, perhaps the fault of the shimmering,
Associates Alpha DAC, which can drive a power amplifier directly and eliminate quivery floor in the hotel room. At the price,
preamplifiers and cables from the system. Programs are loaded from DVD-recorded said (for the moment, given the dollar) to be
optical discs and the data becomes WAV files to the player. These are presented as a $100k or so for the larger model, it won’t be
track list that can be played from mouse or remote control commands. an easy sell.
And lest I forget—though how could
J. Tamblyn Henderson, president, Reference Recordings: We’re calling the high-res I?—I went to the Clearaudio suite
format HRx. But the file sizes preclude downloading, at this point. We’re planning to where I (finally) saw its new and already
sell DVD-R discs containing WAV files. legendary magnetic-drive turntable, and
So far we’ve prepared files for the Minnesota Orchestra’s Rachmaninoff program got the shivers when I heard the newly
with the Symphonic Dances, the Hot Club of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Bounce, the posted U.S. price, $150,000. With the
Dallas Wind Symphony’s Crown Imperial, and the Turtle Creek Chorale’s Psalms. straight-line pickup arm and a veritable
host of features, which I shall delineate in
the upcoming review.
it was a kind of miniaturization of the and designer Kazutoshi Yamada. If a thing Last, but hardly least, Magnepan, in
orchestral instruments—with no loss of beauty is a joy forever, Zanden ought a special room at the Alexis Park, set
of the wondrous transparency. The to be around for quite awhile—some of up a demonstration that didn’t look, on
miniaturization effect was mitigated, it the best-looking electronics there are. paper, all that promising, but which was,
turned out, as McDonald applied layers of Stopped in to see Jim White at Aesthetix in fact, perhaps another omen of things
his new Aural Illuminator to the XRCD to behold his new gear, which includes, to come in speaker situating. There were
disc. His CD treatment is an uptown for the first time, a solid-state amplifier. two center-channel panels (that canted
version of the other CD cleaners necessary, I stopped briefly at the Oracle room, out from a flat position on the wall),
methinks, for optimal CD sound. The to see how its product looked now that left/right matching panels—all of planar
man McDonald, farm or no farm, is onto the Reindeau brothers have departed for design and in this application, motorized
something with his gear. Mark my words, more esoteric places. Interesting, thought for canting—as well as planar woofer
we’ll be hearing more from him. Oh yes, I, wonder how it sounds? Ådvance word panels under what looked like, and was
speakers cost $33,000; woofer $7000. is positive. We shall see, perhaps. Glad to for all practical purposes, end tables.
The next day, on to the Venetian. see this Quebec firm back in business, These carried the lows, given room size,
Dropped in to the PS Audio suite for especially since the turntable business has of course, down to 32Hz—but not in
an intense talk with Paul McGowan, then seen a great revival. the large space at the AP, where, hidden
to Zanden electronics to check out its new Not to my surprise, the sound at the behind a curtain, like the great Oz, there
CD player and to say hello to Eric Pheils E.A.R. room was special. Both Dan lurked a conventional subwoofer.
122 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
HP’s WORKSHOP
You had to hear it to believe it: a terrific
spread, and for once, quite wide dynamic
contrasts, and from a Maggie no less, plus
a midrange and high end lower in distortion
than any of the company’s smaller speakers
I’ve heard. A word about the design: The
midrange drivers in the panels are the result
of Jim Winey’s work on developing Maggies
for your computer, hence, most likely, the
seemingly increased efficiency. Additionally,
in the panels are quasi-ribbon tweeters and
super tweeters. ($1500 the pair, $3000 in this
setup, though the prices are not yet final.)
The woofers, less than $1000 each.
The effect: breathtaking. And
something entirely new from a company
that had been seeking new directions.
So, when it came down to what I
heard, particularly in speaker designs, it
was new directions with a resulting new
realism. Can hardly wait to see who’ll
do what next. (You may write to me at
Aesthetix’ new Callisto and Io feature updated chassis-work.
HpsAudioMall@aol.com)

MANUFACTURER COMMENTS
Nola Viper
Reference
Many thanks to Tom Martin and The
Absolute Sound for this wonderful and
insightful review of the Nola Viper
Reference. As Tom points out, our vision
for the Viper Reference was to produce
a loudspeaker that would elicit the same
emotional reaction in a listener that a
live performance would. This is our
basic philosophy of design, regardless
of model. Naturally the more ambitious
models, with their less restrictive budgets,
can come closer to this goal. Nevertheless
we are very proud of the Nola Viper
Reference and what it achieves.
One of the differences with this
model that is commented on again and
again is its ability to play recordings
that are less than perfect in a way that
still allows enjoyment of the musical
content. While reproducing recording
artifacts, the Viper Reference seems to
keep these separate from the musical
signal so that they are easier to ignore.
We feel too many loudspeakers produce
sound but not music.
As an example of our differing design
approach with a musical focus I would
like to share this process.
In designing a new speaker a decision
had to be made as to how many drivers
would be employed. We wanted the
speaker to reproduce realistic floor tom-
tom drum sounds as say from the “live”
Dave Brubeck Carnegie Hall disc. The
computer said that one midrange and
one ribbon tweeter would be sufficient
to make the speaker flat. However,
listening tests revealed that the drum
sound was not completely convincing.
We tried two, then three and finally four
sets of midranges and tweeters before
we were convinced that we had verbatim
drum sounds. So the new design ended
up with four sets of midranges and
tweeters. That critical decision then
determined the rest of the design.
Tom’s closing comment was: “I
think you’d find the Nola Viper to be a
breakthrough. I did.”
I agree.
Carl Marchisotto
Nola Loudspeakers
ModWright SWL
9.0SE
I want to thank TAS and Sallie Reynolds
for the review of our products and for
the thorough and earnest assessment of
our SWL 9.0SE and SWL 9.0SE
Signature Edition. While Ms. Reynolds
did largely use our product with Class
D amplifiers, I can assure you that our
design allows excellent synergy and
compatibility with solid-state, Class A,
A/B, SET and push-pull tube amplifiers. 
This is due to the low output impedance,
high-current, and low distortion inherent
in the design of our product, utilizing
the “mu” stage circuit topology, credited
to Alan Kimmel.
  Dan Wright
ModWright Instruments Inc.

124 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound

 THE
The TAS Short List is a recurring feature in which we name our favorite products in every price category.
Speakers Under $1000
PSB Alpha B1
$279 Mind-bending dynamics and rich
mids rare in this price range. (Issue 170)
Magnepan MMG
$550 Inexpensive planar-magnetic with
extraordinarily lifelike sound—TAS’s 2007
Budget Component of the Year. (177)
B&W 685
$600 A terrific little two-way with
impressive timbre, authority, soundstaging,
and bass. (176)
Speakers $1k-$2k
Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grand
$1295 A sumptuously built two-way with
uncanny dynamic poise. (176)
DALI IKON 6
$1750 Superior power, substance, and
clarity put this ribbon/cone three-way on
The Short List. (164)
Magnepan MG 1.6
$1775 This now-classic quasi-ribbon planar
offers extraordinarily high fidelity for the
money. (124)
MartinLogan Source
$1995 A demure hybrid electrostatic with
simply marvelous sound. Exceptionally
detailed, lively, and lifelike. (180)
Vandersteen 2CE Signature II
$1995 Venerable three-way floorstander
with excellent top-to-bottom balance. (139)
Speakers $2k-$5k
Usher Be-718
$2795 TAS’s 2007 Mid-priced
Loudspeaker of the Year—an extremely
engaging two-way. (176)
Focal/JMlab Electra 1007Be
$4400 Superbly engineered, highly
transparent stand-mounted two-way—the
poor man’s MAGICO Mini. (177)
Magnepan MG 3.6
$4450 Large ribbon/quasi-ribbon dipole
that sounds much like its superb big
brother, the 20.1. (121)
Speakers $5k-$10k
Pioneer S2-EX
$6000 Exceptional three-way stand-
mount with pinpoint imaging and powerful
dynamics. (169)
Usher CP-8571MkII
$8840 Sonics reminiscent of Wilson WATT/
Puppy for a fraction of the price. (154)
Quad ESL-2805
$8999 The best ESL yet from Quad,
capable of compelling realism and
naturalness. (169)
Speakers $10k-$20k
MBL 121
$12,300 Stand-mounted omnidirectional
three-way—MBL sound in a compact
package. (176)
Magneplanar 20.1
$12,500 Full-range ribbon/planar-magnetic
capable of exceptional sonic realism. (151)
Wilson Sophia 2
$13,900 Floorstanding three-way with
excellent transients, bass, staging. (175)
Usher Be-20
$16,400 Exceptional resolution and
bottom-end weight. (181)
Sound Lab M1a
$16,500 Full-range electrostat with high
resolution, outstanding timbre, and 20Hz
bass. (122)
Vandersteen 5A
$16,900 Classic floorstander with very
neutral timbre and wide bandwidth. (139)
126 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
SHORT LIST
Speakers OVER $20k
Revel Salon2
$21,198 A tour de force of loudspeaker
design—TAS’s 2007 High-End Loudspeaker
of the Year. (176)
Magico V3
$25,000 Extraordinarily lifelike timbre,
dynamics, and soundstaging—a stunning
achievement. (179)
Magico Mini II
$29,600 (with stands) The world’s finest
mini-monitor—perfect for small-scale
classical, folk, jazz, or pop. (179)
Wilson MAXX 2
$45,000 Large floorstander that virtually
redefines nuance, finesse, and bottom-end
extension and impact. (155)
MBL 101 E
$49,900 Superb four-way omni with 20Hz-
bass, nonpareil treble, and pulse-pounding
dynamics. (154)
SUBWOOFERS
REL T2
$798 Compact, rock-solid, and virtually
invisible—TAS’s 2007 Budget Subwoofer of
the Year. (176)
REL Britannia B3
$1995 A sub so divinely un-box-like you’ll
hardly know it’s there. (163)
JL Fathom f112/113
$2700/$3400 Combines brute force with
dynamic finesse—TAS’s 2007 Subwoofer of
the Year. (170)
Wilson-Benesch Torus Infrasonic
Generator
$10,400 (with amp) A paragon of musical-
ity and articulation in a component-
category not famous for either. (170)
INTEGRATED amps under $2k
Cambridge Audio Azur 540A v2
$499 Ultra-smooth 60Wpc overachiever,
with near-tube-like liquidity. (162)
NAD C372
$899 Powerful (150Wpc), smartly designed
solid-state integrated. (177)
PrimaLuna ProLogue One
$1375 Affordable tube integrated with a
wide soundstage and lovely midrange. (151)
Naim Nait 5i
$1495 50Wpc integrated that’s not only
“great for the money” but outright great. A
classic. (AVgM 7)
INTEGRATED amps $2k-$5k
Exposure 3010S
$2295 Musically seductive solid-state from
England (181)
PrimaLuna DiaLogue Two
$2625 Wonderfully musical tube
unit—TAS’s 2007 Mid-priced Integrated of
the Year. (175)
Plinius 9200
$4395 200Wpc solid-state integrated with
sweet, rich sound. (156)
INTEGRATED amps OVER $5k
Conrad-Johnson CA200
$6500 Powerful, dense in tone color,
effortlessly musical. (173)
Simaudio Moon i-7
$6900 Seductively rich in timbre, with
excellent bottom-end dynamics. (176)
GamuT DI-150
$10,500 Exceptional power, resolution, and
neutrality—TAS’s 2007 High-End Integrated
of the Year. (176)
PREamps UNDer $2k
Rogue Audio Metis
$995 Tube preamp with unusual dynamic
liveliness at the frequency extremes. (160)
Van Alstine Transcendence Eight
$1099 An outstanding value in an all-tube
preamp. (174)
Rotel RC-1082
$1199 Rich, vibrant tone colors—TAS’s 2007
Budget Preamp of the Year. (177)
Manley Shrimp
$1880 Demure tube preamp that’s a
considerable sonic overachiever. (178)
PREamps $2k-$5K
Artemis Labs LA-1
$3000 Exceptionally holographic, lively,
natural-sounding tube preamp. (155)
Aesthetix Calypso
$4500 Tube preamp with outstanding
dynamics, transparency, and resolution.
(151)
Preamps $5k–$10k
Audio Research Reference 3
$9995 The finest linestage ARC has yet
made—a paragon of “high definition” sound.
(159)
Audio Space Reference 2
$9999 Unusually natural, “non-electronic”
full-function tube preamp—TAS’s 2007
Preamp of the Year. (174)
Mark Levinson 326s
$10,000 High-transparency solid-state
preamp with astonishing focus and
resolution. (161)
Preamps over $10k
Edge Signature 1.1
$10,900 A battery-powered solid-state
preamp with glorious highs and mids. (177)
MBL 6010 D
$19,680 Solid-state preamp with
extraordinary detail and dynamics, and
gorgeous tone color. (164)
Power amps under $2k
NAD C272
$799 Good resolution, dimensionality, and
timbre with plenty of power. (148)
Vincent SP-331
$999 Outstanding tube/solid-state
hybrid—TAS’s 2007 Budget Amplifier of the
Year. (173)
PrimaLuna ProLogue 5
$1599 36Wpc tube amp that’s warm and
rich, but not overly “tubey.” (156)
Power amps $2k–$5k
Parasound Halo A21
$2000 Excellent John Curl-designed solid-
state powerhouse offering 250Wpc. (168)
PrimaLuna ProLogue 6
$2599 Beautiful 70Wpc tube amp with
exceptional transient speed. (169)
ARC VS55
$2995 55Wpc tube amp that delivers
ARC’s classic sound at an affordable price.
(141)
Conrad-Johnson MV60SE
$3800 60Wpc tube amp that’s immediate
and involving. (145)
 THE TAS SHORT LIST
Power amps $5k–$10k
Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock
$7000 Effortlessly powerful, silky smooth,
crystal clear, and abundantly detailed solid-
state monoblocks. (141)
Plinius SB-301
$7895 310Wpc of unusually sweet
sound—TAS’s 2007 Mid-Priced Amplifier of
the Year. (169)
Mark Levinson No.433
$8000 Classic Levinson—tremendous
soundstage depth and dimensionality and a
rock-solid bottom end. (161)
BAT VK-75SE
$9000 75Wpc tube amp without the candy-
coating—grainfree and dynamic. (133)
Power amps over $10k
Pass Labs X350.5
$10,500 A 350Wpc stereo amp with
remarkable midrange presence and
immediacy. (175)
Mark Levinson No.436 monoblock
$12,500 Smooth, sophisticated, and
superbly musical—TAS’s 2007 High-End
Amplifier of the Year. (169)
Audio Research Reference 610T monoblock
$39,900 A truly great ultra-high-powered
tube amplifier—TAS’s 2007 Overall Product
of the Year. (177)
VTL Seigfried monoblock
$48,000 A tube amplifier with tremendous
power and gorgeous timbre. (180)
MBL 9011 monoblock
$76,000 An ultra-high-powered solid-state
amplifier of astounding speed, resolution,
and timbral beauty. (164)
Digital sources under $2k
Oppo DV-981HD
$229 Terrific low-priced “universal”
player—TAS’s 2007 Budget Digital Source of
the Year. (168/174)
Cambridge 840C
$1599 Sound quality that’s competitive
with $6k CD players—TAS’s 2007 Budget
Component of the Year. (174)
NAD Masters Series M55
$1795 A uni-player with excellent resolution,
dimensionality, and transient speed. (174)
Digital sources $2k–$5k
Simaudio SuperNova
$5800 CD player with noise-levels and
resolution that approach SACD. (179)
Musical Fidelity A5
$2750 CD player with tube output
stage—outstanding overall balance and high
dynamic excitement. (155)
Arcam FMJ DV139  voluptuously beautiful-sounding. The most
$3199 Well-built uni-player—a terrific one-
box solution to the format wars. (174)
Digital sources $5k–$10k
Wadia 581
$6950 Big, boisterous CD/SACD player with
superb dynamics, extension, and imaging.
(169)
Marantz SA 7S1
$7000 Innovative, extraordinary CD/SACD
player—TAS’s 2007 Mid-priced Digital Source
of the Year. (174)
Audio Research Reference CD7
$8995 A CD player with a tube output
stage that offers analog-like virtues without
any sacrifice of digital ones. (174)
128 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Digital sources over $10k
Esoteric G-0Rb
$15,000 Rubidium atomic clock
dramatically improves P-03/D-03. (180)
Meridian 808
$19,950 Excellent CD player that’s also
the current state-of-the-art in DVD-Audio
playback. (145)
Esoteric P-03 transport/D-03 DAC
$30,600 A uni-player that delivers state-of-
the-art sound—TAS’s 2007 High-End Digital
Source of the Year. (171)
MBL 1621A CD-transport/1611 E DAC
$44,100 CD player with extraordinary
dynamics and resolution and simply
gorgeous tone color. (177)
Turntables under $2k
Rega P1
$350 A classic updated. (171)
SOTA Comet
$1150 Easy and relaxed, with an alluring
richness. (180)
Pro-Ject RM9.1 with Sumiko arm
$1599 Sound that comes close to more
expensive ’tables and arms. (164)
VPI Aries Scout with JMW-9 arm
$1800 A big taste of analog heaven without
the hellish price tag. (172)
Turntables $2k–$5k
Pro-Ject RM-10 with Sumiko arm
$2599 Cleaner, more dimensional, and
quieter than the excellent RM9.1. (172)
Kuzma Stabi S with Stogi S arm
$2800 A fine mid-priced ’table/arm. (159)
Nottingham Space 294 with Ace-Space
294 arm
$3999 Lovely analog playback—TAS’s 2007
Mid-priced Turntable of the Year. (172)
Turntables $5k–$15k
SOTA Cosmos Series III
$5950 Classic suspended-subchassis,
vacuum-holddown ’table. (145)
VPI Super Scoutmaster and JMW 10.5i arm
$7400 A ’table with low noise, low coloration,
fast dynamics, and top-octave airiness. (175)
SME 10A with SME 309 arm
$9900 Beautifully made ’table/arm with
exceptional stability, control, definition,
dynamics, and detail. (129)
Basis 2200 with Vector Model 4 arm
$10,800 A ’table and arm of high craft with
superb balance and resolution. (180)
Turntables over $15k
SME 20/1I with IV.VI arm
$16,500 Twin triumphs of industrial design
and engineering. (140)
TW Acustic Raven AC-3
$18,000 Exceedingly well-made and
“musical” ’table money can buy. (180)
Redpoint Model D
$19,500 One of the finest ’tables currently
available. (177)
Basis 2800 Signature with Vector Model
4 arm
$21,750 From analog master A.J. Conti—
TAS’s 2007 High-End Table of the Year. (172)
Walker Proscenium Black Diamond
$40,000 An integrated air-bearing
turntable/air-bearing tangential arm that is
the state of the art in analog playback. (167)
Phono cartridges UNDer $1k
Sumiko BluePoint Special EVOIII
$399 Good “starter” moving coil at a fair
price. (147)
Lyra Dorian
$750 High-output moving coil with a clean,
musical presentation. (166)
Shelter 501 MkII
$850 Moving coil with a sweet, rich sound
from top to bottom. (147)
Dynavector Karat 17D3
$895 Brilliance and clarity are this coil’s
hallmarks. (172)
 THE TAS SHORT LIST
Phono cartridges $1k–$3k
Shelter 7000
$1995 Even more detailed and dynamic
than Shelter’s more expensive X-90. (180)
Transfiguration Phoenix 2
$2500 Neutral, detailed, transparent moving
coil. (177)
Clearaudio Strad
$3000 Near-reference-caliber —TAS’s 2007
Mid-priced Cartridge of the Year. (178)
Phono cartridges over $3k
Air Tight PC-1
$5500 A superb moving coil with standard-
setting transient response and resolution. (173)
Clearaudio Goldfinger v2
$10,000 Fast, gorgeous, detailed—TAS’s 2007
High-End Cartridge of the Year. (180)
Phono preamps under $1k
Simaudio Moon LP3
$499 Very quiet with explosive dynamics. (180)
Marchand LN-112-AA
$995 Sweet, open, natural-sounding tube
phonostage. (177)
Phonomena Nova
$999 Superb balance, low noise, and neutrality
characterize this affordable unit. (172)
Sutherland Ph3D
$999 Low-noise battery-powered phonostage—
TAS’s Budget Phonostage of the Year. (171)
Phono preamps $1k–$3k
Simaudio Moon LP5.3
$1500 Great transparency and depth. (180)
Transrotor Phono II
$1800 Splendidly made, highly adjustable. (172)
Sutherland PhD
$3000 Battery-powered phonostage that lets
you hear more deeply into LPs. (144)
Phono preamps over $3k
Aesthetix Rhea
$4000 Fast, effortless tube phonostage with
deep, layered soundstaging. (151)
Audio Research PH-7
$5995 Tube phonostage with superior speed,
timbre, resolution, and bloom—TAS’s 2007
Phonostage of the Year. (172)
Lamm LP2 Deluxe
$6990 Dead-quiet tube phonostage with
superb built-in step-up transformer. (157)
Manley Steelhead
$7300 Highly adaptable phonostage—natural,
extended, controlled, and involving. (152)
TONEARMS UNDER $2K
Rega RB300
$395 Terrific-sounding and affordable. (127)
Kuzma Stogi S
$1000 Hydraulically damped uni-pivot arm with
exceptional dimensionality and bass. (158)
SME 309
$1899 A beautifully made titanium pivoted arm
with removable headshell. (129)
Tonearms over $2k
Basis Audio Vector Model 4
$3450 Exceptionally neutral-sounding uni-
pivot. (172)
Graham Phantom B44
$4300 Extraordinarily smooth and detailed
uni-pivot, with huge soundstage, gorgeous
timbre, and powerful deep bass. (173)
Tri-planar Ultimate VII
$4700 Outstanding neutrality, solidity, focus,
and soundstaging. (156)
Cables & Interconnect
Kimber Cable 8TC cable/Hero
interconnect
$270/eight-foot pair; $160/1m pair Nicely
balances neutrality, detail, and liveliness.
(146)
Nordost Blue Heaven cable and
interconnect
$510/eight-foot pair; $190/1m pair
Excels at low-level detail, upper-octave
smoothness, and transient speed. (138)
Crystal Speak Micro speaker cable/Crystal
Cable Crystal Connect Micro interconnect
$2600/three-meter pair; $599, one-
meter pair Clean, composed, transparent,
with a turbine-like smoothness. (164)
Synergistic Tesla Accelerator cable and
interconnect
$1200/eight-foot pair; $1200/one-
meter pair Splendid detail, timbre, and
soundstaging—TAS’s 2007 Mid-priced Cable
and Interconnect of the Year. (171)
Tara Air 1 Series 2 and Air RSC1 cable and
interconnect
$1950/eight-foot pair; $995/one-meter
pair Big dynamics, extension, and volume;
mellow timbres. (164)
Tara Labs Omega cable and Zero
interconnect
$11,900/ten-foot pair; $14,900/one-meter
pair Combines exceptional speed, beauty,
and X-ray detail—TAS’s 2007 Interconnect
and Cable of the Year. (159)
MIT Magnum MA cable and Oracle
Magnum interconnect
$24,900/eight-foot pair; $7995/eight-foot
pair Superb resolution, space and depth,
and a shocking increase in bottom-end
power. (175)
AC Power Conditioners
PS Audio Duet, Quintet, Power Plant
Premier
$295/$495/$2195 Delivers outstanding
equipment protection and sound-quality
improvement. (175)
Furutech e-TP607 Power-Distribution
Module
$490 Six-outlet module that reduces
noise—TAS’s 2007 AC Power Product of the
Year. (173)
Shunyata Hydra-8 and V-Ray
$2495/$3995 Markedly improves
low-level resolution, soundstaging, and
midrange and treble timbre. (163)
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 129
Music Sonics Extraordinary
A Conversation With Drive-By Truckers
Frontman Patterson Hood
Bob Gendron
T
he Drive-By Truckers have
never shied away from chal-
lenge. But by late 2006, the
band was at a crossroads. Guitarist
Jason Isbell left for a solo career. Vocal-
ist/guitarist Patterson Hood suffered
from writer’s block. The group took its
first break in years. Then a call came in-
viting the Truckers to back soul singer
Bettye LaVette on what became one
of 2007’s best records. The experience
reignited the Truckers’ longtime sur-
vivalist instincts. Even after turning out
a series of critically acclaimed records
that continues with the excellent new
Brighter Than Creation’s Dark [reviewed
in Issue 179], they remain on the main-
stream fringe—underdogs that realize
nothing of value comes easily.
Hood spoke with Music Editor
Bob Gendron from his Georgia home
in early January about Brighter Than
Creation’s Dark, the band’s LP reissues,
working with LaVette, and why even
today he sweats the band’s raucous
shows.
Bob Gendron: The Truckers’ latest
artistic turn begins with the
departure of Jason Isbell. What
prompted the split?
Patterson Hood: When Jason joined
our band it was the absolute perfect
time for everyone involved. We had
five great years and made three records.
When he joined the band, he was 22
and eager to do something like that.
But by the time he’s 27 or 28, he’s
maybe ready to stretch out and have
his own band—to be the leader and
not part of a five-way democracy that’s
pretty unwieldy and messy. We were
going to have some down time, and
Excellent
Rock ETC
Good
he had his record ready to
come out. It seemed like
the perfect time for us to
part ways and for him to
continue forward in the
way he wanted to go.
Brighter Than Cre-
ation’s Dark is the
band’s most diverse
album. What led to the
increased emphasis on the soul
and acoustic country strains?
Those are areas where we’ve always
had lots of interest. Our first couple
of records had the country influence,
but I write pretty differently now than
I did ten years ago when I made those.
Some of the influences are probably
the same; just maybe what I do with
them is different. [Bassist] Shonna
Tucker is a huge, huge soul fanatic. All
of us love soul music, and of course,
it’s part of my family history. Shonna
definitely pushed some of that more to
the front on this record. And a lot of
it is that the songs decided the direc-
tion. We’d been touring hard behind A
Blessing and a Curse for a year and a half.
And when we went in to this record,
everybody was hearing something dif-
ferent in their heads.
To what extent did last year’s
acoustic tour [“The Dirt Under-
neath”] influence the album?
That really affected it a lot, because we
worked up this record on that tour. The
whole point of the tour was to reinvent
ourselves to ourselves. Jason had just
left, and we wanted to go out and play.
But going out and playing the kind of
Fair Poor
shows we’d been playing, just with dif-
ferent personnel, seemed grotesque.
So we thought: Why don’t we just strip
everything down to the bare essentials
of the song and rebuild it from scratch
right there onstage, night after night,
and see where that leads us? And let’s
take this opportunity to work in and
work up all of these new songs we’ve
been writing. Then, when we go in to
record, we’ll know where we stand. We
went almost straight from that tour
into making the record. We cut 17 of
the 19 songs in the first ten days we
were in the studio. We reconvened in
August and cut one more song, fixed
a few things, and spent a lot more time
than we’d ever gotten to spend before
working on details like harmonies and
getting good vocal takes.
Truckers records sound better
with every release. Producer
David Barbe seems to be a
member of the band in the studio.
There is no way to overstate the effect
or amount he has to do with the records
we make. He’s an incredible producer
and an amazing musician. So when he
walks up to the guitar player, bassist,
or drummer and says, “If you try this
instead,” we’re going to listen to him
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 133
 Rock ETC
because we know what a fine player he is.
Beyond that, he’s not one of those produc-
ers who has a trademark snare sound. His
whole thing of producing is that he takes
a band, and over the course of making a
record with him, it becomes a better band.
He’s like a coach.
It must be redeeming to see the
band’s back catalog finally issued on
vinyl.
Yeah, and the records sound so much
better. The Dirty South almost sounds like
different mixes even though [they’re] not. I
like the sound of vinyl better anyway. We’d
catch some flak from time to time about
the way our records would sound. People
say: “Your records don’t sound right.” And
I’d say, “What do you mean? Our records
sound very right to me.” They may not
sound like records in 1998 sound, but I
didn’t like the way records were sound-
ing in 1998. But they sounded to me like
records sounded in 1973. And I liked the
way records sounded then. I like the way
records sounded when it tended to be 16
tracks and two-inch analog instead of a
lot of heavy compression on everything.
Instead, everything is loose and airy. You
can hear the drummer grunting in the
background. Now, a lot of people are
starting to gravitate back to that stuff, so
now, a lot of people are talking about how
much better our records sound [laughing].
You can’t go wrong with raw, organic
production.
It’s nice to finally be able to get to record in
studios, don’t get me wrong. Our records
definitely sound better than when we were
making them in warehouses and living
rooms. Pizza Deliverance wouldn’t be nearly
as cool if it had been recorded any other
way than in a living room because that’s
the way that record was meant to be. With
Southern Rock Opera, it would have been
great to record it in a studio. The best we
could do was to record it in a warehouse
space, balling some D88s and miking this
huge warehouse room because that was
the only way we could afford to make
that record. From Decoration Day on, we’ve
been fortunate enough to [record in a
studio]. Yet even in the studio, we tend to
record live.
134 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Did your experience working with
Bettye LaVette [on The Scene of the
Crime] impact the new album?
Probably in ways that I’m only now starting
to figure out. At the time, it all happened
so quick. We did that record in February
2007. The biggest thing that came out of
it for the Truckers was Spooner Oldham. I
thought he could be there to be this bridge
between what she’s used to and what we’re
used to, and that’ll be great. And I wanted
to get my dad to play on it too, since he
played on her record in 1972 [the shelved
Child of the Seventies]. So Spooner came in
for that project. But instead of him being
a bridge between Bettye and us, he was
really just one of us. Spooner is a Drive-
By Trucker [laughing]. I don’t care what
his resume says. We already decided during
the Bettye recordings that we wanted
him to be a big part of our next record.
It was like, ‘Now let’s make a record with
Spooner where nobody is yelling at us.’ I
love Bettye. But making that record was
not easy. To some extent, we’re a backup
band on an exorcism. She was riding an
emotional rollercoaster because all of a
sudden she’s back in Muscle Shoals, and
the last time she’d been there was when
something happened that was one of the
worst things of her life. Being back there,
even though we got a different studio, it
brought all of that hurt and anger to the
surface. She’s a really intense, emotional
person anyway. To top that off, she didn’t
know us. To her, we were punk kids who
were going to bury her vocals under a
bunch of guitar. Nothing could have been
farther from the truth.
In my talking with her a month before
the record’s release, it became
obvious that the sessions were tense.
It wouldn’t have been so hard if the trust
had been there already. But you’ve got to
earn trust. You can’t have it given to you.
It’s not like she spent the last five years
listening to the Truckers. She had no idea
who we were. This was [Anti Records
president] Andy Kaulkin’s idea. She had
enough respect for Andy, since he has
done so right for her after a whole lifetime
of people in the business not doing right
by her, that she respected him enough to
let him get away with bringing us in. She
wasn’t going to tell him no. Instead, she
was going to get rid of us once we all got
there. And Andy, he’s a savvy old bastard.
I think he totally knew exactly what was
going to happen. He tried to warn us.
But there’s really no warning anybody for
something like that. I was so blinded by
my lifelong desire to work on a project like
that that Andy could’ve told me that she
was rabid and was going to be bite me, and
I still would have come into it eagerly.
I wouldn’t doubt you if you told me
she had bitten you.
She was kind of rabid and she didn’t actu-
ally bite—but it was biting. I hadn’t been
yelled and cussed at that much in my adult
life. But it’s great. Bettye had every right to
be that way. If I’d been through all of the
shit she’d been through, I wouldn’t trust
anybody either. And I sure wouldn’t trust
a bunch of crazy rednecks from Alabama.
Even then, I totally understood. She’s been
through more hell. And yet, here she is, 61,
and she’s at the peak of her powers and
mean as a snake.
Given the great records you’ve made,
are you frustrated that the Truckers
aren’t more commercially success-
ful? Or are you comfortable with
where you’re at?
It’s somewhere in between. I don’t have
any illusions of being a rock star anymore.
But at the same time, I would like to
maybe be more comfortable at the place
we’re at. I wish our record sales reflected
where we’re at as a live touring band. The
1000-2500 seat [clubs we play] are a nice
size. And I still sweat if anybody’s going
to come. It’s like, “Oh shit. Has anyone
bought tickets for this one?” That comes
from all of the years of nobody coming.
I’m still convinced I’m going to wake up
tomorrow and it’s going to all be over
and I’m going to have to find another job
waiting tables or something. And I wake
up in a cold sweat because, hell, I waited
tables for 15 years and I wasn’t even very
good at it. So I’m still in constant fear that
it’s going to all be over and I’m going to
have to find a job again and figure out how
to support my family and still have time
to occasionally get to make a record. But
overall, I can’t complain.
 Rock ETC
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS 180-GRAM LP REISSUES
W
ith the Truckers’ catalog newly
issued on vinyl, there’s never
been a better reason to delve into
the band’s music or Wes Freed’s artwork.
While Lost Highway recently pressed
2001’s magnificent Southern Rock Opera on
LP, these must-have 180-gram New West
titles—as well as 1998’s Gangstabilly and
1999’s Pizza Deliverance—are making their
wax debuts. All boast slight-to-considerable
improvements in overall dynamics,
midrange punch, and soundstage width.
In comparison to the good-sounding
CDs, they possess a greater sense of air,
extension, energy, and presence. What’s
best is that the music sounds even livelier
(no surprise given the group records on
two-inch analog tape when possible), the
band’s live-in-the-studio results conveyed
warmly and palpably via the thick,
extended vinyl grooves. Save for A Blessing
and a Curse, every beautifully packaged LP
is a two-vinyl gatefold affair complete with
lyrics and illustrations.
Decoration Day.
David Barbe, producer. New West
5006.
Music Sonics
Where Southern Rock Opera chronicles
the duality of Southern culture, 2003’s
Decoration Day is more personal, delving
into busted relationships, private tragedies,
and the repercussions of life-changing
decisions. Songs resonate because they
are near to truth—most of the lyrics
are based on first-hand observations
and experiences. On several occasions,
the Truckers open wounds with slowed-
136 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
down tempos and high-and-lonesome
tones, channeling loss, anxiety, and self-
discovery as effectively acoustically as
they do via Marshall stacks. Recorded live
in just a few takes, Decoration Day crackles
with intensity, originality, and honesty.
[Full review in TAS 143]
The Dirty South.
Barbe, producer. New West 5007.
Music Sonics
Dark, mean, and replete with ear-bleeding
riffs, 2004’s The Dirty South is a gritty set of
hard-stomping boogies, poignant acoustic
waltzes, and declarative rock n’ roll played
with bracing conviction. Here, Jason Isbell
joins vocalist/guitarists Mike Cooley and
Hood as a principal songwriter, sharpening
the band’s historical fiction and personal
reflections. Recorded on two-inch analog
tape, the bold, brawny sound presents the
Truckers in all their ragged glory. Turn it
up and feel the unmistakable hum of warm
amps, guitars that toll like funeral-mass
bells, and clang of auto-parts percussion.
[Full review in TAS 150]
A Blessing and a Curse.
Barbe, producer. New West 5008.
Music Sonics
“To love is to feel pain,” solemnly states
Hood during “A World of Hurt,” the
bare-bones ballad that closes his band’s
sixth studio album. The spoke-sung
conclusion—as well as several other
adages about emotion, persistence, and
perception Hood utters as if reading
?
from a post-suicidal diary entry—are the
core themes surrounding 2006’s A Blessing
and a Curse, a work whose central tenet
holds that without tenacious struggle and
both good and bad times, life isn’t really
lived at all. Sonics are simple, present,
and alert. When sticks hit drum skins,
the beats respond with realistic kickback.
Above all, the music is as it should be—
unadorned, honest, and declarative. [Full
review in TAS 161]
Brighter Than Creation’s Dark.
Barbe, producer. New West 61352.
Music Sonics
Moodily somber and musically diverse,
Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is a testament
to the Truckers’ dogged sense of quality
control and self-discipline. Greased R&B,
Bakersfield twang, drifting atmospherics,
back-porch folk, acoustic country, and
subtle bluegrass course throughout the
album, which rallies around an underlying
theme: the fading of the American middle
class. Dimensional spaciousness and live-
in-the-studio rawness are expertly captured.
Nimble slide accents knife in and out of
the mix; vocals hover; bass lines dive. The
soundstage possesses limitless height, and
every drumbeat and cymbal slap resounds.
(While Brighter Than Creation’s Dark was
always intended to be pressed on a two-
LP set, unspecified issues have delayed its
release. At press time, the band’s publicist
swears that it will happen, though no
timetable is available.) [Full review in TAS
179] Bob Gendron
 Rock ETC
Recording
of the Issue
Music Sonics
The Gutter Twins: Saturnalia.
Greg Dulli, Mark Lanegan, and
Matthew Schneeberger, producers.
Sub Pop 761 (also available on LP).
Rumored for more than five years
and hinted at via a succession of
collaborations, the prospect of the
Gutter Twins—a partnership between
inimitable vocalists Mark Lanegan and
Greg Dulli—has until now existed as
more of a tantalizing fantasy. Not that the
pair hasn’t given reasons to believe.
Both artists have histories of helping a
brother out. Dulli assisted on Lanegan’s
Bubblegum album and sat behind the piano
for a subsequent tour; Lanegan cut several
tracks with Dulli’s Twilight Singers and
has often joined the band onstage. Aside
from a one-off Gutter Twins gig, these
moments were the closest anyone came to
experiencing what the two-headed beast
might resemble if it ever became reality.
In retrospect, it seems the frontmen
understood the value of an old showbiz
rule: Stoke desires and tease curiosities by
giving audiences a taste, but make them
wait. What a concept.
A triumph of great art over anticipation
and expectation, Saturnalia, named after an
ancient Roman festival at which the social
order of slaves and masters was reversed,
finds Dulli and Lanegan in peak form,
the singers reaching for transcendental
deliverance while contemplating heaven,
hell, temptation, and salvation amidst
ominous sonic surroundings. Religious
references and menacing atmospherics
are nothing new to either Lanegan, the
former Screaming Trees singer whose solo
efforts brood about mood and mortality,
138 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
or Dulli, the ex-Afghan Whigs leader
intimately familiar with guilt, revenge, and
personal demons. Yet recurring streaks of
spirituality present in the lyrics and music
also push the Gutter Twins in a cathartic
direction whereby pleas for redemption
and forewarnings of inescapable fate
alternately swirl with fear and desperation,
celebration and resilience.
Both vocalists trade off between lead
and background duties, each showcasing
trademark strengths—Dulli letting loose
with his soulful falsetto and sensual croon,
Lanegan adding emotional weight with a
deep baritone croak and sturdy, nicotine-
pollinated rasp—to complementary
and contrasting effect. Moreover, their
propensity to change up vocal patterns
on every one of the record’s dozen tunes
reflects both the pair’s potent chemistry
and the music’s striking diversity.
Supported by a host of accompanists—
vocalist Martina Topley-Bird, indie singer-
songwriter Joseph Arthur, and multiple
Queens of the Stone Age members/
contributors are among the guests—the
Gutter Twins play a melodic assortment
of modal folk, gritty blues, swampy
trance, tribal electronica, and R&B-
fused rock. Middle Eastern textures,
reverse loops, and exotic instrumentation
contribute to the album’s otherworldly
feel. Each narrative conjures its own set
of mysteries and revelations.
The opening “The Stations” tells
of the arrival of an imminent rapture.
Slithering guitar
lines, somber cellos,
and marching beats
preceding a climactic
“oh, children” call—
the cry simultaneously
referencing the Rolling
Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”
and underscoring one
of Saturnalia’s running
themes. “Idle Hands”
sounds like a throw
down between Biblical
adversaries inside an
ancient temple, all
swagger and sway
until a hail-spitting
guitar solo makes clear
that reckoning day is
nigh. Similarly, “Bete
Noire” intimidates with
cavernous vocals, sinister lyrics, and
lurching grooves. The latter, along with
a limitless supply of gripping pop hooks
and absorbing riffs, link the stripped-
down and electric fare. The Gutter Twins
are equally deadly and intuitive on slower
material. “Seven Stories Underground”
clangs away to junkyard-heap percussion.
The equally stunning “I Was In Love
With You” slowly turns from light to
dark, dazzling with psychedelic chamber
strings and heartbreaking beauty.
Aptly, the record unfolds as a series
of mise-en-scène soundscapes. Dulli has
long stamped his projects with cinematic
grandness, and the ambitious results here
speak to his auteur visions. He makes no
small plans. Vocals are clear and direct;
songs prize enveloping ambience, distinct
tones, defined spaces, and reverberant
acoustics. While heavily layered, the
record exhales with human timbres and
analog warmth.
Nowhere is such intimacy more evident
than on the shivering ballad “Front
Street,” Dulli stepping into a subversive
role as the devil’s plaything in acerbic
detail, singing “I am old as the star who
bears you/Black as the bitch who wears
you, tears you/Rips you apart and then
turns it around” with the malicious
intent and soul-stealing determination of
someone who has no time—or desire—
for salvation. Bob Gendron
Further Listening: Tom Waits: Orphans;
Twilight Singers: Powder Burns

Music Sonics
The Black Keys: Attack &
Release.
Danger Mouse, producer. Nonesuch
292476.
The title of the Black Keys’ fifth album is
a bit deceptive. Not content to bash out
another batch of sludgy blues stompers,
the Akron, Ohio, duo reveals a more
reserved side this time around—less
attack and more release.
Working with producer Danger Mouse
(Gnarls Barkley, Sparklehorse), singer/
guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer
Patrick Carney wisely expand on their
sound, incorporating everything from
banjo to organ to clarinet (played here
by Ralph Carney, longtime Tom Waits
cohort and Patrick’s uncle). Sessions for
Attack & Release were initiated by Danger
Mouse, who approached the group to
pen songs for a planned collaboration
with the late Ike Turner. But after hearing
the initial demos, the producer opted to
have the Keys develop the material for an
album of their own, booking two weeks at
Suma Recording Studio in August 2007.
It’s impossible to gauge how much of
an effect writing for Turner had on the
duo, but Auerbach has rarely sounded this
reflective. Indeed, it doesn’t take much
imagination to picture Turner belting
out lines like “I was a movin’ man in my
younger days” or “I want to die without
pain.” That influence also informs the
band’s musical approach, never more
so than on the smoldering “Lies.” Here,
over a guitar line as deliberate as an
intravenous drip, Auerbach unburdens
his tortured soul. Listeners can practically
hear the frontman gritting his teeth as he
sings, “And nothing I do will make you
love me.”
The same can’t be said of the Keys.
Since first coming together in a basement
in Northeast Ohio in 2002, the duo
has opened for the likes of Beck and
Radiohead and made fans of everyone
from late U.K. deejay John Peel to Robert
Plant. But perhaps most fortuitously, the
band attracted the attention of Brian
Burton, better known as Danger Mouse.
Thanks to the producer, Attack &
Release is easily the Keys’ best-sounding
record (in the past, the group trumpeted
its medium-fidelity recording technique)
with a wide soundstage and above-average
imaging. Danger Mouse’s deft touch
is evident on the album’s many sonic
flourishes: the church organ that drives
the close of “All You Ever Wanted”; the
whale calls of feedback that drift through
“I Got Mine”; the dark, backwoods
psychedelia pervading “Psychotic Girl.”
None of these details would make
much difference if the Keys hadn’t
delivered its best batch of tunes to date.
Carney, who did little more than pound
out roughhewn breakbeats on the band’s
early cuts, has evolved into a drummer
capable of muscling his kit on the hard-
charging “Remember When (Side B)”
and pulling back for its haunting flipside
(“Remember When (Side A)”). Auerbach,
in turn, has become a more nuanced
songwriter and guitarist. Witness the
jazzy “So He Won’t Break,” where he and
yet another Waits running mate, guitarist
Marc Ribot, weave spidery six-string
threads.
Then there’s reflective closer “Things
Ain’t Like They Used to Be,” where
Auerbach surveys his past and sees
nothing but overgrown lawns and busted
relationships, surmising “it doesn’t mean
a thing to me.” That’s most assuredly a lie;
it’s this album’s many visible bruises that
help it cut deep. Andy Downing
Further Listening: Ike Turner & the
Kings of Rhythm: A Black Man’s Soul;
The Black Keys: Chulahoma
Rock ETC
Music Sonics
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig!!!
Lazarus Dig!!!
Cave & the Bad Seeds, Nick Launay,
producers. Anti 86943 (also
available on LP).
For last year’s Grinderman project, Nick
Cave pared the Bad Seeds down to a trio
and rolled around in the sweat-caked
ooze that is raw, electrified rock n’ roll.
On Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, the mustachioed
frontman carries over similar elements of
youthful looseness, mocking humor, and
soulful clatter to a larger band setting.
From the stripped arrangements to alley-
prowling vibes, Grinderman’s influence
weighs heavily on a record that marks a
sonic departure for the veteran ensemble.
Traces of the Bad Seeds’ trademark gloom
and frustration occasionally surface, but
rather than brood, the group boogies. The
groove’s the thing. Or, as Cave asks: “Do
you wanna dance/Do you wanna move?”
The octet doesn’t wait for an answer.
Singing like a persuasive huckster narrating
a tour of the urban subterranean, Cave
plays up arch deliveries. He raps on “More
News From Nowhere,” howls “We Call
Upon the Author,” and sermonizes on the
swinging title track. Aptly, the music is of
the streets—organ-grinder churns, gospel-
choir handclaps, tooting pianos, percussive
radiator-pipe clangs, and dirty guitars rattle
with promises of sex and resurrection.
The production capitalizes on the
band’s organic bluster—performances
sound live, tones warm, and instruments
full-bodied. BG
Further Listening: Grinderman:
Grinderman; Iggy Pop: Lust for Life
The Absolute Sound April/May 2008 141
 Rock ETC
Music Sonics
Sons & Daughters: This Gift.
Bernard Butler, producer. Domino
197.
This Gift kicks off with a hollow metal
clatter before the guitars—as crisp as
freshly pressed trousers—glide in and
kick start the hip-shaking tempo. Sons &
Daughters don’t relent until the album’s
close, nearly 40 minutes later.
The Glasgow quartet’s third album
finds the group continuing to blend
dance punk with Celtic influences. And
though the band sounds as energized as
ever, the results are growing tired. True,
singer Adele Bethel still has the ability to
twist even the darkest lyrics into pop gold.
Witness “Split Lips,” where she makes
watching the aftermath of a horrible
accident sound somewhat endearing.
The group also delivers a handful of
memorable hooks. “Darling” could lure
an army of downtown scenesters to the
dance floor; “House In My Head” is a
dingy surf-rock ditty; the title track, with
Bethel and singer/guitarist Scott Paterson
howling like vaguely disinterested wolves,
is a minimalist gem.
But nearly five years removed from
its debut, the band has yet to downshift
from fourth gear. This wasn’t an issue
on the previous albums, which averaged
less than 30 minutes, but This Gift feels
flabby by comparison. The production,
by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler,
is impressive, with extra care paid to
capturing the Ginsu-sharp guitars. AD
Further LIstening: Franz Ferdinand: Franz
Ferdinand; Clinic: Winchester Cathedral
142 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
Black Mountain: In the Future.
Black Mountain, et al., producers.
Jagjaguwar 90 (also available on
LP).
“Witchy child put a spell on me/And
there ain’t no way I can be freed,” admits
Black Mountain leader Stephen McBean
on “Evil Ways,” his phlanged vocals
drifting in an echo chamber.
Black magic and dangerous kismet loom
large on the Vancouver collective’s intrepid
sophomore record, where the future
alluded to by the album’s title involves
demons, lords, lightning, and a mess of
destruction. While the dark scenarios
evoke low-budget horror and sci-fi
films, the group members’ backgrounds
as mental-health care assistants provide
context for their obsession with shadowy
dreams and underground worlds. Steeped
in consciousness-altering psychedelia, the
quintet’s retro-based rawk prevents the
cosmic imagery from doubling as campy
fodder. Songs are often as hallucinatory
as the narratives. The crescendo-rich
“Stormy High” marches to thick stoned-
out guitar riffs and stomping beats. Loose,
sticky blues grooves and soulful vocals
cling to “Angels” and emerge throughout
the set, helping strike a balance among epic
freak-outs (“Bright Lights”), Krautrock
(“Tyrants”), and folk (“Wild Wind”).
Recorded at three different studios,
In the Future has some track-to-track
inconsistencies wherein levels and
imaging shift. While dynamics are average
at best, soundstage depth and tonal
warmth are excellent. BG
Further Listening: Rolling Stones: Sticky
Fingers; Hawkwind: Space Ritual
Music Sonics
Bullet for My Valentine: Scream,
Aim, Fire.
Colin Richardson and Alec Cartio,
producers. Jive 1393.
Bullet for My Valentine, a quartet of Welsh
metalheads, has a knack for laying down
guitar solos designed with a generation of
Guitar Hero-addicted gamers in mind.
But, despite the catchy fretwork, the
band’s sophomore effort doesn’t exhibit
any growth from its 2006 debut, The Poison,
an album that came from nowhere to sell
300,000+ copies stateside. In other words,
its sound is still incredibly derivative. The
title track could be watered-down Iron
Maiden; the melodic “End of Days”
sounds cribbed from Sweden’s In Flames;
“Hearts Burst Into Fire” sounds like a
tune My Chemical Romance could crib
together at soundcheck. And while the
band might have the chops to stand up to
some of its idols, songwriter Matt Tuck’s
juvenile lyrics negate any comparisons.
“Scream, Aim, Fire,” ostensibly about
the horrors of war, sparks this revelation:
“[Expletive] this battlefield.” “Waking
the Demon” would be far better if it
were actually about waking a demon, but,
unfortunately, Tuck’s beasts lie within.
If there’s a saving grace, it’s that sonics
are above average, with clear separation
between instruments and a sharp focus
on the six-string fireworks—perfect for
the controller-wielding army that will
be thrashing along when Guitar Hero IV
surfaces. AD
Further Listening: Lostprophets: Start
Something; In Flames: Come Clarity
 Rock ETC
Music Sonics
The Sword: Gods of the Earth.
The Sword, producers. Kemado.
Two years ago, the Sword prominently
figured in a metal renaissance that found
an audience with indie-rock fans. Not
surprisingly, the love affair didn’t last. Metal
has never courted cool. Similarly, most
hipsters view the music as exaggerated
parody. For these reasons, and because
the band members looked the part of
coffeehouse nerds rather than dragon-
slaying headbangers, the Sword was
labeled a hipster group whose medieval
tales were seen as winking homages to
loud-and-proud satire. Balderdash.
Playing up the strengths of its debut—
dungeons-and-dragons fantasies, low-tuned
guitars, Southern-flavored grooves, oversize
ride-cymbal crashes—while sharpening
the songwriting and upping the heaviness,
the Austin quartet’s second album is a
stylistically predictable albeit solid, irony-
free slab of mythical doom. Intermittent
speed bursts and acoustic interludes figure
into the mix—as do gong whacks. But
mainly, the Sword sticks to basics. The band’s
slow-midtempo pacing splits that of stoner-
rock and thrash. Chromatic riffs and choppy
rhythms evoke craggy terrains, galloping
horse hooves, and battling warriors. And
well they should, given songs such as “How
Heavy This Axe” and “Lords”—which, as
an added benefit, manage to swing.
Sonics echo early 70s rock. Warm tube-
amp tones, lasting decay, and dampened
percussion compensate for a slight lack
of depth. BG
Further Listening: Sleep: Holy
Mountain; Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second
Helping
144 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial
Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band: 13
Blues for Thirteen Moons.
Howard Bilerman and Radwan
Moumneh, producers. Constellation
051.
Everything about Silver Mt. Zion is epic,
from its wordy handle to its song titles
(“1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound”)
to its latest album’s track lengths.13 Blues’
four cuts average nearly 15 minutes
apiece.
There’s also a righteous fervor that
pervades the music, even if the songs aren’t
overtly religious. The septet frequently
shouts the lyrics in unison like aspiring
cult members, and an accompanying
booklet is billed “Himnos de Sion.” Like
many biblical texts, an enduring sense
of doom courses throughout (“There’s
ravens in the gun trees,” the band cries on
the title track), though the album’s final
words, “Some hearts are true,” offers a
sense of redemption.
Since first emerging from within
Canadian instrumental rock group
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (three of
the founding members still work with the
band) in 1999, the collective has grown in
size and scope. And this is the crew at its
expansive best. The soundstage is suitably
outsized, and there’s clear separation
between the countless instruments—
guitar, cello, violin—that make up the
group’s orchestral, oft-chaotic warnings.
AD
Further Listening: Godspeed You!
Black Emperor: Lift Your Skinny Fists
Like Antenna to Heaven; Set Fire to
Flames: Sings Reign Rebuilder
Music Sonics
Jim White: Transnormal Skiperoo.
Joe Pernice and Michael Deming,
producers. Luaka Bop 1048482.
The Roger Miller-like levity of “Turquoise
House” and gentle hopefulness of “Pieces
of Heaven” reinforce the understated
optimism that belies the otherwise
overriding sadness of Jim White’s fourth,
and best, album. Surely, the former
Pentecostal/fashion model/surfer/photo-
grapher’s trip through the backwoods of
his imagination could leave a vulnerable
listener gutted. But musical and emotional
complexity comes to the rescue.
Cannily wrought but painful stories—
about the human condition (“Crash Into the
Sun”) and vexed misfits (the mad drifter in
“Take Me Away” and the “Jailbird” trying to
escape “from the prison of my own damn
mind”) unfold in spellbinding cosmic-swamp
sonics cast across a panoramic soundstage.
Diverse collaborators (Tucker Martine, Ol-
labelle, Don Chambers and Goat, Jeff &
Vida) meld subtle keyboards, space-age ef-
fects, deep-soul bass, electric and slide gui-
tars, banjo, and old-time voices into delicate
moods. Whether singing in a soft Rick Nel-
son-esque voice, veering up towards a Thom
Yorke bleat, or spinning yarns with a slight
Pensacola twang, White holds hopelessness
at bay as he punctures religious certainty and
advocates gracious acceptance.
A plastic coating on some of the
otherwise finely detailed sounds doesn’t
obscure the brilliance of White’s beguiling
transnormality. Derk Richardson
Further Listening: Ray’s Vast
Basement: Starvation Under Orange
Trees; Etienne de Rocher: Etienne de
Roche
 Rock ETC
Music Sonics
Tift Merritt: Another Country.
George Drakoulias, producer. Fantasy
30455.
Following on the heels of her Grammy-
nominated Tambourine, Another Country
stands as North Carolina-born singer-
songwriter Tift Merritt’s third album
and first away from roots imprint Lost
Highway. The record’s title celebrates the
hiatus she enjoyed while living in Paris’
10th arrondisment. Like a rite of passage,
Merritt’s journey mirrors a long line of
pop-music luminaries—Paul Simon,
James Taylor, Joni Mitchell included—
who crossed the Atlantic to recharge the
creative engine. Yet it’s the inner journey,
the shifting terrain of career and relations,
that Merritt richly explores here.
From the opening “Something to Me,”
with its ringing guitars and optimism,
and then into “Broken” and “Morning
Is My Destination,” Merritt sings of the
artist as a work-in-progress: the search
for resiliency, the wins, the losses. Her
country/soul style continues to mature.
On these eleven tracks, she attains a new
level of intimacy and richer sense of
melody. That said, the rocking, soulful
spirit so evident on Tambourine goes soft
until “Tell Me Something True,” which
sees Merritt finally let loose with a little
blue-eyed soul.
Sonics are fairly natural and relaxed,
and the vocals pleasantly smooth. Another
Country could have used a bit more joie de
vivre but it’s still a charmer. Neil Gader
Further Listening: Kasey Chambers:
The Captain; Sarah Harmer: I’m A
Mountain
146 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
Kathleen Edwards: Asking for
Flowers.
Jim Scott and Edwards, producers.
Zoe/Rounder 1115.
For someone whose breakthrough record
arrived in early 2005, Kathleen Edwards
certainly ignored protocol. Rather than im-
mediately issue a follow-up, she took a year
off, devoting time to learn the piano, prac-
tice violin, work at a winery, and collaborate
with other artists, most notably John Doe,
with whom she teamed on the irresistible
“Golden State.”
While nothing on Asking for Flowers ap-
proaches the spark of the Doe tune, Ed-
wards taps similar midtempo folk-rock
veins on her third effort. The bluesy “The
Cheapest Key” and escapist “Oil Man’s
War” find the Canadian singer-songwriter
stopping just shy of a defiant warble so that
jangling guitar chords coincide with her ex-
hales. Edwards also frequently pushes her
falsetto to the point where words dissolve
into syllables. The technique turns pretty
on “Buffalo,” haunting on “Oh Canada,”
and exasperating during “Good Night Cali-
fornia.” Yet for all of her troubled narra-
tives, Edwards is a comforter. She uses her
warm timbre and sensual calmness to coax
subtleties out of simple, politely appointed
arrangements.
Sonically, acoustic guitars, pedal-steel
slides, and chamber strings float within an
organic soundscape that emphasizes Ed-
wards’ molasses deliveries—an approach
that magnifies her obvious debt (and junior
status) to mid-period Lucinda Williams. BG
Further Listening: John Doe: A Year
in the Wilderness; Kathleen Edwards:
Failer
Music Sonics
Willie Nelson: Moment of Forever.
Buddy Cannon and Kenny
Chesney, producers. Lost Highway
602517236226 (also available on LP).
From the start, the producer combination
of Nashville veteran Buddy Cannon and
mainstream superstar Kenny Chesney
works wonders for Willie Nelson, infus-
ing the red-headed stranger’s own heart-
breaker “Over You Again” with an ethere-
al ambiance that emphasizes the distance
the singer has yet to travel in order to heal
his broken heart. It sounds like a great
lost track from Phases and Stages had that
classic been produced by Nelson’s Teatro
mastermind, Daniel Lanois. What follows
is a spare, acoustic guitar and piano medi-
tation on a fondly remembered “holy”
love affair, Kris Kristofferson’s “Moment
of Forever,” Nelson articulating a chilling
understanding of love’s enduring pull.
But then it all falls apart, the record
dominated by inferior, inconsequential
and downright dumb songs by the likes
of Big & Rich’s Big Kenny and Dave
Matthews set to boisterous, blaring, horn-
driven arrangements and funky, slinky
rhythms that don’t work until the album’s
end, when Nelson dives into Dylan’s
“Gotta Serve Somebody.”
Cannon and Chesney keep Willie’s vo-
cals way out in front, and the general mix
of instruments is rich and punchy. Nel-
son should have been served here, but
somewhere along the way, his essence is
supplanted by pointless musical commo-
tion. David McGee
Further Listening: Willie Nelson:
Teatro; Dolly Parton: Here You Come
Again
 Rock ETC
Music Sonics
Otis Taylor: Recapturing the
Banjo.
Taylor, producer. Telarc 83667.
On Recapturing the Banjo, Otis Taylor
follows a muddy and well-potholed
pathway to country blues. But unlike
some of his fellow roots-based travelers,
Taylor never sounds like a guy who is
trying hard to sound authentic but not
quite getting there. With his respectful
yet never reverential nod to a tradition
that stretches back to the 1920s, fluid
yet simple finger picking, and emphatic
singing style that at times brings John Lee
Hooker to mind, the Boulder musician is
no pretender.
Joined by a band comprising Guy
Davis, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Keb’
Mo’, Don Vappie, Corey Harris, and
Taylor’s daughter Cassie on bass and
backup vocals, Taylor wallows with
Robert Johnson in swamp blues, gets
funky with his banjo while channeling Sly
and the Family Stone, turns playful on
covers of “Walk Right In,” “Little Liza
Jane,” and “Les Oignons,” and points to
another great bluesman, Jimi Hendrix, on
a banjo-inflected “Hey Joe,” all the while
sounding only like himself.
Telarc’s sound is outstanding. Natural
as opposed to spectacular, the soundstage
is big and upfront. Instruments have great
clarity, as well as warmth and body, and
the electric bass a perfect balance of snap
and fat. Wayne Garcia
Further Listening: American Primitive
Vol. 1—Raw Pre-War Gospel (1926
– 1936); William Elliot Whitmore: Song
of the Blackbird
148 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
Rhonda Vincent: Good Thing
Going.
Vincent and Darrin Vincent, produc-
ers. Rounder 11661-0592.
Like reigning country chanteuse Trisha
Yearwood, the queen of bluegrass,
Rhonda Vincent, is aging most gracefully
and alluringly, physically and artistically.
For this project she’s penned five
original songs of real depth (especially
the instant classic “I Give All My Love
To You,” a warm, soothing pledge sung
with IIIrd Tyme Out’s Russell Moore);
found other songs (both new and tested,
by other writers who delve with piercing
insight into matters of the heart); and
created a most memorable, moving
moment in the velvety heart-tugger “The
Water Is Wide,” featuring a captivating
duet vocal supplied by Keith Urban while
Stuart Duncan fashions an aching, low-
key fiddle solo behind him.
It all plays out on a dynamic sonic land-
scape that has the imaginative vitality and
artful spacing of a Ronnie McCoury pro-
duction. On the barnburners, the Vincent
production team moves the instruments
across the channels, giving the right side
a workout on the fiery banjo and fiddle
sorties as the voices unite dead-center in
keening harmony. By contrast, the ballads
tend towards a more unified soundscape,
with a soloing instrument adding subtle
background ballast to the earnest vocals.
Get lost in it: the journey never fails to
mesmerize. DM
Further Listening: The Del McCoury
Band: The Company We Keep;
Emmylou Harris: Roses In the Snow
Music Sonics
Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool.
Lowe, producer. Yep Roc 2620.
The cover of the 30th Anniversary
Edition of Jesus of Cool depicts Nick
Lowe in a variety of guises: mod rocker,
stoner hippie, new-wave guitarist. These
personalities and more inhabit the British
singer-songwriter’s 1978 breakout.
Originally released in separate
versions for the U.S. and U.K. (Stateside
it was titled Pure Pop For Now People),
this definitive edition combines both
pressings and fleshes the disc out with
seven bonus cuts. Stylistically, the album
is like nothing else in the pop spectrum.
Seemingly nothing is off-limits for
Lowe, who toys with multiple genres. “I
Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” is
a buoyant ditty; “Heart of the City” is a
hard-driving guitar stomper; the blissful
pop of “Marie Provost” finds the singer
dabbling in Beatles-esque melody.
These disparate elements are held to-
gether by Lowe’s sharp writing skills. His
attacks on the music industry are spot on,
whether he’s slamming its rampant com-
mercialism (“Music For Money”), mock-
ing the blurred line between commerce
and art (“I Love My Label”), or dissing
hollow contemporaries (“Rollers Show”).
The production adds to the charm. Al-
though it sports a modest soundstage and
underwhelming low end, Lowe manages
to recreate both the sound and feel of
flipping through the late 70s AM radio
dial. AD
Further Listening: Elvis Costello:
Armed Forces; John Hiatt: Overcoats
 Classical CAPS
Music Sonics Extraordinary
Music Sonics
Riley: The Cusp of Magic.
Kronos Quartet; Wu Man, pipa.
Judith Sherman, producer.
Nonesuch 075597995985.
Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet
have worked together for 30 years, and
the composer has thus far produced
18 pieces for the esteemed modern-
music chamber group. Riley has
observed flatly that “my compositions
for Kronos are the most important of
my notated works.” This latest instance
is a wide-ranging creation that reflects
a deep spirit of artistic partnership.
The Cusp of Magic—the title comes
from Gary Goldscheider’s The Secret
Language of Relationships and references
a specific Zodiac position—was written
in 2004. The music is extraordinarily
inventive and effortlessly eclectic, yet
there’s never anything the least bit
forced or self-conscious about the
manner in which Riley incorporates the
varied materials. Though Riley can be
viewed as a founding father of modern
minimalism (In C was his seminal
work), in this piece, as in much of his
output, minimalist technique is just one
of many methods utilized, along with
improvisation, chance, electronics, jazz,
and popular influences. Striking, too, is
the facility with which the composer
moves back and forth between Eastern
and Western musical styles.
150 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Excellent Good
The first (it shares the name of the
complete work) of the six movements
that make up the 45-minute
composition is based on a complex
mathematical rhythmic formulation, a
pattern of 108 beats, which is a sacred
number in India. The pulse is kept by a
shaker and bass drum. There’s no string
quartet initially in sight, but be patient.
Riley produces a quasi-symphonic
sonority as Chinese pipa—a lute-
like instrument gorgeously played by
Wu Man, a recognized master who
has performed with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk
Road Ensemble—joins the Kronos,
percussion, and synthesized sounds to
create a rich aural texture. Next comes
“Buddha’s Bedroom,” a jazz-inflected
scherzo in which the pipa happily
joins in. For the slow middle section,
Wu Man provides graceful, entrancing
vocalizations.
Movements III and V (“The
Nursery” and “Emily and Alice”)
employ “found sounds.” During
the collaboration, Riley visited with
Kronos violinist David Harrington in
his granddaughter’s bedroom, the two
passing an afternoon while playing
with the infant’s toys and exploring
sounds they could produce. The
composer recorded many of these
experimental sounds on a laptop (a
doll crooning a Russian folksong, for
Fair Poor
instance), incorporating them along
with electronic effects into a pre-
recorded backing track for use in live
performance. Lullabies in Chinese and
English are dimly audible. Positioned
between these two selections is
“Royal Wedding,” a joyous allegro
with virtuoso pipa turns. The finale,
“Prayer Circle,” subtly incorporates
chord progressions suggestive of
Latin/Cuban popular music. Irregular
rhythms provide a sense of restless
forward progression in this movement
“dedicated to world peace.”
Given the close relationship
between composer and quartet, it’s
hard to imagine a better performance.
The collaboration of Kronos and Wu
Wan is as natural as a Western clas-
sical guitarist joining the group for a
Boccherini quintet. Judith Sherman,
as usual, assures that the technical
means serve a musical end with warm,
appealingly blended string sound and
plenty of detail without exaggerated
clarity. Percussion transients are nicely
rendered and the electronica, com-
piled by David Dvorin, is effectively
incorporated into the mix. Andrew
Quint
Further Listening: Riley: Cadenza
on the Night Plain (Kronos);
Górecki: String Quartet No. 3
(Kronos)
Kronos Quartet with Wu Man
 Classical CAPS
Music Sonics
Glass: Book of Longing.
Leonard Cohen, speaker; vocalists;
instrumental ensemble, Michael Ries-
man, conductor. Michael Riesman
and Don Christensen, producers; Dan
Dryden and Stephen Erb, engineers.
Orange Mountain Music 0043 (two
CDs).
Book of Longing takes its title and texts from
a 2006 compilation of poems by Leonard
Cohen. Composed on a joint commission
from half a dozen festivals and arts groups
located on several continents, it received
its premiere in Toronto in June 2007 and
was performed in New York over the
summer. In concert, the 22 numbers of
this full-evening work are delivered almost
as performance art, with projections of
drawings by Mr. Cohen cycling on-screen
behind the performer—a group consisting
of four singers and a mixed instrumental
ensemble that includes Philip Glass on
keyboards and several members of his
usual crew.
Looking at Cohen’s drawings and
reading his poems—with their rigid
meter, short lines, and tight rhymes—
one’s first impression is of a very modest
talent. But a sly, self-deprecating humor
lurks within these deadpan lamentations.
There are echoes of the Judaic tradition
in almost every one, along with an overlay
of Buddhist detachment and acceptance.
Just the sort of thing to get Glass’ juices
flowing. So do they?
Glass is, in fact, lavish in his respect for
the directness of Cohen’s language. There’s
little of the hyperactive noodling of bygone
years, though it comes out here and there
(e.g., “Puppet Time” and “This Morning
152 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
I Woke Up Again”). The cycle’s prologue,
“I Can’t Make the Hills,” gets things off
to a promising start, echoing the haunting,
meditative quality of Glass’ music for the
Errol Morris film The Thin Blue Line. Then,
in “I Came Down from the Mountain,”
Glass turns to embrace his inner Klezmer,
and things really do go downhill from
there. With the reiterative melodic styling
of the solo vocal settings, and the rigidly
harmonized unisons of the vocal quartet
repeating the same progressions ad nauseam,
the cycle begins to sound like a bad parody
of Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins—full of
earnestness but without the irony.
Under this assault, the ear finds refuge
in several extended solo-instrumental
interludes—for cello, oboe, violin, alto
sax, and double bass—that Glass drops
in next to poems recited, rather than
sung, by Cohen. These solos embody a
tradition of meditative virtuosity that goes
way back to Bach and before. They’re the
hidden flowers in an otherwise depressing
landscape of dead leaves and dry brush.
The recording is dry and tight, with
only the slightest hint of any natural
reverb off the studio walls. This elimi-
nates any sense of space around the sing-
ers, and allows the listener to register their
position and placement, and that of the
instruments, exactly. Every word comes
through clearly, which is just what the
music needs. Cohen’s voice tracks (heard
on tape in the concert performances) are
fed solely through the left channel, to
make it clear he’s not really in the same
space as the performers. The mix is nicely
balanced, the only problem being a barely
audible ground loop in the spot-mike on
the doublebass during the latter’s inter-
lude. Ted Libbey
Further Listening: Various: Philip on
Film; Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins
(Lemper)
Music Editor Bob
Gendron’s System
BAT VK-300x integrated amplifier; Gallo
Nucleus Reference3 loudspeakers; Rotel
RSX-1065 receiver; Sony SCD-CE775
SACD player; Panasonic DVD-RP91 DVD-A
player; Clearaudio Champion turntable;
Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge; Bright
Star Audio IsoRock GR3 speaker supports;
Synergistic Research, MIT, Monster Cable,
and AudioQuest cables and interconnects;
SolidSteel 5.5 rack
Music Sonics
Jonny Greenwood: There Will Be
Blood.
Graeme Stewart, producer. Nonesuch
369020.
Only 33 minutes long (as opposed to the
two-hour-plus running time of the film for
which it was written), this concise score
heralds the arrival of a major new film
composer.
Radiohead guitarist/multi-instrument-
alist Jonny Greenwood came to director Paul
Thomas Anderson’s project as composer-in-
residence with the BBC Concert Orchestra
and with prior soundtrack experience. For
There Will Be Blood, the epic based on Upton
Sinclair’s Oil, Greenwood drew on his earlier
orchestral work, Popcorn Superhet Receiver, and
personalized the influence of Messiaen,
Penderecki, and Ligeti in 11 pithy vignettes
elegantly rendered by the BBC Concert
Orchestra; the trio of violinist Martin
Burgess, cellist Caroline Dale, and pianist
Michael Dussek; and the Emperor Quartet
(Burgess, violinist Clare Hayes, violist Fiona
Bonds, and cellist William Schofield). This
enthralling mood music stands on its own,
apart from celluloid images. It comes at us in
dark, sinister, and melancholy fragments, its
minimalist melodies, like those of Bernard
Hermann, evoking unresolved and partially
suppressed human passions.
In a deep and taut soundstage, the or-
chestra calls out from recessed shadows.
And the clearly rendered raw timbres of
featured strings, with more air around than
between them, embody the tension between
entrepreneurial expansiveness and claustro-
phobic greed. Derk Richardson
Further Listening: Philip Glass: The
Hours; Craig Armstrong: Film Music
 Classical CAPS
Music Sonics
Sondheim: Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham
Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron
Cohen, et al; orchestra conducted by
Paul Gemignani. Mike Higham, pro-
ducer; Jake Jackson, Geoff Foster,
and Andy Richards, engineers. None-
such 368572.
Twenty-nine years ago, in the heady weeks
after Sweeney Todd opened at New York’s
Uris Theatre, we critics were all talking
about the transformative impact the
show had had. Never on the Broadway
stage had so much blood been spilled,
to the manifest delight of the people in
the seats. Never in America’s newsrooms
had so much ink been spilled over the
question: Is it an opera or a musical?
None of us was thinking: “Could it be a
movie?”
Well, here we are, seemingly a lifetime
later, and who else but Tim Burton has
proved that Sweeney Todd (book by Hugh
Wheeler, music and lyrics by Stephen
Sondheim) is in fact a hell of a movie?
Darker and more terrifying than ever
in its present incarnation, as befits an
interpretation for our new age, it still
offers, via one of the most brilliant scores
ever written for a Broadway musical,
opportunities galore for actors who can
sing.
This is not a recording of the musical.
It’s a recording of the musical scenes from
Burton’s film adaptation, starring Johnny
Depp. Those familiar with the musical
will notice that certain numbers have been
cut or retouched. Still, this version has a
lot going for it, starting with the musical
154 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
direction of Paul Gemignani, the veteran
Broadway conductor who midwifed the
original production and presided over the
original cast recording. The playing of the
unnamed orchestra here is fabulous, and
the sound first-rate. The singing, though,
is not nearly as fine as what one heard
from the original cast, headed by Len
Cariou and Angela Lansbury. After all,
those were seasoned troupers.
Here we have screen and stage actors
who, as Mr. Burton notes, “for the most
part had no formal musical training.”
Never mind. These folks have learned
the notes, and if some of the voices—
Mr. Rickman’s for instance, in the role
of Judge Turpin—are not very musical,
the results are nonetheless interesting.
At the climax of “The Contest,” Sacha
Baron Cohen, luxuriously cast as the
mountebank barber Signor Adolfo
Pirelli, delivers a falsetto high G in the
soprano range (i.e., an octave above what
Sondheim called for) that’s robust and
on-pitch, and probably hasn’t been heard
since castrati roamed the earth. And then
there’s Depp. Movie critic A.O. Scott,
writing in The New York Times, said of his
performance in the film: “He brings the
unpolished urgency of rock ’n’ roll to an
idiom accustomed to more refinement,
and in doing so awakens the violence
of Mr. Sondheim’s lyrics and melodies.”
Exactly right. Despite the gravelly sound
he makes, Depp is surprisingly musical;
there are places where you’d swear he
studied with Elvis Costello.
As we’d expect, the voices have been
overdubbed in the studio, but effectively
so, giving the mix believable presence and
perspective. Spoken dialogue is dropped
in from the movie soundtrack, notably
shifting the ambience. The booklet, filled
with color stills from the film, is beauti-
fully done. TL
Further Listening: Sweeney Todd
(Original Cast Recording); Sunday in
the Park with George (Original Cast
Recording)
Music Sonics
Beethoven: Piano Trios Nos. 3
and 5; Hummel: Piano Trio, Op.
65.
Andreas Staier, fortepiano; Daniel
Sepec, violin; Jean-Guihen Queyras,
cello. Martin Sauer, producer; Tobias
Lehmann, engineer. Harmonia Mundi
901955.
Despite its early opus number, Beethoven’s
C minor Trio, Op. 1 No. 3 contains the
seeds of the later revolutionary composer,
here swathed in the ingratiating style of an
earlier period. Along with lovely shaping
of melodies and adherence to Beethoven’s
Mozart-Haydn template, the Staier-Sepec-
Queyras Trio provides slashing attacks,
wide dynamic contrasts, and an intensity
that seem out of place on this material.
On the plus side is Andreas Staier’s sen-
sitive pianism in the slow movement and
glittering fortepiano in the fast finale. But
the problem here, as elsewhere, is Sepec’s
thin-sounding, astringent violin playing, a
throwback to the all-too-recent days when
period instrument players routinely inflicted
amusical sounds upon unsuspecting listen-
ers. The group’s dramatic approach works
better in the later Trio No.5, often referred
to as the “Ghost Trio” because its Largo
movement opens with a truly ghostly cello
over a gently rippling piano.
Hummel’s charming Trio is the generous
filler, somewhat out of its league in com-
parison with the Beethovens but worth an
occasional listen. The sound is exemplary,
up-close with abundant detail and timbral
integrity. Dan Davis
Further Listening: Beethoven: Piano
Trios (Stern/Istomin/Rose); Mozart:
Sonatas (Staier)
 Classical CAPS
Music Sonics
Bach: Six Brandenburg
Concertos.
European Brandenburg Ensemble;
Trevor Pinnock, director and
harpischord. Michele Gaggia,
producer and engineer. Avie 2119
(two CDs).
Trevor Pinnock recorded the Brandenburg
Concertos 25 years ago, with The English
Concert, the original instrument ensemble
he founded. It’s an excellent set. So why
record them again? “Whereas in 1982 I
stood in awe of Bach’s discipline and order,”
writes Pinnock, “today I relish his sense of
daring and musical subversion. Eager to
cut through any narrow conceptions of
period style, I invited players from different
countries and of different generations to
join my new voyage of exploration.”
Upon hearing them now, the older
versions do sound squeaky clean and very
respectful. These Avie performances are
more relaxed and just plain fun. The outer
movements of No. 3 have an irresistible
pulse; No. 6’s finale possesses a syncopated,
swinging swagger. The soloists—violin,
oboe, recorders, flute, trumpet, horns—are
superb, including Pinnock, who hasn’t lost
his edge as a keyboard player, demonstrated
here by his execution of the harpsichord
pyrotechnics in No. 5’s opening Allegro.
The sonics are as honest and unfussy as
the performances, capturing the plangent
sound of the baroque oboes, hearty sonority
of the natural horns, and slightly coarse
tonality of the string instruments. AQ
Further Listening: Bach: Keyboard
concertos (Pinnock); Bach: Goldberg
Variations (Gould, Zenph Re-
performance)
156 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
J.S. Bach: Dialogue Cantatas.
Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritone;
Dorothea Röschmann, soprano.
Berlin Baroque Soloists, Rainer
Kussmaul, violin and director.
Christopher Alder, producer; Hans-
Ulrich Bastin, engineer. DG 4776591.
Bach’s Dialogue Cantatas were written
for church services with the male singer
portraying Jesus, and the female, the Soul.
In Nos. 57 and 152, the Soul longs for
death and release from earthly cares, and is
comforted by Jesus’ assurances that faith will
bring eternal peace. In No. 49, the spiritual
union is described in decidedly earthly terms,
a dialogue between bride and bridegroom.
No. 152’s opening is distinguished by a
tonally ravishing oboe, which also plays
a prominent obbligato role behind the
vocalists. The Sinfonia that begins No. 49
is really a sprightly mini-Organ Concerto,
and the organ obbligato adds depth to the
textures of the recitatives and arias.
The Berlin band is excellent, playing on
modern instruments with due regard for
the current vogue of period performance
practice. Dorothea Röschmann is especially
fine; her attractive voice and expressive
singing capture the Soul’s world-weariness
and joy in salvation. Thomas Quasthoff
sounds less comfortable at times, but he’s
generally in good form, portraying a human
Jesus.
Sonics are admirable, with good balances
between singers and the orchestra, which
is well detailed and placed within a wide
soundstage. DD
Further Listening: Handel: German
Arias (Röschmann); Bach: Solo
Cantatas (Quasthoff)
Music Sonics
Respighi: Church Windows;
Brazilian Impressions;
Rossiniana.
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra,
JoAnn Falletta, conductor. Tom
Shepard, producer; John Newton,
engineer. Naxos 8.557711.
Tired of Pines and Fountains? Here’s a disc
that steers clear of Rome yet does justice
to the two dominant sides of Respighi’s
musical personality, which found
expression in his work as a creator of
dazzling sonic picture-postcards and lively
antiquarian suites.
The two impulses are joined in Church
Windows, a symphonic suite based on the
Gregorian modes that conjures up scenes
ranging from the Flight into Egypt to St.
Claire attending Matins. Brazilian Impressions
shows that Respighi could do the Brazilian
thing as capably as Villa-Lobos or Milhaud;
the music is of the same vintage as Roman
Festivals, and infinitely more likable.
Conductor JoAnn Falletta’s work shows
exceptional musicality. Every phrase has
direction, shape, and a natural way of
breathing. This is how Italian music should
go. Sonically, the Buffalo strings sound a bit
undernourished in places, and are swamped
by the brass in the second movement of
Church Windows. The somewhat boomy
ambience of Buffalo’s Kleinhans Music
Hall is faithfully captured, allowing us to
hear the orchestra as it sounds from a seat
20 rows back. Imaging is a bit diffuse. TL
Further Listening: Griffes: Tone
Poems (Buffalo); Respighi: Church
Windows and Brazilian Impressions
(Philharmonia)
 Classical CAPS
LYRITA REISSUES
Famous LPs Finally On CD
Arnold: English, Scottish, Cor-
nish, and Irish Dances. Solitaire.
London Philharmonic Orchestra,
Malcolm Arnold, conductor. Lyrita
SRCD.201.
Music Sonics
Lloyd: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 8.
Philharmonia Orchestra, Edward
Downes, conductor. Lyrita
SRCD.2258 (three CDs).
Music Sonics
Maconchy: Symphony for Double
String Orchestra. Serenata Con-
certante for Violin and Orchestra.
Music for Strings. Proud Thames.
Manong Parikian, violin; London
Philharmonic and London Sym-
phony Orchestras, Vernon Handley
and Barry Wordsworth, conductors.
Lyrita SRCD.288.
Music Sonics
Rawsthorne: Piano Concertos
Nos. 1 & 2. Symphonic Studies.
Street Corner.
Malcolm Binns, piano; London Phil-
harmonic and London Symphony
Orchestras, John Pritchard and
Nicholas Braithwaite, conductors.
Lyrita SRCD.255.
Music Sonics
Long-time readers of this magazine can
pull out an issue from 15 or 20 years ago
and note a slew of recommended LPs on
the Lyrita label, an English imprint born
in the late 1950s and focused exclusively
on British music. Sure, there’s some Holst,
Elgar, and Vaughan Williams to be heard
but Lyrita made its mark introducing lis-
teners to a host of second-echelon com-
posers including Arnold Bax, Edmund
Rubbra, Gerald Finzi, Frank Bridge, John
Foulds, William Alwyn, and others. Now,
the early Lyrita catalog has been remas-
158 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
tered for CD—along with later digital re-
cordings from the 1980s and 90s as well
as some previously unreleased material.
Here are four examples.
For years, Malcolm Arnold’s English,
Scottish, and Cornish Dances rode atop (if
only for alphabetical reasons) Harry
Pearson’s “Golden Baker’s Dozen,” his
choices for the 13 best-sounding records
of all. The brilliant orchestration of these
short character pieces reflects Arnold’s
early years as the London Philharmonic’s
principal trumpet, a job he landed at the
age of 21. A soulful side to this unapolo-
getically tonal music is evident, as in the
Sarabande from Solitaire. The spooky,
moody, atmospheric Andantino from the
Cornish Dance set reminds us that Arnold
also enjoyed considerable success writing
film music.
Symphony No. 5 is among the vastly
underappreciated George Lloyd’s finest
compositions. The hour-long piece, joined
in this three-disc box by the not-incon-
sequential Fourth and Eighth sympho-
nies, opens with an affable, melodically
expansive Pastorale. Lloyd is completely
at ease with the time scale required for a
symphonic argument. A lighter-than-air
Rondo, a ruminative Lamento, and an
exuberant finale follow the bold, brassy
declamations of movement two. Edward
Downes, who helped rescue Lloyd from
obscurity, leads these performances.
Elizabeth Maconchy’s music possess-
es real grit despite a fairly conservative
harmonic palette. It echoes Bartók and
Janácek, two composers she was known
to admire. There’s edginess to Macon-
chy’s music, with movements like the
Lento (from her Symphony for Double
String Orchestra) approaching Mahlerian
intensity.
Alan Rawsthorne earned a reputation
as a “composer’s composer,” producing
expertly crafted music with an advanced
tonal language not dissimilar from that of
Hindemith. This is music that appeals in-
stantly, yet gives up deeper secrets on re-
peated hearings. The writing for the solo
keyboard instrument is highly idiomatic,
and Rawsthorne understands very well
the dialectic of the concerto form. Both
the Street Corner Overture and the six-
movement Symphonic Studies demonstrate
the composer’s technical facility.
The original LPs consistently omitted
production credits, and they’re omitted
on CD as well. But it’s widely known
that highly regarded Decca producers
and engineers—men like Kenneth
Wilkinson and James Mallinson—were
involved. I have mint copies of these
four LPs and can report that the new
CDs nicely capture the character of the
originals, differentiating, for example,
the slightly silvery violin sound on the
Arnold recording from the more robustly
textured strings on the Maconchy. The
LPs render the space between players
more convincingly; the CDs offer a
better-defined low end and a touch more
immediacy. AQ
Further Listening: Bridge: Dance
Rhapsody (Lyrita); Lambert: Pamona
(Lyrita)
 Jazz CAPS
Music Sonics Extraordinary
Music Sonics
Charles Lloyd Quartet: Rabo
De Nube.
Charles Lloyd and Dorothy Darr,
producers. ECM 10663.
Charles Lloyd was one of the first
jazz musicians to cross over to
rock audiences in the 60s, and the
charismatic tenor saxophonist has
continued to attract youthful listeners
with his profoundly deep sound
and passionate intensity along with
mystical forays into transcendent
world music. On Rabo De Nube
(released on his 70th birthday),
the shamanistic elder statesman is
surrounded by a formidable lineup
of gifted youngbloods: pianist Jason
Moran, bassist Reuben Rogers, and
drummer Eric Harland. Together,
they stretch out before a wildly
appreciative audience at Theater
Basel in Switzerland. The results are
scintillating.
On the opening “Prometheus,”
Lloyd leads off with some floaty,
meditative a cappella tenor before the
band unleashes on the aggressive
theme, underscored by Harland’s
runaway-train momentum. With
Moran feeding him provocative
harmonies on the piano, Lloyd takes
his time exploring the full range of
his horn in all-out uptempo swinging
mode. Midway through this 15-minute
160 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Excellent Good
extravaganza, Lloyd lets his talented
sidemen shine in solo sections that
reveal their individual strengths. Rogers
demonstrates accomplished arco
technique on his unaccompanied bass
solo while Moran alternates between
quiet introspection and prodigious
two-fisted abandon on the keys. On
a dynamic drum solo, Harland goes
beyond bebop cliches to a place in his
own unique musical orbit.
For the stirring minor-key ode
“Migration of Spirit,” Lloyd taps
directly into the dramatic power of
Coltrane’s “Alabama” on tenor sax.
And on the calming rubato ballad
“Booker’s Garden,” he switches to alto
flute and is supported by Harland’s
delicate brushwork and Moran’s gentle
piano. In the lively reggae-inspired
groove section of this 15-minute suite,
Moran elevates the proceedings with
provocative harmonies behind Lloyd’s
soaring alto flute solo before building
to a dynamic solo full of blistering
runs, odd intervallic leaps, and hip
rhythmic subdivisions.
Exotic turns abound. On the Middle
Eastern-flavored “Ramanujan,” Lloyd
showcases the tarogato, a Hungarian
double-reed instrument with Persian
origins that sounds similar in tone and
register to Coltrane’s India-inspired
soprano sax flights on “My Favorite
Fair Poor
Things.” The remarkably agile Harland
simultaneously plays hand percussion
and drums, creating a polyrhythmic
whirlwind.
“La Coline de Monk” is a jaunty stride
piano showcase for Moran. After two
minutes of an unaccompanied solo,
Moran is joined by Lloyd, who drops
in a savvy quote from Thelonious
Monk’s “Epistrophy” in the course
of his freewheeling sax improvisation.
Their intuitive duet seamlessly segues
to a furious band blowout on Lloyd’s
uptempo “Sweet Georgia Bright,” a
clever reference to Monk’s “Bright
Mississippi” which itself is a fractured
take on “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
Lloyd turns in his most aggressive
tenor solo here as Moran shifts from
boppish flurries to frantic Cecil Taylor
runs during his extended solo. The
title track, a tender ballad written
by Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio
Rodriguez and inspired by French
chanson, is an enchanting melody that
has Lloyd caressing each note with his
lush, Getzian tenor.
The live recording has a sparkling
clarity that captures all the nuances
of Lloyd’s new working quartet in
performance. Bill Milkowski
Further Listening: Charles Lloyd:
Sangam; Jason Moran: Same
Mother
 Jazz CAPS
Music Sonics
Nik Bartsch’s Ronin: Holon.
Manfred Eicher, producer. ECM
1052602.
Pianist Nik Bartsh returns here with his
minimalist Zen-funk, improvisational
music built upon a framework of tightly
interlocking grooves. This mostly acoustic
material is propulsive, sequential, and
unrelenting. The effect can be downright
trance-inducing, prompting one music critic
to brand one of Bartsch’s earlier efforts
“the first post-Ecstacy jazz record.” Bartsch
simply calls it “ritual groove music.”
His disciplined band of musical
mavericks, which takes its name from a
samurai term for lonely warrior, includes
Sha (bass, contrabass clarinets, and alto
sax), Bjorn Meter (bass), Kaspar Rast
(drums), and Andi Pupato (percussion).
The album’s title, Holon, refers to a
philosophical principle that describes an
entity that can be a system within itself
(like a subatomic particle), but also part
of a larger system. Lasting upwards of
15 minutes, hypnotic tunes bear such
perplexing titles as “Modul 41­_17” and
“Modul 42.” But despite the post-modern
trappings, Ronin is infused with traditional
jazz and classical influences.
Sonically, instruments shift within
a tight soundstage, their movements
depending on their role within the
whole. Producer Manfred Eicher dials
these groove masters in and out of the
field—a sonic samurai in his own right.
Greg Cahill
Further Listening: Nik Bartsch: Piano
Solo; Thomas Brinkmann: Tour de
Traum
162 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
David Buchbinder: Odessa/
Havana.
Roberto Occhipinti, producer. Tzadik
8121.
Although credited to trumpeter David
Buchbinder, leader of the Flying Bulgar
Klezmer Band, the bi-cultural/bi-metro-
politan Odessa/Havana owes equal amounts
of its compelling “explosive Jewish/
Cuban musical mash-up” quality to pianist
Hilario Duran. The Cuban expatriate, who
joins Buchbinder in Toronto’s surprisingly
mixed musical scene, composed four of
this exciting album’s eight pieces.
Despite their prosaic titles, all of the
instrumentals swing, pulsate, and brood
with musical poetry and sensuality born of
common roots in Iberian, North African,
Arabic, Sephardic, and Roma traditions.
Both Odessa (Ukraine) and Havana
(Cuba) have been home to significant
Jewish populations. And stylistic blends
have been going on for decades, including
the “Jewish mambo” of the 1950s. Fans
of both klezmer and Afro-Cuban jazz will
recognize the bristling polyrhythms and
minor-key melodies, intoned by classi-
cal violinist Aleksander Gajic, reed player
Quinsin Nachoff, and oud plucker John
Gzowski, as well as the silver-toned Buch-
binder and the brightly rippling Duran.
Bassist Roberto Occhipinti’s pristine
but unfussy production arrays the in-
struments in realistic relief with ample
warmth and roundness but also with the
edge such adventurous fusion implies.
Derk Richardson
Further Listening: Roberto Rodriguez:
El Danzon de Moises; Irving Fields Trio:
Bagels and Bongos
Music Sonics
Enrico Rava/Stefano Bollani: The
Third Man.
Manfred Eicher, producer. ECM 10512.
From the first luminous piano notes
that hang in the air on Bruno Martino’s
melancholy ballad “Estate,” it is clear that
these intimate duets between sensational
young pianist Stefano Bollani and veteran
trumpeter Enrico Rava have a sonic
character all their own. Recorded in the
natural reverberation chamber that is
the Auditorio Radio Svizzera in Lugano,
Switzerland, The Third Man brings the 35-
year-old Bollani together with his mentor
Rava, who at nearly twice that age is at the
height of his expressive powers.
The plaintive cry of Rava’s trumpet, an
emotive sound inspired by 1950s Miles
Davis recordings, blends beautifully
with Bollani’s glistening arpeggios and
sustaining notes on a sublime reading of
Jobim’s “Retrato Em Branco Y Preto”
as well as on several affecting originals.
Rava reaches for high note bravado on
his melodic gem “Sun Bay,” then delivers
bursts of dissonance on his knotty, avant-
gardish “Cumpari.” On the title track, a
freewheeling improv that morphs into a
variety of textures and moods, Bollani
occasionally plucks and slaps the strings
inside the piano to haunting effect against
Rava’s bold, probing lines.
Every nuance is felt in the pin-drop
silence of this remarkably resonant
setting, a dream environment for
producer Manfred Eicher. BM
Further Listening: Enrico Rava: Easy
Living; Rava/Bollani/Motian: Tati
 Jazz CAPS
Music Sonics
Leslie Pintchik: Quartets.
Scott Hardy and Pintchik, producers.
Ambient 006 (hybrid multichannel
SACD).
Maybe jazz pianist and arranger Leslie
Pintchik’s formal studies for a Master
of Philosophy degree helps explain her
egalitarian approach as a bandleader. Surely,
her commitment to the art of ensemble
playing is evident throughout this release.
Reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi, she has an
impressionistic style that foregoes virtuosic
flash in favor of modal improvisation that
not only complements but is sometimes
driven by the excellent rhythm section
comprising bassist Scott Hardy and
drummer Mark Dodge. The results find
the pianist maneuvering her way through
melodies in order to build richly textured
harmonic layers.
Pintchik employs two quartets, both
with Dodge and Hardy, while trading off
between percussionist Satoshi Takeishi and
saxophonist Steve Wilson. The material
features five Pintchik originals and one
Hardy contribution. Flashes of samba that
crept into her acclaimed 2003 debut So
Glad to be Here are here, too. Three covers
include an ironically dark take on “Happy
Days are Here Again” and a wistful
rendering of the Bernstein/Sondheim
staple “Somewhere” coupled with the
Latin-flavored ballad “Berimbau”.
Sonically, the hybrid SACD packs
plenty of warmth and small-room
intimacy as befits the reflective, after-
hours feel of the material and Pintchik’s
remarkably delicate playing. GC
Further Listening: Leslie Pintchik: So Glad
to Be Here; Eliane Elias: Solos & Duets
164 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Music Sonics
Victor Wooten: Palmystery.
Wooten, producer. Heads Up 3135.
A charter member of Bela Fleck’s genre-
bending Flecktones, Victor Wooten is
one of a handful of post-Jaco Pastorius
electric bassists who have raised the bar
on virtuosity on the low-end instrument.
On Palmystery, his sixth album as a
leader, Wooten showcases his awesome
chops on an eclectic string of tunes
that stylistically range from funk-fusion
(“Left, Right & Center” with guitarist
Mike Stern and a three-drummer arsenal
of JD Blair, Will Kennedy, and Dennis
Chambers) to world music (the Middle
Eastern-flavored “Cambo” and African-
flavored “I Saw God”) to gospel (“Miss
U” with the Lee Boys, and “The Gospel,”
featuring Wooten’s mother Dorothy on
vocals). On “The Lesson,” a stirring duet
with his brother and fellow Flecktone
Roy (Future Man) Wooten on cajon and
hand claps, the accomplished bassist
conducts a virtual clinic, alternately
chording, arpeggiating, blowing single
rapid note lines, and strumming in a
flamenco manner. Other guests include
Karl Denson on an updated version of
Horace Silver’s “Song For My Father,”
former Flecktone harmonica ace Howard
Levy on the rhythmically tricky “2
Timers,” and blues singer/dobro player
Keb’ Mo.
Recorded at Wooten’s VixMix
home studio, Palmystery involves some
dense arrangements. Yet instrumental
separation is pristine and Wooten’s bass
cuts through the mix with crystal clarity. BM
Further Listening: Victor Wooten: Soul
Circus; Marcus Miller: Marcus
Music Sonics
Bill Dixon with Exploding Star
Orchestra.
Recorded by Greg Norman. Thrill
Jockey 192.
A deliberately hollow mix—especially
muddled where the basses throb, but
sparkling in the upper registers where
cymbals, vibes, tubular bells, and flutes
circulate—keeps legendary trumpeter Bill
Dixon at the center of a volatile musical
galaxy that Sun Ra would appreciate.
And that’s undoubtedly just how
Chicago Underground cornetist and
Exploding Star Orchestra founder Rob
Mazurek intended it, for Dixon, best
known to avant-garde aficionados as the
organizer of the 1964 free-jazz “October
Revolution,” deserves the limelight. Now
82, Dixon, who has spent most of the
past 44 years in relative obscurity as an
educator, still plays with startling physical
and emotional power, attending more to
texture and feel than harmony or line. His
splatters, flutters, bleats, and blasts indeed
explode from the sonic supernova created
by this rambunctious big band.
The group both plays fragmentary
unison “heads,” filling the deep
soundstage with anarchic group
improvising, and wanes into stardust-
specked atmospherics. Flutist Nicole
Mitchell, guitarist Jeff Parker, and
percussionists Jason Adasiewicz, Mike
Reed, and John Herndon all play critical
roles. But primarily, this recording is about
surrendering to the whole while Dixon
dances through the spaceways. DR
Further Listening: Exploding Star
Orchestra: We Are All From Somewhere
Else; Bill Dixon: Intents and Purposes
 Jazz CAPS
A Capitol Dozen: Collectors’
Choice Nat “King” Cole Reissues

W
hen a then-fledgling Capitol
Records signed a 24-year-old
jazz piano trio leader (and
sometime vocalist) named Nat “King”
Cole to a contract in 1943, few could have
guessed the future. The group scored an
immediate hit with Cole’s “Straighten Up
and Fly Right,” and before long, the pianist
would transition to fulltime vocalist, first
in his trio setting, and increasingly with
studio orchestras. In the process, Cole
became an international star. He’s largely
credited with Capitol’s early success and
recorded nearly 50 albums for the label
before his death from lung cancer in
1965. Indeed, well before Frank Sinatra
and the Beatles came along, Capitol was
referred to as “the house that Nat built.”
With blessings from the singer’s family,
Collectors’ Choice Records has reissued
a dozen of Cole’s out-of-print Capitol
albums. Several are making their first-
ever appearance on CD, many contain which Cole soon became famous. Kind of Girl,” and “Three Little Words.”
rare bonus tracks, and each disc includes Top Pops is another hits collection. Everyone but completists should avoid
an excellent history and track-by-track Here, the terrific “Walkin’ My Baby Back five of the reissues, including the pop-
commentary by A&R man James Ritz. Home,” sassy “Teach Me Tonight,” and lite Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer and
Given Cole’s productivity, not all of these fun “Papa Loves Mambo,” are offset by Every Time I Feel The Spirit. While it may
are great records—and a few would be embarrassingly corny numbers like “Faith be churlish to criticize the latter given that
downright bad if not for Cole’s unearthly Can Move Mountains.” Wild Is Love is Cole’s father was a preacher, the record’s
vocal talent. But many of them are good said to be a personal favorite of Cole’s, tarted-up organ and choir are more
to very good, and several are classics. and this collection finds him “wandering” Hollywood gospel than church gospel.
Released as a 10-inch in 1952 and down Broadway, singing a string of Sings My Fair Lady marks a rare instance
on LP two years later, the seminal romantically themed show tunes linked where Cole seemed to have little feel for
Unforgettable contains a string of Cole’s by spoken intros. The concept is dated, the material. This is Nat “King” Cole and To
most beloved songs: “What’ll I Do?,” but the songs are winners. Whom It May Concern—each with Nelson
“Answer Me, My Love,” “Too Young,” Another concept album, A Mis Riddle—aren’t bad, but they’re simply not
“Mona Lisa,” the title track, and the Amigos was recorded in Brazil with memorable.
earliest recorded number, 1946’s “(I local musicians. And though Cole was Collectors’ Choice is to be commended
Love You) For Sentimental Reasons.” Of relatively unfamiliar with the Spanish and for its overall first-rate job with packaging
the four bonus tracks, the jaunty “Paint Portuguese languages, his mellifluous and sonics. The mono albums sound true
Yourself A Rainbow” stands out. Tenth voice is a perfect fit for the music. The and focused, with Cole’s voice beautifully
Anniversary is historically fascinating. This Very Thought of You (1958) is one of Cole’s open and well balanced within each
marks its first reissue on any format since greatest. The gorgeous stereo recording instrumental setting. The crystalline stereo
1953, and it’s one of the first discs to opens with the dreamy title track and silky mixes are often spectacular sounding—
include the artist’s previously unreleased strings of the Gordon Jenkins orchestra, wide open and lush as a cashmere
recordings. Trio sessions, such as 1947’s and contains one beautiful ballad after sweater, with plenty of cushiony reverb
“Dream a Little Dream,” will surprise another—from “But Beautiful” to for Cole’s creamy voice to play within.
those unfamiliar with the singer’s young, “Impossible” to “The More I See You.” Wayne Garcia
more highly pitched voice, while songs L-O-V-E was Cole’s last LP, and it, too, Further Listening: Nat “King” Cole Trio:
featuring orchestral accompaniment features one terrific song after another, Instrumental Classics; Frank Sinatra:
morph into the honeyed warmth for including “The Girl From Ipanema,” “My Nice ’n’ Easy
166 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
Back Page
Neil Gader
12 Questions for Jean Poulin, CEO Simaudio Ltd.
When did you first become interested
in audio?
I was just a kid, like seven or eight years
old. My dad had a degree in electronics
and was building tube amps and so on.
A garage builder?
Yes, for himself. Not for anybody else.
At that time he had a lot of reel-to-reel
gear. He was into big band music. At
some point he gave me some tape to put
my own stuff on. I built speakers. But it
was never my intention to work in this
field at all.
Where were you heading?
My family was pushing me toward the
automobile industry. My father was
168 April/May 2008 The Absolute Sound
working for General Motors [Canada].
He booked me an entrance to Flint
University. Everything was booked; my
career was planned. I didn’t want to
move to the States and leave my family
and friends, so I stayed. I still did my
degree in engineering and after that I
went into computers and got another
degree. I started to work as a consultant
in the computer business. Custom
applications. I got fed up with that
after a couple of years. I was in my late
twenties and then I had an opportunity
to work as a plant manager for a
company that was building transformers.
We had huge contracts with Northern
Telecom. But Northern Telecom was
building a factory in Malaysia, and their
plan was to move everything they were
giving us to Malaysia.
And you were the last to know?
Yes. Suddenly we lost seven million
dollars of our business, and I had to
go and find new clients to maintain the
firm. Since one of my fields of interest
was music and audio, I started to call on
the audio companies.
To supply transformers?
Yes , and I approached Simaudio.
So “outsourcing” actually led you to
your present career?.
Yes. I got on good terms with the guy
who owned Simaudio. A couple of years
later he called and said he needed help
with his transformers and would I join
him. I did, but after a very short time it
didn’t work with us as partners. It was
either him or me, and it happened to be
me.
Do you see any trends at this year’s
CES?
I had a lot of hopes a couple years back
with 24-bit and 192kHz and so on, and
now it’s just gotten back to basic CD.
I’m a little sad about that, but I think
what’s happening with the movies—
DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD—gives us
hope that concerts will be produced with
that kind of audio resolution. I think
there might be a chance for a comeback
in six or seven years from now for high-
resolution sound.
What do we do in the meantime?
In the meantime I think we have to
think a bit more about computers. At
our Christmas party we used a laptop as
a source for the first time. I think at the
upcoming Montreal show we’d like to
do this, using our own high-resolution
DACs via our player’s digital inputs.
We’re able to produce better music in
our room using a laptop than using CDs
in our own drives.
So hard drives and flash memory are
the answer?
For sure they will become part of our
lives. Maybe people of our age are a little
less savvy about using these things, but
the younger generation will be into it. I
like the iPod because it means that kids
are back into music and not just their
computers. These people will create
some kind of comeback for audio in the
future. And that is a very good thing.
Did you imagine going into this
show that you’d be producing new
phonostages?
I’m sure it’s going to stay forever. It’s
a format of passion. It’s not only for
the music itself; it’s also for the ritual
that goes with it. There is something
in analog not yet reproduced digitally.
Adding more resolution might give as
much detail and air, but I don’t know if
we’re able to reproduce the naturalism
of a high-quality LP. That I’m not sure
of.
Any advice you’d give a hobbyist just
starting out?
I suggest people start off buying used
gear—a good used something instead of
a bad new something. And if you make a
mistake, it’s not as costly.
You produce a wide variety of
electronics. Is there one you prefer
to design?
High-end two-channel. Wherever we
have the possibility of pushing the
envelope, that’s where it’s fun for me and
our engineers. TAS