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The 7 series of amplifiers has been in Bryston’s line-up for about 16 years beginning with the 7B, followed by the 7BSST and now replaced by the 7B SST Squared models. Though there have been changes as technology advanced over the years, the new Squared 7B monoblocks hold Bryston’s latest and highly evolved audio technology. Many design elements have been improved upon, critical parts have been changed and even the faceplate has been refined. <<more>> Pioneer Elite Pure Audio SACD Player Model D6 (PD-D6MK2-K) The Elite D6 is a surprisingly good player and one that delivers much more bang than I expected from a low-priced component. While it doesn’t stand up to high-end SACD players, it certainly has enough of their sonic characteristics. But most of all, this player offers a high degree of musicality and I can almost guarantee that you wont’ find a worthy competitor in its price range. SACD stereo is, after all, affordable. <<more>> With the S-1EX loudspeakers, Pioneer has come full circle with the re-launch of high-end, two-channel audio These loudspeakers are part of the Elite Series (EX) of products appropriately named Pure Audio. The foundation of these designs is in Pioneers TAD (Technical Audio Devices) speaker, little known to most consumers, but long regarded as an industry standard. The EX series principal designer is ex KEF genius Andrew Jones who worked with TAD to complete the speaker under review as well as speakers for an entire surround sound system. The following, however, is all about a serious two-channel system, a pair of speakers made for the reproduction of music. <<more>> A lot of sound for everyone who loves music The Scala Utopia from Focal The Utopia Series of loudspeakers is made up of four models, of which the Scala is halfway between the more expensive and larger Maestro Utopias and Grand Utopia and the smaller Diablo Utopia. I have reviewed some of Focal’s speakers (the earlier versions were known as JM Labs) and always thought of them as designs that accomplish to recreate the essence of music in all of their models. The Scalas as sufficiently refined loudspeakers, comparable both in build and musical quality of the more expensive sibling the Grand Utopias. <<more>> A Window to the World of Music Magnum Dynalab delivers CD-like quality with their MD 209 FM Receiver When maturated audiophiles talk about FM radio, the MacIntosh MR75 and MR80, the Marantz 10B and Sequerra are fondly remembered and it wasn’t until the eighties that Magnum Dynalab joined the short list of distinguished FM tuners. Most contemporary audiophiles weren’t born or were infants when most of these distinguished tuners were making waves. Today’s short list seems to have shrunk to a single tuner manufacturer, namely Magnum Dynalab, the makers of the famous MD 108 and MD 109 tuners. <<more>> This song bird is not only cute but can hold a tune Bel Canto’s S300I is proof that Class-D designs have matured Bel Canto is Italian and loosely translates to Beautiful Singing, and, as you will see when you read the following, there is evidence that the component under review is capable of reproducing just that. Bel Canto has been in business for over 10 years and is headed by John Stronzer. Their earlier components included some vacuum tube designs, but the amp under review is a noteworthy example of the relatively new development of Class-D, or more precisely, a switching amplifier design. <<more>> Emperor's New Crown Siltech delivers high performance at a royal price with the new Emperor and Empress cables The Emperor Crown warranted my attention as soon as I heard its price. I reasoned that, as the most expensive cable I have ever seen/heard, the price may be indicative of its accomplishments as a conductor. First heard connected to the Crystal Cable’s Arabesque loudspeakers at the Montreal Audio Fest back in April of 2009, I was fascinated, curious and a bit skeptical as well. When I was asked if I wanted to review it, I said yes of course, because I had to discover and verify what this is all about. <<more>> Crystal Cable Ararbesque Loudspeakers Music with see-through quality One of the 2009 Montreal Show’s highlights was the introduction of the Arabesque loudspeakers — the glass speakers as everyone called them. The loudspeakers’ striking see-through appearance and their unique shape warranted visitors attention and, as usual, prompted comments that greatly varied. As I walked around at the show, I heard criticism as well as acclamation by both, industry players and audiophile visitors. My own take of the Arabesques is what you are about to read. My evaluation is based on a few listening sessions spread over three days and with the help of a compilation CD with a considerable variety of music. <<more>> Ultralink offers consumers affordability and performance with their new Argentum Acoustics series cables The Argentum Acoustics series of cables represent the latest development from a company that introduced the affordably priced Ultralink cables back in 1993. The company’s success was almost immediate and in a couple of years, it had grown enough to expand its marketing to include all of North America, Europe, the Middle and Far East. Ultralink moved on and acquired the XLO Electric Company in 2002, thus introducing a high-end, high-performance series of cables to its customers worldwide. <<more>> Tenor Audio makes a comeback with new Hybrid 250M monoblocks by Ernie Fisher Having auditioned the Tenor Audio 350M's under uncontrolled conditions at the Festival du Son hinted at something very special. The first day with Kharma speakers, the Tenors sounded sublime, while the following day connected to Avalon speakers, I didn’t hear peak performance. Sol and I proposed an audition, using Sol’s source component, an Audio Aero Classic player (same as mine) and his loudspeakers, a pair of WLM Grand Violas, one of my all-time favourite pair of loudspeakers. Everything had been connected to the $10K RCM Bonasus integrated tube amp using Valhalla cables throughout. Enter the Tenors. <<more>> Not your average bookshelf speakers by Ernie Fisher Like other small manufacturers in the audio industry, Lafleuraudio is a passion-driven group of audio lovers who decided to enter the highly competitive loudspeaker market with their first model, a superbly finished pair of bookshelf speakers. <<more>> This Avantgarde duet delivers audio bliss by Ernie Fisher For this evaluation, I broke my self-imposed rule and auditioned the system at one of my loyal reader’s house. Chris, the man of the house, has been an audio enthusiast as long as I can remember — since about the early seventies. To call him an audiophile is an understatement as he is more of a critic who often auditions audio components for fun, as a hobby. Chris and his wife Denise are blind, consequently relying on their ears to deal with life’s obstacles. When it comes to audio, they are not distracted by appearance and the only yardstick to judge a system’s performance is (as it should be) music. I am quite sure that Denise and Chris hear stuff that is likely inaudible to others. <<more>> These Horns Are Made For Music Mellow, Dynamic and Efficient equals Avantgarde’s Uno Nano Loudspeakers by Ernie Fisher These horns are Avantgarde’s entry-level designs (you read right) and, unlike the Duo Grosso review elsewhere on this site, I auditioned them under very controlled conditions — in my house. Though they are the “smaller siblings” of the Duo Grossos, smaller here isn’t little. <<more>> New cables from an industry pioneer A bridge to better Audio Valve Audio’s Predator Integrated Amp offers value for money BY Phil Gold Vacuum tubes or transistors? Take your choice, or take both! Valve Audio may be a new name to most readers, so a little background is in order. Founder Schalk Havenga began as an audio repair technician and worked on many familiar brands such as Quad, Leak, Marantz and Audio Research before setting up an audio repair shop with his friend Gunther Graef. This company, HiFi & TV Services, became the service agents for Jeff Rowlands, who inspired Schalk to design his own amplifiers. He set up Valve Audio in 1994 with his first product, the Black Widow, a hybrid 200-watt power amplifier. << MORE >> The WLM divas provide out-of-this-world sound whether your taste in amps is tube or solid state Specialty high-end manufacturer WLM is located near the Swiss and German borders in Austria’s Alpine region. If you are a regular reader, you may recall two recent reviews, one of the company’s top-of-the-line model, the Gran Violas (reviewed in Vol. 16, No. 4) and the Auras (reviewed in Vol. 17, No. 1). Both of these models were designed for bi or tri-amping and had optional active external crossovers and modules to enhance the all-round sound. << MORE >> Young and new in old-fashioned speaker design - Neeper Perfection One I met the speakers’ designer, a, 28 year old Dane named Kim Neeper Rasmussen. To say that I was surprised by the man’s age is an understatement, because I expected to encounter a middle-aged man who has been around the industry for ages. After I had put my bias away, I learned about Rasmussen’s background. It seems he became interested in audio when he was only 12 years old ... After attending the 2005 CES in Las Vegas, he decided to design his own loudspeaker and Neeper Acoustics was born. The design goal was to create “a more complete speaker than anyone else in the world — complete in terms of design, materials and, of course, performance.” << MORE >> Everyman’s
speaker - Usher CP-6381 Bang for The Buck - Bang & Olufsen combines fidelity, form and
function with the new BeoLab 9 Speakers & BeoSound 3200 Audio System Dream a Little - Crystal Cable Delivers Clarity and Performance
with their Dreamline Speaker Cables and Interconnects Italian Grace - Sonus Faber's Guaneri Memento When it comes to culture, style and tradition, it's hard to beat the Italians. The loudspeakers under review here are ideal examples; I can't think of another loudspeaker manufacturer that has taken the time and effort to finish a product to the level of craftsmanship and refinement seen here. The Guarneri Memento is named in tribute to the art of the Cremonese violin makers of old, as are the other family members of the Sonus faber Homage Series of loudspeakers — the Amati Annicersario and the Stradivari Homage. << MORE >> Tweak du Jour - Are the Black Ravioli Pads stuffed with black magic ... or complex BS ? If you are looking for a great pasta recipe, this is not it. Neither am I about to evaluate the pasta known as ravioli. However, I'm about to tell you how to cook up, perk up, grade up an audio system with the help of these things they call Black Ravioli. They are made in Scotland, designed by Derrick Ethell and, although they are not edible, they are designed to complement and enhance the performance of audio and video components. << MORE >> The Wow Factor - BIS Audio is making a sound connection with their low priced, high performance cables. Universal Music’s Nelson Poirier, a long-time audiophile and TIE reader recommended the BIS cables to me. Nelson is in charge of Universal’s Import division and his job responsibilities include auditioning all new releases as well as likely material from around the world. His audio system has evolved over the years and what began as entry-level high-end is now approaching super high-end. He auditioned the BIS cables in his system, promptly changed all his wiring, then called me and here I am undertaking another cable review! << MORE >> Grand Prix Audio’s Monaco rack is a reference, period. I often ask myself if “hype” is positive or negative. Typically, not a month goes by without some manufacturer claiming to have discovered yet another golden goose. From turntables to cables; from loudspeakers to magic little digital clocks, we have all seen and heard our fair share of sensational claims. “World’s best (fill in the flavour of the month blank)” ads grace many internet newsletters and fancy magazine spreads. Yet analysis of the state of high-end audio seems to prove the exact opposite: (mostly) all talk; no meat behind those superlatively exaggerated claims. << MORE >> Gershman Acoustics makes its forey into the budget priced maketsplace I first heard these speakers in April at the Festival Du Son, the Montreal Consumer Electronics Show — and I was impressed. Eli Gershman, principal designer of this family-owned business, has been designing loudspeakers for about 18 years. He has introduced new designs almost yearly, resulting in a line of loudspeakers that ranges from a mere $2,700 to a whopping $35,000. It is apparent to me that, in the process, Gershman has established a signature sound, that is consistently audible in each of the company’s models. The Sonograms under review are brand new and the lowest priced pair of speakers in the Gershman line-up. << MORE >> |
 
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