Consumer Electronics Show 2004

Saturday Page 1

  Ensemble had their new Dironda dedicated CD player ($8,580, or transport only for $7,980). The drive has a highly refined DSP section and naturally the DAC section upsamples.

 

Audio Note UK had their new Turntable Three Reference ($19,995) and, you heard it here first, new UK version of the legendary Ongaku ($49,000). As a former Ongaku (Japan) owner before Japan separated from the UK division, i can expertly tell you the differences. With time, Audio Note UK has devised ingenious changes including an in house designed input transformer to eliminate the former, more complicated, multi-tubes design. Naturally other parts have been both simplified and improved. As for the turntable, detailed goodies can be read within our Milan Italy 2003 show coverage.

 

Herron Audio now has their HL-1 pre-amplifier ($3,495 without internal phono stage, $4,995 with PH-1) offers 14dB of gain. The MM/MC phono stage is 44dB and 64dB respectively, while line level inputs include phono, tape loop, CD, tuner, and video with switchable pass through. The polarity is switchable for not only the audio section, but also for electricity.

 

Showing vinyl is alive and well is Boulder's 2008 Phono Preamplifier ($31,500) with three separate inputs with true dual-mono design. Each input is either MM or MC at the user's discretion.

 

Fried Products rebirth into the audiophile marketplace with top of the range Valhalla Studio ($5,000 per pair) use a 0.75-inch silk soft dome tweeter, 5-inch composite laminate midrange, and 8-inch treated paper cone. Overall frequency response is from 28Hz to 20kHz with a sensitivity of 88dB/W/m. Cabling the system is Poth Audio with their Green IC interconnect ($500/meter), Scary for loudspeaker ($700 for meter pair), and the Badman Purple power cord ($400/4 foot length).

 

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