International CES / T.H.E. Show 2007 Report
    
Bonus Coverage By Dick Olsher
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I would like to mention two companies specifically that are direct beneficiaries of Hemp Acoustics technology. First, Solar HiFi offers the Luna Music System, consisting of a pair of speakers featuring Hemp Acoustics woofers, and a remote-controlled CD receiver, which includes an AM/FM tuner section, and a 125 wpc Class D output stage. The speaker cabinet is made of bamboo. Why bamboo, you ask? Solar HiFi's answer is that bamboo grows rapidly and is renewable. Nice package, nice sound. Pricing is yet to be finalized, but expect a price tag around $2,500.

 

Tympanik's Erik Peel beams proudly over the Sativa co-axial monitor speaker featuring a Hemp 100 cone and Hemposite™ 100 percent hemp cabinets. Tympanik admits to taking pride in "understanding the Zen-like relationship between sound purity, minimalism and rugged functionality." My first impression indicates that they have succeeded admirably.

 

As you can imagine, there was a slew of minimonitors scattered about the Show, but none impressed me more than the Genesis G7.1p. A 5.5" solid titanium cone mid-woofer reproduces most of the music's energy. Two 1" circular ribbon tweeters are deployed, one front and one back. The closed box alignment was responsible for tight, well-defined bass lines, and that titanium woofer sounded fast, detailed, yet natural. Quite remarkable for $1,995/pr. Kudos to the Genesis design team!

 

The LAMM Industries room is usually a haven of good sound even under Show conditions. And this year was no exception.

Could this be the world's best sounding single-ended triode amplifier? There was quite a bit of buzz surrounding Lamm's ultra refined ML3 Signature, which was on passive display. Based on the monumental Russian GM70 directly heated triode, it is rated at 32 watts of pure power. Time will tell, but based on past experience with Vladimir Lamm's designs, my bet rests squarely on the ML3.

 

Ron Sutherland is continuing to evolve his acclaimed line of battery-powered phonostages.

Seen above is the new Ph3D. Powered by a total of 16 D cells, battery life is projected at 1,200 hours. Freedom from AC mains gremlins is a huge plus when amplifying low-level signals and there's no ground loop hum to worry about. Five cartridge loading/gain settings are provided via gold-plated header pins and shunts. Retail price is about $1,500.

 

Tea time, anyone? The Conrad-Johnson Triode Equalization Amplifier (TEA1), aka phono stage, is heavy on Teflon film caps. According to Lew Johnson, the TEA1 incorporates about $10,000 worth of these caps. Simple philosophy: better caps, better sound.

 

You certainly don't have to worry about listener fatigue with the new Reference 3A Grand Veena. It's about as smooth and relaxing as they come. Two long-excursion 8" woofers cover the bass range. A 7" wide-range midrange is deployed together with a 1" silk dome tweeter. An unusual feature is the use of a Murata ceramic super tweeter to extend the response into the ultrasonics from 20Hz to 100kHz. While conventional wisdom indicates that the impact of such a super tweeter should be inaudible. In fact. it manifests itself through better detail resolution and more refined soundstage spaciousness.

 

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