International CES 2009 & THE Show Report
   
Consumer Electronics Show & THE Show 2009 Preview

  Combak Corporation will introduce their Reimyo CDT-777 CD transport (pictured) and DAP-999EX DAC at the upcoming CES 2009. The CDT-777 is a compact disc transport with 16-bit Philips top loading mechanism that handles 44.1kHz sampling rate. Digital output is S/PDIF via a 75 Ohm RCA connector. Combak's long-anticipated new digital to analog converter DAP-999EX is a high-purity DAC that employs Japan Victor Corporation's K2 technology 24b-it DAC IC. The unit's rigid constructed is made with an all aluminum body, while inside appear custom design parts including transformers and condensers plus specially made super purity and ultra high-speed signal transmission internal wiring. Original design tuning feet show the care of this design and greatly reduces the stand's vibrations from negatively affecting the critical internal processing. Combak's DAP-999EX is equipped with AES ( XLR), S/PDIF coaxial (RCA), BNC and optical digital inputs. Analog output is via balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA). Input quantization is 16-bit, with the internal sampling frequencies being 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 32 kHz. Then there is the JVC K2 technology that converts the digital signal to 24-bits with 8-times oversampling. There is a phase inverter adjustment on the rear panel. Frequency response is from 0 Hz to 20 kHz (+/-0.5dB) with a SNR of better than 114dB.

 

 

K&Q Sound Genesis will be at the CES 2009 with their Model 1 loudspeaker and Model 2 tube amplifier. Led by founder Quoc, K&Q Sound Genesis produces unique speakers and tube-based amplifiers to audiophile standards. The Model 1 is a delicate sounding, high efficiency three-way loudspeaker with furniture quality, solid cherry wood open baffle. A 12-inch state-of-the-art paper cone and feed-forward midbass driver are mated with a highly efficient tweeter. There are no crossover points in the critical mid-range, allowing coherence of the driver to shine through. Two 15-inch paper cone woofers handle the lowermost registers while the treble range is produced by a smooth one-inch horn loaded compression tweeter. K&Q Sound Genesis Model 2 is a zero feedback, all transformer coupled, all direct heated triode, single-ended design using a 300B to drive another 300B. It is based on the seminal acoustic research findings and technology developments introduced by Western Electric in the late 1920s. This amplifier topology is rarely found in today's commercial tube amplifiers.

 

 

Gemme Audio will have their Phenix Green Gem loudspeakers ($50,000) that feature Gemme's unique BREATHE Bass loading technology and distinctive three-cabinet design. Gemme Audio's new BREATHE Bass loading technology is based on Zero Mass venting in which multiple breathing holes are used in place of the usual bass reflex vent tube. The BREATHE technology is unique in that it bypasses the traditional added mass used in bass reflex for low bass tuning. As a result, low bass transient information always sounds sharp and cone impulse is immediately transferred to positive pressure coming from the breathing holes. The 12 cubic foot of the Green Gem bass enclosure is shared by two 15-inch drivers. Each driver has a short 6 mm excursion capacity, but barely moves even under demanding low bass musical content. The absence of movement translates into ultra-low distortion. For the upper frequencies, a pair of SOPRANO mini speakers each houses two drivers in a sealed enclosure. A 6-inch ultra low mass midrange driver features a Neo magnet structure housed in a machined steel pod. An Alnico powered horn loaded ring radiator tweeter has useable output to over 30kHz. Every trio of Green Gem cabinets is handcrafted by New York artisans to become a piece of modern furniture to display in the home. Built to order and solidly constructed of select woods, the Green Gem is now available through select distributors.

 

 

EgglestonWorks will unveil two new products during the annual CES. The first of the company's displays is an entry level, floor-standing speaker called the Dianne ($2,500/pair). The Dianne represents two years of driver testing and cabinet refinements and is a two-way loudspeaker featuring a one-inch, off-center dome tweeter and six inch midrange driver. The second new product is the Andra III ($23,900/pair) and features numerous improvements over the company's previous version. Improvements include redesigned crossover network, new carbon fiber coned midrange drivers as well as a pressure release porting in the bass section of the cabinet.

 

 

Furutech will be showcasing many new products at the CES 2009. Their FI-28 and FI-28M power connectors ($98/each) features the company's (Alpha) pure-copper rhodium-plated conductors and Floating Field Damper System that is said to eliminate magnetic interference. The nylon/fiberglass body incorporates carbon particles that absorb vibration and resonance and supports cable diameters from 6mm to 17.5mm. A metal cable clamp improves grip and reduces mechanically and electrically induced distortion while Furutech renamed the patented Earth/Ground Jumper System to better describe the circuit's engineering and effect (US Patent No. 6,669,491). The Floating Field Damper is claimed to "completely solve the biggest problem you never realized you had by star grounding the metal parts in which floating magnetic fields are created by current flow through the connector. A precisely engineered, sprung metal bridge ties the various parts together and shunts the potential to ground, significantly reducing distortion for ultra clean and stable power transfer." Furutech engineers took care and have calculated that the increase in contact area is precisely 17.142 percent.

 

Furutech's FI-03 and FI-03 pure transmission IEC input connectors ($19.60 and $15 respectively) feature (Alpha) copper alloy conductors, PBT and fiberglass housing, with overall measurements of 44 x 28.6 x 33 (WxDxH in mm). They are rated for 10 Ampere at 250 Volts and are of the standard IEC 320-1, with approvals of UL, CSA, VDE, DEMKO, SEMKO, NEMKO, and FIMKO. With all these governmental approvals, this plug can be used in virtually every piece of high-end audio gear worldwide.

 

 

Furutech's new F-TP615 power filter and AC distributor features Axial Locking System and EMI-Absorbing GC-303 ($700). All conductors have been treated with Furutech's (Alpha) cryogenic and demagnetizing process while the nonmagnetic 24k gold-plated (Alpha) phosphor bronze Pure Transmission Receptacles employ nylon/fiberglass bodies incorporating nano-size ceramic particles forming an extremely effective non-resonant body. The Axial Locking System lowers receptacle resonance by a factor of 10. This unit's AC-1501 noise-filter inlet features 24k gold-plated (Alpha) brass conductors within the curvaceous  aluminum chassis, which effectively shields against RFI. A layer of Formula GC-303 is bonded to the bottom plate to further shield against EMI. The star-wired conductors are Furutech (Alpha) 12 AWG for low electrical resistance and are insulated inside resonance-absorbing tubing.

 

 

United States distributor Bluebird Music will be at the CES 2009 with many new items. To begin with, Chord's new QBD76 DAC ($895) is claimed to be the world's first DAC to utilize the superior digital signal within Bluetooth. Instead of simply using the best off the shelf DAC chip, Chord actually designed their own using the newest Xilinx field programmable gate arrays. This state-of-the-art development platform provides Chord engineers with a staggering 1,250,000 logic gates with which to design their DAC. By comparison, the best DAC chips available today use only 30,000 logic gates according to Chord. Thus, with over 40 times the development power, Chord engineers were able to control every aspect of their DAC's design and performance. As a result, the QBD76 is capable of resolving 40dB more data than DACs using the best off the shelf chips. Chord also offers new separates ($4,995) as their entire line was recently re-engineered utilizing technology from Chord's Reference products. Their new entry level pre and power amplifiers deliver the full Chord family sound and "no compromise engineering" at a relatively affordable price.

 

 

Bluebird Music will also have guest host Philip Swift, owner of Spendor, who will be in Las Vegas to showcase the company's new products. Spendor's new SA1 monitor (pictured) and ST loudspeakers has received excellent response from dealers plus positive reviews in various magazines. The new SA1 is a small two-way infinite baffle design and features a new 15cm Spendor bass-mid drive unit and 22mm wide-surround hybrid tweeter. A meticulously refined crossover network with hi-grade electrical components and gold plated conductors round out this design. Internal cables are silver plated pure copper with halogen free dielectric. Spendor's new ST "Statement" loudspeakers heralds in the quality, performance and characteristics of the SA1 to a full range floorstander..

 

 

Bluebird Music will also have the legendary and popular Van den Hul (VDH) line of products include cables and cartridges for vinyl LP replay. Some of their cables feature Linear Structured Carbon (LSC), which is an uninterrupted chain of carbon atoms aligned in individually insulated fibers. The LSC is applied as a coating over the conducting wire and improves signal transmission by performing electrical bridging on a micro-scale and thus converting the external magnetic field close to the conductors into an electrical signal again. The resulting sound is, according to Bluebird Music, "incredibly pure, clean and very three dimensional with extremely high resolution." According to Van den Hul, in many cables plasticizers in the outer jacket break down over time, usually in only about six months. This allows air and chemical impurities in the atmosphere to enter the cable, which causes the conductors to oxidize resulting in an unpleasant and harsh sound. This problem is compounded as the cable is bent. Therefore the cable jacket needs to be flexible enough to maintain a closed system even while being subjected to the stresses of bending. Van den Hul recognized that this internal oxidation was a common problem ruining the performance of high quality audio cables and decided to find a solution. Thus Hulliflex was developed, which is a unique material used in the outer jackets of VDH interconnects and speaker cables and in some cases as an internal insulator as well. Hulliflex is an inert material which provides a 100 percent completely closed environment for the cable thus protecting your valuable investment.

 

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