November 2014
In This Issue... Tannoy, Wi-Fi And CD Discussed
Editorial By Noel Keywood

 

  It isn't often Tannoy upgrade their Prestige range of loudspeakers, and it isn't often we review models within this range either because they are very big and very expensive. And also because, although traditionally styled, they don't appeal to citizens of the UK we're told. "The further East you go, the better they sell" Tannoy tell us. Which is a shame, because Prestige loudspeakers have rare strengths gifted by their big cabinets and big drive units. You can read more about the new Kensington Gold Reference on page 10. Even if it's appearance doesn't appeal to Brits so much these days, its sound surely will.

One of the most complicated products we have encountered for a long time is Devialet's new 120 amplifier. With Wi-Fi and wired internet connection, and even electronic loudspeaker matching, this amplifier is a technological showpiece. It can be user configured from an internet Configurator. If you want a Line input, select it on your computer; if you want to use a moving coil cartridge, change Line to Moving Coil. Their website Configurator does it all. How does it sound though? You can find out on page 15 where Jon Myles looks at this new model in fine detail.

But what about CD? Martin Pipe looks at two contenders for playing CD this month, a Teac CD-P800NT and, for those who want to upgrade a CD player with digital output they already own, a North Star Excelsio DAC from Italy. The North Star is yet another ESS Sabre32 based design: this chip gives great sound quality. explaining its popularity. And, even better, it isn't overly expensive as top DACs go, at £1370. See what Martin thinks about the Excelsio on page 45 and the network connected Teac on page 22. They could be just what you are looking for as a CD upgrade.

Is the future of digital DSD? Sony would like to think so and are promoting their unique one-bit code, once used in SACD. Silver discs seem to have had their day, but DSD lives on in downloads available from companies like Blue Coast records and others (see this link). You can read more about this in my California Audio Show report on page 73 where I caught up with Cookie Marenco of Blue Coast.

Audio continues to exist in traditional as well advanced form, as Tannoy and Devialet illustrate in this issue. I hope you find both interesting – and all that lies in-between.

 

--- Noel Keywood, editor.

 

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