Top Audio & Video Show 2006 Milan, Italy

  Italian passion also extends to circuit layout and, naturally, the quality of parts. Loudspeaker manufacturer Stile Italiano had their Vincenzo Bellini series (€6900) on display. It utilizes a ribbon tweeter and midrange plus a pair of cone 8-inch poly woofers. For those looking to absorb everything Italiana should note the Chestnut wood cabinet is specially sourced and hand made in Sicily.

 

Now i am a fan of longish (12-inch) tonearms, though this 24-inch+ unit made from a wooden violin bow takes the prize. This collaborative effort offered by Angstrom Research will set you back a cool €12,000. Oh, and of course they also offer tubed preamplifiers, amplifiers, phonostages, etc.

 

Rise, not only being pure Italian but also fans of Ferrari, are very technically minded. Their Music Source CD player (€11,800 including VAT) employs the Philips Pro 12 drive unit housed in avionic quality machined metal and Plexiglas. The outboard controller unit can comfortably reside by your listening chair and sends the power to the drive unit. The transport has digital out to feed external DAC unit, though there is a very capable built-in 1-bit DAC and stereo analog output.

 

Of course no report on Italian products would be complete without mentioning loudspeakers by Chario. The curvaceously elegant wood cabinet holds a very special 32mm Silversoft tweeter, 130m Rohacell midrange with phase plug, 130mm and 170mm Rohacell woofer. A pair of 320mm natural fiber subwoofers, as if a pair of woofers was not sufficient, produces deep bass. Expect deep bass down to 32Hz (-3dB) for pipe organ and dance music lovers alike. Their literature in quite informative and goes on to say live music can reach upwards of 140dB, so naturally you'd want a system that can reproduce such things cleanly and without distortion. 

 

While much of the Italian electronics appear to be of the tube variety, or perhaps my bias is showing, manufacturer Audio Analgue is quite popular and produces outstanding solid-state products. With excellent build quality rivaling the very best, seen here is their Class A stereo integrated amplifier (€8,700) that produces 50 watts per channel and provides for five inputs, tape out, and is really impressive by almost any measure.

 

SAP Audio, longstanding Italian company of both tube electronics and loudspeakers, were showcasing their new Sound Track 1 speaker that features muRata's supertweeter (review of ES103A is here), a metal dome tweeter plus special carbon-fiber midrange/woofer with phase plug. The company owner was giving a very enthusiastic demonstration and, in perfect Italian style, showed a very deep passion for the music. Vita bella! By the way, we do have a review of SAP's KT-66 Anniversary Integrated by clicking here.

 

Ital'ophiles will surely recognize Mastersound tube electronics and Ars Aures loudspeakers. Because we have reviewed the speakers (see review here) and hope to review the electronics shortly, will simple say this combination had a wonderfully smooth yet dynamic sound. After all, Italians have created the world's best classical stringed instruments.

 

And this wraps up my virtually all-Italian manufacturer show report, though it would be incomplete without mentioning the great food, excellent espresso/cappuccino, and spirited conversation. When it comes to music, the Italians more than simply love it, they live it! This show is open to the public and hope to see you here next year. As always…

Enjoy the Music,

Steven R. Rochlin

 

Click here for main show page.