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Zu Druids, NAT and the quest for synergy
Danny Kaey tackles the Zu Druids, NAT amplification and the biggest questions in audio.
COMMENTS (10) | Permalink | Amplifiers $10k to 20k , Pre-Amps $2k to 8k , Speakers $2k-5k , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on Sep 20 '06
Notes from ATC World: “Dogs and Cats Living Together”
For all you discerning audio aficionados, SonicFlare essayist JB sidesteps individual component reviews on his path towards complete system synergy. Read his adventures with two legendary brands the US scene has all but forgotten: ATC and YBA.
Also, check out JB's previous coverage of the HE2006 show.
COMMENTS (17) | Permalink | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k , Speakers $10k-20k , Speakers $20k and up , Speakers $5k-10k | Posted by JB on Sep 05 '06
YBA and ATC Make Love
"So I've got this new preamp from YBA, wanna hear it?" "Uh, okay. When?" "Say 6 tonight?" "I'm 150 miles away, haven't bathed in a week and Red Bull owns my eyes, but, sure, I'll be there."
Glad I made the trip. YBA is "that French company" making a half dozen electronic lines and dominating the French audio scene. Once described to me as the French Linn, YBA is big stuff everywhere except here in the states where YBA is usually just a footnote, thrown at the end of lists of components like "oh yeah, I guess there's YBA."
So the preamp in question is the $5000 YBA Passion 400, the latest in a line of Passion progressions. Forget trying to figure out what's actually inside of these things, designer Yves-Bernard Andre is genuine quantum physicist, packing all kinds of weird tech in his products. Unlike other audio designers who bang the quantum drum, YBA doesn't really talk about what's inside, preferring that you "just listen to the damn thing you crazy audiophile" or however you say that in French.
The speakers for this little demo were the latest ATC Anniversary 50s, the $27k active, hyper detailed laser beams. If you've never had experience with ATCs or any detailed active speaker, know these guys eat preamps for lunch. People either love or hate ATC for brutally revealing everything in the food chain and requiring almost maniacal dedication in component matching. Bought a preamp without listening first? Have yourself a good cry and put it on the 'Gon.
But once you make the match, the heavens open and angles sing or, more accurately, your orifices pucker up like clams as you claw your chair and mutter obscenities. I've heard these ATCs with probably a good 8-10 mega buck preamps over the last few months and nothing even comes close to the YBA Passion 400. Yeah, Googling "how to sell your kidney" when I got back home.
So what gives? YBA is generally perceived as a warm and luscious, anything-but-accurate, bass-lite, tubish-meets-SS, crazy eccentric French brand. In the past, that was generally the case. The revised Passion, if seems, has bass, accuracy and dynamics to spare. It's just a different beast entirely, except for the crazy French eccentricities.
So one part ATC sword of Damocles, one part YBA Moulin Rouge, bring to a boil and you have a match made in heaven. Of course, two important questions were raised: first, what do the $7500 and $10000 Passion 600 and 1000 preamps bring to the table and, more importantly, will the far less expensive ATC active 10s or 20s (around $3000-6500) with YBA produce the same magic?
We may find out soon enough. But it's worth noting that YBA probably won't be oh-so dreamy with speakers and amps that have their own luscious sound. It just may be too much in one direction, hence much of the US audio scene's perception that YBA is way over the top in the Godiva region. Then again, you still get "the third cellist from the right had Taco Bell for lunch" detail, so, who knows. Try it out. At the very least, the US scene should perk up, put down the DIY and realize a wacky physicist across the pond is doing some stuff that's worth a listen.
COMMENTS (6) | Permalink | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Posted by Josh Ray on Sep 01 '06
Boulder 800 Series
Boulder has released the new 810 preamplifer ($6900) and the 850 mono amps ($10,000/pair). The new 800 series is Boulder's "entry" level product line. Yeah, entry level like a Ferrari 430 is entry level. Boulder is known for their very expensive amps honed out of massive slabs of aluminum mined from the aluminum quarries in Boulder, Colorado. Check out their web site for their titanic 1000 and 2000 series products.
The 850 amps put out 200 watts of solid state power. It's said to have microprocessor control to prevent clipping and subsequent thermal disasters. Boulder's amps have all analog power supply and output section which, in their product lit, Boulder goes to great lengths to differentiate from the flavor-of-the-month switching class-D amp modules. In the future, the 800 line will expand to include HT, players and other entry level products.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Posted to Amplifiers $6k to 10k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k
HE2006: Usher Audio
It was 10 minutes to closing on the last day of the show and I found the Usher room completely empty. What better time to sneak in, throw on the Flaming Lips, crank the volume and see if these imports have any balls?
The track was Free Radicals off their new "At War with the Mystics" album. The speakers were the brand-spanking new V series (the reddish speakers). I demoed the pair second from the left. $1500 and, yeah, balls the size of cantaloupes. Free Radicals is a damn tough track to get right. Excellent mastering with dynamics that cause most "easy-listening" speakers to shrivel up and die. Not the Ushers. They sounded like orcs on wargs with big battle axes, which is a big compliment in my book.
And then someone showed up to shut the room down before I could get more music on. We will meet again, Usher. Oh yes, we will.
Usher also makes a preamp and amp which did duty for all their different speaks. Pics next page of the $2520 R-1.5 amp with 250 watts of power and the $2280 P-307 A preamp. With the top V-series speakers, you're looking at a total price of $6300 for one sick package.
The big speaker shown is the $14,400 BE-10, sporting a 1" tweeter and 5" midrange both made out of beryllium. Beryllium is incredibly difficult and toxic to work with. If I'm not mistaken, The Usher BE-10 is the least expensive speaker with a beryllium midrange. Someone suggested to me that in order to hit these prices Usher must have a very unique beryllium driver factory half-way across the globe. Kinda like the Willy Wonka chocolate factory but with beryllium instead of chocolate and, well, use your imagination for the rest...
Permalink | Comments (15) | Posted to Amplifiers $1k to 3k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Shows and Expos | Speakers $1k-2k
HE2006: Music Direct, E.A.R., Valve, Legacy
Online retailer Music Direct demoed an assortment of their equipment, from the giant Legacy 20/20 speakers to a bevy of new components. The new CD player from E.A.R. won big praise at CES and is shaping up to be a killer product. The amplification is by Valve, an import from South Africa. Their Black Widow preamps and amps go for $3500 and $4000 respectively.
The first day of the show, the room sounded just bizarre. With those massive 12" woofers, three total (1 down-firing), the room was just bass crazy. More is not better. But Music Direct quickly threw up some curtains on the back wall, adjusted the speakers and, damn, if it didn't sound awesome. The bass was still huge, but now it worked. Goes to show what window treatments and speaker wiggling can do.
Next page, their Mobile Fidelity rig. Speaks go for $2000.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Posted to Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Disc players $5k to 10k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Shows and Expos
HE2006: Acoustic Zen Adagio, Red Dragon and Modwright
Acoustic Zen teamed with Red Dragon Audio and Modwright for a banging demo. Those $3700 Acoustic Zen Adagio speakers have been getting buckets of love and the $2200 Modwright SWL 9.0SE preamp rocked the audio underground last year. So many people requested the new blue faceplate for the Modwright, he's decided to put it into production. Those amps on the ground are the $5995 Leviathan ICEpower beasts, rocking 1000 watts of digital power.
Lots of love in the halls for this system. Expect to see more of these guys as they slay the review circles and expand their product lines.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Posted to Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Shows and Expos | Speakers $2k-5k
Vegas - Audiopax
Brazilian dynamo Audiopax showed off a bevy of new gear this year. Audiopax, for those who don't know, won oodles of awards for their Model 88 monoblock amps. This year, Audio Pax shows off their new Ref 150 speaker (fully replaces the Ref 100) with an adjustable tweeter section (next page for close up). Range is 30-40k Hz, 92dB into 8 ohms. Price is $12,490.
On the next page you'll see something akin to heresy - solid state monoblocks from AudioPax. The Model 55s pump out 30 watts and go for $11,990 a pair. Also shown are the updated Model 98 mkII in an easier to manage chassis going for $14990 as well as the Model 5 limited edition preamp priced at $5,990.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Posted to Amplifiers $10k to 20k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Shows and Expos | Speakers $10k-20k
Vegas - Eventus and Audia
Two Italian companies Eventus and Audia showed their pricey goods at CES. Eventus makes loudspeakers with a unique layered construction and, like any self-respecting Italian company, uses drop-dead gorgeous finishes.
The speakers shown are the Metis bookshelves with a price of $5000 to $7000. The 3-way floor model Phobos goes for $12k and the Nebula statement speaker is $50k (shown on the next page). Audia's components are between $4000 and $7000 per component.
Permalink | | Posted to Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Disc players $2 to $5k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Speakers $10k-20k | Speakers $20k and up | Speakers $5k-10k
6Moons Srajan's Block Rockin' Beats
Our condolences to Srajan of e-pub 6Moons. It seems he has contracted a strange form of insomnia that forces him to trawl the seedy audio underground in search of esoteric tube tail.
Seriously, this dude peeps more unusual equipment in a month than most major print publications do all year. So much, in fact, that we can't even cover it all. So here we go with a bevy of "preview" articles on all sorts of strange components. And by "preview" we mean a normal article only to be followed up later by a 6 page dissertation on the internal workings, genealogy and metaphysical feng shui of said component.
And, like any trend-setter, Srajan is always controversial and opinionated which, of course, is what makes 6Moons exciting. So check out these upcoming articles for all the hyper-detailed goods:
Musical Reference RM-10 [$1995 stereo amp, 75 watts]
J.C. Verdier Triode Spirit 45 [$2500 stereo amp, 20 watts]
Genesis M60 [$3995 monoblock amps, 60 watts. Yes, that Genesis]
First Watt F3 [$2500 stereo solid state amp, 10 watts]
Melody SWH1688ii [Roughly $2500 preamplifier, pictured at top. Though I didn't mention it in my coverage, Zu Cable rocked one of these at the VTV EXPO and got lotsa love]
More pictures next page. Oh yeah, the J.C. Verdier website was recently voted the, ahem, worst audio site on the net by the knitting social over at Audio Asylum. I don't know, I think J.C. Verdier's site may be a work of genius - I'll never forget it for as long as I live.
Permalink | | Posted to Amplifiers $1k to 3k | Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k
Balanced Audio Technology Entry Level Review
Stereophile looks at the "entry level" preamp/amp combo from Balanced Audio Technology. Balanced means balanced - only XLR connections in the back of the stereo VK-55 amplifier. Combined with all kinds of unique technology, BAT is right on bleeding-edge of tube amplification.
"[The system] just seemed right, with no specific aspect of the sound drawing undue attention to itself, and no indication that anything important was being omitted. The sound was...well, balanced..."
BAT also pulls off the vanishingly quiet trick -- put your ear up to the speakers and you won't hear a thing. The VK-3ix preamplifier clocks in at $2495 without the optional $500 remote control. The VK-55 amp runs $3995 and cranks out 55 stereo watts. Also check out The Absolute Sound's review of the Balanced combo for more glowing comments.
Balanced Audio Technology Vk-3iX and VK-55 Review [Stereophile]
Balanced Audio Technology Vk-3iX and VK-55 Review [The Absolute Sound]
Balanced Audio Technology Home
Permalink | | Posted to Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k
VTV EXPO - DeHavilland
DeHavilland was rocking their extremely popular $3995 Mercury 2 Cascode preamp and $5995 IOS stereo amp with 25 SET watts. Slimming in black, the $4000 Hyperion 938 speakers were doing that thing they do - kicking ass and taking names.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Posted to Amplifiers $3k to 6k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Shows and Expos | Tube Amplifiers | Tube Pre-Amps
Music Fidelity kW 750 and Tube Line Review
The Robb "too rich for your own good" Report covers the Musical Fidelity kW 750 power amp and Tube Line pre-amp priced at $10k and $4.5k respectively. You know, I love the Robb Report. Their reviews are tastefully dumbed-down to appeal to the yachting sweater/shoulder crowd yet sexed-up like a cheap Vegas escort:
"The styling echoes the recent Chrysler 300; the kWs and Detroit’s hemi-powered beast are both overtly muscular and resoundingly solid-looking. This tactile element is part and parcel of the high-end experience, and I regularly succumb to the urge to fondle the kW preamplifier’s super-sized machined-metal volume control."
Succumb, man, succumb.
"Antony Michaelson warns me that the only real obstacle of living with the kWs is the inevitable letdown that occurs when you return to everyday components. “Once you get used to the sound of the kW, you cannot unknow it,” he says...The kW Series components are offered as limited editions, so interested parties should not mull over the possibilities too long. Get ’em while they’re hot!"
With nary a comparison, let alone mention, of competing equipment, one is left to wonder just what kind of knob-fondling went down at the RR.
Musical Fidelity kW 750 and Tube Line Review [Robb Report]
Musical Fidelity
Permalink | | Posted to Amplifiers $10k to 20k | Pre-Amps $2k to 8k
Lamm LL2 Tube Preamp Review
To give you something to compare the DeHavilland Mercury 2 below to, here is the Lamm LL2 Deluxe tube preamp priced competitively at $4690. Here's what Stereophile has to say about Lamm's entry in the price range:
"In relative terms, I've heard more expensive preamps than this, but I've never heard one that performs better; in absolute terms, judged for its musicality, the quality of its parts and construction, and its sheer design ingenuity, the Lamm LL2 is worth every penny they're asking for it."
Check out the review for what makes this amp tick. As with the DeHavilland, it's surprising so much advancement can be made with tube technology that has been around for decades now.
Lamm LL2 Tube Preamp Review [Stereophile]
Lamm Industries Home
Permalink | | Posted to Pre-Amps $2k to 8k | Tube Pre-Amps
DeHavilland Mercury 2 Tube Preamplifier
Dick Olsher of Superior Audio takes a look at DeHavilland's newest preamp the Mercury 2. DeHavilland is known for their killer tube gear with modest (as SETs go) prices. Here's what Olsher has to say about the Mercury 2:
"deHavilland Electric Company's winning formula is also based on design simplicity and tube rectification and I think now offers the best sound in tube line preamplification on this planet."
Price for the best is $3995. You can also get the Mercury 2 in silver instead of boring black. I've also seen pictures of bright red chassis with wooden sides floating around the internet.
DeHavilland Mercury 2 Preamplifier Review [Superior Audio]
DeHavilland Home
Permalink | | Posted to Pre-Amps $2k to 8k
