The sound in this room blew me away. When I walked in, Dr. John's "In a Sentimental Mood" was sounding as lovely and mellow as can be. Switching gears 180°, Reference Recordings' LP issue of Stravinsky's <I>Firebird</I> had absolutely amazing bass. "Amazing," I wrote twice in my notes.
We audiophiles can't resist pushing the boundaries of intimacy. Step on those cables, jostle them amps—we just gotta take a look at what's going on from all angles. Trying not to do permanent damage, here's what I spied on the back of Lowther America's Field-Coil EXR Open-Baffle loudspeaker (estimated price of $15,000/pair).
Having greatly enjoyed YG Acoustics' two-way Carmel loudspeaker ($18,000/pair) at the California Audio Show this past summer, I was eager to hear it in a different setting. This was the opportunity, paired with Veloce Audio's battery-powered set-up. The system also featured Kubala-Sosna Emotion cabling (price not supplied), the LS-1 Pure Tube linestage ($15,000)—are there any impure tubes?—and LP-1 Pure Tube phono module ($3000), and V-6 monoblock amplifiers ($14,000, presumably for the pair). Also doing the honors were the Amazon One turntable (price not available), and the PS Audio Perfect Wave transport/DAC combo (approx. $6000).
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Judging by my complete lack of notes on the room occupied by Silver Circle Audio, Sutherland Engineering, and Tyler Acoustics—a VPI Scoutmaster turntable was spinning tunes, with amplification from Plinius driving the speakers—I would have to say that I didn’t do much listening in here. I mean, I <i>heard</i> music, but I was too busy enjoying my conversation with Silver Circle’s David Stanard, and I was too impressed by the <i>appearance</i> of the gear. From the cabinetry of the Tyler Acoustics Decade D1 loudspeakers to the <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2010/hefty_ac_cords/">hefty AC cords</a> coming from the Silver Circle Pure Power One 5.0’s rear panel to the <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2010/made_in_the_usa_enjoyed_everywhere… circuitry</a> of the Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamp (review to come from Brian Damkroger), to the equipment rack—handmade by Stanard in one afternoon—everything was handsome and personal and showed obvious fine craftsmanship.
Check out the throng of thick Silver Circle AC cables, each with heavy-duty connectors from Furutech. Also note the lovely side panels of the Silver Circle Pure Power One 5.0. Who knew a power conditioner could be so pretty? The Pure Power One 5.0 ($5000; reviewed by Michael Fremer in our August 2010 issue) includes a 65-lb, 5kVA, custom-built isolation transformer, a proprietary EMI/RF filter, four double-ganged, gold-plated Furutech AC jacks, and a Vesuvius power cord.
I loved taking a look at the exposed circuitry of the new Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamp ($2200; review to come from Brian Damkroger). Made in the USA, enjoyed everywhere.
Spend some time with Ravi Rajapakse, President and CEO of Blackfire Research, and you might get the impression that he’s some sort of control freak.
Peak Consult is a new brand for Jay Rein’s Bluebird Music, and the company’s attractive InCognito XII loudspeaker ($22,000/pair) sounded just perfectly at home with Chord Electronics’ Red Reference MkII CD player ($25,900), CPA 5000 preamp ($21, 900), and 500Wpc SPM 1400 monoblocks ($32,900/pair). Cables were Van den Hul’s Nova speaker wire ($3295) and MC Silver interconnects ($7268).
The cute Chordette Gem Bluetooth DAC ($799) measures approximately 6” x 3” x 1.5”, comes in a variety of bright colors, and will be reviewed by Art Dudley in the January 2011 issue of <i>Stereophile</i>.