As the 00's come to an end, I was thinking what a *wonderful decade* it was for high-end audio. Many things happened - including a few big surprises. In this piece (the first in a two-part series) I cover the "big four" surprises. The next post will cover the Other Things this decade.
Surprise, surprise.
Power cords / Power filtration devices.
Who would have thought that power cords would one day make or break a system...or transform its sound ? I sure didn't. The latest designs in this category are turning heads (and ears) as they have become a new high-end necessity. Yes, after-market power cords were out in the 1990's - but their improvement was iffy at best. Filtration devices, before the 00's seen as better-in-some-ways, worse-in-others, have now reached a level of total acceptance. Both cords and power devices have greatly helped digital playback as it is much more sensitive to noise and other low-level irritants (vs. vinyl).
16-bit digital.
A big one. Long left for dead, 16/44 came *roaring* back in the 00's to the shock of many audiophiles. Actually, it roared in the 1990s with the Madrigal Reference, Linn CD12, Burmester Reference, etc. But many thought those were the final advances of CD - esp. with the new audio formats looming on the horizon. As it turned out, the opposite happened - those players in the 90's are now seen as mere steps in a giant series of progress that CD has entered. With the latest CD-only systems, reviewers are comparing CD to top-flight LP and preferring CD...or comparing CD to the so-called "hi-rez" formats and calling it a draw. The creators of CD should have said "perfect sound will improve" - but it may be a perfect format nonetheless.
Solid-state circuits (mainly preamps).
As recently as the 1990's, tube-based preamplifiers ruled the high-end roost, with very few exceptions. And with good reason: transistor-based circuits sounded like...transistor-based circuits. But this too, has passed - gone is the harshness, glare and flat-sounding designs of the 80's and 90's. The latest designs here are proving just how deep audio science can get - esp. when examined with high-resolution recordings and speakers. Tube-based preamps have made progress as well. But the big story this decade was the stunning improvement of its arch-nemesis. And many high-end reviewers are now preferring solid-state to tubes. Like CD, this makes sense: solid-state always measured lower in distortion - so why shouldn't sound better in the end ?
Compression-driver horns.
Another head-banger. How *could* these be competitive with high-end dynamic and planar loudspeakers ? Don't they have a throat ? Weren't they designed primarily as sound-reinforcement (PA) speakers ? Yes...and yes. But horns always had natural advantages of lower cone excursion, higher SPL's, controlled radiation and electrical efficiency. Horn lovers always reminded me of ice hockey fans: the smallest but most loyal of sports nuts. The laugh, formerly on the horn lover, is now on the rest of us. Compression-horns somehow *overcame* their throat-induced coloration and it's only a matter of time before the high-end world finds out. As recently as this year, the editor of The Absolute Sound said that "it's a rare horn-based system that doesn't have colorations". Just to show how recent (and shocking) this development is. Horns may be the high-end future....
Next time: the Other Things of the 00's !!
As the 00's come to an end, I was thinking what a *wonderful decade* it was for high-end audio. Many things happened - including a few big surprises. In this piece (the first in a two-part series) I cover the "big four" surprises. The next post will cover the Other Things this decade.
Surprise, surprise.
Power cords / Power filtration devices.
Who would have thought that power cords would one day make or break a system...or transform its sound ? I sure didn't. The latest designs in this category are turning heads (and ears) as they have become a new high-end necessity. Yes, after-market power cords were out in the 1990's - but their improvement was iffy at best. Filtration devices, before the 00's seen as better-in-some-ways, worse-in-others, have now reached a level of total acceptance. Both cords and power devices have greatly helped digital playback as it is much more sensitive to noise and other low-level irritants (vs. vinyl).
16-bit digital.
A big one. Long left for dead, 16/44 came *roaring* back in the 00's to the shock of many audiophiles. Actually, it roared in the 1990s with the Madrigal Reference, Linn CD12, Burmester Reference, etc. But many thought those were the final advances of CD - esp. with the new audio formats looming on the horizon. As it turned out, the opposite happened - those players in the 90's are now seen as mere steps in a giant series of progress that CD has entered. With the latest CD-only systems, reviewers are comparing CD to top-flight LP and preferring CD...or comparing CD to the so-called "hi-rez" formats and calling it a draw. The creators of CD should have said "perfect sound will improve" - but it may be a perfect format nonetheless.
Solid-state circuits (mainly preamps).
As recently as the 1990's, tube-based preamplifiers ruled the high-end roost, with very few exceptions. And with good reason: transistor-based circuits sounded like...transistor-based circuits. But this too, has passed - gone is the harshness, glare and flat-sounding designs of the 80's and 90's. The latest designs here are proving just how deep audio science can get - esp. when examined with high-resolution recordings and speakers. Tube-based preamps have made progress as well. But the big story this decade was the stunning improvement of its arch-nemesis. And many high-end reviewers are now preferring solid-state to tubes. Like CD, this makes sense: solid-state always measured lower in distortion - so why shouldn't sound better in the end ?
Compression-driver horns.
Another head-banger. How *could* these be competitive with high-end dynamic and planar loudspeakers ? Don't they have a throat ? Weren't they designed primarily as sound-reinforcement (PA) speakers ? Yes...and yes. But horns always had natural advantages of lower cone excursion, higher SPL's, controlled radiation and electrical efficiency. Horn lovers always reminded me of ice hockey fans: the smallest but most loyal of sports nuts. The laugh, formerly on the horn lover, is now on the rest of us. Compression-horns somehow *overcame* their throat-induced coloration and it's only a matter of time before the high-end world finds out. As recently as this year, the editor of The Absolute Sound said that "it's a rare horn-based system that doesn't have colorations". Just to show how recent (and shocking) this development is. Horns may be the high-end future....
Next time: the Other Things of the 00's !!