Jason Victor Serinus

CES 2018

Chord's Qutest Qute DAC

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 11, 2018

Sitting next to its big brother DAC/transport combo, Chord Mezzo 75 amplifier (75Wpc into 4 ohms, $4995), and new Spendor A2 loudspeakers ($2395/pair) was the diminutive new Chord Qutest DAC ($1795).

CES 2018

The Bluebird Stretches its Chord-like Wings

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 11, 2018

Chord Electronics, distributed by Bluebird Music, took pride of place in two systems in their multi-chambered suite on the 35th floor

CES 2018

Given the dramatic drop in the number of high-end audio exhibits at CES, only two companies chose to occupy the huge, high-ceilinged suites on the Venetian Hotel's 35th floor. The first, Lamm Industries, from the quiet little hamlet of Brooklyn, NY (where John Atkinson also lives), threw caution to the winds with a system whose total retail price was $649,440.

CES 2018

CES Begins with Hi-Res Revelations from MQA, Qobuz, and More

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

For John Atkinson and me, CES began with a trip to the Hi-Res Pavilion in the Las Vegas Convention Center's enormous Central Hall. John must have been a dog in a past lifetime, because his ability to find the booth in the middle of that huge glittering morass, which could be euphemistically characterized as high tech on steroids, smacked of a sixth sense.

CES 2018

Mobile MQA Playback from LG

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

It may look like any other smartphone, but LG's V30, shown by Vanessa Marrero, is smart enough to incorporate ESS's Sabre 32-bit Quad DAC

CES 2018

Elac's Discovery

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

Elac, which has been around for many more years than Andrew Jones has been designing speakers for them, has now released their Roon-friendly Discovery DS-S101-G music server ($1100), which allows you to play your own music files via an external HD or NAS

CES 2018

Mytek's Latest

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

With Mytek's Michal Jurewicz in the background, the company's Chebon Littlefield showed the new Clef high-resolution, MQA-equipped, Bluetooth-equipped, mobile USB DAC/headphone amplifier ($299).

CES 2018

MQA Expands its Reach

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

With Warner, Universal Music Group, and Sony as major shareholders/partners, it's no wonder that MQA figured so prominently in the CES Hi-res pavilion. MQA wasn't everywhereQobuz hasn't seen fit to embrace it as yet, and the majority of audio manufacturers have yet to get on boardbut it has certainly come to mobile phones and players.

CES 2018

New from Audeze

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 10, 2018

Thanks to automated manufacturing, Audeze has produced its first "affordable" in-ear phones, the iSine LX ($199), currently sold via their website

Jason Victor Serinus

Cecilia for the New Year

Jason Victor Serinus Dec 31, 2017

Cecilia Bartoli is back. After far too long without a new "solo" recording venture, the phenomenal mezzo-soprano returned to the microphone this past March, three months before she turned 51, to record nine Dolce Duello (Sweet Duels) with the 1759 baroque cello of Sol Gabetta. Supported by Sol's ensemble, Cappella Gabetta, under the leadership of her violinist brother, Andrés Gabetta, the two women deliver one sweet delight after the other.