2020 will go down as the strangest year any of us have experienced. The pandemic has changed our world in a way we never could have predicted.
Yet for us audiophiles, 2020 introduced some magnificent, ground breaking audio products.
Let’s accentuate the positive and look back on the home runs!
Source Product
Marantz SACD-30n $3000
No product blew the doors off the competition as this guy did! If you’re a lover of silver discs, SACDs and or CDs, a new, affordable sheriff came riding into town, kicking fannies and taking names.
SACD-30n uses Marantz’s MMM. That is D to A conversion with proprietary Marantz componentry, NOT a DAC chip. With MMM there is an improvement in immediacy and clarity.
It is like looking through an open door instead of through a screen.
Further, SACD-30n is a streamer, and due to variable out, can even be used as a preamp.
It is my favorite source component in many years! If you are a fan of silver discs AS I AM, and do not own a Marantz SA-10 or SA-KI Ruby, please treat yourself to the new SACD 30n!
Integrated Amp
Marantz Model 30 $3000 (100×2)
This sumptuous integrated amp is the stellar mate for SACD-30n above. I expected it to be just a suitable partner for the cutting edge SACD-30n above. I was wrong. It stands on its own merits as an exquisitely smooth and highly articulate, analog, integrated amp with edge of the art phono section.
This 30 Series combination from Marantz, made in their top factory in Japan, is about all the front end anybody would ever need for the speakers of your choice!
Tube Preamp
Rogue RP-5 $3500
RP-5 is an acoustic music lover’s delight. RP-5 is a no frills preamp with ambiance and sound staging not to be surpassed. While it’s a good choice with any power amp, nothing will mate better than the Tube D DragoN power amp below.
Power Amps
2020 saw two new magnificent power amps redefine the audio landscape.
NAD C-298 $2400 (185×2)
C-298 is the first stereo power amp on the market to use the new Eigentacht amplifier design.
The design is revolutionary for low distortion, high resolution sound. C-298 is unflappable as it is impedance invariant. It can drive any speakers.
The power is much higher than 185×2 might imply. The Eigentacht modules are spec’d at 400w/ch. NAD claims 185 w/ch- so it can achieve the lowest distortion in our business, at .000017%!
Its bass performance is second to none. Midrange clarity and detail are also high on the totem pole- competitive with the $8k power amps our industry reveres. It’s an astounding, powerful bargain.
Rogue DragoN $4000 (300×2) Tube D Amp
Rogue’s new DragoN has similar power and control to the NAD above. Where the DragoN takes the lead is in the lush, spacious depth that is a byproduct of the tubes used in its design. DragoN excels in comparison to other tube power amps in that it has boatloads more power, with great grip and minimal heat. DragoN strikes with a velvet hammer and lightning speed. DragoN competes with the most expensive amps on the planet- I kid you NOT!
Speakers
Amphion
Amphion of Finland has its own secret sauce to deliver a more open and floating image than the other guys.
Argon 3S $3000 Per Pair (black or white, $3200 per pair Walnut)
The 1” Amphion Titanium tweeter, is mounted within a CNC’d contoured Wave Guide. This results in a tremendously large image. It eschews providing a narrow sweet spot. It fills the room with spacious depth of field. The 3S isn’t ported. It uses a passive radiator to keep the bass lean and tight.
Amphion is known in studios throughout the world for its OPEN WINDOW into the music. It is prominently employed by mixers of music and film content.
Argon 3S is the residential version for you. It isn’t fussy about room placement. Your listening window is broad instead of narrow. Amphions sound marvelous no matter what the application, yet they excel in challenging room situations.