Archives for Newsletters

Bryston BDP-1 USB, $1800   Bryston offers a new model from its Music Player line. The task of BDP-1 USB is to connect to your USB source and strafe out all the computer debris. BDP-1 USB features four USB A style inputs. BDP-1 USB connects to your DAC with a USB A out- running a cable with USB A on one end and USB B into your DAC at the other. The BDP-1 USB will also access your network drive that has music stored on it. Bryston continues its dedication to improve your sound from stored music!     GoldenEar
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GoldenEar Triton 5 Loudspeakers, $2000pr, Gloss Black   GoldenEar will be shipping its brand new Triton 5 speakers this month. T-5 is a passive design like the very successful T-7 ($1400pr). There are no powered subs in T-5 (or T-7). Reviewer Mark Henninger: “To my ears the Fives embody everything I like about the GoldenEar sound- precise and transparent without being harsh or analytical. A perfect rendition of “Morning” by Beck served as proof of the Five’s prowess. What I heard coming out of the Fives put a grin on my face.” As you would infer, T-5 is a bigger,
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Bryston A3 Theater System Bryston’s A3 tower speakers ($2400pr) are getting recognized as being pretty special. They’re quite different from what our industry has gone to for “stock and trade” at the price point. Like all Bryston speakers, they’re made in Canada and have a TWENTY YEAR WARRANTY! What almost everyone else offers at $2.5k is a pretty mediocre rectangular box, with pretty mediocre drivers screwed into that box, from a factory in China. Since they have to be shipped here, keeping the weight down is important. They want it to be short and skinny so your wife won’t mind.
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New! Magnepan MG-.7 Speakers Arriving Soon! $1400-1700 Per Pair In 2010 Magnepan introduced its MG-1.7 speakers for $2200pr. The .7 designation is significant in that it denotes the new QUASI technology that is being used full range in the speakers. Prior to the .7s and QUASI, the older .6 versions used Magneplanar technology. Here’s the difference. QUASI technology features extremely lightweight strips of foil adhered to a light mylar diaphragm. Think vertical strips of foil, approximately 1/2” wide for the woofer, and 1/8” wide for the mid and tweet. The foil has much better coverage area over the mylar panel
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Welcome To Hegel Audio (Oslo, Norway, founded 1988)       Hegel Audio products are arriving at Audio Emporium. We have had our eye on Hegel for several years. There have been recent product developments that have convinced us NOW is the time to dive in. For openers, Hegel offers three outstanding values in integrated amplifiers. The amplifier design of these integrateds, and Hegel’s monster separate amps, is the same. You get more thunder as you spend more. Hegel’s DualAmp Technology features two distinct gain stages. The first one is for voltage. The second one is for current. Remember the
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New! Bryston Mini A Speakers, $1200pr Bryston’s loudspeakers have garnered fantastic reviews in the audio press. The models typically reviewed are the big dogs, the Model T ($7500pr) and Middle T ($5400pr). They’re outstanding and deserve the attention. Bryston has a new “little guy” that isn’t likely to get much attention in the press. Bryston is known for big power, big sound and its 20 year warranty. We’re bragging up the Mini A speakers here because we don’t want them to get lost in the shuffle. And yes, they too have the 20 year warranty! Most bookshelf speakers are 2-way
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New! Marantz Surround Receivers Every couple of years Marantz revises its line of surround receivers. The time has come and the new models are now on hand. Before going on to specific models and features, why should you buy a Marantz surround receiver vs something else? Virtually all surround receivers have plenty of features now. What makes Marantz better is technology that provides better audio/video performance than the other guys. For openers, Marantz receivers use high current amplifiers, as opposed to voltage amplifiers. The high current amps sound more gutsy. They don’t distort as quickly. They sound more controlled within
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GoldenEar Triton 7 Speakers, $1400pr In our August Newsletter we crowed about GE bringing out the new Triton 1 speakers. At $5k per pair they’re generating massive interest in the hifi world. Now that we’ve had them close to a month and have heard them with a variety of different amps, we can corroborate that they are living up to advance billing. That is, they are super clear and detailed- with plenty of muscle. So why are we returning to T-7 this month? When you tear apart T-1, you see two 5.25” mid woofers and a ribbon tweeter- in D’Appolito
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Now On Display! GoldenEar Triton One Speakers, $5000pr GoldenEar has introduced one tremendously successful speaker after another. There’s a new alpha lion! It all started a few years back with the Triton 2 tower with powered subs, $3000pr. Using its version of the vaunted Heil Ribbon Tweeter, GoldenEar set new standards of smoothness and imaging in the world of affordable towers with integral subs. Before GoldenEar, such speakers were basically thought of as theater speakers where the wife wouldn’t tolerate a stand alone subwoofer. Triton 2 served that purpose as well. But mostly T-2 won audiophiles who wanted detail, kick,
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    New! PeachTree Nova 125SE $1500 (125×2) PeachTree’s Nova 125 has been an excellent integrated amp! PeachTree has just upped its game a notch with the new Nova 125SE. First of all, Nova 125SE still has a SABRE DAC on board, and a tube that you can activate or not. Your choice! Horsepower runs 125×2 with the heart of a Bang & Olufsen ASX-2 IceModule. Most audiophiles feel this is the best of Ice designs, yielding big time power and musical message with no heat. The main improvement with this new model is that the preamp section of the
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