TONEAudio MAGAZINE The Concierge of High End Audio

The single-driver Rethms are designed specifically for low-powered SET amplification and may not be “everyone’s vision of audio nirvana.” But these massive cabinets mated to Lowther drivers delivered a surprising amount of bass and avoid the “megaphone” coloring that afflict similar designs. Incredibly musical and coherent, the Rethms also delivered impressive detail.

A forward-firing subwoofer with 300 watt amplifier inside, the B2 transformed a number of systems ranging from an SET-based tube system with high-efficiency speakers to a more traditional high-powered solid-state ensemble with low-efficiency Apogees. This sub reveals a large amount of bass detail, not just bass depth, and provides a huge amount of fun as long as you’re willing to experiment with placement.

We don’t believe in “shoot-outs,” but we did compare these two well-regarded CD players and determined the formidable strengths of each one at their respective price points. These players look almost identical from the exterior, but we found the innards to be very different, with the Apollo being an excellent player for the money and the Saturn being an excellent player, period.

It was such a pleasure to use Rega’s flagship turntable with their first MC cartridge that we kept it on as the reference at its price point. It offered “first-class analog” sound with plenty of air and texture and detail and a complete lack of grain. It’s also easy to own since it’s so hassle-free; it’s perfect for the audiophile who hates to tweak and just wants to listen to music.

The latest version of this legendary turntable now offers an optional external power supply, new plinth construction and the same motor found in the flagship P9. For less than $1000, this Rega is the perfect solution for analog lovers who want to amass a large LP collection before committing to a megabuck ‘table. We think it remains “one of the best performers and best bargains in vinyl playback.”

“Fun right out of the box,” this entry level turntable from Rega comes fitted with a new tonearm and an Ortofon cartridge-all for under $400. It delivers a lot of music for the money while “committing no real sins,” and is a great value for those audiophiles and music lovers who want to jump back into vinyl without spending a fortune.

Rega’s new premium line of products has surprised us with their outstanding level of performance, and this $3195 phono preamplifier competes with the very best available. “Quiet yet powerful,” the Ios is a heavy, extremely well-built machine due to its substantial power supply. It’s so quiet, in fact, you’ll be unsure of whether or not it’s turned on until the stylus hits the groove.

A compact, well-built and stylish battery-powered amp, the 30.2 Signature comes with or without a volume control so listeners with one source can bypass the need for a preamp (as well as an expensive power cord!). We describe it as a “great little amplifier,” and even get to chat with RWA’s Vinnie Rossi about the future of audio and his unique products.

This battery-powered “little jewel” can be configured in a basic version, with options for a DAC and a headphone amplifier available for a little more. Due to the SMART battery charging technology, this preamp shifts to AC power when the juice is running low and automatically starts the recharging process. We were mightily impressed and felt that the Isabella was much quieter than any preamplifier we have heard at this price point.

At nearly $40K per pair, these tube amplifiers are built by hand in Colorado and feature point-to-point wiring, a beautifully-rendered chassis and four 572 output tubes per side. While it takes 100 hours to build them, they are offered with a variety of custom finishes and are rare enough to appeal to exceptionally well-heeled audiophiles. While $40,000 is a lot for a 50wpc amp, the sound is “really intoxicating.”

We found that the XR-10B stands out from most other solid-state phono preamps by offering three inputs, making this the perfect solution for those lucky souls who have more than one turntable sitting around. An “analog addict’s dream,” the two-box XR-10B was extremely quiet yet powerful and had a highly refined sound that made this unit a bargain, even at $4500.

After introducing one of the first commercial DACs on the market back in the ’80s, PS Audio revisits the original DL and adds 96 kHz and 192 kHz upsampling for basically the same cost ($1000). This well-built unit is elegant but simple, and easy to use as well. We also found the sound quality to be consistent with many of the better $2K one-box players available today.

As rumors of the death of “terrestrial” radio gain momentum, many audiophiles may just want a simple, compact tuner to hear those last gasps of breath. This tiny yet feature-filled FM tuner retails for only $249, which makes it a viable and affordable alternative to those Marantz 10Bs and McIntosh MR-78s that are still commanding a thousand bucks on eBay and Audiogon.

This CD player has a full complement of tubes and looks more like an amplifier than a digital front end. The sound was very tube-like as well, offering a large, almost spherical soundstage that reminded us of a great 300B amplifier. The digital technology is decidedly modern, however, with the proprietary SuperTubeClock offering “gains in clarity, resolution and detail.”

We’ve enjoyed the PrimaLuna amps over the years, and the ProLogue 7 addresses our only concern-more power!¨Ü With 70 wpc, these PrimaLunas offer twice the power and more refinement over the stereo version (the ProLogue 5), and when asked if if those improvements were worth it, we proudly exclaimed “No question about it!”

Whether you prefer KT88s or EL34s, this power/pre combination “offered a lot of sound for the money.” Well-executed and flawlessly assembled in China, the ProLogues produce “great sound and are very musical,” and they even perform well in otherwise spendy systems. Look no further for great tube sound that is reasonably priced.

For the price of a premium power cord, you can buy this Pioneer and play CDs, SACDs, DVD-As and DVD movies. While it won’t make you want to put your expensive digital player on Audiogon, it will sound (and look) great in a second system. The DV-588A-S also has 5.1 capabilities and can “handle anything you throw at it.”

These tiny Finnish monitors live up to their name, and we would “recommend them with confidence to anyone.” Designed to work wonders in small rooms, the Charismas became a downright astonishing speaker system when mated to the dedicated Chara subwoofer towers. These little speakers are also imaging champs and throw a very deep soundstage that was “SMASHING.”

Designed by a Finnish musician and engineer, these tall and slim floorstanding speakers were “always musical and involving,” regardless of the source. We liked the speed and transparency as well, and the fact that the soundstage was so wide and deep that “it’s almost like listening to 5.1.” With bass extension down to 30 Hz, the Serenades are a well-balanced speaker that we recommend highly.

These Danish floorstanders are “small and unassuming” until you try to pick them up (they weigh 110 pounds each!). Unlike most princesses, the Peak Consults are very easy to live with and produce a “high level of resolution” without being big or overbearing. The build quality is exquisite and is marked by gorgeous wood veneers and a fine leather baffle that will make owner proud.

For only $819 you get an integrated amplifier with a tubed preamp section, a DAC that can work with USB, optical and RCA inputs, a headphone jack, remote control and in interface for a Sonos music server. All this versatility makes the Decco really shine in a computer-based or digital-based system, and with a decent pair of bookshelf speakers and an iPod you can have good sound for a very reasonable price.

These tiny yet stylish monitors were a pain to fit onto their dedicated stands, but once everything was dialed in we noticed that the S1s imaged “like nobody’s business.” Designed for use with a subwoofer, the Paradigms still managed to sound wonderfully balanced on their own when matched with warmer (i.e. tubed) amplification. These are also a natural choice for an impressive and satisfying desktop system.

Not quite “integrated,” this amplifier combines a 300B-based power section with a passive volume control and a selector switch for four inputs, all at a very affordable price. We achieved an amazing level of performance when we substituted a premium power cord and NOS output tubes, finding that the Pacific Creek was a bargain compared to some 300B amps that cost close to five figures.

These amps weigh 36 pounds, provide 200 watts per channel of power and retail for only $650. While that may seem like an amazing bargain regardless of sound quality, the 2200s provided “a pretty fair amount of finesse” and didn’t rely solely on brute power to make their point. These amps mated well with tubed preamps and provided a solid foundation for a home-theater system as well.

Seeing this classic beauty on our doorstep was like saying hello to a dear old friend, albeit one that has returned after a few years of hitting the gym. The Oracle sounds fast, powerful and detailed, with enough weight to “round out the picture nicely.” We concluded that the Delphi V was “a winner back then, and a winner today,” and even offers a tempting upgrade path as well.

With their amazing cabinetry and level of sound quality, we wouldn’t be surprised if these mini-monitors cost several times their $219 per pair price. As it stands, we can’t think of any other speakers that offers this kind of performance for so little green. While you can only expect so much within reason, we found that the little Onixes “covered the basics pretty well.”

This tubed integrated may seem like just another entry in the $1000 amplifier sweepstakes, but the high parts quality and robust construction set it apart. Weighing a stout 56 pounds, the 38wpc SP3 is a warm-sounding amplifier that does almost nothing wrong. We even placed in into some high-dollar systems and fooled our friends into thinking they were listening to a much more expensive amp.

We waited a long time for this one to hit the market, and we weren’t disappointed. The latest in the legendary NAIT line offers a substantial power supply (of course-it’s a Naim!) as well as a very high-quality DAC for use with iPods and music servers. This forward-thinking integrated sounded “very powerful and well-controlled,” and we ultimately thought it was “pretty close to perfection.”

This amplifier-speaker combo sounds great, looks fantastic and works very well together, defining the concept of synergy that often accompanies discussions about Naim Audio. The NAIT 5i and n-SATs delivered the prerequisite tone and pace while sounding very detailed and neutral. We also noticed the same outstanding build quality that can be found in Naim’s top-of-the-line gear.

A $32,000 CD player may seem a little crazy at first, but the Naim completely surpassed our expectations about digital playback. We found that we’ve never enjoyed music this much, and that the CD555 possesses the same strengths as the very best analog rigs combined with the perfect pitch accuracy, greater dynamic range and lower noise floor of the very best in digital.

The legendary Nagra reputation for sonic neutrality is carried into this new hybrid phono preamp, making it one of our all-time favorite stages. Small, compact and machined to the highest standards, the VPS is a perfect match for the most lofty of analog rigs. We describe it as “nuanced balanced with power,” and many TONE staff members have named this Swiss-built component a favorite.

While the $1500 VFS (Vibration Free System) may qualify as one of the most expensive component shelves in the industry, it is an absolutely essential accessory that will help you squeeze even more musicality from your Nagra amp, preamp, phono stage and CD player. It’s also a perfect visual match with Nagra components and will make other isolation shelves look clunky and out of place in comparison.

Known affectionately as “the Pyramid,” this Swiss amplifier is the epitome of precision and style and offers a sound that is as neutral as its country of origin. The PSA offered a substantial amount of poise, even with the loudest of musical passages, and did “an outstanding job or preserving the music between the notes.” We found that the performance more than justified the price.

Proof that great things can come in small packages, the PL-L delivers a big sound that defies expectations. The Nagra has three tubes (two 12AX7s and one 12AT7) and kept us “glued to the chair” with its speed, precision and excellent tonality. The compact PL-L offers a big percentage of the performance of much bigger and much more costly state-of-the-art preamplifiers, boasting legendary Nagra reliability and build quality as well.

Sleek, beautiful and indeed mysterious, this tubed integrated allows a choice between EL34 and KT88 output tubes at the flick of a switch. While we preferred the bigger, more immediate sound of the EL34s, this amp is a tube-roller’s dream. If you love the sound of SETs but need just a little more power and flexibility, the ia21 will surprise you with its ability to make voices and instruments hanging in front of you with eerie realism.

Basically three Nova Phenomenon phono stages in one chassis, the SuperNova is the perfect preamp for analog lovers with multiple turntables and cartridges. Flexible and easy to use, the MS is also battery powered and has a volume control so that you can use it without a preamp. We enjoyed the excellent imaging and soundstaging as well as the “top-notch” industrial design.

Lacking only the battery-powered feature of its respected older brother, the Nova, this $600 phono preamp features the same circuitry and may be the perfect match for Technics SL1200s, Rega P3-24s and other sub-$1000 turntables. We found it to be at the “top of the heap in its class” and that it will help newcomers to vinyl discover just how much musical information is hiding in those grooves.

If you’re looking for an improvement over the popular budget turntables available today, the MMF-9 is an easy way to get and up and running. Fitted with an arm and cartridge, the Music Hall can pulled from its box and set up in minutes. Its three-piece plinth, carbon fiber tonearm and user-friendly adjustments resulted in a very friendly and pleasing sound, and a little tweaking can take performance even further.

This amplifier looks like a miniature version of the classic Mark Levinson ML-2, but it offers a big sound that qualifies it as “one of the great solid-state amplifier values of all time.” The SM70 can be used as both a stereo version or a monoblock (which we preferred), and in balanced or single-ended configurations. It’s also neutral enough to stay out of the way of the music.

The 9.0 is one of those rare products that makes us just shut up and enjoy the music. This tubed unit is very quiet, and “plays well” with MC cartridges that have very low output. The ModWright avoids sounding tubey and warm, but still offers plenty of air that many solid-state phono preamps just miss. We felt the 9.0 SE offers “one of the best values in analog today.”

It may seem strange to see a couple of 5687 tubes sticking out of the top of this Sony digital player, but Dan Wright’s mods make¨Ü the 9100ES¨Ü a “world-class digital playback machine.” Using the tube circuit from the ModWright SWL 9.0SE preamp and a new copper umbilical for the new outboard tube supply, this player has midrange magic and is “groovy and well worth the money.”

The 9.0SE is so much fun to listen to that we “put it up against the mega-expensive stuff and still came away impressed.” The tubed ModWright sounds warm and big yet still offers tons of detail and can easily reveal different levels of detail in most recordings. “Great sound, great build quality,” we surmised, noting that this preamp was a huge step up from the affordable stuff.

With its sexy carbon fiber body, the 3.5C oozes beauty and performance. Made for MoFi by the folks at Miyabi, this moving-coil had that “reach out and touch it” feel and offered a perfectly clear window into every recording. This cartridge maintained the balance between extension and texture “without sounding overdamped.”

At $2795, the BM-8 may give you sticker shock, but we felt it was very impressive for wringing “the last bit of performance from your analog rig.” This passive device is easy to set up and use and delivered impressive results with six different turntables. In addition, there is some solid scientific research behind its design, appealing to those who do not take isolation lightly.

This French top-loading CD player actually convinced us to stop spending so much time listening to state-of-the-art analog and get back to the shiny silver discs. Beautifully built in an understated Gallic sort of way, this $10,800 machine completely defeats harsh digital artifacts and produces a sound that is “neutral, accurate and dynamic at all times.”

Our vote for the “last CD player you need to buy-within reason,” the G08 offered a delicate yet engaging sound with “great weight and fullness to the bass.”¨Ü The G08 is one of the most compelling choices at its price point, and we feel that you’d have to spend a lot more money to better its combination of immediacy, balance and rhythm.

This three-piece system is all you need to experience some of the most satisfying sound available today. The epitome of simplicity, all you need to do is plug a standard Ethernet cable between the two active speakers, run one more to the CD player, and plug everything in. While these pieces are not quite affordable when considered separately, it’s hard to come up with a $50K system that outperforms the sum of these parts.

Calling the F80 a $3000 table radio seems unfair, considering that it can form the foundation of an extremely sophisticated audio and video system. This amazing product features an 80wpc amp, an active 2.1 DSP loudspeaker system, an AM/FM tuner with DAB digital radio and a CD and DVD player. And yes, the official Ferrari colors on the rounded exterior surfaces are absolutely gorgeous.

Meridian has been making high performance digital players for 20 years now, and the 808 is the culmination of that expertise. We agreed that the 808 was “beautiful, well-built and sounds wonderful,” and that it is an extremely musical player that “gets it right on all levels. ” We recommend that you don’t listen to one unless you can immediately write a check for it.

Using MartinLogan’s fourth-generation curved electrostatic panels, these hybrid speakers offer that “transparent, walk-through feel” that can only ESLs can offer. Sure they offer detail, resolution, imaging and weight, but they can allow you to drift while listening to your favorite music as well. We found that they offered “nuance without being harsh.”