Over the years we have gained a national reputation as a leader in high end audio and audio/video systems. With New England's largest, most advanced auditioning facility and a tradition of personalized attention spanning 30 years, we believe that you'll find your visit here both informative and enjoyable!

● News

MIT "Show Demo" Cables For Sale! 

If you've always wanted a pair of high end MIT cables but felt you couldn't afford them we have some great news! We have obtained a small stock of some of the latest and greatest MIT cables from a recent trade show where they were only used for less than a week. These cables are in excellent condition and come with a full warranty. At present we have speaker cables, interconnect cables, and digital cables. You can see our pre-owned and demo cables and components in our Used listing.

In addition, if you don't see a particular model that you are seeking you are welcome to contact us and inquire about it as we may have access to a few more cables that aren't presently listed. We also will have some more show demo cables coming in soon from the January 2013 CES Show. Either way, if you're interested please call us and ask about the very attractive "show demo" pricing.

Remastered Beatles Box Set on Vinyl Premiere! On December 4, 2012 we will be hosting a special event from 6-8pm for the release of The Beatles Album Box Set on Vinyl. This set has been remastered, and after being delayed for several years in production, is finally seeing the light of day! Join us for this premiere event featuring some of The Beatles classic cuts which will be introduced by a special guest from EMI.

We also expect to also have some vinyl box sets here for sale—and if you are interested in a box set for yourself please give us a call at 781-893-900 so we can reserve one in your name.

Aurender Music Servers: WideaLab Incorporated merges with TVLogic. In the realm of music servers, some interesting news was just announced with regard to the company which produces Aurender music servers: A merger of Widealab Incorporated with TVLogic Company, Limited, a leading professional broadcast monitor manufacturer listed on the Korea Stock Exchange (121800.KQ) became effective today, September 28, 2012. Also see our Coming Soon section for an update on two forthcoming Aurender music server models.

Amazon unveils new "Never Before On DVD" store.  If you're looking for an obscure video or movie, Amazon now has the new Never Before On DVD store. Using their "CreateSpace DVD on Demand" service, many titles including some relatively obscure ones are available now with more forthcoming.

Onkyo To Offer US Music Download Service. In November 2012 Onkyo Entertainment Technology Corp will start offering both stereo and surround (5.1) lossless and uncompressed music files at up to 192/24 here in the U.S. File formats available will include WAV, FLAC, and DSD. As of April 2012, the service's catalog stood at about 60,000 songs, with 1500 of them featuring more than 96kHz/24-bit quality. Though at this time the link is only in Japanese, for info here is a link: E-Onkyo.

Don Was becomes President of Blue Note Records. In January 2012: Don Was became president of Blue Note Records. And he has initiated a partnership between Blue Note and HDtracks.com which specializes in high resolution digital downloads.

Don Was, the Grammy Award-winning producer, has a clear recollection of his first encounter with Blue Note Records. He was a teenager, listening to the car radio in his hometown, Detroit, when he heard the title track of a 1966 album by Joe Henderson. “I heard this saxophone playing, and it was riveting,” he said recently. “I didn’t know anything about jazz. But this thing jumped out and grabbed me. It was ‘Mode for Joe.’ ”

Describing the process of high-definition remastering, he reflected on the philosophical question of the original intentions of musicians in the studio. “I asked for the tapes for ‘Mode for Joe,’ ” he said, referring to the album from his teenage epiphany. “We went into a mastering room and listened to them. And I got really choked up, because it sounds different. No one has ever heard the tapes in their unmastered form.”

The above is an excerpt from a New York Times article.

New Apple iPad as a remote controller. If you've been here to the store you know that we have been using the iPad as either a primary or secondary wireless remote control interface to control some of our music systems and music servers. After receiving and setting up the new  3rd generation iPad which has the high resolution screen we can report that the latest versions of the apps that we installed all seem to be working fine. [Note: One specific example is that we did update to the latest version of JRemote which controls JRiver via WiFi.]

Finally Apple TV is 1080p. After years of being behind the industry in terms of full-HD resolution, Apple will now be able to provide content for HDTVs in their natural resolution. Apple's 1080p content will be limited to a 8Mb/s bitrate—which is better than Vudu's 1080p offering at 4.5Mb/s and in-line with Netflix's offering at 8Mb/s. Of course none of those are any match for a Blu-ray disc which sports a 36Mb/s bitrate and thus provides significantly higher picture quality.

Another Best of Boston Award!

Boston magazine has honored us with the Best of Boston 2011 in the Home Theater category! If you are interested in having a theater installed in your home, ranging anywhere from something modest all the way up to the state-of-the-art, you are welcome to call us at 781-893-9000 to find out what we can do for you.

Spectral Seminar: Saturday, November 12, 2011. Rick Fryer, President of Spectral Audio, was here to introduce the new SDR-4000SL CD Player—as well as talk about their other fine components. This was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how Spectral designs and builds each of their components to such a high level of refinement.

Craig Kallman, CEO of Atlantic Records: Two Interviews. Craig Kallman has been the subject of two interesting interviews in Songwriter Universe & Stereophile.

It turns out that it is not just business for him—as he owns a collection of 500,000 vinyl albums and over 75,000 CD's. And he has a high end audio system, which includes Spectral electronics coupled with MIT cables, to play them on. An excerpt from the Songwriter Universe interview follows:

Kallman: I love vinyl albums. When CDs first came out, I was horrified how they sounded versus vinyl. So I wanted to discover all new music on vinyl instead of CD. I've tried to get almost every important album made on vinyl, so I can enjoy the music as the artist intended it to be heard. In my childhood years, I would make lists of every album in many genres, from Miles Davis to Fela Kuti to Parliament/Funkadelic; I would scour the earth for their entire discographies. I did that in every genre -- jazz, folk, blues, rock, reggae, etc.

DK: Where do you store this massive album collection?

Kallman: I've got about 12 or 13 rooms at a warehouse where Sotheby's and Christie's store a lot of art. And next to my apartment, I've built a recording studio which has a listening room, and I've put about 25,000 of my favorite albums there that I kind of rotate. It's fun for the Atlantic artists to come to the house and hang out in the listening room, where they check out the collection.

MartinLogan Seminar: Thursday, October 27, 2011. MartinLogan was here to talk about their line of electrostatic hybrid speakers. It was certainly interesting—and a good time was had by all!

We were featured on the Chronicle TV program! Airing on July 27th at 7:30pm, we were featured on Chronicle HD which is the on-air news magazine covering New England. The broadcast was on WCVB (Channel 5) which is the Boston area CBS affiliate. To see the clip on their website click here. (Note our segment starts around the 4 minute mark.) Alternatively for the Chronicle website click here.

 Warner Music Group resolution files. HDTracks now features downloads of some major artists from Warner Records. Initially these are available at either 96kHz and/or 192kHz sampling rates and are 24 bit. In addition they expect to be adding to their roster of high resolution files on a regular basis.

Even bigger news is that on May 12, 2011, Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman stated that Warner would make a formal announcement about releasing high resolution files in January at the 2012 CES. And further that Warner's commitment to high resolution files would be "active and aggressive". This could be a really amazing as Warner owns the following labels: Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros., Warner Music Nashville and Word.

In addition, once a major label like Warner Records starts releasing a significant number of high resolution files of the most popular albums from high profile artists, the other major labels could well follow suit!

Sony SS-AR1 Event: Saturday, August 6, 2011. Given our focus on high resolution music, the event included a series of demonstrations conducted by Yuki Sugiura and Gus Skinas which highlighted, respectively, the SS-AR1's development and the stories behind a number of outstanding music recordings. As Sony Music has a huge roster of major artists, this was definitely a real treat! Also in attendance were Marc Finer as well as John Atkinson, the esteemed editor of Stereophile who played some of his wonderful high resolution recordings. Certainly a good time was had by all

 Rolling Stones high resolution files. HDTracks has announced downloads for Rolling Stones albums in two 24 bit formats: 176.4 and 88.2 kHz sampling rates. Album titles include Beggar's Banquet & Let It Bleed. Given a choice of course we would always recommend the higher sampling rate as long as it is native and not merely upsampled. These albums are from the remastered DSD transfers done by top mastering engineer Bob Ludwig.

 Rumor: Apple to offer high resolution files? In an article on CNN it states that Apple is in talks with some record companies about the possibility of offering higher resolution 24 bit files as downloads. If this ever becomes true it would be a real gamer changer!

 The Beatles 24 bit files. You can now get "The Beatles USB" which contains 44.1kHz 24 bit FLAC files. This is the best digital format that you can hear the Beatles at this point. More info here.

 Theta Casablanca III HD & HD upgrade is now available. Theta has finally released their HDMI 1.4 version of the Casablanca surround sound processor. In addition owners of earlier versions of the Casablanca have the opportunity to upgrade if they have a Casablanca III—or a factory-sponsored trade-in program if they have a Casablanca I or II. For details please call us at 781-893-9000.

 Cable Specials! We have some demo MIT cables that we just listed in the Used Section here on our website. Click to see the MIT interconnects and the MIT speaker cables. If you are interested in upgrading your cables please give us a call at 781-893-9000.

 Absolute Sound article: "Audio's Renaissance Man" In the February 2011 issue starting on page 12 is an article about Keith Johnson. If you don't know who he is you should read this article. And if you do know who he is then you will definitely want to read this article!

Dynaudio Excite X-12 “Budget Component of the Year”. Stereophile Magazine has announced that this speaker has earned the Budget Component of the Year award. One of the most challenging things can be to find a pair of speakers that offers good fidelity yet is still quite affordable. At $1200 per pair for most finishes, this speaker certainly is a tremendous bargain!

Classical Music FLAC Downloads. Decca/Philips has announced that they will soon start making downloads available on their website. Deutsche Grammophon already has a substantial portion of their catalog available in FLAC. Ariama has Sony Classical FLAC downloads. And Passionato.com has a good part of their catalog also available as FLAC downloads for your listening pleasure. Finally the major labels are starting to issue the great artists in a format more suited to music servers without any lossy compression!

The Absolute Sound Magazine. In the March 2010 issue, on page 74, the PC-based silent music server that we designed is featured yet again.

The last two sentences read: "When you play 176.4 kHz/24-bit Reference Recordings HRX files through a Berkeley Alpha DAC, the sound is nothing short of spectacular. Robert Harley (editor-in-chief) bought the review sample (to use as a source for his main system that he uses for doing reviews)." If you would like to hear one for yourself we of course have it here on display.

Apple iPad For Remote Control. If you are using Media Monkey software on a music server and you wish to have wireless wifi remote control—the iPad, just like the iPhone and iPod Touch, can be used as a remote control. There are two iPhone/iPod Touch apps (which can also be used on the iPad) available from Melloware: iMonkey and MonkeyTunes. MonkeyTunes which is what we use in here in the store connects to the iPad using the Apple app Remote 2.0 (or higher) at full iPad screen resolution. Also starting with version 2.0 there is "retina display" support for the current iPod Touch & iPhone in the Remote app.

In addition the Crestron Mobile Pro G app turns the iPad into a customizable user interface for a Crestron controlled home theater or whole house system. And the Crestron Mobile Pro app can be used for an iPhone or iPod Touch. Note that to use these apps you need Crestron programming to make them function. Of course anytime you are using wireless there can be wireless reception problems. Wired is always the safest approach—and we suggest that you consider having a wired panel in addition to your wireless controller as a belt and suspenders approach.

Others manufacturers including Naim and Netstreams have announced apps that allow you to use the iPad, as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch, as a wireless remote controller. More info is available here.

Rolling Stone Magazine. "Universal Announces Plan to Lower CD Prices to $10 or Less". Their reasoning is that by lowering their pricing to $6-10 for new releases that this will stimulate more CD sales. The "Velocity" program will be instituted Q2 2010 and the article is here.

Vinyl Sales Are Up! According to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks music sales, in both 2006 and 2007 new vinyl sales increased about 14 percent. 2008 saw another increase with approx. 1.9 million records sold. And 2009 saw the highest number of record sales since 1991 with sales increasing to 2.5 million. Link  

The Absolute Sound Magazine. We received another mention  in the December 2009 issue. The article is a review of the new NAD M2 by Robert Harley (the Editor) in which he again mentions utilizing the music server that he bought from us last year as his source for playing High Resolution files in evaluating the M2. For more on the M2 click here. For more on the silent music server that Robert Harley is utilizing here is a link.

See our new Movie and Music and Formats sections—including sources for the new high-resolution audio files!

Linn Announcement: No More CD Players. In November 2009 Linn announced that they were ceasing the production of CD players. Henceforth they will concentrate on their digital file players which perform D-A (digital to analog) conversion for High Resolution files, CD quality files, etc. They will also continue to manufacture turntables. For more click here, here, or here.

Our New Website. In 2011 our new revised website should be on-line. Tip: In the meantime our present website is best viewed at a screen width of about 1024 pixels. more info

Home Theater Magazine.

An article about a room that we designed and for which we provided the acoustic treatment was featured in the Design section of the May 2009 issue. What you can't see in the above photo is that the door on the far wall opens into a second smaller room wherein the Spectral-based high end audio system is housed in a rack. In addition that same room contains a nice library of albums and CD's on custom-sized shelves. The article spans pages 41-45. The closing sentence reads, "The best part of all for the homeowner is when life gets hectic and he needs time to relax and slow down, he escapes inside the enchanting sounds of Monteverdi, Bartok, or Mahler, in the music room of his dreams." If you'd like a beautiful room designed and acoustically treated you're welcome to call us to discuss your project.

Ultra Audio. We were given very high praise from Ultra Audio in a March 1, 2009 feature article entitled "Goodwin's High End — A Wonderland". Here is a brief excerpt, "...the acoustic nature of the listening room was simply extraordinary. As far as I’m concerned, this facility is the place to audition high-end audio gear."  To read the article in its entirety please click here.

Boston Home Magazine: Best of Boston Home 2009!

In the Winter 2009 issue we were named as the winner in the Audio-Visual Equipment category. See page 73 for the full write-up on us! Also on their website they have a mini-review of us here.

The Absolute Sound magazine. See the February 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound for an in-depth Spectral system review plus an extensive interview with chief engineer Keith Johnson and company President Rick Fryer. For those of you that don't know, we are the oldest Spectral dealer in the US, having recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of our long partnership with them. And Spectral is our most popular line as not only as it not only delivers world class sound quality, but it is also, in our view, the best value in high end audio componentry available today.

The Absolute Sound magazine. For quite a while we have assiduously been working behind the scenes to promote the idea of computer/music server-based high resolution audio files. And lately the world has started to take notice. In the January 2009 issue there is a review of the new HRx files from Reference Recordings which were played on a silent music server co-designed by Goodwin's High End—along with another review of the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC. We have been selling Reference Recordings in their various formats for many years, and the new HRx files at 176.4/24 are the best format ever!  In addition we have been a dealer for the Berkeley Alpha DAC from the day it was introduced. (It was actually beta tested here in the summer of 2007 before it was officially released in early 2008.) 

If you read the review you will see that Robert Harley, the editor of The Absolute Sound, was rather impressed with the sound quality from the music server that we designed, especially when playing High Resolution files! So much so that after he completed the review, rather than return the music server that we had loaned to him for those reviews, he said that he wanted to purchase it for himself. The stated reason being that he didn't wish to do future component reviews without it as it was the best source he had ever heard! 

You're invited to call for more detailed information about this exciting new development. And if you're in the area please stop by and hear it for yourself, as hearing is believing.

Design New England Magazine.

The July/August 2008 issue has a four page article which details a very high end custom acoustical room treatment which was designed and installed by us. In addition we installed a high end stereo/home theater system with Crestron control for the system—as well as for the Imagecrafters lighting system with energy efficient and very quiet LED lighting which we also provided. See the link here and then click "Pages" and see pages 48-51. Here are some more photos of this custom room:  Photo No.1  No.2  No.3  No.4  No.5

Home Theater installation.

Here are some snapshots of a home theater installation that we completed in 2008. This theater is equipped with a Runco 1080P 3-chip DLP projector situated in a separate projection room featuring a projection port of special cinema-grade optical glass of which you can see some details of in Photos 2&3:  HT-1 HT-2 HT-3 HT-4

Time Magazine. An article entitled "Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back" on the resurgence of vinyl is here. The good news is that record sales are up! And that the number of new titles, as well as remastered classics from yesteryear, has been increasing!

Forbes Magazine. Once again we were acknowledged as being a leader in our field. I guess if you've been passionately involved with high end audio for over 30 years, always striving to take things to a higher level, it helps! 

The December 24, 2007 issue features an article on high end music servers based upon another extensive interview with Alan Goodwin and a listening session here. Again we are prominently featured—plus they spelled our name correctly multiple times! You can see a link here or a pdf of the article here.

Status Magazine. The Fall 2007 issue features a rather extensive article based upon a few hours of their reporter interviewing us about various aspects of putting together a really high end home theater. The four page article which is entitled "Best Seat in the House" quotes us extensively and starts on page 90. It features top products from Magico, Runco, Theta, Kaleidescape, Crestron, etc.

Forbes Magazine. A few months ago a reporter from Forbes magazine spent several hours interviewing us and listening to three different turntable setups here. An article published in the June 4, 2007 issue (starting on page 64), talks about high end turntables and Goodwin's High End is prominently featured throughout. In it we are recognized as "one of the nation's foremost retailers of top-end audio gear". Although of course we have enjoyed an excellent and longstanding reputation in audiophile circles, it is always gratifying for us to be so acknowledged in the general press! Here is a link.

2007 New York Home Entertainment Show. We premiered two brand new speakers in our room at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan May 11-13th. Both the new Magico V3 and the Mini2 speakers greatly impressed the many attendees!

The Absolute Sound magazine.

In an article in the March 2006 issue, the Magico Ultimate speakers were featured in a custom acoustic room that we designed and installed in a client's home in San Francisco. The article spans pages 82-91 and you can see pictures of the Ultimates installed in our custom acoustic room. Here is a photo: Magico Ultimate III in our custom acoustic room

A Unique Opportunity!  At the request of one of our clients, in January 2007 we made special arrangements to bring in some new and highly touted top-end speakers for audition. So along with our usual array of fine loudspeakers including the Wilson X-2, we gathered together the Magico Model 6, the Rockport Altair, and the Verity Lohengrin II here in the store. At that time this was the only place in the US that this array could be heard all in one room—and no one has done it since either!  If you'd like to arrange your own listening to our current crop of top-end speakers you're invited to call us for an appointment.

New England Home Magazine.  For the December 2006 issue, Alan Goodwin was interviewed rather extensively on his thoughts regarding music for the home. In the article he was quoted a number of times on a variety of aspects in his field of expertise, specifically on quality residential audio systems and room acoustics.

Architectural Digest. One of the systems we installed in Boston was photographed for an article in the November 2006 issue.

  The living room system of this fabulous Back Bay condo features a Spectral Reference system driving X-2's—and the Family Room utilizes another separate Spectral Reference system. In addition, among other things, this home also features a home theater, a roof deck system, and a video screen behind a mirror in the guest bathroom—all controlled by a Crestron system with customized programming.

Here are some more snapshots:  Main Room , Main Rack

This Old House on PBS!  We are very pleased to have been selected as the audio, video, and automation specialist for the This Old House project in Cambridge, MA.

The contemporary home features an extensive audio system with speakers in most rooms and high-end Dynaudio Confidence C2 speakers in the living room. Behind the speakers, stealthy CinemaTech Acoustic Room Systems fabric walls tame the lively acoustics. Between the speakers a trick Auton lift lowers a portion of a wooden wall (right; click picture to enlarge) into the basement (!) to reveal a glorious 61" Runco plasma. A REL Studio subwoofer will supply "ample" bass. Here are 3 photos showing how the plasma is automatically hidden by a motorized portion of the wall when not being watched: Living Room front wall open ,  wall half-closed , wall fully closed

In the reading nook, Crestron controlled background music is available at the touch of a key.

In the master bedroom, a 43" Runco plasma rises from a custom cabinet. With 8 color touchpanels, 22 keypads, 4 video cameras, 8 Crestron-controlled thermostats, nearly 80 Crestron-controlled lighting loads, 3 miles of audio, video, and control wiring, and a huge 10kVA Equi=Tech balanced power conditioner, this is the most extensive and comprehensive automation package ever installed in a This Old House project. It even has a superb turntable for you vinyl lovers: Clearaudio Ambient with an Audio Research PH5 phono section!

The three episodes premiered in January and February 2006 on PBS as well as on the Create channel.

Also here is a link to the ASC website that explains how the walls were built with Iso-Wall.

Plasma's superiority verified. An independent IDC report shows that plasma televisions are superior to the competing LCD and DLP rear projection television and that concerns about burn-in, lifespan, viewing angle, brightness, black level, and color accuracy are unfounded. Full report.

Videophiles and other consumers who value a high-quality image should really appreciate these results [of superior plasma video performance]. ©2005

Inside This Old House. Early in 2004, a This Old House camera crew visited our showroom. Show host Kevin O'Connor chatted with us about video display devices and room acoustics, including Goodwin's High End's own acoustic baffle system.

We enjoyed the experience and found the cast, crew, and director a pleasure to work with. It was fascinating to see how unscripted, improvised educational programming is shot and produced. Watch for re-runs on A&E!

2004 - Ning An classical piano CD released. In July 2003, Alan Goodwin recorded Ning An playing Haydn, Mendelssohn, Berg, and Rachmaninoff at Jordan Hall in Boston. Here is a link with a bit more info.

Please note: though the link indicates the recording was done at 96kHz—it is actually a 24 bit recording done at 176.4kHz. The reason this is important is that 176.4kHz decimates perfectly to 44.1 kHz which is the sampling rate used for the CD release—and that is important for sound quality reasons. Simply put, 176.4 kHz divided by 4 exactly equals 44.1 kHz which is perfect decimation.

An HDCD CD of this recording session is now available—and if you would like to obtain a CD of this performance just give us a call.

Even More! To see even more of what has been written about us please click here.

● Promotions & Specials

Our New Website - Premiering Soon. Presently we are hard at work redesigning our website which first went live at the beginning of 1998. (That was less than half a year after Google went online—so we were online relatively early!) It is hard to believe that our website is well over a decade old already―certainly it is time for revamp! Over the past few months we've been working on updating and expanding the content on our current website. Expect to see our revised site with a fresh new look and even more expanded content go live in 2013!

Tip: In the meantime our present website (which you're now on) is best viewed at a screen/window width of about 1200 pixels. If your screen resolution is wider you could simply reduce the width of your browser window in which you view our present site—and that way the pages will format better. The reason for this is that because our site was designed long ago before widescreen monitors were available. Rest assured that our new site will format the pages better in the various modern browsers and screen resolutions that are in use today!

Tip #2: If you would like to change the size of the text and graphics on our site, and you are using Windows and FireFox 3.5 (or later) or Internet Explorer 8 (or later), just hold down the Control key and rotate the scroll wheel on your mouse to change the size. (This may well work on other browsers and versions also—and it will work not just on our website but on other sites too.) If you are using a Mac, hold the "" key and press the "+" key. For info on other browsers and versions click here.

● New Arrivals

Magico S1. The S1 have arrived and we are in the process of breaking them in. Now that we've heard them here in the store we are quite impressed. It is one thing to make a great sounding expensive speaker—but it is even harder to bring really top notch sound down to a much lower price range than Magico has ever done before. And so we say kudos to Magico—the S1's are really great sounding! For more info see the Press Release plus here is a photo of them in a different color.

Spectral DMA-400 Reference Standard mono amplifiers. We now have a pair of the Spectral DMA-400 amplifiers here in the store for demo. After spending the requisite time needed in order to do a thorough listening evaluation we can definitely say that these are rather amazing to say the least! From our factory training on system set-up, we have found that once the system is optimized that the results are incredibly real and natural sounding! This is the first really new power amplifier design from Spectral in 20 years—and now that we've experienced the results for ourselves we can say that it was worth the wait! Here is a photo of the rear panel for your further edification.

dCS Vivaldi. dCS was kind enough to bring us the full Vivaldi stack that was used at the 2013 CES. After spending some time evaluating it here in the store and we can now report that this is by far the best sounding digital componentry ever from dCS. If you are interested in hearing it for yourself please call us immediately to schedule an audition for it won't be here much longer—as it is scheduled to leave at the end of January.

The Vivaldi is the new top-of-the-line digital component stack from dCS. The four chassis stack consists of:

• Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport
• Vivaldi D-A Converter
• Vivaldi Upsampler
• Vivaldi Master Clock

They can be used either singly or in conjunction with some or all of the total component stack. In addition, like other dCS DAC's, you can use either a transport as a source--or a music server.

And with the DAC you can play both files types: PCM files (transferred from your CD library or High Resolution downloads) and SACD/DSD files!

For additional information on the Vivaldi please see the initial Press Release and the Technical Highlights. More photos: #1, #2, #3, #4.

Rockport Avior speakers. We were at the Rockport factory in December 2011 and heard these new speakers and at the time they sounded quite impressive. Then again in January 2012 we heard them at the CES show and they were one of the standouts at that show. We finally have them here in the store and we can tell you that they have lived up to their promise! Bring in your favorite music and experience them for yourself!

Oppo Blu-Ray players. The new Oppo BDP-103 and the BDP-105 Blu-ray players have been released and we have already started delivering both models to some of our clients. These are multifunctional disc players that will play DVD, SACD, DVD-Audio, and CD. Plus they will decode HDCD-encoded CD's. These new models are very similar to the prior BDP-93 and BDP-95, but they both add 4K upscaling, supporting an Ultra HD 2160p image. The upscale BDP-105 will also feature a built-in headphone amp, better power supply, and two HDMI outputs. For some home theater system designs it can be nice to have one HDMI output be devoted to video and the other for audio.

Magico S5 speakers. The S5 speakers are now here in the store on demo! There are different finishes available in a variety of colors including dark blue and black.

Constellation Audio. We now have the Constellation Audio Virgo preamp and the Centaur stereo power on display for your listening pleasure. For product info here is a link.

Magico Q7 speakers.  We finally have the new Q7 from Magico. This is truly an awesome speaker and we think you'll be as impressed as we are. What else can we say—hearing is believing! For some more info here is the Press Release.

Dynaudio Xeo 3 & Xeo 5 wireless powered speakers. The Xeo 3 (shown below) and Xeo 5 are shipping—and we now have a pair of the Dynaudio Xeo 3 here in the store if you are curious to see what a good wireless speaker sounds like. At this point we have also installed several pairs of both models in customer's homes and they have performed well in the field too.

Silent Computer Music Server.

We have revamped the way that we suggest configuring a computer to act as a "silent" music server. For more information click here.

Penaudio Cenya speaker. We now have a pair of these mini-monitors here for your listening pleasure! Not only do they sound good they are small and cute besides!

Hegel. We have just got in some Hegel electronics including DAC's, integrated amps, preamps and amps! Shown here is the H20.

SOtM Music Server.

The new SOtM sMS-1000 Music Server has just arrived!

Aurender S10 Music Server.

The Aurender S10 music server is here! For more info here is a link. Also see the Aurender S10 Owner's Manual.

Olive 04HD & 06HD Music Servers..

We have the 04HD and the 06HD Olive music servers here now! For more info here is a link.

Zesto Andros PS-1 phono stage. We just received this new phono stage!

Spectral SDR-4000SL. We finally have this new CD player in from Spectral. And our listening has proven that it was worth the wait! You are welcome to bring in a few of your favorite CD's and listen for yourself. We think that you'll be as impressed as we are—and we are very impressed! For some photos click here and for a technical overview click here.

Plus click here to see what else is coming sooner—or later!

Naim SuperUniti. The SuperUniti is an integrated wireless UPnP™ network stream player, USB audio player, iPod and iPhone dock, internet radio, DAB radio, FM radio, ten input digital and analogue preamplifier, digital to analogue converter, and stereo 80 Watt power amplifier which offers a surprisingly high level of performance. You're welcome to come in and experience all that it has to offer for yourself!

Magico Q1. We were suitably impressed when we heard this new speaker at the May 2011 Munich High End show where it was first introduced. Now that we have them here on demo we can tell you that these are truly great speakers! More info here.

Berkeley Alpha DAC Series 2. We now have the new Alpha DAC Series 2 here for your listening pleasure. The Series 2 incorporates some new design aspects that were learned during the design of the Alpha USB.

Driven by either a music server and/or a CD drive, this D-A converter automatically switches between the various PCM sampling rates—thus making it very easy to switch between CD (Red Book) and high resolution files such as 192/24 or 176.4/24. For more detailed information on the Alpha DAC Series 2 click here. For info on choosing a Music Server or configuring a computer to use as a music server, here is a link.

Berkeley Alpha USB. We now have the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB here! This is their new outboard audiophile quality USB to AES-EBU converter/reclocker. It has been designed so that you can use your laptop or desktop computer as a music server while still keeping the jitter (digital timing errors) extremely low—as well as isolating your outboard DAC from computer-generated electrical noise. It will output a digital signal via either AES-EBU (digital XLR) or SP-DIF which will then go into your external DAC (digital-to-analog converter). You can use any brand of DAC—including of course the Berkeley Alpha DAC Series 2 if you so choose. For more for more info along with a link to photos of the front and back panels on the Alpha USB click here.

MIT Oracle MA-X Digital Proline cable. We now have this AES-EBU digital XLR-XLR cable here for your listening pleasure!

WyWires LITESPD Digital USB cable. Now on demo!

Spectral DMC-30SS Series 2 preamplifier.

We now have the DMC-30SS Series 2 on display for your listening pleasure. Now that we have listened to it for a while, we can say with great assurance that this is one truly great sounding preamp! Once you hear it for yourself you will understand why we are so impressed! (Note: A factory update for DMC-30SS Series 1 owners will be announced sometime in 2012.) Info and photo

dCS Puccini CD/SACD player, Puccini U-clock, & Debussy DAC.

We now have the Puccini, Puccini U-clock, and Debussy on demo. For more Info: Puccini CD/SACD Player; Puccini U-Clock; Debussy DAC

MSB has arrived! We have their latest digital stack consisting of the Universal Media Transport, the Signature Platinum DAC IV, and the Diamond Power Base. As well as the M-202 Mono Block Class A power amps here in the store for you to audition. Info.

Sony SS-AR1 is here for your listening pleasure. With such a beautiful wood cabinet this would look wonderful in a variety of domestic environments.

We were asked by Sony to be the site for the US premiere of this speaker in August—and everyone was very pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded! The presenters included Yuki Sugiura and Gus Skinas which highlighted, respectively, the SS-AR1's development and the stories behind a number of outstanding music recordings. As Sony Music has a huge roster of major artists, this was definitely a real treat! Also in attendance were Marc Finer as well as John Atkinson, the esteemed editor of Stereophile. For more info please click here.

dCS Scarlatti.

The entire dCS Scarlatti stack is now here on display. The four components that comprise the stack are the Scarlatti DAC, the Scarlatti Upsampler, the Scarlatti CD/SACD Transport, and the Scarlatti Master Clock. You can use it to play your discs and you can also play music files--including high resolution files. If you would like to see and hear it for yourself, you are welcome to stop by for an audition! Info here.

Magico Q3.

We have received the first pair of Magico Q3 off the production line. When you actually see them in person you can immediately sense that they are beautifully designed and built. They just exude quality and elegance—and the finish on them has a certain visual softness that is very appealing.

Magico states that "with completely redesigned in-house 7” woofers, the Q3 is able to achieve a sensitivity rating of 90dB, making it compatible with high quality amplifiers of modest power." Press Release & Photo Link.

We have listened extensively to the Q3—and our considered opinion is that we think that you will be highly impressed with this new generation Magico speaker. You are of course welcome to come by in order to see and hear them for yourself! For more info click here.

Aerial Acoustics 7T.

The 7T is here—and at this point we have now got them well broken in. We have to say that they sound as wonderful as they look—plus at 89db efficiency we have found them quite easy to drive. Available both in beautiful wood finishes as well as a deep gloss black, this sleek floorstander is sure to impress both sonically and as a decorous addition to your listening room.

This new design represents the newest thinking from Aerial  Acoustics. Not only are these noticeably more efficient than the older designs from long-time speaker designer Michael Kelly, but the sensuous curves of the cabinetry and the beautiful finishes—both wood and paint—are a joy to behold. We think that when you see them in person that you will undoubtedly agree with our assessment. Of course as with any speaker, we urge you to listen for yourself! And to that end you are invited to bring in your favorite music and audition them. Ultimately of course the choice of speakers are up to your personal preference! Info & Large Photo

Spectral DMA-260. This is Spectral's most powerful stereo power amplifier. Designed to be able to drive most any speaker on the planet, it combines finesse with tremendous driver control. We have it on display now and of course we would urge you to come in and listen for yourself. Now that we have had a chance to spend some time with it and really listen carefully to it we are very impressed. This truly is a reference stereo amplifier—and we think you'll be as impressed as we are!

Verity Amadis. This is the newest member of the Verity family of speakers. The Verity line of speakers has always been popular because they combine wonderful sound with relatively compact size and have a beautiful array of finishes—including some options of exotic hand-matched wood veneers. The Amadis continues this tradition, as it is especially compact considering its capabilities which makes it the obvious first choice for rooms where other fine speakers simply won't fit in. As always with any speaker, you really should audition this for yourself!

Magico Q5. The audio world awaited a Magico speaker positioned between the V3 and the M5. In January 2010 the new Q5 was introduced and filled that void. Only 47” H x 21” D x 11.75” W, this new speaker is a bit larger than the V3, but at just over 400 lbs it is dramatically heavier. For more technical info, here is the text of the pre-release announcement. We now have a fully broken in, production version of the Q5 on display. Fresh out of the crate it sounded amazing and it has only improved with time! You're welcome to bring in your favorite recordings and give them a listen. Please come hear for yourself what all the excitement is about!

MartinLogan CLX.  

The MartinLogan CLX is here and if you've never heard a 2-way full range electrostatic speaker here is your opportunity! Not only are they very transparent they are visually stunning as well. Available in a variety of finishes to complement any decor, we think you'll be as impressed with the design as you are with the sound. For more information here is a link.

Spectral DMA-200S. We have the DMA-200S stereo power amplifier here in the store and now that we've been listening to it we think that it will really appeal to music aficionados! Reasonably compact but surprising powerful, this amp is the least expensive amplifier in the Spectral range. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you hear how good it is!

NAD M2. The M2 has arrived and we have started to audition it. Not only is the M2 very interesting on paper in terms of its approach, but it is also aiming to be a high value product as it is a D-A, preamp, and power amp all-in-one. It will play all sampling rates including High Resolution files up to 192kHz / 24 bit.

A lot of interest has been generated because of the reviews that have recently come out—and we now have the M2 on demo. If you are interested in hearing it for yourself please give us a call. In the meantime here is a white paper so you can learn more—or see the December 2009 Absolute Sound article.

Wisdom Sage speakers.  The new Wisdom Sage speakers are now setup and have been broken in. These are designed to be high performance in-wall or on-wall speakers and have a lot of adjustability so they can be tuned to different room environments. We have 3 different models on display in one of our home theaters so you can both see and hear them for yourself!

Nagra BPS Phono Preamp..This little phono preamp has immediately become very popular because it is so good sounding, and especially so considering how reasonably priced it is. Remove the lid and you see bipolar transistors driven by battery power, allowing complete separation of your highly sensitive phono preamplification from the dirty power grid. The result is nice, black silences between well-defined notes. And of course you have a choice between the new BPS and the VPS—which is their high end vacuum tube unit. You can see the inside of the VPS here. Stop by and you can see and hear them both for yourself!

Wolf Cinema DCX-500i. After a tremendous amount of research wherein we looked in-depth at all of the contenders, we have selected this as our reference video projector for our top high end home theater showroom. The picture quality from the best Blu-ray discs with this projector and our reference Stewart screen is really quite incredible. Seeing is believing, and you're invited to see for yourself! Here is some more info.

Spectral DMC-15SS. This new preamp is now here and it has got to be the best value in high end audio preamps today. Wonderful sound at a relative bargain price-wise!  If you value pure performance over features such as remote control then this is the preamp for you. Alternatively if you need remote control Spectral has their DMC-30SS reference preamp—it is always nice to have such great choices to choose between! For more info here is a link.

Silent Music Servers. If you would like to be able to play the new high resolution files that everyone is so excited about, exemplified by the stunning HRx files from Reference Recordings, you need a music server that is properly designed in order to do so. You can now get a computer-based completely silent music server just like the one that we are using here for demo. These computers are unlike anything you have ever seen, or in this case, heard. That is because they are built utilizing a special heatpipe-equipped chassis and use Solid State Drives which make them completely silent. No fan noise and no hard-drive spinning or clicking—no moving parts at all. That way they don't have to be hidden away in a separate room but can be right next to your D-A converter. Along with your collection of High Resolution files, your entire CD library can be ported as well so all of your digital music can be played from this server. Click HERE for more details.

Basis Inspiration. The new Basis Inspiration turntable has been introduced—and at 100 lbs it is certainly no lightweight! It comes as a complete package and includes the Vector 4 tonearm with VTA Micrometer, Synchro-Wave Power Supply, Cable Isolation System, Vacuum record hold-down system, and Microthin belt. Here is a link.

Performance Acoustics Labs.  Modular Acoustic Room Treatment for the discerning music or home theater lover.

Your room can sound great and look beautiful too!

With a nice selection of attractive acoustic room treatment modules in different finishes available, a PAL room can be tailored to both your acoustic and aesthetic sensibilities. One of the outstanding benefits of this approach is the ability to fine tune the bass characteristics of the room acoustically in situ.

Here are photo1 , photo2 , photo3 & photo4 so you can see what a room treated this way looks like. Click here for more info. Then here for more details.

Naim Nait 5i-2. Introducing the Naim Series 5 components — including the acclaimed Nait 5i-2 which was recently honored in TAS. Robert Harley states, “What makes the 5i-2 so special is the amplifier’s ability to engage the listener musically.” We wholeheartedly agree with this quote as well as, “If there is a better value in high end audio than the Naim Nait 5i-2, I have yet to discover it”. What more can you ask for!

Basis Debut Diamond Signature Vacuum.

This is the latest incarnation of this wonderful turntable. Available either in clear or in black, it is beautiful to see, touch, and hear. We have this on display with the new Vector 4 tonearm. Definitely a must hear for the vinyl lover!

Rockport Center Speaker. This new speaker is now available for a truly high end surround system! This innovative design has a dedicated Center woofer which also serves as a stand for the Center channel. Put the two together and you have a full-range floor-standing Center speaker for your home theater and/or music surround sound system. Of course it will be optimally paired with Rockport front and rear speakers!

EAR. We now have some EAR tube components on display. If you've always wanted to hear some modern yet classic tube sound here it is!

JL Audio. We also have the JL F113 and F212s subwoofers here on demo.

Harmonic Resolution Systems.  Both their MXR and their SXR equipment racks with their requisite shelves now grace our reference room. The folks at HRS have brought their wealth of knowledge gathered throughout years of work in the commercial and government aerospace industries. They offer products ranging from damping plates to isolation shelves and full racks. Out of all the ones that we have seen or tested over the past 30+ years, these are now our favorites.

Linn Sondek LP12 SE Transcription Turntable. Since the 1973 introduction of the original Sondek LP12, Linn’s goal has been to deliver us from the evils of bad sound. With a triumvirate of just-released upgrades, a new level of performance obliterates former perceived limitations of this decades old design. The new Trampolin base, the Keel subchassis/armboard and the Ekos SE tonearm seem to be the exact upgrades this ‘table wanted.

Crestron TPS-6X touchscreen is the latest from Crestron and they definitely have a winner here! Whether you wish to control a home theater or a whole house system, it can handle it all.

 

DeVore Fidelity has been quietly developing some very musical loudspeakers, culminating in the well-received Silverback Reference.

We now have a total of four models from them available for demo. Please come by for a listen and see why so many are acclaiming them as being such good values in the vast sea of speakerdom. After you hear them for yourself we think you will understand why!

Quad 2805 electrostatic speaker. We now have a pair of Quad's latest creation, the 2805. The 2805 features a stiffer frame, complete with in integral rear brace. Quad also offers the larger 2905 for those that want more air-moving capability in the bass. Visually, the 2805 and 2905 appear quite modern and appealing.

● Coming Soon

Over the next year or two look for some new advanced music servers which can be linked to vast storage capacity for huge libraries of music coupled with outboard D-A converters that can play everything in your music collection including high resolution audio files!

More specific product announcements follow below:

Aurender W20 Music Server.

As of March 2013 we have been told to expect that the new Aurender W20 is scheduled to go into production in late May 2013. It will include high quality USB outputs as well as incorporate some other upgrades and changes. Specifically of interest to some DAC owners, (such as certain dCS models including the new Vivaldi—as well as both the Pacific Microsonics Model One or Model Two), the W20 will also include dual-wire AES-EBU output. This could be the music server that we have been searching and waiting years for. Check out the specs!

Technical Description

• 6TB hard drive storage - (Note: actual formatted storage space may be about 10% less) & 240GB SSD solid state buffer section
   
• Music is transferred to, automatically cached, and then played from the Solid State Drive (SSD) which has no moving parts. An SSD is used to avoid mechanical noise, vibrations, electromagnetic interference, and latency found in hard disk drives. The use of solid-state drives also means significantly lower access times. During playback, selections are automatically cached using proprietary technology from the hard disk to the Solid State Drive. The hard disk then falls asleep and the music is played back using only the solid state drive. This design eliminates problems with sonic and electromagnetic noise from spinning hard disk drives.
   
• Hard drives are switched off when playing music
   
• Battery-powered audio section to eliminate AC jitter
   
• Two banks of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries that alternate charging cycles and require zero user intervention. This eliminates the need for filters and isolates the audio circuits from ground noise coming from the electrical mains.

• A third bank of LiFePO4 batteries act as an un-interruptible power supply. In case of any sudden electrical power failures, the Aurender W20 will power down and turn off safely without any damage.
   
• Single and Dual-Wire AES/EBU output
   
• Word clock input - (Note: It is important that the word clock of the music server be slaved to that of the DAC—so that it rather than the music server can be the master word clock. The reason is that this allows the DAC, which by definition is doing the actual digital to analog conversion, to operate at the lowest level of jitter thus ensuring superior sound quality.
   
• RS232 communication link that can control the sample rate of external word clocks (such as the dCS Vivaldi Clock, etc.)
   
• Display can switched off entirely
   
• OCXO (oven-controlled) oscillators, which are known to be vastly more accurate and stable than ordinary crystal oscillators used in computers and most soundcards. That combined with a FPGA-based Phase-Locked Loop system thus ensures virtually jitter-free performance
   
• Silent fanless design which thus eliminates vibrations, unwanted electromagnetic fields and noise emanating from the fan
   
• AMOLED displays
   
• Customized Linux OS for best audio performance
   
• Up to 24-bit and 192 kHz sampling rates
   
• Digital outputs (Coaxial, 2x AES/EBU, BNC and Optical) plus a dedicated asynchronous high quality USB audio port
   
• Power is provided by both switching mode and linear power supplies. The switching mode power supply is isolated from critical components using thick aluminum walls and the linear power supply is used for sensitive critical components. Thick aluminum is also used to isolate physical and electromagnetic noise from CPU's and hard disk drives
   
• Designed be connected to a wireless router in order for the iPad to function as a wireless master control

Remote Control via free iPad application from the Apple App Store:

• Intuitive search function for fast easy selection
• Make and edit playlists with just a touch of a finger
• All details of song, album, playlist and queue are viewable on a large iPad display. The current app includes support for the "retina" resolution. However as of early 2013 the software app does not yet make full use of the high resolution
• Automatic or custom categorization of songs
• CD album front and back covers can be stored and displayed along with music selection
• Web search function to search for information on selected artist or song is not yet implemented as of early 2013 as it has been deemed as a lower priority but this is planned for the future
• Zoom-in function
   

Verity Monsalvat speaker system. We expect that this new flagship speaker system from Verity will be released in 2012. Click for info - Photo #1 - Photo #2 - Photo #3

Rockport Alya speaker. Rockport will be introducing a new speaker called the Alya soon. We were at the Rockport factory in December 2011 in order to hear them. Stay tuned for details.

Rockport Atria speaker.

Rockport Atria speakers. After hearing them at the 2013 CES we are definitely looking forward to hearing them in the store! They have all of the latest technological thinking from Rockport including: carbon-fiber-sandwich midrange and woofer, beryllium tweeter, and constrained-layer-damped enclosure.

The Atria is designed much along the same lines as it's bigger brother the Avior. They have all of the latest technological thinking from Rockport including: carbon-fiber-sandwich midrange and woofer, beryllium tweeter, and constrained-layer-damped enclosure. The main difference between this speaker and the Avior is that the Atria uses a single 9” woofer per cabinet, whereas the Avior utilizes twin woofers which makes the Atria's cabinet volume be about half that of the Avior's.

Spectral reference phono preamp. About 5 years ago we had a brief look at an early R&D prototype of a Spectral phono section. (When we saw it, it was in the trunk of Keith Johnson's car, so obviously we didn't hear it at that time! In case you don't know, Keith is the lead designer at Spectral.) More recently we visited the Spectral factory in May 2012 and we can report that they are still in R&D mode—and that they have made some real progress. We hope to see a new product released in 2014.

Of course there is no definite timetable for the release of a particular product from Spectral as we've learned from our decades-long experience of working with them. They keep working on products in R&D until they are satisfied that they've done as well as they can. And that can mean many iterations of design at the R&D stage—which can take any number of years!

NOTE: This would be an outboard phono section in a separate chassis which would, in terms of hook-up, be between the output of a turntable and the input of a preamp line section (like the Spectral DMC-30SS Series 2). For those that are curious about how big it was, the prototype that we saw was in a chassis that was similar in size to the DMC-30SS Series 2. Stay tuned for details.

Spectral SDR-5000 D-A converter. At the January 2009 CES show Spectral showed a prototype of their forthcoming SDR-5000 D-A converter. We expect that it will do all of the following sampling rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, & 192kHz at bit rates from 16 to 24. Although no shipping date has been announced, we're hoping to see it in production sooner rather than later—and at this point our best guess (and this is only a guess!) is that the earliest that we could see it would be sometime in 2014. Hopefully it will be announced at the 2014 CES, but we will see if that actually transpires or not! All we really know though is that Spectral is still working on the design—plus they are waiting for some custom parts to be made which have very long lead times. However no matter how long it takes, it promises to be worth waiting for! Check this space for more details as they are announced.