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Archives
Dynaudio.
We are now dealers for the excellent
Danish speakers made by Dynaudio. We are carrying both
the audiophile-quality Audience line and the more
expensive Reference line (which contains the Contour
models and the Confidence models). We are very impressed
with the smooth, full-range, effortless sound of these
speakers. Dynaudio makes speakers from about $700/pair to
about $85,000/pair (!).
Wadia!
We have just received the good news that
Wadia will be resuming operations. We will post more
information when it becomes available.
 Steve
McCormack. We
hosted a seminar with Steve McCormack. He discussed the
design of his products and announced the new DNA-HT5
5-channel amplifier. This new amplifier is essentially 5
channels of DNA-125 power in a largish chassis. Perfect
for a high-performance home theater. Call for details.
Paul
Hales departs.
We have just received word that Hales
Design Group founder and chief designer, Paul Hales, has
accepted an offer outside the high end audio world in the
pro audio business. This is clearly a major (and possibly
fatal) setback for any restart of the Hales Design Group.
We are currently unable to obtain any Hales replacement
parts. Of course the assets of the Hales Design Group
still exist and we are hopeful that exact replacement
parts will be available in the future.
Special Offer: In light of the
dim future for Hales, we are offering our Hales
demonstration speakers at substantial savings.
Currently we have a pair each of Revelation 3's
(oak), Transcendence 1's (oak), and Transcendence 5's
(black). Call for details.
Wadia
status, round three. As you may know,
Wadia Digital Corporation, which had recently acquired
the speaker company Hales Design Group, is being
restructured. As of September 12, 2000, the assets of
Wadia were sold to the majority shareholder of the
company, presumably paving the way for a possible restart
for both Wadia and Hales.
We feel it is likely that warranty work will be
available for Wadia in the near future. If you love (and
perhaps own) Wadia products, now is a time for guarded
optimism, rather than dismay.
Special Offer: However, because
the future of Wadia is not guaranteed at this point,
we are currently offering our demonstration units of
the top-of-the-line Wadia separates, the 270 CD
Transport and the 27ix DAC combination, at a
very special price. We also have a new Wadia 150 A-D
converter at a similarly special price. Should Wadia
resume normal business operations, this offer will be
rescinded. Call for details.
About the 270 and 27ix, Stereophile
raves, "The sheer vividness of the Wadia 270's
presentation driving the Wadia 27ix, coupled
with laid-back high frequencies that resembled
nothing so much as the real thing, made this the best
I have ever heard from any digital technology"
-JA, Class-A recommended, October 2000.
Website
tuneup. We have updated out website
again. You'll find a new Frequently Asked Questions link
at the top of this page, plus a more streamlined design
for this page. The result is a more compact, more meaty
home page. We hope you like it. We are always seeking
suggestions (hint, hint) for improving our site (or
anything else for that matter).
Audio Research VT-200M
monoblock tube amplifiers. Packaged in a
chassis the size of a VT-100, the new VT-200M monaural
amplifiers boast a power supply with almost as much
capacity reserve as the REF 300's. With a solid-state
JFET input, a three-tube amplifier/driver stage, and six
6550 output tubes (in addition to two tube regulators),
the VT-200M has outstanding bass, a well-layered, focused
soundstage, and a rich, full-bodied sound. Offering a
taste of the famed REF 300's at just over half the price,
the VT-200M should prove quite popular. $13,990/pair.
Princeton AS3.4HDF update. This
34"-viewable 16:9 flat-screen HDTV as been delayed
until 2001. There are currently no high-performance yokes
for this widescreen picture tube. Princeton made the
difficult (but correct) decision to delay the product
until yokes are available that can achieve excellent edge
focus on a flat-screen 34" 16:9 picture tube. The
AS3.6HD 4:3 HDTV is not affected and is expected to be
available in July-August 2000.
Stax SRM-717 headphone driver. Stax
has recently introduced a new state-of-the-art driver
unit for their electrostatic headphones. The SRM-717 has
wider bandwidth than their best tube driver units, and as
such is appropriate for higher bandwidth signals, such as
up-converted CD front ends, DVD-Audio, and SACD. An ideal
companion for the Omega II earspeakers.
Theta Casablanca II Update Policy Announced.
Theta has recently announced that Theta Casablanca
surround sound processor owners will be able to update to
the new Theta Casablanca II for about the same price as
if they had originally bought the Casablanca II. The new
version will be somewhat more expensive, with
configuration ranging between about $6,000 and $14,000.
The new processor board will feature 12 channel, 96kHz/24
bit capability, new "Jitter Jail" jitter
reduction technology (hey, we didn't name it!), and new
software flexibility that was previously introduced in
the CasaNova. Expected availability June 2000.
Update. The new Zoethecus Home Theater
series of audio and video component furniture is expect
to ship to us the first week of April. Please feel free
to call us with your
requirements. Also, Particular
Contemporary Design has added several new pieces of
furniture to their line, including a new component stand,
a new amp stand, an updated speaker stand, and various
wood trim options.
Richard
Gray's Power Company.
This power condition effectively
positions your electronic components closer to the
utility company's transformer. Using a large inductor, it
supplies short-term current to compensate for the voltage
drop losses in the hundreds of feet of electrical wire
between your outlet and the utility's transformer. Highly
recommended by Audio Research (for example). $700.
MIT Oracle V3 speaker cables.
Priced underneath the new Oracle V2 speaker cables, and
without the V3's detachable interface box, the Oracle V3
speaker cables provide outstanding sonics without having
a large network box at the amplifier end. This design
allows the cable to be more easily routed along the floor
or through the walls. Isolation spikes are provided for
the interface box that sits behind the speakers.
Princeton
HDTV monitor. This 16:9 widescreen 32"
(30" viewable) true HDTV monitor is simply amazing
when displaying a 720p or 1080i high-definition TV
signal. This multi-frequency monitor is capable of
displaying the most common HDTV formats and line doubles
NTSC video assuring future-proof compatibility. Designed
by industry guru, Joe Kane, Princeton HDTV's have
accurate colorimetry, superb linear grey scale, and
excellent white balance and uniformity giving DVD, DBS,
computer graphics, and terrestrial HDTV broadcasts
outstanding image quality and film like realism. With a
true 40 MHz video amplifier and horizontal scanning rates
to 50 kHz, Princeton HDTV performance will meet your
display needs for quite some time. $4100. For those
who want the absolute ultimate quality line-doubling, an
outboard line doubler can be utilized to process 480i
NTSC to 480p.
Audio Research Reference
300 amplifiers and Reference Phono. The
Reference 300 monoblocks amplifiers incorporate the
design and construction detail of the Reference 600
amplifiers in a size and power rating (300 w/ch) that is
appropriate for a wider audience. These are the most
neutral tube amplifiers that we've ever had in the store.
The Reference Phono is also finally here. We've been
asking for a reference-quality phono stage from Audio
Research for some time. This is an important product for
any REF1 or REF2 preamplifier lovers.
Audio Research LS-16 preamplifier.
This new Audio Research tube preamplifier replaces the
LS-15. The LS-16 features a surround processor bypass
which facilitates the use of the preamplifier in a
high-end surround-sound system. Due to extensive circuit
board changes, there is no update available from the
LS-15 to the LS-16. The LS-16 sets a very high standard
for transparency and neutrality in a mid-priced high-end
tube preamplifier. $2,995.
New on this site. If you haven't
visited the System Design and Room Design sections of this
website, we think that you'll find the new content
interesting. (If not, please let us know!) Also, we have
updated the Products pages
with the latest information about our offerings.Also, our
library now has a new article describing the design of
the Spectral DMA-100S
Reference Amplifier.
For a great vacation. If you're interested in a
romantic vacation hideaway in the Caribbean, we can highly
recommend the 113 acre private island of Petit St. Vincent.
Progressive Scan DVD Players Explained. A
new article
explains what the new progressive-scan DVD players
actually do. It also discusses 3-2 pulldown.
Spectral DMC-30 Backlog Update. We
are now receiving a regular stream of DMC-30
preamplifiers -- about one a month. This has allowed us
to satisfy some of the backlog. We now have
"slots" open for delivery in timeframes that
are not too much of a wait. Please call Dan or Alan at
781-893-9000 us if you would like to have one of these
DMC-30's reserved for you.
Dunlavy "Exotic Woods" Program. Dunlavy
Audio Labs has recently announced that all Dunlavy
speakers are now available in a selection of beautiful,
exotic wood veneers. These woods augment Dunlavy's
preexisting selection of standard finishes (Light Oak and
Black Oak) and premium finishes (Natural Cherry, Standard
Cherry, and Rosewood). The new exotic finishes include
Zebrawood, Birdseye Maple, Walnut Burl, and many others.
As you would expect, veneer prices vary from just a bit
more to, well, a lot more.
Fine Art Show. We have just installed
a show of Stephen Gottschalk digital prints. Using a
digital camera, Mr. Gottschalk captures interesting
images from the environment. He then uses a computer to
combine and manipulate these images. The result: sublime
prints that are flowing, graphic, ethereal, organic --
sometimes all at once. Simply and attractively framed,
Stephen's works are quite reasonably priced. Other emerging
artists should contact Dan Chadwick at
781-893-9000.
Rick Fryer, the President of Spectral,
was in the store on July 30th and 31st to introduce the
DMC-30 remote-control preamplifier and the DMA-100S
100w/ch amplifier. The DMC-30 simply amazed us with its
technical excellence, particularly in the clever
techniques used to avoid most of the difficulties
associated with the design of a remote-controlled
preamplifier. The new DMA-100S contains technology
developed during the design of the DMA-150 and DMA-360 --
and indeed is a very advanced amplifier.
DIVX is kaput. Circuit City, the
sponsor of the controversial DIVX video format, has
discontinued DIVX. They will be taking a $114 million
loss for terminating the venture. We view this as good
news, as the competing DIVX standard created confusion
for buyers and possibly delayed the availability of DVDs
at local video rental stores.
CAL
CL-2500-MCA 5-channel x 500 watt amplifier. We
have just received and evaluated this monster
multi-channel amplifier. It is tremendously powerful and
can produce a lot of bass energy when called for by the
movie soundtrack. When mated with the matching CL-2500
SSP surround sound processor, the individual channels are
switched on only when they are in use and the processor
can monitor the status of the amplifier. $7,500.
Princeton
AF3.0HD HDTV. With
a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and native resolution
support for 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i, this is the best
HDTV of this size that we've seen. It includes an
internal doubler for processing 480i to 480p, or add a
Princeton DVDO-based line doubler ($699) for even better
performance. $4,100.
Stax Electrostatic Headphones. We have the new
line of superb Stax
electrostatic "earspeakers," as they call them.
Available in quite a variety of price ranges, they are
simply the best we've heard. We now have a pair of SR-404
Signature earspeakers in the store for you to audition.
Parasound AVC-1800 processor and HCA-855A
multi-channel amp.
This $1,195 surround sound
processor/preamp with Dolby Digital, DTS, and Burr-Brown
DAC's makes an excellent complement to the $995, 85
watt/channel amplifier. An very nice, feature rich system
with Parasound quality for under $2,200.
RCA DTC-100 HDTV satellite / off-air
receiver. With
just a single box, this receiver accepts analog NTSC
off-air signals, cable TV signals, terrestrial HDTV, NTSC
satellite (Direct TV) signals, and HDTV satellite (Direct
TV) signals. It offers NTSC output, 1080i HDTV output, or
540p output. It has analog audio outputs, as well as
digital audio outputs in PCM and Dolby Digital formats.
$650, plus $230 for the dual LNB satellite dish.
Bevy
of new REL subwoofers.
We have the revised versions of the REL Strata,
Storm, and Stadium, now
in version III form. These subwoofers have independent
level controls for their preamplifier and amplifier level
inputs, both of which may be used simultaneously. In
addition, you can control whether the preamplifier level
input is routed through the crossover. For example, in a
mixed home theater/music system, you can connect the REL
subwoofer(s) to the left and right amplifiers, and adjust
the crossover for proper performance when listening to
stereo music. Then you can connect your surround sound
processor's subwoofer output to the preamplifier level
input and have that bypass the REL's internal crossover.
The new REL subwoofers have updated
amplifiers and new cosmetic options. The Strata III and
Storm III are available in wood finishes, in addition to
the painted black, and the Stadium III is available in
cherry, as well as rosenut, walnut, and black stained
ash.
In addition, we have also received the
brand new REL Q201E mini-sized
subwoofer. The REL Q201E is a tight, controlled,
super-sounding space-saving subwoofer (sibilance,
anyone?). Its diminutive 1 foot cubed size can be put
just about anywhere.
Spectral
DMC-30 remote-control line level preamplifier.
The long-awaited DMC-30 preamplifier has arrived. In
designing the DMC-30, Spectral's chief engineer, Keith
Johnson, optimized the signal paths and gain stages for
line-level use. Internally, the DMC-30 employs the same
balanced output board as the DMC-20 Series II
preamplifier. After extensive research into the sonic
attributes of remote volume controls, Keith concluded
that only a motor-driven potentiometer could deliver the
performance that he requires. A microprocessor controls
all of the preamplifier's functions. During normal use it
sleeps, awakening briefly only upon the activation of any
of the preamplifier's controls. This elegant design
eliminates the digital noise for which microprocessors
are infamous.
MIT Oracle V2 Speaker
cables. This is a new modular, high-performance
speaker cable from MIT. MIT has designed this cable so
that the speaker cables detach from the interface box.
This lets you exchange your cables or have your interface
boxes modified. A truly innovative design. (more)
Avalon
Opus loudspeaker. This "mini-Eidolon"
speaker from Avalon Acoustics boasts the same superb
ceramic midrange and tweeter as its bigger sibling. The
Opus's midrange and treble transparency recreates
startlingly-lifelike images, with the same sweetness and
relaxed ease as the Eidolon. In the Opus's bass region, a
9" Nomex-Kevlar composite woofer fires forward,
while a different 9" woven carbon fiber woofer fires
downward. The Opus is surprisingly compact, standing
about 4" shorter than the Eidolon which allows it to
easily fit in virtually any room. $13,995/pair in quilted
cherry, figured ash, or figured walnut. (more)
Spectral DMA-100S Amplifier. This new
high-resolution, high-bandwidth 100 watt/channel
amplifier has arrived. This superb amplifier uses
technology that Spectral developed for the DMA-150 and
DMA-360. Each output FET (Field Effect Transistor) has
its own power supply, including separate secondary
windings on the transformer. The library contains a article describing the
DMA-100S amplifier's design.
Kharma Exquisite and
Ceramique Speakers. We have received
the sublime Kharma Exquisite Reference 1b speaker.
Using a very high performance inverted-dome ceramic
midrange driver and unique cabinet construction, this
speaker creates vivid, lifelike images with
integrated, highly dynamic bass. (Note: this speaker is
currently on loan for the Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas. It is scheduled to return to our Waltham
facility in mid March 2000.) (more)
We also have the Kharma
Ceramique 1 speakers on display. This speaker,
the largest of three in a series, uses a soft-dome
tweeter, a ceramic midrange driver, and a large woofer.
This is a speaker that is both very, very nice to listen
to and very attractive, particularly in a contemporary
home. $14,999/pair. (more)
LAMM
Electronics. We are very excited to announce
that we have added LAMM preamplifiers and amplifiers to
our product lineup. LAMM makes premium electronics using novel
technology stemming from intensive psycho-acoustic
research done in Russia. We are displaying the L1
preamplifier and M1.1 100 w/ch class-A
amplifiers. Please call Dan at 781-893-9000 if
you are interest in auditioning these fascinating
products.
Spectral DMC-30.
Wondering whether the Spectral DMC-20 Series II or the
DMC-30 is right for you? It's easy:
| If you: |
Then choose the: |
| Need phono and... |
Need Remote Control |
DMC-30 with an outboard phono section |
| Don't Need Remote Control |
DMC-20 Series II |
| Don't need phono |
DMC-30 |
.
Runco Cinewide 5800 58"
wide widescreen rear projection TV. This
HDTV-ready rear projection TV has a scan rate high enough
to accept up to 1080 interlaced HDTV signals. It
also includes a built-in line doubler to display
NTSC signals better. With two NTSC tuners, it can display
Picture On Picture without any other equipment. Perfect
for DVD, broadcast TV, and HDTV-ready. (more)
CinemaTech leather
chairs. These high-end leather chairs and
recliners are the ultimate for comfort (and we think
style) for a listening room or home theater. Imported
from Europe, these chairs feel like a fine European car
seat -- supportive yet comfortable, even after a few
hours.
Dunlavy Aletha.
Dunlavy's new, not-too-big speaker is here. Sharing
driver types with the SC-IV/A, this speaker has a
vertically-symmetrical array of midrange drivers and a
tweeter, but coupled with one downward firing woofer in a
cool-looking hexagonal enclosure. This is the perfect
speaker for those situations where you just can't have a
full-height Dunlavy in the room. $5995/pr (standard
finish). Also in, is the new Dunlavy SM-1,
sort of a SC-I/AV on steroids, it offers better bass in a
relatively small enclosure at an attractive price.
$1995/pr.
Z-Systems RDP-1. An
all-digital equalizer and digital preamplifier. Very
transparent equalization for those in need. Also
available without the preamplifier features as a pure
digital equalizer.
Crestron. We now offer
Crestron RF-based programmable remote control systems.
Using custom-programmed touchscreens, a Crestron system
can greatly simplify the use of comprehensive home
theaters and multi-room audio systems.
Grado headphones and
cartridges. We have added Grado to our lineup.
A new article
discusses our recommendations for purchasing a digital
front end in this time of change and a comparison
of DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD.
California Audio Labs CL-20
& CL-25 DVD/CD Player with HDCD.
If you're looking for an affordable combination
DVD and CD player for your home theater, you really must
audition the CAL CL-20. Same great sound quality as the
CL-15. Great picture quality. The CL-20 has 9-bit video
D-A converters and composite and s-video output for
$2500. The CL-25 has 10-bit video D-A's and adds
component video output for $3000.
Class SSP-25. Surround sound
processor. with Dolby Digital (AC-3) and DTS. Good
sounding, good looking, feature-rich, and easy to use.
$3000.
Theta DaViD. DVD/CD transport.
We keep selling out. Contact us with your color and
option choices.
CinemaTech. CinemaTech
chairs are now available with several new options. You
may choose one of 3 different grades of leather in a
variety of colors, or provide your own material for
custom upholstery. You can omit the center armrest to
make a dual-reclining loveseat. You can even add a second
motor to provide independent control of the seat back
reclining and the footrest. (More info.)
Particular Contemporary Design.
This award-winning company makes sculpture-like
contemporary component stands, television stands, speaker
stands, and CD stands. While Particular's custom-design
limited-edition "art stands" begin at $13,000,
their production stands start under $1,000. Available in
a variety of sizes, configurations, and materials. (More info.)
Theta
Casanova. This high-performance, highly modular,
highly-upgradable surround sound processor has many of
the features and benefits of its larger sibling, the
famous Casablanca. Very flexible and easy-to-use, this
processor is custom configured for your needs. Please
give us a call. (more) Also, the Theta
David CD and DVD transport: the ideal companion
for the Theta Casanova or the Casablanca.
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