High End Audio

Before I get to the picture above, I'll make a few closing remarks abut my time in Munich. I went to this show on Stereophile's invitation, and for the most part my time at the show was spent listening to the big rigs for sound that really turned me on. So I didn't spend as much time looking for headphone gear as I would otherwise have done. It was quite a refreshing break from my normal show routine, and I very much enjoyed writing my piece for Stereophile. Show Promo Image A couple of closing thoughts...and then something unexpected. Tyll Hertsens May 19 2013

Take the Audiophiliac challenge and see if you can get better sound with a DIY, manual setup.

Named for a mythical Nordic eight legged horse whose name means "smooth" or "gliding", the Sleipner Reference looks and feels as smooth as its true air bearing, belt driven 20 pound aluminum platter floats and its air "bearing" arm slides. The designer has paid attention to every detail within the design framework. The aluminum platter is topped with a three layer mat consisting of two layers of polycarbonate and one layer of acrylic. first page: 1

Frank Iacone has posted a review of the Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies Hube DAC headphone amplifier ($999) at Dagogo. His conclusions: “The Woo WA7 Fireflies is priced at $999 factory direct. It is... Visit the Ultra High-End Audio and Home Theater Review for more...

Woo Audio has a reputation of producing very high quality tube amplifiers built in the United States. The company is located in New York and it is a family-run business. The chief engineer, Wei Wu has been designing tube amplifiers for over forty years. Wei’s sons, Zhivong Wu and Jack Wu also help design and build amplifiers. The reputation that Woo has built over the last ten years is stellar. The company is well known in the headphone community for building high quality amplifiers at very competitive prices. The Woo WA7 Fireflies is a unique design. This modern cube design was inspired by Jack Wu’s wife., who offered input as to what she felt the public would like. The Fireflies is designed as a two-piece unit. The small cube enclosure has a separate power supply which can be placed on the floor. The amplifier takes up little space on a desktop and has a built-in Texas Instruments 32-bit 192kHz digital-to-analogue converter. The amplifier can be hooked into the computer with the USB 2.0 asynchronous connection in the rear of the amplifier. The WA7 Fireflies also has RCA connections in the rear of the amplifier. The rear switch has three settings in order to control which output you would like to use. The switch can be moved easily to USB to access music files on your computer, watch concert videos, or to listen to online radio stations. The DAC can accept USB input only. It does not accept SPDIF connection such as coaxial, AES or Toslink from transports. The front of the WA7 has two headphone inputs. One input is for a 1/4-inch headphone jack, the other is a separate, 1/8-inch jack designed for portable headphones and in-ear monitors. The rear, HIGH switch is designed to be used with headphones of 70-600 ohms, and the LOW switch is designed for lower impedance headphones. The Fireflies is a compact, feature-loaded product that weighs a hefty five pounds, and the power supply brings the total weight to over eight pounds. The glass top is easily removable and the Fireflies houses two Russian Sovtek 6C45 tubes. The 6C45 tube is not seen in many applications. The unique thing about this tube is the gain; it has gobs of gain while being a very musical triode tube. However, according to Jack Woo, the design of the Fireflies was not intended for tube rolling. The only other 6C45 available is the Electro Harmonix gold pins that are available for $100 and sold in matched pairs. The stock tubes cost $55 for a matching pair and is included with the Fireflies. Woo uses a military grade PCB board in the design instead of their traditional point-to-point wiring. The power supply is solid-state regulated. The hand-built output transformer has a nickel alloy core. The WA7 Fireflies is a very attractive amplifier in either the silver or black color. It has a very elegant modern look and is sure to be a conversation piece for anyone who looks at and marvels at this beautiful amplifier. The amplifier has a very high spouse approval rating and will look very attractive on your desktop. The WA7 was set up on my desktop connected to my 27-inch IMAC computer. Cables used included a Nordost Blue Heaven USB 2.0 cable, a Nordost Blue Heaven RCA for my Oppo BDP95, and a Nordost Power cord. The Nordost cables are very transparent. The Blue Heaven lets me hear what every component is doing in the system. The headphones I used for my listening session included the Sennheiser HD800, the HD700, the Audeze LCD2.2, the Beyerdynamic T90, the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 in-the-ear monitors and the portable UE6000. The Fireflies was completely burned in prior to my review. SOUND The Beyerdynamic T90 had a synergy with the WA7 that was outstanding. The musicality of the Fireflies really excelled in a very dynamic and open sound. The sound stage was very wide and deep and the dynamics were explosive. The Fireflies bass was very deep and controlled, and the treble was never offensive and sounded extended. The focus was razor sharp; I could easily identify di

Yes, that's right: Your eyes are not deceiving you. The exaSound e20 display above is highlighting the fact that the e20 is the first consumer stereo DSD DAC that can handle Quad DSD (256fs, sometimes denoted DSD256). Here 'tis…11.28MHz DSD at your fingertips!

He arranged delivery of his favorite, the Sonore Signature Music Server (MSRP $2499) and Signature Power Supply ($2199). Sonore is a boutique hi-fi component manufacturer based in Miami Lakes, Florida, which specializes in digital gear. The new mbl Corona CD Player C31 ($9200) came along because it accepts up to 24-bit 96kHz Lpcm data on TosLink, S/PDIF, and asynchronous USB "natively." My Accuphase DP-600 does not support these inputs.

Two of the world's best sounding speakers together at the same place.The white Reference is back from Hifideluxe and joining the Studio Reference One at Zellaton's showroom.Analog Domain Isis integrated with Excalibur technology is behind the left Reference speaker, and prototype electronics from a secret brand in the middle.To the right the €48000 Garrard 501 L'Art Du Son turntable.

Every now and again, I get my greasy monkey paws on something truly fine. This? This is one of those times. Say hello to the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96. I borrowed this pair from my local dealer Command Performance, down … Continue reading →

Beethoven for 21st century DG's first app, »Beethoven 9«, is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Try out the free versions now and discover Beethoven's iconic 9th Symphony in a new, interactive way. The main features are: Four legendary performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony from the DG catalogue:includes DG star conductor of the 1950's Ferenc Fricsay's first stereo recording of this work from 1958 with the Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan's widely acclaimed 1962 recording with the same orchestra; the widely loved and charismatic maestro Leonard Bernstein's video recording from 1979 with the Wiener Philharmoniker; and the ground-breaking 1992 recording on period instruments conducted by John Eliot Gardiner with the new Jonathan del Mar edition of the score from Bärenreiter. switch on-the-fly during playback between the four interpretations and compare different approaches to the music watch synchronized score or read expert commentary while you listen to the music immerse yourself in the hypnotic graphical »BeatMap« highlighting every note watch interviews in the Insights section with eminent personalities including Gustavo Dudamel and John Eliot Gardiner Read the story of the work written especially for this app by broadcaster David Owen Norris The technology available to the user in this app shows how individual our greatest recordings of this iconic symphonic masterpiece are. Max Whitby, CEO of Touch Press, the company behind the critically acclaimed apps The Elements, Shakespeare's Sonnets and Leonardo, said: "It is a privilege working closely with Deutsche Grammophon to bring their legendary recordings of the Ninth Symphony to the iPad and iPhone. Together we are aiming to set a new standard for publishing classical music in interactive digital format." The App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone or iPod touch including two minutes of the symphony with all features enabled. The full experience is then unlocked through In-App Purchase. Prices: iPad: $ 13.99/ £ 9.99/ € 12,99(Users receive both versions of app for the price of the iPad version) iPhone / iPod touch: $ 7.99/ £ 5.49/ € 6,99(iPhone version includes almost all of the playback experience, but not the Insights or The Story sections) http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/gpp/index/beethoven9-app Matej Isak. Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine. All rights reserved. 2006-2013. www.monoandstereo.com. ..:: None of the original text, pictures, that were taken by me, links or my original files can be re-printed or used in any way without prior permission! ::..