 
 September 1, 2008
- Canton Ventor Reference 5 DC Loudspeakers
One of the judges on The Next Food Network Star
recently offered a good piece of advice. In coaching the competitors in how to describe
food when on camera, he said (I paraphrase), "Don’t use the words delicious
or flavorful. They mean nothing -- you have to be much more specific." ...(more)
 August 15, 2008 -
Herron Audio VTPH-2 Phono Stage
One reason to enjoy the wonderful paintings of the
French primitivist Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) is for how they present a world as if one
were suddenly just given the gift of sight. There are boldnesses of outline, saturations
of color, and a magical quality in which each flower and leaf in the painted landscape
stands out from every other thing as one gazes at the whole, though they make of their
imagistic collective a grand ...(more)
 August 1, 2008 -
Cary Audio Design CD 306 SACD Professional Version SACD/CD Player
This review is something of a double anniversary. Just
over five years ago I wrote my first review for Ultra Audio, of the 306/200 CD
player from Cary Audio Design. I liked it then, and now comes another Cary one-box combo
of transport and DAC with a 306 designation -- this time a radically different one. In the
intervening five years, Cary has expanded its product line to keep up with the leap
forward in SACD/CD software, and racked up a fistful of "best product" awards.
And ...(more)
 July 1, 2008 -
Boulder Amplifiers 810 Preamplifier and 860 Stereo Amplifier
In today’s tweaky audiophile marketplace, some
high-end companies can have a hard time of it. Outfits such as Boulder Amplifiers are
driven by engineering -- the owner, Jeff Nelson, is an engineer himself -- so there’s
no snake oil to sell. The products are built in a modern manufacturing facility, so the
marketers have no mountaintop hideaway inhabited by ...(more)
 June 15, 2008 -
Mirage OM Design OMD-15 Loudspeakers
When Doug Schneider approached me about reviewing
Mirage’s OM Design OMD-15 for Ultra Audio, I wondered if, given the fact that it
retails for only $2500 USD per pair, this speaker was indeed "ultra" enough.
But, as Doug pointed out, Ultra Audio isn’t only about expensive components;
it’s also about ...(more)
 June 1, 2008 -
Esoteric MG-20 Loudspeakers
Every so often I hear something that changes what I
know to be possible. For instance, I vividly remember when I first heard an electric
violin. Or a Moog synthesizer playing Bach. A Javanese gamelan. Oscar Peterson’s
piano, Jan Garbarek’s saxophone. Even the first time I listened to a really good
...(more)
 May 15, 2008 -
Blue Circle Audio BC707 Phono Stage
When you think about it, it’s funny that the
closest relative of the phono stage is the digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The two
component categories are the matter and antimatter of the audio world, but they perform
roughly analogous tasks. And no, that’s not a ...(more)
 May 1, 2008 - PBN
Audio Olympia-L Preamplifier and Mini-Olympia Power Amplifier
The moment I fired up PBN Audio’s solid-state
Olympia-L preamplifier ($12,000) and Mini-Olympia power amplifier ($8500), I let out a
"Wow!" of pure delight. The sound was astonishingly vivid, full, and gorgeous.
My Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home speakers seemed like big barrels overflowing with sweet,
clear sonic rainwater ...(more)
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