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Mark Levinson Madrigal showed their new No. 383 integrated amplifier, which is built like a tank and comes complete with a solid remote and cutting-edge industrial design. At $5,995, the No. 383 is rated at 100 watts into eight ohms and 200 watts into four ohms. The No. 383 is currently shipping. While the No. 40 won’t ship for another 12 months, it is worthy of mention. Mark Levinson’s first foray into an AV preamp is sure to be something special, with five No. 32 preamp sections, 24/96 DACs and an actual LCD screen built right into this two-chassis killer. $20,000 to $24,000 is rumored to be the price. Proceed The PMDT is still very back-ordered for a good reason. Madrigal built their first DVD player from the ground up, unlike other manufacturers who repackage and hotrod Japanese models. The PMDT features a proprietary transport mechanism, MPEG decoding and digital section and is built to seamlessly integrate with Proceed, Levinson and other high-end components. The coolest functionality of the Proceed DVD player is its ability to be set to choose the exact preferences you like on each DVD you own. For example: if you always want 5.1 audio outputs, the PMDT will remember that. If you once choose subtitles for a disc, the PMDT will remember that detail too. Pretty cool for $5,995. Super Audio CD - SACD  Both Phillips and Marantz announced plans to introduce Super Audio CD to the North American market. Marantz, who recently introduced a SACD player to the Japanese market, will introduce the SA-1, a high-end player, to the U.S. market by the second quarter of 2000. Phillips, on the other hand, plans to introduce a SACD player that includes DVD video, priced to target mass-market customers. The SACD room at CES 2000 was a mob scene, with attendees waiting in excess of an hour to hear this new technology.Linn  Linn’s haute design $20,000 Klimax amplifiers were on display at CES and the cause of much drooling. These compact solid-state monoblock amplifiers output 500 watts of power into a truly elegant package. Also shown is the Linn Sondek CD12, preceded by its reputation for performance, which sells for an exclusive $20,000. Balanced Audio Technology  The BAT room had a couple of new products of interest. One of these was the soon-to-be-released VK AV-10 preamp, which has an analog pass-through for two-channel purity and fully balanced architecture throughout all eight channels. The AV-10 also incorporates an optional vacuum tube output for the front three channels. Price will be in the $10,000 to $12,000 range, to ship in June of 2000. Also from BAT was their brand-new VK-D5SE CD player. This player is based on the VK-D5, but incorporates the BAT 6H30 super tubes that the VK-50SE reference preamp employs. This player sells for $5,500, $1,000 more than the non-SE version. Flatte DesignThe Flatte 50 amplifier from Evett & Shaw’s Flatte Design has a very cool look with its three-hole chassis and its ice blue lights shining in the holes. The Flatte 50 is a 50W per channel amplifier at eight ohms, 100W at 4, and retails for $1,995 in its hand-grained metal finish. The Flatte 51 is a monoblock version of the Flatte 50 and packs 100 watts per channel into eight ohms and 200 into four ohms. Oracle Audio Technologies Inc.  The Oracle room was complete with the ultra-cool-looking CD transport, which sell for $7,000 or $9000 as a CD player. Their Delphi MK V Analog Turntable and their new soon-to-be-released 150 watt solid-state integrated amplifier will be available by mid-2000 for $10,000. |
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Jeff Rowland Design Group  Jeff Rowland displayed their new line of amplifiers, starting with the Model 11, a 150 watt per channel stereo amplifier, which retails for $4,800. Like their other amps in this line, it is machined out of a solid billet of aluminum alloy. The Model 10 stereo amplifier (52) utilizes their new compact, ultra-high-speed power supplies, which are reported to be more transparent than even their battery-powered designs. The Model 10 delivers 150 watts per channel at eight ohms and retails for $6,800. The Model 12 Monoblock amplifiers (53) are comprised of two amplifier enclosures, each with its own power supply. The 12s have 200 WPC into eight ohms and cost $13,000 a pair. Theta DigitalTheta showed their Dreadnought amplifier. This amplifier has a modular design that allows you to purchase a two-channel version, then upgrade it to three, four, and five channels in the future.  VACVAC recently introduced their Renaissance Signature Series amps and preamplifiers. The Renaissance Series Preamplifier sports features such as a cinema bypass mode wherein you can seamlessly sync your two-channel audio to your theater processor. Price: $9,995, with a MM & MC Phono stage option costing you an extra $2,995, in a nice black suit with gold trim. The Renaissance Signature 70/70 stereo amplifier is a 70 WPC dual mono design costing $16,990. The Conrad Johnson Premier 17LS Preamp  The 17LS Preamp is the latest tube preamplifier from Conrad Johnson. A descendant of the $15,000 and much-respected Conrad Johnson ART, the 17LS retails for $4,495 and will be available in February of 2000. The $15,000 Conrad Johnson ART was introduced in late 1997 and remains one of the most revered preamplifiers on the market today. Conrad Johnson will only produce 250 total units; each comes with the number engraved on the rear of the unit. The Rogue M120 Tube AmplifierThe M120 tube amplifier can run in either Triode or Ultralinear mode, able to produce 120W in UL, and 65 in the Triode mode. This amp retails for $2,695. The Totem Amber Integrated Amplifier  The prototype of this unit was delivered just hours before CES 2000 started. The Amber is a remote-controlled, integrated solid-state amplifier that delivers 120W into eight ohms and 240W into four. The remote for this unit was made of robust machined aluminum. This unit has a preamp-out for theater processor connection and provides single-ended connections only. It will be available by April of 2000 at a price of $5,000. Muse Electronics IncorporatedMuse recently introduced the Model Nine, a single-box player that encompasses the technology of the much-touted Muse Model Eight and 296 DAC, which samples 24 bit/96 kHz. It will play both DVD video and your existing CD collection. The single-box player sells for $3,250, compared to the Muse Model Eight/296 combo at $6,950. Wadia  Wadia introduced their brand-new 861 CD player at CES 2000. The 861, based on the technology of the highly-regarded Wadia 860, can process 24 bit/96 kHz source materials. Advertised as a much-refined improvement to the 860, Wadia is offering an upgrade option to the 860 for units purchased after November of 1999 for the $500 difference in the two players’ prices. The 861 goes for $7,900, the 860 for $7,400.Boulder Amplifiers Inc.  Boulder displayed their new 1060 Stereo Power Amplifier at CES. This unit is an engineering marvel. Packing 300WPC into eight, four and two ohms, this unit is among the sweetest packaged amplifiers I have had the opportunity to drool over. Introduced at the less-than-modest price of $18,500, it belongs to a line of products from a company with much respect for their amplification equipment.Pass Labs  Pass Labs introduced their new X1 remote line stage preamplifier at CES 2000. This two-box unit has a separate outboard power supply and Pass’s newly patented volume control. This unit claims to improve the performance of any balanced amplifier and retails for $4,500.Pass Labs  The solid-looking Pass X1000 Monoblock power amplifier is one powerful-looking amplifier. With 1000 watts per side, the flagship from Pass is a real powerhouse and priced like one as well at $24,000 per pair.Westlake Audio  Westlake Audio introduced their brand-new Lc3w10VF three-way loudspeaker, powering it with efficient Boulder electronics. These speakers have a frequency response of 42Hz to 20kHz and sounded impressive. The asking price is $4,393 per pair. |
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