We are going to put on a show of products that we have found remarkable over the past year - by that, of course, we mean musically and technically advanced. Obviously this is from Harry and Michael's view, but many of you know by now where our preferences lie when it comes to music reproduction. On this Saturday we will show and hear all the products listed below.
Digital
The Chord Hugo DAC is one of the most advanced DACs/headphone amplifiers. When we hooked up this little device to a large set, we were momentarily blown away by the quality. Yes, you can also use it as a headphone amplifier, but as a DAC this one is already genius. The price is €1,680.
As a music server, the Aurender W20 is absolutely a shot in the arm for us from this brand. It rivals the best CD drives in the world but with all the conveniences that such a server has.
Our reference network player is the NDS/Unitiserve combination from NAIM - that was an absolute discovery for us this past year how good this is.
Amplifiers
Two amplifiers managed to surprise us at every point this year - and they are not even the most expensive! Starting with the Primare Pre-60 and A-60 combination. The Pre-60 is their new reference preamplifier with a built-in DAC and streamer, this with the matching A-60 power amplifier with only 2x 250 watts per channel is truly amazing. The price is € 7,500 per unit.
The other amplifier is PrimaLuna's Dialogue Premium HP integrated amplifier. It contains no less than 8x KT-120 tubes and is a beast and a jewel at the same time. The price is only €4,500.
Speakers
We have performed many wonderful loudspeakers this year, not forgetting of course the wonderful M-Project from Magico and the Compact Reference One from TAD, but there were two that we expected nothing of have pleasantly surprised us. Starting with the GoldenEar Triton One, already loaded with unprecedented reviews in the world of high-end audio, but we also have to say, at €5,000 per set it's hard to beat! The other speaker is one of the most genius designer in the speaker field, the sadly deceased Franco Serblin. The Ktêma is his top model and this speaker excels in the enormously large stage image where the instruments themselves are experienced as almost 3D. A must for any high-end enthusiast to have heard once. The price is € 28,000 per set.
Headphones with Amplifier
One of the finest headphone amplifiers we have heard is the Moon Neo 430HA. This is a true "Tour de Force" equipped with numerous State-of-the-Art features. The Neo 430HA is designed for professionals as well as headphone enthusiasts who strive for perfection. This Moon is expandable with a built-in DAC. The price is € 2,850 for the Neo 430HA and € 650 for the optional DAC.
The Audeze LCD-2 headphones were the most striking headphones we heard last year. It is like listening to speakers. The price is €998. The combination of Neo 430HA and LCD-2 can be heard this Saturday.
Most Notable
For us, that is absolutely the Naim Mu-so. We are definitely not the business for soundbars or related items. The sound quality is usually so mediocre that it's not worth listening to. At some urging from Naim, we went to listen to the Mu-so and we were pretty much crushed by what we got to hear and how functional the device is. The price is only €1,125 for an all-in-one system with every feature you can think of.
Cabling
Here we can be very clear, AudioQuest's entire line of internet cables excel in this. This Saturday we're going to let you hear the differences of using good Internet cables and the quality differences in them.
So, that was quite a laundry list, but we are going to make it a fun day on January 31, with a lot of listening and information. We hope to see you then.
