ShowStoppers -
Series 2
All prices are quoted in euros unless
otherwise noted.
1 euro is approximately .91 US dollar.
Pro-Ject keeps pushing vinyl innovation. The
Studie belt-drive turntable comes with 12" and 9" carbon-fiber tonearms (!) and
features adjustable damping. The price is €1500.
T+A showed their sleek and stylish K 6 DVD
player/surround-sound receiver complete with integral stand. It features Dolby Digital,
DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II processing; output power of 60Wx5; a tuner; and pop-up
display. The goal with the product is visual simplicity, and the stand even allows for
cables to be routed inside to keep them out of view. The price is €1500.
 
Jeff Fritz was impressed with The Gryphon's
Cantata loudspeaker. It has elaborate features like a "Q" controller to better
match the speaker to the room; an exotic mixture of materials including leather, black
acrylic, and aluminum; and an integrated stand that houses the system's crossover. We
listened to the Cantata at length, and the sound was impressive. The Cantata is priced at
€19,000 per pair.
From the Esoteric brand of Teac comes the new
P-70 transport (not shown) and D-70 DAC (shown), which are only available as a package for
€15,000. The D-70 upsamples to 176.4kHz with 24-bit resolution. It features a
front-panel switch that allows the user to lower the sampling rate to 88.2kHz. Exactly why
there is the ability to go up and down between sampling rates was not clear, but our
quick demonstration with this switch produced noticeable results. The matching P-70
transport features an updated version of the company's long-established VRDS drive
mechanism.
The new €2600-per-pair 2.5-way Schönberg
speaker appears to be a complete design departure for Vienna Acoustics. The rounded
all-metal cabinet gives the speaker a contemporary look, and there are also similarly
styled models available for a complete surround-sound system. |
