Isotek Polaris Mains Conditioner $500 The price includes one Initium, which is a high end power cable that connects Polaris to the wall. You can buy additional Initiums for $100 each. They should replace the cheapy black cables that came with your nice hi-fi gear. Polaris has been on the market now for several years and has earned a reputation for improving…

Marantz NR-1200 Stereo Receiver $600 (75×2) 4.1h, 17.3w, 14.9d Why should you be excited by a new STEREO receiver? You should consider NR-1200 because it’s MUCH more more than a garden variety receiver. Let’s start with, NR-1200 an honest 75×2 into 8 ohms. Yep, 75×2, 20-20k at .08% THD. We’re not saying this is state of the art. But most stereo receivers…

JL Audio of Florida builds UBER serious subwoofers. For two channel listening, JL emphatically encourages a PAIR of subwoofers to balance your room with bass. How about a pair of E-112s?! E-112 $2500 Each (16.23h, 15.5w, 18.39d, 74 lbs, 1500w amp) E-112 has a driver like you’ve never seen before. Note the double spider design.Please also note the front metal baffle the…

Dave’s Faves – JL Audio E-112 Subwoofer $2700 (16.23h, 15.5w, 18.39d, 74 lbs, Black Ash) I must admit I’m typically not Mr. Subwoofer. I’m a 2CH guy and getting woofs to dovetail with “wing” speakers is easier said than done for a fussy audiophile. Guilty as charged! I change speakers a lot at home because it’s a gas and I want to…

Kimber Kable Carbon Interconnect .5m $510, 1m $620, 2m $840 Brand new, and performance breaking for me, is the Kimber Carbon Interconnect cable. For its price point, Carbon shatters the glass ceiling of dynamic range performance most noticeably! It sounds like you added more power to your system, which you did NOT. Along with improved dynamic range, you’ll hear deeper, tauter bass…

Ortofon Bronze MM Cartridge $440 Best Bang For Your Buck! There are zillions of cartridge choices out there. Which cart, out of all of them, hits the point of diminishing returns? I’m here to tell you, it’s the Ortofon Bronze 2M Moving Magnet cartridge. It will give you the biggest slice of very high end vinyl at an attainable price point. Why?…

JL Audio Subwoofers Now In! JL has become an ever larger player in the world of SERIOUS home audio subwoofers. I’ve decided to dive in! If you’re looking for an uber spectacular sub that’s built like a brick out house, get out of the way and let ‘er rip for JL. JL subs are all made in Miramar, Florida. When you read…

Streaming is lots of fun. The option to choose a song with a light touch of your tablet is pretty tempting. We are so spoiled! Yet for those of us who listen to entire works, or ALBUMS (can you imagine?!), please don’t lose track of your silver discs. That would include Red Book CD, and of course SACD. I for one, still…

Klipsch RF-7 III $3600 Per Pair (49h, 13 7/8w, 17 7/8d, 97lbs, 100dB SPL) Klipsch’s RF-7 is now here. Made in Hope, Arkansas, RF-7 is a big tower. SO WHAT?! If you want your music to hit big and hard, you need major league muscle. RF-7 doesn’t apologize for being a sizable tower. RF-7 uses a new 1.75” Titanium Horn Tweeter. It…

Marantz AV-8805 Preamp Processor $4500 Every top flight surround system is “bottle necked” by the preamp/processor you choose. The task of a pre/pro is enormously complex. The truth is, you need a large Asian manufacturer that has the technology DOWN COLD to make a piece you want- both in terms of current features and high end sound quality. All of the N…

“The speaker’s upper cabinet contains the new tweeter, which sports a lightweight polyimide diaphragm loaded by Klipsch’s Tractrix horn.” Like no other. “This is a striking sounding design, in an almost entirely positive way. It’s the aural equivalent of a bright, fresh autumn morning with an azure-blue sky and a chill in the air through which the sunshine blazes a path. Listening…

Obstacles! You readers don’t know how hard it is to sort through all the great hi-fi gear these days. There are numerous obstacles in my way. Glenn just came into my office and proclaimed- “You won’t believe what I just found!” I’m thinking, he found a Mac MR78 in mint condition, or a pair of Maggie Tympani 1-Ds that don’t need to…

I admit, I chide magazines like Stereophile & The Absolute Sound. There’s no doubt the writers are smart guys that love the hobby. But their perspective on price/performance doesn’t correlate with ours- the readers. The magazines don’t buy products to audition. Products are loaned. All you have to do is read a review or two to see how out of touch these…

Bob Carver Crimson 275 Power Amp: $2750 (75×2, 7h, 14w, 9.5d, 19 lbs) The new Bob Carver Crimson 275 tube power amp is now here! It is made in the state of Washington. It has a five year warranty which includes the tubes themselves! Who else warranties tubes for more than a few months? Crimson 275 sounds almost exactly how you would…

BEE of NAD has died after being with the company 46 years. What a run! BEE was born in Norway and gets significant credit for changing the face of affordable audio gear. After stints at Dolby Labs and AR, BEE helped kick start a new audio company, NAD, in England in1972. In 1978 BEE designed the iconic NAD 3020 integrated amplifier. It…

NAD C275BEE Power Amp $1300 (150×2, 6h, 17 1/8w, 15d, 33 lbs) This fantastic power amp has been back ordered for months. With the array of great gear NAD makes, this CLASSIC SERIES two channel, class AB power amp sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. They have spent their resources making other “more hip” products and have just caught up on C275BEE….