03.2015

GoldenEar Triton 5 Loudspeakers, $2000pr, Gloss Black   GoldenEar will be shipping its brand new Triton 5 speakers this month. T-5 is a passive design like the very successful T-7 ($1400pr). There are no powered subs in T-5 (or T-7). Reviewer Mark Henninger: “To my ears the Fives embody everything I like about the GoldenEar sound- precise and transparent without being harsh or analytical. A perfect rendition of “Morning” by Beck served as proof of the Five’s prowess. What I heard coming out of the Fives put a grin on my face.” As you would infer, T-5 is a bigger,
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02.2015

Bryston A3 Theater System Bryston’s A3 tower speakers ($2400pr) are getting recognized as being pretty special. They’re quite different from what our industry has gone to for “stock and trade” at the price point. Like all Bryston speakers, they’re made in Canada and have a TWENTY YEAR WARRANTY! What almost everyone else offers at $2.5k is a pretty mediocre rectangular box, with pretty mediocre drivers screwed into that box, from a factory in China. Since they have to be shipped here, keeping the weight down is important. They want it to be short and skinny so your wife won’t mind.
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01.2015

New! Magnepan MG-.7 Speakers Arriving Soon! $1400-1700 Per Pair In 2010 Magnepan introduced its MG-1.7 speakers for $2200pr. The .7 designation is significant in that it denotes the new QUASI technology that is being used full range in the speakers. Prior to the .7s and QUASI, the older .6 versions used Magneplanar technology. Here’s the difference. QUASI technology features extremely lightweight strips of foil adhered to a light mylar diaphragm. Think vertical strips of foil, approximately 1/2” wide for the woofer, and 1/8” wide for the mid and tweet. The foil has much better coverage area over the mylar panel
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12.2014

Welcome To Hegel Audio (Oslo, Norway, founded 1988)       Hegel Audio products are arriving at Audio Emporium. We have had our eye on Hegel for several years. There have been recent product developments that have convinced us NOW is the time to dive in. For openers, Hegel offers three outstanding values in integrated amplifiers. The amplifier design of these integrateds, and Hegel’s monster separate amps, is the same. You get more thunder as you spend more. Hegel’s DualAmp Technology features two distinct gain stages. The first one is for voltage. The second one is for current. Remember the
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11.2014

New! Bryston Mini A Speakers, $1200pr Bryston’s loudspeakers have garnered fantastic reviews in the audio press. The models typically reviewed are the big dogs, the Model T ($7500pr) and Middle T ($5400pr). They’re outstanding and deserve the attention. Bryston has a new “little guy” that isn’t likely to get much attention in the press. Bryston is known for big power, big sound and its 20 year warranty. We’re bragging up the Mini A speakers here because we don’t want them to get lost in the shuffle. And yes, they too have the 20 year warranty! Most bookshelf speakers are 2-way
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10.2014

New! Marantz Surround Receivers Every couple of years Marantz revises its line of surround receivers. The time has come and the new models are now on hand. Before going on to specific models and features, why should you buy a Marantz surround receiver vs something else? Virtually all surround receivers have plenty of features now. What makes Marantz better is technology that provides better audio/video performance than the other guys. For openers, Marantz receivers use high current amplifiers, as opposed to voltage amplifiers. The high current amps sound more gutsy. They don’t distort as quickly. They sound more controlled within
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