CV

It’s unfathomable that when I was writing the March newsletter about Bryston speakers and Rega turntables, CV was barely on our radar. As I’m writing this newsletter in late March, CV is dominating our lives.

We will have a Coronavirus statement at the top of our LATEST page. Keep up to speed with us there. It will be updated as needed.

We have aggressive sales on demo merchandise to keep commerce going. We have a large inventory. We probably have a great deal on what you want.

Most of our manufacturers are shipping to some degree. But with skeleton staffs, things don’t go out as promptly as usual. Likewise, a fair number of products are in cue to be built, but are not immediately available. So, make the most of our demo sale, and please be patient about the delivery of new orders.

Those of us that love music are in a much better position to enjoy being quarantined than your average bear!

GoldenEar BRX $1600 Per Pair

(12h, 8w, 12.25d, 90dB SPL)

GoldenEar has been talking about releasing a Reference Level stand mount speaker for several years. Initial reviews have been very positive. They’re due in any day. CV may slow this delivery.

BRX uses the exalted ribbon tweeter used in Triton Reference and T 1.R. This ribbon has been esteemed by writers and BUYERS as among the most detailed musical tools in our industry. All these GoldenEar Ref models are known for precision detail and imaging.

BRX employs a brand new 6” cast bass/mid driver with a focused field magnet structure. This driver has a curved shape made of a special polypropylene material that combines superior internal damping with high speed of wave transmission through the cone.

BRX adds two side firing, 6.5” planar infrasonic radiators to deepen bass response, while keeping it taut. The cabinet is luxuriously finished in hand rubbed piano black lacquer. We expect another home run from GoldenEar!

Wharfedale Evo 4.3 Speakers $1600 Per Pair

Real Wood finishes of Walnut, Black Ash or White Ash
Two 5.25” Kevlar Woofers, One 2” Silk Dome Midrange,
One Ribbon Tweeter (34.4h, 8.4w, 11.5d, 51 lbs, 88dB SPL, 8 ohms)

Wharfedale’s new Evo 4.3 is a beautiful small form factor, affordable tower. Its muscle is surprisingly strong for its size. You’ll see a svelte tower but HEAR a large one!

Evo 4.3 goes beyond its mid sized/priced competition in that it employs a RIBBON tweeter and delivers the kind of muscle you can’t get south of its significantly bigger brother, Evo 4.4.

Let’s compare Evo 4.3 to B&W’s equivalent 704S2. IT runs $3k per pair and is very similar to Evo 4.3 in componentry, cabinet & crossover- but you get a dome tweet instead of Wharfedale’s precision RIBBON!

Yup, for about HALF the price, Wharfedale provides apples to apples nuts/bolts WITH a large RIBBON tweet! And by the way, I much prefer the RIBBON’s performance to the dome. Oh, and the other guys provide a cone mid, rectangular box with hole in the wall port that weighs ten pounds less, along with plastic plinth instead of valuable outriggers! Did I mention Evo 4.3 has conspicuously high performing bass for the size/price?

Wharfedale is bashing through the standard operating procedure of speaker building these days. Our industry has reached a point where “everyone” is making very similar products at a given price range. Wharfedale is a welcome exception.

Evo 4.3 starts with exceptional drivers -well beyond the garden variety.
*It uses Wharfedale’s extra large 2.16w by 3.15h RIBBON tweeter
*It dovetails that to its exceptional 2” Silk Dome Midrange driver
*It employs two, 5.25” Kevlar, self damping woofers with extremely heavy magnets
*The crossover uses CAO (Computer Aided Optimization) which provides balanced integration
*Evo 4.3 weighs over 50 lbs!
*Evo 4.3 comes with outrigger feet, which the other guys often upcharge mucho dinero for
*The cabinet is contoured to control resonance- avoiding a square or rectangular boom
*W uses a slot loaded port near the bottom of the cabinet to tune Evo 4.3 precisely.
It doesn’t just have a hole to add some thump to your sound.
*The finish is an elegant real Walnut, Black Ash or White Ash.

In short, Evo 4.3 delivers a musical experience of dramatically larger size/space/impact than you’ll get from esteemed competitors that run double the money.

Piano Prodigy In Our Time: Evgeny Kissin

We all know Mozart is the most famous child musician in history. But let’s not forget about the incredible Evgeny Kissin (b. 1971).
Kissin could play by ear at age two. By age six he composed and played difficult music by ear- for example Chopin’s Ballade #3 (running 8 beautiful minutes).
By age 12 he was recording on a par with masters like Ashkenazy & Rubinstein.
What were you doing at age 12?
We’re lucky his recordings are widely available on CD and streaming services. And yep, he’s still a touring pro! For only $62 you can get a newly released RCA, CD box, that has his first 25 albums. That’s just too cheap- from one of the best pianists we’ve ever known.

Bryston A2 Loudspeakers $3810 Per Pair

(39.5h, 9.25w, 17d, 62 lbs!)

Just in is the latest version of the mighty Bryston A2 speakers. For openers, A2 is made in Canada. Here’s a warning though, the warranty is only 20 years.

A2 has been a DYNAMITE speaker since its inception not quite a decade ago. Using DUAL sets of tweets/mids/woofs, A2 is a FORCE to be dealt with. Most speakers use a single mid and tweet. While that’s adequate for most speakers, A2 goes above and beyond. By using dual tweets & mids, each element has half the work load. Power capabilities excel! Excursion and power handling are halved, allowing A2 to deliver more detail, dynamics and muscle. A2 uses dual cast frame, massively built woofers as well. The cabinets are thick, heavy and braced. The mid and tweet drivers are housed within their own enclosures. A2 is not just a beast- but a sophisticated beast.

When you see these drivers out of the cabinets and compare them to highly advertised names, you’ll get why Bryston achieves a different echelon of performance.

Your first impression when hearing A2 is, “Where’s the sub?” The weight/foundation of musical soul that A2 delivers to your listening room is much like the real deal. While the other guys are selling
32 pound skinny boy towers that quit at 45Hz for $3500, A2 will flat out knock you out! A2 can play a life like scale of dynamics and bass in your room. A2 is extremely unfussy about placement. Many speakers only have solid bass if the walls are near to help. Not so with A2. It simply doesn’t care.

The tonal balance of A2, as with all Bryston speakers, is super smooth. If you like a bright bite or sizzle on the top end, Bryston isn’t your speaker. A2 is linear, powerful and can play at realistic SPLs. The better your amp (let’s talk!) the better A2 will sound.

Now about that new amp you will need for your A2s… A Bryston 4B Cubed ($6700, 300×2) would be sweet! If you don’t want to go that far, you might consider the brand new PeachTree Amp 500. It runs only $2k and produces a pulverizing 500×2 of horse power into 8 ohms. Amp 500 delivers 750×2 into A2’s 4 ohm load.

If you don’t have a preamp you love, consider a Hegel Integrated amp like the brand new H-390 ($6000, 250×2 8 ohms, 500×2 into Bryston’s 4 ohm load). H-390 will give you more LIFE and air with your new A2s compared to anything south of a Bryston preamp/amp combo.

When A2 was first introduced, it was offered for a few bucks less in a vinyl finish in addition to real wood. The current A2 is ONLY offered in attractive, full grain, real wood- Walnut (brown), Boston cherry (red) and American cherry (medium grade oak type color).

Rega Planar One Turntable $475

Hardly a day goes by… that we’re not asked, “What’s the best inexpensive turntable I can get?” The answer is easy- The Rega Planar One.

Planar One is not like all the cheap entry level tables spinning around out there. It offers more precision performance than it has a right to, for under five bills. The price of $475 includes Rega’s Carbon MM cartridge. The vast majority of tables out there are plastic rumblers- even if they have a somewhat prestigious name on them.

Planar One has a precision ground thrust plate & brass main bearing. The bearing spins within a well of brass. This is a distinct cut above stamped out metal or Teflon parts offered by the other guys.

Low friction on all these surfaces means your stylus reads what’s in the groove itself. It isn’t confused by the rumblings of rickety plastic, fake wood plinths or shoddy mechanical parts. The motor is a synchronous 24v design- previously only available in higher end players. The pulley is metal. Of course Planar One is a belt drive.

Planar One is fitted with Rega’s new RB110 cut above tonearm. It features precision bearings
and Rega’s automatic bias adjustment. Yes, you read that right. The bias/anti skate is set automatically. You can’t goof it up. RB-110 uses a specifically tempered metal for a stronger, less resonant head shell. The plinth is support by three, multi-tiered rubber pods. The platter is a one inch, phenolic resin disc- and is weighted to create a fly-wheel effect. All of these mechanicals are chosen to make Rega drive like a BMW instead of clunky mass market effort.

The REAL beauty of Planar One is, it is plenty good enough to accommodate some of the finest cartridges in our biz- the Ortofons, made in Denmark.

$575: Planar One With Ortofon Red MM

The Orto Red is THE $100 standard bearer of inexpensive phono carts! Made in Denmark, not the far east, all Ortos have a fit, finish and consistency that the other guys just can’t touch. Musically, they’re better trackers and less sibilant sounding. Orto Red is an elliptical. The Orto Red with Planar One is well worth $100 more than Rega’s supplied Carbon cart.
For only $575 you have a dramatically better record playing SYSTEM than what AT and the other guys provide for $300 ish.

$711: Planar One With Ortofon Blue MM

Planar One with the Orto Blue is my favorite bang for the buck turntable investment. The Blue MM uses a higher grade, nude elliptical stylus in comparison to the Red. If you can swing it, do so. You’ll be rewarded with better detail and air. It’s a stunning combo- a VERY SERIOUS PERFORMER- for well under a grand.

$915: Planar One With Ortofon Bronze MM

Yep. Planar One is sooo good, that I would proudly install the fabulous Orto Bronze on its arm. As you look at the huge wide world of phono cartridges, I’m happy to endorse the Orto Bronze as the best buy of them all! It performs right there with thousand dollar plus carts. Yet it’s made in Denmark with precision and consistency you will not get for a similar price from China. Through our microscope we have seen numerous big name carts with styli pointed practically east/west instead of north/south.
With Ortofon you will get exactly what you’re paying for- a properly built and aligned cart. The turntable and tonearm are essential to great performance. But of course you know the cartridge is too. It’s a fun debate- how much to allocate for the table v cartridge?

Well my two cents says… if you want a great record playing MACHINE for under a grand, buy the Planar One with the Orto Bronze. It will sound more detailed and track better than a lesser cartridge on a more expensive turntable.

Music Meets Baseball

Ex major league pitcher Bronson Arroyo heads the – Bronson Arroyo Band. How about that?
He plays a mean guitar and celebrates the Red Sox World Series title with his version of “Dirty Water.” It’s a fun riff for baseball and music fans.