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.

Hegel H-120 Integrated Amp ($3000, 75×2)

(4h, 17.25w, 11.75d, 28 lbs of DYNAMITE!)

Hegel’s new integrated will flat out BLOW YOU AWAY for its price point! H-120 is soooo stinkin’ good that I don’t know exactly how to describe it. But try, I will.

First of all, I want to make clear that I think the new H-120 achieves a new plateau for its price point. To my ears, H-120 is the least expensive integrated that sends you sailing into the BIG TIME of esoteric audio electronics performance. H-120 will make almost any speaker sound significantly more detailed and refined. It’s such a fine amp that it will tell you- your speakers are better than you knew. Given its top notch on board SynchroDAC, it will do the same for your modest CD player or streamer, which should be a Bluesound Node 2i- $550.

Hegel’s muscle far out runs its wattage rating. Rest assured H-120 will drive the vast majority of speakers out there. It has an amazing ability to START and STOP your speakers, with a damping factor of over 2000!

Hegel uses its own, patented cancellation network, dubbed SoundEngine 2, to keep your signal crystal clear and free of distortion. Hegel has a particularly natural, open sound. Instruments, voices and overtones sound scrumptiously real with Hegel. There is also a relaxed manner to Hegel’s performance. It is due to SE2’s elimination of distortion based artifacts.

H-120 uses Hegel’s renowned SynchroDAC. It is synchronous, not asynchronous, like all the other guys use! Hegel’s SynchroDAC provides dynamics and detail in spades.

• Digital inputs include USB-B, 3 OPTs and 1 Coax.
• Analog inputs include two sets RCAs, and one set XLRs!
• Hegel has one set of analog outputs. It will most likely be used in the variable position- subwoofer anyone? But it can be locked in a fixed position- HT pass through. Nah, don’t go there.

If you haven’t heard a Hegel, please visit for a real treat.

Hegel H-90 Integrated Amp ($2000, 60×2)

Don’t forget about H-90! H-120, above, is brand new and deserves every bit of attention it will get. Yet if $3k isn’t in your price range and $2k IS, please consider H-90!

There are surely LOTS of you who own a main stream brand of receiver or amp who can stretch a bit to get the sophistication of Hegel. I promise you that your SOURCE (via Hegel’s SynchroDAC) and SPEAKERS will benefit substantially from what Hegel can bring to your party!

Check out H-90

Wharfedale Evo 4.4 Speakers $2000 Per Pair

(42.4h, 10w, 13.6d, 59 lbs, 89 dB SPL, Walnut, Black Ash or White)

Just in are the new Wharfedale Evo 4.4 tower speakers. There are a number of very interesting design choices with the 4.4!

The tweeter is Wharfedale’s LARGE RIBBON design. It is 2.16”w and 3.15” tall! That is a conspicuously large ribbon diaphragm when you compare it to the other guys. We’ve heard this tweeter on the 4.1 shelf model and confirm it is still tremendously smooth and detailed- NO BITE!
When employed in Evo 4.4 it sounds even more open and airy. I’m sure that is due to- its dome midrange driver!

Wharfedale employs a two inch, silk dome midrange driver below the ribbon tweeter. There is a chamber behind this mid driver with absorbing mineral fiber. The implementation of the dome mid provides massive dispersion and frees the tweeter from working as hard as competitors ask their tweeters to work.

Wharfedale uses TWO 6.5 inch, cast frame Kevlar woofers to carry the bass load. This big dog weighs in at almost sixty pounds and delivers potent bass response.

Wharfedale ports the cabinet through the bottom slot. It can exit as the 4.4 comes with sturdy steel outriggers- an upcharge accessory from most companies.

The finish is an elegant, CONTOURED, real wood veneer- quite gorgeous in walnut in particular. The impedance never drops below 4 ohms and is rated at 4. It’s an easy load for any respectable amplifier.

Evo 4.4 is smoother than brighter. It images wonderfully. The bass is nicely balanced- it’s not over kill. It will reward you for having a muscular amp, instead of a garden variety potted plant.

Wharfedale made an additional generous decision. Evo 4.4 comes with exquisitely finished
outrigger feet. These are no flimsy tip toes either. These outriggers are regularly a $300-400 upcharge from other companies. There is a sonic benefit to nailing all the weight down securely.
While you don’t see your tower rock when the drivers are pumping, outriggers will make your speakers sound less muddy in the bass and image more precisely .

Vanessa-Mae: Violinist & Skier!

Vanessa-Mae is a name we classical violin fans know and love. This precocious talent recorded both the Tchaikovsky and LVB concertos by age 13. Not bad!
Her avocation? NORDIC SKIING.
In 2014 at age 36 Vanessa competed in the Olympics for Thailand, in NORDIC SKIING. That sounds like a pretty risky HOBBY for a world class violinist.