McIntosh MA-352 Integrated Amp $6500 (200×2)

12.9h, 22.7w, 21.9d, 66 lbs

Just out is this gorgeous hybrid integrated. With 200×2 of solid state power, MA-352 will drive any speaker out there. Yep, it has gorgeous blue meters too!
With a four tube preamp design MA-352 is a full analog piece.
It features two XLR inputs along with MM phono and 3 sets of RCA high level inputs.
It also offers RCA pre outs to drive a different power amp or subwoofer(s).
Further, Ma-352 has a five band EQ to tailor the sound to your taste.
Sweet!

 

 

Hegel H-390 Integrated Amp $6000 (250×2)

5.71h, 16.93, 17.32d, 44 lbs

Hegel has just upped its game a notch on its second biggest integrated. Hegel wants to be a one box solution for you. Run your Ethernet cable straight in (don’t even think about wi-fi!) and stream Tidal or whatever service – and call it a day! H-390 even supports MQA on all inputs!
Of course Hegel has appropriate inputs and outputs for far more options.
Analog ins: XLR and 2 RCA. Digital Ins: BNC, Coax, 3 OPT, USB-B, Network
Analog outs: RCA variable & fixed.

But being from Norway, they like a simple solution and this is it.
H-390 delivers a hammerin’ 250×2 with a damping factor of over 4000. That means the grip is tight. Things start, and stop, fast!
The way most people describe the sound of Hegel is to use terms like “immediacy” & “high resolution.”
Hi-Fi Plus: “It had an effortless dynamic range and grip over the loudspeakers we have come to expect with Hegel. I expected the Hegel H390 to be good because of its foundations, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. This has to be one of the best integrated amps money can buy at the moment, and is only really bettered by its bigger brother (H590, 301×2, $11k), unless you spend truly spic amounts of money. Wow!”

GoldenEar Aon 2 $880 Per Pair (12h, 8w, 10d)

Aon 2 is among the most refined small speakers at its price point. Why?

Aon 2 is a 6” 2-way with a ribbon tweeter. Not a bad start. But it goes much further.
For openers, virtually all competitors are in standard rectangular boxes and have ports to try to garner SOME bass. Adding that bit of bass with a port invariably causes the speaker to boom or “chuff.”

Aon 2 does not have parallel side walls. GoldenEar avoids standing waves and its Quadratic Radiators (two 6.5”) extend, as well as TUNE the bass- to avoid a “one note bass.”

Endemic to all GoldenEar speakers is superb imaging. It is uncanny how they can be a mile apart and still present a strong center vocal. Further, there is no more forgiving speaker for being stuffed away where she wants them- that will still present a full wall of sound- while maintaining the imaging we audiophiles crave.

Song Doesn’t Mean What We Thought!

The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride” was written about a young woman taking a train to see her boyfriend- NOT.
John Lennon claimed the song actually referenced cards indicating a clean bill of health-carried by German “Professional Women” of the 1960s.

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 these days claim their power at 1K and at 1% distortion. That’s cheating- just like the surround guys. If you take 75×2 at THOSE standards, the actual honest power rating is only 70% of what is claimed, hence 50×2.

• NR-1200 has speakers A&B. Hmm. Might come in handy.
• NR-1200 has 5 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI out. Hmm. Even more likely to be worthwhile.
• NR-1200 has pre outs. Yep, you can run it as a prepro if you want it to be the hub of a 2ch system.
• NR-1200 has two sub outs. Yes indeed! You can run a 2.1 or 2.1 AV system.
• NR-1200 is a decent start right out of the box. Yet it offers much more going forward if you’d like to go there. Perhaps… add a stronger power amp. Perhaps… add a sub or two. NR-1200 is friendly with your cable or satellite box, Apple TV. Roku or Blu-ray/CD player. And yes, it has phono MM as well. And AM/FM.
• NR-1200 is forward thinking. Start with it. The sky is the limit!

 

JL Audio

We told you last month that they would be in during August. They arrived mid month. Check
the August newsletter for details. They’re really fun and a pair of E-112s is staggeringly impressive!

Ya wanna see THE GOODS? Please check out a couple of the JL drivers here.
These are Herculean MONSTER drivers.
 

• Dominion D-110 10” Woofer

 

 

 

 

 

 

• E-112 12” Woofer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other guys… not even close.

Here’s a Paradigm 10 inch.
While quite respectable for its $800 price point- it isn’t close to the $1100 JL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a 10” Polk- without its magnet structure. Again- OK for the time frame (1990s) but nothing close to JL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GoldenEar Aon 2 $800 Per Pair (12h, 8w, 10d)

Aon 2 is among the most refined small speakers at its price point. Why?

Aon 2 is a 6” 2-way with a ribbon tweeter. Not a bad start. But it goes much further.
For openers, virtually all competitors are in standard rectangular boxes and have ports to try to garner SOME bass. Adding that bit of bass with a port invariably causes the speaker to boom or “chuff.”

Aon 2 does not have parallel side walls. GoldenEar avoids standing waves and its Quadratic Radiators (two 6.5”) extend, as well as TUNE the bass- to avoid a “one note bass.”

Endemic to all GoldenEar speakers is superb imaging. It is uncanny how they can be a mile apart and still present a strong center vocal. Further, there is no more forgiving speaker for being
stuffed away where she wants them- that will still present a full wall of sound- while maintaining the
imaging we audiophiles crave.

Alchemy DPA-2 Power Amp $1500
(210×2, 625w monoblock)

We told you about this brand new amp in the May newsletter. Refer to that newsletter for specs.

My note here is to make sure you didn’t miss it. This bad boy is kicking arse and taking names!
It is just what the doctor ordered- a great sounding power amp at a fair price and in a small foot print that runs cooler than your old amp. The more applications we throw at it, the more we appreciate how good it is.

We especially need to remind you old timers who have big, old, hottttt amps- you’re leaving performance on the table. Your hungry old speakers can sound A LOT better than you know. Hitch ‘em up to a modern, edge of the art power amp. Imagine looking out a dusty window- and then appreciating the difference after you wash the window!

If you have an elderly Threshold, Levinson, Krell, whatever power amp, replace the old boy
with a DPA-2, OR TWO, and your sound will improve, as will your noise floor. All you’ll lose is
heat and a big old tank.

 

Top Ten Richest Singers & Songwriters Of All Time

10: Madonna $590m
9 Bono 700m
8 Dr Dre 770m
7 John Lennon 800m
6 Sean Combs 825m
5 Michael Jackson 825m
4 Herb Alpert 870m
3 Jay Z 900m
2 Paul McCartney 1.2B
1 Andrew Lloyd Webber 1.2B