Now On Display! Klipschorn AK-6, $15,000 Per Pair

Take a look!

Marantz Reference Series

Marantz Reference Series products have always been among the finest products you can buy.
They have been designed by Marantz’s renowned engineer, Ken Ishiwata. Ken has just created a new integrated amp and SACD/CD player dubbed KI RUBY series to mark his 40th anniversary with Marantz.

Ken is all about making great sound with a zero noise floor. The Marantz Ref gear sounds great with any speakers, but is a conspicuously strong choice with high efficiency speakers (like Klipsch) that are quite revealing. High efficiency speakers show reveal a high noise floor in electronics. Marantz Reference passes with flying colors!

Marantz PM-KI Ruby Integrated Amp: $4000 (100×2)

If you don’t look past the wattage rating of 100×2 for $4k, you’ll miss the boat. For example, this guy uses two power supplies, one for preamp section and one for the amp section.
It’s an all analog piece that supports MM&MC. With unique phono circuit and HDAM technology,
an Ishiwata classic design, the refinement of the Ref Series is as good as the best gear available!
Its sonic character is uber quiet, clean and controlled. It’s not fat in the bass or harsh on top. In other words, it’s quite a chameleon for your sources and controls your speakers like a vice grip.
Hence not only is the integrated great for high efficiency speakers, it is a GREAT choice for
speakers that sound a bit murky or sluggish. Take ALL speakers with a pile of drivers in them
and a complex crossover. They benefit from loads of current and control. PM-KI Ruby will tighten up the stand up bass or lower register of a piano- instead of letting it flap around in the breeze!

Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD/CD Player: $4000

The Ruby disc player uses Ken’s Marantz Music Mastering Technology, previously only available on SA-10 ($7000)! It doesn’t use a DAC chip, which would impart a particular signature of sound.

MMM upsamples to DSD and runs analog out to your preamp WITHOUT the use of a DAC chip, that virtually everyone else uses. This design, combined with a hundred other sage parts’ choices, puts the Ruby disc player in the highest echelon of disc players on the market!

The music takes on more “immediacy.” Tracks sound more like master tapes than produced
commercial albums. Only SA-10 does it better, and it runs $7k.

Elac Debut Series 2.0 Speakers

Elac has improved its highly esteemed Debut Series of speakers, hence the 2.0 designation.
The sonic improvement is, the 2.0’s are cleaner in the mids and bass in particular. The silk tweeter is
a bit more extended on top as well. We are delighted by ANY of improvement at this scurrilously low price range!

B-5.2 $250 Per Pair (13.43h, 7.09w, 9,21d)
5 ¼ Woven Fiber woof, 1” Silk Dome tweet

B-6.2 $300 Per Pair (14.76h, 7.69w, 10.55d)
6.5” Woven Fiber woof, 1” Silk Dome tweet

F-5.2 $600 Per Pair (40h, 7.09w, 9,21d)
Three 5 1/4” Woven Fiber woofs, 1” Silk Dome tweet
F-5.2 is configured as a legit 3-way with sophisticated crossover network.

C-5.2 Center $200 Each (7.09h, 21.25w, 8.62d)
Two 5 1/4” Woven Fiber woofs, 1” Silk Dome tweet

George Szell: “Mr Cyclops”

Iconic Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, was no fan of Cleveland’s conductor George Szell. Neither was “anyone” else.
Szell was known for being a tyrannical bully. In his first year with the orchestra he fired 12 of the 94 members of the symphony. Szell literally sneered at his charges through Coke bottle glasses. Gould gave him the above “title” which other musicians felt- was right on the money!

Just In! McIntosh MAC-7200 Stereo Receiver $7000 (200×2)

Mac’s new stereo receiver is a welcome addition to their line up. In addition to FULL BORE Mac power performance, MAC-7200 has a fine preamp, DAC and AM-FM tuner on board!
Many of our customers have a high end stereo system in the living room and want to hear the Packers’ announcers while watching the game on TV. While streaming radio is fine, you don’t get the sporting events unless you sign up and pay specifically for sporting packages.
Further, you’ll find the FM section sounds better than you would have expected. When you do the math, you’ll realize you’re paying next to nuthin’ for the tuner anyway!
The REAL reason you’ll want MAC-7200- is to drive your speakers about as well as they can be driven with Cds/SACDs, high quality streaming (Bluesound Node 2!) sources or records. Let’s give Mac credit for recognizing how we use our gear, and the addition of a tuner can come in handy for a lot of us!
Mac’s MA-8900 (200×2 integrated amp) runs $500 more and doesn’t have a tuner on board. It does feature a 5 band EQ and upgradable DAC module. Either way, you win!

Coming Soon To Audio Emporium
The New Klipschorn {AK6} $15,000 Per Pair
(53h, 31 1/4w, 28 1/4d, 220lbs, 105dB SPL, 8 ohms)

Perhaps the most iconic of all speakers, THE KLIPSCHORN, has undergone an updated design. The new model will still be called the Klipschorn. The updated model is dubbed AK6.
AK6 uses the folded horn technology of the original K-horn. But what makes AK-6 enthralling is that it DOES NOT require corner placement!
AK6 uses a LABYRINTH (internal cabinet wave routing) folded horn design that allows flexible placement. Yeah, they’re huge- SO WHAT?! If you love music and want it to sound REAL in scale and dynamics, you’ll NEED BIG.
AK6 employs a new Polyimide (film) horn tweeter design.
AK6 employs a new Phenolic horn mid design.
AK6 employs a new 15” accordion surround style composite core woofer. The woofer is working in a compression system within the cabinet and has extremely low range of travel- which yields significantly better detail than woofers with over rolled surrounds and long travel.
AK6 employs a brand new crossover with exquisite parts and cable.
AK6 can be run by one amp, or bi-amped.
In short, after 70 years (yep, the original K-horn was designed in 1946) it’s time for
a change. And now AK6 is a fully modernized creation, using the best ideas of yesterday, melded with a few new ideas and the best parts selection of TODAY.
Again, AK6 will NOT have to be placed in corners. But they CAN be!
Keep your eye on our LATEST page. We’ll announce when they’re on our floor.

Final Headphones

New from Japan are some delectable headphones from Final Audio. Final makes its own phones, as opposed to just badging phones from a vendor.
We’re starting with two models that have some unique design features. They use true pure copper wire as opposed to aluminum or copper blends. The phones are closed concept so you don’t annoy those around you while you’re listening. The synthetic leather cushions are designed for comfort and sound- providing a solid seal for stupendous bass response. Excellent quality cables are easily detachable.
Perhaps the most impressive characteristic of Final, is that these phones sound outstanding with your generic phone! Truth is, 99% of headphones out there sound lousy with your phone. Final has achieved an impedance of 8-16 ohms and 105dB SPL.

Sonorous 6: $700

A true HYBRID phone with moving coil/BALANCED ARMATURE design. The BA design employs a unique array of magnets to focus control, yielding superior clarity. Six provides significantly better openness, attack and punch with the BA design.
105dB, 8 ohms, 480g, 1.5m cable

 

 

Sonorous 3: $400

Three uses a large titanium moving coil diaphragm. Very efficient to sound great with portable devices- and of course, real hi-fi gear.
105dB, 16 ohms, 410g, 1.5m cable

 

 

 

 

Quad Artera Solus Integrated Amp $2000
(75×2, 4 1/4h, 12 7/8w, 12 7/8d, 30lbs, Black or Silver)

Solus is a 75×2 Integrated Amp with on board red book CD player & DAC.
Solus is a muscular, smooth sounding Class AB integrated amp. It’s ready to play your CDs or a wide array of other sources. See the inputs below.
Further, Solus has preamp outputs (XLR & RCA) that make it a building block purchase. You can start with the on board amp and call it a day, or go nuts for more power down the road!

Inputs:
Coax 1&2
OPT 1&2
Aux 1 analog RCA
Aux 2 analog RCA
USB-B
Bluetooth

Outputs:
Coax
OPT
Preamp out RCA
Preamp out XLR
Headphone jack
Detachable power cable, High quality binding posts.

The Beatles Couldn’t Read Sheet Music

Some of the most pleasant pop music ever written was created without the ability to read, or write, music on paper. At this stage of the game, it doesn’t seem like much of an impediment!

 

 

 

New Sales Champ!

Just this month the Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-75 passed up MJ’s Thriller as the best selling album of all time. What’s #3? Hotel California! Two outta three ain’t bad.