Mytek Liberty DAC With MQA! $995
Balanced And Single Ended Outputs!

We’ve sold boatloads of Bluesound Node 2s. Node 2 allows you to procure the signal and stream CD and MQA sound. We told you there would be a better sounding MQA decoding DAC one day. We said you could improve your sound by adding said DAC to your Node 2. That day is now!

Mytek is a company that is highly esteemed in the pro market. The Liberty is a great DAC that can straddle the pro and consumer fields. We are especially happy that Liberty doesn’t cost $5k!
To have a DAC this cutting edge, so early in the ballgame of MQA is a real prize.

Liberty can serve most any digital need. But the main reason I’m bragging it up here is to run with Node 2. Node 2 sends coax out to the Liberty. Liberty connects to your pre-amp with RCAs or BALANCED connections. Of course you should run BALANCED if you can. Please visit so we can
show off the differences.

For more detail on Liberty, visit the LATEST section of our site where we discuss it at length.
If you have a Node 2, or are streaming Tidal some other way, you need a Liberty DAC to get the best sound possible!

 

 

 

 

Finally In Stock! Quad S-2 Speakers: $1000 Per Pair
Sapele Mahogany or Black Ash (13h, 7 1/8w, 10 1/4d)

Quad submitted its marvelous S-2 speakers for review to Stereophile a couple months back. The lovely Sapele Mahogany version has been on back order ever since! Now they’re back on display and in stock.

S-2 uses a 5” Kevlar bass/mid, and a stunningly clear 2” ribbon tweeter. Quad uses a true ribbon- a contiguous diaphragm of metal controlled by push/pull magnets. The theory behind using a ribbon is- low mass equals better definition. When you listen to any of the Quads you can appreciate the speed of the ribbon in a nanosecond. They’re all lightning fast. The detail of attacked strings on a guitar for example, is as good as it gets.

Blending with a cone bass/mid requires TLC. We think you’ll like the S-2’s balance. All speakers are a matter of science meets art. With a driver that has the resolving capability of Quad’s ribbon, the designer has quite a palate of colors to work with.

S-2 exhibits a sound that is open and airy. You’ll find the vast majority of competitors are darker & duller. The mid definition is outstanding. You won’t hear much of the enclosure at work. The bass response is on the lean, detailed side, instead of being thicker and fatter.

S-2 can go in a myriad of configurations. They’re ideal for small rooms, condos and apartments. Near field applications are literally perfect for S-2!

 

Grado SR-325e Headphones $300

There are zillions of new headphones coming out every month it seems. If you’re in the $300 price range, don’t forget to audition the venerable Grado SR-325, which has been improved.
hence the “e” designation. “What Hi-Fi” magazine gave SR-325 a FIVE STAR review citing strengths such as tonal balance, transient speed, rugged build and “unbeaten at this price.”

 

 

 

Thomas Edison 1847-1931

While Edison designed the “talking machine” (1877) he knew his musical taste was poor. “When records were sent to me for approval I marked them, good, fair or rotten. The rotten records always made a hit with the public. Now all I have to do is condemn a bit of music and the factory works overtime to meet the demand.”

McIntosh MA-252 Integrated Amp: $3500 (100×2)

Tube Preamp Section, Solid State Power Amp Section.
Mac has introduced this new retro looking, luscious sounding, integrated amp! It is a pure analog unit. It features two high level RCA inputs & one set of XLR inputs. It also supports MM phono. It even has a subwoofer out. It has a 1/4” headphone jack on the front.
MA-252 has menu generated tone controls. It uses two 12AX7a and two 12AT7s preamp tubes. Again, the power amp section is solid state and does not use autoformers. MA-252 does come with remote control. The amp section includes Sentry Monitor and Power Guard- renowned McIntosh protection networks.
As you would expect from Mac, MA-252 is a heavy puncher and will be great fun to manhandle whatever loudspeakers you own!

Mobile Fidelity Super Heavyweight $200

Improve the sound of your vinyl !
MoFi has just started shipping its Super Heavyweight damping puck. I have to tell you from the outset, it is misnamed. It isn’t THAT heavy. It weighs 367.4 (0.8 lbs) grams. Its magic is only partially due to its weight. It isn’t a round brick tossed on your table. There’s far more to it than that. It will NOT damage your bearings!
As you know, a record is comprised of BAZILLIONS of tiny vibrations cut into a laminate disc.
We want to hear only THOSE vibrations. Vibrations from elsewhere take away from the detail of the music. These superfluous vibrations come from the groove noise itself, motor and bearing noise- ANY vibration other than what is in the groove itself- takes away from the detail of the music.
Super Heavyweight is a “puck” designed by MoFi with help from HRS. You can put it on almost
any turntable/record, to ABSORB extraneous vibrations. It is not threaded. The improvement it makes in detail and tightness is downright uncanny. The music remaining after the blithering resonance is eliminated is- strikingly more clear.
Super Heavyweight has a machined billet aluminum shell. Proprietary polymer designed by HRS is within the puck. It weighs 367.4 grams and is compatible with almost any turntable. Super Heavyweight works by DRAINING vibration away.
We don’t expect you to take our word for it- though you can. We will happily demonstrate the before and after for you. Your vinyl is about to sound better!

Emotiva DR-2 Power Amp: $1600 (550×2 @8ohms, 800×2 @ 4 ohms, 8h, 17w, 19d, 43lbs)

Brand new and now on display is Emo’s best stereo amp ever! DR-2 delivers sledge hammer like power with vice grip control. If you have a power amp that doesn’t say Bryston on the front panel, you would be wise to consider Emo’s new DR-2!
DR-2 runs Emo’s new Differential Reference Amplifier Modules. Differential amps are different from non differential amps in that there are essentially four mono amps on one chassis.

> One amp runs right plus.
> One amp runs right minus.
> One amp runs left plus.
> One amp runs left minus.

 

 

Think of your speakers moving in and out. With DR-2 you have a dedicated amp to each of the four motions. You have a legit push/pull of all four quadrants of travel. With that comes better grip/control, faster starts & stops, and bigger dynamic range & punch.
Differential design puts all Emo DR amps in the big leagues with vaunted names like Bryston.
These are built in Nashville with a 5 year warranty!
Non differential amps have a right and left amp, switching between pushing and pulling. You lose a bit of time in the switching and yep, you can hear the loss of detail and control.
The biggest problem with DR-2 is that Emo can’t make enough to keep up with the demand!

Emotiva DR-1 MonoBlock Power Amps: $1200

(650w mono @8, 1000w mono @4, 8h, 17w, 19d, 36lbs)

So ya want even more than DR-2? How about a PAIR of DR-1s?!

 

 

 

 

 

Emotiva DR-3 Three Channel Power Amp: $2000

(450w x3 @8, 600×3 @4, 8h, 17w, 19d, 50lbs)

Perhaps you want three channels for home theater?!

 

 

 

 

Sailor Or Composer? Both!

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) became one of the great Russian composers in history. He wrote the fabulous Scheherazade, among other popular works.
However his first love was the ocean! He spent 22 years in the navy, only half of them were involved with music.
He became a mentoring music teacher as well. He specialized in orchestration. Students included Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Not half bad for a sailor.