There are still a lot of attention-getters for us on day three of an audio show, and it is usually somewhat of a mad rush for us as reviewers. First of all, we want to visit the rooms that we may have missed. Then, there are rooms that are real attention-getters where we need to go back and confirm our opinions. And, finally, there’s always last-minute visiting or to line up future reviews. Here’s some of what we saw on Day 3.
TriangleArt
Tom Vu of TriAngle Art brought three of his turntables to this show. From right to left there is the Anubis ($14,995), then the Maestro ($7,500) (read my review here) and last but not least, the entry-level Hathor ($3,999) turntable. Tom’s turntables are always attention-getters, and they are not only beautiful, but they also sound great. Becky says that turntables are the eye candy of a stereo system. Tom’s certainly are!
The electronics were the TriangleArt Reference Tube Phono Stage for $12,998 and the TriangleArt Reference Tube preamp at $18,998. The amp was the TriangleArt TA-260S, a 2-channel stereo power amplifier that uses 24 matched, powerful MOSFET transistors. The rated output power is 250 watts per channel at 8 ohms and doubling to 500 watts per channel at 4 ohms. It sells for $19,995.
The turntables used the TriangleArt Osiris mk2 tonearm ($6,990). The cartridges were the TriangleArt Zeus MC ($3,999) and the TriangleArt Apollo MC ($8,000).
The speakers were the Usher D10s ($21,950) and the cables were the TriangleArt Rhea reference cable system. This was a great sounding system!
Gershman Acoustics
In the Gershman Acoustics listening room, they were using the Grand Studio speakers ($11,900). This is the same model I fell in love with at the Capital Audiofest. Don’t be misled by the picture, the speakers are not simply a stacked pair of speakers on each channel. Instead, they use different cross-overs.
The components in this room also included:
– Gershman Grand Avant Garde Speakers ($14,9000)
– Gershman Grand Studio Speakers ($11,900)
– Gershman Studio II Speakers ($3,790)
– In-wall Speakers
SR6.5 ($1,200)
SR8 ($1,400)
From exaSound Audio Design
– PlayPoint DM Dual Mono Streaming DAC and Music Server ($8,500)
– Delta Music Server – Heavy Duty processing with Roon ($3,000 – $3,500)
– E32 Mark II DSD256/DXD-32bt DAC – $2,500
– Sigma Streamer ($750)
From VAC – Valve Amplification Company
– Master Preamplifier ($40,000)
– Statement 4505 StereoBlock ($60,000)
– VPI Prime Turntable – $45,000
Audiotechnica Cartridge
Nordost Cables
The sound of these speakers has more of the essence of their top of the line POSH speakers than any of their other speakers that I have heard. If you can’t tell, I really like these speakers. And, if you missed it, I recently reviewed the Gershman Studio II speakers.
Wynn Audio
When I walked into the Wynn Audio room I was shocked. I mean how could such glorious sound come from such tiny speakers. The Kiso Acoustics HB-N1 Speaker at $9,500 both looked and sounded like high-end speakers. These little jewels were simply amazing!
Wynn Audio presented a couple of debut products at this show. First was the Swiss-made EMT STX 5/10 step-up transformer ($9,280). It was released in May of 2019, but this was the first time it was seen in the U.S. It uses a toroidal transformer with pure silver wiring to provide output options for 14dB or 20dB of gain. It was used with an EMT HSD 006 Cartridge ($1,760). The rest of the analog system was the Thales Slim II Turntable ($6,750) with the Thales Simplicity II Tonearm ($9,450).
The second debut product was the Métronome DSS Streamer ($4,300). It was released in January, but this was the first time this streamer could be seen in North America. It was used with a Métronome Le DAC ($7,000).
The electronics were from Karan Acoustics and included their PH1 Phonostage ($14,000) with their KAL MK3 Preamp ($10,800), and their KAS 400 Stereo Power Amp ($16,900). They were also using an Entreq Olympus Infinity Ground Box ($3,600). All of the cables were Crystal Cable Future Dream.
Margules Audio
It was wonderful to visit with our friends from Margules Audio at this show. As expected, their room sounded incredibly musical. That wonderful sound was coming from a pair of Margules Orpheus 1.3 Tower Speakers for $20,000. They were being powered by their Margules U280-sc 1.4 Black Class A Tube Amplifier for $6,000 and an SF220 1.3 Black Class A Tube Preamplifier for $4,000.
The source was their Magenta TT-10 Turntable, which includes a unipivot tonearm, their Turntable Resonance Control clamp, and an accessory bundle all for $3,000. The phono preamp was their $900 marvel, the Magenta FZ47db 1.3.
Auxiliary equipment made by other manufacturers and distributed by Margules:
– Sound-Smith Mezzo cartridge
– Equi-Core and Deep Core Power Conditioner
– Atlas Cables (bundled interconnects, speaker and power cables)
Piega Premium Wireless 701 Loudspeakers
When I think of the Swiss-made Piega speakers, I think of speakers that cost mega-bucks. I wasn’t expecting what I saw when I walked into the room. There were a pair of skinny, silver, active and wireless speakers. Yes, I said wireless.
Now, Piega has made some very fine speakers, but I wasn’t expecting much from these. And, at first glance, I had to ask, “Where is the rest of the system?”
Yet, when I walked into their room, all I saw were two skinny silver, active and wireless speakers. They were the Piega 701s ($7,500 including, at the show at least, the Piega Connect Interface). The only other thing in the room that was said audio were the Cardas Audio power cords.
The Piega Connect Interface accepts digital or analog inputs and sends the signal to the speakers over a proprietary network using one of three wireless bands. They also have DSP correction if you need to use them on the wall or corner placement. You are basically getting an entire high-end system for $7,500), and believe me it is high-end sound.
Note: Our complete coverage for this show is available here.
