TEAC Esoteric (manufacturer)

2008 CES will be remembered as the event in which the U.S. audio press saw world premiere of products by TEAC Esoteric in celebration of its 20th Anniversary, so that audiophiles will no longer have to resort to different makes for amplification and loudspeakers when using Esoteric's own critically-reviewed, VRDS NEO-laden digital front-ends.  In addition to the Fall '07's introduction of the company's MG-10 and MG-20 loudspeakers, TEAC Esoteric now unveils a series of groundbreaking products, namely the C-03 preamplifier, the A-80 class-A amplifier, the A-100 (or AI-100) triode tube amplifier, the X-05 SACD/CD player and the G-0Rb and G-03X master clock generators.

At the top of the line is the $18,000, AT-100 Stereo Tube Power Amplifier, a 50 watts-per-channel design using KT-88 tubes in ultra-linear Push/Pull operation with a direct-coupled cathode follower. Inside the AT-100 is also an advanced active biasing circuit that optimizes output stage linearity called VBS, which actively monitors and compensates bias voltage. Then, a patent-pending ZVS circuit stabilizes the cathode follower DC output level to maintain operational stability of the direct-coupled components from driver stage to the output stage. This is what Esoteric calls a 'directly-coupled triple stage".

The AT-100 is adorned with a remote control, 1 RCA Direct Input, 3 RCA and 1 XLR Inputs and 3 pairs of heavy-duty speaker terminals.

Esoteric AT-100

Next on the line is the C-03 dual-mono preamplifier, TEAC Esoteric's first preamplification product. The C-03 features a compartmentalized inner steel chassis of considerable thickness for vibration isolation and resonance control, which is in turn covered by thick aluminum panels and supported by a 5mm thick steel bottom chassis, culminating in a total weight of 50lb. At the core of this equipment is an IC for each channel that controls analog volume, balance and input source gain compensation. The C-03's input stage is of a high quality discrete buffer circuitry, while each channel of the output stage is coupled with a 4,700μ capacitor, and also features a fully discrete output buffer circuit driven by +/- 38V high power power voltage, for maximum clarity and high linearity.

According to the company's press info, "Extensive listening tests were conducted for parts selection based on component neutrality and variations in “acoustic texture.” High quality WIMA capacitors are used for the main circuit and high purity 6N (99.9999%), and 8N (99.999999), copper are used for critical internal wiring."

Cocktail party and gourmet food are the best companion for good sound; unless you are hungry. Naturally, after I was done with TEAC Esoteric's food, John Atkinson and Michael Fremer were already at the front seat. Dave Clark of Positive-Feedback called me over and I sat next to him. A roomful of journalists on 3 rows of seats got the best sound, while a few of us who came in late were sitting on the "sideline", and the sound was still very remarkable as produced by the MG-20's. Everyone wants to review the big AI-100. Mark Gurvey of Esoteric was cheerfully polite even in the face of certain threats. The race has already begun...

TECHNICAL AUDIO DEVICES (manufacturer)

Andrew Jones, TAD's Director of Engineering, also hosted a most thought-provoking mini-seminar and a spectacular demonstration for the press, revealing a mind that is as extraordinarily multi-faceted as the man's ability and passion to convey them publicly in words. He explained how TAD spent years building a reputation in its loudspeaker designs, and how he had been the lone advocate pushing for the formation of TAD's own core of permanent engineers. Thus, starting from October 2007, having all the necessary elements in place, including that of a dedicated TAD engineering team, the company is now positioning itself as a maker in all categories of products in all price points, with numerous amplification and loudspeaker prototypes in the works.

Andrew believes the future is hi-rez. He thinks the iPod is good because of the size of audience that it is introducing to the world of music, and he also contends that Paul Stubblebine Studio's "Tape Project" is a positive force in that it brings the fidelity of the master tapes to homes. But most importantly, Andrew is of the opinion that the common element to the low-rez iPod and hi-rez reel-to-reel formats is the lack of copyright protection scheme, which he believes is the essential catalyst to fueling the growth of any particular format, much the same way the compact disc was allowed to grow.

Andrew also recounted his experiences of visiting other Exhibits during Shows past and present, and how he felt the setups were consistently under-achieving. He explained it was those experiences that prompted him to try to upgrade the TAD experience each year, such as from Model One to the latest Reference One.

Similar in a way to the Vivid Giya Exhibit (Coverage 1), there wasn't the manifestations of extreme top- and bottom-end extensions that I used to hear from Exhibits in past events, in systems humble and exotic. As driven by a pair of Ayre MX-R monoblocks, the Reference One with its high-tech beryllium coaxial midrange-tweeter, dubbed the Coherent Sound Transducer, suggested a mesmerizing perfection in its partnership with the twin 10-inch woofers. The level of finesse and the surprisingly controlled behavior of the woofers cannot be overstated, as they exhibited a seemingly dormant trait while succumbing to the CST driver's performance in vocal rendition. Then, in the next moment, the enormous dynamic scale of the bottom-end of instruments would rattle the floor.

Judging from what I experienced at CES and THE Show thus far, the level of performance that Audio Note TAD, Vivid, Wadia and a few overachievers of the industry are harnessing from their own product category, as well as the direction they are traversing, may well be the one that the rest of consumer high-end is destined to embark upon: Sensational Naturalism -- a sound of such resolution as extraordinarily realized in each company's own product category that numbs the senses in initial auditioning, but proceeds to supplant sounds of pure sensationalism and excitability of yesterday with unprecedented dynamic contrasting and tonal sophistication that warrants long-term ownership. 

In the latter half of the press invite, Andrew led us into a smaller, adjacent room, where a pair of prototype minimonitors were on display, as driven by TAD's prototype monoblock amplifiers. The speakers overloaded the room considerably, and I look forward to future events where I will be able to report on the sound of the production model in a larger room.

The monoblock amplifiers were touted as "cost-no-object" design, weight at 150lb each. According to Andrew, they were Pioneer-based, with cascade-like operation voltage to maintain class-A output: "not digital-switching, fully analog, 300 watts-per-channel into 4 ohms." Deeeelicious.

WAVAC (manufacturer)

Brands: Einstein, Venture Audio, PranaWire, IsoClean, Sistrum

The Wavac Exhibit at THE Show brought forth a surprising reproduction of solo classical piano. The Exhibit was consisted of Wavac's latest four-chassis MD-805 mkII ($43,900/pair), a pair of 60Wpc monoblocks with external power supplies. The blackish machines with green displays underneath the main chassis provided superior power regulation to allow the 805 tubes to generate an unprecedented output of 60 watts. Premaplifier was the three-chassis, transformer-coupled PR-T1 ($28,000). The CD player was an Einstein "Last Record Player" ($7,790), and the speakers were the 90dB/4Ω Venture Audio La Perfection ($28,000/pair). The CD player and preamplifier were all sitting on the Sistrum rack that cost only $2,000 but performed stupendously.

Experiencing the Venture La Perfection as driven by the Wavac amplification evoked a level of accuracy that was among the most surreal and sophisticated. In my Venetian and Alexis Park/St. Tropez exploits, I bore witness to varying aspects of the quintessential piano sound; but the Wavac Exhibit prompted the realization that I might not have heard the most accurate reproduction of piano sound yet until then. The Wavac system imparted the most contrasting piano tonality thus far, offering the widest tonal distinction between the upper and lower notes, albeit by the craziest virtue of a single output tube producing 60 watts, giving a sparkling and refined sound most befitting a piano. If only I got to hear the 805 mkII driving any one pair of the single-driver speakers at THE Show...then even heaven will not be enough.

On static display: Wavac MD-300Bm (left, one channel), MD-805m (right, one channel)

Rounding up the system were the PranaWire Cosmos Series of speaker cables (2-meter, $6,650), interconnects (1-meter, $3,995) and Satori power cords (1-meter, $1,650). Providing a superior level of power was the IsoClean system of Supreme and Super Focus power cables ($6,100 total, see Dagogo review), the 80A3 power distributor ($4,200) and three PT-3030G III Power Transformers ($10,800 total).