The auspicious commencement of 2006 CES for me was the Jonathan Scull party at the Furutech Exhibit at Alexis Park. The party began at 5:15pm, and by the time my airline found me an alternative flight to replace my cancelled original flight, I didn’t get there until 6pm. John Atkinson was already talking about his favorite automobiles, and J10 was chatting with Dave Robinson and Dave Clark of Positive-Feedback.com.
Left to right:
Constantine Soo, John Atkinson and Jonathan Scull
Mr. Frank Yoo, Vice President of Furutech, walked me through the various lines of very exquisitely crafted audio accessories, such as the latest e-TP4+4 Twin Power Distributor, sporting “dual-section power distributor featuring two 15A duplex receptacles and two 20A-optimized duplex receptacles on separate IEC connectors”. The $1,500 purchase price includes the Furutech G-20A-18 power cord. Also check out the $980 e-TP609 15A Power Distributor, which incorporates the GC-303 Axial Locking System with EMI-Absorbent Internal Coating. Request the 10-page, informative catalog from Furutech for its impressive product line-up.
Furutech e-TP4+4 Furutech e-TP609
Left to Right: Dave Clark of Positive-Feedback.com,
Ann & Constantine Soo, Kathleen and Jonathan Scull
John Atkinson (Stereophile)
and David Robinson (Postive-Feedback.com)
Harmonic Technology also held a party at around the same time, and I managed to meet with Mr. Jim Wang, HT’s president, who uses his CyberLight Digital Datalink to connect between the Wadia 270 CD transport and the companion 27ix DAC, and linked the Wadia 27ix and the ECS Pre with the CyberLight Wave.
The CyberLight P2A sent signals from the London-made ECS Pre to the EA-1 monoblock amplifiers, a $7,100/pair, 200 Wpc/8Ω, 270 Wpc/4 Ω, class A/B amplification. For the amplifiers and the Audio Physics Tempo loudspeakers, HT’s Magic Reference Tweeter and Magic Reference Woofer provided connection.
CyberLight Digital Datalink CyberLight Wave
CyberLight P2A & Magic Reference Tweeter and Magic Reference Woofer speaker cables
Also at the HT party were Jim Merod and Greg Weaver, my former colleagues at Stereo Times.
Audio Note showcased two rooms at 2006 CES. The first one was of the $39,775 AN-E SEC Signature loudspeakers, which I recently reviewed, now driven alternately by the $69,500 Ongaku integrated amplifier and the latest, Gaku-On monoblocks.
Audio Note Gaku-On monoblock prototype Audio Note ONGAKU
Preamplification were the $31,750 M8 and the 3-chassis, $50k M10 Line. The CDT-Three drove either the $31,725 DAC5 Special or the $59,500 DAC5.1x Signature. Look for Dagogo reviews on all of the above sometime this year, except for the Gaku-On. Did I forget to mention that the $25k, AN-TT Three Reference turntable, complete with 4 chassis of motor controls and power supply, the $7,500, AN-1s/SOGON tonearm, the $13,500, Io Ltd cartridge, and the $7,500, AN-S8 step-up transformer.
The most surreal experience at the Audio Note room was not witnessing Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note discussing the fervent demand for his products, especially about one patron with various estates purchasing two Ongaku’s and three M10s, among a sleuth of other of his top products; nor what Peter’s guest and patron, Robert Lighton of New York, celebrated for his British Khaki Furniture, Robert Lighton New York Watches – whose Audio Note system and his Manhattan apartment were featured in a 2005 issue of Elle Décor – exchanging sophisticated humors with Peter; nor the insanely powerful, compression-less, high-decibel, hour-long blasting of Peter’s favorite German heavy metal via the AN-E SEC Signature – it was his flabbergasted reaction to my suggestion of a 6am rendezvous on Monday for breakfast.
“I can be here at 6am.”
“What!!!”
I have never seen such shock in his responses – he would’ve been less shocked if I told him I lost his AN-E SEC Signature. He was looking forward to the sleep after four days of show, as it turned out. You should’ve seen him in those long, silvery hair as he swung his head towards me at my suggestion. I am still chuckling at the scene to this day, and I shall remember it with fondness.
By the way, the bottom-end definition and resolution of the speaker in his room was among the most awe-inspiring I’ve heard anywhere, which is now inducing self-doubt at my departure in positioning the AN-E SEC Signature from Peter’s method. I have more powerful amplification than Peter’s Ongaku, and I use all his wires. Maybe despite my satisfaction for my very involved experimentation with the speaker, I wasn’t open-minded enough after all. AN-E SEC Signature Revisited……
The second Audio Note room had two systems.
The one in the larger room comprised a CDT Two/II ($4,650), a DAC 2.1x Signature ($3,875), an M3 Phono pre-amp with new Galahad-derived power supply ($7,650), a prototype of the $2,450, 1.8 Wpc, Paladin stereo power amplifier, using 6SL7 driver, 45 output tubes, 5Y3 rectifier and comes standard with the double C-core transformer with Hi-B OPTs (Price excludes the 45 tubes), a prototype of the 3.5Wpc, Vindicator stereo power amplifier (MSRP $2,450 complete with 6SL7 driver, 2A3 output and 5U4G rectifier), the $11k/pair Conquest Silver monoblock amplifiers, and the $12k/pair AN-E/LX Signature loudspeakers (98dB/w/m, silver voice coils, external crossovers with over 20 lbs of AN copper foil PIO caps per side).
The analog system in this room is consisted of an Audio Note IO Gold cartridge ($5,650), the AN-1S-Vx tonearm ($4,800), the AN-4L step-up transformer (TBA) and a Voyd 0.5 Reference turntable – predecessor to Audio Note’s earlier TT3.
In the smaller room, the discontinued CDT One, to be replaced soon by the new, $2,200 CDT One/II, the $1,999 DAC1.1x Signature, the $4,850 OTO SE Phono integrated amplifier and the $3,575/pair AN-J/SPe speakers constituted a complete Audio Note system for under $13k. On static display were the AN-K/SPe ($2,350/pair) and AX Two ($550/pair) loudspeakers.
Analog front-end in this room consisted of the AN-TT One turntable ($975), Arm One ($475) and IQ2 moving magnet cartridge ($525).
Download Audio Note’s complete U.S. Pricing & Summary Product Information here:
http://www.triodeandco.com/04us_prices.html.
David Cope of Triode & Co. and the M10 Line main chassis.
Note the Left and Right volume pots David is turning.
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