2nd California Audio Show: Countdown, Part 3

The 2nd California Audio Show is just a week away, and details of systems are coming in gradually. Before I talk about the details, I want to encourage attendees to pick up a copy of the Official Directory to the 2nd CAS. In addition to 4 new commentaries by Dagogo reviewers, there will also be 3 new reviews prepared for the OD on a pair of speakers, a CD player and a preamplifier. These reviews will be published on Dagogo on August 15, 2011.

To date, there will be 45 Exhibits at the Crowne Plaza, with 13 very-large to medium-large ones on the Lobby level alone, then the Exhibits continue on from the 2nd Floor to the 5th Floor. Room 316 means 3rd Floor, and so on.

First system detail I received is on the Blue Light Audio Exhibit in Room 316 with the following equipment (high resolution materials provided by Puget Sounds Studios, The Mastering Labs, Mobile Fidelity, Reference Recordings and The Super Audio Center):

Evolution Acoustics – www.evolutionacoustics.com
MMMicroOne Loudspeakers – Reference 2-way without stands – $2,000/pair
MMMIcroOne Stand System – $500/pair
DRSC top-level speaker cables – $6,000/pair
The LINK Reference 50 ohm BNC-BNC interconnect – $6,000
TRPC Top-level power cord – $3,000
PC2One Power Conditioning Power Cord – $2,000

darTZeel – www.dartzeel.com
NHB-108 Model B Reference Stereo Amplifier – 25,000 CHF
NHB-18 NS Reference Preamplifier with MC Phono section – 30,000 CHF

Playback Designs – www.playbackdesigns.com
MPS-3 CD player with USB input up to 384kHz PCM & 6.1MHz DSD – $8,500

Wave Kinetics – www.wavekinetics.com
NVS Reference Direct Drive Turntable – $35,000
A10-U8 Component Control System – $700/set of 4
2NS Loudspeaker Interface System – $1,600/set of 8

Ortofon – www.ortofon.com
MC A90 Limited Edition Moving Coil Cartridge – $4,200 (SOLD OUT)

Durant Tonearms – www.durand-tonearms.com
Talea II Reference Tonearm – $7,900

ATR Services, Inc. – www.atrservice.com
Ampex ATR-102 with Aria Electronics – $ On Request

Pugest Sound Studios – www.pugetsoundstudios.com
15 ips Master Tapes – $NFS

Audience – www.audience-av.com
Adept Response aR6-T High Resolution Power Conditioner – $4,600

San Francisco Bay Area retailer The Audible Arts (Campbell, CA) in Room 334 will feature its house-brand Wells Audio amplifications. System detail in the following:
· VPI Scout turntable with Dynavector XX-2 cartridge
· Wells Audio PH-10 phono preamplifier
· Wells Audio Inamorata singled-ended solid-state amplifier
· Bybee Labs Music Rail-modified ModWright LS100 tube preamplifier
· Bybee Labs Music Rail-modified Music Hall 25.3 DAC
· Usher Mini Dancer II speakers
· JPS Labs interconnects and speaker cables
· Wells Audio Looking Glass power conditioner

Lobby-level Exhibitor and retailer Loggie Audio (Redwood City, CA) in Lobby Peninsula Ballroom IV will feature the following system:

Ypsilon Electronics
CDT-100 CD player – $26,000
DAC-100 – $29,000
VPS-100 phono stage – $26,000
Step-Up Transformer – $2,800
Aelius hybrid monoblock amplifiers – $36,000
PST-100 preamplifier – $37,000

Bergman turntable – $12,000

Stage III cables
A.S.P. Manakor speaker cables
Zyklop Precision Audio Power Cord
Minotaur Power Cord
Analord Prime Tonearm/Phono Cable
Gryphon Zero Distortion Interconnects
Chimaera Zero Distortion Digital Cable

Acapella High Violoncello II speakers – $80,000/pair
Acapella Isolation platforms – $2,400 to $3,100

Weizhi Gold Glory footers – $1,295
Weizhi PR6 Power Distribution – $3,200

NEXT: Exhibit Systems Part 4 – Audio Image Ltd. (Lobby Bayside), Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems (313), Audio Vision San Francisco (Cypress III, Suite 101, 102)