April marks the beginning of the 2nd Quarter, and we at Dagogo have been busy rounding up great gear for your intellectual and spiritual pleasure.
By now, we have all surely learned that the Harmonix Reimyo CDP-777 Extended-K2 CD player has been discontinued. The recipient of rare, universal acclaims, the CDP-777 is now in need of a design overhaul as JVC discontinued the manufacture of the player’s custom transport mechanism. Kazuo Kiuchi of Combak Corporation has since been on the outlook for an appropriate replacement, and we at Dagogo wish for him to be able to find a suitable solution soon.
Mr. Kiuchi also informed Constantine that the CAT-777 preamplifier he reviewed in late 2004 was among the very few demo units first manufactured, and contained a transformer different from the one incorporated in all units sold in U.S. The Dagogoan is now in possession of the very CAT-777 used in the 2006 CES, and he will be publishing his new findings soon.
Mr. Kiuchi also told Constantine that the original plan of releasing the much-anticipated Bravo-Consequence speaker system is on hold, due to rising costs of materials used in creating this full-range version of the Bravo bookshelf monitor. Constantine listened to the Bravo-Consequence for an extended time at the Show with his wife, and they both agreed that the speaker system was the most coherent sounding under $10k. We at Dagogo wish Mr. Kiuchi swift winds on his back, and Constantine wishes he had commandeered the Show pair for review.
Wadia Digital’s think-tank has created the ultimate DAC in the classification’s evolution: the Reference Series 9 Decoding Computer. The category leader that gave us the formidable PowerDAC from a few years back has finally given us a pair of DAC monoblocks. We have had dual-mono DACs long ago; but this is the first time a single chassis is utilized to house a single channel of pure processing power. In hindsight, the original PowerDAC was way ahead of its time, so far ahead that we are still not ready to embrace it even to this day.
Dagogo shall be sharing its experience of the Reference Series 9 with its readers, after first investigating the current versions of the 270se CD transport and 27ix v3.0 Decoding Computer. Watch out for the Reviews.
Among the solid-core and strand-type cables, which one is your preference? Constantine Soo has been using Audio Note’s 42-strand Sogon and 20-strand AN-Vx silver interconnects for some time, and has found many other companies’ solid-core RCA and XLR cable products to be less rounded overall. Furutech of Japan is one long-standing high-end audio cable manufacturer also producing high-strand products, and Constantine will be examining their 30-strand α-crystal interconnects, as well as their 120-strand speaker cables.
Dagogo readers who enjoy power conditioning will also read about Constantine’s experience with Furutech’s e-TP609 “high-end performance” AC Power Distributor, and the 49-strand α-crystal Power Reference III. Constantine auditioned power conditioning devices from 3 renowned manufacturers in 2005, and he returned them all. The Furutech is still staying. Don’t miss his report.
Lowther fans among our readers will have their thirst quenched by Laurence A. Borden’s take on the Teresonic Ingenium. Retailing at $9,975 per pair, the Ingenium is based on the Lowther DX3, with an 101dB/8Ω efficiency. Think your amplifier and your heart can handle it? Watch for Laurence’s upcoming Review.
On the who’s who, does anyone remember Steve Keiser? He was the “K” in the past B&K Components, and he is out and about again. This time, Steve teams up with Rick Schultz of Virtual Dynamics, and Mike Tseng, VD’s retail partner, to form a new company called Luminance Audio. If you are still having difficulty getting over the ST-140, then here comes your most probable cure: the Luminance Audio KST-150. Watch for a Review in the coming months.
Because of a rather lukewarm review of the Original CD-A9.3 Leonardo CD player in another magazine, Ping Gong of AAA Audio, the U.S. distributor of the CD player, requested Dagogo to halt the finalization of its Review of the CD player, pending release of a revised version of the player for a side-by-side comparison. Two Dagogo Reviewers auditioned two separate units of the model, and while one is quite fond of it, the other doesn’t think much of it. We haven’t seen anything imparting such polarizing opinions for some time, which makes the Leonardo even more interesting a prospect to behold. Not even us, the Dagogoans, can wait to read about our own colleagues’ finding on this machine.
With all that said, the April Issue is an exciting one, with a commentary on Accuphase, and then a third installment in a series by our Commentator Gordon Pryor, plus five equipment reviews.
Make sure you also check out our Bill Epstein’s first installment in his new column, “70 miles from nowhere, Audio DIY in the Heartland”, featuring a review on a pair of Dignity Audio DA08SE monoblocks.
So, exactly where is the phrase “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” originated? Reader Tim Clark sent us an email after reading this phrase in Laurence A. Borden’s Harmonix Reimyo DAP-777 (2005) Review, and provided a clue. What do you think?
Last not least, all of us at Dagogo would like to thank the 30 readers who have taken the time to share their thoughts with us in their emails. It is a privilege to offer their thoughts in our Letters section for all to read.
We would be remiss at closing without mentioning our latest Audio Note adventures. A team of Dagogoans have all begun writing about separate AN equipment, from the Audio Note essentials, such as the 300B Kit 1($1,399), AN-E SPe HE loudspeaker ($6,425), and Quest Silver monoblock amplifiers ($6,950), to the Audio Note CDT-Three CD transport ($7k), DAC5 Signature ($59k), M10 linestage preamplifier ($50k) and the ONGAKU integrated amplifier ($69k). Don’t miss the writers’ individual reports on each of the component.
Lots more will be happening here at Dagogo in the 2nd Quarter in addition to the above, so, until the next Editorial, thank you for your readership, keep well and visit Dagogo often!
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