It’s getting tense here at Thorpe Manor. As I begin writing this editorial on October 15, I’m getting set to cover Audio Video Show 2024, which starts on October 25, on location in Warsaw. It seems like just yesterday I was counting down three weeks until departure, which felt like plenty of time to get my editorial finished, wrap up a review, and pack at my leisure.
At Munich’s High End 2024, I spent an inordinate amount of time browsing the European Audio Team display. Their booth was encircled with turntables and tube electronics, two 20th-century technologies with which I’ve had a long-standing love affair. My relationship with EAT goes back eight years, to 2016, when I reviewed the company’s C-Major turntable. I got a real charge out of that ’table, out of its combination of visual low-slung elegance and excellent sound quality.
In the world of analog accessories, there are entire catalogs of stuff you didn’t know you needed. Of course, I know there’s a distinction between want and need. We humans really only need food, water, shelter, and companionship. A turntable is a want. Heck, any form of hi-fi is a want.
I’ve lived in the same house for 25 years. I’ve owned my motorcycle from new in 2007, and I bought the one before that new in 1990. Once I find something I like, I keep it longer than I should. Perhaps it’s inertia, or maybe it’s because I make shrewd buying decisions. Either way, I don’t let go easily.
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
The term “integrated product” can mean many things in the audio industry. In browsing through the North Collection of components on Simaudio’s website, you will find several integrated products differentiated by number-based identifiers, each positioned opposite its functional counterpart. The 641 integrated amplifier ($11,000, all prices in USD) and matching 681 streaming DAC ($12,000) are the most wallet-friendly products in the North Collection. The 700 series, comprising the 761 power amplifier ($14,000) and 791 streaming preamplifier ($16,000), delivers a step up in performance and complexity. The flagships are the 861 power amplifier ($22,000) and 891 streaming preamplifier ($25,000), the latter of which is the subject of this review.
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Scandinavia is home to many highly regarded audio companies, but most are located in Sweden and Denmark. Norway has just a few well-known makes, including Electrocompaniet, Hegel Music Systems, and SEAS. Hegel and Electrocompaniet are both active in electronics, while SEAS makes speaker drivers for speaker manufacturers.
My family loves Ottawa, Ontario, which is about a four-hour drive from our home in Toronto. Marcia has had a long love affair with Ottawa, stemming back to her late-teenage years when she had friends who went to the city’s Carleton University. Ottawa is Canada’s capital city, and as such it’s loaded with huge stone buildings, both brutal and elegant in equal measure. There are tons of museums and galleries, most notably the National Gallery, which we often visit when we’re there.
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
Founded in 2020, Perlisten Audio is a relatively new entrant on the high-end audio scene. The firm was established by a team of industry veterans with the goal of manufacturing high-performing loudspeaker systems to rival the best at their price points. The first model was the S7t, a tall, four-way loudspeaker which utilizes several relatively small bass drivers to deliver satisfying bass extension in a slender design. Priced at around $20,000 per pair (all prices in USD), the S7t distinguished itself sufficiently well from the surrounding mass of competing designs to win several audio awards. From there, the firm has expanded its range to offer a wider range of options.
In my August 1 editorial, I talked about the recent arrivals and departures in my review system. It’s been uncharacteristically variable lately, which has made reviewing a challenge. To make this variability work, I’ve been listening pretty much non-stop, and it’s been hard work. Oh boo-hoo, you might be thinking. Poor Jason—he’s got to listen to music all day. World’s smallest violin, etc.
For me, sitting down and writing a formal article requires a generalized sense of structure and a setting of stability. I’ve had neither for the past couple of months and it’s harshing my mellow.
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