Emails with news of the new for CAF 2023, which begins this Friday!, are floating into my Inbox like autumn leaves filling our gutters.
Audioshield Distribution will be showing the new 180 lb., 330 Watt (RMS continuous power per channel into 4 Ohms) Class A/B EMM Labs MTRS Stereo Amplifier ($65,000) pictured up top. Woof!
The new Amp No. 2 ($8,500) from Fern & Roby delivers 25 Watts of JFET-based, “High-Current” power driven in Class A/B. The Amp No. 2 offers an on-board MM/MC phono stage, a balanced XLR input for DACs, plus two more-line inputs (RCA) for other devices, and an RCA sub-out while wearing a lovely laser engraved walnut faceplate with bronze buttons and volume knob in typical Fern & Roby rich material goodness style.
Southern California’s ampsandsound will be showcasing a number of new preamplifiers including the flagship Yellowstone ($35,000) pictured here. The Yellowstone features new in-house designed power transformers, separate chokes for the dual power supplies, Jupiter Condenser copper and beeswax capacitors throughout, and a selection of premium NOS tubes.
Harrisburg, PA and Falls Church, VA dealer Now Listen Here will be showing off Rega’s flagship Naia turntable ($12,995), the first to hit our shores. Featuring a Graphene impregnated Carbon Fibre skeletal plinth with Tancast 8 foam core, ZTA Zirconium toughened alumina (ceramic) central bearing, RB titanium tonearm, Tungsten balance weight shaft and weight, Ceramic top and bottom braces, reference advanced fully adjustable power supply, resonance controlled ceramic platter with improved flywheel effect and complex profile, low mass skeletal aluminium feet, and triple reference drive belts for improved stability and drive characteristics.
Border Patrol will have the Living Voice R80 Loudspeakers (starts at $40,000/pair) on active display mated to their S20EXD PSET 300B amplifier that puts out 18 Class A watts per channel from a parallel pair of single-ended 300Bs. The LV R80 fit in between the Auditorium R25A Loudspeakers I reviewed (and enjoyed) and the company’s flagship Vox horn systems.
Among Fidelity Imports multiple rooms at CAF 2023 will be the new Acoustic Energy Corinium (starts at $7499/pair), the company’s new flagship speakers. Sporting Carbon Fiber mid and bass drivers mated to a soft dome tweeter, the Corinium covers frequencies from 38Hz – 25kHz (-3dB) while presenting a 92dB/m/2.83v sensitivity, 4 Ohm load the accompanying loudspeaker.
Belleson LLC, known for their power products, will be showcasing their new Brilliance Phono Amp ($8500), which boasts a novel input stage consisting of a fully differential JFET input transconductance amp feeding a transimpedance amp.
Command Performance AV of Falls Church, VA will host the north American debut of the Gryphon Diablo 333 integrated amplifier ($24,900) that pumps out. . .333 Watts of output power into 8 Ohms. I’d like to get my ears on one of these lovely beasts in Barn some day…
