DS Audio Grand Master Optical Phono Cartridge
$60,000
It would be hard to think of anything grander, at least when it comes to LP reproduction, than the new DS Audio Grand Master. Based around an optical cartridge that contains independent LEDs and photo-detectors for the left and right channels, the two-box Grand Master transcribes records not simply with the utmost fidelity, but also with verve and swagger. Its separate massive power supply ensures rock-solid image stability, a vast soundstage, and seemingly limitless crescendos. Bass reproduction, both in terms of tonal weight and accuracy, is second to none, while the treble region consistently displays an alluring silkiness and sheen. Then there is the lack of noise. A subterranean quiet—one close in spirit to the hush preceding a concert—is apparent as soon as the needle hits the lead-in groove. This quiescence allows the Grand Master to extract a variety of details from the grooves that other cartridges simply sail past. This superlative device truly represents a revolution in analog playback, liberating LPs, as far as possible, from any residual dynamic constraints to strut their stuff.
Oswalds Mill Audio Imperia Loudspeaker
Inquire with OMA for price
Anyone who has the chance to listen to the Imperia in the Brooklyn aerie of Oswalds Mill Audio isn’t likely to be merely impressed by them. They’re going to be gobsmacked. There is something utterly beguiling about the effortlessness and beauty of this large horn loudspeaker system. Produced by Oswalds Mill proprietor Jonathan Weiss, it is the flagship in the company’s loudspeaker line—a sonic and aesthetic winner, featuring several handsomely crafted wooden conical horns and two imposing 21″ subwoofers that can shake the rafters. On Schubert lieder, or art song, the Imperia projects the singer and piano into the room with a holographic palpability and finesse that is about as close to the real thing as it gets. Rock music is delivered at distortion-free levels that match a live concert. The Count Basie orchestra sounds as though every trumpet and sax is blowing without any sense of dynamic limitation. Here’s more good news: The Imperia doesn’t display the nasty discontinuities in the frequency spectrum that often accompany the good things that horn systems can produce. Quite the contrary. With their luxurious tonal purity, superb dynamics, and commanding image size, the Imperia stand ready to conduct you on an extended auditory magical mystery tour.
PS Audio Stellar M1200 Power Amplifier
$5998 per pair
Glory, hallelujah! PS Audio has created a powerhouse that can compete with megabuck gear in more ways than one. The M1200 features a 12AU7 tube mated to a high-current ICE Edge output section. Heresy? Not on your life. The M1200 is a no-nonsense amplifier that displays the kind of bass control that few other amplifiers can approach. It plunges into the nether regions with an unrelenting grip and control. Hall ambience is off the charts. Rock music, organ concertos, and jazz bands all benefit from its ability to deliver 1200 watts into a 4-ohm load with ease. Another plus is the extremely low noise floor of the amplifier. No, it can’t efface a slight hardness in the treble that marks ICE amps, but it has come a long way in that regard. Thanks to the high damping factor of the M1200, it also feels a hair faster than its coevals, creating a sense of propulsion. Jet propulsion, that is. This sonic rocket reaches musical heights that surpass many of its competitors.
By Jacob Heilbrunn
The trumpet has influenced my approach to high-end audio. Like not a few audiophiles, I want it all—coherence, definition, transparency, dynamics, and fine detail.
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