CES Report – Neil Gader on Electronics under $15K

SHOW
by Neil Gader
Jan 14, 2011

Sometimes it’s worth the extra effort to venture off-site. In this instance, at the Mirage Hotel, MBL of Germany debuted it’s entry level Corona series. The six component line will ultimately replace the venerable Classic series but Corona is no rehash. A ground-up design, the integrated amp and power amps feature MBL’s own take on Class D–a 300Wpc, hybrid design with an all analog power supply. Build quality is luscious with a selection of trim options for the smooth aluminum casework–panels that are absolutely free of any external screws or bolts. And in order to increase isolation, critical circuitry is suspended on an internal steel sub-chassis. Later this year the line will add a tuner and monoblock amps. Price: C11 preamplifier, $7600; C21 amp, $8000; C51 integrated, $9700; C31 CD player, $8000. CES Report – Neil Gader on Electronics under $15K

The last thing I listened to before departing the Venetian was complete happenstance. I was planning on giving Arturo Manzano of Axiss Audio a quick hello and enjoying the superb Soulution/Magico Q5 setup which I did. But when he pulled me aside to get some feedback regarding a pair of odd looking, desktop speakers plugged into his Mac I was more than a little skeptical. After the Magicos? Huh? Well everybody, these teeny ovoid, powered USB speakers knocked me out. Named Olasonic, they’ve been designed and built in Japan by Towa. Sonically they were dynamic, and full bodied and naturalistic rather than tizzy and hyped. And when Manzano cued up some Sinatra via iTunes I was smitten. He then explained the best part–that these little guys were drawing power for their internal 10W amps strictly via the USB (nothing to plug into the wall, period). No wall warts, power cords, just the included USB cable. How much Arturo? $250, $300? The answer $125/pr. I’m in! axissaudio.com CES Report – Neil Gader on Electronics under $15K

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.