The Absolute Sound April 2023

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: TAS, 2500 McHale Ct., Ste. A, Austin, Texas 78758 TAS Cover is Worthy of Framing I was shocked when I saw the cover for the current issue of The Absolute Sound [Issue 336]. Here's a magazine cover worthy of being framed and hung on the wall. What happened to all the clutter? “Story on page 26.” “Read more about MQA.” All that stuff—gone. You have my vote for continuing this theme for your succeeding covers. I believe you've come to the realization that you don't have to fight for notice on a magazine stand anymore. For subscribers, a cover that is virtually a table of contents is unnecessary. Once again, kudos to photographer Matt Wright-Steel. All his pictures of the Göbel speakers look simple and straightforward. But they…

“The sweet spot's exalted position in audiophilia varies with the loudspeaker's characteristics.” Just about every audiophile knows that the “sweet spot” is the listening position exactly between a pair of speakers and equidistant from each. That's the location where the sound from each speaker arrives at your ears at about the same time, allowing your brain to create a three-dimensional soundstage with a centrally placed image (if those qualities exist in the recording). Move the listening position slightly to the left or right, and the center image loses its tangibility and the glorious three-dimensional soundstage collapses. The sanctity of the sweet spot is vividly embodied in the description by a 45-year industry veteran, who likened sitting in front of a pair of speakers to “worshipping at the triangular altar.” When the uninitiated visit…

With technological advances gleaned from the $750,000 flagship M9 plus new state-of-the-art R&D capabilities, Magico set out to redesign the S3 Mk II loudspeaker (see field report on p. 22). This resulted in a new enclosure, drivers, and coupling system, plus an appearance that is at once refined and fortified. The enclosure is assembled from four separate extruded-aluminum panels ranging in thickness from ½” to 2”. Using key elements of the M9 tweeter platform, the S3 tweeter features the Magico 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm. The 5” midrange driver features an advanced cone material formed of a honeycomb aluminum core sandwiched between outer and inner layers of graphene and carbon fiber. This enables wider dispersion characteristics and results in greater midrange transparency. The two 9” bass drivers are enhanced versions of…

The CS 8.3 Black Edition takes its place as AVM's best-sounding all-in-one streaming receiver. The hybrid design features a tube front end coupled to a Class D output stage to deliver 250Wpc into 8 ohms. This flagship all-inone component features the new top-of-the-line ESS SABRE 9038 PRO fully balanced double-quad DAC (384kHz/32-bit, DSD128). Plus, there's a new upgraded tube specially made for the Black Edition, upgraded internal wiring, upgraded speaker binding posts, and special casework. The CS 8.3 includes a custom-made Pure CD drive with mono-focal laser, and AVM's rock-solid X-Stream Engine. AVM's DAC selection process results in only the top 2% of DACs being included in the CS 8.3. The DACs are powered by a double-regulated separate power supply and clocked by a temperature-stabilized high-precision clock. The dual-mono design…

The new C-Dur from turntable specialist European Audio Team (EAT) offers the luxury appeal of EAT's reference ‘tables in a more compact form and accessible price category. The foundation of the C-Dur is its massive 50mm MDF plinth. The rotating mass of the platter and subplatter add up to a substantial 13.5 pounds. The C-Dur's platter is an oversized 13.5 inches. This design choice maximizes inertia while minimizing bearing load and noise. The platter's Teflon thrust plate rests on a 3.9-pound inverted bearing assembly with stainless-steel spindle and ceramic ball. With EAT's proven, low-noise, fully decoupled motor and onboard AC generator, the combination gives the C-Dur remarkable speed stability and vanishingly low levels of rumble. The 10” C-Note tonearm combines a stiff, low-mass carbon-fiber tube with an aluminum headshell to…

If you're looking for more great high-end audio content, check out The Absolute Sound's new YouTube video channel. Our channel is chock-full of videos (more than 100 and counting) that cover everything from a nostalgic look at classic audio products to reviews of the latest components. We've got behind-the-scenes factory tours, show reports, audio-basics tutorials, product reviews, and designer interviews. Last November I visited Shunyata Research with Charles Kinder, The Absolute Sound's new full-time videographer. Charles captured my factory tour and sit-down interview with Shunyata founder Caelin Gabriel, as well as documenting Shunyata's production process and the people behind the company. The professionally produced 35-minute video gives you a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at this innovative company. We've also got product reviews, primarily of lower-to-midpriced components that are stunning overachievers. TAS Chairman…