The Absolute Sound January 2023

Email the Editor: rharley@nextscreen.com or: TAS, 2500 McHale Ct., Ste. A, Austin, Texas 78758 It is We Who Should be Thanking You Well, the time had finally arrived. We are downsizing our living environment, and (regretfully) I needed to downsize the physical footprint of my collection of The Absolute Sound. I have subscribed to and collected your enlightening magazine since the early days of the quarterly digest-sized issues. Before I could send them all for recycling, I picked a random copy (Issue 233, May/June 2013) and reread it. Like a movie or book that you enjoy a second time, I read it cover to cover. From the review of the first AXPONA in Chicago (I was there), to the headphone reviews and finally the extraordinarily thorough review of the dCS Vivaldi stack. I…

“High-end audio forges a singular synthesis of engineering chops, musical sensitivity, and a mindset that is open to exploring phenomena that defy textbook orthodoxy” High-end audio never runs out of surprises. Just when you think that the industry has addressed every possible source of sonic degradation, along comes a new technology, product, or design technique that elevates musical realism to the next level. This steady stream of unexpected innovation in unlikely places is one of high-performance audio's enduring fascinations. I'm referring to products that produce an audible improvement by addressing phenomena that one would think would be settled science or that would make so little difference as to be insignificant. For example, the Shunyata Altaira system that is the subject of this issue's cover story addresses a phenomenon that I'm sure very…

THE BHK 600 is the last audio component to be created with the collaboration of the late, great engineer Bascom H. King. The flagship amp delivers 600 watts into 8 ohms (1500W into 4 ohms). Fully balanced in operation, it can also be used in single-ended mode. It features an input stage with two hand-selected vacuum tubes, operating in conjunction with a rectifier tube and an N-channel MOSFET output stage. There's a separate power transformer for the output stage with a massive 1.6kVA capability, enabling the BHK 600 to drive even the most inefficient loudspeakers and difficult loads. The power supply has more than 300,000μf capacitance. The BHK 600 features extensive protection circuitry, with continuous microprocessor-monitored power supply performance, bias levels, and other parameters. Weight: 108 lbs. each. Price: $32,498/pr. psaudio.com…

A MORE ROBUST VERSION of PSB's award-winning Synchrony T600 tower speakers, the T800s feature larger drivers, wider bandwidth, and improved power-handling capacity compared with the T600. The T800 features a five-way transitional array employing three 8” woofers and a 5.25” midrange driver, all with cast baskets and woven carbon-fiber cones, and a 1” titanium dome tweeter in a heavily braced MDF cabinet. There are individually tuned chambers with rear-firing ports for each woofer. The new driver platform results in a dramatic reduction in non-linear distortion, allowing for higher sound pressure levels without compression. The advanced driver assembly features Faraday rings, longer voice coils, and symmetrical magnetic drive. The crossover is an advanced, amplitude-perfect, Linkwitz-Riley fourth-order crossover with high-voltage poly-film capacitors and oxygen-free interconnect wire. The T800 was finetuned by a…

THE IDEON AUDIO IΩN DAC utilizes significant trickle-down technologies and R&D gained from Ideon's extensive work with its flagship Absolute Epsilon DAC. Most of the Epsilon DAC's innovations and designs are found in the IΩN, which is also available with an optional analog preamplifier. As with all Ideon components, the IΩN DAC is a fully proprietary design, using audio technologies developed in-house–a bespoke, handcrafted product housing an innovative combination of high-performance design features and best-of-breed quality components. These include an in-house fully balanced design and an ultra-low-noise linear power supply. There's native support and playback for all DSD and PCM formats and sample rates. Includes two balanced inputs. Price: IΩN DAC, $17,900; IΩN + DAC/preamp, $22,000. audioskies.com…

Roon recently unveiled its newest update, Roon 2.0, which replaces Roon 1.8. The new version adds some powerful features but has also created problems for some Roon users. Because it is more powerful, Roon instituted new minimum OS standards for 2.0. For Mac OS, the minimum is now 10.15. For Windows, the minimum is now 10 or later. From Roon's knowledge base: “If your Core or desktop remote (s) do not meet this minimum specification, they will be unable to run Roon 2.0.” Welcome ARC to the Roon Family The primary new feature in Roon 2.0 is ARC, which is a new app for your Android or iOS device that lets you access and play any music file that you have in your home library or your Qobuz and Tidal libraries anywhere…