Stereophile – August 2019

stereophile.com n August2019 17

cases, the system did an excellent job

of conveying air around instruments

and reverberation in the recording

venue. It scored a 10 for its ability to

convey large images with weight and

authority.”

4. Herb Reichert likes simple, and
   what’s simpler than a single-driver
   speaker with no crossover? Historically,
   such speakers have had sonic issues,
   but technology marches forward.
   In Munich, Cube Audio demon-
   strated the €16,000/pair Nenuphar,
   which, according to Herb, “plays
   recordings and projects sound with an
   unfiltered, unmitigated directness that
   is unimaginable until you’ve experi-
   enced it. It plays fresh like mountain
   stream water and puts you close to the
   performers.” What’s more, the drivers
   look like flowers.
   The Nenuphars were driven by Tek-
   tron’s €6000 TU 2A3/50S-I Reference
   amplifier. The source was Lampizator’s
   Big 7 DAC (€11,000).


5. Herb’s “mountain stream water”
   comment reminded me of my reac-
   tion to the system anchored by Krell’s
   K-300i integrated amplifier. The
   $7500 K-300i, like other recent Krell
   amplification products, features iBias, a

sliding-bias scheme that ensures there’s

always a positive bias for both phases

of the waveform—class-A but more

efficient, or anyway, that’s the idea.

In contrast to most other sliding-bias

approaches, iBias uses the amplifier’s

output—not its input—as its refer-

taking notes). Was there a theme to the
show—a take-away message? If so, it
was: This stuff is expensive—see my As
We See It essay in this issue—but there
are still relative bargains to be had.

1. Captured preshow by Herb
   Reichert, these horns—or should I say
   tubes?—weren’t even the most unusual
   on display at the Munich show. Are
   those transmission lines?

2 & 3. Moving on to less traditional
hi-fi gear: It may be expensive, but
Göbel’s Divin Noblesse loudspeaker
(€164,000/pair) stands squarely in the
middle of the company’s Divin line.
The Divin Noblesse uses bending
wave technology in the midrange and
a horn-loaded AMT tweeter.
The Göbels were powered by
Engström Eric power amplifiers
(€120,000/pair) and that company’s
Monica preamp (€40,000). Three
pieces from Wadax—the Atlantis DAC
($69,000), Atlantis Transport ($45,000),
and Atlantis Server ($19,500)—and a
Kronos vinyl front-end (total values
more than $100,000) rounded out the
system. Cabling was also by Göbel.
Jason Victor Serinus praised Göbel
for bringing room-treatment panels to
the show—and for the results: “In all

productsfromCHPrecision,Brinkmann,

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withcablesfromAudioQuestand

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Manufacturers’representativeswillbe

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selectedvinylandCDsforsale.Araffle

isplanned,andamind-bendinglunch

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Guests,visitors,andnewmembersare

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colorado

❚Friday–Sunday,September6–8:The

RockyMountainAudioFesttakesplace

atitsnewvenue,theGaylordRockies

Resort&ConventionCenter(

N.GaylordRockiesBlvd.,Aurora,CO

80019).Formoreinformation,visit

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new jersey

❚Sunday,September15,2pm:TheNew

JerseyAudioSocietywillmeetatLarry

Borden’sDistinctiveStereo(808Loretta

Dr.,RiverVale,NJ07675).Featuredwill

beGregBelmanofBacheAudioand

AlexChorineofAlexusAudio,whowill

demonstrateBachespeakersandAlexus

audioelectronics.Formoreinformation,

pleasevisitnjaudiosociety.com.

new york

❚Friday–Sunday,November8–10:The

NewYorkAudioShowtakesplace

atManhattan’sParkLaneHotel(

CentralParkS.,NewYork,NY10019).

Formoreinformation,visitchestergroup.

org/shows.

washington, dc

❚Friday–Sunday,November1–3:The

CapitalAudioFesttakesplaceatthe

HiltonWashington,DC/Rockville

Hotel&ExecutiveMeetingCenter

(1750RockvillePike,Rockville,MD

20852).Formoreinformation,visit

capitalaudiofest.com.

ontario, canada

❚Friday–Sunday,October18–20:The

TorontoAudioFesttakesplaceatthe

WestinTorontoAirport(950Dixon

Rd.,EtobicokeM9W5N4).Formore

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uk

❚Saturday–Sunday,October26–27:

TheHi-FiShowLivemovestotheRoyal

AscotRacecourse.Formoreinformation,

visithifinews.co.uk/showandfollow

@hifinewsmagonTwitter.

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