The Secrets Salon Presentation – March 1 and 2, 2014

John E. Johnson, Jr.

On March 1 and 2, 2014, Secrets hosted a Salon Presentation as part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration of publishing. The presentation consisted of three rooms containing state-of-the-art equipment, both solid state and tube, and both two-channel and home theater. It was a resounding success, with attendees stating that they had never heard such fantastic sound, and were totally unaware that certain items even existed. The Secrets Editor, John Johnson, presented all of the equipment, with CD, SACD, DVD-A, as well as vinyl and Blu-ray movies in the home theater room. The attendees were people who don't attend audio shows, but who want to have good quality components and are unable to find local shops that can demonstrate the products. The success of the Salon Presentation indicates that this may be a way of bringing new members into our audiophile community. The manufacturers are more than willing to put in their products. Some of our readers around the world need only invite them to participate in your own presentation, and consumers will come.

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts

Krell S-550i Integrated Amplifier

Jim Clements

The S-550i is the larger of two new integrated amps from Krell. Both of these amps feature circuit boards that utilize surface mount components. This means they can pack more power into smaller chassis than ever before. The S-550i is rated at 275 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and that doubles to 550 wpc into a 4 ohm load. This being from a box that is less than 6 inches tall. So now you can get tons of Krell goodness in a small package and at a very affordable price.

Integrated Amplifiers

Naim Supernait 2 Integrated Amplifier

Michael Jude Galvin

1983. The compact disc is introduced and record companies everywhere rejoice at the prospect of selling everyone worse sounding versions of music they already own. The universe, however, seeks a balance. The same year, Naim unleashes the first Nait integrated amplifier and the product category is never the same. The runtish, low-powered amplifier was controversial on many fronts, but its astonishing degree of musicality was never in dispute. The Naim Supernait 2 integrated amplifier does not deviate from their unique path that began more than three decades ago.

Integrated Amplifiers

Sundance Film Festival 2014

Rick Schmidt

As in previous years it became just a little more difficult to get tickets.  But, I am less and less concerned about this since it forces us into more offbeat movies. I enjoyed all the movies we saw this year but in many cases that is simply because it was a film at Sundance. Some of them were surprisingly bad. I'll try to point those out in my reviews.

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts

Yamaha CX-A5000 11.1 SSP (Surround Sound Processor)

Chris Heinonen

Suddenly the ESS SABRE DAC is showing up everywhere. At first it was only in high-end audio products like the Oppo BDP-95 and BDP-105 Blu-ray players. Now we have seen it in the Pioneer SC-79 receiver and in a pair of SSPs (Surround Sound Processors): The Krell Foundation and the Yamaha CX-A5000. From bench test numbers to listening tests, the SABRE offers up performance that is at the top of the DAC chain. Many of us just assumed we wouldn't see it in a processor or receiver due to the price. The Yamaha CX-A5000 11.1 SSP uses a pair of ESS SABRE 9016 DACs to support its 11 channels. A step down from the 9018, the SABRE should provide the Yamaha with superior jitter reduction, less tonal noise floor, and slightly greater dynamic range compared to the other DACs at its price. Is the rest of the CX-A5000 engineered around the SABRE up to the task?

Processors

NAD HP50 Viso Over-the-Ear Headphones

Stephen Hornbrook

The NAD HP50 is the latest headphone design from Paul Barton, founder of PSB, a sister company of NAD, and features a new trademarked concept called RoomFeel. RoomFeel attempts to recreate the sound of listening to high-end speakers in a room. Most listening rooms add a low frequency bump to the sound that is often not taken into account when designing headphones. A room gain compensation transfer function was developed to add a +3 dB per octave boost from 200Hz down to 50Hz in order to replicate the fuller, warmer sound of a room. Clearly a lot of time and engineering has gone into the development of these headphones, the only question is, did it pay off? Yes it most certainly did.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

Low-Profile Speakers for the Audiophile in Challenging Space?

Brian Florian

I am somewhat spaced constrained and am looking for speakers (5-10K range) that are relatively low profile and, more importantly, are designed to be placed up against the wall. Many of the speakers I have sampled require a placement at least 12-18" from the wall. The room is approx.: 14 x 21. Ideally the speakers would be placed on the 21' wall. In wall speakers are not a good option (old plaster & lathe walls on 2/4 studs). I am looking for a 2 channel audiophile solution to replace an older system. Our listening preference is primarily classical (symphonic) and jazz with the occasional R&R. Generally prefer imaging over brightness.

- Submitted by: Peter R
Seattle, Washington

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Linn Audio

Secrets
The founder of Linn Audio Loudspeakers is David Linn, an Electrical Engineer, who is also a life long lover of music and audio.
AV Directory

Linn Audio Athenaeum Horn Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Horn speakers have been around nearly a century. They were used in movie theaters when the films became "talkies", and their advantage is that they are extremely efficient, which is good, because the power amplifiers in the theaters during the 1930's were very low powered. Linn Audio has built horn speakers for several decades, but most hi-fi enthusiasts may never have heard a horn speaker. They are characterized by wonderful, effortless midrange. The Linn Audio Athenaeum horn speakers are reviewed here.

Floor Standing Speakers