Desta vez foi Antoine Gresland da revista Francesa Haute Fidelité que ficou em extase com a sua audição tendo mesmo dado 20/20 na sua avaliação final. Chamamos a atenção para este facto pois mesmo outros aparelhos de grande calibre não chegam a este patamar pois falham no item relação preço/qualidade tendo o Karan KAs 450 marcado pela diferença neste campo ao atingir nota máxima.

Karan KAS 450 Haute Fidelite Review

Seguiu-se posteriormente uma visita/entrevista com Milan Karan. Relato esse que podem ler no link que se segue:

Karan Acoustics Report

playback-designs-stereophile-review

“With sonic consistency came a masterfully neutral top-to-bottom tonal balance that, regardless of format or resolution, combined a lush yet transparent midrange with deep, powerful bass below and, above, open, naturally airy highs that remained free of grain and digititis. The picture was spacious, remarkably delicate, and three-dimensional,particularly from SACDs. In fact,the Playback’s playback of SACDs was,if not identical to the dCS Scarlatti’s,easily in the same league for roughly one-fifth the price.

(..)

As an SACD player, the MPS-5 is, or is very close to, the best I’ve heard, put there by its dynamic capabilities, resolution of transients and detail, image specifi city, three-dimensionality, bottom-end extension, and overall punch and immediacy. The Cary CD 306 SACD ($8000, which John Atkinson reviewed in November 2008) sounds exciting and is a reasonably good value, but it’s also somewhat lean and forward. The Marantz SA-11S2 ($3400, which I reviewed in February 2009) sounds warm and pleasant and is impressively built, but it failed to engage me the way the Cary could. The dCS Scarlatti ($79,999) is in a class by itself as an ambitious stack of components, but the Playback Designs MPS-5 plays on the same sonic fi eld for less than half as much, even if its sound was somewhat cooler and more analytical.

(..)

I’m not suggesting that a $15,000 SACD player is inexpensive, but compared to some far more costly products that have passed this way, including the $80,000 dCS Scarlatti and the $28,150 Naim CD555, the compact, well-constructed Playback Designs MPS-5 offers impressive sound and build quality, and, with its multiple inputs, great versatility that includes upgradeability to multichannel. And its software-driven DSP means that performance upgrades are only a download away. You can even start with the DAC and upgrade it with the transport mechanism later, should you choose.

If you have a large collection of SACDs, you’ll fi nd the MPS-5 among the best-sounding players available today, combining great transparency, impressive delicacy and resolution of low-level detail, and, when called for, authoritative dynamic slam and depthcharge–like bass.

The MPS-5 is also an equally compelling- sounding CD player. I suggest you listen to your favorite CDs and hirez PCM fi les and make up your own mind. I found the Playback DAC’shigh-frequency cleanness, silent backdrops, and organizational skills impressive, and its overall sound rock-solid and very well controlled—and for sure better than the dCS Scarlatti’s upconversion of PCM to DSD.

So analog-like was the MPS-5’s decoding of SACDs and hi-rez PCM files that it has joined the very short list of

players that make me want to sit down, undistracted by other activities, and actually listen to digital recordings—as longas I don’t go back to the turntable!”

                                                                          Michael Fremer in Stereophile

Completo com acessórios originais

PVP: 13500 Euros

Preço Ultimate: 4700 euros

Ascendo System F review By 6Moons/Fairaudio

“It simply requires an audition to gauge. I personally responded so powerfully that I acquired the gleaming loaner pair after the review. I still need this speaker for both work and pleasure.

•Ascendo’s System F possesses a rhythmically astute, well defined and unbelievably extended bass which conveys mass and volume with detail and nuance. Only very large rooms above 50m² might wish for more pressurization.
•The midrange/treble sectors are seamlessly integrated and utterly free of preferential treatment.
•The Ascendo is endowed with very high resolution. Percussive noises and transients are exceptionally obvious and sound simply real. Excellent microdynamics penetrate deeply into tone textures to reveal harmonic modulations over time.
•Coupled to microdynamic finesse, this speaker distinguishes itself with macrodynamic attacks and grand SPL stability.
•Given good recordings, the System F is nearly holographic and voices and instruments are properly embodied.
•The virtual stage mostly begins behind the base line. Width and particularly depth are well beyond average. The Ascendo System F combines involvement and ‘correctness’.”

Playback Designs MPS-5

- Playback Designs MPS-5

Stereophile Report

Positive Feedback Report

I then raced to the Blue Light Audio suite where Jonathan Tinn, Mr. Playback Designs, was presenting a knock your socks off system sonic show. Powered by the darTZeel Swiss made NHB-458 monoblocks, $135k and 1000 watts per channel, the Evolution Acoustics MM Two loudspeakers were amazing. With gorgeous fit and finish, they sported top notch Acuton drivers and more. They sell for only $35k per pair, but look and sound like they should cost double that! Also used was the NHB-18NS preamp with phono section selling for $29k. If the Playback CD was not good enough for you, they had the new Ortofon A-90 MC at $4.2k playing as well. All was hooked up with Audience AR6-T Power5 Conditioning at $4.6k. WOW! What a sound! This was sonically best of show by a very wide margin. Was it the amps? Was it the speakers? Who knows or cares? The end result was an ‘alive with in the room’ performance quality sound.

All Images by Audiogon

Karan Acoustics

- Karan Acoustics KAm 1200 Power Amps
- Karan Acoustics KAL ref MK2 preamp

Alan Sircom (Hifi Plus Editor Best of the SHOW)

“Avalon’s new Time loudspeaker was making two very different sounds in two very different rooms. On the 34th floor of the Venetian towers, Avalon’s own room featured the speakers (amid a plethora of DaaD acoustic treatments and Polifermo Helmholtz Resonators) being fed by a dCS source and Jeff Rowland amplification. This was very good. However, I preferred the sound on the 29th, with the same speakers driven by a Zanden integrated CD player, the excellent Karan Acoustics preamp and mono power amplifiers, finite elemente stands and Cardas Clear cables. This last room was a rare thing, especially in a show setting… it sounded like music, not hi-fi.”

Stealth Audio Cables

-Stealth Dream Speaker cables & Stealth Sakra Ics

Ascendo

-Ascendo C8

Stereophile Report

Combo de Referência  tendo inclusivamente destronado pre e powers de preço mais elevado no teste da revista Stereoplay.

Completos com todos os acessórios originais e em estado excelente.

Thorens TEP 3800 Link

Thorens TEM 3200 Link

Thorens TEP 3800 6Moons Review

Thorens TEM 3200 6Moons Review

Thorens TEM 3200 Stereoplay Review

PVP combo: 34000 Euros

Preço Ultimate: 16000 Euros

Preço Thorens TEP 3800:  8500 Euros

Preço Thorens TEM 3200: 9500 Euros

Para agendamento de demonstrações contacte-nos ou então contactar o Rui Calado (Transom)

Em demonstração activa estão:
- Ascendo System M-S
- Monoblocos Karan KAM-1200
- Preamp Karan KAL-REF (com módulo de phono)
- Fonte digital: Playback Designs MPS-5
- Fonte Analógica: Kuzma Stabi XL; Braço Kuzma 4Point; Célula Dynavector XV-1S
- Cabos Stealth Dream e Stealth Indra
- Rack: Copulare

Audio Research PH7 - Sold To Portugal

Sold to Portugal

Krell 750 MCX Sold to Spain

ASR Emiter II Sold to Hong Kong

Esoteric X1-D2 Sold to Portugal

VPI TNT sold to Spain

Gryphon Diablo sold to Portugal

Von Schweikert VR-5 Sold to Germany

Esoteric P70/D70 Sold to Portugal

Accustic Arts AMP II Sold to France

Accustic Arts AMP III Sold to Portugal

Accustic Arts Preamp SOld to Portugal

Cello Reference DAC Sold to Japan

Linn Sondek LP12 - Sold to Switzerland

Koetsu Onyx - Sold to Holland

Incluidos: grupo optico da accuphase (NOVO) e cabo digital da NBS-Prof (PVP cerca de 2000 euros)