by Michael

CES 2015: Free registration opens

… about 4 weeks ago.

BUT…

… the important thing is that it closes in 3 weeks or so on August 31.

So, unlike me, do NOT wait until the last minute [this year Neli registered me the first day because she is tired of all the stress :-)].

So, unlike me, do NOT forget to bring your badge and proof of registration to the show [more stress, but a nice lady registrar at the show fixed me up].

And… don’t forget you will need a hotel room to sleep in. Can’t tell if THE SHOW will be at the Flamingo again this year or not which is where we usually stay… [45 minute or longer check-ins, (at all times of year BTW, not just CES), what would we ever do without that much fun in our lives?]

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 by Michael

Audio Blogs & Mags: Audiophile’s Guide to the Galaxy

Finally got around to updating the Audiophile’s Guide to the Galaxy page on All Known High-end Audio Blogs and Magazines.

Last count was at about 45 of these puppies.

Bet you heard of most of these but had forgotten them. Hard to keep track of them all, isn’t it? 🙂

There will be more. Ultimist follows a few others, if memory serves. But at least we got the major players there.

This page hadn’t been updated since 2006. Whoowee things have changed.

When we started the Guide, we were the only blog but there were many magazines online. Then, in 2006, back then there were only about 6 other blogs. Now they are coming popping out all over.

But many have also died. Gone. For example, many of the high-end hybrid magazines of home-theater and home audio…? Kaput. Many who did not want to make the transition to blog-like magazines with RSS feeds? Kaput (except for 6moons. Same as it ever was.). A lot of the smaller sites were gobbled up [i.e. the author went to work for Dagogo or Positive Feedback] or just went back to living their lives.

As far as I know, there is still no one who is exclusively Twitter or Facebook or Instagram-based. Bet we see some of these eventually.

AVShowrooms is more or less exclusively YouTube-based. Guess we need to add them too!

It’s always something…! Even the high-end audio universe evolves…

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 by Michael

Norber Custom floorstanding loudspeakers

Withdrawn by consignee. Older custom speakers by Steven Norber (founder and principal of PranaFidelity). Recently checked out and okee-dokeed by Mr. Norber.

On consignment. Asking $6800 obo. Full range, nicely voiced as Steven’s speakers always are.

From the manufacturer:

The speakers are a full range, 3-way design utilizing the top grade 3 layer “W” cone drivers from Focal for the midrange and woofer. The tweeter is from Accuton, and as one can see from the photo, is positioned between the dual midrange drivers in a D’Appolito configuration.
The cabinet is divided into 4 compartments: one for the woofer and its crossover, one for the MTM drivers, and a split rear section that is accessible
through a removable rear panel with the midrange and tweeter crossovers located in each of these sections.
The crossover uses correspondingly superior parts with film/foil capacitors,metalized polypropylene capacitors, and non-inductive resistors. All series
connected coils are air core types, DCR specified to maintain correct Q alignment.
The speaker is phase corrected with all drivers connected in phase and presents an impedance compensated 8 Ohm load to the amplifier.
The efficiency at 1 watt/1 meter = 88dB.
The finish is Birch, however this real wood veneer (which was catalyst sealed after being applied) must have come from a batch that was not properly dried, and after only several months developed small cracks on the surface. There are no signs of the veneer lifting anywhere on the cabinet, and the cracks have not grown in size or number since they appeared. That said, a skilled woodworker who knows how to hand sand to smooth and reseal the finish would be required for an as new appearance.

Even better, might be to consider re-veneering the cabinets. This is not an unrealistic alternative, given the machine screw mounting of the drivers.

In addition, as skeptical as I am of some of the “tweaks” out there in the (often other worldly) world of high-end audio, the customer insisted upon applying Marigo Tuning Dots and damping strips to the driver baskets and cabinet sides. Dutifully, I went to his home, removed the drivers, applied the dots and strips, replaced the drivers, placed the larger dots on the external surface of the cabinet’s side panels–and as much as I wanted to not hear an improvement, I did.

The difference was not just different, but, in fact, an improvement. The individual who purchases these speakers will be assured of purchasing a speaker that will compete with any on the market at $20-25K.

Have more questions about these? Send us an email (mike+neli@audiofederation.com), or give Neli a call: 303.546.6503.

IMG_1318-norber-speaker-front

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