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Introducing the worlds most affordable & smallest iPod HiFi system.
At just under a $1000, it comes with a Trends Tube Headphone/PreAmplifier, Trends Class-T Power Amplifier, a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.0 book shelf speakers and well equipped Trends Audiophile audio & iPod cables with an OFC core, double-layer gauze screen for RF noise obstruction design. The Power Amp and Tube PreAmp is a mere (W)76mm x (H)46mm x (D)114mm and weighs in at only 380g. Don't let its extremely small size fool you though. It has enough punch to delivery power and good control over speakers much larger than the speakers shown here. It exerts a tighter grip on sound than systems triple its price range. Some of the technology found in the Trends componentry is found in our High End BelCanto eVo amp (now discontinued). The Trends Pre Amp comes with a large power supply that's actually bigger than the unit it self! It has a sturdy aluminum case and solid gold-plated RCA connectors and speaker binding posts. The system has two inputs for which we used one of them with our iPod. If you've ever wanted to get into Hi-Fi without breaking the bank, this is a great starter system.
I played Julie London's "Blue Moon" and found her voice very life depicted her relaxed sound very accurately. Good separation and staging; very 3-dimensional; very smooth and full-bodied with good resolution and air.
More About the Trends Tube Headphone & PreAmplifier
Trends PA-10 Tube Headphone/Pre Amplifier is an innovative audio product and provides all functions of headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier. It includes the innovative circuit design of low voltage hybrid (tube/transistor) pre-amp to provide audiophile quality sound, compact size, and easy/safe DIYer accessibility - pure class-A circuit to provide the best sound performance. It has two inputs.Trends PA-10 Tube Headphone/Pre Amplifier supports both 6DJ8/6922 series and 12AU7 series tubes by simply switching the jumpers.
More About the Trends Class-T Power Amplifier
Trends mini-size Class-T power amplifier provides up to 2x15W output with the bundled AC power supply unit. Thanks to the Tripath's proprietary Class-T Digital Power Processing (TM) technology and their special techniques in circuit design and component selection, TA-10 achieves the sound quality of high-end HiFi but in a very affordable price.
TA-10 performs very much like Class-AB amplifiers with high fidelity and warm sound. Yet, its power efficiency and physical size is just like Class-D amplifiers. Even though its maximum output power is only 2x15W, TA-10 is actually powerful enough to push even floor stander speakers with sufficient and good control of bass and sound.
About the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Speakers
The Wharfedale Diamond 10.0 speakers are stylish, high quality designs that deliver a detailed, full-range sound despite their compact dimensions.
Specifications
Format: Stand Mount
Bass/Mid Driver: 100 mm
Tweeter: 25mm
Suitable Amplifier Power: 15 - 75 w
Nominal Impedance: 6 Ω
A/V Shielded: Yes
Sensitivity (1W @ 1M): 86 dB
Nominal Frequency Range: 55-24kHz
HF Limit (-10dB): 44kHz
Freq. Fb: 55Hz
Crossover Frequency: 2.5kHz
Dimensions (mm)(H * W * D): 236 * 145 * 165
For a more detailed review of the Wharfedale Diamond series check out my previous blog here.
You've really got to come and check out this system in person. Your eyes won't believe your ears on how musical this little Hi-Fi system is.
From Switzerland, GenevaSound is "furniture music" - a renewed fusion of home entertainment and home décor that brings technology and design full circle. The GenevaSound System “M” is the newest addition to the line up. It is a full range Hi-Fi System that comes with an integrated iPhone/iPod docking station, top loading CD slot player, Radio FM Tuner and a line-in that can be used for your Computer, TV or anything else that has line outputs. The single cabinet is made of solid wood furniture with high gloss piano lacquer finish that is available in White, Black or my favorite, Red. The included remote control gives you full control over your iPod/iPhone, CD player and has 6 presets for the Radio. There are four individual chambered and sealed speakers that are independently powered by a 100 watt digital amplifier, with sound accuracy unmatched by any product of its size. The sealed, wooden chambers feature ported bass in the rear for rich, powerful lows. You can adjust the treble and bass to suit your taste or to room size as well. It has an LED display visible under the front cover showing input source and track playing. The “M” comes with brushed aluminum feet with rubberized footpads which help absorb resonance and vibration. The cabinet measures, width 14.2 inches, height 7.8 inches, depth 10.6 inches and weighs 15 Pounds.
Pro: Fantastic full range 3D sound. System is extremely easy to operate. Clean design and fits any decor and has relatively small foot print with big sound that will clobber systems twice its price.
Con: No Subwoofer out or USB input.
Final Word: Having only one cabinet means no messy wires and exceptional sound quality in a small, easy to use package with the 3 necessary sources for a good Hi-Fi system all around. A system that sounds fantastic in low volumes for easy listening and has the juice to rock the house too. Great sound stage without the edgy bright digital sound and reproduces a warm 3 dimensional sound that you can listen to for hours of enjoyment. GenevaSound is the only brand that is sold in leading fashion and design stores in the US and Europe, from Barneys New York to Fred Segal in LA to Armani in Milan.
GenevaSound ‘M” Gallery
Comparatives: Meridian F80 | Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 1
GenevaSound M Technical Specifications
Design
Designed by the Geneva Lab in-house design team
Cabinet finish: Piano lacquered wood, available in white, black and red color
Sound
Speaker system: 2 x 1" tweeters and 2 x 4" woofers
Power Amplifier: Digital hi-fi amplifier (Class D) with 4 x 25 Watt output
Audio
CD-Player: slot loading CD player.
Supported disk formats: CD-Audio, CD-ROM and CD-RW (MP3 files)
Supported disk size: 4 3/4 inches (12 cm)
FM Radio: digital tuner with 6 presets
External audio inputs
Line-in: 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plug fore xternal input sources like PC, DVD, game console and TV
Electrical requirements
Line voltage: 110V - 220V AC, 60Hz - 50Hz
Power consumption: maximum 75W
Dimensions
Width x height x depth: 14.4" x 7.4" x 9.5" (36.6 cm x 18.7 cm x 24.0 cm)
Weight (estimated): 16 lbs (7.3 kg)
Included accessories: Remote control, Line In Cable: 1/8 inch (3.5 mm) plugs on both ends, AC power cable with external power supply, External FM wire antenna
I love music. More than that, I love high resolution lossless music. I like being able to hear Diana Krall’s fingers strike that Piano key, or be able to tell that the guitar Carlos Santana is stringing out his tunes on is a PRS guitar made with solid Brazilian Rosewood. I am speaking of music on my computer and iPod and not music on a CD. We still carry a handful of CD players and they do sound phenomenal however, with the correct hardware your ipod or music on your hard drive can sound just as good as an audiophile grade reference CD Player. Digital Smart Homes embraced the Digital download era long before any other high end dealer in the city did and continue to introduce and carry high quality music systems. There is really no place other than our store for the generation “Y” to go to for iPodphile products.
In listening to Rubén González’s Luv Lluvia Track 3 from his new album“Chanchullo”, the experience was like watching water dance on a superhydrophobic surface. I was able to visualize the Bongos playing with such amazing three dimensional detail that I could hear the hands make contact with the drums. There are so many instruments that come alive, you truly feel like you’ve escaped to Cuba. Rubén González’s plays the piano with such fluidness and perfect timing with the many cuban percussion instruments and does it with such finesse even in his eighties. The aluminum dome on the Kef speakers almost act like a visual mirror reflecting every detail back to my hears with perfect harmony, range and depth. Below I will be briefly covering the components that I used to experience this album.
Lets start with the Wadia 170i Transport. The iTransport is the first ever component specifically designed to transform your iPod into a high-resolution audio/video media server. The iTransport combines the convenience of personal audio with the performance and connectivity of your home audio/video system, delivering bit-perfect digital audio signal via S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) output, DVD quality video via component outputs, and built on a sleek aluminum chassis. When the iPod docks with iTransport, the iPod transforms into an audiophile-grade media server that rivals some of the top performing digital source components available. >> download the Wadia 170i brochure
Basically when the Wadia 170i Transport is “engaged” it allows you to bypass your iPods/iPhones internal 16 bit/44.1KHz DAC. Music is stored digitally and for us to hear that music a DAC needs to convert that digital music file to Analogue (DAC - Digital/Analogue Converter) Now the Wadia does not have an internal DAC of its own. Its main purpose is to deliver or “transport” bit perfect 0’s and 1’s to an outboard DAC which than converts it to Analogue. In our store for example I am using Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3 connected to a Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated USB Amp which are powering a pair of Kef XQ10 speakers.
The second component in our system is the Bel Canto e.One Dac3DAC/Preamplifier with Ultra-Clock™ Technology which has Digital Level Control, 24/192 DAC vs the iPod’s 16/44.1. The e.One also comes with Balanced I/O, 5-digital Inputs w/USB. This combination reproduces music with new levels of dynamic expression and accuracy of timbre. Your music communicates as never before. The Ultra-Clock™ Technology recalls the best of analog music reproduction, without the limitations of either analog or other digital technologies. All components work in concert with every detail of the Dac3’s design to achieve a new level of musical realism. >> Learn more about the e.One DAC3
The third component is our Bel Canto e.One S300iu integrated Dual Mono Amplifier with USB port shown in the bottom of the stack of components pictured on the left. The S300iu raises performance expectations for an integrated audio amplifier. The S300iu integrates a high performance preamplifier with 300 Watts of dual mono balanced power capability per channel. The high performance preamplifier uses the latest digitally controlled analog volume control and sealed relay switching to provide a transparent signal path for up to 4 analog inputs, including a USB Digital Audio converter. The USB DAC allows you to create a high performance audio playback system using your computer as the audio source. This will optimize playback of either compressed audio files, uncompressed audio files, and CD playback from your computer drive. This option opens up a new world of audio experience. >> Learn more about the eOne S300iu
The last component of our system are the Kef XQ10 bookshelf speakers. They reproduce the sound with effortless accuracy. Packed with technology derived from Kef’s Reference Series, it features a new generation Uni-Q® array and ‘tangerine’ waveguide: a stunningly natural-sounding elliptical dome 19mm (0.75in.) tweeter perfectly time-aligned with the surrounding midrange/bass cone to disperse the sound far more evenly across the listening area than is possible with conventional speakers. A speaker that’s big in everything but size. Available in Birdseye Maple, Khaya Mahogany and Piano Black. >> Learn more about the Kef XQ10
I invite you to come by our store and experience the sweet music of Rubén González while sipping on a glass of wine or bring your iPod for a truly amazing listening experience.
(Source: www.wadia.com, www.belcantodesign.com & www.kef.com)
