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Finite Elemente Ceraball - The Return of a Classic

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Introduction Great audio accessories are like classic items, they never quite go out of style. Firmly resisting fashion and flavour-of-the-month things, they are able to withstand the test of time. Finite Elemente has for many years been one of my favourite and go-to brands for footers. They were are Teutonic as you could get - precision engineered with a no-nonsense approach to improving the sound of your audio system. They were not cheap by any stretch of imagination, but good things seldom are. Besides, the sonic rewards were more than commensurate with your financial outlay. It was with a bit of sadness then when I heard that Finite Elemente went out of business recently. Fret not - they are now back ! Description The Ceraball sits at the bottom of the footer range, but some important changes have been made. I happened to have both the first and second generation Ceraball on hand, as well as the current third generation model, so here is a family photo. The Ceraball has steadily ga
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International Sound & Sight Exhibition 2018

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Our very own annual International Sound & Sight Exhibition (ISSE) just ended. The show was held between 16th to 18th November 2018 at Parkroyal Hotel. Here is a brief report on the show. Big rooms first :- High End Research The all-new Wilson Audio DAW Streaming was carried out by an Aurender streamer hooked up to an Orpheus Lab SACD player / DAC and integrated amplifier Ong Radio Drool-worthy McIntosh gear The Mac equipment paired with Opera Grand Callas speakers Horizon Acoustics Full Grandinote system. Playback was switched by a Totaldac D1-Seven / streamer and a Grandinote digital source Close-up of the Mach 4 speakers When I dropped in, the Grandinote Demone monoblock amplifiers were in play. Cabling was a mixture of Luna Cables and Verastarr. Great system - One of my favourites of the show ! Audioline Live demonstration of different CD pressings. How about a $2,000 glass disc or a much cheaper Ultimate HQCD press ? Very nice demonstration which really showcased how much diffe
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SB Acoustics Ara Speaker Kit

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Introduction SB Acoustics is not a familiar name to many Audiophiles although they are one the largest OEM speaker suppliers in the world. A collaboration between Danesian Audio of Denmark and Sinar Bajar Electric in Indonesia, SB Acoustics brings affordable and technologically advanced speaker drivers to the market by marrying the considerable design experience of Danesian and Sinar Bajar's 27 years of transducer manufacturing. Manufacturing in Surabaya, Indonesia would result in certain cost efficiencies, and the lucky beneficiaries are cash-strapped audiophiles like you and I ! It's well worth to have a look at the factory visit done by AudioXpress to find out more about their manufacturing quality (Link here ). Description   The Ara is sold overseas as a kit, but available in Singapore in fully assembled form. My review sample came in Gloss White, and has a visually interesting cabinet, with a chamfered corner (mirror-imaged for each pair), and a backward tilt of about 7 de
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Creative SXFI Amp

After months on anticipation, it's finally here - Creative's Super X-Fi technology that promises to recreate a multi-speaker experience through your headphones. The SXFI Amp is a small finger sized dongle that plugs in your USB port and lets you use any conventional headphone / IEM to experience their technology. For once (great job Creative !), we in Singapore actually get this before the rest of the world. Buyers can go down to Creative's headquarters for a customised ear microphone mapping session, or rely on their mobile app that maps your ear shape by taking pictures of your ears and your head.  Would you like $20 off ? Click on my referral link, http://sxfi.refr.cc/ericteh Visit  https://www.sxfi.com/amp/ for more information.
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HiFiMAN Shangri-la jr Headphones

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Introduction HiFiMAN's Shangri-la electrostatic headphones offered really nice performance, albeit at a price that almost no audiophile could afford (Click here for my article on the Shangri-la). Well, HiFiMAN took pity on us - here comes junior ! Now, USD 8,000 gets both the headphone and tube based headamp. Compare this with the USD 50,000 price tag of the senior model and this looks "affordable". This is still a lot of money and likely more than what most audiophiles would want to spend. Then again, ultra high-end components do not really look at affordability as a consideration -  the target market is the audiophile who demands the very best and is willing to pay for it.  AV One (HiFiMAN's official dealer in Singapore) invited me for a private listening session recently. The Shangri-la jr system was paired with the Chord Blu Mk 2 transport and Dave DAC, while cabling was from Chord Co and Isotek. Power conditioning accessories were also courtesy of Isotek. Descri
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Press Release - Black Cat Announces Silverstar! 75 Mk. II

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Black Cat Announces Silverstar! 75 Mk. II Yugawara-machi, Japan - April 18, 2018 -  One of the most popular and revered digital cables is getting an “Mk. II” upgrade after almost seven years sinxe its introduction! A true-75 Ohm design from the originator of the precision-impedance digital cable, Chris Sommovigo, the Mk. II update to this long-lived design incorporates a “lite” variant of the RF rejection materials employed in both the Digit-75 and, to a greater degree, the TRØN Super-Reference SPDIF cable. “I’ve been planning this improvement for awhile and have recently gotten down to the brass tacks of it,” said Mr. Sommovigo. “The inclusion of the RF rejection materials, plus an additional pure-copper shield - all braided under a multifilament nylon yarn jacket - elevate the Silverstar! 75 without breaking the $300/m threshold.” Available with 75 Ohm BNCs or the new Lovecraft MINI RCA (or a combination), the new Silverstar! 75 Mk. II is now in production and is available directly f
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Innovative amplifier LittleZoe launches in HIGH END Munich

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15 April 2008 The long awaited amplifier LittleZoe launches in world renowned Hi Fi Expo HIGH END Munich 2018. The amp will be presented at the Newcomers area of the exhibition from 10 to 13th of May. Apart from its ultra modern design, this distinctive amp stands out in the crowd thanks to two innovations it brings to the high fi world. Unconventional chassis architecture for ultimate performance Solid body form produced by new age material resin using revolutionary technologies Based on an original concept, LittleZoe shapes the sound character of a state of the art amplifier. For more information visit the website www.littlezoe.eu and the social media.
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