Best Sound at 2014 CES: Joseph Audio's Pearl

Joseph Audio wins my vote for the best sound I heard at CES this year, with the qualifier that I didn't have time to visit more than half of the rooms st the Venetian Hotel, the site for high-end audio.

The Pearl 3s were driven by Bel Canto's new Black series SC-1 preamp-D/A converter, and a pair of their monoblock amps. The system sounded stunning, as it should for its over $80,000 price (not including cables). The speakers themselves are $31,500/pair. Unfortunately, Joseph Audio doesn't make a suitable center channel speaker for them, but you could always buy three!

In addition to its flagship Pearl, the company introduced two new models, the stand-mount Prism ($3,700/pair), and the tower Profile ($7,000/pair), both pictured below These are intended as more affordable versions of the current Pulsar ($7,700/pair) and Perspective ($13,000/pair). (We're sensing a trend in Joseph Audio's product names. Perhaps in the future we'll see a Polaris, Prefect, Predicate, Precept, Praetor, or....).

Those familiar with Joseph Audio products will note that prices for the Pulsar and Perspective have increased 10 percent over last year.

COMMENTS
aopu.mohsin's picture

TAD, Magico, YG Acoustics, Spendor rooms were perhaps equally good (at least to my ear). However, TAD wins for me this year!

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