Founded in 2005, Utah-based Red Dragon Audio is dedicated to class-D power-amp technology. It's flagship product is the Leviathan Signature monoblock, which is designed to lookand feelas good as it sounds.
As I've written many times, the Ultimate Gear blog is intended to cover A/V products that embody extreme performance, design, and/or price. The 2010 ES line of A/V receivers from Sonywhich were unveiled last week at a press event in Beverly Hills, Californiamight not fit any of these criteria, but they include so many unique and highly useful features that I decided I could legitimately cover them here.
Audiophiles know well the name Wadia Digital, a Michigan-based company that has been making high-quality digital-audio products for over 20 years. Now, Wadia has teamed up with California-based Qsonix to create the Q205 high-end music server, which joins the Q210 in the company's new Q2 series.
Omnidirectional speakers are nothing new, though there are many variations. For example, Italian maker Bolzano Villetri has taken an interesting approach with its Campanile series, which includes floorstanders, a center-channel speaker, and a subwoofer to outfit a complete home theater.
In my never-ending quest for audio and video products with the highest possible performance, style, and/or price, I came across the AN-E/Sogon from British maker Audio Note and distributed in the US by Audio Federation. According to The Most-Expensive Journal, it's the most expensive 2-way speaker in the world.
Filmmakers and musicians spend countless hours tweaking their images and sound to perfection. But when their masterworks are played on home A/V systems, that carefully crafted music might sound nothing like it did in the studio, and that hot video might look lukewarm on the average flat-panel monitor.
I'm constantly amazed at the number and variety of super-high-end speakers out there. Among the many manufacturers I'd never heard of before is Marten, a Swedish maker whose flagship is the magnificent Coltrane Supreme.
When you consider the price of a power amp, it's interesting to calculate the cost per watt. In that light, the Gaku-On monoblock from British maker <A href="http://www.audionote.co.uk">Audio Note</A> and distributed in the US by <A href="http://www.audiofederation.com">Audio Federation</A> is the most expensive power amp I know of.
I'm constantly amazed at the number and variety of super-high-end speakers out there. Among the many manufacturers I'd never heard of before is <A href="http://www.marten.se">Marten</A>, a Swedish maker whose flagship is the magnificent Coltrane Supreme.
Is the NL Reference from Florida-based <A href="http://www.edgeamp.com">Edge Electronics</A> just another high-power, high-priced monoblock power amp? I think not.
Of all the various types of audio and video products, speakers seem to offer the most potential for design variation. Case in point—the Magic Flute from Swedish maker <A href="http://www.swspeakers.com">SWSpeakers</A>.
There are power amps, and there are power amps—and then there's the Pivetta Opera One. Standing six feet tall and weighing over half a ton, this monster is designed by Pivetta Andrea (pictured here with his creation), built by the Italian company bearing his given name, and distributed worldwide exclusively by <A href="http://www.higherfi.com">HigherFi</A>.
Most CD players and transports are relatively featureless, boring rectangular boxes, but not the Kalista from French boutique maker <A href="http://www.metronome-technologie.com">Metronome Technologie</A>. Distributed in the US by <A href="http://tmhaudio.com">TMH Audio</A>, the Kalista looks more like a modern sculpture, though it offers plenty of substance in addition to some serious style.
I don't typically cover so-called multimedia speakers in this blog, but when I came across an ad for the GLA-55 from <A href="http://www.harmankardon.com">Harman Kardon</A> in an upscale magazine, I was intrigued. The cabinet looks like it was chiseled from rock crystal, and its beauty turns out to extend well below the surface.