Ultimate Tech
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Aragon Iridium Monoblock: The Signature V Rides Again
Ultimate Tech
Bob Ankosko • Feb 22, 2013 • 0 comments
Gibson has its famous Flying V guitar, the high-end audio community has Aragon’s signature V-notch power amp, introduced 25 years ago in Mondial’s Aragon 4004 amplifier and resurrected in the Iridium Monoblock, flagship of the recently revived Aragon brand.
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Arcici Turntables
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Oct 22, 2010 • 4 comments
Known primarily for high-end equipment racks, Italian Arcici also makes some beautiful turntables. Shown here is the Alba with Lyla tonearm, the least expensive model that retails for 14,000 euro (about $19,500 as of this writing), and like the other Arcici turntables, all setup instruments and gauges are included.
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Art & Voice Speakers
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Nov 02, 2010 • 1 comments
When I came across the website of Hungarian speaker maker Art & Voice, I could only gape slack-jawed at the incredible variety and artistry of its offerings. As the story goes, when the company's founder brought home some new speakers, his girlfriend immediately rejected them because they looked like two large coffins in the middle of their living room. This disappointing outcome inspired him to build speakers as works of visual as well as aural art.
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Audeze LCD-2 Headphones
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Dec 14, 2010 • 0 comments
When Steve Guttenberg, occasional Stereophile contributor and author of the excellent Audiophiliac blog on cnet.com, told me about the LCD-2 headphones from Las Vegas-based Audeze, I was intrigued. Could these cans rival the incredible Stax SR-007 MKII I reviewed last August?
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Audio Note AN-E/Sogon Speaker
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Jun 28, 2010 • 1 comments

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.
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Audio Note Gaku-On Monoblock Power Amp
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Jun 15, 2010 • 0 comments

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 Audio Note and distributed in the US by Audio Federation is the most expensive power amp I know of.
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Audio Physic Cardeas Speaker
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Mar 15, 2011 • 2 comments
Named after Cardea, Roman goddess of health, thresholds, and door hinges and handles, the Cardeas floorstanding speaker from German high-end maker Audio Physic befits what the poet Ovid said of its namesake—"Her power is to open what is shut; to shut what is open." In this case, the goal is to open the door to recorded sound's finest details and shut out any compromises.
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Audio Power 833TNT Monoblock Power Amp
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • May 16, 2011 • 4 comments
Founded in 2009, Audio Power Labs is a newcomer to the audiophile community. Its first—and so far only—product is the 833TNT monoblock power amp, a tour de force that will be hard to surpass.
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Audio Research Reference 610T Monoblock Amplifier
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Aug 12, 2010 • 2 comments
According to the company's website, Audio Research is one of the oldest continuously operating manufacturers in American audio, having opened its doors in 1970. Among its many current products is the flagship Reference 610T monoblock power amp.
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Audiophile Oppo
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Dec 22, 2009 • 19 comments

Ever since Oppo introduced the BDP-83, I've thought it to be among the best Blu-ray players money can buy—and at $500, it doesn't even cost all that much, especially compared with, say, the Denon DVD-A1UDCI, another universal player that lists for $4500. Now, Oppo has introduced an upgraded version, calling it the BDP-83 Special Edition, for a list price of $900.
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Avantgarde Trio G2 Speaker System
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Mar 08, 2010 • 2 comments

Horn-based speakers have been around since the earliest days of audio reproduction, and they continue to find favor among audiophiles today. Germany's Avantgarde Acoustic is no stranger to horn speakers, basing its business on them since 1991. At the top of the company's considerable lineup is the Trio, shown above in the Classico configuration with a massive Basshorn subwoofer.
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Ayre Acoustics DX-5 Universal Disc Player
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Dec 21, 2010 • 0 comments
The title of this Ultimate Gear entry identifies the DX-5 as a "universal disc player"—the better to snag search-engine hits with—but American manufacturer Ayre Acoustics calls it a "universal A/V engine." Why? In addition to playing every available audio and video optical-disc format, this box also provides a USB port that allows it to act as a portal for the music files on a computer.
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B&O BeoVision 4-85 3D Plasma TV
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Apr 25, 2011 • 1 comments
Danish design king Bang & Olufsen creates beautiful-looking A/V gear whose performance is often outstanding as well. Its latest TV offering is the BeoVision 4-85, an 85-inch plasma flat panel with 3D capabilities using active-shutter glasses, which provides undisputed full HD resolution to each eye.
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B&W P5 Headphones
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Jan 31, 2011 • 0 comments
Bowers & Wilkins is well known for its superb high-end speakers, so it's really no surprise that this British company would enter the headphone market. However, I'm a bit surprised that its first offering in this arena—dubbed the P5—is a set of portable headphones intended for the iPod and other MP3 players.
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BAlabo BD-1 DAC, BC-1 MK-II Control Amp, & BP-1 MK-II Power Amp
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Jul 20, 2010 • 3 comments

When I profiled the incredible Transmission Audio Ultimate speaker system last year, I mentioned that the $2,000,000 package includes power amps and a preamp from Bridge Audio Laboratory, otherwise known by the odd contraction BAlabo. Here, I concentrate on these two beauties by themselves, along with BAlabo's new 2-channel DAC.
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