{"id":42436,"date":"2017-01-31T12:32:29","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T17:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=42436"},"modified":"2017-06-04T11:51:20","modified_gmt":"2017-06-04T15:51:20","slug":"toronto-audiophile-5-amazing-high-end-audio-products-for-the-discerning-ear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2017\/01\/31\/toronto-audiophile-5-amazing-high-end-audio-products-for-the-discerning-ear\/","title":{"rendered":"TORONTO AUDIOPHILE 2 | Five Amazing High End Audio Products For The Discerning Ear"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_41986\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41986\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-41986\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/MTAudiophileheadphoto.jpg\" alt=\"Toronto's Audiophile brings you news of the most recent high end audio hardware and software, much of it available for audition in Toronto.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/MTAudiophileheadphoto.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/MTAudiophileheadphoto-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/MTAudiophileheadphoto-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-41986\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toronto&#8217;s Audiophile brings you news of the most recent high end audio hardware and software, much of it available for audition in Toronto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Today we have a good mix of high end audio hardware and software for you. As always, follow the links for more information. Where applicable, I&#8217;ve provided a Toronto link where you can audition the gear and music.<\/p>\n<h3>Are Audio<\/h3>\n<p>Recently, I was contacted by Newfoundland&#8217;s newest high end speaker manufacturer, Are Audio. Actually, the distributor, Arcadia Audio. &#8216;Would you like to review Are Audio&#8217;s newest loudspeaker?&#8217;. A little YouTube\/Vimeo research [see video below] and I was hooked by the company\u2019s vibe and corporate ID. It helped that the speakers looked great, too.<\/p>\n<p>The speakers are tuned by owner\/designer Ross Connolly. He prefers tuning his speakers by ear \u2014 the speakers are called Light Roasts as they were tuned with friends over pots of coffee.<\/p>\n<p>The speakers may be ordered online at Are Audio&#8217;s website, but Connolly is working on a dealer network. They come in the colours you see below, standard wood finishes and, upon request, exotic finishes.\u00a0\ufffc<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-42437\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Are-Audio.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Are-Audio.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Are-Audio-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Are-Audio-768x611.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-vimeo\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/58850156\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Price: CAD $1399.00<\/p>\n<p>Purchase via <a href=\"http:\/\/areaudio.com\/areaudio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Available to audition in Ontario at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theelectronicdepot.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Electronic Depot<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Direct to disc: The Brahms cycle with Sir Simon Rattle<\/h3>\n<p>Signed and numbered limited edition<\/p>\n<p>USD$ 530.00<\/p>\n<p>This may present itself as something typically loony that audiophiles would covet, but the direct to disc process captures the very highest fidelity. Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker decided to record the four Brahms Symphonies, live, direct to disc. A very demanding analogue technique.<\/p>\n<p>The process is very expensive to produce, hence the price. And the process is fraught with musical pitfalls. Basically, you get one chance to record over three hours of music perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>From the Berlin Phil website:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Direct to disc: this term represents the ultimate in <\/em>analogue<em> recording quality. With no intervention and without any post-processing, the sound is cut Direct to disc: this term represents the ultimate in <\/em>analogue<em> recording quality. With no intervention and without any post-processing, the sound is cut directly into a master disc at the moment of the performance \u2013 the basis for a vinyl release of unique tonal authenticity. This complex, end-to-end <\/em>analogue<em> process is rarely used in today&#8217;s digital age.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Naxos is now importing the set. I requested a promo. None available. At that price, the press are out of luck.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Berliner Philharmoniker<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Sir Simon Rattle<\/strong> Conductor<\/p>\n<p><strong>Johannes Brahms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68<br \/>\nSymphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73<br \/>\nSymphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90<br \/>\nSymphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98<\/p>\n<p>Recorded live at the Berlin Philharmonie<br \/>\nin September 2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Direct to Disc Recording\u2028 One-Point Microphone Setup<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Microphones\u2028<\/strong> One pair of Sennheiser MKH 800 Twin in a Blumlein array<br \/>\n<strong>Disc cutting lathe\u2028<\/strong> Neumann VMS 80<br \/>\n<strong>Produced by Emil Berliner Studios<\/strong> \u2028Rainer Maillard, Maarten de Boer<br \/>\n<strong>Bonus\u2028 Certificate<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 hand-signed by recording producer\u2028 Rainer Maillard\u2028 Two C-type photo prints of motifs from the recording.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-42438\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Box-set.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Box-set.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Box-set-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/Box-set-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qBf3OBMjRAg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Buy the set <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com\/rattle-brahms-vinyl.html?___store=rec_en&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Label%20Brahms%20Direct%20to%20Disc%20EN&amp;utm_content=Label%20Brahms%20Direct%20to%20Disc%20EN+Version+A+CID_148d855fcf3847b11344dcdd5caf0ffd&amp;utm_source=Email%20Newsletter&amp;utm_term=Buy%20now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Focal Utopia Headphones<\/h3>\n<p>More looniness in the headphone world. This time from French manufacturer, Focal. At USD $4000.00 these are among the most expensive headphones you can buy. But much like a car stereo, the basic \u2018room\u2019 and technical format suffer in comparison to a room with good two channel separates.<\/p>\n<p>The actual sound of the headphones is tremendous. Incredible dynamics (watch your ears), fantastic instrumental timbre and a good replication of recorded spaces. But the inconsistencies are still there because of the format. If you are a headphone fan and want the very best, why not give them a whirl? But if you&#8217;re expecting audio Nirvana, they&#8217;re still headphones with all the audio and musical compromises the format brings. But in the here and now, I&#8217;ve not heard a better headphone.<\/p>\n<p>I get to spend a couple of months reviewing these headphones. I&#8217;ll follow up my thoughts with you in a later column.<\/p>\n<p>Price: CAD $4900.00<\/p>\n<p>Available to audition at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.americansound.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Sound of Canada<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-42442\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/HeadphoneXXXXX-2-1024x665.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/HeadphoneXXXXX-2-1024x665.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/HeadphoneXXXXX-2-1024x665-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/HeadphoneXXXXX-2-1024x665-768x499.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>VPI Titan Turntable<\/h3>\n<p>VPI is the American turntable manufacturing giant, making fine turntables in New Jersey for over 40 years. They have a range of turntables from the entry level, USD $995 Nomad to the new, state of the art USD $40,000 Titan<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-42448\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/titan-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/titan-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/titan-1-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/titan-1-768x490.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Designer Harry Weisfeld describes his masterpiece:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>We have been encouraged for many years now by customers and distributors to push the limit on American engineering.\u00a0 The idea in mind was based off our Avenger Reference Magnetic Drive.\u00a0 We double stacked the chassis and machined a 4-inch-thick (weighing roughly 40 pounds) platter being driven by a master magnetic sub-platter.\u00a0 It was decided to bring back the acclaimed Dual Motor Rim Drive.\u00a0 Combined with the magnetic drive it has been named <\/em>the,<em> \u201cMagneto Rim-Drive\u201d.\u00a0 Held together with 3 solid stainless steel corner posts, the Titan stands as an immovable object.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The Titan configuration is also dynamic in <\/em>it\u2019s<em> ability to handle up to 3 tonearms of any make or length. Using our state-of-the-art pneumatic air suspension feet, the Titan has the highest level of isolation.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>VPI&#8217;s Harry Weisfeld&#8217;s engineering prowess is legendary. Whether designing classic turntables, vinyl cleaning machines or analogue peripherals, Weisfeld creates classics. The Titan will probably be no different.<\/p>\n<p>Price: USD $40,000.00<\/p>\n<p>Audition in Toronto at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.audioexcellence.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Audio Excellence<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Elac<\/h3>\n<p>Other than last month&#8217;s MQA announcement, the second biggest story in high end audio in 2016 was the incredible success of Elac entry level speakers. Designed by Andrew Jones, famous for designing super expensive TAD Loudspeakers, Jones uses trickle down technology and has created superbly musical, dynamic speakers called the Debut line. The bookshelf models all sell for less than USD $500.00 and have the hallmarks of the Jones design &#8212; the use of superior, proprietary drivers, an open, refined sound and excellent replication of a wide dynamic range. Who says you can&#8217;t have high end sound on a budget?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42443\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-42443\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\u200b\u200bElac\u2019s Andrew Jones and his Debut loudspeaker.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/maxresdefault.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/maxresdefault-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/maxresdefault-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elac\u2019s Andrew Jones and his Debut loudspeaker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I urge our readers to audition a pair if money is an object, or, if money is not an object. They are that good and can stand comparison with speakers four or five times the price. Elac is a German company that began manufacturing in the 1920s. Today, it produces a full range of electronics and speakers.<\/p>\n<p>All Debut models are available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.ca\/Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Andrew-Jones\/dp\/B014GSER6O\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485230202&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=elac+b5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a>. The entry level B5 is available from Amazon for 369.99. Free shipping and a comprehensive, user-friendly return policy. Probably, the best deal in high end audio.<\/p>\n<h3>Keep Up with Toronto Audiophile <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.musicaltoronto.org\/category\/toronto-audiophile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HERE<\/a><\/span>.<\/h3>\n<h3><b><i>#LUDWIGVAN<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Current news in high end audio, with the latest turntables, speakers, headphones, and a new Direct to Disc Recording endorsed by Sir Simon Rattle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":41986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6439,8628],"tags":[9418],"yst_prominent_words":[9403,9419,9415,9392,9395,9399,8622,9417,9414,8620,8613,9416,9401,9396,9397,9394,9400,9413,9398,9393],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/01\/MTAudiophileheadphoto.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-b2s","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42436"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45695,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42436\/revisions\/45695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42436"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=42436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}