With the Christmas and New Year holidays just around the corner, we are heads-down busy preparing for the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan 7th to 10th 2014. We will be showing at the High Performance Audio exhibits in The Venetian, Suites 29-309 and 29-311.
For the second CES, we are showing together with our new North American distributor Rutherford Audio (so, you will also see/hear Roksan, Elac, Thorens, Burmester, Vertere and Plinius products in Suites #29-309 and #29-311).
As I have always done, I'll be sharing my play-list here. There are always some oldie's and there will be some great new demo music - with the emphasis on MUSIC.
I've been busy this past year in development. VERY BUSY. For the first time, we will show a system completely made up of Genesis components, comprising:
1) First off is a brand-new loudspeaker that was designed from the ground-up. In the Genesis hierarchy, this will be the 4-series. Call it the G-force as it is the culmination of my research into vector-force cancellation to manage vibrations in the loudspeaker structure (I started this with the suspension of the G5.3 and the side-firing woofer plus suspension of the G7.2f). It will have the new Genesis ribbon tweeter reaching to 40kHz, and a new 6-inch ribbon midrange. It will have dual 10-inch servo-controlled amplified woofers that will give it tremendous (and accurate) bass even in a good-sized room. It is a reasonable 48-inches (1.2m) tall so that it doesn't overwhelm the living room. As every unit will be custom hand-made (with the help of a CNC machine!), we make it with custom finishes. The prototype I have at CES shows off a beautiful bamboo/damask pattern. Pictures forthcoming..... but it does look far nicer in the flesh than in pictures.
2) The Genesis Reference Amplifiers have won numerous awards since they were released over 5 years ago. We updated the series with full differential amplification in two larger models - one delivering 1440W into the usual 4 ohm load of Genesis loudspeakers. That's right, well over a kilo-watt. The standard 360W stereo amp has been improved, and a new 760W model comes in between the two - good, better and best! In 2014, we will also make rack-mounted versions for home-theater installations. You can't install a tube amp or a Class A amp into a electrical closet, but as the Genesis amps are so efficient and generate so little heat, they will give you Absolute Fidelity sound quality without the heat penalty inside an enclosed space.
3) The Genesis SMc-1 preamp will finally be available in 2014. We will show this in prototype form (with a built-in phono stage) at the show. Steve McCormack, who was also responsible for the design of this product, will be with me in Vegas..... and he will bring his VRE-1C.
4) I have been doing demos with a music server since CES2006. In the first couple of years, other manufacturers, dealers and reviewers laughed at me. However, with 2 decades of experience in the computer industry under my belt, I absolutely knew that this would be the future. In no time, those who used to laugh would be asking me for instructions on how to build one. To help guide the industry, I've published my recipe and updated it several times in the past 5 years. Unfortunately, I still keep getting requests from customers and dealers to build one for them. They were either unable or unwilling to build one for themselves. I even conducted a "build a server" workshop for the local audiophile society. Despite all this, the requests haven't stopped and is accelerating with the popularity of high-resolution digital downloads. So I've finally succumbed and we will be putting the Genesis Muse into production in 2014. I will be showing the prototype at CES and look forward to comments so that we can deliver a solution that will satisfy most.
5) To hook everything up together, we need loudspeaker cables, interconnects and power cords. I've had my Absolute Fidelity Interfaces sort of out of sight in my "secret underground website" (www.absolutefidelity.com). Even hidden, they have been garnering a lot of interest from customers, reviewers and dealers. So, in the coming year we will be offering them to Genesis customers, dealers and distributors as a part of our regular offering.
6) The problem with being a loudspeaker designer is that you are at the end of the chain. Every show, we've borrowed equipment racks with varying degrees of success. When I reached the point where I was tired of the racks coloring the sound, I decided to design something new, something not done before. When you look at the microscopic-level structure and the molecular-level dynamics of High Molecular Weight Acrylic (HMWA), it has some fabulous sonic capabilities. After 5 years of research and testing, we are bringing this new rack to market this year with all its sonic benefits and clear beauty. It may look simple, but there is actually a lot of thought, physics and engineering behind the design. Again, I gave the design away in the past few years, but making it yourself is not straightforward, and making one-offs with a CNC contractor will end up costing way too much. In 2014, the Genesis Foundation Rack will finally be available for purchase.
Howzat?
Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
For the second CES, we are showing together with our new North American distributor Rutherford Audio (so, you will also see/hear Roksan, Elac, Thorens, Burmester, Vertere and Plinius products in Suites #29-309 and #29-311).
As I have always done, I'll be sharing my play-list here. There are always some oldie's and there will be some great new demo music - with the emphasis on MUSIC.
I've been busy this past year in development. VERY BUSY. For the first time, we will show a system completely made up of Genesis components, comprising:
1) First off is a brand-new loudspeaker that was designed from the ground-up. In the Genesis hierarchy, this will be the 4-series. Call it the G-force as it is the culmination of my research into vector-force cancellation to manage vibrations in the loudspeaker structure (I started this with the suspension of the G5.3 and the side-firing woofer plus suspension of the G7.2f). It will have the new Genesis ribbon tweeter reaching to 40kHz, and a new 6-inch ribbon midrange. It will have dual 10-inch servo-controlled amplified woofers that will give it tremendous (and accurate) bass even in a good-sized room. It is a reasonable 48-inches (1.2m) tall so that it doesn't overwhelm the living room. As every unit will be custom hand-made (with the help of a CNC machine!), we make it with custom finishes. The prototype I have at CES shows off a beautiful bamboo/damask pattern. Pictures forthcoming..... but it does look far nicer in the flesh than in pictures.
2) The Genesis Reference Amplifiers have won numerous awards since they were released over 5 years ago. We updated the series with full differential amplification in two larger models - one delivering 1440W into the usual 4 ohm load of Genesis loudspeakers. That's right, well over a kilo-watt. The standard 360W stereo amp has been improved, and a new 760W model comes in between the two - good, better and best! In 2014, we will also make rack-mounted versions for home-theater installations. You can't install a tube amp or a Class A amp into a electrical closet, but as the Genesis amps are so efficient and generate so little heat, they will give you Absolute Fidelity sound quality without the heat penalty inside an enclosed space.
3) The Genesis SMc-1 preamp will finally be available in 2014. We will show this in prototype form (with a built-in phono stage) at the show. Steve McCormack, who was also responsible for the design of this product, will be with me in Vegas..... and he will bring his VRE-1C.
4) I have been doing demos with a music server since CES2006. In the first couple of years, other manufacturers, dealers and reviewers laughed at me. However, with 2 decades of experience in the computer industry under my belt, I absolutely knew that this would be the future. In no time, those who used to laugh would be asking me for instructions on how to build one. To help guide the industry, I've published my recipe and updated it several times in the past 5 years. Unfortunately, I still keep getting requests from customers and dealers to build one for them. They were either unable or unwilling to build one for themselves. I even conducted a "build a server" workshop for the local audiophile society. Despite all this, the requests haven't stopped and is accelerating with the popularity of high-resolution digital downloads. So I've finally succumbed and we will be putting the Genesis Muse into production in 2014. I will be showing the prototype at CES and look forward to comments so that we can deliver a solution that will satisfy most.
5) To hook everything up together, we need loudspeaker cables, interconnects and power cords. I've had my Absolute Fidelity Interfaces sort of out of sight in my "secret underground website" (www.absolutefidelity.com). Even hidden, they have been garnering a lot of interest from customers, reviewers and dealers. So, in the coming year we will be offering them to Genesis customers, dealers and distributors as a part of our regular offering.
6) The problem with being a loudspeaker designer is that you are at the end of the chain. Every show, we've borrowed equipment racks with varying degrees of success. When I reached the point where I was tired of the racks coloring the sound, I decided to design something new, something not done before. When you look at the microscopic-level structure and the molecular-level dynamics of High Molecular Weight Acrylic (HMWA), it has some fabulous sonic capabilities. After 5 years of research and testing, we are bringing this new rack to market this year with all its sonic benefits and clear beauty. It may look simple, but there is actually a lot of thought, physics and engineering behind the design. Again, I gave the design away in the past few years, but making it yourself is not straightforward, and making one-offs with a CNC contractor will end up costing way too much. In 2014, the Genesis Foundation Rack will finally be available for purchase.
Howzat?
Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
