What's Best Forum Newsletter June 2021

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Feature special for June: Transparent Audio

We are excited to announce Transparent Audio, the highly respected high end audio cable manufacturer, has joined What's Best Forum as a sponsor.
Here is the latest news from CEO Karen Sumner.

The Transparent team has dedicated itself for nearly 4 decades to helping customers create home music and film systems that are capable of providing “you are there” music and entertainment experiences at all budget levels.

Although a lot of progress has been made over the past few decades, system interface solutions such as interconnects, speaker cables, digital audio cables including HDMI and Ethernet, power conditioning, and power cords are still too often overlooked or marginalized in terms of their importance to the actual performance of a system. These elements are the longest signal path in most systems and, according to Transparent, have as much or more influence on the overall performance of a system as a single key component.

Transparent has been a pioneer in providing practical high performance system building solutions from basic to ultimate performance that are designed to take some of the guesswork out of putting together a great system. Karen Sumner, CEO of Transparent and a 40 year veteran in the industry explains: “The Transparent team dedicates itself to making sure every detail of length, termination, and compatibility of a system of links is ideal so that customers are not only enthralled by the performance of their systems, but they are totally happy with how the system fits and looks in their listening or viewing space.

Sumner goes on to explain, every Transparent system of links is like a custom product created specifically for that customer. This challenge is multi-faceted:

• The compilation of products that link systems together need to be designed to work in harmony with each other.
• Each link should provide as flawless a conduit for the signal as possible between very different types of components.
• Most cables need to be customized in terms of length and terminations to provide the best sound possible while supporting system layouts that are pleasing in customers’ homes.
• Given the relative overall expense of outfitting a system with links that insure a system performs at its best, Transparent believes it is important to make this considerable investment future proof.

The Transparent design and support staff insures that every system of links meets these criteria, and the Transparent Upgrade Program makes a customer’s investments in a performance matched system of links future proof by providing substantial trade-in credit for cables and power conditioning toward the next performance level or higher. In addition, Transparent stands ready to help support and advise customers as they explore ways to improve their systems over time.

Sumner said: “We want to make the pursuit of creating the illusion of hearing music played live in a home setting a life-long, very satisfying, and fulfilling hobby that provides deeply personal and engaging listening experiences to share with family and friends.”

Since 1994, Transparent has been perfecting their linking technologies and discovering new ways to advance the state of the art. Just as important, they have also devoted themselves to developing the organizational systems and staffing that are required to deliver one of the highest levels of customer service in the high end audio industry. With each generational or new product introduction, Transparent seems to deliver on their promises according to their loyal customers who have improved their systems over time with Transparent.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

The recent launch of Generation 6 is no exception to Transparent’s desire to deliver more to their customers. By virtue of a totally new measurement metric, Transparent has achieved the highest level of refinement and precision to date to their design model. This new level of precision in previously unexplored electrical parameters not only ensures that every customer will be able to take fuller advantage of the past 6 years of advances, but each product now embodies a demonstrative evolution of the Transparent musical standard.

Generation 6 also heralds a new and more comprehensive approach to using different types of advanced materials and more mass to eradicate resonant frequencies from within and from without network enclosures in their audio cables, particularly on the REFERENCE level and above. At the “Transcendent” level, MAGNUM OPUS Interconnect (Balanced — $37,000/1-meter pair and MAGNUM OPUS SPEAKER CABLE ($72,000/8-foot pair is the embodiment of their ultimate network and mechanical resonance control technologies. Each performance step along the way, however, has its own share of Generation 6 MAGNUM OPUS DNA, including the entry-level and musically satisfying combination of LINK Interconnect ($100/1-meter pair) and WAVE Speaker Cable ($250/8-foot pair).

NEW POWER

In addition to Generation 6 Technology, Transparent has just introduced their massive, 32-pound PowerWave X Power Conditioner (suggested retail $3895). PWX has superior parallel noise filtration and power factor control technology to insure quiet, unrestricted power transfer. In addition, star grounding for each outlet bank further reduces EMI noise.

PWX has 10 outlets in 5 isolated banks. Two outlets are unswitched for components that need to be left on, and 8 outlets turn off and on with the front panel power switch. All outlets have fail-safe, lightning-fast AC surge protection. Gigabit coax and network surge protection further protects connected components. It comes with an upgradeable Transparent Performance Power Cord.

To find out more about Transparent, call a Transparent Dealer or Transparent or visit their website www.transparentcable.com. The SYSTEM EXPLORER link on their site home page can also help provide guidance about the system of links that are right for you.

Transparent Audio, Inc. www.transparentcable.com

Feature special for June: Constellation Audio

We are excited to announce Constellation Audio has joined What's Best Forum as a sponsor. Here is the latest news from Constellation VP Sales Irv Gross.

"Constellation Audio is pleased to be a new member and part of the What’s Best Forum community. To celebrate our partnership, we are proud to introduce our new logo on this site. We look forward to sharing our brand with you."

"Constellation Audio is now in its second decade as one of the world’s premier manufacturers of amplifiers, preamps, and phono stages. The company began more than 10 years ago with a dream to create a line of American designed and manufactured solid-state electronics that were the best in the world. We began by assembling some of the finest talent we could find in fields as diverse as manufacturing, circuit boards, industrial design, and specific topologies in the fields of power amps, preamps, and phono stages. We continue to add to and diversify our talent base."

The first Constellation Audio products were the Altair preamplifier (now in its second generation) and Hercules power amplifiers (also in their second generation).

This duo was met with great acclaim worldwide and effectively launched the Constellation Audio brand. The Altair and Hercules were later joined by the Orion phono stage as our flagship Reference Series. The demand was there for additional Constellation Audio products, and the Performance Series followed.

It began with the Virgo preamplifier (now in its third generation) and Centaur power amplifiers (now in their second generation). They were soon joined by our first phono stage, the Perseus, and later by the Argo integrated amplifier.

Seven years ago, Constellation Audio introduced our most affordable series called Inspiration. It provided listeners with the Constellation Audio signature DNA sound in an elegant, streamlined chassis. Like all Constellation Audio amplifiers, the Inspiration amplifiers are available in either stereo or mono versions.

Entry into the Constellation Audio family is in the form of the Inspiration Integrated amplifier. Recognizing the gap between the Inspiration and Performance series, Constellation Audio introduced the Revelation Series in 2017. Combining much of the performance and design of the Performance Series with the chassis-work of the Inspiration Series, Revelation has become an overall winner. In addition, the Revelation Series includes our least expensive phono stage, the Andromeda.

The future is bright for Constellation Audio. With all of our products having garnered numerous awards from around the globe and finding their place in the reference systems of some of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers and reviewers, 2021 promises to be an exciting year for Constellation Audio.

Constellation Audio. www.constellationaudio.com

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