TIAS 2009, Tokyo Japan

This is the biggest audio show in Japan every year. It shows the trend of computer music as source. This wave is moving quicker than we thought and it just takes sometimes in the future that people will understand high resolution playback potential.

• Computer Audio Playback is everywhere in TIAS 2009.
• Boulder 1021 CD Disk Player. Is it a CD player? They were playing The Power Of Love when I am in the room, but I saw the HRx putting on the top of the unit. It has connection to VGA output.
• Linn has various new products: Dynamik Power Supply / PURiFi analogue buffer stage / Sekrit DS-I ethernet digital connection for DS system.
• Esoteric has new SZ-1s SACD/ RS-1(amplifier/SACD/USB) / AZ-1s (Integrated Amp+DAC – domestic market only) / D-07 DAC. All DACs are now with USB input for computer audio playback. The new CNC machined metal is excellent looking. The design is quite closely like dCS Paganini series.
• dCS showing the Paganini Upsampler with USB input.
• Nagra MSA new 60Watt Stereo Power Amplifier
• YG Acoustics new floor standing speaker
• ATC new SIA2 150W Stereo Integrated Amp and SCA2 Pre Amplifier
• Lindermann 800 series DAC with Macbook playback.
• EmmLab / Playback MPD-5 / Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC
• The most stunning audio playback to me is the Timelord room. Chord digital front end and amplifier system drinking Raidho Acoustics Ayra C2 floor standing loudspeaker. I want to listen to this speaker again very soon. Extremely impressive reproduction on piano overtone and transient.
• Mark Levinson 531H/532H new power amplifiers. The outlook design is very plain but I heard very good comments about them. They are few new JBL monitors (JBL4429/S9900) too.
• Viola Concerto Power amplifier/Maestoso/Solo pre-amplifier / Spirito II pre-amplifier and modules/ Duet
• They are driving the legendary engineer/producer and Ocean Way studio owner Alan Side design monitors. Alan was in the event too.

It was very nice meeting all friends in the show, especially computer audio journalist Teruhisa Onda, AudioBasic Editor in Chief Minoru Kinjo for interview, and Hajime Someya – Managing Editor of Stereo Sound magazine. I look forward to see you all very soon.

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