Hi all.
As someone who sells audio gear for a living, I'm always on the lookout for something truly innovative that will enrich my musical listening experience. Here in the UK there's a brilliant hi fi manufacturer called Musical Fidelity. Their equipment is really great and their MD is a chap called Anthony Michaelson, who is a much respected classical musician.
Anyway, to cut to the chase, they've just brought out a little gizmo called a X-10v3,(the V3 is important here, because it's performance is sonically superior to what's gone before).
Essentially, what it is is a tube output stage designed to sit between your CD player and your amp. What it's supposed to do,(and it does), is to enhance the sound of any CD player, introducing a touch of valve "grunt" to the sound. (That's the nearest I can describe the sound, though I feel sure I'm not doing it justice at all, as it sounds incredible!).
Then the thought struck me. How would the sound of my EMI m400 react to having this little baby straddling it's output stage? Well, it's been a long time since I owned a Mk 2, so therefore my mind might be playing tricks on me, but the sound was very familiar! I have no doubt that the overall sound is improved to a point where if you bypass the X-10, you immediately want to reconnect it as without it the sound is simply lifeless. Needless to say, I've now got to have two. One for the CD player, and one for the tron. I don't know how it works, only that it does and some!
Cost here in the UK is £299 which is a bit of a bargain. Wherever you are in world you really should check it out, you wont be disappointed.
Cheers.
Andy K
PS. (Shameless plug) If anyone in the UK wants one, I'll do a special price to those on this list only. If you don't want to take my word for it, get down to your nearest hifi dealer and beat him into submission until he says yes you can borrow one to hear for yourself.