January 2008

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CES 2008 - with Almarro

January 2007

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Headphone Meet - Thousand Oaks CA

August 2006

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HE 2006 by Stereophile - Los Angeles, CA

Press Coverage

Best of Home Entertainment Expo 2006 (Part I) by Big Picture Big Sound - Room 368

Best of Home Entertainment Expo 2006 (Part II) by Big Picture Big Sound - Room 371
Positive Feedback HE 2006 Coverage Part I - Room 371

Positive Feedback HE 2006 Coverage Part II - Room 368

Equipment Lists

Room 368

Speaker: JAS Audio Plato
Amplifier: Nuforce Reference 9 Special Edition
Preamp: Nuforce P-8
Source: Esoteric P-03 (SACD/CD Transport) & (D-03 Stereo D/A Converter)
Audio Rack: Symposium Isis & ½ Ultra Platform (for Nuforce monoblocks)

Accessory: Furutech RD-2 Demagnetizer
Cables: Passthru interconnect, power and speaker cables & with Furutech i-Link
Power Distributor: Furutech e-TP609
Chair: Lovan Matinee Home Theater Chairs
On Display: Nuforce IA-7, Nuforce Reference 9 Monoblock amps, JAS Audio Orsa & Orsus
 

Room 371

Speaker: Cain & Cain I-Bib with Bailey Subwoofer
Integrated Amp 1: Almarro A205A – special iPod finish with extra inputs and ¼ headphone out
Integrated Amp 2: Almarro A318B
Source 1: Esoteric UX-3
Source 2: Apple iPod with custom made split cable
Source 3: Apple Mac Mini connected to Sherwood Newcastle P-965
Source 4: Sherwood Newcastle VR-670
Cables: Furutech Evolution and Reference Series interconnect, speaker and power cables.
Audio Rack: Lovan Millennium & Legacy
Accessory: Furutech RD-2 Demagnetizer
Room Treatment: Furutech Room Tuning Panel on top of Lovan Classic Rack
Power Distributor: Furutech e-TP609
Chair: Lovan Gallant Home Theater Chairs
On Display: Almarro M3A speaker
 

Special Thanks to the Manufacturer Representatives Presented During the Show:

Hiro Muramatsu & Derrick (Almarro), Patti Chiang & Jonathan Scull (Furutech), Mark Gurvey & Wayne Klauss (Esoteric),  Francis Au (JAS Audio), Jason Lim & Gary Brashear (Nuforce), and Jeff Hipps & Gary Graning & Mark Crane

(Sherwood Newcastle)

June 2006

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Head-Fi Southern California Headphone Meet - January 15 2006

"We had an Almarro single-ended tube amp using EL84 tubes. It is a really sweet amp to drive K1000, sweeter than my Cayin HA-1A, which also uses EL84 in single-ended topology. Maybe the difference is due to the NOS Brimar tubes used in the Almarro, versus my modern tubes. Almarro is sweet and detailed at the same time, which kind of surprised me."  - Ferbose - Head-Fi

"After everything was said and done, the most musical sound of the night for me was when K1000 was hooked up to the little Almarro via speaker outputs. I was a little dismayed that the "headphone out" Almarro has on the back is a 1/8" jack ??? What's worse, K1000 sounded far better driven by Almarro's speaker outputs than through the 1/8" jack via adapters. I already know Almarro sounds great on high-sensitivity speakers, but now I know it's great for K1000. The combo with Esoteric source just had everything going: detail, resolution, air, musicality, soundstaging, richness, and palpability. But most of all, it had that sense of live music and its electricity. Good stuff!" - Jon L - Head-Fi

"I heard the AKG 701 - Almarro combo and was very impressed. I'll describe it as supremely detailed and full but warmer and richer than high end Grados- not necessarily the best for techno and rock but amazing for classical, opera and vocals"

- RacerX - Head-Fi

"This was my first meet and I enjoyed it immensely. David(909) did a wonderful job organizing everything and his wife and mother exhibited great patience and good humour in getting through what probably was a long day for them. While I didn't get to hear every piece of gear and headphone at the meet, my votes go to the GS-X, which drove every headphone beautifully and the Almarro A205A-AKG K1000 combination. I have a A205A on order with Paul of Imagine HiFi - it will be built with a 1/4" headphone jack in the front instead of a mini-plug on the back; I believe that all new production of this amp will be constructed this way. Also, I was sufficiently impressed with the K1000 to call Todd of TTVJ this morning and place an order." - Nu62 - Head-Fi

Imagine HiFi Equipment List at the Meet:

Source: Esoteric DV-50S Universal Player

Headphone Amplifier: Almarro A205A

Vibration Treatment: Stillpoints & Risers and Herbie's Lab tube dampers

Power Distributor: Furutech e-TP60

Cables: Passthru Tierra interconnect and Classic power cords

Headphones: Various

January 2006

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VTV Expo - Los Angeles, CA

"Imagine HiFi room was one of my favorite rooms at the show. The absolute stunning bargain of the show was the Almarro A205A EL84 single-ended amp, producing 4.5 wpc at $800! Paired with Cain & Cain Abby or IM Ben, A205A produced great sounds, period, not great sounds for the price. This amp even has a headphone jack in the back, which I'm very curious to hear b/c the speaker outputs are so good. With Abby, A205A produced fast yet relaxed sound with plenty of musical detail and texture. With Ben, A205A reproduced center-of-earth tonal weight and density with plenty of bass that was firm and extended. Excellent timbral accuracy and textural richness all around. I need to buy this amp." - Jon L - Audio Asylum

"Imagine HiFi used Cain & Cain and Almarro to produce a very sweet sound." 

- Positive Feedback

"A number of people said the Abby/Almarro combo was best of show."

- reported by Sonicflare

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November 2005