"The World's Best Audio System," TWBAS for short, now
means two things: In the pages of Ultra Audio, it's an ongoing feature that
examines some of the best audio equipment available today. You'll find articles and
equipment reviews by Jeff Fritz as he maximizes his audio system. In the real world, it's
now an event that will showcase topflight equipment from around the world. In March 2009,
six manufacturers will set up more than $250,000 worth of equipment in Jeff Fritz's
"Music Vault," the name Jeff uses for his custom-designed listening room. That
first of many TWBAS events will be reported on here and throughout the SoundStage!
Network. TWBAS is where you'll find the very best hi-fi there is.
Feature article - 2010/06/01 Simaudio Moon Evolution 750D Digital-to-Analog Converter-CD Transport by Jeff Fritz "Nor can I recommend Simaudio highly enough. Their Moon
Evolution models are costly in absolute terms, but actually less
expensive than many products made by Sim’s competitors, especially
those based overseas. The retail prices of Simaudio’s products are
directly correlated to the manufacturing costs, unlike what I
believe is the case with some of the crazy-priced brands."
Feature article - 2010/03/01 How Close Can I Get for Half the
Price or Less? -- Paradigm Reference Signature S2 v.3 Loudspeakers by Jeff Fritz "In high-end audio, the ratio of price to performance is often a sticky subject.
Audiophiles seem to generally agree that, as the price increases, returns diminish. In
other words, the degree of improvement in performance does not increase linearly with the
degree of increase in cost. When you spend, say, twice as much money for a set of
loudspeakers than you would for a different set, you dont get sound that is,
subjectively, twice as good."
Feature article - 2009/09/07 The Great North
American Loudspeaker Tour: EgglestonWorks by Jeff Fritz "Somewhat quietly, EgglestonWorks has been producing high-end loudspeakers for
many years. Although their recent low profile has led some to wonder just what the company
is up to these days, I can happily report that I saw lots of cabinets under construction,
and speakers in all stages of assembly. Their newest iteration of the Ivy, the Signature,
is an impressive statement loudspeaker, and its fitting that its made in
Memphis, a city with such a rich musical heritage."
Feature
article - 2009/09/06 The Great North American
Loudspeaker Tour: Rockport Technologies by Jeff Fritz "I concluded my visit to Rockport Technologies at Andy Payors lakeside
cabin, just outside Rockport, Maine. He took me there after the listening session at the
factory because he said that its often the place that provides him with the creative
inspiration that fuels his development of his products. In its beauty, it was
spectacular."
Feature
article - 2009/09/04 The Great North American
Loudspeaker Tour: Paradigm Loudspeakers by Jeff Fritz "If you own or are looking to purchase a Paradigm product, you can rest assured
that your new toy has been through quite the process -- from inception to design
and engineering, to manufacture, to testing, and finally to your door. I think I was as
impressed by the Paradigm facility as I was the Sub 2 subwoofer. And when you read my
review of the Sub 2 on October 1, well, youll know just what that means."
Feature
article - 2009/09/03 The Great North American
Loudspeaker Tour: Verity Audio by Jeff Fritz "Companies that have a clear vision of the product they want to make before they
set out to design, manufacture, and market it are typically tightly focused and
goal-oriented. Verity Audio has built a line of loudspeakers that all share a unique
family resemblance in terms of sound, appearance, and technical design. Each model is
rightly considered compact in size and elegant in appearance when compared with most other
competing speakers."
Feature
article - 2009/09/01 The Great North American
Loudspeaker Tour: YG Acoustics by Jeff Fritz "Its counterintuitive, I know, but after my listening session with the Anat
Reference II Professional, I can attest to it: Cold, hard science, devoid of any skewed
artistic whims, can result in a product that elicits raw emotion from a listener. The
sound of the YG Acoustics loudspeakers is wholly matched by the precise processes used in
their design and manufacture -- just as Yoav Geva intended."
Feature
article - 2009/08/28 The Great North American
Loudspeaker Tour: Wilson Audio Specialties by Jeff Fritz "I was greatly impressed by the sound of Wilson Audios Alexandria X-2
Series 2 and Thors Hammer loudspeaker system. But I was just as impressed with the
Wilson factory, and the companys commitment to make their speakers in the US with
the highest levels of quality and efficiency."
Feature
article - 2009/04/01 TWBAS 2009: The Event by
Jeff Fritz "I hope youve been following the 2009 installments of 'TWBAS.' If so, this
is probably not the article you thought Id be writing. Its not the article I
thought Id be writing. TWBAS 2009 was a huge success on almost every level, but the
nature of the quest for the highest-end audio injected some unanticipated twists and turns
into the proceedings."
Feature
article - 2009/03/01 TWBAS 2009: The Arrival by
Jeff Fritz "Ever imagined what it would be like to listen to the hi-fi system of your dreams
right in your own home? No practical, financial, or logistical limits -- just the best
audio system youve ever envisioned? Thats basically what 'TWBAS' 2009 is all
about."
Equipment
review - 2009/02/01 Rock-Solid Power: Classé Audio
Omega Omicron Mono Amplifiers by Jeff Fritz "But when I listen to Classé Audios Omega Omicron Monos, Im reminded
again of what Einstein said: 'Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no
simpler.' It occurs to me that, as far as power-amp perfection goes, maybe a design as
complex as the Omicrons is as simply built as possible."
Equipment
review - 2008/10/15 Sea Change: Weiss Minerva
Digital-to-Analog Converter by Jeff Fritz "...without any qualification, the Minerva-MacBook combination provided the best
sound Ive heard in my system, which has included the best CD player Ive heard,
the Audio Research Corporation Reference CD7. The Weiss-Apple also handily beat my prior
disc-spinning reference, the Esoteric UX3-SE SACD/DVD-Audio player. Hands down, this is
the real deal."