Koss Totem Mani-2 - Manual (Page 79)

Is hi-fi — or consumer electronics
in general — getting tougher to survive
in? Change has claimed another victim,
a major Canadian distributor.
The company is Korbon trading,
which was already five years old when
UHF was created in 1982. Ken Simpson
had worked at the company importing
Sharp when he set up his own company,
which he named after his daughters,
Kory and Bonnie. The company had
an ad in our very first issue, for Canton
speakers. Not many of the advertisers in
that same issue are still around.
In recent years Korbon was Canadian
distributor for a number of high end
brands, including Conrad-Johnson,
Quad, Wharfedale, and Rockford
Fosgate.
Most of Korbon’s stronger competi-
tors are also US distributors, and that
may be the key to their strength. How-
ever the Korbon announcement refers
to a number of corporate and personal
challenges. That could mean that…well,
Ken Simpson has been at this for a long
time.
Not that he is leaving electronics
entirely. Korbon says that warranty work
on Korbon products will be carried out
by a firm called KSSM. That stands for
“Ken Simpson Sales and Marketing.”
Gossip&News
All equipment reviews are done on at least
one of UHF’s reference systems, selected as
working tools. They are changed infre-
quently, and only after long consideration.
The Alpha system
Our original reference is in a room
with extraordinary acoustics, designed as a
recording studio. It allows us to hear what
we couldn’t hear elsewhere, but there’s a
down side. Not only is the room too small
for large speakers, but it is also at the top of
a particularly unaccommodating stairwell.
Main digital player: Linn Unidisk 1.1
Additional CD player: CEC TL-51X
belt-driven transport, Counterpoint
DA-10A converter with HDCD card.
Digital cable: Atlas Opus 1.5m
Digital portable: Apple iPod 60 Gb
Turntable: Audiomeca J-1
Tone arm: Audiomeca SL-5
Pickup: Goldring Excel
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Copland CTA-305
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon
W-5LE)
Loudspeakers: Living Voice Avatar
OBX-R
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Voyager All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Actinote LB/
Eclipse III
Power cords: Gutwire, Wireworld
AC filters: Foundation Research LC-2
(power amp), Inouye SPLC.
The Omega system
It serves for reviews of gear that cannot
easily fit into the Alpha system, with its
small room. We didn’t set out to make an
“A” (best system) and a “B” (economy)
system, and we didn’t want to imply that
one of the two systems is somehow better
than the other. Hence the names, which
don’t invite comparisons. Unless you’re
Greek of course.
Digital players: shared with the Alpha
system
Turntable: Linn LP12/Lingo II
Tone arm: Alphason HR-100S MCS
Pickup: Goldring Excel
Phono preamp: Audiomat Phono-1.5
Preamplifier: Copland CTA-305
Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon
W-8
Loudspeakers: Reference 3a
Suprema II
Interconnects: Pierre Gabriel ML-1,
Atlas Navigator All-Cu
Loudspeaker cables: Pierre Gabriel
ML-1 for most of the range, Wire-
world Polaris for the twin subwoofers.
Power cords: GutWire, Aurora
AC filters: GutWire MaxCon
Squared, Foundation Research LC-1
Acoustics: Gershman Acoustic Art
The Kappa system
This is our home theatre system. As
with the original Alpha system, we had
limited space, and that pretty much ruled
out huge projectors and two-metre screens.
We did, however, finally come up with a
system whose performance gladdens both
eye and ear, with the needed resolution for
reviews.
HDTV monitor: Hitachi
43UWX10B CRT-based rear projector
DVD player: Simaudio Moon Stellar
with Faroudja Stingray video processor
Preamplifier/processor: Simaudio
Moon Attraction, 5.1 channel version
Power amplifiers: Simaudio Moon
W-3 (main speakers), Celeste 4070se
(centre speaker), Robertson 4010 (rear)
Main speakers: Energy Reference
Connoisseur
Centre speaker: Thiel MCS1, on
UHF’s own TV-top platform
Rear speakers: Elipson 1400
Subwoofer: 3a Design Acoustics
Cables: Van den Hul, MIT, GutWire,
Wireworld
Line filter: GutWire MaxCon
Squared
All three systems have dedicated power
lines, with Hubbell hospital grade outlets.
Extensions and power bars are equipped
with hospital-grade connectors.
The UHF Reference Systems
Goodbye Korbon
ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine