The Absolute Sound (TAS) is out with their October issue. Unfortunately, most of its pages are devoted to the Editor’s Choice Awards, which would actually be valuable if they ranked the components relative to one other instead of simply listing them in order of price.
In terms of new content, the following components are reviewed:
- Simaudio Moon i-1 integrated amp ($1,500)
- Simaudio Moon CD-1 CD player ($1,500)
- Pass Labs XA100.5 monoblock power amps ($16,500/pair)
- Hansen Audio “The Prince” V2 speakers ($39,000/pair)
In addition, the Absolute Analog column includes auditions and evaluations of the following:
- Clearaudio Maestro cartridge ($995)
- Koetsu Onyx Platinum cartridge ($8,000)
- Ultimate Analog Test LP ($39.99)
There is also another painful editorial from Robert Harley on the subject of double-blind listening tests. Given the reaction this subject is known to elicit, I am guessing that TAS and the other major glossy are using it as bait for people to visit their online forums. TAS even has a sub-forum dedicated to it.