Computer Audiophile Advertisers Index
Diamond Sponsors
Benchmark Media Systems, Inc. is a privately-held manufacturer of precision audio electronics providing leading-edge performance to broadcasters, recording studios, sound reinforcement contractors, and home audiophiles since 1978.
After studying electrical engineering Daniel Weiss joined the Willi Studer (Studer - Revox) company in Switzerland. At Studer he worked in the digital audio lab for five years. His work included the design of a sampling frequency converter and the digital signal processing electronics for digital audio recorders. In 1985 Mr. Weiss founded the company Weiss Engineering. From the very beginning the company concentrated on the design and manufacture of digital audio equipment for mastering studios. The modular "102 Series" system was the first product. Even today this system is still up to date (24 bit / 96kHz) and is still sold. Hundreds of Mastering Studios around the world use it every day.
Platinum Sponsors
Acousence offers mainly high definition recordings which are designed to provide (aside from exceptional musical content and an audiophile sound quality), above all, emotionally intense performances. The spontaneity and naturalness of live performances, combined with a highly refined recording technique that is capable of transmitting the smallest of sound-nuances, so essential in portraying atmosphere and emotional content, provide a true "Concert" experience.
Berkeley Audio Design, LLC was founded by three alumni of Pacific Microsonics, Inc., developer of the HDCD process and the Pacific Microsonics Model One and Model Two, widely considered to be the highest quality professional ADC and DAC ever produced. Berkeley Audio Design was formed with the goal of making that level of fidelity available to music lovers and audiophiles everywhere. The Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC is the first acheivement towards that goal.
Ciamara designs ultra-high end analog audio systems for audiophiles and audio enthusiasts. Ciamara designs, manufactures and implements standard and custom components, for any given space, that work together to deliver a sound rich in realism and emotion. Ciamara amplifiers, electronics and loudspeakers are based on Ciamara 's own proprietary design concepts.
First Impression Music (FIM) is Winston Ma's record label with an aspiration for higher fidelity. Whether the music is beautiful is subjective. However, the quality of production can be measured objectively and scientifically. Among other specs and apart from choosing the best sounding master tape of beautiful music, FIM would like to highlight three major criteria by which it can legitimately claim as one of the finest products in the world, viz. (1) All FIM CDs are mastered by top engineers, such as Paul Stubblebine, either in 88.2kHz 24-bit HDCD, XRCD, Surround Sound or even the latest dts. (2) "One generation only" transfer in the mastering process is ensured. We, audiophiles, believe that the more generations of transfer will induce more distortion and loss of information to the music source. 3) The next step is to control the quality of the replication of the CDs. One of the ways is to ensure that the Block Error Rate (BLER) is as low as possible. The BLER of GS CDs is averaged at 20 while the industrial norm is around 200, meaning technically, they are 10 times better. For FIM CDs, the BLER is even averaged at 10, meaning technically 20 times better! To assure customers, FIM provides copies of the certificate of authenticity on request for every CD sold! Perhaps this is the only label that offers this level of guarantee and service. Hence, the whole production process is under meticulous quality control. In a nutshell, the owner of a FIM CD is ensured that he is in possession of one that gives him more beautiful music and the highest quality available in the market.
Audio engineer/designer, Michael Grace, originally began building single order custom audio products for a small, devout following of recording engineers and artists in 1990. Before long, the word had spread about Michael's custom microphone preamplifier designs, which were said to outperform anything else that was commercially available. Based on an increasing demand for this mic preamp design, in 1994 Grace Design was founded and began production of the original model 801 microphone preamplifier. Over the years, Grace Design has maintained a steady, methodical pace to developing new products and technologies. Located in Boulder, Colorado, Grace Design continues its mission into the new millennium. Its employees are treated like our family and Grace Design strives to maintain business relationships as friendships. And above all, Grace Design remains driven by the original passion that founded the company- the love of music.
Music Lovers Audio was established as an East Bay High End Stereo store in 1989. It was a small boutique-style shop dedicated to making the highest quality audio reproduction possible. The core philosophy of the owners, Jae Wheeler and Hugh Fountain, was that High End Audio required a new evolutionary development, one that was driven by the quality of sound rather than a hierarchy based solely on brand names; one that was based on the satisfaction of the customer over the long term; and one that held in high regard the emotional response which takes place when listening to music. This idea fueled the store in each of its endeavors, even as the High End Audio world changed drastically, Music Lovers remained securely fastened to its philosophical roots. After only a few years Music Lovers became one of the first Bay Area High End Audio and "Video" stores by embracing a then fledgling notion of Home Theater.
Our current locations at 2116 Blake St in Berkeley, CA and 2295 Bush St in San francisco, CA feature several rooms, each capable of displaying two channel stereo and home theater systems alike. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have the spaces necessary to meet whatever requirements you may have.
RR believes that how a recording sounds is as important as the music itself. "Prof." Keith O. Johnson, the chief engineer and Technical Director, is a true audio legend, having designed and patented many innovative products in the professional and consumer fields. The RR Sound comes from his singular methods and equipment, hand-built or extensively modified by him. Microphone techniques range from single-point Blumlein to spaced omnis to complex studio mixes, depending on the musical forces and the performing space involved. RR's goal is to recreate the sound of real musicians making music in real space. For more than 20 years, Keith O. Johnson has served as Technical Director, Recording Engineer and partner in Reference Recordings. His 100-plus recordings for the label have long been considered the standard for high fidelity, and include three GRAMMY award-winners and eight additional GRAMMY nominations.
Simple Design offers a select line of products to improve your computer audio listening experience. It builds custom computer based audio players to its exacting specifications to maximize the audio and video spectrum. Simple Design hand selects each component for its computers for specific features and helps customers with seamless integration into their environment. Simple Design's services and systems start out at a modest cost, but always maintain its goal of reproducing the very best sound field possible.
Wavelength Audio provides a number of vacuum tube based audio components including award winning SET Amplifiers and USB DACs. Gordon Rankin is one of the most respected minds in the business when it comes to USB audio. His asynchronous USB DACs are highly regarded by audiophiles and industry insiders. Gordon has been using computer based playback systems for many years so computer audio is nothing new to him.
