I spent some time listening to systems from two companies of which Brian Barr is President: SAE (Scientific Audio Electronics) and CAT (California Audio Technology). In the first, two SAE 2HP-D amplifiers ($20,000/each), which graced the cover of Stereophile when Michael Fremer reviewed the amp in the October 2016 issue, drove new bi-amped Eggleston Works 20th anniversary Limited Edition Andra Viginti speakers ($40,000/pair). Michael is currently reviewing these speakers, whose 4 ohm nominal impedance indicates that they were driven by a mere 1200Wpc of SAE power… (Read more)
As reported on Stereophile’s web site: Back inside the Sheraton Gateway hotel, I visited the Source Audio/Video Design Group’s room, which contained a VPI Avenger turntable ($10,000), a McIntosh C52 preamplifier ($7000), two SAE 2HP-D power amplifiers ($19,995 each), and Pearl Evolution Victor Ballerina 401/8 DPG loudspeakers ($14,000/pair). The digital source was a McIntosh MCD550 SACD/CD player ($6500). The entire system was completed with McIntosh loudspeaker cables and Kimber Kable interconnects. The SAE 2HP-D celebrate SAE’s (Scientific Audio Electronics) 50th Anniversary! So of course we also had to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was my first time experiencing SAE after reading Michael Fremer’s review of the 2HP-D published last fall in Stereophile and...
Is your mouth watering yet? Mine was when I laid eyes on the 2HP-D, one of three amazing amplifiers that signal the return of Scientific Audio Electronics. Founded in 1967 by stealth designer Morris Kessler (see “15 Minutes with SAE Founder, Amp Guru Morris Kessler.”), SAE has always been synonymous with world-class amplification, which in Kessler’s view boils down to three key ingredients: reliability, accuracy, and freedom from noise. As he puts it, “Voltage and current must be available to satisfy the demands of the program material, and the amplifier itself cannot intrude on the user experience.” Read the article on soundandvision.com
