RMAF 2014

iFi's Stereo 50 Vacuum Tube Amplifier + LS 3.5 Speaker Combo

Michael Fremer  |  Oct 12, 2014

What could be more appropriate to plug your wooden turntable into than the iFi phono preamp built into iFi's Stereo 50 Vacuum Tube Amplifier complete with two-way LS 3.5 speakers?

A serious listen was impossible in the noisy room but it was easy to see that the Stereo 50 and LS 3.5 were perhaps the coolest looking product at RMAF this year. In addition to the built-in MM/MC (38db-62dB gain) phono preamplifier the Stereo 50 includes a DSD/DXD/PCM DAC supporting native DSD512, PCM 768Hz and 2X DSD. The vacuum tube amp outputs 25 watts per channel via NOS tubes and also features aptX Bluetooth connectivity with NFC support.

But wait! There's more: a built-in Headphone Turbo® headphone amp, asynchronous USB, optical and SPDIF connectivity, tone control, an analog remote volume control and 3D Holographic Sound Systems® 3D XBass.

The LS 3.5 speakers inspired by the legendary LS3/5a monitors feature bamboo cabinets, tuned multi-chamber ports, a 1.1" transparent hand-treated time-aligned organic silk dome tweeter, a 4.5" super light coated paper cone woofer, advanced amino-plastic open cell acoustic foam and gold plated copper terminals.

The Stereo 50 and LS 3.5 package sells for $1999. That is not a typo. Coming to a hip kid's dorm room or your office soon. I can't wait to hear this at home and review it here.

COMPANY INFO
Avatar Acoustics
545 Wentworth Court
Fayetteville, GA. 30215
dcensullo@avataracoustics.com
(678) 817 0573
avataracoustics.com

COMMENTS
fotomeow's picture
Submitted by fotomeow on Tue, 2014-10-14 18:05

Looks great on paper, hope it sounds just as good.
Really impressed with all the products these have put out the last year or so, I've been watching them, but haven't pulled the trigger yet on any one item.
I bet it sounds good with the LS3/5's, but then we are bound to lose a lot of low end info, especially in even a medium-sized room.

amudhen's picture
Submitted by amudhen on Wed, 2014-10-15 16:25

I walked by these but did not listen to them. Another way cool product I did listen to was the Sprout integrated amp by Scott McGowen, adjacent to the PS Audio room. Did you catch it?

oregonpapa's picture
Submitted by oregonpapa on Tue, 2015-02-17 01:27

Looks like the classic designs of the old days. Much appreciated by this old fart.

XjunkieNL's picture
Submitted by XjunkieNL on Wed, 2015-09-09 10:37

Own an unit for 6 months now. What a great all-in-one box. The amp is very well balanced. It is a well thought out concept. Everything is not just added and put on top of each other. It is integrated in the real sense of the word. The end result is a very natural and open sounding amplifier that successfully combines old and new technologies and offers an extravaganza of music sources to listen to.

X