Sonogy New Products

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Unchanged: Welcome to tomorrow’s Sonogy.  While our new innovations are not on the market <em>yet</em>, we can see the finish line.  After three years of intense listening, research, designing, and prototyping (and more listening!) we have pre-protoype products in the field. Unchanged: Welcome to tomorrow’s Sonogy.  While our new innovations are not on the market <em>yet</em>, we can see the finish line.  After three years of intense listening, research, designing, and prototyping (and more listening!) we have pre-protoype products in the field.
Unchanged: In the Sonogy blog, I have documented some of the journey, and hope to document much more.  In the blog, you will find  both an overview of our direction, and also a jumping off point that gives you a window into our thinking, our methods, our frustrations and our progress.  And even if you never buy a Sonogy product, insight into what we have learned.  I hope you enjoy it – please check back regularly. Unchanged: In the Sonogy blog, I have documented some of the journey, and hope to document much more.  In the blog, you will find  both an overview of our direction, and also a jumping off point that gives you a window into our thinking, our methods, our frustrations and our progress.  And even if you never buy a Sonogy product, insight into what we have learned.  I hope you enjoy it – please check back regularly.
Unchanged: So what ARE we doing?  We’re trying to change the game, in convenience, value-for-price, rich sound, and an attractive package. Unchanged: So what ARE we doing?  We’re trying to change the game, in convenience, value-for-price, rich sound, and an attractive package.
Unchanged: Many good, sometimes great, products exist in the high end. We were not interested in doing “just” another excellent product, even if it set a new bar in value. We wanted to make a huge jump, anbd deliver a product that is very different from <em>all</em> “high end” products; — one that i believe the market wants, maybe even needs. Unchanged: Many good, sometimes great, products exist in the high end. We were not interested in doing “just” another excellent product, even if it set a new bar in value. We wanted to make a huge jump, anbd deliver a product that is very different from <em>all</em> “high end” products; — one that i believe the market wants, maybe even needs.
Unchanged: After any years in high-end i still loved the sound and the music. But packaging frustrated me, expense made it a non-starter for most, and convenience was non-existent.  Sometime it seems that in the retro-vibe of vinyl and tubes, we lost sight of how people live, socialized and interact with music.  Moreover, as i asked around, the same things frustrated many of my friends <em>and especially their non-audiophile but music loving family and friends</em>.  We all wanted something affordable, smaller and sleeker – more easily integrated into a living environment.  Ideally one box.  And the world has moved to remote control, yet great sound has largely not. Unchanged: After any years in high-end i still loved the sound and the music. But packaging frustrated me, expense made it a non-starter for most, and convenience was non-existent.  Sometime it seems that in the retro-vibe of vinyl and tubes, we lost sight of how people live, socialized and interact with music.  Moreover, as i asked around, the same things frustrated many of my friends <em>and especially their non-audiophile but music loving family and friends</em>.  We all wanted something affordable, smaller and sleeker – more easily integrated into a living environment.  Ideally one box.  And the world has moved to remote control, yet great sound has largely not.
Unchanged: &lt;406 error being trouble-shot&gt; Unchanged: &lt;406 error being trouble-shot&gt;
Unchanged: Enter our new project – an “integrated” amp that has been thoroughly re-thought.   What have we re-thought? Unchanged: Enter our new project – an “integrated” amp that has been thoroughly re-thought.   What have we re-thought?
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Unchanged: <li><strong> We have re-thought the false trade-off between convenience and sound quality</strong>.  Our design provides remote control selection, volume, balance and a few others feature s- but ALSO make sit possible to purify the signal path to a point hat has been impractical.  Our solutions is a mix of advanced technology (like embedded computer control) and sonically superior traditional technology (like using individual, 1% metal film resistors as the volume control).  Every audiophile, dealer and other influencer that we have loaned these to has been shocked by the transparency of the sound that results, addicted to the convenience, and surprised how convenient it is to be able to correct for small room imbalances from your listening position – be it a “listening seat” or flopped on the couch. For example, in my living space (not my dedicated music space) i often sit off-center to read. I can easily create proper L-R balance with a click or two.  Better image, better sound.</li> Unchanged: <li><strong> We have re-thought the false trade-off between convenience and sound quality</strong>.  Our design provides remote control selection, volume, balance and a few others feature s- but ALSO make sit possible to purify the signal path to a point hat has been impractical.  Our solutions is a mix of advanced technology (like embedded computer control) and sonically superior traditional technology (like using individual, 1% metal film resistors as the volume control).  Every audiophile, dealer and other influencer that we have loaned these to has been shocked by the transparency of the sound that results, addicted to the convenience, and surprised how convenient it is to be able to correct for small room imbalances from your listening position – be it a “listening seat” or flopped on the couch. For example, in my living space (not my dedicated music space) i often sit off-center to read. I can easily create proper L-R balance with a click or two.  Better image, better sound.</li>
Unchanged: <li><strong>We re-thought how an affordable component could sound</strong>.  Our integrated amplifier (target price ~ $3,000) competes with preamp-amp combinations in the $10-30,000 range – as noted by those that temporarily displaced their existing components to evaluate it and give me feedback ( thank you to all!). Unchanged: <li><strong>We re-thought how an affordable component could sound</strong>.  Our integrated amplifier (target price ~ $3,000) competes with preamp-amp combinations in the $10-30,000 range – as noted by those that temporarily displaced their existing components to evaluate it and give me feedback ( thank you to all!).
Unchanged: This is not magic – its smart engineering.  We wont wow you with the costly parts harvested from the Peruvian Andes – because we don’t use them. We use parts that provide 99.9% of the performance for 5% of the cost – when such exist – and are proud if it. Unchanged: This is not magic – its smart engineering.  We wont wow you with the costly parts harvested from the Peruvian Andes – because we don’t use them. We use parts that provide 99.9% of the performance for 5% of the cost – when such exist – and are proud if it.
Unchanged: No doubt our products will have limitations, but they are far higher than you think, and typically there are way better places to spend an additional $10k – like on speakers or music (software). Or wine. We all know music sounds better with wine, right?  Right?</li> Unchanged: No doubt our products will have limitations, but they are far higher than you think, and typically there are way better places to spend an additional $10k – like on speakers or music (software). Or wine. We all know music sounds better with wine, right?  Right?</li>
Unchanged: <li>We <strong>re-thought whether tubes are essential</strong> to a warm, non-fatiguing and 3-D presentation. If you have followed Sonogy over the decades, you likely know that we have been studying, and occasionally publishing, on why solid state often sounds more harsh and less (terrible word alert) musical.  Our new designs package everything we learned, and the additional benefits of 3 years of research (Covid lockdowns had their merits I guess). Unchanged: <li>We <strong>re-thought whether tubes are essential</strong> to a warm, non-fatiguing and 3-D presentation. If you have followed Sonogy over the decades, you likely know that we have been studying, and occasionally publishing, on why solid state often sounds more harsh and less (terrible word alert) musical.  Our new designs package everything we learned, and the additional benefits of 3 years of research (Covid lockdowns had their merits I guess).
Unchanged: I want to emphasize that we don’t strive for a tube sound.  Tubes have their share of sonic problems too.  We simply worked very har5d to eradicate all the flaws in solid state, while preserving its many virtues – among them cost, size, durability, bass, practicality, and reduced heat.  And no $1000 re-tubes.</li> Unchanged: I want to emphasize that we don’t strive for a tube sound.  Tubes have their share of sonic problems too.  We simply worked very har5d to eradicate all the flaws in solid state, while preserving its many virtues – among them cost, size, durability, bass, practicality, and reduced heat.  And no $1000 re-tubes.</li>
Deleted: <li>We re-thought how our users will listen.  The basic unit is line-stage, optimized for digital, and especially HD streaming – which is clearly the majority of users, and even more dominant among younger users.  But we provide two very high-value, optional, plug-in circuits:  1) a phono (RIAA) stage that can support either regular moving magnet or low output moving coil cartridges, directly, and 2) a class-A, discrete headphone amp to appeal to the many young and urban listeners who prefer or need what is now called “personal audio”.  This headphone amp surprised even us – exceeding our expectations – by a lot.  It may be the finest headphone amp on the market, and will drive almost anything (electrostatics excepted, of course). Added: <li><strong>We re-thought how our users will listen, and recognize that we may use our systems very differently</strong>.  The basic unit is line-stage, optimized for digital, and especially HD streaming – which is clearly the majority of users, and even more dominant among younger users.  But we provide two very high-value, optional, plug-in circuits:  1) a phono (RIAA) stage that can support either regular moving magnet or low output moving coil cartridges, directly, and 2) a class-A, discrete headphone amp to appeal to the many young and urban listeners who prefer or need what is now called “personal audio”.  This headphone amp surprised even us – exceeding our expectations – by a lot.  It may be the finest headphone amp on the market, and will drive almost anything (electrostatics excepted, of course).
Unchanged: For those dying to know the phono stage delivers up to 66dB of gain at 1 kHz, is fully discrete, fully class-A, and performs RIAA equalization entirely passively.</li> Unchanged: For those dying to know the phono stage delivers up to 66dB of gain at 1 kHz, is fully discrete, fully class-A, and performs RIAA equalization entirely passively.</li>
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