The Component That Got Away: Audiophile Edition
Jerry Del Colliano By Jerry Del Colliano
Author's Reference AV System

Posted on: March 19, 2025
Reading Time: 9 minutes

The Cello Audio Palette
There is no one audiophile component that represents the pinnacle of career selling stereo equipment more than the Cello Audio Palette. Cello was Mark Levinson’s follow-up company to his namesake brand that he lost control of in the early 1980s. Mark commissioned designer Dick Burwin to make a mastering-grade “program equalizer” that was second to none in terms of its performance at the time of its product launch, also in the mid-1980s. This analog EQ could be used “off-label” as a one-source preamp, but normally was paired with a card-based stereo preamp from Cello, called the Audio Suite. The Cello Audio Suite was way ahead of the curve in its modular (fully analog) design, as you could have a card for balanced inputs, unbalanced inputs, a phonostage, and more. If Cello didn’t have a stock card for what you needed, they would make you one specifically to your design needs. The strongest tie-in between the Cello Audio Palette and the Cello Audio Suite was that it shared a power supply, which by today’s standards seems like a less-than-optimal standard, but it worked at the time.

What makes the Cello Audio Palette so rare is exactly what makes Enzo-era Ferraris so pricey at auction – which is scarcity. There couldn’t have been more than a few hundred Cello Audio Palettes ever made for worldwide consumption. The fact that the Cello Audio Palette and the Cello Audio Suite power up from the same power supply means that they are often sold together as a pair and, even back in the day, these components were quite expensive. That means finding a Cello Audio Palette without the accompanying reference preamp is not quite as likely. A mid-1990s retail price on a Cello Audio Palette was over $25,000. That didn’t stop recording studios and mastering labs from buying them then, as well as seeking them out now as an exotic and vintage component. Consider a Cello Audio Palette to be the EQ version of a studio that has a collection of vintage microphones from the likes of companies like Neumann.

I’ve never technically owned a Cello Audio Palette, but I sure as hell sold them and worked every day with them before I left Cello Music and Film Los Angeles while a junior at music school to start AVRev.com with an $11,000 commission and barely half a clue what I was doing. Starting a stereo magazine with a black-and-white Apple MacBook 520B laptop, complete with a 9600-baud dial-up modem, was pretty foolish in retrospect. So was not buying a Cello Audio Palette before I left working for Cello, as they would have given me an insanely good price on such a high-end audio component. Would I have been smart enough to keep such a sought-after audiophile component? Realistically, that would be a no. Somewhere in the future, I would have I needed money, and I would have likely sold the Audio Palette, but that doesn’t change me still wanting one to this day. I recently found a used Cello Audio Palette and Audio Suite on eBay.com for over $30,000, which is way, way, way out of my budget, but I did love the idea that I could find one at any price at this late date. Perhaps the idea of dreaming of owning one of these sought-after equalizers is enough? More times than not, it feels that way, but it doesn’t keep me from looking around from time to time.

https://futureaudiophile.com/the-component-that-got-away-audiophile-edition/

Muzizman

聽音樂哪有what班呢？

如果hi-fi還已作為男人首飾，夠不夠班的說法還可以的,但有些男人是討厭首飾的 哈哈

聽音樂簡簡單單用手機都可 哈哈
How are you ？ Long time no see

Relax and enjoy more music.

最後修改時間: 2025-07-06 16:21:47

Palette pre + encore 50 + AR LST , 唔夠班!

住8000尺花園大屋嘅HaHa兄同住300尺舊長型廉租屋嘅黑膠高人都係幾十年前就玩Cello.













最後修改時間: 2025-07-06 14:25:34

haha,

Cello 線用在什么机及喇叭?

Karas

Yes..I used those string for non cello system , 將佢哋改咗為 RCA to RCA , XLR to XLR etc

And also using string 3 for speaker too ,七千幾八千蚊三米長左右,呢個價錢在二手市場確實係會有啲更好嘅，or 唔同口味亦都不錯嘅

接線千幾至二三千，好抵

你週圍留意下久唔久係有散線 cello string 1

如果真係買嚟聽，唔係買嚟做比較等等，如果手頭上唔係用緊一啲比較靚嘅 nordost..siltech etc ... 值得用唔會嘥時間，如果用緊啲比較靚嘅接線，其實冇需要change to cello

因為我用咗呢啲cello 接線及喇叭線都十幾二十年以上，了解佢哋嘅特性，換機唔妥，都幾肯定知道唔係接線嘅問題 etc，感覺夠好了，不需要更好


最後修改時間: 2025-07-06 00:44:21

HAHA兄 條cello string用在rca？
聽講做喇叭線好唔錯？？ 我都係聽返黎

還以為今時今日還可以保存這些cello 咁好十分難得

cello string 有價有事是否值得？

這個問題其實唔容易答

幾千蚊買條線返嚟唔鍾意聽買返出去唔使蝕錢
從這個角度看值得

自己已經有一些唔錯嘅 inter connection，以為佢十分好
其實又唔係好用得到，浪費時間唔值得

始終都是一條細緻程度比較好但係有確實平平無奇的一條線，三兩千蚊有一條咁嘅線係底嘅，但人生的時間享受時光可能更珍貴

如果預算在三兩千蚊內，唔會玩其他expensive線嘅，十分值得

如果是一種喜歡玩線及用線材調整聲音的習慣，不要浪費時間，因為時間珍貴所以唔值得


我還使用 cello string 1 & 3 ,因為我從來唔玩線，以往玩好多套車佬留低落嚟嘅，所以用得幾開心

如果突然之間我需要一條新嘅接線，我會唔會二千蚊買返一對呢 for non cello system ,不會，純粹因為個人因素喜歡diy

如果有朋友只想花不超過二三千蚊買一條接線，市場有一條cello string with RCA for 1600 ? 絕對推薦




最後修改時間: 2025-07-04 23:04:43

請教下 條string cable仲有價有市
係咪值得擁有？

.

Two cello AUDIO SUITE units | P101MC module, P301 x 2, among others. This specific unit is distinctive as it includes a VIOLA module for digital sources.

https://audiodripper.jp/cello-audio-suite-used-mc101-2set





最後修改時間: 2025-07-02 10:08:28

cello AUDIO PALETTE MIV
Posted on:2024/03/15

https://audiodripper.jp/cello-palette-user-listen-view

Macm 兄，

唔使客氣！祝你早日買到心頭好

^_^

謝謝JRA師兄意見

Macm 兄，

Bridged set 有 200w RMS @ 8ohm.
小弟愚見，啱聽的喇叭唔易搵，如果真係唔夠力，唯有換擴音機遷就 Kharma。

各位Kharma用家師兄好，本人現在用的系統是Cello suite前級，後級用了兩對cello 的encore Bridged 咗，推Wilson 的Shasa2, 感覺良好，但最近聽了kharma exquisite galileo跟Shasa 2AB比試之後，就喜歡上Kharma 了，想買對kharma exquisite Midi,又不知道現在對Encore推唔推得掂，請師兄們給點意見。

謝謝師兄

如果冇記錯一個係訊号地，一個係壳地，俾phono線接用.MPS 已經有接地. 詳细可以上網看説明書.