High-End 2001

  We here at Enjoy the Music.com would like to give special recognition to various products and rooms that showcase the upper stratosphere of the audio art. This is not to say that only expensive gear need apply. Far from it! We will especially give acknowledgment for high value, low cost equipment as well. Only the truly superior within their field need apply. Each day during the show this page will be updated with those products and rooms we found worthy. And the winners are:

 

 

Coolest photo op came from Chord's new SPM 6000 monoblock 800-watt amplifier ($30,000 USD). Both balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs are provided for. It utilizes thee 4kw high frequency power supplies. It employs a lateral structure mosfet output stage.

 

My vote for the room with the most colorful display is SAC. Way cool red loudspeakers, blue loudspeakers plus a cool red turntable. For those who graduated from the University of Florida (U of F), like our Senior Editor Dick Olsher, they also had an orange and blue dual tonearm turntable as seen below. Go Gators!

 

 

The coolest looking non-round, nor square, loudspeaker goes to Dynavox for their GEM line. From left to right are their Opal (€4,250), Saphir (€7,000) and the largest of the group called the Topaz (€10,000).

 

 

Dynavox's coolest at show tonearm, the Hypertracer (€1,390), is made from Lucite. Due to avoiding a more normal tube-type design, the Hypertracer is claimed to be "resonant-free" according to the representative. It also has a built in level for accurate setup.

 

 

The Bella Luna (9,800/pr DM) loudspeaker by Duevel loudspeakers with vinyl replay and other upstream gear won, hands down, the best sound of the show for Friday. The system also included, specifically, the Pluto Audio 12A turntable, 5A Prestige tonearm and Pluto One cartridge. The Blue Amp phono stage fed Kilmo's Merlin pre-amplifier and then to Klimo's Beltaine five-watt single-ended amplifier.

 

 

Omicron way cool turntable is a prototype (24,000DM) . Check out that tone arm! It'll set you back a cool 8,000DM. Stop salivation.

 

 

Bunzow loudspeakers mat have the winning computer MycroStat 500S (4,000 DM/pr). While the frequency response is around 200Hz on up. Electrostatic drivers are 50cm high and 10cm wide and depth is only 1cm (without stand as shown with small bottom plate). www.buenzow.de