At the GamuT house, the first beauty that caught my eye was their new Phi3 loudspeaker dressed in drop-dead gorgeous zebra wood. "In Europe," said designer Lars Goller, "anything striped is really hot right now."

"That must include shirts," responded Jon Iverson, noting that every GamuT representative was sporting stripes of some sort.

Besides great looks, the Phi3 also features a tweeter design that Lars Goller has been developing for over a decade. His passion for music and wonder of technology are undisputable. "If it doesn't sound like music," he said, "there is no point. Designing a loudspeaker is an incredible challenge, but it's very interesting." He paused. "And it's a good hobby," he smiled.

The lovely Phi3 costs $2500 and will be available by the end of February.