Using the same treble and upper-midrange Air-Motion Transformer units as the Class Column 3 that Bob Deutsch writes about in the next story, the much more expensive Tensor Beta Mk.2 ($35,000/pair) adds new lower midrange unit and woofers, all with Hexacone diaphragms. The massive, cross-braced MDF enclosure features a 22mm-thick aluminum baffle and the interior walls are faced with a unique plastic-honeycomb substance with the cells filled with steel shot. The shot very effectively absorbs vibrations.

Driven by Accuphase amplification and hooked up with Clarus cables, the sound in this room featured a wide dynamic range with impressive neutrality, even at low frequencies. The famous drums from Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man knocked me backward in my chair!