From the October 2004 issue, Michael Fremer reviews the mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeaker, enthusing, "In one night's listening orgy, I tore through albums by the Weavers, Harry Belafonte, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tony Bennett, etc—all recorded live in Carnegie Hall. The results were nothing short of astonishing."

Also from October, Robert J. Reina takes a listen to the Polk RTi4 loudspeaker. Even though the speaker retails at $320/pair, RJR writes, "I was immediately taken by the Polk's detailed, natural, and delicate midrange. This, combined with unexaggerated articulation of low-level dynamics, enabled the speaker to reproduce well-recorded woodwinds with a level of realism unusual for a speaker at this price."

Next, Art Dudley lugs a pair of Lamm ML2.1 monoblock power amplifiers into his home and sets them up. After an extended listen, AD is prompted to declare: "Now I have to rethink everything. John Atkinson, please revisit all my prior component recommendations and lower their ratings some."

Finally, one last review from October 2004: Art Dudley on the Linn Akiva MC phono cartridge. According to Dudley, "At $3000, the Akiva is expensive but not too expensive, given not only the precision machining required to make it but also the accuracy required to form, polish, and align its obviously very good line-contact stylus."