Dynaudio’s Mike Mannousselis always brings a ton of awesome music to hi-fi shows, and this time he played a track called “Suzanne” by Asobi Seksu, a band I once booked to play at Uncle Joe’s, a small but dearly loved dive bar in downtown Jersey City. And, though that show took place nearly eight years ago, I was quickly and easily transported to that time. It was a cold winter night and we huddled around the fireplace of Uncle Joe’s cozy backroom. Asobi Seksu proceeded to heat us up with their music, a tantalizing mix of shoegaze and psychedelic sounds.

Making their North American debuts were the Dynaudio Focus 340 ($7500/pair) and Focus 160 ($2900/pair). The system was completed by T+A’s MP1260R streaming client–DAC ($4000), P1260R preamp ($4000), A1560R power amp ($6000), and G1260R ($4300, with a modified Ortofon cartridge). Cables were all AudioQuest.

The XX were reproduced with great low-end impact and top-end clarity; I noted impressive delineation of the male and female vocals and a compelling overall performance.