HE 2007

Masataka Tsuda designs and manufactures both Concert Fidelity and Silicon Arts components. What's the diff? Concert Fidelity is his tube line; Silicon Arts Design represents his thinking on—you guessed it—solid-state.

In Rick Brown's Hi Fi One room, Maestro Tsuda had both his state-of-the-art Concert Fidelity CF-80 line stage ($18,000) and Silicon Arts ZL-120 mono amplifiers ($23,000/pair), as well as a prototype of his SA SPA-4 phono stage ($18,000).

The front end was the "half price" Continuum Criterion turntable with Copperhead tonearm ($51,000). The speakers were the Peak Consult Princess ($10,500/pair). And the sound? To die for. Deep and rich and detailed and completely involving.

Tsuda-san was quite retiring, but his devotion to excellence was apparent—and Steve Hoffman masters with his Concert Fidelity kit (and he just acquired a Criterion/Copperhead for playback, too). Having heard the Hi Fi One system, I can see (hear?) why.