A definite eye-catcher, the $25,999/pair spherical Proclaim Audioworks DMT-100 speaker system features an external crossover that facilitates the ability to balance stereo output in difficult listening environments. (The crossover includes an L-pad bypass option to ensure "the cleanest possible signal path...for audio purists.") Each driver is independently mounted in a spherical enclosure cast from a proprietary high-density laminate. Fine-tunable for one's room, each driver can be adjusted up to 45° off-axis; they also afford up to 12" vertical and horizontal positioning flexibility for the tweeter and midrange modules. Daniel Herrington's babies, designed by ear, are so new that their sensitivity has yet to be measured.

Paired with Al Stiefel's excellent Red Rock 50W amplifiers, the Gamut CD1 and D3 preamp, and Kimber Kable, these speakers conveyed the special timbre of period instruments with unusual veracity. What I consider in some ways a work-in-progress, the speakers still transmitted something special in the bass and midrange rarely encountered in other rooms. I look forward to making their further acquaintance.