RMAF 2010

Peak Consult is a new brand for Jay Rein’s Bluebird Music, and the company’s attractive InCognito XII loudspeaker ($22,000/pair) sounded just perfectly at home with Chord Electronics’ Red Reference MkII CD player ($25,900), CPA 5000 preamp ($21, 900), and 500Wpc SPM 1400 monoblocks ($32,900/pair). Cables were Van den Hul’s Nova speaker wire ($3295) and MC Silver interconnects ($7268).

On static display: Spendor’s A6 loudspeakers ($3695/pair), Exposure’s 3010S2 CD player and integrated amplifier ($2195 each), the Chordette Gem DAC ($799; review to come from Art Dudley), and Chord’s SPM 1050 amplifier ($7695).

Rein played a fun track by a band called Blueseum—“funk with a side of blues!”—and the sound was marked by fast, clean transients and big, tight bass.