The trend toward smaller, less imposing systems is continued at SSI by Verity Audio, showing their gorgeous Parsifal Ovation Monitor ($9000/pair). While Simaudio and Dynaudio were showing what can be achieved at the lower end of the price scale, Verity, Nagra, and dCS put together a room-friendly system made to slay giants.

Here we see the Parsifal Monitors sitting proud atop their new matching, height-adjustable stands (price TBD). A striking combo. The Monitors were supplemented by Verity's Rocco subwoofer ($10,000), which uses two high-power, low-distortion 12" drivers configured in a bass-reflex enclosure, and is capable of providing 1000W of ICE power.

Tempo Sales & Marketing's John Quick confided, "It can be sort of maddening to have a setup like this because you can spend hours and hours just dialing in the bass to get it right, only to play a recording and find that something is completely off."

Not the case here, however. The presentation was seamless and coherent. Nothing overwhelming at all about the sound in this room produced by Verity Audio along with Nagra amplification and the lust-worthy dCS Scarlatti: It simply sounded like music. We listen to a Ry Cooder track with Ali Farka Toure and I am captured by the rhythms.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes.

I can't afford this sort of performance now, but maybe someday...