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Speaking of affordable, high-quality audio, The Sound Organisation was showing Rega’s new Fono Mini moving-magnet phono stage with USB output ($175). I want one.

My kind of style in the Music Hall room, where the featured system came in at under $4000: Music Hall’s new a70.2 integrated amplifier ($1499), MMF-2.2 turntable ($449) with Cruise Control 2.0 power supply and speed control ($299) and cork record mat ($50), a15.2 CD player ($499), the new DAC15.2 ($299), and Epos Epic 2 loudspeakers ($799/pair; see our reviews in the November and December issues).

In a much smaller room next door to GTT Audio's main suite, YG Acoustics’ Carmel loudspeakers ($18,000/pair) were driven by a Devialet D-Premier integrated amplifier/DAC ($16,999). Source components were Bryston’s BDP-1 digital media player ($2250) and PS Audio’s Perfect Wave Transport ($3000). Cables were Kubala-Sosna’s Emotion.

April Music presented the new Eximus DP1 DAC-preamplifier ($2995), which offers six digital inputs, including USB 2.0; two analog inputs, including a front-panel Aux; three analog outputs, including a front-panel headphone jack; and supports resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz.

I’ve grown used to hearing good sound in rooms occupied by Joseph Audio loudspeakers and this was no exception. We had a toe-tapping, hip-shaking, good time in here. The system was locked in a deep and heavy groove, sounding dynamic, fun, lively, and totally listenable.

Yes, listenable. You’d think that everything at a hi-fi show would be listenable, but you'd be surprised.

Anyway. The system:

Ron Sutherland was extremely excited about his versatile, new preamplifier.

“Want to know what it’s called?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“The N1.”

“Oh.”

“Get it?”

“What?”

“N1!”

“Hmm?”

“It’s all-in-one!”

It was around this point of the show that I started to feel weak and dizzy, overwhelmed by the size of RMAF and disappointed by the lack of truly affordable gear. Thank goodness for Gold Sound. The Colorado dealer had pieced together not one, not two, but five affordable, audiophile systems priced under $5000.