LATEST ADDITIONS

Another company new to me—another high-end integrated. Actually, I'm in favor of both. I think HE integrateds make a lot of sense and new blood is always good for the breed. Actually, Mike Bladelius is not a new name in audio, having designed for Threshold in the early 1990s, but Bladelius Design Group certainly seemed like a new kid on the block.

Vincent was showing a room full of well-built, good-sounding, surprisingly affordable tube gear.The first thing that caught my eye (ear) was the 60Wpc V-60 ($3995). The V-60 sports four EL-34s per channel for that classic themionic caramel color (but just the teensiest bit). Pairs of 69273 and 6FQ7s complete the complement. Another sweet spot I never wanted to leave.

Another massive integrated that impressed me was Plinius' 200Wpc Hiato ($8900), which can also include a modular phono section ($1275). It accepts RCA and XLR inputs. Weighing in at a whopping 60 lbs, the Hiato sounded sauve and unflappable, living up to its name, which means "coming together in harmony" in Maori.

S/PDIF, Meridian Speakerline, Comm S, 12 volt triggers and assorted connectors on the back of the Control 20.

The recent marriage between Meridian and Sooloos didn't take long to bear progeny. They've started resorting the Sooloos line of media server products beginning with the Control:One touchscreen which is now the Control 10.

PS Audio is also showing a prototype of the new PerfectWave DAC/pre, also slated for around $2999, and sporting a touch screen. There are four HDMI imputs on the back (only compatible with their I²S flavor of HDMI) and a touchscreen on the front for controlling volume and such.

Last year PS Audio <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2008/010808psps/">teased us</A> with a prototype disc player called the memory link which never quite made it to production. Instead, the company evolved the idea further and created a new line of products branded PerfectWave.