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Eye-catching as all get-out, Alsyvox Boticelli loudspeakers ($89,000/pair)—having arrived from Spain with their optional external crossover ($25,000) —made a useful connection with Italy’s Omega Audio Concepts DNA CDP disc transport ($12,000), DNA DAC ($9000), and DNA mono amplifiers ($20,000/pair complete with integrated preamps) to produce intriguing sound.

That the first big room I visited sounded as good as it did, which was far from the best I’ve heard those components sound, was due to the expertise of setup wizard Stirling Trayle. A lot of room treatment was brought in at first, but after Trayle did his thing, most of it was stashed in a hallway. The system, from Nordost, VTL, and YG Acoustics, was headlined by VTL’s Siegfried Series II monoblocks ($75,000/pair), TP-6.5 Series II phonostage ($12,500), and TL-7.5 Series III linestage preamplifier ($30,000); a special edition of YG Acoustics Sonja 2.3 loudspeakers wired with Nordost ($112,800/pair); and enough Nordost Odin 2 cabling and power products to keep several silver and copper mines operating for weeks.