LATEST ADDITIONS

It's been far too long since I've encountered Boenicke Audio loudspeakers. Organic in design, with their inner chambers carved out of wood, and sometimes abetted by Bybee devices, they're capable of throwing a huge soundstage from a relatively small footprint. The floating W8 ($8500/pair), used in one of three rooms from Alma Music & Audio of San Diego, include, in addition to what you see on the front, a side-firing woofer and a rear-firing tweeter.

AV Luxury Group International, based in Las Vegas, unveiled a system that stood out for its speed, openness, and impressive range of colors. A case in point: O-Zone Percussion Group's "Jazz Variants," that did a fine job of evoking the system's well-controlled deep bass and striking highs.

Jumping to the top level for the models whose entry-level brethren were demmed in Next Level HiFi's other room, the Wayne, IL-based dealer joined forces with Audio Group Denmark to display the Børresen B01 Silver Supreme Edition standmount loudspeaker ($60,500/pair with stands); the Aavik U580 class-D integrated amplifier ($35,000; 300Wpc into 8 ohms), which includes a DAC that does, over USB, PCM up to 32/192 and DSD128 as well as MQA; and the Aavik 5580 Streamer ($25,200). The entire 580 series utilizes external titanium supports for extreme mechanical resonance control and a copper-lined internal chassis for electrical noise control.

Because its sound proclaims "major significance," our coverage starts with the show premiere of Graham Audio's LS5/5f loudspeaker ($24,995/pair). Unveiled in Munich, albeit only in passive display, the speaker was designed by Derek Hughes, son of the late Spencer Hughes, founder of Spendor.

In just a few minutes as I write these words, T.H.E. Show returns for another installment at the Long Beach Hilton. Rumored to offer approximately 40 exhibit rooms plus untold stands in the Marketplace and Headphonium, it has drawn exhibitors from all over the United States and beyond.

Ornette Coleman: Genesis of Genius: The Contemporary Albums, Ches Smith: Interpret It Well, Melissa Aldana: 12 Stars, Tommaso Moretti: Inside Out and Immanuel Wilkins: The 7th Hand.

Cosmic American Derelicts: The Twain Shall Meet and Destroyer: Labyrinthitis.