CAS 2010

How can you not love these adorable little components with the lovely little sound? With tube holders that glow in the dark, these cuties are manufactured and designed for Fremont, CA-based Napa Acoustic by Mistral in China.

When I entered the room, Joseph Kwong and Edwin Young told me that, after I encountered them at Axpona in Jacksonville, they had taken my criticism of their Radio Shack cabling to heart, and come up with their own speaker cable ($100/8ft. pair). Designed in Fremont from 10-gauge cooper wire and XLPE insulation, it was used with the Bow A2 loudspeakers ($2299/pair), MM-4 45Wpc (the website says 40Wpc) hybrid integrated amplifier with a tube preamp stage ($699), and "stock" interconnects and power cables.

I was told that the speaker's response, which has a ribbon tweeter, extends from 20Hz to 40kHz. (The website claims 30Hz–45kHz). I don't think so. If even one of those set of figures is somewhat accurate, why couldn't I hear much of the cello in the excellent Pentatone recording of Schubert's Trout Quintet?

Nonetheless, I couldn't believe how much joy this system conveyed. Pentatone's rendition of Schubert's quintet has been praised for its playfulness, and Napa Acoustic netted it all. I was tempted to forget about my deadlines and just listen to the entire piece. It wasn't as easy to forget the absence of a lower midrange and big soundstage. Regardless, there was more joy in this room than in many of the rooms at the show.