CES 2010

I have heard Acapella horn loudspeakers and Einstein electronics on other occasions, but they have never sounded as glorious as they did paired together in one of the Aaudio Imports room at CES 2010. I only wish Erick Lichte and John Atkinson had been present as I played John's 2008 recording of Cantus' While You Are Alive, which Erick produced. (Erick was also Cantus' Artistic Director at the time). The sound was big—huge, in fact—maximally transparent, and thanks to the Einstein electronics' euphonic presentation, absolutely luscious.

To test the system further, I played the first five or six minutes of one of my R2D4s, Mariss Jansson's recording of Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony. So transparent was the presentation, I felt I could listen through the instruments to the back of the hall.

The images were also maximally colorful. At one point, a tuba blared out from the huge orchestra, sounding so absolutely right that I sat up and took notice. I also marveled at the absolute control in the lower octaves. The timpani were a mite underpowered—they're pretty dimly recorded to begin with—but they were certainly respectable.

Heard were the Acapella High Violoncello II full-range loudspeakers ($80,500/pair), abetted with an isolation platform, resonance controls, Reference LaMusika speaker cables ($25,000/pair), and High LaMusika power cords ($5700 for 2 meters). On the electronics end were Einstein's The Source balanced tube CD player ($18,400), The Tube MKII balanced tube preamp with remote ($18,400), and The Final Cut MK60 balanced OTL tube monoblocks ($34,900/pair). Additional interconnects and power cables were supplied by Stage III.

All in all, the Acapella-Einstein duo sounded fabulous. A metaphorical hats off to Volker Bohlmeier, Managing Director of Einstein (right), and Hermann Winters of Acapella (left), both of whom are pictured. You've done yourselves proud, gentlemen.