Munich High End 2011

Respected designer Ken Ishiwata stands beside the new top-of-the-line A-Series loudspeaker from Boston Acoustics. The speaker’s central drive units are completely suspended from the cabinet for isolation of all vibrations. The system we heard included the Marantz SA-7S1 SACD player, SC-7S2 preamplifier, MA-9S2 power amplifier, and Charismatech cables, all at least partially voiced and designed by Ishiwata for optimum synergy.

“We take a ‘whole system approach,’” Ishiwata said.

“The soundstage is very important,” he continued. “Other aspects of performance are matters of preference, but we focus on creating a very stable soundstage. Everything else comes from that.”

I noted outstanding overall scale with good soundstage height and easy, unforced dynamics. Music developed, blossomed, and blushed like a sunrise. This was a system I could have happily listened to for a long, long time.