CES 2017

Despite the untimely and tragic death of a D'Agostino family member just before CES, the D'Agostino Master Audio Systems exhibit was open. Their Progression monoblock amplifiers ($36,000/pair) were installed both there and in the dCS room; I did most of my listening to them in the latter, where a pair of Progressions in black—which Hi-Fi+ editor Alan Sircom described as "darkly stunning"—were driving Wilson Alexia loudspeakers. Rated at 500W into 8 ohms, the Progressions function as a voltage source, doubling the power with each decrease in load impedance, resulting in 1000W RMS into 4 ohms and 2000W RMS into 2 ohms. The amplifier employs D'Agostino's super rail technology designs and utilizes a chimney-style venturi heatsink that is milled from a 48-lb aluminum billet. The overall weight of each Progression is 125 pounds.