That new gear smell included the Göbel Divin Comtesse Loudspeakers ($60,000/pair), new Wadax Studio Player ($39,800), and a baker’s dozen of new Shunyata cables, including Theta interconnects ($1370/2m pair), Denali power distributor ($6000), Typhon T30 power conditioner ($6500), T30 umbilical cable ($2000), T30 power cable ($2000), Alpha X NR power cable ($2850), and Theta speaker cables ($2150/3m pair).
Remaining Jackson Suite components included the mighty Riviera Audio Labs APL-01 SE Preamplifier ($51,995), Riviera Audio Labs AFM-100 SE mono amplifiers ($82,800/pair), and various Norman Varney/AV Room Service accessories including EVP Platforms ($599), large EVPs for amplifiers ($239), and small EVPs for source components ($119). I’ve tried every pod, puck, pointer, and cone for resonance control—these EVPs work as advertised!
The overall sound in the room surpassed previous years, with a velvety, dynamic aroma that wafted out into the hallway and all the way to the Hilton bar.
