T.H.E. Show Newport 2012

A surprise was in wait for me as I sat in front of Magico's new S5 speaker ($28,600/pair) in The Audio Salon room at the Atrium Hotel. With the speakers driven by Constellation's Centaur 250Wpc amplifier—the amp in the photo is a dummy; the real one was behind me—with MIT cables throughout, Constellation's Peter Madnick selected a file on his iPad and told me I'd recognize the music. Indeed I did: it was Cantus performing Curtis Mayfield's "It's Alright," which I had recorded live in concert at Minneapolis's Southern Theater in May 2008. It had been released on a limited edition CD but I had completely forgotten I had given Peter a file of the final mixdown. Wow, the band was hanging there in space between and behind the speakers. And when the audience started clapping along with the music, they sounded above and to the sides of the speakers, as I had intended.

We listened to Lyle Lovett and Rickie Lee Jones in "North Dakota"—goosebumps all round in the line "And they cross the border to learn the ways of love"—then to a Malcolm Arnold Overture from Reference Recordings. It was all good. I could have sat there all day if it wasn't for the fact that the Show was about to close. One of my best sounds at the Show.