PAF 2022

Show co-creator Lou Hinkley proudly stood alongside his new Daedalus Audio Apollo11 v.3 loudspeaker (starting at $27,500/pair). Variously depicted as "a whole new version" (in the room sheet) and "pretty complete makeover" (by Hinkley at the show) of the Apollo, the 52"-tall speaker boasts a larger midrange and an entirely new array design. "The lower three woofers function more like a point source, and the additional tweeter delivers more stage height and width," Hinkley said.

Asked why, if the speaker was so different from early versions, he had not renamed it, designer Hinkley replied," I'm a real American. I'm never gonna junkpile the Apollo 11!"

That'll teach ya, Serinus.

Lampizator USA was showing off the Lampizator Pacific ($25,950) their former top-of-the-line tube DAC. and fairly new, Linux-based Gulf Stream music server ($7000). The Gulf Stream has a Roon interface, bespoke power supply, and proprietary Linux kernel.

WyWires, in turn, touted their new Diamond series cabling, which features new refinements. Neither last nor least in the system, the imposing VAC Statement 450i iQ integrated amplifier ($150,000) contributed to a sound, that on a Red Book file Queen Latifah's "Simply Beautiful" with Al Green, radiated lovely tube smoothness.