T.H.E. Show 2022

In their second, considerably larger room at the Long Beach Show, AV Luxury Group International pulled out all the stops. Immediately catching eye and ear were Raidho Acoustics TD 3.8 3-way loudspeakers in Walnut finish ($117,000/pair). With a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, these babies can throw a huge, enveloping soundstage from as little as 50Wpc amplification.

Doing the honors on that score were the Margules U-280 SC 30th Anniversary Limited Edition class-A triode monoblocks ($10,000/pair) whose 50Wpc drove the Raidho TD 3.8s with aplomb. A Margules SF-220 class-A tube preamplifier ($7000) and Esoteric K-01 XD SACD/CD/DAC ($24,000) brought up the front end, as did a Shunyata Research Sigma power distributor ($6000). Finally, Margules and Shunyata cabling played an essential role as components in a system that made the classic Sera una Noche CD from M•A Recordings a joy to revisit after many a moon. Colors were first rate, timbres true, presentation lively, and the soundstage huge.

I expected an awesome presentation from Raidho, but I had no idea how much Margules electronics could accomplish with the right loudspeakers. Bravo to all.