System one consisted of a Reference 111 music server/streamer ($60,000), Reference 175 turntable ($65,000), Top Line 088 preamp ($37,000), Reference 218 amplifier ($60,000), and in a debut, a pair of BX100 loudspeakers ($110,000/pair). A 948 power conditioner ($12,000) and various AudioQuest cables completed the setup. System two featured the Burmester 232 integrated with streamer and phono ($35,000) options and the B28 loudspeaker ($27,000/pair).
The BX100 is a four-way, bass-reflex loudspeaker. "BX100 distributes the audio signal across four specialized chassis, each precisely tuned to its frequency range," a press release stated.
Two side-mounted 10" woofers handle bass, complemented by a front-mounted 6.5" woofer and a 6.5" midrange driver—both with diaphragms made from a mix of polypropylene and randomly distributed carbon fiber. The material combination is said to optimizes rigidity while keeping weight low and damping high-frequency resonances. The high-frequency range is handled by an Air Motion Transformer (AMT). The AMT is freestanding, without a baffle. "This open architecture enables exceptionally wide horizontal dispersion and significantly enlarges the sweet spot," a press release said. Sensitivity is 89dB/2.83V/m; nominal impedance is 3 ohms.
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Steinke played a wide variety of music on system two, including Eric Bibb and Habib Koite’s "We Don't Care," Sophie Zelmani’s "How It Feels," Dominique Fils-Aimé’s Free Dom, and perennial show favorite "Fever, by Malia and Boris Blank. Photos by Norman Steinke.
