Munich 2023

Despite the ton of equipment from Burmester and others shown in the photo, the YG Acoustics set-up I heard involved just two speakers and a single control module. That's because the company's Vantage 3 Live active loudspeaker system ($65,600/pair), which contains amplification by Bel Canto as well as optimized DSP, a digital preamplifier, and a phono stage, is pretty much all-in-one.

The Vantage 3 Live contains three 700W amplifiers, one for each driver; each has been optimized for its particular driver. The Vantage 3 Live even comes with its own 25' ST optical fiber cables which attach to the control module (below). That module sends signals up to 24/192 PCM, MQA and DSD via fiber-optic cabling. While the speaker is a Roon endpoint, you can also use Bel Canto's Seek app, which is a reskinned version of MConnect.

Matthew Webster, YG Acoustics' designer and CEO, incorporated an all-new crossover, new hybrid lattice tweeter, and a new front baffle design with improved waveguard into YG's former Reference 2 active loudspeaker. Owners of the Reference 2 can upgrade to Vantage 3 status.

I was especially impressed by the Vantage 3 Live's midrange. The sound wasn't perfect, but it had some hard-to-describe arresting qualities that held me and many in the room in its spell.