T.H.E. Show Newport 2012

Zu Audio's room was like no other. While the "normal" set-up has components facing attendees and carefully stacked on equipment racks, Zu more or less duplicated the DJ experience. Spinning vinyl as if in a cage, and very happy to be there, I might add, sat Zu owner Sean Casey's delightfully high-spirited son, Ian.

Sensing that Zu's usual fare was not my first choice—there wasn't anything remotely related to classical or classic jazz to be found—Ian picked Illinoise, a folksy, existential, spacey, and highly amusing album by Sufjan Stevens. Then came Fleet Poxes "Helplessness Blues." Zu Audio's Definition 4 loudspeaker ($12,500/pair) and Event cabling ($1500) were producing impressively direct thanks to a Technics SL-1200 turntable with Audio Mods arm (approx. $2000) with a Zu DL-103 cartridge ($439), Melody Pure Black preamp ($5000), and Audion Black Shadow monoblock amplifiers ($12,000).