First, the big news from Pass Labs. As in BIG NEWS. The Pass Labs Xs preamplifier, which was removed from production after the manufacturer of the company's vacuum fluorescent displays discontinued them without advance notice, has found an LED matrix alternative that looks virtually the same and works perfectly. So, expect the return of the Xs preamp in the beginning of 2024.

"This actually sounds like music!" was the first thing I scribbled in my notebook. That might seem very bottom line, as in "I would sure hope so." But as readers who are familiar the sound of unamplified acoustic instruments and voices already know, it's not something you can take for granted at audio shows.

Mark Conti of Pennsylvania-based MC Audiotech teamed up with Ricky Brown's Hi Fi One and Partners to present the new MC Audiotech TL-12 loudspeaker ($25,000/pair–$29,000/pair depending upon finishes and options). This new two-way loudspeaker features three of MC Audiotech's broadband WBLS-wide band line-source devices on top and, for frequencies below 300Hz, a 12" transmission-line woofer. Specified sensivity is 92dB, nominal impedance 8 ohms, frequency range 28Hz–20kHz, and weight 117lb.

I always approach the PBN Audio room with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. Eagerness for the huge images and power that Peter Noerbaek inevitably supplies, and trepidation for the state of my eardrums.

In a brand déjà vu with High End by Oz, Ken Boyce's Cake Audio of San Clemente showed Lansche 5.2 "singing flame" loudspeakers with their plasma tweeter ($55,000/pair in either white or piano black), different Vitus components, and Albedo cabling. Room dimension and acoustics were different, of course, but both exhibitors had to cope with the challenges of air walls and sonic bleedthrough.

I usually forego seminars and the like in favor of covering more active demos shows. But when Acora Acoustics announced, "A Very Special Listening Event with Joe Harley at T.H.E. Show," I decided to indulge in Saturday afternoon's tour of historic Blue Note reissues.

To the few trolls who frequently post on this website:

If you think high-end audio is dead, you haven't met designer Nick Tarnofsky (above), a touring guitarist and engineer with an Instagram presence who is in his second year of selling Black Ocean Audio speakers direct. This man is savvy enough to have set up an enigmatic display outside his room—a piece of driftwood with a light on it—to lure people in.

YG Acoustics' very fine-sounding midrange unit contributed to the lovely sound on YG Acoustics' Ascent loudspeaker ($19,800/pair). Easier to drive than the Colorado company's larger models, it uses the same drivers as in the Carmel and Hailey loudspeakers, but with a new waveguide on the tweeter.

Alma Music & Audio has recently gone bi-coastal, adding Alma East in Sterling, VA to its flagship Alma West store in San Diego. In one of their several rooms at the show, the dealership showcased Boenicke Audio's W8 SE loudspeaker in Walnut finish ($16,500/pair). I've always been intrigued by these unique solid-wood speakers, whose internal chambers are carved out by a CNC machine.

You can always count on the amazing Steven Norber to come up with something intriguing. In this case, it was the brand new Dhyana two-way quasi line-array loudspeaker ($19,500/pair). With a 30mm tweeter and four 152.4mm woofers, the speaker claims a frequency range of 28Hz–23kHz, a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, and a sensitivity of 88.5dB.