The speakers in Dynaudio’s new Confidence Signature line come with a 10-year warranty and take their premium Mocha or Bordeaux finishes from the limited-edition Sapphire.

From left: C1 Signature ($8500/pair), C2 Signature ($15,000/pair), C4 Signature ($22,000/pair).

Read Wes Phillips' review of the original C1 and John Atkinson's review of the original C4.

T+A’s E-Series Music Receiver is a machine.

It combines the company’s Power Plant and Music Player to provide 160Wpc (“Full-grown amplification to drive even low impedances....”), while combining a CD player, 32-bit/384kHz Sigma Delta DAC, FM tuner, five digital inputs, three analog inputs, a powerful streaming client board for accessing all sorts of music files, and a bunch of other stuff I wasn’t quick enough to write down.

Badass. I would let this thing receive my music any day.

Measuring approximately 43” x 12” x 15”, the CWT500 (€14,000/pair) is the smallest and prettiest loudspeaker in T+A’s Solitaire line. The transmission-line design uses an 18” x 2” electrostatic unit mated to two side-firing 8” woofers and three 5” midrange units. The speaker is available in several high-gloss finishes, including the luscious Macassar ebony seen here.

Rosemarie walked by, ran her fingers through her thick brown hair, made a joke about “T and A,” and sent this 1000W T+A M10 monoblock (€9990) into a frenzy.

The girl is a hazard to hi-fi.

Wednesday, May 25 (yikes, that's tomorrow!), 5–9pm: Stereo Exchange (627 Broadway, Manhattan) will host a “Music Matters” event with Stereophile’s Michael Fremer.

Peachtree Audio, BelCanto, Amarra, Wisdom Audio, Simaudio, Transparent Audio, Meridian, and Vienna Acoustics will demonstrate their equipment. Learn how to get great sound from the digital devices you already own. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. (Who can ask for anything more?)

This is definitely going to be a fun evening, and I hope to see you there!

The Brinkmann Pi cartridge's Benz-Micro heritage was obvious from the get-go. The motor is built to Brinkmann's specifications by Benz-Micro and includes a Micro-Ridge stylus. The cantilever material is not specified. The Pi's output is approximately 0.25mV, and its compliance is moderate at 15µm/mN. Recommended are a tracking force of 1.8–2gm, a VTA of 23°, and a resistive load of 600 ohms.

Helmut Brinkmann says he tweaked the Pi's design for a year and a half before he achieved the results he desired, including making the tiny set screws out of various materials. The Pi, with a body of machined aluminum designed to control the dissipation of resonant energy, weighs a hefty 14gm. Brinkmann supplies aluminum screws and titanium washers, which, he claims, in combination with special damping between the cartridge body and headshell, have been "sonically tuned to create a unique musical instrument."