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Italian manufacturer Simetel, who makes tube amplifiers with a distinctively "retro" appearance, showed its new Nightingale Gala two-chassis power amplifier in one of the Venetian's lower-level rooms. Tubed power supply is one chassis, the tubed amplification stage, using 300Bs, is is on the second. Projected price is $16,000, and Simetel has now set up its own US distributor. Designer and company founder Luciano Del Rio stands by the silver-finish Gala (black is also available), which was being demmed with Revolver Cygnis speakers.

The mark of a great large speaker is that it can sound small when the music demands it. Such was the case with the humongous La Sph&#232;re speaker from French manufacturer Cabasse, one of the many high-end companies who chose to “outboard” this year at an off-site hotel. With its four-way coaxial design, it resembles a scaled-up version of the <A HREF=”http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/905cabasse/index.html”>Baltic</A> that Mikey Fremer reviewed in September 2005, but is fully active with the crossover realized in the digital domain. Demonstrated in a large room with Cabasse’s own amplification and Bel Canto preamp and source components, it offered tremendous dynamic range and loudness capability on full-scale orchestral music and film soundtracks (for which the pair of Spheres was joined by a full surround system and a subwoofer using a 22” driver). For me, however, the magic was greatest when Christopher Cabasse (shown standing with his company’s creation) played a two-channel recording of solo violin and piano, proving that La Sph&#232;re can be a <I>quiet</I> speaker when necessary.

Because of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/100206ces/">restrictions placed on merchandise sales</A> at CES, the usual Acoustic Sounds booth, stocking much-in-demand LPs, SACDs, and CDs, was nowhere to be found. But the Kansas company still had a display room showing the hardware lines it distributes, including Thorens, Sutherland, and Stirling. But founder Chad Kassem was most proud of the new Analogue Productions LP: the <I>Ultimate Analogue Test LP</I>. Produced by Clark Williams and Barry Wolfson, with input from George Marino and others, cut at Sterling Sound, and pressed on 180gm vinyl by RTI, the <I>Test LP</I> has a selection of tracks to enable the LP lover to optimally set up his system.

Conductor Kenneth Woods guides us through Mahler's <I>Kindertotenleider</I>. Articles like this 'un are why the web was invented.

"DeVore's just down the hall," he says.