I never really got the sound of Klipsch speakers at past shows, but I did this time, in a big way, in the Capital Sound room, where the Klipsch La Scala III ($17,500) was making seductive, sophisticated music.

Maybe the earth-toned, smoke-spewing phallus standing in the back of the room had something to do with it.

You want magic? I'll give you magic. It won't cost you your soul, but it may touch it.

The Music First room was playing some tasty music with eye-popping gear, including the Hungarian-made Bayz Audio Courante loudspeakers ($60,000/pair US with carbon fibre construction), a unique, patented, omnidirectional design.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that every single audiophile, in that moment when they heard the news that PS Audio was coming out with a loudspeaker—not just any speaker, but a statement product—felt a combination of incredulity and curiosity,

I like how Yamaha, a brand not known for audiophile products, has, in the last few years or so, been making audiophile products. I find it flattering, in a Sally Field kind of way: "You care, Yamaha. You really care."

The Lemay Audio room comes with a sweet story and a giant killer.

Rooms by distributor Motet always sound great, and this room, belonging to Motet and retailer Audio Présence, was no exception.

I was surprised by the sound quality I heard in the Nation Imports room. Here was a relatively compact system that cost quite a bit less than most systems I heard at the show—yet not only did it hold its own against more expensive fare, in some areas, such as imaging, definition, and the portrayal of female vocals, it beat it.