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KEF’s Julia Davidson gave an excellent presentation, discussing the company’s efforts in bringing the Blade concept to life.

We listened to Radiohead’s “All I Need” from the great In Rainbows, and the song seemed to have more swagger than I’m used to, more grip, more pull, a way of reaching out and reeling in.

“That sounds good,” smiled Julia.

“You’re one of the designers?” I asked.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I worked on the cabinet materials. The concept version used carbon fiber, but we revised it to this glass-reinforced polymer…

“Oh, cool. Let’s take a picture,” I said. “Go over there and look pretty.”

“What?”

“I said, ‘You look so pretty.’ Geez. Come on, stand next to the speakers. Please?”

“Alright.”

“I said, ‘Stand next to them.’ I didn’t say, ‘Lean all over them like they’re yours.’”

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” sounded appropriately thrilling, and it was cool to hear how well the system managed to depict Christina Aguilera as a petite woman with an enormous voice.

Drama, scale, impact, resolution, speed, speed, speed, three-dimensional images on a massive soundstage. This system produced music with a sort of muscular physicality…

So, I wasn’t actually surprised that Rosemarie took a fancy to the man. I was surprised, though, by how deeply she enjoyed the demonstration.

We listened to several of McGrath’s recent high-resolution recordings, including one made only days before the show, at the University of Miami’s Gusman Concert Hall, with young and enchanting soprano Lei Xu,…

And just as suddenly as we arrived in Munich&#151just as we were beginning to feel comfortable and alive&#151it was, unfortunately, time to leave Munich. Rosemarie and I loved the city, the people, the food, and the hi-fi.

The M.O.C. proved to be an outstanding venue for presenting hi-fi in the best possible light, creating an atmosphere that invited attendees to linger, relax, enjoy. Though the weekend’s weather was absolutely glorious,…

Now add to this list of treasures Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song.

All four of those albums were recorded in…

Scheduled for next Friday through Sunday, June 3–5, in the Newport Hilton, adjacent to Orange County's John Wayne International Airport, T.H.E. Show: Newport is the brainchild of Bob Levi, President of the successful Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society, and Richard Beers, President of T.H.E. Show. Levi came…

Description: Monoblock tubed power amplifier. Tube complment: eight EL34s, 12AT7, 12BH7. No specifications provided.
Dimensions: 19" W by 10" H by 10" D.
Price: $4200/pair (1990); no longer available (2011). Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: Vacuum Tube Logic, 4774 Murrietta, Suites 9&10, Chino, CA 91710. Tel: (909) 627-5944. Fax: (909) 627-6988. Web: www.vtl.com.

The playback system included a VPI HW-19 Jr. turntable with an AudioQuest PT-5 tonearm and Sumiko Boron vdH cartridge, Marantz CD-94 CD player, and an Audio Research SP14 preamplifier. Interconnects were Magnan and Expressive Technologies, both of which made obvious audible improvements in the system. The amplifiers drove MartinLogan Sequel IIs and my trusty Vortex Screens through AudioQuest HyperLitz Clear speaker cable. The MartinLogans were bi-wired, with the woofer polarity reversed to reduce the midbass suckout (see Dick Olsher's "Followup" review in Vol.…