China 2006

These behemoths from Jungson have no English name, although they do have a US price: $49,000/pair. The bottom cabinet sports a 13" woofer and the top pod has a 4" ribbon tweeter. The midrange and midrange/woofer drivers are ceramic drivers from the German manufacturer Thiel, but nobody knew their sizes.

Classic Radio's JR-455 was giving me goosebumps. Tube warmth and precise analog tuning pulled in some of the most satisfying sound of the show. I didn't get the list price on this baby, but I did get a look at its naughty bits.

The Classic Radio JR-455 from the other side. Kids, this is how they used to make 'em back when radios were built like cathedrals.

I was listening to Barque & Consonance's Opera Audio Consonance M-15 loudspeakers when Lino Faragi introduced himself. "I'm that crazy European guy who opened up a hi-fi shop in China—the first non-Asian to do high-end here," he said, handing me a card for Sound & Vision in Shanghai. "We do things a little differently. Come see us."

Barque & Consonance's Opera Consonance M15 mates a 15" woofer with a unique multicell horn tweeter. Sensitivity is 98dB (!) and frequency range is rate at 30Hz–20kHz. The tweeter handles everything above 500Hz. Price would be around $10,000/pair USD, not including distribution costs.

Over 10,000 products; seven floors of audio; "every manufacturer who matters from the US, Canada, Europe, China, Korea, Japan, and Kowloon;" and more than 30,000 people over four days.

Antony Yim, marketing & product manager for B&W Group Asia Limited, used the 40^th anniversary of B&W to give a history lesson that includes classic B&W products and a memorial wall.