Jason Victor Serinus

Roger DuNaier of KingSound had plenty of reason to smile. His King III full-range electrostatic loudspeakers ($12,000/pair) were sounding the best I've ever heard them. That means the music they produced sounded exceptionally smooth, warm, relaxed and inviting. How Roger managed this on the Mezzanine of the Doubletree, where rooms had a 10' air space above the ceiling that sucked the life of most active systems on the floor, is no mean feat.

Oh, Santa. Santa Baby. Dear Santa Baby. Please make that a Reference Line Combination D ($259,700 total). I won't even ask you to sit on my lap, if only you and Rudolph bring me a pair of MBL 101E Mk.II Radialstrahler speakers, along with an MBL 1621 A CD transport, 1611 F D/A converter, 6010 D preamplifier, and 9011 power amplifier. In snow white, please, just as in the photo. This same Combo platter received my hands up and down "Best of Show" at AXPONA 2012 in Jacksonville. Here it sounded almost as good.

Between 150 and 200 producers of cables and components rely on WBT for their terminations and connectors. Hence, any advance in their line has profound implications for audiophiles. This year, WBT was touting its Nextgen terminations. Composed of either pure copper or fine silver, Nextgen connectors s boast less mass than other WBT terminations, and are claimed to yield superior sound.

One of the many qualities of Wilson Audio SabrinaX loudspeaker ($19,000/pair) is the ability to let you hear, without editorializing, the unique sonic qualities of the electronics that precede them. Thus, with the help of Kubala-Sosna Sensation cabling, a Finite Elemente HD09 ED amplifier stand, and Nemesis Decorac acoustic paneling (bottom photo), could I hear the lovely midrange, impressive bass, and unglamorized highs produced by Bricasti's M21 DAC/Preamp ($16,000) and M25 Stereo Amplifier ($18,000) with the essential help of an Innuos Statement Network Music Server ($15,100 with 1TB internal storage).