Jason Victor Serinus

The midrange stole the show in Philip O'Hanlon's On a Higher Note room as platter after platter delivered analog magic. Thanks to Graham Audio's LS8/1 speakers ($9700/pair with stands and spikes), the Moonriver 404 Reference integrated amplifier ($4995) with optional internal MM/MC phono stage ($550)-see my review here- Bergmann Audio's Modi air bearing turntable and Modi air-bearing linear-tracking tonearm ($17,000) with Hana ML cartridge ($1200) and Krion turntable platform ($4850), an Artesania Audio Exoteryc 3-level rack ($7300), and Cardas Audio Clear cabling, award-winning soprano Fatma Said's soft high notes floated wonderfully.

For huge sound in a huge room, you needed to look no further than the Schaumburg Renaissance Convention Center's Schaumburg F. Played at full volume, the momentous, quasi-apocalyptic opening of Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra, aka the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, virtually knocked me back a row. Only the deep bass, which was eaten alive by the room's spongy air walls, suffered. Which means that the deepest organ pedals on the forthcoming superbly recorded 7-CD Strauss set from conductor Andris Nelsons (heard in 24/96) had about the same weight as on the hi-rez digital transfer of Fritz Reiner's famous RCA Living Stereo recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Mendelssohn: Violin Sonatas, The Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Marcus Creed, Cond.: Lux Aeterna, Bruckner: Symphony No.2 and Marcel Zaes: Parallel Prints.