| January 11, 2002 
Manley Labs showed the new EL34-based mono
Snapper amplifier that outputs 100W. The price is $4250 per pair.

Cardas showed the new SE speaker cable
designed specifically for use with lower-power amplifiers and high-sensitivity speakers.
According to George Cardas, the wire has extremely low inductance and constant impedance
across audio frequencies, which, he says, makes it ideal for its intended application. The
price of the cable is less than $300 for a five-foot pair.

GutWire's X Clef power cord uses multi-gauge
conductors and costs a substantial $2399.

Joule Electra's Stargate mono amplifier
($5500/pair) is available in an array of colors, including this sporty red.

Margules Audio from Mexico showed the new
Orpheus speaker, which features ceramic drivers and an external first-order crossover. The
price is $5000 per pair.

Kenundrum, sister company to Tetra Listening
Instruments, introduced The Kid loudspeaker with a retail price of $5000 per pair.

Theta Digital showed a prototype of their Gen
VIII two-channel digital-to-analog processor, which the company says will retail from
$8000 to $10,000.

In the front is Reference 3A's new
$1500-per-pair Dulcet minimonitor, which is said to be 88dB efficient, on top of the
company's $600-per-pair Phenomenal stands. Behind are the new $3800-per-pair Royal
Virtuoso monitors on top of the new $5000-per-pair Basso subwoofers.

Nirvana Audio has now added speaker cables to
their S-X series. The price is $2365 for a two-meter pair. For biwire option, add $50.

Pathos showed the InTheGroove Mk II
battery-powered phono stage ($2000).

Soliloquy added the $3500 C6 center-channel
speaker to match the company's 6.5 loudspeaker introduced last year. Also introduced is
the R6 surround speakers priced at $3000 per pair. By altering how the speaker cable is
connected, the R6 can be configured as a dipole, bipole, or direct radiator.

Viola showed the huge and heavy Bravo
Reference amplifier with separate power supply. The amp outputs 350W in stereo mode and is
said to output 1200W when bridged to mono. The price is $17,990. |