Friday, January 9 -- Part 2

The Bel Canto PRe2 two-channel preamp retains the styling of other Bel Canto products, which means that it looks clean and thoughtfully designed. Final pricing is not yet set, but expect for the PRe2 to cost "about $3000" without a phono stage.

The Gallo Acoustics TR-1 subwoofer comes in a 5.1 system with Nucleus Micro speakers for $999, the same configuration with A'Diva speakers for $1299, or by itself for $375. [www.roundsound.com]

Gallo Acoustic's top-of-the-line Reference 3 speakers ($2599 per pair) sounded very delicate in the large room in which they were demonstrated. We lobbied Anthony Gallo for a review pair -- we'll find out how effective we were in the coming months. [www.roundsound.com]

Close-up shots of the Gallo Reference 3 with and without the grille screen. [www.roundsound.com]

Margules Audio products have historically offered conspicuous value, and the ACRH 1.2 integrated amp upholds this tradition. The ACRH 1.2 is remote controlled and offers 75Wpc of hybrid power for $1400.

The new Portal Audio Paladin mono amp is a fully balanced solid-state design that delivers 200 watts. It costs $3500 per pair -- a surprisingly low price given the Paladin's design features. [www.portalaudio.com]