Fred Manteghian

The BD1 control center from the Thiel Zoet collaboration is shown here driving multiple Thiel SCS4D speakers. The current version of the controller can only accept optical and coaxial digital signals, and can distribute Dolby Digital and DTS audio as well. However, TrueHD and DTS-HD MA will have to wait for another version (I'm guessing the BD2) that will come out sometime next year.

Sonus Faber speakers are really pretty special and every time I've heard them, fantastic sounding. They developed some special speaker cable that they used internally in their Stradavari flagship speaker and their method, quite unique I'd have to say, lead them to introduce the Yter series of speaker cables. These forged cables are terminated in special banana shapes only because they're made in the same pouring and forging process. The silver alloy used in these cables is literally melted and poured into the final shape. By audiophile standards, the price of $1,500 for an 8' pair is actually quite reasonable.

The distributor for a new (to the USA) Swedish speaker resorted to the dirtiest of tricks to get us into their room – free Swedish food. I didn't know Edamame and asparagus were Swedish, but I guess the meatballs were all gone. I grabbed a few veggies and sat down to listen. The $1,850 GURU QM10 loudspeakers from Sjfn HiFi were pumping out a lot of bass heavy music without the assist of a subwoofer. Unfortunately, the first cut was something that sounded like Yello meets the Greater Wagnerian Society of Skinheads.

Sure, I could show you a picture of SpeakerCraft’s new ROX speakers which look more like rocks than ever(though they’re easy to spot nonetheless – they’re the ones making music), or how their two color choices, granite and sandstone, are not just skin deep, making chips unnoticeable, or how drainage has improved so that those 5-inch, 6-inch, or 8-inch full range speakers (or 8-inch sub) will last a lifetime (or until rock is no longer in vogue), but I’d rather express all these sentiments in dance.