Reimyo by Combak of Japan introduced the latest addition to its stable of no-compromise "miracles", the CAT-777 vacuum tube control amplifier. Of completely discrete, zero NFB construction, the tube complement consists of twin 12 AU7 and 12BH7s each while two 6x4WAs handle AC rectification. Four RCA inputs and three single-ended outputs make up rear-panel socketry while the front offers individual L/R input level controls, a master-level attenuator and four direct-access source selectors. The complete Reimyo system on display was let down by the speakers which only toward show's end were replaced with Reference 3As. This, according to Jules and May Audio's very honest, very knowledgeable Jonathan Halpern who represents Combak in the US and Canada, finally unveiled the tremendous sonic finesse inherent in all of Kiuchi-San's "tweaked-to-life" components. Stay tuned as 6moons investigates the Reimyo CD player and 300B amp in forthcoming reviews. And now for some completely shameless capitalist self-propaganda: 6moons is looking for one or two Japanese reviewers who are sufficiently fluent in English to not require translation on our end. The Land of the Rising Sun is home to such vast treasures of specialist HiFi which never enters the US that I'm very much committed to making 6moons into a "pipeline to the East". Let's share with the global community the insights, inventions and discoveries Japanese audiophiles have made over the last few decades. Interested parties, please e-mail me here.

SED of St. Petersburg/Russia now is the official new trademark for tubes previously sold under the Svetlana brand. This is apparently the outcome of a recent trademark settlement between PM of America and the SED SPb factory in Russia, now assuming the "winged C" logo with the original establishment date of 1912 as their official decal. The company would like to let you know that only tubes with this imprint constitute authentic inventory from their factory. However, until present US stock has sold through, you may still be purchasing authentic inventory under the older branding for a limited time period. Sounds complicated? Contact the Memphis/Tennessee US headquarters via the above website to find out more.

Jim Weil of Sound Application powerline conditioning fame, just like Scott Tarter of CC-Audio earlier in this report, is eligible for our questionable Metrosexuality Award which Jules Coleman explained as being a function of maleness that's in touch with its feminine side to appreciate and create beauty. A very classy array of Goldmund electronics, burgundy-red Talon Audio FireBirds and live orchids suggested that Jim's very much in touch with aesthetics indeed. And lest you think this to be a very secondary consideration, think again. With over 1,000 manufacturers at CES who were vying for a few moment's worth of your shot-to-hell attention to make a strong first impression, everything counted: The decor of the room; the music played; the attitude, friendliness and dress code of the exhibitors; the signage; the vibe of welcome (or not)... our subconscious organism is extremely sensitive to these influences. A smart exhibitor caters to them all to the best of his ability and perception. Jim definitely got it!

Paul Wakeen's new Stillpoints ESS Equipment Suspension System [$4,100 for 4-tier array with clear acrylic shelves, add $100 for green/smoke shelving] exhibited similar cosmetic flair while also promising audible vibration isolation benefits. 9 different materials are used in its construction, with the floor interface an inverted Stillpoints bearing. The smoked shelves in particular made quite the fashion statement while the adjustable tensioning system leaves room for audiophile meddling - er, tuning.

Tetra Instruments' Adrian Butts meanwhile put his room's bad vibes into the care of Grand Prix Audio's Monaco system while hunkering down next to his now wood-veneered Manhattan 305 whose hollow stand becomes a clever extension of the head unit's internal volume. The two-tone Live Line 505 [to right - clever name, that, but the real kicker would be Live Line 411, Adrian...) was on static display, the bigger 405s on active duty in the main room which also sported the stunning new Birdland DAC/Pre.

My favorite affordable speaker line, Triangle Electroacoustique from France, meanwhile went after the small sub/sat market with a vengeance, launching their brand-new Galaxy multi-channel speaker with Meteor 0.1 matching subwoofer [ right just below]. Made from an injection-formed aluminum chassis with vertical/horizontal provisions for wall brackets, desktop- and floor stands, the main driver is a custom 4.8-inch cellulose fiber diaphragm with aluminum basket and small-fold cloth suspension and 90dB sensitivity.

The 8.3-inch Meteor sub driver too is purpose-engineered for this particular application and mated to a 100-watt RMS amplifier with 400-watt peak power headroom. The enterprising Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio, a prominent Triangle dealer in California, was auditioning this setup while I walked in and expressed genuine surprise at the nearly complete absence of common discontinuity that plagues most miniature three-piece speaker setups. I had to agree - this was a far cry from the Electric Avenue specials that go for 2.1 or 5.1 miracles these days. If I'm not mistaken, this French 5.1 rig sells for $1,600 complete. Triangle also introduced upscale "kevin-esque" subwoofers to finally complement its Stratos Series of Magellan-derivative speakers with bass extenders of suitable speed, finesse and dynamic agility.

Unison Research's exploding Unico series added the 50-watt Unico P [above] which uses a single ECC82 in its hybrid circuit and slots into the line below the fabulous standard Unico. There's also the Unico R tuner with embedded Toshiba micro controller; the Unico i solid-state 100-watt integrated; the Unico DM 150-watt stereo amplifier; the Unico PRE valve preamp; the big Unico 200 integrated with twin ECC82 preamp stage; the Unico Teatro 8 x 90-watt multichannel beast with bridging option to 4 x 300 watts; and the Unico CD with integral 24/192 upsampler card. Watching the parallel expansionist tendencies of neighboring Audio Analogue already covered, one can't fail to suspect a fair bit of heated competition between these two Italian design houses. And while their respective brass may loose sleep over what the other is up to, the consumer benefits with new choices. Capitalism - I don't believe we have any idea as to our special luxury status until we were to watch a recent refugee from Bangladesh enter his first supermarket. Staring in utter trance at 5 different brands of salty and sweet butter and 100 flavors of salad dressings, he'd suffer the kind of sensory overload regular Americans suffer at the hands of Las Vegas. Food for thought, n'est ce pas?