On the opposite end of the price scale were the Manger-based Overkill Audio speakers which, with active deqx crossover and amplifier, clock in at $20, 40 and 60K respectively. Designer Derek Wilson [with lovely wife and golden ear Petra by his side - below] explained that the Manger driver's rise and settle times are so much faster than conventional dynamic or planar devices that only ultra-wide bandwidth amplifiers of superior speed will truly elicit from them all they're capable of. Having fallen hard for the 35kHz DeHavilland tube amps, US distributor Joe Shanaphy had contracted for some custom monos. In Denver and visually distinct from the stock units with their sculpted wood fascia and cheeks, they sounded very good indeed by Sunday. According to Derek, they were still shy of the ultimate potential on these speakers whose uncommon requirements thrive on 250kHz amplifier bandwidths. I was pleased to see Gabi van der Kley's excellent-sounding and very thin and flexible Crystal Reference cables from Holland in use which Derek is as enthusiastic about as yours truly. Unwieldy anacondas, be ye gone back into the antediluvan swamps where you belong.

Stopping by this room on numerous occasions, I witnessed Derek discover how bypassing the tube preamp with the deqx as attenuator netted significant gains in dynamic rise times and energy. Later on, he also learned from John Tucker of Exemplar Audio that his modified Denon DVD-2900 could sound even better if the video circuitry, 5.1 and digital outputs were disabled. Premiered at the recent London show and sold on the spot, the new $60,000 Encore utilizes a new bass driver and cast composite egg-shaped head unit which, solo and as a stand-mounted monitor, is available for $20,000. These are very high prices but include the active crossover/DAC/attenuator. All 2-way Overkill Audio models must be biamped as they lack internal crossovers.


Using the amazingly flexible deqx which our resident Aussie Edgar Kramer is currently putting through its paces allows infinite adjustments and Derek at one point asked me to select between two curves, one which eliminated a room-induced bass node and one which didn't. Since the deqx isn't a notch filter and can't spot-check, the latter sounded fuller and weightier and that's how the system was demoed thereafter. Based on what I heard here, I already envy Jules Coleman who will do the honors on the Overkill Audio system review. Incidentally, Petra Wilson is the musician and ears in this design team. Nothing goes unless she signs off, with Derek and his sweet Scottish brogue being unusually perceptive when it comes to the weaker sex in audiophile matters - the male of the species.


Eben by Raidho is a new Danish speaker company by designer Michael Boerresen who uses proprietary mid/bass drivers co-developed with Audio Technology (itself launched by the original founder of ScanSpeak), Raidho's own planar-magnetic sealed ribbon with 50kHz extension, 1st-order filters, twin-layer ball-bearing decouplers, Nordost mono-filament hookup wiring and vented floor-loading. Maurice Schmir of Dyana Audio Distributing represents the line for the US market [below] and is looking for no more than 10 dealers to professionally support this product that's finished in a grey metallic paint and retails at $4,400/pr [X-Baby], $9,200 [X-Centric], $11,000/pr [X-2], $14,400/pr for the X-3 on display and $33,000 for the X-4. The X-Baby is a two-way monitor, the X-Centric the d'Appolito main/center, the X-1 and X-2 are twin-woofer towers in 2- and 2.5-way arrays; the X-3 is a four-woofer three-way and the X-4 a Dynaudio-reminiscent three-way with four woofers and two mids centered symmetrically around the tweeter. Stands are ca. $1,800/pr and piano black or other custom finishes available for approximately $1-2K depending on model.

Powered by the new Red Rock Audio tube monos and an Emotive Audio preamp and Naim CD player suspended on Symposium Acoustics' redesigned Isis rack, cables were by Siltech. I was mightily taken by the Eben's uncanny speed that was reminiscent of Triangle and good electrostats yet offered the dynamics and weight the latter can lack. Watch this company - HiFi+ already went ape enough to compel Editor Roy Gregory to add a full-blown second opinion to Chris Binns' feature review, both close-to-rave reports. Though show conditions can never replace personal auditions in a space and system you're intimately familiar with, the Eben speakers and this Ebaen listener surely made great music together.
Mike Verretto of Audio Critical Mass showcased the smaller ESP speakers with Tsuda-San's 60-watt Concert Fidelity 6B4G Fusion monoblock amplifiers which are available in red, blue or black-grained wood and with silver or black accents. Having lived in Japan for 15 years and speaking its language fluently, Mike is very familiar with the Kondo and Shindo electronics and of the humble opinion that Tsuda-San's 4 x Sovtek 6B4G amplifier with 6SN7 driver [$28,000] plays in an even more elevated league. Considering the esteem in which those other Japanese design houses are held, this is an ambitious claim that reviews will have to grapple with. Regardless, the sound here and in the larger ESP exhibit with Red Rock Audio's monos was among my favorite stops and while one can always nitpick especially under show conditions, both rooms were expertly set up and the results showed. The matching CF-040 line stage
[$12,000] duplicates the amp's "Direct Signal Path Technology" and uses 2 x 12AU7s in a cascode array for 20dB of gain while offering 4 inputs. The audio gods, Tsuda-San and Mike Verretto willing, you might hear more about these electronics on the moons one of the days...