When I awoke on Sunday morning, hunger finally superseded fatigue. I made a dent in the breakfast buffet before starting out for my last day of the show. I heard a rumor that there are plans to tear down the San Remo and replace it with a Hooters Hotel. [No teardown but section-by-section renovation while the hotel continues operations - Ed.] Does that mean the breakfast buffet will consist entirely of chicken wings and fried mozzarella sticks? I'll pass, thanks.


To my ears, the sound of the different demo rooms on Sunday was the best. Maybe I needed a couple of days to calm myself before listening, or maybe the exhibitors needed more time to tweak. Maybe it was the cheese blintzes at the breakfast buffet.

At the Alexis Park, Hsu Research gave an impressive home theater demonstration with their latest HO (high output) subwoofers and Ventriloquist surround and center channel speakers. The VTF 3 HO is planned for release sometime in June of this year. It has a 12' driver and a 500-watt amp. I could feel the air move around the lower notes in the Saint Saens Organ Symphony #3 and the marching band percussion on the demonstration DVD was appropriately visceral.


Dr. Hsu also showed a décor-friendly subwoofer prototype in silver and black. To achieve the unique shape, the speaker uses a 6" x 9' ellipsoid woofer instead of the usual 8' circular driver. Expected cost of this pretty sub is around $350. I really appreciated the respect the people at Hsu Research have for each other. The representative praised the design achievements of Dr. Hsu very highly.
Ginkgo Audio had an electronic display of the effectiveness of the Cloud platforms on rattling audiophile electronic components in one room and a musical display of the new Tubulous loudspeakers in the other. I filled out the questionnaire about the Tubulous speakers (to be released in April, 2005) and, if they can read my handwriting, I might have a chance to win something from Ginkgo Audio! In the same room, Dedicated Audio displayed their new cable towers ($99 for a set of four). I've read about cable elevators but I never found their appearance appealing. They look like porcelain plungers without handles. These cable towers look like something from the Sharper Image catalog and each tower can support two cables (cable elevators only support one cable each). With all of the static in my home plus the fact that all of my gear is resting on carpet, the purported benefits
of cable towers is very appealing. As of this writing, I now have two sets of cable towers in-house for a forthcoming review.


I must have been suffering from Reviewer's Block when I walked into the AV123 room because I didn't take any notes and forgot to ask to play any music. Hopefully the pictures will say enough about these affordable and attractive electronics and loudspeakers. My mind was on vacation. At least my camera was working overtime!
[Eagle-eyed readers will react in shock: $1,199 for the Melody tube integrated and the Onix Reference One speakers with ribbon super tweeter [above]? Yes, it's not a misprint and yours truly will review this combo in a few months to take a break from his recent forays into the financial stratosphere - Ed.]

When I walked into Anthony Gallo's first room, I felt like family -- not strangers or models hired out for the show -- surrounded me. Gallo's latest Italian meatballs on spaghetti-thin stands looked and sounded better than any of the mass-market lifestyle systems I have heard. The Micro Ti speakers (starting at $200) and TR1 subwoofer ($400) will also leave plenty of money in your account to buy new sneakers for your kids! When I showed my wife the pictures of the Gallo speakers, she thought they looked nice. Maybe if Srajan would be so kind, I will try to get a pair of the Micro Tis in for review? [Done if Gallo says yes - and he just did. Ed.] They might sound really nice with the new Arcam Solo! After listening to the Micro system, Anthony Gallo very kindly showed me the adjacent demonstration of the Nucleus 3 loudspeakers and the new Reference Center speaker. Since it wasn't crowded, he even let me play a classical CD on the big system. Theatrically and musically, the Gallo speakers offer excellent performance for the price!