Esoteric's piece de resistance was the new A100 KT88 amp with patent-pending servo bias and capacitor-free direct coupling between the 2nd and 3rd stage.
To demonstrate raw grunt, this all-tube amp (there's three small signal valves per channel) was leashed to the above Dynaudios at times - in a good-size room. Let's just say that this isn't your garden-variety machine.
Company president Motoaki Ohmachi and department manager of oversea sales Kazutaka Tsuda committed to a review of it
with yours truly so we'll leave further details for later. The new VMK-5 mechanism is a 2-years-in-the-making slimmed down VRDS universal transport that allows this technology to now appear in Esoteric players priced lower than ever before. It's also a high-class OEM part for those makers still dedicated to quality traditional disc spinning.

New too was the X-05 (black or silver) which employs this drive.

Esoteric USA's main man Mark Gurvey; TEAC Europe's Don Schone in background; Tsuda-San and Ohmachi-San. While they very professionally handed me their cards, I didn't have my corporate manners. I didn't have a card. Mine is - um, virtual. An e-card. With the A100 coming, I think I'm forgiven though.

Eventus Audio from Italy speakers proudly showcased plenty of cleavage and skin - er, curves and lacquers. Belissima.

The world's first First Watt F5 made its appearance in Munich. Nelson not only is dispatching one to Cyprus, he's promised our readers a paper on negative feedback to present "some of the latest thinking on the subject". The review will tell all.


Looking like a baby sand worm from Dune, Germany's Form und Ton (shape and sound) displayed - this.


I felt more at home with Frank Yoo's Furutech wares which, four rafters high to the ceiling and in massively paralleled display cases, occupied quite the real estate. From a trick new phono cable to connectors, wall plugs, power distribution boxes, demagnetizers for silver and black discs and a first-rate cable line, there's little in that sector which this firm hasn't covered.


Except for -- excuse me for mentioning them again -- them pesky acoustic resonators. Frank has approached the French Franck (who is originally from Vietnam) for licensing rights though. Who knows what the future will hold on that topic? No matter what, it's going places.

Peter Grundig of GREATech presented his expanding lineup of miniature components. Marja & Henk reviewed his amplifier on their 107dB Avantgardes and gave it major thumbs. Up. The speaker is tiny, beautifully finished and, for its kind, really really impressive. How much longer tube gear with NOS tubes can be sold in the EU is questionable. Valves, I'll have you know, don't comply with the RoHS directive. Sad times ahead? Or just opportunities to get - creative?

Flemming E. Rasmussen is a bona fide industrial designer and agrees that upscale audio doesn't just have to sound but also, look. Hence the Gryphon Audio Designs line incorporates clever snap-on panels to alter cosmetics. Even leathers and furs apply. And that big elliptically cross-sectioned radiator is really a very powerful, pure class A mono amplifier. So you'll need two. Unless you do mono. Check out the heifer-skin speaker way in the background.

Lest we overlook an exciting product introduction in "D", let's back up the alphabet and bow at the feet of darTZeel's new integrated amplifier.