May 17, 2007
All prices in euros or US dollars.
1 €  is approximately $1.36 at time of report.

Focal is well known for its Beryllium tweeters, now being used in more and more of the company's speakers. The newest speaker in the Electra line released last year is the 1037 Be (€ 8000 per pair). This direct descendant of Focal's popular Utopia line has a 1" Beryllium tweeter along with a 6.5" midrange and three 7" woofers. The 1037 Be weighs in at a healthy 112 pounds and has rated bass extension down to 33Hz.

Speaking of tweeters, B&W is another company that knows how to make tweeters stand out. The new three-way 683 floorstander (right) sells for € 1400 per pair, while the 684 (left) sells for € 1000 per pair, and the 685 goes out the door for € 600 per pair. Each of these uses a tube-loaded aluminum-dome tweeter and Kevlar bass drivers.

Germany’s T+A must have one of the most expansive product lines in all of high-end audio. The company makes seemingly everything. New to the T+A speaker lineup are the Criterion models. Shown are the large three-way TS 200 (far left, € 4000 per pair), the smaller three-way TS 300 (not shown in picture, but shown here, € 2800 per pair), the two-way TR 400 (second from left, € 1500 per pair) and the TC 500 center-channel (far right, € 950). Common to all is a new ring-radiator tweeter made especially for T&A. The Pulsar TAB 621 E, shown second from the right, is an older model and not part of the Criterion line.

The newest member of NAD’s Classic line is the C315BEE integrated amplifier. This diminutive little guy is rated to deliver 40Wpc into 8 ohms and costs € 350. However, it's available only in Europe. [www.nadelectronics.com] 

The new KEF Model 209 subwoofer is certainly big! With an 18" driver capable of 60mm of peak-to-peak excursion driven by a 1000W amplifier, the 209 is rated to deliver bass down to 15Hz at -3dB and to 12Hz at -5dB. If room-shaking bass is a need of yours, this may be your answer. The 209 is priced at € 8000.

Audia continued to expand its growing selection of electronics. New at High End 2007 was the Flight Phono that will be available soon for a price of € 2500.