May 19, 2007
All prices in euros or US dollars.
1 €  is approximately $1.36 at time of report.

Still playing vinyl? Japan’s Furutech has a cure for warped LPs: the aptly named DFV-1 LP Flattener (€ 1480). According to the company, with just enough heat and pressure, the Flattener can make a warped record sound almost like new. Simply open, insert an LP, and let the Flattener do the rest. [www.furutech.com]

Back in the world of digital, Esoteric, also from Japan, showed the  new P-05 CD/SACD transport (€ 6500) and D-05 DAC (€ 6500) look to further the already impressive stable of Esoteric digital sources. The P-05 uses the very latest version of the VRDS transport mechanism, scaled down to fit the price point, and the D-05 is equipped with a 32-bit D/A section.

Denmark's Vitus Audio showed a prototype of the new € 10,700 SCD-10 CD player in January at CES, but the production version is here at High End. The SCD-10 is a fully balanced design that also incorporates upsampling and re-clocking modules by Switzerland's Anagram Technologies. [www.vitusaudio.com]

Japan's Reimyo has introduced the CDT-777 CD transport, which is the companion for the already-established DAP-777 DAC. The top-loading CDT-777 retails for € 8200.

This is digital done differently. Geneva -- the company, not the city -- showed a high-style line of products that also displayed excellent functionality. The M (€ 699), L (€ 999), and XL (€ 1899) all-in-one music systems have iPod docks and CD player slots on top, and they have a built-in AM/FM radio, too. The main differences among the units are the sizes and number of the built-in speakers included in each. For instance, the largest XL has six drivers in a three-way stereo configuration, while the other two are four-driver two-way designs. We liked the convenience, styling and bold color combinations.

Hong Kong’s Volent had ribbon aficionados wowed with the Paragon VL line of loudspeakers. Shown here are the VL-2 stand-mounted two-way (€ 4000 per pair) and VL-3 floorstander three-way (€ 7000 per pair). Common to both models is the Twin-Ribbon tweeter, which is said to extend frequency response out to 60kHz.

Leather and chrome at an audio show? Actually, it's not as S&M-ish as you may think. We thought that MartinLogan's Harley-Davidson-inspired Summit loudspeaker was so cool-looking that it almost became a ShowStopper. The standard Summit retails for € 12,000, and the Harley-Davidson version costs 50% more (yes, that's € 18,000), but to some the unique looks will make extra cost seem like money well spent.