May 20, 2007
All prices in euros or US dollars.
1 €  is approximately $1.36 at time of report.

What you see here is just the user interface. Germany's Trivum displayed a well-thought-out networked audio system. The Trivum representative we spoke to said that an "average" system will retail for approximately € 12,000-16,000 and would service six different zones. Obviously, depending on your needs and how many zones you need to equip, you could also spend quite a bit more. Just add speakers, and you're in business.

Germany's Finite Element has another way to make your listening room more attractive, although it took us a few minutes to grasp just what was happening with the company's loudspeaker-furniture line. It's something quite unique -- a "no speakers in the living room" kind of concept.  Seen here is the Modul system, which consists of the cabinetry (€ 7800 as seen in the basic white finish) and four front speakers (left, center, right and sub) that are mounted within the cabinet (€ 5500 for all four). The panels on the wall indicate some of the finish options available for the cabinet. Electronics and cabling are not included.

Just another odd-looking horn speaker? Hardly. The Haniwa HSP3W08 ($40,000 per pair) features all horn-loaded drivers: an 8" woofer, a 3" compression midrange, and a ring-radiator tweeter. The real story, however, lies in the Digital Channel Divider ($10,000), which adjusts crossover points and phase characteristics, and the Digital Control Amplifier ($10,000), which acts as both a digital and analog preamplifier. All in all, it’s quite an ambitious speaker-electronics package that mixes old and new technologies.

This is just a hint of what lies below. Joachim Gerhard debuted the newest speaker in his Sonics line, the Spirit. This large multi-cabinet floorstander features a ribbon tweeter and is priced at € 20,000 per pair.

Italy's Mel Audio had on display the beautifully styled two-piece Ruah II preamplifier priced at € 6500E. The Ruah II comes complete with a separate power supply and a built-in phono stage.

We thought this speaker with its paper-cone midrange was quite interesting. Ayon Audio's Dragon is priced at € 18,900E per pair and incorporates two 9" woofers, a 6" French Supravox midrange, a 1" tweeter. It is said to have 95dB sensitivity, which, if true, makes it suitable for mating with low-powered amps.

Jeff Fritz was really taken by the look of Eventus Audio's stand-mounted Lysithea loudspeaker, which retails for € 19,000. He went on and on and on about it. It's a three-way design with a side-firing woofer and gorgeous cabinetwork. Furthermore, the stand, which is integral to the design, houses the crossover network.

Linn always seems to have new products at the High End show, and this year was no exception. Shown is the Akurate CD/SACD player priced at € 6000. This unit features multichannel capability and balanced stereo outputs, all wrapped up in a very sleek, clean-looking package. But that wasn’t all from Linn. For vinyl enthusiasts, the company also showed the new Ekos SE tonearm priced at € 5950.