Series 2
All prices in euros or US dollars.
1 €  is approximately $1.36 at time of report.

Germany's Ballmann Electronica impressed us in previous years with its all-digital Behold electronics. One problem with them, though, has been that they're extremely expensive. That has changed with the € 8000 Gentle, something that designer Ralf Ballmann calls an integrated amplifier but is really something more. There are a plethora of analog and digital inputs on the back panel, but all signals are handled in the digital domain, just as with the expensive Behold gear. The Gentle delivers four channels of power, so you can biamp with it; there are two 80Wpc conventional analog amplifiers and two 160Wpc switching amplifiers. Furthermore, a peak inside reveals a small hard drive -- but what for? The Gentle is a fully functional music server too, controlled  via the touch-screen front panel or remote control!

TEAC's Esoteric division keeps on truckin' with a consistent stream of new products. The AT-100 stereo integrated amplifier uses KT-88 tubes to deliver 50Wpc. Beautifully built and full of what Esoteric says is innovative technology, the AT-100 is sure to cause a stir. While there was a little tag on the unit that said "Concept Sample," this wasn't some empty box -- it was hooked up and working. Esoteric says the AT-100 will be available in October at a cost of € 18,000. We can't wait.

Waveguides on tweeters make a lot of sense when it comes to controlling directivity, and they're showing up on more and more speakers. Gryphon's new Atlantis replaces the company's stand-mounted Cantata. The Atlantis is a five-driver, three-way floorstanding loudspeaker that looks and sounds like it should cost more than € 22,000 per pair. It has a numerous features, including a battery-biased crossover and a ceramic tweeter, and it is available in multiple finish options.

This tweeter is just the tip of the massive OSS Olympus Sound system from Germany's Adam Audio. The OSS consists of two towers that incorporate 12 ART (Accelerated Ribbon Technology) tweeters, eight ART midranges, eight 9" mid-woofers, and two 18" subwoofers. The system costs a whopping € 220,000 and could surely fill the largest of rooms -- physically and with the volume of sound it presents. It's a ShowStopper and a heart-stopper in terms of size and price.

But small size can be impressive, too -- perhaps even more so. Minimonitor fan Doug Schneider was quite taken by Wilson Benesch's new Trinity three-way, which comes with an integral stand and retails € 7000 per pair. The tiny gold-colored tweeter is a "super-tweeter" that kicks in at 19kHz, extending the high-frequency response to the stratosphere. We've never seen a stand-mounted monitor with this feature. The lower tweeter hands off to the mid-woofer at 5kHz in order to let the mid-woofer handle a wide range of frequencies and not have a crossover point in a lower, more ear-sensitive range. We listened to the Trinity at length and found it to be astonishingly airy-sounding.