Odyssey Audio's new Kismet amplifier is available in stereo (200Wpc) and mono models (400 watts each) at essentially the same price -- $2500 each or $4900 per pair. A pair of monoblocks sounded full and sweet driving Odyssey Audio's soon-to-be-available Kismet speakers. The amp's metal work is impressive. [www.odysseyaudio.com]

Blue Circle's BC109 preamp ($4295) gets its power from capacitor banks. It can play for up to three hours without recharging, and this can be extended to 15 hours with optional capacitor packs. Blue Circle also debuted a pair of power amps -- the hybrid SB90T ($3295) and solid-state SB100S ($3195) -- at the RMAF. [www.bluecircle.com]

Also new from Blue Circle... [www.bluecircle.com]

The newest speaker in Dynaudio's Focus line is...

This is the ribbon tweeter for... [www.jatonhp.com]

One final new floorstanding speaker -- the Vandersteen Quatro Signature II Wood ($10,700 per pair), which sounded lithe and lively driven by Ayre electronics. The speaker is billed as combining the company's 3A Signature floorstanding speaker with a pair of 2Wq subwoofers and possessing "many of the same attributes as the Model 5A." The Quatro Signature II Wood uses a new 6 1/2" midwoofer with a woven-fiber cone.