I love hearing and reading about new audio products. I’m like you, a kid in a candy store who gets excited about what this or that technology might bring to make our music sound more like the real McCoy in our living rooms.

It seems like yesterday (well, it was 1973) that I was reading that better cables (Fulton) improved our sound. Speakers with lightweight, flat diaphragms (Magnepans) were FASTER. Open air drivers with time alignment (Dahlquist) could make speakers more cohesive. Moving coil carts had much superior definition.

These… were exciting topics as I navigated the world of audio gear. While these products were more than I could afford at the time, they weren’t insane money. I could realistically look forward to owning DQ10s or Maggies for under a grand some day. New cables and a moving coil cart were well within reach. The gear TAS and other mags wrote about was attainable.

On to the latest greatest from the Chicago show, as discovered by TAS.

RH is excited by the Gryphon Commander preamp, $63k. The matching Apex stereo power amp is $99k, the monoblocks $198k. Hmmm. $162k for a preamp (445 lbs!) and stereo amp? Even if it is made in Denmark, that’s some fancy money- and friggen ridiculous. 445 lbs?!

I’m willing to bet that if we blindfolded a dozen audiophiles for an audition, they would like the Bryston BR-20 preamp/DAC for $6800 every bit as much as the Commander for $63k! The BR-20 is an absolutely magnificent sounding preamp/DAC made in Canada. There are preamps that are different- but I’ll bet none BETTER. In our dozen listener comparison, six would likely choose Bryston, six would likely choose Gryphon. I think all would like to save $56.2k. Moving on…

JMF of France showed its HQS 6002 $39k, 75 pound power amp (and matching $34k preamp). I’m going to bet that we could run an A-B with NAD’s new C298 power amp ($2400, 185×2, 25 lbs) and the auditioning panel would be split equally between these amps! C298’s 185×2 rating is at .005% THD- NOT at clipping! JFM claims 250×2 with no further comment on distortion, damping etc. I’ll bet that 250×2 is claimed at clipping. I’m not saying JMF isn’t good. I am saying C298 is devastatingly amazing for $2400!

The Ideon Ion DAC runs $18k. I’m sure it’s very nice. Instead, I’d like you to consider the Mytek Liberty 2 for $1500. Yep, for 12 times less money the Liberty 2 is very competitive with the most expensive on the market. It has the right inputs, supports RCA and XLR outs and even decodes MQA. Liberty 2 has only been shipping for several months and its reputation is growing like an avalanche.

The Lux 507Z integrated amp (110×2, $9k) at 56 pounds should be shipping soon. Please consider the NAD M33 instead. M33 $6k, has 200×2 with built in Bluos streamer that works like a champ. Oh, and M33 can be run bridged, with companion M23 power amp ($3750). So if you really DO want to spend about $10k, get the NAD combo and 700×2 horsepower instead. And yep, the NAD power is rated at .003% THD, NOT at clipping! Further, Stereophile tested the M33 and it clipped at 255×2. Effectively, you’re getting two and a half times more power compared to the Lux.

TAS loved the Metronome DreamPlay X CD transport for $69k. It’s pretty to look at! But to purchase? Don’t look past the best silver disc player value in our business, the Marantz SACD30n, $3k. It is made in their top factory in Japan like a brick outhouse. Its transport performance is the best in our biz. Its DAC system is Marantz’s own MMM (no DAC chips from a vendor!) and has a more transparent musical presentation than you can derive from a chipset.

They like the Karin gear, preamp $41k, power amp $106k. They move on to amps for $35k on up, preamps for $34k on up, integrateds for $26,500 on up- and speakers that…weigh a quarter ton and run well over $100k.

Ya know, these shows are much like… going to a car show where they have McLarens and Bugattis in almost every room. I guess it’s interesting as a curiosity to see such audio JEWELRY.

When it comes to SHOPPING, please visit or call us at Audio Emporium. We know there’s plenty of crazy bling out there. But we sell products that people who work for a living can afford. We live in the real world. Not NEVER NEVER LAND!