Stephen Mejias and I trekked out to GamuT/Scandinavian Audio Research (ScAR) house on our travel day after the show closed. We sat down and talked to Lars Goller, formerly drive-unit designer at Vifa/ScanSpeak and chief designer at GamuT and ScAR (OEM drivers).

"We use the method I used to employ at ScanSpeak," said Goller. "I have a great team and I give them ideas about new drivers, then I let them work them out. At the end of the process, I listen, I make changes, and I listen again. I don't really measure that much—at least not in the design part of the process. When I say. 'we are done,' then we measure."

He walked us into the large room of the house, where he had a pair of $130,000/pair GamuT L9s set up. "These are the first GamuT loudspeakers I have designed from a blank sheet of paper—the cabinets, drivers, even the milled brass port flares, that's all me. Would you like to hear some Pink Floyd?"

Indeed we did. Halfway through "Welcome to the Machine," somebody pounded on the door. "Was that an irate neighbor telling you to turn it down?"

"No," said David Stephens, head of marketing for GamuT and ScAR. "It was a dealer prepaying for some L9s."

I would have if I could have.

Stephen Mejias adds: Gamut has completely revamped their top-of-the-line L Series. The new tapered cabinets are not only attractive and indicative of top Danish design, but work to control resonances. The drivers have been coated with a leather treatment—an accidental development which works to soften the speakers' sound, says Lars Goller.

Indeed, the sound of the L7 and flagship L9 seemed gentler than I'd remembered, without sacrificing size, speed, or the ability to fill a large room. I was impressed as Wes had been.