Late Sunday afternoon, with only about an hour left before the show closed, it was still standing room only in the Music Hall room. Perhaps that had something to do with the choice of music. I walked in to be greeted by the naughty sounds of the Bear Family Records compilation, Eat to the Beat: the dirtiest of them dirty blues, featuring song titles I can't even mention here.

Such as: The Blenders' "Don't Fuck Around With Love," Wynonie Harris' "I Like My Baby's Pudding," and many more much better than that.

The music, coming from Music Hall's very attractive, all-in-one Trio ($999) and Epos M5 speakers ($650/pair), sounded great, by the way.

No!, but not because I hadn't tried. I just couldn't get near the room. It was that packed. Finally, on Sunday I not only got in, I got the sweet spot.

Hmmm, I see, umm, hear, what what people were buzzing about. And, again, it ain't just the speakers, of course, but the Oracle Audio Technologies gear and JPS Labs cables as well—yet even we sophisticated audiophiles tend to think of that last link in the chain as being what we're hearing. In one sense, it is—in that speakers either let through all that shiny goodness (and thereby sound good) or mess it up (thereby sounding bad), but really good-sounding audio systems are complex entities and ... what was I saying? Oh yeah, the system sounded good, man.

System, what system? I'm so glad I asked. From front-end down, I was listening to the Oracle CD 1500 CD player ($5800), Oracle S1 integrated amplifier ($9250), JPS Labs Aluminata interconnects ($2999/1m pair), speaker cables, $7299/6' pair), and the Usher Dancer Be-718 loudspeakers (approx. $2500/pair). The Be-718, photographed here by Larry Greenhill, combines a 6" mid-woofer with a 1.5" beryllium tweeter.

The little Ushers, I mean the system, sounded good, with a fabulous sense of body and an extremely tuneful midrange. Maybe they lacked a little bass impact, but they sounded robust for a 6" two-way. These speakers may have my number—they definitely have my area code. I hope they can come to my house to play.

I encountered the same difficulty while talking with Red Wine Audio's Vinnie Rossi that I'd experienced the day before when chatting with Audio Advancements' Hart Huschens. Happy customers kept frigging interrupting us. "Vinnie! Vinnie!" they'd announce again and again.

I take this as solid evidence of the great service these gentlemen provide to the audio world.

Basically, all I could do was drop my pen, lean back against the wall, and smile. Might as well take a picture, I figured.

And so: Here's Vinnie Rossi with a very happy customer of the Red Wine Audio modded iPod. That's iMod, for short. The iMod converts the iPod's standard 1/8" headphone jack into a dedicated line-out jack using Black Gate NX-Hi-Q coupling capacitors, leaving the user with a tiny, battery-powered, digital playback source intended for use with a hi-end headphone amp or hi-fi system. The iMod should no longer be used directly connected to headphones, Vinnie explained, and is available only to fourth generation iPods. Mods start at $199.

The Audioengine team is also looking at alternative cabinet materials. On display was a prototype A5 housed in lovely, sustainable bamboo. While the electronics remain the same, the bamboo models will incorporate added dampening.

"We were afraid the sound wouldn't match up to what we'd achieved with the original A5, but, when we were all finished, we were surprised to find that it sounded very similar."

We can expect this model to be released in the coming months, with a price somewhere around $599.

Audioengine's Brett Bargenquast told me a bit about the company. It's basically a three-man team, with Brett handling sales and his brother Brady and their good friend, Dave Evans, managing the design. With looks that leave no mystery behind Audioengine's target audience, it should come as no surprise that Brady was once project manager for Apple's iPod.

"We're working on the consumer-level, looking to introduce people to higher quality sound, without asking them to pay an arm and a leg," said Brett.

Lukas Lipinski was happy to present his L-707 speakers ($4990/pair) on special stands which discreetly house the 300Wpc L-301 monoblocks ($6000/pair). Keeping the amps close to the speakers allows for shorter cable runs, and, of course, is a clever space-saving idea. The amps slide vertically into the stands and are held in place by small screws on the back panel. The amps' glass front panel bears the Lipinski logo and can be illuminated.

The room itself was evidence not only of Lipinski's work to cross over from pro-audio to hi-fi, but to bring true hi-fi sound to a larger audience by riding the HDTV wave. Partnered with JVC, the Lipinski room beamed with gorgeous color and vibrant sound. "We want to show the best there is to offer in picture and sound," said Lukas. "So, we figured, we'd offer full-blown sound and video content. Why not?"

We trucked across the hall to the treated room which contained several sets of RPG Variscreen free-standing variable acoustics screen ($700/each), a Modex Plate ($1000)—which offers broadband low frequency absorbtion from 50–500Hz—and two Rives Audio Sub-PARC crossover/EQs ($4500/each). The system also boasted an extra pair of VAC Alphas—Richard Rives explained that he was using the Sub-PARCs as crossovers, bypassing their digital woofer amps to kep the signals equivalent from top to bottom.

Was there a difference? Man, I'll say. We think of room effects as subtle, but they aren't—and Rives was the first to confess that you just can't use EQ, no matter how flexible or specific, as a band-aid. Room effect has to be attacked in a multi-front assault.

Bass was clearer and tighter, the mids were clearer and more mid-y, and the lack of hash and sibilance in the highs was startling. Then there was all that space I hadn't heard in the other room. Based on this demo, not to mention my recent experiences building a dedicated small speaker listening room, I think you aren't hearing your components if you haven't dealt with your room—you're just listening to your room.

"You never get a chance to hear so clearly what the room does to a hi-fi," said XLO's Don Bouchard. "Yes, these rooms aren't identical, but you don't usually get a chance to just cross the hall and hear how much the room influences what you're hearing. I've been in hi-fi forever and I never heard anything like it before.

In the photo, Richard Rives lurks behind the Talons, next to a SubPARC/Alpha stack.

Well, few people have. In a stunning collaborative effort, Rives Audio, RPG, Modex, Talon, VAC, Wadia, XLO, and Silent Running set up two rooms designed to demonstrate that even the best audio components need a little help from intelligently applied digital EQ and room treatment. Two rooms, almost mirror images of one another, with essentially the same system—only one room used EQ and treatment and the other didn't. Here's the system rundown: Wadia 581i disc player ($9450), 100Wpc VAC Alpha integrated amplifier ($10,000), Talon Thunderhawk loudspeakers ($25,000/pair), XLO Signature 2 interconnects ($00/m). XLO Signature 2 speaker cable ($2700/2m), XLO Argentum XP3 power conditioner ($600), and Silent Running Craz Reference isoRACK ($6000, as configured here).

The sound in the untreated room was not at all shabby—imaging was convincing and the soundstage extended beyond the loudspeakers. Well, put together a $60,000+ system and you ought to get good sound, right?

The program of seminars and workshops has been an important part of the Home Entertainment Show since its inception in 1987. For the past few years, Sunday afternoon has been the time for Stereophile Senior Editor Michael Fremer's guide to getting the best from LP playback. At this year's action-packed session, he showed a packed house to how to mount and align a phono cartridge on a VPI turntable, aided with close-up video help from Dave of Show contractor Moorea Marketing.

Indeed, there were nice things from Sweden in the Sjofn HiFi room. I didn't get a taste of the snittar (Swedish finger sandwiches), but I was very impressed by the powerful bass and deep, wide soundstage created by the diminutive Guru loudspeakers. As Wes mentioned, the Gurus were designed with the room in mind, and are meant to be placed near room boundaries.

Though, Sjofn's online store is temporarily closed, they do have an interesting sales network set up in a major markets across the country. Potential buyers will be able to listen to the Guru speakers in special studios and apartments, by appointment.

Here's a picture of the speaker. Forgive Fred Manteghian's humor. The song wasn't that bad. Fred's just hungry.

Gini Audio Systems was displaying the neat, little Audio Space Mini Galaxy I USB/DAC headphone amp with separate power supply. Its front panel holds knobs for negative feedback and volume control, and the amp provides a nifty 12Wpc. Available now, the Mini Galaxy I goes for $790.

Totem Acoustics knows how to do a show. Each year, I'm impressed not only by the sound they achieve in their room, but by the room itself. To enter the Totem room is to leave the hotel behind, is almost like stepping outdoors, into a great, green forest. The ground is soft, the air is fresh and touched with cedar and pine. It's kind of strange, but I like it. I start to worry about bears and other things. Did I bring my compass and flashlight?

Over the last couple of shows, the only things missing were a sleeping bag, s'mores, and some new products. This year, Vince and Nico Bruzzese still forgot the sleeping bags and s'mores.

However, I'm happy to say they did demo the new on-wall Tribe III and gave a warm introduction to The One, a special version of their acclaimed Model 1, and a celebration of Totem's 20th anniversary.

The One will be available in all-new custom finishes, and features WBT Platinum binding posts, added bracing, and upgraded parts. The sound was what I've come to expect from Totem, smooth and clean with well-defined bass and excellent imaging. The One, the only speaker in the Totem line to receive the 20th Anniversary treatment, will cost $3500/pair and will be available this fall. Say September 1.

After delighting a large crowd of show goers with The One, Vince Bruzzese gave a short demo of the Tribe III. In mono. Leaning, so very casually, in a corner of the room (it might as well have been smoking a cigarette), the Tribe III, featuring Totem's new 3.5" woofer, absolutely filled the space with clean, natural sound. I was so impressed I thought I was being fooled. But there were no tricks involved. The Totem team spent over two years designing the woofer, and is so pleased there are plans to incorporate larger versions of the design into other loudspeakers in their line. Word is the new driver might be the very thing to inspire a speaker to fill the gap between the company's Forest and Wind. But that'll be for another show.

"Nico," I asked so very politely, "Would you please pose with The One for me?"

"Oh, no!" he declared.

"C'mon, please," I nearly begged.

"Not me, not this year. I'm still getting e-mails about that last photo you took of me. Ask Vince. Vince'll be happy to do it."

The John Atkinson Trio had 'em dancing in the aisles. In fact, only mom Elizabeth Donovan's gentle persuasion kept Ms. Stuelke from dancing on the stage. I think we all wanted to join her.

I tried to get an arty shot of Bob Reina playing the Steinway. His chromaticism and inspired soloing made me aspire to a higher level of craft.

Allen Perkins absolutely owned "A Night in Tunisia."

I never miss the John Atkinson Trio's performances. I like to watch my friends play music and it's a great chance to bond with my fellow audiophiles for an hour or so. But this year wasn't like other years—the boys just flat-out smoked! Allen Perkins of Immedia, already one of my favorite drummers, has been studying with Peter Erskine for a few years and he has burned away any clutter (not that there was much) and is now even more purely him than ever. Bob Reina's regular gigging with Attention Screen has focused his strengths and, I suspect, freed him from having to express everything he has to say every time out. He's playing freer, looser, and tighter than ever. And JA (photographed here by Bob Deutsch), I suspect he's been woodshedding. With editing Stereophile, producing records, and measuring every component we review, where does he find the time?

Peak Consult's Per Kristoffersen poses with his new floorstanding two-way Princess loudspeaker ($10,500/pair). "You know," he said, "it is really quite amazing what you can get out of a 5.5" driver."

That's not technically correct. I've built a few two-way loudspeakers and what I got out of a 5.5" driver was not amazing at all—just sad. But what Kristoffersen was achieving with the Princess was amazing. These are sweet little speakers—and those Stillpoints stands ($995/each) they are sitting on are pretty cool, too. They provided stability and fantastic coupling to the floor.

Signals-SuperFi's Chris Sommovigo poses with the new Continuum Criterion turntable and Copperhead Tonearm ($51,500). Well, he is the importer, after all. However, he is also the designer and manufacturer of Stereovox cables, and he had new AC cables, speaker cables, and interconnects to tout— Dragon AC ($3500), Dragon speaker ($11,000/pair), and Dragon interconnect (tbd). Why didn't he pose with his stuff?

"We're using all we brought," he confessed. So modesty is also sometimes a necessity.

(BTW, that slick rack the Criterion is sitting on is the Stillpoints ESS 405-26 ($9500), which was developed specifically for the Continuum tables.)

Masataka Tsuda designs and manufactures both Concert Fidelity and Silicon Arts components. What's the diff? Concert Fidelity is his tube line; Silicon Arts Design represents his thinking on—you guessed it—solid-state.

In Rick Brown's Hi Fi One room, Maestro Tsuda had both his state-of-the-art Concert Fidelity CF-80 line stage ($18,000) and Silicon Arts ZL-120 mono amplifiers ($23,000/pair), as well as a prototype of his SA SPA-4 phono stage ($18,000).

The front end was the "half price" Continuum Criterion turntable with Copperhead tonearm ($51,000). The speakers were the Peak Consult Princess ($10,500/pair). And the sound? To die for. Deep and rich and detailed and completely involving.

Tsuda-san was quite retiring, but his devotion to excellence was apparent—and Steve Hoffman masters with his Concert Fidelity kit (and he just acquired a Criterion/Copperhead for playback, too). Having heard the Hi Fi One system, I can see (hear?) why.

JA asked Dynaudio's Mike Manousselis about review samples, only to be told that a pair of C1s were already in a holding pattern at Wes Phillips' place. Some writers get all the breaks! At least JA will get to listen to the C1s in Wes' room.