Stereophile: Imperial Sound

One of my best sounds at RMAF was the room organized by Colorado dealer Audio Unlimited featuring the Emperor speakers from Canadian manufacturer Hansen Audio that had so impressed Jason Serinus at the 2008 RMAF. The three-way speakers were driven by Accuphase monoblocks sitting on Critical Mass Systems platforms, with the front end based on a Trans-Rotor turntable. I was drawn into the room by the full-range sound of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and didn't leave for quite a while. Wes Phillips said it best in his CES 2009 coverage of the Emperor: "the music had me melting in my chair."

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Reader Comments

Posted Tue Oct13, 2009, 12:47 PM — By Nick Ramsey

Thanks for the great report!

Posted Mon Jan11, 2010, 10:08 PM — By C.D. @ Austin Tejas

The one thing I always wonder when looking at these systems from room to room is how much did the whole rig cost ? No one EVER coughs up these figures which is a tad shady in my opinion. They should be required to post a list of what is displayed, what in fact you are listening to, all the gizmos Shouldn't connected to and what each idem retails for and what the entire system cost, in AMERICAN dollars. I know this might seem simple minded to the HighBrow Stereo Snob show goer. However I think it bring a sense of honesty and integrity. As my cousin remarked " Shouldn't a 85 thousand dollar amp sound wonderful ? Or better yet it sounds wonderful but not 85 thousand dollars wonderful.

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