The sights and sounds at this year's High End show went from far-out to the familiar.

Found the "NO DISC" here particularly interesting because although 3D Lab boasts the world's first high-end "3-D" Blu-Ray player, there's no software available that I know of.

Audes made the best of their room situation by creating an atmosphere that looked really impressive. Showing off a two-toned matched set that featured the Audes model NS S 15-watt integrated ($7,500) and the Blues loudspeakers ($5k) driven by a dCS CD transport-Northstar DAC combo, the sound was tonally rich, balanced and ultimately musically satisfying. From outside this room you could tell it was put together in a half-hour perhaps, but from the inside it just gave a look and sound that left me with a big smile on my face. 

On the other side of the Hall I ran into Jim Aud of Purist Audio showing off his Elementa Advance series Speaker Cables, Proteus Provectus Interconnects, Purist Canorus Power Cords and a European version of his AC Extension Unit. Electronics once again were from Vitus Audio while the loudspeakers were the Swedish Magic Flutes ($70k). After all the flying I had just completed I got the strange feeling I was staring down at multiple fighter jet-engines still mounted on their wing. With an exterior made from carbon fiber and aluminum, the sound was fast, dynamic and palpable. Bravo