T.H.E. SHOW 2024 Conclusion

Welcome back for the conclusion of our coverage of T.H.E. SHOW 2024.

TAD

TAD (Technical Audio Devices Laboratories, Inc.) is what happens when a group of audiophiles at a large Japanese electronics manufacturer (Pioneer) decide to push the envelope and put all of their passion and technical expertise, along with their considerable resources to work. This year at T.H.E. SHOW they had quite an impressive system featuring their TAD RITX-BR/EB Ultimate Reference One TX Speaker System ($160,000) and TAD CR1TX-BR/EB Compact Reference One TX Speaker System ($93,400 with stands), TAD-C700 Reference Preamplifier ($68,500), TAD-M700S Reference 2 Channel Stereo/Bi Amp 350 Amplifiers ($60,500/ea), and TAD-D700 SACD/DAC ($63,000) which was fed by a Wolf Audio Alpha 3SX High Fidelity Audio Server ($9,500-$13,000).

Scott Walker Audio/Luxury Audio Group/CrystalCable/Estelon/NEO Highend/Taiko Audio/Vitus Audio

Scott Walker Audio teamed up with Luxury Audio Group to demonstrate the unique looking Estelon X Diamond MkII ($90,500/pr) with a Vitus Audio SD-05 MkII Signature DAC-Streamer ($30,000), a Vitus Audio SIA-030 MkII Signature Integrated Amplifier ($51,000), and a Taiko Audio SGM Extreme Music Server ($30,000) placed on a NEO Highend rack and using Crystal Cable throughout.

pbn/Kimber Kable

If you want all of your music to sound like you are front row at a Bruce Springsteen concert or an ear-bleedingly loud Hip-Hop club, the pbn is for you. Epic levels of amplified music are the call of the day, with the massive pbn MR!777 Loudspeakers ($97,750/pr) with pbn Bass Towers (priced on a per order basis) powered by a pbn Olympia EB-SA3 Power Amplifier ($63,250/pr) fronted by the beautiful pbn GrooveMaster Vintage Direct P10 Exclusive Turntable ($29,500) running through a pbn Olympia PXis Phono Stage with a pbn CPSiP Power Supply ($25,300), and a pbn Olympia DX DAC with a pbn CPSiP Power Supply ($20,125) which are in turn connected to a pbn Olympia LXis Line Level Preamp with a pbn CPSiP Power Supply ($25,300), and cabling by Kimber Kable.

Steinway Lyngdorf

I have been a fan of Lyngdorf for about 15 years not because of their Steinway connection but because I worked with them on a Home Theatre project that was unfortunately canceled leading them to team up with Steinway instead, and discovered them to be the best of the best when it comes to Home Theatre. Steinway Lyngdorf appears to be a more prestige division of Lyngdorf and at T.H.E. SHOW they were presenting their Steinway & Sons Model B Self Amplified Dipole Loudspeaker ($40,900/ea) which has a digital crossover and four 400 Watt digital amplifiers built in.

Reference Components, LTD./Cary Audio/Elekit/HANA/Pear Audio/Zingali Acoustics/VK Music

Reference Components, LTD. had a small ballroom off to the side of the escalator that you might miss if you were on your way to the other ballrooms. They were showing off Zingali Acoustics Twenty 1.2 EVO Thirtieth Anniversary Edition Black with a Cherry Horn finish Loudspeakers ($17,500), while not as arresting as the Zingali Acoustics Client Name series, still one of the more beautiful horn designs, and paired with VK Music’s Elekit TU-8850 SET AMP Kit Amplifier ($2,300 assembled) and a Cary Audio SLP-98P Preamplifier ($4,995), while source from a Pear Audio Blue Odar Turntable with Coronet 3 Tone Arm ($18,000) and a HANA Umami Red Cartridge ($3,950) through a Pear Audio Blue Phono Stage (discontinued) and Pear Audio Blue Reference Preamplifier (discontinued) they were quite musical.

Lone Mountain Audio/ATC/Baetis Audio/Playback Designs/Sonorus Audio

And last but not least, Lone Mountain Audio were presenting ATC SCM20 ASL Limited Edition Active Loudspeakers ($13,999/pr) with an ATC C4 SUB MK2 Limited Edition Subwoofer ($9,999), run off of an ATC SCA2 Preamplifier ($12,999) with a Baetis Audio Reference 3A Media Server (discontinued) through a Playback Designs Edelweiss Mpd-6 DAC ($15,000) and a Sonorus Audio ATR10 mkII Reel to Reel ($32,500) as source.

And that winds up another year at T.H.E. SHOW looking forward to wonders yet to come next year.