T.H.E. Show 2023

I always approach the PBN Audio room with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. Eagerness for the huge images and power that Peter Noerbaek inevitably supplies, and trepidation for the state of my eardrums.

As has been the case on previous occasions, the first time I passed this Might Makes Right room, the sheer force of the sound barreling out of the open doors into the hallway impelled me to retreat. But when I entered, retreat transformed into real treat as music from MoFi's mid '80s LP box set of The Beatles filled the space. Well, more like treatus interruptus. How the family that was also in the room managed to carry on a loud conversation over the music was beyond me, but it certainly made focus impossible. Nonetheless, what I did manage to hear sounded quite musical. And it certainly filled whatever space this pay-it-no-mind family failed to occupy.

Knocking my socks and tie-dyed Lucy Loves Diamonds tee-shirt off were the PBN MR!777 loudspeakers ($97,750/pair as shown) and seven other PBN products: GrooveMaster Vintage Direct 010 Exclusive Turntable ($29,500 without arm), Olympia PXis phono stage with CPSiP power supply ($25,300), Olympia OCE optical cartridge equalizer with CPSiO power supply ($53,300), Olympia DX DAC with CPSiD power supply ($20,125), Olympia LXis line-level preamp with CPSi power supply ($25,300), Olympia EB-SA2 power amplifier 36Wpc class-A amplifier that outputs 600Wpc into 8 ohms ($40,250), and Olympia EB-SA1 special class-A version monoblocks ($34,500/pair) that output 120Wpc class-A or 240Wpc class-AB. All cabling was by Kimber.