Look at that photo and notice the elegant wood grille on the Gershman Acoustics Grande Avant Garde loudspeaker ($13,000/pair). How good does that speaker look in person? I put a high value on imaging and what an orchestra looks like between the speakers. Therefore, I prefer speakers with grilles: Exposed drivers distract me from the sound and the illusion. With those grilles in place, the Gershmans have the most elegant, three-dimensional presentation! The Grande Avant Garde's images have a way of not simply floating between the speakers—instead, the sound feels grounded, and images rise up with a better sense of height information than most loudspeakers. These Gershmans are descriptive, but not hi-fi etchy-sketchy. Impressive.
Associated equipment included a VAC Master preamplifier and Nordost cables all around.
