In their second, considerably larger room at the Long Beach Show, AV Luxury Group International pulled out all the stops. Immediately catching eye and ear were Raidho Acoustics TD 3.8 3-way loudspeakers in Walnut finish ($117,000/pair). With a nominal impedance of 6 ohms, these babies can throw a huge, enveloping soundstage from as little as 50Wpc amplification.
Doing the honors on that score were the Margules U-280 SC 30th Anniversary Limited Edition class-A triode monoblocks ($10,000/pair) whose 50Wpc drove the Raidho TD 3.8s with aplomb. A Margules SF-220 class-A tube preamplifier ($7000) and Esoteric K-01 XD SACD/CD/DAC ($24,000) brought up the front end, as did a Shunyata Research Sigma power distributor ($6000). Finally, Margules and Shunyata cabling played an essential role as components in a system that made the classic Sera una Noche CD from MA Recordings a joy to revisit after many a moon. Colors were first rate, timbres true, presentation lively, and the soundstage huge.
I expected an awesome presentation from Raidho, but I had no idea how much Margules electronics could accomplish with the right loudspeakers. Bravo to all.
Doing the honors on that score were the Margules U-280 SC 30th Anniversary Limited Edition class-A triode monoblocks ($10,000/pair) whose 50Wpc drove the Raidho TD 3.8s with aplomb. A Margules SF-220 class-A tube preamplifier ($7000) and Esoteric K-01 XD SACD/CD/DAC ($24,000) brought up the front end, as did a Shunyata Research Sigma power distributor ($6000). Finally, Margules and Shunyata cabling played an essential role as components in a system that made the classic Sera una Noche CD from MA Recordings a joy to revisit after many a moon. Colors were first rate, timbres true, presentation lively, and the soundstage huge.
I expected an awesome presentation from Raidho, but I had no idea how much Margules electronics could accomplish with the right loudspeakers. Bravo to all.
