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If that title hasn't gotten your attention, nothing will . . . except, perhaps, the Northwest preview of: 1) the forthcoming Aesthetix Metis linestage preamplifier (est. price $20,000–$25,000), which is expected by the second quarter of 2015; 2) Clearaudio Concept Wood turntable with tonearm ($2200); and 3) DS Audio DS-W1 "Nightrider" Optical phono cartridge with dedicated phono equalizer ($8500). This tempting trio of coming outs, arranged by Garth Leerer and Jesse Luna of Oakland, CA-based distributor Musical Surroundings, took place at Nuts About HiFi, a Seattle-area high-end emporium that celebrated its Silver Anniversary in Silverdale, WA on November 30, 2014.

Silverdale, known mainly for its miles and miles of retail outlets big and small—think Macy's, Costco, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Trader Joe's, Home Depot, REI, this and this for starters—may initially seem a strange location for a high-end store. But once out of the rain and inside the door, I discovered that Nuts About HiFi's warm and comfy interior, quality components, and dedicated sales staff are the antithesis of Big Box USA.

Jim Lee, who has worked at Nuts About HiFi since it opened, purchased the store eight years ago. One thing that sets him apart from some audio retailers is a conscious choice to limit his brands, and to only carry the components in their lines that he considers superior. While I encountered any number of familiar names in the store, it appeared that, at the time of my visit, Jim placed a lot of attention on Focal, JL Audio, Aesthetix, Marantz, PS Audio, Clearaudio, Meridian, and Nordost.

"We try to take care of people and get them the products that we'd put in our own home," Jim told me after the demo. "For example, I've worked with most of the major speaker lines, and I think Focal is exceptional value. The company's attitude, and the expense they've gone through to create their line, has produced both $1500 loudspeakers that sound exceptionally good and $200,000 loudspeakers that are state-of-the-art. Such a wide range of products enables us to bring in people looking for starter systems, and then help them upgrade.

"Ultimately, this is a fun business. People love music, and I gravitate toward people who love music. We try to make everybody a part of our musical family, and make sure they feel appreciated. That's why I have Connie Hobart, Erich Meyer, Matt Krasowski, and Adam Huson on my staff. I've worked with all of them for a long time. They are true audiophiles, and the best at what they do."

"The best" was certainly on display at a premiere event that enhanced great music and equipment with a gourmet spread and extremely tempting libations from one of the area's top wine sellers. Alas, I could only appreciate what was offered from a clouded distance. Stricken with a heavy cold that did a major number on my ears, sinuses, and taste buds, I was not in the best state to take it all in.

Nevertheless, I think the demo system on display presented Pepe Romero's guitar on the Academy of St. Martin in the Field's LP of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with beautiful and believable tonality and wonderful depth; Britten's Four Sea Interludes with a glowing midrange and attention-seizing rhythmic shifts—the untamable violence of the sea came through with chilling force; and Kenny Burrell's guitar with fine command.

One distinctive feature of the Aesthetix Metis line stage (above) is that it replaces coupling capacitors with Aesthetix Coupling Modules (ACMs). These are said to produce constant output impedance across all audio frequencies, "resulting in a sound stage with incredible added depth, dimension and resolution." The preamp has a separate power supply, housed within the main chassis, that when set on a flat surface, physically decouples from the main chassis. Utilizing four tubes in a dual mono configuration, the preamp is fully balanced, uses zero feedback, and has a discrete switched resistor volume control.

The Clearaudio Concept Wood turntable, little brother to the Clearaudio Innovation table shown above, combines a Baltic Birch ply plinth with a 30mm Polymer platter and aluminum sub-platter. Its decoupled DC motor offers three speeds—a decided plus for collectors of 78s—and its new Satisfy Black tonearm includes a hard-wired 1.2m tonearm cable. A pre-mounted Concept MM or MC cartridge ($2400 and $3000 respectively) and upgraded Carbon Fiber Satisfy tonearm (+$200) are available.

The DS Audio DS-W1 "Nightrider" phono cartridge is a product of the newly formed audio arm of the Digital Stream Corporation (DSC) of Japan, a provider of industrial laser optics systems for over 25 years. A pure analog system, its optical cartridge detects stylus vibration with a beam of light, and then uses photoelectric conversion to generate the audio signal. Weighing 6.5 grams, the DS-W1 includes a boron cantilever and Shibata stylus whose optimal tracking force is 1.5 grams. It also includes a dedicated equalizer/power supply that replaces the usual phono stage, and allows you to connect directly to a line level preamplifier.

Here's hoping that you have the opportunity to hear these products in the near future. An equal hope that you get through the holiday season in good health.

Complete system rundown:
Clearaudio Innovation turntable ($10,000) with Clearaudio's Statement clamp ($1000), Outer Limit ($1400), and two Universal tonearms ($5000/each); Stradivari cartridge ($3750) and DS Audio DS-W1 "Nightrider" Optical phono cartridge with dedicated phono equalizer ($8500); Aesthetix Rea Eclipse phono stage ($10,500); not auditioned digital front end consisting of a Meridian Sooloos Control 15 ($7500) and Aesthetix Romulus Signature CD/ DAC used as a DAC ($10,000); Aesthetix Metis line stage preamp prototype ($20,000–$25,000 est.); Aesthetix Atlas signature mono blocks ($16,000/pair); Focal Stella Utopia loudspeakers ($95,000/pair) and JL Audio Gotham subwoofer ($12,000); Nordost Odin, Valhalla 2, and Heimdall 2 cabling ($52,500 total); two PS Audio P5 line conditioners ($3500/each); and three types of Vicoustic room treatment for absorption, diffusion, and bass control.