Holger Stein may be one of the softer-spoken men in the audio business, but he's hardly shy when it comes to attracting attention. For eye candy alone, Stein Music's new Bob XL Plus Ultimate loudspeaker (348,000/pair) had few rivals at Munich High End.
In a difficult, sloped ceiling room that had no visible room treatment (although there were, as expected, any number of the company's proprietary sonic enhancements), the Stein Music system produced good bass, lots of inviting midrange, and a smooth top. It triumphed through Youn Sun Nah's ridiculous, both barrels loaded, over-the-top "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and handsomely nailed the distinct timbre and body of the voices of Bryn Terfel and Simon Keenlyside performing an unusual arrangement of the opening movement of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. Color me impressed.
Electronics includes the HighLine Amp 1T (16,800) and prototype Highline MP 1 phono preamplifier ($TBD), Tone Tool turntable (35,000, above) with Conductor tonearm (12,000) and Aventurin 6 cartridge (5000). In addition to Stein HighLine cabling, the system employed TopLine Power X8 (8200) and TopLine Power X6 (5600). Look closely and you may spot a Stein Matrix G (for gold) tag inside the horn.
In a difficult, sloped ceiling room that had no visible room treatment (although there were, as expected, any number of the company's proprietary sonic enhancements), the Stein Music system produced good bass, lots of inviting midrange, and a smooth top. It triumphed through Youn Sun Nah's ridiculous, both barrels loaded, over-the-top "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and handsomely nailed the distinct timbre and body of the voices of Bryn Terfel and Simon Keenlyside performing an unusual arrangement of the opening movement of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. Color me impressed.
Electronics includes the HighLine Amp 1T (16,800) and prototype Highline MP 1 phono preamplifier ($TBD), Tone Tool turntable (35,000, above) with Conductor tonearm (12,000) and Aventurin 6 cartridge (5000). In addition to Stein HighLine cabling, the system employed TopLine Power X8 (8200) and TopLine Power X6 (5600). Look closely and you may spot a Stein Matrix G (for gold) tag inside the horn.
