Raidho, VAC, Nordost, Audience, Sound by Singer

The first room I visited at the NY Audio Show was one of the best-sounding. The third of three rooms displaying brands sold by Manhattan retailer Sound by Singer—click here and here for our reports on the other two—it featured the world premier of Danish Manufacturer Raidho's D2 loudspeaker ($43,500/pair in black, $48,000/pair in gold walnut). The D2 combines the ribbon tweeter used in Raidho's well-regarded D1 minimonitor with two 4.5" woofers that use a diamond-coated cones.

Driven by a Soulution 5400 SACD player, a VAC Signature Mk.2 tube preamplifier and 450S tube power amplifier, with Nordost Tyr Mk.2 cables and two Audience Adept AR6 power conditioners, this pair of tower speakers threw a huge soundstage on Jennifer Warnes' "Joan of Arc," with exceptionally smooth and grainfree vocal reproduction. Yes, the low frequencies lacked a little definition, but as with so many of the rooms at the Palace Hotel, that was most likely an acoustical issue rather than the character of the speakers.

Source : stereophile[dot]com