in this issue

IN THIS ISSUE
ISSUE 161 ■ APRIL/MAY 2006
122 COVER STORY
Mark Levinson N o. 326S Preamplifier and
N o. 432 Power Amplifier
Listening to Levinson’s latest, Robert Harley finds the company’s
tradition of excellence not just upheld but improved upon.
85 Basic Repertoire: South African and West African Pop
Derk Richardson dips into a richly varied musical culture, and
recommends essential recordings.
22
22 A Higher High End—The 2006
Consumer Electronics Show
Join us on a trip to Las Vegas, where our staff shows you a bounty of
fascinating new gear and reports on the state of the high end.
EQUIPMENT REPORTS
14 Absolute Analog: Lamm Industries LP2 Deluxe
Phonostage and Clearaudio Titanium Cartridge
Spin a few LPs with Jonathan Valin, who is savoring some tasty
analog goods.
97 Sonus Faber Concerto Domus Loudspeaker
Neil Gader on an Italian speaker that makes you feel right at home.
101 Thule Audio Spirit IA350B Integrated Amplifier and
Space DVA250B DVD/CD Player
Sallie Reynolds on two sweet performers from Denmark.
106 Esoteric X-03 CD/SACD Player
Jacob Heilbrunn listens to the latest from TEAC’s high-end division.
97
112 Channel Islands Audio D-200 Monoblock Amplifier
Class D amps are all the rage. Chris Martens listens to another offering in
this rapidly growing field.
118 Krell SACD Standard CD/SACD Player
Fred Kaplan explains how one player changed a critic’s mind about the
SACD format.
130 HP’s Workshop
Memoirs of the CES: What happened in Las Vegas doesn’t stay in
Las Vegas—this time around.
85
2 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ APRIL/MAY 2006