Premiere Design

I've always had a certain fondness for <A href="http://www.linn.co.uk">Linn</A>, a high-end audio company based in Glasgow, Scotland. Perhaps it's because the company is located in my namesake country, or maybe it's the clever, Ikea-like product names. More likely, it's because Linn has been making exceptional audiophile products for over 35 years, starting in 1972 with the Sondek LP12 turntable, which is now the longest-lived hi-fi component still in production. Of more recent vintage is the flagship Klimax speaker system presented here.

I'm on a quest to find the most expensive audio cables in the world&#151;not to buy, mind you, but just to see what the market will bear. From what I've learned so far, the leading candidates come from <A href="http://transparentcable.com">Transparent Audio</A>, whose Opus MM2 cables cost more than most automobiles, especially if you're buying enough to outfit an entire multichannel system.

In most high-quality A/V products, form follows function, but in the case of the Gramophone speaker from Swedish maker <A href="http://www.aesthesis.se">Aesthesis</A>, form and function are intertwined, arising together during four years of development. Standing nearly four feet tall, this hand-made, carbon-fiber speaker makes a bold design statement while offering impressive specs.

I've always loved <A href="http://www.tannoy.com">Tannoy</A> speakers&#151;in fact, I've used a pair of NFM-8 near-field monitors in my home recording studio for many years. And I'm not alone&#151;many pro studios, especially in England, use Tannoys as reference monitors. But the company also makes exceptional consumer speakers, including the new Definition line.

<A href="http://www.runco.com">Runco</A> has long stood at the pinnacle of high-end home-theater displays, making some of the finest projectors on the planet. What many folks might not know is that Runco also makes LCD and plasma TVs for the upscale market. In an ongoing effort to improve the state of the flat-panel art, the company recently announced several new plasmas that incorporate its OPAL (Optical Path Alignment) technology.

Press releases announcing new products to be introduced at the upcoming CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) Expo are now flooding my inbox, so I'll be profiling several of these products leading up to the show. Among the most interesting-looking items so far is the Ferrari Art.Engine System, a single-piece stereo speaker from a boutique company called the <A href="http://www.dwcollection.com">David Wiener Collection</A> (DWC).

The 2009 CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) Expo is only a month away, and I'm starting to get lots of press releases about products that will be introduced there. Many of these announcements are under embargo until the show, but here's one that isn't&#151;the M15HD surround preamp/processor from respected Canadian manufacturer <A href="http://nadelectronics.com">NAD</A>.