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Eargasm: aural-pleasing gear that will pump up the volume

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2003

In case you thought vacuum-tubed audio equipment was passe, a relic from back in the day when your father still had hair, then this piece, the Hurricane (from the ironically named Antique Sound Labs) should give you pause. During the past decade, China has become a hotbed of quality audio gear and tube manufacturing, and it was just a matter of time before the two were married. This amplifier, called a monoblock because you need two of 'em--one for each speaker--pumps 200 watts of music from its eight large output tubes, called KT88s, and its presentation of singers and musicians is holographic--sound images seem to float between your speakers. According to reviews, the amplifier could sell for four or five times its asking price. $4,400 per pair; 519-749-1565; www.divergenttechnologies.com

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While compact-disc sales have plummeted during the past three years, vinyl sales have actually tripled, which explains why there has been a resurgence of turntable design. Take, for example, this stunning, made-in-the-USA Aries Extended table from Cliffwood, N.J.'s VPI Industries. Built from two-inch-thick, medium-density fiberboard, the chassis contributes to stability and resonance control, which are further bolstered by a 10-gauge steel plate that is bonded to the underside. The final black gloss comes courtesy of three layers of polished polyester. The JMW-12.5 Memorial tone arm includes a precision unipivot, damped stainless-steel/aluminum arm tube. In addition to its assorted vibration-damping technologies, the tone arm allows you to dial in the sound with each platter by adjusting arm height, called VTA, on the fly (few modern tables allow such adjustments while the record plays). Add a great cartridge, like Grado the Reference, and you'll come to understand why properly cleaned vinyl still sounds more musically realistic than the standard compact disc. Aries Extended table, $2,600; JMW-12.5 Memorial tone arm, $2,600; Grado the Reference cartridge, $1,200; 732-946-8606; www.vpiindustries.com

At 70 inches tall, with a 9-inch by 9-inch footprint, the Abby from Cain and Cain Company is a set of speakers that warrants cracking open your wallet. In an era when most speaker cabinets are mass-produced, the handmade finish on the all-wood Abby is startling in its beauty. Even more stunning is the quality of the music this single-driver speaker can feed your room: Vocals sound breathy and natural; brass has bite; woodwind instruments present a sense of the reed, so much so that the hair on your arms will stand up as soon as the music escapes. As well, a pair of Abby speakers present a near-lifelike soundstage between them, holographic images situated from left to right and front to back of the room. The Abby is nothing less than a piece of art designed for presenting the art of music (and you can custom-order it in any number of modern colors). $1,499; 509-522-2242; www.cain-cain.com

Home-theater buffs need look no further than this Parasound Halo combination, the C1 controller (top) and A51 five-channel amplifier. The C1 is THX Ultra-2 certified, meaning it can bring the theater right into your living room. With an alphabet soup of surround options--Dolby Digital EX, THX Surround EX, DTS ES Discrete, Dolby Pro Logic II, plus four others--the C1 can also interface with your PC to download future processor upgrades (like going from the present 5.1 or 7.1 configurations to future expansions of speaker options). What's most trick on the C1 is the five-inch TFT video monitor, which, among other things, lets you easily navigate through all your menu options or monitor your video display. At 250 watts per each of its five channels, the elegantly designed A51 amplifier delivers both brute force and audiophile-quality nuance when the moment onscreen calls for it. With these striking features, you may never go the theater again. Halo C1 controller, $5,995; Halo A51 amplifier, $3,995; 415-397-7100; www.parasound.com

A trickle-down design from the ranks of pro musicians, Shure's E5c is the best ear bud money can buy: Each unique bud contains two tiny speakers, one for high frequency and the other for low, to maximize the delivery of musical information with little distortion. Each bud can be customized to your ear size; the memory cable can be shaped to fit snuggly around your ears; the in-line attenuator allows you to control volume; and the buds seal off external noise. Pop these in, and you'll swear Nelly is singing somewhere between your two parietal lobes. $500; 800-257-4873; www.shure.com

Give your ears a break with these small, portable speakers that hook to your portable CD and MP3 players. No, you won't go deaf from the SI-5 Generation 2 speakers (2 watts by 2 watts), but you can turn a dreary hotel room into an ambient mood chamber in a matter of minutes. The speaker panels fit face-to-face for compact storage, and measure 6 inches by 6.5 inches x 0.75 inches. $70; 800-533-5177; www.SI-5.com

When The Jetsons ruled the airwaves, a future of one-touch convenience seemed only hours away. Twenty-five years later, we're still waiting--though Philips iPronto TSi6400 makes George and family seem like not-so-future cousins.

Eargasm: aural-pleasing gear that will pump up the volume

Men's Fitness, Sept, 2003

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