Duevel had a room off site from the main convention centre. They were alternating between their larger Bella Luna model and the entry-level The Planets, a tiny (for a floor-stander) 2 way design with unique diffused radiation pattern achieved by placing 2 ‘balls’ in front of the upward-firing drivers.

However unconventional the design may be, the sound quality was surprisingly good! The Planets are priced extremely competitively and are offered in a variety of attractive colours.

Expect to see them in our showroom in the not too distant future!

This year, Leben hifi was partnering with a German speaker company called Blumenhofer Acoustics and though I know next to nothing about the speakers, the overall sound quality is highly commendable. Throughout the show, they alternated between a larger horn model and a smaller one. Both sounded pretty darn good. Maybe the high quality tube electronics has got something to do with that? Leben was also showing off their brand new line level tube preamp called the RS-100. With traditional point-to-point wiring and full of quality parts inside and out, I have high hopes for this one!