Prices are listed in CA$.

I’m happy to call the guys co-exhibiting in this room—Corby’s Audio’s Don Corby, Saturn Audio’s René Evans, Baetis Audio’s Joe Makkerh, Tough Nut’s Derrick Francis, and Coherent Audio’s Frank Fazzalari—whom I’ve known for a few years now, friends. Colleagues and buddies outside of business, they’re like the Rat Pack (not to be confused with the ’80s Brat Pack) of audio—fun to be around and full of personality. They’re also, when it comes to the products they sell, true people-pleasers: they want people to be happy with their products. And good-sounding products they are.

This year’s roundup included, on active display, a Kuzma Stabi S turntable and power supply ($7800), fitted with the gimballed Kuzma Safir 9 tonearm ($35,000) and Kuzma CAR 60 MC cartridge ($25,000), feeding a suite of Saturn Audio electronics: the 401 phono stage ($2800), 501 preamp ($4500), and 601 115Wpc class-A/B power amp ($5500) . Speakers were the Coherent Carbon 18’s ($35,000/pair), boasting 102dB sensitivity and featuring an 18″ coaxial driver with a horn-loaded super tweeter. Isolation racks and platforms were supplied by Tough Nut Audio, with cabling by Audio Sensibility.

On mainly small-band fare, the presentation was transparent and airily spacious, with robust images occupying a large, detailed, harmonically rich soundstage.

On static display during my visit were a Baetis Reference 4 Mingo+ streamer/server/Roon Core ($21,000), a Saturn 701 115Wpc class-A/B integrated amplifier ($6500), and—making its global debut—the Saturn 202 DAC. The latter is based on the AKM AK4490REQ chip and comes with a 10-year warranty.