All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

Vancouver, BC retailer Signature Audio put together a system of known and relatively unknown components that created a memorable impression for the SoundStagers who heard it. Verity Audio Fidelio speakers ($10,000 CDN per pair) were driven by distinctive-looking Matisse tubed electronics -- the 120-watt Reference Mark II Monoblocks ($20995 CDN per pair) and Reference Preamplifier ($14995 CDN). The source was all digital, and 24/96 capable at that: a Theta DaViD transport ($4000) supplied bits to a Dodson Audio DAC ($4500), with the Matisse Conductor ($1295 CDN) connected to the DAC. Matisse Black Pearl interconnects ($1995 CDN per pair) and Reference Speaker Cable ($1995 CDN per 8' pair) completed the system. The sound was sweet, open and impactful at the same time. Marc Mickelson remarked that the system "did strings very right."