THE Show Newport 2013 • Hot Product

New to the US (but not other parts of the world) is the Capriccio Continuo Auralea 309 ($7995/pair), with its curving, nonparallel, "arch dam" cabinet. This cabinet (or cabinets, as the left and right speakers are mirror images of each other) is undoubtedly difficult to build, but its claimed benefits, including exceptional rigidity and distribution of resonances, must be worth the effort. The tweeter is a refined version of the Heil Air Motion Transformer optimized to produce a "frontal cardioid radiation" pattern, and the woofer has "nano-carbon enhancement" and a wave-damped inverted edge, which is favored for BBC-inspired monitors.

Best of all, these smallish, slender two-ways sounded pure on top and tight down low, and they disappeared within the soundfield they created. The claimed 91dB sensitivity seemed accurate, given that the partnering integrated amp was good for about 25Wpc maximum.

This is one of the most promising sub-$10,000 speakers we've heard in a very long time, displaying the unique kind of magic that two-ways can possess.