PAF 2023

Spatial Audio Lab may have considered its main suite on the 13th floor of the hotel's tower, but its second exhibit in room 2210 offered plenty to love. I was taken in by the wonderful clarity, excellent depth, and openness delivered by Spatial's Q6 prototype open-baffle loudspeakers ($4995/pair and expected in August). Infected Mushroom's "Avratz" was a knockout.

Although a change of ownership wasn't publicized at the time of sale, David Whitt now owns Spatial Audio Lab. David's son Sam Whitt, 23, engineers the speakers, and former owner Clayton Shaw continues in sales and distribution.

The forthcoming Q6 is the Whitts' first new product. "They can play flat down to 40Hz and will descend to 35Hz in some rooms," I was told.

Images were small but well-defined, and liquidity was marvelous. When volume was increased, the soundstage grew in size and revealed a fair amount of meat on its bones. Timbres were spot on during playback of a 24/96 files of Brahms Symphony No.4 from Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic. If you nail the sound of acoustic instruments right, you know what you're doing.

Equal credit is due several other excellent components. Linear Tube Audio's Z40+ integrated amplifier ($7650–$8250), HoloAudio's May (KTE) DAC ($5598), and Innuos's Zenmini Mk3 music server ($1599–$1999). Puritan Audio Laboratories' PSM-156 power conditioner ($2300), Anticables, ASC Tube Traps, and Coherence Systems/ADD-Powr™ Wizard ($2000) were central to the ease and correctness of the presentation.

This was a really fine showing.