Newport 2015: LampizatOr, Salk Sound, Wells Audio, DanaCable, Gingko Audio

Some folks just get used to winning. The 1996 Yankees come to mind. Sure, ’97 was an off-year, but you just knew what was coming. Walking into this room felt a whole lot like that moment when we all figured out what kind winners the Yanks were.

First you had a new LampizatOr Lite 7 ($5950) with volume control, big DHTs, and solid-state rectification. It may have given up some of the rich harmonics of its hollow-state elder sibling, but it more than made up for that loss with the best defined transients and quickest bass I’ve heard from any system fronted by a Lampi. This may well be the Lampi that most appeals to my tastes.

Jeff Wells‘ Innamorata Signature ($15,0000) is a buttoned-down tank of an amplifier. The Lampi front end woke it up like an amphetamine enema with a double-espresso chaser. As in Chicago, everything was tied together with about twelve grand worth of DanaCable‘s finest. As is tradition, everything sat on Gingko‘s rack.

The new member of the team was Jim Salk, who provided a Salk Streamer ($1495) source and pair of his Exotica 3 ($12,000/pair) speakers — and I’ve never heard them sound better. The Alnico magnets on the mids and tops gave a better-than-technicolor idea of just what kind of tonal wizardry the electronics bring to the table, while the dual, servo-controlled subs take any questions about bass right off the table.

This was nothing less than the best show performance I’ve heard from any of the players in the room. I have a feeling that it’s only going to get better from here.