Maybe not many may have heard of Leben Hifi yet, but it is interesting to note that Mr. Taku Hyodo, the designer of Leben amplifiers, is currently ranked by an influential Japanese audio magazine as one of the 8 best tube audio engineers in Japan. Also among this select group of designers are Mr. K. Kiuchi of Combak, Mr. H. Kondo of Kondo Labs and Mr. Miura of Air Tight.

Like all high end Japanese brands, his products are very limited in production and said to be results of passion. What sets him apart however is his desire to manufacture more affordable amplifiers to enable more audiophiles an opportunity to experience the Leben sound without spending too much. An admirable goal indeed!

On demo this year, were the Leben RS-28CX tube preamp and the CS-660P tube power amp combination, driving speakers from Bosendorfer. Sound quality was very impressive during the short time I was able to spend in that room. Impressive enough for me to add this brand to our already illustrious range of high quality tube gear. Expect them in within a week of reading this.

Lehmann Audio had the distinction of having their highly reviewed Black Cube Linear headphone amps chosen to demo the high end Ultrasone headphones in the Ultrasone booth. Sound quality was very lively and dynamic, with sufficient punch in the bass when required by the musical content. For me it was a convincing indication as to why the Black Cube Linear is so highly sought after these days in the high end headphone market. New for this year, Lehmann showed prototype boards for a new and more affordable headphone amp for those on a tighter budget.

Musical Life had a booth to display the full range of their impressive turntables and tonearms. Models on display were the Symphony, Basic and Jazz, with their Conductor arm – a unique magnetic-bearing unipivot design with wooden armtube.