One of the central tenets of audiophilia is system synergy. Spectral takes it seriously. They don't do the magazine reviews because reviewers would swap a Spectral component into their "reference" system. That's a big no-no according to Spectral. Rightly or not Spectral truly believes their products can only be correctly heard in systems specifically designed for them. All Spectral electronics, Spectral/MIT cable and Avalon or Wilson loudspeakers. This limits the number of dealers who Spectral would authorize which in turn makes Spectral that much more exclusive. Spectral actually believes it knows how to put together a system better than the average audiophile. To an outsider that could appear cult-like.
