Jax2; His amps would be right at home in "Flash Gordon".
Nice stuff, but remains a 'contest' contender.
I beg to differ. The entire list you referenced as links is nothing more or less than glorified boxes. I've seen it all before and it's boring. Stippich creates stuff entirely out of the box and stretches the boundaries and limits of ones imagination of what this stuff could look like. Granted it is bent towards his own imagination and if you don't like that you'll have to go back to your boxes or something else. There is absolutely nothing else like it - it is entirely unique. A Nagra or a Wavac follows basic conventions for component designs and just sprinkles fairy dust on them to add the bling factor. But they all still fit neatly into the shape of a box. Ain't nothing unique or innovative in that...IMHO, of course ;-) Electronluv is virtually the only components I'd consider having out on display as worthy of casting one's eyes upon. All the rest can be hidden behind cabinet doors to allow me to enjoy the music in peace and wihout the distraction of something that is basically ugly. It's like looking at a TV set...why would anyone really want to stare at a electronic box, aside from the content it's presenting (and even then TV programming is worthless for the most part - haven't had TV reception for 10 years now). I like watching movies so I can relate to it on that level. Unless there's something truly unique and expressive about the box, why would I want to give it my consideration. The only one on your list that I think I'd have a bit of agreement on is Rogue in that wasn't it them who build the components in the shape of a doughnut? Or perhaps that's someone else. I didn't see it on their site. At least that's a step in the right direction. I guess I have some appreciation that at least an effort is being made to make the boxes prettier. But if you want to talk about creativity and visual seduction... something I'd want to look at for more than a few seconds, you'd have to do a whole lot better. I may be in a small group in this respect, but that's how I see it. Needless to say, my modest system is behind closed doors.