AXPONA 2011 Coverage

April 18, 2011

The Balanced Audio Technologies, Scaena and Spiral Groove Room

The Scaena speakers have a very relaxed sound with good imagining. The caveat is that they need a lot of space to breath - and to support the two oil can sized subwoofers. I can’t wait to read Jonathan Valin’s review of them. I’m pretty sure he is going to say they are the best line-array loudspeakers he has yet heard. Frankly, I don’t think his listening room is large enough to accommodate them.

The folks at Scaena chose Balanced Audio Technologies tube electronics for the demo. I’m pretty sure the big BAT Rex monoblocks ($30,000/pair) didn’t break a sweat. The preamplifier was the matching two-box REX preamplifier ($18,500).

The turntable was a Spiral Groove SG2 ($21,000 with arm) fed through the BAT VK-P10SE balanced phono stage ($4995). On a side note, someone needs to design some low-profile headshell screws. Those big plastic thumbscrews really seem out of place on such a finely engineered piece of equipment.