Constellation Audio produces some extraordinary audio components, and the brand new Vega preamp (left) and Cygnus CD player/DAC (right) are no exception. Both are members of the company's Performance line, which uses virtually identical circuitry as the much more expensive Reference line with less costly components and construction techniques. Still, these products provide over 90 percent of the Reference line's performance at about a third the price—$15,000 to $20,000 each—and they share the same gorgeous industrial design.