Thanks, guys! Now picking up where we left off, one exhibitor I'd forgotten to include in the Friday report was showing Wilson Sashas driven by VTL electronics and a Spiral Groove turntable.
The overall room sound was identifiably Wilson and if you've heard these speakers on shows, you probably know they have their distinct character. I thought the room was either too small or the speakers positioned too wide but since brand-wise it doesn't get more mainstream than this combo, it probably wouldn't have mattered if the room was setup with just one chair, for one listener. The experience for me would've still been the same.
Alright let's start off Day 2, Saturday, with some mandatory Aural Orifice Management
Woo Audio had two rooms which was packed.
If most of the audio industry is waiting for a pulse, then perhaps they should try to learn from Woo Audio as they seem to be doing something right. Their stuff was *moving*!
Before I heap too much platitudes, one disclaimer, Jack Wu and I are good friends. We're ex-officemates and if you remember my
video blog three years ago, you'll see me interview Jack then (without showing his face on camera) about a new product they were developing, a DAC. Well, that
DAC and accompanying transport are already out but
the Woo product that breaks new ground are their WA-234 monoblock amplifiers.
The main innovation of these amplifiers are the use of outboard "keys" which allow its user to switch between speaker and headphone use, and another key for type of output tube. Given my relationship to the manufacturer, I won't comment much on its sonic attributes even if I really really want to
What you think, yep.
Veloce partnered with YG Acoustics in this demo and the combination was excellent. In hindsight, I must admit YG seems to have
less of its own sound compared to Wilson although I'm not sure these Kipods would be as dynamic as the Sashas. Veloce is a new company to watch, they definitely have a clear cut direction with the philosophy
Avoid AC power at all costs in every way possible – DC rules. I would've loved to hear this system driven by vinyl.
This next room took me totally by surprise and stole my heart. OTL + electrostats was what I was trying to chase early on in this hobby (see
here) and this new amplifier from Miyajima Labs drove these beautifully restored Quad '57s to perfection.
Vinyl-only in this room, the source turntable was the Oswald's Mill Audio Anatase turntable that uses a Lenco motor and platter. Cartridge by Miyajima Labs of course.
The preamp was a King/Levinson LNP-2--
And the view from the sweet spot looking at the lovely
Miyajima Model 2010 OTLs--
Sonically, let's break down the issues with the Robyatt OTL/Quad system: doesn't go down to the lowest octave, check; doesn't play nearly as loud as (pick your favorite behemoth), check; doesn't have much wiggle room within a two feet wide sweet-spot, check; listening height is ideal perhaps 36 inches off the floor, final check. Anything else? Nope, that's it. If you can live with these constraints, this here's your ticket to heaven.
The next exhibitor paired TAD Reference monitors with Viola electronics in a nearfield setup that probably would've worked for me but the time I was here I didn't like the music and it was played a little too loud. Don't get me wrong, I play my stereo at live levels all the time... but I try to match the volume to the type of music being played. If the dynamics within the music stay within the same range all the time, and it's electric/electronic, then playing at loud levels continuously ends up being fatiguing for me. So yes, I felt fatigued in this room.
So it was a relief that the MA Recordings exhibitor was nearby. Aside from selling CDs, they had this simple setup with a desktop omnidirectional speaker from Davone called the Mojo, driven by a Bel Canto integrated and running off a Korg MR-2000S DSD recorder. Ah... rest thy weary ears. This felt blissful and made me think that they should be selling these speakers in Brookstone or Sharper Image (and I definitely don't mean that as an insult).
The next product I was also looking forward to hear as I have a 300B amp in my office that needs partnering speakers... but I was both underwhelmed by how they sounded in this room. First off they were setup to sound bigger than they were and together with the subs, they accomplished that... but not much else for me, unfortunately. It could've been the partnering electronics but the vibe in the room wasn't too friendly either so, pass.
Another room that was underwhelming but it could've been just timing, the Walker and Burmester room was playing Reiner's Scheherazade at moderately loud volume. Having heard Burmester before, which always left me feeling a little cold, I expected Walker to rectify this which it did. What I didn't expect was to hear congestion on the loud passages as if the speakers were current starved... quite odd.
Given a relatively new product, the Da Vinci DAC's exhibitor wanted to make sure everyone heard how lovely sounding it was at rates up to 384KHz. And it was indeed lovely. The problem? Given a relatively new product, the Da Vinci DAC's exhibitor wanted to make sure everyone heard how lovely sounding it was at rates up to 384KHz.
(Okay, sorry, I promised not to do this.)
As perhaps the first audio manufacturer to feature a full-line of battery powered products, Red Wine Audio performs consistently well in shows. This is the type of audio company that maintains steady growth and I wouldn't be surprised to find it a giant someday. I heard the room briefly but had to check out to meet my buddies in the next room.
This exhibitor has a different value proposition-- it's bespoke audio. Like fitting one with a custom suit, Wes Bender Studios "fit" clients with stereos. Since I'm friends with Wes and another manufacturer in his linecard, Kaplan Cable, I won't comment on the sound in the room.
Whenever I hear the
strain gauge cartridge from Soundsmith, I always think I'd love to hear this with different electronics (preamp, amp, speakers) just because they're so good. Soundsmith's Strain Gauge is among a small list of cartridges that can seem to completely parse out information from a records grooves without losing body, but sometimes I feel it sounds
just a little dry. I'm always curious whether its resolution from mids on up runs consistent "down below" as surely the monitors they're usually demo'd with
don't go too deep. But there shouldn't be any reason it can't deliver. Really a fantastic SOTA piece.
Audio Note UK was represented in two rooms and whereas the main brand exhibitor usually places their speakers on the wall corners, their partner/exhibitor Robert Lighton Designs pair them with their own speakers that are pulled out further from the wall. This alters the Audio Note UK "house sound" as far as presentation goes and gives the listener more choices.
Audio Note isn't so much particular about what goes outside their box than what goes on inside. Below they show the Meishu integrated amplifier in its naked, handmade glory.
In this industry, Audio Note UK is one of those rare companies that keeps its customers well in the fold. Like MBL or Goldmund or, to a lesser price point, Rega and Naim, customers who appreciate their products can buy into the brand completely "end-to-end." In its migration path, the crowning glory to a full Audio Note UK system, I imagine, is having their TT3 turntable, shown below.
I haven't been following the brand recently so this is probably a new product-- the VPI Classic 4(?)-- was shown in this room with what appeared to be a trinaural setup but they weren't playing music at the time.
This next exhibitor Bricasti paired Harbeth with their DAC product played at relatively soft levels. Unfortunately for me, they were playing the Concierto de Aranjuez (most likely Bream) and even if it's been over 5 years, I still can't listen to this piece, sorry.
Arguably the best value product in the show, GT Audio Works was demoing their GTA 2 loudspeaker which combines a ribbon tweeter with a planar magnetic driver, two 8 inch midbass drivers and a powered 8-inch sub into a relatively small footprint. The finish of this particular pair is zebrawood and the show price was $2750/pair.
Another good find at the show, I came in without any expectations to hear Hegel and was very impressed with their H30 Reference amplifier (on the floor below). The electronics were paired with Amphion speakers, and this model in particular has what appears to be a horn tweeter. I would notice the horn's "shout" sometimes and personally, I didn't find it distracting. On the other hand, this Hegel reminded me a bit of my reference amps, the MSB M200s.
Hegel was also featured in the next room, paired with Sjofn's "the clue" speakers. The speakers and electronics were all lined up on one wall whereas listeners were all sitting in one row on the opposite wall. The exhibitor, Robert Learner invites friends to a swig of scotch. The music and overall vibe in the room was "chill." Loved it.
Another room that had me grinning ear-to-ear, man, the audacity of Music First Audio to pair a passive with a Bel Canto digital amplifier, Revox R2R and LS3/5A speakers. Before you think some hipster exhibitor must've thought this up, man, this really worked! Speaking of hipsters, this could definitely be a great conversation centerpiece in a 3rd wave cafe in Williamsburg where this'll surely be a hit. Very cute setup, gorgeous sound!
A couple rooms down, I felt a little sad entering the Kubotek room as it was empty. I had heard this manufacturer's horn speakers before and with these speakers I have the same impression, the brand needs something fresh and/or rethinking. Interestingly there are posters and brochures about their new cartridge product but the system was purely digital.
Wrapping up Day 2 for me was this last room where they staged canned demos. By this time, I must admit I was tired and was in fact happy to pick a side chair in the first room to zone out a bit. The first room paired VAC electronics with Verity Audio loudspeakers with Playback Designs as a source. Before the demo there was a short talk from Andreas Koch but I was totally blanked out by then, I didn't hear a word he said. When the system started playing I noticed it was soft and polite and slowly built up but I couldn't get into the music. It was pretty and lovely but I was observing from afar.
To compensate, I took the middle chair in the first row when they moved us to the next room for the second demo. This time around it was ChannelD playing through a Mac Mini through a Playback Designs DAC and DartZeel integrated amp and for loudspeakers, a brand I hadn't heard of, Kudos Audio. The surprise here were the speakers which I thought portrayed the overall music very honestly without losing its musicality. Another well-balanced speaker that I could live with.
Wandering around I came across Amber Rubarth's performance in the 18th floor. The guy standing off to the side was her "drum machine." But as soon as the guy started beatboxing, I immediately thought how awful this PA sounded. Oh no! It seems after a couple weeks of absence my audiophile ears had returned
Day 3 started messy and I arrived at the show past 2:00 with only a couple hours left. I came with my family and couldn't go to those rooms I planned on revisiting for this report. Instead I used the time to catch up with friends I haven't seen in years, make new acquaintances and schmooze a little bit about gearsomniac. Thanks to Mike Lavorgna, Steve Guttenberg, Steve Berger, Jeff Catalano, Wes Bender, Paul Kaplan and my longtime buddy Allen Rohde who took the picture below.
Don't worry, son, I wasn't planning on trading you for an ML3
(Jack and Ding, kinamusta ko kayo.)
Thanks for reading!