New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

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New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby ttommy » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:34 pm

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The New York Audio & AV Show 2012 sponsored by the Chester Group is exactly the type of show the audio industry needs if only to remind itself that it needs all the help it can get. Queuing up on a line that snaked through three adjoining rooms during the first hour of registration, the excitement was palpable amongst us middle-aged++ males, the primary demographic. To prepare for this, I did not listen to my stereo for two weeks. Perhaps my ears won't be so jaded that I'll better appreciate what exhibitors are trying to present and avoid glib judgment. Put another way, how better to appreciate a food feast than to come in very hungry?

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The first room I stepped into was sponsored by Sony and they were featuring the SS-AR2 speakers driven by Pass Labs electronics. If we imagine for a minute that giant electronics companies surely have in-house resources to build fantastic products, then our next wish probably would be that they'd sell at prices accessible to the average consumer. But can we really expect a sufficient mass of said consumers to plonk $2K on J&R if this product were available in-store for that price and not the actual $20K+ retail these speakers have? Sure I'd buy a pair at $2K, but what about those guys on the cubes beside you?

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Perhaps if they heard these speakers as they sounded in this room, they will. Sure, they'll bemoan that these cost four times than their favorite tablet, after all, in-ear iBudz can faithfully render their favorite Adele :) Now it's up to us audiogeeks to teach them-- "listen to how these AR2s project dynamics and scale considering their size! Hear it?" Wham! Scratch four, make that twenty times iPad retail, buddy! "And how the soundstage extends all the way to the back of the room?" Whoops, make that forty! "Hey, where'd you go... come back, no these aren't Sonus Fabers... they're uh, Sony!."

Kidding aside, it's easy to hear the AR2s aren't the most resolving speakers and it seems obvious Sony wasn't chasing resolution for its own sake but was intent on designing a balanced speaker (reminding me of Sonus Faber in some ways). The AR2s have definitely achieved that. I truly enjoyed these speakers and would be proud to own a pair.

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Before I entered the next room, I reminded myself to try to forgive the velvet-rope attitude of YG Acoustics when they first came out. But, as it turned out, I didn't have to try too hard and I was impressed! During shows it's always easy to focus on loudspeakers and neglect the rest of the system but this wasn't just a YG show. Soulution had a lot to do with this sound and I began to understand their design innovation and its effects on liquidity-- this was the most natural I've heard YG and Soulution simply got out of the way.

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I only managed to listen to half a song on the leftmost Brinkmann turntable when someone requested his Holst "The Planets" CD, cranked. I commend the exhibitor for letting the attendee get away with this as the track didn't sound familiar (Pluto?) and when the tutti the requester was waiting for did cause him to jump on his seat, I also thought I heard what sounded like breakup on the speakers. Immediately one of the exhibitors came to turn the volume down and having assisted in shows and demo'd my stereo numerous times, this is a real concern even if in the end there's no harm done.

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I didn't get to listen much in this next room as I ran into a couple of reviewer friends. There seems to be some buzz about Zellaton speakers but I wasn't familiar with the brand and wasn't drawn in to the sound which I thought a little stiff. The next day, just before leaving the hotel, I came back to this room and found it empty so I decided to rest a bit. What a surprise! The system sounded much more relaxed, very resolving yet musical. The Zellatons were paired with David Berning electronics and Holborne turntable and listening to Louis Armstrong followed by Manitas de Plata on this system was one of my favorite moments in the show.

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The next room featured several brands but the main attraction were Gradient speakers driven by Bladelius gear. I came here wanting to love the sound as I'm a fan of omnis and they were playing the Helsinkis. But in those tracks that were played loud, I could hear some congestion. But this could've been caused by simply having too many rooms loading the venue's grid that those instantaneous demands for current can't be met or it could also be just brand new equipment. There were static displays at the back and given the room's size, these could've been set up for demoing DNM and Resolution Audio products. I'll try to revisit this room to see if my opinion improves.

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The next room had three systems all featuring Legacy loudspeakers driven by Ayon Audio and Raysonic tube gear. I was hoping to hear the Legacy Whisper XDs driven by AVM electronics (not shown) but the two times I went back to this room, I just missed it.

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The good news is that both Focus SEs shown here mated quite well with partnering tube gear. The bad news was that the demo music being played, while dynamic and grippy, was also unnaturally "hifi." But then, considering one's impressions during events like these are often formed under hurried "show conditions," it's definitely unwise to judge products based on those few moments we get to listen. Who knows, if I'd returned a few minutes later and tried my own music...

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If you've been to more than one of these shows, then you know there's a playlist that, for better or worse, exhibitors like to use to show off their gear. Of all the products in this show, the KEF Blade is the one that I was most curious to hear. I still believe these can be great speakers but for my ears both the Blade and the smaller KEFs to the side sounded like they need many more hours on them.

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It would've also been great to hear the AMR Electronics driving the Blade instead of the smaller KEFs or the Merrill Williams turntable. But the time I was in this room, it was that darned playlist that had me thinking "too much hifi," I needed a break.

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This next exhibitor I'm good friends with and since I'm familiar with this system it'll be unfair to others I've heard only under "show conditions." Suffice to say, however, that the combination of TW Akustic, Tron and Cessaro is about as "un-hifi" you can get in this hobby without losing the usual criteria, e.g. resolution, tonality, staging, dynamics, etc.

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There were a couple exhibitors with lines forming out the door but only one was truly organic, i.e. not running on canned demos. Waiting outside the MBL room felt like waiting in line for a ride at Six Flags. Hifi or not, there is almost nothing in my experience that has the visceral excitement of listening to an MBL system at full tilt.

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And this demo didn't disappoint. Surely one wouldn't listen to drum demos on this system all day and depending where you're sitting, you could have room modes affecting coherence and frequency response (boominess) especially as MBL loves to be played loud, as in, jet-engine-before-liftoff loud. But yeah, this system can play music very well too! :)

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After that thrill-ride from MBL, I had to decompress and la-di-da along with some static displays from this exhibitor. Dan D'Agostino beyond Krell, looking great--

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and a cable display layout that manages to look sexy :)

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The next room featured Beyond Frontiers Audio electronics driving Kaiser Kawero loudspeakers. BFA looks to be a promising manufacturer and their gear is built very impressively. I didn't stay too long in this room as it was crowded that first day and there was a continuous stream of music that didn't engage me. I felt relaxed though and thought to give this room another visit.

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After the KEF Blade, the gear I was excited to hear was the Kronos Turntable which, sadly, wasn't playing when I visited. Instead we listened to a dCS source through Conrad Johnson amplification, driving Scaena loudspeakers. I thought the Scaenas sounded very nice but were a little restrained. I usually don't mind exhibitors playing symphonic music at "much less than live" levels, but with these speakers I'm curious how they'll sound pushed.

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Day 1 had a good attendee turnout and I imagine most exhibitors are happy with the exposure. My plan was to cover the 18th floor exclusively on Day 1, Friday, the 15th on Day 2, Saturday and returning to some of those I mentioned needs another visit and my favorite rooms on Sunday. Right now it's 4:30AM Sunday morning, I have pictures from the 15th floor but shall get some sleep before continuing tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby kabubi » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:30 pm

kahindik-hindik ang susunod na kabanata, Tito!
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby rtsyrtsy » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:54 pm

More, more!
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby dimfer » Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:42 pm

thanks for the excellent show report, looking forward for the second part. looks like some of the rooms were huge, I saw some speakers with a lot of space behind them
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby polaris » Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:20 pm

great reporting tommy..keep it coming!

heard the buzz on the Kaiser kawero's last year and would love to hear it too, so with the Sonys...
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby ESaudio » Sun Apr 15, 2012 9:37 pm

Feel like am having an audio tour myself at the Waldorf. Thanks for sharing Tito! :clap:
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby Hyperion » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:43 am

Thanks for sharing Tito! More please! :)
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby jadis » Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:07 am

Great pics and report, Tito. Watching photo-reports from audio shows to me just piles up the wish list in my subconscious. :lol: Amazing too how new brands sprout out at every show. That MBL room looks fantastic.
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby JackD201 » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:36 am

More,more,more! Thanks Tito!!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby dimfer » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:54 am

there should be a Memory Player there somewhere
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby keith » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:12 pm

:clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby ttommy » Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:31 pm

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.

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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.

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Alright let's start off Day 2, Saturday, with some mandatory Aural Orifice Management :lol: Woo Audio had two rooms which was packed.

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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*!

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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 :geek: What you think, yep.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The preamp was a King/Levinson LNP-2--

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And the view from the sweet spot looking at the lovely Miyajima Model 2010 OTLs--

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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. :mrgreen: (Okay, sorry, I promised not to do this.)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 :oops:

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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.

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Don't worry, son, I wasn't planning on trading you for an ML3 :lol: (Jack and Ding, kinamusta ko kayo.)

Thanks for reading!
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby desmo » Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:00 pm

Great read. Thanks for sharing ttommy. Curious to know how you found the sound of the Audeze headphones on those Woo monoblocks. :)
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby quarterback » Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:27 pm

Thanks for sharing!
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby JackD201 » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:11 am

Hindi nagbabago mga itsura ninyo Tito. The four of you haven't aged one bit. Baka may-bigote na si Pubby pareho pa rin kayo :)
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby joe3rp » Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:41 am

"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 go too deep. But there shouldn't be any reason it can't deliver. Really a fantastic SOTA piece."

Tito, nice report, baby looks great!

I have always been a fan of sound smith...I have heard then in about 4-5 shows and they have always been consistently great sound... At one time I even tried getting distributorship for the Phillipines...just didn't have the guts and finances in the end. Like yourself I would have wanted to hear the strain gage+front end electronics in a more common AMP/SPEAKER combo. Their sound is good considering bookshelf speakers/house power amps (maybe thee are also good products?). The entry price point is about $7000 (that is for strain gage and line level "phono stage"...inseparable items)...If I won lotto...my next cart!!!
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby ttommy » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:42 pm

Thanks quarterback, and desmo, I haven't heard both the Audeze and Woo amp separately so I could only form impressions of the pair. My headphone rig used to be an AKG K1000 driven by 120wpc BAT monoblocks and it had its own sound... but what it didn't have was that sense of refinement you'd get from a Sony R10 or the grip and drive of, say, the Grado PS1s. The Audeze through that rig that Jack had made me forget that any given pair of cans is good for one thing and you'd need another pair to deliver another perspective. But I'm betting a lot of that sound I heard was really due to the amps. They're a full on assault at the state-of-the-art in headphone sound.


"...as surely the monitors they're usually demo'd with go too deep. But there shouldn't be any reason it can't deliver. Really a fantastic SOTA piece."


Oops, guys, what I meant there was with those monitors they do NOT go too deep (edited post above).

Tito, nice report, baby looks great!

I have always been a fan of sound smith...I have heard then in about 4-5 shows and they have always been consistently great sound... At one time I even tried getting distributorship for the Phillipines...just didn't have the guts and finances in the end. Like yourself I would have wanted to hear the strain gage+front end electronics in a more common AMP/SPEAKER combo. Their sound is good considering bookshelf speakers/house power amps (maybe thee are also good products?). The entry price point is about $7000 (that is for strain gage and line level "phono stage"...inseparable items)...If I won lotto...my next cart!!!


Joey, if I'm not mistaken you were the one who turned me onto this cartridge many years ago. At the time I didn't get a chance to really listen but I trust your ears so gave this a serious audition. And they blew me away! They're as close to having "no sound," which is quite difficult to achieve in analog.

Jack, I think it's because we don't smoke :lol: Just kidding, hehe. Anyway, conspicuously absent from the show were Magico, ceramic drivers in speakers, video -- as this was supposedly an AV show and something I don't miss, that shtick exhibitors use sometimes to fool you where you think it's a pair of floorstanders you're listening to but instead it's this foogin pictureframe :x
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby JackD201 » Wed Apr 18, 2012 12:31 am

:smoke:

:D :D :D
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby dimfer » Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:38 am

did you get to listen to Lamm ML3 (GM70)?
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Re: New York Audio & AV Show '12 Show Report

Postby ttommy » Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:05 am

dimfer wrote:did you get to listen to Lamm ML3 (GM70)?

Lamm was not present on the show Ding and Nova Physics was absent as well. I did get to hang out with Al Rohde (who apparently helped conceptualized the "tubed" MP) and today he came by the office for a couple hours after which we visited Jeff C at HWS. Brought Jeff a little pasalubong :)

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