A small crowd murmurs and looks on as two sturdy men in navy company polos and slacks gingerly lift, rock, and place a pair of nineteen thousand dollar futuristic gleaming pearl white speakers into optimal audio positioning while their CEO, Paul McGowan, is off to the side chatting with a prospective buyer. Although the weather is sunny and in the seventies, 9115 audio enthusiasts flocked here for this year's edition of Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) to hear systems like this one in the Schaumburg A room off the main lobby of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center.
Held April 14-16, 2023, this year's AXPONA had its biggest turnout yet with a 20% increase over last year. The expo offers music lovers, audiophiles, and audio/visual enthusiasts three packed days of incredible sound, technology, seminars, live music, and the industry's latest products. For some it's the audiophile's version of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, but instead of dodging bulls in a pub crawl, they're traversing a gauntlet of 200-plus rooms packed with enticing and expensive audio gear—and avoiding getting gored in their pocketbooks!
(Now, for some, that's easier said than done; a good friend who already owns the $10,000 PureAudioProject Quintet open-baffle loudspeakers purchased the smaller $6500 Duet model after hearing it in the PureAudioProject display room.)
Standing 50.5" tall and 133 lbs., the sleek lines of the PS Audio Aspen FR20 loudspeakers' ($18,999) were masterminded by Ottawa, Ontario Canada's industrial design firm, Studio 63, who also designed the chassis of the GoldenEar Triton loudspeakers featured in the Pass Labs display on the 12th floor. The FR20's enclosure features two 10" passive, side-firing radiators, a 2.5" planar magnetic high frequency transducer with a Teonex diaphragm, a mid frequency 10" planar magnetic transducer with a Teonex diaphragm, and two eight-inch woofers in a cast frame with carbon fiber Rohacell sandwich cones and 12 lb. advanced magnetic structures, their literature says (PSAudio.com). Although they are the smaller siblings of PS Audio's flagship $30,000 FR30 (which is also on display), they purportedly sound and perform very similar to them.
Ears perk up as vocal tracks envelop the tall ceiling-ed space. Forget the aperitif! Like an expensive Cabernet Sauvignon, their presentation is delectably rich and full-bodied, delivering plenty of complexity in its layers. Deploying PS Audio's PerfectWave DirectStream DAC Mk2 ($7999), BHK Signature Preamplifier ($6999), and BHK Mono 600 power amplifiers ($32,498 a pair), it's intoxicating as gongs, drums and trumpets follow, whetting one's appetite for more.
But there's so much more to see that I fear that I may barely scrape the surface, so I must be off!
Image courtesy of imdb.com
"No bucks, no Buck Rogers."
Most of what plays here sounds great. As I said to a guest while descending the stairs from one floor to the next, "they all sound very nice, but it's a matter of nuance." However, if you aspire to the upper echelons of audio design and performance, you are going to have to shell out some serious cash.
I am reminded of an exchange in the 1983 movie, The Right Stuff, that traces the development of the U.S. space program from Chuck Yeager's breaking of the sound barrier through the selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts crew.
Gordon Cooper: "You know what makes this bird go up? FUNDING makes this bird go up."
Gus Grissom: "He's right. No bucks, no Buck Rogers." (quotes.net)
The Gryphon room, featuring several impressive speakers along a wall and a series of their massively machined and sculpturesque Class A amplifiers on the floor, with their flagship Apex dual/mono pure Class A amplifier at $103,000 is another case in point. Weighing 450 lbs. It provides a pristine 210 watts into eight ohms, doubling the wattage at four ohms, and handling prodigious loads down to an impressive one ohm. There's nothing playing in this room, so after a few oohs and ahs, it's off to another display.
The Sterling Stenheims
Down the hallway, the Stenheim room boasts a pair of their Reference Ultra 2 loudspeakers ($155,000/pair) that resemble svelte designer stainless steel refrigerators by Jenny Craig. Guitarists B.B. King, Vince Gill, and Johnny Lang are performing "Why I Sing the Blues." Biwired to the VTL MB450 Series 3 and MBI-85 Series three amplifiers, there's plenty of detailed slam, growl, and grunt—as one might expect from $155K speakers.
Switching to vinyl, Bee from VTL cues up a symphony orchestra record on a VPI Avenger turntable ($12,500), and the results are as expected: glorious, vivid, and triumphant.
Norm Varney, at left, with Dale Stultz at the AV RoomService display
Strolling Down Memory Lane and the EXPO Hall
Giving my ears a break, I visit Norman Varney of A/V RoomService, whose EVP Vibration Protectors sit under some of my components, my amp, subwoofer—and when I'm using it—my turntable. Along with his usual wares, he's showing a new lightweight turntable non-resonant base that's designed to rest atop three EVP Vibration Protector pads. Grasping it in my hand, I'm impressed that it's lighter in weight than the 4" x 5" spiral notepad on which I'm scrawling notes. Norm says that it should cost around $150 when it's released.
Varney, who presents a seminar entitled Noise and Vibration from an Audiophile Perspective several times this weekend, is here with his industry rep, Dale Stultz, who represents AV RoomService, Ace computers (one of their Perfect-Bit Audiophile/4K Videophile "Open Architecture Media Servers" ranging from $7000 to $19,000 is on display) Torus Power, and several other brands. He suggests that unless properly addressing acoustic vibrations (i.e., AV RoomService Vibration Protectors) and clean power supply (i.e., Torus Power Toroidal Isolation Power Transformers), audio systems will never realize their full potential. He goes on to suggest that I revisit the Torus line of products for my reference system (you can read my review of their AVR ELITE 20 HERE).
Saying my goodbyes, I survey the rows of tables where various vendors hawk vinyl records, turntables, A/V stands, electronics, and other accessories. One silvery, spiky edged turntable catches my eye: the Metallica Limited Edition turntable by Pro-Ject ($1599), a collaborative effort between the iconic, Heavy Metal band, Metallica, and Pro-Ject to create a Metallica-themed record player. Pro-Ject's design team gave the new turntable a mirror-finished plinth contoured with sharp angles mimicking the rock band's logo, a translucent green glass platter, and an S-shaped tonearm pre-installed with a Pick it S2 C integrated cartridge and headshell that can be swapped out via its detachable assembly. The Metallica also features fully adjustable tracking force, anti-skating and VTA for fine-tuning.(https://pro-jectusa.com)
Moments later, a live video feed of a spectrogram of the sound frequencies in the room versus an acoustically isolated turntable's platter jumps out at me. Using a sophisticated accelerometer hooked up to a computer and a large, stand mounted flat screen TV, a salesman demonstrates how his decoupling device, the Arch Cloud, employs a sophisticated suspension system packed with springs to effectively ameliorate vibrations from the 60Hz to 20kHz range on a Norm Ginsburg Vin Vu turntable. I'm mildly impressed.
Bag Me Some Subs
Glancing across the room, a smile stretches across my face: I spy the founders of Bag End Loudspeakers, James Wischmeyer and Henry Heine, standing behind a banquet table hawking several of their subwoofers to guests in front of a black banner bearing their logo. Based out of Chicago's Northwest suburb, Algonquin, Bag End manufactures professional loudspeaker systems, extended low frequency bass cabinets, time-aligned, Infra Processed, powered and non-powered speakers and subwoofers.
Oh, the memories! I used their TA-15C loudspeakers for over 10 years to DJ weddings, corporate, church, and private events. I visited their factory that used to be located in Chicago's northwest suburb, North Barrington, IL (it's since moved to its current location).
Sidling up to their table, I share how well they sounded when paired with the Crown PB3 amplifier (they had a rich, full bodied presentation—especially when serving up jazz at a banquet room during a wedding reception's dinner hour), and how the Mundelein's Music Center's owner said they were the best sounding speakers in his store after I retired from mobile DJing and sold them to him in 2011.
Wischmeyer tells me about their sealed, self powered, and internally processed Infra Sub subwoofers which he claims measure flat down to 10Hz, we discuss subwoofer setup, the dimensions of my listening room for proper sub matching. Despite the fact that they are designed for the professional (i.e., recording studio and post production mastering, restaurants, nightclubs, theatrical and House of Worship applications), not consumer market, I agree to review one of their Infrasubs in the near future.
"Come on down and pick one up when you're ready," he invites.
The late multiple Grammy Award winning jazz artist, Chick Corea, seen here with a Bag End loudspeaker (photo courtesy of bagend.com)
I remind their engineer, Henry Heine (who has a passing resemblance to the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young), about how the late Chick Corea used Bag End speakers.
"He was a great friend of mine," he says. Corea had been quoted as saying, "One of my favorite things about the Bag End sound is the punch and evenness of the sound. The totally untechnical, final key is whether it's pleasing to me and represents what I think the music should sound like."
"Every component in a system influences the sound but the speakers seem to be the most important component as far as I'm concerned, because it's at that point that the sound touches the air and becomes 'somebody'," Corea had said. (bagend.com)
I mention that after I set my Pass Labs 150.8 amplifier on my subwoofer—even after its renowned designer, Nelson Pass, said that would be fine (the amp rests on a 1/4" thick steel plate supported by EVP pads atop my Hsu Research ULS-15 sub)—some audiophiles criticized me for it in online forums.
"Audiophiles!" Heine exclaims. "When I hear the word, I cringe." A subwoofer is perfectly fine used as a pedestal for an amp, he assures. There's so much disinformation that's peddled as fact and sold for big bucks, he continues and, waving his left hand towards the room's entrance, he adds, "There's a lot of that around here."
We discuss cables and their measurements, acoustic measurements, and Synaudcon (https://www.prosoundtraining.com/)—that he highly recommends—which provides excellent audio certified coursework for professionals and enthusiasts looking to expand their knowledge in sound system essentials, setup and operation, technical principles of sound systems, digital signal processing, signal chain optimization, measurements and more.
Meet Bill!
Hungry, I wolf down a Cuban sandwich with chips and a drink (at $18, I wonder if these are made special for audiophiles) in the dining section at the rear of the hall, then spot Bill Leebens, an industry veteran who's serving as AXPONA's Content Chair, coordinating the schedule of guest speakers. We chat and, later, he sends me the following message:
"I've attended audio shows since the summer CES back before the dawn of time—1989. Pretty much anything that could change in society and consumer electronics has changed since then.
"What hasn't changed is the camaraderie of folks in the biz, and the willingness to put in a lot or hard work in order to present our love of our work to one another, and to the public.
"Shows tend to have a vibe: some have felt fatalistic and frightened—last year's AXPONA still felt a little tentative after two years without shows.
"But this year? I've never been at a show that felt as positive and upbeat as this year's AXPONA. I was pleased to have the opportunity to program seminars at the show—and we had great topics, stars of the industry, and most sessions were packed to the gills.
"The Renaissance Schaumburg is a terrific venue with friendly staff, and JD Events, the show organizers, had everything under control with truly professional staffers.
"Every attendee I heard or talked to was happy—and we know how hard that is to achieve with audiophiles! It was a terrific show!"
Indeed, it was, as my friend, Jeffrey Kenton, at left above manning the Chicago Audio Society booth, who used a cane to get around the show following a recent knee replacement operation.
Gimme Some Scaena Love
I enter a darkened room where listeners take in the largess of Scaena's impressive line array speakers looking like miniature space age looking pods, with each line array flanked by four stacked subwoofers resembling the teleportation pods in the 1986 film, The Fly. A MacBook Pro linked to a DCS Bartok DAC feeds heavenly operatic music to 16 seated listeners, bathing them in a rich and luxuriously lavish and voluminous aural experience.
My friend, Joe, sits mesmerized—frozen in time—with his arm around his gal, Diane, seemingly lost in an elixir of love and aural euphoria.
"That's about the best thing I've heard so far," a mature, well coiffed lady gushes as she exits the room.
Feast Like an Audio Beast for Less
With all the high ticket offerings being served up here, there's plenty of good audio gear to be had for far less. Take the Geshelli room, for example. Featuring the 10" driver Mofi Point Source loudspeakers by highly lauded speaker designer, Andrew Jones ($3700), they employ very clean playing DACs, the JNOG2 (J2) DAC, with hand carved wooden cases starting at $249 and a $1500 to $2000 amplifier
Shown here is their prototype with the production scheduled to release in Fall 2023. The system results in a rich, luscious sound with female vocals fully articulated, instrumentation full, vibrant, and impressively immersive.
Off to the side on display is the Purity Audio Design Foundation J-DAC ($2000) that utilizes the Geshelli JNOG2 (J2) DAC in tandem with their tube output stage (you can read my review about it HERE).
A guest gushes, "I've seen a lot of audio, but this is the coolest audio gear I've ever seen!"
Another example is the aforementioned Pass Labs room with the GoldenEar Triton One.R ($3995 each). It featured the Pass Labs Int-60 integrated amplifier ($9450) and the Oppo 205 UDP 4K Ultra HD Audiophile Blu-ray Disc Player with a thumb drive chock full of digital music files ($1295 before being discontinued) and delivered a compelling musical and balanced presentation with plenty of detail, fullness, and warmth.
The Pass Labs representative points out that by purchasing the smaller Int-25 ($7600) brand new, and acquiring used Titans and other gear, the Pass Labs rep suggested that one could get a highly listenable Hi-Fi system "to aspire to" for roughly $12,000 all in.
All In for Acora Acoustics
Once again, I am impressed with the depth, resolution and power of the Acora Acustics room. This year at AXPONA, they are premiering their new $218,000 flagship speakers, the VRC—which, I'm told, are the initials of Acora Acustic's owner, Valerio Cora. He remembers my "best of the show" appraisal of his system at last year's AXPONA and greets me warmly.
The VRCs are Acora's "cost is no object" speaker which gives particular attention to the cabinet, crossover and drivers.
Weighing 400 to 420 lbs., the cabinet is made of granite, salesman Isaac Markowitz says because it doesn't change over time with humidity (the same holds true for the other elements in their VRC, he asserts). The granite skin is three centimeters thick all around with no cross bracing, creating a large, five and a half cubic foot volume cavity inside (of course, there's some damping in there, he assures). And with small, rear ports to enhance the lower range, "linear low frequency extension is 18 cycles," he declares.
"There are no consumables within the signal path," Markowitz claims.
In the crossover, for example, silver foil capacitors "which last forever" are used instead of electrolytics. It also employs a 3D printed crossover board.
Their drivers are lightweight, custom made drivers that produce very accurate sound across the spectrum that's less damped by inertia.
As a result of their attention to these details, the VRCs fill the large ballroom with vivid, lucid, jazz vocals that impress with their large scale sound, tactile quality, and detailed articulation. The soundscape that envelopes the listener packs a much bigger punch than seems possible from the VRCs! Picture 5' 10" Mike Tyson flattening behemoth boxers that dwarfed him moments before and you get the sense of sonic subterfuge.
The supporting cast includes a pair of VAC Statement 452 amps, VAC Statement Line Stage, and VAC Statement Phono Stage, while the Oracle Delphi Reference Turntable with a Lyra Atlas Lambda cartridge and the Lampizator Horizon DAC serve as sources. (thesoundadvocate.com)
Switching over to vinyl, Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel" delivers an inspiringly powerful, palpable and dynamic performance.
"Dyning" on the Lighter Side
Ducking into the Dynaudio room, I get a very crisp, detailed and refined presentation, but coming from the Acora room, it's like sampling an excellent pinot noir (which can be complex, wonderful, but on the lighter side)—or even an excellent Sauvignon Blanc (which can be refreshingly crisp, wonderfully nuanced, layered, and complex, but light to moderately high on the alcohol)—after having several big pour servings of a rich, flavorful, and full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. I am hearing a lush, more analytical, treble and midrange forward presentation that's a bit lighter on the bass region—which some really enjoy, but isn't tripping my trigger today, so I duck out.
But that's the beauty here: there's something for everyone to enjoy at AXPONA! When we had dinner later, I enjoyed a rich and resplendent Cab, while Belle, who shies away from reds, had a superb Sauvignon Blanc, and we had a marvelous time with Joe Jurzec and his girlfriend, Diane.
What's in a Tidal?
Vimberg Speakers by Tidal, in tandem with Karan phonostage, preamp, and monoblock amplifiers—fed by a Kalista CD player (the Kalista turntable was on standby)—yielded a rich, sonorous and impressive rendition of Livingston Taylor's "Isn't She Lovely."
Pure Audio Baffles
The Pureaudioproject Trio open-baffle speaker, fed by an Aurender music server produced a lucid, airy, and intimate rendition of the muted trumpet in Duke Ellington's "Blues in Orbit." Employing the Pass Labs Int 25 integrated amplifier and the Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC, the presentation was rich and appreciated by the nine people packed into this small hotel room.
Bayz Watch Boggle
The Bayz Audio Counterpoint 2 loudspeakers ($160,000 pair) resembled two abstracted tubas, sans bells, by a modern sculptor, however, their sound was sublime. Malia's rich sultry vocals in Malia and Boris Blank's "Celestial Echos" enchanted, packing crisp and weighty sound in Bayz Audio room. The supporting cast included the Esoteric CD player, Taiko Extreme music server, VAC Master Preamp, VAC 200 IQ amplifier, and cables by Zoltar Bay.
The new Borreson X3 entry level speakers ($11,000/pair) used its titanium voice coil to yield a very lively and defined presentation. Playing electronica dance music, it packed a thumping bass that had patrons gushing.
Ultra Impressed
The Von Schweikert Ultra 7s ($180,000/pair) in Scott Walker Audio's room employed an active room correction approach using several subwoofers in different corners of connected smaller rooms instead of bass traps. They're adjusted manually, Von Schweikert Audio's CEO, Damon Von Schweikert, said, to adjust for challenges in the room using high level inputs from the speakers, where their phase, amplitude, and frequency adjustments made all the difference in terms of standing wave amelioration. A reel to reel rendering of Leonard Cohen, accompanied by guitars, synthesizer, and violins yielded an engaging and immersive 180 degree soundstage. Two VAC 300 monoblocks provided the muscle to deliver the powerful and moving presentation.
Ah Vant These!
Some years ago, I offered to showcase a pair of Avantgarde loudspeakers at my house for a dealer on an appointment only basis. He just laughed. Nice try.
Nevertheless, the SD-Duo SD-Duo GT Avantgarde loudspeakers continue to impress, delivering a sparkling and sonorous rendition of Ray Brown, et al in a quartet. The acoustic bass was rich, taut and tight, the drum kit crisp and punchy, while the piano's timbre, tone and decay were rich, warm and resolved.
By the way, did I bother mentioning that my offer's still open? (Sorry, I'm punchy writing this long diatribe.)
The Elves' Best Kept Secret
Mola GTT Audio and Video deployed Malia with Boris Blank's Convergence album to enchant and entice with lushly layered vocals and a rich and palpable bassline. Delivered over Vivid Audio Giya G1 speakers at $95k a pair. As good as they sound, with their curled back tops, they've always struck me as abstract elf constructs. To each their own!
Sound Bar Playing? No Way!
Listening to the new Devialet Dione sound bar ($2400), I'm surprised how it's so incredibly good! Very immersive and detailed, vivid theater bass! In fact, the width and depth of soundscapes are quite impressive! New update prioritizes voice over bass, a salesperson says. He adds, most sound bars don't hold up when trying to use with music, but "this one does!" Featuring 17 drivers, it can be switched over to music mode with the sub in the center. (I did not have a chance to hear their spherical Phantom wireless speakers at $3900/pair with stands.)
Carving Up Some Tubes
The Bob Carver room did a fine job with its Bob Carver RAM 285 amplifier ($4995), RPM (Reference Preamp Model) V12 ($4995), driving a pair of ELAC Adante speakers, first with Patricia Barber's vocals, finger snaps, and double bass—luscious, warm and seductive and, second, with Donald Fagen's "On the Dunes" with a detailed and classically lush tube warmed presentation.
The Solutions Swiss room sounded brilliant, an acoustic guitar recording sparkling and resonant rendered over the Gauder Akustik DARC 200 loudspeakers ($149,000).
The Magical Mini Magicos
Magico's S-3 loudspeakers ($45,000) sported a gorgeous metallic blue premium auto paint blue finish and delivered the typically rich and big soundstage house sound of a Magico, but from my vantage point, they appeared shorter than I imagined when I entered the listening room. It conjured a horrid date from an online dating service and being told, "Oh, I thought you'd be taller,"—or meeting Mike Tyson at ringside when I was the news editor at the Cyber Boxing Zone circa 2017 (he was actually smaller than me).
Perception is, of course, subjective, but after the build up of the posters and miniature model of the S-3's steel skeleton (that I so badly wanted to abscond with) while waiting in the foyer outside the packed room, I was surprised and a little disappointed at how small they actually appeared in person. However, in all fairness, some years ago when I noticed that Martin Logan was making their hybrid electrostatic speakers shorter, I reached out to them and was told that their interior decorator consultant advised making them that way for better home aesthetics. So, who's to say that this isn't the same case with the S-3s?
In another room, Aduo Ultra featured the Magico A1 stand mount speakers ($9400) fed signal from a CH CD player that rendered a jazz fusion funk set crisp, snappy, edgy, and hyper detailed.
Serhan Smile
The Small Green Computer SonicTransporter did a nice job, connected via a Sonore Optical link to a Boulder 866 integrated amplifier that, in turn, powered a pair of Serhan Swift Mu Mk 2 speakers ($5950) to render crisp, punch up-tempo jazz instrumentals, then slowing things down, rendered Scheherazade, et al for a detailed, satisfying and pleasant near field experience.
Ginormous but Noble
The Bending Wave and Gobel High End room showcases a pair of massive black Divin Noblesse speakers ($250,000/pair), four Audio Research 160 Mk2 amps ($38,000/pair), AR Reference 6 preamplifier ($19,500), rendering Guy Clark's vocal rasp, acoustic guitars, double bass, drums, and percussion clear, full and imbued with a wondrous tube glow in "The Guitar."
Desktop Speakers, Anyone?
At the other end of the spectrum, the 3" x 6" x 5" Kanto Ora desktop speaker ($349/pair) employs a 3" driver with a soft dome tweeter to render very natural and pleasant near field listening. Patricia Barber's vocals in "This Town" and Nils Lofgren's vocals and acoustic guitar are precise and very listenable. Paired with their sealed Sub 8 subwoofer ($269) it goes down to a respectable 45Hz at -3dB. Come to think of it, I wish I had a pair playing as I type in my office!
The Analog Matters!
The Analog Matters room, featuring the Audio Physics Spark 5 stand mount speakers ($8700/pair) and the Acoustic Signature Typhoon turntable ($17,995)—with an Acustic Signature TA 5000 tonearm ($7895)—presented a very detailed, balanced, and refined experience of Kineshy-Korsakov Scheherazade on vinyl. Switching over to DSD files via Esoteric DAC ($24,000), acoustic piano from Cookie Marenco's Blue Coast Records packs brilliant tonality, decay, and accuracy. The Plinius RA 150 monoblocks ($29,990/pair) no doubt enhanced to realism and attack. Ane Brun's vocals in "Worship" are rich and clear; violins, accompanying vocals and the overall mix are vivid and intoxicating.
Imagine That
"Juan! I didn't know you write for Positive Feedback," says James of Choice Audio, based out of Minnesota. Shaking my hand, he informs me that he follows me on Facebook and enjoys my posts. "I just thought you were an audiophile—I love your listening room!" (I wonder if that's the audiophile version of, "You look great—have you been working out?")
Nice meeting you, too, James!
The QLN Prestige two-way loudspeakers ($12,000/pair) linked to a Qualiton a75i integrated amp images Christian McBride's plucked and bowed double bass rich tones vivid and realistic. Next up, Victor Wooten's bass is punchy and plucky while the snare drum is clearly resolved with plenty of snap. Then, the James Carter Organ Trio Live from Newport Jazz unpacks a clearly articulated saxophone, the warm tones of the Hammond B-3 and a vibrant, splashy drum kit rendered in an organic sense of space. Daniela Andrade's "La Vie En Rose" vocals are true, the breathiness and tonality of her vocals clear and present.
Vonderful Von Gaylords
Von Gaylord's stand mount speakers ($2900/pair) do a terrific job of delivering Jennifer Warne's vulnerability and emotion in her vocals on the Famous Blue Rain Coat title track, the rich saxophone solo and an organic sense of the flute and piano. Together with the Von Gaylord tube DAC ($5000), Von Gaylord preamp ($5000) and Von Gaylord tube monoblocks ($8500), the system makes for a very compelling listen.
Deja Vu or Is There a Vinyl Doctor in the House?
Dr. Vinyl's room features a very familiar pair of Usher ML-801 loudspeakers. They played in the Triangle Arts room at AXPONA 2022 and sat in my listening room for about six months afterwards, where I reviewed and stored them; ultimately, I purchased their larger brother, the ML-802 (you can read my review of the ML-801s HERE). Together with a Sikora turntable, the DS Audio cartridge with phonostage ($15,000), McGary preamp and monoblock amps, they shine in presenting a Legrand Jazz on vinyl. Miles Davis' trumpet sparkles and shines, the cymbal taps palpable in a vibrant soundstage brimming with realism. A richly textured saxophone solos in a subsequent ballad.
Pulsing 'Upside Down'
The Innuos Pulsar music server ($6899) delivers well in their namesake room. Teamed up with the MSB Premiere DAC ($32,000), Vinni Rossi Brama integrated amplifier, PS Audio P15 Power Plant ($7499), and Phoenix network switch ($3750), it renders Jack Johnson's vocals tone and harmonics rich, guitar taps along with percussion and drums textures vivid and engaging.
Would You Like Some Fries with Your SOtM?
Sarah Vaughan's vocals are very clearly articulated in "Misty," while the accompanying saxophone and strings are rich, lush, and true in the SOtM room. Their SOtM computer server ($5000), SDP-1000 DAC ($3500), SOtM SPA-1000 Stereo D Class Amp ($4000), and SOtM SNH 10-G switch ($1200 each—they use three in here) feed the Nostalgia Jr. loudspeakers ($26,990) plenty of good, clean, and uncorrupted signal.
Giving These Pearls a Listen
Fidelity Imports showcased the Perlisten S7T Loudspeakers ($19,990), along with the Audio FLT FLS10 Integrated Amp with DAC board and the Innuos Statement Server. A recording of an unidentified female cover of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is vibrant, timbrally engaging, and seductive in its layered detailing, while the overall balance is more on the full side. I like!
Dippin' with the Diptyques
They're tall, dark, and handsome—and did I mention they can sing, too? First impressions are good, and the Diptyque Audio Reference loudspeakers ($49,999) delivered that in spades. They're very immersive! Sohn's "Lights" played over them is not merely an aural, but tactile experience, as the music caresses your ears and sensibilities (the fact is that a number of rooms here do that, but there's something a little different going on here—the ribbon tweeters, perhaps?).
The Aurender A20 digital music server ($15,000) is dishing out Steely Dan's "Jack of Speed" at the moment, delivering crisp details on a large soundstage. Audio Flight Strummento No. 1 monoblock amps, at $29,999 each (can you say that five times fast?), in tandem with the Audio Flight Grumento No. 1 preamplifier ($19,999) spoon feed these babies.
Now, about the ribbon tweeters, the salesman says the Dityques feature true ribbon tweeter, a "quasi-ribbon mid-tweeter" (aluminum foil with Mylar backing for strength and durability), a magnetic planar bass driver woofer. He goes on to say that it has a cross push-pull configuration, dual voice coils on the vertical and horizontal plane.
Sorry, but the Diptyques had me at "hello."
Meta Impressive
Metavoxaudio.com hosted the PMC MB2 SE loudspeakers ($34,500/pair with stands) on Wallfloat Delta Extreme Speaker Insulation Footers ($1000 each).
Soulnote Audio, I'm told, was created by ex-Marantz engineers who formed it, and their P-3 preamplifier ($24,999) teams up with the Holbo Air Bearing Turntable ($7900 for table and arm), and an Babel Isolation Base ($7900) that holds 500 lbs. to easily support an amp and turntable to deliver Cat Power's "Dark End of the Streets" with sultry vocals, brushed snare, violin, and piano in a very engaging, detailed, and balanced presentation.
My, What a Well Endowed Stereo You Have
Endow Audio employs the Bravura 12 speakers ($14,900), the Orchard Stereo Starkrimson Ultra Amp ($3300), and Orchard Pican Pi DAC-Streamer ($895) to serve up some Brian Culbertson smooth jazz piano. Playing his "Another Night Out" on his Beyond the Frontier album, the piano, electric bass and drums set is rich, detailed, warmly balanced for a pleasant Sunday afternoon listen.
Vaping with the Vandersteens
Right about now, I'm running on fumes. I can hardly manage a scribble on my notepad (and what's there is scarcely legible). Nevertheless, I take a gander into the Ultra Fidelis room, where the Vandersteen KĒNTO Carbon loudspeaker is holding court with their M5-HPA High Pass Amplifier, delivering a richly resolved, detailed and bombastic orchestral piece. Nice piano and violin lead exchanges, ride cymbal and snare rim shots cap off a wonderful set.
Thankyouverymuch.
A jazz band performed at the Audio Industry Mixer on Thursday night
A Closing Shout Out
Daedalus Audi0's Lou Hinkley, at left, with Lampizator North America's Fred Ainsley
Lampizator North America's Rob Reich, at right, with a friend
HiFi Pig magazine owners, Stuart and Linette Smith
Positive Feedback's Editor-in-Chief, Dr. David Robinson, at right, with PF writer, Michael Laurance, left, and an unidentified friend who provided Dr. Robinson with a light for his cigar (Ewald Verkerk of Mola Mola and Vivid Audio, as it turns out)...
In the foreground at right, my friends, Wes and Joe visit with PureAudioProject's Ze'ev and an unidentified man at far left
Belle meets me near the main entrance of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel on Saturday afternoon
It was wonderful visiting with old friends, and I'd like to think I made a few new ones. I regret missing seeing some others, as well as a number of rooms. I heard, for example, that the new TAD CE1-TX stand mount loudspeaker was debuting here as its new entry into consumer audio. Oh, well. There's always next year. Cheers!
Belle and Juan C. Ayllon at the main entrance
