RMAF report in PF

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youngho

RMAF report in PF
« on: 21 Oct 2015, 03:09 am »
http://positive-feedback.com/show-reports/olson-rmaf-2015/

Nothing like visiting old favorites. So we did some more swimming through the shoals of the not-great and the really-bad, and finally arrived at the top floor. Ah! Sweet music to our ears! How nice! And what a contrast to the roar and blare of the rest of the show. We were at the Audio Kinesis room, of course, hosted by the ever-affable Duke LeJeune, one of the nicest (and most knowledgeable) guys in audio. His subtle use of additional room-reflecting drivers has evolved since last year, looks better, has much more flexible placement options, and last but certainly not least, sounds better. Going out on a small limb here, but Duke's speakers combine the natural and relaxed sound of high-efficiency with the spacious ambience of dipoles and electrostats. They thrive on good vacuum-tube amplifiers of moderate to medium power, and to my surprise, sounded damn good on a visiting Class D amplifier (which I didn't expect at all).
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By contrast, the spacious big-sky sound of the Audio Kinesis is not designed to shock-and-awe, but quietly sneak up on the listener and give them a big smile. The longer you stay, the better it sounds. I suspect the long-term satisfaction is good, because this is the room I keep coming back to, year after year, and it always sounds more like music than the prevailing fads of the high-end world. Duke has good taste, and that counts for a lot in my book.

Duke

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Re: RMAF report in PF
« Reply #1 on: 21 Oct 2015, 04:56 am »
Thank you very much, youngho!  Somehow I had missed that!

Lynn came by our room 2 or 3 times, and was there for the beginning of the after-hours session with the new Acoustic Imagery Atsah 500 power amps.   Now for those of you who don't know, Lynn is not fond of solid state and very much not fond of "class D".  He not only remarked on how good the amps sounded then and there in the room, but included a very positive mention in his show report!  They must have impressed him quite a bit.

The Acoustic Imagery Atsah 500's sure did impress me.  They will probably be my next amps.  They had absolutely no business sounding as good as they did - incredible clarity without any downside, and for about 1/4th the price I would have thought. 

Here's the website:

http://acousticimagery.com/

And, Lynn REALLY "gets it" about what we're trying to do:  "... combine the natural and relaxed sound of high-efficiency with the spacious ambience of dipoles and electrostats."

That was very refreshing to read, as I think a lot of the press who cycled through our room didn't get it.  But then how many have the sort of background Lynn has?
« Last Edit: 21 Oct 2015, 06:11 am by Duke »

alan m. kafton

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Re: RMAF report in PF
« Reply #2 on: 21 Oct 2015, 07:35 pm »
I must agree with every word posted by youngho....Duke's rooms are always a music oasis, filled with natural sound.  "Easy on the brain" I like to say.  That Lynn Olson enjoyed what he heard is high compliment, indeed.  He's a very particular fellow with ultra-high standards.

It was great seeing you again, Duke.

youngho

Re: RMAF report in PF
« Reply #3 on: 22 Oct 2015, 12:28 am »
You're welcome, Duke. I'm sorry I didn't put the quotes in quotation marks, Alan, but I hope it was pretty clear.

I am thinking of getting the NAD M27 eventually for my home theater, which uses Hypex Ncore modules. I still regret not having been able to buy the original Jazz Modules when they were available :-( I would be interested in hearing Geddes' waveguide implemented, but his current designs are too expensive for my existing budget.

Young-Ho

jtwrace

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Re: RMAF report in PF
« Reply #4 on: 22 Oct 2015, 12:37 am »
Yes, they sounded AMAZING!