Still another great review from
The Audio Beat this time!
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/rmaf2015/rmaf2015_roy.htmIf VTL/Wilson, Musical Surroundings and Audio Research/Vandersteen are always a safe bet for decent sound (whether at RMAF or anywhere else), then the
Volti/BorderPatrol room constitutes a home banker. Déjà vu barely covers the sense of familiarity that greeted one’s entrance to the presence of those curvaceously retro horn cabinets and the improbable stack of tube electronics doing the driving. It was almost as if the system had been left in situ from last year, quietly settling down and settling in. I know that’s not the case, because Gary Dews from BorderPatrol and Greg Roberts from Volti Audio both complained individually about the issues surrounding transporting and installing the other’s products ("Crates that use ten screws where two would do! He reduced the total number by 28% and there’s still over 140." or, "Each year the boxes seem to get smaller and even heavier! My boxes might be big but at least you can lift them.") Don’t worry -- it’s exactly the sort of bickering you’d expect from an old married couple, and in audio terms at least, that’s exactly what they are. I’m not sure how long they’ve been exhibiting together, but the parts of this system slot together so comfortably that it seems like it’s been forever.
Despite appearances, there have been a few developments since last year. Closer examination revealed a volume knob (backed by an additional gain stage) turning the BorderPatrol S20 EXD EXS into a true single-input integrated amp ($25,750). There was also a CEC TL-3N transport ($2250) in place of the Tent Labs, a modest machine for which I have a seriously high regard. This was feeding the BorderPatrol DAC1 ($9750 -- filterless implementation of the AD1865 chip set, using a 6SN7 output stage, Dueland CAST coupling capacitors and a massive external tube-rectified, choke-input power supply). Meanwhile, this year’s Volti Vittora five-cabinet speaker system ($25,000 including the active ELF subwoofer) sported beautifully executed and extremely handsome quilted bubinga veneers. The in-house rack had taken a step in both height and appearance too, lifting the source, amp and power supplies clear of the floor for a newly elegant presentation.
It was almost as if those subtle, aesthetic touches had transferred to the products themselves. Laced together with
Triode Wire Labs cables, this system had all the effortless power, scale and dynamics, natural presence and immediacy of years gone by, but now with an added degree of
dynamic discrimination, textural nuance and overall integration. Even on day one, this system sounded
super-settled, grounded and musically coherent, able to rely more on intimacy and low-level articulation, less on its more obvious attributes to transmit the musical message. Acoustic guitars had
wonderful attack and decay, string tone and instrumental body, while
voices were breathy,
communicative and direct. I don’t know -- maybe it was all a scam. Perhaps they really did just lock the door last year, leaving the system playing until 2015 rolled around. Could be -- ‘cos that’s the way it sounded (except that I know Gary, I know where he comes from and I know that he’s way too tight to pay for the room).
All kidding aside, this system just seems to go from strength to strength. It was a pleasure the first time I encountered it and it has gotten better, year on year. US readers (especially the horn aficionados) should count themselves lucky: Volti Audio’s direct sales model makes this not just one of the most enjoyable and easily accommodated horn systems on the market, it’s also one of the most affordable. Combine it with the BorderPatrol amps, electronics that truly demolish the notion that all single-ended tube amps are necessarily limp-wristed, and you have a recipe for musical experiences that are long on emotional intensity and lifelike presence, serious scale and neighbor-worrying capabilities, all at a price where all too often more conventional systems are having to trade on finesse rather than musical impact, never less than polite where they really should be spitting and kicking. Visiting the Volti/BorderPatrol room is always a pleasure and never less than real.
