[GregC]

I heard the $15k Von Schweikert speakers and they initially had a wow factor, and then after listening I could tell that they would create listener fatigue and be a bit bright for my tastes.  I like to judge speakers for what I perceive to be the best performance to value ratio.  I currently own Emerald Physics CS2 speakers and I am a fan of the open baffle sound and the natural presentation.  Consequently, the CS1 speakers were my favorite speakers at the show and had all the virtues of the CS2 speakers, but were clearly a step up.  For a traditional cabinet enclosed speaker, I was very impressed with the sound from the SP Tech Timepiece Minis, and I also liked the Kismet speakers in the Odyssey room.

[Geardaddy]

The dichotomy existing between the first two posts within this thread brings home the glaring truth about the subjective nature of this hobby.


This thread should be renamed "My Favorite System at the RMAF."  Speakers are not an island unto themselves....just a window that lets music out...

[TONEPUB]

The MartinLogan CLX.

Wait, I took the wrong plane and went to Kansas!  I thought
the listening room was a little sparse.....

[mcullinan]

Im running under the Electrostatics Blow ticket. See you all in November!
I mean it but dont mean it if you know what i mean.
Mike 

[Marbles]

The dichotomy existing between the first two posts within this thread brings home the glaring truth about the subjective nature of this hobby.


This thread should be renamed "My Favorite System at the RMAF."  Speakers are not an island unto themselves....just a window that lets music out...

And the room is part of that system..most hotel rooms blow for sound quality.

[TomS]

Im running under the Electrostatics Blow ticket. See you all in November!
I mean it but dont mean it if you know what i mean.
Mike 

And you are an evil flip flopper Mike...

[mcullinan]

Im running under the Electrostatics Blow ticket. See you all in November!
I mean it but dont mean it if you know what i mean.
Mike 

And you are an evil flip flopper Mike...

LOl its totally evil and oh so flip floppy. hahaha.
  aa
Mike

[lonewolfny42]

A lot of the Kaisers beauty was those big 50W 845 amps. I agree, it was a high point of the show. The RAAL tweeters have a lot of natural detail. The huge room had a lot of echo, but it flattered the system overall. I talked to the exhibitors after the demo, they are very smart, very nice guys. I hope they get some traction here in US. Robert Harley enjoyed it and I hope he mentions the exhibit in the mag.

I was along with Rich on this visit to the Hyatt....
and that system did surprise me.

When I walked it and saw the setup, I didn't think the system could handle the room size...their not real big speakers.

It was a big room...system was setup in the middle of the room...and when the music played...it really sounded sweet.... nice and smooth.

Here's two reports....

Stereophile blog.....

In one huge room at Hyatt, I encountered a truly international effort. While some parts of this system are available in the US, others are not. Hence the prices in Euros.

You know something is right when you play Mahler's Symphony No.2 through 50W Mastersound Finals 845 SET monoblocks (10,000 Euros) and not very large Kaiser Kawero 92dB-sensitive speakers ($50,000/pair) and experience an image of tremendous size and weight that effortlessly captures the essence of the symphonic experience. Much credit also goes to LessLoss products from Lithuania: the LessLoss Dynamic Filtering power cable ($750), Firewall ($4995), DAC 2004 MkII (2995 Euros) with volume control (495 Euros) slaved to a CEC TL-SAX transport. Let's not leave out the Echole Obsession RCA interconnect (3000 Euros/meter), Obsession speaker cable (5500 Euros/2 meter), and powercord (2500 Euros). For lovers of what I consider a classic SET sound, this system may very well inspire ecstasy.

Enjoy the Music....

Best sound of the show so far is the Kaiser speakers with Mastersound 845 Monoblock tube amps and CEC transport with LessLoss DAC 2004. The room was about 60x40 with 20 foot ceiling, so there was plenty of breathing room for sound expansion. As for the sound, nice smooth harmonics and frequency response from top to bottom and impressive soundscaping/imaging. Analog and loudspeaker cables were by Echole, with LessLoss Dynamic Filtering power cables and their Firewall Power Foundation.

This was a system where all the pieces fit together well....

Edit: I should add....if you look at the pictures...they look like a two way...but their a three way....woofer is in the back.

[Dracule1]

I heard this system at the show.  Sounded nice, but for the price of the system and the huge room, I was not moved by the music.  May be I have tin ears.

[twitch54]

The MartinLogan CLX.

Wait, I took the wrong plane and went to Kansas!  I thought
the listening room was a little sparse.....

Jeff, Are you going to get back on the plane with your new CLX's as "carry on" ?? !!

[Scottdazzle]

My favorite speakers at the show (of those I could possibly afford) were the Reference 3a Grand Veena.  They were extraordinarily open, balanced, and non-fatiguing.  I was especially impressed with how they reproduced acoustic bass.  The relationship of the fundamentals to the overtones was the most seamless and real sounding of any speakers I heard at the show.  They also did the most remarkable job of rendering a female voice with bass accompaniment I could imagine (Sheila Jordan & Harvie Swartz if I recall correctly). 

There were others like the Audio Analysis $28k that may be as good or better but the $8k price of the Grand Veenas make them my best of show.

[mcullinan]

Hey can someone comment/ compare the Merlin VSM MXs and the Reference 3a Grand Veena. Id be curious to know if they are similiar or very different.
Mike

Jeff Im sorry I insulted and generalized all elecrostats It was that time of month.

[Scottdazzle]

I don't remember which Merlins were playing at the show, but they left me cold.  Like many other speakers I heard, they were perfectly competent but the magic that draws one (me) into the music was there in spades with the Grand Veenas and missing with the Merlins.  Of course, the music being played at the time could have been a factor.

[TomS]

Hey can someone comment/ compare the Merlin VSM MXs and the Reference 3a Grand Veena. Id be curious to know if they are similiar or very different.

As a long time Merlin owner, I'd say they are VERY much alike.  I wish I had more listening time on them, with familiar gear and room.  Amid some very pricey competition, these could easily hold their own with most and maybe kill quite a few at 2-3x their price.  I liked them a lot with the Quicksilver gear.

[Russell Dawkins]

As Geardaddy notes above, there are a surprising number of sharply conflicting impressions of the same speaker in this thread.
I think ultimately that's a good thing, but it does underline the importance of hearing for yourself or paying attention only to the opinions of others whose taste you really know, and when judging a component using only recordings with which you are very familiar.

[Scottdazzle]

Russell and Tom make very good points.  I was probably unfair to the Merlins based on a short audition with many variables.  Mea culpa.  Just the same, the Grand Veenas were special.

[TONEPUB]

Hey can someone comment/ compare the Merlin VSM MXs and the Reference 3a Grand Veena. Id be curious to know if they are similiar or very different.
Mike

Jeff Im sorry I insulted and generalized all elecrostats It was that time of month.

No worries.  There isn't much I'd trade even my current Logans for and I've had a lot of
speakers come through here over the years.  Everyone finds a sound they love and that's
the most important thing.  But I guarantee that if you heard our reference system, you
would walk away impressed.

But you might still prefer what you have and that's just fine.

Panels need the right room, very careful attention to detail and the right amplifier
to really sing.  I'm lucky I have a combination that I love...