Just got home from the LSAF.
The HAL room was far and away the best sounding- honestly nothing else was close. Although it was usually busy, I got several shots at the sweet spot (but the adjacent seats sounded almost as good). Listening to the picks of others, mostly pop/jazz/rock, all of which sounded good, I picked a Chopin nocturne. A solo piano on stage playing a delicate piece was stunningly real. Concert grand, well back on the stage, listener slightly left at row 6... I have to say I was quite stunned that a near field system could re-create this sound image. The treble was crisp, midrange full, and bass reverberation as real as it gets. I know it's good when I get goosebumbs, and I got them. Piano solo is soooo hard to get right.
Then we switched to the old RCA Scheherazade to see what it would do with full bombastic orchestra. Everything in its place, all instruments tonally right, nothing lost or smeared. To pull off this kind of sound in a small, crowded room is stunning, a real feat.
Well done, Rich! Very well done.
