AudioCircle
The Commercial Zone => Audio Shows and Events => Topic started by: Capital Audiofest on 4 Feb 2011, 11:42 pm
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The 2nd year of the Capital Audiofest is ready to go! Please take a look at the updated website and feel free to ask questions. www.capitalaudiofest.com
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Sadly the Capital Audiofest ends on July 10 and the California Audio Show starts on July 15. :(
http://www.caaudioshow.com/
That does not allow manufacturers enough time to schlep equipment from one coast to the other. It would be nice in the future if producers would cooperate and schedule events accordingly. Everyone would win if manufacturers were not forced to choose one show over the other instead of having a realistic opportunity to attend both shows.
I don't want to start a coast-to-coast civil war. I am looking forward to the California Audio Show and I am certain others have an equal enthusiasm for the Capital Audiofest. I just think it would be better to have the maximum number of exhibitors at each event.
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I was kinda bummed about that too. I had been hoping to do both shows, but it looks like I may not be able to do this one unless I manage to get two sets of gear moving around the country at once.
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A tight schedule, but not un-doable. You would need duplicate sets of equipment too heavy to air freight economically, this may be a deal breaker for some and no problem for others depending on how you classify shipping economically. Or if a dealer has only one set of some larger speakers, for example, perhaps one model in the line up west and another east. There are ways to get it done if you really want exposure at both shows.
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http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=91457.0
I have a thread discussing going on Saturday and going out to eat that evening.
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I'm driving up from Fla and dragging a couple speakers with me. :wink:
cheers,
AJ
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I'm driving up from Fla and dragging a couple speakers with me. :wink:
cheers,
AJ
With your Avatar that should not be difficult :green: Hope they are not real heavy. There's a bunch of us around if you need help
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Ha ha. I'll use the force to move them around till I get to the hotel, then I'll use a handcart. Wouldn't want to scare the kids too much with objects levitating, my face is scary enough. :wink:
'preciate the offer though.
cheers,
AJ
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Are the speakers you are bringing the pics/drawings in your gallery?
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I will be going.
Scott
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Are the speakers you are bringing the pics/drawings in your gallery?
:oops: Forgot about my gallery. Haven't posted there in a while.
No, more like this:
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/House/Stereo008.jpg)(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/House/1512F001.jpg)
Subject to change prior to show :wink:.
cheers,
AJ
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It's next week! Will be there! :thumb:
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Couple photos: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Capital%20Audiofest%202011/ (http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Capital%20Audiofest%202011/)
Didn't have much time to visit other rooms as I thought I would. There was a steady stream of traffic each day.
Had a blast. Got to see John Atkinson from Stereophile play bass with an impromptu jazz jam in the lobby on sat evening. Went down well with the Newcastles :D.
cheers,
AJ
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AJ,
Great pictures! Only missed a few of the rooms you have in the gallery.
It was great to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. New music is always a treat along the way. Need to give the MA sampler a listen soon. They gave that out with the entry registration!
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Did you make it by the Soundfield room? I met a couple AC guys, but can't recall if you were one of them...sorry if yes....but a ton of folks passed thru...
cheers,
AJ
p.s. Letitroll from "Enclosures" was there today for sure :)
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Couple photos: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Capital%20Audiofest%202011/ (http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Capital%20Audiofest%202011/)
Didn't have much time to visit other rooms as I thought I would. There was a steady stream of traffic each day.
Had a blast. Got to see John Atkinson from Stereophile play bass with an impromptu jazz jam in the lobby on sat evening. Went down well with the Newcastles :D.
cheers,
AJ
Those two ways in photo #16, are those yours? If so, could you tell us a bit about them?
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Yes, I was in the Soundfield Room today. I had on a light blue polo shirt if that helps.
Did not have much time as I had to leave the show by 1:30PM. The demo piece that I heard sounded very good. The problem is my ears were giving out from previous demo's! :o
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Did you make it by the Soundfield room? I met a couple AC guys, but can't recall if you were one of them...sorry if yes....but a ton of folks passed thru...
cheers,
AJ
p.s. Letitroll from "Enclosures" was there today for sure :)
Yes, and AJ's speakers were some of the most impressive sounding at the show regardless of price, and with what he told me the projected retail is, a screaming bargain. Incredibly dynamic with bass to 20hz in a medium sized bookshelf. While their main strength is Rock or Full Orchestral Classical, with which they can produce impressive sound levels, they also handled more intimate material with aplomb as well. I heard some better speakers at 27 to 150 times the price, and some that were not as good but priced many multiples of the Soundfields, but nothing in my experience have the Soundfield's traits at anywhere remotely close to the price. I'm glad I stopped in.
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What speakers were these in the soundfield room?
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AJ had the small ones hooked up when I was there and when asked said they were, "uhmmm, Soundfield 1's I guess". From what AJ says this is all pre production exploratory stuff, so no firm marketing plan yet, again, this from AJ. He noted a very positive response from the show crowd so hopefully this may change shortly.
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Did you make it by the Soundfield room? I met a couple AC guys, but can't recall if you were one of them...sorry if yes....but a ton of folks passed thru...
cheers,
AJ
p.s. Letitroll from "Enclosures" was there today for sure :)
I also visited your room a couple times yesterday (I requested the Billy Joel material). I remember you kept having to tell visitors that the only thing playing was the speakers on the stands (me included). :lol:
I was duly impressed and got a kick out of the fact that one of the most "humble" systems (yours) I heard was one of the better ones I heard all day yesterday. :thumb: Just goes to show you that it doesn't necessarily take a megabuck system to put out megabuck sound.
I hope you had a successful show and look forward to seeing how your plans for your speakers work out. Let us know when you get that website up and running.:)
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Those two ways in photo #16, are those yours? If so, could you tell us a bit about them?
3 way bookshelf, latest generation KEQ UniQ 5" in its own internal subenclosure, then a JBL 8" sub 200hz>25hz, powered by a sub plate amp. Cab is 17hx10wx12d. I'm trying to get all the details worked out to make it available for sale at $1000/pr. Guess I need to start with a website :D.
The response at the show caught me a bit off guard, my intent was just to demo what a frugal DIYer can do against the big boys under possibly the worse conditions (a hotel room!). That'll teach me :lol:
cheers,
AJ
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Yes, I was in the Soundfield :wink:Room today. I had on a light blue polo shirt if that helps.
Did not have much time as I had to leave the show by 1:30PM. The demo piece that I heard sounded very good. The problem is my ears were giving out from previous demo's! :o
Hi Hal.
Gotcha. Yeah, try doing it for 3 days! :wink:
Was it the classical or one of the jazz pieces?
I guess there was stuff rattling in the hallway when I played the Eric Kunzel piece. One of the other vendors came up to me as I was loading the big speakers into my car after the show. He said, man, you had some serious bass coming out of those today as I walked the hallway. I had to explain to him that I didn't play the big ones on Sunday at all, just the little guys. He laughed. :green:
Glad you at least had a chance to drop in. I had a great time, including Sat at the jazz jam. Plan to be back next year.
cheers,
AJ
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Yes, and AJ's speakers were some of the most impressive sounding at the show regardless of price, and with what he told me the projected retail is, a screaming bargain. Incredibly dynamic with bass to 20hz in a medium sized bookshelf. While their main strength is Rock or Full Orchestral Classical, with which they can produce impressive sound levels, they also handled more intimate material with aplomb as well. I heard some better speakers at 27 to 150 times the price, and some that were not as good but priced many multiples of the Soundfields, but nothing in my experience have the Soundfield's traits at anywhere remotely close to the price. I'm glad I stopped in.
It was good to meet you. Thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you liked 'em. At least I didn't blast you out of the room. :lol:
I'm going to try to get everything organized asap, then see what happens. I was a bit overwhelmed by the positive response, I honestly wasn't expecting it. And obviously (:green:), I don't believe music lovers should be forced to spend a fortune to get decent sound like you heard in my room.
Guess I better quit posting and get busy eh? :lol:
cheers,
AJ
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I also visited your room a couple times yesterday (I requested the Billy Joel material). I remember you kept having to tell visitors that the only thing playing was the speakers on the stands (me included). :lol:
I was duly impressed and got a kick out of the fact that one of the most "humble" systems (yours) I heard was one of the better ones I heard all day yesterday. :thumb: Just goes to show you that it doesn't necessarily take a megabuck system to put out megabuck sound.
I hope you had a successful show and look forward to seeing how your plans for your speakers work out. Let us know when you get that website up and running.:)
Hi Jim,
I bet you'll never listen to Eric Kunzel again! :lol:
Thanks for stopping in, I enjoyed the chat. Hey, at least I had Billy Joel.
How many rooms were allowing attendees to pick...or even play their own stuff? If I do anything different next time, is I'll bring someone with me to run the room so I can tour the show a bit more. I did hear some nice sound in other rooms, like Joseph Audio, Salk and even the DCDIY guys.
Wish I had a chance to take them up on the offer to run my Soundfield monitors with a 20watt SET. Just ran out of time. Several folks were asking me how they would sound with SETs, etc.
Glad you liked the extensive room treatment, my high end front end and cabling :green:.
As I say, it's the speakers, the speakers, the speakers......
I'll be sure to let you now once the site is up. Thanks again.
cheers,
AJ
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AJ
What about some pics of your stuff?
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AJ, your demo was great! You played my Miles Quintet CD on your laptop and we talked a while. I didn't know you were an AC member... Your speakers had the best room response of any demo in the show, and the most dense intoxicating tone, too with that 18" open baffle mid. Similar approach as Legacy, who uses big drivers to cover that upper bass area, and sound similarly good. I was very impressed. You have a lot of talent (knowledge + enthusiasm), and I'm looking forward to hearing your future creations. Thanks for sharing your design with this curious DIYer.
Rich
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I heard AJ's bookshelves and was very impressed. IMHO they put some big time speaker manufacturers to shame. When I walked in an orchestral piece was playing and the dynamics and bass were energizing the whole room more so than any other demo at the fest.
AJ has a great R&D department :D
Scott
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I heard the Soundfield room and AJ is a very talented designer and he had one of the best sounding rooms at the CAF show. if i can play a pair if those with my 18 wpc 6C33-B SET amp i would be more than happy to buy a pair from you :thumb: i was the big guy with dark hair and a Mullard tube T-shirt who gave up the sweet spot because they sounded great no matter where i went in the room
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Thanks guys. That 15hr drive back down today has me worn out, I'll get back here tomorrow
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Hi Jim,
I bet you'll never listen to Eric Kunzel again! :lol:
:thumb:
Thanks for stopping in, I enjoyed the chat. Hey, at least I had Billy Joel.
How many rooms were allowing attendees to pick...or even play their own stuff?
I also enjoyed chatting with you. Some of the rooms they seemed eager/willing to let you play your own stuff, and in others I think I would have been run out if I asked to play some lowly low res old recordings like Billy Joel. :green:
If I do anything different next time, is I'll bring someone with me to run the room so I can tour the show a bit more. I did hear some nice sound in other rooms, like Joseph Audio, Salk and even the DCDIY guys.
Good idea. At least it would give you an opportunity to have lunch at a decent hour. :wink: :lol: Funny that you mention hearing good things from Joseph Audio and Salk. If I picked my top 3 favorites, it would be (in no particular order) Joseph Audio, Salk, and Soundfield.
.....Glad you liked the extensive room treatment, my high end front end and cabling :green:.
As I say, it's the speakers, the speakers, the speakers......
I'll be sure to let you now once the site is up. Thanks again.
Yeah, I especially loved your "HD" cables! :lol: Seriously, it was great hearing what your speakers could do with basic/modest equipment. Some of the other rooms were using equipment and treatments that cost much more than my house :icon_surprised:, and frankly didn't sound any better, and in some cases worse, than your setup.
Glad you made it back to FL safely. I guess compared to your trip I can't complain about my 3+ hour drive home. :oops:
Thanks again, your room was one of the highlights of the show for me.
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AJ
What about some pics of your stuff?
Hi JT. You still owe me an Abbey listen :D.
I stole this from the Stereophile blog http://www.stereophile.com/content/soundfield-audio#comment-485051 (http://www.stereophile.com/content/soundfield-audio#comment-485051):
The large:
(http://www.stereophile.com/images/070911Soundfield-600.jpg)
The bookshelfs:
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Monitor1001-1.jpg)
I'm not the greatest photographer, so hopefully some of the pics being snapped by a bunch of folks eventually show up. This gives a slightly better sense of scale:
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/Capital%20Audiofest%202011/CapitalAudiofest2011021.jpg)
And like Saturn94 mentioned, I could not tell folks enough times that only the standmounts were playing, no tricks, hidden subs, etc. :lol:
cheers,
AJ
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AJ, your demo was great! You played my Miles Quintet CD on your laptop and we talked a while. I didn't know you were an AC member... Your speakers had the best room response of any demo in the show, and the most dense intoxicating tone, too with that 18" open baffle mid. Similar approach as Legacy, who uses big drivers to cover that upper bass area, and sound similarly good. I was very impressed. You have a lot of talent (knowledge + enthusiasm), and I'm looking forward to hearing your future creations. Thanks for sharing your design with this curious DIYer.
Rich
Ah yes, the Miles Davis man. Good to meet you Rich. Thanks for stopping in. You may be the only one here who made it on Sat when the large pair was playing. Glad they didn't butcher Miles :wink:.
Just to be clear, the coax is a 12" mid. The 18's are 200-50hz dipole "woofers".
They would be a bit too complex to reproduce at the moment, so for now, I'll most likely just stick with the little monitors. Wish you had a chance to hear those, but flying solo, I decided to only set them up on Sunday. next time I'll have help. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole show, the atmosphere and especially meeting all you folks. Thanks again and take care.
cheers,
AJ
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Hi JT. You still owe me an Abbey listen :D.
AJ
You just have to make the trip...it's a bit much for me to pack up. :lol:
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I heard AJ's bookshelves and was very impressed. IMHO they put some big time speaker manufacturers to shame. When I walked in an orchestral piece was playing and the dynamics and bass were energizing the whole room more so than any other demo at the fest.
AJ has a great R&D department :D
Scott
Thanks Scott. It's an old trick. Get stuff to rattle in the hallways and folks will naturally want to stick their head in to see what the racket is all about. :thumb:
Glad you liked 'em.
cheers,
AJ
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You just have to make the trip...it's a bit much for me to pack up. :lol:
Hey, I made the trip....just not at the right time. :D
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Sorry but... a small bookshelf ratting stuff in the hallway?
What's the trick?
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I heard the Soundfield room and AJ is a very talented designer and he had one of the best sounding rooms at the CAF show. if i can play a pair if those with my 18 wpc 6C33-B SET amp i would be more than happy to buy a pair from you :thumb: i was the big guy with dark hair and a Mullard tube T-shirt who gave up the sweet spot because they sounded great no matter where i went in the room
Damn, that's not you in your avatar?? :lol:
I'll have to get my hands on a SET locally and see how they mesh. the DCDIYaudio guys offered, but unfortunately, it didn't happen. Did you get a chance to go by their room? Lots of cool tube stuff, DIY TT, etc.
Thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you enjoyed them.
cheers,
AJ
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What's the deal with the cover over the equipment? What should we know?
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Sorry but... a small bookshelf ratting stuff in the hallway?
What's the trick?
Loosening objects in the hallway the night before :green:
That, or using 2/3rds the cabinet volume for a high displacement subwoofer John.
Powered. No laws of physics broken. Just applied.
cheers,
AJ
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What's the deal with the cover over the equipment? What should we know?
The only thing covered was the (prototype) amplifier (around 80w/ch. SS output stages).
The "equipment" was my netbook feeding straight WAVs (44k) to a Nuforce Icon uDac2 > amp. That was my entire front end.
cheers,
AJ
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Does this mean that you're building amps too?
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Is the other driver a coax?
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Does this mean that you're building amps too?
No. For right now, I'm going to concentrate on one thing only, the monitors.
cheers,
AJ
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Is the other driver a coax?
KEFs latest.
I'm a firm believer in smooth off axis sounding better in the majority of rooms.
There was zero so called acoustic "treatments" in my rather asymmetric hotel room.
cheers,
AJ
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No. For right now, I'm going to concentrate on one thing only, the monitors.
cheers,
AJ
Well, get to it! :whip:
Is this going to be a full-time gig for you? What's your occupation?
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Is this going to be a full-time gig for you?
No. Well not yet :green:.
What's your occupation?
I'm a full-time beer drinker. :lol:
cheers,
AJ
p.s. that or engineering inspections (civil, mechanical and electrical) for a municipality.
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KEFs latest.
Thanks. Very clever concept :thumb:, thanks for the info, much appreciated. Hope it goes well for you.
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Thanks. Very clever concept :thumb:, thanks for the info, much appreciated. Hope it goes well for you.
Thanks John. Don't worry, I'm still an open baffle guy at heart :wink:.
Those will be next.
Guess I'll have to tread lightly here too, as I will soon be a "manufacturer", so I'm pretty sure I won't be able to shill my products in threads like these. :)
But I'm sure glad I slipped Letitroll that $100 bill for his positive write up...ooops :lol:
cheers,
AJ
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This is all a little bittersweet for me, AJ. I wish you all the luck with your venture, but if you're now a 'manufacturer', will you be losing your catchphrase-esque acerbic tone here and at diyAudio?
Already, in this thread, you're all rainbows, unicorns, and panda bears. I don't know, it seems like the end of an era to me. If you're not tearing 'chops' a new one, who will?
Regards,
John
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But I'm sure glad I slipped Letitroll that $100 bill for his positive write up...ooops :lol:
cheers,
AJ
Hey, I was in the room when Letitroll was there; where's my $100 (deleting positive posts now :lol:)!
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Dan told me how nice AJ's speakers sounded.
Now I know why we missed the room on the first pass.
I think he wanted me to miss it. LetitRoll you owe us.
James
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This is all a little bittersweet for me, AJ. I wish you all the luck with your venture, but if you're now a 'manufacturer', will you be losing your catchphrase-esque acerbic tone here and at diyAudio?
Already, in this thread, you're all rainbows, unicorns, and panda bears. I don't know, it seems like the end of an era to me. If you're not tearing 'chops' a new one, who will?
Regards,
John
Maybe :lol:
Hope you make it to one of the shows John.
cheers,
AJ
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Hey, I was in the room when Letitroll was there; where's my $100 (deleting positive posts now :lol:)!
You get a free Billy Joel CD with your order...when you trade up from the Revels :green:
cheers,
AJ
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Dan told me how nice AJ's speakers sounded.
Now I know why we missed the room on the first pass.
I think he wanted me to miss it. LetitRoll you owe us.
James
Maybe next time you'll know where to go. I promise it will pay off for you. :wink:
cheers,
AJ
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You get a free Billy Joel CD with your order...when you trade up from the Revels :green:
cheers,
AJ
:thumb:
No Revels here though, I have a pair of Salk HT2-TLs and ADS L1290 series 2 (I bought these new in 1986!). :wink:
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Ooops. You're right. I think we had agreed that the Salk room (along with Joseph Audio) were our favorites (other than mine :icon_lol:).
Jim (Salk) has an interesting ipad setup as well. Very cool. It was great meeting him and Dennis Murphy.
I wish we had more shows like this. Capfest was a blast. A South East version would be nice. I guess there is Axpona, but this show just had a great, intimate feel to it. Perhaps the future of high-end? Who knows?
cheers,
AJ
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Capitol Audiofest Report
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0720.jpg)
A few pics and notes from some of the better rooms. No pics of our meeting at the hotel bar on Saturday afternoon or the dinner with Phil, Steve, James, and myself in order to protect the guilty.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0748.jpg)
Soundfield Audio 1's with the larger OB speakers in the rear, which I didn't hear. As noted, dynamic is an understatement, the deepest, most powerful bass I have ever heard from a small cabinet speaker, heck, from any speaker regardless of size. They threw a large soundstage and sounded super with both small and large scale works. Not a completely finished design with our AJinFLA deciding if he wants to enter the audio manufacturing world and how in the heck he’s going to fit that plate amp into that little box.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0740.jpg)
The TW-Acustic Black Knight turntable from Denmark was the kewlest analog display at the show, and the speakers Highwater Sound's Jeffrey Catalano had...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0739.jpg)
... Horning Hybrid Eufrodite Ultimate Zigma Plus loudspeakers, were some of the best sounding. At $19,000 as pictured with eight (count ‘em, eight) 8" bass drivers in a Ripole config hidden in the rear of the very deep cabinets, they could light up your room, but still sounded light and delicate with an awesome soundstage.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0721.jpg)
Everyone was impressed with Tidal speakers presented by "The Voice That Is" stereo shop up my way in Newtown Square, PA. I heard the floor standing Piano Diaceras at $37,000 to $41,000 depending on finish driven by $63,000 worth of Tidal preamp and 140 wpc amp. My notes say detailed, dynamic, delicate, with spectacular soundstaging and bass that was beyond tight.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/Copy2of100_0718.jpg)
Command Performance had the Joseph Audio Perspectives at $11,800 a pair driven by Manley tube amps and preamps connected to Bel Canto Lightlink converter. My kinda setup, beautiful, sonorous, a bit dark, with a deep, deep soundstage. On Sunday the had the same electronics driving the Joseph Audio Pulsar bookshelves, detailed, dynamic, a more direct sound than the floorstanders.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/Copyof100_0710.jpg)
It was wonderful finally meeting Mapleshade's Pierre Sprey, I’ve been a customer for many years. That the room had one of the very best sounds at the show is a testament to the validity of his somewhat radical theories. With Sonist Concerto 4 speakers at $5895 driven by his modified Scott integrated (about $1,100 or so depending on options) and a modest preamp and CD player it produced a sweet, lovely sound. Very detailed yet musical with the speakers completely disappearing if you were able to squat low enough to get in to the prime listening stool (how many of you could?) Pierre believes you should listen from very near to the floor, he had a 6” stool in front of the traditional couch. I talked James (pansixt) into buying a Mapleshade CD, everyone should have several, Pierre’s recording technique sounds like no other, very real and alive.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/100_0754.jpg)
I briefly heard the Clairaudient 2+2s ($5,000) as I walked into the Audience room, too short a time to really make an evaluation, but then the big surprise when they hooked up the tiny Model One’s ($995.00) you see in the background. Unbelievable sound from a 3” driver in front paired with a 3 ½” passive radiator in the rear, they actually drove the medium sized room to realistic, if not bombastic, levels with a very pleasant, coherent sound. A must listen for those needing a small speaker solution.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/Copyof100_0702.jpg)
The Philharmonic line was displayed in the Salk room as Dennis has done a lot of the crossover design for Jim Salk. Here the Model 3’s ($2800) are playing to universal acclaim, sweet, direct, detailed, with a very tight bass. No listener fatigue in these babies, a very full and relaxing sound. On Sunday I was in as they transitioned from the Philharmonic 1’s to the Salk Soundscapes. The 1’s are a screaming bargain at $1600, but having heard the 3’s, I would recommend spending the extra $400 for the 2’s to get the RAAL tweeter. The Soundscapes were beyond reproach, my notes are remarkable, coherent, dynamic, sweet, detailed, excellent soundstaging. They sounded like they were worth the $11k asking price. All driven by AVA amps and Dacs.
That’s about as many pictures as I dare include so as not to draw the ire of admins or slow bandwidth people. You can look at more pics in my album at http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/ (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v467/Letitroll98/Capitol%20Audiofest%202011/)
Some other impressions include the MBL Reference system with vocals to die for and outstanding imagery, but a bloaty, indistinct bass, overpriced for the sound. The Polk room had the floorstanding LSi707 on Saturday, which I though sounded like Polks and were nothing special for $4k. On Sunday they had the much better integrated LSi703 bookshelves that were just as dynamic, but had a much better sound for only $1500. The Wilson Audio Sasha’s were holding court in the larger JS Audio room, driven by the Dan D'Agostino amps and some Meridian player/processors. Unrestrained dynamics in a badly set up room that drove many showgoer’s back into the hallways. The GOTO horn system at $150,000 was very nice and pleasant sounding, but not $150k nice. Volti Audio showcased some horn driven Vittora speakers that had a sound reminiscent of Klipsch La Scala speakers. Command Performance AV had another room with Carnegie CST-2 speakers that were OK for $6k, but had a wonderful digital setup with a Hegel CDP driving a DaVinci DAC sounding very analog like. Audio Note UK had their amps driving their mainstay speaker which is really a highly modified Snell Type E Series 1 for $16,000. I like my Snell Type E Series IV just as well and it cost $1200 new. The other Audio Note had their much less expensive kit based amps driving Alex Rivera’s Cathedral speakers with WyWires cables throughout. Sounding coherent, musical and open, they are not super detailed speakers, more like smoothies. Classic Audio Loudspeakers T3.4 driven by Atma-Sphere tube electronics were dynamic, detailed and sweet with a big impact from the twin 15” woofers. Living Voice speakers at $11-12k driven by Border Patrol electronics were bassy and indistinct. Onkyo electronics drove some nice Carnegie CST-1 speakers ($1999), the Onkyo products were mehhh, okay. Same for the McIntosh room with the XRT-1 line array speakers, nothing offensive or to write home about. Déjà Vu Audio had two rooms with the larger vintage system sporting a large field coil speaker, custom 4.5 watt amps and pre amp totaling $108,000. Sorry, this bargain was sold, but had a completely relaxing sound that while very detailed sounded quite like actual music. Their smaller room had some hi fi sounding Italian two ways that had no bass to speak of and kewl looking tube amps. DIY Audio had the most fun room with their, of course, DIY Swan speakers, Tetras turntable, modded Hafler bass amp and SET mid/tweeter amp. Great guys that had fun talking about their gear and selling nothing, just there for the fun of it. MA Recordings gave everyone a free CD sampler and offered free DVD ROM samples in their large room. Hi Rez recordings of Classical and Samba that were oh so sweet. Lastly the swap meet had some great folks with gear that mostly looked like any of our closets emptied out. I wasn’t tempted to buy, but had some nice conversations with some wonderful folks, I wished them all well and was glad I didn’t bother to reserve a space.
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3 way bookshelf, latest generation KEQ UniQ 5" in its own internal subenclosure, then a JBL 8" sub 200hz>25hz, powered by a sub plate amp. Cab is 17hx10wx12d. I'm trying to get all the details worked out to make it available for sale at $1000/pr. Guess I need to start with a website :D.
The response at the show caught me a bit off guard, my intent was just to demo what a frugal DIYer can do against the big boys under possibly the worse conditions (a hotel room!). That'll teach me :lol:
cheers,
AJ
Well, I will have to keep my eye on you. Those monitors intrigue me greatly, I could let the JBL drivers assume the midbass while I let my subs do the real lows. The KEF are what my room needs, instead of room treatments.
Congrats on the positive response!
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Well, I will have to keep my eye on you. Those monitors intrigue me greatly, I could let the JBL drivers assume the midbass while I let my subs do the real lows. The KEF are what my room needs, instead of room treatments.
Congrats on the positive response!
Except the JBLs have been supplanted in the final production model by an even longer stroke (14mm vs 11.5 one way, over 1" p-p) driver that also operates optimally in a small sealed enclosure. I spent the weekend torture testing the mules with the new driver. And the new class d amp that almost doubles the power of the show amp (200w rms vs 110). I designed these monitors specifically not to be hi-passed (unless you are watching WOTW movie effects) with any music, but rather to run full bandwidth (below 30hz extension in all rooms tested so far), so that there is a full bandwidth LF source elevated closer to center height of room. Feel free to add subs to extend below 20hz and smooth the response where modal issues will be most likely (40hz-150hz), I would encourage that if you already have them. There will be both line level and a slave power amplifier output on the Monitor for just such purposes, so that even a passive sub can be added. Or a stand like no other.
The directional characteristics >1khz and suggested cross-fire toe-in should negate the need for any room treatments (which I eschew) in all but the narrowest spaces.
Thanks for the compliment. The perceived sound was no accident. They are designed to do exactly what they did, to sound exactly like what they are designed to do.
cheers,
AJ
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/SFMon1001.jpg)
At least this way, I won't have to answer to "Are those JBL's"? :wink:
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Except the JBLs have been supplanted in the final production model by an even longer stroke (14mm vs 11.5 one way, over 1" p-p) driver that also operates optimally in a small sealed enclosure. I spent the weekend torture testing the mules with the new driver. And the new class d amp that almost doubles the power of the show amp (200w rms vs 110). I designed these monitors specifically not to be hi-passed (unless you are watching WOTW movie effects) with any music, but rather to run full bandwidth (below 30hz extension in all rooms tested so far), so that there is a full bandwidth LF source elevated closer to center height of room. Feel free to add subs to extend below 20hz and smooth the response where modal issues will be most likely (40hz-150hz), I would encourage that if you already have them. There will be both line level and a slave power amplifier output on the Monitor for just such purposes, so that even a passive sub can be added. Or a stand like no other.
The directional characteristics >1khz and suggested cross-fire toe-in should negate the need for any room treatments (which I eschew) in all but the narrowest spaces.
Thanks for the compliment. The perceived sound was no accident. They are designed to do exactly what they did, to sound exactly like what they are designed to do.
cheers,
AJ
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/SFMon1001.jpg)
At least this way, I won't have to answer to "Are those JBL's"? :wink:
Sounds like it's progressing nicely. Have you received any orders yet?
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Except the JBLs have been supplanted in the final production model by an even longer stroke (14mm vs 11.5 one way, over 1" p-p) driver that also operates optimally in a small sealed enclosure. I spent the weekend torture testing the mules with the new driver. And the new class d amp that almost doubles the power of the show amp (200w rms vs 110). I designed these monitors specifically not to be hi-passed (unless you are watching WOTW movie effects) with any music, but rather to run full bandwidth (below 30hz extension in all rooms tested so far), so that there is a full bandwidth LF source elevated closer to center height of room. Feel free to add subs to extend below 20hz and smooth the response where modal issues will be most likely (40hz-150hz), I would encourage that if you already have them. There will be both line level and a slave power amplifier output on the Monitor for just such purposes, so that even a passive sub can be added. Or a stand like no other.
The directional characteristics >1khz and suggested cross-fire toe-in should negate the need for any room treatments (which I eschew) in all but the narrowest spaces.
Thanks for the compliment. The perceived sound was no accident. They are designed to do exactly what they did, to sound exactly like what they are designed to do.
cheers,
AJ
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/SFMon1001.jpg)
At least this way, I won't have to answer to "Are those JBL's"? :wink:
This is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Sealed, I don't like trying to integrate ported mains with my sealed subs. I need something that can do bass in the front (up around the room's center line is a bonus), that allows me to move my dual sealed 18" subs elsewhere to smooth the room. I don't care for treatments (although I use light foam to knock down slap echo). I don't want to high pass the mains.
I have a genuine interest in these, some questions if you don't mind. You can PM me answers if you prefer.
1. What is the sensitivity rating, I am guessing between 86-88 dB?
3. XO : Is the KEF driver now high passed? Is the stock XO retained between tweeter and woofer? Any BSC?
2. When are these going to be ready?
3.What do you call them?
4. Are those eD's? :wink:
5. How do they sound playing "Korn"? :icon_twisted: (My "Gaucho" DVD-A just arrived in the mail, yay).
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Sounds like it's progressing nicely.
Actually it's been agonizingly slow. Finding a reliable CNC shop around here.
Have you received any orders yet?
Yep.
cheers,
AJ
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This is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Sealed, I don't like trying to integrate ported mains with my sealed subs. I need something that can do bass in the front (up around the room's center line is a bonus), that allows me to move my dual sealed 18" subs elsewhere to smooth the room. I don't care for treatments (although I use light foam to knock down slap echo). I don't want to high pass the mains.
Feel free to join the order queue. Cherry, Maple or Piano Gloss Black. :lol:
Dual 18's for music? That seems more like WOTW stuff. I would definitely recommended hi-passing for HT, where 5-10hz bursts are going to give even big subs a workout.
I have a genuine interest in these, some questions if you don't mind. You can PM me answers if you prefer.
No, that's ok. Even if you were insincere and intending only to clone them (probably inevitable with DIYers and the sincerest form of flattery), I would still post this openly for all to be informed.
1. What is the sensitivity rating, I am guessing between 86-88 dB? Yes
3. XO : Is the KEF driver now high passed? Yes Is the stock XO retained between tweeter and woofer? No Any BSC? No. Full measurement data will be provided on the site
2. When are these going to be ready? August 3rd, maybe sooner
3.What do you call them? Monitor 1
4. Are those eD's? :wink: Yes, custom spec'd
5. How do they sound playing "Korn"? :icon_twisted: (My "Gaucho" DVD-A just arrived in the mail, yay).
All 4 of my Korn albums sound just fine.
cheers,
AJ
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Looking great AJ.
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Feel free to join the order queue. Cherry, Maple or Piano Gloss Black. :lol:
I have half the dough saved, I''l buy one right now and the other in October. :D I have been saving for new speakers to buy this fall, already sold my B&W's. I had it narrowed down to one choice until you came along, now I have a decision to make while I save.
Dual 18's for music? That seems more like WOTW stuff. I would definitely recommended hi-passing for HT, where 5-10hz bursts are going to give even big subs a workout.
Nope, for music. I do watch movies but I'm not trying to hit reference levels. My modest system is in my gallery. I moderate a speaker manufacturer's forum, a HT forum and am the resident 2 channel guy on the HT one. I had a hand in the concept of the subs so I had to have a pair. Word on the street is they are very musical. FWIW, I agree. With the Monitor 1 in play, the 18's only need to do >20 Hz bass and smooth the room. If I don't need the 18's... bonus, I'll save them for movies. But I think they will help.
No, that's ok. Even if you were insincere and intending only to clone them (probably inevitable with DIYers and the sincerest form of flattery), I would still post this openly for all to be informed.
I could just buy a KEF monitor out right. I got subs. :lol: Your speakers are sealed, give bass above the room's center line, yada yada, all the things I mentioned before. Keeps me from buying more subs to smooth the room, now I'll have 4 subs. I think what you are offering is a screaming bargain. There is only one other speaker I am considering, the Chase SHO-10. It has attributes I like too, as I said, I have a decision to make.
I'm not a DIY'er, so you will be building the Monitor 1 if I decide to go with it. Besides, you spec'ed the passive XO, gotta have that.
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Actually it's been agonizingly slow. Finding a reliable CNC shop around here.
Yep.
cheers,
AJ
Pardon my ignorance, but what's a "CNC shop"? :oops:
Let us know when you get your website up and running. :)
Also, like we discussed before, I hope at some point you are able to do a "speaker tour". :wink:
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CNC = computer numerical control.
Here AJ, build your own. :thumb: http://www.woodsolutions.com/diy-cnc.htm
Looking forward to the website, too.
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I have half the dough saved, I''l buy one right now and the other in October. :D I have been saving for new speakers to buy this fall, already sold my B&W's. I had it narrowed down to one choice until you came along, now I have a decision to make while I save.
I'm going to try to hold the price at $1k/pr despite the more expensive components. No guarantees, but that is still my goal. It's basically break even, but if word gets around and demand rises...:wink:.
Can't help you with the decision between these and the market, including the Chase speaker you mentioned.
Nope, for music. I do watch movies but I'm not trying to hit reference levels. My modest system is in my gallery. I moderate a speaker manufacturer's forum, a HT forum and am the resident 2 channel guy on the HT one. I had a hand in the concept of the subs so I had to have a pair. Word on the street is they are very musical. FWIW, I agree. With the Monitor 1 in play, the 18's only need to do >20 Hz bass and smooth the room. If I don't need the 18's... bonus, I'll save them for movies. But I think they will help.
You already have them, so I would definitely suggest utilizing them. Then you basically have 4 LF sources, which should make spatial smoothing easier. If they are sealed 18's, they should "sound" just fine....although I prefer not to hear subs at all.
There is only one other speaker I am considering, the Chase SHO-10. It has attributes I like too, as I said, I have a decision to make.
Never crossed my radar till I looked them up. Should play much louder than mine due to the sensitivity/pro drivers. Slightly bigger too. Mine don't exactly lack for dynamics however. Couldn't find any data, but it will definitely have a different type polar response and sound compared to mine. I saw the pics of your setup and seems like you have enough room to place my monitors away from the wall, toed in, so that the wall treatments can be removed. That far from the front wall should yield plenty of bass too. The sealed enclosures shallow roll helps there. And I used an 80w amp at the show, which most thought was plenty (maybe..too) loud. So your 100w amp should drive them to high, if not Korn concert levels.
Again, can't help with what suit your taste best, but these should be available for consumption shortly...and for a matching horizontal center for HT, a KEF Q200 or Q600 should work fine. Being coaxial, they will have the same polar response, without having to resort to a vertical center like the SHO-10's. One of the many reasons why I specifically uses coaxial point sources, not MT, MTM, etc, etc.
cheers,
AJ
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Pardon my ignorance, but what's a "CNC shop"? :oops:
Let us know when you get your website up and running. :)
Also, like we discussed before, I hope at some point you are able to do a "speaker tour". :wink:
Tess got it. CNC cutting of the baffles ensures consistent quality. Basically program a computer and a machine does the rest.
I have a sample out to a vendor, so hopefully this final piece of the puzzle works out and I can start production. The data on the site will be of a production, finished model, so it all ties together.
Yep, a tour is still in the plans. :wink:
cheers,
AJ
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Nope, for music. I do watch movies but I'm not trying to hit reference levels.
Well, I took a couple measurements in and outdoors. This shows the extension in room (yes Tess, coffee table in full effect, including coaster and my Shock Top) at the seating position
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/TruRTA2way.jpg)
On most music, the lower notes will not be AWOL....though I still recommend spatially distributed subs for smoothing over a wider area. If it's just you in the sweet spot...apply eq.
and an outdoor 0 & 60 off axis (30 somehow did not get saved, having a couple issues with TruRTA on my little notebook. Or operator error :oops:).
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/SFmon0-60offaxis.jpg)
Couple notes. The KEF "Tangerine" phase shield obviously does its job above 8k. The rolloff above 15k is the mic. The mic position at 60 deg may have been at slightly greater radial distance because there should have been a near perfect overlay up to around 800hz or so. But you get the general idea of the off axis tracking of the on due to the coaxial loading.
Oh yes...and a gratuitous pic...with the sub driver flush mounted, minus the coax trim rim. :lol:
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc73/AJinFLA/SFMonRevisedBaffle002.jpg)
cheers,
AJ
p.s. have I officially turned the CapFest thread into my Ad? :oops:
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p.s. have I officially turned the CapFest thread into my Ad? :oops:
Getting pretty close ;) Please start a new thread in Industry Ads.