Well, I made it through the ol' audiophile listening grind. A buddy of mine showed up a little later than the appointed time, and folks were already deeply involved in listening to god-knows-what.
The host's system was as follows: JA Michelle Gyro SE 'table, Herron Audio VTSP-1A pre, Bel Canto SET40, and Meadowlark Audio Heron i's. Speaker cable was mid-line NBS, didn't catch the other cables. Digital played a distant second fiddle, with and Audio Analogue Pagannini cdp sitting forlorn on a flimsy fold-up table.
When I first arrived, though, a local dealership/manufacturer was showing its 'adaptation' of the 47 Labs GainCard--a tiny dual-mono SS amp with something like 9 parts per channel, short signal path, etc. With the Herron in front and the Meadowlarks behind, things sounded pretty fuzzy, and not in a good way. I thought there was something wrong, even though the sounds was very 'romantic'. But the little amp also clearly lacked the power to drive the big Herons.
After a few more cuts of this'n'that (Fauré music for harp and violin; some strange vocalists; etc.) another local manufacturer (Song Audio) put his ca$5k pre-amp in the chain. The difference was not subtle at all--the Herron had obviously had a serious impedance mismatch (or so it was decided) with the tiny SS amp. The SS amp seemed very difficult to drive; but the Song Audio pre made a huge improvement.
Finally the ss squeaker was removed (See? I don't discriminate--I lampoon low-power SS too!) in favour of the much more capable/listenable Bel Canto. Switching between the Herron and the Song Audio pre-amp (both at around ca$5k) the consensus was that the Song Audio, a dual-mono tubed affair with full tube regulation in a separate power chassis, wiped the floor with the Herron.
Interesting point came up when the manufacturer, in a fit of candor, disclosed that
his cost for the unique lexan faceplates on the pre-amp and monoblocks was something like ca$600
each. This did not please the value-oriented 'philes present, who hopped all over him and demanded a cheaper version, etc. Word to the wise: if you're a manufacturer, keep your parts costs under your hat; particularly if things are already going really well (which they were here).
Another tip: don't compare your stuff to the best out unless you've got some real stones on you. Song Audio's next product (they brought a literal truckload) was a small monitor--6" kevlar driver, 1" silk dome tweeter, minimal crossover. As soon as Mr. Kim got wind that I have De Capos at home, he wanted me to listen to his speakers and 'compare'. First mistake. Second, he hooked them up with his 300Bs so they could do the 'midrange' trick (and you know what I think of that nonsense).
After a little listening, he asked for my opinion. "Nice tweeter," I responded. It was all I could think to say. Needless to say, the little boxes couldn't really handle anything in the bass at all, and to make matters worse, someone put on
The Seven Words of Christ by Théodore Dubois on Fidelio Audio records; an audiophile record featuring what the website proclaims as the sixth loudest organ in the world. With 300Bs at the wheel, you can well imagine that the woofers nearly hit the back wall, and there was a stampede for the volume control.
Anyway, the pre-amp was a great product. You can see their lineup
here. There was an
Ultra Audio review of the pre-amp, and a
Soundstage review of the Type II Silk DM monitor.
We had to leave before hearing the Song Audio 300B monos with the single-driver Lowther-style speakers. Would have been interesting...
Another interesting point for comparison was a ca$200 Sony SACD player that someone brought, as well as three new (I think native DSD) SACDs. The sound had that open, airy quality that SACD seems to do well, with good overtone structures, but it was no surprise to me that the machine lacked any real heft or pitch definition in the bass. It seems that people like it better than the house Audio Analogue, but I would have had a tough time going for it. Seems like a good (read: cheap) prospect for modding the shit out of, though.
But the music was just unbearable. Why do audiophiles listen to such bad music?As soon as someone put on Norah Jones or whatever her name is despite the groans, my friend Anthony quipped "OK, I owe you twenty bucks." But no one got it. <sigh>
Unfortunately, I didn't get to listen to any of my own music on the system (and since I brought cd's I was in the outcast group already), so my impressions are sort of fuzzy. I do wish I'd lugged the De Capos, though. They definitely would have cleaned up after the little Song Audio monitors, and I think they would have given the Heron i's a good run too; I found them quite rolled off on the top, well-integrated, but not that involving. They had good bass, but on balance I'd still take the De Capos (especially with his Bel Canto SET40!). I was planning to bring my GamuT to the party as well, but it's still being services after the mysterious incident.
All in all not too bad.
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