AudioCircle
The Commercial Zone => Audio Shows and Events => Topic started by: Big Red Machine on 28 Oct 2011, 07:21 pm
-
I'm trying to find out what we can do to help raise funds for the AKFest next spring. It's tentatively being "planned".
I'm waiting for Dave to respond to my PM. The deposit for the venue is the first expense. Then lining up vendors and users for the rooms I'm guessing.
If you subscribe to AudioKharma.org for $25 you can get in on the auctions being offered by users for this cause. I asked Dave if we can contribute directly to get this thing kicked off in parallel to the auctions. I'll let you know what I hear.
http://www.akfest.com/
-
Keeping my fingers crossed :thumb:
-
Pete,
Where is it going to be at?
Thanks,
-
I'm game.
-
Pete,
Where is it going to be at?
Thanks,
Probably Novi, Michigan.
-
Anybody know how many attendees would be planned for and what has been the count in the past?
Thanks,
Alex
-
Here is Dave's response this morning. I sent $100. Match me and let's make this happen. Dave says he is only a few hundred short of the deposit for the Novi Sheraton.
"Hi Pete,
Here is a link on how and where to send monies for the fest deposit http://www.audiokarma.org/support.html
Yes the venue is the Sheraton in novi. It will be the last weekend in April. Thanks for your support.
David"
-
Anybody know how many attendees would be planned for and what has been the count in the past?
Thanks,
Alex
About 50 rooms and 800 to 1000 attendees. And then there is the GTG at my place!!
http://www.hifizine.com/2010/06/akfest-2010/
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/akfest_2010/
This review has my Pioneer CDP photographed (?) and also the iRule ap that my buddy Itai has turned into a nice little enterprise for himself.
http://www.ultrahighendforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=209&t=2010
-
Glad a good chance AKfest is happening this year.
Not sure on attendance but the last show had about 70 vendors in 40 rooms (this may include a few member rooms).
-
And then there is the GTG at my place!!
Well, your place adds about 10 rooms :P
Hope it goes on. Look forward to seeing you again since I missed your October GTG.
-
Just paid up my subscription.
Bryan
-
AKFest is a go for 2012!!
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=403458
-
Changed the title accordingly.
-
How big is this event usually? The timing might be better instead of RMAF.
-
It's a smaller show than RMAF certainly but has a great feel to it. Some of the rooms are personal rooms where people bring their own systems to hang out and just listen, talk to people they know from the web, etc. It's a good time and a good chance for folks in the upper midwest - though there are people from AK who come from all over the world.
Bryan
-
Looking forward to more details, I'd really like to exhibit there.
-
Looking forward to more details, I'd really like to exhibit there.
Best to stay linked to the AudioKarma thread. Dave is going to post room rates soon. Not sure how vendors officially sign up.
-
Cool, thanks for the update.
-
KEWL :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
-
Sweet. Enjoyed going 2 years ago. I'll be there.
-
Looking forward to more details, I'd really like to exhibit there.
Please don't, I'm trying to avoid purchasing your speakers :duh: :duh:
Honestly, I can't keep myself from hearing them...
-
For vendors interested in securing a room at AKFest:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Red Mach View Post
What do we need to do to help?
Dave, there are some vendors expressing interest on Audio Circle. Hopefully there will an official process for them to sign up and reserve rooms?
I'll do my best to communicate over there, but if you want to jump in:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php...100013.new#new
Red, We usually had them sign up on our fest web site but the costs to get the site updated would only take money away from the show, for now.
Until we things sorted out exhibitors can contact me at info@akfest.com I will be glad to give them any details they need.
For the first time ever I have been considering allowing a committee to handle bringing in exhibitors. If any are willing to help please contact me.
Thanks for your help !
Grump
-
I just PM'd every one of our site sponsors about this event:
Site sponsors
Aether Audio
Audio by Van Alstine
AudioKinesis Loudspeakers
Bent Audio
Bolder Cable Company
Bryston Limited
Channel Islands Audio
Daedalus Audio
Digital Amplifier Company
Empirical Audio
GIK Acoustics
GR Research
Hagerman Technology
Herbie's Audio Lab
ModWright Instruments (MWI)
Music Reference
Niteshade Audio
NuForce
Odyssey Audio
Omega Speaker Systems
Paul Hynes Design
PI Audio Group
Red Wine Audio
Salk Signature Sound
Selah Audio
Virtue Audio
Vista Audio
VMPS Audio Products
Well Tempered Lab
-
I emailed every Authorized Dealer east of the Mississippi listed on Audiogon.
We need vendors to display and we need you folks to travel to Michigan!!
I'll take any suggestions for companies to contact. Right now I am going into my vault for past brands I have owned and will contact those companies.
-
About 14 "personal" rooms tentatively spoken for already.
-
Good job, Pete.
14 personal rooms is a lot. Maybe we should get an AC hospitality sweet going :thumb:
-
Bill O'Connell and I are talking about getting a room ... his Eastern Electric gear and my speakers.
-
Bill O'Connell and I are talking about getting a room ...
Don't tell your wife!! :green:
-
I just booked a personal listening room. For $360, you get a room for your gear from Friday night to Monday morning check out. Don't tell Dave, but I would have paid twice that for a chance to hang out and listen to tunes uninterrupted by kids. :lol:
-
Bill O'Connell and I are talking about getting a room ... his Eastern Electric gear and my speakers.
That would be great.
I have not hooked up with Dave yet to get the particulars on reservations and costs.
-
Good job, Pete.
14 personal rooms is a lot. Maybe we should get an AC hospitality sweet going :thumb:
Would this have some complimentary system set up with the emphasis on socializing and perhaps photo-ops and contact lists? And food?
Who would man this? I wonder if my kids would do it? They're funnier than I am. :P
-
Okay, I will put together a more detailed information packet as soon as I get some more details, but for now let's just say that AK2012 will be a value-priced event:
Attendee admission costs are going DOWN to $15, perhaps even as low as $10!!!
Exhibitor room rates have decreased by $200 to $850 which is Friday afternoon set-up through Monday by 11 AM departure. This is for a regular sized hotel room.
I am waiting for the square footage on those.
Certainly as more rooms are requested that opens up more possibilities.
Vendors can ship pallets into the Sheraton and have them held and then brought to their room for very low fees in the $50-$75 area +-.
Sleeping rooms are $109 and the code is important to use for proper crediting to the event budget and needs confirmation but we believe it to be AFD26A.
Also happening in the hotel in the same weekend is a Motor City Fright Fest with horror movie stars, B Movie stars, etc. Quite the mix between fright and audiophools!
Exhibitors can pay for their exhibition rooms in most any form of payment to Dave Goldstein (info@akfest.com) but they have a Paypal account you can use as well: sales@audiokarma.org I have Dave's phone number if you would like to call it in.
Please pay the full $850 up-front which saves administrative time in following up on deposits later on.
11 members have paid for rooms already and we are shooting for at least 40 total exhibition rooms.
No room maid service is provided for exhibition rooms due to equipment liabilities, etc.
-
To make it official, we'll be there exhibiting.
Just need to get the details down,
Klaus
-
I just booked a personal listening room. For $360, you get a room for your gear from Friday night to Monday morning check out. Don't tell Dave, but I would have paid twice that for a chance to hang out and listen to tunes uninterrupted by kids. :lol:
Thinking about doing the same... just need to clear it with the missus. I know it's AK thing, but it will be good to meet fellow ACers are well.
-
Rich and I are going to team up with another industry-insider and knock this down. I need tote board to track exhibitors we ensnare!!
Klaus is one of the first.
-
Go Red Go!
-
This is the other event happening the same weekend:
www.motorcitynightmares.com
-
The Sheraton Hotel site:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=2019
-
Best airport to fly into?
-
DTW - Detroit Metro
Quite close via highway.
-
DTW - Detroit Metro
Quite close via highway.
Yup, what he said. We were typing at the same time :lol:
-
Best airport to fly into?
I had this discussion with Dave on the phone today. 20 miles up 275 from the airport. Our speed limit in the area are 70 and we generally drive 80-85 as the norm. This is a very short trip from the airport. Plenty of dining and shopping in the area. Novi is an upscale suburb. The Sheraton is 200 yards off the 275 at 8 mile road.
-
The room Group Code for sleeping rooms is: AFD26A
This is a wacky number but is a Sheraton Corp. number and good for corporate reservations. So if you make your reservation with the company outside the Novi site itself, the code is recognized.
About 14 member rooms booked, 4 solid vendor commitments so far, and and another half dozen still pending and we haven't even opened the flood gates yet!
-
:duh: :duh:
Previous event website:
http://www.akfest.com/
-
Bill O'Connell and I are for sure in, looking forward to it already! We're talking about a 2nd room, since I'd like to show off a different pair of speakers in addition to the Cirrus.
-
Oh man, this is the weekend before LSAF this year. :scratch:
-
Oh man, this is the weekend before LSAF this year. :scratch:
Yeah, I noticed that ... I thinking one of the two needs to change dates, probably LSAF that should change.
-
I'd like to get GR Research here in Detroit also. Folks are very interested in Danny's offerings and with LSAF a week away that will hurt our chances.
-
Bill O'Connell and I are for sure in, looking forward to it already! We're talking about a 2nd room, since I'd like to show off a different pair of speakers in addition to the Cirrus.
Rock on! With our kick-the-economy-in-the-teeth prices we hope to draw plenty of manufacturers.
-
I know Fritz is in, Klaus is in, very good chance for McIntosh and Marantz. Dave, Rich and I are just getting going.
-
BRM,
Try any of the Chicago audio dealers? Maybe Music Direct (who could hopefully bring some sweet MoFis)? Or dealers with lines of gear that aren't carried by MI dealers? Don Better in Cleveland might be another good one to invite. A Well Tempered Amadeus dealer among other interesting gear folks would be interested in...
-
We're 99% sure we'll be in with Klauss/Alex/Odyssey.
Bryan
-
BRM,
Try any of the Chicago audio dealers? Maybe Music Direct (who could hopefully bring some sweet MoFis)? Or dealers with lines of gear that aren't carried by MI dealers? Don Better in Cleveland might be another good one to invite. A Well Tempered Amadeus dealer among other interesting gear folks would be interested in...
And Audio Advisor is in Grand Rapids
-
I know Fritz is in, Klaus is in, very good chance for McIntosh and Marantz. Dave, Rich and I are just getting going.
Add Bogdan Audio Creations as well.
-
I have dimensions and pricing for the larger rooms if any exhibitor is in need.
They are also $250 lower than last show!!
-
I have dimensions and pricing for the larger rooms if any exhibitor is in need.
They are also $250 lower than last show!!
Larger rooms? I thought there was only one size?
Bill from Morningstar and I have a room reserved ... Eastern Electric and Vapor Audio. Do they give out trophies for Best of Show? :lol:
I'm thinking about a 2nd room, could you PM me more details on the larger rooms?
-
Oh Vapor,
If you don't get two rooms, please bring multiple speakers that you can demo. I loved both the speakers I heard at the Chicago DIY event....
-
Larger rooms? I thought there was only one size?
Bill from Morningstar and I have a room reserved ... Eastern Electric and Vapor Audio. Do they give out trophies for Best of Show? :lol:
I'm thinking about a 2nd room, could you PM me more details on the larger rooms?
I emailed it to you.
A couple of things happened: first, the women at the hotel with the capacity to deal in the larger rooms has been out with the flu. Second was the uncertainty we could rent them out for the show. There are 9 large and 2 very large rooms available at lower prices than the last show by $250. Dave made a new deal and it looks like we will easily occupy 4 of them.
-
Would love to have Hawthorne Audio there as well. Darrel's a very nice guy.
-
Darrel has presented before, but he probably lost money with all the homemade cookies I ate (thanks again Diane). I'm diabetic, hadn't eaten, and dang they were good!
-
If you want to attend as a general attendee and get a better room rate here is the link:
https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=1111304353&key=C318C
-
This is who I believe we have so far for reps/mfg'rs:
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Speakers Loudspeakers Sound System Designs
-
Add Selah Audio to the list... :thumb:
Thanks for your efforts Pete and bring the show to my attention.
This is who I believe we have so far for reps/mfg'rs:
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Speakers Loudspeakers Sound System Designs
-
This is welcome news!!
Add Selah Audio to the list... :thumb:
Thanks for your efforts Pete and bring the show to my attention.
-
There are several larger rooms available for manufacturers who need more space. Now that CES is over, some folks are getting around to serious consideration for this event.
-
2012 website up
http://www.akfest.com/
-
We still need more manufacturers to participate. A few big names on the bubble, but more is better!!
-
Some updates on manufacturers planning to represent:
McIntosh
Marantz, Boston Acoustics, & Denon
Tyler Acoustics
Audio Note
Working on the possibility for Naim, Grado, and Osage
No promises, but we are trying to get the large Maggies into the show through a dealer. Cross your fingers.
We know the website is not fully up and going but our efforts are on booking folks right now.
-
Tried Ralph at Atma-Sphere? Hearing his amps at the last AKFest was a revelation.
-
Yes, that atmosphere room always sounds good.
And, I would love to hear some big maggies!!
-
Officially we are here so far with manufacturers and local hi fi shops:
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Frequencies (Speakers)
Selah Audio
McIntosh
Marantz, Boston Acoustics, & Denon
Tyler Acoustics
Audio Note
Almost Live Audio
We continue to press the flesh, so to speak.
-
Added another to the list! :D
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Frequencies (Speakers)
Selah Audio
McIntosh
Marantz, Boston Acoustics, & Denon
Tyler Acoustics
Audio Note
Almost Live Audio
Silnote Audio
We're also trying to get Parasound and Martin Logan - let's hope. :)
-
Another one added to the bottom of the list!
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Frequencies (Speakers)
Selah Audio
McIntosh
Marantz, Boston Acoustics, & Denon
Tyler Acoustics
Audio Note
Almost Live Audio
Silnote Audio
Hawthorne Audio
-
More exhibitors added to the list: http://www.akfest.com/exhibitors.html
Also close to getting Bamberg Audio and we are trying to get Emotiva as well.
Another one added to the bottom of the list!
Odyssey Audio
Morningstar Audio Imports
Vapor Audio
Bogdan Audio Creations
GIK Acoustics
Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine
Fritz Frequencies (Speakers)
Selah Audio
McIntosh
Marantz, Boston Acoustics, & Denon
Tyler Acoustics
Audio Note
Almost Live Audio
Silnote Audio
Hawthorne Audio
-
Sleeping rooms are going quickly and all will soon be taken. If you are planning to attend and stay at the Sheraton, book now.
-
Just a bump for the AK Fest. There's still room available for additional exhibitors. Grab your spot now!
Contact the Fest organizers here: http://akfest.org/contact_us.html
-
If you cannot get a room at the Sheraton there's a Hampton Inn nearby.
-
Who is coming to town?
-
I'll be there. Stop by my member listening room and say hello. You can find it under my screen name in the program at the Fest.
-
I'll be there. Looking forward to seeing everyone.
-
I plan on being there. Hopefully with jackman and gf in tow.
-
I plan on being there. Hopefully with jackman and gf in tow.
Where are you coming from?
-
Chicago.
-
Chicago.
The 3 of you will be busy Saturday night then.
-
The 3 of you will be busy Saturday night then.
Huh? I don't think we've got a thing planned on Saturday night yet.
-
Huh? I don't think we've got a thing planned on Saturday night yet.
a 20 minute drive away....
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61316)
-
The 3 of you will be busy Saturday night then.
LOL, I took that as something else.
-
a 20 minute drive away....
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61316)
So you're saying that we need to come check those bad boys out? I think that could be arranged...
-
Jim is also building a pair for the show as well but you know how hotel rooms go.
-
Oh man, and that's with TRL electronics? :drool:
-
I'm still kicking around what kind of blow out, er. gathering, I might have Saturday night. I want the out of town folks to have something to do by getting together, especially AC folks.
-
I'll be there. It's been two years and you've changed your system what, 5-6 times? :wink:
Looking forward to hearing the TRL and the SSS. Let me know if you want me to bring anything to the um, gathering.
-
After missing last time around, I'll be there on Sunday.
-
Going to be wandering around trying to take most of it in on Saturday.
Hope to run into some of you.
Hibuck...
-
Are you guys & gals going to wear Audiocircle shirts or put AC on your name tag?
I will be there Saturday. Hope to see a bunch of you at the fest.
-Nick
-
Are you guys & gals going to wear Audiocircle shirts or put AC on your name tag?
I will be there Saturday. Hope to see a bunch of you at the fest.
-Nick
That's a good point. Identifying ourselves gets tricky with AC, AVS, AudioKharma, Boy Scouts, you name it. I'll need an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to hold all this info.
Who is up for a light snack and a beverage at my place Saturday night at 7 PM?
-
That's a good point. Identifying ourselves gets tricky with AC, AVS, AudioKharma, Boy Scouts, you name it. I'll need an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to hold all this info.
Who is up for a light snack and a beverage at my place Saturday night at 7 PM?
Pete,
At RMAF, I usually just make my tag AC-TomS for the company field.
I'd really like to try to make it up there, but I need to see how the rest of this week goes.
Tom
-
That's a good point. Identifying ourselves gets tricky with AC, AVS, AudioKharma, Boy Scouts, you name it. I'll need an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to hold all this info.
Who is up for a light snack and a beverage at my place Saturday night at 7 PM?
I'm up for that, Pete. See you at the show.
I'll probably be wearing a black AC shirt. I usually put Rich (MaxCast) on my tag.
-
Who is up for a light snack and a beverage at my place Saturday night at 7 PM?
Pete,
I think Jill and I can make it. We'll be in on Friday night, so we'll catch up with you Saturday morning.
John
-
A traffic update: reduced to 2 lanes both northbound and southbound 275 between exits 25 (Canton) and 28 (Plymouth/Livonia). Not a major delay but a minor slowing of traffic as they repair bridge surfaces and an overpass.
-
A traffic update: reduced to 2 lanes both northbound and southbound 275 between exits 25 (Canton) and 28 (Plymouth/Livonia). Not a major delay but a minor slowing of traffic as they repair bridge surfaces and an overpass.
Is the exit to the hotel open?
-
Is the exit to the hotel open?
Yes, that is way north of this activity.
-
Sadly I won't be able to make it this weekend. Hopefully next year!
Paul
-
wish I still lived in MI, I was right by there. I need to make it to a show one day, never have been to one.
-
Sorry to hear that Paul.
I'll be going up just for the day on Saturday and hopefully over to Pete's in the evening.
Hope to see a few folks there.
Tom
-
So time for a roll call for who is going so we know who to keep an eye out for?
I will be there on Saturday. Not sure if I will be there Sunday as well.
Looking forward to meeting lots of ACers face to face.
Best,
Roscoe
-
I'll be there in the afternoon trying to grab some good vinyl (hopefully not too late) and will have an Odyssey Khartago mono FS. Would be easy to get to Klaus to change over to stereo and I may just do that. Sorry for the shameless plug.
If Pete is having a few over may ask about that too! Want to see/hear his latest.
SC
-
Is the exit to the hotel open?
Yup. The road work is a few miles south. No worries.
-
So time for a roll call for who is going so we know who to keep an eye out for?
I will be there on Saturday. Not sure if I will be there Sunday as well.
Looking forward to meeting lots of ACers face to face.
Best,
Roscoe
I'll be there tomorrow morning... Looking forward to meeting you roscoe.
-
Looking forward to meeting you roscoe.
Maybe that's because you haven't actually met me yet... :lol:
-
I'll be there in the afternoon trying to grab some good vinyl (hopefully not too late) and will have an Odyssey Khartago mono FS. Would be easy to get to Klaus to change over to stereo and I may just do that. Sorry for the shameless plug.
If Pete is having a few over may ask about that too! Want to see/hear his latest.
SC
Never been to this show. Is there typically vinyl for sale in the hotel?
-
I hope to roll in about 10 am. See you soon.
-
Never been to this show. Is there typically vinyl for sale in the hotel?
typically some decent used stuff for decent prices
-
typically some decent used stuff for decent prices
Not good news for my wallet...
-
Brace your self. There's one hotel meeting room full of vinyl for sale, and another room that's about 1/2 full of vinyl for sale. Some qualify stuff, too.
-
Uh-oh. I will spend all drive thinking about what my budget can allow...
-
Don't forget your camera..... :thumb: :beer:
-
If anyone gets a chance to go to the Hawthorne Audio room to listen to their new Reference speakers, can you take a photo or two and post your impressions? I'd love to hear your thoughts....
Best,
John
P.S. go today and get some of Diana's famous cookies...I know first hand they are worth going for on their own!
-
only heard one cut by Patricia Barber and I liked what I heard.
Would have loved to hear them in a bigger room. Sorry, no pics.
Hibuck...
-
If anyone gets a chance to go to the Hawthorne Audio room to listen to their new Reference speakers, can you take a photo or two and post your impressions? I'd love to hear your thoughts....
Best,
John
P.S. go today and get some of Diana's famous cookies...I know first hand they are worth going for on their own!
Buddha say "Cookies Gooooooood"
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61924)
Brief listen sounded very nice, but too much talking/discussion going on at the time prevented a real impression. Will try to stop by again tomorrow. Beautiful looking speakers, incredibly well built... dipole ribbon!!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61921)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61922)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61923)
-
Nice! :D Hawthorne is moving up. Waveguide with a new ribbon tweeter.
Her cookies are awesome. I stayed in their room practically the whole time about 4 years ago, just because of the cookies!
Best,
Anand.
-
Really liked these "Franken Heils" or perhaps "EcoWave AMT-1s" in MWhell's room. Heil drivers were removed and bass bins used as the foundation for EcoWaves. See next post for what become of the Heil drivers. Antelope DAC (I believe) and a tiny DIY tube amp made for some very nice sounding music.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61928)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61929)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61930)
-
Gahh I'm missing out ...those Hawthorne speakers look amazing! Some Vapor pics/impressions would be appreciated, too :thumb:
-
Here's where the Heil drivers from those AMT-1 speakers in Mwhell's room ended up. This is the Southeast Michigan Audio Club room featuring a pair of the DIY horn speakers and equally massive tube amps. Subs are in the corner. Detailed, smooth and big sound... somewhat forward imaging.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61931)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61932)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61933)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61934)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61935)
-
Gahh I'm missing out ...those Hawthorne speakers look amazing! Some Vapor pics/impressions would be appreciated, too :thumb:
The Vapor Aurora speakers sounded fantastic. I am not necessarily in the market for or one to purchase speakers at their $2700 price point... but man do they seem to be a bargain given the sound and build! BMC electronics were in play with them and the sound was incredibly expansive and transparent with great bass to boot. Cirrus speakers sounded good as well in the room next door with Eastern Electric electronics, but I actually preferred the less expensive Auroras. Hoping to get back tomorrow for a listen to the Breeze and another nice looking speaker with a waveguided ribbon and big woofer with a large metal phase plug bullet (looks like it could be an AE Speaker driver... will try and learn more about those).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61936)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61937)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61938)
-
The Vapor Aurora speakers sounded fantastic. I am not necessarily in the market for or one to purchase speakers at their $2700 price point... but man do they seem to be a bargain given the sound and build! BMC electronics were in play with them and the sound was incredibly expansive and transparent with great bass to boot. Cirrus speakers sounded good as well in the room next door with Eastern Electric electronics, but I actually preferred the less expensive Auroras. Hoping to get back tomorrow for a listen to the Breeze and another nice looking speaker with a waveguided ribbon and big woofer with a large metal phase plug bullet (looks like it could be an AE Speaker driver... will try and learn more about those).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61936)
Nice!
Do you know if that bass array behind each Aurora were playing as well? It's a good idea, it distributes the bass evenly as well. My measurements in room, confirm that raising subs helps in smoothing the in room response, so that looks like a cool idea.
Best,
Anand.
-
I don't believe the subs were in use (fairly certain that's what the host said), think they were being used when the Breezes were in action which you can see on the floor. The bass from the Auroras alone was impressive.
-
Any pictures of the Salk room?
Thanks.
-
Bogdan speakers were on hand again... the little ones were quite impressive for their size. Filled the large room with sound. Coaxial driver in a bottom ported triangular cabinet using multiple layers.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61925)
The mini Magnepans. I could really get into a pair of these in a small room. Sounded great even with a little Arcam 40 watt amp.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61926)
Roadrider100's room with Fritz speakers, DIY tube amp, Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid preamp, Emotiva CD.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61927)
-
Krikor, you are the best!!!!
Thank you for the early coverage (and for the extra effort on the Hawthorne room)....so very much appreciated! :thumb:
Those little Magnepans look so tempting, actually...perfect for a second system in a small den or something. Everything is looking good, actually...enjoy the show!!!
John
-
Any pictures of the Salk room?
Thanks.
Quick and dirty. I have some folks coming over in a few minutes:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61941)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61942)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61943)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61944)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61945)
The Masters:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61946)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61947)
-
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61948)
-
Thanks Krikor and BRM!
-
John,
The Hawthorn's were far and away the best sound at the show!!!!! My wife thought so too. And we both thought by a wide margin. If you are thinkin about these , you are a lucky man indeed. Bass was fantastic! My first time hearing an open baffle. Maybe the best bass I have ever heard. Mids and highs were also stellar. Room was small, but bass did not overwhelm the room at all.
I also spent a good bit of time in the Vapor Room as the Breezes were built for me! :thumb:
They were not hooked up to a subwoofer and I look forward to hearing them connected. They did sound very good though, and a few people commented to me that they really enjoyed the sound even over the Cirrus. (room and placement I would think)
The Aurora did sound very very good. This was I think the best sound for the price at the show.
The Arcus sounded damn nice as well! They were hooked to the subs. The Cirrus was the best lookin speaker at the show and sounded good, but were not dialed in to sound their best, I think. I think those who are waiting will be very happy these speakers.
Selah line arrays sounded very nice as well. The mini maggies were aweful.
I WON $1500 Kubla Sosna interconects!!! :D :thumb: for a door prize anybody want to make me an offer on them? lol
Todd
-
John,
The Hawthorn's were far and away the best sound at the show!!!!! My wife thought so too. And we both thought by a wide margin. If you are thinkin about these , you are a lucky man indeed. Bass was fantastic! My first time hearing an open baffle. Maybe the best bass I have ever heard. Mids and highs were also stellar. Room was small, but bass did not overwhelm the room at all.
Todd,
Thank you for the comments...they are being debuted at AKFest, so there may have been 6 audio people who have ever heard them before this show...thus my excitement to hear what folks had to say. Yes, thinking about these indeed...
I WON $1500 Kubla Sosna interconects!!! :D :thumb: for a door prize anybody want to make me an offer on them? lol
Todd
Congrats on the great door prize!!!
Best,
John
-
Thanks for the photos... :beer:
-
Selah CBT speakers. I have been really interested in the CBT36 kits at Parts Express and was hoping they would have some here to hear. Don Keele of Audio Artistry was on hand to describe the concept. Very cool looking design and sound much bigger and more impactful than you'd expect.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61939)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61940)
-
what veneer is that on the SS8's?
-
what veneer is that on the SS8's?
It's Black Limba...
.........Peter
-
Quick and dirty. I have some folks coming over in a few minutes:
The Masters:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61946)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61947)
Thanks BRM. Who is in this photo with Jim?
-
Thanks BRM. Who is in this photo with Jim?
He's da Man! :violin:
Bob
EDIT: Since this is in the Audio Show circle and not the Salk circle, I guess I should not be so cryptic. He is Dennis Murphy. Designer of the Salk SongTowers, Philharmonic speakers and master crossover designer.
-
Wish I was there, looks like a great line up.
-
Wish I was there, looks like a great line up.
+1
-
Sorry about your Brewers Nuance
-STL 12 in 12
-
Re: veneer on SS8
It's Black Limba...
:o Damn sexy is what it is :thumb:
especially with the black name plate and plinths... very handsome speaker.
can't wait to see some better pics of them.
-
Nice! :D Hawthorne is moving up. Waveguide with a new ribbon tweeter.
Her cookies are awesome. I stayed in their room practically the whole time about 4 years ago, just because of the cookies!
Best,
Anand.
The Hawthornes being 96 db speakers and needing so little power sure worked effortlessly. I was SHOCKED to hear them playing the analog outputs of an Emotiva CDP. There was a Metrum dac in the rack for the digital files, but I never heard the Emo cdp sound so good as through those Hawthornes. Real nice folks in there as well.
-
Some more photos. I'll try to take some more today.
Klaus had a real lean set up, as usual, straight to the point and outstanding sounds.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61966)
Bass from these speakers was off the charts.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61967)
Vapor/BMC room
Voices were exceptional and the subs were not playing.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61968)
Ryan waving from the back.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61969)
Right next door was the Vapor/Morningstar with EE stuff:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61970)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61971)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61972)
-
My camera is doing something funky. I'll have to check the settings. KInda grainy.
The Marantz room:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61973)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61974)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61975)
The Bogdan room.
Super nice folks and really good sound. Tubes!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61976)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61977)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61978)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61979)
-
Some more photos.
member room, no idea the speakers.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61980)
Selah room: they did not seem to change volume as you walked closer to them. Is that the attribute of a line array-style speaker? Check out that tweeter array.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61981)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61982)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61983)
Salk and AVA gear in both silver and black. A new SS amp at 225 wpc and the 600R. They did have different sounds and we tried to set up the amps Friday night to driver particular speakers to bring out the best of each.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61984)
Dean!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61985)
Tyler acoustics and my local buddy who makes Zentara cables:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61986)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61987)
Silnote cables. Nice. They really made those big Tylers play clean.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61988)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61989)
McIntosh made the trip:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61990)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61991)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61992)
Are you out of your gourd? Ha!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61994)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=61995)
-
I'll try to catch up to you guys later today. :thumb:
Gotta find those gourds. :D
McIntosh seems to only know one way to make better speaker (add drivers). :roll:
That Selah array is the first array I've seen that makes acoustic sense to me (simulating a point source).
-
I took a little Flip video cam along to experiment with... some rooms are too dark and I should probably get the hosts to talk about/explain their systems (but music and crowds kind of prevented this).
Loaded all my crappy photos and videos onto photobucket here:
http://photobucket.com/akfest2012 (http://"http://photobucket.com/akfest2012")
Here's the video from the Bogdan audio room (click to open):
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/AudioSnoop/Audiokarma%20Fest/AK%20Fest%202012/th_VID00001.jpg) (http://s896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/AudioSnoop/Audiokarma%20Fest/AK%20Fest%202012/?action=view¤t=VID00001.mp4)
-
Gahh I'm missing out ...those Hawthorne speakers look amazing! Some Vapor pics/impressions would be appreciated, too :thumb:
Jeff in the Hawthorne room mentioned that those reference speakers will be on permanent display/audition at a building in Dearborn, MI. If you are in the Detroit area, you'll be able to come by and listen. I work in Dearborn and can foresee some long lunches there :D
-
Selah room: they did not seem to change volume as you walked closer to them. Is that the attribute of a line array-style speaker? Check out that tweeter array.
Not an attribute of all line arrays. CBT (constant beamwidth transducers) use amplitude shading to control floor/ceiling bounce - more info here:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92134.0
http://www.selahaudio.com/id282.html
They usually use an active crossover such as a DEQX but I believe there's a passive version available as well.
-
Those Hawthornes look awesome. Did Hawthorne give out a price on those?
-
My wife and I attended again this year and really had a good time. Not as many vendors at there had been in the past, but my wife and I agreed that there were 3 rooms that really stood out, perhaps (if my audio memory is serving me right) more so than in past years.
1. Hawthorne reference speakers - I have enjoyed the sound of a well executed AMT design, and have a pair of Silver Irises that I still use. So, was predisposed to liking these speakers. But they were better than what I'd anticipated. Big speakers, but able to shine in a relatively small room. Musical and handled whatever small details that were hidden in the tracks. Very interesting to see how far a good OB design can go.
2. Salk room - While I don't advertise this here, my wife and I haven't really cared for the Salk sound at past shows. Not sure why, but never did it for either of us. But at the show I thought the 2 speakers that I heard were working really well in the set up. The first was the SoundScapes, which sounded up to their potential. And, interestingly, I really liked the RAAL-Illuminator bookshelf that they had there. Someone else would have to give the specifics, but musically they just sounded right.
3. Odyssey room - Got a chance to hear both of the speakers that they had there. The first was what I guess were the Lorelei's. Nice sound and very pleasing to the ear. However, I thought that the trapezoidal bookshelf speakers were even better. Extremely musical and dynamics that were unreal. I'm not a big bookshelf fan, but these and the Salks were terrific.
And finally, I'll add in the Selah room. Those curved line arrays did a pretty good job with whatever was thrown at them. The only thing my wife and I noticed was that were a bit forward sounding, which may have had to do w/ the room. I think the speakers would do a much better job if they had some more space to breathe.
But overall a great show. Looking forward to next year.
-
I took a little Flip video cam along to experiment with... some rooms are too dark and I should probably get the hosts to talk about/explain their systems (but music and crowds kind of prevented this).
Loaded all my crappy photos and videos onto photobucket here:
http://photobucket.com/akfest2012 (http://"http://photobucket.com/akfest2012")
Here's the video from the Bogdan audio room (click to open):
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/AudioSnoop/Audiokarma%20Fest/AK%20Fest%202012/th_VID00001.jpg) (http://s896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/AudioSnoop/Audiokarma%20Fest/AK%20Fest%202012/?action=view¤t=VID00001.mp4)
I watched all your videos and I was most impressed with the sound of the Odyssey monitors
-
Loaded all my crappy photos and videos onto photobucket here:
http://photobucket.com/akfest2012 (http://"http://photobucket.com/akfest2012")
Thank you for that. :thumb:
Any chance you could drop by the Hawthorne Audio room?
Bob
-
Headed back home from AKFest late last night. What a wonderful chance to meet some ACers in person. And great sounding stuff on display there. Here are my highlights (mirroring what many others have said here already):
Sadly missed out on hearing the Vapor Breeze (means I am that much more likely to visit stlrman in Pittsburgh), but the Arcus which is comprised of a waveguide loaded Beyma tweeter and an AE 10" woofer sounded fabulous. What a killer tweeter on that one. Very very impressed. I preferred it to the Cirrus, but it is also a good deal more expensive than the Cirrus and it was playing on much more expensive electronics than the Cirrus. Would have liked to compare them with the same equipment upstream. Both are superb.
But drum kits on the Arcus were incredible. Impact, detail, bass drum thunk and heavenly cymbals. Wow.
And in general, I was really digging the great tweeters on many standmounts this year. The Beyma, the RAAL on the Cirrus and the Salk speakers I heard, and the beryllium tweeter that was on the Odyssey Kismet. Great top end.
Best of the show for me was the Hawthorne speaker. Great cookies in that room too. Fabulous large scale presentation and impact.
Biggest surprise of the show was the Bogdan. They were in a big room and did a surprisingly good job of filling that room with great sounding cello, bass guitar. No easy task for a speaker and driver of that size. Wow. ~$2000. A killer speaker. Stereomojo review:
http://www.stereomojo.com/Bogdan%20Audio%20Art%20Decco%20Speaker%20Review.htm/BogdanAudioArtDeccoSpeakerReview.htm
Didn't get to hear the other Bogdans playing, but I heard other attendees rave about them.
-
Sadly missed out on hearing the Vapor Breeze (means I am that much more likely to visit stlrman in Pittsburgh), but the Arcus which is comprised of a waveguide loaded Beyma tweeter and an AE 10" woofer sounded fabulous. What a killer tweeter on that one. Very very impressed. I preferred it to the Cirrus, but it is also a good deal more expensive than the Cirrus and it was playing on much more expensive electronics than the Cirrus. Would have liked to compare them with the same equipment upstream. Both are superb.
But drum kits on the Arcus were incredible. Impact, detail, bass drum thunk and heavenly cymbals. Wow.
Do you recall the price of the Arcus? Any pictures of it? What was the sensitivity?
-
In the $6000, $6500 neighborhood IIRC. Somewhere between 6-7k.
Fairly efficient too. A lot of the specs are blending together, but I think it was high 80s or low 90s.
-
Those Hawthornes look awesome. Did Hawthorne give out a price on those?
I am pretty sure they are $14,000 a pair.
-
Sorry about your Brewers Nuance
-STL 12 in 12
They are not the team they were last year; it's going to be a rough season.
Thanks for all the info folks!
-
I thought they were like $8000? I stand corrected. :duh:
-
Just got home from my Sunday visit and here's my 2 cent prizes (as a speaker guy):
Best of show: Hawthorne, but 6 feet tall & $14k, they did everything else right (according to Daryl several new designs/smaller even non OB are in the works, and yes he has a place nearby to the Fest for auditions)
Only a mother could love: Bogdan's $38k speakers that only a railroad engineer would want in his living room (but he and Klaus were very down to earth and all the Bogdan stuff sounded good)
Most detailed: Vapor Audio Circus (wow, maybe too much of a good thing)
Thumbs up: Eastern Electric for the free polo shirts
Thumbs down: David Michael Audio (local dealership) for a no show
-
Thumbs down: David Michael Audio (local dealership) for a no show
David Michael was there on Saturday with some Harbeths. 3rd floor, IIRC. I think that it was the HL-5s. I know that they weren't happy with the sound that they were getting from the room (a bit bright without the bass that they normally hear from the Harbeths that they chose to bring). But even with those room limitations, I enjoyed the sound of the set-up they had. Second time I left AKFest thinking "Boy those Harbeths have a lot going for them..."
-
When I spoke w/ Darrel yesterday, he said that the Raniers (which is what I think they are called) were $14K. However, this is the top of the line and an effort to see how far things could be taken. He mentioned that in the future there is going to be some customizability (e.g. number of drivers), and there would be other versions that are also named after mountains.
-
I thought they were like $8000?
I heard 14K as well.
-
I thought they were like $8000?
Maybe Bob wanted, really wanted to hear $8k.
Not that I'd complain if it turns out to be 8,000.
-
Most detailed: Vapor Audio Cirrus (wow, maybe too much of a good thing)
any more comments on these?
-
any more comments on these?
Ryan had some big/bad boys there too (10 inch woofer with big RAAL crossed over at 1,000 Hz, 92 dB/w/m, rated to take 500 wpc, another curved cabinet but in white).
He also had a pair of subs: (2) 8 inch woofers + (2) 8 inch passive radiators that reportedly he put together just for this show. Also reportedly all the speakers he was showing were assembled just before the show.
-
Too bad Fritz didn't make it (poor health). Another friend of mine (and Daryl Hawthorne) is going through tough physical/personal challenged.
We missed both of you. :(
-
Ryan had some big/bad boys there too (10 inch woofer with big RAAL crossed over at 1,000 Hz, 92 dB/w/m, rated to take 500 wpc, another curved cabinet but in white).
Tweeter wasn't a RAAL, it was a Beyma (in a waveguide arrangement). Speaker name is the Arcus (IIRC).
-
Fritz was certainly missed this year. A real highlight (both the speakers and the person) of my last trip to AKFest.
Too bad Fritz didn't make it (poor health). Another friend of mine (and Daryl Hawthorne) is going through tough physical/personal challenged.
We missed both of you. :(
-
What a great show this year! Thanks for the detailed coverage krikor.
There were snow flurries hitting my windshield Saturday morning as I found a parking spot. Crazy start to a very fun day!
I had a great time meeting a few new people stlrman -Todd and his wife Tara (congratulations on the great cable prize!) Don Keele of Audio Artistry, Jerry of Hawthorne Audio
How did I manage not to meet roscoeiii or TomS? I also unfortunately did not connect with JLM or emac. I feel bad I didn't meet more people.
It was also nice to catchup with many familiar folks Maxcast -Rich, bigredmachine -Pete, krikor -Craig, ASi TEK -Doug, Jim Salk, Darrel and Diane Hawthorne, Rick Craig
People I really missed this show were Chadh, Fritz, and my good buddy Pardales -Michael.
I will post my thoughts in a couple of different posts as I have been known to get a little long-winded.
Here I will cover the member rooms that stood out for me. There are some really creative DIY audio types at this show and this year did not disappoint.
AK member cdfac: DIY F5 amplifier with DIY preamp and DIY three way floorstanding speakers. I believe Chris was the name of the builder of this gear. He did a great job building his F5 as he left the top off for the curious guests. Several people were asking him how to build their own DIY F5 amp while I was visiting his room. He was playing some Muddy Waters on his DIY speakers and it sounded great. Really nice work here.
AK members Kegger/Jim/Squidward: these AK members put together a cool system on Saturday that sounded great. It consisted of a DIY tube amp/preamp, Audio Note two way speakers, and AMR cd player. This room sounded great and the AK guys hosting this room know how to have a good time. I wish I could tell you more or prove it with a photo but I was without a camera this year. I managed some mediocre iPhone pictures in some other rooms that I will share. I overheard one guest in this room mention to a photographer that red eye correction won't help with his eyes. I was laughing my butt off. These AK guys are cool and very friendly.
-
Tweeter wasn't a RAAL, it was a Beyma (in a waveguide arrangement). Speaker name is the Arcus (IIRC).
Sorry. :duh: :oops:
I appreciated that the Eastern Electric/Vapor room handed out an exact listing of the gear.
Yes, hats off to the AK gang for their hospitality and our Big Red for pulling it off.
-
Hi Everybody- Fritz here... Thanks for the kind words. I've always looked forward to coming back to my former home town in Michigan and showing my loudspeakers at the AK Fest.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel doing this years show due to some family health matters here in California.
I am fine myself and I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend this year and see all my friends that I've met since my first fest back in 2007. I missed all you AC, AK & SMAC folks, I hope to come back in the fall & see some of you at a local SMAC meeting or two.
Thanks, Fritz Heiler
FRITZSPEAKERS.COM
-
Thanks for posting the great pics. This is the 3rd time I've hosted a listening room at the AK Fest, and I think that this was my favorite show so far. Not as big in scope as past shows, but much more laid back. The down side of hosting a room is that you don't get out much. So, if you stopped in, thanks! So many folks that stopped in seemed very friendly while also passionate about audio. The AK folks are part of a great crowd, and I was also please to meet a number of great folks from AC as well. Already looking forward to next year!!
-
I'll try to catch up to you guys later today. :thumb:
Gotta find those gourds. :D
McIntosh seems to only know one way to make better speaker (add drivers). :roll:
That Selah array is the first array I've seen that makes acoustic sense to me (simulating a point source).
When I was in the Navy my rate was half meteorology and half underwater acoustics/sound propagation. I agree, those speakers just make sense.
-
What a great show this year! Thanks for the detailed coverage krikor.
Great to bump into you again, Nick. Would have liked to bounce around the rooms with you, but I was in and out relatively quick on Saturday. We'll have to get together sometime before next year's show :thumb:
-
Hi Everybody- Fritz here... Thanks for the kind words. I've always looked forward to coming back to my former home town in Michigan and showing my loudspeakers at the AK Fest.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel doing this years show due to some family health matters here in California.
I am fine myself and I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend this year and see all my friends that I've met since my first fest back in 2007. I missed all you AC, AK & SMAC folks, I hope to come back in the fall & see some of you at a local SMAC meeting or two.
Thanks, Fritz Heiler
FRITZSPEAKERS.COM
Though you weren't there, your MTMs sounded great in Roadrider100's room. Hope you can make it next year.
-
any more comments on these?
Not sure if it was the room, the electronics, the speakers or just a combination of things, but the Cirrus didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, they sounded good but not fabulous to me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, especially given the build and price. Perhaps too much detail as JLM mentioned.
On the other hand, I REALLY liked the Vapor Aurora. Went back today was just amazed by those speakers. Big, deep soundstage. Effortless sound with a natural, very listenable top-end, not hyper detailed. And what bass, I don't how many times people had to ask if the subs were in action (they weren't). Wish I had the extra coin for a pair (as a bit extra for the BMC gear with it).
-
Hm, Rich didn't post a link to his "live" coverage, so I will :)
http://rich.hifizine.com/
-
Not sure if it was the room, the electronics, the speakers or just a combination of things, but the Cirrus didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, they sounded good but not fabulous to me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, especially given the build and price. Perhaps too much detail as JLM mentioned.
hopefully it was just one of those factors since my Cirrus are in mid-build now...
-
I was able to attend Saturday and had a good time listening, catching up with a few people, and snapping a few iPad pics.
First up was the Odyssey room. It was great to see Klaus, Alex, and Bryan team up and, dare I say, see Klaus using room treatments, no plants! The first thing they did was rip the plastic lighting panels out of the ceiling above and I'm sure the hotel appreciates that. Bryan showed some of their new tuned traps, which I'd love to try out. Alex had the Kismet tube phono stage right next to a Kismet integrated and also debuted a new solid state one on the rack upper right with MC/MM at about $1k. Sadly vinyl wasn't playable due to something fubar'd early on. The new monitors sounded really nice in the big room. Clean, plenty of output, and the beryllium tweeters were nicely integrated. I could easily live with those. Klaus also showed off the new equipment stands he's apparently making. Those cylinders are black anodized aluminum tube, shown in the pic on the table in raw form. Heavy stuff even without sand. He just loves heavy metal.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62027)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62023)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62024)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62025)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62028)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62029)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62030)
-
The Salk room had plenty of eye and ear candy to choose from. I heard the big SoundScapes and later the SS8's sounding sweet at both AK and Pete's, though he has a bit of an edge with his super room. I had a nice chat with Jim, always gracious and informative. I'd say the SS8 is going to be another smash hit. It is smaller and tidier than it appears, should fit in to a lot of space the others wouldn't and sounds terrific.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62042)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62043)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62044)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62045)
-
Next up were the 2 rooms with Vapor speakers - Ryan and Bill from Morningstar. All were brand new out of the box with no hours. I really wanted to hear the Cirrus sing, but they were in the loud play break in mode so probably not at their best. The little Breeze with the BMC electronics sounded very good, with decent bass from such a small monitor, and of course the RAAL tweeter all for $1200 - nice. All of them were beautifully executed and seemed to use only the best parts. The white ones with the Beyma had that Star Wars white armor sort of look to them. Unfortunately I didn't get to hear them.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62048)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62049)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62050)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62052)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62053)
-
The big Hawthornes looked really impressive. They were playing kind of low and lean when I was in the small room which they were dominating, but I suspect in their natural habitat they would really be da' bomb. Beautifully crafted and finished as well.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62057)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62058)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62059)
-
Rick at Selah had the Arc Arrays, sorry couldn't remember the exact name. They sounded very even and clean, were nicely made, and surely incorporate ingenious and complex engineering, but I still couldn't quite grasp the $12k+ tag :o on them since they're a scaled down version of the big boys. Overall, good sound and good music choices, as always, in their room.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62060)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62061)
-
The problem with any full array is the cost for drivers (in this case 40 per cabinet). As the price goes up so does your expectation for good drivers. Rick showed my the tweeters they use - lots of excursion but tiny and pretty cheap looking (but what do I know?).
Those (10) 4.5 inch drivers have less total area than (1) 15 inch driver and with the biasing applied probably less than (1) 12 incher.
From the other end of the spectrum, my single driver speakers have, $800+ drivers.
-
The big Arcus sounded very nice (hard to say more at the end of the day of listening to so many things), but was as visually imposing as a Star Wars stormtrooper. :roll: I'm sure in a large/white room it'd be much better. Was told they were ordered for a customer for use as LF/RF in a 5.1 audio/HT system.
-
I am afraid those arc arrays would never come to my house even if they sold for $500 and are the world's best speakrts. My wife would throw them and me out of the house.
-
I am afraid those arc arrays would never come to my house even if they sold for $500 and are the world's best speakrts. My wife would throw them and me out of the house.
Yes, they are very funky looking, form definitely following function. Eclectic decor would be the game there :green:
-
The problem with any full array is the cost for drivers (in this case 40 per cabinet). As the price goes up so does your expectation for good drivers. Rick showed my the tweeters they use - lots of excursion but tiny and pretty cheap looking (but what do I know?).
Those (10) 4.5 inch drivers have less total area than (1) 15 inch driver and with the biasing applied probably less than (1) 12 incher.
From the other end of the spectrum, my single driver speakers have, $800+ drivers.
The tweeter module Don Keele showed you is from the CBT-36 kit and is much different than the tweeters used in the show arrays.
-
The tweeter module Don Keele showed you is from the CBT-36 kit and is much different than the tweeters used in the show arrays.
Thanks for the correction, sorry my bad. :oops:
-
I am afraid those arc arrays would never come to my house even if they sold for $500 and are the world's best speakrts. My wife would throw them and me out of the house.
I was thinking the same thing, they'd be a deal breaker. Not to mention some of those really huge offerings!
Best
Don
-
I own a pair of Cirrus in the exact configuration as Bill was running in the EE room, and something was off there. It was like there was a layer of hash over the entire presentation that really took away from what they do best. I thought the much cheaper Breeze was more refined and fleshed out sounding, like what I hear at home when I listen to my Cirrus. Ryan told me the Cirrus should clearly separate itself from the Breeze as the better speaker, and was bummed that Bill's setup wasn't doing them justice.
-
Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who stopped by our room and the nice comments we got. We did get the vinyl going for all day Sunday and it sounded really nice.
Also, a quick thanks to Dave, Nancy, and the rest of the AKFEST staff for putting on this event. While very different from RMAF, its much more relaxed feel makes it a lot of fun to do.
Bryan
-
My wife and I attended Saturday and it was our first show. It was interesting (and hot in some of the rooms) and we enjoyed our time there. Many thanks to the organizers for putting together something here in the Midwest.
I just wanted to share our impressions. On the negative side it got to the point where if we entered a room and heard Patricia Barber, Diana Krall, or some other acoustic Jazz, we left and tried to come back later when something different was playing. Come on people, have a little imagination with the music. :P That sort of recording sounds good on almost any system.
Our favorite rooms pretty much mirror the ones mentioned so far.
We like Selah's arched array speakers. They have a nice unboxy presentation and they were dynamic.
We liked the Hawthornes, but overall we felt they lacked a bit of detail and were a little woolly in the bass. Maybe it's the amplifiers. I've never quite understood tubes. :wink:
The Oddessey monitors were very nice and of all the two ways, I like them the best. But then again I have a pair of Selah Grandeur's that use the same Scan Speak woofer so it's a sound I'm familiar with and like.
The Salks are wonderfully finished. We especially like the veneer on the small two ways that were on the table. Oh...and they sounded pretty good too. At least the Soundscapes, which were the one's playing when we were there.
Those were the rooms that stood out to us. The other rooms were good too, and we appreciated the effort that people made to bring and set up the systems.
Hopefully it will happen again next year.
Chuck
-
Thanks for the correction, sorry my bad. :oops:
No problem - thanks for visiting our room.
-
I am surprised that some of you really enjoyed the Oddessey standmounts.
My wife and I thought they sounded horrid. Boxy,zero tonality, when the bass came in , it sounded like bad explosions in the box. I stopped in the room at least three short times. At 3500? I have bought $500 speakers used, namely the Green Mountain Europas that would blow them out of the water in every single parameter.
Also, The Salk Songtowers sounded really compressed, constrained,and overloaded.
If this is too harsh, sorry.
Todd
-
I just wanted to take a bit of time to post my show impressions. I don't post on the net much being incredibly busy with my practice. But since I've been relocated in Toronto for the past month, I've actually had some free time ... and it worked out that I could hop on over to Detroit for the weekend and catch the show.
First I'll say as I did above, that I own a pair of Vapor Cirrus with the full upgrade package - pretty much identically configured to the ones Bill was running in the Eastern Electric room. I was typing from my phone before, so couldn't be as concise as I'd like. But now posting with a real keyboard, I can say better what I meant. I thought the Cirrus setup in the EE room was just a bit unrefined sounding. I've been to a lot of shows, I know getting the room setup and sounding proper can be a hit or miss thing, and unfortunately it just didn't come together in that room. The sound there was a bit lean and made them come forward a bit, which in turn took away the amazingly smooth and refined sound I get with the same speakers at home. Why? Who knows, could be any number of variables I assume. On some tracks however they did still sound amazing as I'm used too. I don't want to belabor the point, just say that it was unfortunate they didn't put their best foot forward at the show. Fortunately for those down South, Ryan told me he'll have a pair of Cirrus at the Lone Star Audio Fest next weekend running on BMC gear.
The speakers Ryan had in the Vapor/BMC room were quite a spread. There was the Breeze which is his most inexpensive speaker at $1300/pair. The pair he had at the show was just gorgeous, wrapped in a wonderful reddish burl with all sorts of custom touches. I'm glad I got to hear these because I need a reasonable priced den speaker that doesn't take up much space. Ryan told me that somebody called them "taste of Cirrus", and I'd have to agree. They do all the same things that the Cirrus does, incredible speed and transparency with a crystal clear window into the recording. They just don't do it quite as well as the Cirrus, but it's a sound I've come to love and for the price I can't think of anything better.
The other speakers he had were both painted finishes, and both with waveguides. The Aurora was under $3000/pair, don't remember exact price, and had a dome tweeter in a waveguide and an 8" woofer. Bass was just mind blowing on these! They pressurized the room, and you could feel the pressure in your chest at just moderate listening levels. Most speakers that initially strike you as having great bass will eventually make it clear that they do so through tonal imbalance, by just bumping up the bass to make it more obvious. That's how my old Montana EPS2's were, and to an extent the Harbeth SHL5's. Bumped up bass wears off quick, since it washes out midrange and top end nuances, but the Aurora sure sounded balanced. Yes it didn't have the glorious top end of the RAAL, but did have some serious strong points of it's own. The other speaker was called Arcus, and was unlike anything I've seen OR heard before. I expected a rough, unrefined sound, but instead got a very rich and full sound with a fantastic top end as well. They also sound huge in every way, and project a sense of unlimited dynamics. The male vocals on these, and things like stand up bass, were just incredible. Low midrange and mid-bass was powerful and full like I've never heard before.
Other exhibitors also made a strong showing. Salk as always was showing a wide variety of designs, each one with gorgeous veneers and finish work. It's obvious why Jim has earned a huge fan following, he builds great stuff. I think my favorite sound of the bunch was the HT2, to me they were the most integrated and seamless of the bunch. The SS8 had moments where it sounded a bit out of sync, but the HT2 didn't have that problem. On every track I heard it kept the same level of transparency and integration with a very nice, articulate midrange. I didn't care for the monitors all that much, thought they sounded like they were being held back ... like they just couldn't reproduce the peaks to adequately fill the large room, so they seemed to keep a constant volume no matter what was played.
I think my favorite non-Vapor speaker was the Hawthornes. Open baffle bass just sounds so natural and effortless. I don't know if those were a final, production ready design, I should have asked. They sounded like they have incredible potential, just needing some small final tweaks to get them to 100%. But 98% of the time I really enjoyed what I heard from them, and I was in the room a long time thanks to the mound of tasty cookies!
The Selah's were an interesting sound. It was weird walking around the room and having what I heard remain so constant, pretty cool. Didn't care at all for the look however, they look like they're about to tip over backward. Still a very cool design, and nice to see some new stuff in the audio world. Overall they did sound excellent.
I read stlrman's comments about the Oddessey's and would have to agree to an extent, although I wouldn't go so far as horrid. They did have as nice of a top end as I've heard from a dome tweeter, although not in the same league as the RAAL. My problem with them was what I mentioned above about speakers that first impression is "great bass", often leading to just a bass emphasis. That was how I felt about them, the bass sounded to me to be a few decibels higher than the rest of the range, which lead to them sounding tubby at times, and overall washing out a lot of the midrange and treble detail.
I have more notes written down, but left my folder in the car which is a 20 minute walk from my hotel room. There were however some member rooms which deserve mention, some were quite nice and obviously put together by talented people. Sometimes it's nice to hang out in a room where nobody is trying to sell you anything.
In all a really fun event. RMAF is so big that you get home and kick yourself for missing 20 rooms that you really wanted to hear, but AK Fest I got to spend plenty of time in every room. And the Monster Mash people provided some interesting people watching after hours ... I got to shake Captain Spaldings hand!
-
I am surprised that some of you really enjoyed the Oddessey standmounts.
My wife and I thought they sounded horrid. Boxy,zero tonality, when the bass came in , it sounded like bad explosions in the box. I stopped in the room at least three short times. At 3500? I have bought $500 speakers used, namely the Green Mountain Europas that would blow them out of the water in every single parameter.
Also, The Salk Songtowers sounded really compressed, constrained,and overloaded.
If this is too harsh, sorry.
Todd
I agree overall with your Oddessey (closed/muted highs) & Salk (incredible finishes but had a rough electrical edge) impressions (wanted to like both). On Sunday most vendors weren't switching speakers much. :(
-
Doc77,
The Vapor guys said that all the speakers/subs were assembled just before the show and so I'm sure not broken in. By Sunday I thought the Cirrus was most impressive (maybe too much detail - forces my brain to analysis mode) and sounded better later in the day (Sunday).
-
I'm with Doc77 on the sound of the Kismet monitors. I thought the imaging was a bit diffuse, but the only real complaint was that the bass was a bit boomy/bloomy in that room. Horrible is (for me) too strong a word. They threw a big stage and pretty much disappeared when the music was playing. The room might have been a bit big for them. Interestingly, some of the rooms that sounded the best to me were not the larger rooms. For the size of the speakers, the Hawthorn room sounded very nice. Different people, different tastes...that's one of the things that makes the 'fest a lot of fun.
Hibuck....
-
The problem with any full array is the cost for drivers (in this case 40 per cabinet). As the price goes up so does your expectation for good drivers.
Not necessarily.
The Aura-knockoff midwoofers that the PE and Selah CBT's use, with their underhung neo-radial motors, are except for the cheap frames the equal of anything in their displacement class.
-
I'm still very disappointed that I was not able to attend the show. A family committment prevented me from joining in on all of the fun. :duh:
Seeing and hearing audio gear in person is probably the best way to make a decision or an assessment regarding which gear sounds best (to each of us and our highly subjective views) but shows can be tricky. If someone is unfamiliar with a piece of gear or a manufacturer, they seem to grade very strictly, and they are quick and comfortable giving negative feedback. People often say things like, "those speakers sounded awful", or "speaker XXX totally stomped all over speaker YYY" when they don't know the manufacturer or if they don't have a relationship with the manufacturer. When their favorite manufacturer has a room that sounds bad, or that others criticize, they are quick to attribute it to bad synergy with associated equipment, bad room or that the speakers were new and did not have time to break in. Others only make negative comments about brands that are safe to criticize and do not comment negatively on their fanboy brands.
This is common human nature and I'm not sure people realize they are even doing it. In many cases, the reasons for not commenting negatively are legitimate. Many rooms are not suitable for certain pieces (large speakers often sound bad in small rooms and bass is often difficult to control in small rooms, etc.) and manufacturers are often forced to team up with other manufacturers (for budgetary or logistical reasons) whose equipment may not play nice with their stuff. People are quick to defend their favorites but do not extend the same courtesy to brands they don't know or more mainstream brands that are "safe" to criticize. There is probably no way around this but I hope people take this into consideration and do not substitute second hand accounts of people who audition gear at shows in place of actual auditions. The negative comments (and positive comments for that matter) are often not even handed.
Just my opinion...
J
-
very well put Jackman
-
I'm still very disappointed that I was not able to attend the show. A family committment prevented me from joining in on all of the fun. :duh:
Seeing and hearing audio gear in person is probably the best way to make a decision or an assessment regarding which gear sounds best (to each of us and our highly subjective views) but shows can be tricky. If someone is unfamiliar with a piece of gear or a manufacturer, they seem to grade very strictly, and they are quick and comfortable giving negative feedback. People often say things like, "those speakers sounded awful", or "speaker XXX totally stomped all over speaker YYY" when they don't know the manufacturer or if they don't have a relationship with the manufacturer. When their favorite manufacturer has a room that sounds bad, or that others criticize, they are quick to attribute it to bad synergy with associated equipment, bad room or that the speakers were new and did not have time to break in. Others only make negative comments about brands that are safe to criticize and do not comment negatively on their fanboy brands.
This is common human nature and I'm not sure people realize they are even doing it. In many cases, the reasons for not commenting negatively are legitimate. Many rooms are not suitable for certain pieces (large speakers often sound bad in small rooms and bass is often difficult to control in small rooms, etc.) and manufacturers are often forced to team up with other manufacturers (for budgetary or logistical reasons) whose equipment may not play nice with their stuff. People are quick to defend their favorites but do not extend the same courtesy to brands they don't know or more mainstream brands that are "safe" to criticize. There is probably no way around this but I hope people take this into consideration and do not substitute second hand accounts of people who audition gear at shows in place of actual auditions. The negative comments (and positive comments for that matter) are often not even handed.
Just my opinion...
J
Yeah, some of the comments about this room was good and this room was bad is no different than sitting next to someone and they hear it entirely differently. I thought only 3 rooms had good sound at the whole show and I could sit and listen for hours to those rooms. My rooms differ greatly from some of the comments already offered here. And that is how it goes. You gotta listen for yourself.
-
Good comments Jackman. In fact, I've largely given up basing reliable decisions on auditions anywhere but in my home. In a trip to Atlanta last fall, I spent an afternoon in a showroom listening to Vandersteens, Totem, Theil, and others. Even up to the Vandy big boys. When I got home and listened to my modest Paradigm Studios, they sounded better than I remembered. I'm sure most of the speakers I listened to in the store would have outperformed them by far if I had them home, but it didn't seem like it from the auditions.
........Peter
-
Who is the Manufacturer of the subs in the Vapor room?
-
Who is the Manufacturer of the subs in the Vapor room?
They were Ryan's own prototypes.
-
This was my first AK Fest and I really enjoyed it. Here's my 2 cents worth:
I especially liked the Salk room (but then, I would, having just bought the HT2s); I love the clarity, transparency and airiness of the RAAL tweeter. Perhaps for the same reason, I liked the Vapor monitors (which I hadn't heard before) a lot; they seemed well-balanced and with a surprisingly impressive range. I found the soundstage of the Odysseys impressive, especially for such modest-size speakers, although I agree with some that at least in that large room the bass tended to dominate the treble and mid-range. On the other hand, I would like to have heard the large Tyler speaker in a bigger room, where I think it probably would perform more to its potential. Unlike some who've posted here, I did not find anything special about the Hawthorne (especially at its price), nor the array speaker in the Selah room, which sounded quite muddy on a large orchestral piece.
-
They were Ryan's own prototypes.
Details?
-
From what I understand about the subs, There are two 8 inch woofers also found in the Cirrus,
and the side ones are passive radiators. I think about a grand for the sub.
-
Some of my comments will also be a part of Rich's coverage on hifizine but I want to share my thoughts on AC while people are discussing the show.
There is no question we all experience music and audio systems very differently as you can see throughout this thread.
Here is my take on a few more.
Odyssey / GIK
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62218)
Klaus (Odyssey) and Bryan (GIK) teamed up together in one of the larger rooms at the show. While I visited I got to listen to the new Odyssey two way monitors powered by Odyssey Stratos stereo amp and Candela preamp. This system sounded good with a huge soundstage and had a big sound. This is no easy feat for a pair of monitors. It was clear that GIK (Bryan) worked some magic in this setup with his room treatments. The Odyssey equipment rack was massive and had impressive build quality just like the rest of the components.
Salk / AVA
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62212)
Jim (Salk) and Frank (AVA) paired up again this year in another large room. The yet to be named two way monitor speakers use Raal & Scanspeak drivers. These will reportedly retail for about $3500. One of the only smaller speakers I have heard that I would not need to use a subwoofer with for music. They were being driven with a new 225watt AVA stereo amplifier. They are pictured here next to the flagship three way Soundscape speakers.
-
Morningstar Audio / Vapor Audio
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62220)
Bill (Morningstar Audio) and Ryan (Vapor Audio) combined in this room with Eastern Electric Avant preamp, Dac, Integrated Amp (amp section used) with Vapor Audio Cirrus two way monitors. This system had a detailed and engaging sound when I visited on Sunday afternoon. Vapor Audio also had a pair of their Breeze monitors playing with BMC Electronics. These sounded very refined and musical when I had a chance to hear them on Saturday. Sadly I do not have a photo of that combination. Vapor Audio had another couple pairs of speakers that looked very interesting. Innovative speakers on their way from this new company. One to watch for in the future.
-
Hawthorne Audio
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62210)
Hawthorne Audio (Darrel and Diana Hawthorne) returned to AKfest with a stunning open baffle system. Their reference open baffle speakers ($14,000) were driven by a pair of Quicksilver tube monoblock amps and a mac computer based source and Metrum dac. Their reference speaker features a horn loaded AMT driver combined with their purpose built open baffle midrange and bass drivers.
This was one of my two favorite systems at the show. The workmanship of the baffles and the care that went into these speakers were evident. The results were incredible. I have to say the finest open baffle speaker system I have heard and by a large margin.
It might be a good idea to get your speaker order in soon because I believe their waiting list is about to get a lot longer. Hawthorne Audio also offers other interesting speaker models and caters to the DIY open baffle speaker enthusiast.
-
Selah Audio
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62217)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62216)
Rick (Selah Audio) brought a pair of bi-amp speakers he named the Gamechanger ($10-12,000).
Don Keele of Audio Artistry was also in the room explaining the technology behind the design and also his CBT36 kit ($2,000) that is being offered from Parts Express.
I have heard several line array speakers in the past and not been moved by them.
I really liked the appearance and size in person. I understand that some will not understand. I apologize for the poor phone pictures I posted. Hopefully there will be some high resolution photos posted here or on Selah audio website to see how high quality the workmanship is on the speakers.
This system was spectacular with all types of music I heard on them over the course of both days. These were built as a fully active pair with electronic crossover and eq duties being handled by a DEQX. Multichannel amp and source from Marantz.
The dynamics I heard on this system were in another league from most systems I have ever experienced. This system had a jump factor that has to be experienced.
I have to agree with the name Rick gave them :thumb:
Several days later I simply cannot get the sound of this system out of my audio memory.
If I was starting a new reference system these would likely be the speaker I would build around.
-Nick
-
Todd,
Can you elaborate on your take at the show on the Auroras? Your comment is interesting as the Aurora have dome tweeters, not Raals, if I'm understanding correctly. Thanks.
Steve
-
Hey Nick, it was great meeting you at the show. I hooked up with TomS Saturday and Nick on Sunday and went into about half the rooms together.
Before the show John asked if I wanted to do a page on HifiZine with a Word Press app for the iphone. I said sure. Nick helped my out on Sunday with pics and commentary. The app is pretty easy to use but I complicated things by using the app and PC functions...hey it's my first one. :lol: http://rich.hifizine.com/
:notworthy: Hats off to Pez and Tyson for their coverage of RMAF. :notworthy:
-
I'm still very disappointed that I was not able to attend the show. A family committment prevented me from joining in on all of the fun. :duh:
Seeing and hearing audio gear in person is probably the best way to make a decision or an assessment regarding which gear sounds best (to each of us and our highly subjective views) but shows can be tricky. If someone is unfamiliar with a piece of gear or a manufacturer, they seem to grade very strictly, and they are quick and comfortable giving negative feedback. People often say things like, "those speakers sounded awful", or "speaker XXX totally stomped all over speaker YYY" when they don't know the manufacturer or if they don't have a relationship with the manufacturer. When their favorite manufacturer has a room that sounds bad, or that others criticize, they are quick to attribute it to bad synergy with associated equipment, bad room or that the speakers were new and did not have time to break in. Others only make negative comments about brands that are safe to criticize and do not comment negatively on their fanboy brands.
This is common human nature and I'm not sure people realize they are even doing it. In many cases, the reasons for not commenting negatively are legitimate. Many rooms are not suitable for certain pieces (large speakers often sound bad in small rooms and bass is often difficult to control in small rooms, etc.) and manufacturers are often forced to team up with other manufacturers (for budgetary or logistical reasons) whose equipment may not play nice with their stuff. People are quick to defend their favorites but do not extend the same courtesy to brands they don't know or more mainstream brands that are "safe" to criticize. There is probably no way around this but I hope people take this into consideration and do not substitute second hand accounts of people who audition gear at shows in place of actual auditions. The negative comments (and positive comments for that matter) are often not even handed.
Just my opinion...
J
Thanks for making some good points. I think it's a lame excuse for a speaker manufacturer to blame the front end equipment. Most of the audible problems with these shows are one of three things (or a combination of) - room acoustics, recordings, and the speakers. The bass issues can be just as bad (or even worse) in the larger exhibit rooms.
I would be hesitant to criticize a system that sounds bad if I don't know the recording. The system might be really good and just exposing flaws in the source material. I had a few visitors to our room bring in music that had obvious problems (miking,compression,etc). If I was a listener and judged the speakers based on those tracks my comments certainly wouldn't have been positive.
-
Steve,
Aurora's have amazing bass. To me the bass sounded way more powerful then the Breeze or Cirrus.
I did not have a real long listen, but they sounded pretty amazing to me. I would say that maybe they did not have the detail and refinement of the Breeze or Cirrus, but maybe they would sound even better in a bigger room. The fit and finish of the Aurora was outstanding. I would think buying the stands would be mandatory due to their size and shape. At $2750 with stands I thought they were a steal. So if you are looking for a good to great all arounder , and don't want to add a subwoofer, I feel like the Aurora is a steal at their price point.
Todd
-
I'd concur with what Todd said on the Auroras based on what I heard in Chicago. I was amazed at how well the Auroras pressurized the big room that they were in at the Chicago DIY event.
-
Steve,
Aurora's have amazing bass. To me the bass sounded way more powerful then the Breeze or Cirrus.
I did not have a real long listen, but they sounded pretty amazing to me. I would say that maybe they did not have the detail and refinement of the Breeze or Cirrus, but maybe they would sound even better in a bigger room. The fit and finish of the Aurora was outstanding. I would think buying the stands would be mandatory due to their size and shape. At $2750 with stands I thought they were a steal. So if you are looking for a good to great all arounder , and don't want to add a subwoofer, I feel like the Aurora is a steal at their price point.
Todd
Where did you get $2750 with stands? The website has them at $2695 without stands.
-
I overheard this. I may have heard wrong. Sorry. That said, $2750 may get done if you ask nicely.
-
Price is dependent on veneer type and level of gloss desired.
.....or so I'd assume.
-
Selah Audio
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62217)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=62216)
Rick (Selah Audio) brought a pair of bi-amp speakers he named the Gamechanger ($10-12,000).
Don Keele of Audio Artistry was also in the room explaining the technology behind the design and also his CBT36 kit ($2,000) that is being offered from Parts Express.
I have heard several line array speakers in the past and not been moved by them.
I really liked the appearance and size in person. I understand that some will not understand. I apologize for the poor phone pictures I posted. Hopefully there will be some high resolution photos posted here or on Selah audio website to see how high quality the workmanship is on the speakers.
This system was spectacular with all types of music I heard on them over the course of both days. These were built as a fully active pair with electronic crossover and eq duties being handled by a DEQX. Multichannel amp and source from Marantz.
The dynamics I heard on this system were in another league from most systems I have ever experienced. This system had a jump factor that has to be experienced.
I have to agree with the name Rick gave them :thumb:
Several days later I simply cannot get the sound of this system out of my audio memory.
If I was starting a new reference system these would likely be the speaker I would build around.
-Nick
Great coverage, Nick! :thumb:
-
Did anyone get the specs on the Aurora? Sensitivity, Freq response, size, etc. The idea of an 8" woofer in a stand-mount has some appeal.
-
It's all good. Very good.
First off, thanks to so many of you guys stopping by our room. Secondly, mega thanks to Bryan. Without his gear the room would have been indeed completely and utterly impossible with anything above 70 dB or so. Anybody having any acoustical problems should get with him yesterday, and the arts series looks very nice with a high quality print. Excellent stuff !!!!!! This should be widely known by now......
As for our room, we pretty much had the same exact gear playing as we did in Denver last year, which was pretty damn triumphant. Can be seen at TAS, Stereophile, Soundstage, Stereomojo, Dagogo, Positive Feedback, etc. etc. and especially here from Pez and Tyson... http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=99215.20
So, what is different this time ??? First, we had a $ 200. Marantz CD Player,(on Sunday we had vinyl up and running, on a $ 500. VPI, and that made a nice difference) just to make a point, and second, obviously the room itself. Jackman and others nailed it. To be short, it is a pig of a boombox (we did make the mistake of getting the biggest room, %^#%*^*%^$%$*$^#^(^&^&$), and for the most part we had to bring the music down. However, who can really resist rocking out ???? Some of the comments are more than fair, and if that is what some of you heard, so be it. At times, I heard the same problems, of course. Now, this show was more of a happy go lucky friends first show in comparison to other more hardcore business approaches. Very noticeable in the absence of most magazines, and dealers, etc. Made it a fantastically relaxed atmosphere in which, unfortunately, we probably got too relaxed at times and let volume get out of hand a bit.
Anyway, we had to counteract the room, and at the end of the 2nd day we ended up with only 3 (Three) listening chairs. From the get-go we did a more nearfield approach with the monitors wayyyy into the room to take the boombox out as much as possible. Helped. A lot. However, it is always the mystery of the wandering chairs, especially when there is a crowd. When there is a lot going on, which was for the most part of Saturday, you tend to push up the volume, which could have been a mistake, yes.
However, several times I found myself with a great and serious listening group, and voila, lights off, shutting up, and Masekela and, especially Miles Live Time after Time or the Swedish "The Rose" version. When this happened, I was able to get people situated right, and adjust the volume, and then, in this situation, the system sounded as it should...... Actually, we had applause from some in these sessions 4 times. Great . This kind of Jekyll and Hyde weekend thus results in these mixed opinions. Hindsight 20/20, it is very understandable.
Now, as for harsh words from Stirman, no problem. Actually, I have a standing invite for you. Indy is not too far. Come on over. Make a road trip, maybe with some buddies. Even bring your gear, and listen to the system and the monitors as they are in a more realistic setting. Not for business, but to have fun. We can bbq, have fun, but be aware that I'll make you eat your words, hehehehehe.
With that few rooms I could actually get around as compared to other shows. As for my impressions for the show itself, here is what I liked:
-Salk. Nice. I liked it, and man, Jim is a freaking wild man with his veneers. Awesome.
- Bogdan. First of all, a truly nice guy. And his big speakers sounded pretty darn good, rich in texture and voices, albeit the same room problems as ours with his big room at the end of our floor. Meeting rooms suck.
- Swap rooms. What can I say ??? Came home with 38 more records, hehehehe.
- Hawthorne. Actually, very, very nice approach of the o.b. design. Liked it better than other OB's.
- Vapor. Also very good. And another really good person with Ray.
- The pumpkin speakers from Oasis have to be one of the freshest designs in years. What an idea, and what a great workmanship. As for sound, have no idea, and have reservations, but this family deserves success, if not for their artistic approach in the first place.
-Selah. What an arc !!!!
- And let's not forget all of the AK member's rooms. You guys are positively nuts in doing all of this work and expense just for the exhibitionist satisfaction. Fantastic. And some of the gear you came up with !!!!!!!
- RAAL tweeters. Of course, awesome, BUT for me, the Scan Speak Berylliums simply take the cake. The best in natural and controlled timbre and tonality. Simply the best.!!!
So, even with its pitfalls, this weekend was great. And when do you really have a chance in having an elevator ride or a conversation with some Zombies that are actually hot and show long legs and cleavage ????
The bottom line of the weekend was great people, great music, and hey, selling 1 stand, a Candela, 3 amp upgrades and 4 new amps as well as 4 pairs of speakers (3 x Kismet Monitors) isn't shabby either.
It's all good. Very good.
-
You're a class act dude. :thumb:
-
Thanks for making some good points. I think it's a lame excuse for a speaker manufacturer to blame the front end equipment. Most of the audible problems with these shows are one of three things (or a combination of) - room acoustics, recordings, and the speakers. The bass issues can be just as bad (or even worse) in the larger exhibit rooms.
I would be hesitant to criticize a system that sounds bad if I don't know the recording. The system might be really good and just exposing flaws in the source material. I had a few visitors to our room bring in music that had obvious problems (miking,compression,etc). If I was a listener and judged the speakers based on those tracks my comments certainly wouldn't have been positive.
So true Rick. Every show I go to, I make a custom track with short clips of material I am familiar with all faded and edited together into something that can give a me very quick idea of the capabilities of a room. If I cannot play my disc, I try to refrain from making any comments on the sound. People just browsing in and out of rooms, hearing material they are not familiar with and making comments is downright unfair.
Also, rooms continuously playing, light "chick" singers and soft jazz can be misleading. This kind of material can sound OK on most systems an does not give a full picture of what a speaker can reproduce. Tracks with wide ranges of frequencies and dynamics are more telling.
Greg
-
Did anyone get the specs on the Aurora? Sensitivity, Freq response, size, etc. The idea of an 8" woofer in a stand-mount has some appeal.
The Aurora enclosure is roughly 1.1 cubic feet, tuned to 33Hz, producing modeled F3 of 36Hz, with a baseline calculated sensitivity of 91dB/2.83V.
I voiced it in my living room, which has vaulted ceilings, very open rear wall, and 18 x 15 wall dimensions. Final sensitivity runs right about 88dB/2.83V, or about 3dB baffle step compensation. For smaller rooms, the overall voicing could be altered slightly, to offer a bit more sensitivity, 90dB, and letting the room do some of the heavier lifting down low.
Here's a shot of the in-room response, on axis, as well as a series of off axis plots showing the excellent performance offered by the waveguide loaded dome.
The first plot also shows the THD performance at 1W. The bass region distortion is swamped by room interactions. That said, from 100Hz on up, distortion is below 1%, and below .3% from 300Hz on up. They're very clean speakers with a neutral voicing and smooth power response. Crossover in this version is 1100Hz, LR4.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/pete_schumacher/Speaker%20projects/Byzy%20Mini/Finalcrossoveronaxis12-18-2011.png)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/pete_schumacher/Speaker%20projects/Byzy%20Mini/20-45-60.png)
-
Beautiful measurements Pete. Wow.
Those are in room folks. I'd guess that ~200Hz dip of -5dB is likely due to the room. That's a good deal smaller in-room dip than you usually see in such measurements (for example, in the most recent Stereophile in-room measurements of the $7k Joseph Pulsars see the trough from ~200Hz that is about 5dB down until close to 100Hz, where it DIPS again to -10 dB, before climbing to a +5dB peak around ~50Hz. This was for a speaker that Fremer was raving about).
And great off-axis measurements. Very very nice. And I thought I was a fan before seeing those measurements.
1100Hz crossover point to boot? Damn.
OK gotta stop raving before someone starts hurling "fanboy" accusations at me.
-
Beautiful measurements Pete. Wow.
Those are in room folks. I'd guess that ~200Hz dip of -5dB is likely due to the room. That's a good deal smaller in-room dip than you usually see in such measurements (for example, in the most recent Stereophile in-room measurements of the $7k Joseph Pulsars see the trough from ~200Hz that is about 5dB down until close to 100Hz, where it DIPS again to -10 dB, before climbing to a +5dB peak around ~50Hz. This was for a speaker that Fremer was raving about).
And great off-axis measurements. Very very nice. And I thought I was a fan before seeing those measurements.
1100Hz crossover point to boot? Damn.
OK gotta stop raving before someone starts hurling "fanboy" accusations at me.
The 200Hz dip is indeed wall/floor boundary interaction. When close-mic'd, the woofer is textbook smooth. On one other note, the woofer non-linear spectrum is almost entirely 2nd order. The Vifa NE225 has a very advanced motor design, with some of the lowest measured inductance seen in a woofer, much less one categorized as a sub by Vifa. Lot's of copper and a very open frame, along with an advanced curvilinear wood composite cone, contribute to a very natural reproduction of upper bass and mids. They're really great performing woofers that have liquid mids to go with their powerful low end. Those woofers, in Ed's "black hole" cabinets, is a match made in heaven.
By the way, those are un-gated measurements, with simple 1/6th octave smoothing applied. No splicing of near and far field data.
That's 1m, 2.83V, in-room, raw, 1/6th octave smoothed. Needless to say, I smile when I look at those plots. :)
-
Pete, how would you compare the sound of the Aurora to the Cirrus?
-
Pete, how would you compare the sound of the Aurora to the Cirrus?
It's pretty stark actually. Both are voiced with the same overall approach, but the character of the tweeter is so pronounced when listened to in close succession. While the Aurora simply has more capacity to energize the room in the lower registers, the transparency offered by the Cirrus is something that the Aurora doesn't quite do. That sentiment was echoed by someone in this thread, where they described it as relaxed, or something like that, by comparison.
And this is where ears or measurements are the final arbiter on what constitutes "better." I find it very difficult to find any fault at all with what we accomplished in the Aurora. They sound great, measure great, look great, and really deliver. When I want to turn it up and feel the music, I might lean toward the Aurora. But when I really want hear the detail of an excellent recording, full of harmonic richness in the upper registers, I would prefer hearing the RAAL for what it delivers to my ears, despite not seeing much difference in the measurements. And the cabinet construction employed in the Cirrus, with the huge roundovers, contributes to a very smooth diffraction signature, which can only improve imaging. That, and they're as dead as the Aurora, contributing nothing to the exterior sound via panel vibration.
And if you know Ryan, the search for better is never over. And to approach that certain sound the Cirrus/Breeze deliver, we're looking at other tweeter options, exotic domes with uber powerful motors and lightweight domes, that can also work with this waveguide, to perhaps eek out just a bit more of the underlying detail that these RAALs seem to so effortlessly deliver.
All that said, I sat listening to the Auroras for hours and hours, to a wide variety of music, at low levels and high, and never got tired of listening. I'd start at 6 in the evening, and before I realized it, 2:00am showed up on the computer. They do so much, so right, and deliver tactile music when needed, like very few monitors can.
-
Well said Pete.