AudioCircle
The Commercial Zone => Audio Shows and Events => Rocky Mountain Audio Fest => Topic started by: Pez on 6 Oct 2009, 07:14 pm
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Day 2
Ultrasone
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Stopped into our first headphone room. Ultrasone setup was very understated, but sounded wonderful. I have issues personally with closed ear headphones because they make my ears sweaty, but they sounded great. I could definitely see the appeal. They looked very VERY well built.
{Tyson} I love headphones and the Ultrasones are some of the best available on the market. I did a brief listen, and it confirmed what I've always felt, that they are some of the best sounding headphones around.
Odyssey
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From about 100 feet away way down the hall I could hear Soundgarden ?Black hole sun? blasting somewhere in the distance. I?m a huge fan of Soundgarden! Tyson and I were on the way to the Odyssey room to see Klaus and I thought ?Boy I hope whoever is blasting that will turn it down so I can hear in the Odyssey room? Low and behold it WAS the Odyssey room. Klaus, lonewolfny, and cloudbaseracer were all in there headbanging at high SPL. Awesome sight to behold.
I get in the room and not a moment later 2 other vendors walk in saying at the top of their lungs ?CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN???? Klaus says ?I DON?T HAVE THE REMOTE HE DOES? pointing at lonewolf, who clearly had no intention of turning it anywhere but further up. I told the guy ?YOU?RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN YOUR MUSIC UP LOUDER? :P
{Tyson} As a previous Odyssey Stratos Dual Mono amp and Symphonic Line preamp owner, I've got a pretty good handle on the Odyssey sound. This year they took it up a few notches. They have always had good tonal balance and power, but this year the soundstage and dynamics took a big leap forward. The Kismet line is something else! And, finally a room that isn't afraid to play it LOUD! My Mahler Symphony 2 track sounded awesome here. This was one of the top 5 rooms at RMAF, IMO.
We did an interview with Klaus that everyone should listen to: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=72350.0
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Cloudbaseracer put on a wonderful track by Ben Harper called ?God fearing man? that really got the place bumping at slightly more reasonable SPL. It sounded very very nice. The new Kismet gear looks incredible! Especially the amps. I was and always am thoroughly impressed with the Odyssey line. This year definitely takes the cake. The Kismet was probably the nicest looking solid state amp that didn?t cost $50,000 and sounded like systems costing an order of magnitude more.
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I don't know what is scarier, the unbelievable construction that went into the Kismet heat sinks or Klaus. :P
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Symphony line stuff. As usual looked amazing.
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Sighting!!!!
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Win Analog
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All I can say about this room is OH MY GAWD!!! Without a doubt the single sexiest amp/preamp at the entire show. These amps are SET capable of 100 watts per channel! That is coming from one ginormous tube of course. Simply the most astonishing piece of equipment at the entire show without peer. How did it sound? Well without sounding like a fan girl, it was the best soundstage/imaging I have heard in my life. Deep, wide, just breathtaking. And it can all be yours for $100,000 per channel plus the gorgeous preamp that uses 845 tubes normally reserved for a power amp. It was just orgasmic. Watch this company, they are doing great things, definitely my first stop when I win the powerball. WOW!
{Tyson} Well, the speakers use focal drivers, which I hate. I had low expectations when I sat down because of this. But let me tell you, the soundstaging, imaging, and tonal balance was awesome. Bass and dynamics were lacking, but that's probably due to the speaker being quite small. But the things it did well were just stunningly great.
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More to come! :thumb:
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Ok good to go enjoy! Much more to come!
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Looks like Klaus is taking up air guitar with the piece. Gotta love the new hair. :thumb:
I don't know what is scarier, the unbelievable construction that went into the Kismet heat sinks or Klaus. :P
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Post2
Fritz Speakers
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One of my favorites. This room had great sound and the speakers were very well made. I think this size speaker works well for the size room they are in. A lot of manufacturers tried to put too much into too small of a space. This room just did it for me. Great stuff! Custom printed acoustic paneling.
{Tyson} This was another very good sounding room. The speakers did nothing wrong, and did almost everything right. Very balanced sound. And for a reasonable amount of money, too. I LOVE the acoustic paneling, I think I'll start working on my wife to see about getting some for our living room.
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Another sighting!
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Rithm
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Interesting coaxial speaker design sits a mere 2 and a half feet tall, but throw a big image and soundstage. Also the gentleman running the room (Chris) was also selling recordings for MA recordings. Check out their site (http://www.thesignalcollection.com), great stuff! I picked up Llama a recording done in a church in Bacelona Spain. Absolutely stunning dynamics and very well done.
{Tyson} Interesting room, the speakers sounded suprisingly full and much bigger that their physical size. I think these guys would be an excellent choice for people wanting a "lifestyle" speaker like Bose or Bang & Olufson. Small unobtrosive form factor, but big audiophile sound.
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PMC/Bryston Smaller room
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{Tyson} I thought this room sounded pretty good. I don't think the speakers are worth $10k, but didn't do much wrong and sounded a little bit bigger than they were.
PMC/Bryston Larger room
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As usual PMC and Bryston setups are here. Both rooms sounded very nice, the big speakers were astounding! Huge sound from top to bottom, with room shaking bass. I really liked this system a lot. No wonder the guys on this site are so ravenous about this stuff.
{Tyson} Now THIS is what I'm talking about! These were the most impressively dynamic speakers at the entire show. And not just loud to soft to loud transitions. No, what was really amazing was listening to Mahler's 2nd Symphony and being able to hear large dynamic shifts occuring with the basses, cello's, and horns, while the violins very subtle, soft dynamic shifts on the other side of the soundstage. I've never heard it's equal. If the speakers would have been slightly less dry sounding I would have this room in my top 5.
Inards:
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Tyson's hair being blown back.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/3985425285_5cc30e4bae_b.jpg) more to come!
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Pez,
Nice coverage...it was great meeting you. :D
Alex
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Post 3
Nice to meet you as well Alex, if only briefly. :) Ok more stuff. phew! This is getting tough! :lol:
For whatever reason there were a lot of rooms I just popped in, shot and left. I will have feedback on the rooms that I stayed, but otherwise there will be no further info.
{Tyson} I'll take some blame here - I generally hate the sound of metal drivers, so any room that had them I tended to want to "move on".
Laufer Teknik
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{Tyson} Metal Drivers!
Joseph Audio
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{Tyson} More Metal drivers!!
Laufer Teknik again
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{Tyson} Even more!! Aaaaagghhhh
Marantz USA
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I-fi
Now here was an interesting room! Tyson and I both had a chance to get up close and personal with the I-fi chair system. Tyson trying his hardest to look hardcore, so cute!
{Tyson} Finally a room with speakers that don't use metal drivers! Look how happy I am!
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Me giving what appears to be a thumbs up or possibly I'm hitchhiking to the next room.
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{Tyson} Seriously though, this was a cool room, a great concept. The chairs had bass drivers and butt shakers built in (or at least it felt like it), but you only got great sound with the chair fully reclined. Otherwise you were just too close to the speakers.
Arte Forma/Omega speakers
Not the Omegas
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Wouldn't you know, just our luck, the Omegas were not hooked up. :( Oh well They looked gorgeous!
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The Omega Matchsticks
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Orca/Raven room
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Von Schweikert/Moscode
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Starting to notice a pattern with these speakers. The room again was pretty crowded. We were able to hear them a little more in this setup and they sounded pretty good! Sweetspot was taken though.
{Tyson}Too bad, I was hoping this room might show me metal drivers done right. But it was too busy and I got no time in the sweet spot. Oh well, maybe next year.
Audio Design & Marketing
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Now this one we did stop in. it was not to my liking unfortunately. I do think this one was probably one of those that could have used a larger room or at the very least some room treatment.
{Tyson} I don't even remember going into this room with Jason. It must have been one of those boom-tizzle sounds that I try to block out immediately.
More to come, Also I am going to do a separate section for the canjam room. :thumb:
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Pez...
From about 100 feet away way down the hall I could hear Soundgarden "Black hole sun" blasting somewhere in the distance. I'm a huge fan of Soundgarden! Tyson and I were on the way to the Odyssey room to see Klaus and I thought "Boy I hope whoever is blasting that will turn it down so I can hear in the Odyssey room". Low and behold it WAS the Odyssey room. Klaus, lonewolfny, and cloudbaseracer were all in there headbanging at high SPL. Awesome sight to behold. I get in the room and not a moment later 2 other vendors walk in saying at the top of their lungs "CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN????" Klaus says "I DON'T HAVE THE REMOTE HE DOES" pointing at lonewolf, who clearly had no intention of turning it anywhere but further up. I told the guy "YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN YOUR MUSIC UP LOUDER" :P
.........I was doing my yearly "Lonewolf Rock and Roll Loudness Test"....and Klaus' room passed once again with flying colors !!! Good stuff.....8) :rock:
All I can say about this room is OH MY GAWD!!! Without a doubt the single sexiest amp/preamp at the entire show. These amps are SET capable of 100 watts per channel! That is coming from one ginormous tube of course. Simply the most astonishing piece of equipment at the entire show without peer. How did it sound? Well without sounding like a fan girl, it was the best soundstage/imaging I have heard in my life. Deep, wide, just breathtaking. And it can all be yours for $100,000 per channel plus the gorgeous preamp that uses 845 tubes normally reserved for a power amp. It was just orgasmic. Watch this company, they are doing great things, definitely my first stop when I win the powerball.
Captain Humble and myself visited the Win Audio room as well....great looking equipment. We listened....
When I left...one of the reps came out and asked what I thought...so I told him the truth....great looking amps and preamp....but those speakers...they suck.
He looked puzzled...said "the guy that designed the equipment also designed the speakers"... :shake:
Let him stick to the electronics....get better speakers. :wink:
Nice job Jason...thanks... :thumb:
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Wow Lonewolf, I couldn't disagree more on the speakers. Yeah they didn't reach down to 20 hz, but I thought they threw an amazing soundstage. I suppose that is why they call this a subjective hobby though. :lol: No wonder I don't have a shot of you leaning against them. :P
Nordost
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I thought this room had quite a good vibe to it. I liked the little ribbon/ceramic driver speakers. They really had a great transient snap to them without sounding bright. Of course hearing Pink Floyd the Wall pt 1 in it probably skewed my opinion a bit. Though for the cost no object realm this room was much more down to earth and not as flashy. Moon audio front end.
{Tyson} The third (and last) of the Big Vendor rooms that I really liked (Hansen and PMC being the others). Bass was pretty good out of these guys, but the vendor was trying to play them too loud for the space they were in. No, the real magic of these babies was in the upper mids and highs - they had a wide open quality that reminds you of a cool, crisp morning without a cloud in the sky - you feel like you can see for miles and miles. A window into the recording? What window? Speaking of recordings, I liked that the vendor played normal CD recordings to show off the system, and that they sounded spectacular. The recording of Anne Sophie Mutter playing Sarasate was like listening to her live, front row. Now if I just could mortgage my house...
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Luxman room
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Welcome to Venus earthling. We didn't spend much time here, but it was a very good looking space.
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Grant Fidelity
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Finally, after all those cost no object systems something reasonably priced! Talk about some great looking/sounding gear! The Grant fidelity room was just brimming with drool worthy equipment and tweaks. Ian and Rachel were very nice. Ian knows every aspect of every product they sell and Rachael... Well... Rachel is the boss. :lol: Again very pleasant and helpful as I'm sure many here already know. Very nice looking/sounding set up.
{Tyson} Great people in this room, and all of the equipment was built like tanks! Seriously, Krell and Levinson have nothing on these guys when it comes to build quality. And beautiful to look at too. Interestingly enough, they didn't have a big brawny sound, but rather a refined, musical presentation that was a balm to hear after so many boom-tizzle rooms.
The Black Treasures looked gorgeous, but I restrained myself. Unlike Jason, who got a bit of drool on his shirt while talking to Racel about them.
In the picture are GF A-534B SET 300B integrated tube amp in the back with the treasures. Talk about gorgeous! It's not as expensive as it looks at $2500. :o below is the Jungson JA99D 100 watt beast.
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The Sheng Yo and Compact speakers fit and finish were superb. We listened to the Sheng Yos. Very smooth sounding for a compact monitor and darn good bass.
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Sheng yo front end. Hard to describe the intimidating look of the two monoblocks under the tubed pre. also the Reference CD-1000 tube cd player :o
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Also drool worthy on display were the treasure tubes. Now I did not get a chance to listen to the 300b amp they had on display in the grant room, but I heard 2 headphone setups using the 300bs and the EL34s and I can say they were the best sounding setups for headphones in the whole show easily.
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Overall the Grant room had the biggest assortment of reasonably priced equipment. Great stuff there. :thumb:
{Tyson} And check out our interview with Rachel of Grant Fidelity Here: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=72350.0
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Wow Lonewolf, I couldn't disagree more on the speakers. Yeah they didn't reach down to 20 hz, but I thought they threw an amazing soundstage. I suppose that is why they call this a subjective hobby though. :lol: No wonder I don't have a shot of you leaning against them. :P
I agree with Chris (lonewolf) on the WIN speakers. I and 3 other friends were in the room and the sound was absolutely awful. We all walked out after a minute and everyone was shaking their heads negatively. The two hired hands sitting outside at the table also asked for our opinions, and we all told them they sucked. For 9k pr, those speakers would have been overpriced at $900. They were tonally thin and had a veil like thick blankets. I noticed the 2 magic eye indicator tubes used in the front of the expensive preamp and asked the designer if they were vintage or new production magic eyes. He had no idea what I was saying. I rephrased the question and substituted EM84 for magic eye tube, and it took him a minute before he caught on.
Btw, you're doing a great job loading all those photos and adding descriptions. I'm still recovering from the event and can barely function.
Paul Mah
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LOL Wow! It's like you guys heard an entirely different room than I did. I definitely have to disagree with you. Either way, there is no denying the setup looked amazing.
Pez
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LOL Wow! It's like you guys heard an entirely different room than I did. I definitely have to disagree with you. Either way, there is no denying the setup looked amazing.
Pez
Yes, the amps glowed nicely and the preamp's magic eye tubes did their little dance. But at over $100k for the system, the stuff better sound a whole lot better.
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LOL Wow! It's like you guys heard an entirely different room than I did. I definitely have to disagree with you. Either way, there is no denying the setup looked amazing.
Pez
If you hit Lotto....and get the WIN electronics Jason....I'll loan you a better pair of speakers to really hear what they can offer. :wink:
The WIN Audio "stuff" did remind me of a past RMAF room....the Amber Wave Audio room....these were monster mono block amps....Weight 200 lbs./side.... :o
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http://www.amberwaveaudio.com/
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What were the speakers used in the Nordost room--thought they were quite good?
Chris H.
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Really impressed with a couple of things.
1 - the attendance in terms of manufacturers at this event - I HAVE to get to this one year!
2 - the quality of the pics - I have tried to take pics of systems before, and never get results this good!
3 - the VOLUME of the pics - you are an audio-paparazzi!
4 - how in the heck do you keep track of all this - do you carry a notebook and take notes down so you can comment on the pics?
5 - keep it coming, those of us that cannot attend are loving it!
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Pez,
Thanks so much for the photos and the commentary!
Have to agree with your comment about closed ear 'cans. My perfectly good Sennheiser 650's sit gathering dust
while I would rather listen to any of my speakers.
Did you try those $2K in ear buds? The J-pro's?
Lyndon
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Pez,
Thanks so much for the photos and the commentary!
Have to agree with your comment about closed ear 'cans. My perfectly good Sennheiser 650's sit gathering dust
while I would rather listen to any of my speakers.
Did you try those $2K in ear buds? The J-pro's?
Lyndon
JH13pro is $1099, and it is Jerry's top of the line product.
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What were the speakers used in the Nordost room--thought they were quite good?
Chris H.
I'm pretty sure that the speakers in the Nordost room were Raidho Ayra C-1.0. I remember that room for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that's where I was when the power went down.
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What were the speakers used in the Nordost room--thought they were quite good?
Chris H.
Chris I couldn't agree more. I was told about who made them, but in the monstrous process of covering the show I have misfiled that info in my brain. :duh: If you find out please let me know.
Really impressed with a couple of things.
1 - the attendance in terms of manufacturers at this event - I HAVE to get to this one year!
2 - the quality of the pics - I have tried to take pics of systems before, and never get results this good!
3 - the VOLUME of the pics - you are an audio-paparazzi!
4 - how in the heck do you keep track of all this - do you carry a notebook and take notes down so you can comment on the pics?
5 - keep it coming, those of us that cannot attend are loving it!
1. The show is definitely a must. Think of it is Audiophile/music lovers mecca. :notworthy:
2. I have a very nice Nikon D300 with 18-200 mm super lens. It is capable of wideangle and tight shots with little effort. I love it!
3. 8 gigabyte CF card baby! Even compressed the amount of pics I took was graeter than 1.4 Gigabytes worth of data. :o
4. Honestly it is pretty easy to remember a lot of this stuff. No notebook, but when I see the pictures my brain says "Oh yeah, That rooms sounded like this or that"
5. There is WAY MORE to come!!!!! Also we have posted audio interviews.
Pez,
Thanks so much for the photos and the commentary!
Have to agree with your comment about closed ear 'cans. My perfectly good Sennheiser 650's sit gathering dust
while I would rather listen to any of my speakers.
Did you try those $2K in ear buds? The J-pro's?
Lyndon
Lyndon, The Booth Babes wouldn't let me leave without trying them. Unfortunately I was under staffed that day so no pics. I tried the expensive set of JH's and while they sound great, I'm not a fan of in ear headphones, though I get why people are.
And Thank you garylaex for remembering the speakers!
Keep em coming guys, love the questions. Also expect the rest of day 2 and hopefully all of day 3!
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Jaton Corp
stop and shot
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Audio Note
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Ok let me be blunt in previous years audionote room really did something for me. It was warm, tonally balanced and such a wonderful soundstage. This year it was really nothing to write home about. Their front end looks magnificent and is priced relatively within reason, but the speakers they had this year really left a bad taste in my mouth. They were bloomy, the treble was marred with a papery sound, and if there was a soundstage I couldn't find it.
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Soundstring Cable Room
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Easily one of my top ten rooms. It was surprising for a few reasons. The first being Tyson and I were going to just stop in, takes some photos and run. But when we got in the sound was awesome. We ended up spending about 15-20 minutes listening to track after track. The room consisted of Soundstring cabling, Bamberg Audio speakers, and Modwright amps. It was one of the best put together rooms in the entire show. Really an excellent setup!
Great looking setup and candy!!!
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Gorgeous Modwright equipment! That modded Sony is to die for.
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Great looking cables!
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Name I can't remember, someone please help!
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This one was unfortunately a stop and shoot as well. The room was completely full, standing room only and WAY too much gear to get an appreciable idea of what was going on.
One of my favorite companies/people Chris Brady from Teres had his latest/greatest in this booth.
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Teres new tonearm wired by Wayne from Bolder cables
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more to come. Babies crying!!!
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Now fortified with Vitamin T. :P
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Jason,
That was the SoundSmith Room.
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Pez,
Thanks so much for the photos and the commentary!
Have to agree with your comment about closed ear 'cans. My perfectly good Sennheiser 650's sit gathering dust
while I would rather listen to any of my speakers.
Did you try those $2K in ear buds? The J-pro's?
Lyndon
JH13pro is $1099, and it is Jerry's top of the line product.
I tried the JH13pro both single and balanced I want to do a little wright up in the headphone section so i wont spill all the beans with what i have to say but they made my top 5 list for sound at the show.
ED
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I tried the JH13pro both single and balanced I want to do a little wright up in the headphone section so i wont spill all the beans with what i have to say but they made my top 5 list for sound at the show.
I look forward to hearing more, Ed.
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I thought the Win Analog room was very good, but the speakers were a serious limitation to hearing what the amps were trying to do. I used those same Focal drivers in one of my cars a few years ago, so I had to wonder if they bought a Focal Polykevlar component set and stuffed them into an enclosure.
Anyhow, the amps sounded like they had great potential driving some big, very dynamic speakers... at least for those with a few hundered grand to throw around on a stereo.
I only went for a day, but the standouts for me were the Merlin speakers and the OBs that used the $37k / pair field coil single drivers paired with 2 15" woofers per side.
edit... the OB's were in the Lotus audio room using the Feastrex 5" single drivers
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I thought the Win Analog room was very good, but the speakers were a serious limitation to hearing what the amps were trying to do. I used those same Focal drivers in one of my cars a few years ago, so I had to wonder if they bought a Focal Polykevlar component set and stuffed them into an enclosure.
Anyhow, the amps sounded like they had great potential driving some big, very dynamic speakers... at least for those with a few hundered grand to throw around on a stereo.
I only went for a day, but the standouts for me were the Merlin speakers and the OBs that used the $37k / pair field coil single drivers paired with 2 15" woofers per side.
No doubt! I would have loved to hear the Win Amps driving the big Daedalus speakers - that should be a great match.
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I'd love to hear MY system driven by the Win amps. :thumb: I have made the executive decision to condense the remainder of the show coverage to this thread rather than have a separate day 3 thread. I am pretty exhausted from all the coverage and interest seems to be waning. Any way here are some broad brush stokes of the remaining day (when I say broad, I mean only stuff that interested me in the least, the rest I'm skipping).
J-Corder
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/3985555977_5842c223c6_b.jpg)
Reels, reels and more reels!!! Fun room with some interesting stuff.
Tocaro
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3985585645_975c9997e5_b.jpg)
Is it even remotely possible to explain this room? hmmm let me start by saying this; "full-range" 8 inch driver put into a box, placed on stands and plugged into amplification. No whizzer cone, no tweeter. The sound... Well imagine what you think something I just described would sound like and there's your answer. Definitely one of those "what the hell were they thinking????" moments of the show.
That's it for day 2. Day 3 to come. Don't expect a whole lot. I was a zombie and Tyson was gone. :)
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I am pretty exhausted from all the coverage and interest seems to be waning.
I sure have been enjoying your posts. I think you have by the best coverage on the net. aa
Thanks!
Bob
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Jason,
You're doing a fantastic job covering the show. Kudos.
Paul
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Pez
Great coverage
Thanks Larry
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Thank you all very much. I'm glad you're enjoying it!
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This was the funnest room I was in, it had a Disco vibe (probably because of the light bars that moved to the sound of the music). Who makes those speakers? I think they had drivers on all four sides....
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/3985555977_5842c223c6_b.jpg)
Reels, reels and more reels!!! Fun room with some interesting stuff.
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I spent quite a bit of time in the room with the reel to reels talking with the guy that rebuilds/refurbishes the tape decks, Jeff Jacobs of Gig Harbor WA, and his wife. Very nice folks. He told me he built the speakers, one of a kind, and they do have drivers on all 4 sides for an omni-directional sound. I thought it was a very cool room with decent sound. He has over 35 years experience selling and servicing tape decks and other audio equipment. I wouldn't mind having one of those decks sitting next to my TT :roll:.
When I was in the Nola speakers room they were playing reel to reel and the sound was 2D4.
Laura
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I'll add my thanks to tyson and Pez for an outstanding job on show coverage. :thumb:
Pez, you said you had more pics but decided not to upload a bunch. Maybe later you could upload them to Flikr or Photobucket after you've had a chance to recover. :wink:
Thanks again, guys.
JakeJ
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Jake and evryone else. I appreciate the thanks. Yes here is a bit more, but I have been busy with everything else. I will post what little I have left probably starting Monday.
Thanks,
Pez
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Pez
I enjoy your coverage the most from any other source or publication.
Great job buddy. :thumb:
Mariusz
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Pez
I enjoy your coverage the most from any other source or publication.
Great job buddy. :thumb:
Pez,
I AGREE! Great coverage and pics. Your awesome, and nice guy too!
Laura
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Thanks all. I'd been getting a bit disheartened because we put a heck of a lot of work into this and just didn't seem to be getting much traffic on these threads. I really appreciate the feedback!
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Thanks all. I'd been getting a bit disheartened because we put a heck of a lot of work into this and just didn't seem to be getting much traffic on these threads. I really appreciate the feedback!
Almost 1900 views - traffic is fine if you ask me. :scratch:
I missed you in my post Tyson so without farther due - thanks again for great coverage. :thumb:
Mariusz
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The coverage was great, but what I really thought was cool were the interviews :thumb:
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Agree with everyone else, respect over the coverage. Just getting around the darn rooms is hard enough, never mind taking pictures and writing a commentry. Very annoying, you have commented on rooms I missed! I thought I had covered nearly everything.
The Win room, I felt was frankly ridiculous. Yes the amps looked and sounded nice, but the size. you would need to build a house round them. I am more impressed by the less expensive systems and the LSA room, Moscode and Von Swheikert and Modwright /Daedalus, come to mind.
A great show and excellent coverage
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Great coverage Pez. That's got to be a whirlwind trying to get around and see everything, listen, pics, interviews, etc.
It was a pleasure meeting you and Tyson.
Bryan
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Jason and Tyson - man, you guys ROCK. Thank you for the great pix's and commentary. I am just getting a chance to check out some of the RMAF coverage. Appreciate your sharing with fellow AC'ers!
NB
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Great coverage guys :thumb:
I know first hand how exhausting it is trying to hit as many rooms as possible, take a decent pic or two, get a quick listen, write down what all the gear is, do a quick interview or walk through with the room presenter, THEN sit down, organize and write about it. Even though shows like this are tons of fun, covering them can be a grind...at best.
Every time I'd run across these guys, they looked pretty frazzled trying to make it to the next room. I got to spend some time with them at lunch and in several rooms getting reacquainted and catching up since the last time we met. Great guys (not to mention I carry Tyson's Single Malt Journey on my Crackberry as a reference) :green:
Very nice job!
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Certainly agree with others that this is one of the better show reports - and we linked to it from our blog as recommended reading.
There are many deep dark secrets to show reports - one of which is that readers come in waves. Many do not even start looking for reports until quite some time has gone by; stereotimes, dagogo and positive feedback, not to mention our full reports (spintricity) ... and yours? - are not out/finished for quite some time and people [well, some people. Well, a few anyway. Let's just say more than zero people :-)] learn to deal with this.
-Mike
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Thanks for the coverage guys, I'm exhausted just taking in all these pics and comments. I think the taped interviews was a great idea and I will check them out. I also think the number of views will swell over the next week!
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OK I'm back! I am having a very interesting week thus far. I will now attempt to get the rest of the RMAF coverage up. Again, not much left, mostly highlights of day 3, I do want to add some things I forgot to put for day 2.
Without further adieu!!!!
Monarchy Audio/Lehenan Audio
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/3986317284_b0ff133df0_b.jpg)
I have to tell you, this room won "most unexpected sound" as in these tiny little two way monitors produced sound that was way bigger than their physical size would have you believe. It was very interesting to hear. I thought the setup, albeit understated, was one of my favorites at the show. The bass was deep and plentiful, a bit one noted at times, but that might have been the material. The soundstage was among the best I have heard. Dynamics were pretty serious as well. I have to say, if you live in a small apartment, or if you want a decent setup for a bedroom (they are rear ported so maybe not) this is a great setup!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/3985649199_eef6dfcdfb_b.jpg)
Sanders Electrostats
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3986333396_ddee6687d3_b.jpg)
I really enjoyed this room. I found it quite well setup and had the BEST sound I have ever heard from any electrostats. Most of the time Electrostats sound bright and overly lively to me but this room was very well setup in that the speakers were angled diagonally in the room as opposed to 99% of the rooms which had front to back set up. That said They imaged well, and reached way low in the bass. Great setup!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2586/3986408606_8b46355963_b.jpg)
Roger Sanders said that a lot of the engineers at Martin Logan use his amps to run their equipment. :icon_lol:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3985655315_d32dee2fb2_b.jpg)
Any way those were a couple highlights I missed from day 2. Day 3 coverage is on it's way.
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Day 3
Day 3 was spent taking my buddy Kevin around as well as Wayne from Bolder cables (who until then had been cooped up in the Daedalus room) around to give a quick glimpse at the best and worst of the show. We did manage to hit some rooms I missed in the first 2 days. If you can believe it, I did not go to every room, not by a long shot. And that's with 3 full days. That kind of gives you the width and breadth of this thing!
Wilson/Audio research set up (For Audio Alternative in Fort Collins CO)
Had to check in on my old buddies from Audio Alternative, the first "hi-end" audio shop I ever actually purchased equipment from (also the last. :rotflmao: ) As expected they had unbelievably expensive setups that, lets face it, are not going to win any best of show awards. I thought the system was overly bright and forward without any redeeming qualities. (Ouch! tough crowd!)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3986415856_d0d8265f51_b.jpg)
mbl
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/3985665125_e9927d75e3_b.jpg)
I can't remember why, but we didn't spend any time in this room. Beautiful setup though!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3986422950_644a5b5356_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3986421580_5b143992b0_b.jpg)
more to come.
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GR Research/Dodd
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3985671201_fb09edcf5e_b.jpg)
Honestly I loved the look of the Dodd equipment, but I did not get to sit down and listen. Other AC members got a better opportunity to hear this room perhaps we'll hear from them.
Uhhh dude... Yer crossover's hangin' out, XYZ.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/3985674007_27d8295dbc_b.jpg)
Gorgeous wood work and here's a concept for you, Affordable!!!
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2474/3986427728_d345d2a7fd_b.jpg)
Jolida
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3986433812_0d8e94f69f_b.jpg)
Absolutely gorgeous equipment! Jolida had an excellent sounding setup. Not to mention high performance low cost gear that was among the nicest looking in the show.
The picture says it all. Tubes, blue LEDs $450 for a 12 watt gorgeous integrated, $110 for a Dac awesome stuff!
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3500/3985681677_a4642aa03f_b.jpg)
For the helluvit another low light shot. A little blurry because I didn't bring a tripod and I was using a 2 second exposure.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3986431242_08b786932e_b.jpg)
Everyone's favorite tube integrated.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3985680409_007fea58a1_b.jpg)
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Talking to Scott was another highlight of the show. Always had something new to share, great rooms to see, tips on improving something in my system. All around great guy. I definitely feel his pain having to lug around a heavy, bulky camera for 3 days. It is quite a task. Thanks for the kind words!
Great coverage guys :thumb:
I know first hand how exhausting it is trying to hit as many rooms as possible, take a decent pic or two, get a quick listen, write down what all the gear is, do a quick interview or walk through with the room presenter, THEN sit down, organize and write about it. Even though shows like this are tons of fun, covering them can be a grind...at best.
Every time I'd run across these guys, they looked pretty frazzled trying to make it to the next room. I got to spend some time with them at lunch and in several rooms getting reacquainted and catching up since the last time we met. Great guys (not to mention I carry Tyson's Single Malt Journey on my Crackberry as a reference) :green:
Very nice job!
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Once again, many thanks Pez. You and Tyson did a stellar job and I, for one, really appreciate the effort. :thumb:
Man, I gotta get to RMAF next year.
JakeJ
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You definitely should, there was such a huge Audiocircle presence there it was amazing. We definitely have the best taste in all things. :dance:
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Everyone's favorite tube integrated.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3985680409_007fea58a1_b.jpg)
And all new Jolida tube integrated amps have the factory mods already installed!
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Thanks, Pez. I do plan to make a much more concerted effort.
Agreed that the social aspect is just as important, and maybe more so, as the technological aspect.
One thought cooking in the back of my brain is just to sell everything I have now and show up armed with cash, find the system I like best, and buy it. Figuring that if it sounds good at a show it will sound great at home.
Once again I thank you and Tyson for the fantastic coverage. You guys took what could have been a fun leisurely weekend and turned it into a job with the only compensation being a thank you from a bunch of loons who obsess over the minutia of audio. Amazing! :thumb:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!
You guys rock! :guitar: :drums: :banana piano: :beer:
Best Wishes,
JakeJ
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What is this?
Tyson's Single Malt Journey on my Crackberry as a reference
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Perhaps people should upload all their RMAF 2009 pics to Flickr? Tag them RMAF2009? I know I have a bunch of pics I took....
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What is this?
Tyson's Single Malt Journey on my Crackberry as a reference
Check the link in my sig below.
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Perhaps people should upload all their RMAF 2009 pics to Flickr? Tag them RMAF2009? I know I have a bunch of pics I took....
Great idea, I have a bunch of pics as well. Do we just start uploading to flickr or does someone need to set up an account?
BTW, welcome to AC
Laura
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I setup a flickr account just for RMAF. I will see if I can allow everyone to upload to that, or you can setup your own flickr account for free and do it yourself. I had to upgrade to flickr pro just for rmaf.
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I have a Flickr account, and would upload to it, just tag all the pics you upload with RMAF2009 :)
Wow, Flickr is down right now....
Ok, it's back up....
The reason why you would want to use "RMAF2009", is because "RMAF" apparently means others things, so you get a whole bunch of unrelated results....
And thanks Laura!
Perhaps people should upload all their RMAF 2009 pics to Flickr? Tag them RMAF2009? I know I have a bunch of pics I took....
Great idea, I have a bunch of pics as well. Do we just start uploading to flickr or does someone need to set up an account?
BTW, welcome to AC
Laura
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Last post! :dance: and it only took me two weeks. :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
Any way
Virtue audio w/ Omega and GR Research
Cute little setup here with the Sticks
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3985701207_a92a5fd3f7_b.jpg)
Unfortunately the Omegas were not set up to optimum. For whatever reason they decided to put them on the floor despite the fact that the stands were clearly available. :scratch: I would have loved to hear them in a more ideal setup.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3986457480_2b8cb723c4_b.jpg)
closer shot grill off
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/3986558364_78b87c225b_b.jpg)
Pathos Acoustics/Focal
Sounded pretty good, loved the equipment they had in this room for pure overengineering factor.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2511/3985709221_7bedc2e751_b.jpg)
Our very own Wayne W next to the Pathos Adrenalin amps.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3985711911_9fe20f6e1b_b.jpg)
Like I said OVERengineering. :thumb: I wish I could have heard these bad boys.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/3985713273_5309f23610_b.jpg)
Raal, Solaja Audio
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3985774033_3db797f45a_b.jpg)
Maybe not the best sounding room, but certainly the most intriguing setup. No those are not lamps, those are tweeter drivers.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3985775231_b5682beab0_b.jpg)
I did a special post (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=72412.0) for the Lowther room. Please feel free to visit it.
Last but certainly not least was the....
Kimber Kables room
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3985753253_dc8566a887_b.jpg)
As far as "cost not object" rooms this was far and away the best. I thought the JBLs were simply amazing. HUGE dynamics, great everything top to bottom.
Ray with the JBLs. If you haven't met Ray Kimber let me be the first to say he is a class act all the way. The man loves music and supports it any and every way he knows how.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/3985755449_b647dc9c46_b.jpg)
The weird thing is they had Sony speakers which didn't sound too bad, but couldn't hold a candle to the JBLs.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2519/3985757491_5735e8a99f.jpg)
The JBL with the Sony and on the JBL is the highly advanced Kitty sound absorption module.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3985820505_bac06a8fb0_b.jpg)
Well that's it. I hope you all enjoyed the coverage. Tyson and I had a lot of fun at RMAF. While we were all there to see great gear and learn more about our shared passion for music, equipment and the audiophile way, the thing I always remember about RMAF is the people. Every year I go I get to see all the guys and gals that make this such a fun place to post. I really enjoy the invaluable information they share, the food, the conversation, and most importantly the camaraderie. Thank you all very much for your feedback and thank you all very much for being a part of what made this experience so great!
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Pez, thanks for your time, nice work much appreciated.
charles
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Jaton Corp
Soundstring Cable Room
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2599/3985542685_0af335d982_b.jpg)
Easily one of my top ten rooms. It was surprising for a few reasons. The first being Tyson and I were going to just stop in, takes some photos and run. But when we got in the sound was awesome. We ended up spending about 15-20 minutes listening to track after track. The room consisted of Soundstring cabling, Bamberg Audio speakers, and Modwright amps. It was one of the best put together rooms in the entire show. Really an excellent setup!
Thanks Pez, I just noticed this one. I've got to hear the new Bamberg speakers. I spoke with Phil a couple years ago when he designed a similar looking speaker and he was very excited. I found these on the website and they look like the same model.
Great show report. I hope you guys go to every show! I really love the pictures and descriptions.
Cheers,
J
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Unstickied for now