Had a wonderful time at Audio Connection this past week with John Rutan and Mr.Ed. We listened to the 5's, 7's and 3A Sigs. All were wonderful and cut from the same cloth. The 7's were just breathtaking in the back room with ARC power. The sound stage was insanely deep and the speakers vanished. Nils Lofrgren Solo Live was uncanny. I had not heard that before and was really something special. Also James Cotton's "Down At Your Buryin" from Deep In The Blues was spooky.
We also went upstairs and heard the 3A Sigs with an all Cary set up. The 200.2 amp went up against Pass Labs and Bryston and was the the clear winner over all. Anybody heard this amp? Really remarkable solid state offering from Cary. Really made the 3A Sigs sit up and bark with huge dynamics. I own those speakers myself and was really impressed with this amps synergy with them.
Also while there, Richard Vandersteen phoned and I had a nice conversation with him about the music biz, the economy, etc. Very nice man and a lot of fun to talk to. Nice experience to be listening to a product line all afternoon and then speak to the designer on the phone by chance.
Of course John Rutan was a gracious and fun host, really having a good time talking about audio and answering all my questions about different important speakers in audio history. Very informative indeed. There's no place like Audio Connection that I've experienced that's a real place to hang out and immerse yourself in the hobby.
