Everyone,
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody involved in making the Chicago Audio Society demonstration of the SP Technology Continuum A.D. a great success!!! I especially want to thank their VP - Rich Sacks and all the members and attendies of the meeting for their gracious invitation and very warm reception. They are a very friendly and supportive group that any manufacturer or dealer would be fortunate to receive such an invitation from. We really enjoyed ourselves and was encouraged by many of the kind members that we spoke with. You can be sure will be back in the future as guests just to enjoy their comany and the interesting subjects they will be covering. I highly recommend that any interested audiophiles that are able to make their meetings do so. We're certain it will be worth your while.
We also want to thank Joe Jurzec and Mike Kern of JAM'N Audio for all of their efforts. Those guys sure jumped through hoops to make everything come off without a hitch. Joe spent almost an entire week tweaking and voicing the entire system to get just the right combination. They provided virtually all of the electronics (save the Macr-Reference) that we listened to and without that gear and Joe's & Mike's ears, the Continuums certainly wouldn't wouldn't have been anywhere near as well received as they were. They hauled all the equipment both there and back and even provided the pictures you see above. Thanks guys - you're the greatest!
Also, we absolutely must thank Bill Baker of Response Audio for building the increadible sounding Jolida 801's that were used. I guess its about time I shut up about tube amps 'cause I didn't know what I was talking about in the past. Those babies were increadible! They didn't have the mushy low end or edgy highs I've heard from tube amps in the past. Although I will make one point in my own defense. I've always said that there was no reason that tubes COULDN'T sound as good as S-S, just that few manufacturers ever make them. Well...Bill's one that DOES! That thing was one of the best amps I've ever heard - PERIOD. Bill had to build the thing in time for the show and he came through with time to spare. Thanks Bill - you da' man!
Finally, we need to thank Robert Maicks and Brent Rhiel of StarSound Technologies - the guys that make the Audio Points. I was a bit of a skeptic once with their stuff too but I'm a believer now!!! Thanks guys for making stuff that isn't hype but that really WORKS!!! We'll be talking soon.
Anyway, as far as the sound went, I thought it was great. I do want to say one thing though. For all the folks that heard the MR/Jolida biamp setup; I think the Jolida was not level matched to the MR throughout the whole session. Joe did the best he could by ear at his place before we got to the meeting and left the settings where they were. His room is more heavily damped and that may have caused him to set the high's a little hot. I'd say no more than 1 or 2 dB at most, but with a crossover of 950 Hz, that ends up tilting a very large part of the midrange as well as the highs up where it would seem like the amp combination might be the problem.
I don't think so though. You'd be amazed what +/-1 dB can do to the whole sense of spectral balance across a range that wide. Our tweeter "CUT" circuit only knocks off 2 dB and it makes a huge difference. I don't personally like it either but it does help in a very bright room or with a very bright recording. If I would have had a chance using my test gear to match the amp outputs of the low and high sections so they're as flat as when being driven by a single amp, I think it would have been a whole different experience. Oh well, the Jolida alone kicked serious butt anyway.
And for you guys that didn't stay to the end: Remember me saying that I had a Sheffield drum solo track that I wanted to crank up for you? I've learned my lesson. I'm going to play that sucker
FIRST next time. It ended up being the last cut we played and I think if you would have heard that, we'd be backlogged with orders for the next year! Just ask Rich Sacks or any of the other guys that stayed to the end. We were clipping the MR at close to 1500 watts per side! You just haven't heard dynamics 'til you've heard that. Go ahead and ask them, everybody was blown away. Even I was, I never played the Continuums that loud before. I have to admit, I was doing my fair share of struting like a rooster with a henhouse full of chickens after that!
Yeah, we rocked real good.
Anyway, that's enough of my crowing. I sure hope someone else that was there adds their input. It may not have been everybody's cup of tea but I think we did pretty good over all. Whatever the consensus, we had fun. As far as I know, that's what its suppose to be all about. Sure hope the other folks did too. That alone will have made it worthwhile.
G'night all,:beer:
-Bob
