A friend of mine who plays jazz piano, has good ears and a good job needs to buy a new stereo from soup to nuts. He asked for my advice because it was my stereo that opened his ears to the possibilities. So tonight I took him to Sonic Spirits, which also doubles as Phil's apartment. His rig for demonstration is the Resolution Audio cd player with Blue Circle pre-amp, amp, and power conditioner, all linked together with Audience Au24 cables. He has matched this rig with Focus Audio speakers. Tonight we listened to the 688 monitors and the 888 floorstanders.
We started with the 688's and were duly impressed. Those little boxes deliver a spectacular soundscape with such great authority that it seems like some laws of physics must have been bent by the manufacturer. It is the 888's, though, that just kill me. They have a smoothness that easily rivals what I hear with my Meadowlark Blue Herons but there is no sense at any point that anything at the very highest frequencies has been left out. What comes with that? Imaging beyond compare. I have never heard such a wonderful 3 dimensional presentation and I have listened to plenty of ridiculously priced gear. Phil has found a nice synergy with his electronics and speakers. Anyone who goes to the Home Entertainment Show 2004 in NYC will have a chance to hear the magic. Phil has a room there. Check it out!
