RMAF 2012 Day 3 Tyson and Pez Coverage LIVE

roscoeiii · « **Reply #20 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 06:44 pm »

Jim, do you mind removing the pic links from the post that you just gave the

?

opnly bafld · « **Reply #21 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 06:58 pm »

Pez · « **Reply #22 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:19 pm »

ModWright Instruments, Inc.
Daedalus Audio
WyWires, LLC

Got a chance to listen to the Orpheus earlier this week and now we are hearing the same system wit the argos speakers. Great bass reach. Slight overhang in the room, that said imaging is awesome. Much tighter focus than the Orpheus. Dynamics are pretty incredible and the midrange is sultry baby. I think these might be Daedalus's best speaker. The timbre is much more pleasant than the Orpheus in this setup! Nice smooth top end and that fat but gorgeous midrange Daedalus is known for. Chocolaty and romantic. I keep looking at these speakers and wondering why I don't see more people making amazing looking speakers like this. Most other manufacturers paint their speakers with sports car paint. You know Ferrari orange and the like. The net result is a giant speaker that looks like a child's toy. When you look at the wood grain you can't help but think these are something that someone made who deeply cares about quality. Great room again, but better IMO than the Orpheus.

Tyson's Comment - New speakers set up in this room and we happened to be right by it (the room is very close to the Marriot Bar & Grill where we just had lunch). So we popped in for a quick listen before heading back to the Towers.

It's official, I like the Argus speakers much better than the Orpheus, just like last year I like the Athenas better than the Ulysses. Smoother and warmer, and don't really give up much in the way of detail. If you are a detail person, then you might put the ratings in reverse. But for me, the Daedalus room is much improved today over when we heard it with the Orpheus on Friday.

django11 · « **Reply #23 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:28 pm »

Does somebody have a link to the speakers in the Odyssey room. With price and specs? Thanks!

django11 · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:31 pm »

When this is over we should have a quiz about RMAF 2012. Sample questions: What type of music does Tyson like? What is Pez' favorite meal?

I wonder what 1st prize could be?

Pez · « **Reply #25 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:34 pm »

Not going to post more pics, just going to add an addendum to the stuff we wrote yesterday. We are back at the GR research room as per several requests. Apparently something was changed with the dac and people are insistent that the improvement is big.

We are listening to some guitar right now and things are most definitely better balanced. So much so that there is now warmth rather than hollowness. The tipped up sound is completely gone. This is a huge change. I'm loving the warmth here. No doubt that this trio was worth it. Thanks guys for the suggestion to come back.

Pez · « **Reply #26 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:44 pm »

GR Research
Dodd Audio
PI audio group, LLC
dB Audio Labs
Triode Wire Labs, Inc.

Tyson's Comments Revisited the GR Research room at the request of several people. They made a change to the filtering settings in the DAC. I already loved the speaker in most aspects, as was clear from my previous post, and I have to say that they are a lot better tonally today. Still not what I would call a warm speaker, but much closer to neutral than we heard yesterday.

morganc · « **Reply #27 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:45 pm »

Did they change the amps and Pre at the GR Room?

Pez · « **Reply #28 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:47 pm »

Merlin Music Systems
Ars-Sonum
Cardas Audio LLC

Ot year the Merlin room was not great. This year though they are back to their nearly perfect t rack record and again have an excellent setup. Easy to listen to smooth and very seductive. There is a bass overhang issue of course with these rooms and the paneling they are using do not seem to correct this but other than that very nice sound again!

Tyson's Comments Nice, more room treatments, vendors are really doing a better job of getting these terrible rooms under control this year! We always love the Merlin room (last year being the exception that proves the rule), and this year is are return to form. Tube amps and paper drivers with silk tweeters - a combo I love and this room is great.

Pez · « **Reply #29 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:52 pm »

Wisdom Audio

My general impressions of this room are that the sound is verging on a metallic artifical sound very much what most think of when they think of a mediocre ribbon speaker. They aren't overly bright but certainly not my cup of tea.

Tyson's Notes - Very tall, very thin speakers. Those are some nice sounding ribbons. Do well all the things good ribbons do - transparency and harmonics and detail like mad. But surprisingly don't sound bright or hard, even in my current very near-field listening position. I'm 6 feet from the speaker and they are still nicely integrated.

Pez · « **Reply #30 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:55 pm »

Audio Alternative
Audio Research Corporation
AudioQuest
Vandersteen Audio, Inc.

Tyson's Comments - These might be really good speakers, but it's hard to tell because the room is not well treated enough. They have a bit of a tipped up top end, but I think it's the room and not necessarily the speakers. Probably could have been a great room, but it's not....

Pea note I agree with Tyson on this one... Photo bucket was giving me a hard time so I cinch have time to post impressions.

audiogoober · « **Reply #31 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:56 pm »

Did they change preamps in the Daedalus/Modwright room?

dminches · « **Reply #32 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 07:58 pm »

From the picture it looks likes they have both the LS-100 and the 36.5.

audiogoober · « **Reply #33 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:00 pm »

Yup, and both are on! Wondering which was being used on friday and today.....

Pez · « **Reply #34 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:02 pm »

German Physiks

As always German physics has a great soundstage. Pretty much a sit anywhere affair. Yet there isn't a lot of image focus. More disperse sounding. Tonal balance is pretty good. And there is a decent amount of intimacy. There is a bit of overhang again in this room due to inadequate treatment. That said the treatment really made a substantial difference from last year.

Tyson's Comments - Wow, yet another room with at least some treatment! I'm really impressed with the change we've seen with this over last year, and every other year. The GP room does what it always does best - massive soundstage and open sound. Not the most dynamic speakers ever, but I think they might be better integrated sounding than in previous years. Not sure if they changed anything recently, but that's what my ears tell me.

Pez · « **Reply #35 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:08 pm »

Light Harmonic
Von Schweikert Audio
MIT Cables

Decent sound. A little harsh when piano gets loud. Good bass control from my chair... Not really a lot here that is blowing my mind.

Tyson's Comments - No female vocals in this room, just a piano track, but still pretty bright/hard sounding when those upper register keys are struck. I thought the VS speakers sounded bright with tube amps yesterday, and they still sound pretty much the same way today with Solid State amps. Moving on...

Pez · « **Reply #36 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:17 pm »

Triode Corporation Ltd. - Japan
Twin Audio Video, Inc.
Nittobo Acoustic Engineering Co., Ltd
Acoustic Zen

Ok every year I love this room and I think this year they hit it out of the park. As much as I want to find something, anything that is not great about this room I can't. The warmth is easily best in show, the intimacy is among the best the diffusers in here look incredible! This room has finesse, control, refinement and the balls to really have great bass slam. Superb is the word here.

Tyson's Comments - Triode rooms sounds great, as always. We are not spending a lot of time here because we don't have to. They have great sound every year and today is true too. Big, bold, clear, emotionally engaging sound. Pressed for time today, so we are moving on....

woofersus · « **Reply #37 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:19 pm »

Quote from: Pez on 14 Oct 2012, 07:34 pm

Not going to post more pics, just going to add an addendum to the stuff we wrote yesterday. We are back at the GR research room as per several requests. Apparently something was changed with the dac and people are insistent that the improvement is big.

We are listening to some guitar right now and things are most definitely better balanced. So much so that there is now warmth rather than hollowness. The tipped up sound is completely gone. This is a huge change. I'm loving the warmth here. No doubt that this trio was worth it. Thanks guys for the suggestion to come back.

I don't know what those sounded like yesterday, but I got over there today and thought they were pretty great. Whatever they did was good. We've changed preamps (Melody P2688) and are generally more happy with our sound, so if you end up making back over to the Atrium at all it might be worth peeking your heads back in briefely. Great job with the marathon coverage guys.

Pez · « **Reply #38 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:36 pm »

Bud Fried

Ok so this is anothe refreshing room. Good amount of room treatment, great sound and quite honestly way more than what I expected looking at the gear. Not so fond of the Samson's blue color, but that aside this is incredible. Bach sounds liquid and sweet. Mahler just crushed it. Ani showcases very well on this setup. There is a touch of control issues with her vocals at times. Those Yorke is sounding very fun on this system. I love the boldness and incredible gusto this system has. There is a slight shoutiness like many other rooms, though to a lessor degree because of the treatment.

Tyson Notes[/u]

Bach - Good sense of air and space on the solo violin. A bit unrefined on the very high stuff, but overall good emotional engagement.

Mahler - Ah, now we are talking, really good sense of scale and reproducing a large orchestra. Horns and wind instruments are not grainy or gritty, which is hard to get right, let me tell you! Overall they are full in the mids and slightly thin in the highs. But they hit that crescendo very well, good dynamics on these guys.

Ani DiFranco - Ah that beautiful country twang of the guitar on this track, captured very well. Good emotional intensity with her vocals, a bit sibilant. Bass is overloading the room on this track. Good overall clarity and detail.

Thom Yorke - Oh, that bass just DROPS! Kickin'! Loving this track on this system. Perhaps not the most refined sound of the show, but it boogies! Nice soundstage and placement of the various electronic sounds.

General Room Notes - Love the dual carpets under the speakers, and the dual amps, they did a nice job visually presenting everything and making the speakers and amps look very cool. Fried Speakers are BACK BABY!

Pez · « **Reply #39 on:** 14 Oct 2012, 08:52 pm »

Salk Sound
Audio by Van Alstine

Listening to the big beauties. The sound is very nice if a little a little dry. The Bach piece was good with emotion but not great. I'm enjoying them and I think the main problem is the odd shaped room they're in. Though I can tell from the tonal balance that this problem is correctable. Ani sounds very nice a little over hang but nothing better room treatment and a better space wouldn't cure. The image and soundstage is slightly 2D. On thom Yorke the overhang issue becomes way more apparent. Though the panning effect is pretty damn good here! This system is what I would call close but no cigar in this setup. I don't know why but I know that this gear would sound WAY better in a better configuration. I said some negative things here, but my impressions area actually very positive. I like the signature sound. No ear bleeding problems, no midrange hollowness no bass boom issues. Everything I think is wrong with this setup has more to do wit h the room than anything else.

In another note these speakers are incredible. The finish and the look are on par with Daedalus, but obviously different in that these are veneered vs solid wood on the Daedalus. The veneer is GORGEOUS none the less.

Tyson Notes[/u]
Bach - Hmm, interesting. These speakers are bightly lit, but somehow not painful to listen to. I think it's because the integration between the mids and tweeter is absolutly seemless. Usually this track makes the tweeter "pop out" and make a nuisance of itself. Not here, stays even and clear, from top to bottom.

Mahler - Interesting, horns are again brightly lit, but are NOT thin. Horns have more presence here than in other rooms, but it's not unpleasant or driving me out of the listening spot (and given the ceramic drivers, this surprises me!). Those big woofers slam home the bass drum with authority.

Ani DiFranco - Hey, that's cool, there's harmonics just floating off her guitar, me likey! You can really hear the inflections in her voice, how she contracts her vocal chords to squeze out that anger and sorrow.

Thom Yorke - Very quick bass. Only criticism so far on this system - Thom's vocals sound a bit "croaky", and not like his normal whiney effete self. But on the other hand, if this system can make even Thom Yorke sound like a man, then that's gotta be respected

General Room Notes - OK, I'm saying it now - these are flat out the most beautiful speakers at this show. Perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen ever. Yeah, pics do NOT capture the depth of workmanship that goes into these. Jaw dropping. Oh yeah, and the AVA gear looks good again this year with it's silve face plates and blue LED's. Understated, but beautiful.