Made it back in one piece last night. Pretty worn out, but what an experience. Been trying to figure out what I wanted to say about my time there .
First, a huge thanks to Danny!
I contacted him via email before the show to offer an extra set of hands to unload and help out however I could, and he took me up on that offer (I wonder if he knew what he was going to get.....
)
I wanted to get an opportunity to learn a bit more about what goes into setting up a room at a show with a group that consistantly gets top honors for "best sound for the money" and this year put in a serious effort for best sound, regardless of price.
I thought that I could gain some insights as to what I could do to improve my sound at home by listening in as various choices and decisions were made.
It was a great experience. I saw what went into the basic layout, but it was more fascinating when everything was hooked up and running and the fine tuning/tweeking began. Eric arrived with his DACs and the listening began. Danny and Eric had a few favorite pieces that they used, most frequently a piece by Jennifer Warnes. They would sit, one behind the other in the center sweet spots, and listen for just 20-30 seconds then hit pause. They would both pop up and comment on the shortcomings.
What amazed me was that they both would make pretty much the exact same comment. "Her voice is too far forward","the top end is too shrill", "we need to try a different (fill in the blank type of) cable". The sound of the room continued to change for the better as the evening progressed. Speaker positions changed, room treatments moved around, DAC's were swapped, and settings on the servo amps were changed. By the time I left on Thursday evening, I thought the room sounded pretty good - as good, if not better than the room sounded on Sunday of last year with the Super V's.
I had decided to try to swing by the room first thing and last thing each day to see how the room and sound evolved over time. By Sunday afternoon, I thought the room was truly incredible. Every positive "Audiophile" phrase you can think of was there for all to hear. The detail and imaging were up there with anything I've heard at a show. Speed up there with the best Electrostatics. Soundstage with positioning of instruments that was palpable at times (depended entirely on the source). I think enough has been said by others about the bass - I think it would be hard for anybody to say that it was not some of the best musical bass they've heard. Coming back into the room after hearing the other rooms was a relief - this system played
music.
In short, these are speakers that I want for myself, just no way to swing it at this point.
Lastly, thanks to everyone in the group for putting up with me. Great to spend time with this group of friendly knowledgable Audio fiends.
Eric - I thank you for sharing a few insights on synergy and what to look for. I think we share many views on setting up a room.
Dave, great to see you this year and glad you are continuing to recover. Eagerly awaiting my UberBUSS and conducting my own little shootout.
Gary, it was a pleasure to meet you. You make some
killer equipment. I wish I had been there when you tried the bigger amps and heard what the differences were for myself.
"Triode" Pete - thanks for everything - it's plugged in and running as I type and I will do some critical listening tonight. Your stuff is incredible, and I can't believe the flexability of the cords.
.....I must get better at "synergy"
Thanks again to everybody.
