[Jon L]

EOSD3182 by drjlo2, on Flickr

A different Audio Element room with big VTL monoblocks and Sonus Faber Amati Futura speakers, with black finish instead of the usual Sonus Faber wooden look.  The FULL DCS digital stack was dominating the room visually as well as sonically.


EOSD3184 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3185 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3186 by drjlo2, on Flickr

DCS transport, DAC, upsampler, clock, all arranged to enable comparing sound quality from disc, USB, and Network (NAS). MacBook Pro was handling the computer side of things.  Obviously, these types of comparisons are dependent on many factors including software, implementation of each connection method, cables, etc.  In this room, the physical disc had the most obvious vividness, bass authority, and that familiar perfect-sound-forever mien, but the network connection fought back with a smoother, more analogue type of presentation while not yielding too much on the detail front.  The USB input didn't really impress in direct comparison, but I would bet a USB guru could turn that around with some tweaking.  In this room, the USB input sounded somewhat dull with less bass foundation. 


EOSD3187 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3188 by drjlo2, on Flickr

VTL integrated amp with speaker output in back and headphone output in front.


EOSD3191 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Einstein electronics are always looking majestic.  I wish more gear looked like these.


EOSD3195 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3197 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Wavetouch speakers.  These sported funky "waveguides" with what looks to be Pinocchio's nose in front of drivers.  I heard very crisp and defined highs, and voila, it turns out they use the inimitable AMT tweeters.  The room didn't sport SOTA type of gear at all, using an Oppo 95 into a Scott Nixon DAC.  The cute monitors were making real music at only $2K a pair. 


EOSD3198 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3199 by drjlo2, on Flickr

One-eyed Pinocchio?


EOSD3200 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Wall full of Cabasse speakers of various ilk.


EOSD3201 by drjlo2, on Flickr

With Teac desk-top system.  Wish I had that for my college years..


EOSD3203 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Esoteric and Cabasse main room sure looked impressive.  I couldn't help but wonder how many Esoterics I would need to add before the equipment rack collapsed.  Jokes aside, I thought the eyeballs (ehem, "Spheres") with the hidden subwoofers sounded more successful than the traditional boxed type.  The impressive Esoteric K-01 CDP with AKM 32-bit DAC chips once again made people's wish list.


EOSD3206 by drjlo2, on Flickr

See what I mean?


EOSD3207 by drjlo2, on Flickr

We are watching YOU!



EOSD3209 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Teresonic Ingenium speakers.  Fabulous cabinetry and finish with sound quality that kind of mimics the look, warm and inviting.  The small speaker on the floor, which I initially thought was a small subwoofer, turned out to be Teresonic Magus speakers.  They are supposed to look like this on stands.


Magus by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3212 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3215 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Melody Valve gear with Angel City Audio Trinity speakers presented some tremendous value.  The speakers cost around $3K a pair, which had a great performance-to-price ratio.  The Melody MN845 monoblocks were glowing with that red glow only a quad of 845 tubes can provide.

 

EOSD3214 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3220 by drjlo2, on Flickr

More Melody goodness.

[Jon L]

EOSD3224 by drjlo2, on Flickr

MSB Technology with YG Acoustics speakers, which are machined out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy with ultra clean sound.  MSB Tech is one of the few companies that are using their own DAC technology, with their discrete 24-bit ladder DAC modules.  Delicious stuff.


EOSD3225 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3226 by drjlo2, on Flickr

MSB transport, connected to MSB DAC's via their proprietary MSB Link. 


EOSD3227 by drjlo2, on Flickr

The star of the room was the new MSB Tech "Analogue" DAC, which is their "entry-level" (?) DAC at $6995 featuring a large portion of technology from their Platinum/Diamond line of DAC's.  Whatever they are doing, the room sounded mighty rich, detailed, and "centered."
 


EOSD3229 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Concert Fidelity/ Onda Systems room featuring TAD Reference One speakers.  Not a small speaker system by any means, but the huge room made them appear small.


EOSD3230 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3231 by drjlo2, on Flickr

This BSG Technologies room was perhaps one of the most interesting rooms at the show.  The second from top component is the qøl™ processor.  I am not even sure how to pronounce that word, but it certainly made a huge sonic difference in and out of the audio loop.  I still am not sure what's inside, but in this age of SOTA digital processing, qøl™ is an analogue processor that, using their wording, captures "all the dynamic, tonal, and spatial content of a real sonic event."  Upon further inquiry, I am gathering it is some sort of device that works with the correct (enhance?) phase of things. 

Even though the device's gain is zero, when engaged, the system volume seemed louder, due to whatever it was doing correctly per their explanation.  When volume was matched during the demo, I still sensed a lot more immediacy, vividness, and a sense of a veil or two lifted.  This is definitely a product worth keeping an eye on. 


EOSD3233 by drjlo2, on Flickr

YG Acoustics room with Tenor amplification.  Gorgeous gear with sound to match.  I mean, this stuff is really lovely in looks and sound, and these guys know how to set up a room properly.


EOSD3236 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3237 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Audio Research and Vandersteen 7 speakers, which is a 170 pound behemouth with actively-powered bass amp inside.  I'm not too sure about the blue color, but the sound quality was certainly representative of what Vandersteen can do when not trying to be budget-minded. 


EOSD3238 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Really love gear in this ARC room.


EOSD3239 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3241 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3243 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Vandersteen Carbon Quatro speakers powered by Audio Research Integrated tube amp.  What's interesting was the source being a tiny $250 USB DAC the Dragonfly.



EOSD3244 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Silverline Sonatina IV speakers ($6000) powered by the respected BEL amplifier.  Silverline speakers sometimes fly under the radar of shoppers, but these speakers had a clear, rich, involving sound with lots of ambience.  The BEL amplification certainly had a part in the overall sound as well.  The fact they are easy-to-drive 91 dB/ 8 Ohms is a bonus for those of us with moderate wattage.



EOSD3245 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Lots of cool lights in this McIntosh room.  It's not like anyone can mistaken this room for anything else, but the speakers seemed rather conventional, compared to the wide McIntosh speakers with a few dozen drivers in past.



EOSD3247 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Von Schweikert Audio room featuring their smaller UniField 2 speakers.  For a speaker with 7 inch bass driver in a bookshelf cabinet, it had great bass prowess along with nice build quality.


EOSD3248 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3249 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Hmm, who could THAT be dancing on the screen?



EOSD3251 by drjlo2, on Flickr

This Pioneer room blew away people's minds, mainly due to the $129/pair Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers by the esteemed Andrew Jones of TAD fame.  The speakers were rather well-placed, but even driven by consumer-grade Pioneer electronics, the room had clarity, neutrality, and great bass power, especially considering the 4 inch bass driver!  Sure, things may not be refined to the Nth degree, but music was alive and enjoyable, which is what matters.  I see Best Buy has them on sale for $99/pair, so people need to be running to buy a pair, or six. 


EOSD3252 by drjlo2, on Flickr

[Jon L]

EOSD3254 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Totem Acoustics room with Totem Element Metal speakers.  In the olden days, possibly due to the conventional appearance, Totem name didn't exactly elicit excitment to many.  The new Element Metal line changes things with the modern design, colors, and most of all, the high-tech 7 inch drivers run without any crossovers on the woofers.  These speakers powered by MBL amps just rocked the room with huge bass dynamics for the cabinet size.  One wouldn't think of "Totem" upon first glance, but the unique beak feet give them away eventually.


EOSD3255 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3256 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3257 by drjlo2, on Flickr

The more traditional Totems in the back of the room.  One does not see MBL electronics used with non-MBL speakers often, but here they are, powering Totems, even matching them in color.


EOSD3258 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3260 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Another dark HT room with huge TV, looking mighty crisp I must say.



EOSD3261 by drjlo2, on Flickr

The main TAD room.  Their speakers simply feel and sound like Mount Rushmore, so solid is the sound foundations. 


EOSD3262 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Smaller, yet still large, TAD speakers on display.  Again, so solidly constructed.


EOSD3263 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3265 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Lawrence Audio Speakers.  There were rather interesting-looking bunch of speakers with the Cello model here with Air Motion Tweeters in front and rear-firing ribbon tweeters. A full complement of Jeff Rowland amplification and DAC was powering these unique-appearing speakers.


EOSD3264 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Beautiful craftsmanship indeed.


EOSD3266 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3268 by drjlo2, on Flickr

There were several rooms featuring the new Jeff Rowland Aeris DAC, which comes with USB, toslink, and spdif inputs.  If only Rowland gear was more affordable..



EOSD3270 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Wyred 4 Sound room featuring all W4S electronics, DAC and what looks like Paradigm Signature S8  speakers, which are 6-driver, 3-way design. 


EOSD3271 by drjlo2, on Flickr

W4S independence, except for speakers.



EOSD3273 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Emerald Physics room with CS 2.3 Mk II speakers which are $5950 with active DSP included, not a bad price for a 3-way, 4 driver, bi-amped dipole speaker.  They certainly have that dipole sound and room integration, but I do wish Emerald Physics would have easier-to-remember, catchier names.


EOSD3274 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Yup, that's dipole to the max. 


EOSD3275 by drjlo2, on Flickr

The CS2P speakers.  See what I mean by needing catchier names?




 

[Jon L]

EOSD3276 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Cake Audio Room was one of my favorite rooms at the show, a lot of it owing to the incredible Rockport Technologies Atria speakers, which at $21,500/pair is not too bad for a Rockport.  They utilize Rockport's new carbon-fiber sandwich-composite midrange drivers and woofer, as well as beryllium-dome tweeters, all housed in granite-like cabinets.  Often, high-tech drivers and cabinets can end up sounding too high-fi and dry, but the Atria sounded sumptuous, rich, detailed, while sounding precise at the same time.  The huge Balanced Audio Tech solid-state amplifier must sound very good as well, as the system sounded like tubes with tube vividness and liveliness without the mush. 


EOSD3277 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3278 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3279 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3280 by drjlo2, on Flickr

KT Audio Imports room with glistening Eventus Audio Phobos speakers.  They weren't the only things glowing as the TriangleART turntables were simply breath-taking.


EOSD3281 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3284 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3285 by drjlo2, on Flickr

True vinyl-lover's dream.


EOSD3286 by drjlo2, on Flickr

And the NAT Audio Magma Limited Edition single-ended class-A 160 watt amp featuring the sexy 450 TH radio-emitter tube.  Incredible stuff.



EOSD3287 by drjlo2, on Flickr

WyWires room with TAD speakers and VAC stereo amp. 



EOSD3288 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Brooks Berdan room with Spendor A9 speakers ($7995) and very French Jadis electronics.  I have not heard amusical Spendors in my life, and these speakers were also sounding mighty musical and involving, although not exactly a looker.  Jadis preamps and amps are legendary, and the overall sound in here had a delicacy and refinement tube afacionados know and love.



EOSD3291 by drjlo2, on Flickr

King Sound Prince III electrostat speakers.  I love electrostats and welcome any new 'stats, but unfortunately, they are notoriously difficult to set up in rooms, and this room sounded like a little more tuning was in order, e.g. some room enforcements in lower ranges was missed.



EOSD3293 by drjlo2, on Flickr

PBN room with simply Herculean speakers dominating the room, as well as huge PBN monoblocks.  This type of situation makes it difficult to evaluate the speakers without the room interaction, but PBN speakers always seem to offer a nice value for what one gets.  A whole rack full of PBN electronics were manning the bathroom door here.


EOSD3292 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3294 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Opera speakers.  I noticed a Unico CDP hiding in the corner in this room. 



EOSD3295 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Quintessence Audio MX speakers in this room were also rather large, but the sound somehow integrated pretty well in the room.  PBN amplification was handling these beasts with aplomb, especially in creating a nice groove and rhythm, along with rich harmonics.  Really nice-sounding room.


EOSD3296 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3297 by drjlo2, on Flickr

I noticed several rooms using the AMR CDP, including this Quintessence room, and basically all of them sounded great.  Coincidence?


EOSD3298 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3299 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Room featuring ZenSati line of cables. 



EOSD3300 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Studio Electric Monitor loudspeakers.  What little I heard in short time sounded very nice and modern, especially given the retro look of these speakers.  Benchmark DAC2 HGC sourcing the music.



EOSD3302 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Chapman Audio T-7 speakers with Cary 306 SACD player and Cary tube amps.  I can't say I love the look of these loudspeakers, but the overall sound was very organic, flowing, and delicate. 


EOSD3304 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Cary.  Very nice.



EOSD3306 by drjlo2, on Flickr

NuForce room with Angel City Audio Trinity speakers, same speakers featured in the Melody Audio room.  Oppo transport into NuForce DAC9, all into NuForce amplification.  Personally, I prefer the look with the grill off though.


EOSD3307 by drjlo2, on Flickr




EOSD3308 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Linn Audio Loudspeakers, not to be confused with Linn UK.  This model is the New Athenaum, featuring a compression driver horn-loaded to a rather low crossover point.  Sourced by bone-stock Sony 5400 player into Pass XA100.5 monoblocks, these speakers had incredibly airy and smooth high/mids.  Those who fancy a two-way with compression driver and woofer won't be able to do much better than these. 


EOSD3309 by drjlo2, on Flickr

These are some sweet amps I must say.








 

[Jon L]

EOSD3310 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Onda Ligera room with Onda Ligera WAVE 168D loudspeakers and Onda Ligera amplification.  This is a formidable design with top cabinet contructed out of aluminum and the bass module with special bass loading utilizing two 8 inch drivers facing each other inside. 


EOSD3312 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Not sure if it's due to the special bass loading, but I noticed trendous bass drive and natural bounce in this room.  I hate bass that is robot-tight and over-damped, lacking natural web-and-flow.  This system had bassline that was bouncy and natural yet with great pitch.  Very nice.



EOSD3313 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Wilson Audio Sophia III speakers with Ayre QB-9 DAC and integrated amp.  Wilson certainly has changed its core sound character completely since the days of Watt 3/Puppy 2, now with most of their speakers sounding quite smooth, refined, and dare-I-say warm.  The ubiquitous Ayre electronics really seem to bring out speakers' potential as well, walking the fine balance between warmth and resolution. 



EOSD3315 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Martin Logan room with the Montis speaker, which comes in below the Summit X at $9,995.  I did not see the huge CLX 'stats this year, and in many ways, the smaller Logans do these rooms more justice.  The Herron electronics nicely fleshed out the tones while retaining the ethereal beauty of 'stat panels.  Many people in past have been turned off by old Logan hybrids due to the bass discontinuity, but their recent offerings have really minimized that effect to the point where I could personally own a pair without much complaint. 


EOSD3316 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3317 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Headphones scattered about.



EOSD3318 by drjlo2, on Flickr

More gear I simply did not get to give a good listen.


EOSD3319 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3322 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Von Gaylord room.  Their new entry-level speaker VG-8 using a titanium tweeter and fiberglass woofer, more affordable at $3500 compared to $13K the Legend commands, yet offering a healthy dose of the big brother's sound quality.  An old Marantz CD73 was acting as transport into Von Gaylord's own DAC.



EOSD3324 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne mini-monitors (around $2500) powered by Playback Designs' new IPS-3 (Integrated Playback System 3), which houses DAC/preamp/amp in one chassis.  These mini-monitors simply disappeared from the room, leaving just you and the performer.  People say this about a lot of small speakers, but these really disappear; and the uncluttered convenience of the one-box Playback Designs unit helped to make for a very simple, clean, great-sounding system. 


EOSD3326 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Yup, they are 4 inch bass drivers in there. 


EOSD3327 by drjlo2, on Flickr

IPS-3 even offers USB input, so you can do laptop to IPS-3 to speakers.  Done.



EOSD3329 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Fritz Rev 7 Towers in play here with Atmasphere preamp.  I could not make out which monoblocks were playing at the moment, but there was an Atmasphere amp in front as well. 



EOSD3330 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Music First room featuring Audio Note AN-E Lexus HE speakers.  Many people look at an Audio Note speaker, look at the price tag, and inevitably ask, "Why does it cost so much?"  There are some explanations as to what goes into these speakers on the AN website, etc, but honestly, one look at these plain-Jane speakers doesn't inspire too much confidence.  To make it worse, the 300B SET amp planned to be used was having issues, so the plain Music Reference RM 10 amp with lowly EL84 tube (gulp!) was powering them.  When playing power music, I still did not feel good about the price, especially with so many speaker options out there, many of them present in this very building.  Then somebody hung a reel-to-reel tape of some very nice concerto, and I "got it" suddenly.  In the heart of midrange, there was just simply music.  There suddenly was no need to analyze this and that aspect of the musical reproduction, as I simply felt I was listening to the musician directly. 

Oh, well, this system will not outshine others when it comes to many types of music or source, but if you dig the type of music and sound it presents so well, then the price would only be a number.  Darn!


EOSD3331 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3332 by drjlo2, on Flickr

My perennial favorite, Sander Sound room.  The associated gear does not change year-to-year, and the sound was as clean, immaculate, refined, direct, and simply beautiful.  Sanders 10C electrostat with the digital crossover still remains one of the very finest speakers one can own, at any price.  This time, though, having listened to the Audio Note speakers with the right music, and even the ludicrous-appearing Voxative Ampeggio Due speakers with the right music, I do wish Sanders had that super-extra, ridiculously-outrageous, well, soul.  Then again, Sanders will play way more variety of music with aplomb, so this is why we are all here always seeking.


EOSD3334 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Sanders Sound amplifier.


EOSD3335 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Same gear always.


EOSD3338 by drjlo2, on Flickr




EOSD3339 by drjlo2, on Flickr


More rooms unable to give a good listen to.



EOSD3341 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3342 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Reite Audio electronics and Silverline speakers.  The tall and skinny Silverline Prelude Plus speakers were making unusually authoritative music here, no doubt aided by the impressive Reite Audio gear.  In fact, the $2000 Silverlines once again appeared to be value champs in this price range, with very good clarity and bass for size.  Add a small 8 inch subwoofer or two, and one could have a very full-range goodness here.



EOSD3344 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Home theater with Emotiva speakers.

[Jon L]

EOSD3345 by drjlo2, on Flickr

ATC 100 active loudspeakers driven by Antelope Audio Zodiac Gold DAC with Voltikus power supply. ATC makes some great speakers, and the active versions really cutting down on clutter.  It's surprising not more people own them. 


EOSD3346 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Antelope Audio Rubicon AD/DA Preamplifier. 



EOSD3349 by drjlo2, on Flickr

KEF room with R900 speakers really caught me by surprise.  KEF was showing their high-tech Blade speakers last year, which costs a lot more than R900, but R900 has trickle-down technology, especially the sweet Uni-Q tweeter/midrange coaxial, coincident array.  Powered by Chord electronics and Chord USB DAC, they presented clear, vivid, solid sounds with appropriate warmth and texture.  More importantly, the familiar male and female vocals did not exhibit strange colorations or anomalies, just neutral, strong reach-out quality.  These retail for around $5K, and it's amazing how much speaker one can get for that price range these days compared to just 5-6 years ago.  Bravo, KEF.


EOSD3350 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Smaller KEF LS50 speakers with Parasound setup.  Again, given the size of speakers, some good tunes were coming out this setup, helped by the Parasound Z-DAC USB DAC hiding in the rack.


EOSD3353 by drjlo2, on Flickr


EOSD3354 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3355 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Janszen Loudspeakers



EOSD3358 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Crazy Voxativ Ampeggio Due speakers.  These are around $100K, seeming like an even worse value proposition than Audio Note speakers.  Powered by the equally-crazy looking KR audio Kronzilla SX amplifier, this system produced the male voice like I have never heard before.  In an ideal world, I might use the Sanders 'stat for female voices, Audio Note for chamber music, Voxativ for male vocals, MBL for parties or dynamic music, etc, but here we are. 


EOSD3359 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3360 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3361 by drjlo2, on Flickr

ESS Labs speakers utilizing the AMT technology. 



EOSD3363 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3364 by drjlo2, on Flickr



EOSD3365 by drjlo2, on Flickr

The inevitable MBL room, which always rocks like no one else.  Simply immaculate MBL electronics to speakers, set up well to show off the Radialstrahler technology.  As a bonus, reel-to-reel tape was spinning with a vengeance, simply propulsing the music like a rocket on steroids.  Beautiful stuff if one can afford it. 


EOSD3367 by drjlo2, on Flickr

[Jon L]

 

[SteveFord]

Thanks for posting the deHavilland room, I wish I could give it a listen.

[EdRo]

Anyone have a listen/pics of the Vapor room? Whats the report?

[neekomax]

Any photos/word on the Spatial Computer Trilogies?

[santacore]

Any photos/word on the Spatial Computer Trilogies?

I spent a fair amount of time talking to Clayton and checking them out. He was wonderful to talk to, and overall they seemed like a great speaker for the price. More then 1 person came into the room while I was there and declared the T2's the best speaker they had heard at the event for the money. To my ears, they had a linear sound (his design goal). Although not completely OB, they reminded me of other OB speakers I've heard. Big and open sounding, but with less precision pinpoint imaging then box speakers. Instruments were very natural and balanced, but just didn't have such a precise point source to their delivery. Bass was ample, but a bit boomy in the untreated hotel room. Clayton had a very spartan setup, iTunes playing redbook , USB out to Prism DAC, direct to a Spatial class D amp, then right to the speakers. I believe the room was empty with the exception of some chairs.

The speakers are physically large, but very nice looking. I think if I had a bigger room, with more space around the speaker position I probably would have ordered a pair.

[neekomax]

I spent a fair amount of time talking to Clayton and checking them out. He was wonderful to talk to, and overall they seemed like a great speaker for the price. More then 1 person came into the room while I was there and declared the T2's the best speaker they had heard at the event for the money. To my ears, they had a linear sound (his design goal). Although not completely OB, they reminded me of other OB speakers I've heard. Big and open sounding, but with less precision pinpoint imaging then box speakers. Instruments were very natural and balanced, but just didn't have such a precise point source to their delivery. Bass was ample, but a bit boomy in the untreated hotel room. Clayton had a very spartan setup, iTunes playing redbook , USB out to Prism DAC, direct to a Spatial class D amp, then right to the speakers. I believe the room was empty with the exception of some chairs.

The speakers are physically large, but very nice looking. I think if I had a bigger room, with more space around the speaker position I probably would have ordered a pair.

Thanks! 

[Cheeseboy]

Yeah!

Thank You to all of the Vendors that made this show a winner!

Our team from the Bay Area was on the scene with clean ears and a healthy attitude. 

Some came by car, Some came by plane but the truth was we got there and had a great time. 



Here is my crew.  Sure they look quite normal.  But when it comes to listening to a room and making the most of it these two are hards as nails.   Sunil (Soundofrockets) and Cliff (Shotoons).   Imma warn you now.  If you are clogging the best seats in the room potificating about the air around your ochestrial quiet passage you could get shanked.   They are not afraid to choke a bitch out of the sweet spot. 



We saw the good the bad and the ugly.  We think that concentrating on the best of the show in our opinion would be the best approach. 

[Afterimage]

How about the Elac speakers with the Burmester amp, how did that room sound?

[Cheeseboy]

Room Management and Sound

Of course TAD won the day the week the month and the year.  Andrew is the consumate audio gentleman.   He gives you a taste of music and like any good purveyer of sound, then takes it away leaving you wanting for more.  He tells you what you are going to hear, plays the cut and asks if you heard it.  If more of the rooms conducted thier business moving through a concise playlist efficiently the guys in my crew wouldn't be sporting brass knuckles and wearing boots.  Thanks Andrew it was a pleasure to get a quality demontration and if we all had the money we would opt for the TAD premium performance.  The TAD experience was so comfortable we even got some time to close our eyes and relax.  It was like being at home. 

[jhm731]

Anyone have a listen/pics of the Vapor room? Whats the report?

There's a picture here:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/the_show_newport_2013/saturday/

[SoCalWJS]

Room Management and Sound

Of course TAD won the day the week the month and the year.  Andrew is the consumate audio gentleman.   He gives you a taste of music and like any good purveyer of sound, then takes it away leaving you wanting for more.  He tells you what you are going to hear, plays the cut and asks if you heard it.  If more of the rooms conducted thier business moving through a concise playlist efficiently the guys in my crew wouldn't be sporting brass knuckles and wearing boots.  Thanks Andrew it was a pleasure to get a quality demontration and if we all had the money we would opt for the TAD premium performance.  The TAD experience was so comfortable we even got some time to close our eyes and relax.  It was like being at home.

This and more 

I could spend all day listening to the big TAD's this year - last year they seemed to overpower the (I believe same) room. Not so this year. There was just something very right about the sound beingproduced by this system. Even sitting way off to the side the tone from every instrument in every piece was very relaxing and natural, regardless of the volume. There were other notable rooms, but this was my favorite. The Lawrence speakers were very nice and I liked the new Emerald Physics a great deal (they seemed familiar somehow.... ) They were using the AntiMode 2.0 and were producing some of the best Bass at the show. For the price a ridiculous deal. The MMG's seem like a steal at the dollar price point, but I would have liked to hear different music. I think Vapor needed a bigger room. Never could get the smaller Magico's to sound right. The big Magicos were pretty good, but probably in too big of a room.

[Cheeseboy]

Best Vendor Demonstration
The salesman in the room went above and beyond to give us a demo on what most of us consider to be snakeoil.  Synergistic Research Bass Station.  We have all seen the small room tuning cups.  I don't remember the name of the room sponsor we were in.  One of our group, who will remain nameless, asked if you can drink sigle malted scotch out of the room tuning cups.  A discussion began about thier effectiveness. 



A discussion ensued.



Right in the middle of a busy event our hero posted a person outside the door to stop traffic, and clear defined for us how well this product worked.  He played a cut of music for us and asked us to pay attention to the sound in the rear of the room.   He paused the music and removed the tuning cups from all three of the positions in the back of the room.   He resumed the music.   Much of the ambient goodness in the rear of the room went away.   He stopped the music again.  When he replaced the cups the goodness returned.   Was it a mass hypnotic trick?   We all agreed on what we heard.  The room clearly had more depth and musical spaciousness with the cups employed.  Without the cups it sounded like we were all sitting too close to the back wall, which were were.and were putting up with that reflective nastiness.  The unknown salesman changed the music to some bass heavy Stevie Ray Vaugn.  We listened and got comfortable with the piece.  He paused and removed the tuning cups directly in front of the woofers of the Wilson speakers we were listening to.  When the music started the bass was as woolly as gradmas sweater.    When the music started a third time with the cups in place the bass tightenup and was articulate and firm again. 

Congradulations this vendor was taking a demonstration to the next level.

[Cheeseboy]

This and more 

I could spend all day listening to the big TAD's this year - last year they seemed to overpower the (I believe same) room. Not so this year. There was just something very right about the sound beingproduced by this system. Even sitting way off to the side the tone from every instrument in every piece was very relaxing and natural, regardless of the volume. There were other notable rooms, but this was my favorite. The Lawrence speakers were very nice and I liked the new Emerald Physics a great deal (they seemed familiar somehow.... ) They were using the AntiMode 2.0 and were producing some of the best Bass at the show. For the price a ridiculous deal. The MMG's seem like a steal at the dollar price point, but I would have liked to hear different music. I think Vapor needed a bigger room. Never could get the smaller Magico's to sound right. The big Magicos were pretty good, but probably in too big of a room.

Best System for the Money

Wally at Underwood did such a great job demonstrating his products to us.   I loved everything about the system he was showing.  $12K got you the works.   Well not the chairs and Wally.   Open baffle sweetness, big bass and excellent imaging won the day here.  Throw in a room correction system, a DAC,  three power amps, speakers and a preamp and you were complete.   The Emerald Physics speakers are stellar!   If I were starting from scratch I would start here.   If you were gonna try to beat this system yo had better bring your lunch.  It would take you all day. 

[jhm731]

Synergistic Research:

The Bass Station should be placed directly below the Vibratron, approximately three to six inches out from the front wall, with the dispersion baffle facing your listening position while obstructing the view of its resonator satellite. The Bass Station may also be placed on the floor behind a rack or piece of furniture, just below the Vibratron. This will not hinder the Bass Station’s performance. If necessary, the Bass Station can be positioned in front of the equipment rack or furniture, directly below the Vibratron, and in between your main speakers for a significant improvement in low frequency performance.
 
Razor sharp patent pending Stilettos are included with the Bass Station to couple the characteristics of its bass resonator to your room. Simply screw the Stilettos into the Bass Station for noticeably tighter low frequencies and precise image placement. If you have carpeted floors, be certain you press down hard on the Bass Station so its razor sharp Stilettos make solid contact with the floor.

If you like the Bass Station try some of these under your gear:

Our new MiG component footers deliver vast improvements to all systems. Based on our Acoustic ART System resonators, MiG’s (Mechanical Interface Grounding) re-tune a component’s mechanical resonance, while providing a lightning fast drain of mechanical energy to ground. The result is a much larger soundstage with a lower noise floor for blacker backgrounds. Other benefits include sweeter highs with extended air, a more layered and relaxed mid-range, and deeper, tighter bass. MiG’s are especially beneficial when improving the performance of digital components such as transports, D to A converters, CD players, and even digital clocks. MiG’s are a must audition for anyone seeking organic natural sound.