[Tyson]

It's with a bittersweet heart that Pez and I are hitting RMAF in a few days.  We are excited to be doing the coverage again, but sad to say that it will be the last time we do it.  Its been a wild, crazy, and fun ride.  Wouldn't trade the past 10 years for the world.  But it's time, we are done.  We wanted to say thank you to everyone that's followed our show coverage all these years and put up with our passion, biases and snarky humor. 

Having said that, we want to go out, not with a whimper, but with a bang!  This year we are hitting a few AC vendor based rooms (only 10) and then the rest of the time we are gonna be FREE RADICALS, roaming the halls of the show looking for the baddest/coolest systems we can find to do coverage on.  Here's where you come in, dear reader - tell us where we should go so we can actively ignore your request! (I kid, I kid).  Seriously, we will definitely add stuff based on your feedback, as long as your suggestions follow our longstanding rules for requests:

1.  No box speakers with a 6 inch paper/plastic midrange and a 1 inch tweeter. Unless it's 12 of the mid drivers and 40 of the tweeters in a line array or something else that's interesting.

2.  No speakers with a single full range driver.  They sound like sh!t.  I'm sorry, but they do.  Won't waste precious show time on this crap.

3.  If you tell us to go listen to a cable or a DAC or something like that, we will hunt you down and punch you in the face.

4.  No mainstream brands such as Krell, Magico, Revel, VTL, Martin Logan, Wilson etc.  Seriously, these brands get enough press already, they don't need show coverage from us

Here's our list of rooms so far:

1100   AudioKinesis
1100   James Romeyn Audio Specialties

2016   JRiver, Inc.
2016   JVC Kenwood
2016   JTR Speakers Inc.
2016   Digital Amplifier Company
2016   Seymour Screen Excellence
2016   Torus Power
2016   GIK Acoustics

2024   Vapor Audio
2024   LampizatOr North America
2024   LampizatOr North America
2024   VERASTARR
2024   Resolution Acoustics

422   Daedalus Audio
422   ModWright Instruments, Inc.
422   Dynamic Design Corp.
422   Purity Audio Design

449   Vinnie Rossi
449   Harbeth
449   Tellurium Q
449   Acoustic Signature

537   GTT Audio & Video

538   PranaFidelity

586   dc10audio-Natural Sound INC

8020   Sonore by Simple Design

8002   Skogrand Cables
8002   ModWright Instruments, Inc.
8002   Endeavor Audio Engineering
8002   TriangleART

9000   Odyssey Audio
9000   Symphonic Line
9000   VPI Industries

9007   Wavelength Audio, ltd.
9007   Vaughn Loudspeakers

C05   Avatar Acoustics
C05   iFi audio

Iris   ModWright Instruments, Inc.
Iris   WyWires, LLC
Iris   Daedalus Audio

[Tyson]

Our method for show reporting has been worked out over a number of years, so we can do the most amount of show coverage with the least amount of time wasted and the fewest number of gadgets possible (taken from last year):

How we do it:




Tyson: I run around with my stealthy look MacBook Pro and use my iPhone to wirelessly tether the laptop and upload the room and listening notes.

Pez: Big Camera (and flash) plus the iPad.  The iPad is almost perfect for this stuff. Great for uploading photos.

Our cd is about 6 minutes long. I sit in the sweet spot for the first 2 tracks and start taking notes and getting them uploaded to AC.  During the first 3 minutes Pez takes 4-8 pictures, uploads them from the camera to the iPad then from the iPad upload to photobucket. Then photobucket to AC all while trying to get a feel for the general room sound prior to getting the sweet spot for his final two tracks, where we swap seats, Pez makes his notes from the sweet spot and I finish my notes for the last 2 tracks from a non-sweet spot position.  This gives us a great idea of the room, the sweet spot performance, and how the system handles 5 very, very different tracks of music.  We hit the upload button to post our impressions LIVE, before we even leave the room and then we are off to the next room.

This year our music tracks are:

Mahler - Symphony 6
Handel - Aria
Natalie Merchant - Peppery Man
Tom Waits - Long Way Home
Tool - Lateralus

[rockadanny]

Hi guys!
Looking forward to your coverage – the best on the planet!!
Glad to see you are hitting the Vinnie Rossi room. I am looking forward to reading your impressions of his new VR120 (power amp) and how the sound compares to his LIO.
Good luck, stay sober (at least while typing), and have fun!

[Woodsea]

The end of an era!  I have enjoyed your reports for quite a while.  You guys will be missed.

[DaveC113]

You guys should check out the dc10 / Natural Sound USA rooms. My cables and modded SurgeX will be used with Audio Techne amps, MSB DACs, Artisan Fidelity TTS, and more...

http://www.naturalsoundusa.com/

Room 586 will feature the Berlin R speaker, which IMO is unique enough to warrant a listen, and one of the big rooms at the Hyatt will feature dc10's flagship Gottenburg Odin speakers and Audio Techne's new monoblock amps. Definitely worth a walk down, G. Odin features the 31.5" Fostex woofer with a horn loaded Lowther and Alnico tweeter.

Also, my SurgeX will be cleaning up the power for room 2024... Vapor, Lampi, Verastarr and Resolution Acoustics. < I see they are on the list already, nice!

Hope to see you guys there. 

[mojave]

We will have Abbado Conducts Mahler - Lucerne Festival, Mahler:  Symphonies 1-7 on Blu-ray vailable in room 2016. If you let me know which portion of Symphony 6 you are playing, I can set a virtual clip of it in JRiver and you can hear a different version if you want - after your regular "setlist".

[SteveFord]

I'm sorry to read that this is your last hurrah as it's always so entertaining.
Hit a few planar speaker rooms, please. 

[*Scotty*]

You guys might want to duplicate your DEMO CDs content on a flash drive if you have not already done so.
Have fun, I have enjoyed your coverage of past RMAF shows.
Scotty

[jtwrace]

Geez, next thing we know RMAF will not even exist.  Between all the companies not going and now this.   

[Zero]

Tyson and Pez -  I really appreciate all of the time and effort that you boys put into this gig. Your style.  Your expedient updates.  It's been a joy!  This year, I'm going to give my hand at trying something similar via: video, but at the end of the day I know my efforts won't come close to matching the masters. 

Thanks again.  I look forward to this years show!

[Jonathon Janusz]

I am really sorry I have to miss again this year.  Hopefully I'll get to check in with you guys somewhere down the line.

I'd suggest putting at least one of the Volti rooms on your list.  I'm with you in that I am NOT a horn guy.  Greg's speakers with the right gear in front of them made me a believer, and there is some really good gear being paired with them for this show.



(. . . and Pete is always good for a tasty beverage. . . )

[Vapor Audio]

I'm excited that you're both coming back this year, I was thinking last year was the final hurrah.  As a manufacturer who often gets passed over by the bigger name reviewers, your coverage provides serious value and goes a long way to helping justify our time and expense.  I sincerely thank you! 

Keep in mind we'll have wine, beer, and food in our room since it has a kitchenette.  Plan your visit for when refreshments would be most appreciated 

[jhm731]

HAYWARD, CA | September 24, 2015 – Magico, LLC is pleased to announce the North American debut of the new S7 loudspeaker and the new SSUB at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) in Denver, CO.
 
We welcome you to join us on Friday, October 2nd (12pm – 7pm) and Saturday, October 3rd (9am – 6pm) in the Presidential Suite at the HYATT Regency Denver Tech Center on 7800 E. Tufts Ave. which is under 10-minutes walking distance from the Denver Marriott Tech Center.       
 
The S7 is a full range, 3-way design, floor standing loudspeaker that incorporates newly designed Magico drivers housed in an acoustic suspension enclosure.   
 
The internally powered SSUB stands vertically with dual 12-inch front firing Magico bass drivers. Easily placed in large or small rooms the SSUB provides herculean bass energy that keeps pace with the speed and integrity of the main loudspeakers.       
 
A host of Magico staff members will be on hand to actively demonstrate the system, discuss technological points, answer questions and share excellent music.
 
Earn the chance to WIN a set of QPOD3 ($1,300.00 value) by registering your visit to our demo suite. Drawing takes place at days end on October 2nd and October 3rd.
 
For more information please contact Peter Mackay, V.P. Global Sales and Marketing at Magico LLC.  Telephone: 1-510-649-9700, Ext 104 or visit us at www.magico.net

[kgturner]

Spatial Audio is supposed to be demoing their new M4 speaker. Open baffle. Two 12"mid/woofers and a compression driver. $1295. Might be interested how they sound in a show environment.

Kevin T

[ted_b]

Guys can you try to hit room 8020, the Sonore Rendu room?  Jesus, Barrows and team are AC vendors, and this is their first RMAF.  I mean, no one is more loyal to Dan (Wright) than I am, a charter customer from the first days of Modwright, but 3 rooms out of 10? 

[jtwrace]

Guys can you try to hit room 8020, the Sonore Rendu room?  Jesus, Barrows and team are AC vendors, and this is their first RMAF.

Aren't you going?  You said last year that you were going this year.   

[ted_b]

Aren't you going?  You said last year that you were going this year.   

Family (sick golden retriever) issues got in the way 2 days ago.  We cancelled as late as yesterday.    Last year was the first I had missed in a very long time; now I have a streak going.  Argh!  Thank goodness for CES and Axpona.

[jtwrace]

Family (sick golden retriever) issues got in the way 2 days ago.  We cancelled as late as yesterday.    Last year was the first I had missed in a very long time; now I have a streak going.  Argh!  Thank goodness for CES and Axpona.

Oh no.      He/she is definitely much more important than any audio show. 

[Scottdazzle]

Pez and Tyson,

I'm looking forward to your coverage as always.  Good choice of rooms imho.  I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the hallways.

Good luck!

Scott

[Wind Chaser]

You guys are heroes. Journalism in the trenches. 

Too bad Hawthorne Audio isn't attending RMAF 2015.