[Pez]

[JerryM]

That's freakin' awesome, Pez & Tyson! Keep 'em coming!!!   

[Pez]

Tyson’s Notes  PranaFidelity Room

General Room Notes – Vinyl only here, so can’t play our CD.  The speakers have adjustable tweeters so you can tailor the sound to your room.  Wow, the bass and mid drivers are jumping around like crazy.  Super loud music in this room.  It’s kind of cool how inert the speakers are – just the drivers are moving.  Not in the sweet spot so its hard to get a feel for these guys.  I will say that even at loud volumes they are quite dynamic. 


Jason’s Notes
Parma was one of my favorite rooms a couple years back and I missed them last year because of the issue with Tyson being a wuss and getting sick. Dynamic... Err.. Loud is what I get from the setup this year. I really wish vendors would take room treatment seriously. It greatly affects people's perception of these setups because of how loud the rooms get.

[Pez]

VENDORS.... STFU WHEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO LISTEN.

[Pez]

Tyson’s Notes  Kii Audio Room

General Room Notes – The speakers that are trying to out-Davialet the Davialets.  Do they succeed?  I read up a bit about them online a couple of days ago.  I liked the work they are doing with rear wave control. 

Music – Listening to the stock music tracks from from their server.  These just don’t do it for me.  They sound sort of generically good but really uninspiring.  They are also a bit boomy in the bass, shockingly.  I might just be spoiled by true OB bass though….

Jason’s Notes
Not even going to comment. We were there for about ten minutes and they did nothing but chat between each other.

[Pez]

Tyson’s Notes  Linkwitz Audio Room

General Room Notes – Hey, the new Linkwitz OB’s, I’m a big fan of his work from way back, super excited to hear these babies.  They are certainly one of the most intricate cabinets we’ve seen and the aesthetic is very cool!


Sibelius – Ah, open and spacious.  Captures a ton of emotion in her playing.

Mahler 6 – Yes, room filling sound!  Dynamics?  Check.  Scale up very nicely to the huge orchestra at full forte.  Really good detail detail on the cellos and double basses.  In fact, most detailed bass at the show so far.

Tom Waits – Big, big sound.  And Tom sounds properly gravelly and life-weary.  OK, I’ll say it flat out – this is the best the LW room has sounded, period.  These new speakers are a huge breakthrough compared to the past, and compared to pretty much every other OB setup I’ve heard.

Natalie Merchant – I’m shocked how smooth the sound is that they are getting without any room treatments.  I think having them pulled out in the room a bit and having and OB side null really helps.  And the bass PUNCHES.  Usually bass punch is a weakness of OB speakers, but not here!

Jason’s Notes

Ok the speakers look like a garage project IMO. I don't usually comment on the way gear looks unless it's stellar but these are pretty damn ugly.
Sibelius sounds pretty nice. Lovely violin. And I like the balance of the orchestra behind the lead.
Mahler another great dynamic setup. Nice nice
Tom waits wow HUGE imaging. Voice overloads the room a bit. No treatments. Not the most detailed sound I've heard but pleasant for sure.
Merchant deep male voices sound a bit disembodied but Natalie sounds nice and full.
Overall these ugly ducklings sing like a swan... Well maybe not a swan, a song bird of some sort with ugly plumage but beautiful song... You get the idea.

[Pez]

Break time! The ambient noise has always bugged the hell out of me so I brought my trusty etymotic ear plugs. It's surprising how loud audiophiles are.


And this is why I use photobucket to post images.  lol

[SoCalWJS]

Amazing job guys! Keep 'em coming!

[SteveFord]

It's surprising how loud audiophiles are.

That's because they're all going deaf, ha, ha.
Your coverage is one of the high points of the year for me, especially with a hurricane and a cold front blasting through at the moment.  UGH. 

[ebag4]

Your coverage is one of the high points of the year for me, especially with a hurricane and a cold front blasting through at the moment.  UGH.

x2.  Keep up the great work guys, there are many out here in AC land that don't get to attend these events.  Your coverage is the next best thing to being there.

Thanks,
Ed

[BobM]

One of these years I am going to get to RMAF, but in the meantime we've got you guys to tell us how it is, provide amazing coverage and photos. Thanks for all the hard work, even though we know it is a labor of love.

In the meantime, those new Avantgarde's have got to be some of the ugliest speakers I've seen. Low WAF, unless you are in an ultra modern room, but then I doubt they would work with a room full of chrome and glass.

[dflee]

Awesome guys!!!!!!

[santacore]

Many thanks for bringing home the goodness for those of us stuck behind a desk working.

[Pez]

Tyson actually bought something.  fucking can't believ it.

[Pez]

Tyson’s Notes  Vinnie Rossi Audio Room

General Room Notes – Supercapacitors here we come!  This room shows up just how dirty sounding the AC is on pretty much every other room we’ve been in.  This room is quiet and calm, leaving a really great background to actually enjoy the tunes.  An oasis in an otherwise cacophonous show. 

Sibelius – Good mysterious presentation of this work.  Nice deep soundstage.

Mahler 5 – Very precise and percussive - martial and almost evil, sounding hahaha! Dynamically this is Mahler ready to stomp all over you and your weak pathetic future.  Love it. 

Tom Waits = Most/best laid back groove on this track of the whole show.  Tom Waits with soul.

Natalie Merchant – some of the cleanest and clearest separation of vocals I’ve heard on this track.  And again, SOUL out the wazoo.  Just effortlessly cool and funky.  Really impressive how the system was just a complete chameleon from track to track to track. 

Jason’s Notes
Sibelius oops was shooting photos and missed it.

Mahler. The sound is full but not reaching super low. Dynamics are ly nice.

Waits gritty and sorrowful. Wow you feel the lifetime of sorrow this song conveys. This setup is basically the best I've heard so far.

Merchant amazing imaging and soundstage. Nuance like you wouldn't believe. Again bass isn't incredibly deep, but what is there is confident and conveyed in a way that doesn't feel like anything is missing. Did I mention imaging???? Damn man incredible.

Liked it so much I requested Vinnie play some vinyl. thom Yorke Harrowdown hill. Never having heard this on vinyl I'm pretty stoked. I imaging is pretty damn solid again. Awesome stuff.

This is the first system I've heard at the show that I enjoyed beginning to end. Well done.

[mca]

Congrats to Vinnie and his LIO! Do you know if he was running the VR120 when you were listening?

Great job as usual guys!

[Pez]

Love the orange ones. Wow great balance. RSM quads


Tyson's Notes[/u]

Oh snap, finally a manufacturer that is making a serious attempt at making a great universal fit IEM.  I cannot do custom fits because my ear is a weird shape and they won't ever, ever, ever fit right. And yes, I have done it open and closed mouth and no love.  So I've been reduced to using shitty Etymotics for years and years.  When I saw these I was super stoked that I might actually be able to enjoy IEM"s again.  Put them on and.... bliss.  So far above my old stuff that it's not even funny.  I bought them on the spot.  Maybe not quite at the level of the very best custom fit stuff, but I f'ing hate custom fit IEM's.  Best sound from a universal fit, ever.

[Pez]

And we are done for Day 1. 

[SoCalWJS]

And we are done for Day 1.

Thanks for sharing and allowing us to attend vicariously through you both. Glad to hear the Harbeth's were sounding good (except for the bottom octave or so).

Have fun tonight and looking forward to the rest of your coverage!

[richidoo]

Great pictures! Thanks for the reviews.