[Tyson]

Oh it happened.  We just haven't recovered yet.

Your old.

[DSkip]

Your old.

LOL.  Quite the opposite at 32 years old.  12 hours of sleep over four days.  Four missed meals because I always had visitors.  Two rooms setup and broken down. 

This show wore me out even with all the help I got from friends at the show.  I was thankful that our North Star Design CEO Jessica flew in for the show.  She wo-manned the second room and held down the fort for me.  I won't do two rooms again I don't think....

For those that missed, this was a superb show - one worthy to write home about.  This isn't a RMAF or Axpona - this is LSAF: a show by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.  I sincerely hope that others who did not make it consider it for 2018.  You won't regret it, especially if you book a room for Saturday night.


Luis, muchas gracias for the pictures brother.  It looked like you were having a blast.  Maybe next year I can join in with you.

[Paret]

Luis, muchas gracias for the pictures brother.  It looked like you were having a blast.  Maybe next year I can join in with you.

My pleasure.

Your rooms were awesome.

Luis D. Paret
Keller, TX

[mtrot]

A few pics:

[mlundy57]

Your old.

I'm one of the old ones and I can tell it. By the time I got home last night, unloaded and the trailer back to U-Haul I was so tired I couldn't think straight and barely move. Norman and Barry were a huge help getting everything loaded up yesterday morning.

Here's what I was showing:
















I also managed to spend some money. I treated myself to one of Joshua's exquisite Karen 6 turntables and speed controllers






My one regret was that I was so busy in my room I only got to see about a third of the other rooms 

Mike

[Tyson]

mlundy, how do those NX-Oticas on top of the OB subs compare to something like the Super 7's?

[mlundy57]

mlundy, how do those NX-Oticas on top of the OB subs compare to something like the Super 7's?

Tyson,

I've never heard the Super 7's so I can't compare. Scott may be able to provide a comparison.

Mike

[ebag4]

Mike, the NXOtticas and bass bases look great! What do you think about both servos facing forward instead of alternating forward/back?

You are killing me with the LGK posts, I have to build a pair, but I need another speaker like a hole in the head. 

Best,
Ed

[mlundy57]

Mike, the NXOtticas and bass bases look great! What do you think about both servos facing forward instead of alternating forward/back?

You are killing me with the LGK posts, I have to build a pair, but I need another speaker like a hole in the head. 

Best,
Ed

Ed,

The first time I heard it was at the show. Based on that I like the sound with both of them facing forward better. The bass seemed fuller but I will know more when I get them hooked back up in my room here at home.

The LGK's are killer. I'm going to build myself a pair for the workshop. I do have a spare pair since I didn't sell any at the show but I absolutely refuse to put walnut burl in my garage. The shop pair will most likely get DuraTex.

I would have used the ACAs (Amp Camp amps) to power them but I donated the ACA's to the raffle Saturday night. I guess now I have to get my butt in gear and build out one of Jeremy's amps. I knew there was a method to my madness, I just wasn't aware of it at the time 

Mike

[AJinFLA]

I also managed to spend some money. I treated myself to one of Joshua's exquisite Karen 6 turntables and speed controllers

I can see why. That's a sharp looking table

[S Clark]

Tyson,

I've never heard the Super 7's so I can't compare. Scott may be able to provide a comparison.

Mike

Ok, IMO, with what's left of my hearing and in the different rooms in which I heard them (meaning I don't know how relevant this really is) :  The NX-Oticas are the best of the smaller kit types that Danny has designed.  Full, smooth, natural,  good detail, almost warm.  I think they are a step up from the V series.  I like the line sources better, a bit more realism and dynamics.  The LS9 is the sound I know best, since it's in my living room.  I think it is superior, and is nearly as good as it gets on large instrument groups.  The Super 7 is in a different class.  Faster, just as dynamic, creates space realistically, yet can accurately do the girl/guitar stuff to scale.  It's a better speaker than my LS9's.  The open baffle LS9 type is a step up/ step sideways from the ported LS9.  Both can create a great sense of space around the notes, but the OB variation does it with ease, and the ported version is a PITA to get right in a room.  The OB LS9 and the Super 7 sounded similar to me, but several months separated my listening of them. 
     But all of them fail to come near the realism of the big completely electrostatic line source/ OB servo system one off that Danny designed.  It's sooo good you almost don't want to hear it and then go home to hear your system. 
Again, I'll state that what my older, well worn ears hear will probably not be what yours hear, but it's what I have to work with. 

[Tyson]

Thanks Scott!  I have the Super 7's, which I got after the Mockingbird Audio line arrays Danny brought to RMAF 3 years ago.  I loved those line arrays but they just wouldn't fit in my space.  So I have to settle for the Super 7's.  Haha.

The reason I asked is a friend of mine has Maggie 1.7i's in his appt and was sad that he'd never be able to get the Super 7's since they are out of production.  I told him that Danny felt the NX-Otica was pretty close especially for the size and $$.  Are the NX-Oticas better than the Wedgie speakers that came out a while ago?  He listens mainly to classical music and opera.

[S Clark]

Now it's my turn to defer.  Mike has had more time with the Wedgie and the X-Otica.  I've only  heard the wedgie once, briefly, so I'll offer no opinion.  Some might consider a financial motive when a designer reviews his own product, but  Danny shoots about as straight as anyone I've known.  If he says they are comparable, they are just that. 

[mlundy57]

The Wedgies and the NX-Oticas are very close however the Oticas have a better midrange presence. This makes sense since the two M165NQ midwoofers in each Otica have about twice the cone are of the four LGKs in each Wedgie. Also, the M165NQs were specifically designed for open baffle use while the LGKs weren't.

With their narrower baffle the Wedgies image a little better than the Oticas. When my step-son heard the Wedgies he described them as scary clean. The Oticas do image very well also, they just need to be toed in more than the Wedgies.

I had an AC member over to the house a few weeks back to listen to both the Wedgies and Otica MTMs in my 11x13x8 room and he preferred the Oticas, specifically because of the midrange. In this room I'm not sure which one I like better overall. The larger sounding Oticas can almost be too much in this room at times.

Then again, I have only had minimal room treatment up til now. I picked up some acoustical panels from Skip at Audio Thesis which I am going to put at the first reflection points in addition to the GIK Acoustic panels I have behind the speakers to see if it tames this issue.

In the larger hotel room at the show I preferred the NX-Otica MTM. It sounds bigger and fuller. For classical and opera I recommend the Otica over the Wedgie. The Oticas provide the weight and presence this type of music deserves in the dynamic passages. The Wedgies are exceptional. The Oticas will raise goosebumps.

This has been my experience with the two. Ed, Ebag4, also has both the Wedgies and Otica MTMs. Maybe he'll give his impressions of the two.

Mike

[Tyson]

Thanks Scott and Mike!  I've pointed Riccardo to this thread, hope he sees this.  I do think he's interested in doing an OB NX-Otica on top of the 8 inch subs vs the 12 inch subs.  In an apartment he needs a smaller speaker and doesn't need/want massive bass output.

[mlundy57]

Thanks Scott and Mike!  I've pointed Riccardo to this thread, hope he sees this.  I do think he's interested in doing an OB NX-Otica on top of the 8 inch subs vs the 12 inch subs.  In an apartment he needs a smaller speaker and doesn't need/want massive bass output.

The 8in OB drivers are no longer available. I have had both the 8s and the 12s in my 11 x13 x8 room. After hearing the 12s I would never go back to the 8s. Also, I won't use an HX300 amp again. It is too limited in input options and adjustability. An H-Frame for 12in drivers is only 4in wider than one for 8in drivers.

Also, you cannot use the output of a sealed or ported driver to estimate the output of an OB driver. I originally thought four 12s would be overkill in my small room. They are not.

As far as space goes, even though OB speakers have to be 3ft off the front wall, since they have nulls at 90 degrees they can be placed very close to the side walls with no ill effect.

Mike

[Jonathon Janusz]

The reason I asked is a friend of mine has Maggie 1.7i's in his appt and was sad that he'd never be able to get the Super 7's since they are out of production. 

Tyson, if your friend is really interested in the S7s, I think Danny still has his silver pair he was looking to sell as part of his most recent garage/moving sale.  I don't think I remember seeing them being sold yet in that thread.

[Norman Tracy]

Lone Star Audio Fest 2017 was such an outstanding show, I am still feeling the positive afterglow; along with the fatigue of making my exhibit happen. Good attendance on Friday and Saturday, slower on Sunday which remains the day to visit if you want serious listening time. Attendees and exhibitors shared an upbeat vibe and those with wares to sell reported (and I observed) a nice uptick in sales compared to 2016.

For me the big highlight was the comradery and networking with fellow audiophiles and manufacturers. These are good people, it was especially heartwarming the numbers of attendees who worked late into Sunday night helping exhibitors break down, pack, and load out exhibits. Sonic highlights included:

Cabinetry by Mike’s exhibit of GR Research speakers featuring Danny’s designed for dipole drivers. The greater area of the cones are just what the doctor ordered for dipole and the shiny plated phase plugs and magnet plates looked great in both front and rear views. In the past I have already raved about Mike’s woodworking and finishing skills, for 2017 he upped his game another notch. The veneer and finish on the display system positively glowed.

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Wayne Parham’s Pi Speakers room displayed the seven Pi constant directivity corner horns with three Pi triple subwoofers array. One is first struck by the beauty of Wayne’s horns and good times/sound the concert videos he demos with bring on. Discussing the design technology behind the Pi speakers and you will be even more impressed. For example the corner horn design demo’ed essentially eliminates the issue of delayed reflected secondary sources by placing the controlled directivity horn in the corner right next to the side walls.

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Steven Solazzo serves the LSAF community by managing the show while also exhibiting as his Stereo Clarity brand. Steven’s system is based on his media server that includes power amps for a single box solution. Given his expertise in IT that unit is very well configured and setup. He also designs speakers and returned with his latest 3-way that can do both finesse and wideband power.

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Do you like tube amps, triodes, professional quality audio engineering, and beer? Why are you not hanging out with the guys from Landfall Systems and Pete Millett Audio?

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Found Music’s SE triode amps powered both the Pi Speakers and the Vanzyl Audio systems. Major regret this year was I missed hearing Johan van Zyl’s back loaded horn full range system driven by Scott Sheafer’s amps. Last year Johan’s speakers were a strong reminder that horn loaded bass is one of the amazing thrill rides in HiFi.

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Derek Skipworth’s  Audio Thesis had two rooms where I enjoyed both the sound and the opportunity to talk with North Star Design CEO Jessica Hazewinkel. I am impressed with both the sound of and company philosophy behind North Star Design. Skip is very excited by the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole speakers and with good cause. With the North Star Design Supremo DAC and Triode TRV-88SER KT88 amp the Fiesole sounded magnificently refined and powerful.

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Joshua Miles’ JWM Acoustics was one of the more popular exhibits with his speakers and turntables also being used in Believe High Fidelity and Raven rooms. You really need to see and hear the great things that happen when Joshua’s woodworking and finishing craftsmanship meets his audio design chops. The Scan-Speak drivers he favors for his speaker designs are state-of-the-art and his implementations are high craft art.

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Joshua Masongsong’s Believe HiFi room featured JWM Acoustics speakers and turntable. Between those Aries preamp and standing in for the arrived back from reviewer broken Aeries power amp were Raven amps. Masongsong’s results further solidified my high opinion of JWM Acoustics, with LPs via these exotic electronics I heard even greater transparency and music devoid of another layer of artifice.

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Raven Audio was again one of the major forces at the show with two demo rooms and loaner amps out in other rooms. Legacy Audio speakers formed a very symbiotic match with Raven Audio electronics. New this year the Wavelet DAC/PreAmp/Crossover featured in both the Aeris and Focus SE based systems. The 3D room correction the Wavelet uses really helped the big powerful Legacy speakers work in the small acoustically challenging rooms.

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Douglas Connection had his usual selection of cables and accessories for sale and in use by several exhibitors including Raven Audio and JWM Acoustics. The demo system let us hear the new-and-creating-a-buzz Legacy Calibre monitor driven by Ravan Audio amp and HRT DAC. A bit of a trend at LSAF 2017 was the maxi-monitors including Legacy Calibre, Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole, and Kii THREE all effortlessly sounding like big floor standers.

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Bob Brines’ Brines Acoustics returned just as impressive as last year. The sound Bob achieves is very comparative with other exhibitors and then you are informed the entire electronics package; Media PC, Mini-DSP/DAC, and four channels of amplification for the bi-amped speakers is $500! Add his circa $3k built to order speakers and for less than $4k this has got to be the bargain of the show. Bob is very clever in how he programs the crossover and uses a Scan-Speak wide range mid-tweeter. This allows a crossover at 500 Hz and phase coherent response. I really like phase coherent speakers and Brines’ is an excellent example.

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John Bush’s Manzanita Audio Solutions continues to perfect and add to his portfolio of highly regarded dipole systems. This year’s showed a more décor friendly size considering the large woofer dipole architecture he works with. Big fun sound. I also briefly heard his conventional box speaker design and it is a bargain at the $1500 price quoted.

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Scott Warren’s Advanced Audio Systems demoed the Kii THREE speaker and Kii CONTROL (note, Kii are the ones fond of all caps, I am not shouting at you). With the present buzz around this powered multi-amplified DSP controlled system it was a treat to hear it. Very interesting to compare the very minimal two speakers + little control interface box to the results obtained in the rooms packed with conventional separates. I was very impressed with the Kii sound and industrial design. They appear to deliver on their promise of large system sound from the reasonably sized boxes.

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Audio Crafters Guild is this post’s author’s enterprise. This year I showed the just completed 700 NTJ-FET Analog Signal Processor (ASP) preamplifier prototype featuring NuTube 6P1+J-FET amplification. This fed  ACG series 700 and 1000 power amps that bi-amplified the ACG ΩZed mini-monitor system featuring laminated plywood enclosure with 3-D machined front baffle.

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Austin Acoustic is the new ultra-Fi company founded by Man Nguyen. It was a real treat to hear his work after years of seeing photos of such ultra-fi systems custom made in Asia and Europe. Man’s design aesthetic really spoke to me, the copper chassis glow, the turned wood horns are art objects even if disconnected from the system and placed on a pedestal, and the massive laminated plywood structures are one of my favorite looks. The sound was a bit hard to judge given the somewhat eccentric Asian sourced CDs in use. Nguyen did have a copy of ‘Kind of Blue’ and that familiar disk yielded some fairly amazing moments as we listened.

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Photos in this report courtesy LSAF founder Wayne Parham, for more see:http://lonestaraudiofest.com/2017/Photos/

Edited to replace pictures with links in consideration of those with low bandwidth connections.

[Norman Tracy]

A couple of my Lone Star Audio Fest buddies have received some excellent press lately.

Review of the JWM Acoustics Alyson AML Loudspeaker http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/speaker/floor-standing/jwm-acoustics-alyson-aml-loudspeaker-review/



Nice to see Joshua Miles' work receive the credit it is due.

Interview with  Dave Thomson, CEO of Raven Audio http://www.audioxpress.com/article/questions-answers-music-takes-flight-with-raven-audio-sound-systems



It is good to read of Raven's growth coming from all the work Dave and his team have invested.