2005 RMAF

tvyankee · « **Reply #40 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 05:24 pm »

hey,

as far as good sounding rooms i would say that that for the money that the gr-research room kicked ass.

they had a overall balance and sound that was very pleasing and a good crossover with the ribbon that they used.most ribbons i have heard in the past sound like shit.but they had a ribbon that was very pleasing.

i will write more tonight when i get home from work.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #41 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 05:39 pm »

Quote from: tvyankee

hey,

as far as good sounding rooms i would say that that for the money that the gr-research room kicked ass.

Kicked Ass....

...but your right Dave !!

The Modwright room sounded very good as well. Attention to detail...Modwright player and preamp, Channel Islands amps, and PENAUDIO speakers (such a little thin speaker...but big , clear, detailed sound...

http://www.penaudio.fi/ ).[/list:u]

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #42 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 05:53 pm »

A room that disappointed me...Room 7209 - Pathos and JM Labs. The sound was flat, dull, and veiled. I've enjoyed the Pathos intergrated at past shows when I heard it....here, it was just not the same. Played one NY Audio Rave Reference track....Ben Harper...didn't help....I moved on...

G.ear · « **Reply #43 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 07:13 pm »

Dean Sheen wrote:

Quote

No reviews on the Green Mountain Audio speakers?

I'm certain opinions will vary, but the Green Mountain Audio Continuum 3s were certainly one of the better sounds at the show. They were being amplified by the dehavilland GM-70 SET power amps and the Verve preamp, and the sound was tonally correct with excellent instrumental timbres, was very detailed and possessed good dynamics. The soundstage reproduction was excellent as well, provided it was on the recording to begin with.

It was clear to me that Roy or someone had done a great job of setup and on the time alignment of the drivers, as I heard the C3s in July at Green Mountain's facility in the Springs, and this demo surpassed that one in numerous ways. I suspect that the amplification differences between the two demos played a role as well.

IMHO, about the only area where the C3 falls slightly short is in bass extension, and to a lesser degree, impact. If I had a pair, I would probably opt for a good sub to go with it. In short, you could do a lot worse than owning a pair of C3s, and based on my 30+ years as an audiophile, not a whole lot better. It's a speaker I could live with, and I'm pretty jaded. Hope that helps, Dean.

As far as the rest of the show goes, the most spectacular sound I heard was in the Audio Limits room where they were demonstrating the Genesis 201s with FM Acoustics' electronics. On the last day of the show I popped into their rather palatial room to the sound of "Jazz at the Pawnshop", and my jaw dropped. This was probably the best stereo reproduction I've ever heard--such clarity, presence, dimension, tonality, you name it. I didn't stay long as time was running short for me and I knew if I stayed I'd want to own it--something that would have been detrimental to my financial health (like two or three mortgages on the house).

I'll also comment on the Herron room. I'd never met Keith Herron before and I'd never heard any of his gear. I found his prototype speakers driven by his VTSP-2 line stage and M-1 monaural power amps to musically be one of the most soul satisfying audio experiences I've been party to. IMHO, the sound was decidedly on the dark side of neutral, but the reproduction of the power range of music was quite exemplary. It is this aspect of reproduction that I find most lacking in most so-called high end systems, my own included. That's my 2 cents worth. Cheers to all.

Dean

DeanSheen · « **Reply #44 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 07:42 pm »

G.ear,

Thanks very much for that review. Thats about what I expect from all that I have read about GMA's products. I have been contemplating a drive about 1.5 hours away from here to listen to the Calypso but havent made the trek. I'll probably just wait till the next RMAF. I dont think those are ugly speakers at all & I'm much more concerened with their sound vs. their look.

Currently, the speakers that most intrique me are the GMA stuff and the Cerious products. But since I live in the real world, my next pair of speakers will probably be from GR Research.

As far as the Red Dragon goes, they seem to be 'leading' the pack in low cost ICE units. I really am waiting with everyone else untill these digital amps come down in price. The way some people make it sound, tossing an ICE module in a box with a PS is pretty simple stuff and the markup seems tremendous if this is true.

Best

~DS

dwk · « **Reply #45 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 07:44 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

The Modwright room sounded very good as well. Attention to detail...Modwright player and preamp, Channel Islands amps, and PENAUDIO speakers (such a little thin speaker...but big , clear, detailed sound... http://www.penaudio.fi/ )]

I only stepped into this room very briefly, but the snippit I heard sounded very good. At first, I thought the speakers were some variant of an Exodus/CSS/RAW product as I assumed the mid driver was the WR125S. When I grabbed the lit and saw it was a Finnish company, I wasn't so sure. Does anyone know for sure?

BradJudy · « **Reply #46 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 07:49 pm »

I'll slowly add coverage to my site and post here when I do.

I will say that I thought the show was great and the sound was good overall. I wouldn't say that my jaw dropped anywhere, but I had a number of good experiences.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to really experience some of the rooms that good marks from others. For example, I went to the Avalon/Boulder room that many people enjoyed toward the end of the show, but the person listening had U2 'Mysterious Ways' playing. While it's an enjoyable song, it is not challenging and doesn't demonstrate system capability. The most notable thing about this room was that it was a huge room with the speakers about halfway in the room and treatments everywhere. Perhaps if you can afford the speakers and equipment, you can afford to devote a 30x50 room to your system.

Overall, I think people did a better job of setting up rooms this year. Perhaps I should have done what I considered doing: use the rest of my cotton insulation to make a bunch of panels and then stopped by the hotel on Thursday/Friday and rented/sold them to the various companies who didn't bring their own.

While most people brought their own lighting, few dimmed the lights to a relaxing level for listening (I know, one must compromise to accomodate both the lookers and the listeners). Klaus actually turned off the lights while I listened to the Loreleis.

Tip for next year's exhibitors: my #1 favorite freebie was the one room that had a bucket of water bottles on ice.

F-100 · « **Reply #47 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 07:57 pm »

Quote from: BradJudy

Okay, here's the first installment. I spent a chunk of time on this and then realized that I had only made it through one of the many floors at the show. This will have to com in installments.

http://www.bradjudy.com/audioblog/rmaf1/

Brad,
Thanks for the link and info on the Mini Strata. I'm looking forward to hear them real soon.

John151 · « **Reply #48 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 08:22 pm »

Being comfortable during an audition can't be stressed enough. Even though some hi-end audio stores do a good job with this, I am still not 100% relaxed. That is why I prefer to test out equipment at home.

For non-rock music, such as jazz, I like to listen late at night, with a glass of red wine (ok, a bottle of red wine), lights dimmed, my dog at my feet, head back, and eyes closed. Takes the edge off, and I get lost in the music.

DARTH AUDIO · « **Reply #49 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 08:52 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

A room that disappointed me...Room 7209 - Pathos and JM Labs. The sound was flat, dull, and veiled. I've enjoyed the Pathos intergrated at past shows when I heard it....here, it was just not the same. Played one NY Audio Rave Reference track....Ben Harper...didn't help....I moved on...

Lonewolf, I agree with you on this room. Major disappointment. Most of the rooms sounded good, some much better. The Herron room sounded pretty darn nice. But in a normal house, I'm not sure where you would place those subwoofers??

mca · « **Reply #50 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 10:14 pm »

Was anyone able to have a listen in the Cryoparts room? They were using Eastern Electric gear including the new M520 integrated. I have no idea what the speakers were, something with a flat panel mid and tweet.

BradJudy · « **Reply #51 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 10:29 pm »

I just looked up the speaker - Eminent Technologies LTF-16. I'll have to make that change to my report.

I didn't really listen since the host was talking power cable connectors with someone at the time. I figured I would come back later and never got around to it.

DARTH AUDIO · « **Reply #52 on:** 4 Oct 2005, 11:29 pm »

mca, I heard the M520 with the EE CD player, phono stage and Vivaldi speakers($9K a pair). Sweet sounding room. The Vivaldi speakers were a very good match with the EE equipment. Just a great tube sound all around.

BradJudy · « **Reply #53 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 02:20 am »

A few more notes and pics up on my site now:

http://www.bradjudy.com/audioblog/rmaf2

cryoparts · « **Reply #54 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 02:48 am »

Quote from: BradJudy

I just looked up the speaker - Eminent Technologies LTF-16. I'll have to make that change to my report.

I didn't really listen since the host was talking power cable connectors with someone at the time. I figured I would come back later and never got around to it.

Sorry I didn't get to talk with you. I saw you a bunch of times, but I don't think we ever got to meet.

I used the LFT-16 for Friday and part of Saturday. I think it's a killer little speaker, in fact I liked it so much, I now own the pair I was using--I'm going to use them in my office at the shop. Check them out if you ever get a chance. Perhaps I will bring them with me to a future "Jam" so other Texas guys can listen to them.

The M520 was pressed into service to power them--thanks go to Bill for helping me out--he is the best! IMHO, this is a great integrated, for a very affordable price that deserves a lot more recognition.

I don't sell ET or Eastern Electric, so I hope the above doesn't come off as self promotion.

I did get to talk with "Lone Wolf", and a couple of other AC'ers (I'm sorry but my memory is failing me as to who they were) and it was great fun to put faces with names. A nice bunch of guys!

BTW--I put some pics up on my site of the ET's and Eastern Electric if you want to take a look.

Regards,

Lee

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #55 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 03:54 am »

Quote

I did get to talk with "Lone Wolf", and a couple of other AC'ers (I'm sorry but my memory is failing me as to who they were) and it was great fun to put faces with names. A nice bunch of guys!

Chris[/list:u]

cryoparts · « **Reply #56 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 04:01 am »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

Well thank you Lee, it was good to meet you as well.[/list:u]
The other guy's were Captain Humble and Gordy....we traveled in a pack. [/list:u]
I enjoyed your room, sounded good. Thanks for letting me play all the cd's I wanted !! When we were there you were using the Sonicweld speakers...big sound for a small speaker !! I had spotted the ET's in the corner...too bad I missed them.Next time... Thanks again !![/list:u]
Chris[/list:u]

Oh, that's right! In fact, I am going to go visit CH's restaurant next week. I am looking forward to that!

It was a joy meet you guys--and all of the other AC'ers that came by.

Regards,

Lee

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #57 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 04:08 am »

Quote

Oh, that's right! In fact, I am going to go visit CH's restaurant next week. I am looking forward to that!

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #58 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 04:44 am »

A few more RMAF comments...posting in short takes due to my lousy typing, and the site slowdowns.

Chris[/list:u]

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #59 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 05:27 am »

Room 549 :