[audiomaniac]

Check it out!

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine3/system.html

Congrats to Louis, Vinnie and Tom!    

[Vinnie R.]

Check it out!

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/redwine3/system.html

Congrats to Louis, Vinnie and Tom!    

Thanks, audiomaniac!

[JiffyBoob]

Louis, Vinnie,

That is a very well written and worded "review." I think it deserves to be called an expose, in terms of its detailed overview context. Mr Lavorgna is a gifted writer, and apparently a confessed tubaholic. Very attractive system-based solution for the readers. "I smell synergy..." That line coming from a tube-head resonated with myself, who has also smelled this synergy first hand, -and it is no faint aroma.

 Great photos of all that sweet lookin' Ebony. True drool magnets those toys... Very thoughtful tip o' the hat to Dr. Golden Ears in there as well, who was the primogenitor of the combination and the partnership, threw all the necessary ingredients into the less is more "blender," and ooooooh soooo successfully executed by these two guys.      A++

J. Boob

[miklorsmith]

Quite the "shout out".

Kudos, fellas.

[Jon L]

And I especially enjoyed the one-sentence "comparison" of SB2 and $8700 Audio Aero  

Perhaps 2 or 3 more sentences would have put things more in context, especially given >15X price difference...

[Louis O]

Hi Audiomaniac, Jiffyboob, miklorsmith and Jon L

Many thanks for posting the review

I agree 100 percent with JiffyBoob. Michael is truly gifted. The review really had a great flow and with so many components to tie together. Many thanks to Michael for the great review and many thanks Jiffyboob for your kind words, I really appreciate it. I wonder if they would let me steal some of the pics.

I had no idea that the Audio Aero was so expensive.

Thanks again,
Louis

PS. Darkstar 1.5s are next up on the list to do. It will be done very soon.

[JLM]

A nice tip of the hat to DMason as well!


Reviewers love to "add perspective" by doing unfair comparisons of poor man equipment with exotic stuff, and yes I agree, he should have gone farther to price/performance qualify the comparison.

No comment made regarding how the platform affected performance.  Others have commented that digital stuff seems to be pretty insensitive to support enhancements.

$800 for speaker cables seems to me to be out of line price wise for this system.

Is the Lotus amp a dual mono version?  As I understand Vinnie offers a "full blown" dual mono integrated in a black metal box for about half the price of the pre/power amps reviewed.  It's wonderful that you can match everything like that, but for $1000 I can easily live with a black box.  

Leaving out the platform, nixing the finish upgrades, finding cheaper cables, and going with the integrated black box amp saves about $2000, and for the money would make for a much more impressive system.

Can you tell I'm cheap?

[Charles D.]

I agree with JLM. The review could have been more comprehensive in reporting on the options that retain the sound without the expense of the review system . I just got a dual mono Clari-T in the tuxedo box with plain aluminum knobs, and this configuration is both less expensive than the Lotus pre+amp and has the added channel separation of two Tripath chips plus no expense or potential effect on sound from amp/pre interconnects. In addition, the iPod Mod that Vinnie offers is less expensive than the SB2 (and perhaps less versatile) but offers a bit better sound (by Vinnie's esimate; though he might say simply different in ways that he prefers ) without the need for high-end power cables and conditioners.

I also second the notion that  cabling in the review unnecessarily pushed up the cost. It's good cable, but I did notice that the reviewer was not drawing strong distinction between the $600 speaker cable and the ca. $185 set (the "R" cables) also available from Omega (made by Hudson Audio). If you go the iMod route for the source, then you can also pick up some very fine interconnect for $69. I just ordered this from Signal Cable (http://signalcable.com/silvermini.html): 2 feet of 5 nines silver wire terminated with Eichmann TeCu Bullets and a Neutrik 1/8" plug. Nice.

And finally, the A8s do come in a less expensive (but still beautifully made by Louis) set of finishes. So, a perhaps better sound could be had for ca. half the cost of the review setup.

I don't mean to disregard the generally very favorable review, or the good boost it gives to RWA and Omega. I just want them to get a fair shake: they deserve more praise and support  .

Oh, and the review really should have noted that the synergy between the A8 and Clari-T is because Louis actually voiced the speaker with the Clari-T. It wasn't just that this was a happenstance synergy. This was by expert design, and how often do you find that? It's a very compelling point that would have been good to note.

I feel like I'm being too cranky . It's great they got a detailed, positive review with beautiful product shots and solid information. Right on, Vinnie and Louis .

[gary]

Keep in mind this was a complete system review, and it was one that was demo'd at a show where the average system probably came in at well over $100k. It's hard enough to get the people who attend to listen to something that doesn't involve glowing tubes, and if what you've got doesn't look sexy & polished then forget about it. Certain people need an appearance that matches the level of performanc, and they're willing to pay a premium for it. I'm glad that Vinnie/Louis offer the option yet the budge-conscious among us (myself included) can still get the amp in a plain metal box.

Gary

[JLM]

Don't want to be totally negative, the review was reasonably accurate and well written.  Vinnie and Louis are to be commended for collaborating so well.

And I recognize the advantages of having "curb appeal" (eye candy).

[polishpowerlifter]

Kudos to all involved  

[garden51245]

Louis, Vinnie,

 Is everything like this these days?

[Louis O]

Looks like I will be renaming the A8s to Lotus. When the new site is ready. I'm thinking of having all the speakers in categories. The Fostex based, Hemp based and Aperiodic.

More eye candy coming soon. Added zebrawood and getting in some amazing Italian laminate which will be 2-tone.

Thanks again,
Louis