RMAF update

stevecuss · « **on:** 2 Oct 2009, 11:16 pm »

This is my second year to attend RMAF and I was able to spend 2.5 hours there today before having to get back to work. Not sure if I can make it tomorrow, depending on my son's soccer tournament!

I stopped by both of Danny's rooms and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Super-V running through the Dodd battery amps. Incredible sound and Danny's room was once again a highlight from the show. I didn't run into Danny in either room, but said a quick hi to Gary before moving on.

I also caught his V-2s connected to the Virtue Audio stuff and they sounded fantastic too. Nice small footprint and an great aesthetic overall and of course, world class sound.

Other highlights for me, keeping in mind I'm a seriously budget constrained audiophile...

-- The Peachtree room was outstanding. They connected their Nova to their bookshelf speakers and the sound was fantastic for the price.

-- Jolida - I'd always heard about these guys, but never heard a Jolida amp in person. Their new FX series 10 watt tube amp for $450 is a killer amp and they were showing it off by making it drive their speakers and a passive sub.

-- the Luxman room had some fascinating room treatments in the form of carbon fibre spheres and semi spheres - one of each wall. The guys would put them up and take them off and the sound changed dramatically. $500 for a set of 4 discrete spheres that somehow sympathetically resonate to assist sound. I may have this wrong and I frankly don't understand it, but my ears sure did. Pretty stunning. My friend and I decided it would be a neat trick to teach his dog how to sympathetically resonate with the music....

-- met the designer of the scan speak revelator drivers and he was showing them off with some full range $140,000 (!!!!) speakers, running some Pink Floyd through them. Killer sound and I wondered what it would be like to not have a roof over my head, but enjoying good music, while homeless.

my bottom line was the same as last year: a guy doesn't have to spend big coin to get killer, and I mean, killer sound. Some of the very high end stuff sounded fantastic but some of it sounded absolutely stellar. Danny and Gary and the Peachtree guys have much to be proud of, offering really high end sound for budget price.

if I get back there tomorrow, I'l post another review, this time with actual names of stuff....

Steve

TF1216 · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 02:21 am »

Steve,

Can you please tell me which room you met the designer of the Revelator?

I found the room housing Danny's Super-V one difficult room to walk out of. This room was like one of those dates one might go on where you never feel comfortable saying 'goodbye'. Plus, Danny and Dave are cool dudes.

stevecuss · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 03:00 am »

The room was on the main floor, along the back hallway, behind registration heading toward the restaurants, on the right. Sorry I can't be more specific, I was with a friend in an electric wheelchair and was spending most of my attention helping him get around. You'll know you're in the right room though, the speakers are 4 way, full tower with the revelator in the middle - obviously a distinct design.

best wishes

Steve

TrungT · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 03:20 am »

Steve
Thanks for the up-date.
Pictures?

Wish I could be there.

HT cOz · « **Reply #4 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 10:28 pm »

C'mon guys post some more pics and comments from the show.

Christof · « **Reply #5 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 10:32 pm »

Quote from: HT cOz on 3 Oct 2009, 10:28 pm

C'mom guys post some more pics and comments from the show.

Yea....someone tell us the V1's suck so I will quit lusting over them

jn316 · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 12:57 am »

Here's some pics of the GR Research/Dodd room.

The last one shows Dave Elledge of the PI audio group (Majik Buss) explaining that every component in the room costs $995!

Even the Super-V1's...not.

The Super-V1's sounded great. Tons of dynamics. I had originally been looking at LS9s for their dynamics and I do think these are in that ballpark. Now, someone build out a pair, play them for about 2 months, and sell them to me for half price.

Gary

jn316 · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 01:04 am »

Also, Gary's 15 watt battery amp was easily driving the efficient Super-V1's. It obviously helps that the servo subs have their own amps, but still impressive SPL's were reached without breaking a sweat. If I buy some V1's, I may look into selling my mega-solid-state amp. Maybe try them both and sell the loser.

Oh, the hotel lost power a couple of times while I was there...very annoying. Gary was smiling ear-to-ear though, knowing that his gear was still doing their job!

TrungT · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 01:40 am »

Gary

Thanks for the pictures.
The V1's look great.
"Gary was smiling ear-to-ear"
That was funny

Took me couple seconds to realized. (I'm slow thinker)

HT cOz · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 02:12 am »

Looks great. Dave is going to have tell us more about those diffusers.

mojave · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 03:21 am »

I went to Danny's room four different times today. I finished up there and ended up talking to
Sean Parque of Skiing Ninja, Gary Dodd of Dodd Audio, and Dave Elledge of PI Audio Group. I didn't leave until about 6:30. The Super V1's were awesome! It was amazing to hear such clarity and dynamics with only a 15 amp battery powered amp. I also had a chance to hear the V-2's, but the room they were in wasn't setup the best.

Dave's diffusers seems very nice and I was told by a few that they really helped out the room while it was being setup. They diffuse the sound above about 300 Hz rather than absorbing it. This helps maintain the same energy in the room without too much being absorbed.

Gary, I think I was in the room when you took the pictures.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 03:21 am »

Congrats to the set up guys. THAT room looks so RIGHT!

Christof · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 04:23 am »

Quote from: mojave on 4 Oct 2009, 03:21 am

I went to Danny's room four different times today. I finished up there and ended up talking to
Sean Parque of Skiing Ninja, Gary Dodd of Dodd Audio, and Dave Elledge of PI Audio Group. I didn't leave until about 6:30. The Super V1's were awesome! It was amazing to hear such clarity and dynamics with only a 15 amp battery powered amp. I also had a chance to hear the V-2's, but the room they were in wasn't setup the best.

Dave's diffusers seems very nice and I was told by a few that they really helped out the room while it was being setup. They diffuse the sound above about 300 Hz rather than absorbing it. This helps maintain the same energy in the room without too much being absorbed.

Gary, I think I was in the room when you took the pictures.

Hmmm....so they didn't suck

The lust continues.....

dBe · « **Reply #13 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 05:09 am »

Quote from: HT cOz on 4 Oct 2009, 02:12 am

Looks great. Dave is going to have tell us more about those diffusiors.

They are prototypes that were ready a day before we left for the show. They only had a painted finish instead of the hard coat polyurethane finish that the best production versions will have, but worked very well in this setting.

Gayle and I were unable to leave at the time we had planned and were a full 5 hours behind schedule arriving. When I walked in the door, Gary, in his typically great direct way, said "man, am I glad to see you... this room sucks!" So, in my typically direct way (not at all unlike Gary's) said, "that's why I am here, we can fix this." I thank God that it all worked out as well as it did because, like has been said: it doesn't suck. The hard shell ones would have been better, but I am quite pleased with the sound quality that we have achieved. All my diffusors are doing is allowing the great sound of the electronics and speakers to be communicated in a very small room, but that is no mean feat.

Just wait til next year.

I am working on a full disclosure of the room treatment, which will come next week. I am having oral surgery right after I get back to Albuquerque, so it won't be until later in the week or the drugs may make promises that I can't keep, so stay tuned.

It has been great meeting all of you guys that have come by and introduced yourselves. This has been a tremendously fun time. I'm looking forward to all of the things that we have discussed and want to thank you again for making this a wonderful show for the short, bald, fat, old guy from Albuquerque.

Dave

pbrstreetgang · « **Reply #14 on:** 4 Oct 2009, 05:40 am »

Looks great all around!!

mikeb · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 06:55 pm »

Any pictures of the new V2 room setup and listening impressions?

What about the Dodd battery powered monoblocks? Did they not make the trip?

Sure is quiet here guys.

ebag4 · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 07:01 pm »

Quote from: mikeb on 5 Oct 2009, 06:55 pm

Any pictures of the new V2 room setup and listening impressions?

What about the Dodd battery powered monoblocks? Did they not make the trip?

Sure is quiet here guys.

Too quiet. Any comments on the V-1s?

dmccombs · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 08:05 pm »

I spent a lot of time in the room this last weekend. It was one of the best sounding rooms at RMAF. The sound was clean, rich, and dynamic, with a nice wide deep soundstage.

The speakers are dynamic and go down to 18 hz (if I remember correctly). The mids and highs are full and clean. These speakers are excellent and affordable.

The preamp and power amp had a rich sound and I was shocked tubes could produce such powerful lows. The sound was rich and detailed.

The RMAF rooms suck sonically but the use of the PI Audio diffusers and some absorption allowed the music to shine without excessive nodes or blare. The Uberbuss no doubt cleaned up the power lot as the system was very quiet and allowing instruments to be well defined.

All in all, the room, speakers, and electronics complemented each other extremely well. I think if you bought everything in the room you would spend ~$12K, and it crushed almost every other room at the show.

I have a decent vinyl setup in my system, and I was shocked to hear an Apple laptop sourced system provide such depth and such rich sound.

Danny, Gary, and Dave put together an amazing room this year. Every piece in the room was top notch and was set up very well.

jn316 · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 08:06 pm »

I didn't listen to the V-2's. That room had several different speaker pairs in it and was pretty crowded when I was in there. I'm mostly interested in the V-1's/Super-V, so I spent most of my listening time in that room. Hopefully, those that did spend some time with them will chime in.

By the way, the standard V-1's were not at the show.

Gary

jn316 · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 08:09 pm »

Yep, Danny played a track that had an 18Hz tone in it. You could hear it...wait, maybe to say that you could "feel it" would be the better way to say it.