churchill
Well-known member
Thanks for the great coverage Tim!
MiTT's 2011 RMAF Show Report
- Thread starter MiTT
- Start date
Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:
amey01
Well-known member
Yep - great coverage. Thanks. Hope I can meet this standard with the Aussie Hi-Fi show THIS WEEKEND!
Coverage forthcoming.
Coverage forthcoming.
Gordon Gray
Well-known member
Hi all,
Just a few thoughts on what I heard.
The Devalliet unit ($18K) was quite special. Hope I spelled it correctly. Heard it in two rooms. An all in one attractive (shiny chrome finish), narrow box and all you need is a computer to provide the music.
The Martin Logan Montis was demoed in a rather small room but the magic was clearly there. This is the Spire replacement. The glossy cherry finish was absolutely gorgeous. More importantly, the blend between the panel and woofer module, based on my limited listening, was quite seamless.
In the MBL room, they were demoing the new 125 (replacement for the 121 I believe), which is the smallest speaker they make. I heard the previous model two years ago and it was stunning although they were set up in a much larger room. At this years show, the sound, to be polite, sucked. They were playing Mary Black / I Dream of Columbus on the "No Frontiers" CD. This is a gorgeous, moving song but through the MBL's, you would not know it. Based on my previous experience, my sense is that it was a room issue but who knows.
Beside the Wilson Sasha and Vandersteen Model 7, the other major speaker manufacturer present was YG Acoustics. I heard the Ref ($120K), the Kipod Sig. 2 ($49K), and the Carmel ($17K), which is their newest, smallest and least expensive speaker in the YG line. I will admit my bias because I'm quite smitten with the YG house sound. No hint of bright, tinny sound. The Sig. 2, although small, had tremendous weight and body, while sounding transparent and effortless. The Carmel was the real surprise. Although quite small by floorstanding speaker standards, the sound belied its dimensions. A bit limited at the low end, but they sounded quite large with tremendous imaging and presence. I also had the chance to spend a bit of time with Yoav / YG's main man. Despite his earlier marketing approach, he is a humble, personable, engaging person.
Also heard, in a very crowded room, the new Magico Q1. Mr. Wolf was present. They are essentially a smallish speaker on stands. The sound was pleasant but I was not sitting in a place to offer any meaningful comment. Probably would not win the prize for its size and price, which is $27K.
Focal was demoing their second from the top speaker (approx $100K). With the large room and top flight gear, it sounded extremely musical, engaging and, again, effortless. What amazed me is how such a large speaker can disappear once the music starts.
The Analysis Audio room, on the ground floor, sounded excellent as it has in the past.
And now for the "you've got to be kidding" product. The Synergistic Research Art room tuning devices. Obscenely priced for their diminutive size ($3K), I sat through a demo where they removed a couple of resonator control devices in front of the bass module on the YG Kipod Sig. 2 and when they pulled all the devices from the wall and floor. A clear, audible deterioration in the sound quality when these devices were not present. I'm not competent to comment on the "science" but their impact (when in place) was very positive. In fact, every room I went to after the demo sounded somewhat flat and less than engaging.
Some general comments. Lots of vinyl and lots of computer / server audio. In the music room, 80% of music / retail space was vinyl, 20% CD's.
For those who have not attended this show, I would highly encourage you to do so. Many top flight manufacturers, all in one building, with a relatively small crowd (5,000 or so) in attendance. And you can meet and actually talk to the some of the eminent designers in high end audio.
Gordon
Just a few thoughts on what I heard.
The Devalliet unit ($18K) was quite special. Hope I spelled it correctly. Heard it in two rooms. An all in one attractive (shiny chrome finish), narrow box and all you need is a computer to provide the music.
The Martin Logan Montis was demoed in a rather small room but the magic was clearly there. This is the Spire replacement. The glossy cherry finish was absolutely gorgeous. More importantly, the blend between the panel and woofer module, based on my limited listening, was quite seamless.
In the MBL room, they were demoing the new 125 (replacement for the 121 I believe), which is the smallest speaker they make. I heard the previous model two years ago and it was stunning although they were set up in a much larger room. At this years show, the sound, to be polite, sucked. They were playing Mary Black / I Dream of Columbus on the "No Frontiers" CD. This is a gorgeous, moving song but through the MBL's, you would not know it. Based on my previous experience, my sense is that it was a room issue but who knows.
Beside the Wilson Sasha and Vandersteen Model 7, the other major speaker manufacturer present was YG Acoustics. I heard the Ref ($120K), the Kipod Sig. 2 ($49K), and the Carmel ($17K), which is their newest, smallest and least expensive speaker in the YG line. I will admit my bias because I'm quite smitten with the YG house sound. No hint of bright, tinny sound. The Sig. 2, although small, had tremendous weight and body, while sounding transparent and effortless. The Carmel was the real surprise. Although quite small by floorstanding speaker standards, the sound belied its dimensions. A bit limited at the low end, but they sounded quite large with tremendous imaging and presence. I also had the chance to spend a bit of time with Yoav / YG's main man. Despite his earlier marketing approach, he is a humble, personable, engaging person.
Also heard, in a very crowded room, the new Magico Q1. Mr. Wolf was present. They are essentially a smallish speaker on stands. The sound was pleasant but I was not sitting in a place to offer any meaningful comment. Probably would not win the prize for its size and price, which is $27K.
Focal was demoing their second from the top speaker (approx $100K). With the large room and top flight gear, it sounded extremely musical, engaging and, again, effortless. What amazed me is how such a large speaker can disappear once the music starts.
The Analysis Audio room, on the ground floor, sounded excellent as it has in the past.
And now for the "you've got to be kidding" product. The Synergistic Research Art room tuning devices. Obscenely priced for their diminutive size ($3K), I sat through a demo where they removed a couple of resonator control devices in front of the bass module on the YG Kipod Sig. 2 and when they pulled all the devices from the wall and floor. A clear, audible deterioration in the sound quality when these devices were not present. I'm not competent to comment on the "science" but their impact (when in place) was very positive. In fact, every room I went to after the demo sounded somewhat flat and less than engaging.
Some general comments. Lots of vinyl and lots of computer / server audio. In the music room, 80% of music / retail space was vinyl, 20% CD's.
For those who have not attended this show, I would highly encourage you to do so. Many top flight manufacturers, all in one building, with a relatively small crowd (5,000 or so) in attendance. And you can meet and actually talk to the some of the eminent designers in high end audio.
Gordon
Unfortunately, it did. Quite a letdown after hearing the big boy MBL's @ THE Show, which were utterly incredible.
Sitting in the sweet spot, I thought vocals were fantastic, but other aspects were merely very good. By comparison, the Evo MM Micros were terrific @ 1/10th the price.
Gordon, I spent a ton of time there and concluded that they were highly variable - great or mediocre, depending upon the material played. Ultimately, I left disappointed.
Just like THE Show, I thought Roger Sanders' room sounded superb - his speakers really do everything right. The other speakers I thought were killer: KEF Reference (moreso than the Blade!) and the Vandersteen V7.
User211
Well-known member
Having heard them twice relatively recently, I think I concur with that viewpoint. However, with the small local shows we have in England, even that sort of performance can outshine a multitude of rooms with lesser kit in.
MBLs sounding bad at shows I have not come across. But I have come across the big boy MBLs sounding very under-utilised in HK.
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
Link to pics...
Everyone, here is the link to my RMAF pics.
http://slowgeezr.smugmug.com/Music/RMAF-2011/19600942_9kPZ3P#1535697083_vMs77m6
I can't believe how busy I've been since I got back, I just haven't had much time to do much commentary. If, after you browse my pics, there are any questions, please ask. I will be doing some more comments on my thread, so as to not hijack Tim's thread.
Everyone, here is the link to my RMAF pics.
http://slowgeezr.smugmug.com/Music/RMAF-2011/19600942_9kPZ3P#1535697083_vMs77m6
I can't believe how busy I've been since I got back, I just haven't had much time to do much commentary. If, after you browse my pics, there are any questions, please ask. I will be doing some more comments on my thread, so as to not hijack Tim's thread.
Gordon Gray
Well-known member
Ken and Justin,
Regarding the under performance of the MBL's and frankly, other rooms that I visited, I would question (absent a new manufacturer wanting to expose their product) the wisdom of showing up at all.
I suppose it cuts both ways but, having not heard the MBL's properly set and given the price tag for admission, the uninitiated may come away with a strong negative opinion that is counter productive to the best interests of the company demoing their product.
We all know show conditions are difficult but ......
GG
Regarding the under performance of the MBL's and frankly, other rooms that I visited, I would question (absent a new manufacturer wanting to expose their product) the wisdom of showing up at all.
I suppose it cuts both ways but, having not heard the MBL's properly set and given the price tag for admission, the uninitiated may come away with a strong negative opinion that is counter productive to the best interests of the company demoing their product.
We all know show conditions are difficult but ......
GG
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
That's certainly true as to my reaction of the YG speakers I had seen prior to this show. I just didn't get them, as they always sounded bad to me. This time, I was moved by their great sound. Go figure.
User211
Well-known member
True because there are just so many variables. Room, ancilliary equipment, the recordings being played etc etc. For that reason, it is actually really hard to come up with solid conclusions.
In the case of the Omega, I think their perceived variability is due to their far from flat (and possibly deliberately tailored) frequency response, which was exposed during a recent UK press review. I say deliberately tailored because the technology used by Apogee measures pretty damned flat - so presumably this can be achieved using the Omegas similar, but not identical, tech.
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
Precisely.
MiTT
Super User
I agree, no way to accurately and definitively say how any of these components would sound in your home. That's why I always preface what I'm saying at the beginning of these threads by saying that these are my relative impressions going from room to room. More than anything else it gives me an idea of what components I'd be interested in hearing in my home and which ones I wouldn't bother with. For that matter, I haven't posted a number of the rooms (probably only about 50%), because I either didn't have time to visit the room, wasn't overly interested in what was in the room, or just didn't like the sound. I unfortunately had to skip the show on Sunday due to other committments. If I had 4 full days there I could have probably done all of the rooms more justice.
Last edited:
MiTT
Super User
Sonicweld
There were a number of rooms and random shots I took at the show that I didn't post live. It's been a week now since the show, so some f these impressions will be a bit less detailed, but still some nice stuff to share.
Sonicweld certainly makes some very interesting looking speakers, and the sound is certainly good, but the asking price is also very steep. The towers are very svelt looking, barely bigger than the drivers they enclose. The subs on the other hand look quite massive. I also appreciated that they had a very cool looking Funk turntable in the room.
There were a number of rooms and random shots I took at the show that I didn't post live. It's been a week now since the show, so some f these impressions will be a bit less detailed, but still some nice stuff to share.
Sonicweld certainly makes some very interesting looking speakers, and the sound is certainly good, but the asking price is also very steep. The towers are very svelt looking, barely bigger than the drivers they enclose. The subs on the other hand look quite massive. I also appreciated that they had a very cool looking Funk turntable in the room.
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
Wyred 4 Sound
I don't recal what speakers were being used in the Wyred 4 Sound room, but they were showing a well rounded offering of their electronics featuring a new music server with up to 3TB of storage, the $1499 DAC-2, their $1999 STP-SE pre-amp and a pair of 550 wpc monoblocks ($2398 each). I know several members here have the W4S DAC-2. What I liked was how all of the components were built around the same relative chassis size. Good looking and good sounding stuff at what seemed like a very reasonable price point.
I don't recal what speakers were being used in the Wyred 4 Sound room, but they were showing a well rounded offering of their electronics featuring a new music server with up to 3TB of storage, the $1499 DAC-2, their $1999 STP-SE pre-amp and a pair of 550 wpc monoblocks ($2398 each). I know several members here have the W4S DAC-2. What I liked was how all of the components were built around the same relative chassis size. Good looking and good sounding stuff at what seemed like a very reasonable price point.
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
Silbatone
I'm not very familiar with Silbatone, but I'm going to learn more about them. No prices posted for this room that I recall seeing, but it looks like pretty expensive stuff. Sounds like it too. At first I was put off by the rough appearance of the speakers in use here. Later I found out that they are vintage Western Electric 757A Monitors and that they are a highly prized commodity in the Far East. Introduced in 1948, I was told that they can sell for upwards of $40,000; if you can even find them.
I'm not very familiar with Silbatone, but I'm going to learn more about them. No prices posted for this room that I recall seeing, but it looks like pretty expensive stuff. Sounds like it too. At first I was put off by the rough appearance of the speakers in use here. Later I found out that they are vintage Western Electric 757A Monitors and that they are a highly prized commodity in the Far East. Introduced in 1948, I was told that they can sell for upwards of $40,000; if you can even find them.
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
Merlin & Ars-Sonum
I've always enjoyed the Merlin VSM series loudspeakers, but they may have sounded better this year than ever! They have typically been paired witht he wonderful Joule Electra line. This year they were showing with the elegant looking Ars-Sonum Gran Filarmonia integrated amp and an Audio Aero LaFontaine SACD player. Great sound! The speakers in this room were offered on a show special at $8500 (normally $15,200). If I had some spare cash I might have snatched them up!
I've always enjoyed the Merlin VSM series loudspeakers, but they may have sounded better this year than ever! They have typically been paired witht he wonderful Joule Electra line. This year they were showing with the elegant looking Ars-Sonum Gran Filarmonia integrated amp and an Audio Aero LaFontaine SACD player. Great sound! The speakers in this room were offered on a show special at $8500 (normally $15,200). If I had some spare cash I might have snatched them up!
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
Bergmann, Ypsilon & Lansche
Elegant is an apt decriptor for the look, feel, presentation and sound of the room featuring the beautiful Bergmann Sindre turntable out of Norway as well as the equally stunning Ypsilon electronics out of Greece. Add in the always great sounding Lansche speakers featuring their intiguing plasma tweeter (similar to that used in the Acapella's), and you end up with a very impressive room.
Elegant is an apt decriptor for the look, feel, presentation and sound of the room featuring the beautiful Bergmann Sindre turntable out of Norway as well as the equally stunning Ypsilon electronics out of Greece. Add in the always great sounding Lansche speakers featuring their intiguing plasma tweeter (similar to that used in the Acapella's), and you end up with a very impressive room.
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
Tad
Dave had asked that I be sure to swing into the TAD room. I went, but it was too crowded to get a seat! I managed to snap a few shots as the manufacturers rep was talking between cuts, but wasn't able to sit down once the music was playing. Too bad because what I was able to hear from my position standing near the door with some uncompressed Supertramp supposedly sourced from the master tape was VERY impressive! I believe they said the speakers were $47K without the suggested stands. No idea what the associated TAD electronics cost, but they looked pretty pricy too. Pioneer's high end extension has come a long way.
Dave had asked that I be sure to swing into the TAD room. I went, but it was too crowded to get a seat! I managed to snap a few shots as the manufacturers rep was talking between cuts, but wasn't able to sit down once the music was playing. Too bad because what I was able to hear from my position standing near the door with some uncompressed Supertramp supposedly sourced from the master tape was VERY impressive! I believe they said the speakers were $47K without the suggested stands. No idea what the associated TAD electronics cost, but they looked pretty pricy too. Pioneer's high end extension has come a long way.
Attachments
MiTT
Super User
MiTT
Super User
Nola & ARC
The Nola Baby Grand Reference Series II speakers sounded quite grand playing operatic aria's when I was in the room. They were being driven by a slew of Audio Research gear that I just can't remember with certainty, but I believe it was all Ref level. I understand Nola is now called Accent Speaker Technology, Ltd. I remember when they were called Alon. I can't keep up.
The Nola Baby Grand Reference Series II speakers sounded quite grand playing operatic aria's when I was in the room. They were being driven by a slew of Audio Research gear that I just can't remember with certainty, but I believe it was all Ref level. I understand Nola is now called Accent Speaker Technology, Ltd. I remember when they were called Alon. I can't keep up.
