Rmaf 2014

[MiTT]

Tim,

Thanks so much for your coverage! It's wonderful just as always.

A small correction on your PS Audio room info. The speakers are the Infinity Beta, not the IRS.

Yes of course, you're absolutely correct and I knew that. Paul has the IRS up at his factory in Boulder where I heard them when they unveiled the Direct Stream DAC to the Colorado Audio Society and I just had that on my mind since Arnie Nudell was in the room. I'll correct my post ASAP. Thanks!

 

[R.I.P]

Tim great pictures and write up.

Please if possible can you post additional pictures.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Very enjoyable to read about RMAF 2014. Thanks for sharing with us.

Have fun!:music:

 

[MiTT]

Tim great pictures and write up.

Please if possible can you post additional pictures.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Very enjoyable to read about RMAF 2014. Thanks for sharing with us.

Have fun!:music:

Yes, I'm posting them as time allows, and adding corrections, pricing etc. as I go along. Might take a few days to get everything added - have to balance the show, work, wife, dog etc. Keep checking back, there will be many updates.

 

[R.I.P]

Tim, thanks once again for making the investment of time and effort and sharing the creative output with everyone.

 

[amey01]

Listening to Ramsey Lewis from "The In Crowd" on this big statement system was a Great way for me to end day 1. The Soulution gear sometimes seems a bit dry to me, but maybe I'm just used to listening to colorations that these electronics avoid. The big daddy Focals as always sounded fantastic. There were certain harmonics on the piano that sounded as real as it gets and there is such a deep foundation underpinning everything it's easy to suspend disbelief.

Solution kit dry? I've never found that - they're one of the brands I really love listening to. And Technical Brain - any of that at RMAF?

 

[MiTT]

Solution kit dry? I've never found that - they're one of the brands I really love listening to. And Technical Brain - any of that at RMAF?

Sorry Adam, but that was just my take on them, and even more so after hearing the same speakers on the big VAC Statement system. I didn't say they were bad, in fact I said it may just be that they don't possess colorations that other gear may be burdened with, and that I find pleasing. No Technical Brain this year, but it's funny you mention them in the same reply, because I've always felt the same about that equipment as well. That's the beauty of this hobby though isn't it, there are so many options and none of us hear exactly the same thing. So important to listen for yourself and your key indicators.

 

[MiTT]

Vinnie Rossi

OK, so now I'll start adding a bunch of stuff I saw and took pictures of, but just didn't post real time, and there is a pretty fair amount of it, so it might take a while.

Vinnie Rossi may be familiar to anyone who knows of or has heard any of the Red Wine Audio gear. Red Wine is known for their modification services as well as their own line of battery powered gear. Vinnie has started a new company and this is an inside look at his new modular DAC/Pre-Amp/Headphone amp/Power/Amp (I guess that would sort of be an integrated amp). At any rate, it's completely modular and upgradeable. Want a DAC and Headphone amp, no problem. Want to come back later and add an amp module to drive some speakers, no problem. Vinnie makes an upgrade to a module and you want to try it out in your home for 30 days to decide if it's worth it, no problem. Great concept that should keep you off the merry go round. Interestingly, Vinnie is eschewing batteries in the new line up instead favoring a circuit that utilizes two separate capacitor banks that are constantly charging and switching on and off the grid every few minutes for uninterrupted play. The headphone section sounded great!

 

[MiTT]

Schit

Yes, it's pronounced just the way it looks, and yes they do a pretty funny job of leveraging that name into their advertising ("this is some serious Schit", "Go Ape-Schit"). I get it and would probably take the same approach if I were working in their Marketing Department. They have always been known for their down to earth pricing, offering seriously good stuff for remarkably low money (such as their Loki DSD DAC for $149.00). This year though they launched their new flagship products. The names can only be properly pronounced if you are a Viking, but the Yggdrasil DAC ($2299) and Ragnarok Headphone Amp ($1699) are intended to be all out, end game components. I didn't get to listen for very long at the Can Jam booth, but I'd really like to try this combination with my Audezee LCD-3's.

 

[MiTT]

Alo

Last few shots from Can Jam - ALO, makers of great cables and portable headphone amps mostly, but who last year introduced their big bad ass Studio 6 Headphone Amp (the black one), this year introduced a vacuum tube based Phonostage. It should be available by next month. I didn't get a price...

Lastly, a cool looking little HP amp I saw in I believe the TTVJ booth. I don't know what it is, just thought it looked kind of neat.

 

[MiTT]

Acoustic Sounds/Sony/Pass

Our friend Chad Kassem was demonstrating some of the Acoustic Sounds Super Hi-Rez files in a room where he was running all Pass electronics and a pair of the uber high end Sony ES speakers. Interestingly, the V-FET amplifiers were labeled 40th Anniversary Sony V-FET and were the only piece of equipment in the room marked NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE. They also had a higher end SME turntable available for spinning vinyl, although when I was in the room everything was playing off the Sony digital renderer.

 

[amey01]

That's the beauty of this hobby though isn't it,

That's the beauty of the hobby alright!

I really love Technical Brain - I can't say I am ever that impressed when I walk into the room, but it is always a room where I find myself still sitting there, besotted and mesmerised, an hour later - or more.

 

[amey01]

Never one to dissapoint, last year Ayre outfitted their room as a record store, this year they transformed the room into a small Jazz Club. Absolutely Awesome, and the sound didn't suck either - quite the contrary. MXR amps with the KXR-20 pre amp, fed by the QBR DAC and a Mac Air. Speakers were a one off manufactured by Vivid specifically for the show. Without question the most fun room of the show and a great way to remove the pompous presentation and just enjoy some awesome music.

Clever marketing...

 

[roberto]

Hola Mitt...what is the most interesting product for the budget and ears? Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[twich54]

Yes, it's pronounced just the way it looks, and yes they do a pretty funny job of leveraging that name into their advertising ("this is some serious Schit", "Go Ape-Schit").

LOL Tim !!

Our friend Chad Kassem was demonstrating some of the Acoustic Sounds Super Hi-Rez files in a room where he was running all Pass electronics and a pair of the uber high end Sony ES speakers. Interestingly, the V-FET amplifiers were labeled 40th Anniversary Sony V-FET and were the only piece of equipment in the room marked NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE. They also had a higher end SME turntable available for spinning vinyl, although when I was in the room everything was playing off the Sony digital renderer.

interesting Tim, was Chad not around to get the 'skinny' on this ?

 

[eknuds01]

Great stuff, Tim! I really need to mark my calendar (now!) to remind myself that this show is in October. I always forget!

Erik

 

[slowGEEZR]

LOL Tim !!



interesting Tim, was Chad not around to get the 'skinny' on this ?

Dave, Tim will probably respond, but when I talked to Chad, he told me that there were only four of these amps made and three of them were in this room. If I recall correctly, Nelson Pass had bought some no longer manufactured transistors and used them to make these amps. I would have loved to hear these amps in another setup, as I didn't care much for the sound in this room. I just got home from Denver and will be able to offer some of my thoughts on this year's show later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[MiTT]

I'm glad you talked to him Steve. I saw Chad when I walked into the room, but when I turned around to talk to him he was gone and I didn't see him again for the rest of the show.

Sorry I missed you Steve - it looks like you tried to call me on Saturday, and I just realized you left me a VM. I was dealing with a bunch of phone calls for work on Saturday (we were running our PI) and just missed your call.

 

[MiTT]

Hola Mitt...what is the most interesting product for the budget and ears? Thanks for the help in advance!

Hola Roberto, my friend! Contrary to some opinion the words "budget" and HiFi can indeed work in the same sentence, although it may be hard to quantify or put in context. If I were to say in absolute terms, the Benchmark SMS1's (formerly Studio Electric), I'd mentioned in post #36 are an absolute bargain at $2650.00, and they sound fantastic - very much in the league of many speakers I've heard costing up to $6000.00 or so. Not analytical or too romantic, they just make music. Another would have to be the Dynaudio Xeo 6 system in post 31, but it's pretty much limited to computer audio or other digital inputs (a BluRay player for example), I don't believe it had any analog inputs on the wireless transmitter - but I could be wrong.

In another vein entirely, I was very impressed with the pairing of the new Peachtree Audio Nova 220SE with these Zu Audio Druid speakers for a full package at around $7000.00 - just plug in your computer or turntable and you're all set. Hard to say how they would sound with all types of music, but with the House/Trance/Alternative they were playing when I was in the room they were incredibly punchy with a HUGE soundstage. My only complaint after being in this room twice was that they were playing the system entirely too loud, but with the right music it was really fun.

While it's hard to call an $18K set of speakers a bargain, I'd have to say that one of my favorite rooms overall for sound quality and pure musical enjoyment was probably the AURALiC room with the YG Acoustics Carmel speakers in post 18. This system seemed to just gel in a holistic fashion.

 

[MiTT]

Day 2 Distractions

Here are a couple of distractions I saw in the parking lot on the way in on Day 2...

 

[MiTT]

Lambert

On static display save for the headphone amp, these miniature components from a company called Lambert looked very intriguing. Could make for a very cool office system.