Rocky Mountain Audio Fest - Day2

[MiTT]

AudioRequest

One of their sources was this AudioRequest Music Server ($18K), which produced some very good sounding material

 

[MiTT]

Studio Electric

Studio Electric is a new brand of tubed electronics and speakers that immediately reminded me of the fuctional art that is embodied by ElectronLuv (missing from this year's show). When I was talking with owner David Ellington about the similarities he told me that his chassis are fashioned by Josh Stippich - the main guy at ElectronLuv! The sound was very similar too - intimate, accessable and detailed with suprizingly good bass out of these little balls...

 

[MiTT]

Art Deco

A closer look at these Art Deco wonders...

 

[MiTT]

Walker Audio

The Walker Audio room is always one of the best at the show, and for the most part this year was no exception. The majestic Procenium Black Diamond turntable ($35K) was spinning every slab of vinyl imaginable with abandon. The Walker Reference Phono 2nd Edition ($12.5K) was boosting the signal. The Red Rock Audio Renaissance push pull monoblocks ($39.7K) were glowing in admiration being fed by their own pre-production LS-1 preamp (price TBD), and everything was nested in Walker Prologue equipment racks ($7.5K each) and Amp Stands ($1.5K each) with the wonderful Walker Audio Valid Points damping chassis and draining away vibrations. It all sounded very, very good - but it should have sounded fantastic. It did last year. The difference was the speakers. This year they were running the LSA 10 solid aluminum speakers ($80K). Like I said, it sounded good, but...

 

[MiTT]

Lsa 10

The LSA 10, a machined from billett 3 way was something to behold, but $80K should make you stand up and take notice! The Acapella's, the smaller Kharma's, the Escalante's - hell, even the mighty mbl 101's were less expensive than these and all sounded significantly better.

 

[MiTT]

Red Rock's

These Red Rock amps though are something special, and were found in a number of rooms around the show. Much better looking in person too...

 

[MiTT]

Walker's namesake

The center of attention though in every room Walker has had the past three years has always been his amazing turntable. We listened to Louis and Duke together, we listened to Shelly Mann and Jack Marshall (Sounds Unheard Of), we listened to Ella (Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie). We listened for a long time to a very good system and one of the turntables of my dreams...

 

[MiTT]

Last but not least

Last post for tonight and then I'll start a new thread for Day 3 tomorrow. Zu Audio was displaying their full line of high efficiency full range speakers. Source was yet another Esoteric X-01 Universal player feeding a Mod Wright pre-amp. Uncharacteristically for this show they also had a projector set up (though not in use when we were in the room) and it appeared that they were only utilizing 2 channels for when they were using it in an HT setup. Very nice sound for the money - but damned if I can remember what they cost and I seem to have lost my cheat sheet on these ones.

 

[Reverb2009]

Beat_Dominator,

I couldn't help be notice that MBL of America, the official importer for MBL gear is located in Scottsdale AZ... Have you ever been there? The reason why I ask is that you live so close. If so have you seen all of the MBL up close and personal and auditioned?

Awe man…

I wish I would have known that sooner. I just got back from a trip to Phoenix/Scottsdale AZ not more then three hours ago. I would have stopped in and checked the place out.

 

[Reverb2009]

Hay Tim,

Thanks for the great coverage from the show. Did any of these systems make you think twice about owning Martin Logan’s?

 

[Joey_V]

Guys, I've still got more from day 2 to post and all of day 3 - so much good stuff to share with you all.

Listen Up was displaying the Musical Fidelity gear with Sonus Faber speakers, the Amadi Aniversios to be exact. This very synergistic combination could be your for $48.5K...

DROOL..... Amatis.......

Joey

 

[Beat_Dominator]

I don't know if I can handle another days worth of photos?!?!

 

[MiTT]

Hola Tim, thanks a lot for your report!...it made me be with you walking around again all the booths...can you tell us what did you like best? Did you see any ML around?...what was the best value? Thanks a lot again,
Regards from Costa Rica my friend,
Roberto.

Hola Roberto my dear friend. I was walking through the rooms at the show and often wished I could have had your input and opinions to share as we did at the CEDIA show, but this one was so much better because there was so much MUSIC to be heard and enjoyed. I have a list of about 30 new albums I must buy after hearing so much new music at the show.

I have many more things to share with everyone here, but since you asked Roberto I shall cut to the chase and offer you MY opinions - certainly not those of all in attendance.

Things I liked best:
This show is really focused on music, not so much home theater. I saw only two video screens at the entire show, and only 1 multi-channel system. The main focus of this show is the very best 2 channel audio possible at any given price point - and virtually all price points are represented. I also really liked the fact that about 65-70% of the rooms have turntables in them. Anyone who doubts the vitality of analog audio reproduction would be surprised at how many turntable manufacturers there are producing very high resolution audio from this "obsolete" technology, and at the relative availability of software to support it.

As far as Best Sound of the Show I think I've already spilled the beans. It would be hard for me to rank them as each had it's own strengths, so in no particular order:

1. The IsoMike demonstration featuring the EMM/Meitner direct to/from DSD, Pass amplifiers, Soundlab wall's-o-sound room. For sheer power and spatial ambiance this was about the best thing outside of the concert hall I have ever heard, particularly with large scale classical music.

2. The Marten Coltrane Supreme system in the Audio Federation room. I mean, it's a freakin' HALF MILLION DOLLAR STEREO SYSTEM. It's just obscene I know, but it pushes the boundaries of what is possible, advances the state of the art, and gives other manufacturers and consumers something to aspire to. Oh, and it did truely sound amazing.

3. The mbl room, especially those funny looking 101 speakers with a name that can neither be spelt or pronounced. This was a system that embodied the word "engaging", and I believe it is personified in the fact that this room was always crowded and upon leaving it you felt better for the experience.

4. The Butler Monads driving the Escalante Fremont's. By far the least expensive system in this list, but on a certain level the most communicative of all because of the way I emotionally interacted with it. I am not kidding when I said that I had goose bumps and shed a tear while listening to real music in this room. In my mind that separates this system from mere presentation to participation in the musical event - to me this elevates the experience to one of art. BTW - this is what I find and love most about my own system as I have built it over the years around the Martin Logans.

Best Value
Probably the ACI Saphires. They were some of the very best mini-monitors I've ever heard. They had dynamics, they had tonal shadings, they had great imaging and they literally disappeared. If you listened to them in a darkened room you would be hard pressed to locate the source of the music you were being presented with. At $1700 for the pair these things are a steal.

Martin Logan Presence
I saw no Martin Logan presence at this show, although they were there last year introducing the Summits. I suspect a couple of reasons why. They had just spent a bundle of money on a very large booth at CEDIA here in Denver a month earlier. While this show catered to a decidedly different crowd, I suspect that from a financial and strategic perspective ML felt that penetration into this market area at this time would not outweigh the associated costs given their presence here last month. Trade shows are expensive propositions and at this time of the year operating budgets are tight. Also, this same weekend also apparently coincides with the largest audio show in Japan. Again, given their presence at CEDIA, and assuming that they had the marketing budget to afford it, it would probably make more sense to put themselves in front of a larger potential consumer audience in the Far East who are more likely to spend money on a brand that has a stronger inclination to support the home theater market than crusty old farts like myself who listen to two channel audio via obsolete technologies like analog. Not that Martin Logan isn't dedicated to high end two channel audio, because I think they are. It's just that if it were my company and I saw a bigger potential payback on the Japan show vs. the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, I'd send my team to Japan.

 

[Robin]

MBL of America...

Awe man…

I wish I would have known that sooner. I just got back from a trip to Phoenix/Scottsdale AZ not more then three hours ago. I would have stopped in and checked the place out.

Joe,

No worries... maybe next time. Sorry, I was just checking out the MBL web-site and checking who was the importers. Their is only one offical improter located in Scottsdale, AZ... Oh Well, if you ever find yourself back that way...

Beat_Dominator,

When you do check-out, MBL of America headquarters there, if you could let us know how your audition went, maybe some photo's as well, would be a real treat.

Someday I may visit them my cousin someday, he lives in Gold Canyon, AZ and he's love audio almost as much as I do...

The MBL 101E's look fairly large compaired to people. this photo was from the CES in Australia:

 

[MiTT]

Hay Tim,

Thanks for the great coverage from the show. Did any of these systems make you think twice about owning Martin Logan’s?

Very good question Zip. Hmmm, I'd say no, not really, at least not at this stage of my life. I saw a LOT of equipment that I would really like to try out in my system, and that I would enjoy owning at some point in time. But each evening after the show I went home and listened to my music on my system and did not feel that I was lacking. This of course is based upon the reality that with my current income and at this stage in my life I can comfortably afford the system I've built for myself. In this regard I think Martin Logan offers the very best compromise (and all audio is a compromise of one sort or another) between preformance and price. I do not believe that I could get better sound for the money I have invested in my system, and thus am content to enjoy listening to hour after hour of music.

Now, if I won the lottery or something.... I could see myself checking out the mbl's, the Accapella's, the Kharma's, the JM Labs Nova Utopia's, maybe even the Escalante Fremont's. They weren't present at this years show, but I'd also consider the Avalon Edilon Diamonds. I can't ever see myself spending the $250K for the Marten Coltrane Suporeme's personally because I could have any of the above in a killer system and then do something real for the world like open a homeless shelter with the difference.

Today, I shall keep my system as it is and enjoy it. I'm putting some money away for the day that the CLX comes out though.

 

[DTB300]

Best Value
Probably the ACI Saphires. They were some of the very best mini-monitors I've ever heard. They had dynamics, they had tonal shadings, they had great imaging and they literally disappeared. If you listened to them in a darkened room you would be hard pressed to locate the source of the music you were being presented with. At $1700 for the pair these things are a steal.

Then mate the Saphires up with either the ACI Titan or Maestro Sub (depending on how much you want to spend) and you would have one heck of a setup.

Dan

 

[Reverb2009]

Joe,

No worries... maybe next time. Sorry, I was just checking out the MBL web-site and checking who was the importers. Their is only one offical improter located in Scottsdale, AZ... Oh Well, if you ever find yourself back that way...

I like to make a trip out there at lest once a year, so their will be a next time.

Wile I was out there I got the opportunity to listen to a 2-channel setup with Cambridge electronics and Vantage speakers. Awesome sounding system! The Vantages did not have that chestey bassey sound I have heard before with a kerll setup.

I also got to audition an all Martin Logan Passage 7.1 in-wall theater. Very, very cool setup, if I was looking for in walls I would look no farther. The Passage in walls had a very sweet sound to them that was very dynamic with lots of detail.

I also got to hear the vista for the first time. Sound stage was definitely not as wise as the vantage nor was the bass as deep and full as the vantage. The vista reminded me of the aeon, the vista sound good but did not have the magic of the vantage, and the price difference between the two is definitely justified to me. Vantage all the way.

 

[Robin]

Cambridge Audio Equipment...

Joe,

I had not heard of Cambridge audio gear before. I just looked them up and well their gear looks excellent. I am glad to hear it sounded great as well.


http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/content.php?COID=14



I particularly liked the Azur 840c player.