Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2007

Μεγάλη έκθεση στην άλλη όχθη του Ατλαντικού... 140 δωμάτια, 300 εταιρείες.. Άντε και στα δικά μας.. :happy_8:

Την επίσημη σελίδα του show μπορείτε να τη βρείτε εδώ.

Εμείς θα περιοριστούμε στο οφθαλμόλουτρο και, ελπίζω, στο σχολιασμό των συστημάτων. :happy_4:














































































Και για το τέλος άφησα το σύστημα που θα μου πάρετε στα γενέθλιά μου....





Πηγή: audiojunkies.com

Πολύ αναλυτική παρουσίαση του Audiofest από το Stereophile εδώ.

Καταπληκτικό το event της Kimber. Αντιγράφω από το Stereophile...



Ray Kimber of Kimber Kable strongly believes that audiophiles need to be exposed to live music. He arranged for one of the ensembles he records with his Isomike system, the Fry Street Quartet, to perform a series of concerts at RMAF. After the players finished a Haydn Quartet in the Marriott's lobby, the audience went into the Kimber listening room across the corridor to hear the same piece on Ray's $500k reference surround system, described earlier in the blog.

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"How often do you hear no limiting, no compression, no mixing, and no equalization? Recorded in DSD and played back the same way today" announced the blurb for Ray Kimber's IsoMike dem at RMAF. Inrigued, I entered the ginormous Ballroom F to be confronted by a system costing no less than $507,288! The six pairs of humongous Sound Lab ProStat 922 electrostats were joined by two pairs of a prototype speaker from Sony in Japan, all driven by no fewer than 8 Pass Labs X350.5 monoblocks. Source was Ray's latest four-channel DSD master files stored on a Genex hard-disk recorder and decoded by EMM Labs DACs. Kable was all-Kimber, of course.

Whether it was Robert Silverman performing a Mozart piano sonata or Denver's Blue Knights marching band performing Shostakovich outdoors, the sound was stunning in its realism. But my favorite was a new recording of the Fry Street Quartet performing a Beethoven String Quartet, on which the Sony speakers outperformed the SoundLabs in some ways. At the recording's end, Ray (left, in front of the right-front Sony) brought out the Fry Street Quartet, whom he has sponsored performing a live concert each evening of the Show.

Tα "διακριτικά" ηχεία της AV123, με τους επίσης "διακριτικούς" τελικούς της Dodd Audio...




Mark Schifter and Walter Liederman of AV123 continue to blow my mind. To their astoundingly low-priced line of quality loudspeakers, only available through the AV123 website, they have added two large loudspeakers from GR Research. Designed by Danny Richie, who previously designed the Epiphany Loudspeakers and is now redoing the crossovers in the Ushers—I am told that Wes Phillips will be reviewing one of Danny's Usher make-overs for Stereophile—Danny is shown standing next to the GR Research LS6. Priced at $4500/pair, the speakers feature eight 6.5' woofers and six planar magnetic drivers. The LS6 not only boasts a 20Hz–20kHz frequency response, but also features bass drivers that are adjustable according to what the room and system can handle.

The pair I heard was cobbled together at the last minute, and was far from broken-in. Yet, coupled with a neutral, sensational-sounding pair of custom built Dodd Audio KT-88-based 280W monoblocks (normally $50,000/pair, available at the Show for a mere $30,000), Dodd battery-powered tube preamp, Dodd 1500W balanced power supply, and Kool Cables pure gold Silkworm cables and custom built power cables, the system sounded phenomenal. While the room itself overloaded during the final moments of the Ivan Fischer Mahler Symphony 2—Mahler is not made to be played softly—and it could not handle the full measure of Mahler’s percussion, the sound was full, rich, and monumental in scope. I was especially impressed with the glistening highs. This system made my mouth water. Even before their December release date, 100 pairs had been pre-committed to eager music lovers.



Kαι αυτά δεν είναι τα μεγαλύτερά τους.. Έχουν κι αυτά (στα $6000 παρακαλώ):



Walter Liederman and Danny Richie next showed me the mammoth LS9 (named for its nine planar magnetic drivers). Priced at an unbelievable $6000/pair considering their size and complexity, the LS9s were coupled with Al Stiefel's fine Red Rock Audio 50Wpc Renaissance Monoblock amplifiers ($39,750/pair), Red Rock prototype preamplifier, Abbingdon Music Research CD-77 player ($8500), Grand Prix Audio Monaco turntable ($19,500), and Red Rock Audio cables. Components were supported by the Monaco Modular Isolation Rack ($4750) and Monaco Amplifier Isolation System ($1499). Grand Prix designer Alvin Lloyd says of these plexiglass shelf stands, "I will argue that our stands are the most efficient and highest-performing isolation products in the industry."

Truth be told, these huge speakers need more than 50Wpc to shine. Nevertheless, what I could hear was so inviting that my appetite was whet to hear them in my own listening room once they become available in a month or so.

A word on AV123's speaker cabinets. When Mark Schifter told me that his cabinets are sourced and assembled in either China or Colombia, I asked if he was using rare hardwoods from endangered species. Mark assured me that all his wood was sourced from sustainable, renewable forests, and that his veneers are certified eco-friendly. In fact, one of the reasons Mark shifted some of his manufacturing from China to Colombia was his desire to honor the planet's ecology and not become part of the problem. Bravo, Mark!

Θα θυμάστε τα Marten Coltrane Supreme για τα οποία μιλούσαμε εδώ... Οι φίλοι μας από το US and Α είχαν την ευκαιρία να τα απολαύσουν σε ένα γενικότερα "φορτωμένο" δωμάτιο...



Audio Federation doesn't play around. Its top-of-the-line, no-holds-barred system centers around the Marten Coltrane Supreme loudspeaker ($250,000/pair), Audio Note UK Ongaku amplifier ($85,000), EMM Labs/Meitner Design CDSD SE transport ($8400) and DCC2 SE DAC ($13,500), Brinkmann Balance turntable ($29,900), Lamm LP2 Deluxe phono preamp ($6990), and, for this system, modestly priced Lyra Titan cartridge ($5000). Cabling is no less than Nordost Valhalla, Stealth Indra, Jorma Design No.1 and PRIME, while power cords and distributors include Nordost Valhalla, Elrod Statement II and Signature III, and Acrolink Mexcel 7N-7100.

I went wild over this system at last year's RMAF. Its greatness, besides its wonderful full-range sound, is its ease and naturalness, and complete absence of a phony, bloated midrange. Last year, I heard a major difference when cables were swapped while I was in the room. This year, a slight attenuation of high frequency overtones suggested that a little more cable swapping or room setup adjustment was still to come. Regardless, few systems at the Audio Fest could begin to approach this level of high-end accuracy.

Τα ηχεία της Esoteric (made in Scotland by Tannoy):



I went into the Esoteric room to take a listen to the digital components that build on the performance of the excellent SA-60 universal player that graced our October cover. But my attention was drawn to a pair of elegant loudspeakers sporting the Esoteric name. The Mg20 floorstander ($8410/pair) and bookshelf Mg10 ($5500/pair plus stands) feature tweeters and woofers fabricated from the very light metal magnesium, which is said to have an optimal combination of stiffness and self-damping. It has not been previously used in speakers (other than in alloys) because it degrades with exposure to the air. However, Esoteric collaborated with a British company to develop an effective protective coating.

The Esoteric speakers use a trapezoid-plan cabinet, ClarityCaps in the crossover, and van den Hul internal wiring, and are assembled by Tannoy in Scotland. Esoteric is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. With products like these new Mg-series speakers, it looks as if they will be around at least another 20 years.

Aυτά τα Harberth θα ήθελα να τα ακούσω!



Walter Swanborn of Fidelis Audio Video brought the first pair of Harbeth’s Monitor 40.1 (left, $10,995/pair) ever exhibited in the US to RMAF. As the speaker favored by the BBC for monitoring classical music, the Harbeths provide full-range sound, extending down to 25Hz. Although their cherry finish is quite lovely, these speakers and their $495 stands are coveted far more for their sound than for their looks.

With a sensitivity rating of 86–87dB, and presenting a 6–8 ohm load, the Harbeth is said to need a good 40W truly to shine. Here the speakers were mated with a complete system from Tim G. Ryan’s SimpliFyAudio.com that only provided 23W of power. Specializing in minimalist, "less is more" systems from Harbeth, Resolution Audio, and DNM, SimpliFy's choice of electronics included Resolution Audio source equipment ($6419 total), and the DNM pre- and power-amps ($19,995 with speaker cable). The entire set-up requires only one power cord, and uses 25-pin connectors that eliminate the need for interconnects.

I could not believe how warm and rich this system sounded. Soprano Kate Royal sounded amazingly rich on her new EMI recital, and my Channel Classics Revueltas SACD exhibited marvelous solidity. All I could manage to write in my notes was that the system’s "very neutral, full sound" was "pretty damn amazing." To be perfectly honest, if I had bucks to spare, I’d be listening to the Harbeths in the large living room of our 80 year-old Oakland carriage house tomorrow. I loved, loved, loved the sound of this system. I hope everyone attending RMAF 2008 gets the opportunity to hear how full and rich the Harbeth Monitor 40.1 can sound.

Άλλο ένα ενδιαφέρον σύστημα:



Although he looks a bit burned from being asked to play one too many Columbia LPs, whose harsh string tone belies the myth that vintage analog recordings are de facto superior to CDs, Dan Meinwald has a lot to be happy about.

The EAR Acute CD player ($5900), 890 Primary Drive 70W stereo amp, 868 preamp complete with phono stage ($6900), Discmaster turntable ($20,000 without tonearm), Dynavector XVIS cartridge, and debut 3-way, open-baffle dipole loudspeakers ($7000/pair—also available in a larger model) were creating a wonderful, magical soundstage on Stokowski’s monumental recording of Smetana's The Moldau. It's no wonder that so many dedicated audiophiles continue to be seduced for life by EAR's vaunted sweetness and bloom.

I was impressed by the extremely full-range presentation of the VMPS RMD-60 loudspeaker ($9950/pair) paired with the VMPS Very Solid Subwoofer ($1850)—especially with the system's admirable bass control. Part of the credit goes to Bybee special-effect Golden Goddess AC cables and speaker bullets, Bolder Cable interconnects and cables, the rest to the Eastern Electric M156 monoblocks (160W into 8 ohms, $7000/pair, based on the EL 156 pentode tube), and Bolder's Statement Level Modded Squeezebox 3 ($1300). If The Bolder Cable Company’s display sounded this good with brand-new amps that were not yet broken in, I look forward to hearing it again once everything is fully ready to strut its stuff.

Αφιερωμένα στον Nick....




Many years ago, in a conversation I was having with Peter Walker of Quad, I asked him if there was a speaker he'd wished he'd designed. "PJ" thought for a moment, then said he admired the Beveridge electrostatic, where a flat panel fires into a waveguide, thus allowing the panel to overcome its Achilles' Heel: the very limited horizontal dispersion resulting from its width.

Harold Beveridge, like Peter, is no longer with us, but his son, Rick, who worked with his father back in the day, has reintroduced the speaker. The 6'-tall G3, beautifully finished in a 20-coat lacquer, takes advantage of modern materials and construction techniques and was being very effectively demmed with Joule Electra tube amps, EMM Labs digital source, and Audience cables and power conditioning. The system, including two G3 woofer modules and a Bryston 10B line-level crossover, will initally sell for $50,000 but the price will increase to $84,000 after the the first five have been produced. (Two have already been sold.)