Roy Gregory Names Clarisys Atrium/VAC System Best in Show

[mxk116]

Great to learn about the details - I noticed that Florian refers to the time alignment capability of the digital crossover, although he does not tell us if he is using this feature.

Yes, the interview is thin on details but, in my experience, Florian (@ClarisysAudio) is very responsive to email inquiries. I suggest you reach out to him directly. I believe Clarisys is based in Switzerland but not certain. Perhaps @Ron Resnick can respond

 

[Amir]

Roy Gregory (GY8) Best In Show – and the Duck For Cover Award
The Clarisys Audio Atrium, with VAC amps, Kronos turntable and Pink Faun/Lampizator


Jonathan Valin (TAS) Best Speaker Introduction: AlysVox Michelangelo,Clarisys Atrium


Andrew Quint (TAS) Best Sound (Cost no object) The Clarisys Room. No question.


Robert Harley (TAS) Best Sound (Cost no object)
Clarisys Atrium. Another great showing for ribbons was the Atrium, a three-piece (per side) full-range ribbon from Clarisys. Although impractical for all but palatial rooms, the big Clarisys presented one of the most stunning spatial presentations I’ve heard from an audio system.

 

[Rhapsody]

Roy Gregory (GY8) Best In Show – and the Duck For Cover Award
The Clarisys Audio Atrium, with VAC amps, Kronos turntable and Pink Faun/Lampizator


Jonathan Valin (TAS) Best Speaker Introduction: AlysVox Michelangelo,Clarisys Atrium


Andrew Quint (TAS) Best Sound (Cost no object) The Clarisys Room. No question.


Robert Harley (TAS) Best Sound (Cost no object)
Clarisys Atrium. Another great showing for ribbons was the Atrium, a three-piece (per side) full-range ribbon from Clarisys. Although impractical for all but palatial rooms, the big Clarisys presented one of the most stunning spatial presentations I’ve heard from an audio system.

You selectively edited what Robert Harley said about the systems cost no object. Here is what he actually said.

RH’s Best of Show​

Best Sound (cost no object): There were so many great-sounding systems at this year’s show that it would be a disservice to readers and manufacturers to pick one or two. So, here are my sonic highlights, in no particular order.

AlsyVox Michaelangelo. This massive full-range ribbon speaker making its debut had an uncanny lifelike immediacy that box speakers simply can’t duplicate. The Michaelangelo has more power, weight, and tonal density than AlsyVox’s stunning Caravaggio XX I reviewed last year, along with 97dB sensitivity. A spectacular debut.

MBL 101-xTreme. This system never fails to stun with its ability to simply disappear as a sound source, massive bass power and impact, and ultra-smooth tonal balance. Plus, MBL’s Jeremy Bryan plays real music, not the usual insipid audiophile pap.

Wilson WAMM. Driven by a massive array of Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless power amplifiers and Relentless preamp in a large room, the WAMM sounded big, majestic, and hugely dynamic. It’s rare to hear the WAMM at a show, and this exhibit showcased David Wilson’s magnum opus in its full glory.

Clarisys Atrium. Another great showing for ribbons was the Atrium, a three-piece (per side) full-range ribbon from Clarisys. Although impractical for all but palatial rooms, the big Clarisys presented one of the most stunning spatial presentations I’ve heard from an audio system. Everything else about the speaker—tone color, liquidity, dynamics—was first rate. Driven by all VAC tube electronics in the largest room in the MOC convention hall, the big Clarisys delivered a memorable experience.

AlsyVox Botticelli. This full-range ribbon driven by Soulution 717 and Soulution’s new turntable, all on Critical Mass Systems racks, was gorgeous sounding. At a much lower price than the Caravaggio XX I reviewed, the Botticelli brings the glories of ribbon technology to a wider audience.

Lorenzo LM1: This unlikely looking speaker (a large rectangular box with horn-loaded tweeter) combined tonal truth, spectacular soundstaging, and startling dynamics. This Spanish speaker is imported by Rhapsody and sells for $250k per pair. The Lorenzo LM1 was a real discovery for me.

 

[Holli82]

""You selectively edited what Robert Harley said about the systems cost no object. Here is what he actually said."

I hate when that happens

 

[PeterA]

Sounds like Robert Harley thought there were a lot of great sounding systems under show conditions. That is quite a contrast to the typical hobbyist visitor show report that often has qualifications for show conditions.

 

[Audiohertz2]

 

[Elliot G.]

Infinty Arne nudel used tubes , but went out of his way to upgrade magnets to pick up a few db in sensitivity. You may wonder why my guess is it helped the tubes

that was 40 years ago and 40 years ago the SS amps were not even close to what they are today. Those speakers really needed tube stuff back then or the dark sounding Levinson Class A amps, By the way Arnie was a tube lover

 

[Zero000]

I spent a long time in the room.

Had a long chat with a rep and also a good one with Florian. Showed him a pic of my Duetta's and he instantly new who built them.

Mr Lampi was hanging around in there undoubtedly pleased his DAC was making the noises. Rightly so TBH.

I think Florian has done well. He isn't paranoid about the design and answers any questions you have without hesitation. This is a very good sign.

I also think the designs have a practicality Apogees never had. Replaceable, modular bass drive units are pretty cool. Though they won't be (and aren't) of a piece in the larger models.

I've seen the build quality get better over the years as well.

Spoke a bit about Ron, this forum and it's issues etc etc. I won't tell you what he said. Privacy counts in this case.

Daniel of Alsyvox said to me he's making speakers no one can buy. Fair point. But that is Florian's personal pair. Why not charge a lot of money if someone wants the same. It's a courageous endeavor to haul those around the world and it doesn't happen cost free. Feel privileged if you were there to witness something like it.

Is the Atrium flawless?. No, course not. Did it sound good? Yeah. Not bad at all. But in this hobby you cannot win. Lovers are gonna love, haters are gonna hate, no matter what.

Scale is great, resolution is high. But with such spacing between each column the integration is a little weird. It's unavoidable. I got the impression I was hearing the MRT tower predominantly. And for the most part I was. The bass / subwoofer towers played a part, though.

I've more to say and maybe a video or two to post that should not in any way be regarded as being representative.

If you want a pair of ferrite Piccolos get in them quickly. The Terminator is apparently arriving soon. $20K versus $37K for neos. Trust me, get the ferrite ones and just give them some power. I never heard the Stage but this is the best value for money in the range by a long shot.

 

[Holmz]

Yeah it is seemingly to be a bit complex and more to show case extra gear and amps.

The Swede did not say that explicitly around 7:40, but I suppose that that makes sense.

What doesn’t make a lot of sense is using transformers to couple to the speaker, and to raise the impedance to be above 4 ohms. Almost every time a transformer is used it opens up things to more colouration.
It seems like changing out the transformer in the amps would be more optimum than using two in series.

How low of impedance are the drivers in the speaker ?

 

[Holmz]

Great to learn about the details - I noticed that Florian refers to the time alignment capability of the digital crossover, although he does not tell us if he is using this feature.

It would be nice to see an impulse response plot…
Or a step function response plot…
Or both and a FR plot.

 

[Audiohertz2]

that was 40 years ago and 40 years ago the SS amps were not even close to what they are today. Those speakers really needed tube stuff back then or the dark sounding Levinson Class A amps, By the way Arnie was a tube lover

So 30- 40 yrs ago SOTA SS amps are not as good as the ones today , in what area do you feel this is so ..?

The build quality today is superior for sure , CNC magic everywhere , but sound , Im not so sure of , very few SS amps today sounds like music , there are exceptions of course but i have never been to any demo anywhere in recent times and felt i had to have one of those.

I mean SS amps are so good today , Toobs have made a comeback of sorts , 30+ yrs ago no toob amp held a candle to a top SS amp ..!

I’m sorry most sound sterile , early CD sound comes to mind ..

Just saying …!

 

[Audiohertz2]

It would be nice to see an impulse response plot…
Or a step function response plot…
Or both and a FR plot.

Stop interfering with the Dazzle

Its a big achievement and those Clarysis guys are doing some heavy lifting , congrats to them all on it ..!

 

[Audiohertz2]

The Swede did not say that explicitly around 7:40, but I suppose that that makes sense.

What doesn’t make a lot of sense is using transformers to couple to the speaker, and to raise the impedance to be above 4 ohms. Almost every time a transformer is used it opens up things to more colouration.
It seems like changing out the transformer in the amps would be more optimum than using two in series.

How low of impedance are the drivers in the speaker ?

Direct drive Ribbon , ohhhh about .2 ohm on a good day ..

 

[cjfrbw]

I sometimes wonder if the 'monster SS amp' thing is to get the radioactive sizzle to compensate for fading high frequency hearing in aging but well heeled audiophiles (myself included) who like monster truck stuff (myself not included). I just simply don't 'buy' the high power SS thing.

 

[Elliot G.]

So 30- 40 yrs ago SOTA SS amps are not as good as the ones today , in what area do you feel this is so ..?

The build quality today is superior for sure , CNC magic everywhere , but sound , Im not so sure of , very few SS amps today sounds like music , there are exceptions of course but i have never been to any demo anywhere in recent times and felt i had to have one of those.

I mean SS amps are so good today , Toobs have made a comeback of sorts , 30+ yrs ago no toob amp held a candle to a top SS amp ..!

I’m sorry most sound sterile , early CD sound comes to mind ..

Just saying …!

sir your response makes no sense . You say SS amps are so good today on one hand and they don’t sound like music on the other .when the Infinity Reference came out which what my comment came out we sold every pair with tube amps or Mark Levinson class A amps which were ok but extremely dark sounding. I know this since I was there and we at Lyric were the exclusive dealer for years.
Solid state amps , tube amps, hybrid amps are ALL far better today it’s not close there are many excellent sounding products. Your opinion is yours but I don’t agree
The amps I own are much better in every way than circa 1980 power amps.
They are in every aspect !

 

[treitz3]

Well, here is one aspect that may be part of that equation. Electrolitics are "generally" considered in need of replacement after 20 years. If you are talking about amps from the 80's?

That was 40 years or so ago. Those amps should have been refreshed twice by now. So, if one is to compare apples to apples, ya' gotta have a fair fight. Otherwise, you are comparing apples to oranges. Spoiled oranges to boot.

Just some food for thought.

Tom

 

[PeterA]

So 30- 40 yrs ago SOTA SS amps are not as good as the ones today , in what area do you feel this is so ..?

The build quality today is superior for sure , CNC magic everywhere , but sound , Im not so sure of , very few SS amps today sounds like music , there are exceptions of course but i have never been to any demo anywhere in recent times and felt i had to have one of those.

I mean SS amps are so good today , Toobs have made a comeback of sorts , 30+ yrs ago no toob amp held a candle to a top SS amp ..!

I’m sorry most sound sterile , early CD sound comes to mind ..

Just saying …!

30 years ago, I owned a Pass labs Aleph 3, a 30 watt stereo amplifier. I thought it sounded great. I then had the Aleph 2 mono blocks they were better and I should not have sold those. Then I enjoyed the Pass XA 160.5. It was good, but speakers were demanding. The best solid-state amplifier I had in my system was the Lamm M1.1 with Lamm preamp and phono. That combination sounded much better than the Pass labs on my Magico speakers.

Those old Aleph 2 and 3 and the Lamm M1.1 were very musical solid state amplifiers.

 

[Holmz]

Direct drive Ribbon , ohhhh about .2 ohm on a good day ..

Ah - ok I get it now.

 

[Audiohertz2]

sir your response makes no sense . You say SS amps are so good today on one hand and they don’t sound like music on the other .when the Infinity Reference came out which what my comment came out we sold every pair with tube amps or Mark Levinson class A amps which were ok but extremely dark sounding. I know this since I was there and we at Lyric were the exclusive dealer for years.
Solid state amps , tube amps, hybrid amps are ALL far better today it’s not close there are many excellent sounding products. Your opinion is yours but I don’t agree
The amps I own are much better in every way than circa 1980 power amps.
They are in every aspect !

Hello ,

I said the build quality is superior , not necessarily the sound of modern SS amps, nothing about tubes and or Hybrids, if modern SS amps are better on the avg i don't hear it when given the opportunity to listen and I knew Mike Kay very well as to all you just mentioned as i was there too ..

So yes those 80’s ML were dark but they were not “the” one or the only game in town and they were never my game.

So with some exceptions, I find most modern SS amps on the Avg , to be musically lacking and very meh…!

 

[Amir]

You selectively edited what Robert Harley said about the systems cost no object. Here is what he actually said.

RH’s Best of Show​

Best Sound (cost no object): There were so many great-sounding systems at this year’s show that it would be a disservice to readers and manufacturers to pick one or two. So, here are my sonic highlights, in no particular order.

AlsyVox Michaelangelo. This massive full-range ribbon speaker making its debut had an uncanny lifelike immediacy that box speakers simply can’t duplicate. The Michaelangelo has more power, weight, and tonal density than AlsyVox’s stunning Caravaggio XX I reviewed last year, along with 97dB sensitivity. A spectacular debut.

MBL 101-xTreme. This system never fails to stun with its ability to simply disappear as a sound source, massive bass power and impact, and ultra-smooth tonal balance. Plus, MBL’s Jeremy Bryan plays real music, not the usual insipid audiophile pap.

Wilson WAMM. Driven by a massive array of Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Relentless power amplifiers and Relentless preamp in a large room, the WAMM sounded big, majestic, and hugely dynamic. It’s rare to hear the WAMM at a show, and this exhibit showcased David Wilson’s magnum opus in its full glory.

Clarisys Atrium. Another great showing for ribbons was the Atrium, a three-piece (per side) full-range ribbon from Clarisys. Although impractical for all but palatial rooms, the big Clarisys presented one of the most stunning spatial presentations I’ve heard from an audio system. Everything else about the speaker—tone color, liquidity, dynamics—was first rate. Driven by all VAC tube electronics in the largest room in the MOC convention hall, the big Clarisys delivered a memorable experience.

AlsyVox Botticelli. This full-range ribbon driven by Soulution 717 and Soulution’s new turntable, all on Critical Mass Systems racks, was gorgeous sounding. At a much lower price than the Caravaggio XX I reviewed, the Botticelli brings the glories of ribbon technology to a wider audience.

Lorenzo LM1: This unlikely looking speaker (a large rectangular box with horn-loaded tweeter) combined tonal truth, spectacular soundstaging, and startling dynamics. This Spanish speaker is imported by Rhapsody and sells for $250k per pair. The Lorenzo LM1 was a real discovery for me.

You did not get the point, the key point is all audio reviewers (Roy, Robert, JV) liked this room.