Rhapsody.Audio Listening Rooms

Rhapsody.Audio- Listening Rooms (RLRs)

Rhapsody.Audio would like to announce that within the next 3-4 months there will be multiple new locations where several of the product lines that Rhapsody.Audio represents will be available to audition via Rhapsody.Audio Listening Rooms (RLRs).

Initially, the RLR’s will have the products available for demonstration mentioned below. Upon opening, the DFW RLR will have a very similar product offering as that available at Rhapsody.Audio in Manhattan.

Over time, all locations will be expanding their portfolio to a comparable scale as that of NYC/DFW.

The RLRs will be available to host auditions by appointment. All product ordering and delivery logistics will be processed and supported from the Rhapsody.Audio NYC location.

Product assistance and installation will be supported by Rhapsody.Audio NYC along with the RLRs depending on customer location.

The RLR locations are:


Portland - Rhapsody.Audio RLR

Products available to audition (coming soon)

-Pilium

-Alsyvox

-Diesis

-Bayz Audio

Dallas/Fort Worth Rhapsody.Audio DFW

Products available to audition:

-Alsyvox

-Diesis

-Bayz Audio

-Pilium

-VYGER

-Kondo

-Taiko Audio

-VYDA

West Palm Beach & Miami (2 Florida locations) Rhapsody.Audio WPB/Miami

West Palm Beach will open initially. Miami will follow when the RLR is ready to host customers.

Products available to audition (initially):

-Alsyvox

-Pilium

-Aurender

-TelluriumQ

Chicago, IL Rhapsody.Audio Chicago

Products available to audition (initially):

-Alsyvox

-Pilium

-Aurender

-TelluriumQ

Long Island, NY Rhapsody.Audio Long Island

-Kondo

-Alsyvox

 

Do they use standard wireless links or a custom Goldmund system using their own transmitters?

Proprietary Goldmund transmitters/receivers. There is zero difference sonically listening to their wireless or wired and it's 100% reliable.

 

Proprietary Goldmund transmitters/receivers. There is zero difference sonically listening to their wireless or wired and it's 100% reliable.

Do you know what it the bit rate of the link?

 

Do you know what it the bit rate of the link?

Sorry, I don't.

 

Rhapsody Out West isn’t your typical brick n mortar, we use farm equipment here to hustle new arrivals to the lower level where the main listening room is. ;-)

 

A fun visit from Tony Adams, starting defensive back from the NY Jets. Karyn Hodge, Rhapsody's marketing executive is connected with a sports agent that has 165 NFL players under contract.

 

Smart use of your tractor Bob.

 

A fun visit from Tony Adams, starting defensive back from the NY Jets. We are working with an agent who Rhapsody's marketing executive is connected with. The sports agent has 11 Phila Eagles players and a few NY Jets players under contract.

https://1drv.ms/v/c/b41a3a6b5da5073e/Ebr5sTTYba5AvoZQxdeIZyEBBoEwPHUJphroqFYe9F3BoQ?e=MphTI8

Besides the Ferguson Hill, what other speakers did he listen to?

 

Besides the Ferguson Hill, what other speakers did he listen to?

The Alsyvox C XX. There is a video being edited with Tony, listening to the ribbons.. it will be available soon.

 

Estelon X-Diamond Mk II burning-in @ Rhapsody Out West.

About 80hrs so far and they are quite remarkable speakers. A couple weeks more play before I finalize placement. So far I’ve only tweaked them for a strong stereo image — fortunately every speaker I’ve had in-house sounds very good within a fairly small radius position-wise. I doubt they’ll end up far from where they are now.

 

Hi Bob,

Happy July 4th!

What prompted Bob Visintainer to take on Estelon?

Has Bob dropped Diesis?

Has Bob dropped Odeon?

 

Bayz Audio does not appear anymore on the brands listed on Rhapsody Audio's website.

 

Estelon X-Diamond Mk II burning-in @ Rhapsody Out West.

About 80hrs so far and they are quite remarkable speakers. A couple weeks more play before I finalize placement. So far I’ve only tweaked them for a strong stereo image — fortunately every speaker I’ve had in-house sounds very good within a fairly small radius position-wise. I doubt they’ll end up far from where they are now.

View attachment 153856

I have started to notice a number of well known speaker designers use Accuton drivers, particularly ceramic drivers and sometimes their diamond tweeters (Marten, Tidal, Estelon, Vandersteen, Kharma, Avalon, Evolution Acoustics, Lumen White, Gauder, etc)

OTOH, I understand speed, accuracy is a key factor. oTOH, I have heard older ceramic drivers can be stressed and reach that point less gradually than other materials (carbon, paper pulp, etc).

Would appreciate any thoughts on the sound signature here and whether you find there is some signature to the Accutons you find thru general experience with other designers who also use them.

 

Bayz Audio does not appear anymore on the brands listed on Rhapsody Audio's website.

You might look again on the brands page, Bayz has not been on the Rhapsody brand page for over a year.

https://rhapsody.audio/brands/

 

Hi Bob,

Happy July 4th!

What prompted Bob Visintainer to take on Estelon?

Has Bob dropped Diesis?

Has Bob dropped Odeon?

"What prompted Bob Visintainer to take on Estelon?"

>>>Sonics, aesthetics, the company and ALL of it's employees.

"Has Bob dropped Diesis?"

>>>NO

"Has Bob dropped Odeon?"

>>>Yes, over a year ago.

 

I have started to notice a number of well known speaker designers use Accuton drivers, particularly ceramic drivers and sometimes their diamond tweeters (Marten, Tidal, Estelon, Vandersteen, Kharma, Avalon, Evolution Acoustics, Lumen White, Gauder, etc)

OTOH, I understand speed, accuracy is a key factor. oTOH, I have heard older ceramic drivers can be stressed and reach that point less gradually than other materials (carbon, paper pulp, etc).

Would appreciate any thoughts on the sound signature here and whether you find there is some signature to the Accutons you find thru general experience with other designers who also use them.

Probably a great topic for a separate thread, although and I'm not sure why in all of my audio years, I never cozied up to a speaker that had ceramic drivers. For some reason they were never on my personal radar. Then a few years ago at Munich I started to see/hear various models of Estelon speakers.

In Brooklyn we currently have the Forza and X Diamond and a pair of Extreme SE's that will be installed on this coming Monday.

I can't really describe the sound other than say it's probably worth listening to a pair of well set up Estelon/Accuton speakers and see what one thinks. Personally I am fascinated by the sound and the aesthetics.

 

Probably a great topic for a separate thread, although and I'm not sure why in all of my audio years, I never cozied up to a speaker that had ceramic drivers. For some reason they were never on my personal radar. Then a few years ago at Munich I started to see/hear various models of Estelon speakers.

In Brooklyn we currently have the Forza and X Diamond and a pair of Extreme SE's that will be installed on this coming Monday.

I can't really describe the sound other than say it's probably worth listening to a pair of well set up Estelon/Accuton speakers and see what one thinks. Personally I am fascinated by the sound and the aesthetics.

Thank you and aside from hearing for myself (entirely agree), I have been paying attention to the increasing number of designs that are using Accuton drivers. And looking for some characteristics which are pooling together.

Certainly I am hearing crossovers and cabinetry are a big part of getting it right with ceramic drivers, and I think how people design for the ability to not have the driver be at risk of being overdriven for its role within the speaker/performance envelope are critical to get right.

Once set up correctly with those key considerations, I am starting to hear a lot of people enjoying the areas with they apparently are strong - pistonic behaviour, accuracy, clarity, etc

 

Thank you and aside from hearing for myself (entirely agree), I have been paying attention to the increasing number of designs that are using Accuton drivers. And looking for some characteristics which are pooling together.

Certainly I am hearing crossovers and cabinetry are a big part of getting it right with ceramic drivers, and I think how people design for the ability to not have the driver be at risk of being overdriven for its role within the speaker/performance envelope are critical to get right.

Once set up correctly with those key considerations, I am starting to hear a lot of people enjoying the areas with they apparently are strong - pistonic behaviour, accuracy, clarity, etc

Yes, they definitely excel in the areas that you describe.

 

Yes, they definitely excel in the areas that you describe.

Thank you. I think the question about the 'art' of working with these drivers has 'stereotypically' been:

- can they do MACRO dynamics and scale/power -- particularly midbass power where a lot of 'foundation' lives in music?
- can they bring the driver's well regarded nuance, microdynamics, accuracy and detail...with a sense of organic natural quality? Some find that ceramics can sound cool/artificial, a bit sterile.

Given particularly Avalon's years-long reputation for a very organic sound, I feel confident it CAN be done, and that designers I have spoken with are correct: you have to know how to design the entire speaker to account for the strengths/weaknesses of any component or driver.

As for delivering power and midbass power, I look forward to your thoughts. I have heard the original Estelon flagship many many years ago. I did respect what I heard, but intuitively, I did just one test which was simply to turn the volume up for less than 2 seconds, and I immediately felt the speaker 'seize up' where it became clear to me that it was definitely not going to fill the high ceilinged room (25'w x 30'w x 12-15'h).

 

Thank you. I think the question about the 'art' of working with these drivers has 'stereotypically' been:

- can they do MACRO dynamics and scale/power -- particularly midbass power where a lot of 'foundation' lives in music?
- can they bring the driver's well regarded nuance, microdynamics, accuracy and detail...with a sense of organic natural quality? Some find that ceramics can sound cool/artificial, a bit sterile.

Given particularly Avalon's years-long reputation for a very organic sound, I feel confident it CAN be done, and that designers I have spoken with are correct: you have to know how to design the entire speaker to account for the strengths/weaknesses of any component or driver.

As for delivering power and midbass power, I look forward to your thoughts. I have heard the original Estelon flagship many many years ago. I did respect what I heard, but intuitively, I did just one test which was simply to turn the volume up for less than 2 seconds, and I immediately felt the speaker 'seize up' where it became clear to me that it was definitely not going to fill the high ceilinged room (25'w x 30'w x 12-15'h).

Yes, I only have 9 foot ceilings. I sure am anticipating how the Extreme SE’s are going to sound.

Both the Forza and X Diamonds driven by either the VAC 300 monos or my big Pilium SS check all the the sonic boxes for me.

I am particularly impressed by how full bodied both of these models sound but at the same time excel in the clarity and micro resolution areas.

Both models throw a wall to wall soundstage with excellent layering if it is on the recording.

The main attraction of these two Estelon models (Forz/X Diamonds) is that I find them VERY exciting to listen to. They light up the room vs. just providing a nice sonic presentation.

Edit- At this point, I am used to the two models that I have in the Brooklyn showroom, but when I first received them a few months ago I was startled with the presence of the upper midrange and high frequencies. Now I guess I refer to it as being exciting to listen to. It definitely has to do with the these upper frequencies and the overall presence that they deliver.

 

"What prompted Bob Visintainer to take on Estelon?"

>>>Sonics, aesthetics, the company and ALL of it's employees.

"Has Bob dropped Diesis?"

>>>NO

"Has Bob dropped Odeon?"

>>>Yes, over a year ago.

Thank you! Best of luck with the new brand!