a few 2014 Newport Show pics

[DaveyF]

Davey F, many thanks for the great comments, it seems some missed our room as we were off the lobby where it was less noise polluted, which has pro's and cons.. Out of interest, which day did you visit? This was the first showing for Z:Axis at Newport Beach, so it was good to hear some highly positive feedback

Rgds,
Paul

Paul, I visited only on Friday. We actually discussed your room location, which I thought wasn't at all ideal as it was too off the beaten track and therefore easily missed. OTOH, the room was a good size and less noise polluted.
You graciously played some music from an artist from N.Africa ( cannot remember the artist, BUT it was on the ECM label) for myself and my friend and we listened to a CD that I brought along on the Mapleshade label.
Have a great and safe trip back to Ol' Blighty mate.

Cheers

 

[Uk Paul]

Ahh I remember.. Sorry I didn't know who was who at the time!

The disc was Anouar Brahem, 'The astounding eyes of Rita' track 1 - Lover of Beirut, a wonderful cd.. We did some tube rolling in the 080 LSX2 pre to tame a prominence in the top end on Saturday morning, and tilted the TAD Ref 1's back a couple of degrees more, consequently Sat & Sun was a better balance top to bottom which was certainly pretty impressive. The Ref 1 is not an easy speaker to control (fully) in the LF but some fine tuning got us close..

So looking forward to a return visit year!

Paul

 

[DaveyF]

Ahh I remember.. Sorry I didn't know who was who at the time!

The disc was Anouar Brahem, 'The astounding eyes of Rita' track 1 - Lover of Beirut, a wonderful cd.. We did some tube rolling in the 080 LSX2 pre to tame a prominence in the top end on Saturday morning, and tilted the TAD Ref 1's back a couple of degrees more, consequently Sat & Sun was a better balance top to bottom which was certainly pretty impressive. The Ref 1 is not an easy speaker to control (fully) in the LF but some fine tuning got us close..

So looking forward to a return visit year!

Paul

Shame that I couldn't hear the system on Saturday. The only complaint (minor) that I had was the slight prominence in the top end....which we discussed. I was wondering if you were going to tilt the speakers as you had suggested, particularly given their weight
Anyhow, I still think the system was in the top two for me at this show. Anyone here have a chance to hear it over the weekend?
Paul, I look forward to seeing you next year.

 

[KeithR]

I played Real Estate "Bend" off Atlas in most rooms and usually was in the sweet spot.

some sound I liked:

Sony/Pass- VFET amps designed specifically for this speaker by Nelson Pass helped (and they didn't have a great room to deal with)
TAD/Zesto- super underrated, but excellent 3D sound with detail and body
DarTZeel/Evo- the tweeters were low for me on the speakers (I was in my wheelchair), but the music was extremely natural- I'd be curious why rbbert thought they underwhelmed as most people were telling me to visit this room all weekend. I didn't hear it until Sunday afternoon

Best value room- Zu/Melody, by a mile. Haven't ever heard Zu speakers sound this good at a show; kudos to Sean Casey. coherent, detailed sound with body - for only 5k

sound I disliked:

Polymer Audio/FM- this speaker has a poorly implemented crossover despite the 42k price. there was notable haze from midrange to woofer despite some positive tonality- driver integration seemed poor imo
Raidho/Walker- even Willie Nelson on LP couldn't save this room Sunday. the speaker sounded thin and bleached, although dynamic with the sledgehammer Pass X300s. I thought the little Raidho monitors on Hegel were disappointing too and I like Hegel. I had never heard Raidho before.

Wilson/ARC- this room was thin and sterile, perhaps the Sasha 2s weren't broken in as they sounded much better on VTL amplification; ARC sounds much better on NOLA speakers imo
Volti/Border Patrol- I found the sound midrangey and lacking real top end for the steep entry price. certainly easy to listen to, but i felt the system was colored.

sound I wanted to like:

Vapor/Clayton- again, we have an integration issue. the mids/highs had promise on friday, but i was hesitant on the bass and thought it could be room related- however, upon a second listen perhaps the transmission line gave the dreaded 1-note bass or the woofer was too slow for the package. It was distracting. I would like to hear Ryan's other speaker which is more efficient and without a tline. i really did like the tonality with the Clayton amplification

Silverline/BEL- really pleasant sound (w/ midrange dip of course), although just like it sounded 10 years ago when I first heard Silverline.

other thoughts...the Show was fairly dead imo all 3 days and saw plenty of empty-ish rooms even at 3pm Saturday...the Big 3 (Wilsons, Focals, and Magicos) all were pretty average/mediocre this year. I really don't think they have changed much over the past few years, so wonder if the high end is stalling out a bit...not much analog really - and in the digital rooms, not as many servers as I would have imagined. The Sony 4k/MBL demo was awesome, but missed the 2 ch version...

good to meet Alex, Mike, etc. this year at the show...and big thanks to Steve Williams for being such a gracious host on Friday!

KeithR

 

[KeithR]

One last item that I forgot-

The worst sound I heard at the show was someone who put on a male vocal trio/quartet singing about a potato- a PF reviewer friend and I literally bust out laughing in the room (silently). I mean, if you really listen to this audiophile BS music at home, I have 100 recommendations for you to try instead. TERRIBLE.

 

[KeithR]

Keith, do you remember which Chord amp they used?

It looked liked the SPM1200 or 1400. Not entirely sure. Was not super large.

 

[LL21]

Did anyone hear the Audio Analysis magneplanar speakers?

 

[rbbert]

I think the Polymer speakers were actually $60k unless they were showing 2 models. All you needed to do to see how bad their room was was to speak in a normal voice; what you then heard generally sounded nothing like your voice.

I listened to the Concert Fidelity Z:Axis TAD room Fri and Sun and liked it very much both days.

I had two problems with the EA speakers, listening Fri and then again Sat AM; they certainly could have improved later. I heard a harsh midrange and what sounded like very poor blending of woofer to mid, some of which could certainly have been room but sounded higher in frequency than usual room bass effects. I liked the small EA's at RAMF '11 and '12 better.

On Sun afternoon I finally heard the German Physik Borderland II with Acoustic Arts amplification, in a big room with about a dozen other big speakers and 3 different racks of electronics scattered around. Despite this what I heard was very enjoyable; diminished expectations perhaps? Maybe more manufacturers should do this at shows - share the expense of a big room with several others, just bail on serious attempts at speaker placement and let it fly?

Also on Sunday I heard the first Von Schweikert demo I truly enjoyed, even with those gargantuan speakers in a small room.

 

[MylesBAstor]

It looked liked the SPM1200 or 1400. Not entirely sure. Was not super large.

Thank you Keith!

 

[mep]

One last item that I forgot-

The worst sound I heard at the show was someone who put on a male vocal trio/quartet singing about a potato- a PF reviewer friend and I literally bust out laughing in the room (silently). I mean, if you really listen to this audiophile BS music at home, I have 100 recommendations for you to try instead. TERRIBLE.

By the way, properly designed true 1/4 wavelength transmission line woofers do not have 1 note bass.

 

[mep]

I think the Polymer speakers were actually $60k unless they were showing 2 models. All you needed to do to see how bad their room was was to speak in a normal voice; what you then heard generally sounded nothing like your voice.

I listened to the Concert Fidelity Z:Axis TAD room Fri and Sun and liked it very much both days.

I had two problems with the EA speakers, listening Fri and then again Sat AM; they certainly could have improved later. I heard a harsh midrange and what sounded like very poor blending of woofer to mid, some of which could certainly have been room but sounded higher in frequency than usual room bass effects. I liked the small EA's at RAMF '11 and '12 better.

On Sun afternoon I finally heard the German Physik Borderland II with Acoustic Arts amplification, in a big room with about a dozen other big speakers and 3 different racks of electronics scattered around. Despite this what I heard was very enjoyable; diminished expectations perhaps? Maybe more manufacturers should do this at shows - share the expense of a big room with several others, just bail on serious attempts at speaker placement and let it fly?

Also on Sunday I heard the first Von Schweikert demo I truly enjoyed, even with those gargantuan speakers in a small room.

I was surprised when I saw your picture from the get together at Steve's place. I was expecting to see horns, hooves, and a tail, but I could see a different type of personality from that picture than the one you usually display in rebuttals to my posts.

 

[rbbert]

I was surprised when I saw your picture from the get together at Steve's place. I was expecting to see horns, hooves, and a tail, but I could see a different type of personality from that picture than the one you usually display in rebuttals to my posts.

I just see myself as your superego when your inherent enthusiasm for this hobby causes you to take leave of your senses

BTW, I think I mischaracterized my impression of the EA midrange; perhaps hard or edgy is a better description than harsh.

I will say, speaking as a consumer, that for the overall experience RMAF is head and shoulders above THE Show.

 

[garylkoh]

Only if you hung in that room for awhile. And if you finally get the sweet spot seat and a well-known reviewer walks into the room, you will be asked to move.

Not in my room you won't. You'd only have to give up the sweet spot if mep walks in

 

[mep]

I just see myself as your superego when your inherent enthusiasm for this hobby causes you to take leave of your senses

BTW, I think I mischaracterized my impression of the EA midrange; perhaps hard or edgy is a better description than harsh.

I will say, speaking as a consumer, that for the overall experience RMAF is head and shoulders above THE Show.

I don't know about you being my superego. More like the big brother I never had trying to keep his younger brother in line.

 

[c1ferrari]

On Sun afternoon I finally heard the German Physik...

I wanted to hear this product, but, alas, when I traipsed by -- something else was playing

 

[puroagave]

I attended Sunday and my comments apply to that day only. this is a run down of the rooms that tickled my fancy I got to see/hear but maybe 60% of the show. I totally missed the big MBL system, the Q7/VAC room (if like last year I missed nothing) and the FM Acoustics demo to name a few.

I go to these shows with no expectations of hearing the best system ever and look at it as a way to reset my 'bias buttons' to neutral and let the gear do the talking. the attendance was much lower than previous years, perhaps a clear sign its time to move it to a new venue (tinseltown/west LA is a natural choice).

faves:

Raidho/hegel - the baby raidhos were sublime. they threw a wide and super coherent stage - reminiscent of LS3/5as or proac tablettes but with extremely low distortion, superior transparency and no mid-bass hump. the bass was very articulate and extended for such a tiny system. hirez and 44/16 digital sources only.

Magico/Chord - The new S3 driven by chord amps and VPI direct front end was transcendent in many ways. They conquered the room modes by bringing the speakers to the near field and blocking off the back 1/3 of the room. think S5 levels of transparency but with a better integrated bass - from what I recall of the last S5s I heard. they spun the Ray brown/laurindo Almeida moonlight serenade D2D - that I thought i've heard hundreds of times before - and it blew me away. much credit has to go to the vPI direct 'table, 3d arm and lyra etna cart - simply awesome. this speaker like the raidho proves to me that the latest thinking in direct radiating moving coil drivers are every bit as fast and resolving as any ESLs, ribbon or speaker using similar technologies - to the point were the arguments in my mind become moot.

Zesto audio/TAD - maybe the best ive heard the middle-sized TADs sound (they should consider tubes for their own demos). this system reminded me of how 'modern' the latest tube gear can be, extended trebles and great bass control you'd associate with SS but the textures and harmonics only tubes seem to pull off so well. I could live happily ever after with this system. LP only.

triangle audio art/NAT audio/Audio Note - this room messes with your head, how can all this ass backwards technology from yesteryear still hold its own and in many ways - imho - approach the SOTA. Tom Vu always seems to be in my top five rooms. this time he used the funky audio note 2-ways stuffed into the back corners - the ones with the 8" paper/pulp woofer that hands off to a 3/4" dome. somehow you'd think the mids would have a huge hole in their freq response - and you'd be wrong, and was I wrong. I dismissed these speaker before that's until I heard Tom's setup. tube/analog exclusively...only hedonist with ginormous tube fetish need apply. this ranked 2nd as one of the systems Id take home from the show.

Wilson audio/VTL - imho, the best sound Wilson had at the show the words effortless, seamless and dynamic come to mind with nary a trace of treble hardness. I must say that since they went with soft dome tweeters it has transformed the entire range from the alexia down...and for the better. the new sasha 2 in Sunny's room driven by the ARC Ref 75 were also up there with this room. Luke manley was spinning vinyl and put on one of my favorite Ahmad Jahmal LPs "crystal" I vegged out for nearly a whole album side - great host and great record!

trenner & freidl/Viva - disclaimer: I know Dan, the proprietor of Blackbird audio Gallery for close to 30 years. he once worked for the 'evil' store eons ago and has been on his own for several years since (thank god). What Dan does very well is assemble 'music systems' what he doesn't sell is hype, flavor of the month or gear that will soon drive you tired of listening to music. The big T&F co-axials were driven by 60-wpc SET mono blocks and Viva line/phono stages with a basis TT/transfiguration orpheus cart. Dan spins real music from the pixies to Floyd, the stones, elvis Costello, john prine, nick lowe to Sergio mendes (brasil '66 - yeah baby) you get the picture. this system will never claim to be the most neutral or please the meter readers or even avoid the sins of commission, but it may just be the ultimate communicator of the musical message; esp lovers of rock/folk/country/soul/funk whatever you throw at it and still do justice to full-blown symphonies, baroque music, small works and solo voice like few can. this was my 1st pick for system I would take home from the show.

best static display:

TechDas AF1/AF2 Graham tonearms - I take back any snarky remark I may have said or will possibly slip from my tongue in the future about Bob Graham - what a gracious guy. We chatted it up for a long while until he looked at my name tag and noticed my last name then apologized profusely for not sending out my parts - the fact that he recalled my name says a lot, and that he wont take my money to pay for it - one of the good guys for sure. The AF 'tables are to die for and truly a work of art, I'm sure their owners know how special they are but you 'll never appreciate them until you see one in action. this wasn't a true static display as Bob had Stax earspeakers if you were adamant about a demo.

misc. seen/heard around the show:

dave Brubeck's take five, then more dave Brubeck and for good measure lets play some more dave bru...I think im going to barf, no, I wanted to commit seppuku actually. that record is officially on my **** list of LPs I cant play for the next 2-yrs - at least. also heard was "no Diana krall played here , just real music" wow, the DK haters are coming forth, I have a renewed faith in peoples musical sensibilities after all. Vinyl, vinyl and more vinyl...who said vinyl was dead. unless you were a DAC mfr, I don't think any exhibitor would be caught w/o a TT or risk not being taken seriously if they didn't spin some vinyl (Okay, so some of my bias slipped through ).

 

[DaveyF]

trenner & freidl/Viva - disclaimer: I know Dan, the proprietor of Blackbird audio Gallery for close to 30 years. he once worked for the 'evil' store eons ago and has been on his own for several years since (thank god). What Dan does very well is assemble 'music systems' what he doesn't sell is hype, flavor of the month or gear that will soon drive you tired of listening to music. The big T&F co-axials were driven by 60-wpc SET mono blocks and Viva line/phono stages with a basis TT/transfiguration orpheus cart. Dan spins real music from the pixies to Floyd, the stones, elvis Costello, john prine, nick lowe to Sergio mendes (brasil '66 - yeah baby) you get the picture. this system will never claim to be the most neutral or please the meter readers or even avoid the sins of commission, but it may just be the ultimate communicator of the musical message; esp lovers of rock/folk/country/soul/funk whatever you throw at it and still do justice to full-blown symphonies, baroque music, small works and solo voice like few can. this was my 1st pick for system I would take home from the show.

).

+1. With the same disclaimer as I know Dan too. This time,I really thought the T&F co-axials sounded better than I have ever heard them...even though they are not my kind of speaker,however in this room and system, they were excellent.

 

[rbbert]

+1. With the same disclaimer as I know Dan too. This time,I really thought the T&F co-axials sounded better than I have ever heard them...even though they are not my kind of speaker,however in this room and system, they were excellent.

This wasn't a "hi-fi" type setup, but when you sat down and listened for awhile the system and music would definitely suck you in. I spent much more time in this room than any other room at the show, mostly for personal reasons, but the sound and the music didn't disappoint.

 

[garylkoh]

trenner & freidl/Viva - disclaimer: I know Dan, the proprietor of Blackbird audio Gallery for close to 30 years. he once worked for the 'evil' store eons ago and has been on his own for several years since (thank god). What Dan does very well is assemble 'music systems' what he doesn't sell is hype, flavor of the month or gear that will soon drive you tired of listening to music. The big T&F co-axials were driven by 60-wpc SET mono blocks and Viva line/phono stages with a basis TT/transfiguration orpheus cart. Dan spins real music from the pixies to Floyd, the stones, elvis Costello, john prine, nick lowe to Sergio mendes (brasil '66 - yeah baby) you get the picture. this system will never claim to be the most neutral or please the meter readers or even avoid the sins of commission, but it may just be the ultimate communicator of the musical message; esp lovers of rock/folk/country/soul/funk whatever you throw at it and still do justice to full-blown symphonies, baroque music, small works and solo voice like few can. this was my 1st pick for system I would take home from the show.

+1 A 4th vote for the Blackbird room. Dan certainly does very well at setting up and assembling a system that is musical, coherent, and accurate. It was sufficiently accurate to my ears for me to identify singers and instruments...... unlike a couple of other rooms that I was in. That's neutral enough for me.

 

[garylkoh]

My Best Sound in Show

Sorry for intruding into MikeL's thread - but I didn't think I visited enough rooms to justify setting up my own thread.

I only visited a few rooms that I was told "You HAVE to go and listen to this...." Since I was just hanging around helping out Elac/Thorens/Roksan do demos, I had a chance to visit a few of these.

Of all the rooms I visited, this one was definitely my Best Sound in Show. *disclaimer* I only visited 9 rooms, and the system I was helping out at does not qualify to be rated (it wasn't even in a room).

Once I got over my prejudice, the sound really engaged me. It was coherent, musical and when I closed my eyes and tuned out the image of the speakers, it even cast a believable image and soundstage floating up where I expected it to be. The problem with a lot of show impressions is that it is very difficult to trust our ears. I have to make a considerable and conscious effort to be objective in every room I visited - otherwise my prejudices take over my ears. See the following video.

With this room, I had to work exceptionally hard to overcome my prejudices. The drivers were obviously too close to the floor (talk about floor bounce!!), and the form factor! It was difficult for me to take this room seriously as an "expert audiophile". My first problem is that no good hifi system would need a pretty girl to shill for the room. The sound should be so engaging that all audiophiles would beat a path to the door through the long grass. The carpet would be worn thin by the queues of audiophiles waiting to get in.

When I got to the room accompanied by my friend Steve McCormack who told me that I absolutely had to listen to this room, I thought that may be his ears got fooled by the illusion. So, in this case, you have to grab hold of the illusion to be sure that there is some substance there, and not just some vaporous figment of our imagination. Yep - texture is correct, soft and yielding but not too much. Body temperature rising, apparition verified as real. So, now we walk into the room.




Planters - yes, planters. Has Gary Koh taken leave of his mind? Voting a couple of pot planters as his best sound in show?

No, he has not. And I am being perfectly serious. Once I got over my prejudice and allowed the music to get through, it sounded great. The first track played was the live, acoustic version of Tequila Sunrise from Hell Freezes Over by the Eagles. Overplayed, but a track I know extremely well. The first place where I expected the music to fall apart - the lively and friendly cohesion between the members of the band came across extremely well. The bass was in time with the cymbals, the band hung together like a party. Then, he played an organ piece that had the full range - no hot spots, no boominess. The bass held tone color as did the midrange and highs. Compared to high-end systems, this one may have left some resolution and some detail behind. But all of the music came through. There was nothing that was fatiguing, harsh or missing.

As these speakers would likely be used for poolside party music, the final track I enjoyed was Cousin Dupree by Steely Dan. We didn't play any female vocals, string quartet or jazz but considering what I heard from the three tracks I did hear, I am pretty confident that these planters (I still can't bring myself to use the word for the things *I* design) would play them equally well.

Planters by Madison Fielding - designed by Art Powers.