Amir RMAF 2015 Picture Thread: Part 1

[amirm]

Note how this $1,000 system had speakers on stand but not the one at $1,500! Sadly it still sounded poor.

Why do they insist on putting an LP in such low cost rooms??? I mean who is so constrained in budget but is willing to invest in buying LPs? Take that out, make it all digital and have it sound better.

What lost opportunity to show that you don't need big budgets to have great, enjoyable sound. Perils of having people do these things when they have no financial motivation for success.

 

[amirm]

One of my top 5 or so systems at the show, the YQ and Rowland electronics. These guys have really stepped up the look of their electronics. I always find that wavy shiny front to be distracting. But the newer versions seem less so. Or else I am imagining it .

These kind of displays help break up that shiny look:

Had a nice chat with them in the room next door. Wasteful but fascinating to see these things start as a block of aluminum and get machined out. The reason being to reduce resonance. What was left by the way, was hugely heavy! Nothing like what you imagine from aluminum.

Did I say I like these displays? Loved the myriads of inputs including HDMI!

 

[amirm]

 

[amirm]

The "famous" Kii loudspeakers. I have commented on them before. Let me add a few notes here. You don't demo high-end loudspeakers this way at shows.

Every high-end suite had a turntable. These guys had none.

The presenter sat in the corner, playing his music, then say a few words about "6 dacs, 6 amps, etc." and then repeat. He seemed to always be in somber/quiet mood. Guys, this is a show. You need a showman. Someone needs to stand in front of the crowd and properly address them. Smile, make them feel good, etc.

As I noted, he would not play my music. And his choice of content was not "typical audiophile clips." If you are going to play what you want, at least play the stuff that everyone knows.

Spend a bit on decoration. This room looked bare and uninviting.

Notice the terrible Window air conditioners that were in every room. They were either off making for a hot and stuffy room. Or creating massive amount of ambient noise in every room.

 

[amirm]

List of equipment in the room:

 

[amirm]

Ok, this is a never ending task . Opening the thread for comment as I keep posting images.

 

[amirm]

This is the DIY heaven for loudspeaker hobbyists.

Prices and bits shown in the room:

I don't know why so many people said these homebrew speakers are ugly. I think they did a remarkable job with a few dollars worth of wood.

I was surprised at the good sound these open back drivers produced. Again, no phasey sound as I would expect.

These little guys made out of PVC tube are really cute

These remind me of modern cellos:

 

[Aluminous Audio]

Thanks for the report Amir. You bring up a true issue about the air conditioners in the rooms. The AC units in the rooms are an obstacle for a good show environment. They should definitely be turned off when the system is playing...it amazes me that any exhibitor leaves the AC running during demos.

 

[amirm]

One of my favorite (and I am sure other's) demo albums:

 

[amirm]

I see the appeal of this grill from visual perspective. But touching them while playing music showed them to singe like a canary . Not good.

 

[amirm]

Lovely display:

 

[amirm]

How lovely it was to finally meet Roger Sanders. For those of you who have not been with us long, he used to write these great articles on amplifiers and loudspeakers for us.

 

[amirm]

One of my top choices for best sound at RMAF 2015. Factory room for YG. I received a personal reception followed by lunch with Yoav, the company founder and designer. Great people. Great sound. I could sit there for hours and enjoy the great sound and hospitality.

Fantastic demo track which I need to buy. Anytime you see one of these shots, it means beautiful audiophile music was played:

 

[amirm]

Tube heaven

 

[amirm]

 

[amirm]

Wow, looks like this was all for day 1.

 

[asiufy]

Not to nitpick, but it's *YG*, Amir As in Yoav Geva... Not YQ

I'm glad you met the crew, Yoav, Kerry, etc! One the key things with YG are the people behind it, they're all amazing!

 

[amirm]

Not to nitpick, but it's *YG*, Amir As in Yoav Geva... Not YQ

Nitpick away. I am getting dyslexic in my old age .

I'm glad you met the crew, Yoav, Kerry, etc! One the key things with YG are the people behind it, they're all amazing!

Indeed.

 

[Bruce B]

Very much appreciated Amir. I didn't get to see all the rooms and now can see what I missed.

Thanks for hanging out with the wife and I.

 

[TheMadMilkman]

Amir, do you have any idea what Elac's distribution plans are? So far they're acting like they intend to be a direct sales (or through Amazon) company in the US. Do you know if this is the case, or are they intending to develop a dealer network?

I'm very curious about the debut line. I'm even more curious about the line they're currently working on, and have hinted at showing at CES 2016.