Axpona 2017
- Thread starter Leif S
- Start date
Munich will be a little different.
We will have all the VAC gear from Axpona along with the KRONOS TT and new power supply(which is frickin awesome), and the Artesania Racks. We will not have the Lampizator DAC or the MasterBuilt Audio cables.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
wow.
I was reading Axpona reports on TAS and Greg Weaver says this was the best show demo he has ever heard. Kudos to Damon and Leif
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/axpona-2017-speakers-below-20k/
I was reading Axpona reports on TAS and Greg Weaver says this was the best show demo he has ever heard. Kudos to Damon and Leif
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/axpona-2017-speakers-below-20k/
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I've heard the speaker and it is everything that we are reading here. Jack will be one lucky guy when those go into his sound room.
I had the pleasure of visiting this room and meeting Leif. The room was incredible, both visually and sonically. The gear was magnificent. The speakers are gorgeous and the VAC gear with it's beautiful face plate and see-through tops shows the most gorgeous electronics I have ever seen. And of course the Kronos, Lampizator and other sources were easy on the eyes as well.
This was probably the first time I heard the Lampizator set up properly and I thought it was really good. The system, when playing Roger Waters' It's A Miracle blew me away with it's subtle details and engaging soundstage. The system really shined when you sat in the 2nd row center - wow!
Good work!
This was probably the first time I heard the Lampizator set up properly and I thought it was really good. The system, when playing Roger Waters' It's A Miracle blew me away with it's subtle details and engaging soundstage. The system really shined when you sat in the 2nd row center - wow!
Good work!
..our buddy Peter Breuninger said the same thing...best sound he had heard at a show
? http://www.qsound.com/technology/overview.htm
? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amused_to_Death
Recording and samples
"Amused to Death was produced by Patrick Leonard, Waters, and was co-produced with Nick Griffiths. In London at The Billiard room, Olympic Studios, CTS Studios, Angel Studios and Abbey Road Studios. The album was engineered by Hayden Bendall, Jerry Jordan, and Stephen McLaughlan. It was mixed by James Guthrie. The album is mixed in QSound to enhance the spatial feel of the audio, and the many sound effects on the album*– rifle range ambience, sleigh-bells, cars, planes, distant horses, chirping crickets, and dogs*– all make use of the 3-D facility.
Waters stated in an interview with Rockline on 8 February 1993 that he had wanted to use dialogue samples from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the album, specifically HAL 9000's 'dying' monologue. Stanley Kubrick, the film's director, turned him down on the basis that it would open the door to many other people using the sound sample. Others think that Kubrick refused because Pink Floyd had not allowed him to use music from Atom Heart Mother in his film A Clockwork Orange. Waters did use the samples of HAL describing his mind being taken away when performing live – specifically at the beginning of "Perfect Sense, part I" during his In the Flesh tour, after Kubrick's death, and it was finally incorporated into the Amused to Death album for the 2015 remaster / remix release."
______
I am listening to it right now, in stereo, with Q Sound. From this: http://www.sonicabuse.com/2015/07/roger-waters-amused-to-death-blu-ray-edition/
BLu-ray Audio + CD
I have a question to Axpona 2017 attendees:
Does it happen sometimes that two or more rooms use the exact same music extracts from the same music medium/recording to demo their system setups?
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Yes, very frequently including this Roger Waters album. Here is a quick search on ASR Forum for "waters": http://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?search/15693796/&q=waters&o=date&c[node]=33
From the article (Axpona 2017):
"I'll never forget the first such system I experienced. It was the summer of 1973, I had just graduated high school, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was just a few months old."
Wow, many references indeed...good grouping Amir.
_____
We all love music, since we were born, and the people before us and the ones after. With music we develop audio techniques, sounds that attract, catchy tunes, with music we help selling audio gear, we use music recordings we love to be born again, to reach the sky, to communicate without words, without frontiers; Pink Floyd music inspired generations upon generations, and still very strong today with the latest hi-res remasters and multichannel remixes.
Our audio friends the audio dealers we buy speakers and gear from are like us, music lovers. We all love Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, ... We love our Miles Davis and John Coltrane albums, we love Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, ...
So much music, new music, new artists, singers/musicians, new sounds, new grooves, so little time.
Edit: Roger Waters, Muddy Waters, icy waters, Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side Of The Moon, Amused To Death, ...
I asked the question because I just didn't know if they play the same music recordings in different rooms.
And the versions they play they don't come from all the same masters and formats.
Or unless you bring your own quality music CDs and/or USB sticks and you play your familiar music selections in various rooms to help you pick the best sound. Do people from the general shopping public bring their own LP vinyls to play them in those many systems with turntables?
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I see...the audio reviewers. ...Who aren't necessarily the general public audio shoppers. It's cool that they do, because as an audio shopper I would do too.
I know that they would be in good hands.
http://positive-feedback.com/show-reports/axpona-2017-pictures-at-an-audio-exhibition/
Damon Von Schweikert, and Leif Swanson of Von Schweikert Audio, and Kevin Hayes of Valve Amplification Company, showed off an incredible system featuring VSA's massive new Ultra 11 loudspeakers; stacks of VAC's Statement tube electronics, Kronos Pro turntable, top of the line Golden Gate Lampizator DAC: and yep, a J-Corder RTR tape machine too. The entire system was cabled by Masterbuilt and room treatments were ASC. You can check out pricing and more specific information on this incredible system in Maurice Jeffries Positive Feedback show report, and Greg Weaver's awesome PF experience article HERE. I didn't make it to the evening session, but I visited the room several times during the weekend. In fact, it was the first, and the last room I visited during the show.
Sadly, like it or not, VSA/VAC's state of the art system is not ever going to be mine. But I can rejoice in having heard it. Wow, what a sound! I'm still flabbergasted. Pants-flapping power. Astonishing control. Amazing clarity. I've never heard a system like it in my life. Just freakin' wow!
If someone told me I could listen to it, I'd drop right in, turn it up to 11, and drive "Radar Love" like a bat outta hell until someone took the remote away...Damn, I need to win the lottery.
Damon Von Schweikert, and Leif Swanson of Von Schweikert Audio, and Kevin Hayes of Valve Amplification Company, showed off an incredible system featuring VSA's massive new Ultra 11 loudspeakers; stacks of VAC's Statement tube electronics, Kronos Pro turntable, top of the line Golden Gate Lampizator DAC: and yep, a J-Corder RTR tape machine too. The entire system was cabled by Masterbuilt and room treatments were ASC. You can check out pricing and more specific information on this incredible system in Maurice Jeffries Positive Feedback show report, and Greg Weaver's awesome PF experience article HERE. I didn't make it to the evening session, but I visited the room several times during the weekend. In fact, it was the first, and the last room I visited during the show.
Sadly, like it or not, VSA/VAC's state of the art system is not ever going to be mine. But I can rejoice in having heard it. Wow, what a sound! I'm still flabbergasted. Pants-flapping power. Astonishing control. Amazing clarity. I've never heard a system like it in my life. Just freakin' wow!
If someone told me I could listen to it, I'd drop right in, turn it up to 11, and drive "Radar Love" like a bat outta hell until someone took the remote away...Damn, I need to win the lottery.
AXPONA 2017: Von Schweikert and VAC go big, listeners go home envious
Posted on May 13, 2017 by John Stancavage in AXPONA 2017
It’s always fascinating to see what speaker makers come up with when cost is no object.
I’m not referring to the many models out there that use expensive drivers, top-shelf parts or intricate cabinets. No, we’re talking real budget-be-damned, are-you-freaking-kidding-me, I’m-not-worthy designs.
There aren’t a lot of these super-extreme speakers out there, because even in the high-end, these are not the models most manufacturers are going to be sending out the door very often.
Actually encountering one of these dream creations playing music is about as rare as spying Bigfoot having breakfast. For AXPONA 2017, however, Von Schweikert Audio bravely transported its hulking new world-beater, the Ultra 11, to Chicago.
The Riverside, Calif.-based company rented a very large room with show partner Valve Amplification Co. to show off the Ultra. Including the Shockwave V12 subwoofers, the total price tag on the loudspeakers as displayed was $318,000 ($295,000 for a pair of Ultra 11s and $11,500 each for the Shockwaves).
“About four-and-a-half years ago, we had a customer who owned our previous flagship ask us what we could do if there was no price point to hit,” CEO Damon Von Schweikert told me.
“We developed a one-off for him. We got really excited doing that. So, we said, ‘We’ve got to re-do the flagship.’ ”
The result was the Ultra 11, which measures an imposing 90 inches tall, 21 inches wide and 30 inches deep. Bandwidth is listed as 10 Hz to 100 kHz and sensitivity is 92dB.
Each channel is time-aligned and consists of two 15-inch sealed subwoofers powered by 1,000-watt amps, four 9-inch reinforced ceramic mid-bass drivers, two 7-inch reinforced ceramic midranges, two beryllium tweeters and two 5-inch aluminum ribbon super tweeters (one rear-firing).
“The defining trait of the Ultra 11 is ultra-low distortion,” Von Schweikert said. “We looked at every possible area — cabinet, drivers, signal path and crossover.”
The Ultra 11 also includes point-to-point, hand-built networks with isolated architecture and version 2.0 of Von Schweikert’s Aktive cabinet vibration control.
At about 3 p.m. on the final day in Chicago, I finally got to enjoy an extended demo of these imposing speakers. (Von Schweikert recommends them for “mid-size to larger rooms.” As if!)
The audition featured a pre-production lacquer of jazz singer Lyn Stanley’s new “Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 1.” Spinning the metal-edged platter was the singer herself and VAC’s Kevin Hayes.
“We cut this using the one-step process,” Stanley explained to about two dozen attendees. The technique involves going straight from the master tape to the stamper, cutting out several steps.
Stanley and Hayes played a track that was a mashup of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive” and Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor.”
On the Ultra 11, the combination of one-step and the speaker’s extremely low noise floor produced a background that was so quiet it sounded digital. But Stanley’s voice had the texture and warmth of analog.
The Ultra 11 produced life-size, full-bodied instrumental images, arranged precisely on a wide, deep soundstage. The extraordinary bandwidth portrayed percussion with polish and air, and bass had both tunefulness and extreme depth without being overbearing.
There was the power of a full jazz combo, but also an ease and liquidity to the overall presentation. If I had to use a single word to describe what this no-holds-barred flagship sounded like, it would be this: live.
Granted, Stanley the person was present. But, apart from that, the recorded Stanley — through some impressive VAC gear and the Ultra 11s — also was just as convincingly in the room. It was a very impressive illusion.
VAC, for its part, provided its Statement 450 iQ monoblock amps ($120,000 a pair), Statement line stage ($75,000) and Statement phono stage ($80,000).
Vinyl was played on a Kronos Audio Pro turntable ($38,000) with a Kronos SCPS-1 power supply ($13,500), an Andre Theriault Black Beauty tonearm ($8,500) and a ZYX Audio Ultimate 4D cartridge ($4,400).
Other associated products included tube traps from Acoustic Sciences Corp. ($26,000 worth), a rebuilt Technics 1520 reel-to-reel tape deck from J-Corder ($14,000), racks by Artesania Audio and Ultra Line cable from MasterBuilt Audio.
Overall, the system ably demonstrated the appeal of a truly high-end system for those who can afford the admission price. The rest of us can hope the technology eventually trickles down to models more within our reach.
Still, there’s nothing to stop us from dreaming.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017...ert-and-vac-go-big-listeners-go-home-envious/
Posted on May 13, 2017 by John Stancavage in AXPONA 2017
It’s always fascinating to see what speaker makers come up with when cost is no object.
I’m not referring to the many models out there that use expensive drivers, top-shelf parts or intricate cabinets. No, we’re talking real budget-be-damned, are-you-freaking-kidding-me, I’m-not-worthy designs.
There aren’t a lot of these super-extreme speakers out there, because even in the high-end, these are not the models most manufacturers are going to be sending out the door very often.
Actually encountering one of these dream creations playing music is about as rare as spying Bigfoot having breakfast. For AXPONA 2017, however, Von Schweikert Audio bravely transported its hulking new world-beater, the Ultra 11, to Chicago.
The Riverside, Calif.-based company rented a very large room with show partner Valve Amplification Co. to show off the Ultra. Including the Shockwave V12 subwoofers, the total price tag on the loudspeakers as displayed was $318,000 ($295,000 for a pair of Ultra 11s and $11,500 each for the Shockwaves).
“About four-and-a-half years ago, we had a customer who owned our previous flagship ask us what we could do if there was no price point to hit,” CEO Damon Von Schweikert told me.
“We developed a one-off for him. We got really excited doing that. So, we said, ‘We’ve got to re-do the flagship.’ ”
The result was the Ultra 11, which measures an imposing 90 inches tall, 21 inches wide and 30 inches deep. Bandwidth is listed as 10 Hz to 100 kHz and sensitivity is 92dB.
Each channel is time-aligned and consists of two 15-inch sealed subwoofers powered by 1,000-watt amps, four 9-inch reinforced ceramic mid-bass drivers, two 7-inch reinforced ceramic midranges, two beryllium tweeters and two 5-inch aluminum ribbon super tweeters (one rear-firing).
“The defining trait of the Ultra 11 is ultra-low distortion,” Von Schweikert said. “We looked at every possible area — cabinet, drivers, signal path and crossover.”
The Ultra 11 also includes point-to-point, hand-built networks with isolated architecture and version 2.0 of Von Schweikert’s Aktive cabinet vibration control.
At about 3 p.m. on the final day in Chicago, I finally got to enjoy an extended demo of these imposing speakers. (Von Schweikert recommends them for “mid-size to larger rooms.” As if!)
The audition featured a pre-production lacquer of jazz singer Lyn Stanley’s new “Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 1.” Spinning the metal-edged platter was the singer herself and VAC’s Kevin Hayes.
“We cut this using the one-step process,” Stanley explained to about two dozen attendees. The technique involves going straight from the master tape to the stamper, cutting out several steps.
Stanley and Hayes played a track that was a mashup of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive” and Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor.”
On the Ultra 11, the combination of one-step and the speaker’s extremely low noise floor produced a background that was so quiet it sounded digital. But Stanley’s voice had the texture and warmth of analog.
The Ultra 11 produced life-size, full-bodied instrumental images, arranged precisely on a wide, deep soundstage. The extraordinary bandwidth portrayed percussion with polish and air, and bass had both tunefulness and extreme depth without being overbearing.
There was the power of a full jazz combo, but also an ease and liquidity to the overall presentation. If I had to use a single word to describe what this no-holds-barred flagship sounded like, it would be this: live.
Granted, Stanley the person was present. But, apart from that, the recorded Stanley — through some impressive VAC gear and the Ultra 11s — also was just as convincingly in the room. It was a very impressive illusion.
VAC, for its part, provided its Statement 450 iQ monoblock amps ($120,000 a pair), Statement line stage ($75,000) and Statement phono stage ($80,000).
Vinyl was played on a Kronos Audio Pro turntable ($38,000) with a Kronos SCPS-1 power supply ($13,500), an Andre Theriault Black Beauty tonearm ($8,500) and a ZYX Audio Ultimate 4D cartridge ($4,400).
Other associated products included tube traps from Acoustic Sciences Corp. ($26,000 worth), a rebuilt Technics 1520 reel-to-reel tape deck from J-Corder ($14,000), racks by Artesania Audio and Ultra Line cable from MasterBuilt Audio.
Overall, the system ably demonstrated the appeal of a truly high-end system for those who can afford the admission price. The rest of us can hope the technology eventually trickles down to models more within our reach.
Still, there’s nothing to stop us from dreaming.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017...ert-and-vac-go-big-listeners-go-home-envious/
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