I m going 19 - 22 may to the show in munchen
Who s going?
What brands you wanna hear ??
Who s going?
What brands you wanna hear ??
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Munchen High end show 2022
- Thread starter andromedaaudio
- Start date
Gear seems to be getting uglier by the year.
And I thought I was the only one thinking this. I actually like the look of some of the bigger old speaker systems that were more like furniture in the room. The JBL Paragon is incredibly beautiful in my opinion. So is the TAD2401. Many of the new designs are sculptures meant to be placed out into the room often requiring dedicated spaces because of the low aesthetic value.
And then there are all the racks and cables and room treatments. If I had the space, I would hide everything but the speakers in my corners. Lots of people seem to want to display everything.
The Italian CD pod is very, very cool, but does anyone think this is what the toilet would like if you were abducted aboard an alien spaceship?
Not to presume to describe how Mike L feels about the Wadax dac, but I think "very enjoyable" is putting it mildly! He also has made the point that it takes the very best vinyl pressings to make a meaningful difference. Apologies, if I am mis-characterizing...
I expected a lot of this set up but it left me uninvolved.
Lean thin sometimes even sharp sounding .
A analytical sound with this XVX set up
Lots of my wbf big wilson comments were based on listening to the maxxes / Alexandria.
So either wilson has changed their voicing or i grew in another direction soundwise , but anyway it wasnt my sound.
What doesnt help is that im not a nagra fan .
I ve owned a plp myself years sgo
Lean thin sometimes even sharp sounding .
A analytical sound with this XVX set up
Lots of my wbf big wilson comments were based on listening to the maxxes / Alexandria.
So either wilson has changed their voicing or i grew in another direction soundwise , but anyway it wasnt my sound.
What doesnt help is that im not a nagra fan .
I ve owned a plp myself years sgo
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Vinyl sound is a preference - and we can expect that people who spent decades perfecting and enjoying vinyl systems should have a strong listening bias towards vinyl.
Audio designers and dealers are finding that new digital recordings can carry more information than vinyl pressings and recent music is digital . Probably it is the reason they are switching for digital for demos. Why always the same vintage music at shows?
Vinyl sound is a preference - and we can expect that people who spent decades perfecting and enjoying vinyl systems should have a strong listening bias towards vinyl.
Audio designers and dealers are finding that new digital recordings can carry more information than vinyl pressings and recent music is digital . Probably it is the reason they are switching for digital for demos. Why always the same vintage music at shows?
Beethoven’s late string quartets are an example of vintage music. I would like that music demonstrated at shows because it can be very revealing of system quality. I think a more interesting question is why isn’t there more of this type of music heard at shows. Wind instruments and horns are also good tests.
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In the last 1.5 hour of the show i was in the CH Rockport lyra room.
(Last half hour 'kharma again)
The guy from the audiobeat played everything we wanted .
piano classical vocals the best of the best pressings even glass cds .
Apparently there are cds made of glass.
Well i got my moneys worth with rockport in the end, great sound very clean speaker as i thought it would be
Please note I addressed recordings, not music.
Anyway , please read statistics of music sales. Why would a manufacturer spend so much money and effort in a show to play music that counts for about 1% of global music sales? High-end is an industry, not a charity. And sorry, IMHO wind instruments and horns are not good tests for shows - too dependent on the type of instrument, recording technique and conditions.
Micro, you clearly wrote vintage music, not vintage recordings. Vintage music on a Golden Age recording would be fine too.
Statistics of music sales seems not so relevant for the people who go to these shows and more importantly the 1% who can actually afford this expensive gear. The vendors choose what they think will demonstrate their gear in the best light, not necessarily what reveals the most about system abilities. I simply described the music I would want to hear to asses quality.
A turntable manufacturer I know told me to play any LP I wanted, from the dozen I brought to any in his large collection. He had confidence in his design and the system he assembled around it. I realize show conditions are different. Music choices can indicate a lot about what a vendor wants to demonstrate. They are called shows for a reason.
my view of the Wadax performance is much closer to Wil's description than Peter's. the MSB was very enjoyable. but not in the realm of absence of digital artifacts as the Wadax. the Wadax is not only very enjoyable but it's fully satisfying. sustaining. as far as what vinyl pressings sound better upon direct compare, most of the better one's will be better. not only the very best. but it requires a direct compare to be able to realize it. so experientially it is vinyl.
the Wadax is a very exceptional product, but i don't want to over state what i think it's doing, or sell it short. it's not like other digital, just better. it's different, a level beyond.
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People who attend these shows are like the majority on the forums, they don't care for this music they let the dealer play audiophile stuff and see price tag and buy. Then we treat each other as equal subjective data points
I did, twice. Couldn;t hear much the first time, so I wandered around a bit and interestingly noticed that their entry level are priced ¬10k euro, a bargain compared to other top-end prices out there. The second time I liked the sound, albeit we were served the ubiquitous "girl with banjo" / baroque quartet routine. Lots of clarity, effortless sound (i.e. no boxiness). Of course, the ambient noise masked any low bass & sense of space (high frequencies).
I would agree that the Langa / Phasemation combo wasn't thrilling -- or I expected more (or the room was too smal, or all of the above). I liked von Langa's little speaker with the Purifi drivers!
Interesting. I found it slightly pleasantly muffled, hi-fi sound. I attributed this to the speakr & the room set-up. The JMF people are very nice, I enjoyed talking with them.
In a nutshell: there are many cheaper ways to destroy your hearing. Otherwise not bad - with bass-horn.
Conversely - normal music lovers would utterly despair at the moronic drivel played 99% of the time at audiophile shows. Mutton dressed as kebab female elevator jazz vocalists trowelled in blue eye liner, weird boom boom sound effects out the Breuningner playlist, and a smattering of audiofool favourites from Dire Straits and Pink Floyd.
The sanctitude found in the Silbatone room (when they are there) is due to them playing some of the most wonderful music recorded during the Golden Era by some of the most incredible artists ever to have lived.
Being interested in a top-notch DAC (yet again!), I went there three times. The best sound was on Saturday afternoon, where I listened to the music offered (there were some reviewers of sorts in the room at the time). Before i go further let me say the room was small and the speakers very big with 12 (?) drivers per side, so it was a miracle they produced the sound they did.
My impression is that the front end was by far superior to the speakers so, despite the good electronics (Gamut monos, I've heard them before & can attest to good their sound). I felt that the speakers were a bit mid / bass-heavy thereby masking some of the mid & higher frequencies.
Given all of the above, my take is this: the Absolute epsilon sound reproduction was very full and extended, very crisp and punchy, with a lot of sustained energy. For those at the show, the sound was *probably* similar to Wadax / WB, albeit the speakers were not as balanced as the WB.
I also listened to their new "ION" mid-level DAC + pre (or DAC only). This is a fantastic little machine! For anyone with 18k (? with pre) burning their pockets, it is really worth checking out.
OK, well here is another guy who can say the DAC was comparable to the Kronos.
BTW, one analogue set up I really liked was OMA's with the Schroeder designed arm
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