Here' some feedback (no pun intended) from Positive Feedback!
https://positive-feedback.com/show-reports/florida-audio-expo-part-1/
Florida Audio Expo - Part 1
02-19-2022 | By Tom Gibbs | Issue 119
Volti Audio featuring Border Patrol and Triode Wire Labs
I ventured over to Greg Roberts' room to see what he had on display at FAE, and was somewhat surprised to find that the room was featuring the Volti Razz loudspeakers I reviewed at Stereophile in 2020 (you can read that review HERE). As always, Greg's room featured tube amplification from Border Patrol, the excellent and very musical Border Patrol DAC, and digital disc playback and streaming from Innous. All cables in the system were supplied by Triode Wire Labs, and the system synergy was nothing short of superb. True to my recollection of the Razz, they were dazzlingly great-sounding loudspeakers, and Greg told me that he'd made several recent crossover modifications to the design and was considering replacing the tweeter with an improved version. They sounded just as good to me as they did during my time with them from a couple of years ago, and at a base MSRP of $6k, are one of the runaway best buys in high-end audio. They're an exceptional deal for a hand-built, made in America loudspeaker that will give you so much more than just a taste of the high end! And they'll play any kind of music with a scale of realism that simply must be heard to be believed, and are so very efficient, only a few tube watts are needed to get maximum performance from them. The Border Patrol amp provides 14 triode watts per channel, and that was plenty of juice to drive them to reference levels.
Later in the day, Greg's room was reconfigured to showcase the improved version of the next model up in Volti's lineup, the Rival. It's now produced using the same CNC-machined cabinet construction as used in the Razz, and Greg only uses Baltic birch plywood, which is acoustically superior to mdf. An incessant tinkerer, Greg has also upgraded and refined the Rival's crossover elements; the improved fit and finish and parts selection gives the Rivals a seductive sound that makes them truly impressive at $14k. You can elect to go with an outboard crossover arrangement (the crossover cabinets are beautiful too!), and that will jack the price up slightly, but listeners seeking every nuance in increased performance would definitely want to go that route. The room was crowded both times I was there, and even sitting far off-axis, I was still able to get a really great stereo impression, and the sound was simply magnificent! And even though the room the Rivals were displayed in was relatively smallish, the sound was never overpowering—and the 14-watt Border Patrol amplifier was more than up to the task of driving the Rivals to peak efficiency.
The Triode Wire Labs cables are seriously robust, and use connectors from the likes of Furutech and Cardas throughout the line.The interconnects utilize Ohno Continuous Cast 7N copper, and all Triode Wire Cables are made in the USA. You'd be hard pressed to find that kind of attention to detail anywhere, especially at the relatively low price point these excellent cables retail for. And "Triode Pete" Grzybowski is one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet; it's great to hang with guys who not only are extremely knowledgeable, but also plain fun to be around!
Thanks, Tom!
https://positive-feedback.com/show-reports/florida-audio-expo-part-1/
Florida Audio Expo - Part 1
02-19-2022 | By Tom Gibbs | Issue 119
Volti Audio featuring Border Patrol and Triode Wire Labs
I ventured over to Greg Roberts' room to see what he had on display at FAE, and was somewhat surprised to find that the room was featuring the Volti Razz loudspeakers I reviewed at Stereophile in 2020 (you can read that review HERE). As always, Greg's room featured tube amplification from Border Patrol, the excellent and very musical Border Patrol DAC, and digital disc playback and streaming from Innous. All cables in the system were supplied by Triode Wire Labs, and the system synergy was nothing short of superb. True to my recollection of the Razz, they were dazzlingly great-sounding loudspeakers, and Greg told me that he'd made several recent crossover modifications to the design and was considering replacing the tweeter with an improved version. They sounded just as good to me as they did during my time with them from a couple of years ago, and at a base MSRP of $6k, are one of the runaway best buys in high-end audio. They're an exceptional deal for a hand-built, made in America loudspeaker that will give you so much more than just a taste of the high end! And they'll play any kind of music with a scale of realism that simply must be heard to be believed, and are so very efficient, only a few tube watts are needed to get maximum performance from them. The Border Patrol amp provides 14 triode watts per channel, and that was plenty of juice to drive them to reference levels.
Later in the day, Greg's room was reconfigured to showcase the improved version of the next model up in Volti's lineup, the Rival. It's now produced using the same CNC-machined cabinet construction as used in the Razz, and Greg only uses Baltic birch plywood, which is acoustically superior to mdf. An incessant tinkerer, Greg has also upgraded and refined the Rival's crossover elements; the improved fit and finish and parts selection gives the Rivals a seductive sound that makes them truly impressive at $14k. You can elect to go with an outboard crossover arrangement (the crossover cabinets are beautiful too!), and that will jack the price up slightly, but listeners seeking every nuance in increased performance would definitely want to go that route. The room was crowded both times I was there, and even sitting far off-axis, I was still able to get a really great stereo impression, and the sound was simply magnificent! And even though the room the Rivals were displayed in was relatively smallish, the sound was never overpowering—and the 14-watt Border Patrol amplifier was more than up to the task of driving the Rivals to peak efficiency.
The Triode Wire Labs cables are seriously robust, and use connectors from the likes of Furutech and Cardas throughout the line.The interconnects utilize Ohno Continuous Cast 7N copper, and all Triode Wire Cables are made in the USA. You'd be hard pressed to find that kind of attention to detail anywhere, especially at the relatively low price point these excellent cables retail for. And "Triode Pete" Grzybowski is one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet; it's great to hang with guys who not only are extremely knowledgeable, but also plain fun to be around!
Thanks, Tom!
