What a fun weekend---I thought attendance was lighter or at least more spread out which helped this year. Saturday had crowds in most of the "big" rooms, but it still wasn't hard to get in some sweet spot time or put a track on. Sunday was more relaxed, fun, and 1/2 the people. I had empty rooms for many of my listening sessions. I ran into some internet friends, but sadly no WBF members for whatever reason. These shows also help forge new relationships with people into music---and that's the coolest part.
What I listen for--- I like open sound with an organic midrange. Absolutely not a detail freak. I typically lean to the valve side, but don't like warm/euphonic sound. Bass is difficult to judge due to the rooms, so with exception of the large/treated affairs, I try not to focus too much on that. I was amp shopping, make no doubt about it so particularly focused on that area. I try to focus on potential, as my treated room quite frankly (despite being squarish) --sounded better than pretty much any room I heard.
Demo material—all I heard was Hugh Masekela, Norah Jones, and Alison Krauss, so did some damage KeithR style with:
Andrew Bird
Calexico
Alice in Chains- Unplugged (this got raves everywhere fyi)
Gotan Project
Florence & the Machine
So here are the 6 best and 6 worst---if there are any in particular you want my comments on, let me know. I sat in sweet spots in almost all rooms (thanks guys for making room for a chair-based audiophile!)
6 Disappointing Rooms:
1. Focal w/ Devialet- in both rooms, just dreadful sound. No mids, way over damped leading edge that sounded incorrect. Flat despite hearing a big and small room
2. Voxativ- there was abundant/weird midrange glare in this room—something wasn’t right. I heard the same glare in the Acapella room as well to a lesser extent….
3. Sonus Faber/Aesthetix- this was closed in, dark dark sound. Poor electronics match imo as I know SF has sounded much better
4. Vandersteen/Audio Research- sounded like I was wearing a hoodie. Nice impact and dynamics, but just rolled off imo. I expect to hear folks disagree with me here. MikeL's comment about the speakers being too far apart makes a lot of sense and could impact treble quite a bit.
5. Scaena/VAC- sorry, this was a bit of a mess after I spent 20 minutes on Sunday there. Glare from the ribbons off axis. Could hear the subs separate from the line arrays so not integrated. 6 subs in a suite was not a smart idea in the first place and overdid the room. The amps had potential (if you can turn off the flashing LEDs on the amps which are really distracting). The sweet spot made things better, but still just not good in that room for over 300k of equipment. Scaena build quality is exceptional however.
6. Audio Note- blech in all respects. This is how I envision sound from the 60s, not 2012.
6 Sounds I liked:
1. Amphion/Hegel- nice budget system at 10k including cables. Perhaps a bit smooth, but nice open extended top end. Errors of omission, not commission
2. Vivid/Luxman- 5k integrated driving 15k bookshelves beat the pants out of most of the rooms there. They even used the integrated’s phono stage to show how ridiculous this hobby becomes lol. Delicacy with texture- natural sounding. Jay is a complete gentleman btw.
3. Magico S5/Constellation- electronics are really clean and smooth (they used the lower priced gear). Hate to say tube-like, but yes that is the word. Loved the orange anodized aluminum sides. Alon and I agreed that Christian McBrides new album is reference material ?
4. Rockport/BAT- this room was so bad, shocked they could get somewhat decent sound (outside of bass) in it. Zero cabinet coloration/noise is I believe the reason why. BAT was a perfect complement to the Aviors and the Bardo TT is the one I would buy if I wanted to go analog. Saw it in several rooms….awesome. Nice sweet top end and great midrange resolution.
5. Evolution Acoustics—organic and real as JTinn and I apparently like the same sound. I need to get that PBD soon!
6. Joseph Audio/Bel Canto- really sweet top end and soundstage from Jeff's Pulsar monitors. Nice to hear a non-megabuck system deliver the goods!
Random Thoughts:
Cessaro’s horns were fun and lively, but not totally coherent- and had some minor cupped hands colorations. Those Thoress amps look sweet however! Wilsons sounded just ok with dcs/VTL. Hifi, not music. Lotus needs a larger room like last year. EAR had weird upper mid bass- could be the Maartens. Daedulus Speakers will not measure well if I had to guess---lower mids just not right and this is two years in a row I’ve heard the same thing. Harbeths put me to sleep- and that Stein atomizer demo was pure BS. TAD still needs tubes…Magico Q3 has better driver integration than the S5, but much preferred CA electronics to Soulution ones….Ayon had dry, flat sound…MBLs were, well, MBLs. Estelon speaker had promise but cavern room took away from audition. Kef Blade and Chord is a bad combo---but the speaker was dynamic and extended as hell.
And now for the infamous Ref 75- I will be frank, it did not sound good on Saturday at all. Sure, good dynamics and decent top end extension, but the middle was not organic or textured at all on Layne Staley’s vocal. This was on a full ARC stack. Sunday seemed to be bit better however and there was more texture to the sound, although still sounded dry--- this sound is probably not for me. Also, you can’t roll tubes in the new ARC gear, so you get what you get. Of all the push/pull tube amps, Vac had the most promise imo. CJ did not have the new monoblocks at the show disappointingly.
Cheers,
KeithR
What I listen for--- I like open sound with an organic midrange. Absolutely not a detail freak. I typically lean to the valve side, but don't like warm/euphonic sound. Bass is difficult to judge due to the rooms, so with exception of the large/treated affairs, I try not to focus too much on that. I was amp shopping, make no doubt about it so particularly focused on that area. I try to focus on potential, as my treated room quite frankly (despite being squarish) --sounded better than pretty much any room I heard.
Demo material—all I heard was Hugh Masekela, Norah Jones, and Alison Krauss, so did some damage KeithR style with:
Andrew Bird
Calexico
Alice in Chains- Unplugged (this got raves everywhere fyi)
Gotan Project
Florence & the Machine
So here are the 6 best and 6 worst---if there are any in particular you want my comments on, let me know. I sat in sweet spots in almost all rooms (thanks guys for making room for a chair-based audiophile!)
6 Disappointing Rooms:
1. Focal w/ Devialet- in both rooms, just dreadful sound. No mids, way over damped leading edge that sounded incorrect. Flat despite hearing a big and small room
2. Voxativ- there was abundant/weird midrange glare in this room—something wasn’t right. I heard the same glare in the Acapella room as well to a lesser extent….
3. Sonus Faber/Aesthetix- this was closed in, dark dark sound. Poor electronics match imo as I know SF has sounded much better
4. Vandersteen/Audio Research- sounded like I was wearing a hoodie. Nice impact and dynamics, but just rolled off imo. I expect to hear folks disagree with me here. MikeL's comment about the speakers being too far apart makes a lot of sense and could impact treble quite a bit.
5. Scaena/VAC- sorry, this was a bit of a mess after I spent 20 minutes on Sunday there. Glare from the ribbons off axis. Could hear the subs separate from the line arrays so not integrated. 6 subs in a suite was not a smart idea in the first place and overdid the room. The amps had potential (if you can turn off the flashing LEDs on the amps which are really distracting). The sweet spot made things better, but still just not good in that room for over 300k of equipment. Scaena build quality is exceptional however.
6. Audio Note- blech in all respects. This is how I envision sound from the 60s, not 2012.
6 Sounds I liked:
1. Amphion/Hegel- nice budget system at 10k including cables. Perhaps a bit smooth, but nice open extended top end. Errors of omission, not commission
2. Vivid/Luxman- 5k integrated driving 15k bookshelves beat the pants out of most of the rooms there. They even used the integrated’s phono stage to show how ridiculous this hobby becomes lol. Delicacy with texture- natural sounding. Jay is a complete gentleman btw.
3. Magico S5/Constellation- electronics are really clean and smooth (they used the lower priced gear). Hate to say tube-like, but yes that is the word. Loved the orange anodized aluminum sides. Alon and I agreed that Christian McBrides new album is reference material ?
4. Rockport/BAT- this room was so bad, shocked they could get somewhat decent sound (outside of bass) in it. Zero cabinet coloration/noise is I believe the reason why. BAT was a perfect complement to the Aviors and the Bardo TT is the one I would buy if I wanted to go analog. Saw it in several rooms….awesome. Nice sweet top end and great midrange resolution.
5. Evolution Acoustics—organic and real as JTinn and I apparently like the same sound. I need to get that PBD soon!
6. Joseph Audio/Bel Canto- really sweet top end and soundstage from Jeff's Pulsar monitors. Nice to hear a non-megabuck system deliver the goods!
Random Thoughts:
Cessaro’s horns were fun and lively, but not totally coherent- and had some minor cupped hands colorations. Those Thoress amps look sweet however! Wilsons sounded just ok with dcs/VTL. Hifi, not music. Lotus needs a larger room like last year. EAR had weird upper mid bass- could be the Maartens. Daedulus Speakers will not measure well if I had to guess---lower mids just not right and this is two years in a row I’ve heard the same thing. Harbeths put me to sleep- and that Stein atomizer demo was pure BS. TAD still needs tubes…Magico Q3 has better driver integration than the S5, but much preferred CA electronics to Soulution ones….Ayon had dry, flat sound…MBLs were, well, MBLs. Estelon speaker had promise but cavern room took away from audition. Kef Blade and Chord is a bad combo---but the speaker was dynamic and extended as hell.
And now for the infamous Ref 75- I will be frank, it did not sound good on Saturday at all. Sure, good dynamics and decent top end extension, but the middle was not organic or textured at all on Layne Staley’s vocal. This was on a full ARC stack. Sunday seemed to be bit better however and there was more texture to the sound, although still sounded dry--- this sound is probably not for me. Also, you can’t roll tubes in the new ARC gear, so you get what you get. Of all the push/pull tube amps, Vac had the most promise imo. CJ did not have the new monoblocks at the show disappointingly.
Cheers,
KeithR
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