Tokyo International Audio Show 2012

[garylkoh]

I hadn't visited the Tokyo International Audio Show before, and when my Hong Kong distributor offered to introduce me to a potential distributor in Japan (plus great food) I leaped at the chance. It was a small show - something that could be covered in a day. Entry was also free.

I didn't visit a great number of the rooms, merely poking my head in most of them.

 

[garylkoh]

The AMG (Analog Manufaktur Germany) turntable with the Aesthetix Rhea tube phono stage.

 

[garylkoh]

The beautiful Viola Crescendo preamp.

 

[garylkoh]

Loudspeaker designer/mastering engineer/recording engineer Allen Sides with the Ocean Way AC1 - which won Stereo Sound's Best Loudspeaker 2012 (will be on the cover of next month's issue).

For a multi-Grammy winning engineer who recorded Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson (and now an award-winning loudspeaker designer), Allen was a nice, down-to-earth regular guy.

 

[garylkoh]

One of the best sounding rooms featured Playback Designs with Dartzeel. The $12,000 Joseph Audio Perspective loudspeakers were driven with the Dartzeel monoblocks.

 

[garylkoh]

What didn't surprise me (knowing a couple of Japanese audiophiles) was the most crowded rooms featured horns of some sort, or tubes (generally single-ended). Here's the JBL room.



Contrast this with a room that I thought sounded great. I guess there's no accounting for taste

 

[garylkoh]

Another crowded room - Tannoy/Avant Garde

 

[garylkoh]

The little ALR Jordan Classic 1 sounded huge with great image and detail.... but it played to an audience of only one.

 

[garylkoh]

Dr Karl Schuemann got very seductive sounds out of the very phallic-looking Audio Machina. Certainly one of my favorite rooms of the show.

 

[garylkoh]

Bling - from D'Agostino, B.M.C., FM Acoustics and Ayre. Driving Wilsons and Thiel.

 

[garylkoh]

The highlight of the show for me was the TechDAS Air Force One turntable.



The music had huge drive, density and dynamics. The table was so stable that you could rap your knuckles on the LP during playback, and you can't hear it in the speakers. I should have done a video instead, but here's a still picture of the demonstrator rapping the LP in the middle of the demo.



The back-end was Vivid or Tidal loudspeakers with Constellation electronics.

 

[garylkoh]

Here's the Tokyo Forum - where the show was held.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Thanks Gary for a great report. I love the commentary about the attendance in the horn rooms vs. the traditional rooms. I've just begun work on the RMAF videos and there are few horn systems. How was the sound overall? RMAF was really good this year. See you at CES!

 

[flez007]

Japan is on my bucket-list, since I have never been there. two things call to my attention, first the black DartZ (integrated), what a nice piece!!!, secondly the small size that Gary mentioned of the show, I would assume that an audio show in Japan must be huuuuuuge! - thanks Gary!

 

[garylkoh]

Yes, I was also quite surprised by how small the show was. Unfortunately, it was held in an event hall with sub-divided rooms. Most of the rooms were perfectly squares, so the sound in those rooms were pretty difficult for me to stomach - that's why I didn't comment much on the sound. The good thing was that the partitions were very solid, so you did not get sound leakage from one room to the next.

 

[amirm]

Thanks for the report Gary. Made me miss my past trips to Japan!

 

[garylkoh]

You're most welcome, Amir. I'll end with three more pictures

Awesome Sushi.....



Sunrise from the hotel room.......



.... and the view from Tokyo Sky Tree (the second tallest man-made structure on Earth)

 

[amirm]

You are killing me Gary! That o-toro nigiri is just gorgeous! Fall and winter are such great time for sushi.

 

[JackD201]

You're most welcome, Amir. I'll end with three more pictures

Awesome Sushi.....

View attachment 6632
/QUOTE]

Never mind the audio. This is just CRUEL!

Well, that and except the TechDAS anyway.

 

[garylkoh]

Never mind the audio. This is just CRUEL!

Well, that and except the TechDAS anyway.

What's most cruel is that there is no way that I'll be able to find the sushi joint again without the guidance of my new Japanese distributor. It was way down through all the side streets of Akasaksa, about 10 min walk from the nearest subway station. When I asked for the name and the address, all my hosts would say was "Don't worry, we will bring you here again next time you visit us." He said he thought it was as good as Jiro, but at less than half the price of the son.

Looks like if I want the good sushi, I won't be able to change distributors!!