Upcoming CES: Anything exciting or just another Yenta-fest for insiders and elites?

[steve williams]

Myles

Have you heard Vladimir's new LP1 Signature Phone stage

 

[MylesBAstor]

Quick tease of best sounding rooms:

Balanced Audio Technology/Aerial 7T (the room to go if you wanted to hear music. Yes, there were systems that were more full range, more dynamic, etc. but none sounded more like music than the BAT room. Note: I would have liked to hear Michael Kelly's top of the line 20Ts driven by the BAT electronics!)

YG Sonja/D'Agostino (the best sound to date from both Dan and YG. These amps are far better than anything Dan churned out during his days at Krell)

NOLA Concert Grands/ARC Ref 75 (Want a full range speaker? Plays LOUD, plumbs the depths, sounds big and will set you back $197K.)

Vandersteen 7As/Aesthetix (All analog and all music. Is there a more laid back person than Richard V? Also showed a prototype of a new push-push amp to specifically drive the mid and tweeter. Can you say "active" speaker?)

Genesis Technologies/Viola Labs (Effortless was one word that came to mind. Loved that arm! Now let me hit the lotto.)

LAMM/Wilson MAXX-only for digital (The Origine CD player from France was the best digital that I heard at the show. It sounded so much like tape on the Fairfield Four that it was scary!)

Bully Sound/Vivid speakers (Bret's amps continue to sound better and he showed a prototype of his first preamp)

Most improved sound at show:
Aida/Audio Research Ref.250 top/450 bottom (better than last year eg. no lower mid suckout but still didn't move me. Still prefer the sound of the Aidas at Ivans with the Burmester electronics.)

Sound Lab/Atma-sphere (new transformer really transformed these monsters; can be driven by more modest amps and didn't have that "typical" SL dark, sluggish and boring sound.)

Disappointing:
Constellation/Magico Q7s (Probably did everything technically right but did nothing to thrill me--especially considering the system's price tag)
MBL 101 Extreme/MBL electronics (Guess it's just me because sure the critics will rave about the sound. Cold and mechanical. Hi-fi-ish.)

Most interesting new product:

Revel subs (Blast away! 2 kW self powered with lot's of fancy software to help optimize the sub to your room and main speaker)

Most interesting trend:

The increasing number of DACs and CD players that will support 2X DSD. And not all stratospherically priced.

 

[microstrip]

Sound Lab/Atma-sphere (new transformer really transformed these monsters; can be driven by more modest amps and didn't have that "typical" SL dark, sluggish and boring sound.) (...)

Myles,

Did you ever listen to SoundLabs other than in shows? I can assure you that they are NOT surely dark, sluggish and boring sound if properly amplified! Anyway, thinking about you, a pair of the new transformers is arriving at my door .

Thanks for a great preliminary report!

 

[FrantzM]

LAMM/Wilson MAXX-only for digital (The Origine CD player from France was the best digital that I heard at the show. It sounded so much like tape on the Fairfield Four that it was scary!)

Ok Myles!

What's wrong with you Pal!!?? Get off whatever strange thing you've been consuming in Vegas ...

 

[ack]

Quick tease of best sounding rooms:

Balanced Audio Technology/Aerial 7T (the room to go if you wanted to hear music. Yes, there were systems that were more full range, more dynamic, etc. but none sounded more like music than the BAT room. Note: I would have liked to hear Michael Kelly's top of the line 20Ts driven by the BAT electronics!)

YG Sonja/D'Agostino (the best sound to date from both Dan and YG. These amps are far better than anything Dan churned out during his days at Krell)

NOLA Concert Grands/ARC Ref 75 (Want a full range speaker? Plays LOUD, plumbs the depths, sounds big and will set you back $197K.)

Vandersteen 7As/Aesthetix (All analog and all music. Is there a more laid back person than Richard V? Also showed a prototype of a new push-push amp to specifically drive the mid and tweeter. Can you say "active" speaker?)

Genesis Technologies/Viola Labs (Effortless was one word that came to mind. Loved that arm! Now let me hit the lotto.)

LAMM/Wilson MAXX-only for digital (The Origine CD player from France was the best digital that I heard at the show. It sounded so much like tape on the Fairfield Four that it was scary!)

Bully Sound/Vivid speakers (Bret's amps continue to sound better and he showed a prototype of his first preamp)

Most improved sound at show:
Aida/Audio Research Ref.250 top/450 bottom (better than last year eg. no lower mid suckout but still didn't move me. Still prefer the sound of the Aidas at Ivans with the Burmester electronics.)

Sound Lab/Atma-sphere (new transformer really transformed these monsters; can be driven by more modest amps and didn't have that "typical" SL dark, sluggish and boring sound.)

Disappointing:
Constellation/Magico Q7s (Probably did everything technically right but did nothing to thrill me--especially considering the system's price tag)
MBL 101 Extreme/MBL electronics (Guess it's just me because sure the critics will rave about the sound. Cold and mechanical. Hi-fi-ish.)

Most interesting new product:

Revel subs (Blast away! 2 kW self powered with lot's of fancy software to help optimize the sub to your room and main speaker)

Most interesting trend:

The increasing number of DACs and CD players that will support 2X DSD. And not all stratospherically priced.

Nice, thanks. So, most idiotic product?

 

[c1ferrari]

Quick tease of best sounding rooms:

Balanced Audio Technology/Aerial 7T (the room to go if you wanted to hear music. Yes, there were systems that were more full range, more dynamic, etc. but none sounded more like music than the BAT room. Note: I would have liked to hear Michael Kelly's top of the line 20Ts driven by the BAT electronics!) Oh, boy -- now, I'm in trouble

Genesis Technologies/Viola Labs (Effortless was one word that came to mind. Loved that arm! Now let me hit the lotto.) Congratulations, Gary!

Sound Lab/Atma-sphere (new transformer really transformed these monsters; can be driven by more modest amps and didn't have that "typical" SL dark, sluggish and boring sound.) Congratulations, Ralph!

Most interesting trend:

The increasing number of DACs and CD players that will support 2X DSD. And not all stratospherically priced.

YES! Now, we/I -- hehe -- need a location recorder that will record DSD128, i.e., 2X DSD, and allow native DSD128 to be passed to an external DAC for playback...sort of a combo between a Korg MR-2000s -- capable of DSD128 recording -- and Tascam DV-RA1000HD -- capable of passing DSD64, but not DSD128, via SDIF connectors. I think the bottleneck is Sony...sigh

Thanks for your preliminary remarks, Myles! I'm looking forward to reading your extended remarks at Positive Feedback Online

 

[Nightlord]

Most interesting trend:

The increasing number of DACs and CD players that will support 2X DSD. And not all stratospherically priced.

Is anyone saying anything about not continuing to destroy the music in the mastering, then? Or will it still be used to play information that fits in 10 out of the 16 bits on a CD?

 

[A.wayne]

Digital Party pooper .....

 

[MarinJim]

Digital Party pooper .....

LOL, more like Negative- Feedback Online!

 

[KBK]

Sound Lab/Atma-sphere (new transformer really transformed these monsters; can be driven by more modest amps and didn't have that "typical" SL dark, sluggish and boring sound.)

You are welcome. (It was a combination of things) (one being a set/loom of cables that are the only type in the world to perform the trick of both fundamental forms of wave propagation)

 

[MylesBAstor]

Is anyone saying anything about not continuing to destroy the music in the mastering, then? Or will it still be used to play information that fits in 10 out of the 16 bits on a CD?

Why don't you take this to a separate thread and not destroy the CES thread?

 

[MylesBAstor]

Myles

Have you heard Vladimir's new LP1 Signature Phone stage

Yes, that's what was being used in the system.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Couple of late additions:

April Music/Coltrane v.2 speakers (Were they out of their mind using the $6000 Stello A700 integrated amp and $3000 Examus DAC on $90,000 speakers? Apparently not as the sound in this room was very good! Great pinpoint imaging, very tonally neutral, deep, very solid bass without any glimmer of "solid-state" sound.)

MOOS Speakers--to be distributed by Colleen Cardas (Started by an ex-Linn employee, we have something eminently affordable for the Frugal audiophile. The $2500 covers the price of the speakers and built in wireless DAC/amplifier. Far better sounding than the wireless Dynaudios heard at last year's CES. Surprisingly deep bass for a small speaker along with good imaging and resolution. An excellent starter system for young kids!)

Most improved sound-->Stage 8 speakers/Balabo amplifiers

 

[steve williams]

Yes, that's what was being used in the system.

so you weren't impressed

 

[A.wayne]

You are welcome. (It was a combination of things) (one being a set/loom of cables that are the only type in the world to perform the trick of both fundamental forms of wave propagation)

Say what and without dilithium crystals !!!!


Lol...

 

[andromedaaudio]

Anybody hear the new Siltech amplifiers , heres a vid about them although its in dutch .
accupowered tube pre amp SN 120 db
The power amp is quite special they wanted to use accus as well in the poweramp but being practically impossible they designed something else .
From what i understood its a patent pending technology which used the wall power through filters to produce light .
This light is then shown on a solar cell which makes electricity which then powers the transistors , quite amazing .
I think they are beautifull amps too and they use quite different tubes as used in general in pre amp designs
1280 watts in 2 ohm and around 75.000 euro for the whole system incl vat



http://www.hifi.nl/artikel/19970/Video-CES-2013-Siltech-en-Crystal-Cable-opnieuw-showstoppers.html

 

[Nightlord]

Why don't you take this to a separate thread and not destroy the CES thread?

I think your comment just now did inifintely more in that regard; I just asked a couple of questions I was hoping the person reporting from CES had good, positive news about.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Really? What did your question have to do with the OT? Nothing.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Really??? Maybe then you can educate us idiots what your question has to do with the OT? Don't need an IQ much above 80 to figure that out. Zippo. I was at CES and my post was on topic.

 

[MylesBAstor]

so you weren't impressed

Phono section? Table? Hard to tell. But I did hear Friday PM that the table's designer had worked on the table Thursday night However doesn't take way from the digital that more than a few with whom I spoke we're impressed by.