Visit to Chris to See Magico M9 and VYGER and Pilium in Southlake, Texas

[Al M.]

Rons video where he interviews people are fun. I like the one on Field Coils.

Ron's interview videos are great and informative. I can most happily live without the music playing videos.

 

[thedudeabides]

To Bobvin. Maybe the purpose of his visit was social. Maybe it was for other non nefarious reasons. One can infer from the above post that you do not respect the OP. Why do you question his motives and integrity?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Well I personally don’t understand the visit? Ron sells a competing panel speaker, and has heard what Chris offers elsewhere — so that aspect is suspicious.

Wow! This post is surprising and illuminating and disappointing to me. Prior to this post I really had no idea that you had adopted such a commercial, partisan, dealer mentality. Chris Hesse certainly has not adopted such a mentality with regard to the business which has evolved out of his hobby. I have not adopted such a mentality with regard to my Audio Café project representing as a dealer Clarisys Audio loudspeakers.

As I wrote originally in response to Elliot's question on my apparent conflict of interest, I have every intention of bending over backwards to make it crystal clear to any honest observer that my two hats are very separate. Sherlock Holmes himself would be unable to find anything negative or critical or competitive in what I have posted in this thread. I visited Chris purely -- 100.00% -- in my capacity as traveling WBF reporter (or whatever you choose to call my visits/reports/interviews/etc.).

The approximately 90% of my time I spend doing interviews and visits and reports, etc., for WBF is bright line separate from the approximately 10% of my time I intend to spend on Audio Café and Clarisys.

Audio Café and Clarisys Audio have nothing to do with the fact that under any circumstances I would relish the opportunity to see and hear -- however briefly -- Magico M9 and Alsyvox Botticelli and VYGER and Kondo and CS Port tube amps in world-class, custom-built listening rooms.

He goes to a place with one of the premier speakers available (M9) and doesn’t allow time for a genuine audition? Is the purpose to do a quick visit like visiting a room at an audio show?

Please see my Post #55 above: "I would love to have spent a full day or two days in each of Chris' two rooms."

Unfortunately on Sunday Chris could offer me only a 120 minute visit. As long as I was halfway across the country in Texas, it sure made more sense to me to visit -- and to set eyes on such amazing components -- even for a short period of time, than not to visit at all.

Our Billy Franklin accompanied me on the visit to Chris, and I wanted to make sure Billy got to hear tracks he wanted to hear. I did not want to monopolize the listening time. I would like to have stayed longer, but I had already extended my trip to visit Todd for a full day.

Chris has a couple superbly built rooms for auditioning, was the visit to learn about that?

The visit was to learn whatever I could learn in the time I had. I certainly learned about achieving a low ambient noise level from Chris' rooms. I also learned that Magico M9 is amazing and that Alsyvox Botticelli is amazing. At this level, what component isn't amazing to a non-partisan?

Seems odd for a competitor to visit and post anything?

In a friendly industry even among competing manufacturers and competing distributors and competing dealers, I really had no idea that you have embraced such a mercenary mentality.

 

[tima]

Didn't the OP say he had only two hours to visit the showroom including 15 minutes of music listening?

Here is the OP. I don't see anything about two hours. Only after I referred to Ron's 15 minutes did he want to clarify.

Thanks to Chris Hesse for letting me visit! Due to a time constraint I was able to spend only about 15 minutes relaxed and enjoying the music.

Chris' facility is an almost unbelievable audio toy store. One doesn't know what to look at first! (And the other room is stocked with exotic tube amplifiers! I almost needed to be defibrillated when I saw all that!)

In person the Magico M9s are breathtaking (for state-of-the-art audio components, that is). I wish I had had the presence of mind to request Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"!

I think Chris' room is completely amazing! Without using absorption on the inside of the listening room Chris has achieved the lowest ambient noise level I have ever experienced in an audio listening room (27dB, Chris said).

Upon first entering the room the quietness is almost disorienting, and I looked around for anechoic chamber-type absorption. But there isn't any. Chris has insulated the listening room from all external noise. But there is no sensation of damping, let alone over-damping, when you're in the room listening to music. I am envious of this incredibly low ambient noise level! This is the "quietest" room I've ever heard, while at the same time remaining acoustically lively.

Fantastic work, Chris!

 

[Bobvin]

To Bobvin. Maybe the purpose of his visit was social. Maybe it was for other non nefarious reasons. One can infer from the above post that you do not respect the OP. Why do you question his motives and integrity?

I know Ron. I like Ron. I find an ethical issue for one dealer to visit another and post anything about that other than “we had a nice social visit and enjoyed some music together.” Or, ‘I was amazed to learn all the ways the room was engineered” and a discussion about that.

My posts received a lot of new levels of scrutiny once I became affiliated with Rhapsody.Audio. I am careful and cautious about posting to avoid perceived conflicts of interest.

And then throw in the “videos are not representative“ discussions which Ron is keenly aware of and post maybe one of the very, very few M9 snips available anywhere — does not do the M9 justice. Is disrespectful (IMHO) of his host, whom he is a competitor with for Alsyvox vs. Clarysis.

I visited Cyrus a couple weeks before Ron to hear his Auditorium speakers, you didn’t see me talking about that visit.

 

[Argonaut]

Maybe the purpose of his visit was social.

Rather the impression that I form from Rons initial post and subsequent posts clarifying a little … I certainly fail to discern even a whiff of checking out the competition in his posts … I just do not get all the angst and conspiracy theory's ( other than the one or two respondents as ever seeking their pound of flesh over the Karmelli night of the long knives ) … Quite frankly he might as well tell these members to simply Sod Off !

Welcome to the Genteel World of High End Commercial HiFi Ron .

 

[Kingrex]

I think Ron poked his finger in the tweeter!!

 

[Ron Resnick]

I think Ron poked his finger in the tweeter!!

Tinka says I'm a little clumsy. When I walk close to components I generally keep my hands behind my back to make sure I don't touch anything, and to make sure I don't make my host nervous that I am about to touch something.

 

[Al M.]

And then throw in the “videos are not representative“ discussions which Ron is keenly aware of and post maybe one of the very, very few M9 snips available anywhere — does not do the M9 justice. Is disrespectful (IMHO) of his host, whom he is a competitor with for Alsyvox vs. Clarysis.

Oh boy. Bob, you really insinuate nefarious motives, don't you?

Yes, Ron is aware of the video discussions, but he also wants to accommodate the community's apparent wishes for videos with music accompaniment. He does the same with his videos from shows. I think those wishes from the community are misguided and, frankly, I find Ron’s accommodation to these wishes very much misguided as well. I personally think that a bunch of still photos would be an infinitely better option. But while I may heavily disagree with Ron on the music playing video thing which, as this thread once more amply demonstrates inevitably ends in absolute disaster and should therefore be immediately abandoned, it would never have crossed my mind that he had bad intentions with it.

 

[tima]

And then throw in the “videos are not representative“ discussions which Ron is keenly aware of and post maybe one of the very, very few M9 snips available anywhere — does not do the M9 justice. Is disrespectful (IMHO) of his host, whom he is a competitor with for Alsyvox vs. Clarysis.

Well said Bob. I think you see the issues in play. I still don't understand the purpose of the post. Was it an infomercial for Ron? Was it to bring attention to a major WBF advertiser? Was it a subtle diss on another dealer with a sketchy video? There is a general understanding of lanes and roles in this highly competitive audio industry that are there for a reason.. Trying to be a dealer, a forum owner, a (faux) reviewer, a "traveling WBF reporter", an 'influencer' all rolled into one will inevitably lead to veering across lanes into a guard rail.

 

[joey_v]

Tinka says I'm a little clumsy. When I walk close to components I generally keep my hands behind my back to make sure I don't touch anything, and to make sure I don't make my host nervous that I am about to touch something.

When I visited Hesse, I put my hands behind my back as well. I’m not talking a second mortgage accidentally.

 

[Argonaut]

Well said Bob. I think you see the issues in play. I still don't understand the purpose of the post. Was it an infomercial for Ron? Was it to bring attention to a major WBF advertiser? Was it a subtle diss on another dealer with a sketchy video? There is a general understanding of lanes and roles in this highly competitive audio industry that are there for a reason.. Trying to be a dealer, a forum owner, a (faux) reviewer, a "traveling WBF reporter", an 'influencer' all rolled into one will inevitably lead to veering across lanes into a guard rail.

Ding Ding … The Pavlov Dog Yaps to the Bell

 

[Bobvin]

Oh boy. Bob, you really insinuate nefarious motives, don't you?

Yes, Ron is aware of the video discussions, but he also wants to accommodate the community's apparent wishes for videos with music accompaniment. He does the same with his videos from shows. I think those wishes from the community are misguided and, frankly, I find Ron’s accommodation to these wishes very much misguided as well. I personally think that a bunch of still photos would be an infinitely better option. But while I may heavily disagree with Ron on the video issue which, as this thread once more amply demonstrates inevitably ends in absolute disaster and should therefore be immediately abandoned, it would never cross my mind that he had bad intentions with it.

Did not mean to ascribe ill-intent. But there are consequences to posting video snips (as you acknowledge) and as I said is my opinion this is disrespectful to do to a competitor. There was a reason Alon Wolfe did not originally want video clips of the M9s floating around the webs.

Ron is trying to walk the knifes edge with commercial and hobbiest interests so is likely to get some cuts along the way.

 

[Al M.]

Did not mean to ascribe ill-intent. But there are consequences to posting video snips (as you acknowledge) and as I said is my opinion this is disrespectful to do to a competitor. There was a reason Alon Wolfe did not originally want video clips of the M9s floating around the webs.

Ron is trying to walk the knifes edge with commercial and hobbiest interests so is likely to get some cuts along the way.

Thanks for the clarification. I agree with most of your thoughts in this post.

 

[cjfrbw]

Telling people not to litigate guarantees more litigation it seems.

 

[PeterA]

Ron is trying to walk the knifes edge with commercial and hobbiest interests so is likely to get some cuts along the way.

And Ron wrote a long essay concluding in a request of his readers, and fellow members, to judge him by his words and actions. It is a reasonable request.

In this case, I agree with Bob. The poor audio quality of this video does a disservice to what is an expensive flagship speaker. It adds no value. I would say system/room but Ron points us to the speaker. Al says don’t record the sound of the system. That is a reasonable request but not for him to control. Ron is doing his thing. And perhaps learning from these public comments.

 

[Carlos269]

And Ron wrote a long essay concluding in a request for his readers, and fellow members, to judge him by his words and actions. It is a reasonable request.

In this case, I agree with Bob. The poor audio quality of this video does a disservice to what is an expensive flagship speaker. It adds no value. I would say system/room but Ron points us to the speaker. Al says don’t record the sound of the system. That is a reasonable request but not for him to control. Ron is doing his thing. And perhaps learning from these public comments.

Peter, how do you know that the sound on the video is not an accurate representation? I have yet to hear the M9 or M7 sound any different on various videos in different rooms with different electronics. If a pattern starts to develop then……

 

[joey_v]

And Ron wrote a long essay concluding in a request for his readers, and fellow members, to judge him by his words and actions. It is a reasonable request.

In this case, I agree with Bob. The poor audio quality of this video does a disservice to what is an expensive flagship speaker. It adds no value. I would say system/room but Ron points us to the speaker. Al says don’t record the sound of the system. That is a reasonable request but not for him to control. Ron is doing his thing. And perhaps learning from these public comments.

You honestly think that Ron went in to videotape the M9 so that he could promote his Clarysis? A speaker that is not even remotely similar in any respect?
That’s a far stretch IMO.

 

[joey_v]

Peter, how do you know that the sound on the video is not an accurate representation? I have yet to hear the M9’or M7 sound any different on various videos. If a pattern starts to develop then……

You’re joking Carlos.
I heard the exact same M9. If you think the video is remotely what it sounds like, you are mistaken.

 

[Carlos269]

You’re joking Carlos.
I heard the exact same M9. If you think the video is remotely what it sounds like, you are mistaken.

I would hope that the video is not accurate but surely someone should be able to provide a video showcasing these speakers. It’s not that hard to capture the gestalt and magic of a system for others to hear what all the fuzz is about. Come on give me a break. This is a $1MM system. It and the other videos posted should at least be aspirational based on the costs.