T.H.E. Show Newport: June 2 - June 5, 2016

Went back to finish off the rooms I didn't hear on Friday. The top 5 for me were:

Sanders Model 10 - Was listening to Tin Pan Alley and SRV got raised from the dead. Holy f**k his guitar sounded so real.
Acoustic Zen Crescendo
Legacy V
Ocean Way (the horns)
Stein (horns)

 

The amp is $800 or $500 but the streamer is $1200. They are local (Cypress). The streamer is July, the amp is slightly later, the active speakers as well. The floor standers are In three months.

 

The Ocean Way uses a built-in amp - blasphemy!

 

Caught at my most unprofessional: the ZMFs before someone saved them by bringing by an extra headband pad and my phone charging on the table. It was fun hooking the Stax up for people who either hadn't heard them before or hadn't heard them since those SR-Lambdas came out. I'd usually direct them towards the HeadAmp table or the Source AV room for a contemporary electrostatic experience.

Finally got to listen to the amspandsound Kenzie, though on open Ethers, which I'm not familiar with. Really want to hear it again with headphones I know and files I know, instead of Tidal- thought it sounded a bit lacking in air and detail, though the fullness present in place of the air was enjoyable. Hoping they'll make it to CAF. Went over to listen to the Manley amp but some serious listeners were there, and giving critique. I didn't realize that it's still in prototype form, the rep said it wouldn't be out until late in the year. Still looks weird as hell. The model I was inspecting has a translucent inner curved part so you can see the circuit board, barely. Kinda neat, kinda still one of the least appealing things I could have in my home, visually.

Finally did the Darin Fong demo. It works! Used his Stax 404s for it for that extra anachronism.

Didn't even get to hear our own room. The one time I went in and music was playing, Grover the cable guy had set up his DIY amp for some after-hours listening. Oh well. I know what the ZOTL40 sounds like with a MicroZOTL2 preamp. Didn't manage any speaker rooms, in fact. Tried to buy the Elekit demo model but he wouldn't sell it. "I'll ship you a kit."

Time to go get a drink and then finish packing up. No night flights so we're here til tomorrow. If anyone is still in the hotel and wants a deal on a MicroZOTL2 or a ZOTL10, hit me up via the LTA website email, because I don't get alerts for posts here.

Highlight of the show: explaining to some 10 year old why all the headphones are so big.

 

Had tons of fun at the show! Think I finally found the two cans that could potentially be my endgame, as I got to listen to all the other TOTL cans I haven't heard yet... Somehow the MHP1000 of all things stole the show for me! Truly loved the can. The SR009 was simply superb in the woo audio suite, but not enough impact for me and my music tastes. After I can A/B my LCD 3 fazor to the McIntosh I think I am done upgrading for a while! Also got to meet Dan, which I've been meaning to do for ages. Such a kind fellow Preferred the open Ether out of the two and was quite impressed, but will definitely keep the LCD 3 for now.

 

Somehow seeing Dan's smiling face on this forum is a mild WTF moment for me today. Then again, he was doubled over in pain a bit yesterday when I did pass through that area. Guess he got better.

I tended to limit my time in the headphone area. I thought the Ether stat sounded pretty good, but I was more focused on hitting the speakers.

 

I heard these at an audio show in Taipei last year and they were also the best thing I heard there. I don't really know much about speakers, but these had an amazingly clear, open, and expansive sound. I think they're the first and only omni-directionals I've heard.

 

Against which Stax did you compare? Cable looks like SR-407. It is possible that I got to listen to the same prototype at hifideluxe. IIRC the ones I heard were warm vs. the Lambda models but more forward than SR-007mk2, but my memory might be fooling me. I preferred the SR007. I also didn't hear them off the BHSE.

Yep, dynamic. Very weird design with terrible efficiency, but seems to work. I've always worried about resonances with their drivers. They use 4th order filters, so I suspect that there may indeed be severe resonances. But then they also need to get good vertical dispersion. I would probably not try making an Omni design with low order filters.
Room doesn't look well treated to me. I hope there's a ton of absorption at the first reflection points.
At the munich show they've been running the same room since forever. They always have the 101 X-treme on the right side and the 101E mk2 (or smaller models) on the other side. I always thought that the X-treme sounded much better. They also tend to play them at way too high of a volume. Especially the smaller 101E mk2 doesn't seem to handle that too well.

My problem with omni speakers is that MBL (and many other companies) seem to think that making the frequency response a flat line in an anechoic chamber is the right way to go about making an Omni speaker. This way the frequency response ends up as a flat line at the listening position. This can clearly be seen in the stereophile measurements. You would need a ton of absorbtion to bring that back to neutral.
Maybe this room at THE Show was better, all I know is that back in CS days these MBL rooms tended to be way too bright.
However I do agree with you, they have some great qualities. The Omni sound just isn't for me.

 

The Omni had no brightness issues in that room. Not big on the Omni sound either has it doesn't have the imaging I look for. As the unmentionable one says, these would be great be great to have in the backyard during a BBQ (assuming we can afford).

 

Could very well be that they listened to the feedback they received over the past few years.

Exactly.

LOL, so many uses I hadn't thought of.

 

Just going to add some pictures and some thoughts if any. I was tired out of my mind by Friday (@drfindley and I checked out most of the rooms by End of Day Thursday which was an Industry/Press only day). By Friday, we were basically done...but we actually went Saturday and Sunday as well.

Vivid Audio / the "SUN" by Trenner & Friedl


Excellent sounding setup for what this is. Very musical sound with an enriched character. Dan Musquiz from Blackbird Audio ALWAYS puts up a superb room despite the horrendous show conditions!


Stein Audio Room


Holger Stein has a way with room tuning that is magical almost. I've known Holger personally for many years and he is a man with impeccable taste! This is the first time in history that I have heard his room where ever single piece of electronics is made by him. The cables, the electronics, the room tuning devices and the speakers. He designed each and every thing himself. The room sounded fantastic! One of top 3 or 4 SHOW systems for me. Currently, this is the only production model of the speakers in the world. 5 more and going to be coming off the production line now. Also, a friend of mine actually BOUGHT this very pair and they are going to be shipped off to Florida to their new home.


Wilson Audio / VTL / dCS / Grand Prix Audio



This was an OK sounding room. I've never really cared for Wilson Speakers, but Brian from Audio element always puts up a good showing. This here is the Wilson Sasha Series 2, dCS Rossini CD Player, Grand Prix Audio turntable with a Triplanar tonearm and Benz LPS cartridge, VTL MB-450 Series III amplifiers, Preamp and Phono, Grand Prix Audio racks (I forget what the cabling is). Out of the Wilson setups, this was the second best sounding Wilson setup for me. The best sounding Wilson setup was the Einstein Audio and Wilson Sabrina's for me. I believe it was on the same floor and the room was put up by Danny Kaey, another buddy of mine and true music lover first! In BOTH rooms, analog was clearly sounding the best compared to the digital (which is why Everyone needs a turntable, but that's besides the point!).

Acoustic Zen room


Robert Lee, the designer of Acoustic Zen speakers ALWAYS puts on a great showing! Here he had the Acoustic Zen Crescendos. This room had a fantastic soundstage and presence, yet, the best thing about THIS room was the room tuning! Robert managed to tame this room beyond almost anyone else at the SHOW and I have to applaud him for that. I've heard these speakers sound better, but the sound here was somewhat lesser than what I have heard from these. Very VERY good speakers for the money using somewhat conventional drivers. Fantastic cabinet work and come from the mind and heart of a true music lover and designer.


Basis Debut Work of Art Turntable


Room sounded OK. But this is a $200,000 top of the Basis line turntable! Had to take a picture. Looks very cool. I don't know what makes this so expensive, but very nice eye candy! http://goodwinshighend.com/manufacturers/basis/work_of_art.htm


Gauder Acoustics speakers / Pranawire / Lotus Group room


An example of a room that went in the complete opposite direction of what ceramic drivers and diamond tweeters can do. This room sucked out the life of the ceramic drivers and made everything kind of laid back and recessed. The digital here had more presence and the ability to push through some of the mushiness going on. No clue what happened in this system, but I was not impressed. Regardless, there were 90% plus rooms at the SHOW where I was absolutely NOT impressed. I mention this one in particular because I have a soft spot for ceramic drivers and diamond tweeters done PROPERLY. These speakers were absolutely NOT working right in this room.


EAR Yoshino / Marten Design Speakers / Jorma Cabling / Helius Turntable




This room went from sounding OK on Thursday to sounding excellent on Sunday with some serious room and speaker tuning!! On Thursday, there was too much boom in this room due to a specific bump in the low end. Also the upper midrange and top end were sounding somewhat shrill. Completely unrepresentative of all these pieces that I know very well, except the speakers. Brand new speakers here from Marten called the Mingus Quintet using the latest Accuton ceramic drivers and diamond tweeter. By Sunday, the boom was eradicated and the glare was gone. I am planning to bring THIS very pair of speakers in my listening room at home for a demo. I own and love EAR electronics and the Marten line of speakers. To me, the Martens have the best use of the ceramic and diamond drivers from Accuton.


Meet "Shell" (appropriately named by my daughter!)



This weekend ALSO saw a new addition to my family. This guy found his way into my swimming pool at home. While I was at the SHOW, my daughter and wife moved him into my home. He started out in a big plastic tupperware box one day. The next day when I returned from the SHOW, without my knowledge, he had moved into a super plush Aquarium which I don't even want to know the cost of! Handsome fellow, I must say...

 

@shaizada, thx for the pics and the info!
It would be really nice on how those experts go about tuning the rooms... I guess they should be very methodic... do you have any inputs on how they proceed for room tuning?

Cheers

 

This is among my favorites, as well. I was seated behind to your right when you were auditioning these Saturday, and it did sound great by Sunday. If only Marten's didn't cost more than raising a child. Did you swing by the Alma room upstairs with the Avantgarde Unos? They were playing a jazz quartet with no boom and sizzle, it really felt like you were there in a well tuned studio. Now am thinking about horns again.

 

Holy shit, the mighty shaizada commented on the sound of rooms at the show.

DISCLAIMER: I was not at THE Show, only commenting based on my limited experience with similar setups at the past years of munich high end show.

Seemed to be the consensus at CS/SBAF. I feel the same way.

That's just the Gauder 9th order crossover doing its thing ...

I knew you would say this when I heard them at the High End. The shrillness could actually be the speaker, but the drivers used for these actually have less resonances than the one used for the Coltrane 3. Seems to be a great bridge between the Bird and Coltrane series.
I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on these. That midrange driver ...
I know some people would facepalm when looking at the Coltrane 3 stereophile CSDs, but to me that was expected given the use of 1st order crossovers with high Q resonance ceramic drivers. I bet this speaker has CSDs that are a little cleaner looking. I might prefer them over the Coltrane 3.

 

I thought the room really sounded great, Jason, and there were barely any treatments. Didn't know the Rag could put out that much power. Mr. Salk was surprised, too. With his server, the Yggdrasil, Rag and the Song 3s those were under $8500 before cables. Oh, and a Wyrd.

People who already have the Yggdrasil and Rag, should seriously look into the SalkSound Songs. They are sleeper, but acclaimed speakers.

 

May I ask what DAC was in the chain?

 

The 650s were most often on the amp with a Mojo Audio Mystique v.1.1 (the amp closest to the Audioquest booth, if sfoclt remembers), though it sometimes migrated over to one of the other amps, which were both paired with Metrum Musettes.

 

When I listened, it was the Metrum Musette as input.