# AXPONA 2013 Official Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS



## ALMFamily

*AXPONA 2013 Official Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*








March 8th - Hello from sunny Chicago! 

My day started out very well - I was actually able to get on the road by 5:30 - shocking I know. And, it just continued to get better and better!

The Marketplace was the first area open - the first place I stopped at was the AIX Records booth. Very interesting experience - Mark Waldrep has built a state of the art studio and records musicians in a rather unique manner - instead of separate booths with their own headphones, they are all in the studio together. He stated that he felt the recordings went so well because the musicians were really able to "feed" off one another. Mark uses different microphone configurations to record in stereo, "audience" perspective, and true surround. They also produce video for the entire session and it is formatted to blu-ray. 

He also had set up a conference room with a JVC DLA-RS66U3D projector, OPPO-95, and Bryston SP-3 Pre/Pro. He had set it up to use the HDMI out from the OPPO and use the Brystons DACs. The speakers were the B&W 802 Diamonds - he had 4 - with the seating located in the middle. He then demonstrated the three different recordings on each track. I was utterly amazing at how fantastic the full surround sounded - it really felt like you were completely enveloped in sound. It was rather odd to be looking at the screen seeing all the musicians but having the sound come from all around - but turning on Pure Audio made the experience quite astounding.

Perhaps the best way to explain was that "audience" perspective felt like you were in the audience while full surround felt like you were right on stage in the middle of all the musicians.

More Information can be found here.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


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## ALMFamily

*Re: March 8th AXPONA Impressions /pictures*

I then made my way through the marketplace. I stopped first at the Sota turntables booth where they had three different turntables set up. Kirk and Donna Bodinet are the owners, and I had a chance to chat with Donna for a few minutes.

She told me that two of their players had been used for the TV show _House_ - one is his office and one at his home. If you have seen the show, you will recall the sequence where he is lying on the floor in his office with a set of headphones on listening to vinyl - that is one of Sota's players. They also were asked to provide a "prop" for _The Sopranos_, but it did not end up being used. However, they were specifically mentioned in one episode!

I have never been a big vinyl person, but I wanted to stop and take a listen so I listened to the Moonbeam. It was a very different experience for me - I really came out of today with a better appreciation for a good turntable.

Here is a pic of Donna and Rick:










This is a picture of the Moonbeam - its MSRP is $750:










If you look closely at the picture in the upper left corner, you can see the picture of House with the Sota turntable:


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## ALMFamily

*Re: March 8th AXPONA Impressions /pictures*

As I continued through the Marketplace, I came across a couple of locations selling vinyl and SACDs - if anyone is interested in more information on these, please let me know as I picked up a catalog with a full list of inventory and pricing.

Next up was Dynamic Sounds Associates and their DSA Phono II Phono Pre-amplifier. It was set up in a system that included:

No code has to be inserted here.

Here is a picture of the system:










The Phono II allows the user to select between 3 different tonearm / cartridge combinations as well as 4 different gain selections (40, 50, 60, and 66db). It also allows for simple switching from Moving Coil to Moving Magnet cartridges and has Standby, Mute, and Run functions.

Again, non-vinyl guy here but I just had to give this system a listen. I was shocked to get the sensation that the singer was behind me instead of to my side - quite exhilarating. This could have been a function of the headphones, but irregardless it was well worth the visit.

For more information, you can check out DSA here.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: March 8th AXPONA Impressions /pictures*

Thus ended my visit to the Marketplace area (at least for today! )

I wandered a bit to get a feel for where everything was, and it just so happened that the first room I chose to go into was one of the Quintessence Audio rooms. Ironically enough, it just so happened that these contained the most expensive speakers that I saw today - the Focal Grande Utopia EMs at an MSRP of 190K.
A couple photos:




















Here is a side view so you can see the finish:










One thing you cannot quite get a feel for from the pictures - these stand 6'8" high! John (The rep from Quintessence Audio) pulled the back panel off the speaker for me and showed me the series of jumpers that allows the Grande Utopias to have up to 1800 different settings. There is also a "crank" in the back panel that is used to physically adjust the upper portion of the speaker so that you can adjust the drivers to the targeted area.

He then showed me an example of how the inverted dome tweeters are constructed in such a way as to reduce the mass of the tweeter assembly (coil, etc) so that it is easier to move and control. He stated that most manufacturers will not attempt this type of construction as the slightest mistake in assembly means that it cannot be used - they have approximately 15% of the tweeters that need to be discarded as they have very stringent QA.

He then brought out one of the beryllium domes for us to hold. Once you put it in your hand, you could not feel the weight of it at all. He actually tossed it in the air - it fell to the ground like a feather. One of the benefits of beryllium is that it dissipates heat incredibly well - in essence acting as its own heat sink (beryllium is actually used in F16 brakes).

The amps used in this set up were Pass Labs XS 300s - it is a Class A amp that has an MSRP of 85K for all 4 chassis pieces each of which weighs in at about 150lbs.

The dynamic range of the vocals and instruments on these speakers was amazing - and they actually had the LF level turned all the way down as it was too much for the size of the room - it got really boomy when he turned them up a bit. Now I know why JJ is so enamoured with the inverted dome - it really was amazing that I did not feel fatigued at all and they were not quiet by any stretch.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: March 8th AXPONA Impressions /pictures*

More to come from Friday's experience - but as I am falling asleep on the laptop, it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Teaser - those Grande Utopias were not one of my top 2 for the day.....


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Good morning! Some more sights and sounds from Friday!

Quintessence Audio has a second room on the Mezzanine right across from the Grand Utopia room. In this room they have the Sonus Faber Amati Futuras:



















You will more than likely tire from reading this for every speaker, but, wow, what a gorgeous speaker. One thing I noticed going through each room - most of the speakers deviate from the traditional rectangle design which I personally enjoy. In my opinion, it really gives the speaker a more aesthetically pleasing feel and makes it something to be shown as well as heard. Now, that is not to say there are not some beautiful rectangle shaped speakers - my last visit of the day attests to that - but to me it just makes them stand out in a room.

These were bi-amped using the Audio Research Reference 250 Tube amp with an MSRP 26k per pair and the Audio Research DS450M solid state amp which have an MSRP of 11k per pair. There were 4 REL Gibraltar G-1 subs also set up and they had them crossed over at 25Hz which really meant that the Futuras were pretty much doing all the work. They also were using the Audio Research Reference DAC.

A couple of points on the design - the Futuras use a Tuned Mass Damper that has multiple tuning frequencies to convert residual vibrations into heat as well as Stealth Reflex which is a patented Sonus Faber solution implementing a para-aperiodic venting system. It allows them to reduce the dimensions of the cabinet while at the same time attaining lower frequencies with lower distortion. The cabinet itself follows the Lute shaped design.

I sat down to listen to the Futuras - and almost right away they just completely disappeared - which, given their appearance, it quite astounding. Dynamics were amazing - I recall one track in particular which had female vocals with a bass guitar at some point and this speaker handled that sequence quite well - neither sound overpowered the other. The low end on these was very clean - not boomy or flabby at all. It is really quite chilling to be able to hear every snap of a drum!

The MSRP on these speakers is 36k. The stated frequency range is 25Hz - 30,000 Hz with a sensitivty of 90 db and a nominal impedence of 4 ohms.

I plan to revisit this room as they also had a set of the new Venere 3.0 speakers set up, but they were not playing those during my visit.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next up was the Legacy Audio / Morrow Cables room. I actually spent part of the first hour of Saturday in this room as well as I wanted to get a bit more listening time in on the Whispers.

There were two separate setups with 2 different speakers in each setup. Here are those configurations:

No code has to be inserted here. 

All four of these speaker use the new dual Air Motion tweeter which allows them to extend bandwidth and dynamics due to the premium grade Neodymium magnetics and Kapton diaphragms which are stable to 750 degrees farenheit. To construct the tweeter, a 16" square piece of Kapton is folded into a 4" long, 1" wide chamber. This tweeter is mounted on the same faceplate as the complementary 1" AMT ribbon super-tweeter to give more uniform dispersion which gives the treble more weight and natural fullness.

Here are a few pictures:

These are the Whisper and Signature speakers - notice the very unique design of the Whisper:










Here is a picture of the back of the Whisper. The open design of the back really allowed you to move around the room and not really lose the soundfield:










Another view of the Whisper and Signature:










The Aeris and Focus speakers:










Here is a side view of the Aeris. What the picture does not show is that the panel on the side is opaque and there is a low level green glow eminating from inside the speaker where you can see some of the inner components:










I did not get to hear the Whispers very much - what I was able to glean from the time I had was a very wide soundstage with little to no degradation off axis, excellent dynamic range, and excellent clarity and detail.

The Aeris speakers have a very unique design and a beautiful finish. These also had fantastic dynamic range - no doubt a function of the Air Motion tweeter - with very crisp, clear vocals. During one track, there was a bass guitar playing with vocals and I was still able to hear a triangle being struck plain as day. On a different track, you could actually hear the pluck of the pick against the guitar string! Still another track provided some horn action - no desire to cringe when they were played - just excellent detail and clarity. The low end was fantastic as well - extremely tight bass.

I actually had a marvelous opportunity to speak with Bill Dudleston himself. He showed me the XP-4080 DSP they were using to do all room EQ and the software that allowed you to tweak specific points and immeadiately save them. It allows up to 30 different configurations - very neat piece of equipment.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

I knew that Wayne would be very upset with me if I did not get photos of this area! 




























I stopped by the booth for CEntrance and spoke with Michael Goodman for a bit:










CEntrance had a few products on display - the DACport which is a DAC and Headphone Amp and the DACport LX. The DACport's amp is a Class A headphone amp. The DACport LX, which has a USB to D/A converter, is designed for the person that wants to use an external headphone amp. Both products draw power from the USB connection.

They also had the Audiophile Desktop System that includes the DACmini PX DAC / Amp, the Masterclass 2504 two-way coaxial speakers, and a sturdy travel case for portability. I sat down and listened to this system for a bit, and I was quite impressed by the sound quality of this quite compact desktop system. The MSRP on the system is $1499.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next on the tour was the KingSound King III Full Range Electrostatic speakers. The configuration was :

No code has to be inserted here.

Some pictures:





















I had been hoping that there was an electrostat here as Sonnie and JJ have been telling me I really need to hear one. The King III is a full range ESL with a stated FR of 32 Hz to 24 kHz. It is designed with the crossover and step-up transformer in an outboard control driver allowing for more robust components and easier maintenance and connects to the speaker with a sturdy multi-pin connector. This made it possible to design the speaker to be lighter with a stronger enclosure that can be moved by one person.

Right off the get-go, I was floored by just how open and full these sounded. I actually spent a fair bit of time in this room as I was continually getting those jaw-dropping moments. First, it was the fullness of sound. Then, it was the dynamics of the vocals and was followed by the snap of the mids - the snare drum was just so crisp and clean. Lastly, I just did not think an electrostat could produce bass on a level with a speaker with a woofer. Boy, was I ever wrong! These played low so effectively that I was sure there was a sub hidden somewhere! 

This was definitely a mind-opening experience for me - at 26+" wide, they are too wide for my room. However, they do make the Prince 3's which are somewhat narrower that I am awaiting more information on.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next up was the Nightingale Concentus CTR 2 speakers. A couple photos:



















These speakers are designed with two woofers, one midrange, and one tweeter in an open baffle build. It has a very unique design with either a walnut or silver-painted finish with a stated FR of 35 Hz - 22 kHz. They used no treatment at all in this room.

I was impressed with the dynamics - the first track had female vocals coupled with a bass guitar and maintained excellent clarity. I did not feel they imaged really well - I sat just a bit to the left of the sweet spot and I could really localize the left speaker. It just did not have a very wide soundstage IMO. They were also a bit forward and reminded me of my audition of the Studio 100's - without the Studio 100's overpowering low end. After three tracks of female vocals in succession, I was starting to get fatigued and moved on. That said, the clarity of male and female vocals is stellar as well as the piano and cymbals. I could really pick out the stroke of the key and the ping of the cymbal which I really enjoy in a speaker.

I was not able to procure an MSRP for these, but a 2010 article lists them at $10.900 / pair.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

I am going to go slightly out of order now as I thought a few of you horn guys would love to see these!

The configuration:

No code has to be inserted here.

A few photos:

These are the T-3.4s:










A closer view of the horn port:










This is one of the two Hartsfields:










Here is a closer view of the front stage components:










First, the Stahl-Tek Ariaa DAC is able to stream bit perfect audio up to 24-bit at 192 kHz and supports sampling rates from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz. It has a remote control with volume adjustment and supports the following digital formats: I2S, SPDIF, AES/EBU and USB 2.0 (asynchronous). I sat and chatted with the rep for a fair bit and we played various tracks in different formats and you just could not tell the difference - great performer!

John from Classic Audio was long enamoured with the original Hartsfield speaker system, but discovered that they were out of production in 1964. Through the 70's and 80's, most of these units that became available were exported overseas. It was then that he decided to build a reproduction Hartsfield. These have a nominal impedance of 16 ohms with a shipping weight of 400 lbs each!

The T-3.4 employs 2 15" woofers - one is front-firing for upper bass and the other is floor-firing for 20 Hz extension. The 4" diameter beryllium disphragm is loaded into the 6475 2" throat field coil compression driver to provide articulate vocals and music. Last, the super-tweeter is added to give a feel of air and openness without any fatugue. These also have a nominal impedence of 16 ohms with a shipping weight of 350 lbs each.

The Hartsfields were going when I came in. The cabinet has a gorgeous finish (other finishes are available as well) and they were placed directly in the corners. The first thing I noticed was the clarity of the vocals - crystal clear. That continued on to the instrumental tracks as well. In comparison to the T-3.4, the bass was a bit less, but then it was not designed to go as low.

I loved the finish on the T-3.4s as well, but what really struck me was how well they imaged. I just could not localize the speakers at all - with eyes closed, if I had to point to where the person was "singing" from, I would have pointed directly in the middle of those two speakers. The only horn-based speaker I have previously heard were the Klipsch RF-62s and to me they were just too bright. These were the polar opposite - I was probably in that room for an hour and I did not have any sense of fatigue at all. Also, their ability to really dig deep while not getting too boomy (there was no treatment in this room) was a delight. Clarity you ask? Off the charts - again, I love being able to hear all those little sounds - the pluck of a pick on a string, the ping of the cymbal - and I could hear each _breath_ the artist took.

If you cannot tell by the above, this was one of my two best experiences of the day. Well done!


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*



ALMFamily said:


> Next up was the Legacy Audio / Morrow Cables room. I actually spent part of the first hour of Saturday in this room as well as I wanted to get a bit more listening time in on the Whispers.
> 
> There were two separate setups with 2 different speakers in each setup. Here are those configurations:
> 
> No code has to be inserted here.
> 
> All four of these speaker use the new dual Air Motion tweeter which allows them to extend bandwidth and dynamics due to the premium grade Neodymium magnetics and Kapton diaphragms which are stable to 750 degrees farenheit. To construct the tweeter, a 16" square piece of Kapton is folded into a 4" long, 1" wide chamber. This tweeter is mounted on the same faceplate as the complementary 1" AMT ribbon super-tweeter to give more uniform dispersion which gives the treble more weight and natural fullness.
> 
> Here are a few pictures:
> 
> These are the Whisper and Signature speakers - notice the very unique design of the Whisper:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a picture of the back of the Whisper. The open design of the back really allowed you to move around the room and not really lose the soundfield:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Another view of the Whisper and Signature:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Aeris and Focus speakers:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a side view of the Aeris. What the picture does not show is that the panel on the side is opaque and there is a low level green glow eminating from inside the speaker where you can see some of the inner components:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did not get to hear the Whispers very much - what I was able to glean from the time I had was a very wide soundstage with little to no degradation off axis, excellent dynamic range, and excellent clarity and detail.
> 
> The Aeris speakers have a very unique design and a beautiful finish. These also had fantastic dynamic range - no doubt a function of the Air Motion tweeter - with very crisp, clear vocals. During one track, there was a bass guitar playing with vocals and I was still able to hear a triangle being struck plain as day. On a different track, you could actually hear the pluck of the pick against the guitar string! Still another track provided some horn action - no desire to cringe when they were played - just excellent detail and clarity. The low end was fantastic as well - extremely tight bass.
> 
> I actually had a marvelous opportunity to speak with Bill Dudleston himself. He showed me the XP-4080 DSP they were using to do all room EQ and the software that allowed you to tweak specific points and immeadiately save them. It allows up to 30 different configurations - very neat piece of equipment.


I should add that I also had a great conversation with Larry from Morrow Cables about some of the things he is doing and had a great give-and-take on the current state and direction of listening to music in its many formats. Great guy!


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

On to the Venture Grand Ultimate MK II speakers!

A couple photos:










Up close:










A side view:










This room was treated, and, unfortunately, I was not able to get an idea of the gear in play and the MSRP. The stated FR is 22 Hz - 60,000 Hz with a nominal impedence of 4 ohms. It employs one 2" AGC tweeter, one 7" CFGC Underhang midrange, and four 7" CFGC woofers and weighs in at 175 lbs each.

The speaker had very good dymamic range - I especially liked the snap of the drums. It had one of the widest soundstages I heard for the day - there was no real degradation in the soundfield off axis. It handles females vocals with aplomb - one track in particular stood out for me where the vocalist has amazing range and this speaker just kept right up. There was also a track that had an interesting drum / violin sequence which also showed off this speaker's range.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

I progressed on to the next Venture speaker - the Ultimate Reference speaker. A couple photos:










A view from the side - this is the Makassar Ebony finish:










The signage - as you can see, the Venture Pure Class A V200A+ amps are in use:










The Ultimate Reference speakers have one 1.5" Abaca based graphite composite (AGC) tweeter, one 5" graphite composite (CFGC) midrange, and three 7" AGC woofers using a first order crossover. They have a stated FR of 26 Hz - 40,000 Hz with a nominal impedence of 6 ohms and weigh in at a hefty 152 lbs each. Other available finishes include Rosewood, Elm Burl, Piano Black and Pearl White. The MSRP is $145,000.

Again, the finish on these is beautiful - it also has a bit of shape to it (C shaped cabinet) rather than your standard rectangle which gives it some personality. I was immeadiately struck by the dynamic range and clarity of these speakers - cymbols were very crisp and you could hear that wonderful _ping_ of it being struck. Male and female vocals were incredible - they really picked out a couple of great tracks to show off the ability of these speakers to handle tonal changes. There was excellent separation of instruments - if you closed your eyes, you felt you could point to where each musician would be sitting and the soundstage off axis had very little degradation as I had difficulty localizing the speaker even when standing on the far right side of the room. The horns and piano were both excellent as well - no discomfort when the horns really started to dominate the track and you could hear the piano's keys being struck.

What probably stood out most from the speakers for me was the clarity of the wind instruments and the clean low end. It is not often that when I hear a wind instrument I know exactly what it is - with these speakers, I could really tell the difference. And, this again was one of those speakers that you would have sworn was crossed over to a sub - just great clean, tight bass. I do recall thinking that these speakers would be best suited for a larger room and would have no issue filling that room with fantastic sound.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next up was the Orion-4 / George-Warren room. A few photos:

The George-Warren turntable:










The setup:










A closer look at the Orion-4:












Here is the system configuration:


No code has to be inserted here.

The Orion-4s are a Siegfried Linkwitz designed open baffle speaker using two Seas L26RO4Y woofers, one Seas W22EX001 midrange, and two T25CF002 tweeters crossed over at 90 Hz and 1440 Hz. A new refinement on the Orion-4s prior to the show was performed on the Linkwitz Analog Signal Processor/Active Crossover (ASP) to improve the frequency crossover values and component tolerances. These refinements provide an overall smoother frequency response and more clarity as the outputs of both channels are more evenly matched.

The suggested room size for these speakers is at least 14'x20'x8' (WxDxH) positioned 3' from the rear wall and 2' from the side walls and now I understand why. When I moved around to look at the finish of the speaker and the back side, there was absolutely no degradation in the soundfield - at all! The design allows you to really sit anywhere and enjoy the same level of detail. Stand up; it did not matter, the soundfield was the EXACT same - amazing. When I came into the room, there was a female vocal track playing that showed just how dynamic these speakers are - quiet as well as at volume. The detail provided by the speakers was equally as impressive as all the little sound nuances could be heard - and that was true no matter where you were in the room. Plus, the small footprint shocks you - if I went in blindfolded and had them revealed after listening, I would have sworn they were much larger.

I had a chance to chat with Don Naples a bit - he is the owner of Wood Artistry, LLC and I must say that I just love sitting down and talking with a true enthusiast as you can see their face just light up when they talk about there passion. He explained how they were built as well as chatted about a new concept from Siegfried for evaluating audio playback using symbols to represent certain measureables - very interesting stuff.

They also had a prototype multi-channel amplifier with integrated ASP on hand that simplifies the connection for these speakers. New owners can choose between a single or dual chassis configuration that contains the ASP and amplification needed to drive all the Orion-4 drivers. I had planned to try to make it back on Sunday to hear this amp in use, but unfortunately I was not able to get there.

The George-Warren turntable has a very unique design and the hardwood finish on this particular model was just gorgeous. It is powered by a Maxon DC motor and controlled by an "intelligent" closed loop feedback system that allows speed information to be taken directly from the platter to maintain precise platter speed automatically. It has 33.3 and 45 rpm speeds with a clean function for use with a record brush. However, the foundation of the turntable is the decoupling between the top plinth and bottom plinth (split plinth design as George calls it) that eliminates vibrations from external sources resulting in smoother sound.

As I said earlier, I am not a vinyl person, but having an opportunity to hear a system such as this one, I can definitely see now what has so many enamoured with vinyl.

Edit: No room treatment was used in this setup.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

The Von Schweikert VR-100XS Universe system was next - a few photos:

The front wall:










A close up of one of the towers - front view:










The back of the same tower - notice the drivers on the back:










A closer view of the system components:











The system configuration:


No code has to be inserted here.


First thing to note - GIK supplied all the treatments for this room!

The VR-11 MKII towers use two 15″ Kevlar-Nomex honeycomb woofers, four 8.5″ magnesium mid-basses, two 7″ carbon Kevlar-cellulose Aerogel midrange drivers, two 1.5″ dual-concentric silk ring tweeters, and two 5″ aluminum ribbon supertweeters with all drivers using a proprietary Advanced Motor System with low distortion design. The tower also has a rear-firing 5" aluminum ribbon. They have a stated FR of 10Hz - 100,000 Hz and sensitivity of 99 db when the subwoofer and supertweeter boosts are engaged with a nominal impedence of 8 ohms and weigh in at a massive 700 lbs - each! All the drivers are designed to work on the same frequency impulse so that they blend seamlessly.

This is probably the one system of the day that when I walked into the room, I stopped and said "Woah". I am pretty certain they reserved either two conference rooms opened up or one big room, and it still seemed small with the towers and subs all set up. I sat down and started listening after snapping a few photos and noticed almost right away that the dynamic range for this system was just astounding. Then, as I continued to listen, I was equally awed by the midrange punch that was squeaky clean and crisp as well. Now, add in a good THWUMP in the low end. If that was not enough, I could then start to pick out the little details - the piano keystroke, the ping of the cymbol.... I was simply amazed at all this wrapped into one system. 

Then, one of the exhibitors stopped by to chat and I explained my experience so far. I had to raise my voice as it was louder than I thought it was - always a good sign IMO. He said "Get up and move around the room". Well, what I discovered was that it did not matter where I stood in the room - the soundfield AND LPE were virtually the exact same. I sat back down and told him what I thought I heard - and he said "That is right - it is within 1db all around the room". Imagine that. As you may be able to surmise, this was my top performer of the day.

The good news - they make less expensive speakers as well. The VR-33s can be had for $4,500 MSRP - check them out here.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

My last stop of the day was at an exhibitor's room whose products I was familiar with - Salk Sound. The system equipment was provided by Audio by Van Alstine. Here are a few photos:

Jim Salk brought three speakers - the Supercharged Songtowers (in white), the Soundscape 8s, and the Salk Silk Bookshelfs:










A closer view:










The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here. 


The Soundscape 8s use the RAAL tweeter, an Accuton midrange, two custom 8" long-throw woofers, and two 12" passive radiators. The stated FR is 25 Hz - 60,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 87 db. Next, the Supercharged Songtowers use a RAAL tweeter and two Seas Excel W15 mid-woofers. The stated FR is 34 Hz - 20,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 88 db. Last, the Salk Silks use a RAAL tweeter and a Scanspeak Illuminator woofer. They are a new speaker that actually is not listed on the website yet.

For those that do not know already, my dedicated room currently uses all Salk speakers - QWT Songtowers, the SongCenter, and 4 SongSurround Is. I have also heard the Songtowers with a RAAL tweeter, the Veracity HT2-TLs and the Soundscape 12s. So, I was really looking forward to hearing some of Jim's other speakers. And, as expected, they did not disappoint. The dynamic range of each of these speakers is quite impressive - if I did not see the entire room, I would have sworn the Silk monitor was crossed to a sub! All of the speakers have the RAAL tweeters, which is synonymous with clarity and detail - you can hear every minute detail. Plus, if you have seen a Salk speaker, you know I do not need to mention the beautiful finishes each of these speakers receive.

The MSRP of the Silks starts at $3,499, the Supercharged Songtowers start at $3,495, and the Soundscape 8s start at $7,995.

As I am very familiar with the sound of Salk speakers, most of my time in this room was spent talking with Frank Van Alstine. The two units we talked about are both really new - the ABX Switch Unit and the Humdinger. The ABX switch unit (MSRP $1500) allows a user to have 2 sets of speakers, 2 amps, 2 pre-amps and a source all hooked up at the same time. A couple applications we discussed were using it in a "blind" test mode to test the differences in speakers, amps, or cables without have to continually physically swap cables - it is merely the push of a button on the remote. It also uses a random number generator to allow for true "blind" testing. The unit can also be used by a speaker builder to compare speakers where a manufacturing tweak has been made to one to gauge the effects of said change. The Humdinger unit (MSRP $125) is a DC offset unit that removes DC from an AC circuit to remove potentially damaging DC before it reaches your equipment. The unit on display had all the equipment plugged into it.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

One of the "hey, that is different!" pieces I saw on Saturday morning was the Intuition 01 from Wadia Digital - it is a Dac and Amplifier all in one package:

Top view with curtains open:










Front view - you can see here the gap underneath. The unit pulls air up from underneath for cooling and then vents it out both sides:










Top view with curtains drawn - nice illuminated effect:










Set up:










It is a two channel Class D+ amplifier that delivers 350W at 4 ohms per channel with 1% THD. On the DAC side, it focuses on the digital inputs with 192 kHz / 24 bit resolution for coaxial, optical and AES as well as 384 kHz / 32 bit via USB. It also has two analog inputs and offers native DSD playback via USB.

It had been running since Thursday afternoon, and when I hovered my hand over it, it was throwing off very little heat. I did not sit down for a full speaker review since it was more about the Intuition 01, but I was impressed with its ability to drive the speakers and remain relatively cool all while seconding as a DAC. Very ingenious idea and a great space saver!

It is a prototype that will likely come to market later this summer for an MSRP of $7,500.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Also on Saturday morning, I checked out the Herron Audio / VPI Industries room. A couple photos:

The front wall:










A side view of the speaker:










The equipment rack:












The system configuration:

No code has to be inserted here.


The Herron VTPH-2 Vacuum Tube Phono Preamp was created after demand for the original design (VTPH-1) was so high - it is based on the original design with some refinements and has some additional features and performance enhancements. It has two operating modes - moving coil and moving magnet each of which has separate input connectors. It uses Class A operation with a Toroidal power transformer and has a 15 second mute function during mode change. The appearance is very unassuming with a solid chassis design and only 3 LEDs on the front - it is built to blend into a system.

The Herron speakers (yet to be named) have a standard rectangle design and a nice simple finish - it did not create a "wow!" effect for me, but grew on me with their simple elegance the more I looked at them. They use two woofers, one midrange, and one tweeter and have a same-polarity design meaning they are not wired out of phase. The detail and clarity were fantastic - I was able to discern every instrument in the orchestral track. Also, during that track, I closed my eyes and while listening could point to the exact location where I felt each musician would be sitting in the arrangement - very, very satisfying. Mids and low end did not stand out for me - the mid lacked the punch I crave. All in all, a good speaker, but I felt I could find a better match for my preferences at a lower price point.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Madisound - one of our sponsors here at HTS - was a fun thirty minutes or so for me. Here are a few photos:

Hello Madisound!










One table that was displaying crossovers:










A whole table just loaded up with drivers!:










The two speakers that were built from Madisound kits:










The two speakers that were built were the SEAS A26 kit and the Scan-speak NADA kit - the SEAS A26s are the inside pair. The SEAS A26 uses the SEAS A26RE4 woofer and the T35C001 tweeter and have a design based on the well-known Dynaco A25 loudspeaker which was first introduced in 1969. The MSRP for the SEAS A26 kit is $1177.

I sat down for a listen and noticed right off that these monitors sounded bigger than they were - always a plus in a monitor in my opinion. They also imaged really well - eyes closed or open, you really felt the vocalist was standing in the middle of the speakers. I got up and moved around a bit to check the soundfield and discovered very little degradation off axis - pretty impressive for a monitor. We then got up close and personal with the speaker and took a closer look at how they are built - it looks like a pretty straightforward project which is perfect for the new builder and the end result is a great little monitor.

What made this such a great experience for me was the guys - I could tell they were just thoroughly enjoying themselves and it was really infectious. And, the great news - they are a mere 25 minute drive to the other side of town for me. Plan on seeing me drop in soon guys to start developing my building chops! 

The room used no room treatment.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Saturday afternoon included a visit to the Audio Note room. Audio Note is a company based in the UK. A couple pictures:

The equipment rack:










The K/SPe speaker:











The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.

The K/SPe is an acoustic suspension speaker with a sensitivity of 90 db. It uses a 3/4" silk dome tweeter and an 8" woofer in a Russian birch plywood cabinet. The prospective buyer can choose from 20 different all-round veneer finishes.

I had just left the Madisound room when I went into the Audio Note room and the first impression I got was that these did not have the "big sound" that the SEAS A26 speakers had. I then got closer to check out the finish of these speakers and I must say - they were quite appealing. I sat down and noticed right off that the soundstage was not very wide - there was a noticeable degradation off-axis. They have a very laid back sound - it reminded me a bit of one of my first auditions with the B&W CM9s. The detail and mid punch that I prefer seemed to be missing. I just did not connect with this setup.

There was no room treatment in use.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Saturday late morning took me into the Purity Audio Design room. A few photos:

The front wall:










The front wall again with flash off:










A close up of the Argos speaker:











The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.


Let me start by saying that if there was an award for the coolest looking display, this one would have won it for me from all the rooms I was able to visit. These guys put quite a bit of effort into making the room feel, well, not like a hotel room. Extremely well done Purity Audio Design!

The Argos speakers use two 1" soft dome tweeters, one 5" midrange, and two 8" woofers with a sensitivity of 97 db. They weigh a solid 103 lbs each and come in three standard finishes with four more at an additional cost. When closing in on the speaker to get a closer look at the finish, I noticed that the front baffle was actually angled. In essence, it toes in the speakers without physically toeing in the speakers - ingenious. The finish was well done, and the angled front baffle helped give the appearance some "personality". The low end was tight and clean without being boomy. Dynamic range of vocal tracks was handled really well. Clarity and detail were good - I especially noticed the cymbols - but I felt the midrange punch was just a little lacking.

The room was treated with plants and some panels.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Note - I updated the Salk Sound / AVA post (#17) to include a system equipment list. I also erred - I had originally thought the bookshelf speakers were the M7 monitors. They are actually a newly crafted speaker called the Salk Silk which is not currently listed on the website.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next up on Saturday was Acoustic Zen - a few photos:

The front wall:










A front view of the speaker:










A side view of the speaker:











While I was in the room, the two exhibitors were talking about a gentleman who had just left - he wanted the system. The entire system as it was set up. It was nice to hear it definitively that sales were actually happening at the show.  

The Crescendo speaker uses one horn-loaded ribbon tweeter with a Neodymium magnet, two 5" mids with the Underhung Ultra Linear Motor System (short voice coil in a long magnetic gap), and two 8" woofers with the Underhung Ultra Linear Motor System. They have a stated FR of 20 Hz to 30,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 89 db and weigh in at 125 lbs each. The MSRP of these speakers is $16,000.

The finish on these speakers is very well done - I really like the combination of the dark and lighter areas in the finish. Plus, the cabinet has the C-shaped design which I saw on a number of speakers giving them a bit of character. One of the first tracks they played had a few of us chuckling - it was the theme song to _Pink Panther_ - as it was something we all knew well. However, it was an excellent choice as it really showed off some of the great qualities I found in this speaker. The clarity of the horn was fantastic without reaching that "tense up" level. The low end was a bit boomy, but that was more a function of the room as they probably needed a bit larger space than the room they were in. Also, the detail of each instrument was splendid - you could hear the ping of the cymbol, the snap of the sticks, and the strike of the triangle. Finally, the dynamic range of instruments was handled extremely well - I never felt one overpowered any other.

The room used rear and front corner traps.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

MBL had three rooms set up - the first room had the MBL 120s with the Corona line, the second room had the MBL 116 Fs, and the third room had the MBL 101 E MKIIs. A number of photos here:

The MBL 120s front wall:










Flash off:










A close up of the MBL 120s:










The MBL 116 Fs front wall:










This one is for you Luther - an open-reel system!:










A close up of the MBL 116 F:










The MBL 101 E MKIIs front wall:










Flash Off:










A close up of the MBL 101 E MKIIs:











Honestly, when I first walked into each of these rooms, I felt like I had entered the space age. All three were in gloss white and just did not look like any speaker I have seen previously - I fully expected Twiki to come strolling in! 

Seriously though, you could really tell from the systems that MBL targets the high end individual who is just as concerned about their speakers as an art piece as they are about the sound. The components and speakers are all matching gloss white and are fully meant to garner that "Wow, look at that!" response. Did they for me? For the 101 E MKIIs, it did; the other two rooms, not so much. The reel-to-reel was actually the high point for me in the first two rooms as it was a beautiful piece of equipment and gave a very smooth sound. As I had never heard a reel-to-reel system before, I found this quite surprising - I was expecting a sound much like the old projectors we had in school back in the day. 

How does the Radialstrahler work you ask - well, the segments around the vertical axis are shaped for specific frequencies and are fastened at the top. The motion is generated by an upward movement of the moving coil and magnet which acts as one unit as the moving coil moves freely in the air gap of the magnet. When the speaker receives the electrical signal, it forces the moving coil to move up and down in the air gap which in turn forces those specific segments to move thus creating vibrations which we hear as sound. As the segments form a sphere, the speaker can spread sound out in a 360 degree pattern making it possible to hear the same sound no matter where you are in the room.

The MBL 120s produced very dynamic vocals - they handled tone change very well. I was not as impressed with the low end and detail - the low end just lacked impact and the detail was not as prevalent as other speakers I had heard to this point. For the MBL 116 Fs, I must say I spent more time watching the reel-to-reel than actively listening (it was my first reel-to-reel experience :R) but I do recall being pleased with the sound of the system as a whole.

The MBL 101 E MKIIs were the most impressive of the three (as they should be at over double the cost) - not only were they the most unique of the three, the combination of the white with the silver was quite a stunning effect. The low end felt just a tad loose - like when it was trying to recover from the previous note the next was coming. However, the dynamic range and clarity were utterly fantastic - you could hear EVERY detail.

One disappointment - if these speakers are touted to be able to deliver sound in a 360 degree sphere, why were they in essence pushed to a wall? I would have loved to be able to walk all the way around them to hear this effect and discern just how true that statement was. So, while the look was appealing, I just felt a little letdown by the sound.

The MSRP of the MBL 120s is $21,400 and the MSRP of the MBL 116Fs is $32,500 while the MBL 101 E MKII has an MSRP of $70,500. There were plants in each room, and the 101 E MKII's room had heavy drapes all around.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Saturday afternoon brought me into the Onkyo room where they were showing the Reference line. A photo of the setup:










I liked the design - very little LED display while the M-5000R amplifier had a very retro meter display on the front. I currently own the Onkyo 809 and the only detraction it has in my opinion is that music has a very processed feel to it. I did not get that feel from this setup - it had a much warmer sound to it. Will it rival some of the other setups that were on display - probably not, but it gets you close at about one-tenth the price. A great system for those of us working on a budget!

The MSRP of the P-3000R pre-amp is $1,699 with the M-5000R amp coming in at $2,499 and the C-7000R CD player listing at $1,499. They were using the Focal 918s for speakers.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

I visited Echelon Audio right before the fire alarm went off on Saturday. A couple photos:

The front wall:










A closer look:










First off, I must admit it was odd after a day and a half of seeing setups with quite a bit of equipment and then walking into this room and seeing one piece of equipment and two speakers. On the plus side, it really allowed me to focus in on what I was there for - to listen. AXPONA was Echelon's debut event.

The Amoroso uses a 1" titanium dome tweeter, a 5" aluminum cone midrange, and a 10" aluminum cone woofer. It has a stated FR of 45 Hz - 32,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 87 db and weighs in at 125 lbs for the pair. They have a very unique design - it really felt like I was there to see a sculpture. They had a very laid back feel - the soundstage and imaging actually felt like it was behind the middle of the speakers. The Amorosos had good vocal clarity and dynamics, however, the longer I listened, I just did not get a feeling of spaciousness - they just sounded like they were struggling to fill the space.

No MSRP was available.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Early Saturday afternoon brought me to Soundfield Audio's room. A couple photos:

A front view:










A side view:











This was the debut of the new Monitor 2 developed by AJ, the owner of Soundfield Audio. Unfortunately, no specs were available, but the MSRP is $1,800. I loved the finish of the cabinet - a hardwood front with gloss black for the rest of the cabinet looked very polished.

As for the sound, when I go to listen to a monitor, I like to hear one that "sounds bigger" than it is. And, AJ's Monitor 2 delivers this in spades. They imaged so well - eyes open or closed, I really could not localize the speakers at all. Instrumental clarity was off the charts - you could hear every instrument. I particularly noticed the quality of the horns - not overpowering in the slightest. And, this was another monitor that I would have sworn was crossed to a sub - tight, clean bass. If I had to guess, I would lay bets on clean down to around 30-35 Hz - in a monitor! And, lest I forget, the ability to handle the range of female vocals was excellent as well. 

When I was done, I actually wrote "these sounds just as good as my floorstanders" in my notes - a very impressive monitor.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

After the fire alarm on Saturday, I visited the Seaton Sound / Datasat / iRule room. A number of photos:

The front wall:










A closer look at the Catalyst 12C:










The Catalyst 8C center channel:










The Submersive F2 sub:










The Datasat RS20i:











The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.


First, as I am using iRule for my own dedicated room, I talked with the iRule exhibitor. As most people already own an iPod, iPad, iPhone or Android-based phone, the additional cost is roughly $350 for the Global Cache network communication device and the iRule software and it offers the end user the ability to create their own interfaces - I personally really like the flexibility.

I did not get a chance to chat with Dusty from Datasat about their unit, but it looks very intriguing and I am planning to contact him for more info - look for an update on that later.

The Catalyst 12Cs use a 8" coaxial midrange with a Neodymium compression tweeter and two custom-built 12" sealed woofers. They are internally powered using 300W for the coaxial 1" Neodymium compression tweeter, 700W for the 8" midrange (coaxial with tweeter), and 1000W for the pair of 12" sealed woofers. The Catalyst 12Cs have a stated FR of 50 Hz - 20,000 Hz with an optional DSP program for 19 Hz - 20,000 Hz.

The Catalyst 8Cs use a 8" coaxial midrange with a Neodymium compression tweeter and two custom-built 8" sealed woofers. They are internally powered using 150W for the coaxial 1" Neodymium compression tweeter, 350W for the 8" midrange (coaxial with tweeter), and 500W for the pair of 8" sealed woofers. The Catalyst 8Cs have a stated FR of 60 Hz - 20,000 Hz.

The SubMersive F2s use two front firing 15" sealed woofers. They have a DSP-controlled 2400W amp with a stated FR of 15/19 Hz - 200 Hz selectable with typical in-room extension to 8-14 Hz. The SubMersive HPs also use dual opposed 15" sealed woofers and have a DSP-controlled 2400W amp with a stated FR of 15/19 Hz - 200 Hz selectable with typical in-room extension to 8-14 Hz.

For those scoring at home, that is a whopping 16,600W of total amplifier power. :unbelievable:

The system was set up to crossover to the F2s and HPs at 70 Hz and as a 5.1 surround system with all four subs on the same channel.

For those familiar with my "speaker journey", here is my impression of the Catalyst 12Cs almost a year ago:

_The black ash finish on this speaker was well done, but they did not have a wow factor for me. The soundstage was nice and wide with no degradation standing and slight degradation outside 30 degrees. They disappeared well and had a very enveloping sound. They did seem a bit forward to me - I could tell I was getting fatigued toward the end (note that this was the 6th speaker of the day). Now, this may have been due to the SPL - they just seemed so much louder than the others. These are designed to, when shipped, go to about 50 hz but can be adjusted for lower extension and get to 20 Hz anechoic. Orchestral tracks were great - horns sounded incredible with the piano and flute sounding clean as well. The symbols in Hells Bells were very crisp as well. This was the another speaker that stood out for me in bass - most especially in the low end. Sound subtleties and vocals were incredibly detailed - I thought both male and female vocals were a treat. All in all, I think this is a great speaker - but, for my use, I had a concern about fatigue and am not sure I have need of the LFE you can get from this speaker._

At AXPONA, I had a chance to hear the entire system together. First off, the Red Cherry finish is beautifully done - every speaker just really popped out. As with the previous audition, detail and clarity were phenomenal and vocal dynamics were handled really well. They imaged really well - it really felt the vocalist was right dead center. I think the biggest difference was that with the entire system, it just all blended so much better. And, I did not feel the same sense of fatigue that I did the last time I heard them - and this was after all day Friday as well as most of Saturday of listening to other systems. 

Another interesting feature - the Catalyst 12Cs can be set up to crossover to subs or they can be run full range. It only takes a push of a button and a power cycle to switch them over.

I asked Mark if someone wanted to buy the system but could not afford everything right away, in what order would you purchase? He suggested the best route would be to go Center / Subs / Towers unless you are very comfortable with your current center. In that case, he suggested Subs / Towers / Center.

This was my best experience of the day for Saturday - and in my top 3 for all weekend. Great job!


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Next up - Icon Audio's room.  A couple photos:

The Icon Audio MB 30m Single Ended KT120 Power Amp with the LA5tx Tranformer Line Pre-Amp on the second shelf:










The FRm 2 speaker:











Icon Audio is a UK based company who is just starting to distribute in the US through Music Audio. Their tube amps use the KT120 tubes which have about fifty percent more power than the previous tubes.

The FRm2 speaker was a first for me - I do not recall ever seeing another speaker only using one driver. They are designed this way to remove any crossover in an effort to produce a more seamless sound. I sat and chatted with the designer, David Shaw, for a bit and listened to the setup. I have to agree - it was a very smooth sound, but there was some detail lost that left me wanting more. Low end was a tad muddy but not terribly so. All in all, not a bad speaker, but not one I would personally choose.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

I moved on to the Essential Audio room. A couple photos:

The front wall:










A closer view of the M1i speaker:










The gear list includes :

No code has to be inserted here.

Unfortunately, no MSRP information was given. There was very little treatment in the room.

The M1i is a dipole bookshelf speaker that uses one dipole ribbon tweeter with four separate ribbons in a five-magnets Neo motor structure and one 5" diecasted aluminum woofer. The stated FR is 40 Hz - 30,000 Hz. It has a sensitivity of 87 db, comes in four different finishes, and weighs 22 lbs.

The first thing I look for when I see a monitor / bookshelf in 2 channel usage is whether or not it sounds bigger than it is. The M1i definitely meets than standard. Plus, the bass was really good for a 5" woofer - good mid punch and low end impact. The vocals were a bit laid back - it sounded like the vocalist was standing further back than the surrounding instruments. Also, they did not image well - I could hear the vocals more strongly from the left speaker than I could from the right speaker.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

As Saturday was starting to wind down, I stopped in at the Benchmark Media Systems / Studio Electric room. A couple photos:

The Benchmark DAC2 HGC:










The Studio Electric Monitor in Pasadena version:










The Studio Electric Monitor in satin black studio version:










The new T5 speaker:










The Benchmark DAC2 HGC (MSRP $1995) offers a few new features over Benchmark's popular DAC1 - for home theater setups, Benchmark has added in the Home Theater Bypass function. The DAC2 will typically drive the left and right amps, and an analog signal from the AVR is connected to either of the analog inputs on the DAC2. The Bypass function sets the pass-through gain to unity when the surround system is active. The DAC2 also has a polarity switch that can be used when recordings are encountered that use inverse polarity.

Studio Electric had two speakers available for listening - the Studio Electric Monitor (MSRP $2,500 for the satin black and $2,850 for the Pasadena) and the Studio Electric T5 (MSRP $5,500). The Monitor uses a 1" silk dome tweeter, a 6.5" copolymer woofer, and has a stated FR of 47 Hz - 20,000 Hz. The sensitivity of the speaker is 87 db and it weighs in at 48 lbs for the pair. The T5 uses a compression driver on a wood horn and a custom 8" woofer. The T5 was debuted at AXPONA, and no specs were available.

The Pasadena monitor was active when I came into the room. When I first saw the Monitor, it reminded me of an old-time radio. While I personally like hardwood, there was just something about the look that did not grab me. That said, this was another monitor that sounded bigger than it was (a recurrent theme for the show - I recall at best two monitors that did not meet this requirement for me) with good low end although not quite as good as the Monitor 2. There was great midrange punch though and vocals dynamics were excellent. The detail and clarity were superb - the snap of the drum and the intake of breaths were readily apparent. The T5 sound was pretty much the same except the sound just felt more open than that from the Monitor. The aethetics of the T5 were OK, but nothing that would really grab the eye so to speak.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

My next to last stop of the day was in High Water Sound's room. A few photos:

The front wall:










A closer view of the speaker:










A side view of the speaker - notice the grill cover in the back (more on that later):










The equipment rack:











The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.

The Eufrodite loudspeaker uses an open Isopunkt modified cone tweeter, a Lowther DX55 midrange, and four 8" woofers. It has a stated FR of 28 Hz - 20,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 97 db and weighs in at 143 lbs each.

And, remember that grill on the back of the speaker? It covers these:











The room was just using plants for treatment.

The speaker looks like your standard rectangle, but it is in actuality much deeper. The finish on it was very well done, but not as eye-grabbing as some of the other finishes I saw over the weekend. The low end was probably one of the best I heard over the weekend for a system that was not crossed to a sub - very impactful and tight. Mid punch was good as well. I did not get a chance to hear a female vocal track, but the male vocal track showed good clarity and detail.


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

My last stop on Saturday was in the Indy Audio Labs / Waterfall Audio room. A few photos:

The front wall:










A closer view of the speaker:











That is right folks - the cabinet is glass. The entire cabinet in the Victoria Evo (MSRP $7,000) is 3/8" tempered glass - the pamphlet has an amzing picture of the sunlight coming through these with a very neat prism effect. Quite an artistic statement - and they have a very small footprint. The speaker has 4 drivers - a silk dome tweeter, two woofers, and a passive radiator and has a stated FR of 40 Hz - 28,000 Hz. It has a sensitivity of 89 db and weighs in at 38 lbs.

These speakers imaged incredibly well - eyes open or closed, I could not localize the speakers at all. They had excellent clarity - I felt I heard every detail from the ping of the cymbols to the intake of the vocalist's breath. Low end and midrange punch were both excellent in this speaker as well - note that there was no treatment in this room. The dynamic range of the vocals was superb as well - I stayed for a few tracks and was able to hear both a male and female vocal track - both handled with aplomb.

For those familiar with my system, you know that I am driving my mains with two Aragon Palladium Monoblocks - not the Klipsch version, but the Mondial version. After chatting with Rick from Indy Audio, I was very pleased to hear that they have gone back to the Mondial design for their Aragon amps. The new Iridium (MSRP $4,499) is basically the Palladium with updated parts and some small functionality additions - such as the network connection ability. They even have an app that will provide the current temperature and allow Indy to troubleshoot the amp remotely - very cool stuff. They are also making a new version of the 8008 (MSRP $4,399) as well as a 2-channel (MSRP $2,499), 5-channel (MSRP $3,799), and 7-channel amp (MSRP $4,299) in the Acurus line.

Speaking of very cool, I placed my hand on the amp to see if it ran hotter or cooler than my Palladium. They had not turned them off since Thursday, and I am happy to report they were much cooler to the touch than mine.

From the moment I saw these speakers, I just kept on getting that "Wow!" feeling - this was my second favorite experience of the day and a great one with which to end the day.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


----------



## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Sunday afternoon I went into the Vapor Audio / Antipodes Audio / Arte Forma room. A few photos:

The front wall with the Vapor Audio Stiff Breezes:










A front, close-up view of the Stiff Breeze:










A side view of the Stiff Breeze:










A closer side view of the Stiff Breeze:










The Cirrus Blacks:











The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.



I wanted to make sure I had an opportunity to hear the Vapor Audio speakers - I almost got that opportunity last year at a GTG here in southern Wisconsin but unfortunately Ryan, the owner of Vapor Audio, was not able to make it. It was a real treat to sit and discuss the production process with Ryan as well as discussing other parts of the industry - having a chance to talk frankly with someone on the manufacturing side was an eye-opening experience for me.

The Cirrus Black speaker uses a RAAL 70-20XR tweeter and an Audio Technology C-Quenze 18H52 woofer and has a stated FR of 37 Hz - 38,500 Hz. It has a sensitivity of 87.5 db, uses a stacked ply cabinet, and weighs in at 53.5 lbs. The Stiff Breeze speaker uses a RAAL 70-10D tweeter and two 6" Wavecor Nomex cone Symmetric Motor Drive woofers. It has a stated FR of 44Hz - 39,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 90 db and weighs in at 48 lbs.

The cabinets of both speakers were beatifully done - these cabinets are done in their entirety by Vapor Audio. The cabinets can be done with pretty much any finish the prospective buyer desires. Also, the stands are custom made - notice on the Cirrus Black stands how the veneer was done to match the speaker cabinets. It really gave me a feeling like I was looking at a tower rather than a monitor. Also, notice how the stands on the Cirrus Blacks are constructed to slighty angle them up - about 2% - to focus them more at seated ear height - good design in my opinion (I actually did this with the DIY center stand I made) to ensure more directed sound to the listener. Last, the crossovers and binding posts are actually built into the lower portion of theC irrus Black stands so the owner does not have to worry about the visual of speaker cables hanging from the back - very ingenuitive. 

The Stiff Breezes were active when I first came into the room. I was able to get into the sweet spot fairly early and occupied that spot for probably a solid thirty minutes. Again, the first thing I noticed was that they sounded much bigger than they were and that they imaged superbly. On vocal tracks, the artist was locked dead center - speakers could not be localized. On orchestral tracks, you could visualize where each instrument was located - a heady effect. They have a very warm, enveloping sound which, for those that have heard a RAAL tweeter, you have come to expect and adore. Clarity was amazing - I could hear every detail. I especially remember the strike of the piano keys; and then, I heard a cough - from the track! I was so shocked I leaned to the side and asked someone else if they heard that - detail, detail, detail!

Someone else wanted to hear the Cirrus Blacks (and so did I!), so I stayed and listened to those as well. For this listening session, the other person requested that the subs be off. And, they did not lose much running full range - pretty much just the impact from the sub was all that was missing. Midrange punch was very prevalent. They also sounded bigger than they were and imaged incredibly well. The vocals and dynamics were very similar to the Stiff Breeze as I thought it would be using a RAAL as well. The detail was there too - you could hear the male vocalist's intake of breath. I felt the Cirrus Black would handle running full range very well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this room and I am planning to schedule a trip to the shop to hear a few of Ryan's other speakers. 

Room treatment included corner traps, some plants, and diffusors at first reflection points. Both sets of speakers were crossed to subs at 40 Hz.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.*


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Sunday morning took me into the Marantz (D&M Holdings) room. A few photos:

The front wall:










The equipment rack:











Marantz was displaying three pieces from their Reference series:

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The system is fully network integrated - you can use the Marantz app to control the source, volume, etc. You can also stream Pandora or other music services as well as play from a USB stick or an HTPC. The warm sound definitely reminded of my new Denon 4520. As with the Onkyo offering, I felt this system definitely had the chops to get you to 80-90% of what some other systems were doing, but at far less cost.

While the room was really about the Marantz Reference line, I did stay for a bit to give the speakers a listen as well. The M350s imaged really well and had fairly decent clarity, but I felt that they were more suited for a small room and would struggle to fill a larger room. The low end also just sounded a bit muddy.

This room used no treatment.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Early Sunday morning I stopped in the Audio Power Labs / Laufer Teknik / Leonardo Speakers room. A few photos:

The front wall:










A closer view of the Audio Power Labs 50TNT:










A different view of the 50TNT:










A closer view of the Leonardo speaker:











The equipment in use:

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The Memory Player 64 was developed by Laufer Teknik and the 2011 model has a few new features to achieve jitter-free sound such as RUR (Read Until Right) which is unlimited re-reading to capture dropped bits of music without using error correction that tends to cause jitter. It also has upsampling to 32 bits to defeat digital volume control loss and D2D (Direct to DAC) that bypasses unnecessary output circuitry.

The Audio Power Labs 50TNT monoblock tube amp is a push-pull Class A amp that uses directly heated triode output tubes, transformer coupling, and zero negative feedback and delivers 50 watts RMS. The unique part about the design of these amps is the bended glass that comprises the top of the unit that creates a very modern appearance sure to satisfy the WAF. There are two cooling fans that pull air through the assembly that are variable speed for quieter operation while in use and more CFM when powering down. The amps also have a network interface that allow the unit to be troubleshot remotely.

The Leonardo speakers are a full ribbon speaker that has a stated FR of 20 Hz - 100,000 Hz. No, that is not a typo - a full ribbon speaker that goes down to 20 Hz! It has a sensitivity of 93 db and weighs 350 lbs - 110 lbs in magnets alone. These speakers image really well - they just completely disappear which is fairly astounding considering their size. The dynamic range was fantastic - female vocals tracks really showed the range - and they had a very open, natural, enveloping soundstage. The amount of detail in the instruments was off the charts - I could hear everything from the buzz of the horns to the pluck of a string. Last, I was astounded at how low these speakers could go - and cleanly!

A fantastic experience - I would never have believed a full ribbon could dig that deep unless I was there to hear it!

No room treatment was used.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

It was Sunday afternoon when I strolled into the Sonic Hemisphere room. A few photos:

The front wall:










A closer view of the speakers:










A side view of the Fidelity One:










Sonic Hemisphere is a relatively new company based very close to Chicago, IL. They currently offer two speakers - the Fidelity Monitor (MSRP $1,925) and the Fidelity One (MSRP $5,750) with the Fidelity Reference series to be announced.

The cabinets are made from a combination of MDF and plywood. I really like the finish on the Fidelity One - a rosewood face with the remainder of the cabinet in black grain hardwood. Plus, it had some beveling to the edges of the face and a contoured-shape that gave it some personality. The Fidelity Monitor was done in maple and was very utilitarian in appearance. 

The Fidelity One uses a 1" Aluminum/Magnesium dome tweeter, a 7" Poly-weave composite midrange, and a 11" Nomex woofer. It has a stated FR of 29 Hz - 27,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 89 db. The Fidelity Monitor uses a 1" Aluminum/Magnesium dome tweeter and a 7" Poly-weave composite midrange. It has a stated FR of 38 Hz - 27,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 88 db.

I only heard the Fidelity One, which imaged pretty well although I felt it was slightly forward. It had good low end impact with a solid mid punch - both were pretty clean. Clarity and vocal dynamics were both solid as well. While I felt the speaker did everything well, there was no one measureable that really stood out for me. A good performer, but in my opinion you can get a speaker that has a "wow" factor in the same price range.

This room used corner traps and plants for treatment.


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## ALMFamily

*Re: AXPONA 2013 Show Report by Joe Alexander of HTS*

Late Sunday morning I visited The Sound Organisation's room. A few photos:

The front (actually, it was the side) wall:










The Rega RP-6 turntable:










The equipment used included:

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This was probably the most uninspiring room I visited the entire weekend. The only piece of equipment that really stuck in my mind was the turntable, and that was due to the British flag that was painted on it. The speakers did provide a good separation of instruments, but the clarity was lacking and the low end / mid punch was pretty much nonexistent.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.


*


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## ALMFamily

Late Sunday morning I visited the Linn Audio Loudspeakers room. A few photos:

*The front wall:*










*A closer view of the front of the speaker:*










*A side view of the speaker:*











* Background / Specifications*

The Linn Audio Athenaeum speaker (MSRP $80,000) is a speaker 3 years in the making. Peter, the owner of Linn Audio, worked with variations of hardnesses in the design to reduce resonance, and, in the end, decided to go with a soft interior to hard exterior to get the effect he desired. The cabinets are made of low grade MDF. The Athenaeum uses a midrange compression driver / horn and a 15" woofer, has a sensitivity of 97 db, and has a stated FR of 30 Hz - 20,000 Hz. The compression driver has a very extended range allowing more sound to emanate from a single driver. They have a shipping weight of 600 lbs (both speakers).

Linn Audio also makes the Acropolis speaker (MSRP $83,000) which is an astounding 7' tall. It uses two ribbon tweeters, a midrange compression driver / horn, and two 15" woofers. It has a stated FR of 18 Hz - 40,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 97 db, and has a shipping weight of 1,100 lbs (both speakers).


*Impressions*

The finish on the cabinets was beautiful - the cherry really offset the drivers well. The design of the cabinet is rather unique - it allows it to fit into the corner a bit easier. Once I sat down and started actively listening, I was immeadiately struck by the warm, full sound. They image really well - despite their size, they disappeared entirely. I really enjoy it when you can leave your eyes open and still not locate where the sounds are coming from. Clarity was simply amazing - in my notes, I jotted down that I could hear piano key strikes and cymbol pings. They were so amazing that I gave it the double exclamation point - just fantastic detail throughout. Vocal clarity was just as impressive - intake of breaths were readily apparent. The mid punch was superb as well - they also got my double exclamation point notation.

In the end, it was just such a relaxing listening experience - for me, a much different experience than horn speakers I had heard prior to this weekend. The only detraction for me - during the course of chatting about the speakers, too much time was spent "pushing" a sale which I would expect at a big box store rather than talking about the characteristics and production of the speaker itself.

The only room treatment in use was corner traps.


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## ALMFamily

The next two rooms were both done by Pro Musica. The first room had the Dynaudio Confidence C2s and the second room had the Dynaudio Confidence C1s. A few photos:


*The front wall - Confidence C2s:*











*A side view of the Confidence C2s:*












*A closer view from the front of the Confidence C2s:*












*The front wall - Confidence C1s:*












*Various speakers from the Dynaudio Focus series:*





















*Background / Specifications*

All of the equipment in both rooms was from Naim Audio from their XS line - unfortunately, they did not provide specifics as to what was in use and the room was too busy to have one of the exhibitors run down the list.

The Dynaudio Confidence C2 (MSRP $15,000) uses two Esotar tweeters and two mid/bass drivers with Kapton voice coil formers. It employs Dynaudio Directivity Control (DDC) which uses symmetrical dual drive units, optimized driver positioning, and advanced crossover design to reduce reflections by up to 75%. The C2 has a stated FR of 28 Hz - 25,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 87 db and weighs 88 lbs each.

The Dynaudio Confidence C1 (MSRP $8,500 for this finish) uses one Esotar tweeter and one mid/bass driver with Kapton voice coil former. The C1 has a stated FR of 45 Hz - 22,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 85 db and weighs 24 lbs each.

*Impressions*

The C2 has the standard rectangle shape, but they did a great job of breaking it up with the design of the front baffle. The finish of the cabinet really helped the front baffle stand out to further break up the standard shape. They imaged very well and had great dynamic range. The clarity was fantastic - hearing every pluck of the string really is a treat everyone should experience! Low end was good - not overly impactful, but very clean.

The C1 has a very ordinary appearance - the finish was good, but nothing really jumped out at me from an aesthetical point of view. This was another of those monitors that had a bigger sound than its size, and it had good dynamic range for a monitor. Clarity was very similar to the C2 - details were very prevalent. Midrange was good, but lacked the punch I enjoy and I could hear them struggling with some of the low end passages - there was a very definitive audible buzz. I definitely had better experiences with other monitors that cost far less.

Corner treatment was used in both rooms.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.


*


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## ALMFamily

Next up was one of the two rooms for Colleen Cardas Imports. 

The system configuration included:

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A few photos:


*The front wall:*











*A closer view of the speakers:*












*A closer view of the Pure Audio Control preamp:*












*A view of the side of the MAD Duke Royal:*












*Background / Specifications*

Pure Audio is a New Zealand based company - all three of their current products were in use in this room. The Reference amplifier is a Class A monoblock that provides 65W RMS with a stated gain of 28 db and weighs 35 lbs. The look was rather unique - the case appears to have been designed to allow heat to dissipate through all sides. The case is a rather plain gray - I would have loved to see what it looked like in black.

My Audio Design (MAD) is a UK-based speaker company. Two of its speakers were in this room - the 1920S and the Duke Royal Limited.

The 1920S uses a MAD SDC ultra precision mid/bass driver and a Neodymium supersonic tweeter. It has a stated FR of 55 Hz - 40,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 90 db. The Duke Royal Limited uses one MAD supercharged ring radiator tweeter and two MAD soft doped fabric mid/bass woofers. It has a stated FR of 38 Hz - 40,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 93 db.

*Impressions*

Sadly, the Duke Royal Limiteds were not playing when I entered the room - I would have loved to hear them. The finish on the Dukes was stunning - they had a very dark finish, but that was not what made them stand out. It was the inlaid British flag on the side that just made me go "Wow!". That finish adds $18,000 to the speaker as it takes an additional month to build as each pattern in the flag needs a different wood to pull off the effect. It is not as visible in the US-made version, but can be seen under light.

The 1920S had the piano white finish - there really was nothing that stood out about the look of this speaker. This was one of the few bookshelf / monitor speakers at the show that sounded how it looked - small. They did image well from the sweet spot, but moving from that spot showed a somewhat narrow soundstage. Clarity was OK, but I really felt I was missing a lot of detail - low end had no real presence to speak of - and when an orchestral track came on, the horn section made me tense up. I just did not feel relaxed while listening to these - unfortunately, I did not make it back to see if they had swapped to the Dukes. 

Corner traps were used in this room.


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## ALMFamily

Colleen Cardas Imports had a second room as well that I visited on Sunday early afternoon.

The system configuration included:

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*The front wall:*











*A closer view of the Quinta:*












*A side view of the Quinta:*












*A closer view of the Unison Research Simply Italy amp:*












*A closer look at the decoupling design used by the equipment rack:*












*Background / Specifications*

Unison Research is an Italy-based company founded in 1987. The Simply Italy integrated amp is a Class A amp with two EL34 valves and two ECC82 valves that delivers 12 wpc and comes with a remote. The Unico Upower booster amp is a Class A booster amp designed for use with low-powered tube amps and can quadruple power up to 100 wpc. The Unico CDE CD player has a hybrid design with four ECC83 valves, 24 bit/96 kHz conversion, and also includes a remote. The unit in use for this system came with the dual-mono optical DAC upgrade.

Opera Loudspeakers was started in 1989 by two gentlemen - one Italian and the other English. The Opera speakers mold an old-world Italian craftmanship in cabinet making with more modern acoustical technology. The Quinta uses two 6.5” Aluminium cone woofers, one 6.5” Aluminium cone midrange, and one 1” Scanspeak D26 tweeter in a sealed box cabinet. It has a stated FR of 30 Hz - 30,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 89 db and weighs 112 lbs. The available finishes are piano black, piano white, cherry, and mahogany - the show set was in cherry.

Corner traps and plants were used for room treatment.

*Impressions*

I really like the design of the cabinet on this speaker - the front of the cabinet has a curved face that really gives the speaker some personality. The black on the face is in actuality a leather wrap and the combination of it with the cherry finish really made both stand out. The Quintas imaged superbly - they just completely disappeared and allowed me to really focus in on the sound. The first thing that really stood out was a track that used bongos - it really accentuated the crisp, punchy mids. Clarity was excellent as well - every instrument could be heard, even during vocal tracks. Last, I really liked the design of the rack - the decoupling method used was extremely well done.

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.


*


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## ALMFamily

Next up - the KT Audio Imports room.

The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.


*The front wall:*












*A closer view of the Triangle Art Reference turntable:*












*A closer view of the Triangle Art Signature turntable and Nat Audio MAGMA monoblock:*












*A closer view of the Phobos speaker:*












*SACC Design - this is the inside of a cabinet:*












*Background / Specifications*

Eventus Audio is an Italy-based company that was started in 2000. The Phobos speaker uses the patented SACC (Simulated Anechoic Cabinet Construction) technology to make the cabinet as neutral as possible to remove the opportunity to add to the original music score. The speaker uses a 7" VIFA high excursion woofer, a 5" VIFA polypropylene midrange, and a 1" Scanspeak tweeter. It has a stated FR of 40 Hz - 21,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 89 db and weighs 88 lbs.

The room had no treatment.

*Impressions*

The cabinet had the look of a modern style finish - the silver and black made it look very elegant. They had the standard rectangle shape, but the beveled front baffle helped to give it a more refined look. The front baffle is angled to give the toed-in look without actually being toed-in which I only saw on one other speaker. They imaged fairly well, but I started out a little left of the sweet spot and could definitely localize the left speaker on the _Hotel California_ track - the soundstage degrades noticeably off-axis. They have a very warm, full sound with good dynamic range and excellent clarity - every instrument was audible. Horns came through with flying colors - I did not feel that tensing in the shoulders I get when horns sound screechy. Mid punch was very good and low end was nice and clean.


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## ALMFamily

Sunday afternoon took me into the Tweak Studio room.

The system configuration included:

No code has to be inserted here.


*The front wall:*












*A closer view of the Genesis 5.3 speaker:*












*The equipment rack and guest artist (more on that later):*












*Background / Specifications*

First off, we were treated to the musical talents of Anne Bisson - you can see a copy of her _Blue Mind_ album in the picture above. Better yet, she was there in person! She was signing autographs and had copies of her albums for sale. I enjoyed her music very much - but, of course, did not have my wallet on me so I will just have to order a copy online. 

Genesis Advanced Technologies is a US-based company located in Seattle. The Genesis 5.3 speaker uses two 1" Genesis HF transducer circular ribbons (front & rear), one 5" Genesis titanium cone midrange transducer, two 6.5" Genesis aluminum cone mid/bass couplers (front & rear), and three 8" Genesis ribbed-aluminum cone LF transducers. It has a stated FR of 16 Hz - 36,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 90 db and weighs 142 lbs.

There was no treatment used in the room.

*Impressions*

When I first saw the speakers, I thought they looked like a trash can - the top is rather disconcerting to look at. The finish is not very striking - I personally think gray is a poor choice of color as it just does not stand out - and to me, a 2 channel system is partially a show piece. What it lacked in looks, it made up for in sound. Female vocals showed great tonality and dynamic range. Clarity was fabulous - you really could hear every detail and nuance in vocal and orchestral tracks. I got up and moved around a bit (to allow someone else the sweet spot ) and discovered that they had a nice, wide soundstage - there was no noticeable degradation off-axis. Mid punch and low end were both very good as well.


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## ALMFamily

Volti Audio / BorderPatrol Audio / Snake River Audio had two rooms which I visited on Sunday afternoon.

The system configuration for the first room included:

No code has to be inserted here.


The system configuration for the first room included:

No code has to be inserted here.


*The front wall with the Aluras:*












*A closer view of the Aluras:*












*A picture of the back of the equipment rack and one of the Snake River Cables:*





















*A closer view of the equipment in the first room:*












*A closer view of the Vittora:*












*A side view of the Vittora:*












*The front wall in the second room:*













*Background / Specifications*

BorderPatrol Audio was originally founded in Hove, UK in 1991. They design and manufacture tube audio electronics. In 2005, they relocated to Waldorf, Maryland.

Snake River Audio is located in the US Pacific Northwest right next to Hells Canyon. Jonny Wilson was fun to talk to - very enthusiastic and has great taste in music! 

Volti Audio is located in Benton, Maine and currently offers two speakers - the Alura and the Vittora. The Alura uses a 15" woofer, a 2" outlet midrange compression driver, a wooden Tractrix midrange horn, a 1" HF compression driver, and an elliptical Tractrix tweeter horn. The cabinet is baltic birch, mostly 1" thick including the 1" thick curved sides. They have a stated FR of 35 Hz - 20,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 99 db. 

The Vittora uses a 15" woofer in a single folded horn enclosure, a 2" outlet midrange compression driver, a wooden Tractrix midrange horn, a 1" HF compression driver, and an elliptical Tractrix tweeter horn. The cabinet is baltic birch, mostly 1" thick including the 1" thick curved sides. They have a stated FR of 50 Hz - 20,000 Hz with a sensitivity of 104 db. It take over 200 hours and over $6,000 in materials to build one pair.

Treatment was used in the corners of both rooms.

*Impressions*

First, the Alura room - the finish and look of these cabinets was flat out gorgeous - the veneer used for this particular pair is Bosse Cedar. When I first walked into the room, Metallica was playing which made a great first impression.  Of course, that also allowed me to hear the low end right away and it was _tight[/b] - very nice! The midrange also had a great punch and the sound was just so warm and laid back - not at all forward like I am used to from a horn. When the female vocal track started - it was a Cassandra Wilson track - the speakers just completely disappeared; they imaged so well. Then, it happened - you could *hear* someone's foot tapping in the track!! Just amazing detail - and the dynamic range was off the charts.

Then, I went to the Vittora room - the finish on these was done in a Mappa Burl which was a bit too exotic for my tastes, but still very well done. The experience with the Vittora was pretty much the same as the Alura except the low end impact was not quite as imposing. It was these two rooms that really changed my mind permanently about horn speakers - done well, they put out utterly fantastic sound._


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## ALMFamily

And, with that, my fantastic weekend came to an end. Thank you all for following along on this trek - I look forward to doing it again next year!

I am going to post some final thoughts in the discussion thread - let's chat!

*Please use the AXPONA 2013 Discussion / Comments thread for questions and comments.


*


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