Dave and I Heard Criterion yesterday for the first time at RMAF in Marriott suite 505 while the Soundings crew was setting up. Device had been used for 2 weeks by the software developer who is designing the control microcode. I estimate it may have been played for max 50 hours prior to yesterday. Device started cold and during the day played for 6 hrs continuously. Only the AC power supply was used as the firmware to control the battery DC PS is being tested. Rest of system consisted of JRDG 312 amp and the New Vienna Acoustic Die Muzick speakers which were being set up using the Masters process by Sumiko and Rod of Soundings. Source were a Marantz SA7-S1 and the PD MPS-5.
With the premise that in the little standard size hotel suite it is not possible to achieve optimal staging, and that Criterion is neither broken in nor it is using the battery power supply, results were extremely encouraging. We managed to conduct a very quick comparison with an equally new Capri. Using a Diana Krall cut, Dvorak's string sextet, 2nd movement from the New World Symphony, and 1st mov from Sibelius violin Concerto with Ann Sophie Mutter at the fiddle, my Initial impression is that Criterion seems to be yielding a much denser'', larger instrument image with a proportionally larger and more defined stage with finer and more textured overall detail. Before the show is over the Criterion will have racked up at least an additional 72 hrs of plahying time. . . I hope to be able to compare it with a fully broken in Capri. . . I'll post here my observations. Guido
