TRELJA in New York, 2002


Well, another Stereophile NYC HiFi Show has taken place. For the second consecutive year, I attended. Like last year, I feel obliged to share my impressions on what I saw.

Before I get to the gear, I have a few general comments about the Show. Unlike like last year, when I attended on Saturday, this year, I went on Friday. My decision was to try and garner a better insight and listening position than the mob scene that was there on Saturday last year. The crowds were still impressive, however. But, I am sure Saturday was much more hectic. I could have also attended Saturday, as I was still in the city, and had 4 Day Passes. Also, I was there with my fiance.

I do believe those two things shifted my perspective on the Show; as I had a different feeling this year. However, my thoughts are that part of this may also be the state of the high end industry. I do hope that I am wrong, but I my impressions were that high end audio has lost a good bit of its zip over the past year. Yes, I know this is the truth. The economy has had a long, drawn out malaise, and audio equipment has not sold as briskly as it did two years ago. 2000 was probably the highwater mark. Audiogon was much more vibrant then. As were sales. As was the overall energy. And, we as a society are still not what we were before the barbaric events of September 11th.

My apologies for wasting this much space so far...

On to the sound!

If I have cast a pallor over the Show, that was not my intention. Many will be surprised to hear that my thoughts on what I heard are overwhelmingly positive. True! Unlike last year, where I was able to clearly identify several rooms with bad sound, that was really not the case this time.

In fact, please allow me to give my "Worst Sound of Show" award straight away. I don't think I will have too many people chasing me with blood in their eyes this time. It's Sony. Yes, after regretting for an entire year about missing Sony's Multichannel SACD Demo, I was able to sit in this time. Tickets are required for the 30 minute event, and I am told many are not able to get them. We got our tickets, walked around for the hour before our time. Ancillary equipment in the Sony demo were Manley Retro 250 monoblocks, and the revised Eggleston Andra speakers. An Eggleston subwoofer was also in use, although it should be unnecessary. In brief, the sound was nothing to have to wait for. The demo itself it nothing to have to wait for. The whole thing creates the anticipation we will encounter the best sound ever. I did not encounter any such thing. Or, even close. Things were OK, but if this is the Great Hope to save high end, we are being told to follow a false messiah.

I do think my feelings toward this demo are a function of my take on multichannel overall. As I got the same impression from all the multichannel rooms. What I always hear from the people who trumpet multichannel is "the hall", the sound of being at the live event, etc. I don't get that impression. At all. I feel as if I in a very artificial environment. As if my perspective is that I am in the middle of the band, only the band members are all 20 feet from one another. Me in the center. The sound coming from the front of me is fine. However, sound coming from either side, or the rear is not convincing. Or, even good. Not natural, in my opinion.

The reality is that this will probably become the standard of good sound. The audio press tells everyone it is so. And, judging from the success of DVD/HT, and the people's opinions who listen to it(the average guy), this is IT. I don't fear being in the minority...

One more mention of what I hear to be bad sound. Same as last year. Atma Sphere, pairing with the horn speaker company. I should really make it a point to remember their name(Classic Sound Reproductions? Classic something). Especially, if I am going to rip them two years in a row. Now, I am a big fan of Atma Sphere. I KNOW their amps are great. I know they can sound good. I even heard a track in the room this year that was almost decent. But, the sound coming out is mostly very, very bad. The horns are horrendous. Colored, resonant, congested. Destroying all of the magic that a great OTL amp, like Atma Sphere, creates. They do play loud. But, I guess I can use the reactions of my fiance as the indicator of a normal person. Like most people, she offers a reaction within a second or two. She walked out. Immediately. With the same expression a child does after a taste of anchovies. I stayed for a little while. Trying to hear some Atma Sphere magic through the haze of these horns. One cut did it. I could hear some inkling of greatness through the fog.

I have no idea why Atma Sphere doesn't see this as well. They are hurting themselves by being at the Show.

While I am on the subject of sound that could have been better, I should mention some brands who I like, but didn't put their best foot forward at the Show. Triangle. They do not know how to show their speakers. I am convinced of it. Like last year, they sound decidely mass - fi. They really are better than this. Pairing with Cairn also makes me wonder what the story is. Is it not interesting how Sam Tellig will spend two months on a company which no one in the US has really encountered before? They then show up with Triangle, whom Sam is the ultimate cheerleader for. Stereophile has been discussed here at Audiogon over the past two months, and this is the kind of thing that everyone gets mad about. My personal opinions of European gear is well known, but I am starting to wonder why Sam Tellig shares my views. Questions should be raised about how he is conducting himself.

Musical Fidelity could have also sounded better. They didn't really mate well with the room. Or, with Monitor Audio Loudspeakers. Kevro's David Solomon proved to be a more than congenial host. I offered a personal thank you to him for pointing me in the right direction to finding my Musical Fidelity NuVista interconnects two months ago. Sadly, he informed me that MF is getting out of the cable business. Believe me, there are many a cable I can list as being inferior to the NuVista products. All of them, a heck of a lot more money.

Linn. I am not sure if they want to demonstrate their sound, or the fact that they are big into HT and/or home convenience. They moved even further away from high end audio this year, going for a more "holistic" entertainment approach. Not that their sound was bad(not great), it was better than last year. But, they seem to be moving in the direction of Sharp and Zenith.

Now, the "Best of Show". I have to really take my hat off to the Joseph Audio/Manley room. It was really very good sound. Yes, the components were expensive. Most of the components at the Show are. They managed to separate themselves from everyone else. Part of it was getting the right room for them. Part of it was the fact that the new Joseph Pearl speakers are wonderful. While I like Manley, I have to say the reason things worked so well was the Joseph speakers, and the room they coupled with. Speaker to room interaction has to be the most underrated and most important relationship in the audio chain. Bravo, EveAnna Manley and Jeff Joseph!

Now, for some companies that I REALLY thought put out good sound. Just not "Best of Show".

Roman Audio loudspeakers. Again, like last year the best kept secret in audio. Electronics were different this year, but the sound was similar. Smooth, liquid, relaxed, warm, natural. What a series crossover offers. While I am on it, recent Joseph Audio speakers(like the Pearl) are implementing some series crossover topology in with the Infinite Slope technology. I am now a very big fan of Roman, having proven their merits to me twice. In very different rooms, with different ancillary components. My only fear is that I would need to prove that the speakers are not insensitive to the components feeding them. Not that I wouldn't be happy, as this is the kind of sound I crave. But, others should be warned. Those who prefer the cool, crystalline, or analytical sound should go in another direction.

Balanced Audio Technology. Not just in one, but in TWO rooms! One room solid state, one room tube(with the AirFoil speakers - not bad at all in the small room). Again, different ancillary components, but still great sonics. Natural, grainless, effortless. This is what high end is supposed to sound like. Like music. Steve Bednarski was the most cordial host at the Show. Whereas, most people have to be approached before talking to the public, Steve went out of his way to introduce himself to everyone, share a genuine conversation, and thank them for coming. Victor Khomenko was also splendid. As their company is local to me, their products are without question, and they are great guys, I really should buy something from BAT. Recommended to ALL audiophiles!

Rogue. Much better choice in speakers this year. Last year, they paired with Audio Physic. While I am definitely in the minority with my feelings about the combination, I have to be honest. I find the sound terrible. Bringing out the worst in Rogue. Cold, bright, sterile, thin. This year, Rogue mated with Meadowlark, and things definitely improved for the better. Much warmer, more natural, and full sounding. Mark O'Brien is a great guy. And, like BAT, a local company to me. As I am in the market for a new power amp for my second system, I think it will be the Rogue 88 Magnum. In my opinion, the Rogue Magnum Series is as good as almost anything sold. At the price, it is a no brainer. A component that should not be labelled a great budget amp, but a great amp. I would feel a bit of disappointment in not picking up an Atma Sphere or BAT, but I can only buy one amp. For a second system, money comes into play a good deal, and the Rogue takes a back seat to only the finest products. Mark O'Brien offered an invitation to my fiance to pick up the amp at their place, and take a grand tour of Rogue. That assumes we buy the Magnum.

Legend. I am still flabbergasted that the Legend Starlet integrated is a Class C Component on the Stereophile Recommended list. Even when the scale was more true(before JA), this would have certainly merited a Class B rating. Today, when just about anything from Musical Fidelity is Class A, the ranking of Legend is not an insult, it is an act of treachery. Coupled with the pyramidal monitors, the sound of the Legend monoblocks was rich, real, and ideal. Every experience I have had with Legend has been nothing but positive. This is a good marque.

Wilson Audio. Yes, I am on record for speaking negatively of the WATT/Puppies, but they sounded splendid. A good room helped.

The funniest thing I saw was Roy Hall performing the ultimate tweak. Consuming whiskey(Scotch, I would think) in the Creek/Music Hall room. That will make any system sound warm, rich, and ripe. Roy is a funny guy. Would love to work with him, I bet he makes every day seem like a vacation. I am disappointed about the $249 Music Hall tuner he believes he will not be offering. His feelings are that tuners are not a good seller these days, and he would need to import a few hundred in order to make the buy. I personally would make sure he sells one. If there are any others who have enough faith in Roy Hall and want a nice tuner at a great price, perhaps we can take up the cause. We could all write him, maybe that would be enough to get him to go for it. Let me know.

Jimmie Lee Robinson gave us a serenade. About an hour before he started to play for real. They don't make them like that anymore. The weird thing is that I almost bought a CD of his last week. I guess I have to go through with the purchase now. Buying it at the Show would have had it personalized.

Special mention to a super restaurant, Churascaria Plataforma. An all you can eat Brazilian bar b que. As they say, "Meat as it was meant to be!" Not for PETA members. One of the three great meals of my life. I can still taste it. Expensive, but everyone should try it, once.

Thanks to Stereophile for another Show!
trelja
Wow, it's amazing how we hear things differently sometimes. Sean, there is a first time to everything and I couldn't disagree with you more about the Atmasphere/KARS system. When we were there people were leaving so fast you thought there was a fire. One of my friends commented that it sounded like the biggest, worst (no insult intended) Radio Shack speakers from the 70's. A stranger muttered "what were they thinking". IMHO the second worst system I have ever heard. We all loved the MBL system. I was alone on my enjoyment of the Tact room. My friends really didn't like it all. I can't help but think that this system requires(!) one to sit in the sweet spot as I found dramatic differences from different listening positions. My friends were so turned off that they didn't even want to give another seat a chance. We all felt that the Thiel 1.6 were the best value despite the electronics. The Chesky speakers were promising. Despite the the criticism they recieve here, I continue to be impressed with the Wilson Watt/Puppies always sounding quite nice with different electronics. The Pipedreams didn't deliver, but couldn't help believing they could with a little coaxing. Biggest dissapointment was the paucity of music. Too many demos of drum solos. Second biggest dissapointment, lack of ehibitors. Where was Dunlavy, Huff, German Physics, Cable Company, etc..Best demo, hands down, Samsung across the street. Despite the flaws in plot. Free popcorn,soda,candy and a T shirt with the best picture and sound I have ever heard at a movie. Thank you Samsung. For those who care we ate at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station. During the last two weeks of May you can enjoy the Holland Herring Festival. Genever Gin, herring at it's best and a truly great offering of oysters, yum!

Hi all. I have been visiting this site for about two years but not submitted anything up until now. Having read Trelja's review of the NY show I feel compelled to add my thoughts.

I too visited the show on the Friday and suprisingly agree with nearly all of Trelja's comments. And I thought I was the only one at times sitting in demo's wondering why the Emperor wasn't wearing any clothes!

My over-riding impression from the show is that you do not have to spend huge amounts of money to get a great music system. In fact, I preferred nearly every 'modest' system to the so called 'state-of-the-art' systems.

So, firstly the major awards;

Best sound; Legend Audio...by a fair margin. Not familiar with this crowd but their darkened room with all Legend equipment was sensational. 100w of pure triode pleasure. Smooth, liquid and real. I went back a number of times to this room just to check I wasn't dreaming.

Worst sound; A number of contenders but due to my prior expectation level, Halcro/Rockport.

Great sound;
Totem/Plinius (first time hearing these speakers and both models on display sounded fantastic)
Rogue/Meadowlark
BAT

Good sounding products;
darTZeel
MSB
CAT
Thiel
Atmasphere (I'm putting them here because I have the gut feel that they were screaming out to be in better company at the show)
Gamut
Kirksaeter

Stuff I didn't like;
Atmasphere and the awful horn speakers
Chord
Merlin/Joule (ok everyone...what's all the fuss about?).
Linn (well, didn't like their confusing exhibit)
MBL
Tenor/Pipedreams (another letdown based upon their reputation)
Eggleston Works speakers
Lamm/Kharma
47 Laboratory

Further thoughts;
Best video product; The DLP based Infocus projector for $5k.
There were more woman at the show than I expected.
A better show than I was figuring on.
What's with mainstream audio reviews? I'll put money on the major's putting some shoddy precis of the products at the show.
If Trelja is right and any Legend product is Class C I'll eat my hat...
Most manufacturers that I got to meet were the nicest people (Mark from Rogue, Victor from Totem, Ray Kimber, Ole Lund from Gamut, Jeff Joseph). It's fantastic that we have audio lovers like these guys that make great gear for us all to enjoy.
It's amazing to me that basically every contributor to this thread has similar assesments of what we heard at the show. Why can't the audio press be so clear on their ratings and thinking? (that's a rhetorical question!).
I did not see every exhibit and I think two days would have been the ideal amount to time for me to be at this show.
Multi-channel sounds just wrong for music...even a lot of movies sound wrong in multi-channel.

Anyways, can't wait for the next show! I had a great day in NYC.

Thanks for listening to me everyone.
Great review Trelja. Thank you for sharing your impressions, and thanks for putting such careful thought into your detailed words (or for putting such careful words to your detailed thoughts). In any case, I read every word of both your posts and found them enjoyable and informative.
Thanks to all for offering up their views!

Flyboy9999, please offer your thoughts in the future as well.

What a difference a year makes! Last year, after ripping Talon, I had two guys who just wanted to kill me. This year, Sony and the horns paired with Atma Sphere elicit nothing but agreement. I hope that Atma Sphere is reading this.

Natalie, the tubed Shan Ling CD player imported by Roy Hall was at the Show. My thoughts on the player may raise a few eyebrows, but here goes. I think this is a fine player. However, I also think that the hype about this player is overblown. We all(myself included) fell in love with this component based on its picture. The exposed tubes, the funky styling, the silver color, the transformers. My opinion is that the player looks better in a picture. In person, it seems a bit cheesy. I also question the build quality.

This is a $2000 player. There is a lot of competition at this price point. $2000 is where the really esoteric players begin to show up. I am not sure the Shan Ling makes that cut. At $999, it would be a no brainer. However, where it is priced, I have to pass. Not not recommended, but not recommended. A buy it if you like it.

Personally, I feel that the Music Hall MMF-25 CD player is the one to buy. At $600, I feel it is about as good as almost any CD player under $1500. On par with the Shan Ling, I think its close. They are different, and despite being a tubeophile I prefer the MMF-25. It's more open, silky, quick, and airy.

In fact, I bought one a couple of months ago. It's a very musical sounding player, the sound is light, airy, detailed, refined. A great deal better than anything at its price point: Cambridge D500 SE, NAD 540/541, Jolida 603, Arcam non Ring DAC players, and the Rotels. I put it in the league with the MF A3 and Arcam FMJ 23. I like it much better than the Rega Planet, but I find the Rega slow, dark, and plodding. I can only criticize the Music Hall's horrendour remote(it's even worse than that), and the fact that it doesn't offer the most powerful bass response(I find the vast majority of CD players do not, but this player's bass is quite good).

I forgot to mention Merlin. Personally, I like Merlin. They were in two rooms. The rooms were next to each other. I didn't pay them a whole lot of attention(so I cannot say who they were presenting with - my apologies), but my feelings are that one of the rooms sounded good, and the other did not sound good. On the one hand, I question why they would show their speakers with ancillary components that did not flatter them. On the other, it tells me the speakers produce what is being fed to them. I am not sure if they deserve their $6000+ price. I would probably opt for Roman Audio.

I have also forgot to mention Reference 3A. They had the guts to team up with Antique Sound Labs. An upmarket speaker with a budget amplifier company. I admire that. While the sound was not great, it was OK. I personally feel that Reference 3A should have found a more romantic tube amp. But, for those who like a fast, forward, analytical sound, you would probably be pleased. I prefer more warmth, but we all have different tastes.

Another company I forgot was Thor. Thor sounded great! If you are a tube fan, you would be smitten. Warm, rich, full bodied. To me, what tube fans buy tube amps for. Classic, romantic sound. But, very different from some of the newer tube companies like Rogue, who are more neutral. I would love to own some of the pieces that Thor displayed. But, that will not happen. Number one, the monoblocks were $16K. Number two, the looks are really unconventional. A lot of people would find them ridiculous. Blue lit large acrlyic(?) slabs. Hmmm. I kind of like them, but if I ever got tired of the look, I would be in trouble. And, the eccentric looks would not be kind to resale. You would have to REALLY love these to buy them. The most difficult thing is yes, they do sound THAT good.

I think I may have a bit more perspective on my opening words from the Show. Having thought about them more. It seemed as if there were about the same number of rooms as last year. But, I think the overall vibrancy took a big hit. I did list some reasons, but I would like to add that perhaps last year, 4 companies being prominently featured in a room was the rule, not the exception. Perhaps, the density was higher last year, and that was the difference. I noticed a great deal many more companies in attendance last year.

Maybe, it's me?
While trying not to be redundant with what's already been written, have to comment on Legend/Von Gaylord Audio . Was simply drawn into the room by the sound of a gorgeous female vocal - pure seduction. Returned 3-4 times hoping to try a couple of my own jazz and orchestral cds without success due to crowds. Love to hear if anyone else has heard them with other music.

Roman audio. Loved the sound up until I was able to test with a favorite cut of Coltrane's "Gentle Side of ...", and the timbre of the horn was just wrong! Weird. May have been that my ears had been wrecked by a full day of being assaulted by then.

The Audio Physic Virgos sounded very good on short listening, and the Hovland Sapphire amp looked great, along with the Thors my favorite "look" of the Show.

Joule/Merlin room disappointed at first, in a crowded room with music played at ear bleed levels. Returned and got to hear at a more reasonable level, and understood why this combo is considered one of the standards in the industry.

Speaking of ear bleed sound, after several attempts managed to listen to the Von Schweikert/Spectron multichannel demo. Sound level must have been 120db, but I thought it was the only multichannel room that showed that the technology may have some potential. Of course with 5 VR5-HSEs plus subs one is talking about around $70k in speakers alone! But the Von Schweikerts and Spectrons sure seem to work well together.

Biggest disappointments? Pipedreams (although crammed into unsuitably small room); Rockport/Halcro (the only thing to excite the senses in the Lincoln Room were the stunning RixRax racks, which, along with the finite elemente Master Reference Pagodes, were the best I saw).

Biggest personal mistakes: somehow missing the opportunity to hear the Joseph Audio/Manley setup and seeing the Samsung Plasma tvs.