Interesting comments on the Audio Physic Caldera. They were actually one of my favorites at the show. They were being run with all new Audio Physic electronics (pre-amp and digital mono amps via the baby Burmester CD player). The importer said they were brand new speakers and were literally breaking in at the show. I would imagine they would really sing once fully broken in and with some better amplifiers.
The MBL room was doing some big bass while I was in there, really big good bass. Not sure which model, second from the top maybe with the opposing woofers. Unfortunately I was not able to tell much else. I had heard good things about the room from others though. And those amps, lordy were those huge!!
Tact room easily had the most impressive technology in my opinion. Their new BOZ power distributor and fully digital and apparently infinitely adjustable modular amps (you can run up to 16 stacked 200W amps off the one power distributor!!) were unfortunately ridiculously over driving the monitors when I was there. Sound was still clean though.
The Joule Electra/Vandy 5 room was great, again one of my favorites. That room did nearly everything right.
You want vocals? The WAVAC /Venture room nailed Sinatra like I have never heard before. To bad the baby WAVAC amp was $19k and the Venture speakers something like $60k for their second from the top model. Being driven by the WAVAC pre-amp and I forget the source. Scary good vocals apparently cost. Oh and the finish/wood on the Venture speakers was simply stunning.
The TAD / Pass room was also one of my favorites producing a very clean, uncolored and natural sound. That was one of the few rooms/systems that conveyed a soundstage DEPTH. Probably should have spent more time in there but all those PASS amps had the room pretty warm!
The Halcro / Wilson room was a surprise. Never heard either before but for some reason I was prepared for a sterile sound. Not so, it was actually very good sound. The only criticism I can think of is that it may not be involving enough for very long listening. The room suffered from a wicked mid bass hump unfortunately that masked some detail. Vinyl would probably breath a little life into that system and it would be killer.
Surprisingly some rooms with some very well known and popular gear was, well, underwhelming. Of course I will protect the innocent and keep the rooms/systems to myself since they are simply my opinions after all. Dont believe the hype, use your own ears and keep an open mind guys.
The big VR9s with the darTZeels were to me best at the show. In a rather lengthy private listening session with friends I got to hear the new darTZeel pre-amp prototype. That system without the pre-amp was already the best at show in my opinion. With the pre-amp in the system it was laughably better. I will take a fairly safe guess and say it shocked just about everyone else in the room as well. Nearly all of us sat there mesmerized by the music as it played. What makes things even better is that Herve and Serge of darTZeel are two of the nicest guys you will meet in high end audio. They are onto something really good in their "machines" as they would say. Their amp, and now pre-amp, are some of the truly special products in high end.
Ill try and post some more to the threads as I see them come up and share more of what I heard. Ive got lots more to share just would take too long to type is all.
Cheers,
-Dan
The MBL room was doing some big bass while I was in there, really big good bass. Not sure which model, second from the top maybe with the opposing woofers. Unfortunately I was not able to tell much else. I had heard good things about the room from others though. And those amps, lordy were those huge!!
Tact room easily had the most impressive technology in my opinion. Their new BOZ power distributor and fully digital and apparently infinitely adjustable modular amps (you can run up to 16 stacked 200W amps off the one power distributor!!) were unfortunately ridiculously over driving the monitors when I was there. Sound was still clean though.
The Joule Electra/Vandy 5 room was great, again one of my favorites. That room did nearly everything right.
You want vocals? The WAVAC /Venture room nailed Sinatra like I have never heard before. To bad the baby WAVAC amp was $19k and the Venture speakers something like $60k for their second from the top model. Being driven by the WAVAC pre-amp and I forget the source. Scary good vocals apparently cost. Oh and the finish/wood on the Venture speakers was simply stunning.
The TAD / Pass room was also one of my favorites producing a very clean, uncolored and natural sound. That was one of the few rooms/systems that conveyed a soundstage DEPTH. Probably should have spent more time in there but all those PASS amps had the room pretty warm!
The Halcro / Wilson room was a surprise. Never heard either before but for some reason I was prepared for a sterile sound. Not so, it was actually very good sound. The only criticism I can think of is that it may not be involving enough for very long listening. The room suffered from a wicked mid bass hump unfortunately that masked some detail. Vinyl would probably breath a little life into that system and it would be killer.
Surprisingly some rooms with some very well known and popular gear was, well, underwhelming. Of course I will protect the innocent and keep the rooms/systems to myself since they are simply my opinions after all. Dont believe the hype, use your own ears and keep an open mind guys.
The big VR9s with the darTZeels were to me best at the show. In a rather lengthy private listening session with friends I got to hear the new darTZeel pre-amp prototype. That system without the pre-amp was already the best at show in my opinion. With the pre-amp in the system it was laughably better. I will take a fairly safe guess and say it shocked just about everyone else in the room as well. Nearly all of us sat there mesmerized by the music as it played. What makes things even better is that Herve and Serge of darTZeel are two of the nicest guys you will meet in high end audio. They are onto something really good in their "machines" as they would say. Their amp, and now pre-amp, are some of the truly special products in high end.
Ill try and post some more to the threads as I see them come up and share more of what I heard. Ive got lots more to share just would take too long to type is all.
Cheers,
-Dan