RMAF 2016................Boenicke W5


I spent quite awhile in the Boenicke/Sotm room at the show and was quite taken aback on how musically engaging the W5's were. They ooze a musical timbre that was simply stunning. Considering how diminutive they are (no bigger than PC speakers) they produce a big sound stage. To my ears they are a true Hi-Fi bargain at a paltry $3600 a pair when they are compared to some speakers that cost many times  more and are not in the same league as these miniature mighty marvels. There were a few speakers at the show that nearly made my ears bleed and my wallet to hide........

Anything float your boat at this years show?


 
128x128gawdbless
I would like to hear them. I am always looking for good things in smaller packages.  They would fit nicely on my Isoacoustics stands, just a few inches off the floor and with slight tilt up.    I use corner placement  (similar to what is done with Audio Note speakers at shows) in the room that they would fit into and that helps a lot to get more bass out of smaller boxes when needed.

Zu has yet to reel me in from demos I have heard but the door is still open. I really like the looks and they are strong centenders for anyone building around a tube amp.

There could be a pair of Zu Soul or Tekton Lore speakers in my future just to try out for the fun of it and see where things might go.
The W5's are the smallest speakers in the range.
The Peachtree room on the Mezzanine floor had the loudest demo that I heard, to loud for me, although the sound was quite good.
I liked the Mackintosh room to especially the fish spinning on the turntable.
A few rooms had reel to reels in also. Are they coming back into vogue?
Will we see a cassette deck resurgence one day? I might have to take out the old Nakamichi, dust it down and connect it up! lol......
The Sanders Sound System room Electrostatics were very nice and I liked the demo by them.
I liked the Burwell and sons Horn speaker, the cd I gave them to play sounded very nice, with a price tag of $80000 so they should be.
I was very disappointed with the Classic Audio room, as I have them sound a whole lot better, they were playing a track by Yello, sounded more like Jello to me.
I listened to a pair of $2000 Sony headphones, whilst nice does any one spend that much on headphones? I never use headphones personally. I did like the EMM equipment connected to them though. 
  
I read Peachtree demo was with 100+ watt Class D amp running Zus, which yes could get mighty loud if desired I would expect.    I've read more than one review indicating the sound was one of the better ones at the show.

I read OHM Acoustics will be demoing  their Walsh speaker line with Peachtree at the upcoming NY Audio Show in November as well.   Would love to be there and hear that compared to others but too far away so not likely.
Hi Gawbless,
Professional review of the Boenicke W5 do concur with your listening impressions. Interestingly The 6 Moons reviewer notes that some audiophiles will dismiss the speaker outright due to the cost and small size. À big mistake he said, you must actually  listen to them. He is very enthusiastic about their sound quality.
Regarding Zu speakers I greatly respect the opinions of several folks who post on Audiogon and happen to be Zu owners. I've heard various Zu speakers a total of 5 times and each encounter was disappointing  (CES and RMAF venues). Perhaps they don't sound their best under show conditions  (although I have heard numerous brands that manage to sound good at these shows). It may be the tendency to play them loud for demonstration.  They just haven't sound very good so far in my experience. 
Charles,