AXPONA 2017 Protocol

Went Sunday after reading one of the earlier posts about smaller crowds that day.  What a great suggestion.  Very comfortable crowds, and we were able to get seats in every room visited (we got there right at 10 AM).  My favorites were the Kii, Spatial (great sound as always), Harbeth, and especially the new ELAC monitors which sounded fantastic (especially at the suggested price of $2,500).  I also thought the Salk Song3a sounded very good, and what a gorgeous finish!

Biggest gripe was the choice of music and the volumes which some of the exhibitors used.  No need to crank bad rock to '11' in those small rooms and with only 3-4 people in them (actually, shouldn't crank bad rock under any circumstances).  Had to repeatedly ask to have the sound turned down to more appropriate levels at which I listen.  Otherwise a good show.

Ihor I agree nice show, the new Elac, Aurum Cantus, new technics all are excellent speakers, Austin Acoustic is the best for higher echelon.

Anyone got to Hear Atma-Sphere & Classic Audio Loudspeakers?

@dragon_vibe I did spend some time in this room. When I was there the sound I heard was engaging, really beautiful. If I'm not mistaken, they were featuring the T1.5 Reference--little dog and parrot sitting on top of the speakers. Those speakers take up some significant real estate. Anyway, I would have spent more time in the room, the SQ was very good, but it was a large room and lots of people were there socializing vocally. It simply was too much verbal competition fighting against the music. So I left. What I heard, I would love to hear again--in an otherwise quieter room. 

Two rooms I spent time in that are worthy of mention are the Modwright/Daedalus rooms. Overall, I enjoyed them both. One room featured the Poseidon V2 speakers with the KWA 150 SE connected to the SWL 9.0 Anniversary Edition Pre. The other room featured Modwright's new Ambrose A30 Tube Monos and the new Ambrose One Balanced Tube Pre (I think) paired with a new Daedalus speaker model called the Apollo. The KWA 150 SE/Poseidon room was physically bigger (I think) but seemed to have less traffic in it. The room featuring the new products was smaller but packed both times I was there. All seats full, all standing room taken. This was my first time hearing Modwright equipment and Daedalus speakers. The SQ to "value" ratio felt high, meaning for the SQ I was hearing the price points seemed to offer great value. And the Daedalus cabinetry work is very nice. In the new room, the sound seemed significantly warmer than the previous room, as one would expect, with the tube monos. The Apollo speakers are beautiful. I wish Daedalus would load a picture and description of them on their website. Very different design than what they have produced previously, or so it seems. Because I had never heard either the amps or the speakers before I don't think I prejudged these products. (Although I admit to having read many A'gon posts about these companies' products in the past.) My description of the overall sound from both rooms is that it was detailed with a good soundstage, musical, a little sweet. But, in both rooms, more in the solid state room and less in the tube room, something wasn't exactly right. I could hear a very very slight "ring' or 'ting" in the upper register. Not annoying, not unpleasant, not pronounced, and not electric buzz or static....I mentioned this phenomena to a fellow A'goner who has listened to these products much more than I have and he agreed saying he has heard it too, describing the sound as a little "tizzy". Importantly, I reiterate the overall SQ was very good. Of the rooms I visited, these remained high on my list when I left--- products that seemed to offer hearers sound quality that outpaced their price.