Audio Troy Capital Audio Fest the good, the bad and the ugly!

Yes, saw the write up on PT Audiophile--looks like Lou and Mark brought everything but the kitchen sink, including monoblock Ref ZOTL 40s to drive the BOW subs--so $200K is probably close with cables etc. That said, I'm sure in a normal size room you could get 98% of the SQ for under $100K by eliminating the subs, going with less expensive power cords and speaker wire (like Lou's hybrid design with WyWires). 

Jond, guess we are hearing different things, the Muons were way too big for that room, the sound didn't gel for us.

Agree the Voltis were very good, Audiotech very good, the Acapella room was impressive but again way too large a room and the system was mind blowingly expensive.

Now a caveat, the Genesis were I think $180k and no that weren't that good but the sound after hours playing a harp recording vs the real harp player did show the system was quite capable.

We had the reverse with the Tial room more magical this year, good last.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

One observation.

One of the rooms, in front of which a lady was giving cookies, had an equipment rack with no equipment on it. Unlike any and all, this one had color. It was red. Cut it some slack for maybe not being the ultimate audio high-end etc. It was politely awsome among all those industrial designs. Not to mention, it was just over $300.

I was more impressed by seeing it than I was by seeing VAC/Von Schweikert system.

I don’t know why they haven’t switched over to static displays at the big shows. Nobody can get great sound at the shows for reasons that I’ve elucidated many times, most of which are very obvious. Sure, sometimes they get excellent or at least listenable sound in a room, but isn’t it an awful waste of time, money and effort? You know, run them like they run Auto Shows.

I don’t know why they haven’t switched over to static displays at the big shows. 

Maybe because that's a ridiculous idea?  It's not like hi-fi actually suffers the same restrictions as an auto show.

I can't imagine traveling to an audio show (and many people travel a long distance) only to look at some silent display.   The first thing I'd want to know is "why can't I hear these?"

Audio shows are were many people encounter equipment that they'd never be able to hear anywhere else.  That includes the fun of hearing beyond-one's-mean exotica, or finally being able to check out a brand one may actually be interested in (many people don't have any high end stores anywhere near where they live).  Or one may have a surprise encounter with a brand they hadn't known of, or considered before.

It was due to hearing the Thiel CS6 at a show that led me to end up having those speakers in my home.

It was due to hearing MBL speakers at shows that ultimately led me to owning MBL speakers.

It was due to hearing the Hales Transcendence T8 speakers blowing away everything at a show that led me to purchasing the more affordable T5s.

It was due to a shockingly good sound from Joseph Audio Pearl speakers at a show that led me to investigate that brand, ultimately leading to my now owning JA Perspective speakers.