Best Speakers at RMAF 2011...?


What speakers impressed you at RMAF 2011 and why?
Anything underwhelming, despite the hype?

I found the following to be very intriguing and impressive.
- In no particular order:

1) Magico Q1
2) Totem Element (Fire)
3) Avalon Idea
4) Totem Hawk? (Hegel Room)
5) Evolution Acoustics MM Micro One
6) Joseph Speakers, Perspective

These speakers seemed to have a very good mix of macro and micro dynamics, bass response, articulation, musicality, sound stage and a seemingly limitless high frequency range.

At $2k, the Evolution Acoustics may be a bargain of the bunch.

Appreciate your thoughts...!
optimus
You know Rose, you have an active imagination.

That post you cited referred to a speaker system I was working on for a friend in Detroit who had no relation to Vapor. The design was conceived and implemented outside of Vapor, with the entire build thread documented over at Parts Express. It was a follow up design on a big 3-way I had designed for myself, and the cabinet maker wanted to make a mini version incorporating some of the design elements he wanted to see in the cabinets that weren't in my original. Convenient of you to leave out that part. It became the Aurora only after the effort was complete. Ryan's total contribution to that public effort was the suggestion that maybe the Vifa 8" woofer would be an option among the many choices we had going in. The design and construction was a group effort among the guys at Parts Express, with one guy producing a prototype waveguide that I evaluated with a number of tweeters. I designed the crossover, took the measurements, and Ed Rosenquist built the cabinets. Ed even produced baffles with that waveguide for other members of the board to use in their DIY builds.

I disclosed my relationship with Ryan, and until recently, we were friends with no business relationship. I had no involvement in the establishing of Vapor, or in the early design efforts. My review of my experience at RMAF was prior to my coming to work with Ryan on a regular basis. I started working with Ryan in May. You'll notice that my post here preceded that date by quite a few months.

Drop this conspiracy nonsense.

By the way, Salk still produces some of my favorite speakers of all time. I'm a big fan of the Archos, and was at it's debut at a DIY event in Indiana. I was also there when he launched his very first Veracity design at DIY Iowa back in 2003. I've promoted his stuff ever since, and call them as I see them. I even conversed with the crossover designer of the Soundscape after a demo of the "10" here in StL and shared my impressions.
Branislav, as someone that also came from the complaint thread I think Rose75 is stating some very imformative facts here about Luvs2listen. You have conspiracy theories but have nothing to say now regarding how these guys are conducting business? It seems to me for some unknown reason you to have a dog in the fight. Why are you protecting the shills on this thread? After everything that went down in the last thread these facts reinstate my suspicions.

Eric.
Luvs2listen, you are digging a hole here. You helped design the Vapor Audio Breeze as stated on Parts Express under a RAAL thread so you were affiliated with Vapor Audio then and now. You did not disclose your affilitation with the company or speaker when you posted this 11-16-11

The Vapor Breeze is well under your $3000 price at $1250, but it uses very high end components. RAAL 70-10D up high and the Wavecor 6" symmetric drive Nomex cone. After hearing them in Chicago a few weeks ago, your comments on needing clarity and imaging made me respond with the Breeze suggestion. It's a smaller monitor, but your music choices seem like a perfect fit.
Luvs2listen

Pete, still think it is a conspiracy? Here is your quote from Parts Express on 2-10-12 under RAAL Ribbon Tweeters, What's the Big Deal?
The Vapor Breeze has been out since at least August 2011

Vapor uses RAAL, and so does Salk. I helped design the Vapor Breeze, and might be able to bring a set for the gang to hear.

I don't know about anyone else but it sure seems very clear to me that you were shilling for Vapor Audio in at least 3 threads.

What other things are you guys pulling over there?
Yeah, I did help. I sat and listened to a couple of crossover iterations that Ryan put together for the Breeze.

What is your beef anyway? You mean the fans of various speakers shouldn't voice their opinions without disclosing they're fans?

Give it a rest.
One last point and then I'm done with you.

The reason I said that I'd like to hear the Cirrus again after the demo at RMAF, is because I don't own them, and no one anywhere near me has a set either. NOT EVEN RYAN. That's right Rosey. The owner of Vapor doesn't own a set of Cirrus. As fast as he makes them, they go out the door. Typically, when one is completed, it's up for a few days to break in and get measurements, and then it's gone. There's nothing set up in the listening room right now, and the last set I got to listen to was over a month ago. Since RMAF, I've gotten maybe four whole hours in front of a Cirrus. And up until this past May, I'd made a grand total of zero dollars "shilling" for Ryan in my hundreds of posts here at Audiogon.

Quit picking on Branislav too. He likes his set of Cirrus. Maybe he doesn't like amateur detectives throwing wild assertions around.

Quit looking for Boris Badenov around every corner, and go listen to some music instead.