2008 RMAF – – – all things analog.

Hi,

The arm model error was an easy oversight, so it is entirely acceptable in my mind. What is important to me is that a conversation has been spurred on regarding the merits of the frontend of any system. It will always be a "different strokes for different folks" deal, but at least people are beginning to consider the topic on a different plane. That's the key. If I have managed to develop a turntable that can illustrate the difference, I am thrilled. If not, I'll just try harder. In any event, the passion of the music is the driving force.

As far as drive systems go, I am perfectly willing to concede that a fantastic turntable can be built using any of the available means, and perhaps some we haven't thought of, yet. The trick here is to avoid the mistakes of the past, and improve upon what we already know. Of course, it helps to have a few new ideas spring up along the way.

By the way, Doug, I am ecstatic that you and Paul like my turntable, and that you went to the trouble to tell the guys here!

Win

Quiddity,

We've gotten virtually all our (hundreds) of L'oiseau Lyre LP's off ebay. They're readily available from sellers in the US and Europe. Intercontinental postage can be a killer, but at least these LP's are almost invariably in perfect condition (since you and I may be the only two humans who actually play them!).

Speaking of counter-tenors, among our other most-difficult-to-reproduce LP's are Harmonia Mundi titles featuring Alfred Deller doubled by a recorder, especially one recorded in an echo-ey, stone space. Most systems (including ours during nearly three years of trying) couldn't avoid mushing the pure and similar but slightly time- and timbre-differentiated tones into an inharmonious hash. Frightful and sometimes literally painful. It's only in the last year that our system's been able to reproduce that LP with real clarity and enjoyment.

I used to carry it when visiting other systems, but I got thrown out of the room too often. Again, it wasn't so much the fault of the music as the inability of the system.

Jonathon,

My apologies for mis-remembering your tonearm, which was half the basis for my comment that Win's table deserved top flight companions. So many rooms, so much gear...

FWIW, I'll stand by that comment relative to the cartidge. Win might remember the first thing I said after we'd listened for a bit, "You've proved once again that a great table (and arm) can do amazing things for a mediocre cartridge."

I can only imagine how your room would have sounded with a cartridge having real speed, clarity and neutrality. Of course if you'd done that I might still be sitting in Denver! :-)

Win,

Just reporting what we heard, good and bad, though not naming many names in the latter case unless required when discussing the good. Keep on trying. You've produced the first rim driven table that works for our ears and priorities, and it does so brilliantly. I was sure that Vivaldi LP would expose a weak spot based on the emails you and I traded several months ago, and I was thrilled to be proven dead wrong.

Doug

Doug-

It was great getting a chance to meet you and Paul on Friday at Garcia's. Thanks to Larry (Cello) for making the get together happen. I enjoyed putting faces to names.

There was much to like at RMAF this year and much that was disappointing. The biggest surprise for me was a digital based system in the Hilton: CEC belt drive transport driving a Lessloss DAC w/volume control, into 845 based Mastersound amps from Italy and speakers with a billeted aluminum tweeter that was adjustable for position. The speakers were from Germany - Kaiser (sp?)

On to analog: The TW Raven in Highwater Sounds room sounded very good to these ears. For the first time at RMAF I actually enjoyed the music in the Continuum room. I agree with many that the music in the Oswald Mill's room was right on a lot of levels, as was the LP playback in Mike and Nelli's room via the Brinkmann Balance/Lamm ML-3/Coultrane Supreme.

Tape playback on the Technics 1500 sounded good in the Synergistic Cable room via the Vivid Loudspeakers. I am surprised that there were not more comments posted yet about the resonance treatments that Ted Denny and company were showing. Design appears to be along the same same lines as the Acoustic System of Frank Tchang, but at a lower retail for a complete system. They had several sets available at a "show special" price that were gone by Sat. night. One of the members of my listening group bought a set and I will be anxious to see what they can do.

The production version of the Symposium Panorama speaker looks very nice and sounds good too, but at around $110,000/pair.

Disappointing: The new Focal Grand, the Acapella Triolons. Every year I look forward to hearing Audio Limits large rooms with big ticket products, and every year I am disappointed. The Clearaudio TT and Goldfinger cart should sound much better than it does. I don't think they know how to set the table up properly. It always sounds as if the VTA is way off, and the people running the demos are not inclined to adjust it, even when asked.

Once again, it was great seeing so many of you there - I liked the Two-for-one room at Garcia's a lot!

Slipknot1,

I wish I met you there. Couldn't make it friday night but did Saturday. Your impressions are identical to mine and your comments identical as well. The Mastersound Room sounded incredible at the Hyatt. The Symposium Speakers have me more than tempted. But.... they need the long wall which I can't do. I also wish they had SET amplification on them to hear what more they are capable of, although the Emotive gear is no slouch.

I was intigued at the Saskia turntable until I looked a bit further and found that the price was $36,000. Great sound aside, maybe it's time to question the prices of some of this equipment. I'm sure the R&D and build quality are top notch. Well, they should be. How do you arrive at a price of $36,000 vs. say $15,000(still equally ridiculous) This amount will buy you an entry level BMW with thousands of moving parts and thousands of pounds more raw materials. Don't get me wrong, I love audio equipment and I'm fortunate enough I could write a check for two of these tomorrow if I wanted to. I just can't justify it. I'm not trying to pick on the Saskia. It's just one example of how out of hand this can get if you're not careful.