Some Axpona thoughts


Went on Friday. Always try to find great sounding speakers that are not TOO expensive. Ones that impressed me- Vapor Cirrus Black(4K),Kef Ls50($1500), Rega RS5($1500),Joseph Pulsar(not cheap at 7K but a special speaker),Sonus Faber Veneer 3.0(bargain at $3500), Legacy Aeris(12k), Acoustic Zen Crescendo(16K) and lots more. Two others intrigued me. 1)Newform Research line array.(10K) 84" Tall with about 12 drivers and about 3 feet of ribbons drivers mounted directly in front of the other drivers. It looks odd and you wouldn't think it would work,but it sounded totally transparent and with 4 subs and a cross-over thrown into the package- it wasn't a bad deal. The star of the show had to be the Tad Reference One. It was worth the price of admission alone. At 70K, totally unaffordable for me, but what a treat to listen to. They played a Master Tape on a reel-to-reel of a jazz recording. It was literally like the sax player was inside the speaker. The most accurate reproduction of an instrument and music I've ever heard. That's what cool about these shows. I would like to hear other people thoughts if they were there-especially on the Newform Research(am I crazy?) and the TAD(I can't be crazy).
jackmonster
Favorite speakers over Friday & Saturday

1. Acoustic Zen-could have sat there all day. It just sounded like music.
2. Orion 4-Amazing transient response and range played well in big room.
3. Sony speakers-great sounds and fabulous construction.
4. Kef LS50-everything the reviews say is true.

Surprise speaker-Bogdan (not the cable company) Single driver in well made cabinet for $2000/pr. that sounded amazing.

Overall a great show and I can't wait until next year!
To me, perhaps the greatest challenge of an audio system, is trying to emulate the level of musical effortlessness and complete lack of strain one enjoys at a live event. In that regard, I was very impressed by the Volti Audio Vittora. This is a speaker I could listen to in extended sessions.
Phaelon, I agree with your description of these, very intimate for such large boxes.
Phaelon,
Three questions concerning the Volti
How's the tonality?
It's a large speaker, do they disappear or is the speaker location obvious?
What amplifier was driving it?
Regards,
It was my first audio show, and I had a fantastic time. A lot of beautiful sounding and gorgeous looking systems. Here's a photo record I made of the event for anyone interested on Flickr: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEjGUnQ.