Axpona 2017 Best Of

[RichardA1]

Wow Mike ... I feel like I went to the show. Thanks you for all the great photos.

[Jack]

The Vandersteen high pass crossovers for the Quatro model and up.

[Alpinist]

The Vandersteen high pass crossovers for the Quatro model and up.

Of course. I have the Vandersteen M7-HPA mono amps, so the high pass filter in built into them. I totally forgot about them. Out of sight out of mind I guess. I'm sure the high pass filters would work fine with the MSB amps, which have a high input impedance, 40K ohms balanced I believe.

Thanks,
Ken

[Melbguy1]

Thanks. I am more looking for a power strip to put on the floor. Wondering about the Niagra 1000.

Do yourself a favor and check out the new Acoustic Revive RTP-6 Absolute power distributor. The RTP-6 Ultimate which I previously owned was good, this one is quite a bit better. A guy is selling a smaller RTP-4 Absolute strip on USA Audio Mart right now for $2k in minty cond.

[Jack]

Ken

If I remember correctly 40K is one of those "in between" values for the filter values that may require using the test tones and a meter to decide whether to go up a value or down. My experience is that down is better but whichever it is it would worth the test if you can arrange to try them.

[Melbguy1]

Wow Mike ... I feel like I went to the show. Thanks you for all the great photos.

+ 1 .

[Alpinist]

Ken

If I remember correctly 40K is one of those "in between" values for the filter values that may require using the test tones and a meter to decide whether to go up a value or down. My experience is that down is better but whichever it is it would worth the test if you can arrange to try them.

Thanks Jack, you could be right about the filter settings. However, I love the sound of my M7-HPA mono amps and ARC Ref 10 preamp. I'll be sticking with them for a long time.

Best,
Ken

[aardvarkbark]

Terrific and much appreciated coverage of the show. From a Texan who doesn't attend these shows but who appreciates contributions to the various audio forums, I gotta say that Melbguy1's comments are always well received, especially when compared to some brand-specific fan bois who go on and on about one particular brand they feel should be promoted for no reason other than they own it. Melbguy1 has integrity in my book.

[kzhtoo]

Terrific and much appreciated coverage of the show. From a Texan who doesn't attend these shows but who appreciates contributions to the various audio forums, I gotta say that Melbguy1's comments are always well received, especially when compared to some brand-specific fan bois who go on and on about one particular brand they feel should be promoted for no reason other than they own it. Melbguy1 has integrity in my book.

And he doesn't bash Ayre (all over the internet).

[a.wayne]

Do yourself a favor and check out the new Acoustic Revive RTP-6 Absolute power distributor. The RTP-6 Ultimate which I previously owned was good, this one is quite a bit better. A guy is selling a smaller RTP-4 Absolute strip on USA Audio Mart right now for $2k in minty cond.

Are you guys running your main amplification thru these power strips ...?

[Melbguy1]

Are you guys running your main amplification thru these power strips ...?

At the time I was running my RTP-6 Ultimate power strip I had a Boulder 1060 which is fairly power-hungry, so I ran it direct to wall & ran my front end components off the RTP-6. The new RTP-6 Absolute apparently has even lower loss, so I wouldn't have any issue running a smaller power amp directly off it.

With the above said, I currently use a Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo conditioner which has a special high current branch to connect power amps & double buffering circuit with compensation cells to improve impulse response. It is one of the few non-current limiting conditioners where you run a power amp off the conditioner.

[a.wayne]

I have always ran power hungry stuff and never had good results with main amps going thru any kind of conditioner, interesting to hear you are getting an improvement going thru yours ...

Regards ...

[Melbguy1]

I have always ran power hungry stuff and never had good results with main amps going thru any kind of conditioner, interesting to hear you are getting an improvement going thru yours ...

Regards ...

Yes definitely an improvement vs running direct to wall. I'll try to find my listening notes from my comparo & post an update when I get a chance. But in a nutshell it lowered the noise floor & made my integrated feel like a more powerful amp.

[a.wayne]

This Guy ...?


http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gigawatt5/2.html

[Boogieman]

Does anyone happen to have an opinion on the Jadis amps / Vivid speakers room? I know that Jadis isn't as popular today as ARC, CAT, BAT, CJ, Lamm, VAC, etc., but I have always found their sound intoxicating.

Stereophile seems to think that room was the best of show: http://www.stereophile.com/content/j...step-closer-oz

[wisnon]

Mike
You are correct, I should have attended. That way I could have avoided a traffic accident Friday evening on the way to dinner. Some person decided to be the third person thru a red light when I was making a left turn. My Cayenne is in rough shape but both my wife an I were unhurt. Will get an idea tomorrow of the damages.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Luckily it was not severe.

[wisnon]

I have always ran power hungry stuff and never had good results with main amps going thru any kind of conditioner, interesting to hear you are getting an improvement going thru yours ...

Regards ...

Where is Front row centre?

[a.wayne]

Tuff Gong ....

[wisnon]

Irie Ites.
Newport West.

[Mr Peabody]

I missed the Jadis room this year, sad. I heard Jadis in 2 rooms last year for the first time, I am a fan. I remember one room was with Jadis & Sonus Faber but don't remember what speakers for the other. Both rooms I liked though.

[socfan12]

Mike
You are correct, I should have attended. That way I could have avoided a traffic accident Friday evening on the way to dinner. Some person decided to be the third person thru a red light when I was making a left turn. My Cayenne is in rough shape but both my wife an I were unhurt. Will get an idea tomorrow of the damages.

Sorry to hear, Jim. But glad you and you're wife are ok.

[willsw]

I though the Lampi/Spatial/unsure brand of amps room sounded really really good, the Modwright/Daedelus setup was super smooth and enjoyable, the AG room as noted sounded fantastic. the Voxaitv room was unlistenable to me, but may do it for others,

Unsure brand = Linear Tube Audio. We had mono-blocked ZOTL40s and ended up using an MZ2 as a preamp.

I was stuck at the booth the whole time and had very little time to listen to anything. I know I usually like Voxativ's speakers, did anyone else have reports on that room?

I think the new JansZen headphones will be great once he gets the noise figured out. There are several hybrid electrostatic/dynamic headphones out right now, but I think he's going for the lowest crossover point yet. What I could hear was very engaging and natural.

[kkfan]

Mike

I would like to commend you for not staying within the Suncoast Audio sandbox when commenting on what you heard at this show or others in the past. It would be to easy to name some of the wonderful products you carry, instead you let us know which rooms appealed to you at that point in time. It might be something you carry or it might not. I really respect that.

You hit the nail on the head!

[wisnon]

Mike outdid himself at Axpona. Best coverage on any forum that I have seen.

[Melbguy1]

You hit the nail on the head!

Suncoast is da place with the most!

[Ritmo]

Does anyone happen to have an opinion on the Jadis amps / Vivid speakers room? I know that Jadis isn't as popular today as ARC, CAT, BAT, CJ, Lamm, VAC, etc., but I have always found their sound intoxicating.

Stereophile seems to think that room was the best of show: http://www.stereophile.com/content/j...step-closer-oz

The Jadis - Vivid room was ok - not great. I was in this room for about 30 minutes.

[bart]

Mike
You are correct, I should have attended. That way I could have avoided a traffic accident Friday evening on the way to dinner. Some person decided to be the third person thru a red light when I was making a left turn. My Cayenne is in rough shape but both my wife an I were unhurt. Will get an idea tomorrow of the damages.

Jim, so glad to hear you and Linda are unhurt!
Sorry for your Porsche...

[still-one]

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful comments about the accident. I wasn't my intention to hijack the thread. We are both fine and (un)fortunately the car is going to be repaired.

[Melbguy1]

In the Synergistic room they were aggressive sounding. They had no treatment for 1st reflections. Not pleasant.

I went to the CAT room twice but each time I ended up in conversations and can't say that I was able to listen critically.

Floyd, TAS posted their write up of speakers >$20k from Axpona. Granted Valin is known to wax lyrical where others say "hum", but still interesting. Here is his take of the Synergistic room..

Also on the bottom floor, Ted Denney of Synergistic Research put on a Best of Show-contending exhibit of his UEF/Atmosphere room-treatment system using $38k Magico S5 MkII multiway floorstanders driven by Constellation Audio Revelation Series electronics (Taurus amp and Pictor linestage), all hooked up with Synergistic’s Galileo UEF wiring, ’natch. As was the case with the German Physiks room, this was the best demo of Synergistic Research’s remarkable room-tuning system I’ve heard (outside of my own home)—just wonderful reproduction of space, ambience, timbre, texture, and presence on a Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash duo and on a Walking on the Moon cut with drum, bass and sax. If you have a problem-child listening space, and you haven’t heard what Denney’s UEF/Atmosphere system is capable of, you really ought to.

[kkfan]

Just came across this AVShowrooms video discussing various rooms at AXPONA:

https://youtu.be/UtXh-ALl5Ew

[wisnon]

Just came across this AVShowrooms video discussing various rooms at AXPONA:

https://youtu.be/UtXh-ALl5Ew

LoL

There is a whole thread devoted to this started by Peter B.

[aardvarkbark]

Suncoast is da place with the most!

haha!! A seven positive emoticon post. Good people on the forums. You're one, Melbguy1.

[Melbguy1]

In the Synergistic room they were aggressive sounding. They had no treatment for 1st reflections. Not pleasant.

I went to the CAT room twice but each time I ended up in conversations and can't say that I was able to listen critically.

Floyd, here are Jason Serinus's Day One comments of the Synergistic/Magico room per Stereophile's Axpona wrap up. Less effusive than Valin's comments, and more balanced I think..

Ted Denney (pictured) of Synergistic Research and Scott Walker of Scott Walker Audio delivered a gorgeous midrange by pair ing Synergistic Research Galileo UEF cabling—including the new Galileo UEF interconnect ($7500) and Galileo UEF USB ($2995)—new Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE power conditioner ($5995), and a helluva lot of Synergistic Research system and room acoustic treatment and grounding accoutrements with a Berkeley Alpha DAC Reference series 2 w/Alpha USB module ($19,500—review forthcoming), Baetis Reference 2 server ($14,620), Constellation Pictor preamp ($18,000), Constellation Centaur II power amp ($40,000), and Magico S5 Mk2 loudspeakers ($38,000/pair). The bass seemed a bit overdone and the presentation distinctly dryer and less colorful than that of the magical Jadis/Giya/Stealth combo. It was classic Constellation, which means impeccably controlled and detailed and a bit dark, but it was also very musical and neutral. The big and spacey presentation on a track by HansZimmer was especially engaging.

[madfloyd]

Floyd, here are Jason Serinus's Day One comments of the Synergistic/Magico room per Stereophile's Axpona wrap up. Less effusive than Valin's comments, and more balanced I think..

Yup, just goes to show how different people can have different experiences. I might just be sensitive to first reflection distortions, especially at certain volumes.

[Mike]

Things that make you say hmmm.....

Yes, I know the whole story (a friend witnessed the whole thing, I was too busy at the Casino with a bunch of our guys). I've been biting my tongue for the whole week. But since Fremer brought it up...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...00000858823735

[the professor]

LOL

[Alpinist]

Any videos of the main event?

[a.wayne]

The MMA raffle event? BTW , Fremer said it , Video Clown

[Mike]

Be nice. Would love to see a video.


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[bthomas9]

There's video of Mike and I flying off the top ropes, WWF STYLE, on Peter and Dave from Magico to get some info on the new speaker release. But I'll never post it...or the answers we got from them


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[Kuoppis]

Things that make you say hmmm.....

So, the interesting question is which were the 'tables in question?


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[a.wayne]

Be nice. Would love to see a video.


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You would need more Bandwidth if it was ever posted up ...

[Mike]

You would need more Bandwidth if it was ever posted up ...

It would be rated "R".

I'm sorry I missed the flying Toupe'.


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[a.wayne]

Wait , What ....!!!!

[asiufy]

C'mon guys, spill the beans, since Fremer isn't forthcoming with the details

[Melbguy1]

Things that make you say hmmm.....

Yes, I know the whole story (a friend witnessed the whole thing, I was too busy at the Casino with a bunch of our guys). I've been biting my tongue for the whole week. But since Fremer brought it up...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...00000858823735

A most unedifying performance by all reports by two reviewers who presumably should be mature by their age, and should know better. No matter who the protagonist was, both are to blame for having participated in the argument instead of walking away. The worst of it is, I've just lost respect for both reviewers.

[Ctsooner]

Great thread. Just caught up. Glad to see Aardvark taking thinly veiled swipes at some of us fan bois (why can't he just say boys? hmmm)..... I do love Ayre, but it's not the be all end all. I like Pass too, but not the company. Lot's of great gear, but for the price points Ayre's in, it's really hard to beat if you are a SS person. I can't do tubes anymore. If it was a signal tube or possibly a hybrid, I would, but I don't need to with the AX5/20. Not a commercial, but a great piece. Aard has a problem when he called Ayre directly. I only know Ayre's side and he didn't do what they asked and is pissy over it. nuff said. Great stuff and solid support by Mike and others who sell it.

Power conditioners. I agree totally with what Mike posted about 5 pages back. I just installed the Niagara 1000 strip. It's the perfect size for what I'm doing and the sound is very close the the 5000, just without the extra outlets. If I had the room, I'd have done the 5000 probably.

That leaves me with a Synergistic Research Powercell 10 mk2 Tesla cord to sell. No scratches (that I can see) and it comes with everything from the gloves to the bullets. This has been the only conditioner that I was able to plug my amp into and not have it choked off. I'm not plugging the AX5 into the Niagara, but I've heard amps plugged into the 7000 with Garth and none of use could hear a difference when the amps were drawing max power. I was a bit surprised by that, but the 7000 has a special deal built in just for this purpose. It's a pretty amazing device.

The SR I'm selling is also a great device and for folks who like to change the sound, those bullets really do work. I have no idea what they are doing, but they do warm the sound, neutralize it or add sparkle on top. I just alway kept the neutral one in. I know a few Magico owners who swear there is synergy between SR/Magico. I don't know as I've not heard them together.

I've never been to a show, but I may do this show next year. Seems like you guys have a lot of fun hanging out and listening. I've spoken to some folks who got to wonder the show this year for their first times as they weren't tied down to a room or having to report on 'speakers over 20k', lol. They felt it was an excellent show. Thanks Mike and to the rest of you guys who were there and are sharing.

[mdp632]

Any thoughts on the Magico S3kMk2 room with CH Precision electronics? I've been trying to find some feedback on it but, haven't read anything. I believe their sources were the Kronos Pro and Berkeley Reference 2.

Plus the MIT Speaker "Interfaces" they used probably retail close to the speakers themselves.

[Mr Peabody]

I'm not sure if I said in my post "S3", I did hear that room and liked the sound a lot.

[Melbguy1]

The S3 Mk2's got honorable mentions as among the Best in show despite being paired with CH Precision which would not be my first choice for synergy. I think they would have gotten even better sound paired with Vitus, Soulution, Pass, Vac IQ series or CAT. Similarly Constellation wouldn't be my first choice with the S5 Mk2's .