A fun day in Phoenix

[Mike]

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[Mike]

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[Mike]

I got the gear some terrific gear today and owner Mike Ware is the ultimate host.

The top of the line, $265,000 MBL's are beyond words.

The new Alexia's are ridiculously good for the money.

The Linn Klimax is a brilliant sounding music server system.

The MBL's absolutely floored me. I could not believe what I was hearing. My Aida's were my second favorite speaker that I heard today. The Alexia's were third and a screaming good value in the $50K speaker range.

More later....

[NorthStar]

Arizona, right on Mike! :cool: ...One of my best friend, Robert, was from Arizona. ... R.I.P. Robert

[Mike]

Yes. It's a great city. Great restaurants, golf courses and as you can see, audio shops. I got to hear a lot of things today all in one place. Wow! What a rare treat.

[johnthomas]

That is rare all that great gear in one place. I guess you didn't get hear the Alexia compared to Alexandria? Is the 601's driving the Aida's in the picture?

[Mike]

That is rare all that great gear in one place. I guess you didn't get hear the Alexia compared to Alexandria? Is the 601's driving the Aida's in the picture?

I heard the XLF's and Alexia's. Lets just say, I really liked the Alexia's. They are much much larger than I had expected. I know $50,000 is a lot - a lot - of money - but I was floored by just how good they sounded. I kept thinking to myself "these are totally worth $50,000".

Yes, the 601's were driving a brand spanking new pair of Aida's. They were busy breaking them in. It was an all Mc setup on the Aida's. It gave me a chance to hear the Mc gear on them. It was quite good, really good -in fact, but I will be sticking with my ARC gear.

The star of the day for me was the MBL's. I can't get their incredible sound out of my head. I imagine it would be like comparing 4K 3D TV to standard definition CRT. They create this perfect three dimensional sound that is both focused and deep. Like an imaginary rectangle of sound. I could really imagine Diana Krall and her band was right there. I know what I will be buying if I ever win the lottery.

I also heard the $68,000 Meridian speakers and an all Meridian setup. Although I can appreciate its very modern looking setup and the cleanliness of the system - I was very underwhelmed shall we say.

I also heard the Linn digital music players. The Linn Klimax DS was excellent. The model below it was a real steal for the money.

There's many more things I got to hear. I got to go back and forth and back and forth between the Mc 601's and 1.2kws. I have to say, I preferred the sound of the 601's. They had a better sense of quickness. Both were unable to define the bass to my liking, but they both went low.

I'm heading back on Monday for more listening. I didn't get to about 30% of the gear.

Mike

[joeinid]

Mike,

Thank you for sharing the description of what you heard. I can only imagine how nice it was having all that great gear in one place.

[Mike]

Mike,

Thank you for sharing the description of what you heard. I can only imagine how nice it was having all that great gear in one place.

Thanks Joe, the pleasure was all mine. I can easily see why this store is such a success. The owner Mike is passionate, professional and extremely knowledgeable. I politely suggested he consider opening a store in southwest Florida! :)

I can't wait to head back on Monday and I must hear the MBL's again. The thing with the MBL's is that IMO they would need a 20 x 30 room as a minimum. Preferably 22 or 23 feet wide actually.

[joeinid]

We have some MBL fans here and based on your description of what you heard, I now know why.

[dlb2]

In this day and age if you don't live in a more populated area it's hard to feed the audio habit. What a treat to be able to go somewhere and experience some of the best gear that's out there. It's nice how all of us can live vicariously through others here. Thanks for the pics and great info. Mike. Enjoy Monday!

[AudioSalon]

I visited Mike's store in Tempe about 6 years ago, he was very gracious and gave me a tour with a fantastic XRT2K demo. I had told him I was opening a store in Miami before my visit and was going to become a Mcintosh dealer, he took time out of his very busy schedule to show me around and even offered some advice. He is a class act and always says hello at the trades shows, Mike is one of the good guys.

[Benson]

Hi Mike, I stopped at that dealer last January when I was down there. It is a pretty amazing place. What are the source components being used with the 601's and Alexia system?

[Mike]

Hi Mike, I stopped at that dealer last January when I was down there. It is a pretty amazing place. What are the source components being used with the 601's and Alexia system?

Mostly Linn and Burmester.

[MacFly]

Mike, thanks for sharing your experience and the pic's very cool

[jwhite613]

Mike... Thanks for sharing!!!

[Toobs]

Mike
Fantastic pics. Thanks for sharing.

[MDP]

I got the gear some terrific gear today and owner Mike Ware is the ultimate host.

The top of the line, $265,000 MBL's are beyond words.

The new Alexia's are ridiculously good for the money.

The Linn Klimax is a brilliant sounding music server system.

The MBL's absolutely floored me. I could not believe what I was hearing. My Aida's were my second favorite speaker that I heard today. The Alexia's were third and a screaming good value in the $50K speaker range.

More later....

Someone said those Linn DS's were pretty good..........................who was that ?

lmao

[Mike]

Someone said those Linn DS's were pretty good..........................who was that ?

lmao

Joe.

[joeinid]

Someone said those Linn DS's were pretty good..........................who was that ?

lmao


Joe.

Ha! :blush:

[MDP]

Joe.

You're killing me !

[joeinid]

You're killing me !

Alright Mark, it was you, not me. Apparently you DO know a lot. And we appreciate it very much!

[MDP]

Alright Mark, it was you, not me. Apparently you DO know a lot. And we appreciate it very much!

I wouldn't go that far !!

Ha !

[Mike]

Mark is quietly one of our most knowledgable members and definitely the shrewdest audiophile I know.

[Mike]

I went back again today! :D

Some more pics

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[joeinid]

Mark is quietly one of our most knowledgeable members and definitely the shrewdest audiophile I know.

A huge +1 on this. The frugal audiophile scores big!

[Rtan]

Thank you for sharing Mike. Agree with you on MBL, they are fantastic speakers. You must be enjoying your visit there. Any surprises coming soon? New toys?

[Mike]

Thank you for sharing Mike. Agree with you on MBL, they are fantastic speakers. You must be enjoying your visit there. Any surprises coming soon? New toys?

Yes! I bought a VPI Classic 3 in Rosewood and a Lyra Kleos cartridge. I've always wanted this combo - in the worst way. I can't wait. 5 weeks and counting! :)

[Mike]

I had another listening session yesterday. Different gear this time. Some Burmester. Some tube and SS Mc. I remain very impressed with the Wilson Alexia's. They represent to me, the proverbial home run for a company. BUT, IMO, they require a large(ish) room. I couldn't see them in a 10 x 12, for example.

Their nearest competitor in the store was the Futura's and those, I could see working well in a smaller room.

I found the bass of the Alexia's not quite as defined as the Futura's, but certainly no less pleasing. I found the Futura's didn't have the micro detail that the Alexia's had, but again, no less pleasing. Both speakers present a great overall sound package.

So if you are in the market for speakers in this price range, you definitely owe it to yourself to listen to both of these terrific speakers. Depending on your room size or musical tastes, one will definitely be the clear winner for you.

Mike

[joeinid]

Thanks Mike.