RMAF 2014 Official Photo Thread

[mauidan]

Yes, just left there. You should see photos in the day one slideshow.

Heard SAM on vs SAM off demo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is this it?

[Mike]

Is this it?

Yes. Devialet 800 was being demoed on Focal speakers using SAM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mike]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413072913.779695.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413072921.379982.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413072928.446517.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413072935.830334.jpg

PASS VFET amps (only 4 in the world)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Design Audio Video]

Joe
That is what Michael Ritter sad at Berkely. Also, the reason he is not at the show this weekend. I spoke with him Thursday and that is what he told me He didn't say all of them were the reference DACs but that is what we were talking about.

[Mechnutt]

Thanks Mike!

What were your top 5 rooms and was there any budget gear that you liked?


Larry

[Mike]

Thanks Mike!

What were your top 5 rooms and was there any budget gear that you liked?


Larry

I'll need to go back through my notes. Lots of good budget gear. There's a company from California that made these $5k speakers that were excellent. Spatials too....several others.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[highEndguy]

Day 2

[Mike]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080907.055918.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080915.322305.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080926.872926.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080936.605839.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080947.589696.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080955.389524.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080971.038910.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413080979.289332.jpg

Fun at the Audioshark dinner.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[veindoc]

Hope u r having fun. Were those Cabasse spheres?? Impressions
Any surprise unexpected winners
Thnx again
Nick

[Heckler75]

Day 2

Great shots, must be a blast.

How did the Raidho room sound, only the X1's only?

Cheers

[Heckler75]

Thanks guys, for all the shots and posting for the rest of us.

[Petro85]

wow loads and loads of pics!!!!! thank you!

[BlueFox]

Fun at the Audioshark dinner.

I need a real vacation. Maybe next year.

[BlueFox]

Booth babes were nice though!

No pics?

[Ritmo]

TY Mike and Nelson! Fantastic pictures. We really appreciate the coverage.

[Myles B. Astor]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...9286065&type=3

[highEndguy]

[highEndguy]

[highEndguy]

[highEndguy]

[highEndguy]

[Mike]

No pics?

Maybe tomorrow.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joeinid]

Thank you David.

Friends love the Berkeley DAC. I'd love to hear the Reference DAC. They make great sounding gear.

Joe
That is what Michael Ritter sad at Berkely. Also, the reason he is not at the show this weekend. I spoke with him Thursday and that is what he told me He didn't say all of them were the reference DACs but that is what we were talking about.

[joeinid]

Nelson/Mike,

You have to tell me more about this amp, holy cow!

Love it!

db40b169f6209e29c1adae44af896e4d.jpg1a2831d0b55cd915319a55e321e06aaa.jpg

[joeinid]

Thank you Myles for the coverage. Awesome photos!

[wisnon]

Nelson, do tell more about the Vapor and Spatial rooms, as well as the Consonance gear. Those look VERY interesting.

[Mike]

Nelson/Mike,

You have to tell me more about this amp, holy cow!

Love it!

db40b169f6209e29c1adae44af896e4d.jpg1a2831d0b55cd915319a55e321e06aaa.jpg

From what I could tell, nicely built as well. I spoke with Rachel (from Grant Fidelity) and the rep about the line. 845 SET. The amps sell for $6000/pair. Made in China.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wntrmute2]

Nelson/Mike,

You have to tell me more about this amp, holy cow!

Love it!

db40b169f6209e29c1adae44af896e4d.jpg1a2831d0b55cd915319a55e321e06aaa.jpg

That is one beautiful piece of art. Hopefully it sounds as sweet as it looks?

[highEndguy]

[highEndguy]

[Ritmo]

Nelson - I saw in an earlier post that you really liked the Bricasti DAC. Can you share your impressions? I heard it a year ago at RMAF and was very impressed.

[KeithR]

How was the Zu and Spatial rooms, dudes?

[mauidan]

Was anyone in the VAC room when this happened:

RMAF 2014: VAC versus the Real Thing | The Audio Traveler

[Mike]

How was the Zu and Spatial rooms, dudes?

Zu's are in three rooms. Two of the three sounded less than ideal. The third was "ok".

The Spatial room was simple and sounded pretty good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mep]

How was the Zu and Spatial rooms, dudes?

I heard several rooms that had Zu speakers and Zu speakers definitely have a sound. I think I understand why people who love only digital love Zu speakers (two brights don't make it wrong or something like that). I did get a chance to play a couple of LPs I brought with me in the Shroeder room so that was cool. Seriously, I will have to look at the notes I took because I did scribble some things down as I was listening to the Zu speakers.

I did make it to the Spatial room, but instead of playing music, the guy was just yakking it up with someone and my patience is about as long as a pecker on a gnat. Specially after hours of trudging from one room to the next and hearing far too many people running their jaws instead of playing or listening to music.

[rbbert]

I heard several rooms that had Zu speakers and Zu speakers definitely have a sound. I think I understand why people who love only digital love Zu speakers (two brights don't make it wrong or something like that). I did get a chance to play a couple of LPs I brought with me in the Shroeder room so that was cool. Seriously, I will have to look at the notes I took because I did scribble some things down as I was listening to the Zu speakers.

Interesting, because I have never seen or heard Zu's demo'ed with anything other than LP's!

[Bobolaclune]

Nelson - I saw in an earlier post that you really liked the Bricasti DAC. Can you share your impressions? I heard it a year ago at RMAF and was very impressed.

Mike

FWIW - I have the M1 & it is truly exceptional . It quickly saw off a Weiss DAC202, Auralic Vega , Wavelength Cosecant HS & a Bel Canto DAC3VBMKII in my listening comparisons . The thing that really stood out for me was image saturation - there just seemed more weight & body to instruments and vocals in my system . Runs a little to the dark side sonically , certainly warmer than my EMM DAC2X which probably has better detail retrieval and is more neutral in presentation. Build quality is off the charts , like early Mark Levinson. Customer support is exemplary . A real winner in my book though I should empahsise this is in my Study system - which is a near field setup with the VAC Phi Beta integrated and a pair of Tannoy Churchill Widebands which undoubtedly lent their own immersive signature.

[Mike]

Bob - yes, it sounded like a very nice DAC and I liked the built in preamp. At $9k it seemed priced right too. I think the Briscati room was one of the better overall sounding rooms. I will do my show report soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cmalak]

Mike

FWIW - I have the M1 & it is truly exceptional . It quickly saw off a Weiss DAC202, Auralic Vega , Wavelength Cosecant HS & a Bel Canto DAC3VBMKII in my listening comparisons . The thing that really stood out for me was image saturation - there just seemed more weight & body to instruments and vocals in my system . Runs a little to the dark side sonically , certainly warmer than my EMM DAC2X which probably has better detail retrieval and is more neutral in presentation. Build quality is off the charts , like early Mark Levinson. Customer support is exemplary . A real winner in my book though I should empahsise this is in my Study system - which is a near field setup with the VAC Phi Beta integrated and a pair of Tannoy Churchill Widebands which undoubtedly lent their own immersive signature.

Curious if you have tried the Bricasti DAC in your main rig and compared it to your EMM DAC with Q3s? Does it change in character from your office set-up. When I heard the Bricasti it was in an all Ayre chain (KX-R and MX-R) driving Sashas at a Wilson Audio demo and I must say in that system everything sounded resolving, neutral across the frequency band, and quite transparent and open. So just curious if your assessment of it leaning towards a darker presentation has more to do with the Tannoys and the VAC integrated

[Bobolaclune]

Curious if you have tried the Bricasti DAC in your main rig and compared it to your EMM DAC with Q3s? Does it change in character from your office set-up. When I heard the Bricasti it was in an all Ayre chain (KX-R and MX-R) driving Sashas at a Wilson Audio demo and I must say in that system everything sounded resolving, neutral across the frequency band, and quite transparent and open. So just curious if your assessment of it leaning towards a darker presentation has more to do with the Tannoys and the VAC integrated

Sorry - should have clarified . In my main rig - I pretty much got the same presentation through the Q3's . To my ears , the Bricasti almost had a tube-ish / borderline Class A kind of glow without any smearing or softening of image detail. A great piece.

[cmalak]

Thx for the follow up comments

[Myles B. Astor]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...9286065&type=1

[Ritmo]

Sorry - should have clarified . In my main rig - I pretty much got the same presentation through the Q3's . To my ears , the Bricasti almost had a tube-ish / borderline Class A kind of glow without any smearing or softening of image detail. A great piece.

Thx Bob! I've had this on my list for a possible replacement of my ARC DAC 8. Also considering the new Berkeley Ref - which does not appear to have being demoed at RMAF.

[Myles B. Astor]

Was anyone in the VAC room when this happened:

RMAF 2014: VAC versus the Real Thing | The Audio Traveler

Not there but we compared the tape vs Lyn today in the PranaFidelity room. The tape is coming home with me.

[Mike]

Not there but we compared the tape vs Lyn today in the PranaFidelity room. The tape is coming home with me.

You dog!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[joeinid]

I'd be more impressed if Lyn was, Ha! Just kidding.

Congratulations on a great score.

Not there but we compared the tape vs Lyn today in the PranaFidelity room. The tape is coming home with me.

[Paul]

Thanks again to Mike, Nelson and Myles for excellent coverage.

What would you say if you guys have to pick top 3 sounds rooms ? Regardless of price points. Thanks in advance

[Myles B. Astor]

Thanks again to Mike, Nelson and Myles for excellent coverage.

What would you say if you guys have to pick top 3 sounds rooms ? Regardless of price points. Thanks in advance

That and some other awards will be covered in my blog from Day 3. Stay tuned, should be up Tuesday. Promise some surprises.

[kiwi_1282001]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...9286065&type=1

Many thanks for the show report Myles.


Re Nola's / Carl's reference speakers I also share your wonder on just how such tiny woofers can produce such prodigious bass. Even further down the product range and in particular the KO I've been really impressed with the overall musicality of Nola speakers. I do have to smile when the speaker cables employed by Nola at these shows actually exceed the value of the speakers they are connected too.

[grubble]

I did make it to the Spatial room, but instead of playing music, the guy was just yakking it up with someone and my patience is about as long as a pecker on a gnat. Specially after hours of trudging from one room to the next and hearing far too many people running their jaws instead of playing or listening to music.

I hope that wasn't me since I was in the Spatial room earlier and was super curious about this for my home's family room. There was some music on and I thought it was a very coherent and clean sound.

The room that floored me was the Triode Corp 845 amps and Acoustic Zen speakers. Great emotion from that combination.