The mysterious 64 Audio “Y” earphone was one of the best sounds I’ve heard from an IEM.
The world-renowned Danacable A/B station. HiFiMAN HE-1000 V2s with Dana Robbin’s new prototype headphone amp. Danacable is known for making the best Focal Utopia headphone cables. It’s also one of the better sounding headphone stations at the show.
Going back and forth between the Utopia and Clear…the Utopia remains king. However, at half the price, I wouldn’t mind just sticking with the Clear. It has a warmer and more involving sound. It gave me that “Meze 99 Classics” feel. It’s going to be an amazing well-rounder in the headphone space.
E-MU Wood Headphones: Different wood, different look, different sound…
The Crosszone CZ-1 does better than any crossfeed circuit I’ve tried. While listening to familiar tracks, it reminded me of real-world 2-channel listening. I’m hoping to get one in for review.
Limited Edition Emerald Green TH-900 MK.2
These KSE1500 electrostatic earbuds are the real deal. Amazing speed, transparency, and musicality.
The new Mason and Mentor V3 will allow you to swap to silver or copper cable…with the same cable. Mind…blown.
The Aeon Flow Open headphones paired with the Chord Hugo 2 was a delightful combination.
Lampizator Pacific DAC Debut (Price TBA) – Gorgeous sounding especially when paired with the Salk Song3 Encore ($5,895).
SOtM’s new master clock…
The Synergistic Research Active Ground Block was the star of Ted Denney’s demonstration. Noise floor drops tremendously and provides better layering and clarity overall. If you haven’t heard a full loom SR system, make sure you check it out at the next show. We’ll be interviewing all things Synergistic very soon.
Synergistic Research 25th Anniversary power cord – Only 100 will be made, each priced at $20,000. O_O
Magico M6 ($172,000) – Exquisite. I have to tour their factory one of these days.
Aurum Cantus Melody M-103 SE ($1,800/pair) with Ginkgo Audio Super-ARCHs ($399). One of the better sounding setups at the show with a total system value of only $5,000. Superbly free-flowing, creamy rich vocals, weighty bass without interfering with the rapid rhythms. Like the Spendor + Hugo 2 setup, I was surprised and delighted by the price/performance ratio of the Aurum Cantus.
Thank you for the Kind words about our room being the biggest surprise! Quicksilver amps as an important part of the system! The Spendor speakers are A4 not D4 – they are a fun captivating speaker. Sorry we did not have any components with zirconium !
I’ve corrected the typo. Thank you for setting up such an enjoyable listening experience. 🙂
Beautiful photo’s, thanks!
Amazing show report – so many pictures!
Agreed, Stereophile writers are so full of themselves with their blathering prejudicial adjectives, which room, music or presenter didn’t strike their fancy, not giving systems a chance to redeem themselves, lousy photography, plus the endless model numbers and price listing’s make for a difficult translation of experience.
Your approach is uplifting and positive for it’s been said “a picture tells a thousand words”.
I appreciate that David. I think these show reports are complementary across all the other publications. We’re just trying to paint an insightful picture for our readers. Luckily I don’t have “assignments” and post whatever I think will bring more value to my readers. I personally feel it’s difficult to isolate which component you’re hearing in the room. I could make a speaker sound warmer or brighter with a swap of a power cable. That’s why the Synergistic Research and Nordost demos were so enlightening, adding/removing one component at a time. This also applies to headphones. However, when a system sounds great notwithstanding these show conditions, that’s when I zoom in. 🙂
Great photos! I appreciate all the details as well. I hope you don’t mind if I repost a few with credit.
Be my guest, Will! Really enjoyed the ZOTL10 Mk.II at this show and your headphone amp with the ZMF headphones and HD650s at a previous show. I believe it was a San Diego cable booth.
I was at the show and thought the best speakers were the Lumen White, Monitor Audio, Tekton DIs, Revels, and the B&O powered speakers. The Micromega all in one system was very impressive. Thanks for the nice show report.
Thanks, Rob. I spent a bit of time in the Micromega room as well. Impressive sound for such a minimalistic setup. He also demoed the effects of the IsoAcoustic Gaia(?). The Lumen White had a realism I didn’t hear in most rooms.
Hi,
Just to say sincere thanks for all your efforts – the best coverage of RMAF so far.
I do some reviewing myself (for 6moons) and I would love to have been there myself, but the 4.5k miles that lie between Glasgow and Denver proved a flight too far, at least this time around.
Interesting too to see Gryphon touching down in the States. I worked at their sole UK dealership for six years so I know the brand inside out. Also, it’s always nice to read about Tannoy sounding good in far flung places, because the factory is just a ten minute stroll from my front door.
Finally & coincidentally – we share a favourite in Springbank 21; seriously it’s been my #1 dram for many years. Although I more often ‘make do’ with the 15yr old if funds are tight, which is to say usually!
All the very best.
Hey Bill, you know what they say, great whiskey palates have great ears. 😉 I was impressed with rich textures of the Gryphons at the show. Tannoys have a similar sweet and meaty tone. Never been to Glasgow but you’re very close to ALL the whiskey action. I’ll plan a trip to Scotland one of these days. Let me know which show you’ll be attending next and we’ll hang.
Any trip to Scotland and I’ll happily be your whisky guide, absolutely. And if I do make it to the States I will definitely give you a shout. Keep up the good work. All the very best.
Jay
Your observations and kind words for the Merging Technologies room reflect some of the same comments we received from many music lovers as they visited our room. Thanks for taking the time
Mike
HI,
On behalf on VANA, the North American Distributor for Audio Physic, thank you for visiting our room and pointing out the beautiful Avantera III Loudspeakers:)
Nancy Weiner
Managing Director
VANA, Ltd
and the CODEX!