Syntax, your list is hilariously true!!
Axpona
I went to the audio show today and had a great time, but I must give kudos to Resolution Acoustics on the forth floor. A must listen set of rooms and my vote for best sounding rooms.
73 responses Add your response
Link To Cathedral Website. This is first place I would look if I had an extra $10 or less perhaps and a place for large horn speakers like these. |
Volti are gorgeous looking horns. I've heard them and liked them. The sound was definitely towards the warmer side that one often associates with box horn designs. If Cathedral speakers in Virginia is still around, take a look at those. I loved those when I heard them and a much better value than Volti. You'll either love or hate the looks though and they are not small. These were perhaps the best value larger horn designs that I have heard, last time I checked. Its been a couple years though and Cathedral is a small operation so not sure what the current status is. |
You all may be right, but strong conclusions were hard for me. A lot of rooms played too loudly (like MBL to get over the sound of the HVAC), so there was too much room interaction with sparse acoustic treatment. The antidote for the dry sound at Axpona, along with Volti, I think was Harbeth/Vinnie Rossi. They had that system really dialed in. Good sound is more careful execution and taste, and maybe not so much technical features, although those products have merit. And some like big Wilsons and YG I thought were outstanding. |
Yes, the Volti/Border Patrol and Muraudio rooms both sounded fine at Axpona. Ditto the new Legacy V. Among omnis I also liked the two MBL rooms with RTR sources-- though the smaller 116F on Jolida tube monoblocks amps seemed often to surpass the larger 111F on MBL 1000wpc Class A amps. By Sunday the gaps between many rooms had narrowed or closed. |
Hi Papermill, No question there are good and even excellent sounding systems at shows, I've heard my share. It's just that too many of the highly touted and often very costly components are actually disappointing to listen to. They have that artificial sound that Don described so well. I bet the Volti- Border Patrol room was very good and more natural sounding. Charles, |
Charles and Don, I concur. I was only at AXPONA for a few hours on Friday, which we all know is the usually the worst day of the an audio show. Of the couple of dozen rooms I visited, most were boring with the unfortunately typical "audiophile" sound, including the much discussed Magico. The exception to the rule was the Muraudio room, omni-directional electrostatics. I found them to be quite engaging - tonal balance with an expansive soundfield. And it is certainly true that I gravitate to my biased personal preferences, in which case I need to give a shout-out to the Volti/BorderPatrol room. For me, it was the much needed musical island of the show. |
Donc55, You are correct, that's my impression as well. I didn't bother with CES this year(after attending the previous two shows). I don't understand why that type of sound is seemingly the High End standard. It isn't a natural sound but rather a dry and sterile sound IMO. Don, I guess we hear alike. Charles, |
05-07-15: Don_c55 Absolutely right But it is the way it is and this is the "Standard" now (especially when the MSRP is high enough that the distributor can pay all ads with one sold item...followed by the usual Fanboys give support because they got something cheaper, not because it is good, they kneel in front of the price tags usually...) Understanding And Enjoying Audio Reviews When they say... (They mean ...) In spite of the measurement anomalies, this speaker is clearly a state-of-the-art product. ( It didn't SOUND broken when we gave it our top rating ) It was definitely borderline Class A. ( It isn't that good, but it's sooo expensive, and they're letting me keep it --- G-d I feel So cheap! ) Better than amps costing three times as much. ( I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I like the amp ) Light years ahead of the competition ( The competition won't give us a review sample ) Despite it's slight problems at the extremes, the products strong point was it's rendition of the all-important midrange. ( This thing has no bass and treble that actually hurts! ) We hire only the best writers. ( We'll hire any audiophile who recognizes a pencil two out of three tries ) This is an incomplete but promising design from a talented young designer. ( The product sucks but he has some money left in his advertising budget ) This product had me pulling one record after another from my collection. ( I listened to all five of my records ) The images in the soundstage had that elusive and seductive sense of palatable presence ( I haven't had sex since my wife left me and I'm starting to hallucinate ) This product lacks some of the subtle refinements we've come expect from a designer of this caliber. ( The product stinks but we don't want to piss off this famous manufacturer ) Better than amps costing three times as much ( I have no idea what I'm talking about, but I like the amp ) This preamp is the new reference ( We aint giving it back, and we aint paying' for it either ) |
It is interesting that all or most of the Axpona rooms mentioned in this thread are identified by the speakers heard. So it is always good to keep in mind that speakers alone make no sound when evaluating what one hears. Attributing everything to the speakers alone an easy trap to fall into. Its an error of omission mainly, but can be a misleading one when it happens. |
Essential audio, it's nice you have that attitude about your customers and treat them with respect. I wish more dealers in Southern California had that attitude. A lot of dealers out here are looking for the big fish. One in fact carries Magico and he won't give you the time of day unless you are looking to spend 6 figures on a system. He also works with one of the biggest charlatans in the business and endorses whatever this guru says. I won't mention names but if your into high-end audio in Southern California you probably know who I am talking about. |
Of course it should probably be pointed out that when you listen to speakers your really listening to everything in the system, for better or worse. Especially at the shows when manufacturers INSIST on showing new unbroken in equipment they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting excellent sound. Maybe they can get generic, so-so sound. If they're lucky. |
Milpai, Think Haiku without the poetry. The big Magicos sounded very good at Axpona, but no better than some others. One of the big surprises for me was how good the new Sonus Faber Lilium sounded in the ARC room. Some of this may have been due to the DS Audio optical cartridge that I think was on the TT. Other particularly impressive speakers included HHR Exotic Walsh type, Scaena Manhattan, new top Vapor, Kaiser, and Wilson Sabrina. |
Ebm, what do you have against dealers? I work very hard to help my customers understand, select, and enjoy their systems. Any problem becomes my problem to solve. The word 'no' isn't in my vocabulary unless the demand is clearly out of line. Customers receive the same respect and treatment in kind. You might try that approach. |
Ebm, you need to come to terms with the realization that not everyone shares your evangelical praise for Magico. The fact that you bring up the name unsolicited in many threads like some teenager shouting out a word in a crowd doesn't help your cause and credibility. You might just give it a rest. You sound as though you are looking for affirmation (Jack Handy?) that you're not going to get. |
"They do all the audiophile tricks but musical is not one of them." I guess its reasonable to call a speaker one does not care for not musical. If they were, then you would probably like them. Meanwhile someone else things they are the most musical. Go figure. Just talk it up to personal tastes. Some would think Kate Upton is not beautiful while to many she is the cat's meow. Is there anything in this world everyone likes? Fresh air I suppose. Can't think of much else. I've heard Magicos and thought them to sound quite good and very musical. Just too expensive for me mainly and I probably like other less expensive speakers better. |
No, he used to have Acoustic Zen Crescendo's which were killer. He switched to Magico 7 something and system sounds flat to me . Lamm pre is not as musical as my EE Avant IMO. Last week he told me he's thinking about some German speaker that cost 110K , I disremember which . I'm a retired HS teacher Crescendos are a reach for me and are too big for my condo anyway. I set myself a 10K limit on my system for religious reasons though I've spent much more over the years. |
Schubert - Could it be that you prefer your own system to your friend's much more costly one, since you're used to it and you know what a good value it provides? From another perspective, does your friend agree with your assessment? From your statement that your system sounds much better than your friend's, it is given as an absolute fact. Is that really what you meant? I'm not trying to give you a hard time, just want to better understand your thoughts. |
