|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
24.52.191.253
In Reply to: RE: CAS 0214: final thoughts posted by the old school on August 24, 2014 at 11:11:46
As the exhibitor I had many many attendees state clearly they considered it to be the best room at the show. Many came back again and again, and stayed long periods of time with eyes closed and smiles on their faces. Lovers of planar speakers are said to be a minority in the audiophile community, approximately 15%. Clearly you are not part of that group. Sound Labs are considered by many to be the finest of all electrostatics.JVS's status as a very credible and respected reviewer is undeniable. Accusing him of being deaf is absurd.
I will agree with you that the room was much too small for the Majestics. They would have done far better in a much larger room. Additionally, the almost square dimensions (20X21) are considered awful for good sound reproduction. Placing the speakers on a diagonal, with the seating at the opposite corner helped tame the pronounced slap echo of the room, but still was far from ideal.
Edits: 08/24/14 08/24/14 08/24/14 08/24/14 08/24/14Follow Ups:
Well, what do YOU think listening at 100+ dB does for your hearing? Lots of people at the show agreed with me about the dull sound in the Sound Labs room. I suspect that the digital source and horribly small room were responsible for the poor sound. Yes, of course, IMO. Actually, I have always loved planar speakers like the Magnepans and the King electrostatic. I admire the way planar speakers, at their best, can image. BTW, YOU admit that the room was too small and of poor dimensions. I have heard "Stolen Moments" hundreds of times, and it never sounded boring before. I'm sure the Sound Labs can sound vastly better than they did at the show. See my comment above about the necessity of matching room dimensions and associated equipment.
Here is another point of view which should be read:
http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2014/08/23/cas-2014-ayre-and-marantz-join-9-of-sound-lab/
I heard the Sound Labs on Friday and Sunday mornings. The sound was similar: dull, bloated with no touch or impact. Perhaps it was the room, the time of day or the source (were they playing compressed digital?). Whatever, I hated this room. But remember, my second least favorite room at the 2013 CAS was based on an Audio Note E speaker. This year my Favorite room was based on the AN E! The sound in these two rooms could not have been more different. In the 2013 Audio Note room the sound was very similar to what I heard in this year's Sound Lab room. In this year's Music First room, with an AN E speaker, the sound was similar to the Teresonic room at the 2010 CAS (my favorite room at that show). Jack Roberts has said that the Music First people actually reenforced the walls of the room to improve the sound! It goes back to my list of potential problems at audio shows: poor rooms, less than ideal matching of components, and hearing music at widely different SPLs. Add to that less than ideal source material, especially crapy digital. I suspect that the Sound Labs would sound much better given a much bigger room (with better walls) and a good analogue source.
As for what some audio critic says, think about the tiny number of times you read a review that slams a piece of equipment.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: