- Posted by dave garretson (A) on May 12, 2007 at 11:12:29
This was my first hi-end show & quite a revelation. It's good to see 2-channel audio alive and well in a dedicated show. But I was disappointed by the sound in many rooms. I'm sure in some cases this was due to room effects. Few exhibitors bothered with treatments, and it's probably no coincidence that the few who did generally sounded good.Best in show: Scaena Iso-Linear Speakers with subs & Memory CDP. The speakers are incredibly airy, detailed, seamless & natural, with a silky treble and magnificent grip on visceral LF.
Honorable mention: Lamm/Wilson, Magico, Kubotek Haniwa, Merlin/ARS. The Magico V3 is open, detailed, fast & neutral, though a bit pale in LF. Merlins sounded much better than they had any right to, driven by a neat little $4K ARS integrated tube amp. Haniwa horns with DSP were refined but way too pricy. Mr. Lamm has a perfect ear & the Watt/Puppies complemented his electronics except for a slight loss of precision in the mid-bass. Other good rooms included Reimyo & Eggleston/Rogue.
Biggist let-downs: MBL (dimensional presentation but hard & aggressive midrange), Burmester (detailed & fast but hard & aggressive mid-treble), Krell (boomy all through the bass & midrange).
Bizarro award: Cabasse Sphere(huge uncontrolled bass from a gigantic sci-fi eyeball.)
Most NY moment: Andy Singer as audio tastemaster. His long, progressive demo through four connected rooms included some decent equipment (Peak, Brinkman, VTL, Zanden), hobbled by egotistical pronouncements to the large captive audience, and a bum's rush out of the high-end room after exhausting delays in the price-point rooms. It was good to have Yamada-san personally present a complement of Zanden equipment. Singer's uber-room of Zanden, VTL, Brinkman sounded quite fine. The Escalante speakers in this room had a glorious treble & midrange, but a somewhat old-fashioned reflex-sounding LF. However, very difficult to judge well in a packed room.
The show is about more than demoing audio gear. But given the decline in brick & motor emporiums, this is about as good as it gets
