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Salagar @ CES
| Permalink | Hard Drive Servers , Show Superstars , Speakers $5k-10k , Systems $5k-$10k , Vegas 08 , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on Feb 05 '08
seen and heard @ CES, part I
Mastertape dubs from Quinton / AAA and The TapeProject
Who’d have thunk it? It’s 2008, music servers are knocking on everyone’s door; iTunes is quickly becoming the norm for music purchases; vinyl records, especially 45rpm double disc editions, are selling like hot cakes and yet two companies are embarking on travels to even higher esoteric grounds: real time duplicated reel to reel mastertape dubs!
Indeed, you heard right – mind you these have nothing in common with pre-recorded tapes of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s (mass dupe'd at typically 30x (!) normal speed, hit or miss sonics) – no sir, these are pristinely produced reference quality (is there any other?) tapes duplicated with the best possible machines and mastering labs.
Both Quinton / AAA (Austrian high-end label from Vienna in collaboration with the AnalogAudioAssociation from Germany) and TapeProject (Paul Stubbelbine, Dan Schmalle and Michael Romanowski) make these dubs available on RMGI SM468 tape, in ¼” width recorded with the CCIR/IEC eq curve and 2mm track gap at 15ips speed for best possible sound.
Tapes were seen and heard at the Luxman/Vivid room Mirage
Suites (Studer A80 w/ Doc Bottlehead custom electronics), EAR/Tim d.Paravicini custom
electronics Technics RS-1500, FIM and Kubala-Sosna/Kharma room as well as
several others. Rumor has it that
next year a dedicated tape room will be available
for all to see and witness… wow!
The six Quinton / AAA titles (2 10” reels per title)
currently available (though to be dramatically expanding their catalog this
year) are modern day audiophile jazz recordings. Artistically, these are what I would classify as
contemporary jazz recordings by such artists as Sabina Hank, Joe Locke, Ed
Howard and many others. Sound
quality is simply stunning to say the least. Everything you have heard about the sound of mastertapes is
true – I personally compared the sound of the six titels to their respective
compact disc counterparts on my system and can tell you that the discs have
absolutely zero chance against the superior tapes. The best of the best!
The TapeProject on the other hand (also 2 tapes per title), went the route of actually reissuing classical, rock, pop and jazz titles, ten of which are available as of this writing. Applause is to be given to these guys for I know that securing the rights to these titels (Saxopone Colossus, Waltz for Debby, Symphonic Dances from Reference Recordings, etc.) could not have been easy to do. Sound wise these are the definitive versions to be had as was aptly demonstrated in various rooms at CES. I am not kidding: you won’t find better versions of these classic recordings anywhere from anyone – period.
There is only one downside to these elaborate and time consuming works of art: cost. At roughly $300+ a title
(yes, both labels offer subscription models with certain discounts if you commit to buying a set), these master recordings aren’t cheap. Add to that cost a well maintained or reconditioned consumer or pro deck ($1000 to $10000+) and you quickly see how expensive this proposition is. Alas, for people who want the best, there is nothing better! Full reviews scheduled shortly! (Joe Kubala holding Quinton's Kyoto and giving it the ol' Thumbs up, way up!)
iPhone
Yep, I don’t think I have seen a higher iPhone density at any other time or place since its launch in late June. It looks as though just about everyone had one! Surprisingly, foreigners sprung tons of iPhones, which means they either a) bought them legit through their international carriers, or b), bought them in the US (what with the instant 40% discount you get these days with the dollar being so low) and unlocked them through third party apps.
This tremendous iPhone density perhaps explains some of the hick-ups I’ve noticed during my visit: sporadic internet access restrictions; iPhone’s striking visual voicemail not working properly; missed calls (and voicemails) not showing up until the next day; etc. Meanwhile, someyoungguy who ran around with an ATT badge claimed to a friend of his that iPhone now accounts for 80-90% of continued internet traffic read: website usage on ATT’s GSM system – staggering numbers if true, since iPhone has been on sale today for exactly 200 days.
Several audio & music demos I came across featured iPhone’s as the source, or at least, people who had brought theirs had asked the iPhone be used for music playback. Wow!
I get a kick thinking back to what all naysayers had professed 6 months ago “iPhone? No one will buy one, its too expensive!” I think Apple has a winner on their hands!
Stay tuned for part II…
COMMENTS (1) | Permalink | Show Superstars , USB Audio , Vegas 08 , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on Jan 16 '08
Modwright keeps on rockin' @ CES!
It’s 1:15pm Thursday afternoon… I have to make it to Dan Wright’s room before they are all packed up and ready to go back home. John: have you seen Dan Wright? “No, but check his room, I think someone is in there now” Ok, off to the other corridor, down the hallway… Yes! Dan is in the room…
I have known Dan pretty much since the beginning of my career at PFO, some 6+ years ago. Back then (and for some time to come), Dan was the go-to person to have your Sony CD/SACD player modified. His modifications were truly original and impressive. Stock Sony players sounds ok, but Dan was somehow able to get SO much more performance out of them, it was quite funny actually. Many well-known high profile ‘philes ended up going the route of Modwright. Even back then I knew that Dan was going to be going places – success stories like Dan are what make this industry so much fun and inspirational. A guy in his garage… Now where did I hear that before… oh… right, Apple!
Goodie, Goodie, Dan sure knows how to create superb products that are of great value. Take for example the Transporter (read my review of the stock unit right here at SF). A great music streaming “player” to begin with, Dan ads his proprietary tube based analog output stage to create a reference level playback monster that feels home in most anyone’s system. A full review is scheduled as soon as my Transporter gets the proprietary vitamins and upgrades, so stay tuned!
Speakers of choice for Dan were Emerald Physic’s striking looking RED speakers, all linked up to Dan’s very own reference level pre-amp and phono stage; while a smashing looking Red Point Audio BLUE model D was the analog source of choice. I didn’t have time to spin my own demo disc, but what sound I did hear was very good indeed. Dynamic, nicely extended and superb focus (which is what Emerald’s do rather well) the sound was my kind of thang. Job well done Dan! Here’s to many, many more years of success and good fortunes!
For more info, contact Dan Wright @ www.modwright.com
| Permalink | DAC mods , DACs $1k to 5k , Show Superstars , Tube Pre-Amps , Vegas 08 , Writer: Danny Kaey | Posted by Danny Kaey on Jan 14 '08
Vegas 08: Devore Fidelity and Vegas After Hours
Save the best for last, I'm told. I'm glad I did. By the time I arrived at Devore's monkey house, CES show-goers were already heading for the airport with hangovers and broken eardrums leaving me plenty of quiet time to listen to my demo disc on Devore's big Silverback speakers.
The night before, John (Devore), John (Halpern of Shindo, EMT, Leben), John (Hughes of VRS), Mike Lavorgna (6Moons) and I partied at the "Not For Sale" mini-rave among other hip hi-fi manufacturers, dealers and journalists. The NFS guys are weekend alcohol alchemists, crafting liquor from a variety of exotic ingredients (the active element in absinth being one).
John (one of the three, don't exactly remember) put a small plastic shot glass filled with glowing liquid in my hand and said, "Yo, you gotta try this!" I was about to knock it back like the good post frat boy I am, but they were like, "No, man, sip it." I later found out another main ingredient was Everclear. Upon reflection, either that little shot was liquid plutonium or John, John, John and Mike are the funniest people in hi-fi. Or both.
Check out Jon's (Iverson of Stereophile) great shots (2, 3) of the NFS room complete with trippy FX lighting. Sadly, I wasn't able to grab a pic of the hot tub filled with beer, wine and hard alcohol on ice. Next year I'll make sure I bring my camera and stay conscious long enough to snap some shots. Who said audiophiles are boring? Vegas After Hours is what hi-fi is all about.
As for the sound in the Devore room, well, it was one of the most enjoyable at the show. The sound falls roughly into the Smooth group -- absolutely zero harsh, etched, nasty notes while offering worlds of bass and attack. Power to the Devore Silverback Reference speakers ($15k) was provided by a beefy Ayre amp rather than low watt tubes of years past.
Where the show's euro Intense-style speakers have a cooler presentation and sharper dynamics, the Devore's sound was warmer and far more friendly. Compared to Refined-type speakers, the Devores offered a more lively midrange, especially on vocals. It's just a different style, one that I particularly like. It's up to you, of course, what kind of sound you prefer, but now I finally understand why Devore speakers are often called "high performance everyday speakers." There are only a handful of speakers that, to my ears, are designed with a lifestyle in mind -- Devore's are clearly designed with a love of the good life.
Check out our Devore gallery for more pics of the big system and the new Gibbon 5 LCR speakers featuring coax drivers using the same woofer from the Gibbon 8. The 5.1, with their double ports, are said to put out bass equal to the bigger 8. Pictured above are the Gibbon Nines next to the Gibbon Super 8.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Posted to Show Superstars | Speakers $10k-20k | Speakers $5k-10k | Vegas 08
Vegas 08: Acoustic Plan Super System
Award time. The Acoustic Plan system, featuring Acoustic Plan's Veena speakers ($28k), Sarod preamp ($13000), Santor power amp ($11000) and Vadi CD player ($TBA) was one of the most impressive and talked about demos at the show. Shooting the breeze with one big name reviewer, I was told I had to check out that "open baffle thing with lowther drivers." I'm glad I followed his advice. Alas, great sound comes with a steep price tag.
SOUND
The sound style falls into the Emotional category, leaning towards the Smooth group. The sound from the Lowther drivers and hybrid amps was warm and friendly with the signature non-fatiguing dynamics the Emotional and Smooth fans love.
The entire presentation was seamless from top to bottom and not at all what one would expect from a Lowther-based system of this kind. While there were plenty of the traits that single driver fans desire, serious work has gone into taming the white cone's issues and handling music in all genres. The sound was fast and detailed and offered that signature musical midrange. The tube hybrid amplification and mechanical qualities of the drivers did a fine job of compensating for the nastiness in some of my torture tracks without sacrificing clarity and detail.
Naturally, the entire system -- from Acoustic Plan Veena speakers to CD players and amps -- works together harmoniously. Component synergy exists and the Acoustic Plan system will have people rethinking a life component-swapping madness.
TECH TALK
The slim Veena speakers are open baffles featuring 6" Lowther drivers, the hallmark of emotional systems, combined with four 10" powered woofers (a passive version is also available). The active system runs at 96dB while the passive version drops to 88dB, both with an 8 ohm impedance. The bass can be adjusted, though it's not as customizable as a full-blown sub (and nowhere near a DSP system). No frequency specs are listed, but the dipole-radiating subs reach low enough to be highly satisfying. The bass was also of a smooth, fast quality unique to dipole systems. A smaller speaker called the "Avarta" is also available and features double 10" woofers and the same 6" Lowther.
The Santor amp is a hybrid system with 50 MOS-FET watts and tubes in the signal path. The preamp and CD player are both tube-based and feature some of the classiest chassis construction around.
Big pics next page...
Permalink | | Posted to Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Systems | Systems $50k-$100k | Vegas 08
RMAF 07: Acoustic Zen
Another room that received a lot of great attention was Acoustic Zen. Their new $12k Crescendo is gunning to replace the very best speakers from other Refined-type companies like Wilson and Genesis. All drivers are custom creations featuring an unusual short coil/long gap magnet structure. Like the less expensive and wildly popular Adagios, the Crescendos feature transmission-line bass loading and massive cabinets.
Halco provided the components. It's hard to say how each piece sounded, but the overall sound was definitely Refined and some of the very best at the show. If the comments at the show are any indication, expect to see people saying, "I replaced my far more expensive XYZ speakers with Acoustic Zen!"
Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $10k-20k
RMAF 07: Sonicweld $99k Super System
Paging Kanye West: Your new speakers are here. At $99k, the Sonicweld system has enough polished aluminum to out-bling Bugatti. And with active x-over, room correction and amazing sound, the Sonicweld system was the best Precise-type room at the show.
Being the nosey guy I am, I asked everyone I ran into what their favorite room was. Sonicweld came up a number of times usually accompanied with arm waving and copious gushing. Taste is subjective, of course, but the Sonicweld's Precise-type sound was simply seductive. The speed of the 2" midrange array was incredibly fast with class-leading definition between notes. The sound wasn't too cool or sharp or etched, just perfectly flat and amazingly revealing. Those who like their sound colored, look elsewhere. But for those with a love of absolute accuracy (and have a recording contract at Aftermath), put Sonicweld at the top of your list.
Sonicweld is located in Utah (along with 50% of the other high-end speaker manufacturers) and sells direct with in-home installation and optimization. $99k is steep, but the man behind Sonicweld Josh Heiner revealed there's a new system in the works. Once he's finished milling his current backorder of super systems, he's going to get down to a sub $10k system for the rest of us.
TECH TALK
The speakers are 4-ways with a silk dome tweeter, six 2" titanium midrange drivers and six 4" aluminum woofers. Double outboard 12" subs are in separate enclosures. Unusual for Precise-type speakers, the titanium drivers run wide-range while the six woofers are bipoles firing forward and backward. All drivers feature individual ICEpower amplification controlled by a DEQX digital crossover and room correction unit. And that's just the beginning, check out their website for all the tech that goes into these amazing speakers.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $20k and up | Systems | Systems $50k-$100k
RMAF 07: Vivid/Luxman Super System
If you've ever heard or read about Vivid speakers, know that the sound at RMAF was completely different. At past shows, Vivid has demoed with a variety of gear (Pathos is the one I can recall), but this time, Vivid was matched up with Luxman equipment, both companies now under the wing of On a Higher Note by Philip O'Hanlon (whose past projects saw the launch of Halcro into the big time).
Talk about synergy. The Vivid K1 speakers ($20k/pair) with the Luxman L-590A II integrated ($9000) were simply out of this world good. Flushed out with a Weiss Jason CD player, the total system cost comes out to roughly $40k.
Philip is one man who loves the system-centric approach. He picked up these two brands simply because of the amazing synergy. Philip is packaging the smaller Vivid speakers and a Luxman integrated for a package price of $15k and marketing it to doctors, lawyers and rockstars everywhere.
MusicGiants, of lossless downloading fame, was a joint exhibitor in this room. After I played my demo track, Philip smiled and said, "You have to hear this." The sample tracks he put on simply blew my mind. What was the deal? Hi-rez tracks downloaded from MusicGiants and burned onto a DVD-A. Philip wanted to have a direct computer connection to play these hi-rez tracks, but the rig didn't arrive. While SACD and DVD-A may be dying a quick death, computer-based hi-rez playback could very well be the glorious future we've all hoped for.
As for the system sound, everyone I talked to said this system was unlike anything they've heard from Vivid before and, while past Vivid rooms weren't anything to talk about, most everyone I talked to raved about the new Vivid/Luxman super system. Interestingly, Vivid/Luxman is placed in the Vivid group on the Sonic Circle. I didn't name the categories with Vivid in mind and the speakers could very well be in another group. But the Vivid/Luxman system together provided one of the absolutely best Vivid-type demos at the show.
Vivid, if you know anything about this South African company, has its roots in famed Brit company Bowers & Wilkins. While some of the Vivid tech is derived from the B&W Matrix/Nautilus stable, to me, the Vivid speakers, both at this show and shows past, sound nothing like the B&W 800 series. B&W has a very distinct sound, and Vivid exhibits none of these characteristics.
Luxman is a classic Japanese company, recently revamped with new lines of solid state and tube components. I've heard the new Luxman MQ-88 amp (KT88 tubes) outside of the show and the sound is, upon first blush, a really great and unique Vivid-style sound. It's unlike any other tube gear I've heard before and, to play Nostradamus for a second, will really appeal to a lot of the new school American hi-fi fans who are gravitating towards this kind of rich and powerful sound.
TECH TALK
Vivid has some very interesting tech behind it. First, the driver compliment. The Vivid K1 is a 3.5-way speaker with all custom aluminum drivers. What you can't see is the two additional woofers on the back side, putting out frequencies below 100Hz. The front woofers mirror the back woofers, but run all the way up to 900Hz to mate with the midrange dome (which, in turn, runs up to 4kHz).
As for construction, the "cabinets" are "carbon fiber loaded polyester compound." While I'm a little rusty on my polyester compounds, this method creates a cabinet with walls that vary in thicknesses to kill cabinet resonances. Additionally, like a sports car shaped in a wind tunnel, the Vivids are shaped to virtually disappear from driver reflections that would otherwise be bouncing off of the hard edges of a traditional box cabinet.
Interestingly, the Vivid K1 speakers are rated at 89dB sensitivity (6 ohms) while the Luxman pure class-A L-590A II integrated amp puts out all of 30 watts into 8 ohms. The system had no right to sound as powerful and full as it did. I hung out in the Vivid/Luxman room on two occasions and people would come in and say, "Wow! So how many watts is that amp?" And Philip O'Hanlon would tell them, and then smile as their faces contorted in confusion. There's something funky going on inside the Luxman amp. Check out the website for all the tech talk you can handle and expect to see the L-590A II winning all kinds of awards from around the interwebs.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to Integrated Amp $6k to 10k | RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $20k and up | Systems | Systems $20k-$50k
RMAF 07: Sjofn Guru AV Speaker System
If you haven't heard of the Sjofn (pronounced: "shoe-fen") Guru system yet, be prepared for reviews coming your way from every magazine. In fact, SonicFlare's own Robert Learner has the Guru system in home. So what's the big deal? Big bass, little box. Believe me, you've never heard deeper bass from a smaller cabinet (or driver) before. The best part is the Guru is designed as a system. Combine huge bass, small size and great sound for $3000 and you have yourself a Show Superstar.
First of all, Sjofn Hi-Fi is the Swedish parent company putting together the pieces: the Guru QM10 speakers ($1995), Xindak integrated and CD player ($400 each), and Supra cables for a package price of $3000. At RMAF, they also showed their $9,995 QM40 speakers with Xindak equipment for their $14k system. Speakers shown were either matte or gloss black, though other colors will be available in the future. Additionally, I was told by Sjofn's finance man that a number of retail stores are in the works with the first in the Denver and the next in Vegas. Single-brand hi-fi stores are a rarity, but if anyone can do it, it'll be the Sjofn.
When I came into the room, the Guru guys were probably thinking I, like everyone else, had an audiophile demo disc to play. But when my bass heavy tracks came on, their eyes lit up. They were pretty confident about putting out big bass, so I said, "We'll see about that -- crank the suckers up!" After a moment, however, the volume was so high, one of the Guru crew told me I was getting close to "blowing up the speakers." He then said something in Swedish to his coworker who turned the volume down to normal human levels. But before they got a chance to tame the system, I snuck up to the little 5" driver and found it bouncing back and forth more than any 5" driver I've seen before.
In terms of sound, the system falls into the Intense camp (with a slight lean towards the Refined group). The system was cool instead of warm, but not so cool as to turn people off. There's obvious system synergy going on between the Guru speakers and Xindak gear. The differences between the $3k and $14k systems were, clearly, bass output, but also definition in notes and overall clarity. As for how each of the components sound, we'll just have to wait and see.
TECH TALK
So how does Guru work its magic? As you can see from the pictures, the speakers are pushed back against the front wall. Play with any speaker for a few minutes and you know the closer to the front wall, the bigger the bass. Also, the closer you sit to the back wall, the bigger the bass.
Now, positively utilizing room gain is nothing new -- Linn did it back in the day, as well as a few other manufacturers at RMAF. But the Guru speakers are the smallest, most powerful I've ever heard. Looking at the speaker the first thought that came to mind was "transmission line." No, I was told, speakers are, in fact, bass reflex with a special design rather than the hole-in-box approach.
Of course, if everyone could get monster bass from pushing their speakers against the wall, they would. So what are the trade offs? The reason the majority of manufacturers design their speakers for mid-room placement is to tame room reflections and increase sound stage. Guru deals with the room reflection issues in a couple of ways. As you can see from the picture below, the front wall is covered with sound-sucking foam. Guru designer Ingvar Ohman explained that high frequency reflections are the major issue with close-wall placement and taking the reflections out of the game is the only way to go.
As for sound stage, while it's hard to tell from the picture, the speakers are slightly farther apart than typical speaker setups and, most importantly, toed in so the tweeter axis converge a few feet in front of the listener. Again, this is nothing new (Audio Kinesis does this) but the effect is really obvious: awesome sound stage with depth, width and, interestingly, stable imaging for any position in the room. Ingvar explained that when you sit, say, to the left of center, the right speaker, now pointing directly at you, sends out a higher, faster frequency that compensates for the delay from the other speaker. While I've never heard it explained like that before, the results speak for themselves.
There is only one trade off that may be a sticking point. The $2000 Guru QM10 doesn't have the clarity and definition as other speakers in this class. My guess is that since the woofers are forced to work extra hard to get the bass, the midrange frequencies lose definition relative to other speakers with less excursion. Ideally, a speaker would have all frequencies coming from the same plane. But when you have a driver with, say, an inch of excursion, the mid frequencies from one moment to the next may be offset by as much as an inch. It's not as if you're experiencing Doppler effect, it's just that the Gurus aren't as defined as other speakers in the same class.
Overall, the Gurus are brilliantly engineered and sound fantastic. While the black cabinets don't scream luxury hi-fi, the Gurus are the ticket for people wanting killer sound without big boxes and huge bass without subwoofers.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Posted to RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $1k-2k | Speakers $5k-10k | Systems | Systems $1000-$5000
RMAF 07: Salagar $7999 Super Speakers
One of my new favorite speakers at the show comes from the new kid on the block, Salagar Speakers. Their Symphony S210 monitors, at $7999, sounded so good, they're taking home the SonicFlare Superstar award for top Precise-type room.
Other than the funky shape, the Salagar S210s feature a bevy of technology. First of all, they're powered with double 200 watt ICEpower modules nestled inside the jellybean enclosures and mated directly to the drivers. Additionally, the speakers feature an "active digital crossover/controller" called X-ACT. X-ACT processes inbound signals at 24bits/96KHz and digitally splits the signal between the 1" tweeter and 10" woofer. X-ACT also features simple room correction controls for tweaking the bass.
The speaker construction and build quality is first rate. Color options are as wide as the rainbow and you can, if you dare, order the front baffles dressed up in leather, 24k gold or mother-of-pearl.
The rest of the system included only the E.A.R. Acute CD player ($5500) with integrated volume control. This system, with just a source and speakers, is as simple as they come and the sound was excellent in part because of the simplicity. Everything is made to work together harmoniously, and the sound was fast and powerful with all the Precise-type qualities but with a touch of warmth. Really great stuff.
Almost as interesting as the speakers is the company behind it. Salagar showed with a double room and I had a chance to speak to both the designers, the marketing man and a variety of other people in the company. Salagar isn't a mom-and-pop operation, but a strong company run by some very intelligent and savvy gents. Keep an eye out for these guys as they quickly expand their product line.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Posted to RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $5k-10k | Systems | Systems $10k-$20k
RMAF 07: RL Acoustic + Opera $19k Super System
RL Acoustique partnered with Opera Consonance for an absolutely fantastic Emotional-style room. So good, in fact, their $19,200 system gets my vote for the top Emotional system at the show. The sound was warm and smooth like a world-class Emotional system should be. But the RL Lamhorns ($9500/pair) were also amazingly fast without a lot of the bizarre frequency anomalies that typically turn people away from single driver speakers.
The new Consonance Mini Droplet CD Player ($2500) includes integrated volume and remote while their monoblock amps are the Consonance Cyber 300B ($7200/pair). If you've never seen any of the Cyber series amps up close, just know they're absolutely gorgeous. For the style conscious, the Droplet/Cyber combo is an instant conversation starter (the good kind of conversation).
TECH TALK
The RL Acoustique Lamhorns champion the AER MK-1 driver. German AER has made a name for itself in DIY circles as the better-than-Lowther alternative, offering multiple magnet configurations and, interestingly, a field-coil driver. The Opera Cyber amps feature 300B tubes in Single Ended Parallel configuration. The entire Cyber line offers different amps for many flavors of the best tubes out there: 845/211, 300B (in SET, parallel and push/pull configs), and EL34.
Permalink | | Posted to Amplifiers $6k to 10k | Disc players $2 to $5k | RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Speakers $5k-10k | Systems | Systems $10k-$20k
GamuT L-9 Super System $140k
GamuT takes the cake for the best Intense system at the show. The new L-9 super speakers, at $114k a pair, are like big Mercedes AMG sedans. Massive power, dynamics and styling that no one will mistake for anything but the very best hi-fi has to offer. The entire GamuT system complete with GamuT's excellent solid state electronics runs a cool $140k. So it's either a new Mercedes S65 or a GamuT system, your call.
GamuT's room was the biggest at the show and appropriate for the size of the speakers. Other manufacturers tried to stuff massive boxes into tiny rooms with ill results, but GamuT did it right: big room for big speakers and lots of listening chairs for big audiences.
When I arrived, a woman (shocking, I know) was demoing a funky female tango track. She had specifically run out to her car to grab her favorite music so she could put the GamuTs through the paces. My stealthy eaves-dropping skills are a little rusty, but I did pick up that she is in the music recording biz and, most importantly, was interested in owning the Danish giants.
As for listening, GamuT's main man Lars Goller gladly accepted my CD and nodded approvingly in his subtle Danish way when my techno, hip-hop, rock and film tracks came on. Despite the room's size, this was one of the few systems able to actually put out the huge bass energy from the NIN, Amon Tobin and Lord of the Rings tracks. The mids and highs were the distinctive super crisp GamuT Intense-style sound.
Alas, I wasn't able to hear GamuT's lower priced system, but hopefully some SonicFlare exclusive coverage of these speakers is in the cards. Hey, Lars, if you release lower-priced electronics, you know where to send them...
TECH TALK
The GamuT L-9s feature entirely new custom drivers with wooden wenge dust cap coverings. I've never seen anything like it and GamuT says they're a beast to manufacture but the results, with super low levels of distortion and power, are worth it. Additionally, the midrange driver shares the same air volume as the bass drivers. The tech reasoning behind this -- and how it's actually accomplished -- came too fast and furious for me to digest. But with all the tech in these speakers and GamuT's growing fan base, expect to see these speakers gracing the covers of magazines and rock star living rooms everywhere.
Permalink | | Posted to RMAF 07 | Show Superstars | Shows and Expos | Sonic Circle: Intense | Systems $100k+
