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My New York 'CES'
The following is a report about my trip to New York and
some other comical experiences. Every effort has been
maintained to keep an honest assessment of each system
i.e. I used the same discs. Please read the disclaimer at the end of this report.
I would like to dedicate this report to the truckers out
there. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have never made
it to New York in one piece due to the snow storm. For the
kindness and care shown by you, I am eternally grateful.
Thank you.
(Gillagin's Island music please)
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful
trip. That started from this tropic port. Aboard this tiny 'ship'.
The mate was a mighty Japanese amp. The VTL's were brave
and sure. 35 tubes set sail that day for a five day tour. A five
day tour.
The weather started getting rough. The tiny 'ship' was
tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew the tubes
would have been lost. The tubes would have been lost.
The 'ship' sunk down on the shore of this overcrowded
northern isle. With Cello 'again, Chesky music too. The Audio
Note Suite and 'his wives'. The UHQR. The Cardinals
and the Royal 3A's. Here on Manhattan Isle.
I left Florida on Friday, February 6, 1995 at 3:30pm EST.
At 7:15, a North Carolina gentleman needed to tell me about
an item I HAD to have. I steered my car over to the side
of the road and we discussed the merits of his product. Since
I was in a buying mood and it was a "blue light special", I
"bought" it. This magical product consisted of a simple blue
sheet of paper that was about 5 inches wide and 10 inches
long. It had some mystical words on it i.e. 82 in a 65.
WARNING this product did nothing to enhance my listening
pleasure. I suggest you avoid "purchasing" this product.
At approximately 12:00am the snow began to fall. At first
it was very pretty and I enjoyed watching it fall. Unfortunately
by 1:30am I was in deep SH.. er SNOW. A trucker saw my
plight and passed in front of my car. He knew I needed help
and stayed ahead of me so my car could follow in his tire tracks.
When my car got out of line, he would adjust his path so I
could again follow his tracks. This activity continued for
almost the remainder of my trip. After he left, my car did get
immobilized by the snow twice! So I dug my car out of the snow
and continued my journey until I arrived at my destination in
New Jersey.
DAY ONE (of shopping) SUNDAY
My parents and I traveled to NYC to begin my quest for...
Our first stop was Stereo Exchange. We spent a few moments
browsing through the store and then I inquired about the
possible purchasing of a turntable. Since there were no
turntables operational for audition, Ken Hagelthorn discussed
the various possibilities with us and then felt the need to
suggest I audition the complete Meridian Digital System.
This system was basically a home theater system with the
unique ability of full digital room correction (among other
features). The speakers were connected by digital cables
with the amplifiers inside their enclosures. He demonstrated
the system and a few of its features. The sound of this
system was, well, let's just say MY MOM put her fingers in her
ears! We did enter Room Zero, though Ken said it wasn't
on-line at this time. The acoustics of this room sounded
VERY dead and compressed, to my ears. I never did get a
chance to go back and hear what music would sound like
in Room Zero.
After we left, my mom said the Meridian system sounded
horrible to her. Then she went on to say that she would
probably not know the difference between good and bad
reproduced music. Stating that she mainly knows how live
music sounds because dad takes her to so many concerts.
My dad and I looked at each other in amazement and I said
to her "You know more about how music should sound than
some of the people I know in the audio retail business!" For
the record, I agree with my moms opinion of the sound we
heard. Next stop, Sound By Singer.
The internet forewarned me about the wait at Sound By
Singer so I was prepared. We entered the store and a
gentleman asked me for my packages. One contained my
CD's and I gave this package to him. The other package
contained my vinyl. One of the records I was carrying was a
UHQR of Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon a friend let me
borrow for my trip. I told the man at the door I would give
him this package, but then I would have to kill him :-{). He let
me keep this package. We waited for about fifteen minutes
and then Chris Petranis came up front to help us.
After the introductions, he asked what I wanted and what
I currently own. After I told him my wants and about my system,
he asked me many question about the Audio Note unit I own.
You see, little did I know that an employee of nine years at
Sound By Singer left recently to join the Audio Note sales force!
He said that their analogue playback systems were not up
and running at this time. He retrieved my CD's and we
proceeded to listen to their current reference system. This
system consisted of the following items:
CAT SL 1 preamplifier
Krell Reference 64 D to A
Krell KP 20 T transport
Krell Audio Standard amplifiers
Wilson X-1 speakers
assorted NBS cables
a room about 18 feet wide and 30 feet deep
To my ears, this system had slightly rolled off highs and the
sound stage was fairly narrow. On naturally recorded music
the staging didn't open up past the speakers, which were
about 12 feet wide. The depth was a little shallow too. Solo
voice with small band and massed choir voices sounded very
pleasant though. This system DID sound fast, like a good
electrostatic/planer speaker. I was impressed by the speed
of the system. My parents and I had a good time with this
system because it was fun to listen to and generally had sins
of omission rather than commission (I prefer the sins of the
former over sins of the latter). I also wanted to hear the
Sonus Faber speakers which were in another demonstration
room, yet this room was being used by another music lover
and it was closing time by now. Again, I unfortunately never
did revisit Sound By Singer and meet Andrew (who personally
called me when he was in Las Vegas for CES and assured me
there is a vinyl system operational at his store all the time).
DAY TWO
Day two consisted of dedicating most of the day at Audio
Note in Staten Island. Peter Qvortrup, Director of Audio Note
who lives in the UK, was there as well as Herb Reichert,
their NYC showroom representative. We discussed various
topics and then listened to music. The Audio Note system I
listened to consisted of the following items:
Voyd Reference turntable
IO-2 cartridge
AN-1/s-V Tonearm
DAC 4 Signature D to A converter
M7-Phono RIAA Stage preamplifier
Gaku-On mono block amplifiers (most of the time)
Ongaku integrated amplifier (part of the time)
ANE/Model 3 SPX-XE speakers
Audio Note silver wire
in a room too big and too awkward to describe here adequately
This system reproduced MUSIC. There was a natural,
relaxed feeling in which sound did not call attention to itself yet
I could not ignore it either. I could go on about all the usual
criterion, yet it sounded so good, I feel there is more here that
needs to be addressed. You see, I am a musician (percussionist)
for thirteen years. At first I was taught the rudiments on snare
drum, bells, chimes, tympani, etc., then the drum set. A few
years later I was playing as many drum strokes as I could
during various fills and solos. It was only as I matured as a
musician that I realized that the notes I DON'T play are just
as important as the notes I DO play. I also realized that music
consisted not only of "normal" dynamics but also had
"micro" dynamics which help to bring the music to life. So
your probably now wondering why I am writing this. It is
because the Audio Note system brought the music to life.
It wasn't just the major sounds it accomplished. It conveyed
the body, substance, and THE SPIRIT OF MUSIC
(which is what the Japanese word Ongaku stands for)
which I feel in my soul when I play or hear live acoustic music!
BEWARE it may not come out and grab you at first. Yet in
time, it is painfully obvious (musically AND financially).
Peter and I discussed various topics and I was informed
that the system I was listening to was going to Harry
Pearson's listening room on Wednesday for a future review
in The Absolute Sound. Being a selfless music lover, I
offered to help them move the equipment to Mr. Pearson's
room. Peter thanked me for the offer but it was turned
down :-{( . Hey, could you blame me for trying to meet HP
and seeing his humble abode? As the day continued, some
other music lovers came by to visit the showroom.
One of the people who came over was Steve Guttenberg
of Chesky Records! When I asked Steve what he did at
Chesky, he said he was in charge of "balancing". As I sit
here now looking through my Chesky records, he seems to
be an assistant producer or engineer among other duties.
Peter and Steve were going to Princeton to a very large
used record store. I was invited, yet I had a previous
engagement.
DAY THREE
First stop, Cello Music and Film Systems.
As I was walking to my appointment at Cello M+FS, I
saw a sign which said it was 19 degrees F. All I knew is that
this Florida boy though it should have read "It's too F...in'
cold". Another sign displayed how much MCI was saving
its customers. A mile or so later another sign displayed our
national deficit. At this point I thought to myself, if we could
take the money MCI saves its customers and put it towards the
national deficit, maybe they would eventually even out and...
Just a thought :-{) .
THIS WAS IT! I was finally going to hear the Cello system
Mark Levinson's been saying was the best system in the world.
As I stepped out of the elevator, a beautiful young lady greeted
me and served me a cup of hot tea. Nicholas Lucci welcomed
me to the showroom and proceeded to demonstrate why the
Cello system was the best system money could buy. This
system consisted of the following items:
Encore Line preamplifier
Audio Palette equalizer
Performance II amplifiers (one pair)
Strad Grand Masters speakers
Series 8.1 D to A converter
Apogee UV 1000
Apogee Wyde Eye Digital Cable
Forsell Air Reference Transport
Assorted Cello interconnects and speaker cable
in a room about 16 feet wide and 20 feet deep
The first recording I listened to was a CDR of a drum solo.
Yes Virginia, it sounded great! The dynamics were awesome
with not even a hint of strain or compression. The cymbals
sounded very good as did the drums. I have only heard three
systems in my quest for the ??ultimate?? reproduction system
where the cymbals sounded this good (being a percussionist,
I am VERY familiar with the sound of cymbals). A few more
CRD's were played for my benefit and then I was left alone
to explore the sound of Cello's "top of the line" system.
Nick left the room and I began to play the various CD's
being used to evaluate all the systems heard during my visit.
Since not all systems at this point had a turntable at my
disposal, vinyl was now out of the review process.
Sound staging sounded a little shallow to my ears, though it
sounded very good from right to left on naturally recorded
material. Solo voice had an oval effect from top to bottom
(just like the "0" key on most computer keyboards compared
to the "o" key). Bass was a little, and I do mean just a little
shy which was surprising considering the four woofers in
these huge speakers. Using the equalizer helped somewhat,
yet I could never get bass to grab hold of the room.
As I played regular production CDs, I began to notice that
I could hear the small details in the music with ease, yet
something wasn't quite right. It was as though "the lights were
on and NO ONE was home". How could this be? Well, it
reminded me of my experience in one of the recording studios
I recorded in when I was nineteen. Plenty of dynamics and
excellent clarity, yet there wasn't a feeling of humans playing.
Partially to blame, I feel, was a lack of micro-dynamics. I will
admit it was the best solid state system I have ever heard for
monitoring a recording, yet it left me feeling cold. After I was
done, Nick and I discussed the possibilities of trading my Cello
Palette for a pair of speakers which were not being used at
this time. We scheduled an appointment to audition these
speakers the next day and I continued my expedition to Chesky
Records to see their NYC home office.
"Ahhh, this is where the magic of music is mixed and then
brought to our homes," I said to myself. Lisa welcomed me to
Chesky Records and introduced me to my tour guide Dave
Windmuller. Dave was hard at work processing all the orders
that come in during the day. I told him about meeting Steve
Guttenberg at the Audio Note suite the previous day. As I
turned around, there was Steve! Dave was a great host and
gave me a tour of their facility. There was not much to see
really, except...
THERE IT WAS! The final mixing room at Chesky Records!
They were mixing a soon to be released recording of Ana Caram,
so I was not allowed in the actual studio past a few steps.
Because inquiring minds want to know, here is a partial list of
Chesky's reference system during my visit:
CAT SL 1 preamplifier
Audio Research ?? preamplifier
VSP
Melos Audio 400 monoblock amplifiers
Wilson Watt 5/Puppy 5 speakers
Dave said they will be changing the amplifiers in this system
and are considering Pass Laboratories mono blocks. He also
said that Mr. Chesky did audition the Golden Tube Audio
amplifiers at Sound By Singer.
I saw in the internet that Bob Katz is selling the following
items:
Viamak 18 bit D to A
CAT SL 1 preamplifier
Melos Triode 400 amplifiers
So here it is! Chesky records upgrades their equipment just
like some of us do! Well, I hear my mom calling me. It's time to
go home for supper.
DAY FOUR
First stop, Cello Music and Film Systems again. When I
stepped out of the elevator this time I was greeted by Mark
Levinson! Set up in the listening room this time was the "Cello
Baby" system which according to their advertisements will
"rattle your crib". The CDRs came one after the other for my
listening session. Mark personally spent three hours with me
explaining the various aspects of "the perfect equipment his
company creates" as well as other news.
Part of the news is that he has obtained a place where live
musicians will play and be recorded. Then the recording can be
played back in this same room to show how perfect his
equipment is. He will announce this to the public in three
months he told me. Since I was not asked to keep this
information private... I feel this is an excellent idea and hope
many excellent recordings come from this venture! Now back
to my listening session.
The Cello Baby system I auditioned consisted of the
following items:
Palette preamplifier
Duet 350 amplifier
Legend speakers
Series 8.1 D to A converter
UV 1000 Apogee
Apogee Wyde Eye Digital Cable
Forsell Air Reference Transport
Various Cello cables
same room as described earlier
This system had a more accurate rendering of the sound
stage than the larger system. Mark put in a few prerecorded
CDs of other companies music and asked me to adjust the
equalizer. After the second song which I used the equalizer
Mark said "You use the equalizer like a sound engineer." Trying
some humor, I said "I bet you say that to all the girls." Not a
laugh or even a smile from him. So much for my attempt at humor.
ANYWAY, the system did lack bass on my reference CDs
(more so than the "top of the line" system).
I do have one wish. Mark, I'm sure you will be reading this
one day so... May I please buy the CDRs I heard during my
audition? They did sound GREAT on your equipment and I'm
wondering how they would sound on other systems. By now it
was time for me to start my journey to my next appointment.
Next stop Mausolf systems. Home of the Wavelength Audio
Cardinal amplifiers and Reference 3A speakers.
Eric Mausolf lives in a studio apartment in NYC with his
girlfriend and uses it as his showroom also. Since I was hungry,
we went out to lunch (pizza). We shared many common
interests and let's face it, New York pizza is MUCH better
than ANYONE'S pizza in my hometown :-{( . We discussed
the car audio business and it's pros and cons. Then went to
his apartment to hear his wares.
As I entered the room, the first thing I saw was the Cardinal
amplifiers placed on approximately two foot high stands. They
looked very pretty with the tubes in full glow (call me
sentimental or maybe just mental). All of the equipment was on
Harmonix tuning devices or tone cone type products. Eric said
he has a hard time with RF so he uses Red Rollers to eliminate
their effects in his system. With a full stomach in my body and
a cigarette in my mouth, it was time for a listen.
The system I heard consisted mainly of these items:
Wavelength Audio Cardinal amplifiers
Reference 3A Royal Master Control speakers
Timbre Technology TT-1 D to A converter
And the verdict is... It only took one song for me to realize
that something special was happening here! Sound staging?
Equal to the Audio Note's. Dynamics? Almost equal to the
Audio Note's. I could continue with this type of description.
Let's just say after further listening, it was the second best system
I heard during my visit to New York. The best system I heard
retails at over $300,000 (though the Audio Note system with the
Ongaku integrated amplifier beat this setup too and would retail at
"only" approximately $120,000). The bass below 60hz or so was
nonexistent to my ears. Other systems in my report did have
better bass, yet received less respect from me.
WHY? It is because this system had the feeling of real
humans playing music. Eric should be commended for his obvious
love of music and the ability to choose the products which
achieve this goal. Wavelength Audio does offer lower frequency
speakers to augment the Reference 3A speakers, though they
were not available for this audition :-{( . With the feeling of
sweet music in my soul, I went home to make some decisions on
what to purchase during my visit.
Look for Florida Steve and his Last Crusade coming
to a Hi-Fi store near you.
DAY FIVE (Oy vey. Your still reading this schmuck's report :-{) )
I've had a great time in NYC but it was time to make a decision,
or was it? My decision was to "purchase" the Audio Note
Meishu amplifier until my Ongaku came home to papa. This way
I had music (yes the Meishu produces MUSIC) and would then
apply it towards a brand new, shiny, unique, latest edition, popular,
fresh out of the box, newfangled turntable. WHEW! I am still
considering purchasing other equipment for my future bedroom
system, though I really wanted a turntable NOW. What is that
I hear? Which turntable did I purchase? Well, the turntable I
bought consists of the following items:
Voyd Plus table with reference power supply and bearing
Audio Note M2 phono preamplifier
Audio Note AN-1/s-V bi-metallic arm silver wired
Audio Note Io-2 MC phono cartridge
Audio Note AN-S6c silver wired matching transformer
I agree with Cello and Audio Note in that a complete "system"
that is designed to work in concert (pun intended) is better than
pot luck. So I have decided to go with an analogue setup that
is designed to work in concert. I set a limit of $10,000 list price
for an analogue playback system and as usual, I went over my
budget (Editors note: Steve you schmuck you seem to
ALWAYS go over budget). This time it came out to be
approximately $8,880 over my budget! Oh well, I hope it sounds
as good in my system as it does in the Audio Note suite. Who
knows, my top of the line Theta rig may be for sale in a couple
of months.
There is more to this story. You see, I was looking for some
answers to my many questions. Seeking the system which would
be the HOLY GRAIL of audio was now answered in part. As
of this moment, a new saying in my life is added to the other
sayings I live by. Here are a few of the sayings I currently live by:
1) I have two things in life, my word and my balls. I don't
break either of them for anyone.
2) If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
3) Good manners don't cost nothing eh?
4) The more that things change, the more they stay the same.
5) What G-D wants, G-D gets.
6) Give any one species too much rope and they'll f@<& it up.
Now the new one:
7) The more we think we know about, the greater the unknown.
After arriving home and settling down, I went to another music
lovers home. We discussed my trip and the fun I had. We talked
about tube amplifiers vs. solid state amplifiers and then he asked
me, "Where did we go wrong in the quest for better sound?"
He admitted that early Marantz, Fisher and McIntosh equipment
sounded good, though not accurate. My initial answer was
"The transistor." Then I said, "I really don't know." You see, he
has a Goldmund rack system with the Reference turntable and
Wilson Watt 3/Puppy 2 speakers. He admits that my system
designed around 1930's to 1950's technology sounds better than
his system. If anyone who reads this has the answer of where
we went wrong, please let me know.
If I had a few wishes, it would be the opportunity to hear
more live acoustic concerts than I attend now (approximately
four a month not including the occasions I play with fellow
musicians). The other would be the opportunity to audition
the Wilson X-1 in my sound room with the Ongaku giving them
"the juice" (no Simpson jokes please). Unfortunately, I am just
one man of limited finances with a dream of musical enjoyment
to the highest degree.
Thank you for your time. I hope this report was humorous
AND informative. I've got to go now. You see, there is this
exotic audio component that...
Enjoy the music,
Steven R. Rochlin
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>> DISCLAIMER <<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Not one word of my report may be reprinted without the
written permission of Steven R. Rochlin.
The opinions expressed are mine and do not
reflect those of CompuServe or any other company, business
or entity other than myself. Trade marked names and companies
may appear throughout this report. Rather than list the names
and entities that own the trademarks or insert a trademark
symbol with each mention of the trademark name, the writer states
that it is using the names and marks only for editorial purposes
and to the benefit of the trademark owner or companies, with
no intention of infringing on that trademark or company. This
report should not replace the personal audition and/or possible
purchase of any product or service mentioned in this report.
Nor should this report affect your considering an audition and/or
purchasing of any product or service mentioned here. A
personal audition of any product before purchasing it is always
recommended. Your mileage may vary. See store for details.
For a limited time only. While supplies last. With proof of
purchase. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. The
red zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only. There
is no stopping in the white zone. If you have read this far, thank
you for your support and time. :-{)
And now back to our regularly scheduled program already
in progress.
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High-Performance Audio Reviews
