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AXPONA 2018 At The Schaumberg Renaissance
Room 1609 was sponsored by LA's High End by Oz, and featured the new Vitus Audio RI 101 amplifier ($15,600) from Denmark, a 300 Watt per channel integrated with a built in DAC module. The Reference RI 101 represents completely redesigned output boards and power supply, with a new preamplifier stage as well. Employing the same stepped volume control as their Signature SL 103 and Masterpiece MP-L201 line stage for greater resolution, it also supports digital files up to DSD128 via the USB input. I heard some of my demo tracks played on the Vitus Audio SCD-025 mk.II ($25,200), with the mbl 120 Radialstrahler speakers ($21,500/pr.). All the gear sat on Raidho racks and the system was connected end to end with Ansuz cables. This was a lively system, with full and expansive bloom, exceptional midrange clarity, and tangible texture. Strings were vibrant and liquid, yet well detailed. Stage height was slightly diminished, and somewhat shallow, but this almost certainly was due to the limitations of the smallish room.
It is always a treat to stop in to listen to David MacPherson's Studio Electric room. I first met David when he was showing at his first CES, or more aptly, T.H.E. Show, in 2006, where he was demonstrating his captivating Model One speakers and Electrodyne amplifier. This year, he was introducing the latest version of what started as his Pasadena monitor, now in its fourth iteration, hence, the Studio Electric M4 ($3,100), in room 604.
Sources were either the Montrose Turntable with Unipivot tonearm ($5,750), using the Hana EL cartridge ($475), a ModWright Modified Oppo UDP-205 4K UHD Audiophile Blu-ray Player, with a fully transformer balanced, tube output stage, and outboard power supply ($2,500 for modifications), or Dave's MacBook. The phono stage was a prototype of the upcoming ModWright PH 9.0 (TBA), the ModWright SWL 9.0 anniversary edition linestage ($2,995), with a ModWright KWA 150 signature amplifier ($8,995), and all cabling was from the Zu Mission Series, ($3,000 total). This was a knock-out system, offering high resolution, full, rich harmonics, faithful color and texture, all balanced perfectly with substance and musicality. The M4 clearly has the swagger of a much larger speaker. Overall, this was simply superb sound for reasonably sized rooms and spaces.
I got to spend some quality after-hours time in one of the Gamut rooms, 1639, with Audio Skies and GamuT USA's Michael Vamos. While listening to the MoFi Genesis LP, Trick of the Tail (which I had brought to the room as a gift for GamuT's Benno Baun Meldgaard), several tacks from my demo disc, and a test pressing of the upcoming Mobile Fidelity release of Dire Straits eponymous album ("Six Blade Knife" was KILLER!), we were joined by Music Hall's Leland Laird. Given that both these cats know good hooch when they taste it, I disappeared to my room, returning with a bottle of 18-year-old The Macallan for us to sip. The analog source was the Pear Audio Blue Kid Thomas, with Cornet 2 arm ($7,990) and a Pear Audio Blue External power supply ($1,990), fitted with a My Sonic Lab Hyper Eminent cartridge ($5,495), while digital was server up by an Aurender A10 ($5,499), with the Bricasti Design M1 LE Gold DAC ($16,000). The rest of the chain was all Gamut, with the GamuT D3i Dual Mono linestage ($8,390) including optional GamuT D3i Phono Board ($1,800), a pair of GamuT M250i Monoblocks ($25,990/pr.), driving the remarkable GamuT RS7i ($39,990/pr.), using all Gamut Reference cables. Everything sat on the new Pneuance Audio Pneupad Isolation platforms, stands, and isolation devices (prices TBD).
While this room suffered the midbass bump that was affecting so many, the signature GamuT neutrality and organic-ness was unmistakable. I had the pleasure of living with the GamuT flagship Zodiac for nearly six months, and while the RS7i can't quite equal the scaling, raucous bass, or seamless coherence Zodiac brings to the party, their unfailing musicality, naturalness, and charm was totally realized in this room. It was one of the most musically engaging, emotionally charged systems at this event. The brilliant, irrepressible, and somewhat under the weather for this event, Andrew Jones was showing off an abundantly featured integrated amplifier, the new ELAC EA102W-G ($700), slated to ship this summer or early fall.
Boasting a BASH Digital Fidelity Tracking Amplifier delivering 80Wpc into 4 ohms, (40 into 8 ohms), and with a stated frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz, it also has two analog and two digital inputs (one optical and one coaxial [192kHz 24-bit]), left and right pre-outs, a sub out, an RJ45 network jack, multi-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with aptX, and it streams RoonReady, DiscoveryReady, Spotify Connect, and AirPlay, has Dolby Digital, and can be controlled by your iOS or Android device. As if that weren't enough, it features a native Room EQ tool that works with your smart phone and uses a brilliantly simple and effective way to eliminate the need to use an expensive calibrated microphone. The entire system in room 342, when paired with the equally overachieving $300 ELAC DB-62 speakers, retails for less than a grand!
Yet when playing "88 Basie Street," and using ELAC's new $70 speaker cable with banana terminations, it sounded as if we were listening to a set of competent separates playing through floorstanders! Staggering performance for the money. Japan's Air Tight introduced some seriously engaging products in the Aster suite on 16, including a newly developed mono version of their stunning Opus 1 cartridge (TBD), the ATE-3011 Reference phono stage (TBD), which offers some unique and otherwise unavailable equalization curves, (like RIAA and Decca), and a set of amplifiers that signify the achievement of a long-standing goal of Air Tight engineering, the ATM-3211 monoblocks ($70,000/pr.).
Combined with the ATC-5 Control Amplifier ($9,500), driving the Swiss hand-made Piega Coax 711 three-way loudspeakers ($25,000), featuring Piega's own coaxial ribbon tweeter/midrange driver, using four midbass cone drivers in their custom aluminum enclosures, this system was pure tone, rich harmonics, and dripping with texture.
One of the demo's included playback of a 1949 Decca mono LP of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole. Changing the equalization on the fly with the ATE-3011 brought some remarkable changes to playback, revealing a much more natural tonal balance and a fuller, richer presentation. But the sleek, powerful looking ATM-3211 monos really spoke to me, achieving a 120-watt output from their unique 211 triode push-pull circuitry, blending the grace and delicate tonal qualities of the traditional 211 sound with much higher output. The results were seductive tone, full harmonics, remarkable control and dynamics, with a vibrant, lifelike presentation.
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