Los Angeles Audio Show 2017 Report
LAAS 2017 Show Report Part 5
Ryan, AURALiC, Periodic Audio, StereoPravda, Aaudio Imports, Blue Coast Records, Kimber Kable, and Astell&Kern.
LAAS 2017 High-End Audio Show Report

  Rounding out my final coverage update, part 5 of my LAAS  2017 show report, we start off with Ryan speakers and AURALiC. Holy crap the widest soundscape ever! All day wonderful sound from the Polaris wireless streaming amplifier ($3799) with Ryan R620 speakers. The R620 speakers are designed in-house, the Rylan R620 has woofer drivers that employ a laminated Nomex cone to minimize breakup and ringing throughout its frequency range. The design of the woofers motor and suspension was perfected using the Klippel Distortion Analyzer. High frequencies in the R620 are reproduced by a tweeter employing a proprietary treated cloth dome sourced in Japan. To maximize high frequency extension and off axis response, the dome shape was match precisely to the die cast faceplate.

AURALiC's Polaris is a wireless streamer, a music server, a DAC, a preamplifier and a stereo power amplifier all in one clean, stylish unit. It has seventeen inputs channels comprising streaming, digital and analog sources. The internal DAC, incorporating AURALiC Flexible Filters and Femto Master Clock, supports Quad-Rate DSD and PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz. The powerful internal stereo amplifier module can deliver 120 watts per channel into 8 Ohms, 180 watts per channel into 4 Ohms.

Sideshow Action: Andy Miles of GTT Audio gets my vote for having the best pair of sunglasses at LAAS 2017. Lovin' the Rolex bezel look!

Playing a bit of moving and shaking, Heather and i went back to the personal audio section and checked out Periodic Audio's single dynamic transducer universal fit in-ear monitors. These are both high sensitivity and high quality. Models are the Magnesium (Mg) for $99. Titanium (Ti) for $199 and lastly Beryllium (Be) at $299. After listening to them through CIAudio amplification, i preferred the Titanium. In fact Heather's 16 year young daughter was with us and she also preferred the Titanium, so i bought her a set. She's been using them for the past week or so and is thoroughly enjoying them over her stock Apple IEMs. For only $199, the Periodic Audio Ti IEMs sounded like a bargain to my ears.

Also from Periodic Audio is their upcoming pint-sized Nickel amp that produces 250mW and has 10 hour battery life $200. Periodic Audio was only recently founded in 2016. Led by a seasoned team including Daniel Wiggins, Mike Kim, Zeke Burgess and Ben Webster they are making waves in the personal audio industry. As for the new Nickel amplifier, it is optimized to work efficiently with nearly any headphone while providing audio quality that's "second to none." With its compact and lightweight design, the Nickel amplifier exemplifies portable convenience. It measures just 50mm long by 31mm wide by 13mm thick and weighs only 17 grams. The new amp contains a 3.5mm stereo audio input, a 3.5mm stereo output for headphones, and a micro USB jack for charging the battery. With a specified output of 250mW into a 32 Ohm load.

Misha was proudly showing StereoPravda's SB3 three driver in-ear monitor ($1250). The 'B' stands for second bend of inner ear so the driver is closer to the ears tympanic membrane. The cable is designed by Chris Sommovigo in Japan. While it may seem visually thick, great news is that it is very light and very flexible. StereoPravda also offers their SB7 with seven driver ($2500). As you may have guessed, the company is based out of Russia and seek to create some of the world's unique in-the-ear monitors. When they say in the ear, they truly do mean these go a bit deeper into your ear canal.

The deep insertion SB-7 IEMs are designed with all its seven drivers on the same axis which is parallel to "the main sound propagation of the ear canal". The front driver in the IEM is "naked", that is there is no "sound tube" in front of it at all. Also of note is the company's  dedicated audiophile quality DACCA portable DAC/sound processor with tone controls and filters/amplifier. Before i forget, the unit also has two differential amplifiers on its board, so you know they are sparing no expense to ensure very high sound quality. Usually hate universal fit IEMs because i have small ear canals. Having listened to the StereoPravda IEMs, they fit deep inside even my small ear canals and sounded mighty impressive! Well worth checking out if you have a dealer near you.

Enjoying a fine cigar after the LAAS 2017 show Saturday night with Misha of StereoPravda.

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