RMAF 2019 Show Report Part 3
Show Report By Rick Becker

  Paradigm set up shop in 131 with electronics from their sister company, Anthem including their STR power amp ($6k) with dual dancing meters and STR preamplifier ($4k). The speaker was the Persona 7F ($12,500) supplemented with the Persona subwoofer ($6500 each). The driver shown here is the same one used in the sub where a pair of them is used on alternating sides of the hexagon, six total. It is the same driver as the woofers in the 7F so a seamless transition is assured.

I've had mixed response to the Persona series the many times I've heard it. It would be interesting to hear one of them with some different electronics than the Anthem series (which includes a cool integrated ($4500) that looks a lot like the power amp here). In any case, they stole my heart with Lyell Lovett singing North Dakota, an appropriate song for this part of the country. Here's a live version with Ricki Lee Jones, if you wish.

The Aurender room (128) was a silent display of most, if not all their products, with a couple of experts to help you sort them all out. Of particular interest to me was the educational flow chart that asks questions and walks you through to the appropriate model for your particular needs. It assumes you already have a working knowledge of digital storage and streaming, but if you're in this price league ($2700 to $18k), that's something you likely have. I quickly discerned that I'm in need of a Streaming for Dummies course.

I asked about the differences between the N100SC ($3300, shown on top) and the ACS100 ($3500, shown below the N100SC), given the mere $200 price difference. The N100SC has only one drawer to add memory, while the ASC100 has two drawers and also the ability to rip CDs to memory. But the most significant difference, I'm told, is the connections with the N100SC having high grade USB outputs and a high grade coax output as well. The ASC100 has standard grade USB outputs (2.0 and 3.0) as well as an outboard power supply. The devil is in the details, though the new ACS100 seems to have more functionality. But like I suggest, do your homework before you buy. Digital is such a moving target to me.

Room 125 was another MoFi Distribution room, this one filled with Falcon speakers from the UK and Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) from the US. The floorstanding HP80 speaker ($16,500) is Falcon's top of the line speaker with Graphene cone woofers of their own manufacture. I liked the way the drivers blended in with the dark top plate on the front baffle. It was driven by the new BAT Rex 3 tube monoblocks ($25k each, also available as a stereo amp at $25k), sounding very good with unfamiliar music in a room that was carrying a lot of conversation.

I believe this is the first I've seen the new Rex 3 gear, though it may be the gorgeous white finish that is derailing my memory. They are still playing with the logo, though it is leaning toward the simple outlined version. I noted the "Rex 3" log engraved in the right front clipped corner of the chassis — very cool.

On silent display from Falcon was their well-known LS3/5a BBC monitor and over on a shelf, their new RAM models 10 and 20 with black leather front baffles and (magnetically attached?) grill cloths. But Jerry Bloomfield, owner of Falcon said he has heard the new RAM 30 floorstander (~$5k) with a 2" dome midrange and called it "killer". Falcon is the largest retailer of premium brand drivers from around the world in the UK so aside from the BBC designed LS3/5a, their offering complete speakers of their own design is a new venture. Build quality was top notch with 25mm thick cabinets, interchangeable side panels to change the appearance and the divers are all modified in-house.  This may well have been a North American premier. Making things a bit confusing, they have separate websites for their driver business and their complete loudspeaker business. Other than that, I'd say they are off to a very good start.

Also of particular note in the rig was the IsoTek Nova, a 12 outlet power conditioner that was thought to be in the $5k to $6k price range, maybe higher. It happened to be displaying 113V at the time I visited, which would have normally impacted the sound of any rig. Other brands represented in the rig included Koetsu USA phono cartridges, Finite Element racks, Dr. Feickert Analogue turntables and Cardas cabling.

Steven Norber strikes a near-yoga pose somewhere on the 10th floor. He wasn't listed in the show directory and I recall him saying something about his presence coming together at the last minute. RMAF is practically in the back yard of PranaFidelity and he has been with the show since the beginning, so it is tempting to think of him as a local Whiz Kid in Denver. That would be a mistake, as his roots go back into the 2000's with Edge Electronics and he happens to make world class products. From my distant East Coast perspective he's been something of a mythical figure who seems more concerned with exploring possible state-of-the-art than pumping out massive quantities of product. I was impressed with his work both at RMAF last year and at AXPONA 2019 in the spring. What I heard here far surpassed those earlier presentations.

In the Paul's Post blog there is a commenter who periodically chimes in about the virtues of using DSP crossovers and separate amplifiers for each driver. It is not likely Steven, but that's exactly what he came up with at this show. Three amps totaling 630 watts in each speaker drive the tweeter, dual ceramic midranges and the twin woofers. The amps use the dependable B&O Class D modules with the nasties tuned out of them with the built-in digital crossovers. The cabinets are comprised of a huge stack of CNC machined birch plywood with built-in ports and braces as you can see in the photo Steven sent me. They reminded me of the early Magico stand mounted monitor or some European plywood designs of that era. You connect them to a traditional rig with switchable single ended or balanced analog inputs. The price is $34,950/pair which seems like a lot for just speakers, but you are also getting built-in tri-amp'ing, plus digital adjustment to your preference and time alignment for your seat in your room upon delivery. Plus, it eliminates the need for speaker cables. (You would be buying power cords for monoblocks at this level, anyway, so they don't really add to the cost.)

The big benefit of this approach is that you lock in the amplifier and the speaker (which is a critical interface that often gets mucked up with a poor combination of the two, or by the speaker cable selected.) So it's kind of a step toward an AIO, but you still have preamps, DACs, and front ends to play with, not to forget racks and tweaks. What you get with the 108a is outstanding focus from top to bottom, jump out of your seat dynamics, tonal balance and neutrality with vivid tonal color and an "I can't believe the musicians are not in my room" listening experience. It might just be too real for some folks to handle, but this was one of the Very Best Rooms at the show (and this opinion comes from a tube guy.)

That's it on the 10th Floor. I'll pick up on the 9th Floor in Part 4.

Much more to come!

---> My part four RMAF 2019 show report is at this link.

---> Back to main RMAF 2019 show report page.