Show Report
by Chris
Boylan
Enjoying the Music at Home
Entertainment Expo
– Is It Possible?
PART II
In the previous segment, I promised you
some insight into the lofty systems in the higher reaches of the Hilton.
And this shall be revealed to you in due time. However, I did want to
mention one more home theater denizen of the 2nd floor that provided the
most unusual looking speakers I have seen in some time. Speakers this
cool looking couldn't possibly sound good, could they??
Avantgarde
Is that a Sousaphone in your Home Theater or Are You
Just Glad to See Me?
As you can see, Avantgarde makes speakers that resemble
musical instruments – horns to be exact – arranged in artistic
configurations with gorgeous lacquer finishes. In addition to being
ready for display at the Museum of Modern Art, the Avantgarde's
horn-based design lends itself well to home theater due to its high
efficiency. With a sensitivity rating of over 107 dB, the Trio model
($38,000 US per pair including subwoofers) could be driven by the
headphone output of a portable CD player! But I’d recommend a nice
single-ended triode for music listening, or a medium to high-powered
tube or solid-state amp for home theater.
OK, so they look interesting, but how did they sound? Well,
surprisingly enough, they sounded warm, full and very natural, without a
hint of strain and extremely realistic portrayal of male vocals, plus
excellent dynamics and impact on home theater material. I expected some
degree of cupped hands coloration, which I have heard on other
horn-based designs, but somehow the magicians at Avantgarde have
avoided this. The center channel speaker used in this room was actually
a single horn midrange unit flanked by six little horn tweeters, naked
as the day they were born, arranged on the floor in a radial formation
to assure uniform dispersion of high frequencies across the listening
area. Very unusual, but hey, whatever works… and this worked.
Avantegarde's Unusual Center
Channel Configuration
Of course, I'm sure the amplification used in the room, provided by
BAT (Balanced Audio Technology) made no small contribution to the
sound as well. I would imagine that the silky smooth sound of the BAT
gear let the Avantgardes shine in their best light, where inferior
amplification might have limited their performance. Cable was by
Cardas, and platforms and tweaks by Symposium Acoustics.
SACD for you and for me.
Also, just a small
supplement to the earlier reference to the Multi-Channel SACD exhibition
by Sony. While the player used in the demonstration was their statement
piece, at $3,000 list, they also intend to bring Super Audio CD to the
masses, and
quickly. According to the Sony rep, there will be a
wide range of multi-channel SACD players available in the fall including
an entry-level combo DVD/SACD/CD player for a list price of only $300!
As long as your preamp or receiver has a six-channel analog audio input,
this killer new technology will be within your reach in the very near
future.
When asked about the possibility of a multi-channel
SACD digital input/output standard, Sony had nothing to say, so it’s
strictly decoding/processing built into the player for now, and that
will just have to do. The only problem is that DVD-Audio works the same
way – processing is built into the player and fed out to your system
through a multi-channel analog output. So unless your system has more
than one multi-channel analog input, you’ll have to pick one: DVD-Audio
or SACD. Maybe some day, a combo player will be released that plays SACD
and DVD-Audio. And maybe there will be an end to war in the Middle East.
And maybe pigs will fly out of my butt. Which of these is most likely?
Unfortunately for us all (and particularly for me), probably the pigs
thing…
Onward and Upward – the 42nd Floor.
Rather than work my way up from the bottom to the top of the show, I
figured I’d work in from the edges so, after the second floor, I headed
straight to the top. Following the excruciatingly long wait for the
elevator, then the cramped ride up (everyone inhale… and no one fart!),
one of the first rooms I saw housed the TacT Audio exhibit. This
system immediately banished the memory of the ride in the Otis sardine
can, with its compelling rich, inviting sound. Amplification and
processing were all TacT driving a pair of B&W Nautilus 802
speakers. This was a wonderful sounding system – remarkable depth of
soundstage for such a small room and tight image focus and detail. TacT
refers to their system as the first true digital amplifier, or, more
precisely, "a D/A converter that just happens to put out enough current
and voltage to drive speakers directly." Whatever you call it, it sure
is easy on the ears.
All the way at the end of the hall was the Innovative Audio
suite… and sweet is a great description of the sounds they were
getting there. In the anteroom, Elliot Fishkin, the spiritual father of
Innovative Audio, greeted us with a warm welcome and philosophical
introduction. Innovative is a New York city-based audio and home theater
equipment dealer with showrooms in Brooklyn and Manhattan. It is clear
that Elliot is passionate about what he does and he clearly wants to
bring more people into the fold of high fidelity audio and home theater.
I'm certain he did just that at the show. And hey, if he makes a few
bucks along the way, then more power to him! A good dealer is sometimes
hard to find, and Innovative appears to be just that.
Innovative's primary demo system included the Wilson
Watt/Puppy 6 speaker system (SRP $20,000) driven by Spectral
Electronics amplification and held together with ultra-tweaky
MIT cable (the cables had their own bulky "network interface box"
– huh?). In any case, these components blended to create perhaps the
finest sounding two-channel sound at the show. I have only heard the
Wilsons in show conditions, but they have never failed to impress me
with their realistic portrayal of a three-dimensional soundscape and
their accurate reproduction of the attack and energy of live music. They
played a requiem that rattled the walls and a Mickey Hart recording Planet
Drum as well as other percussive material that produced the
most realistic drum and percussion sounds at the show.
Wilson's Watt/Puppy 6 with MIT
cable
Sound so good that even the ducts were singing
along.
As with many of the other exhibits, it was
clear that the Wilson/Innovative folks faced a tremendous challenge in
minimizing the negative contributions of the room. There were matchboxes
and pieces of paper wedged into the cooling ducts and AC vents to
prevent rattle. Wilson had also brought along their mongo reference
subwoofer (not the official name, of course), but they decided not to
hook it up – they really didn't need it. The Watts and Puppies did just
fine on their own. Some of the lowest bass sounds had to be reaching
down below 40 Hz, even in this small hotel room. All in all, they did a
great job of minimizing the bad elements of the room sound, while still
getting a nice live ambience.
Down the hall a piece was the Legend Audio
Design room. There are very few companies that try to do more than
one thing well. Most manufacturers focus on one or two things and try to
make a name for themselves. Amps and preamps, perhaps; or just speakers;
or just D/A converters. But occasionally you see exceptions to this
rule. Legend is one of these exceptions.
The Legend room was all Legend from the D/A
converter through the preamp through the triode tube amplifiers and into
their gorgeous two-way monitor speakers. They were even using Legend
interconnects and speaker cables. I sat down in the dimly lit room and
closed my eyes. Amanda McBroom's song "The Rose" (made popular by the
Bette Midler film of the same name) came on. I’ve heard the song a
thousand times of course, and kinda thought of it as one of those
schmaltzy-girlie-tear-jerker tunes. But let me tell you… I got goose
bumps! Suddenly I wasn't just listening to music, I was connecting with it. I don’t know whether it was the warmth of the
tube amps, or the neutrality of the speakers, or a wonderfully gestalt
combination of all of the parts working as a whole, but it was a magical
experience. If I had to live with a one-brand two-channel system, I'd be
happy with living with a Legend.
The Legend Two-Way
Loudspeaker
As a small high-end manufacturer, Legend pretty
much lives or dies on whatever word of mouth they can generate plus the
opinions of the mainstream press. As I was leaving the room, one of the
members of said establishment was on the way in – a rather portly and
pompous fellow – let's call him "Mr. S." Mr. S. writes for one of the
leading Hi-Fi audio magazines and has, in fact, given the Legend
equipment a well-earned favorable review in the past. I overheard this
person saying to his friends on the way in, "watch these guys suck up to
me…" He entered with a flourish, proudly announced himself to the Legend
rep, and basked in the genuinely warm welcome. I know the welcome was
genuine, because they were also quite friendly to me – a lowly "Show
Attendee." Friends, if I ever get to the point where I use my
reputation, title or position for such lowly purposes, please put me out
of my misery.
Welcome, My Son… to the
Machine…
As I wandered out of the Legend room and around the 42nd floor in
search of more audio adventures, I was beckoned by strains of Pink
Floyd. Not your usual audiophile demo material… at least not since 1979…
but a welcome change from the mellow vocal ensembles, singer/songwriters
and chamber music that passed for test music in many of the rooms. So I
popped into the room hosted by Norbert and Dave from
Audioreview.com and plopped down for a listen.
The Floyd was emanating from a pair of Newform
Research speakers. The Newform R645 speaker is an easy to drive (91
dB efficiency) slim tall two-way design featuring a 45" triple-decker
ribbon tweeter assembly mated with a 6.5" mid-bass driver. At over 6
feet tall, it's a precarious and imposing looking speaker. And at
$2,265
delivered, it's aimed squarely at the entry/mid-level panel speaker
market. This is a pretty competitive place to be, up against vendors
like Martin Logan, Final, and Magnepan, among others.
The ribbons, driven by an Audio Research tube amp, were a
perfect match for the lush production and full-bodied Floyd sound.
Finally, I was able to kick back and enjoy the music! If you’re
partial to that big open airy sound (and I am, I own Martin Logans),
then the Newforms are definitely worth a listen. They offer full-range
hybrid ribbon/acoustic models from as low as $1,500. Newform has been
building quite a buzz and cult following on the Web. Now I can see why.
And flying in the face of trade show rhetoric, Dave was chilling out
with a frosty Beck’s beer, while he played Mr. DJ. Beer, tubes, panel
speakers and Pink Floyd – what more could you ask for? Well, more beer
for one thing. Dave, next time bring enough to share, OK?
Audioreview.com also put on a home theater demo, with a nice-sounding
little system that cost less than $10K soup to nuts. Featuring
Dynaudio speakers, a Sony direct view 4:3 monitor, Marantz
receiver (used as a preamp), Outlaw power amp, Hsu
Research subwoofers, and JPS cables, this system kicked out the
jams! The guys from Audioreview.com showed us that it’s possible to have
champagne tastes on a beer budget if you’re careful. All of the
components in the home theater were winners of the Consumer's Choice awards
on Audioreview.com. These folks were great hosts as well, playing the
music the visitors wanted to hear, and the movie clips that we wanted to
see and turning the Hsu sub waaaay down so as not to intrude on their
high falutin' neighbors, EgglestonWorks.
Speaking of EgglestonWorks, they put on a fine-sounding demo as well,
with their Savoy Reference loudspeakers, behemoths that weigh in at 410
pounds each! Sources included a Basis turntable and Sony SACD
player, played through new Nagra preamp and power amplification ("c’est
Suisse, et très précis!"). There was a bit of a crowd mulling around
while I was in the demo room, so I can’t say I heard the speakers in
their best light. But what I did hear was very natural sounding,
extended on the bottom end, and compelling.
Ah, excuse me… but could you please
just SHUT THE HELL UP!
Not quite so compelling was the noise emanating from the Sound By
Singer room, where the folks from Krell were trying to
demonstrate their new two-way mini-monitor speakers. In the entry room,
Mr. Singer himself, and his entourage of compatriots and cronies were
lounging around congratulating themselves at being masters of the
universe (Yes, I stole that line from Titanic, so sue me). And
why does Andrew Singer still use a twenty year old picture of
himself in his ads? Does he really think this helps sell high end stereo
gear? Ooooooooh, nice beard! I think I'll buy me an Audio Note Ongaku!
But seriously, folks, the chatter was incessant, and they would not
close the door between the coffee klatch lounge and the demo room. So
while Todd, a designer from Krell, tried his best to demonstrate the new
speakers effectively, it just wasn't happening. Not that the speakers
sounded bad – far from it – it's just that the environment did not
support an effective demonstration of the equipment. I know – it's a
trade show – but still, as an exhibitor you've got to realize that
people will make snap judgments based on first impressions and if those
first impressions are bad, you may not get another shot. And with a
claimed figure of over
12,000 visitors over three days, you make a lot of first impressions…
That's all we have time for now folks, but stop by soon for our final
segment where you'll hear all about the Keb Mo show, an altercation
between hi-fi vendor and a member of the general public, the Absolute
Sound Harry Pearson reference system, Joseph Audio's new speakers
and much more!
Click here to
continue to Part III
Click here to see a
complete listing of show
exhibitors.
Click here to see
our 1999 show coverage.
High-Performance Audio Reviews
