Welcome to Enjoy the
Music.com's KL International AV Show report by Lam Seng Fatt! This event is Malaysia's the premier audio / visual exhibition and was held from July
24th through the 26th, 2009 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Glass
And Goo
There were a couple of products that caught my attention at the KL International AV Show. No, they were not the sound systems that cost a couple of hundred grand. There was this booth that featured a piece of glass that could turn from being transparent to opaque at the click of a switch. That was cool. The guy manning the booth said you can install the special glass in your office and you can still look out and see what kind of trickery your staff are up to
-- sending SMSes, putting on make-up, chit-chatting, etc -- and when you need to make a presentation, you just turn on the switch and convert the transparent glass panel into an opaque screen for your projector. Since you are the boss, you can even watch a movie while your staff continue,
er, working.
Erica Tham of Beacon Multimedia Systems Sdn Bhd holding a bottle of Screengoo
Another cool product was this special paint called Screengoo. It looks like thick white paint; in fact it is a specially formulated highly-reflective acrylic paint designed specifically for the video projection industry. Simply paint any indoor or outdoor surface with it and turn a wall, a piece of cloth, a glass panel, a metal sheet, a building facade or anything into a screen. How about painting the wall of your living room for your home theatre projection system?
Wilson Audio Sasha
The Wilson Audio Sashas driven by Pass Labs pre/power amps and the DCS Scarlatti three-piece CD player
The Wilson WATT/Puppy system has been an icon of high-end hi-fi for a good many years even though there were other speakers, often costing more, that could outclass it. Often it seemed as if any AV show would not be considered an AV show if Wilson Audio's Watt/Puppy system was not featured. The WATT/Puppy system evolved eight times and the ninth version was seen and heard by audiophiles at the KL International AV Show which ended last night. However, it wasn't called Wilson WATT/Puppy Nine; instead it was labeled Wilson Audio Sasha. At the show, it was driven by a three-piece DCS Scarlatti CD player system, and Pass Labs pre/power amps. The hall was big and the system managed to fill it with great sound. Wilson Audio's website has this to say:
> Both the new midrange/tweeter module and the bass cabinet have greater volume than WATT/Puppy System 8.
> The larger bass enclosure results in a 2Hz greater extension in the bass, and less congestion in the upper bass.
> Increased volume in the upper module allows a new bracing architecture and sidewall construction for greater rigidity and lower resonance.
> Sasha’s upper module utilizes Wilson’s newest proprietary cabinet material for its baffle, resulting in a lower noise floor and greater transparency in the critical midrange.
> By removing the crossover from the upper module, less midrange energy is reflected through the midrange driver cone, again improving clarity and transparency.
> Sasha incorporates both the 7” midrange driver and the tweeter from MAXX Series 3.
> Sasha’s woofers utilize a new motor/magnet assembly with more magnetic force for the same cone mass resulting in improved dynamics and acceleration in the bass region.
> The crossover is housed in the bass module, with resistor access on a rear panel. Custom wiring, hand-built at Wilson, connects all the drivers.
Woofers: Two – 8 inch (20.32 cm)
Midrange: One – 7 inch (17.78 cm)
Tweeter: One – 1 inch inverted dome (2.54 cm
Sensitivity: 91 dB @ 1 watt @ one meter @ 1kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms, 1.8 ohms minimum @ 92 Hz
Frequency Response: +/- 3 dB 20 Hz - 22 kHz
Overall Dimensions: Height – 44 inches (111.76 cm)
Width – 14 inches (35.56 cm)
Depth – 21.25 inches (53.91 cm)
System Product Weight: 197 lbs (89.36 kg)
Apparently it is priced slightly lower than the W/P System 8. I remember listening to the System Six some years ago. Version 9, aka Sasha, seems to have a better controlled bass. At this price range, there are lots of competitors and audiophiles are advised to shop around.
Show
Highlights
Just like in previous shows, the current KL International AV Show has the usual budget and mid-priced components and the high-end gear that most visitors to the show cannot afford.
There was some good music at the show and among the outstanding systems are:
The Gryphon Mirage pre and the Colosseum power amp matched with the Wilson Benesch ACT C60 (limited edition) with songs fed by a MacBook linked to a Weiss Minerva DAC.
The tower-like component is not the speaker, but the Gryphon Colosseum power amp.
The McIntosh system comprising the MCD500 SACD/CD player, C500 pre and MC1.2 KW monoblocks and the XRT1K tower speakers.
The Marten Bird speakers matched with Bladelius Saga pre, Ymer power amp and Embla CD player. Sexy things from Sweden.
Sexy stuff from Sweden
Best of British 1 - Harbeth Super HL5 speakers matched with the Quad 66/606 pre-power amp and the Quad CD 66.
Best of British 2 - Naim HDX Hard Disc player with NAC 252 pre, NAP 300 power amp and three power supplies driving ProAc D28 speakers.
Best of British 3 - Sugden Masterclass CD player, Sugden Masterclass integrated and Spendor A6 speakers.
German Physiks Carbon Mk IV speakers with Moon by Simaudio amps and CD player. This system impressed many audiophiles.
Seen here is the special driver of the German Physiks speakers
TAD Reference 1 with Ayre pre/power amps and CD player.
> Vitus amp and CD player with the Marten Coltrane Supreme main towers and sub-woofer.
Dynaudio Confidence C4 with Jeff Rowland Model 312, Criterion Pre and Copland
CDA822.
More Pictures From The Show:
High-Performance Audio Reviews
