Ha! No we didn’t go.

It does seem like every blog post these days is about yet another of our show reports. Whew!

Maybe Munich next year, though. It looks like it was a very high-end and well-attended show.

Here are some links to a few domestic reports:

EnjoyTheMusic Munich 2006 Show Report
SoundStageLive Munch 2006 Show Report

oh, just found a nice one at:

Munich 2006 Show Report by Maria and Henk at Six Moons

And some links to a couple of reports with most of the comments in other languages These have lots of pictures(!) , and help one get a real feel for what it was like there:

[There is some English at the bottom]
HiFiForum Munich 2006 Show Report

and

[in 5 parts]
HiFi Musik Munich 2006 Show Report part 1
HiFi Musik Munich 2006 Show Report part 2
HiFi Musik Munich 2006 Show Report part 3
HiFi Musik Munich 2006 Show Report part 4
HiFi Musik Munich 2006 Show Report part 5

It looks like the Swedish Statement room with the Marten Design Coltrane Supreme loudspeakers was even smaller than the one they had at CES 2006.

It also looks like the Kharma room with the Kharma Grand Exquisite loudspeakers was not only a larger room, but made quite an impression on the HiFiForum show reporter. The room also featured the Continuum turntable with both WAVAC amplifiers and the new Kharma MP350 amplifiers [perhaps in a bi-amp configuration? or perhaps taking turns at amplification duties during the show? I don’t know].

This show is a little smaller than the Stereophile Show that was occuring simulatneously down the street, about one seventh the size in fact.

But we have photos and reports on what we thought were the better rooms early in the show.

About 250 photos in all, also in 3 different sizes each (sorry you people with 1024×768 resolution monitors, our medium resolution is still 1000×800 pixels). Also with slideshow capabilities, just like our Home Entertainment HE 2006 Show Report.

Anyway, here it is the Audio Federation Vacuum Tube Valley (West) VTV 2006 Show Report

Enjoy!

… is more or less complete except for minor (I hope) corrections.

It is at Home Entertainment Show Report HE 2006, but you might have to hit refresh on your browser (if you have visited the report earlier today) and it does take awhile to load because of all the options on the main page.

as is Part 1 of 6 of our report on the Home Entertainment 2006 show sponsored by Stereophile and Primedia.

All photos in 3 different sizes. And each with slideshow capability.

Please let me know if there are any errors of commision (and I just do not want to hear about errors of omission right now thank you very much good night).

The new Metronome turntable with Lyra Titan cartridge in the Lamm room.

The Report page

… complied, collated, cooked and curmudgeoned.

Looks like about 1500 photos of earotica for HE 2006 and about 100-150 for VTV to follow at a later date.

Does your turntable cartidge glow? [No, ours don’t either].

… don’t know when we’ll be back again.”

About 2700 photos later… including HE 2006, the VTV show and a special tour /audition of the latest revolutionary Cogent True-to-life horn loudspeakers.

As always, right after these shows are finallllly over, I feel like … WAIT! I’m not done yet. Can’t I have one more day, there were things I needed to hear a few more times…. Whaaaaah!

Anyway, to tide people over… Dave and Carol at Positive Feedback did another great show report this year. Check it out here and here.

That was pretty darn fast you two….!

A tour of the rooms at VTV this year in Los Angeles, which is only part of the full show report is up on the web:

The Vacuum Tube Valley Show Report 2006 Day 1

Only a few exhibitors that I am familiar with are there this year: Audio Note, DeHaviland, Jumping Cactus…

Audio Note U.K. Ongaku 211-tube based SET integrated amplifier

5 pairs of modified Zu Audio ‘Druid’ loudspeakers. Filled the room up completely with sound and vibes.

I like techno music (and it various offshoots that some people are insistant sound way different from each other). A lot.

So I thought this was great fun. I only got to spend an hour or so here, and Neli was off trying to get into trouble and drinking too much Saki

The room was hard to estimate, but at least 100 feet (30 meters) square.

If you like the Zu speaker sound you would have loved this event. In absolute terms, the bass was not the tight, tight bass usually associated with techno, there being an overhang and perhaps some resonance. There was also a little too much energy at a thin band in the upper mids - which hardly ever called attention to itself.

At around 11:30 the music started to loosen up and get into my head like it is supposed to - perhaps DJ Ming getting used to the fact a lot of the showgoers seemed to be at the Dodgers game or somethin’ - or maybe these things just don’t get going until after this fogey goes to bed, the show lasted until 2:00am

Acoustic Signature’s new statement turntable, SME V tonearm, and ? cartridge.

The SME V tonearm on the Acoustic Signature statement turntable

The Acoustic Signature statement turntable

Everybody needs a statement turntable these days, don’t ya know?

Neli has more to say about the sound in this room, but I will just say that with the VTL amps, we got the typical BIG sound alright, but not a heckuva lot more.

Chord static display:

Yes, part of this has to do with the fact that silver-colored matte finishes are the eawsiest to photograph, at least with the digital cameras I have had experience with. But still, a nicely designed display, designed to fire up that ole equipment lust, is a (dangerous) thing to behold.