CES 2012 – Lamm, Wilson Audio, Onedof, HRS, Neodio

I ran into Neli and I decided to join her and go up to this, the 35th floor, and later the 34th, to visit a few rooms up here together.

This year Lamm put their statement ML3 Signature amplifiers on the Wilson MAXX3 loudspeakers instead of the historic Wilson Alexandria X2 speakers they had here last year. They also were featuring the ONEDOF turntable, a new, very expensive turntable that appeared on the scene a few years ago.

I’m afraid there are a lot of photos here – I consider the ML3 and ONEDOF to be important and photogenic – and there would be a lot more except many of the Neodio and Lamm LL1 photos just did not come out very well at all. Maybe the Neodio photos will look better in the room next door, the smaller Lamm room.

It was sort of the consensus that those of us that heard this room last year were disappointed – there is a large difference in sound quality between the MAXX 3 and Alexandria X2 – much more than one would think just by looking at them [they appear very similar, although the MAXX 3 is about 6 inches shorter, I think. Neli and I had this argument about the relative heights, and I won :-), but now I forget what exactly I was right about].

So the sound here was much less full, had much less resolution than last year, and so felt thin and lacked some cohesiveness.

The poop was that Wilson was demonstrating, or perhaps had on static display, their new statement XLF speakers in the Mirage hotel, I think. But there were rumors that they might appear in this room for next years CES, Here’s hoping.

I took a photo, below, of Aleks Bakman the proprietor of ONEDOF. I do not usualy take photos like this but he wanted me to and was so good-natured about it all, that I took a couple, and commit a aux pas by standing in front of one of the speakers to do it. That is until I saw Neli waving her arm in a internationally recognized signal indicating that ?I should ‘get the heck out of the way’. 🙂

The Wilson MAXX 3 loudspeakers on Lamm ML3 signature amplifiers, from the rear, looking out across the room and the rack and the audience.

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker rear

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker rear at another angle

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker tweeter adjustment assembly

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker binding posts

The Wilson MAXX loudspeaker and Lamm ML3 system, side view

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier back panel

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier power supply

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifier power supply back panel

The Lamm ML3 Signature amplifiers and their power supplies.

This is the best photo the equipment racks I have – a double-wide and a single-wide HRS SXR Signature equipment rack. Lamm LL1 4-box Siganture linestage preamplifier , a NEODIO transport and DAC, and a Lamm LP2 photo stage

This single-wide HRS SXR Signature rack had the ONEDOF turntable on top, the clamping ring of which is on the 2nd shelf, and the Lamm LP2 phono stage on the bottom shelf.

OK. A few photos of the ONEDOF turntable

The ONEDOF turntable without the clamping ring

The ONEDOF turntable from below

The ONEDOF turntable from above

ONEDOF’s own Aleks Bakman

The ONEDOF turntable with Zyx’s Omega-X cartridge

The ONEDOF turntable from below

The ONEDOF turntable with Aleks putting on the clamping ring

The ONEDOF turntable

The ONEDOF turntable

Finally, last photo of The ONEDOF turntable. Think this photo is the best. Maybe save the rest for the Gallery Show Report – where these will all look much nicer in full-window mode.

The NEODIO NR2 CD transport

The NEODIO NR2 CD transport

The Lamm LL2 Signature linestage preamplifier