RMAF 2013: NVS Sound, YG Acoustics, McCormack

NVS Sound makes cables.

They are also working with YG Acoustics to make a custom version of the YG Acoustics speaker. The modification I remember is the addition of silver binding posts, but there are others.
[neli]: Along with the binding posts, NVS re-wires the loudspeakers with their own internal cabling, paying an extreme amount of attention to the wiring connections. They also change the spikes.

They are also working with Steve McCormack to customize a McCormack amplifier for use with the NVS Sound-modified YG Acoustics speaker.

Both the speaker and amp were prototypes and under development.

The Notes

This is all of interest because the notes generated by this system were quite good and quite an advance for solid-state, in my opinion.

The attack was decent.

The peak was a bit flattened [I think this was a 160 watt amp. More power is required apparently].

The end of the note was the most surprising. The part after the maximum peak is reached but before the decay starts. It was rounded and controlled, ending like real notes end. This was shocking for a solid-state amp and seriously unbelievable on the supremely hard-to-drive YG Acoustics speakers.

And the decay? It was average.

So, two points:

1. This system drove the modded YG Acoustics better than any system I have heard them with, and

2. The note formation was better than I think I have ever heard from a solid-state amp

But there were also severe problems as well. When I got to play something familiar: Comfortably Numb – there were occasionally some issues with various resonance frequencies somewhere in the chain – creating way, way too much energy. There was also confusion during complex passages [not too many in that song, but some].

So as a finished product this failed. But as a research project this kicked ass.

Not sure exactly where the innovation is. I know a lot of people are fanatical about of Steve McCormack gear – but we did a shootout several years ago with a $10K Edge NL10 and the Edge was much better in every way except bass slam. So we are much more cautious in our assessment where the innovation is here – maybe it is the cables, which have been getting rave reviews in Japan. Who knows – but something was definitely happening that I hope gets developed further.