by Michael

Demo Music at RMAF 2008

While checking out what other websites are talking about the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest I came across this thread at Steve Hoffman’s forum:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=153011

Which talks about what kind of music a new exhibitor should bring to a show with them.

I don’t know who any of these people are, I am not registered there and the site does not let you see people profiles unless you are registered :D.

Well, besides disagreeing vociferously with the suggestion that exhibitors should not play show-goer’s CDs because they will invariably sound bad [a true signature of a bad sounding system all around, eh? If the system can’t play the music that an audiophile loves, then what use is that system for that audiophile? An accent for the livingroom decor?] – our suggestion would be to bring music that you love.

If the exhibitor brings music they love, or just music they want to play to see what it is like, then at least one person [i.e. the exhibitor] in the room will be enjoying the music. Sure, show some eclecticism – don’t just bring country, but bring some of your runners up like western and rock-a-billy and country-rock and bluegrass, etc.

This has the side effects of at least putting the exhibitor in a good mood and of attracting ‘like minds’ who love the same music. There is also a level of honesty implicit in this kind of approach – which we happen to think is a good thing.

Yeah, we get blasted for this approach [as being ‘unprofessional’] from some other dealers and reviewers – who, in another industry, would not let people test drive their prospective new car, or maybe just for 2 or 3 minutes [yes, there are still car dealers out here like that – ones that we visit just ONCE] nor review a car without Corinthian leather bucket seats [OK, my metaphor sucks – but moving on…].

This year I feel that we want to bring mostly things we have gotten recently: a CD by the Dave Holland Quintet – Extended Play [yeah, yeah, plenty good audiophile quality – but the songs are long – a no no at shows 🙂 and it is complex enough that it’s depths are hard to plumb in just a few listenings… like Radiohead … except it is Jazz ;-). Oh, and way less complex than Sun Ra or even Ornette Coleman – or is that Ornette Coleman and even Sun Ra?].

Anything else? I don’t know … usually we just do a mad rush through here and pick things we like and want to hear. The only problem is that Neli and I usually disagree significantly on the selection. So – we just end up with a his and hers side on the CD and LP collection at the show.

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / RMAF 2008 / Sounding Off 0 comments
 by Michael

RMAF 2008 Denver's High-end Audio Show

Our extensive show coverage will be here:

RMAF 2008 Denver’s High-end Audio Show.

The large room at 930 will have:

Marten Coltrane Supreme loudspeakers
Lamm ML3 Signature amplifiers
Lamm L2 Reference linestage
Lamm LP2 phono stage
EMM Labs TSD1 transport
EMM Labs DAC2 DAC
Brinkmann Balance or Audio Note TT3 turntables
HRS MXR and SXR equipment racks
Nordost ODIN and Valhalla, Jorma Design PRIME and No.1, and Audio Note PALLAS cables, along with assorted ELROD and AcroLink powercords
Computer laptop as music server

The small room at 926 will have:

Audio Note AN/E SEC HE Signature loudspeakers
Audio Note Kegon Balanced amplifiers
Audio Note M9 or M1 phono preamplifiers
Audio Note DAC4.1x Balanced DAC
Audio Note CDT-Three transport
Audio Note SOOTTO, SOGON and PALLAS cables
AcroLink power cords
Acoustic Dreams equipment rack and amp stands
and possibly the Audio Note TT-2/Arm 3/S4/IO1 turntable setup [requires that something else besides amps go on the floor – because that 4 shelf rack only has… 4 shelves].

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / RMAF 2008 / Show Reports 0 comments
 by Michael

ML3 – Day Two

The amps are continuing to improve as they fully warm up and settle in.

I have not seen such a smile on Neli’s face for years and years. She is spending all her time cleaning and playing records [while I slave away in my office around the corner ;-)]. She was even talking about putting up a new post about them on this blog. I think this is the first time ever for my blog-shy wifey that she even TALKED about posting.

They seem to be perfectly balanced and really do excel equally in of the aspects of sound reproduction that audiophiles usually look for: Sophisticated, Natural, Real, Emotional, Impressive. They are very much like the Coltrane Supremes in this way: not showy – just perfect un-heard-of-before-this-what-were-we-all-thinking competence.

We are waiting to do any critical listening until the Lamm L2 linestage arrives – which should add another leap in improvement just based on the synergy between the two Lamm pieces if nothing else [and, face it, the L2 is just mo better than the linestage inside the DCC2 DAC].

The speakers also should be moved if we are to optimize the listening experience. It is funny how both the Audio Note Kegon Balanced and the Lamm ML3 Signature both had strong enough personalities to make us want to move the speakers to different locations – that they are both so different from the other amps we had here – and so different from each other. [Personally, I am trying to put off the speaker moving thing until the show in a week or so – at which time I will get our fill of moving things, let me tell you] .

I proposed that we move everything up front by the amps (9 boxes on their HRS M3 platforms: 4 amp + crossover + 2 L2 and TSD1 and DAC2) so that we can hear the system with just Nordost ODIN and Jorma PRIME cables – at least for the digital… but noooooooo, Neli doesn’t want me to be contributing any more to the electronic component sprawl [already at 5 boxes, what is a few more boxes? 🙂 And so what if we have to push back the front row of chairs a little to make room for all of the boxes? ;-)] in the front of the room at the show. Sucks.

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Lamm 0 comments