CES 2012 – ADAM Audio


ADAM makes loudspeakers that typically feature their ART (heil) driver for the higher frequencies.


The ADAM ‘column’ speaker


The ADAM ‘column’ speaker drivers


The Cary ‘SLP-05’ preamplifier and power supply


On static display – the ADAM ‘Tensor Delta’ speaker


On static display – the rear of the ADAM ‘Tensor Delta’ speaker

CES 2012 – Hansen speakers, Viola, Red Point turntable


The new Hansen Prince E speakers driven by Viola amps [although there was also a Wavestream amp here too] . Everything was on an HRS SXR equipment rack.


Wes Bender, of Wes Bender Studio, whose room this is, trying to turn the tables on me 😉


The Hansen Prince E speaker


The Hansen Prince E speaker


The rear tweeter for the Hansen ‘Prince E’ speaker


The binding posts on the rear of Hansen’s Prince E loudspeakers


HRS SXR equipment rack with Red Point turntable and Viola Audio amplifier


The Red Point turntable from above


The Red Point turntable from above


The Red Point turntable in white


The Red Point turntable in white and closeup of what looks like a Dynavector XV 1S cartridge


The Lindemann 825 CD player


A Wavestream amplifier


What looks likes a Viola preamplifier


The Viola Forte power amplifier


The laptop used in this room

CES 2012 – CH Precision, Magico speakers, Argento cables


This room was interesting. Like the Kondo room, which this year was a perfect example of their sound – I though this room was a perfect example of the Magico sound.

The sound was tight, punchy, dynamic, high energy – enough harmonics and resolution so a person did not feel cheated. To me, this is what most manufacturers think people want to hear when they enter a dealership. This may even be true, especially for non audiophiles, although I cannot remember about the ultimate impressiveness of the deep bass of this system, also a requirement for people walking into dealerships, and which 1) I do not pay all that much attention to unless it is especially well done, and 2) would be really hard to do anyway in these rooms at this show unless a person a) got lucky or b) spent a lot, A LOT, of time on setup.

There was some confusion, on my part – corrected by you all 🙂 – about which amp was being used in this room. As it turns out , the two CH Precision A1 amps here were not being used – in fact they are off – and the Luxman amps were being used instead [as you all can see by tracing speaker cables in this and the following photo].

Because the Luxman amps have sounded soft and laid back and tonally confused in several of the past rooms I have heard them in [and in the Vivid / Audio Aero room down the hall at this show] I can only speculate on whether they are uniquely able to drive the Magico speakers [and there has to be some degree of truth to this, having heard the Soulution and Technical Brain and several other amps fail at it], or perhaps they just do not mate so well with their own Luxman preamps [but do mate well with the CH Precision preamp] – to my way of thinking, anyway.


Another photo of the room setup


The Magico Q3 speaker


The Magico Q3 speaker


What appear to be Brilliant Pebbles strewn under the cables to the decorative lamps…???


The CH Precision C1 DAC


The CH Precision C1 DAC


The CH Precision A1 amplifier


The CH Precision D1 CD / SACD player


The CH Precision D1 CD / SACD player


The Luxman M-800a amplifier


The Luxman M-800a amplifier


On static display, the CD Precision A1, C1 and D1