Audio Federation - high-end audio blog

February 17, 2012July 17, 2014 by Michael

CES 2012 – IsoMike, EMM Labs

Ray Kimber’s IsoMike room featured Sony SSAR1 speakers driven by Pass Labs amps with EmmLabs digital as sources.

Didn’t really spend much time listening here – perhaps Neli will have something to say.

We also went and checked out their static display, where we listened to headphones plugged into the Emm Labs PRE2 preamp. Neli and Emm Labs’ Shahin were more impressed than I was. Me? I do not think headphones turn me on – the sound being thin and with the instruments playing in my head – but YMMV.

I need to do a report on our PRE2 sometime soon – this solid-state preamp is unlike any other solid-state preamp – the purity of the harmonics makes a tube amp unnecessary, and one might say redundant. It really sounds superbly superb on/with solid-state amps.

The IsoMike room itself is impressive, and black… should photograph the mice-like maze of curtains one goes through to get into this room. Reminds me of Halloween parties when I was a youngster. 😉

The Sony SSAR1 loudspeaker, which is used every year here form the last few years

The Sony SSAR1 loudspeaker

The Meitner MA-1 DAC and EMM Labs DAC 8

The EMM Labs XDS1 CD / SACD player

The EMM Labs PRE2 linestage preamplifier

The Pass Labs X350.5 amplifier with purple guardian

The Pass Labs X350.5 amplifier with purple guardian from above

The Emm Labs PRE2 linestage with headphones sitting on top

The Emm Labs TSD1 transport and DAC2 DAC

The new Meitner MA-2 CD+ CD / SACD player

The new Meitner MA-2 CD+ CD / SACD player back panel

Ray Kimber in a very phosphorescent coat – he went into the adjoining room and just turned out the light… and pop! – in any kind of situation without much light, this coat just shines. A person could get blinded 😉

Manipulating the playlist with an iPad / tablet

EMM Labs’ Shain looks on as Neli listens through the headphones to the PRE2 preamp.

The back panel of the Emm Labs PRE2 with theb headphones plugged in to the audio outputs

February 16, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Lamm, Vertity Audio, Kronos, Kubala-Sosna

In this room Lamm showed two pairs of their ML2.2 amplifiers driving Verity’s statement Lohengrin loudspeakers. Kubals-Sosna cables and NEODIO digital. This is all the same as it was last year, near as I can tell, and the sound was also very similar if not exactly the same as last year. The major difference here was the Kronos turntable instead of the DaVinci turntable last year.

Like last year, then, the sound was was rich and well articulated. In many ways this is the prototypical Lamm show sound – a little laid back, relaxing, hypnotic, musical, with enough depth of character to keep one there for hours if one did not have a zillion other rooms to see.

This is the view from the couch:: Lamm ML2.2 amplifiers on Verity Lohengrin speakers.

The Verity Lohengrin speaker

The Verity Lohengrin speaker from the side

The Verity Lohengrin speaker from the rear, a closeup of the binding posts

The Verity Lohengrin speaker rear. A large port and a few small ones. Think the photo last year was better…?

The Verity Lohengrin speaker from exactly in front of the speaker.

A few shots of the Lamm Ml2.2 SET amplifier

The Lamm Ml2.2 SET amplifier

The phalanx of the two pair of Lamm ML2.2 amplifiers

Closeup of the rear panel of the Lamm ML2.2 amp

The rear panel of the Lamm ML2.2 amp from above

The Lamm Ml2.2 SET amplifiers – the wiring here of the two pairs to optimally drive the Veiity Lohengrin speakers is not all that obvious.

The Kronos turntable and rack

The Kronos turntable and rack from the side

The Kronos turntable

The Kronos turntable, closeup, and the Dynavector XV-1 cartridge

The Kronos turntable from side with the belt / motor.

The 2nd rack, a Mapleshade, had the Lamm preamps and NEODIO digital

The Neodio NR 22 transport

The Neodio NR 22 DAC

The Lamm L2 Reference linestage preamplifier power supply

On static display: the Lamm ML2.2 amplifier with open chassis

On static display: the Lamm ML2.2 amplifier with open chassis, closeup and personal

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February 14, 2012 by Michael

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 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

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 Lamm LL2 Signature linestage preamplifier

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February 14, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Summit Semiconductor (Mark Levinson)

Summit Semiconductor builds wireless audio solutions. This room featured lots of Harmon gear, of mostly the Mark Levinson brand

The Mark Levinson No. 531H amplifier

A Mark Levinson static display

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February 12, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Bladelius Design Group

Bladelius was showing their Embla music player as source into their Ymer amplifiers on Martin Logan Montis loudspeakers

The Bladelius Embla music player on a Solid Tech equipment rack

The iPad driving the Bladelius Embla music player.

Close of the Bladelius Embla display which is playing Suzanne Vega

The Transparent PowerIsolator Reference

The Bladelius Ymer monoblock amplifier

The new Martin Logan Montis loudspeaker

The new Martin Logan Montis loudspeaker from the side, can almost see the binding posts… but not

Bladelius gear on static display

New Bladelius preamplifier on static display

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February 12, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Vivid Audio, Luxman, Audio Aero

This room featured the Vivid Audio B1 speakers driven by a Luxman integrated and a Brinkmann Bardo turntable. I did not get to hear the new Audio Aero La Fontaine CD / SACD player.

I like the Vivid speakers, the can sound very energetic, integrated and with lots of separation. However with this system, which we’ve heard variations of several times, the sound is muddy and dull, and not to my taste.

The Vivid Audio B1 loudspeaker

The Brinkmann Bardo turntable

The Brinkmann Bardo turntable and tube power supply there on the left

The Brinkmann Bardo turntable and Brinkmann Pi cartridge

The Brinkmann Bardo turntable from the side / below. You can easily see the feet and spindle.

The Luxman SQ-N10 integrated amplifier [there were two different Luxman integrateds in this room, not sure which one they were using – the photo of the other one is too blurry for publication]

The Luxman SQ-N10 integrated amplifier

The Audio Aero ‘La Fontaine’ CD / SACD player. Took several photos of this, but again, most were too blurry. Some kind of brain dead photography work [this was the 2nd to last room in the marathon 29th and 30th floors]

The Audio Aero ‘La Fontaine’ CD / SACD player closeup of the tray

The Audio Aero ‘La Fontaine’ CD / SACD player remote control

Danny Kaey was here photographing the goods. Of late he has been putting stuff up on Sonic Flare but nothing for this show yet

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February 11, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – MK Sound

For sake of completeness we include this room, although I think we left out the Polk room [not much to see there].

MK Sound makes speakers.

MK Sound home theater loudspeaker

Onkyo TX-NR809 Receiver

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February 11, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Modwright, AudioMachina

AudioMachina was showing their speakers with ModWright electronics.

The main AudioMachina loudspeakers was composed of their CRG and CRS speaker components.

AudioMachina CRG + CRS loudspeaker

AudioMachina CRG + CRS loudspeaker from above

AudioMachina CRG + CRS loudspeaker

AudioMachina CRG + CRS loudspeaker rear

The laptop used in this room

The ModWright KWA-150 amplifier

The ModWright LS-100 linestage preamplifier

There was a smaller system here. I for some reason did not get a photo of the whole thing, just the pieces parts. Here we see the AudioMachina CRM monitor loudspeaker

VPI Classic 1 turntable

The ModWright KWI-200 integrated amplifier

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February 11, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Vienna Acoustics

The Vienna Acoustics room featured their ‘The Music’ speakers on Jeff Rowland electronics

The Vienna Acoustics ‘The Music’ loudspeaker

The Vienna Acoustics ‘The Music’ loudspeaker rear

This laptop was the source while I was here

The Jeff Rowland ‘Aeris’ DAC and Corus preamplifier

Transparent’s Power Isolator 8

Vienna Acoustics in-wall speakers

New Vienna Acoustics speakers

Vienna Acoustics monitor speakers

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February 10, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Davone

The very existence of these speakers implies that some people find the ordinary everyday speaker ugly, an unacceptable eyesore in the home. There are other speakers like this, glass speakers, colorful eyeball speakers, or, of course, in-wall speakers…

Me, I think ordinary speakers are cool, like large, glass front bookcases or big cherry armoires – which are also probably out of fashion.

But as we all know, fashion goes through cycles…

I sure am anxious to see this one end 🙂

I can really envision young people liking these Davone speakers, like the guys on the Friends TV series [instead of their Martin Logans]. And the Davone speakers do seem to be winning lots of awards.

Davone Ray loudspeaker