QAT Audio amp and DAC
Amphion speakers
QAT Crystal 820 hybrid integrated amplifier
QAT Crystal 820 hybrid integrated amplifier
QAT Crystal 520 CD player
QAT MS5 Music Server
QAT Audio power supply
Oracle Audio gear driving Induction Dynamics S1.8T loudspeakers
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable closeup of Oracle cartridge
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable
Oracle Audio Si 1000 integrated amplifier
Apparently a power supply for something
Apparently a power supply for something
Oracle Audio DAC 1000
Oracle Audio CD 2000 MkII CD player
Oracle Audio CD 2000 MkII CD player
Oracle Audio CD 2000 MkII CD player
Oracle Audio CD 2000 MkII CD player
On static display: Oracle Audio’s Paris turntable
On static display: Oracle Audio’s Paris turntable in yellow
On static display: Oracle Audio’s Paris turntable in red
Eventus was showing their speakers on Audia Flight electronics in this room.
I thought this room, after listening to it for only a very short while, had good potential to be interesting. There was depth and subtleties to the music here but without artifice or artificiality. Lacking some color, but I really didn’t stay long – just noticed the build quality of the speakers and listened a tiny bit.
The Eventus ‘Nebula’ louspeaker
The Eventus ‘Nebula’ loudspeaker and Nordost Odin cables
Audia Flight Strumento No. 4 amplifier on Music Tools amp stand
Audia Flight’s Strumento No. 4 amplifier on Music Tools amp stand
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable
Oracle Audio’s Delphi MK VI turntable and Oracle cartridge
Audia Flight’s Flight Phono phono stage
Audia Flight’s Flight Phono phono stage
Audia Flight’s CD One M CD player
Audia Flight’s CD One M CD player
Eventus Audio’s Metis loudspeaker
Eventus Audio’s Metis loudspeaker
A couple of Evenuts speakers on static display
The Eventus Phobos loudspeaker on static display
Eventus Audio center channel speaker
This room featured the new Audio Power Labs 50TNT 50 watt amp on the Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary speakers.
Hedging their bets? They had 3 separate digital sources [musical fidelity, EERAtentation, and Aurender] and two preamps [Audio Research and Fostex attenuator]. It is my guess that they appear to be using the Aurender running into the Musical Fidelity running as a DAC into the Audio Research pre.
I liked the sound here. It was dynamic up and down the frequency spectrum, the speakers were well-controlled [not exceptionally so, but at a show where almost no speakers are well-controlled, this was one of the best]. The harmonics were rich but not excessively so. Not a ton of micro-dynamics but, seriously, the one thing the Von Schweirkert speakers do well when they are on their game is that big, open, dynamic, exciting sound, and in relatively small and inexpensive speakers – specifically the better versions of their VR-4 and VR-5 speakers].
How did the sound compare to similar systems powered by the Audio Space et. al. amps? Kind of the crux of the question here, and it is hard to remember… so this is just somewhat wild hand waving… but although I liked the those systems too, as I heard them in at shows gone by, I think this system had more harmonic color and harmonic resolution – especially given that the sources they used here this year are somewhat bereft of same.
Added a few photos of the 833 TNT amp on static display below. My apologies to those who have seen those amps in other rooms at this show – the static display provided a unique vantage point for the camera – and this will be the last we see of these amps in this report. Promise.
The system as seen from the couch: The Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier driving Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary loudspeakers on a solidsteel equipment rack
Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary loudspeaker
Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary loudspeaker
Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary loudspeaker
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier from above
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier from above
Audio Power Labs 50 TNT amplifier close up of the tube
Musical Fidelity M6CD CD player
The EERAtentation C player
The Aurender S10 music system
The Aurender S10 music system and Foxtex Attenuator
iPad with playlist
On static display: The Audio Power Labs 833TNT amplifier
The Audio Power Labs 833TNT amplifier
The Audio Power Labs 833TNT amplifier from below
The Audio Power Labs 833TNT amplifier from below
Wadax is building their product line around their digital expertise, putting it in their speakers and using it in their phono preamp [as I understand it].
They were very excited about Mike Fremer throwing out his phono stage and preamp and using their PRE 1 instead [I have not been keeping up with Stereophile either before CES or after, so do not know the scoop – but I think sometimes Mike does things that do not makes sense from the point of view of a typical audiophile who wants their system to sound its best. This may be one of those times – or maybe not].
They were silly enough to ask me if I had ‘ever heard digital better than this?’ and luckily, while I was trying to think about the digital here and how to be honest and polite at the same time, the conversation had moved on [Audio Note, Emm Labs, Audio Aero, Zanden, perhaps Neodio and probably forgetting a few]. Not that the digital was bad or anything, I’d probably place it above most other digital, perhaps even Esoteric, perhaps not. It didn’t seem to have digital artifacts, erring instead, possibly, on the side of removing too much information along with the artifacts.
There were other problems with the sound here that would have had a tendency to obscure some of the good stuff the digital might be doing – specifically the sound had a lot of unevenness between the highs, the mids and the lows [and none of which were exceptional, unlike, say, a not-so-well-integrated horn driver or ribbon driver – where the driver can sound great in its specific freq. range]. I blamed these effects on integration problems with the drivers in their new speakers, but I could be completely off base here. There was also a lack of harmonic color and midi- and micro- dynamics and.. well…
…. my expectation here were fairly high – as I took photos and sat down to listen it was obvious that they were going for the high-performance part of the high-end and are trying new things. I do think this *is* the right way to design speakers in the modern era – with most everything built into the speaker but the source. Hopefully they will continue in their quest and we’ll get to hear them again at the next shows.
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers rear
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers rear binding posts
Wadax Audio ‘La Paison’ speakers
Wadax PRE 1 preamplifier. I took so many photos of this, and the rest were too out of focus to use.
Brinkmann Oasis turntable
Brinkmann Oasis turntable
Brinkmann Oasis turntable with Brinkmann Pi cartridge
CH Precision CD player
CH Precision CD player with remote control – cool how it must be magnetized? to stick to the side of the chassis like that [maybe the chassis is magnetized in that area?]
The Sonorus reel to reel tape player
The Sonorus reel to reel tape player from below
The room featured Krell speakers on a Krell amp with a Krell front end.
The Krell ‘Modulari Primo Reference’ monitor speaker
The Krell ‘Modulari Primo Reference’ monitor speaker
The Krell ‘Modulari Primo Reference’ monitor speaker
The Krell ‘Modulari Primo Reference’ monitor speaker rear binding posts
The Krell ‘Mostro Reference’ subwoofer
The Krell ‘Phantom’ preamplifier and Krell ‘Cipher’ CD / SACD player
The Krell ‘Evolution 707 3D Reference’ preamp and surround sound processor
This room featured Piega speakers on Vitus amps and Nagra digital
Piega loudspeakers
The Piega Master ONE loudspeaker
The Piega ‘Premium’ loudspeaker and a Piega monitor speaker
The Piega ‘Sub’ subwoofer
The Piega MasterONE loudspeaker driver, closeup
The Piega AP-3 speaker
The Piega AP-3 speaker upclose
The Vitus Audio linestage preamplifier
Nagra CDP cd player
Jeff Rowland was showing their electronics on Revel Salon 2 speakers
Jeff Rowland ‘Aeris’ linestage preamplifier
Jeff Rowland ‘Aeris’ linestage preamplifier
Jeff Rowland monoblock amplifier
Jeff Rowland monoblock amplifier
Revel Salon 2 speaker
Revel Salon 2 speaker
Bryston BDP-1 digital player
On static display: Jeff Rowland Design Group amps and preamps
Another Meridian M6 speaker system
A Meridian A/V system
[It is day 3 and we have gone back to the Venetian Towers, floor 30, to visit the last 2 wings [hallways]. Then it is up to floors 34 and 35, and finally calling it a day.]
The entry to the Meridian room.
The Meridian 808.3 Signature Reference CD player in red
The Meridian DSP8000 Digital Active loudspeaker
The Meridian DSP8000 Digital Active loudspeaker in red – closeup. This 2-piece red system has been going on tour in Europe
The Meridian 808.3 Signature Reference CD player in black
The Meridian Audio ‘Media Core 200’
This monitor has a prototype user interface, presumably the interface to the Media Core 200
Meridian Audio’s M6 speakers
Meridian Audio’s M6 speaker
