Audio Federation at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2005 (Room #7930)
Boulder, Colorado  -  303-546-6503  -  AudioFederation.com  -   HIFIing.com - AudiophilesGuide.com
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Speakers

We chose these speakers again for this year's show because they are one of the lightest and most room-friendly full-range speakers made, and because, being that rarest of beasts: both very accurate and very musical, they are very popular with both music lovers and the most demanding audiophiles. Long-term listeners will tell you that these speakers easily outperform speakers costing up to 50% more.

Utilizing a light-weight yet super-strong carbon fiber enclosure combined with 3 Accuton ceramic drivers and the Accuton diamond tweeter. 20 - 100,000 Hz +/- 2dB. 89dB. 104 lbs. Internally wired with Jorma Design #1 cabling. From Sweden.

Amplifiers

We have found these amplifiers to sound quite magical in combination with the Coltrane Speakers, in spite of their relatively low power. Dynamics, verve, sophistication, embodiment, and just pure pleasure to listen to. These are a slightly different amplifier than the pair we took to this show last year.

22 watt Class A parallel single-ended no feedback mono triode power amplifiers, all Audio Note™ silver wired circuit & power supply, Audio Note™ silver foil signal capacitors & tantalum resistors, Black Gate caps wherever possible, all Audio Note™ silver wired output transformer. RMAF 2005 tube complement: 4 x EAT 300B (or Sophia/JJ 300B). From the U.K.

These amplifiers are amazingly synergistic with the Coltrane Speakers, the slight warmth and extreme delicacy of both the amplifiers and the speakers combining to produce a very transparent, very engaging sound. These amplifiers redefine the meaning of power and ease.

The EDGE statement amplifier. Using EDGE proprietary Laser Biased Control circuitry this amplifier redefines "linear".  A combination of very high-voltage and very high-current design. 800 watts into 8 ohms. 220 lbs. From the U.S.A.

Pre-Amplifier

The L2 Reference preamplifier is the very best hybrid solid-state / tube preamplifier in the world, and the most transparent, dynamically and harmonically correct preamplifier we have heard to date.

In particular it is a "Line-level dual-mono hybrid preamp with a separate power supply; tube rectifier, choke contained filter, vacuum tube regulator; and TKD stepped potentiometers for volume control -- the best available on today's market. From the U.S.A.

Digital

This is the top-of-the-line multi-channel CD/SACD player / linestage just released by Audio Aero. We will all be hearing this final product release for the first time at the show - but our expectations are high based on what the early prototypes sounded like. From France.

The transport custom designed for EMMLabs DACs by one of the primary inventors of the new SACD format. Plays CD and SACD discs and, in combination with the DAC, is widely acknowledged as currently the best SACD playback in existence. From Canada.

The DCC2 brings to the home the same sonic performance of its professional sibling (the DAC 8) that was so instrumental in establishing the SACD format in the market place. Compatible with CD and SACD discs. From Canada.

Analog

Clean design. Well engineered. Professionally built. Easy to use. Sounds and looks beautiful. German

Cables

Clean, neutral, and fast. When your components are good enough that you want to hear everything they are capable of. These are THE standard, the ones to beat. Made of many thin conductors, each conductor is made from optimized diameter solid 99.999999% oxygen free copper that has 78 microns of extruded silver on the surface. The surface of each conductor is highly polished before a high precision Micro Mono-Filament wrap is helically wound over the conductor. From the U.S.A.

The harmonics and emotion these cables reveal in the music make them invaluable in high-end systems. These cables are made of amorphous metal - i.e. the wire has zero grain or crystal structure. This metal was forged in the USSR back during the cold war and is in very limited supply. From the U.S.A.

This is the only speaker cable we have found that is as neutral as the Valhalla (others seemed to remove too much detail or were compressing large musical transients or worse), trading a little more body for a little less detail. Same wire as is used in the Coltrane speakers. From Sweden.

Power cords and distributors

The Hydra model-8 combines high-current capability with Shunyata’s passive form of noise reduction and system protection to offer the perfect all-in-one power-distribution solution. From the U.S.A.

The Anaconda VX ’s with patented FeSi-1000 noise reduction materials (and the Alpha without) and hand-braided matrix conductor geometry act as an arm of refined noise-isolation when applied to noise-sensitive digital or visual electronics. From the U.S.A.

Nordost Valhalla power cords are clean, neutral, and fast, sounding very much like their speaker cable and interconnect counterparts. From the U.S.A.

Racks

Beautiful and striking, one of the very few racks that can be classified as fine furniture. Solid curly maple shelving with Cocobolo inlay. This particular rack was featured in the Robb Report. From Canada.

We like these because of their modular design, solid construction and design, and because it has vibration control built-in, and so saves us money by not having to put a vibration control platform underneath every component on every shelf. Built-in multi-layer multi-material vibration control shelves mounted on cones on a compressed aluminum and specially dampened stand. From the U.S.A.

Vibration Control platforms and devices

The HRS Isolation base significantly improves the performance of any component that it is placed under. The base consists of a thick slab of granite in a metal frame resting on four very special feet. From Canada.

This vibration isolation platform increases the detail and articulation amazing well independently of the weight of the component or speaker on top of it. Filled with lead, sand and felt. From Germany.