Full Report
 CES HIGH-END AUDIO

VENETIAN TOWER FLOOR 29
Wing 3
January 8th-11th, 2007

 

* product carried by Audio Federation

Copyright © Audio Federation, Inc.. All rights reserved.
All pictures in this report are freely copyable and distributable.

 

 

 

 
The SV Sound room.

 

 

 

 
The Audyssey MultEQ looks like it does a good job correcting frequency response magnitudes. Of course, there are other things to music, and sound, than just the magnitude of the frequency response. Yes, really, even though the magazines of the 70s, 80s and 90s seemed to have brainwashed a large percentage of males otherwise.

 

 

 

 
The Conrad-Johnson, McCormack Audio room. Static display only.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The VMAX Services, Atohm, ISEM Audio room.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Jasmine amplifiers.

 

 

 

 
More Jasmine amplifiers.

 

 

 

 
The Music Hall, Shanling room.

 

 

 

 
The Shanling layout.

 

 

 

 
The new A500 integrated amp. After I took these someone expressed the possibility that someone might stick their fingers into this live amp with its top off. They subsequently decided to power it off.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The new CD500. A lot of new Shanling gear this year. And always fun to photograph.

 

 

 

 
The new CD-T1000SE

 

 

 

 
The new, yes new!, MC-30. Let's see, so far we've seen MSB and Shanling with these iPod docking units. Probably a few others that weren't as obvious. Anybody detect a trend here?

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The CD-T1500.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The SCD-T200.

 

 

 

 
The Music Hall room. I do not remember a thing about the sound in this room. I usually like these rooms at shows, but, I do not know, perhaps they were not playing music when I got here.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The new EPOS MSUB.

 

 

 

 
The Creek electronics.

 

 

 

 
The Globe Audio Marketing, *Brinkmann Audio, *Audio Aero, WLM room.

 

 

 

 
The Audio Aero Prestige CD / SACD player and linestage.

 

 

 

 
The WLM loudspeaker.

 

 

 

 
The WLM subwoofer.

 

 

 

 
The RCM Bonasus integrated amplifier.

 

 

 

 
The RCM Bonasus integrated amplifier.

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann Balance turntable and Audio Aero Capitole Reference CD player.

 

 

 

 
The, oh, I don't know, might it be the Audio Excellence AZ's World Power 'Power Wing' power conditioner?

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann Balance turntable.

 

 

 

 
Flying over what has to be the Audio Excellence AZ's World Power 'Power Wing' power conditioner.

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann.

 

 

 

 
The static display of WLM monitor speakers and the Audio Aero Prima CD player and integrated amplifier.

 

 

 

 
The *Audio Aero Prima CD player and integrated amplifier.

 

 

 

 
The Manley Labs, Coincident Speaker room.

 

 

 

 
The Manley Shrine.

 

 

 

 
The Manley Shrine to the Almighty Vacuum Tube.

 

 

 

 
The RBH Sound room.

 

 

 

 
The Spendor/QS&D, Talk Electronics, Visonik room.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek Corp., AXISS room.

This system lacked the immediacy and openness that I expected from these speakers that look like horn speakers. The bass also sounded slower, and disconnected from, the midrange and treble. Too bad, the sound in this room was a disappointment; a lot of unfamiliar electronics driving these unfamiliar speakers. Hopefully we get to hear them again sometime.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Kubotek loudspeaker from the sweet spot.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio, Escalante Design Loudspeakers room.

 

 

 

 
The Escalante speaker.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio amp on static display.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio amp on static display.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio amp making the music.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio amp making the music.

 

 

 

 
The KR Audio amp making the music.

 

 

 

 
The Proac USA, Modern Audio room.

 

 

 

 
The Spender/QS&D and QUAD/Taiga LLC room.

 

 

 

 
The Spendor loudspeaker system.

 

 

 

 
The QUAD loudspeaker system.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The AudioMachina room with the *Audio Aero Prestige CD / SACD player and *Audio Aero Prestige monoblock amplifier.

I liked the sound in this room. I am not sure I have ever heard the Prestige amps sound this good. Yes, there is probably a synergy with the Prestige that we never got to hear here, only having the Capitole CD player at that time, but this was open, musical, full-sounding yet controlled.

 At $20K these speakers have a lot of competition.

Resolution    
Level of detail: 5=perfect   4
Micro-dynamics   5
Midi-dynamics   8
Macro-dynamics   8
Harmonic resolution   6
Harmonics    
Body / richness   8
Tonal accuracy   7
Dynamics    
Separation   7
Consistency top-to-bottom   8
Control   7
Authority   6
Imaging    
Correctness   8
Separation   8
Transparency   6
Depth   N/A
Width   N/A
Off axis behavior   N/A
Solidity   7
Character    
Enjoyability   8
Emotionality   7
Reality   7.5 [lacking some resolution and transparency]
Magic   N/A
Impressiveness   8 [for a small speaker]
Sophistication   6
Comments    
Weak in resolution and transparency, but good dynamics and control of dynamics up and down the frequency spectrum.
Legend    
N/A means Not paying Attention [I wasn't paying attention to this]

For most scoring, 9 = best we ever heard. On Level of Detail, less than 5 implies a rounded note presentation, greater than 5 implies a distinct note presentation.

These impressions are just impressions, and apply to the whole system in combination to the room. Please do not misconstrue it as something else, especially you speaker manufacturers.

Impressive - Exaggerated bass and/or detail and/or dynamics
Sophisticated - Detailed and with finesse
Enjoyable - Nice to listen to, pleasant
Sweet - Exaggerated harmonics and/or warmth
Emotional - Music often pulls at heart strings
Real/Truth - Transparent, accurate
Magical/Spiritual - Precipitates psychological effects other than what might be expected

 

 

 

 

 
The AudioMachina floor standing loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
The Audio Aero Prestige amplifier

 

 

 

 
The Audio Aero Prestige CD / SACD player.

 

 

 

 
The Audio Aero Prestige amplifier for the other channel

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The AudioMachina floor standing loudspeaker

 

 

 

 
The AudioMachina floor standing loudspeaker read view.

 

 

 

 
The AudioMachina floor standing loudspeaker rear view. It looks like this is an active speaker, yet with no signal being provided. Does the cross over automatically supply a signal from the speaker terminals if none if forthcoming from the subwoofer inputs? Inquiring minds...

 

 

 

 
The DeVore Fidelity, Tone Imports room.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Sooloos room. Nice anagram. Looks like a music server that was not playing music when I traipsed through.

 

 

 

 
The Loudsoft room.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Flying Mole room.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
The Hansen Audio room. CAT amplification, *Audio Aero Prima CD player, *Brinkmann LaGrange turntable.

I liked the sound in this room. Very big and open (the kind of sound HP at The Absolute Sound likes) and well-controlled. Very impressive, not so much in the slam or detail department, but in terms of dynamics. This was big dynamics done in a relaxed manner, as opposed to the more aggressive TAD or Montana speaker approach. Geez, just what we need, another subcategory for dynamics...

 

Resolution    
Level of detail: 5=perfect   4
Micro-dynamics   5
Midi-dynamics   9
Macro-dynamics   9
Harmonic resolution   8
Harmonics    
Body / richness   8
Tonal accuracy   7
Dynamics    
Separation   8
Consistency top-to-bottom   6 [a little focused on the midrange and bass, leaving the treble to just 'fill in']
Control   7
Authority   7
Imaging    
Correctness   N/A
Separation   8
Transparency   6
Depth   N/A
Width   N/A
Off axis behavior   N/A
Solidity   7
Character    
Enjoyability   8
Emotionality   6
Reality   7.5 [lacking some resolution to be too real]
Magic   6 [but the potential is there]
Impressiveness   8
Sophistication   5
Comments    
The weak link is in the treble, which although competent, does not have the resolution commensurate with the rest of the frequencies. Some people may like this, perhaps making the sound more palatable with less than stellar upstream equipment.
Legend    
N/A means Not paying Attention [I wasn't paying attention to this]

For most scoring, 9 = best we ever heard. On Level of Detail, less than 5 implies a rounded note presentation, greater than 5 implies a distinct note presentation.

These impressions are just impressions, and apply to the whole system in combination to the room. Please do not misconstrue it as something else, especially you speaker manufacturers.

Impressive - Exaggerated bass and/or detail and/or dynamics
Sophisticated - Detailed and with finesse
Enjoyable - Nice to listen to, pleasant
Sweet - Exaggerated harmonics and/or warmth
Emotional - Music often pulls at heart strings
Real/Truth - Transparent, accurate
Magical/Spiritual - Precipitates psychological effects other than what might be expected

 

 

 

 

 
The baby Hansen speaker.

 

 

 

 
The CAT amplifier on a Symposium ULTRA amp stand.

 

 

 

 
Buddies.

 

 

 

 
The electronics.

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann LaGrange turntable. You like how those modern looking silver disc with largely illegible text on them are scattered in the foreground as a counter-point to the analog revival?

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann LaGrange turntable.

 

 

 

 
The Brinkmann LaGrange turntable.

And we are done! That is it for the tower rooms at the Venetian. I went downstairs to checkout the Robotics and Games part of CES at the Sand / Expo next door, oogled the AVN exhibitors walking the hallways down there, and then took the CES red bus shuttle over the the main Convention Center. I was done finally with the Venetian, although Neli stopped by the last day and heard the *Lamm ML3 amplifier.

 

 

 

 

* product carried by Audio Federation

Copyright © Audio Federation, Inc.. All rights reserved.
All pictures in this report are freely copyable and distributable.

 

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