Dave Cope, with Audio
Note, UK, had one of the finest sounding rooms at the show. The
Audio Note E Lexus Signature ($16,000 w/stands) with their hemp drivers were
strategically placed in the corners, avoiding the nasty bass node.
AK members dgwojo and PunkerX provided a fine sounding
room featuring two sets of modified vintage Altec/Lansing speakers, along with
Blue Circle
and NOS Valves gear.
The GINI
Systems/Audio Space rooms had a plethora of gear at affordable
prices. The LS3/5A kit ($490 pr.) along with the B+ Bass Stands ($560 pr.)
sounded fantastic driven by Audio Space tube gear.
They had a wide range of speakers from Usher and other
manufacturers, along with a stunning turntable.
AK member Negotiableterms provided his Infinity Prelude
MTS driven by McIntosh’s new
MC7000 ($7,000) integrated amp. The front end was pure digital magic provided
by a Wadia 581 SE SACD player
($9,950), and an iPod with a 170 iTransport ($349, iPod not included).
Utilizing a custom program to equalize the sound before the show, this room
sounded very smooth while eliminating the 50Hz room node.
Madisound
Speaker Component, Inc.’s room was packed
each time I passed by, and for good reason. It’s DIY paradise for the
speaker freaks who attended. Their BK-16 kit ($750 pr.) is a folded horn
design teamed with Fostex full-range drivers and super-tweeters. If I could
have packed one set of speakers in my carry-on baggage for the flight home,
this would be the pair. They also had a wide variety of other kits and
drivers, and I pounced on the chance to pick up a copy of The
Loudspeaker Design Cookbook by Vance Dickenson for $10 while I was
there.
AK member Cosmos had a mix of old and new in his fine
sounding room. His Rogue Audio M120 mono blocks drove vintage JBL 250Ti and
Yamaha NS1000 speakers.
The Jaton
room had some good sound and interesting designs. Their Lyra ($1,600) speakers
defy logic. They weigh much less than they look with their proprietary
construction. They also failed my knuckle rap test miserably. Yet, they
sounded great driven by Operetta modular amps ($1000 for two-channel, add $200
additional channel).
Whiplash
Audio had a wide range of speakers at
affordable prices. This was one of the more crowded rooms and even getting
pictures of the room was not easy.
They also displayed one of the most unique mini-systems
I’ve ever seen. I wish I could provide more information, but all of the reps
in the room were busy with other attendees.
