RMAF 2010

Having greatly enjoyed YG Acoustics' two-way Carmel loudspeaker ($18,000/pair) at the California Audio Show this past summer, I was eager to hear it in a different setting. This was the opportunity, paired with Veloce Audio's battery-powered set-up. The system also featured Kubala-Sosna Emotion cabling (price not supplied), the LS-1 Pure Tube linestage ($15,000)—are there any impure tubes?—and LP-1 Pure Tube phono module ($3000), and V-6 monoblock amplifiers ($14,000, presumably for the pair). Also doing the honors were the Amazon One turntable (price not available), and the PS Audio Perfect Wave transport/DAC combo (approx. $6000).

As good as the PS Audio PWT may sound—I own one, so I know—I stuck to vinyl. Listening to the same Satchmo recording of "St. James Infirmary" that I heard in the First Watt room, I ate up the beautiful midrange and gorgeous sound of the clarinet. Welcoming the next course, I was treated to a Dallas Symphony Orchestra LP of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. This recording, however, reduced the expected large orchestra to rather undernourished chamber proportions. It left me hungry for Reference Recordings' version. Finally, a recording of baroque music sounded a mite too alive for comfort as I first dove in. Once I determined that it wasn't going to bite, I noticed that it was very, very clean. If I continue with this gastronomical theme, I'll likely get my goose cooked, so it's best to thank Veloce for their generous helpings and move on. (JA tells me that the YG Carmels were sounding superb in the Synergistic room.)