What's an audio show without a party? Sponsored by <I>Stereophile</I>, the party on the first day of the show was for the exhibitors, trade visitors, and the press, and featured the Quebec rock group Give, with lead singer Caroline St. Louis.
The first evening of the show, I had a most pleasant dinner with John Atkinson, <I>Stereophile</I> associate publisher Keith Pray, columnist John Marks, and the folks from Dynaudio and Simaudio. During the pre-dinner conversation, John Marks illustrated a point he was making by singing a bit, ably demonstrating his ex-choirboy credentials. His performance was apparently noticed by the people at the next table; at the end of the meal, one of the ladies at that table came over to us and said that this was her friend's birthday, and asked if the gentleman who was singing before could sing "Happy Birthday" to her.
The Galactus-sized Audio Research Reference 610T monoblock amplifiers ($20,000/ea) put out 600W. They require 8 matched pairs of 6550C output tubes, one 6550c regulator, one 6H30 as an amplifier regulator, a pair of 6550Cs as drivers, two 6NIP input tubes, and a 6H30 follower—that's a <I>ton</I> of tubes.
A bird's eye view of the ARC Reference 610T. The thermal updraft was fierce!
I always look forward to visiting recording engineer René Laflamme of <A HREF="http://www.fideliomusique.com/">Fidelio</A> at FSI, because he always has new fun recordings to play.
While Thiel's Ken Dawkins and I were talking, he said, "Have I told you about the SCS4?"
I dropped by Thiel's room to tease them about the fact that I had heard that <I>Rolling Stone</I> had a pair of CS3.7 loudspeakers, while a certain audiophile magazine did not.
The slot-loaded two-way <A HREF="http://www.jm-reynaud.com/jmr_us/jm-reynaud_fr.html">JM Reynaud Duet</A> loudspeaker ($1525/pair) sounded quite special, driven by the Blue Circle FtTH. "That was surprising," the Reynaud rep explained. "We had Gilbert's top-of-the-line preamplifier and a pair of Blue Moon monoblocks, which we had intended to use. While we were setting up, we connected the FtTH and the synergy between that amp and these speakers was just magical—so we knew what to do."
Yeung was demonstrating a few new <A HREF="http://www.bluecircle.com/">Blue Circle</A> products, an inexpensive USB DAc and the $4895 95Wpc FtTH integrated amplifier. Yeung calls the FtTH his "statement" preamp, saying that it employs Blue Circle's True Balanced Audio technology, which, he says, "drives both the positive and the negative output terminals for better control of the loudspeakers."
In a show that is distinguished by very good signage, <A HREF="http://www.bluecircle.com/">Blue Circle's</A> room is marked by what designer Gilbert Yeung proclaimed "the ugliest signs in the show." Yeung, an indefatigable self-promote, arrived at FSI, only to discover the show had provided no signs for the room. Yeung ran with the concept, deliberately lettering his own signs in a childish "Chinglish."