LATEST ADDITIONS

As Jason <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2008/101208house/">mentioned earlier</A>, I gave 5 hour-long presentations at RMAF entitled "Hearing is Believing—Is Hi Rez Digital the Future of Audio?" To allow Showgoers to hear the differences between the hi-rez masters of my recordings and CD and MP3 versions, I used a system put together by <I>HiFi+</I> editor Roy Gregory for his demonstrations of system tuning&#151;Ayre A7-xe integrated amplifier, Avalon Evolution NP2.0 speakers (which I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/708ava/">reviewed in July</A>, Vertex AQ cables, Stillpoints rack and speaker stands, and Quantum QX4 "field generator"&#151;to which I added a MacBook running iTunes 8 driving a Wavelength Audio Cosecant USB DAC.

There's nothing like being greeted as the audiophile equivalent of the Messiah to either make your day or impel you to run for cover. In the case of Peigen Jiang's Eficion speakers, I'm glad I got over my embarassment and stayed.

After a short visit to the Daedalus room, during which time Peigen changed speakers and cables, I returned to hear the F200's big daddy, the F300 ($14,900/pair). This is a 3-way, 4-driver vented box, with a rear-firing supertweeter, Air Motion Transformer tweeter, and copper shorting ring on the woofer to facilitate tighter bass. Frequency range is 24Hz&#150;40kHz, sensitivity 89dB, and weight 158 lbs each. The speaker comes in two parts, so that the mid-and high-range unit can be used separately as a center channel with an impressive frequency range of 40Hz&#150;40kHz. Associated components were the same as with the F200.

Lou Hinkley's Daedalus Audio teamed up with an old friend, Art Audio/Gill Audio, and a new friend, Manley Labs. Showcasing the Daedalus Audio Ulysses loudspeaker ($10,950/pair), now boasting new improved internal wire, the system's dark presentation was very well delineated, with impressively three-dimensional sound. The midrange was especially mellow and inviting.

Boy, is it hard to take a good photo when a company purposely leaves the shades behind their equipment wide open. But given that Darren Censulo of Avatar Acoustics (now relocated to Fayetteville, GA) had tuned the room with Frank Chang's Acoustic System International Resonators so that it would sound great with all that exposed glass, asking him to close the shades in order to snap a clearer picture was out of the question.

Remember <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2008/mentoring_and_audio_shows/">that trend I mentioned earlier</a>, the one about manufacturers and dealers bringing their kids along to the show?

Oh man. You see this record? It was only fifteen bucks. I really wanted it. I mean, it was kind of just there, looking at me, asking me to love it.