LATEST ADDITIONS

Do you know why New Yorkers are always depressed? Because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.

Every time I encounter a system with Triangle speakers, I stop and take serious notice of their refined but lively sound. As I did Sunday in the room sponsored by The Antal Audio Group.

I mentioned earlier how uncolored, detailed, transparent, and image-specific an open baffle loudspeaker can sound. Unfortunately, not all open baffle speakers are created equal, and making a coherent and musically satisfying open-baffle speaker is much more complex than just bolting a few drivers to a sheet of plywood. The question any loudspeaker designer must ask is, how far should I go? When is done right?

I have always admired Bill Hutchins, the chief designer at LKV Research, because to me he embodies the true amp-builder’s spirit.

That Robin Wyatt (aka Robyatt) knows how to put on a show is obvious. That he assembles a fine sounding room is also a given. So, when Wyatt enlisted recording/mastering engineer Tom Fine to discuss and play records, representing the work of his parents, Robert Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, the result was predictable: Standing room only crowds.

My three-day reconnaissance suggests that Mark Schneider and his company, Linear Tube Audio, scored big at CAF, downstairs in the Headphone Lounge and with a room I and many showgoers thought was a candidate for Best Sound at Show.

The other big room with spectacular sound on the Rockville Hilton’s atrium level featured products from Pass Labs, GT Audioworks, and Basis Audio.