CAS 2011

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CAS 2011
A Captivated Audience at the 2011 California Audio Show
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
A packed and captivated audience in the MBL room.

I was delighted to see so many people at the 2011 California Audio Show so attentively listening to music, as though listening to music on the hi-fi in 2011 is as much of an event as watching an episode of “True Blood” on Sunday night, or attending a concert at a music hall. Of course, we know that listening to music on the hi-fi is a special event, an active, enriching, and entertaining experience, worthy of our time and energy for the joy and nourishment it brings our minds and souls. It’s a lot of fun. If you were present at the California Audio Show, you experienced this.

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CAS 2011
Ending the Show on a Good Note: Gradient, DNM, SimpliFi Audio
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
While many exhibitors at the California Audio Show struggled with the sound of their rooms, employing careful, creative speaker placement and a variety of room acoustics treatments, SimpliFi Audio’s Tim Ryan seemed happy to ignore the room altogether.
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CAS 2011
DLS Flatbox
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Made in Sweden and now represented in the US by SimpliFi Audio, the DLS Flatbox on-wall loudspeakers come in five sizes (Mini, far right: $249 each; Midi, center: $349 each; Slim Large; Large; and XL, far left: $499 each), can be hung horizontally or vertically, and are available in variations of white and black cabinets and grilles. There are also three subwoofers, including the Flatsub8 ($799), used in the room. Partnered with Resolution Audio’s Opus 21 system and inexpensive DNM cables, the speakers threw a surprisingly wide stage, despite being mounted on temporary plywood walls. As we went up the line, I noted greater bass extension, but the Midi version seemed best balanced with the room and subwoofer.
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CAS 2011
Tannoy, Linn, and MIT
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Through a system built on all-Linn electronics (Akurate DS: $6990; Akurate Kontrol: $6500; Akurate 2200 power amp: $5200), Tannoy Definition DC8 loudspeakers ($3600/pair, in lovely Espresso Walnut finish), and MIT cables, we listened to a series of short excerpts of hi-res demo material, from female vocals to a familiar drum solo off the good, ol' Sheffield Track & Drum Record.
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CAS 2011
Margules Audio
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
I walked into the Margules room and was welcomed by Peter Frampton’s funny cover of Soundgarden’s late grunge-era hit, “Black Hole Sun,” with all the fuzzy, phasey, talk boxy effects you might expect from Frampton held perfectly in check, well-focused within the wide soundstage.
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CAS 2011
Easy on the Eyes and Ears: Fritz Speakers, ModWright, Zesto, Thorens, WyWires
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
The attractive Fritz Speakers Carbon 7 ($1750/pair) were matched with ModWright KWA 100SE power amplifier ($3995), ModWright LS 100 tube preamplifier ($3495), Esoteric SA60 universal disc player ($4995), Zesto Audio Andros PS1 MM/MC phono stage ($3900), and Thorens TD 309 turntable ($1900). WyWires provided the speaker cables ($1299), interconnects ($849-$1299), and power cords ($329). Room treatment was by GIK Acoustics and ASC. Steve Blinn Designs contributed the equipment rack ($1899). Billie Holiday’s Songs for Distingué Lovers (priceless) provided the mood.
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CAS 2011
Love is the Thing: Sony, Pass, Parasound, Clearaudio
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
We listened to a track from Nat King Cole’s Love is the Thing, a beautiful 45rpm reissue from Chad Kassem’s Analogue Productions.
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CAS 2011
Nothing But Music: Luxman and Vivid
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
There was a jovial, festive vibe in Philip O’Hanlon’s On A Higher Note room, featuring Luxman amplification and source components, Vivid loudspeakers, and music courtesy show attendee, Raymond.

As I walked into the room, O’Hanlon explained that Raymond had been knocking everyone’s socks off with his vinyl selections.

“As much as I like the music I brought, I’m also kinda sick of it,” O’Hanlon chuckled. “What’s next, Raymond?”

Raymond dug through his bag of vinyl and handed O’Hanlon a record. The charming host took that record and placed it on Luxman’s PD-171 belt-drive turntable ($6200, including tonearm and dustcover), the first turntable to come from the Japanese company in 28 years.

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CAS 2011
MSB Technology, Vivid
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
This system offered a bold, vibrant sound when the music called for it, a gentle, subtle sound when the music called for it, and always exhibited a good sense of momentum and flow.

MSB’s Vince Galbo explained that the company’s Data CD IV transport ($3995) was “intensely designed to read CDs like they’ve never been read before.”

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CAS 2011
Salk Sound, Van Alstine
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
I noted deep silences, good spatial effects, good low-end impact, and a fine sense of scale in this room occupied by Salk Sound and Van Alstine: Salk Sound Soundscape loudspeakers ($12,000/pair) and 300Wpc Van Alstine hybrid amplifier ($3000).
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CAS 2011
Light Harmonic Da Vinci 384K
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Jon Iverson might also like this.

I noted generous scale, midrange detail, full body, and an overall effortlessness to the presentation of this system: Wilson Sophia loudspeakers, Pass Labs amplification, and the new Light Harmonic Da Vinci 384K USB DAC ($15,000 [NOTE: The actual retail price ended up at $20k-ed.]).

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CAS 2011
Brodmann Acoustics Festival Series
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Brodmann Acoustics was demonstrating their pretty little Festival Series loudspeakers. The Austrian company has a background in piano manufacturing as well as sound engineering, and the FS speakers ($3990/pair) have an interesting design:
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CAS 2011
Widea Lab’s Audio Renderer
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Jon Iverson might like this.

Widea Lab is a young Korean company. The company says they’ve got some strong candidates for US distribution and will also be selling via Amazon. Their first product, the Aurender (short for Audio Renderer; $5700), is a digital music server utilizing a customized Linux OS, linear power supply, and storage for over 5000 lossless and uncompressed CDs.

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CAS 2011
Gini Systems iTube
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
Also in the Gini Systems/Audio Space room was the Gini iTube 2.1 Audio System ($199, show price). As you can see, it looks like a big iPod with a little tube and speakers.
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CAS 2011
Gini Systems, Audio Space
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 19, 2011  | 
A gentle, relaxed sound with well-focused images was coming from the Gini Systems/Audio Space room: Audio Space LS3/5a monitors ($1790/pair), Reference 3.1 300B integrated amplifier with tubed moving-magnet phono stage ($4290), DAC-US1 D/A converter ($2500), and CDP320 player ($800).
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