NY Audio & AV 2012

High Water Sound

Art Dudley  |  Apr 18, 2012

High Water Sound, the New York City-based retailer and distributor, created one of my favorite demonstrations at the show, as much for proprietor Jeffrey Catalano's choice of music—Gabor Szabo's instrumental version of Donovan's "Three King Fishers" was playing when I came in—as for the exotic and unassailably musical system on display: TW Acustic Raven Black Night turntable ($40,000) and 10.5 tonearm ($5500), Tron Seven GT line-level preamp and phono preamp ($18,000 each), Tron Telstar 211 SET amplifier ($40,000), and the striking Affascinate loudspeaker ($62,000) from Cessaro Horn Acoustics, the latter using an 11" woofer in a back-loaded horn, a proprietary compression driver for the spherical midrange horn, and a modified horn-loaded TAD beryllium tweeter. The sound was tactile, impactful, and thoroughly involving on every recording I heard.

COMMENTS
ken mac's picture
Submitted by ken mac on April 18, 2012 - 4:03pm

Jeffrey Catalono is one of the true gentleman in NYC audio!~

pcosta's picture
Submitted by pcosta on April 18, 2012 - 4:33pm

I really wish I was there.  I have known Jeff at High Water for a while now and have heard his rooms at the last four RMAF.  Always my favorite rooms.  The man behind the business at High Water is one of the coolest guys out there and a pleasure to buy anything from him.  I love my Tron and TW stuff.

ohm65's picture
Submitted by ohm65 on April 19, 2012 - 6:39am

Loved this room along with Zellaton Audioarts in the next room. Funny how these seem to be such different systems but so musical nevertheless. Visited all the other rooms but High water and Audioarts seemed to just get it. All the other systems were playing so loud that is was impossible to even listen.

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