This big, expensive system was comprised of Göbel High End Divin Noblesse loudspeakers ($220,000/pair); CH Precision’s M 1.1 power amplifier ($54,000), L1 preamplifier ($34,500), C1 DAC with USB option ($35,000), and P1 phonostage ($31,000); a Kronos Pro turntable ($42,000) with Black Beauty tonearm ($9500) and SCPS power supply ($15,000); Göbel Lacorde Statement cabling; Nordost QX-4, QKore 1, QB-8, QK1 and QV2; and a Core Audio rack and amp stand. I didn't hear the analog front-end. Using Tidal via a wired connection, we brought up the second movement of Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s hair-raising, sorrow-filled performance of Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 in 24/96. Anyone who uses heavy metal to try out a system might wish to try out this music as an alternative. The second movement conveys the violence, fear, horror and sorrow associated with the Czar’s 1905 slaughter of unarmed peasants. When the assault gets going, brass instruments, heavy duty percussion, and maybe 60 other instruments let loose in a massive fff assault.
The system acquitted itself wonderfully in soundstage depth and bass. The soundstage was astoundingly huge. Focus was not ideal—those room acoustics at work. Nonetheless, the music’s emotional wallop came through without compromise. Played through this system, the music moved me to my core.
COMMENTS
Those AMT ribbons are nearly ubiquitous these days!
I admit to not fully understanding this "bending wave" stuff.
I am going to set up a pair of speakers with a couple of those Mundorf AMT drivers on each side and give a listen...1,200 Hz and up is pretty amazing when you think about the size of the frequency range tweeters cover.
I've got a pair of Emotiva active speakers with an AMT tweeter and the speed is really something else (it's the Airmotive4s that Stereophile reviewed, and the review sold me on them and I'm not disappointed). much faster than a dome/cone tweeter imo.
I'm afraid, because this entire Saturday set of 8 or 9 blogs covers rooms in the convention center, that I've left an incorrect impression of the show and hotel acoustics as a whole. As I will state in my wrap, the rooms in the hotel tower, which come in many different sizes and flavors, are quite good sonically. I went into any number of them that either had no treatment whatsoever or had only addressed first reflections.
The Göbel room is the last room I visited in the Convention Center. My first set of reports, along with the eight that are to follow, all address rooms in the hotel tower.
BTW, in reference to another comment, I had no difficulty reaching the sweet spot in the rooms, and I don't think I've complained once about the music. I spoke to at least one other member of the press about the music being played, and we agreed that the preponderance of music we heard was fresh and interesting. Yes, selections are often limited to what LPs or files were on hand - I had files with me, but didn't want to take the time to transfer - but the selection was, in general, quite good. In addition, David Solomon joined Carol and Dave Clark for a seminar about music played at shows, which probably helped get the word out to exhibitors to freshen it up.
jason
... Bud Fried would usually offer to play when a visitor to his demo room asked to hear rock music.
That curvaceous hourglass look is very attractive :-) .............
I believe the Ethernet Renderer in use in the Göbel room was the Sonore Signature Rendu SE, just thought I would mention this as apparently the exhibitors did not include it in their equipment list.
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