Acoustic Signature–CH–VTL–Vivid

An Acoustic Signature Ascona with SME Series 5 tonearm and low-out moving-coil Ortofon Rohmann cartridge made beautiful music leading a system comprising VTL MB-450 Series III monoblock power amplifiers, TL-7.5 Series III preamplifier, and TP-6.5 phono preamplifier. Speakers were the distinctive and dynamic Vivid G2 Giya.

To start off our listening, I picked one of my sister’s favorite albums, Adele’s 21. I noted a great sense of forward momentum and stunning dynamic range, all of Adele’s strong soulfulness communicated fully. I turned to Rosemarie, and I searched for some sign of recognition of the beauty which radiated before us, but she was thumbing through e-mails on her iPhone.

Next we turned to the Swiss-made CH transport and DAC, and called up a Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson track and, as the music began to unfold, I leaned over to Rosemarie and tried to explain imaging and soundstaging. She nodded like she understood what I was getting at, and when Hunt-Lieberson soared into the picture, we both shut the hell up and shot back into our seats and listened, possessed and enthralled. (Or at least I was possessed and enthralled.)

Finally, during a Dead Can Dance track, I was shocked by the scary realism of the fast percussion combined with the relaxed, fluid midrange and stable soundstage. I turned to Rosemarie, who seemed a bit bored.

“Are you not impressed by this?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Um, I mean, sort of.”

“What? 'Um, you mean, sort of?!' What’s wrong with you, woman?”

This was one of my favorite rooms at the Munich High End Show.

COMMENTS
xrandom's picture

They say certain systems almost "talk", as "state of the Art".

All in all also Michelangelo asked his Moses: "Why don't you talk ?"

vclements's picture

I'm sure it sounded awesome, but try as I might I cant get past the Giya's looking to me like a cross between a teletubbie and a smurf - call me old fashioned and unimaginitive.

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