It's funny, this "welcome home" feeling has nothing to do with cost, though it can be hefty; it's all about musicality, which is all too rare. Some megabuck…
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If you're like me, when attending audio shows you have your go-to joints, those rooms where the presentation will be engaging, the conversation interesting, and the good vibes effortless. Consistency frames the visit, like a homecoming where nothing has changed, where friends (and their hi-fis) welcome you. At the risk of sounding like a hawker, Credo Audio Switzerland—at Axpona's Nirvana B ballroom—has become one of my go-to joints.
I've been a fan of European Audio Team electronics since I reviewed the fantastic E.A.T. E-Glo I integrated amplifier in the December 2020 issue of Stereophile. Unfortunately, that mighty tube treat wasn't present at AXPONA, but Vana Ltd. importer, CTO Roy Feldstein, told me to chill. He had more E.A.T tricks up his sleeve.
The Vana Ltd. system included an E.A.T Fortissimo turntable with F-Note Tonearm and Jo No.8 MC cartridge ($17,998), E.A.T. E-Glo S Hybrid/Tube phonostage ($3599), an Ayre Acoustics QX8 Digital Hub ($5950), Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty preamplifier ($29,500), and Ayre…
Industry veteran P.J. Zornosa and Vancouver, BC turntable designer John Stratton brought a compact system that made sublime sounds to one of Axpona's smaller rooms.
Stratton's Pure Fidelity Harmony turntable ($9095) features an ultra MDF plinth, 48mm Delrin platter, an aircraft grade aluminum/stainless steel subplatter, built-in aluminum isolation platform, IsoAcoustics Gaia IV footers, CNC-machined parts, and Pure Fidelity's Maestro speed controller. Pure Fidelity's Illustrious SE MC cartridge (included) with Origin Live Zephyr tonearm ($1595) were also in use. The table's Quilted Maple…
Much of the explanation zoomed by far too fast for one not trained in shorthand to record, but the surprisingly huge soundstage and impressive bass of a system variously introduced as "Everyman's Stereo" (footnote 1) and "The Audiophile's Training Wheel System" made their mark. Streamed in 16/44.1 from Spotify, Joe Bonamassa's ""High Water Everywhere" sounded quite fine. Nor was this system shy when it came to delivering the edgy nastiness of Alice Cooper's "Welcome to my Nightmare."
Seen and heard were the new Polk Reserve R200 bookshelf loudspeakers ($749/pair), which are…
The midrange stole the show in Philip O'Hanlon's On a Higher Note room as platter after platter delivered analog magic. Thanks to Graham Audio's LS8/1 speakers ($9700/pair with stands and spikes), the Moonriver 404 Reference integrated amplifier ($4995) with optional internal MM/MC phono stage ($550)-see my review here- Bergmann Audio's Modi air bearing turntable and Modi air-bearing linear-tracking tonearm ($17,000) with Hana ML cartridge ($1200) and Krion turntable platform ($4850), an Artesania Audio Exoteryc 3-level rack ($7300), and Cardas Audio Clear cabling, award-winning soprano Fatma…
Warm, coherent, magical—all those descriptors came to mind as I listened to a system that, for me, defined the essence of the high-end experience. In the first of Kyomi Audio of Chicago's two stellar-sounding rooms, MBL's Jeremy Bryan ensured that MBL's imposing 101 E MKII full-range Radiastrahler omnidirectional loudspeaker system ($84,500/pair) would perform their fabled disappearing act. Though the presentation lacked the ultra-wide, jaw-dropping soundstage that MBL can produce with ease in larger environments, it beautifully conveyed Ray Montagne's soft touch on his guitar. Sopranos…
In its mid-priced room, Sound United mated Definitive Technology Demand D17 floorstanding speakers ($3498/pair) with the Marantz SACD 30n CD/SACD/file player ($2999), Marantz TT-15S1 belt-drive turntable with cartridge ($1799, and the new Marantz Model 40n integrated stereo amplifier with built-in streaming ($2499). Of great interest was Marantz's new component design, which brings a fresh and attractive look to a classic product.
During a rap that flew faster than any Marvel creature great and small, I learned that Definitive Technology's Demand D17, which is discounted to $2798/pair on…
As I scurried around Sunday trying to see and hear as much as possible on the show's last afternoon, Room 594 was one of several visits I was looking forward to. Based in Lower Manhattan, distributor/dealer Jeffrey Catalano's High Water Sound is always, uh, a high point at shows where I've heard his demo systems.
Good (or bad) things tend to happen in threes, so the cliché goes. Here were good things in threes. This time he had three products premiering—later than expected due to COVID-related delays, he told me. The TW Acustic Raven LS 3-motor turntable ($24,000), TW Acustic SE 300B…
It was Sunday afternoon, and Nick Doshi (Doshi Audio), Jeff Joseph (Joseph Audio), and Jeff Fox (Notable Audio, J. Sikora, Command AV) were relaxing. It was all smiles, jokes, and laughter with this crowd. I scanned the room for illegal substances. Then legal substances. Nothing. Nada. Finally, I got it. It's the music!
Analog glory came in a J. Sikora Standard MAX turntable ($19,995/$20,995 starting 6/1/2022), J. Sikora KV12 VTA tonearm ($8495/$8995 starting 6/1/2022), Lyra Etna SL ($9995) and Benz LP-S ($6000) cartridges. There was digital too, in the shape of an Aurender A20 Server/DAC…
I am not making this up. During a particularly burned-out moment in the afternoon, I thought about what might deliver the breath of fresh air I needed to restore my energy and refresh my spirits. Instead of opting for green tea or a walk around the hotel, I realized that some time with Pass Labs amplification might transport back to the pastel paradise I inhabited during my time with the Pass XA200.8 class-A monoblocks.
What I didn't expect, however, was an immersion in what some might equate with the Holy Grail or the healing waters of Lourdes. For what seems like decades, I've heard…