There were a few glitches, mainly logistical: Shipments didn't arrive or arrived damaged. One exhibitor had to carry an integrated amp to the show on his lap, first on a bus and then on a plane. (I didn't think to ask: Did the amplifier fit in the overhead bin…
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I'm writing this one week after returning from Schaumburg, Illinois, where I attended my first real audio show since the Florida Audio Expo in early 2020, just as the pandemic was starting to gain momentum. Everyone I talked to was hopeful, but no one could predict what attendance would be like or what people's attitudes would be.
For looks alone, few systems could top that from Ontario-based Wynn Audio. Perhaps the most eye-catching CD transport on the market, the Kalista DreamPlay X CD Transport ($68,800) with large outboard power supply, teamed with the DAC in the Métronome AQWO CD Player ($20,000) to create an awesome front end. Next to them, the unusual Vimberg Amea Bookshelf speakers ($18,000/pair; above) looked somewhat tame (which they weren't).
Throw in the first US showing of Karan Acoustics' POWERa Stereo Amplifier ($53,000; below), which outputs 650Wpc into 8ohms and includes Critical Mass Systems…
John McGurk's Audioshield distribution, together with Johnathan Ellis's Audio Chamber of Murrieta, CA, featured a system that delivered fine, clear, all-of-a-piece sound that brought a smile to my eyes and happiness to my heart.
In a system based around CREDO Audio Switzerland EV1202 Reference (Custom Shop Rough Cut Finish) loudspeakers ($19,995/pair), the recently reviewed Meitner MA3 Integrated D/A Processor/Streamer with Volume Control ($10,500), van den Hul Grail Phono Stage ($8995) and cabling—all distributed by Audioshield—with the addition of a VPI Industries Prime…
Hands down winner of my "Anything but Hotel California" Unusual Music Award, the first of Common Wave Hi-Fi of Los Angeles' three rooms kept platters spinning and visitors happy.
The brainchild of Wes Katzir, who is one savvy with-it dude, Common Wave Hi-Fi is a dealership / social listening gathering space located in the Los Angeles Arts District. The first of their set-ups I visited immediately converted me to the cause.
Headliners:
DeVore Fidelity O/Baby 90dB sensitive, White Oak finish loudspeakers ($5600/pair) with matching stands ($995/pair),
Audio…
There were no seats available. Nor was there any real reason to sit. Assembled partly for the fun of it, with components more common to DJs than audiophiles, Common Wave Hi-Fi's Club set-up was designed for enjoyment plain and simple. You've got to hand it to a dealership/social gathering place that devotes as much time to entertaining its guests as selling equipment. They go hand-in-hand, actually, if you do it right.
Heading the system were Ojas Artbook shelf speakers with horn mod ($5500/pair in this color) and matching CW Custom Stands ($1100/pair). I believe this speaker is…
"This has to be one of the best sounding rooms at T.H.E. Show," said self to self. Listening to Count Basie and his Orchestra's rendition of "After the Rain," the beauty, clarity, and absolute spot-on rightness of every single high-end parameter I could think of impelled me to write in my notes, "The price reflects the pedigree of the sound."
Not that anything in this system approached the six-figure range. The impressive, infrequently encountered QLN Signature SE Monitors ($17,995/pair in standard finish—$23,995/pair as shown) from Sweden and the virtually ubiquitous at T.H.E.…
Only as I was leaving this room did Theresa Merchant tell me that when she, her husband Sunil, and the Sunny Components team first encountered the abysmal acoustics in this room, they thought all was lost. Thanks to the set-up acumen of David Ellington, AudioQuest Director of Sales for Independent Dealers, and a bunch of acoustic paneling, the room was a major success.
First thought: That's Vinnie Rossi? Boy, he sure has upped his visual profile, with prices and sound quality to match. Through Vinnie Rossi's Brama preamplifier ($34,500; above) and Brama amplifier (also $34,500,…
Jim Suhre, 86, is an independent speaker designer who for many years has brought his latest designs to audio shows. He didn't have a name for the speaker system he showed at Long Beach, which will go for $9000–$10,000/pair, but he did explain that his full system includes an integrated module with balanced interconnects and only one power cord. Components included an Arcam CDS50 SACD/CD player, Schitt Freya S preamp, and a Dayton Audio DTA-100LF desktop subwoofer amplifier.
On violinist Hilary Hahn's Bach Concertos CD, her instrument sounded lovely. The entire presentation was lovely.…
A company new to me, Infigo Audio Inc. of British Columbia, paired its eye-catching Method 3 class-A monoblocks ($50,000/pair), Method 4 DAC ($35,000), Fluvius Streamer ($1750), and Sparkle Series cabling with Alta Audio's Adam loudspeaker (($17,000/pair in piano black, $18,000/pair in rosewood or beech; above). On a DSD track from the Global Percussion Network, timbres were beautiful on bass and high-pitched percussion. The chimes and vibes sounded special and clean, colors were plentiful, and deep bass was all-of-one-piece.
The Method 4 DAC uses eight Dual ESS9038 Sabre DACs…
Alma Audio of San Diego went all out at T.H.E. Show, with three different rooms showcasing different products at different price points. Dominating their least-expensive room were Audio Alto's made-in-Slovenia AA 1A stereo amplifier ($1990), AA 1P preamplifier ($1990), and AA R101FR loudspeakers ($4000/pair).
The full-range loudspeaker has a bottom port that enable a frequency response of 36Hz–20kHz ±6dB. Because the cabinets are made from Slovenian Walnut, no two samples are identical. Although the speakers work best in smaller rooms with a nearfield set-up, they reportedly mate well…