In-house for a follow-up to my April 2020 review, the Innuos Statement Music Server/Ripper with Next…
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There was one and only one raison d'être for this room: showcasing the Innuos Statement Music Server/Ripper with Next Gen LPSU and 1TB internal SSD ($21,700). If it wasn't an unqualified success—two other pieces of equipment, borrowed for the show, were not broken in and produced flat and uninvolving sound on Day 1—it mattered not to moi, because the same Statement sounded fantastic during a 7-hour post-show visit to my Port Townsend music room by Innuos software designer Nuno Vitorino.
As if to dispel concerns spurred by former Krell VP Walter Schofield's surprise departure from the company, Krell's very own Director of Product Development, David (Dave) Goodman (above), journeyed to WA state to present another pre-listen to Krell's not-yet-released KSA i400 stereo amplifier ($35,000). Given that Dave designed this amp, this was quite the opportunity for savvy showgoers.
The components made extremely fine music with the Krell Illusion preamplifier ($19,000), not yet upgraded Innuos Statement music server ($16,700), MSB Reference DAC ($54,500, and second to the Statement…
Uh oh. It had to happen someone. But did trashed-in-shipment karma really need to strike New Hampshire's Gunny Surya, whose excellent Sonner Audio Legato Duo loudspeaker ($9500/pair) had to make do, not with the intended SW1X Audio Design DAC III SPX ($7500), but rather with an iFi DAC2 ($400)?
Even with that compromise, the fabulously recorded duo of Ella & Louis (or is it Louis & Ella?) sounded very smooth, with a fine midrange. The top was toned down, and intense colors as well as transparency were not the DAC's to deliver. Nonetheless, the system threw a huge…
A speaker brand new to me, Kroma Atelier from Spain, caught many an eye and ear with the US premiere of their small black Mimi Xtreme standmount loudspeaker ($12,600/pair in white, $13,860 in black, left in photo) with Mimi stands ($3600/pair). Introduced by Tim Lukas's Matterhorn Audio Group of Boston, whose other brands include FinkTeam and Creek, the speaker is claimed to work with amps that output as little as 15Wpc. With a 6.5" midrange with proprietary cone, and a special AMT neodymium-ribbon tweeter designed by Mundorf to Kroma Atelier's specifications, the speaker boasts a 4 ohm…
A direct-sales company new to me, MK Audio of Charlotte, North Carolina, journeyed cross-country to present their Arion Audio Apollo 9 loudspeaker system ($35,900/pair) with full DSP and advanced room correction. The Apollo 9 is also available in Dual-Pack Woofer Package ($5900) that includes two additional woofers with two amps. With AMT drivers built in-house, the speaker is an open-baffle design with a claimed whopping 105dB sensitivity.
The woofers, which crossover around 120Hz, are also open-baffle, housed in a separate cabinet to avoid interaction with the main cabinet. For more…
I first encountered consistently handsome Rosso Fiorentino speakers at a show years ago, and immediately encouraged a now-retired distributor to pick up the Italian brand. I'm so happy to discover that AudioThesis is now bringing them into the US.
Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole speakers ($8500/pair) with matching Fiesole Stands ($1500/pair) were paired with a Norma Revo IPA-140B ($8000) and Norma Revo DS-1 CD player/DAC ($6000), a Lumin P1 streamer ($10,000) acting as a transport into the Norma Revo DS-1's DAC, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner ($9800) and Dragon cabling, and…
"Why do you need all of those microphones?"
I've been asked this question more than once, by musicians you may have heard of. I'm not going to name names, but if you press me I might. Let's see where this goes.
It's a reasonable question, sometimes. Still.
I've had serious conservatory musical training, but I wouldn't call myself a musician—not anymore. At one time, I would have. Now, I would say that I'm a recording engineer and music producer. So, why would a musician with no technical training or professional technical experience consider themselves a proficient,…
Another speaker surprise from Matterhorn Audio Group of Boston. The midrange exceled through FinkTeam Borg floorstanding loudspeakers (starting at $36,490/pair), shown next to the Kim standmount (starting at $12,990/pair). The sound of Dominique Fils-Aimé singing "Birds" was as fetching as Chris Botti's "What a Wonderful World" was lovely.
The German Borg is specified as extending down to 32Hz, with a roll-off of –6dB by 41Hz. High frequencies extend above 30kHz, again with roll-off. Average impedance is 10 ohms, dropping to 6.5 ohms at 20kHz, and sensitivity is 87dB. Completed with…
"Really nice alive sound." Simple words, they. But truth be told, they only apply to a limited number of systems at an audio show and far beyond, in the supposed "real" world.
This room was hosted by Darin Forkenbrock of JaguarAudio.com (center in photo above, flanked by stepfather Richard Brunne, left, and Randy Forman, right), contained brands that I rarely discover at shows. Terminating at Avantgarde Zero TA loudspeakers ($15,995/pair), the system began with a Kuzma Stabi M turntable ($24,875) with Kuzma 4-Point 9" tonearm ($6995), Phasemation PP-2000 cartridge ($6995), and…
So large in size that few if any dealers will ever be able to carry them, the prototype Genesis Prime+ loudspeakers ($680,000/system) exhibited a beautiful midrange on an LP of Oleta Adams singing "Don't let the Sun Go Down on Me." Ditto for the voice of Mel Tormé, accompanied by George Shearing on "You'd Be So Nice To Come To."
Both LPs were played on a VPI Avenger Direct turntable ($36,000) with Wand tonearm and a Goldenberg Maestro cartridge ($6000). The phono stage was a VPI prototype (projected at $6000). The line stage preamplifier during my time in the room was the Viola…