Innuos Zenith Mk3 and Statement music servers and PhoenixUSB reclocker, Boulder 1161 amplifier, Ayre Acoustics QX5 pre/DAC, YG Acoustics Vantage loudspeakers, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 power conditioner and cabling, and SGR Audio Hi-Fi rack
My last exhibit in one of the multi-tower Gaylord Hotel’s 1500 rooms was sponsored by Portuguese music server manufacturer Innuos. I’ve been looking for a music server to review and, with Jim Austin’s approval, hope to tackle the top-of-the-line Statement ($13,750 for 1TB SSD up to $15,150 for 4TB SSD). Released last November, here at the show it reproduced music with impressive transparency, depth, color, and body.
Jadis Orchestra Black, Chord Dave and Blue 2, Vienna Acoustics Haydn
Occupying a small but significant place in Bluebird Music’s outer suite, the new Jadis Orchestra Black integrated amplifier ($3995) was producing sweet and enjoyable sound that, on a track from Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson, felt like a lovely warm kiss.
Krell Illusion II preamp and Duo 300 XD amplifier, VPI HW-40 turntable, Audio Technica Art 1000 cartridge, Alta Audio Alec loudspeakers, and ZenSati Zorro cabling
Krell’s immensely energetic Walter Schofield was in the middle of a system description when I entered the room, so I didn't know exactly what I was hearing, but whatever it was, the fact that I’d just submitted my review of the Krell K-300i integrated before boarding a plane for Denver left me very eager to hear it.
Lots of Stuff from McIntosh
McIntosh had (at least) one big system, two smaller systems, and one minisystem in their huge room.
MartinLogan Motion 35XTi speakers and 800X subwoofers; Benchmark D/A DAC3 B DAC, LA4 line amplifier, AHB2 power amplifier, and Star-Quad speaker and interconnect cabling
If you, like me, tend to associate MartinLogan with electrostatic transducers, you may be surprised to learn that their more traditional Motion line accounts for most of their sales.
MC Audiotech Forty-10 loudspeaker, Pass electronics, PS Audio DAC, VPI turntable, Air Tight cartridge, Luminous Audio phono preamp, Wolf Alpha 3 music server, Audience cabling
Mark Conti’s MC Audiotech room was dominated by his company’s just-launched, Paul Paddock-designed MC Audiotech Forty-10 2-way loudspeaker ($35,000/pair including crossover). Hidden in the high-frequency spaced array are 10 identical bending wave drivers “of the latest generation,” which cover everything above 100 Hz. In its Folded Cube low-frequency enclosure reside two “industrial type” woofers in a dipole arrangement. The speaker uses a dedicated hybrid external crossover, with low-frequency level/contour controls.
Nola Concert Grand Reference Gold 2 Speakers, VAC Statement 450S IQ Amplifier, Audio Research REF CD8 CD Player, Nordost Odin 2 Cabling
Do VAC tube components possess chameleon-like powers? That's the question I've begun to ask: Each time I encounter their components in different settings, I hear radically different sound. Here, from a system including Nola's towering new Concert Grand Reference Gold 2 loudspeakers ($250,000/pair), an Audio Research REF CD8 CD player, Nordost Odin 2 cabling, and VAC's Statement 450S IQ amplifier ($63,000), Master line stage ($28,000), and VAC DAC MK II ($12,000), the sound was midrange preponderantnot at all what I expected to hear from either VAC electronics or a 275lb open-baffle line-source array design with a claimed frequency range of 18Hz100kHz, 91dB sensitivity, and 8 ohm impedance. I think the room was simply too shallow in depth, with seats too close, for these speakers to strut their stuff.
Paradigm Persona 7F loudspeaker and Persona SUB, Anthem STR preamplifier and STR power amplifier, Wolf Alpha 35X server, Torus RM20 power conditioner, Clarus Aqua cabling.
Paradigm’s Canadian-designed-and-engineered Persona 7F loudspeakers, which have beryllium diaphragms, anchored a system that received additional grounding from the Paradigm Persona SUB ($6500). The sub’s six 8" woofers are powered by a 1700W “Ultra Class D” amplifier that, aided by DSP and other stuff, descends to a formidable 12Hz.
Parasound Classic 200 Integrated Amplifier, Tekton Moab Loudspeakers, BlueSound Streamer, Straight Wire Cabling
For a room too small for Tekton's massive, multi-driver Moab loudspeakers ($4500/pair), Parasound and Tekton were getting surprisingly good sound. The small system lineup was headed by the new Parasound Classic 200 Integrated ($1195), which includes an all-analog signal path, analog bass management with high and low pass outputs, a DAC whose circuitry is, in the company's words, "pulled directly out of the award-wining Halo P-5," and far more goodies than you might expect at this price point.
PS Audio DirectStream DAC, P20 and P15 PowerPlants, AN3 loudspeakers, and AC Series cables; BHK Signature preamp, Stellar phono preamp, and Signature 300 Monos; VPI HW40 turntable
The story in the PS Audio room was the company's new loudspeaker, the AN3, various prototypes of which have been demoed at audio shows throughout 2019. The RMAF demo pair was described by the company as the final prototype. The design—strongly influenced by the late Arnie Nudell, the "AN" in AN3—includes servo-corrected powered woofers, a folded ribbon tweeter, a rectangular planar midrange, and an 8" cone "mid-bass coupler."