MiTT's 2011 RMAF Show Report

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Is it only audio companies that ignore major world recessions?! Sounds like a thrilling show so far, thanks for the updates..!
 
Teresonic

Very interesting looking speakers and electronics. The amp is a low powered 211 based affair (I believe the manufacturer said it was putting out about 8 watts), and the speakers are single drivers with no crossovers. Ben Webster's "Soulville" sounded great. Dave, I believe they were using your Fosgate phono stage.
 

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Joseph Audio & Bel Canto

After the amazing sound of the Joseph Pulsar's last year I was anxious to hear what they had in store for 2011. The Joseph Audio Perspective is more expensive Then the Pulsar at $11.8K, but they did sound pretty damn good with the Bel Canto electronics. That's company namesake and head honcho Jeff Joseph in the first shot. I liked them a lot, but think I was more blown away by the sound coming out of the Pulsar's last year. It would be interesting to hear them side by side.
 

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Martin Logan

Martin Logan is showing with McIntosh and while I was in the room they were playing the new Montis at $9995; it is the replacement for the Spire. The sound is very dynamic and reminiscent of what I've heard from the Summits in the past with regard to scale. Preamp is the C2300 and amp is the MC452. While I was listening they swapped the live speaker cables over to the Motion LX16's!

Very good sounds, but I would have killed to hear the CLX's and in talking to Peter Soderberg who appears on this site occasionally, they felt like they could have made the CLX's fit in the room. The good news for me is that there is a new Martin Logan dealer in my area (Hear No Evil) and he has the CLX on display. I'll be paying them a visit very soon!
 

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Can Jam

While I'm not a big headphone guy, it was pretty impressive to see an entire area dedicated to headphones and support electronics. I did stop to listen to the Woo Audio gear and it was mighty impressive. This is a collection of some random shots...
 

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Nice photos and commentary Tim. This show is great! I finally heard the YG Acoustics sound good. In fact, very good. I had never liked them before. The Kaiser Kawero also impressed me, as well as the modified Denon turntable with separate power supply. So far, my favorite sound was coming from the Wilson Sasha's powered by Dan D's new amp. Wow!
 
Excellent coverage 'Mr B' ...... as always ! I can't get over that insane pricing on the Audio Note gear...Wow !

Tim / Steve, be sure and check out the TAD room.....the guys over @ audiocircle.com are wetting their pants over that room !
 

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Thanks Dave, I'll be searching out the TAD room today for sure!

Steve, we must have been right behind one another all day yesterday. Didn't see your PM until last night. I'll give you a call today.
 
Sonus Faber & Wadia

Sonus Faber was the speaker of choice in the Wadia room. Driven by a pair of Definition Series Audio Research mono blocks, the Amanti Futuros sounded great. The huge REL Gibraltar subwoofer really anchored the bass and the Wadia S7i front end sounded as good as always. The mini Wadia system featuring their 15i Power DAC and 17i iPod dock hooked to a smaller pair of the Sonus Faber's Toy's looked very interesting too.
 

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Vivid, Luxman & Brinkman

The small Vivid B1 speakers sounded very, very good driven by Luxman electronics and a Brinkman analog front end. Peter Gabriel's cover of Paul Simon's "These are the Days" from his "Scratch My Back" album was downright moving. A very synergistic system, all the parts seems to fit and complement one another. I stayed here a long time.
 

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Focal & Solution

The huge Solution Series 7 amplifiers gripped the big Focal Nova Utopia speakers like no tomorrow. When Audio Unlimited owner John Barnes passed away earlier this year I wondered what would happen with many of the find brands he represented here in Denver. His business partner Carl Jerttis assumed the reigns of the company and it appears to be reborn now as Apex Audio. Dead Can Dance and Live Neil Young both sounded amazing fed from the Transrotor turntable. I didn't have time to get all the details on the components associated here, I was too busy just listening to the music Fantastic!
 

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Air Tight & Accuphase

Static while I was in the room due to system above being in action, I love the look of this setup featuring Accuphase, Air Tight and another Transrotor table. I would love to get these Air Tight mono blocks in my system for a home demo.
 

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Clearaudio, Aesthetix & Vandersteen

Clearudio's new $24K Master Innovation Wood turntable, fitted with a Graham Phantom arm and Goldfinger Statement cartridge served as the analog front end for this system. The Aesthetic Romulus CD/DAC served up digits, and both front ends were routed through the Aesthetix IO Eclipse Phonograph Pre-amp. Power was provided by Aesthetix Atlas mono blocks and the speakers were Vandersteen 7's. Rod Stewart's "Mandolin Wind" on vinyl sounded especially tasty ("Every Picture Tells a Story" is about the only Rod Stewart album that means something too me, so this was a nice treat).
 

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Peachtree Audio

I remember when Peachtree Audio first came on the scene a few years ago. Initially all of their gear was built around supporting docked iPods, this year however they were showing their new Grand Integrated driving a set of Sonus Faber's Ellipsa's. Shelby Lynne was sounding very good through this setup. They also had a nother setup featuring their new Grand Pre pre amp hooked up to a Sim amp driving a set of B&W 802's, and yet a 3rd smaller desk type system featuring the latest version of their iNova integrated product I believe. This has been a very interesting company to watch over the years and I might be using some of their gear in a small office system I'm planning.
 

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E.A.R. & Marten

The E.A.R. 834 integrated amp in this room was being fed by a Townshend Rock 7 turntable and companion arm. Ella and Louis had an easy going sound coming out of this unusual tonearm setup that uses a trough to help guide and dampen the arm. Cartridge was a Dynavector XV1 S and the phono stage is the E.A.R. 324. As seen the table with arm is an even $6K. Very interesting, although the Coltrane speakers sounded a little on the harsh side to me.
 

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eXemplar & eFision

The eFision brand loudspeakers are new to me. Their F300 model is paired in this room with all eXemplar Audio electronics and an Artemis Labs SA-1 turntable. The F300 sells for $16.9K. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong again in this room and the sound was very easy on the ears. The tweeter is a 7" Heil Air Motion transformer. Between the tweeter and midrange driver the manufacturer told me he has more cost in these drivers than in all of the drivers in a $35k set of Magico's. Lot's of science around the casework on the eXemplar electronics as far as the isolation of everything from the front panels to the circuitboard inside. Good description of the isolation characteristics of the Stillpoints under all of the components, as well as the beautiful Stillpoint rack. This was a very interesting room with great sound.
 

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