slowGEEZR
Well-known member
Who's going?
Axpona
- Thread starter slowGEEZR
- Start date
Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:
I'm planning on attending.
My town, so I'm going. Signed up weeks ago.
Friday meetup?
Friday meetup?
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
Jonathan, PM sent.
repman
Well-known member
I will be there also
repman
Well-known member
Look forward to seeing you Glen.
Likewise here Larry.
Dinner Friday evening?
Sounds great to me. Any particular places you would recommend?
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
I've got some friends, Bill and Judy, coming to Axpona, also. I'm sure I could convince them to join us for dinner.
He's also researching where to listen to live music and so far, has come up with Smith's Olde Bar.
He's also researching where to listen to live music and so far, has come up with Smith's Olde Bar.
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repman
Well-known member
Looks good to me
Definitely looks like a good venue. And they got burgers. Looks like doors open at 6:00 for the Friday show, which features multiple bands. I wonder if we need to get advance tickets or if it's pretty safe to just show up at the door?
Hey gang, I've been super busy this week, just coming up for air today.
Let's plan to meet up at the club after 6pm. I'll try calling / texting when I get to the show.
Looking forward to the show and getting to meet some of you in person for the first time, and reconnecting with old friends.
Let's plan to meet up at the club after 6pm. I'll try calling / texting when I get to the show.
Looking forward to the show and getting to meet some of you in person for the first time, and reconnecting with old friends.
Jimna
Well-known member
Smith's Olde Bar has a great history of stellar performances! Have fun, yall!
Had a very enjoyable time at Axpona. Enjoyed hanging out with Steve (slowgeezr) and his friend Bill, as well as Jonathan (JonFo). Also enjoyed meeting Larry (Repman) and one of his friends who is a longtime local Atlanta audiophile and a very interesting person. I wish more people from the forum could have made it.
Axpona was a great show if you happened to be one of the few people attending, but not so great if you were one of the vendors I suppose. It was very sparse on Friday, and even more so on Saturday. There were just very few people in attendance. It made it quite easy to get a good seat in any room you went in. Even the MBL room, no problem finding a good seat. Unfortunately, I don't think that bodes too well for the show. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen next year. This show was also much smaller than RMAF, as far as number of vendors. It was pretty easy to do the whole show in one day, if that was your goal. Although it was nice to have a second day to take time and re-visit my favorite rooms. But I would have definitely liked to see a few more vendors.
If you are thinking this thread is useless without pictures, then you are SOL. I didn't have the time or energy to lug a camera around and take pictures and notes in every room, so this is no in-depth show report like Justin and Tim provide. But I will give you my quick list of favorites, and one dud:
Favorite Speakers: MBL 101E MK 2, Adam Tensor, Scaena (in that order)
The MBLs were fronted by all MBL gear, and were in a huge room with a cathedral ceiling. They sounded big, wide, deep, loud, detailed, and just incredibly lifelike. Best sound of the show easily. And just for the record, they had the entire back wall (all 25' wide by 20' tall of it) draped with cloth along with multiple potted plants behind/beside the speakers for absorption/diffusion. So don't give me any of that "MBL recommends no absorption behind their speakers" crap.
The Adam Tensors were driven by Accuphase equipment and just sounded absolutely incredible. Different than the MBL's but just about as good. Very difficult to choose a "better" here. The MBL's won out by just a nod, but it very well could have been just because they were in a much bigger room. Anyone looking for a reference speaker that does not look like a piece of modern art should definitely audition the Adam's. Steve said they sounded better than his Wilson WattPuppy 8's.
The Scaenas were driven by the BAT Rex tube monoblocks and sounded really good as well. Incredible imaging and soundstaging with these speakers. The Scaenas also edge out the MBLs for the coolest looking speaker at the show.
Honorable Mention: Quad 2905 and Sanders Sound 10C
Quad was driving their reference 2905 speakers with their own 80 wpc tube gear and it sounded great. Actually, sounded just like my Summits, except without the kick in the bass. I could easily live with this setup.
Roger Sanders wasn't at the show, but his equipment made it there. Sounded superb as usual. Rogers electrostat, driven by his own equipment, just sounds great. The bass from his speaker again doesn't have quite the visceral punch at the low end as the Summit, but the bass is so much more musical and tuneful than the Summit. I listened both in the sweet spot and out of the sweet spot, and I really think his speakers sound just fine out of the sweet spot. It is just that they sound so much better in the sweet spot! But I still don't buy the "head in a vice argument." I never feel that way with his speakers any more than I do with the MLs. I still think his flat panel outperforms Martin Logan's curved panels in the sweet spot, and barely lags them outside of the sweet spot. Roger's speaker is definitely on the short list if and when I decide to upgrade my Summits.
Biggest Disappointment (again): YG Acoustics ANAT
Once again, I really tried to like the Anats. I gave them several listens. But every time, it is always the same. These speakers have some very unnatural resonances in the upper registers that just makes them sound grating. I have heard them four times now, in three different rooms with different front ends and many different recordings. Once I even heard them playing vinyl on an all-tube front end. Yet it is always the same. They have a biting resonance that makes them sound gritty and harsh. They do a lot of things well in the midrange and lower registers, and in terms of soundstaging and imaging. But I just could not get past the horrible top end that they produce. I can only surmise that people who like these speakers have some serious hearing loss at higher frequencies. They literally ran Steve and I out of the room every time we have tried to listen to them.
I enjoyed seeing old friends Steve and Jonathan and really enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Atlanta and listening to some great gear. I obtained a few nice new CDs and a sampler hi-res DVD that I can't wait to try out. All in all, a fun-filled weekend.
Axpona was a great show if you happened to be one of the few people attending, but not so great if you were one of the vendors I suppose. It was very sparse on Friday, and even more so on Saturday. There were just very few people in attendance. It made it quite easy to get a good seat in any room you went in. Even the MBL room, no problem finding a good seat. Unfortunately, I don't think that bodes too well for the show. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen next year. This show was also much smaller than RMAF, as far as number of vendors. It was pretty easy to do the whole show in one day, if that was your goal. Although it was nice to have a second day to take time and re-visit my favorite rooms. But I would have definitely liked to see a few more vendors.
If you are thinking this thread is useless without pictures, then you are SOL. I didn't have the time or energy to lug a camera around and take pictures and notes in every room, so this is no in-depth show report like Justin and Tim provide. But I will give you my quick list of favorites, and one dud:
Favorite Speakers: MBL 101E MK 2, Adam Tensor, Scaena (in that order)
The MBLs were fronted by all MBL gear, and were in a huge room with a cathedral ceiling. They sounded big, wide, deep, loud, detailed, and just incredibly lifelike. Best sound of the show easily. And just for the record, they had the entire back wall (all 25' wide by 20' tall of it) draped with cloth along with multiple potted plants behind/beside the speakers for absorption/diffusion. So don't give me any of that "MBL recommends no absorption behind their speakers" crap.
The Adam Tensors were driven by Accuphase equipment and just sounded absolutely incredible. Different than the MBL's but just about as good. Very difficult to choose a "better" here. The MBL's won out by just a nod, but it very well could have been just because they were in a much bigger room. Anyone looking for a reference speaker that does not look like a piece of modern art should definitely audition the Adam's. Steve said they sounded better than his Wilson WattPuppy 8's.
The Scaenas were driven by the BAT Rex tube monoblocks and sounded really good as well. Incredible imaging and soundstaging with these speakers. The Scaenas also edge out the MBLs for the coolest looking speaker at the show.
Honorable Mention: Quad 2905 and Sanders Sound 10C
Quad was driving their reference 2905 speakers with their own 80 wpc tube gear and it sounded great. Actually, sounded just like my Summits, except without the kick in the bass. I could easily live with this setup.
Roger Sanders wasn't at the show, but his equipment made it there. Sounded superb as usual. Rogers electrostat, driven by his own equipment, just sounds great. The bass from his speaker again doesn't have quite the visceral punch at the low end as the Summit, but the bass is so much more musical and tuneful than the Summit. I listened both in the sweet spot and out of the sweet spot, and I really think his speakers sound just fine out of the sweet spot. It is just that they sound so much better in the sweet spot! But I still don't buy the "head in a vice argument." I never feel that way with his speakers any more than I do with the MLs. I still think his flat panel outperforms Martin Logan's curved panels in the sweet spot, and barely lags them outside of the sweet spot. Roger's speaker is definitely on the short list if and when I decide to upgrade my Summits.
Biggest Disappointment (again): YG Acoustics ANAT
Once again, I really tried to like the Anats. I gave them several listens. But every time, it is always the same. These speakers have some very unnatural resonances in the upper registers that just makes them sound grating. I have heard them four times now, in three different rooms with different front ends and many different recordings. Once I even heard them playing vinyl on an all-tube front end. Yet it is always the same. They have a biting resonance that makes them sound gritty and harsh. They do a lot of things well in the midrange and lower registers, and in terms of soundstaging and imaging. But I just could not get past the horrible top end that they produce. I can only surmise that people who like these speakers have some serious hearing loss at higher frequencies. They literally ran Steve and I out of the room every time we have tried to listen to them.
I enjoyed seeing old friends Steve and Jonathan and really enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Atlanta and listening to some great gear. I obtained a few nice new CDs and a sampler hi-res DVD that I can't wait to try out. All in all, a fun-filled weekend.
repman
Well-known member
Had a great time at Axpona, It was a pleasure seeing Glen and his lovely wife ( Fountain) and Jonathon also meeting Rich and Steve and his friend Bill for the first time I am sorry we did not get the chance to hang out. I concur with Richs top three speakers at the show. the MBL and Scaena were my top two with the Adams a close third.
I could go either way with the MBL's and Scaena as 1&2 they were both open and VERY dynamic. the Scaenas bass integration may have been a bit more controlled and open sounding than the MBL's and the MBL's might have been a bit more dynamic but I would take either and be very happy.
I also agree with Rich on the YG's, listener fatigue is high on the list of their qualities.
I would give an honorable mention to the Rosso Fiorentino Electroacoustics Sienna. A local imports ( Italy) and distributes them from Atlanta.
I had a great time unfortunately I agree with Rich's assessment that it was not very well attended and most likely might not come back to Atlanta again.
Larry
I could go either way with the MBL's and Scaena as 1&2 they were both open and VERY dynamic. the Scaenas bass integration may have been a bit more controlled and open sounding than the MBL's and the MBL's might have been a bit more dynamic but I would take either and be very happy.
I also agree with Rich on the YG's, listener fatigue is high on the list of their qualities.
I would give an honorable mention to the Rosso Fiorentino Electroacoustics Sienna. A local imports ( Italy) and distributes them from Atlanta.
I had a great time unfortunately I agree with Rich's assessment that it was not very well attended and most likely might not come back to Atlanta again.
Larry
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Likewise Larry it was a joy seeing you again, and I'm glad that my wife can now put a face to your name when I refer to you and this forum. She and I had a blast on Saturday walking in and out of rooms. Since this was our first audio show of this type, with the exception of CEDIA which is more home automation, I could not really comment on the size of the crowd. Most rooms I went into were fairly busy, but there is somewhat of a herd mentality. What I mean is when I walked through, it seemed that I was running into many of the same people either coming or going as we made our rounds. If you happened to be a few minutes ahead of this crowd or a few minutes after them then it may have been much less busy. I know the room that I helped in on Thursday and Friday was pretty well visited. Of course being across the hall from Elusive Disc and Acoustic Sounds probably didn't hurt.
I sure wish I could have met up with you other guys. Sorry that I could not.
As far as what I liked in the show they were: (Not in any particular order)
Wharfedale: (Diamond 10.4 I think; I really should have paid more attention.) They were only $1,299 and had a surprising sound. There was a mid bass bump, but that was most likey due to the room. I thought they were much more expensive, and was surprised to find they were very reasonably priced.
http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/Product...66/CID/174/language/en-GB/Default.aspx#detail
Voxativ: These speakers were more fascinating than anything. Don't get me wrong, they did sound good, but a single driver being driven by only 4 Watts!!! I was impressed. Only caveat in listening to them was the air conditioner was very distracting.
http://voxativ.com/eng/index.php
YG Acoustic: These sounded pretty bad the first day I listened to them, but when I revisited their room on Saturday afternoon, they were much more pleasing. I could not really justify the money they cost to the sound they delivered in that room, but they did sound good to me.
http://www.yg-acoustics.com/Categories.aspx?lang=1&id=385&aid=498
Vandersteen 3A sigs: While not the best at the show, they sounded very good to my ears for $4,000. The value these speakers represent are amazing. They were accompanined by a pair of JL audio subs, and this did help quite a bit to fill the large room with bass. Although in a normal size room they are more than capable in the bass region.
http://www.vandersteen.com/3ahrb.jpg
Sanders 10b: These also played well and had an engaging sound; though maybe a little thin in the midrange. However, considering the small space they had to work with they did a good job imaging. I almost missed these, but Larry redirected me promptly to their room.
http://www.sanderssoundsystems.com/
Scaena: These were quite impressive. I never imagined they could produce a good soundstage, but in that room they were extremely dense in their layering. There were a couple of times the upper treble may have been a bit of an overkill; they still performed quite nicely. The piano music demo was my favorite.
http://www.scaena.com/scaena_homepage.htm
A few that I did not care for were:
Acapella Acoustics: They looked beautiful, but I felt the sound was like wearing headphones. A kind of inside the head sound that seemed to beam to my ears. Could have been the toe in since they were at an extreme angle.
http://www.saigonstereo.com/index.php?nav1=product&nav2=detail&id=152
Legacy Audio Whisper: These sounded hollow to my ears. Also, the sound seemed to be hovering at the speaker source themselves and not a soundstage.
http://www.legacyaudio.com/index.php?Itemid=300189&option=com_zoo&view=item&category_id=1&item_id=93
Totem Element: Artificial sounding. Hard to describe and artificial may not be the right term, but I did not find them engaging, but rather distracting. Could have been how close some of the seats were though.
http://totemacoustic.com/
Induction Audio ID1: These were huge speakers with a beautiful red paint job. When I sat down to listen I noticed the music was rather bright. This was evident to me from the start of the demo, and I thought they could have used a little less toe. However, when I looked more closely they appeared to have a slight outward toe on them already. Curious.
http://www.inductiondynamics.com/products.html?id=id1
Seminars:
The only seminar that I attended was Jim Smith's speaker/room setup. This was a good question and answer time where Jim talked, but took many questions. His answers were direct and well explained. The atmosphere was casual and conducive to a back and forth conversation. His knowledge and experience was quite evident in the way he spoke, and he did a good job in communicating tough concepts. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
http://getbettersound.com/
Glen
I sure wish I could have met up with you other guys. Sorry that I could not.
As far as what I liked in the show they were: (Not in any particular order)
Wharfedale: (Diamond 10.4 I think; I really should have paid more attention.) They were only $1,299 and had a surprising sound. There was a mid bass bump, but that was most likey due to the room. I thought they were much more expensive, and was surprised to find they were very reasonably priced.
http://www.wharfedale.co.uk/Product...66/CID/174/language/en-GB/Default.aspx#detail
Voxativ: These speakers were more fascinating than anything. Don't get me wrong, they did sound good, but a single driver being driven by only 4 Watts!!! I was impressed. Only caveat in listening to them was the air conditioner was very distracting.
http://voxativ.com/eng/index.php
YG Acoustic: These sounded pretty bad the first day I listened to them, but when I revisited their room on Saturday afternoon, they were much more pleasing. I could not really justify the money they cost to the sound they delivered in that room, but they did sound good to me.
http://www.yg-acoustics.com/Categories.aspx?lang=1&id=385&aid=498
Vandersteen 3A sigs: While not the best at the show, they sounded very good to my ears for $4,000. The value these speakers represent are amazing. They were accompanined by a pair of JL audio subs, and this did help quite a bit to fill the large room with bass. Although in a normal size room they are more than capable in the bass region.
http://www.vandersteen.com/3ahrb.jpg
Sanders 10b: These also played well and had an engaging sound; though maybe a little thin in the midrange. However, considering the small space they had to work with they did a good job imaging. I almost missed these, but Larry redirected me promptly to their room.
http://www.sanderssoundsystems.com/
Scaena: These were quite impressive. I never imagined they could produce a good soundstage, but in that room they were extremely dense in their layering. There were a couple of times the upper treble may have been a bit of an overkill; they still performed quite nicely. The piano music demo was my favorite.
http://www.scaena.com/scaena_homepage.htm
A few that I did not care for were:
Acapella Acoustics: They looked beautiful, but I felt the sound was like wearing headphones. A kind of inside the head sound that seemed to beam to my ears. Could have been the toe in since they were at an extreme angle.
http://www.saigonstereo.com/index.php?nav1=product&nav2=detail&id=152
Legacy Audio Whisper: These sounded hollow to my ears. Also, the sound seemed to be hovering at the speaker source themselves and not a soundstage.
http://www.legacyaudio.com/index.php?Itemid=300189&option=com_zoo&view=item&category_id=1&item_id=93
Totem Element: Artificial sounding. Hard to describe and artificial may not be the right term, but I did not find them engaging, but rather distracting. Could have been how close some of the seats were though.
http://totemacoustic.com/
Induction Audio ID1: These were huge speakers with a beautiful red paint job. When I sat down to listen I noticed the music was rather bright. This was evident to me from the start of the demo, and I thought they could have used a little less toe. However, when I looked more closely they appeared to have a slight outward toe on them already. Curious.
http://www.inductiondynamics.com/products.html?id=id1
Seminars:
The only seminar that I attended was Jim Smith's speaker/room setup. This was a good question and answer time where Jim talked, but took many questions. His answers were direct and well explained. The atmosphere was casual and conducive to a back and forth conversation. His knowledge and experience was quite evident in the way he spoke, and he did a good job in communicating tough concepts. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
http://getbettersound.com/
Glen
slowGEEZR
Well-known member
Whew, just got home and unloaded the car. What a nice trip, with great scenery along the way. It was a pleasure to meet Jonathan and Larry for the first time, as well as seeing Rich again. It was also great having our friends from Maryland there. Larry, we ended up going to Old Smith's, but I didn't have your phone number, in order to let you know. I felt bad about that.
I'm afraid that I have to agree with Rich, in that the show seemed very poorly attended. I will also be surprised if there is an Axpona next year. At the very least, I'd be surprised if they held one in Atlanta any time soon. We noticed that some of the vendors had already left by Saturday! The way the vendors were distributed within the hotel may have been why some rooms may not have been attended, in my opinion, as some rooms could have been easily missed.
I also have to agree with Rich on the top three speakers. Like I told Rich, if I were paying retail for new speakers and choosing between the WP8s and the Adams, I'd really have to do a lot of back and forth comparisons, the Adams were that good.
One thought that I had at the end of the day was that I was very happy with the way my own system sounds, in comparison the the best I heard there; especially for the money. Yes, the MBLs blew me away(I think this was the best I've ever heard them sound), but the total system price must have been well over $100K, probably closer to $200K.
I'm afraid that I have to agree with Rich, in that the show seemed very poorly attended. I will also be surprised if there is an Axpona next year. At the very least, I'd be surprised if they held one in Atlanta any time soon. We noticed that some of the vendors had already left by Saturday! The way the vendors were distributed within the hotel may have been why some rooms may not have been attended, in my opinion, as some rooms could have been easily missed.
I also have to agree with Rich on the top three speakers. Like I told Rich, if I were paying retail for new speakers and choosing between the WP8s and the Adams, I'd really have to do a lot of back and forth comparisons, the Adams were that good.
One thought that I had at the end of the day was that I was very happy with the way my own system sounds, in comparison the the best I heard there; especially for the money. Yes, the MBLs blew me away(I think this was the best I've ever heard them sound), but the total system price must have been well over $100K, probably closer to $200K.
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