CEDIA Show Report - My afternoon with Roberto

[MiTT]

As Roberto mentioned elsewhere, he and I were able to meet and browse the halls of the CEDIA expo here in Denver this afternoon. What follows are a few photos and my general impressions...

First off let me say, Roberto is a class act. He's a wonderful, generous big hearted man who exudes warmth and a genuine love for music and all things audio. We are all blessed by his presence here on this forum and I feel like I have found a kindred spirit and long lost friend.

Now on to the show.

As you can see here - everyone wanted to come in and have a look at the latest audio gear.

 

[MiTT]

Martin Logan Booth

The Martin Logan booth was a flurry of activity. The booth was very well designed and provided many avenues of entry so that no matter which direction you approached it from you found yourself in the middle of things.

 

[MiTT]

Martin Logan Team

Here is a shot of the many informative and helpful people who were working in the booth today. I hope I have everyone's names correctly - these were very genuine and dedicated people. Every single one of them seems to be very much in love with what they get to do for a living and each was very informative and knowledgeable of not only what the brand was doing, but of audio and the industry in general. I had many informal conversations that tell me we have much to look forward to in the coming years. Martin Logan is not resting on their considerable laurels!

From left to right then... Allen Tarrant - Training Manager; Peter Soderberg - Regional Sales Manager; Devin Zell - Marketing Manager; Dennis Chern - Regional Sales Manager; Joel Lopez - Inside Sales and Customer Service; Paul Grove - Regional Sales Manager; and on the far right - our own Roberto!

Notice what's on the display behind the team - that's right, there we are in real time in the Martin Logan booth!

 

[MiTT]

Vantage Internals

Here is a shot of the cross section of a new Vantage. Notice the construction, cross bracing and level of construction. The crossover components and PCB are all of the highest quality.

 

[MiTT]

Descent i

Here is a shot of the control panel area of the new Descent i. This is a very large serious looking sub. Again, fit and finish are of the very highest quality, it looks most like a piece of fine furniture.

But the real secret is in the next shot...

 

[MiTT]

PLease, please, please

As Roberto has already mentioned, here is what many of us have wondered about, asked about, dreamt about....

Notice the crossover position at 30Hz - also labeled CLX! That is correct, this position will be used when the sub is connected to an outboard crossover driving the new CLX full range electrostatic panels!

No delivery date, price or details were able to be discussed - none the less, it absolutely will be a reality soon.

Time to start saving

 

[theWB]

Here is a shot of the control panel area of the new Descent i. This is a very large serious looking sub. Again, fit and finish are of the very highest quality, it looks most like a piece of fine furniture.

But the real secret is in the next shot...

What is that square section on the control panel???? it almost looks like a small lcd screen????

 

[edwinr]

Thanks for the great pics. It looks like everyone is having a great time. That new sub looks awsome...

 

[MiTT]

Very Cool Summit

Here was one of the things I found most interesting in the booth. This Summit was all chrome and leather. The combination was AWESOME! While the chrome rails are apparently available as a standard item, the leather clad housing was mostly a styling exercise. Let me tell you - it works. I was told that even though it is not offered, anything can be done for those who are willing to step up to this level of finish.

Reminded me of some older Sonus Faber models, but far more elegant and updated. Trust me, the pictures don't do it justice...

 

[edwinr]

Wow! That Summit is a work of art!

 

[MiTT]

Chrome & Leather lust

Here is a close up of the body of the chrome and leather Summit. As with everything else in the booth, fit and finish was impecable. As an Industrial Designer by training I was very impressed. Beautiful.

 

[MiTT]

The new Stage

The new Stage center channel was also on display, and it is a thing of beauty. The cabinetwork is impecable - a theme carried through the entire line of products I saw in the booth. While I am sure that the very best examples are selected for display at a tradeshow of this magnitude, I also know from experience that this level of quality only comes from the very closest attention to critical requirements all through the product development and manufacturing phases. The folks at ML are paying very close attention to their manufacturing processes.

 

[chris03053]

Nice write up Tim.

 

[MiTT]

Rotel Stack

Roberto, his cousin Doug and I had an opportunity to walk the show for a while before we had to head our seperate ways. In the Rotel booth I was intriqued with their top of the line Pre-Pro with color LCD and the DVD player below it. This player will play DVD-A and DVD-D, as well as redbook CD and HDCD - but sadly, no SACD.

 

[MiTT]

Classe gear

The Classe equipment was occupying the same booth as Rotel. I really am impressed with the Industrial Design that they have been utilizing over the past few years...

 

[chris03053]

Oh man, that looks so sweeet!

How am i going to sleep tonight??

Hmmm, i wonder if my dealer will take my 2 old Descents as trade in for 2 NEW Descent i.

Here is a shot of the control panel area of the new Descent i. This is a very large serious looking sub. Again, fit and finish are of the very highest quality, it looks most like a piece of fine furniture.

But the real secret is in the next shot...

 

[MiTT]

Classe close up

While I am impressed with the overall appearance of the Classe gear, I am less enamored with it when it is placed in a rack mounted application as you see here - there is no way to appreciate those beautiful rounded edges on the casework that has become their hallmark of late. Note: many, and I mean MANY manufacturers were displaying their electronics in rack mounted displays. I hope this is for the sake of floor space rather than as a trend. Beyond the obvious thermal issues, I just don't care for the look.

None the less, this A/V controller was very intriguing...

 

[chris03053]

Krell?

Hey Tim,

What about Krell? Did you get any pictures on there new equipment?

 

[MiTT]

Another Rack

After I left Roberto I walked the floors for another few hours taking in as much as I could.

Here is another example of the rack mounting I described above, this time with a slew of Arcam gear. Arcam was showing some very beautiful equipemnt in discrete displays all throughout their booth as well though.

 

[MiTT]

Hey Tim,

What about Krell? Did you get any pictures on there new equipment?

Funny you should ask Chris...

Here is the man himself, Dan D'Agostino with one of the new power amps; although if I'm not mistaken, this is a mono chassis, so only one channel is represented here.