Rocky Mountain Audio Fest - Day2
- Thread starter MiTT
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MiTT
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JM Labs
While I'm talking about second looks, we stopped by the JM Labs room for another listen to the Nova Utopia Be's driven by all Balanced Audio Technology electronics. So impeccibly, musically smooth. There was always a big crowd in this room...
UPDATE - Found out later (on my 3rd visit to this room on day three) that this rig won "Best Sound of Show". I knew there was a reason I kept coming back. I've got the BAT electronics already. If I had the scratch and the space I'd seriously consider getting these speakers.
While I'm talking about second looks, we stopped by the JM Labs room for another listen to the Nova Utopia Be's driven by all Balanced Audio Technology electronics. So impeccibly, musically smooth. There was always a big crowd in this room...
UPDATE - Found out later (on my 3rd visit to this room on day three) that this rig won "Best Sound of Show". I knew there was a reason I kept coming back. I've got the BAT electronics already. If I had the scratch and the space I'd seriously consider getting these speakers.
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MiTT
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Ferguson Hill
At the other end of the spectrum from the sheer presence of the JM Lab Nova Utopia's were these almost not even there FH007's from Ferguson Hill. Designed to interface primarily with PC's and iPod type setups, they sounded suprizingly good and I loved the industrial design. High WAF.
At the other end of the spectrum from the sheer presence of the JM Lab Nova Utopia's were these almost not even there FH007's from Ferguson Hill. Designed to interface primarily with PC's and iPod type setups, they sounded suprizingly good and I loved the industrial design. High WAF.
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Beat_Dominator
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Cute little buggers 
MiTT
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Jolinda
I can remember when Jolinda was putting out some good sounding, but very cheap (and cheap looking) tube electronics. They have come a long way. The new JD1000 RC tubed amp is VERY cool looking and this set-up sounded great. Of course the mbl speakers may have had something to do with that (more on them in a bit)...
I can remember when Jolinda was putting out some good sounding, but very cheap (and cheap looking) tube electronics. They have come a long way. The new JD1000 RC tubed amp is VERY cool looking and this set-up sounded great. Of course the mbl speakers may have had something to do with that (more on them in a bit)...
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Beat_Dominator
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Oh Oh! Were the 101s there?!
MiTT
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MiTT
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Whoa Whoa Whoa Andrettii, slow down.... (but boy have I got a treat for you).Beat_Dominator said:
MiTT
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Instant Kharma
Kharma was showing in two different rooms. This one had the Midi Exquisite MkII's ($75K) fed by their own Enigma cables ($8K), driven by the mbl 1621a/1611e digital front end ($42.5K), feeding the mbl 6010D preamp ($18.9K) and the mbl 9008a monoblocks ($40K pair). It sounded like a million bucks and damn near cost that. Big, powerfull, elegant - I'll never know what it's like in a real room, but it's nice to dream.
Kharma was showing in two different rooms. This one had the Midi Exquisite MkII's ($75K) fed by their own Enigma cables ($8K), driven by the mbl 1621a/1611e digital front end ($42.5K), feeding the mbl 6010D preamp ($18.9K) and the mbl 9008a monoblocks ($40K pair). It sounded like a million bucks and damn near cost that. Big, powerfull, elegant - I'll never know what it's like in a real room, but it's nice to dream.
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Beat_Dominator
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MiTT said:
Hooray!!!!!
MiTT
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Kharma II
In their second room (let's call it Kharma on a budget), they were playing the CRM 3.2fe speakers ($21K) driven by their own MP150 Class D amps ($6800.00 pair), with another mbl 6010D preamp, and the budget mbl 1521a/1511e digital front end (only $18K). Cheap stuff by Kharma and mbl standards... and it still sounded great.
In their second room (let's call it Kharma on a budget), they were playing the CRM 3.2fe speakers ($21K) driven by their own MP150 Class D amps ($6800.00 pair), with another mbl 6010D preamp, and the budget mbl 1521a/1511e digital front end (only $18K). Cheap stuff by Kharma and mbl standards... and it still sounded great.
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Beat_Dominator
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I hear good things about those Kharma class D amps.... they're so little!
MiTT
Super User
Mark Levinson
Mark Levinson was being shown in yet another room sponsored by Denver's own Audio Unlimited. In play were the 436 monoblocks, the 326S pre-amp and the 390S CD player. Speakers were the JM Labs Alto Utopia Be's. Music was Frank Sinatra on vinyl via a Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable and the new Airtight cartridge.
Mark Levinson was being shown in yet another room sponsored by Denver's own Audio Unlimited. In play were the 436 monoblocks, the 326S pre-amp and the 390S CD player. Speakers were the JM Labs Alto Utopia Be's. Music was Frank Sinatra on vinyl via a Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable and the new Airtight cartridge.
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MiTT
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MiTT
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mbl
OK Beat Dominator, you still with me? Without question one of the top 3 Best Sound of the Show contenders was to be found in the mbl room. If you have never heard the 101 Radialstrahler speakers you need to sometime before you die. Yes, they are that good. When we finally got into the room (there was a long line) they were playing a jazz trio (sax, bass & drums) doing a version of "Walking on the Moon" that was unreal. The amazing thing about these speakers is that no matter where you are in the room - right in front, way off to the side, behind them; they sound exactly the same. There is no such thing as a sweet spot with them, at all. German engineering on par with their best.
OK Beat Dominator, you still with me? Without question one of the top 3 Best Sound of the Show contenders was to be found in the mbl room. If you have never heard the 101 Radialstrahler speakers you need to sometime before you die. Yes, they are that good. When we finally got into the room (there was a long line) they were playing a jazz trio (sax, bass & drums) doing a version of "Walking on the Moon" that was unreal. The amazing thing about these speakers is that no matter where you are in the room - right in front, way off to the side, behind them; they sound exactly the same. There is no such thing as a sweet spot with them, at all. German engineering on par with their best.
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MiTT
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MiTT
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mbl part3
So, when you see these in print they seem like they are going to be huge. When you see them in person they are more diminutive than you might expect, sort of like the Mona Lisa. By this time they were playing some sort of unobtainable Tori Amos cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" and I just melted into a chair and was awash in the music. I got a "thing" for Tori Amos anyway and this experience didn't do anything to mitigate that. I could have stayed for hours.
So, when you see these in print they seem like they are going to be huge. When you see them in person they are more diminutive than you might expect, sort of like the Mona Lisa. By this time they were playing some sort of unobtainable Tori Amos cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" and I just melted into a chair and was awash in the music. I got a "thing" for Tori Amos anyway and this experience didn't do anything to mitigate that. I could have stayed for hours.
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