slowGEEZR's show pics and some commentary...

[slowGEEZR]

Note: All my pics from the show are located here: http://slowgeezr.smugmug.com/Music/RMAF-2011/19600942_9kPZ3P#1535697083_vMs77m6

Over two days, I managed to get to about one half of the show this year. Either it's grown or I've just gotten slower! This may take a awhile, since I'm watching my five year old granddaughter for the next hour or so.
I'm probably not going to comment much on the sound qualities of the systems I'm going to post, as most of them sounded very very good. Some stood out, but quite frankly, when listening to system after system I went into overload and would be hard pressed not to tell the differences I heard, but the overall qualities I heard. Some had apparent qualities that others didn't and vice versa. With variables in room conditioning and the quality of the source media, it is very difficult to ascribe all of a system's attributes; especially with my memory!

So, here starts my pics...

First up is the One Degree Of Freedom (ONEDOF) turntable. For a mere $150K, this could be yours. The outer ring, shown in the second picture, was heavy, but went on precisely, guided by the two red rubber(?) rings around the platter, which held it snugly.

This pic shows the turntable's outer ring, so you can get a sense of its mass. Of course, the mono amp and speaker are ok, too.

...and the rest of the gear...

 

[slowGEEZR]

Here's an interesting turntable from T+A of Germany, the G 1260 R Turntable w/ internal MM or MC phono stage, modified Rega 301 tonearm, and modified Ortofon Bronze MM Cartridge and DSP motor control! - $4,300 MSRP. Drop the cartridge and phono stage and the price is $3250. Silver or black.

I found myself watching this turntable spin, mesmerized by the patterns of the brass inserts in the platter. Woah, flashback to the '60's! The Acoustic Signature Thunder turntable is in the $13K range.

 

[Bernard]

Here's an interesting turntable from T+A

Before Todd says it.......love the name !

 

[slowGEEZR]

Ha ha, it's a German company which has not been in the States too long. Their products seem extremely well made and very reasonably priced.

 

[slowGEEZR]

This speaker blew me away with its powerful presentation. Easily the most dynamic speaker I've ever heard. Just ignore the fat guy between the speakers.
The speakers cost $52K and are tri-amplified, with the AB amps inside the box.

This little wood box is the cover for the PTE MMMC-R Phono Preamp. $1595. Here's a link, so you can see the back side. http://pteacoustics.com/pte_demo1_003.htm
I didn't get to hear it in action, but since it's made by the same company as the Statement loudspeaker, I bet it's pretty good.

 

[slowGEEZR]

The Onix xcd-50 was in quite a few rooms that I visited. I have seen it before and thought it was housed in acrylic, but was surprised to find out the case is wood. Talk about a good paint job and finish! It plays CDs only and costs nearly $4K. I think there are many multiple format players in that price range, but this did sound great and it is built very well.

 

[slowGEEZR]

I spent quite a bit of time in this room, listening to both of these very excellent speakers. The EARO Eight ($38K) and The Ulf ($18K) were both quite remarkable sounding, beautifully finished and clearly not your typical single driver loudspeaker. Each are active speakers, with built in amps and DSP.

 

[slowGEEZR]

Sorry for the large image, but I wanted you to be able to see the display of the new one box Sutherland N1 Reference line preamp with Reference phono amp. The volume level and selected input are displayed on Nixie Tubes! I thought it was a very cool retro feature on such a great product. I wish I had taken a picture of the insides of the static display of this unit, as the build quality was extremely high, like what you see inside Spectral gear.

For those of you who don't remember Nixie tubes check this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixie_tube
If I remember correctly, this unit is $10K...or was it $7K? Sorry, CRS.

 

[slowGEEZR]

Here are a couple of pics of some show specials I thought were pretty decent. Show specials were all over the place, with some items as much as 1/2 off normal retail. Well, duh, look at the second photo.

 

[slowGEEZR]

Here are a couple of pics of some Artisan Fidelity refurbished turntables. I thought their work looked great and was reasonably priced.
http://www.artisanfidelity.com/index.html

Much better photos and description of a modified Technics SP10 here.
http://www.artisanfidelity.com/Technics-SP10-Portfolio-.html

Much better photos and description of the modified Achates idler drive turntable here. http://www.artisanfidelity.com/Achates-Idler-Drive.html

 

[beek]

Thanx Again nice TT's (pun intended) :ROFL:

 

[slowGEEZR]

Aesthetix powered the Vandersteens in this room and the sound was excellent, as has already been reported by Tim. I was really taken by the sound, as the bass was very full range and I could feel it very easily and the mids and highs were beautiful. I particularly liked the Aesthetix gear for their beauty and build quality and ergonomic appeal, particularly as displayed by the Calisto Eclipse preamp. The knobs had a very solid feel to them and to see them move via remote was very cool, unlike what you see when round knobs rotate. I could very easily see Aesthetix products in my future.

 

[slowGEEZR]

When I was in this room, someone was playing various test pressings he had created for future release. Needless to say, the tracks played sounded marvelous! One of the tracks I recognized as Mars, from the Planets Suite, Gustav Holst. The sound was very very good. The turntable was a Nottingham Space Ace or variation of it.