Let's cut to the chase : any room playing analog tape was a very good or great. Dr. Von schweikert's room using constellation gear and greg beron's analog tape machine was by far the best. Mbl, using their middleweight system was outstanding and also a best of show contender, but I missed the bass slam of the bigger 101 e speakers, but that system is in another price point. Doshi/ joshi room was good but most disappointing of the 3 analog tape rooms I heard. Definitely doshi / alexia is jr varsity compared to mbl and Von Schweikert. Doshi/ Alexia highs were a bit sibilant at times and the Alexia speakers did not have the bass heft of the VTL Alexia room or the D'agostino amps that make the Alexia sound like one of the greatest speakers in the world, despite being a super middle weight.
Speaking of Alexia's, I found them quite sterile with the new VTL Amps and was wishing my VTL 750 was driving this system, or of course, the superb D'agostino amps. A poor showing of Alexias at RMAF this year, compared to the standard I know Alexias are capable of.
The Wilson xlf with Thor hammers driven by vtl had some of the best dynamic bass I have ever heard , but overall this was a Hifi demo, as the system did not sound like natural music. The whole time I was wishing someone would knock on the door and cart over the new vac 450 iq amps onto that room. There were a lot of media and industry Elites attending the Wilson xlf demo, and I wonder if they will have the intellectual honesty to report the truth (what I am saying).
Speaking of natural sound, the Nola Metro Grand Reference Gold speakers went straight to the heart. Carl may not use the latest gimmick in his design, but Nola Metro Gold Reference the speaker makes music and goes straight to your heart. The only thing this system lacked was big explosive bass, but that is not what Carl intended with this design. The new nola speaker driven by arc ref 75 is just superb.
Another very natural sounding speaker is the Scaena. It was also driven by arc ref 75. Utilizing 6 subwoofers, on superb recordings, the system was MAGICAL. You just sit back, close your eyes, and find bliss with Scaena. No wonder why Harry Pearson has these as his reference.
The exact opposite of the spectrum was magico q1 driven by spectral, using super expensive MIT cables and $20k interconnects. No i don't hate magico. I'm actually trying really hard to find a good magico system. Magico is voiced to bring out the upper midrange and lower treble, and this system really showed That off. I know a lot of media and some members on this site really like Magico. God Bless those people for finding something that they love. Unfortunately, I wasted 15 precious minutes of my life and I truly regret it. Just a God Awful system. The Magico S1 driven by krell was a bit better, but it was going to my head instead of my heart.
Coming back up great sounding rooms, I was most surprised by YG. I always thought they were just alright. But the new Sonja sounds much more musical to me than previous models. Great jump factor, resolution, soundstaging, and tonality. Would liked to have the extra bass module,. Also, would loved to have some Absoloare electronics or Ypsilon or the VAC statement gear driving the YG's. Nevertheless, YG / Mola Mola with Kubala Sosna cables is a world class system, and one of the best of the show.
Overall, Von schweikert/ constellation / Greg baron , YG, Nola, and Scaena were my favorites.
Just remember Shakespeare's quote from As You Like It, and substitute "great sound" for "happiness": Oh! how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes.
Speaking of Alexia's, I found them quite sterile with the new VTL Amps and was wishing my VTL 750 was driving this system, or of course, the superb D'agostino amps. A poor showing of Alexias at RMAF this year, compared to the standard I know Alexias are capable of.
The Wilson xlf with Thor hammers driven by vtl had some of the best dynamic bass I have ever heard , but overall this was a Hifi demo, as the system did not sound like natural music. The whole time I was wishing someone would knock on the door and cart over the new vac 450 iq amps onto that room. There were a lot of media and industry Elites attending the Wilson xlf demo, and I wonder if they will have the intellectual honesty to report the truth (what I am saying).
Speaking of natural sound, the Nola Metro Grand Reference Gold speakers went straight to the heart. Carl may not use the latest gimmick in his design, but Nola Metro Gold Reference the speaker makes music and goes straight to your heart. The only thing this system lacked was big explosive bass, but that is not what Carl intended with this design. The new nola speaker driven by arc ref 75 is just superb.
Another very natural sounding speaker is the Scaena. It was also driven by arc ref 75. Utilizing 6 subwoofers, on superb recordings, the system was MAGICAL. You just sit back, close your eyes, and find bliss with Scaena. No wonder why Harry Pearson has these as his reference.
The exact opposite of the spectrum was magico q1 driven by spectral, using super expensive MIT cables and $20k interconnects. No i don't hate magico. I'm actually trying really hard to find a good magico system. Magico is voiced to bring out the upper midrange and lower treble, and this system really showed That off. I know a lot of media and some members on this site really like Magico. God Bless those people for finding something that they love. Unfortunately, I wasted 15 precious minutes of my life and I truly regret it. Just a God Awful system. The Magico S1 driven by krell was a bit better, but it was going to my head instead of my heart.
Coming back up great sounding rooms, I was most surprised by YG. I always thought they were just alright. But the new Sonja sounds much more musical to me than previous models. Great jump factor, resolution, soundstaging, and tonality. Would liked to have the extra bass module,. Also, would loved to have some Absoloare electronics or Ypsilon or the VAC statement gear driving the YG's. Nevertheless, YG / Mola Mola with Kubala Sosna cables is a world class system, and one of the best of the show.
Overall, Von schweikert/ constellation / Greg baron , YG, Nola, and Scaena were my favorites.
Just remember Shakespeare's quote from As You Like It, and substitute "great sound" for "happiness": Oh! how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes.