At first, I wasn't going to start a new post but rather, make comments found on other posts. However, I am finding it hard to respond to others who want to share their impressions of similar gear heard at CES, thus the number of individual blogs I am responding to, is snow-balling out of control. Hence, if you'll forgive some repetition, I've grouped everything thus far into one blog report.
The one and only Magneplanar 3.7w
First, and I might as well get this out of the way, the "best" speaker I heard was the $5500 Magneplanar 3.7s. They were simply stunning. Now, Wendell Diller pulled a few tricks out of his hat in choosing to demo them using Maggie 1.7s as rear channels as well as a Maggie Center channel on his multichannel source material, but that did not detract from what were all heard on the 3.7s. In fact, Wendell specifically played 2-channel material using only on the 3.7s for completeness sake. The sound was just superb. The usual accolades are appropriate; detailed, great imaging, excellent frequency response, low distortion etc. But for me, it was something that is often not mentioned, and that is their vibrancy. They had life. And that was very much the opposite of what is described below for the Lamm-Wilson room. Wendell played that old warhorse, 1812 overture and I nearly stained the seat looking for a subwoofer that wasn't there when those cannon shots were launched. Emotionally involving on every level. And, get this, although he was using Bryston 28s to drive the planars, he was using (I think) some ordinary Lexicon preamp and an inexpensive CD player for the front end, thus making me wonder why we have all been so successfully brain-washed to believe that it takes mega-expensive front ends to have a good sounding system. "Best" is of course a relative term. But if we include both performance and value, ascribing this word to the 3.7s is not difficult at all. A landmark loudspeaker for (almost) everyman indeed!
Lamm-Wilson "Travesty" System
Steve, you're not going to like this but I might as well say it. The Lamm exhibit at the Venetian was one of the most disappointing sound demonstrations of the entire CES. First, the prices you noted in your blog entry are not quite right. The total system price as posted in Room 307 was $667,164. I won't go into every detail but basics are
1) Critical Mass System $92,800
2) Lamm electronics $197,160
3) Wilson A-II $158,000
4) NeoDio CD/DAC $25,300
5) da Vinci table $109,204
6) Kubala Sosna Elation cabling $84,700
The sound was a conundrum. On one hand, it was lovely; beautiful in fact. It had definition, good frequency response, good imaging, and was low in distortion. However, there was one overwhelming problem. The music was LIFELESS. Absolutely uninvolving, sterile and lifeless. You could have knocked me over with a feather if you told me those words would ever come from me in describing what is arguably some of the greatest electronics I have ever heard (under different conditions of course). Sadly, I think my view was the common opinion of many listeners and reviewers we met in the hallways. I can't think of a better example of the absurdity of Hi end audio than this singular demo. This demo clearly refutes one common theorem of hi-end audio which is "more is better" when it comes to cost of gear. Wrong. And in this case, very, very wrong.
I don't want to beat up on Lamm and Wilson too harshly. The fact is, we saw examples of other audiophile products that were just as costly as many in the Lamm system. For each, I kept thinking, give me the KEF system and the cash difference except for one. Can you spell M-A-G-N-E-P-L-A-N-A-R?
By the way, I should probably mention that to give Vladimir the benefit of the doubt, The Venetian imposed the use of strict devices that the manufacturers had to use and plug into for AV power. Some demos actually caused the room lights to dim. But as you know, the Lamms don't draw that much current so I'm not inclined to say the AC power was the main reason for the flat sound. I'll tell you, if it was my room, I'd get rid of the ridiculous 92K amp and equipment stands and put the amps right on the floor and the preamp on a cardboard box to see if they would sound better. I'm pretty sure it couldn't sound worse, and at least I'd have an extra 92K in cash in my pocket!
Bottom line, we heard a 667K demo at the Lamm room that was a total disappointment because it was a very expensive lifeless system.
TAD Reference
Next up, I really enjoyed hearing the big TAD Reference speakers at the VTL room. I had not previously heard Andrew Jones' masterpiece speaker previously, but this set up was a jaw-dropper. I am certain the outstanding VTL electronics contributed significantly to the excellent sound (7.5III preamp; 450 III amp). The TADs are a masterpiece in their cohesiveness, musicality and overall tonal balance top to bottom. Bea Lam pulled out Shostakovich’s Symphony #8 performed live by the LSO, and the few of us that were in the room after hours sat in silence as the beautiful sound washed over us. As a complete "I am in the symphony hall" experience the TAD/VTL demo had the edge over the Magneplanar 3.7 demo, but then again, let's return to the over-riding theme of this years CES; namely, value. Put another way, today's modest cost high performance products are rapidly making the cost-no-object expensive equipment of yesteryear tougher and tougher to justify. Maggie 3.7s @$5500 vs. TAD Reference @70K is case in point.
Avalon Transcendents, KEF "T" Series, Focal (model?)
I heard some Avalon Transcendent's that I thought sounded particularly good (about 15K?). There was good, tight well-defined bass and well-integrated top end in a nice cabinet package. Classic Avalon.
But the big surprise of the show was the drop dead KEF 5.1 T Series system for 2K retail that knocked me out. In fact, it brought the experience of the Lamm Wilson room to stunning relief. The KEF room was bubbling with listeners who heard a mind-blowing 5.1 system driven by an Onkyo receiver that cost a grand total of $2K (less receiver). That's right, a $2K speaker system and for my money, it blew away the Lamm demo in musical vibrancy. Of course it was not nearly as refined and "audiophile-like" (whatever that means today). But it left me shaking my head at just how foolish we have become as audiophiles.
A new 3 section Focal monitor on stands for 27K a pair were outstanding. Apparently they were introduced at RMAF but I don't know the model. I can imagine that using them full range and augmenting them with a JL Audio Sub woofer would be very impressive indeed, especially as a direct competitor to the Wilson Sashas.
Amarra/ iTunes 11
Finally, one non-speaker comment: The software program Amarra was ubiquitous at the show. Meant to enhance the server-based output side of any iTunes library, I was ready to buy it until I heard that iTunes 11 will be announced shortly and that iTunes 11 will be hi-rez compatible. I'll probably take a wait and see approach on Amarra as a result of the impending iTunes 11 announcement.
Morel- Fat Lady
I was so looking forward to hearing the Fat Lady's at CES. I was vey disappointed. It is an average sounding speaker at best. Another Valin hype job not deserving of the hype. Specifically, there is a thinness in the 120-150 Hz range that made human voice, particularly Sinatra and the Kings Singers sound a bit too thin. It was simply not right. The mid range and top end however was quite good. Could this upper bass thinness have been a room interaction? Sure, but all I can report is what I heard. Really not impressive at all. And the Technical brain amp? Since the overall sound was not great, I can't comment on the amps alone as I don't know the rest of the system well enough to be able to dissect the sound to that degree.
Cables- Kubala-Sosna was everywhere
For what its worth, at CES there was one over-riding cable theme at least as I perceived things. Very simply, Kubala-Sosna cables were everywhere. And I defy anyone to say they heard a Kubala system that didn't sound at least good. Yes, there were a few Transparents and Nordost systems, but they were few and far between. It seemed that the Kubla Sosna's were taking over! Good sounding stuff indeed.
Amplifier- Devialet
I spent an hour at the Devialet demo at CES yesterday. Spectacular and a game changer is the best descriptor I can use to characterize my initial impressions. Used on a new 30K set of Focal 3 ways with Crystal speaker cable, the sound was among the best at the show. It is indeed strange, with a Class A driver stage with a Class D output stage. It delivers 240 W/channel and don’t ask me why but it claims "the lowest signal distortion on the market, the lowest output impedance, the best S/N, the lowest intermodulation" and a few other "bests". Built in phone stage, DAC, input selectivity, and future options for DSP speaker or room mods in a gorgeous "audio jewelry" package for 15K left a good impression on all listeners regardless of material. Sadly most people probably didn't get to hear it as it was off-site at the Mirage. I thought it was among the top highlights of the show, but most importantly, because the overwhelming story at this year's show was that affordability is the operative word. The old Hi-end, great music at astronomic costs, is now officially dead. There is so much good music at moderate prices that the paradigm shift is now complete. Can you spell M-A-G-N-E-P-L-A-N-A-R???
The one and only Magneplanar 3.7w
First, and I might as well get this out of the way, the "best" speaker I heard was the $5500 Magneplanar 3.7s. They were simply stunning. Now, Wendell Diller pulled a few tricks out of his hat in choosing to demo them using Maggie 1.7s as rear channels as well as a Maggie Center channel on his multichannel source material, but that did not detract from what were all heard on the 3.7s. In fact, Wendell specifically played 2-channel material using only on the 3.7s for completeness sake. The sound was just superb. The usual accolades are appropriate; detailed, great imaging, excellent frequency response, low distortion etc. But for me, it was something that is often not mentioned, and that is their vibrancy. They had life. And that was very much the opposite of what is described below for the Lamm-Wilson room. Wendell played that old warhorse, 1812 overture and I nearly stained the seat looking for a subwoofer that wasn't there when those cannon shots were launched. Emotionally involving on every level. And, get this, although he was using Bryston 28s to drive the planars, he was using (I think) some ordinary Lexicon preamp and an inexpensive CD player for the front end, thus making me wonder why we have all been so successfully brain-washed to believe that it takes mega-expensive front ends to have a good sounding system. "Best" is of course a relative term. But if we include both performance and value, ascribing this word to the 3.7s is not difficult at all. A landmark loudspeaker for (almost) everyman indeed!
Lamm-Wilson "Travesty" System
Steve, you're not going to like this but I might as well say it. The Lamm exhibit at the Venetian was one of the most disappointing sound demonstrations of the entire CES. First, the prices you noted in your blog entry are not quite right. The total system price as posted in Room 307 was $667,164. I won't go into every detail but basics are
1) Critical Mass System $92,800
2) Lamm electronics $197,160
3) Wilson A-II $158,000
4) NeoDio CD/DAC $25,300
5) da Vinci table $109,204
6) Kubala Sosna Elation cabling $84,700
The sound was a conundrum. On one hand, it was lovely; beautiful in fact. It had definition, good frequency response, good imaging, and was low in distortion. However, there was one overwhelming problem. The music was LIFELESS. Absolutely uninvolving, sterile and lifeless. You could have knocked me over with a feather if you told me those words would ever come from me in describing what is arguably some of the greatest electronics I have ever heard (under different conditions of course). Sadly, I think my view was the common opinion of many listeners and reviewers we met in the hallways. I can't think of a better example of the absurdity of Hi end audio than this singular demo. This demo clearly refutes one common theorem of hi-end audio which is "more is better" when it comes to cost of gear. Wrong. And in this case, very, very wrong.
I don't want to beat up on Lamm and Wilson too harshly. The fact is, we saw examples of other audiophile products that were just as costly as many in the Lamm system. For each, I kept thinking, give me the KEF system and the cash difference except for one. Can you spell M-A-G-N-E-P-L-A-N-A-R?
By the way, I should probably mention that to give Vladimir the benefit of the doubt, The Venetian imposed the use of strict devices that the manufacturers had to use and plug into for AV power. Some demos actually caused the room lights to dim. But as you know, the Lamms don't draw that much current so I'm not inclined to say the AC power was the main reason for the flat sound. I'll tell you, if it was my room, I'd get rid of the ridiculous 92K amp and equipment stands and put the amps right on the floor and the preamp on a cardboard box to see if they would sound better. I'm pretty sure it couldn't sound worse, and at least I'd have an extra 92K in cash in my pocket!
Bottom line, we heard a 667K demo at the Lamm room that was a total disappointment because it was a very expensive lifeless system.
TAD Reference
Next up, I really enjoyed hearing the big TAD Reference speakers at the VTL room. I had not previously heard Andrew Jones' masterpiece speaker previously, but this set up was a jaw-dropper. I am certain the outstanding VTL electronics contributed significantly to the excellent sound (7.5III preamp; 450 III amp). The TADs are a masterpiece in their cohesiveness, musicality and overall tonal balance top to bottom. Bea Lam pulled out Shostakovich’s Symphony #8 performed live by the LSO, and the few of us that were in the room after hours sat in silence as the beautiful sound washed over us. As a complete "I am in the symphony hall" experience the TAD/VTL demo had the edge over the Magneplanar 3.7 demo, but then again, let's return to the over-riding theme of this years CES; namely, value. Put another way, today's modest cost high performance products are rapidly making the cost-no-object expensive equipment of yesteryear tougher and tougher to justify. Maggie 3.7s @$5500 vs. TAD Reference @70K is case in point.
Avalon Transcendents, KEF "T" Series, Focal (model?)
I heard some Avalon Transcendent's that I thought sounded particularly good (about 15K?). There was good, tight well-defined bass and well-integrated top end in a nice cabinet package. Classic Avalon.
But the big surprise of the show was the drop dead KEF 5.1 T Series system for 2K retail that knocked me out. In fact, it brought the experience of the Lamm Wilson room to stunning relief. The KEF room was bubbling with listeners who heard a mind-blowing 5.1 system driven by an Onkyo receiver that cost a grand total of $2K (less receiver). That's right, a $2K speaker system and for my money, it blew away the Lamm demo in musical vibrancy. Of course it was not nearly as refined and "audiophile-like" (whatever that means today). But it left me shaking my head at just how foolish we have become as audiophiles.
A new 3 section Focal monitor on stands for 27K a pair were outstanding. Apparently they were introduced at RMAF but I don't know the model. I can imagine that using them full range and augmenting them with a JL Audio Sub woofer would be very impressive indeed, especially as a direct competitor to the Wilson Sashas.
Amarra/ iTunes 11
Finally, one non-speaker comment: The software program Amarra was ubiquitous at the show. Meant to enhance the server-based output side of any iTunes library, I was ready to buy it until I heard that iTunes 11 will be announced shortly and that iTunes 11 will be hi-rez compatible. I'll probably take a wait and see approach on Amarra as a result of the impending iTunes 11 announcement.
Morel- Fat Lady
I was so looking forward to hearing the Fat Lady's at CES. I was vey disappointed. It is an average sounding speaker at best. Another Valin hype job not deserving of the hype. Specifically, there is a thinness in the 120-150 Hz range that made human voice, particularly Sinatra and the Kings Singers sound a bit too thin. It was simply not right. The mid range and top end however was quite good. Could this upper bass thinness have been a room interaction? Sure, but all I can report is what I heard. Really not impressive at all. And the Technical brain amp? Since the overall sound was not great, I can't comment on the amps alone as I don't know the rest of the system well enough to be able to dissect the sound to that degree.
Cables- Kubala-Sosna was everywhere
For what its worth, at CES there was one over-riding cable theme at least as I perceived things. Very simply, Kubala-Sosna cables were everywhere. And I defy anyone to say they heard a Kubala system that didn't sound at least good. Yes, there were a few Transparents and Nordost systems, but they were few and far between. It seemed that the Kubla Sosna's were taking over! Good sounding stuff indeed.
Amplifier- Devialet
I spent an hour at the Devialet demo at CES yesterday. Spectacular and a game changer is the best descriptor I can use to characterize my initial impressions. Used on a new 30K set of Focal 3 ways with Crystal speaker cable, the sound was among the best at the show. It is indeed strange, with a Class A driver stage with a Class D output stage. It delivers 240 W/channel and don’t ask me why but it claims "the lowest signal distortion on the market, the lowest output impedance, the best S/N, the lowest intermodulation" and a few other "bests". Built in phone stage, DAC, input selectivity, and future options for DSP speaker or room mods in a gorgeous "audio jewelry" package for 15K left a good impression on all listeners regardless of material. Sadly most people probably didn't get to hear it as it was off-site at the Mirage. I thought it was among the top highlights of the show, but most importantly, because the overwhelming story at this year's show was that affordability is the operative word. The old Hi-end, great music at astronomic costs, is now officially dead. There is so much good music at moderate prices that the paradigm shift is now complete. Can you spell M-A-G-N-E-P-L-A-N-A-R???