Visit to Chris to See Magico M9 and VYGER and Pilium in Southlake, Texas

tima · Apr 7, 2024

We've had Sibelius VC movements 1 & 3. To round things off, here is 2.

But it is not the Master.

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

tima said:
Not withstanding Bob's comments which relate to Magico, here is the issue as I see it: There is more to it than entertainment. There is a bigger industry picture here regarding dealer behavior and relations. Ron is a dealer in competition with other dealers. Ron posted a mediocre video of another dealer's speaker. The issue is about one dealer going to another dealer's showroom and making videos and public comments about that dealer's products.

Yes, and Ron visited my place in Brooklyn a few weeks prior to announcing that he was a Clarysis dealer, with his Clarysis speakers sitting in his garage. He knew that once he announced that he was a Clarysis dealer we would then be firm competitors because of my representation of Alsyvox. He made no mention of his new biz venture, which under the circumstances I believe telling me in confidence would have been appropriate. But that is not the way Ron operated.

If he had told me of his new venture prior to his visit, I would have congratulated him, but I would declined his visit request. I don't have competitors coming into my place shooting videos.

Whatever the situation, it did not sit right with me. On the flip side life's too short to worry about what other people do. Let them do their thing and I try to focus on what I do.

joey_v · Apr 7, 2024

Rhapsody said:
Hi Joey, Ron did his thing the way that he always does. He gets up and walks around while tracks are playing and records. The result was a sonically dumbed down not very flattering video. imho

The difference here is that Alon does not want M9 videos taken and published on YT. You can argue with Alon's reasons but this is the way it has been for 5 years now. Chris represents Magico with respect to M9s. We have had 10 people that wanted to take videos of the M9s and the answer was always we did not allow that as a representative of Magico.

Do you see any Wilson Chronosonic videos published? I just did a search and not one Chronosonic video, XVX yes, and M7 yes, but not the flagships. This is the way that both Wilson and Magico prefer to treat their flagship models.

When customers are interested in purchasing $750K speakers the manufacturers prefer to have the interested parties listen to the speakers in person vs YT videos. It's their flagship product and they want to protect it from NOT VERY GOOD videos being published which is the case for Ron's video.imho

I was not at Chris' during Ron's visit or I would have not allowed Ron to do a video of the M9s. That is out of respect for Alon's preferences and I represent Alon/Magico.

Chris has asked Ron post Ron publishing the video to take the video down as Chris did not realize that it would be posted but Ron leaves the video up.

It is what it is and there will be arguments about this until the cows come home, but doing M9 videos is not preferred by Magico, simple as that.

The people that want Ron's type video published should call Peter or Alon at Magico and discuss their need for Ron's type video to be published. Other than that Alon, Peter AND MYSELF will not allow M9 YT videos be published, simple as that. We have our reasons.

Good Morning Bob!

I also understand Alon’s (and your and Peter’s) stance on M9 videos. All I’m saying is that the damage that a video might do for the M9 aura is zero. But that’s my opinion and not of yours or Magico’s.

I am saying there’s nothing to worry about with these M9 videos. It won’t affect a bit of Magico sales as their fans know just how good they sound and those who are interested won’t be basing purchase decisions on a YouTube video. But again, just my own two cents.

So I could most def be wrong.

Of note, when you said no Wilson Chronosonic videos - do you mean Wamm or XVX?

PS
I still have fond memories of when we had dinner. Fun times!

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

joey_v said:
Good Morning Bob!

I also understand Alon’s (and your and Peter’s) stance on M9 videos. All I’m saying is that the damage that a video might do for the M9 aura is zero. But that’s my opinion and not of yours or Magico’s.

I am saying there’s nothing to worry about with these M9 videos. It won’t affect a bit of Magico sales as their fans know just how good they sound and those who are interested won’t be basing purchase decisions on a YouTube video. But again, just my own two cents.

So I could most def be wrong.

Of note, when you said no Wilson Chronosonic videos - do you mean Wamm or XVX?

PS
I still have fond memories of when we had dinner. Fun times!

Hi Joey, yes that was a fun time last year both at the three days of demos and the dinner!

I meant the WAMM. Not the XVX, although I did see one WAMM video from five years ago at a customer's home. I don't think that you will find a WAMM video or M9 video with sound at either a Wilson official showroom or a Magico official showroom.

It's not about losing sales because of posting videos of these flagship speakers, it's more of observance of a flagship product keeping it special. It's not like every other model in the line-up where you will see all kinds of YT videos.

A lot of people will disagree of course, there are camps of disagreeing parties when it comes to Magico and Wilson and other top brands. It's just the way it is and really no big deal, just the method that certain companies choose to market their products.

wil · Apr 7, 2024

Rhapsody said:
Sure and my going into the lengthly explanation was trying to explain that it's not about the speakers playing out of their comfort zone, Magicos can play any type of music. The issue is playing BAD music which Magicos especially will highlight in spades. imho.

In your shoes, I wouldn’t want to play roulette either at a show.

On the other hand, my observation, from perusing many vids from shows, is that the large majority of exhibitors play a mix of soul crushing bland wallpaper music, very breathy girl/guitar, and baby boomer nostalgia classic rock. There are a few exceptions naturally, but it seems kind of sad. But, shows are about commerce, and exhibitors want to play it safe.

Reading AudioLibertatian’s bio, I would gladly let him play anything he wants! Viva Music!

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

wil said:
In your shoes, I wouldn’t want to play roulette either at a show.

On the other hand, my observation, from perusing many vids from shows, is that the large majority of exhibitors play a mix of soul crushing bland wallpaper music, very breathy girl/guitar, and baby boomer nostalgia classic rock. There are a few exceptions naturally, but it seems kind of sad. But, shows are about commerce naturally, and exhibitors want to play it safe.

Reading AudioLibertatian’s bio, I would gladly let him play anything he wants! Viva Music!

HI Wil, Yes, it's really all over the place. With some visitors you would get GREAT selections, but two year ago, I handed the iPad to someone who handed it to their teenage son, who put on some crazy sounding bad recording. Then the mfg. who was out in the hall came in and said that two people on their way out said that music that you are playing is not going to help you sell your speakers. It's a mixed bag.

Al M. · Apr 7, 2024

wil said:
Reading AudioLibertatian’s bio, I would gladly let him play anything he wants! Viva Music!

Absolutely. Viva Music!

Ron Resnick · Apr 7, 2024

Rhapsody said:
firm competitors because of my representation of Alsyvox

Rhapsody said:
I would declined his visit request. I don't have competitors coming into my place shooting videos.

Wow, okay. I understand you now. It's pretty clear that Bob Vineyard gets his pure partisan dealer mentality from the mercenary commercial culture you apparently demand.

Chris Hesse does not have this mentality. It now makes sense to me why you did not want him any longer to be a Rhapsody Listening Room when he decided to carry non-Rhapsody brands.

I understand you are 100% partisan dealer. But I am not. I am still 90% impartial, neutral interviewer/reporter. In this capacity I will continue to report extremely favorably on Alsyvox because I think that -- like Clarisys -- it's an amazing loudspeaker for people who like the open presentation of planar dipoles.

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
Wow, okay. I understand you now. It's pretty clear that Bob Vineyard gets his pure partisan dealer mentality from the mercenary commercial culture you apparently demand.

Chris Hesse does not have this mentality. It now makes sense to me why you did not want him any longer to be a Rhapsody Listening Room when he decided to carry non-Rhapsody brands.

I understand you are 100% partisan dealer. But I am not. I am still 90% impartial, neutral interviewer/reporter. In this capacity I will continue to report extremely favorably on Alsyvox because I think that -- like Clarisys -- it's an amazing loudspeaker for people who like the open presentation of planar dipoles.

I think you should ask Chris again if I did not want him to be a Rhapsody location. It was a mutual decision as Chris wanted to go off and do his own thing which I applaud.

For the record, Chris still is connected with Rhapsody, but in a different capacity. He sells several of the brands that are provided to him by myself/Rhapsody.

Ron Resnick · Apr 7, 2024

tima said:
Ron is a dealer in competition with other dealers. Ron posted a mediocre video of another dealer's speaker.

Please know that for the casual music playback that accompanies the video tilts and pans of the systems and the rooms I visit and the components therein I have used the exact same audio recording methodology from the very beginning: I use the internal stereo microphone on the Canon XA50 video camcorder.

tima said:
The issue is about one dealer going to another dealer's showroom and making videos and public comments about that dealer's products.

Please know that Bob Visintainer requested that I not treat or refer to Chris Hesse as being involved with Rhapsody, and that I not treat my visit to Chris as a visit to a Rhapsody dealer. While Chris is a hybrid case I put him in the category of a hobbyist, not of a dealer. In my mind I visited Chris as hobbyist to hobbyist.

In addition to me considering Chris to be a hobbyist and not a Rhapsody dealer, Bob himself wanted me to consider Chris not to be a Rhapsody dealer. So in my mind the line for me between reporter and dealer was not implicated.

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
Please know that for the casual music playback that accompanies the video tilts and pans of the systems and the rooms I visit and the components therein I have used the exact same audio recording methodology from the very beginning: I use the internal stereo microphone on the Canon XA50 video camcorder.

Please know that Bob Visintainer requested that I not treat or refer to Chris Hesse as being involved with Rhapsody, and that I not treat my visit to Chris as a visit to a Rhapsody dealer. While Chris is a hybrid case I put him in the category of a hobbyist, not of a dealer. In my mind I visited Chris as hobbyist to hobbyist.

In addition to me considering Chris to be a hobbyist and not a Rhapsody dealer, Bob himself wanted me to consider Chris not to be a Rhapsody dealer. So in my mind the line for me between reporter and dealer was not implicated.

This is not the case Ron. Chris is a dealer not a hobbyist. His new shop is called Euphoria Audio and he is a dealer for several brands that Rhapsody provides to him as a dealer.

What I had said and maybe it was miscommunicated was that Chris was no longer a Rhapsody location like the other locations. I also said we were in the midst of making all of this public and that had not happened until all of a sudden the video was posted..

Al M. · Apr 7, 2024

tima said:
Ron is a dealer in competition with other dealers. Ron posted a mediocre video of another dealer's speaker.

And your videos are not mediocre, Tim?

Having said that, I agree that Ron's video was sub par in audio quality.

Ron Resnick · Apr 7, 2024

Rhapsody said:
This is not the case Ron. Chris is a dealer not a hobbyist. His new shop is called Euphoria Audio and he is a dealer for several brands that Rhapsody provides to him as a dealer.

What I had said and maybe it was miscommunicated was that Chris was no longer a Rhapsody location like the other locations. I also said we were in the midst of making all of this public and that had not happened until all of a sudden the video was posted..

I understand. Thank you for explaining.

KeithR · Apr 7, 2024

joey_v said:
What I don’t understand is what’s the big deal about all this hoopla about an M9 video with off axis sound recording?

Do you honestly think a serious M9 customer is going to base their purchase decision on an online audio recording?

When I purchased my M2, I didn’t rely on any video recording of the sound. I went into and demoed it against another speaker I was considering.

Too much negative posts against Ron - who was just trying to give us some entertainment.

And if anything, Chris Hesse should be applauded for letting Ron have free rein of his system(s) for the sake of our entertainment.

Agreed, this thread is so off the rails based on nothing. There are literally hundreds of videos on YT of SOTA speakers if you search. Jay's Audio Lab has dozens just of the XVX. The marketing world has changed, so get in the now folks. I'm still waiting to hear how a video submarined a speaker's actual sales.

Telling that Bob mention how Munich is superior - when they have the worst music of all time played there. Literally one reason I never want to attend. If i want crappy xylophone stuff I'm happy to stay here and avoid it. In fact, I left the uber YG room at the SW Audio Show because they played that stuff along with solo female vocals. Blech.

Sorry Bob, but your thinking is just another example of why audio shows suck for consumers and if you don't like it, don't attend! I recall playing Daft Punk when the last album came out (that is a phenomenal recording) and it was turned off after 60 seconds for girl and a guitar. Guess I offended someone- the horror! That's been a regular demo for Stereophile themselves for a decade.

Kevin Hayes himself asks me for music at every audio show because I bring something fresh and modern. Audiophiles in the audience take pictures of the record cover from me or others, or can Shazam the digital stuff. I usually go home with a dozen new albums to check out. We all benefit from cool new music, not friggin' Peel Me a Grape on a "curated" playlist. So sorry if someone screws up your show vibe for a few minutes - it shouldn't ruin your show nor ours.

Rhapsody · Apr 7, 2024

KeithR said:
Agreed, this thread is so off the rails based on nothing. There are literally hundreds of videos on YT of SOTA speakers if you search. Jay's Audio Lab has dozens just of the XVX. The marketing world has changed, so get in the now folks. I'm still waiting to hear how a video submarined a speaker's actual sales.

>>>> We are talking about M9 and WAMM not XVX. The flagship products of both Wilson and Magico. No one said that this video submarined sales. I am saying that Magico and myself have made a conscious decision several years ago not to market the Magico flagship product via YT videos. Nothing to do with sales. Wanting to keep the M9 special, nothing more than that.

KeithR said:
Telling that Bob mention how Munich is superior - when they have the worst music of all time played there. Literally one reason I never want to attend. If i want crappy xylophone stuff I'm happy to stay here and avoid it. In fact, I left the uber YG room at the SW Audio Show because they played that stuff along with solo female vocals. Blech.

>>>You have not attended Munich, correct? And you are saying that 550 rooms of exhibitors, 25K visitors and 500 journalist play the worst music in the world? Sorry let's agree to disagree on this point.

KeithR said:
Sorry Bob, but your thinking is just another example of why audio shows suck for consumers and if you don't like it, don't attend! I recall playing Daft Punk when the last album came out (that is a phenomenal recording) and it was turned off after 60 seconds for girl and a guitar. Guess I offended someone- the horror! That's been a regular demo for Stereophile themselves for a decade.

>>>Really I don't think that audio shows suck for consumers. Again, agree to disagree. I think shows are great for both vendors and attendees.

KeithR said:
Kevin Hayes himself asks me for music at every audio show because I bring something fresh and modern. Audiophiles in the audience take pictures of the record cover from me or others, or can Shazam the digital stuff. I usually go home with a dozen new albums to check out. We all benefit from cool new music, not friggin' Peel Me a Grape on a "curated" playlist. So sorry if someone screws up your show vibe for a few minutes - it shouldn't ruin your show nor ours.

>>>No one said that you don't have good music selections, actually you were not mentioned in the posts above, so not sure about this point.

Hessec · Apr 7, 2024

Ron Resnick said:
Please know that for the casual music playback that accompanies the video tilts and pans of the systems and the rooms I visit and the components therein I have used the exact same audio recording methodology from the very beginning: I use the internal stereo microphone on the Canon XA50 video camcorder.

Please know that Bob Visintainer requested that I not treat or refer to Chris Hesse as being involved with Rhapsody, and that I not treat my visit to Chris as a visit to a Rhapsody dealer. While Chris is a hybrid case I put him in the category of a hobbyist, not of a dealer. In my mind I visited Chris as hobbyist to hobbyist.

In addition to me considering Chris to be a hobbyist and not a Rhapsody dealer, Bob himself wanted me to consider Chris not to be a Rhapsody dealer. So in my mind the line for me between reporter and dealer was not implicated.

The only way into my showroom has a sign that says Rhapsody.Audio DFW. not sure how much more clear it could be that I was a dealer location. I was in a state of flux and given the timing with SWAF an announcement could not be made. Also don’t know of many hobbyists with 2 dedicated, purpose built rooms in a commercial space.

I will say it again since apparently my previous post was taken out of context somehow….. Bob did not push me out. My inclination to additional lines led to our MUTUAL decision to part ways. No harm, no foul. I still sell alsyvox, pilium etc which I obviously purchase through Bob for my customers.

chris@euphoriahifi.com

anytime the moderators want to close this thread for its completely off the rails discussion and finger pointing would be good.

Ron Resnick · Apr 7, 2024

Thank you very much, Chris, for explaining.

Argonaut · Apr 7, 2024

Well … Not every manufacturer showing at Munich merely plays :

Anne Bisson: September in Montreal

Lagonda · Apr 7, 2024

Hessec said:
The only way into my showroom has a sign that says Rhapsody.Audio DFW. not sure how much more clear it could be that I was a dealer location. I was in a state of flux and given the timing with SWAF an announcement could not be made. Also don’t know of many hobbyists with 2 dedicated, purpose built rooms in a commercial space.

I will say it again since apparently my previous post was taken out of context somehow….. Bob did not push me out. My inclination to additional lines led to our MUTUAL decision to part ways. No harm, no foul. I still sell alsyvox, pilium etc which I obviously purchase through Bob for my customers.

chris@euphoriahifi.com

anytime the moderators want to close this thread for its completely off the rails discussion and finger pointing would be good.

Why should Ron close a popular thread, just to placate a couple of dealers squabbling among each other. Dealers can have their own threads where they can control content, and regular members can choose to stay of these threads, i definitely do !

Lagonda · Apr 7, 2024

Argonaut said:
Well … Not every manufacturer showing at Munich merely plays :

Anne Bisson: September in Montreal

I like the Flamenco track Aries Cerat used at a show, very cool !

Visit to Chris to See Magico M9 and VYGER and Pilium in Southlake, Texas

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