Michael Vamos of Audio Skies is the importer/distributor for Ideon Audio—I reviewed their impressive Ayazi DAC and Black Star Clock—and JMF Audio, a company that’s new to me but dates back to 1985 with deep roots in the pro audio world, among others.
Saturday at Axpona opened, pre-show, with a demonstration of the new JMF HQS 6002 Dual-Mono Power Amplifier ($39,000 includes the JMF OC3 Power Cable), JMF PRS 1.5 Dual-Mono Preamplifier ($34,000), JMF PCD 102 Power Line Filter ($18,000 w/JMF PC3 Power Cables), the Ideon flagship digital stack—Absolute Epsilon DAC ($47,000), Absolute Stream ($19,900), and Absolute Time ($9,900)—all pumping music through a blushingly bright red pair of Vivid Audio Giya G1S Loudspeakers ($86,000/pair). Cables from Stealth tied everything together, while the gear sat on Finite Elemente racks and stands.
Once again, I’m going to go to previously uncharted territory for me and talk about what I heard. This system did a number of things exceptionally well including delicate yet highly revealing clarity, life-like dynamics with music jumping out of and retreating back into absolute blackness, coupled with a rich, textured presentation that conveyed the full voice of every vocal and instrument contained in each recording. And while we listened at generous volume levels, there was not even a hint of harshness or any other aural indication that this system was overloading the room. [footnote 1] Bravo!
I know the Vivid speakers are not for everyone, what is, and I’ve heard them at many a show. Paired with the gear from JMF, they sang as sweetly as I’ve heard.
1. Why, oh why, do exhibitors showing small speakers play music way too loud? Come to think of it, I’ll ask Freud.