RMAF Show Director Marjorie Baumert Don’t tell anyone but the thing I most look forward to about hifi shows is people. When I woke up in Denver last Friday, the only thing I knew about my show coverage plan was I wanted to do something […]
Everyone asks. Everyone asks, “So what did you hear…” I’ve covered those rooms that tickled my fancy but saved one I was most excited about for last. I was excited to hear the Manger speakers, now distributed in the US by Mo-Fi (Mobile Fidelity Electroics), […]
Eikon may be a new company but its founder, Gayle Sanders, has been around the hifi block more than most, having co-founded electrostatic loudspeaker legends Martin Logan. The active Eikon Image1 loudspeakers include the outboard Eikontrol box ($25,000/system) and the combo is loaded with digital […]
photo credit: Wavelength Audio What on Earth is an Ethernet Spacelator? I have some experience with the controversy that the notion of noise in mixed signal systems causes, especially among ‘network engineers’ whose experience stops short of analog. Regardless, there are people who cannot comprehend […]
Muscular. Sometimes, some certain brands brand a word in my brain and for EgglestonWorks that word is muscular. I’ve only heard their speakers at shows, but each time I do they reproduce music with all of its force and power in tact. Lute and bird […]
Character can cause conflict. Vivid’s Lawrence Dickey allows function to inform form with an eye for the usual added for good measure. The Vivid KAYA 45 “is designed for everyday spaces, as well as dedicated listening rooms; to be part of the room, not necessarily […]
photo credit: Jeff Joseph Jeff Joseph recorded his son Ben’s band using Grado HMP-1’s on a stereo bar, with a pseudo Jecklin disc in between. In the Joseph Audio room, of course.
Jeff Joseph, Mr. Joseph Audio, always plays great sounding great music. While this year at RMAF 2018 was no different in that regard, this was a family affair extravaganza as Jeff played music he recorded of his son Ben’s jazz band. Ranging in age from […]
Joep Beving Conatus in the Bel Canto room (thanks to Stephen Mejias).
We’re looking at the new e.One Stream from Bel Canto ($1,590), a Roon-Ready, UPnP/DLNA controller that can stream from Tidal, Qobuz, Vtuner and network-attached music (up to 24/192). Digital out include AES, Toslink, and S/PDIF while Ethernet and USB-A (for music storage devices) comprise the […]
Trio Palabras Lo Que Dice Mi Cantar from Muxia Music in Vinnie Rossi’s room.
I saw a lot of hugging in Vinnie Rossi‘s room at RMAF. I get the feeling that most people who own something Vinnie made want to give him a hug. It’s just the way these things go, with Vinnie.
Manuel de Falla, The Three Cornered Hat on 15ips tape in the On A Higher Note room.
Philip O’Hanlon, proprietor of On A Higher Note, knows how to put on a hifi demonstration. Of course this includes the gear, setup (getting the best from the gear in the room), and music. Philip, however, goes the extra mile by introducing each piece of […]
Various Guitar Mood, Not On Label in the Tone Imports / Pitch Perfect Audio / Riviera Labs room.
We can count on Jonathan Halpern of Tone Imports to import gear that excels at reproducing music’s tone. It’s beating, bleeding heart, if you prefer. We’re looking at the tippy top of the new Meyer Tonapparate Yonna speakers ($14,500/pair), a symphony in wood and sound.
Eric Burdon and War Black Man’s Burdon in the DeVore Fidelity room.
RMAF 2018 saw the debut of the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan Reference speakers. I’ve had the good fortune of hearing prototype versions of these speakers in-Barn and in John DeVore’s listening room in the Brooklyn Navy Yard prior to RMAF. Here, in the Barn, they transformed […]
Krystian Zimerman Franz Schubert, Piano Sonatas Nos. 20 & 21 in the Audio Alternative room.
There are some things you can count on at hifi shows. Good sound, not-so-good sound, and performances. While the first two are self-explanatory, the last one may need some explaining. Some systems manage to cut through the sound barrier, even in a crowded room at […]
As Chris Connaker of Computer Audiophile states in the intro to his RMAF seminar “MQA: The Truth Lies Somewhere In The Middle”, MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) can be a contentious subject. Since that can be said for just about everything, middle ground is a fine […]
If you read my system review of the PS Audio Sprout100 + ELAC Debut 2.0, you know at least 2 things—I like system reviews and I like the ELAC speakers. A lot. What you may not know is I also like Andrew Jones, the man […]
Gillian Welch The Harrow & The Harvest heard in the High Water Sound room.
You are looking at one half of the new DeVore Fidelity Orangutan Reference speakers making their debut at RMAF 2018. I’m going to tell you all about the system and the sound in room 6024 in another post because I want to help you get […]
My favorite pre-show prep is picking a bunch of music to stick on a USB stick with the hopes of hearing some, or all, of it at RMAF. The songs I pick are not “test tracks” in the audiophile sense, i.e. tracks used to test […]
“…right back where I started from!” It was a cool crisp 2011 fall day when I headed to the airport to attend the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest as Editor of AudioStream for the first time. Next Thursday, on what looks to be a cool crisp […]
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