I just came back from RMAF. This was my first such HiFi show, DIY or otherwise. The whole experience was really cool. I got to hear many different kinds of systems. I highly recommend going to anyone who hasn't been to one.
The GOOD
- Linkwitz's dipole Orion http://www.linkwitzlab.com/
I'd never listened to the Orion's before and this just blew me away. They were just simply better than every box speaker I head at the show. The soundstage was perfect. The dynamics excellent. And they handled full-range orchestral music without losing detail in the midrange.
- Linkwitz's omnidirectional Pluto
The Plutos are in fact very similar sounding to the Orions. This is extremely surprising, not just because the radiation pattern is different, but also because the drivers are so different. It seems clear that Linkwitz could redesign the Orion to use less expensive drivers without compromising the end result.
- Gradient Helsinki http://www.gradient.fi/helsinki15/
A funky controlled directivity design, look at the pictures to get an idea. The tweeter is in a waveguide, the midrange is a cardioid and the bass is a dipole. They are set up so that the listener is almost in the dipole null. This goofy combination seems to work well though. When I was there, a large group of people were sitting there listening for about 20 minutes. Then the guy running the room switched over to the Harbeth M40.1's (not a bad speaker) and people went right back to the regular sit down for one track and then get up routine.
- Acapella's big horn speakers http://acapella.de/
These monsters had the best dynamics of any speakers I heard at the show, the horn coloration was minimal and the soundstage was precise and expansive. On the downside they are steeped in audiophile BS, so they cost over $200k. I have serious doubts about the value of the ion tweeter. I'm pretty sure an equivalent speaker could be built without the flashy enclosure and esoteric parts for way less than 1/10 the cost.
- Von Schweikert speakers http://www.vonschweikert.com/
These just sounded pretty good in every room I listened to them in.
- Audio Note UK setup http://www.audionote.co.uk/
This was an ungodly expensive setup. There was no bass to speak of, and the sound was colored. But the system was just pleasant to listen to. When a trumpet blared and the amps clipped it sounded great. This would be a poor choice if you only had one system, but it would make a nice 3rd or 4th system if you listened to the right type of music on it. That said, nobody in their right mind should buy this setup. It borders on unethical that someone is selling it. It is a 0 on the value scale. The speakers were $50k and I didn't even ask about the electronics and the source equipment, but I wouldn't be surprised if the total was over $100k.
The BAD
- systems playing too loud
So many rooms were playing their systems too loud. It might make some of them sound better, but it selfish of the part of the rooms that do it.
- line arrays
I'd never listened to any line arrays before. The ones I heard here didn't impress me. They all seemed to be lacking in detail. This was only true of the arrays and not the other line sources. The RD75, the Analysis Audio full range ribbons, and the Sanders electrostatics didn't suffer from this problem.
- price and performance are minimally correlated
The NEWS
- Parts Express is coming out with some new drivers. An RS75 is in the works. It's the same style as the rest of the RS woofers, just smaller. There is also a soft dome version of the RS28 coming out and truncated frame versions of the RS100 and RS28. Also interesting to me was that the bland wood veneers used on the Dayton cabinets were a deliberate choice. They think that it's what people prefer. But they did say if you order 50 pair they'll put whatever finish you want on them.
- SEAS was was showing off the next two drivers in their exotica series. The first was a high efficiency woofer with an overhung Alinco motor and a wooden phase plug. The second was a 1.5 inch soft dome tweeter with an Alinco magnet, a 3mm (!) air gap and 1mm xmax. The two were obviously meant to be paired together. But that tweeter looks like it could be really interesting on its own. Although I expect that the price will be higher than any of SEAS's existing tweeters.
The GOOD
- Linkwitz's dipole Orion http://www.linkwitzlab.com/
I'd never listened to the Orion's before and this just blew me away. They were just simply better than every box speaker I head at the show. The soundstage was perfect. The dynamics excellent. And they handled full-range orchestral music without losing detail in the midrange.
- Linkwitz's omnidirectional Pluto
The Plutos are in fact very similar sounding to the Orions. This is extremely surprising, not just because the radiation pattern is different, but also because the drivers are so different. It seems clear that Linkwitz could redesign the Orion to use less expensive drivers without compromising the end result.
- Gradient Helsinki http://www.gradient.fi/helsinki15/
A funky controlled directivity design, look at the pictures to get an idea. The tweeter is in a waveguide, the midrange is a cardioid and the bass is a dipole. They are set up so that the listener is almost in the dipole null. This goofy combination seems to work well though. When I was there, a large group of people were sitting there listening for about 20 minutes. Then the guy running the room switched over to the Harbeth M40.1's (not a bad speaker) and people went right back to the regular sit down for one track and then get up routine.
- Acapella's big horn speakers http://acapella.de/
These monsters had the best dynamics of any speakers I heard at the show, the horn coloration was minimal and the soundstage was precise and expansive. On the downside they are steeped in audiophile BS, so they cost over $200k. I have serious doubts about the value of the ion tweeter. I'm pretty sure an equivalent speaker could be built without the flashy enclosure and esoteric parts for way less than 1/10 the cost.
- Von Schweikert speakers http://www.vonschweikert.com/
These just sounded pretty good in every room I listened to them in.
- Audio Note UK setup http://www.audionote.co.uk/
This was an ungodly expensive setup. There was no bass to speak of, and the sound was colored. But the system was just pleasant to listen to. When a trumpet blared and the amps clipped it sounded great. This would be a poor choice if you only had one system, but it would make a nice 3rd or 4th system if you listened to the right type of music on it. That said, nobody in their right mind should buy this setup. It borders on unethical that someone is selling it. It is a 0 on the value scale. The speakers were $50k and I didn't even ask about the electronics and the source equipment, but I wouldn't be surprised if the total was over $100k.
The BAD
- systems playing too loud
So many rooms were playing their systems too loud. It might make some of them sound better, but it selfish of the part of the rooms that do it.
- line arrays
I'd never listened to any line arrays before. The ones I heard here didn't impress me. They all seemed to be lacking in detail. This was only true of the arrays and not the other line sources. The RD75, the Analysis Audio full range ribbons, and the Sanders electrostatics didn't suffer from this problem.
- price and performance are minimally correlated
The NEWS
- Parts Express is coming out with some new drivers. An RS75 is in the works. It's the same style as the rest of the RS woofers, just smaller. There is also a soft dome version of the RS28 coming out and truncated frame versions of the RS100 and RS28. Also interesting to me was that the bland wood veneers used on the Dayton cabinets were a deliberate choice. They think that it's what people prefer. But they did say if you order 50 pair they'll put whatever finish you want on them.
- SEAS was was showing off the next two drivers in their exotica series. The first was a high efficiency woofer with an overhung Alinco motor and a wooden phase plug. The second was a 1.5 inch soft dome tweeter with an Alinco magnet, a 3mm (!) air gap and 1mm xmax. The two were obviously meant to be paired together. But that tweeter looks like it could be really interesting on its own. Although I expect that the price will be higher than any of SEAS's existing tweeters.
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