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Gryphon's
searing red color theme received lots of
attention in addition to their incredibly
built Danish line of products.
MBL can sure
pump out mega systems can't they. The
super-surround MBL 101X ($180k) were rivaled
only by their gargantuan siblings in the 9011
mono amplifiers ($75k pair) which I can
honestly attest to as the biggest amplifiers
I've ever seen. One thing's certain: MBL can
never be accused of being modest. Sonically,
this room didn't sound as good as what I heard
at the previous CES. Based on the very
strengths of 101Xs omni-directional design, it
seemed having the front wall composed of glass
gave the sound a certain brightness that never
went away each time I came back for another
listen.
My camera
simply could not get a clean focused shot of
the KEF MUON loudspeaker. I'm wondering if it
had anything to do with the sound because it
appeared terribly out of focus as well. Heck,
again show conditions can cause sonic havoc
but I find it somewhat interesting that nobody
from KEF seemed bothered in the least.
Speaking of
huge, the Adam Audio Olympus Sound System
($200k) was every bit as impressive sonically
as its physical dimensions would suggest. As
physically imposing as this system looked, the
overall size and scale of the music was
actually as realistic as one could summon at a
trade show. This is the art of making a
loudspeaker disappear no matter its girth.
Driven by all Electrocompaniet gear, I was
very impressed by this design.
Kharma's
Exquisite Reference loudspeaker was driven to
sonic splendor via Kharma's own 350D Matrix
amplifiers. WAVAC HE-833 SET amps did
part-time duty here too, but I wasn't as
impressed as I was hearing the Exquisites
driven with their own amps. Call me crazy or
call it synergy. This was the first time I
heard them driven together and I've got to
admit, I was impressed.
Feeling a tad horny?
The big
Tannoy Westminster Royal loudspeakers were
driven by a full stack of Accuphase gear and
for the life of me, I just couldn't get my
toes tapping to the sound of this setup. I'm
not very familiar with the concept or design
goals of what this legendary loudspeaker
encompasses though I'll admit, show conditions
are always a tough environment. That noted, I
hope to hear them again.
KR Audio's Kronzilla amplifiers did the trick
sonically speaking that is, to keep me in
their spell for an extended period. Cessaro
Horn Acoustics are not your ordinary horn
loudspeaker. Driven mostly with a TW Acustic
'table, I could not play any of my CDs but
that did not stop my absolute intrigue. Very
impressive indeed.
Mega systems
need prime real estate and the Avantgarde room
was no exception. This photo only tells half
the story because these loudspeaker must be 30
feet apart easy. This loudspeaker system
sounded better here than I can recall hearing
in previous demonstrations. For some reason I
can never fully explain, I'm always left
wanting for more from this horn design.
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