Home Entertainment Show 2005

New Yawk, NY. The Home Entertainment show converged on The City That Never Sleeps from the 28th of April thru the 1st of May. The first day was supposed to be reserved for "press only" but I witnessed scores of folks walking around with badges representing manufacturers names. This must have been a friendly gesture so to quench their rapacious appetites I'm certain. This chap proudly posing for your cameraman is well-known for his audiophile appetite. Audiopal (shouldn't we all have one) Bill Jiggetts, who also serves as a chef in real life to meet his audio needs, catered our 2005 Most Wanted Components party held on the weekend of the show. No one died or showed up lame so we applaud you Mr. Jiggetts on a job well done.

Missing last years show due to the Vegas-like Munich affair (which BTW, everyone should visit at least once in their life-time) was a case of trying to be two places at once. This year, luckily both shows were held one week apart.

That said, I am quite exhausted since returning from my cross-Atlantic trip. The 2005 Munich show, held for the second year straight at the M,O,C (their version of our Jacob Javits Center) was bigger than ever with over 9500 visitors. Expecting this, it didn't slow me down or cause me to lose my camera speed. I was ready and able to get the most I could from this HE 2005.

The HE 2005 Entertainment, besides the multitude of manufacturers who decided to skip this years show, wasn't as disappointing as some thought. Though the usual suspects (too many to enumerate) were not filling rooms I did happen to enjoy the new and exciting products that made their way to 53rd Street and Avenue Of The Americas along with all the usual suspects one expects to see each year. And believe it or not, most of the good sound came via, you guessed it, Native New Yawkers!

Highwater Sound's Jeff Catalano put on a show I would qualify as magician-like; he literally made loudspeakers disappear under show conditions!  Speaking with Jeff on the phone but never having the opportunity to meet him gave me this chance. Now I don't know about you but I was teased quite a bit as a kid wearing high-water pants since I grew so fast in my early youth (I now stand 6'3"). You can understand then, when meeting Catalano for the first time, I immediately, just to be sure, checked his pant legs as well. You never know with the name High Water Sound. All was cool before I formally introduced myself, got a strong handshake, then took a seat to hear this stunningly good analogue based rig. The Horning Hybrid Perikles ($8500) loudspeakers were as good as Catalano had talked about in our previous (and long-winded) conversations. Obviously the SF-1 'table from Sound Engineering ($12,500) had a lot to do with the outstanding performance of this setup. For good measure and extra insurance Cantalano  didn't hesitate pairing the SF-1 with the Dynavector XV1-S cartridge ($4,000) and DaVinci Audio Labs 10" arm ($6,200). Tron Electric Syren preamp (with phono $15,000) and Cantata  300B mono amplifiers ($20,000) sort of served as the extra insurance. I gotta tell ya, the Finite Elemente Master Reference Rack ($8,000) was like eye candy. Of course, I peered under, around and through this very well made unit and thought Catalano knew what he was doing like few others. I also noticed Jeff handled this room mostly by himself proving that you don't need but one cook in the kitchen. If you notice the photo atop, then you are aware that Shakti Holographs adorned the corners of the room while Sound Applications handled AC pollutants. Cabling was by way of Stealth, Audio Note and Harmonix. Great setup and certainly one of the best sounding rooms at the show.

David Karmelli of Damoka LLC, (another New York based dealer), put on another unusual showing (doesn't he always?) featuring the best of what is both old and new in high-end audio.  His circa 1956 Vitavox Corner Horn loudspeakers looked quite odd loaded into each corner of the room but nonetheless sounded gorgeous. Feeding these ancient behemoths were all new tube technology that featured Lamm's ML2.1 mono amplifiers, L2 preamplifier and LP2 Phonostage.

Keeping nostalgic, Karmelli also chose the Thorens Reference as his 'table of choice among the many dozens he has in possession. Contemporary electronics included the Weiss Medea dac and CES TL1 transport when things digital were called upon. The rack used is one of my references in the Acoustic Dreams 4-tier reference ($6,000). Cabling used throughout was all Purist Audio Dominus.  Overall, the sound was sweet, rhythmic and inviting. This is a sound that is not easily acquired. To understand its sophistication will take time.  But given time and commitment one can be very easily seduced by its overall purity quotient and musicality. Gerry Gladstein, former owner of Fi magazine and personal friends of Karmelli and I, uses these very electronics except for the CEC TL1 transport: Gerry chose their reference CES TL0 as his own. And it is was there in Gladstein's listening room where I learned about the very art of seduction.

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