Those of you who are home from the show now, is music ruined for you, or were there enough crappy rooms there that you are still able to enjoy your current gearsets?
Because there were so many sucky rooms (more than half for my luck of the draw) it gave me a renewed appreciation for my own system. Listening to it now with tracks heard at the show.
Man lucky you twice shirts and able to get into the Parasound room. That room was so packed yesterday.
Yeah the Parasound room was busy everytime I went by it so this afternoon I waited to get in and spent quite sometime in there a great sounding room packed for a reason.
Home Theater
Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable
2 Channel
Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+
Stuff for the Head
JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365
Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin
I left at 4 on the way out I run into Mario with a Elac Phono Pre in his hands he won it in the Elac room so the last person I said goodbye to was Mario and he was grinning ear to ear with that Prize.
I like Mario he is a hoot! Great guy couldn't happen to a better person.
Those of you who are home from the show now, is music ruined for you, or were there enough crappy rooms there that you are still able to enjoy your current gearsets?
Not at all! It really exposed me to what’s out there! Lots of very cool stuff! A lot out of my league! Kinda like when you go to an auto show and see the Bugatti or other exotic, nice to look at dream!
Basement: Polk SDA SRS, Cary SLP-05 Pre, Enlightened Audio Designs CD Transport, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Digital Cable, Marantz SA-14 SACD, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, Wireworld Oasis 8 RCA IC's, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, PASS ACA Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's Spare Room: , Antique Sound Labs Wave AV-8 Monoblocks, Tisbury Mini Passive Pre, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Dang it! Mario is good people. Had a blast with him last year.
A tip o' the hat to Drew and all the pics. Steve... We gotta catch up next time I'm back in Iowa. Glad to know your truck floats on the river where the streets used to be...
Those of you who are home from the show now, is music ruined for you, or were there enough crappy rooms there that you are still able to enjoy your current gearsets?
Not at all! It really exposed me to what’s out there! Lots of very cool stuff! A lot out of my league! Kinda like when you go to an auto show and see the Bugatti or other exotic, nice to look at dream!
Dave, that's exactly what I was thinking. Except that instead of just getting to look at the cars, being at AXPONA could be kind of like taking an enthusiastic ride in one of those cars. But anyway, good to hear there's no feeling dumpy. I have to credit some of that at least to all the obsession, knowledge share, and experience here. So strange to hear about the crappy rooms at an event like that from some of those names, but cool to hear how the guys homed in on it pretty quickly. Says a lot for what we learn here, I think?
When I go to one of these shows, I first do some intense listening of my own rig, then I compare those impressions with what I hear at the show. So far I have not come away impressed enough to see a need to spend more coin, but I do identify areas I can tweak...
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, TriangleArt Reference SE with Pass Labs Xono Phono Preamp, Walker Precision Motor Drive, ClearAudio Goldfinger Diamond v2 cartridge and Origin Conquerer Mk3c tonearm, Polk Audio "Signature" Reference Series 1.2TL with complete mods, Pass Labs X0.2 three chassis preamp, PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MkII, Pioneer Elite SC-LX701, Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk audio AB700/800 "in-wall" surrounds.
Saying that it's "too hard" to pursue your dreams is no different than admitting to yourself that you are too lazy to achieve them.
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Has anyone heard from Drew? Last I read he was seen climbing into one of the Scaena gear travel cases.
The owner was great, and played some great music.
We stayed until past show closing listening to songs. He said he would normally have played music for us for another hour or two, if it wasnt for the snowy weather.
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
So strange to hear about the crappy rooms at an event like that from some of those names, but cool to hear how the guys homed in on it pretty quickly. Says a lot for what we learn here, I think?
It kinda feels weird describing a room's sound as "crappy", but with as much competition as there was, if your room didnt do something unique or fantastic, it was forgettable.
It was very easy to tell within 10-20 seconds of being in a room if the sound "grabbed" you or not. If not, no reason to stay.
When you hear what your body and mind interpret as "good sound", it's almost a subconscious desire to stay put.
It happened to us today in rooms like these: Martin Logan & Benchmark, Destination Audio & Modwright, Volti Audio & Border Patrol, Sonner Audio & Luxman (30wpc pure class A - lovely!), Bayz Audio, Skip/AudioThesis, and of course Scaena.
When it happens it's a great feeling!
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
I forgot to mention in my earlier "audio celebrity sightings" post, that on Thursday night I got to meet and have a 20 minute conversation with Sean from ZeroFidelity. Best YouTube audio reviews, in my opinion. I literally have zero desire to watch other people's reviews after watching his.
He has an uncanny ability to coherently describe in great detail the subtle nuances and details about a product, while doing it into a camera. He makes it look easy and it's anything but.
Was insightful to talk to him about the hobby and about reviewing products. I had hoped to run into him again at the show but didn't see him all weekend.
But still, I very much enjoyed meeting him.
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
On Saturday outside the Magico & Classe room, I struck up a conversation with Jim Crowley. I asked about Sound United and found out that Jim is a 25 year long employee of Polk Audio.
I briefly discussed our beloved forum, and it's current moderator-less state. I explained how it's much more than just another audio forum, rather that we are more like a family. We talked about how Kenneth did a great job and had recently retired and how we're in need of a replacement.
He assured me that there are no plans to shut down the forum. He informed me that he will reach out to the appropriate department in regards to a potential replacement moderator. He handed me his business card and invited me to follow up.
When I get back in front of a real keyboard, I will email Jim and discuss the forum and related concerns like moderation, Polk Audio customer service presence to provide support for the lifestyle products, and other general topics relevant to the continued health of Club Polk.
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
Lumin X1
Sony XA-5400ES SACD
Pass XP-22 pre, X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers, SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on preamp, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
Thank you for your thoughts on the situation. However, I politely disagree.
At the very least, a moderator is needed to remove spam posts. And also, ideally, to enforce egregious and obvious violations of the forum's rules and guidelines.
Forum moderators can also serve to prevent rules violations before they occur, and also defuse tense situations or arguments.
I've been posting on forums for over 20 years and in my experience, good moderators are a positive thing.
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
A good mod would have things running so well they could be a ghost. The problem we have had with moderators is on occasion, they became a part of the problem rather than simply stay in the background.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, TriangleArt Reference SE with Pass Labs Xono Phono Preamp, Walker Precision Motor Drive, ClearAudio Goldfinger Diamond v2 cartridge and Origin Conquerer Mk3c tonearm, Polk Audio "Signature" Reference Series 1.2TL with complete mods, Pass Labs X0.2 three chassis preamp, PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MkII, Pioneer Elite SC-LX701, Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk audio AB700/800 "in-wall" surrounds.
Saying that it's "too hard" to pursue your dreams is no different than admitting to yourself that you are too lazy to achieve them.
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Has anyone heard from Drew? Last I read he was seen climbing into one of the Scaena gear travel cases.
The owner was great, and played some great music.
We stayed until past show closing listening to songs. He said he would normally have played music for us for another hour or two, if it wasnt for the snowy weather.
Now you see why my wife made that comment on those speakers last year! I was happy they remembered her and got a good laugh out of it.
Living Room:,T+A PA 1530R, Tyler Highland H2, Aries Mini, High Fidelity Reveal RCA, Grant Fidelity Tube Dac 11, W4S recovery, Wireworld Platinum Starlight, PS Audio Direct Stream JR.
Have but haven't used in a while: LH Labs VI Dac, Cayin SCD50T
Now you see why my wife made that comment on those speakers last year! I was happy they remembered her and got a good laugh out of it.
Lol Brian! Now I completely get it! I'm so thankful that I got to spend over an hour in that sweet spot. Truly an incredible experience that has to be heard to be fully understood.
"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."
hmm -- probably a good thing that Sansui, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist anymore. Otherwise, they'd be suing these jaspers for trademark infringement
hmm -- probably a good thing that Sansui, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist anymore. Otherwise, they'd be suing these jaspers for trademark infringement
They can afford it Doc 450,000.00+++ sitting right there
hmm -- probably a good thing that Sansui, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist anymore. Otherwise, they'd be suing these jaspers for trademark infringement
They can afford it Doc 450,000.00+++ sitting right there
Doesn't mean they've got it in the bank, though.
Look at Tesla
Comments
Because there were so many sucky rooms (more than half for my luck of the draw) it gave me a renewed appreciation for my own system. Listening to it now with tracks heard at the show.
Yeah the Parasound room was busy everytime I went by it so this afternoon I waited to get in and spent quite sometime in there a great sounding room packed for a reason.
Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable
2 Channel
Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+
Stuff for the Head
JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365
Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin
I like Mario he is a hoot! Great guy couldn't happen to a better person.
Not at all! It really exposed me to what’s out there! Lots of very cool stuff! A lot out of my league! Kinda like when you go to an auto show and see the Bugatti or other exotic, nice to look at dream!
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, PASS ACA Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: , Antique Sound Labs Wave AV-8 Monoblocks, Tisbury Mini Passive Pre, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
A tip o' the hat to Drew and all the pics. Steve... We gotta catch up next time I'm back in Iowa. Glad to know your truck floats on the river where the streets used to be...
Saying that it's "too hard" to pursue your dreams is no different than admitting to yourself that you are too lazy to achieve them.
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
The owner was great, and played some great music.
We stayed until past show closing listening to songs. He said he would normally have played music for us for another hour or two, if it wasnt for the snowy weather.
It kinda feels weird describing a room's sound as "crappy", but with as much competition as there was, if your room didnt do something unique or fantastic, it was forgettable.
It was very easy to tell within 10-20 seconds of being in a room if the sound "grabbed" you or not. If not, no reason to stay.
When you hear what your body and mind interpret as "good sound", it's almost a subconscious desire to stay put.
It happened to us today in rooms like these: Martin Logan & Benchmark, Destination Audio & Modwright, Volti Audio & Border Patrol, Sonner Audio & Luxman (30wpc pure class A - lovely!), Bayz Audio, Skip/AudioThesis, and of course Scaena.
When it happens it's a great feeling!
He has an uncanny ability to coherently describe in great detail the subtle nuances and details about a product, while doing it into a camera. He makes it look easy and it's anything but.
Was insightful to talk to him about the hobby and about reviewing products. I had hoped to run into him again at the show but didn't see him all weekend.
But still, I very much enjoyed meeting him.
I briefly discussed our beloved forum, and it's current moderator-less state. I explained how it's much more than just another audio forum, rather that we are more like a family. We talked about how Kenneth did a great job and had recently retired and how we're in need of a replacement.
He assured me that there are no plans to shut down the forum. He informed me that he will reach out to the appropriate department in regards to a potential replacement moderator. He handed me his business card and invited me to follow up.
When I get back in front of a real keyboard, I will email Jim and discuss the forum and related concerns like moderation, Polk Audio customer service presence to provide support for the lifestyle products, and other general topics relevant to the continued health of Club Polk.
Lumin X1
Sony XA-5400ES SACD
Pass XP-22 pre, X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers, SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on preamp, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
Thank you for your thoughts on the situation. However, I politely disagree.
At the very least, a moderator is needed to remove spam posts. And also, ideally, to enforce egregious and obvious violations of the forum's rules and guidelines.
Forum moderators can also serve to prevent rules violations before they occur, and also defuse tense situations or arguments.
I've been posting on forums for over 20 years and in my experience, good moderators are a positive thing.
Saying that it's "too hard" to pursue your dreams is no different than admitting to yourself that you are too lazy to achieve them.
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Uh, I'm going to have to go ahead and sorta disagree with you there, when you have a Russ you need a moderator.
Joule-Electra LA 100 MKIII Upgraded by Rich Brkich Pre
Butler Audio TBD 2250 Amp
PS Audio DirectStream DAC and MemoryPlayer Transport
LSA-1 Statement
SVS SB4000 & SB2000
Wireworld Equinox 7 bi-wire, Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7 IC
Secondary Rig:
Parasound P5, Audio Electronics by Cary Constellation
Marsh a200s, Audio Elecrtonics by Cary Hercules
Pioneer Elite DV-45a, Denon DVD-2910
Klipsch Epic CF-1, Vandersteen 3CE sig
Analysus Plus Oval
Backup Gear:
Pass Labs Aleph 30, McCormack DNA-125, Parasound A21
Marantz SA-14S1
Usher CP-6311/Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitor, LSA-1
... moderation complete.
Saying that it's "too hard" to pursue your dreams is no different than admitting to yourself that you are too lazy to achieve them.
“If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Lighten up, you P R I C K!
Joule-Electra LA 100 MKIII Upgraded by Rich Brkich Pre
Butler Audio TBD 2250 Amp
PS Audio DirectStream DAC and MemoryPlayer Transport
LSA-1 Statement
SVS SB4000 & SB2000
Wireworld Equinox 7 bi-wire, Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7 IC
Secondary Rig:
Parasound P5, Audio Electronics by Cary Constellation
Marsh a200s, Audio Elecrtonics by Cary Hercules
Pioneer Elite DV-45a, Denon DVD-2910
Klipsch Epic CF-1, Vandersteen 3CE sig
Analysus Plus Oval
Backup Gear:
Pass Labs Aleph 30, McCormack DNA-125, Parasound A21
Marantz SA-14S1
Usher CP-6311/Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitor, LSA-1
@kharp1 for moderator!
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, PASS ACA Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: , Antique Sound Labs Wave AV-8 Monoblocks, Tisbury Mini Passive Pre, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Now you see why my wife made that comment on those speakers last year! I was happy they remembered her and got a good laugh out of it.
Living Room:,T+A PA 1530R, Tyler Highland H2, Aries Mini, High Fidelity Reveal RCA, Grant Fidelity Tube Dac 11, W4S recovery, Wireworld Platinum Starlight, PS Audio Direct Stream JR.
Have but haven't used in a while: LH Labs VI Dac, Cayin SCD50T
Lol Brian! Now I completely get it! I'm so thankful that I got to spend over an hour in that sweet spot. Truly an incredible experience that has to be heard to be fully understood.
hmm -- probably a good thing that Sansui, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist anymore. Otherwise, they'd be suing these jaspers for trademark infringement
Pretty standard studio/radio station practice.
FWIW, I just gave away my last cart a coupla weeks ago.
Duuuude! Is that a whizzer?!
Cool...
Diffraction horns.
Ewww.
Heck, mine explodes at the thought of tryin' to board an airplane with a pair...
Great photos.
I am sure you goobers had a ball there.
I feel all caught up, but I am sorry I missed the pizza party
They can afford it Doc 450,000.00+++ sitting right there
Doesn't mean they've got it in the bank, though.
Look at Tesla