Lone Star Audio Fest 2019

displayname

erniejade wrote: »

Were you all using IPA 140? or 70?

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Norma gear was as follows:

Sonner - IPA1-40B
Usher - HS-IPA1 (with built in DAC)
Rosso - Norma Audio SC-2B and 8.7MR monos + REVO DS-1

I'm least confident about which model of CD player/DAC was in use in the Rosso room, but I think that's right. All that stuff is really excellent though.

lightman1

I drank some IPAs.....

marvda1

lightman1 wrote: »

I drank some IPAs.....

what was the beer you had in that big bottle?

lightman1

marvda1 wrote: »

lightman1 wrote: »

I drank some IPAs.....

what was the beer you had in that big bottle?

Nope. That was Chimay Grand Reserve.
Trappist ale...
Tasty!

voltz

Mike Reeter wrote: »

voltz wrote: »

I use the Modwrights at home with some Rosso's Fiesole & before that I powered the Usher Mini X's with them, I got the preamp from Ron and I found the amp at "THe Music Room" for $2600 list new at $5200.

We ran Norma gear in all 3 of Skips room it power the usher in my room and Sonner Audios speakers and the Fiesole in his room!

How did the Ushers sound with the ModWright combo?

How do you like the KWA 100 ???

We never did get to listen to the Usher SD-500's at the show with them but I have used the Modwright preamp and amplifier with the Usher Mini x"s bookies and the Rosso's Fiesole's Bookies and loved the sound. I really like the KWA100SE I have and recommend the combo!

Mike Reeter

voltz wrote: »

Mike Reeter wrote: »

voltz wrote: »

I use the Modwrights at home with some Rosso's Fiesole & before that I powered the Usher Mini X's with them, I got the preamp from Ron and I found the amp at "THe Music Room" for $2600 list new at $5200.

We ran Norma gear in all 3 of Skips room it power the usher in my room and Sonner Audios speakers and the Fiesole in his room!

How did the Ushers sound with the ModWright combo?

How do you like the KWA 100 ???

We never did get to listen to the Usher SD-500's at the show with them but I have used the Modwright preamp and amplifier with the Usher Mini x"s bookies and the Rosso's Fiesole's Bookies and loved the sound. I really like the KWA100SE I have and recommend the combo!

Thanks for your response, I currently have the LS-100 and a PH 9.0 Phono Pre, I'm going to look for a KWA 100SE in the future. I can't help but think that the trio would have great Synergy.

kharp1

lightman1 wrote: »

marvda1 wrote: »

lightman1 wrote: »

I drank some IPAs.....

what was the beer you had in that big bottle?

Nope. That was Chimay Grand Reserve.
Trappist ale...
Tasty!

Oh man, that's some good stuff!

ZLTFUL

Ok...so I have been trying to gather my thoughts on this year's LSAF.
I drove down on Thursday with my friend Joel (not a Polk forum member can be found on AVS under the screen name jearhens) and we got to the hotel around 7pm.

After getting checked in and unloaded, I began setting up my 2 channel system.
I brought the following down:

Silverline Audio Sonatina MKIs
VTL Compact 100 Monoblock tube amps
Rotel RC-1570 Pre
North Star Designs Incanto DAC
Asus laptop running Tidal and Plex

I also brought:
2 8" Dayton Audio folded horn subs tuned to 22hz
Behringer iNuke NU3000DSP
(More on this in a bit)

I brought 2 tiers of my cherry DIY rack as well.

I had hoped on bringing my Nativ Vita streaming transport but I have been working with the manufacturer on a software glitch that causes record like pops and static when changing network streamed tracks (the on-board storage doesn't suffer from this).


Thursday night I got everything set up and fired up and started listening/dialing in the subs.
Those who have been to LSAF know these rooms are definitely not short on room reinforcement. To the extent that I had the gains on my sub amp backed all the way down and was still getting overly bloated bass.

After taking a breather and checking out Skip's room, Daryl's room and Gunny's room, I went to bed.
The next morning, after about 30 seconds in Skip's room, I had a bit of an epiphany and went back to my room to pull the subs out of the system.
I am glad I did.

While I was still getting some slight bloat on some songs (running tone bypass on the Rotel), I was able to dial it out by enabling the tone controls and backing down the bass by 3db. This was only noticeable on a handful of songs so most of the rest of the time, I was running with tone bypass on.

Friday was a bit of a slow day as far as visitors to my room. So I did my own rounds and got my ears on other folks stuff.

Josh from JWM always has a beautiful room. But I thought the first track he played was very overly bass bloated and it detracted from the overall quality of the room. The gear was top notch and most of it was new to me so at least I got to experience some new stuff I hadn't heard before.

Gunny from Sonner Audio was up next. Always a great experience that hits me right in my love for the Scanspeak and Vifa radial ring tweeters, his room was very well balanced top to bottom and just sounded really good.

Daryl ( @voltz ) was up next. While I was hoping to hear his Modwright gear again, he was using the entry level Norma integrated to run Skip's newest Ushers. I really liked what I heard but thought it was a bit light on the low end (this was later remedied with the addition of a sub but I didn't get back and spend any time with the combo.
I can tell you that the new 5" driver is considerably more controlled and accurate than the previous 7" woofer from Usher. The SD500s kicked my V601s butt in nearly all aspects. And for the sub-$2k price tag will be hard to beat in the dollar/performance relam.

Skip's room was up next and I almost drove myself insane.
There was a slight bit of what sounded like scratchiness on the left hand Fiesole on the first track that Skip threw on for me.
After going back and forth with my ears at various distance from both sides' drivers, it was determined that it was the track and I was being a bit overly sensitive.
The other tracks we ran through were smooth as warmed Irish butter.
I really enjoy the Norma's solid state impact coupled with the buttery smoothness that is very much like tubes. Norma has found a voodoo magic here that really works.

I ducked into Russ' ( @RuSsMaN ) room and listened for a short time to his latest 3 way offering. They sounded nice and balanced and are what we have come to expect from Blowtorch Audio.

Unfortunately, after that, I spent the rest of the weekend being a good host in my room.
I enjoyed the many compliments but ultimately, my greatest enjoyment came from sharing my hobby with like-minded individuals.

On Saturday, I took extensive requests and was able to add a bunch of new artists to my Tidal playlists as well as my Amazon wish list for discs to add to my collection.
The traffic through my room on Saturday was relatively heavy and constant. And everyone seemed to enjoy what I was doing. The biggest compliment came when the guys from Blackhole Audio stopped in to the room (the same room I spent extensive time in with them in 2017) and were heaping the praise on when I broke out the SRV and Fairfield Four for them.

On Sunday, I decided that I was going to just listen to complete albums.
I played through Wish You Were Here, Random Access Memories, W:/2016album/, among many others.

The traffic was much lower on Sunday but it did give me a chance to really spend some time answering questions and doling out advice.

I love that LSAF is part vendor/manufacturer show and part enthusiast show.
While I am not sure I am going to be bringing down another system next year, I am already anxiously awaiting the dates for 2020 so I can plan the weekend off yet again to attend.

It isn't that I don't enjoy sharing my own gear with folks, it is that I don't think the level of effort is worth it if the effort is poo-pooed by other exhibitors (not really directing that at anyone specific but the vibe I got from some of the vendors showing was that it wasn't making them very happy to "compete" with the personal gear).

marvda1

don't know why they would be upset as this increases the size of the show and brings in more foot traffic. if they can't compete with the individual they don't need to be in business. besides that's what they are doing even if a person does not bring his system to the show, they are competing against what the individual has at home.

txcoastal1

FYI
I heard the same flack when I showed up as an individual years ago with my Ushers

Polkies have helped LSAF stay alive by providing gear and listening rooms

Carry on and don’t be discouraged

It’s a gathering of like minded audio enthusiasts and toooo much fun

Need more to bring a system IMHO

lightman1

I'll bring refreshments.

txcoastal1

Show your goods...Tom that excludes you, you’ve shown enough

voltz

I have pondered this many times, plus i like having a system in my room for after hours fun

speaking of which -> Ryan please Tell Joel, thanks for helping me with the BOOKER's ..it was a blast!

treitz3

I would love to bring the entire system down (my REAL goods) but I swore 4 years ago that 2 years ago, my system would never be featured again at an audio event beyond the event held 2 years ago. Plus, I like the event and having OTHER people/manufacturers bring their rigs. My system has been featured 5 or 6 times and that was enough for me. Those that want to hear it can come to my house now. I'm done.

Sold both trailers, so it's not even an option anymore if I wanted it to be.

Tom

GlennDog

lightman1 wrote: »

Nope. That was Chimay Grand Reserve.
Trappist ale...
Tasty![/quote]

kharp1 wrote: »

Oh man, that's some good stuff!

Fun fact; Costco carries CHIMAY on occasion. Keep your eyes pealed!

THANKS FOR THE PIX, GUYS!

tonyb

marvda1 wrote: »

DSkip wrote: »

displayname wrote: »

I'll probably type up more details later, but I wanted to toss those pics in here while I had a chance.
LSAF is insanely fun! It was great getting to meet some more polkies and hear a ton of gear. Thank you to all the more seasoned guys for taking me in and showing me the ropes. Also for the generous amounts of booze provided! Getting to hang out with everyone and chatting was the real fun of the day for sure. It was also really cool getting to have some more extended conversations with Gunny from Sonner and Josh from JWM Acoustics.

I will certainly be going again, and I'll probably make a stronger effort to get a room for at least one night. Quite a few rooms stood out to me, and the whole experience made me appreciate my system as well. Always room for improvement, but I'm pretty happy with what I've built with my current investment.

My personal favorites where Skip's main room (Norma and Rosso) and the JWM Acoustics room. I actually told Josh if I was there looking to buy, I would have a really hard time deciding between those two systems. Obviously that's before any price was factored in, purely based on the sound I heard at the show.

Awesome time, and thanks to everyone involved!

Josh is a master at the show. He always has good sound and is usually the benchmark for me as far as competition goes. I didn’t get to spend much of any time in his room this year and I’m disappointed.

I take your statement as a great compliment given his dac was the same cost as all of my front end added together.

As for the show, I made it around to almost every room and did my best to be a social butterfly. I was up until 4:00 am every night and had a blast. I just got home though and my body is telling me what a fool I was. Saturday night Danny Richie and I got into some pretty involved conversations and A/Bed some gear. I also had an attendee want to A/B USB cables that night so it was a lot of switching gear around.

I want to give massive props to Voltz again. The man is a trooper and will go out of his way to do anything for anyone. If not for him I might still be at the hotel boxing things up. Gunny from Sonner was also a great help.

Ryan helped me big time with some networking issues I was having and without that my show would’ve been much more difficult. Thanks brother!

Cheers to all you guys. I didn’t get to see any of you as much as I would have liked but it’s still great seeing all your ugly mugs.

skip, i beg to differ, i think josh should follow your model more. josh does have a formula, expensive equipment (awe factor), lots of bass ( awe factor), loud party volume (awe factor,(awe factor) and sprinkle in some sparkle. all this on first listen or to a novice in audio will really impress but where's the spacial cues that give you a sense of sound stage depth, height, or width? where are the nuances and textures of instruments and voices?
great studio speakers.

I dunno Marv, Josh and Skip have 2 different approaches. Both are masters are their own. What Josh has in his room/setup....is a boogie factor that seems to be missing from others, hence the appeal. Your not sitting there nitpicking things, just enjoying the music.

Skip has more of an audiophile listening environment. Your pulled in, to listen for those certain things we all talk about. He does really well at creating that listening environment too.

2 different approaches, both very good at what they do. Just my .02 there.

tonyb

treitz3 wrote: »

. Those that want to hear it can come to my house now. I'm done.
Tom

Hmmm....somehow my invite got lost in the mail ?

tonyb

displayname wrote: »

I've been curious about Tekton, so I was to see some there. Not my favorite, but when you consider the $1600 price point... well then they are more interesting. Certainly worth considering if you have space and tighter budget.

The only speaker that has impressed me from Tekton is the double impacts. Their lower lines....leave much to be desired. Spectral is worth a look and listen in roughly the same price category. I never heard a speaker literally mop the floor against another as badly.

Looks like you gents had some fun. I take it Ron, Russ, Tom....stayed out of trouble ? If so...that's a cryin' shame.

EndersShadow

tonyb wrote: »

Looks like you gents had some fun. I take it Ron, Russ, Tom....stayed out of trouble ?

I bet they just aint incriminating themselves........ pending litigation and all.....

nooshinjohn

EndersShadow wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

Looks like you gents had some fun. I take it Ron, Russ, Tom....stayed out of trouble ?

I bet they just aint incriminating themselves........ pending litigation and all.....

They are at the very center of a collusion investigation....

voltz

I like Josh's room, I like josh! I love what he does and he so cool! but my time in his room was very loud and was distort a bit and I lean to what Marvin felt! his wood work is special like no other..his speakers are different to Skip which me & Marvin prefer..that is just me & Marvin's thoughts..

Tom lived in Josh's room for a reason..he was on cloud 9 in there and he said he related to Josh when talking about audio like no other!

Tom has very special ears.. I have come to trust his ears as I have Marvin & Skips!
Example....tom came out a a room and talked about single note bass...thne Marvin came out the same room and said the exact same thing LOL.

You see how some can hear the same but feel a little different about certain rooms?

everything matter in audio..but nothing more then your own ears!!!

BlueFox

So, LSAF is both vendors, and enthusiasts with their own systems? I will have to give it a visit next year.

marvda1

and diy

kharp1

And drinkers

treitz3

and smokers, oh my!

BlueFox

And, I assume, h e l l raisers.

kharp1

BlueFox wrote: »

And, I assume, h e l l raisers.

Starting to sound like a ZZ Top song...

tonyb

Was Doug there this year ? Nice man, I could chat with Doug all day. Rooster sit up in his nest overlooking everyone again ?

treitz3

Not this year. If memory serves, he stated he will be there next year. Hopefully we will see halo there as well.

Tom

Clipdat

Fantastic amplifier being used in this room! How'd it sound?