LSAF 2023 On like Donkey Kong

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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    Either 650 or 700 small àss transitors...


    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • smartie_panta
    smartie_panta Posts: 196
    On my way to the airport. I had a great time! It was very nice to meet you @treitz3 , @marvda1 , @lightman1 , @Milito , @halen , @PSOVLSK , @tratliff , Dennis (forgot your handle; I think it starts with a "z"?) and Todd (don't think I ever caught yours). Thank you for the hospitality!!!
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,198
    Enjoyed talking to you Tim. Sorry I didn’t see you again after I left to grab a bite to eat. I came back after dinner and stayed in Skip’s room until about 10:00.

    A few of you guys have got to be feeling a little rough today🤣🤣. Glad I had to drive home or I’d be feeling the same way.

    I had a great time. Always good to see you guys.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • smartie_panta
    smartie_panta Posts: 196
    No worries, @PSOVLSK . I must have met up with Skip right after you left. Glad we got to spend some time together during happy hour. I saw Marvin, Todd & Todd at breakfast, and they seemed to be in good shape, but I totally agree... Some of y'all probably need to load up on Caffeine and Asprin this morning!
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  • dkfreebird
    dkfreebird Posts: 1,186
    It was nice to meet you to Tim. I wished I could of stayed longer. As alway it was nice to spend time with chatting with everyone. Next year I will have to get a room and get in on all the late night fun.
    2 Channel
    Polk 1.2tl's Modded with dreadnought
    Musical Fidelity M6Si
    North Star Intenso Dac
    Auralic Aries Mini Streamer
    Oppo 103
    Pangea PC
    Wireworld Equinox 7 interconnects
    Wireworld Equinox 7 Speaker Cables and Jumpers

    Backups 2.3tl, Crs+ pin/blade with stands.Monitor 5 peerless,Monitor 4 peerless,Polk R200,McCormack Dna 0.5 Deluxe McCormack Dna 1,Dared Sl 2000A,Dayens Ampino Rogue Magnum 66 pre
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  • smartie_panta
    smartie_panta Posts: 196
    dkfreebird wrote: »
    Next year I will have to get a room and get in on all the late night fun.

    Sounds like a plan!

    It hit me on the plane that I remembered your explanation of dkfreebird, Dennis (your and your significant other's first initials...). Don't know why I was thinking it was with a "z." Anyhow... Glad you stopped by!
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,958
    Great meeting everyone and seeing some people I already knew. Had a great time and looking forward to next year.

    I hope no one has too bad a hangover to deal with on the flight home.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    edited June 2023
    Check out the Audiophile Junkie's YouTube site for video coverage of the Lone Star Audio Fest. In one of the videos you can hear Russ' big mouth in the background.
    https://www.youtube.com/@AudiophileJunkie/videos
    Had a great time everyone, didn't recall that their free happy hour on the weekend, ai thought it would save us on booze, but we still drank a lot :s

    Don't forget the Southwest Audio Fest March 15
    https://www.southwestaudiofest.com/
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
    Puritan PSM156
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    Read the comments to the videos, a lot of the guys are saying how love the vibe of the show they are seeing and some want to come.
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
    Puritan PSM156
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    edited June 2023
    I had a great time. It was really cool that I could spend quality time in each room. Skips room hit it out of the park. Most show goers were amazed by the modest setup he put together.

    It was also fun to talk with all you Yahoo's that attended.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    marvda1 wrote: »
    Teasevndghxdna0aj.jpg
    flzyuiiskamo.jpg

    This room had some nice-looking speakers and matching stands, sounded pretty good but not $25k good and with GR Research tweeters. There's something about ribbon/planar magnetic tweeters that I have never warmed up to as I love dome tweeters.
    They are airy and light, but I find they have no foundation to the highs.
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
    Puritan PSM156
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  • halen
    halen Posts: 710
    It was nice to meet up with members again as well as others for the first time. Who knows, in a couple more years, every year would be like meeting for the first time. Haha

    I will reserve judgement on the audio setups there by calling out any names. Some were attempts, some were a work in progress, and some were refined. That is the beauty of LSAF. Laid back. Sharing tunes. Hanging out.

    Tratliff. I was not around when you came. Would still be awesome to hang out someday.

    Cheers all.
    halen
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  • mpitogo
    mpitogo Posts: 504
    Oh dang, I missed this. I moved to the DFW area last year from NJ. Oh well..
    • Living Room Music-2.1 Polk Legend L800 | SVS SB1000Pro | McIntosh C70 | McIntosh MA5200 (Treble) | McIntosh MC452 (Bass) | Sublimeacoustic K231 Active xover | Denon DP-2500A | Denafrips Ares II | Marantz HD-CD1 | Belkin Soundform Connect | iPad Pro USB to DAC
    • Home Theater-9.7.6/15.1 (Atmos/Auro-3D) Polk LSiM707, LSiM706c, LSiM702 F/X [x6], Height LSiM703 [x6], HSU ULS-15Mk2x4, VTF-15HMk2x2, VTF-TN1 | Trinnov Altitude 16+4 (2024) | Rotel RB-1590 (L/R) | Appollon NC500 11ch | Martin Logan MP500x2 | Topping DX7s, E50 | AppleTV 4K | Zidoo Z9X | JVC RS2100 | 150” Elite Screen Acoustic Pro UHD
    • Game Room-5.1 Polk LSi25, LSiC, LSiF/X | Marantz SR7009 | AppleTV 4K | Sony UBP-X800 | Xbox One S | Sony PS2, PS3 | Nintendo Wii | Gaming PC | Sony 75" LCD
    • Master Bedroom Music-2.0 Totem Hawk | Marantz PM-10 | Marantz SA-10 | SONY PS-HX500
    • Office-2.1 B&W Formation Duo and Bass
    • Orphans Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX | DSW microPRO3000x2 | Rotel RA-1570 | Marantz AV8805A
    • Daughter's Bedroom 1-2.0 TBD Martin Logan Forte | Roku TV
    • Guest Room 2-2.0 Klipsch RP-600M | SMSL DO100 Pro 2 | Pass ACA v1.6 Monoblocks
    • Guest Room 3-3.0 Martin Logan Motion 40, 50XT | Onkyo TX-SR705 | Apple TV | Samsung 55" TV
    • Guest Room 4-2.0 QAcoustics 3030i | Sansui AU-6900 | Sansui FR-1080 | Fire TV
    • Maintenance: Pro-Ject VC-S Record Cleaning Machine
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    There is always next year......and not one but TWO events down in Dallas. A great time was had by all.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    @mpitogo a cowboy hat and boots are required......


    B)
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    Here are some more photos taken at this year's LSAF. Sorry in advance if some of them are duplicates that have already been posted.

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    Now, for some of the hardcore folks from this forum that attended....

    2qs0zzhbjeme.png

    y5l120i88vub.png

    7kdm5cam3cdm.png

    And finally, my pick for "Best in show" for coherency, imaging, set up and overall clarity/sound.......cue drum roll please......

    3poym820p71d.png

    Skip's smaller of the two rooms he had (photo above). It wasn't a full range system but was exquisite in almost every aspect of what it could do. Plenty or texture, tightness, sound stage and it was just an enjoyable system to listen too. Very "refined".

    This show isn't really about winners or losers but I thought I would throw in my 2 cents as to which system (to me) at the event topped them all for overall sound quality.

    The most surprising system at the event? The HAL room. Hollis Audio Labs.

    b0300t9fccfl.png

    What I thought was going to be a one genre setup completely took me by surprise. Especially when they let me play a tough/very demanding song at MY preferred volume. Holy crap, did they ever surprise me. The only problem was that they really needed to be in a bigger room and instead of listening near field, it would have been nice to demo this setup about 15 feet back from the speakers placed further out.

    Unfortunately, the hotel does not have conference rooms for such systems, so near field it was for this setup. Still, it was most impressive and something worth looking into/listening to, if you have the chance.

    ynffkc1jm0g4.png

    ^^^ My vote for the most improved system over the years. The Stereo Clarity Room. These boys know how to have fun. Their setup this year was the best they have ever had at the show. Very clean, able to handle demanding songs at an average of 85Db (measured at 111Db at another spot within the room) without collapse or easily identifiable distortion. This was a fun system to listen too.

    ux16vuvzp01p.png

    ^^^ Last but not least, the most unexpected sound out of a speaker at the show. They were made of some kind of proprietary vibration absorbing metallurgy and even though they were relatively small speakers with maybe a 6 to 7" depth....probably closer to 6"? They put out the lower registers like a tower or full size speaker would. AND, the sound was not one note bass.

    This was also in the room that demo'd what people at the show dubbed, "THE most transparent amplifier at the show". It was a prototype amplifier (seen below) that utilized something like 600 to 700 little transistors set up in a Class A configuration. It wasn't dubbed that label because of the sound (which wasn't bad), it was dubbed that because the case was simply non-existent. It is still a work in progress and they wanted to bring it to the show just to show off what it was capable of as it was before it goes back to be finalized and put into production. This was in the Austin Audio Works room.

    hunllvvigpvg.png

    It was great to see everyone again. I had a blast and met some really nice folks within the industry, as well as some heavy hitters outside of the industry. It was also nice to meet the new faces of the forum as well as the new exhibitors that came by this year.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • smartie_panta
    smartie_panta Posts: 196
    Great summary, @treitz3 !!!
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  • HzTweaker
    HzTweaker Posts: 785
    I believe that the guy exhibiting the rig in the first photo (top) was there when I went in 2017. Isn't the MTM arrangement open baffle? My mind is a bit fuzzy on that, or maybe that was a totally different system lol. BUT if it is the same or similar rig, then what I do remember was the bass was supper tight and sounded very accurate and the gentleman (who's name escapes me because that was six years ago and I'm bad with names) was very nice indeed.

    Now lets talk about the The Stereo Clarity Room. Those guy that were there (2017) were really cool! They'd let us play what ever we wanted and they even included several of our suggestions to their demo play list!

    Lets talk about the gear of the Stereo Clarity room. It looks to be a similar setup electronics wise as the 2017 room setup. The big change I see are the speakers. That's what I really want to talk about. I went and listened to every room and had a blast, but at the end of the day/show those speakers were literally ALL I could think about and what I needed to do to raise the funds to buy them (I'll include a pic below). This was before I purchase the Parasound gear from Skip. Skip is a really nice guy for the record as well.
    \/(2017)\/
    0zziybl0cbd9.jpg

    One thing I can say is that pictures do not do the fit and beautiful finish of the Roso speakers justice .

    This is making me excited for next years event. I do believe I'll be attending that show for sure!

    Nice write up Tom.




    2ch rig: Speakers: Magnepan LRS w/Magna Riser stands Preamplifier: Parasound P5 Amplifier: Parasound A23 CDP: Pioneer DV-563A Cables: Wireworld Equinox 7 XLR ICs, Wireworld Ultraviolet 7 USB, AudioQuest Q2s, AudioQuest NRG X(preamp)

    Standby: LSi9s with VR3's Fortress mods
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    edited June 2023
    Look what some unnamed individual brought over to my house.

    p7yvp6fc4h8p.jpeg
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • smartie_panta
    smartie_panta Posts: 196
    tratliff wrote: »
    Look what some unnamed individual brought over to my house.

    Awesome!!!
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    WELL! Don't leave us hanging Todd! Do they sound better than the old Bose acoustimass?
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    WELL! Don't leave us hanging Todd! Do they sound better than the old Bose acoustimass?

    You know the answer to that.

    They do. They sound great. Skip spent about 3 hours setting them up and I have spent a numbers of hours realigning my turntable.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,413
    I've not heard any of those RF that didn't make wood stand up straight!
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    They sounds super nice. Won’t be able to spend much time with them this weekend but do have Monday off. So I am planning to get some good time with them.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,958
    Congrats, great looking speakers ad we know they sound great too.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    Volterra’s are on my bucket list…never personally heard RF but Skip’s ear I trust
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    Milito wrote: »
    Congrats, great looking speakers ad we know they sound great too.

    Thanks. They are really nice. This is not my pair. These are Skips demos. Mine will have a custom finish but have been delayed so he graciously brought these over for me to get use to.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,198
    @trietz I spent most of my time talking instead of listening, but I would have to agree with your assessments of the rooms I saw (Skip's Certaldo room, HAL, and Austin Audio Works). The only rooms I regret not going to are the Stereo Clarity and the room with the Volterras.

    Speaking of Volterras, @tratliff (and @marvda1), I'm jealous. I'll admit that I haven't listened to a ton of speakers, but the Volterra's may just be my favorite. The total package of great sound and great looks. Congrats Todd.
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,004
    edited November 2023
    smartie_panta wrote: »
    On my way to the airport. I had a great time! It was very nice to meet you @treitz3 , @marvda1 , @lightman1 , @Milito , @halen , @PSOVLSK , @tratliff , Dennis (forgot your handle; I think it starts with a "z"?) and Todd (don't think I ever caught yours). Thank you for the hospitality!!!

    I got to re-reading this thread today after living vicariously through HQ's posts about CAF 2023 here and Ron's coverage over at the WBF.

    Todd isn't a member if this forum. His handle is sbnx over at the What's Best Forum. If everything goes as planned, I will be able to hear his system next year. It is a system that makes mine look like child's play.

    [EDIT;] Nevermind, I thought you were talking about the "other" Todd. Not @tratliff.

    Tom
    Post edited by treitz3 on
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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