Section 3 “The magical ones”
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There were many fantastic multi 100k setups pictured already, but I probably wouldn’t have bought one of them given the choice I theoretically had. You will be wondering that there are also smaller ones in this magical section although I’m a kind of “fullrange guy” more or less. Reason is…speakers can make you forget fullrange if they convince with deeply involving you in the music and/or overwelm you in relation to their size.
I will sort again from the gorgeous to the even more gorgeous, but I will have several peak performances this time…too hard to decide. And you will find certain retakes compared to my last years report…but also new additions.
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I’m not sure where to put this setup consisting of speakers and electronics of this brand I never heard of…to the beginning or a little further back…it sounded so good and right, with fortunately not a bass that had to prove that a small speaker has lots of it, but integrating it perfectly into the overall sound and delivering a phantastic tonality and soundstage in a very natural presentation. For my taste it also looks gorgeous and as you might know…the smaller the speakers are, the better the illusion in case they span a very effusive stage. The box in the back is no sub, it’s a power regenerator. Is this really better than some of the huge setups of the previous sections? No and yes…it doesn’t have many things they have, but it has the few more important ones at the same time and it’s extremely impressing for its size. Something in me says: buy this quickly…maybe some time I do (15k just the speakers)…but wait, there’s more!!
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Fascinating as last year (with different horns) once more the Western electric room with horns looking as if fallen from a military truck. This is a sound you won’t hear often anywhereelse…it’s just livelike in its energy and dynamics filling the room…you’ll never forget how a trumpet sounds by those speakers. Nothing to take home, but an unforgettable experience.
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Now it starts getting very difficult with the sequence…here a marvelous setup with the big Kronzilla tube amps creating the absolute magic of a levitating, holographic, room filling sound. The only reason it’s not placed more at the end of the section is that it occasionally just sounded slightly stained and mid focussed to my ears. But anyway a sound to die for.
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Although I think those amps are butt ugly as being part of a comic based movie setting and although the Dagostino/Wilson Benesh setup sounded rather disappointing last year, this time they placed it differently, and chose the smalle speakers. Standing in the middle (all others stood, too there) the soundstage was just HUGE and convincing, the sound dynamic and well balanced. Big high end, great sounding…but not with the magic previously mentioned…anyway very fascinating this time.
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When I sat down in front of this Playback Designs setup I thought…this sounds perfect from top to bottom and it does. The only thing missing is that magical air everywhere around all sounds as e.g. the previously mentioned horn setup has…and that’s very important for me. But only very few setups have it…and compared to the rest, this here is fantastic. Look at that biggest amp I have ever seen in that form factor…will be around 60k.
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Those speakers, this setup has the “wow” effect. You immediately notice, there’s something special playing…so right, so colorful, organic and dynamic and 3D sounding…I don’t remember if it used ss or tube amps, but if it’s solid state, it’s the best solid state I’ve heard at this show. The difference of this setup to the partly even more expensive one of the previous section is obvious.
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Always hard to decide where to place the Kharma setup …here or more upwards in the sequence…as it’s repeatedly marvelous sounding. The Aussies know what they do…they are the only ones shipping? a complete wall set for the room which they build directly on top of the show room walls. They redesign the whole room and care for a great ambience at the same time. Maybe that’s one reason why their speaker sound much better in their room than in others. Makes sense…if you want to sell a multi 100k speaker, you should take some care presenting it…and if I had the money and couldn’t decide between this and another brand’s speaker, I’d buy theirs…just to honor their approach…I love it when people care and try to make it perfect, not only visually.
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Coming with smaller speakers than last year, the sound of the Zellaton/Schnerzinger room was sounding comparably perfect. Easyly the fastest, most dynamic sound of the show, extremely natural and 3D sounding…if it were a little warmer sounding with a little more pleasant timbre, it would probably be the winner…so fine tune this to your likes! Really hard to say, which of those setups to prefer.
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The following two are at one level for me, I can’t decide which to prefer…so first the Odeon horn room.
For the music I heard with this setup, I didn’t miss anything. No discoloration of horn sound audible and an unmatched free flowing, levitating, holographic, room filling sound… this was magical once more!
They used the pictured active NF room protector, of which I know how it helps with that kind of airy, holographic sound.
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Among last years winners for me, this year I was again overwelmed by this small 15k Living Voice speaker with its “25 years long developed” external crossover nearly half the size of the speaker itself and certainly some serious tube amplification.
Again this year people were walking towards the big horns and recognized they were not playing. This (resonating wall) speaker has a natural, vivid, enveloping, room filling sound that is unbelievable not only considering its size. If I’d start with high end again in a normal living room environment, I’d buy this one definitely combined with a very good tube…even better would be to have it as a second setup…not sure if the first (probably bigger) setup would be played frequently then.
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So I’m finished for this show and hope it was interesting again!
It’s ambitious to compete against such speakers and setups and I’m sure e.g. to make a speaker like the two small ones sounding like that means long term occupation and a dedicated long term music listening habit.