Robert Harley on THE Show Newport Beach Highlights
Alive and Kicking: Report from T.H.E. Show Newport Beach
Robert Harley
Of the 70 or so hi-fi shows I’ve attended around the world, I’d have to say that T.H.E. Show held at the Newport Beach Hilton June 3–5 was by far the best. What made this show so exceptional? For starters, audio enthusiasts arrived in huge numbers—6000 unique visitors to be specific—and they were obviously thrilled to have a show in their own backyard. Then there was room after room of good sound, along with a few exhibits delivering truly great sound. Add in a wonderful venue and location, great organization, and a highly upbeat “vibe,” and you’ve got what was for me the most fun I can ever remember having at any audio event. The show was such a success that they’ve committed to doing it again next year.
In addition to the live jazz on the patio, a classic car show, and wine tasting, T.H.E. Show Newport Beach featured many outstanding audio demos and some cutting-edge product introductions.
The most technically innovative new product at the show was undoubtedly the Wadax Pre1 from Spain. This multifunction device can serve as a preamplifier, phonostage, electronic crossover, analog-to-digital converter, or digital-to-analog converter. A show report can’t do justice to the Pre1’s extensive technology, so I’ll simply describe its unprecedented processing of phono signals. In a nutshell, the Pre1 uses DSP to correct errors and shortcomings in vinyl playback, including errors specific to your particular turntable/arm/cartridge combination. In a demo between the uncorrected and the corrected signal, the improvement was immediately obvious. Moreover, the fundamental sound quality gave no indication that the signal had been digitized. That’s just the start of the Pre1’s innovative solutions—the unit has many other capabilities, particularly when coupled with the Wadax active Speak 1.5 loudspeakers that were demonstrated at the show. The Pre1 with phono capabilities has a U.S. retail price of $32,500, and is distributed in North America by Rick Brown of Hi-Fi One.
Javier Guadalajara of Wadax and Rick Brown of Hi-Fi One and Wadax North America show the remarkable Pre1.
A more straightforward approach to vinyl playback was embodied in the Andros PS1 tubed phonostage from newcomer Zesto Audio. The PS1 offers separate mm and mc inputs, up to 60dB of gain, and a wide range of cartridge loading via rear-panel trimmers and balanced inputs. I’m surprised that more phonostages don’t offer balanced inputs considering that a phono cartridge’s output is inherently balanced. The hand-built Andros PS1 is available through dealers or factory direct for $3900.
Zesto Audio founder and designer George Counnas shows off the tubed Andros phonostage.
LA's The Audio Salon showed the new Spectral SDR-4000SL Reference CD Processor ($19,000), a ground-up redesign of the fabulous SDR-4000 Pro. The new model uses a different transport, along with a newly developed buffer/clocking system. The player sounded spectacular driving a Spectral DMC-30SS II preamp and DMA-360 II power amplifiers and Magico Q5s in a large room. Cables were Spectral by MIT, and MIT provided the power conditioning. The room featured custom acoustic treatment from Acoustic Sciences Corporation.
Longtime Southern California dealer Optimal Enchantment put together a great-sounding system based on the new Vandersteen 5A Carbon loudspeaker. The $24,000 5A Carbon is very similar to Vandersteen’s 5A, with the big difference being the inclusion of the same carbon-fiber-clad-balsawood midrange driver as in Vandersteen's Model 7. Original 5A owners can upgrade to the 5A Carbon. The system also featured the new Reference 150 power amplifier by Audio Research, AudioQuest cables, and Basis Inspiration turntable demonstrated on Basis’ new custom Inspiration stand. The 5A Carbon had many of the qualities of the Model 7 (in the midrange) at about half the price.
The Wilson Sasha sounded terrific in two rooms. Retailer Brooks Berdan showed the Sasha driven by a VTL TP-6.5 phonostage, TL-7.5 Series III preamp, and MB-450 monoblocks. The front ends were a dCS Puccini/U-Clock/Debussy for digital and a Grand Prix turntable fitted with a Benz LP cartridge spinning vinyl. Cable was Cardas Clear Beyond. The system was very musical and engaging, with a tremendous presence and palpability to voices. The Sasha also sounded superb, but in a different way, in the room of retailer Sunny Components driven by an all-Boulder system. The Boulder gear brought out the Sasha’s dynamics, but was not as liquid as the VTL gear.
The new YG Kipod II Signature ($49k) connected with Kubala-Sosna cabling sounded spectacular, and was significantly better than the original Kipod I reviewed. The new model features the ForgeCore tweeter and BilletCore driver diaphragms machined from solid aluminum billets. The Signature version also incorporates a new crossover that reportedly reduces midrange distortion, along with a high-pass filter on the upper module. Amplification was the new Tenor Line1/Power1 preamplifier and 350M monoblocks.
YG's new Kipod Signature was one of the show's best sounds.
Acoustic Zen always produces great sound at shows, and Newport was no exception. The Crescendo ($16k) disappeared as a sound source, throwing amazingly tangible images. It also went very low in the bass and was extremely dynamic.
Dan Meinwald produced an absolutely gorgeous sound with a Townshend Rock 7 turntable, EAR 912 preamp, EAR 890 power amp, and Marten Coltrane loudspeakers. It seemed odd to put a $3200 turntable at the front end of a system with $70k loudspeakers, but there was no arguing with the result, which was one of the show’s best sounds—liquid, communicative, and expressive.
The Marten Coltrane loudspeakers driven by E.A.R. electronics and a Townshend Rock 7 turntable.
The new MBL 101 E Mk.II sounded great despite being demonstrated in a too-small room. Overlooking the room-induced bass problem, the 101 E Mk.II exhibited all the famous MBL virtues of massive dynamics, huge soundstage, and a feeling of hearing live music rather than an electro-mechanical reproduction. MBL’s new stand-mount 120 was also terrific, with much greater image specificity than the model it replaced.
I’d never heard Lumenwhite loudspeakers until this show, and I was quite taken with the superb sound from the Artisan model ($35k per pair). Not only was the sound beautiful, but the cabinetry was stunning. The three-way, five-driver column features inverted-dome ceramic drivers and is reportedly time-and-phase-coherent. The Lumenwhite Artisan was driven by the Ayon Orthos 150W Class A triode monoblocks (280W in pentode), Ayon CD-5s tube CD player/preamp, Synergistic cables, PowerCell 10 SE Mk.II conditioner, and Synergistic Acoustic Art room treatments.
I finally heard Magnepan MG-3.7s and understood what all the fuss was about. Driven by Audio Research electronics in the room of retailer Hi 5 Stereo, the 3.7 sounded unbelievably lifelike in the midrange. I can imagine them really opening up in a space larger than a hotel room.
Two rooms stood out for good sound without an astronomical price tag. The first was the Nola Contender loudspeaker ($3400) driven by a PrimaLuna PA-1 integrated amplifier ($2995). The system sounded remarkably refined, detailed, dynamic, and uncolored. The second system included The One loudspeaker from Audience, a tiny cube housing a single full-range driver. Everyone in the demo thought that the subwoofers in the corners were active, but the full bass was coming from the $995-per-pair Ones. At the end of one demo, the guy next to me began applauding.
Jon Whitledge showed the latest incarnation of his “Magic Bus,” a van that houses what I called “The world’s best car stereo” when I heard it five years ago. Since then, Whitledge has taken the system to an entirely new level of performance. The design, construction, passion, and dedication that went into the Magic Bus are unprecedented, and it showed in the sound quality. The system had effortless dynamics, very high resolution of low-level detail, tremendous timbral fidelity, and threw a soundstage that rivaled that of a well-set-up home system.
Jon Whitledge with his "Magic Bus." The autographs are of musicians who have experienced the Magic Bus.
Finally, artist Merryl Jaye showed her fabulous musician portraits, which are available as oil originals or as more affordable giclée (“zhee-clay”) reproductions. You can see Merryl’s exceptional work at www.merryljaye.com.
Best Sound
The Audio Salon: Spectral/Magico/MIT/ASC
Brooks Berdan: VTL/Wilson/dCS/Grand Prix/Cardas
E.A.R. USA: EAR/Townshend/Marten
YG Acoustics/Tenor/Kubala-Sosna
Hi5 Stereo: Magnepan/ARC
Best Value
Upscale Audio: PrimaLuna/Nola
Audience: The One loudspeaker
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Comments
I really enjoyed the mbl room as well! It was my first experience with the Radialstrahlers.
Other rooms I liked were:
1. Silverline Audio Minuets
2. Tannoy Yorkminster SE
3. YG Acoustics Carmel in the Veloce Audio room
___________
On another note, I've written a post for the religious organization I work for about the experience of going to an audio show being similar to "shopping" for a faith community to join.
http://theburnerblog.com/mainline/church-shopping-at-the-the-home-entertainment-show-newport-beach/
I also thought the YG Carmel in the Veloce Audio room was outstanding. Unfortunately, I missed the Silverline Minuets.
COuld you kindly comment on how do the YG ACoustis Carmel compare with the B&W 802 Diamonds?
Robert:
It was great to meet you for the first time at the show on Sunday.BTW, I was the fella who bought the second to last of your new book and had to run around finding an ATM machine and also hoping for quick review of the MartinLogan Theos electrostatic loudspeaker :-)
Anyhow, since it was my first time at an audio show, i only managed to hear a few booths. I loved Dr Hsu's how demo room. Superb sound for low cost. And of course MartinLogans room was great as well. Gradient's Revolution active system was an OMG moment for me!!! Sound so clean, seamless and solid whether you are sitting or standing. No image shift observed at all, a new thing i really really liked.
Looking forward to your ML Theos review sometime soon!!!
Great meeting you at the show and hope they have it again in Newport next year. I believe that's the reason why the show was so well attended.
God Bless,
David
David,
I also enjoyed the Gradient room (see Paul Seydor's report). The problem in the Focal room was not the Grande Utopia EM ($180k, by the way), but the room and the set-up. I heard the Grande Utopia EM at length at Focal's factory last month and thought that it was world class. I heard a number of other Utopia models (including the previous generation Grande Utopia) in various systems and came away with the impression that the Utopia line is outstanding. I had heard the Grande Utopia EM at the Rocky Mountain show twice before, where its performance was limited by the room problems. I'll be reviewing the Stella Utopia EM later this year.
Thanks for attending the show and for your kind words. Hope to see you there next year. --Robert
Mr. Harley,
I read your review of the Rockport Technologies Altair loudspeaker with a great deal of enjoyment and interest. Knowing that I will probably never afford such a speaker and further knowing how much I would like to hear such a great speaker, I had an idea which I would like to pass along to you for your consideration.
Very few of your readers have the means to acquire audio products in the very high price range and most dealers that sell these products will not give auditions unless a person is obviously able to buy the product and many of us do not have convenient access to a very high end dealer.
Which brings me to my idea.
The Absolute Sound could sponsor a trip to either a dealer or a manufacturer to audition a product of their choice and perhaps write about it in your magazine. You could limit the product to be auditioned to one that The Absolute Sound had reviewed in a certain time period and perhaps limit the distance traveled, etc.
Thank you for a wonderful magazine and I hope you will consider my idea.
Thank you again,
Millard Jones
The Gradient room was very good except for boomy bass. The Wilson rooms were poor due to separated, damped sounding bass. The bass range was not integrated at all.
Of the rooms you listed, the YG Acoustics sounded very good, much better than when I heard them with solid state amps at another location.
I'd give my top votes to Tannoy-Cary, Giya G3-Luxman, MBL, YG Acoustics, TAD.
The Wadax digital approach to correcting LP systems, sure did produce an improvement. But I could tell it was digitized. Nice clear sound, but very little depth.
The Show Newport was terrific. My favorite rooms were the Ayon Audio, YG, Brooks Berdan & the Audio Salon as well. All these rooms demonstrated beautiful sound. Although the BEST for me was the Ayon room. This room was magical, not only super eye candy, but WOW the sound was live. I found myself transported to the holy grail of audio. I felt like the musicians were right there. I asked them to play a track on my CD, the Billy Childs Ensemble, Autum in Moving Pictures and it was fabulous. I heard this CD in all the other rooms and it did not quite sound as rich, fast and nimble as it did in the Ayon room - Live and effortless.
Great Show!