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HE'2005
Show Reports
Click
here
for our HE'2005 Picture Gallery
www.dagogo.com
http://www.dagogo.com/Events/HE2005nyc/GalleryThree.html
Positive-Feedback.com
GTT
Audio's Big Guns
In
the larger GTT room (in terms of the
cost of the system), were Kharma
Midi Exquisites ($75,000), again the
Kharma Ce-Sb-1.0 subwoofer ($9,500),
Lamm L2 Reference Line Stage
($14,400), Lamm LP2 Deluxe Phono
($7000), Lamm M1.2 Reference mono
amps ($20,000), the dCS digital
stack consisting of Verdi LaScala
($17,500), Elgar Plus ($17,500),
Verona ($7,900), Kharma Enigma
Cabling, TAOC Audio Rack, Kuzma
Stabi Ref with Stogi Ref Arm
($9450), Shelter 90x MC cartridge
($2700).
The
Nacks in Kharma-land
Effortless
control: that about sums up what
set this room apart. A lot of what
I heard in the smaller GTT room
was here, too, but Hilary's violin
on the Bernstein was focused and
full of nuance with great string
tone through the dCS stack, a
world-reference front-end.
Similarly, LPs spun on the Kuzma
Stabi Ref were stunning,
performance on par with the
mega-buck tables—and this isn't
even their top-of-the-line
product! The reissue LP, Martha
Argerich Spielt, was typical
DG from the 1960s—dry, very
direct, and midrange
dominant—but very accurate piano
sound, with uncommon subtlety and
low-level information. The sound
in this room brought to mind those
high-end advertisements with
graphs of cable response, where
cable A (the GTT room) better
approximates the square wave while
others are rolled off in one way
or another.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue19/he05nack.htm
EnjoyTheMusic.com
The
joint was really jumpin' in the
Continuum room where their fabled
turntable ($48K) with its Cobra
tonearm ($12.5K) made from banana
wood (?) was pumping out the
R&B. This extraordinary design
is both massive and retro/deco,
exuding quality that matches its
high price. A window in the front
of the base allows you to gaze at
the inner workings. Special
isolation footers indicate the
attention given to resonance
control. In fact, the Castellon
Isolation Stand ($20K) featured a
top shelf that was magnetically
levitated. It looked like a
Continuum preamplifier with
separate power supply, but I
didn't press for details here.
Lamm ML 1.1 monoblocks on
Stillpoints Component Stands ($800
ea.) drove the Peak-Consult
Empress loudspeakers ($25K)
imported from Denmark by Chris
Sommovigo of Stereovox. Taking a
page from Sonus Faber, these
loudspeakers had the most
impressive fit and finish of any
wood enclosure loudspeaker at the
show, tastefully complemented by
the leather baffle. The low sheen
finish is much more impressive in
person than the photograph
indicates. Overall, the equipment
in this room not only looked
right together, but the sound
was among the Very Best Rooms at
the show. I only wish I could have
reduced the level of humanity in
this room for a better listen,
selfish as I am. I would hear the
Empress and its big brother later
on in the show, but this was
the presentation that really
stood out in visual, mechanical
and musical quality. Lamm reviews
include Model
LL2
preamplifier (Deluxe) and their LP2
Phono
preamplifier.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hifi2005/becker/
Lamm
Industries
had a pair Vitavox cornerhorn
two-way loudspeakers of being
driven by their ML2.1 monoblock
amplifiers ($29,290). Simplicity
in visuals conceals some very
high-end inner-workings. While a
pair of Russian 6C33C-B produce
18 watts, a 12ax7, 6N6P, 5651,
and 6AK5 round out the tube
compliment. In fact our very own
senior editor Dick Olsher
reviewed Lamm's LP2 phono
preamplifier (click
here) and LL2 (Deluxe)
line level preamplifier (click
here).
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/hifi2005/thursday/
StereoTimes.com
David
Karmeli of Damoka LLC,
(another New York based
dealer), put on another
unusual showing (doesn't
he always?) featuring
the best of what is both
old and new in high-end
audio. His circa
1956 Vitavox Corner Horn
loudspeakers looked
quite odd loaded into
each corner of the room
but nonetheless sounded
gorgeous. Feeding these
ancient behemoths were
all new tube technology
that featured Lamm's
ML2.1 mono amplifiers,
L2 preamplifier and LP2 Phonostage.
 Keeping
nostalgic, Karmeli also
chose the Thorens
Reference as his 'table
of choice among the many
dozens he has in
possession. Contemporary
electronics included the
Weiss Medea dac and CES
TL1 transport when
things digital were
called upon. The rack
used is one of my
references in the
Acoustic Dreams 4-tier
reference ($6,000).
Cabling used throughout
was all Purist Audio
Dominus. Overall,
the sound was sweet,
rhythmic and inviting.
This is a sound that is
not easily acquired. To
understand its
sophistication will take
time. But given
time and commitment one
can be very easily
seduced by its overall
purity quotient and
musicality. Jerry Gladstein, former owner
of FI magazine and
personal friend of
Karmeli and I, uses
these very electronics
except for the CEC TL1
transport: Jerry chose
their reference CES TL0
as his own. And it is
was there in Gladstein's
listening room where I
learned about the very
art of seduction.
www.stereotimes.com
(HE 2005, Part 1,
Clement Perry)
6moons.com
The
second-best part of attending
HE2005? Spending time with
fellow moonificences Marja & Henk, Jules Coleman, Paul
Candy, Ken Micallef, Kari Nevalainen, Michael Lavorgna,
Chip Stern and Steve Marsh,
meeting other friends and making
new ones. Finally exchanging a
few words with my pen hero Art Dudley
during the press junket for
Moscode's new amplifier was one
of the highlights in that
regard. Speaking of highlights,
two exhibits deserve special
mention for providing musical
entertainment and education
as part -- or main stain -- of
their efforts. The first one of
these was David Karmeli's Damoka
LLC room in which he and
Vladimir Lamm of Lamm
Industries played a pair
of Vitavox corner horns such as
were used during the hay days of
Western Electric movie-house
amplifiers in auditoriums for
500 - 600 viewers. Seeing that
neither the vintage pair of
speakers nor the Thorens
Reference turntable are
available for purchase (well,
perhaps the show samples were),
this exhibit epitomized the
spirit of education which
dealers of old used to provide.
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Vladimir
[above insert] mused over how
HighEnd audio has pursued a dead
end for decades. The living
proof thereof was the utterly
effortless and natural
presentation of this exhibit. It
played at subdued and very
civilized levels yet held one's
attention. Audio from the days
of WE, Siemens and Altec-Lansing
arguably did certain -- very
vital -- things far better than
most of today's audio. Those
writing off such statements as
rose-colored reminiscences of a
past that wasn't nearly as good
as memories would have it only
had to step into this sizeable
room to be taught an important
lesson: Our predecessors half a
century ago knew what
mattered. If they perhaps didn't
capture all the details and
suffered certain colorations in
turn, they honed in on the
musical essence which we all too
often miss today.
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Lamm [left] was present as well to
greet visitors, provide hand-outs
and answer questions while David
Karmeli announced the imminent
opening of a new large show room
in New York.
If the Grand Opening's date
doesn't wreck havoc with my
schedule, I shall accept Karmeli's
invitation to attend and report on
it. Anyone with so keen a focus on
music (rather than HiFi) as was
clearly demonstrated here deserves
all the publicity available. We
shall do our best to contribute.
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http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/he2005/1.html
GTT
Audio & Video
did as they always do,
make superlative sound
with Kharma speakers.
And as has been the case
in the past as well, I
thought the system with
the $21,000/pr 3.2E
Reference Monitors
outdid the adjacent one
with the $75,000/pr Midi
Exquisites. Both
rooms had the $9,500 Ceramique
sub going while
amplification and front
ends diverged. The
smaller system used the
dCS Verdi LaScala/Elgar+/Verona
trio, the larger one the
EMM Labs CDSD/DAC 6e
combo. The smaller
system used the Nagra
PL-L linestage and
Kharma's own diminutive MP150
amps, the larger one a
full contingent of Lamm
L2 line stage, LP2 phono
stage and M1.2 Reference
amps, with a Kuzma Stabi/Stogi
and Shelter 90x handling
vinyl duties. And yes,
the MP150s are Class D,
and yes, they're
proprietary and not
based on ICEpower, Tripath, Toccata or
anyone else's scheme.
http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/he2005/7.html
www.unitedhomeproducts.com
http://www.unitedhomeproducts.com/id169.htm
www.highendpalace.com
http://www.highendpalace.com/2005%20Stereophile%20show%20in%20NY.htm
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M1.2
Reference
