BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

Event: Focus on Single-drivers

Our BAAS event this Saturday will focus on high-efficiency, single-driver speakers partnered with “flea-powered” amps.

For those who have not had the pleasure of listening to these minimalist systems, ‘first contact’ can be a revelation. To begin with, you’ve probably not heard speed and dynamics in this combination. And then there’s the coherence, which is pretty much as good as it gets.

But there are always tradeoffs. For speakers sporting 100dB+ sensitivities, noise just can’t be tolerated. Next is bandwidth. How can we ask a single driver to produce all ten audio octaves? How about eight of them? And we might also mention coloration. Not only do we demand (at least) 8 octaves, but we want flat response through all eight. Flat impedance would be nice too (preferably >8 ohms). Finally, low distortion (e.g., no ‘shouting’ allowed).

Mighty tall order!

We’ll have 3 systems at 3 price points to compare.

For speakers:

• Our featured reference will be the Teresonic Ingenium, a beautifully-sculpted piece produced right here in Silicon Valley (click here)
• Our mid-priced example will be the new-to-the-US Lotus Acoustics WL8, available via the web at Audiomagus (the t-amp experts)
• Our affordable example, the HorneShoppe Horn I, is a web-sold, handmade product that has inspired a cult following

For amplification, we’ll have:

• A super-high-end 2A3 SE tube amp
• The FirstWatt F1 and F3 (designed with hi-eff speakers in mind); and
• A neat 3W custom-built SE SS amp

So we’ll have systems ranging from a few thousand dollars in price to well into 5 figures.

But that’s not all…we’ll also have a room designed around the finest home theater ensemble that I have ever seen – featuring a Runco VX22C w/ autoscope, Stewart 130” 2.35:1 screen, and Aerial System One audio system. This is a $100K home theater setup! The demo video that we’ll play is just breathtaking.

Attendance is members-only, and we already have two sessions filled to capacity.

Members may contact Bob for details.