BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

Best Systems at Rocky Mountain (RMAF 2008)

Let me begin with a quotable quote:

• Audiophile: “I just don’t understand how a power cord can matter.”
• Well-known cable vendor: “The first thing to understand is that the improvement has nothing to do with power….”
• Audiophile: “Huh?”

Yep – believe it or not – a lot of hype and misinformation flowed in Denver this weekend. But so did a lot of knowledge and great access to very interesting sound systems.

For my list of “best sounds at the show,” read on…

Here are the best-sounding systems that I heard (I named them based on the loudspeakers used):

• Kaiser Kawero! (in the LessLoss Room)
  • The “Best in Show” – the most breathtaking sound that I experienced
  • Their best feature:  Huge, all-embracing  soundstage
  • These were so good that I just put my pen down and listened
  • $50K
• Joseph Audio RM55LE
  • I went back to this room twice to try to identify a fault – and failed
  • My notes from the second trip “Simply excellent”
  • I could not hear a crossover – absolutely no phase issues
    • Almost like a 3-way single-driver
  • Powerful, yet fast and precise
  • Driven by a Bel Canto stack (also excellent)
  • $18K
• Ascendo (from Laufer Teknik)
  • Like an affordable Kaiser
  • Huge, deep soundstage with precision imaging
  • Very musical, very tranparent – they get out of the way
  • Captivating midrange, with solid extension on both ends
  • Driven by a $20K Behold stack
  • $10K
• Ficion F300
  • Like a more-affordable JA RM55
  • Raw power, matched with precision and detail – technically excellent
  • Very musical, with a stable-and-deep soundstage that draws you in
  • 12″ woofer goes cleanly to 25hz
  • This is a stunning new speaker designed by a former Silicon Valley engineer
  • $15K
• Yokohama Baysidenet Evanui Signature (pic below)
  • From Japan, the best single-driver loudspeaker that I have experienced
  • 3″ pure magnesium driver magnetically suspended (no mechanical surround)
  • Large, downward-firing conical horn enclosure
  • Solid in-room response 40hz – ~20khz, uncolored, fast, and coherent
  • A listening (and visual) treat, yours for only $60K

And the special award for “best value” goes to:

• Sonist Concerto 3
  •  Great-sounding two-way floorstanders built from premium parts
  • Slightly-congested upper-mids reduce sounstage depth
  • Beautifully-constructed using primo parts
  • Driven by neat $500 EL84 “Glow Amp”
  • At $3400, everyone should have a pair! <g>

That’s it for now. In future posts, I’ll offer more listening impressions from RMAF, and share my discussion with “Doc” Johnson of Reference Recordings. Stay tuned!

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