Snapshots from RMAF 2013 – Electronics & Source Components

This article is the second in a two-part series that we’ve called “Snapshots from RMAF 2013”. Rather than a blog, what follows is more an annotated picture album designed to give you a bit of the flavour of the Hi-Fi+ team’s recent trip to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver, Colorado. This section of our album focuses on electronics, source components, and (a few) accessories.

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest

The RMAF banner shown above was positioned over the entrance to a gathering space located below the central atrium of the Marriott Denver Tech Center. On many evenings throughout the event, this space becomes the spot where a veritable who’s who of high-end audio comes to meet.

Most knowledgeable audiophiles agree that our industry owes a huge debt of gratitude to RMAF organizer Marjorie Baumert, whose tireless efforts have made the show the enduring success that it is.

Ms. Baumert, caught here mid-show, stands beneath a banner announcing RMAF’s 10^th anniversary.

To celebrate RMAF’s 10^th anniversary show promoters created the commemorative event T-shirts shown here.

ELECTRONICS & SOURCE COMPONENTS

AESTHETIX

Aesthetix didn’t launch any new products at RMAF, but nevertheless figured prominently in a demonstration room sponsored by Apex Hi-Fi and Aesthetix distributor Musical Surroundings, as this glorious stack of Aesthetix components shows. The stack includes Aesthetix’ Romulus USB/SPDIF DAC and CD player ($7,000), Calisto Eclipse linestage preamplifier ($19,500), Io Eclipse phono stage ($15,500), and Atlas Mono power amplifiers ($32,000/pair).

AUDIO RESEARCH CORPORATION

As might be expected, ARC’s top-of-the range Reference series components figured heavily in the firm’s demonstration room, as can be seen from this impressive array of ARC gear used to power the main demo system, which also featured Vandersteen 7 loudspeakers.

However, ARC’s biggest news for the show wasn’t a Reference-series model, but rather the firm’s spectacular new SP20 preamplifier ($9,000), which not only incorporates a high performance linestage preamp section, but also a flexible and highly capable built-in phono stage section, plus a very high performance headphone amplifier. 

No wonder that ARC’s Dave Gordon is beaming as he shows off his new “baby.”

BRICASTI DESIGN

The Massachusetts-based firm Bricasti Design showed the very latest version of its famous M1 Dual Mono Masterpiece DAC ($8,995), which has evolved in many ways since Hi-Fi+ reviewed the initial version of the M1 some years ago. Specifically, the latest M1 now decodes DSD files whilst offering other performance enhancements as well, not the least of which is a new remote control.

In conjunction with the M1, Bricasti’s Brian Zolner also showed prototypes of his firm’s formidable, upcoming M28 monoblock amplifiers, whose projected price will be around $20,000.

CYRUS

Cyrus whetted our audio appetites with a display of its new Lyric 9 combination streamer, high-res DAC, CD player, and integrated amplifier, to be priced at £3,000.  The do-all Lyric 9 puts out a very impressive 175 Wpc , making it markedly more powerful than many competing British integrated amplifiers. We can’t wait to hear one.

(Sadly, RMAF show attendees were able to see but not hear the Lyric 9 powered up since Cyrus had brought a UK-spec model to the show as a last minute decision and had not been able to locate a sufficiently powerful 120V-to-240V-voltage conversion device on short notice.).

CONSTELLATION AUDIO

Set firmly in the ‘if you must ask, you can’t afford it’ regions, Constellation Audio’s more ‘affordable’ (word used advisedly) range, including the new Virgo 2 preamp and Centaur Mono amplifiers is currently vying for ‘world’s best’ slot, aided by Von Schweikert VR-100XS and UHA open reel tape machines. A test of the Virgo 2/Centaur mono amps will appear in issue 106.

DAN D’AGOSTINO

For Dan D’Agostino, RMAF served as an opportunity to showcase the firm’s very full-featured Momentum preamplifier ($35,000) and Momentum Mono-Block amplifiers ($60,000), which were positioned on matching Momentum floor stands. These top-shelf electronics were used to drive a lovely pair of Vandersteen 5A Carbon loudspeakers.

DEQX

One of the most fascinating demonstrations at RMAF involved a system based on the DEQX PreMate preamplifier/speaker + room correction system ($4,495 or £2,941), supported by Plinius amplifiers and driving a set of YG Acoustics Kipod loudspeakers. The DEQX PreMate first applies both frequency and time response corrections to loudspeakers and then applies room correction touches as needed.

The point of the demo was to show that the PreMate could be used to sharpen the overall focus and smoothness even of loudspeakers, such as YG’s Kipods, already know to have superb frequency response and phase characteristics.

DR. FEICKERT ANALOGUE

The German turntable brand is now distributed in the US by VANA (formerly Vienna Acoustics North America) and with this relatively new distribution arrangement has come an interesting new product development. Specifically, VANA requested, and Dr. Feickert is supplying, a special version of the firm’s famous Woodpecker turntable that is fitted with a distinct acrylic + brass platter, a 12-inch Jelco tonearm, and the arm fitted with the very innovative Acoustical Systems Arché cartridge headshell (which allows users to adjust various cartridge alignment settings in a very precise way at the headshell, so that arm-bearing adjustments remain unaffected). The entire “Super Woodpecker” turntable + arm + headshell package will sell for the attractive bundled price of $8,000.

EXEMPLAR

Exemplar Audio electronics components have often been used successfully in conjunction with demonstrations of Eficion loudspeakers and such was the case this year. Exemplar components on demonstration included the Exemplar Expo universal player ($4,750 and based upon an Oppo platform), the Exception DAC ($4,000), the Exception SE Line Stage Preamplifier ($4,250), and Exception Integrated Amplifier ($4,950).

GIK ACOUSTICS

GIK Acoustics is a manufacturer of attractive, effective, and well-priced acoustical room treatment products, including diffusors, absorbers, bass traps, and so on. One piece of good news for Hi-Fi+ readers and audio enthusiast on either side of the Atlantic is that GIK has manufacturing facilities in the US and in the UK. So, GIK can be  “local” supplier no matter where you live.  Shown here are a pair the GIK model Q7D diffusors, which sell for $350, each.

HEGEL

In the UK, we call them ‘mullet’ systems; the price of the electronics is a fraction of the price of the speakers, and named after the ‘business up front, party in the back’ haircut. Hegel’s new H80 digital converter/amplifier was fed by a humble MacBook (occasionally with the company’s H25 DAC in place too). This was a  $2,000 amp, driving a $12,500 pair of Magico S1s well! Hegel also showcased its new Super headphone amp/DAC, priced at $399.

LIGHT HARMONIC

Light Harmonic’s visually stunning Da Vinci 384K USB DAC ($31,000) was the source component of choice for a demonstration highlighting one of the, if not the, highest performance headphone demonstrations we have ever heard. The demon in question featured the Light Harmonic DAC (dressed in what appeared to be a near copy of Ferrari’s Maranello Red) feeding a Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold fully-balanced headphone amplifier and a pair of Abyss AB-1266 planar magnetic headphones. The system proved eye-opening for may listeners, some of whom were taken aback to find out just how much “new” musical information could be retrieved and reproduced from seemingly familiar digital music files.

LINDEMANN

The German firm Lindemann showcased three important products at RMAF. First up is the MusicBook 20/25, which s a combination network music players, 383/32 DAC, Class A headphone amplifier, and balanced-output preamplifier available with (model 25) or without (model 20) a built-in CD player (pricing: $5,500 for the model 25, or $5,000 for the model 20).

Next is the MusicBook 10/15, which is a USB music player, DSD DAC, Class A headphone amplifier, and balanced-output preamplifier available with (model 15) or without (model 10) a built-in CD player (pricing: $4,500 for the model 15, or $4,000 for the model 10). Last but not least is Lindemann’s very compact Music Book 50, which is a balanced Class D power amplifier ($2,250).

LUMIN

For RMAF, Lumin showed its very ambitious high-resolution PCM and DSD-capable Audiophile Network Music player, priced at $7200. The Lumin is quite beautiful to look at thanks to its chassis exterior, which appears to be “carved from billet.” If it sounds as good as it looks, it should be quite special indeed.

LYRA

Luke Manley, president of VTL, turned us on to the brand new Lyra Etna phono cartridge (~$7,000), whose design borrows significant elements from the firm’s flagship Atlas phono cartridge. Personally, we found the Etna to one of the most articulate, engaging, and natural-sounding Lyra cartridges we have ever heard.

To hear one is, perhaps, to covet one, though it certainly helps to have one mounted on a Spiral Groove turntable with top-shelf VTL electronics handling amplification duties, as in the photo below.

MBL

The MBL demonstration room featured a bevy of MBL Corona-series electronics components including the new Corona Monoblock amplifiers, which can be driven to astounding output levels without breaking a sweat and the Corona 11 preamplifier, as shown in the two images here.

MOLA-MOLA

Mola-Mola electronics were used to power one of the better sounding demonstrations we heard at RMAF, which featured YG Acoustics loudspeakers, Mola-Mola amplification, and Kubala-Sosna cables. Shown in the photo below are the four Mola-Mola Kaluga monoblock amplifiers ($7,500/each) used to power a set of YG’s Sonja 1.2 loudspeakers. Not shown is the very clever and exceedingly versatile Mola-Mola Makua preamplifier, for which users can program the functions of each of the preamp’s inputs. For example, Input 1 could be defined as a balanced input for a linestage, whilst Input 2 could be defined as a phono stage input for a specific low-output MC phono cartridge, and Input 3 could be a high-res DAC input, and so forth.

NAIM AUDIO

Naim Audio shared a demo room with DALI and was highlighting is growing family of NAIT-series integrated amplifiers, where their them for the show was “NAIT Evolved”. On demonstration were three new NAITs: the SuperNait 2 integrated amplifier ($4,900), Nait XS 2 integrated amplifier ($2,900), and the Nait 5i ($1,800).

PLINIUS

Plinius amplifiers figured prominently in a number of demonstration rooms, including an Eficion loudspeaker demonstration room that used a Plinius SA103 amplifier ($10,150) or the DEQX demo room, which used a pair of Plinius P10 monoblock power amplifiers, as shown in the image below.

PSB/NAD

Sister companies NAD Electronics and PSB Speakers teamed up to give a preview of an impressive new Apple App designed for use with NAD’s 7050 digital integrated amplifier and select PSB speakers. Basically, the app allows users to download parameters that allow the amplifier to apply extremely precise correction settings for select PSB speakers (e.g., the Imagine Mini or Imagine T, ash shown in the demo room). The end result, says PSB founder Paul Barton, is an ability to achieve ultra-tight frequency response tolerances – as in ± O.5dB from 40Hz-18kHz. Potentially, this could be the next great performance upgrade path for many speakers being driven by NAD’s flexible, digital amps.

REGA

Rega Research shared a demo room with PMC and showed several impressive new (or new to the US) electronics components including the Saturn-R DAC + CD player (a thoroughgoing merger of the two product concepts in one chassis, $2,995), the brilliant Elicit R integrated amplifier ($2,995), and the Aria MC/MM phono stage (think, “Rega Io, junior”, $1,495).

ROKSAN

Roksan’s elegant Oxygene system is designed to work with the top on show, making it an ideal canvas for personal artwork. In this case, one of Paul Jay Apodaca’s dozen creations using the Oxygene as canvas. Here, it is being modelled by his wife and muse Houda Alaoua Apodaca.

SONY

The theme for Sony at this year’s RMAF might well have been termed “All high-res, all the time.” As evidence of this consider the firms’ display of new ES-series components. Featured were the HAP-Z1ES DSD-capable, high-res digital music player, which incorporates 1TB of onboard file storage plus a built-in “DSD Re-mastering Engine” ($1,999) and the MOSFET-powered, Class A/B, 80 Wpc TA-A1ES integrated amplifier ($1,999).

VON GAYLORD

The California-based firm Von Gaylord was showing its elegant two-way VG-8 stand-mount monitors as powered by its lovely Starlet 4 triode 50 Wpc integrated amplifier ($3,495). Both products seem almost tailor made to cater to British (and perhaps European) preferences for compact but highly refined audio components. Happily, Von Gaylord is exploring the idea of opening up UK and European distribution channels.

VTL

For VTL the big news for the show was the launch of the firm’s spectacular new S-400 MkII fully balanced valve-powered amplifier (think “Son of Siegfried MkII” and you’ve got the right general idea), which sounded incredible and that effortlessly pulled the best performance some of us have ever heard from a set of Wilson Alexia loudspeakers.

VPI

The new Classic Direct Drive turntable ($30,000) does exactly what the name suggests. It’s based on the popular Classic range, but brings a high-quality direct drive motor to the table. The new turntable also comes with a 12” version of the new VPI JMW 3D printed arm, available for $5,000 separately. It sounded excellent through a Jeff Rowland Capri 2 preamplifier and 825 power amp, going into Joseph Audio Pearl 3 loudspeakers.