Best Speakers at RMAF 2011...?

Rebbe, did you make it to the RMAF this year?

If so good for you!

Drop me an email and tell me about it some time.

having read about BAM but not actually heard, I suspect BAM can make a significant difference in extending the low end with the Merlins.

I say this because the OHM speakers I use take a similar approach. The difference is OHM uses an inexpensive passive circuit connected internally off the crossover called the "Sub Bass Activator" I believe to extend the low end of many or most of their models by default these days. They also offer it as an option to enhance the low end of older OHM speakers similar to Merlin. I purchased it for my old OHM Ls that I have had for 30+ years now and the bass is quite excellent. I believe my newer OHM 100 and OHM 5 series3 driver based OHM speakers also use this circuit by default. The cost of the "Sub Bass Activator" circuit as an enhancement for teh OHM Ls was less than $100 I recall.

I think of these types of devices as specialized equalizers that are integrated as an option to the base level speaker design. A vary practical approach I think to wean better bass performance out of a smaller box if done right I believe.

Bose 901s are speakers that many may be familiar with that use a similar approach (heresy!) but to a much broader extent I suspect in that the basic 901 design is considered flawed by many and requires the equalizer to sound good, whereas with OHM and MErlins it is used to enhance and extend an already solid design.

Emerald Physics is a line that does similar things like Bose but using modern digital signal processing technology, which I suspect could work quite well though I have not heard those either.

Any Walsh style speakers showing at RMAF this year?

Dale Harder's designs come to mind but there are others.

Just curious how any Walsh designs are holding up at these events these days if showing.

German Physiks often shows at these events, don't they?

Not sure if anything really radically new there of late.

OHM relies on word of mouth from existing customers mostly for sales and has never done a show to the best of my knowledge.

Its the few upstart smaller companies that I know are out there that I am most interested in.

There is one company I heard of recently for the first time (name escapes me) that uses a Walsh style driver and digital signal processing together, which is a novel thing. They also let you custom decorate their synthetic cabinets using a wallpaper like approach as I recall which is also something a little different.

Hey, just glad to hear you were not hurt! Obviously, that's the important thing.

Not meant to be I suppose....maybe next year.

I hope to do it one of these years. I love the Rocky Mountains and the audio show is just enough extra reason to go.

yep, holistic audio arts. that's the one.

How did the Emerald Physics speakers sound and compare?

The new Totem Element line....any good?

Totems with bigger drivers than used historically sounds promising.