Best Speakers at RMAF 2011...?

Bob,
I forgot to list the Vandersteen Treo...! Agreed. I thought it sounded pretty good, as well. My only minor complaint is that the once affordable Vandersteen's are roughly $6k or so? I miss the plain old "sock" mesh Vandersteen, from a value standpoint. On the other hand, I think that's simply the going rate these days for good speakers...

The Joseph's are absolutely fatigue free, while being detailed and musical. I'm not sure which ones are the best bang for the buck though... That's a tough call.

Keep the votes coming.

Transaudio (Brad),
I agree. One of the things that amazed me at RMAF 2011 was that several manufacturers still seemed quite oblivious to the importance of setup. One of the clear audiophile sins seemed to be placing very large speakers in very small rooms, without any form of room treatments. This was even quite common among experienced manufacturers, who've been to dozens of shows over the years.

I heard a few speakers, which normally sound great, but were hampered by very bad rooms or setups. I normally like the Thiel 3.7's. However, they sounded rather "whitish" or slightly harsh in the high frequency range at RMAF.

On the other hand, I'm thankful that finally more of the exhibitor rooms have realized that "louder" is not necessarily better. Perhaps that and the combination of high resolution audio kept my ears from bleeding by the end of the show...!

Pefstratiou,

Just curious, what did you dislike in regards to the Avalon Ideas...? Perhaps too forward or...? I'm always curious about what people listen for, as tastes vary. I thought they sounded very dynamic. On the other hand, I'm not sure if they'd be forgiving of bad recordings.

Anybody hear any killer monitor sub-woofer combinations?

Any votes for best speaker within $2 to $5k...?

Lower priced speakers were a rarity at the show, with the exception of Emotiva. Quite sadly, many feel that if the price is too low, something is wrong with it...

I noticed that for better or for worse, exhibitors were for the most part, very, very careful to play the stock audiophile tunes. I didn't hear too many exhibitors asking to play any of the visitor's tunes.

Perhaps they were (wisely?) fearful of bad recordings?

I can't tell you how many times I heard that track from Chris Jones. Musically, I like it, and it is a good enough recording. However, I doubt it would sound bad on any speaker. Does anyone know the name of that Chris Jones Album? Tks!

I agree on the AudioPhysic Speakers, such clean dynamic sound out of relatively slender speakers. Although price wise, I think both models were out of the ballpark for me. I like how they seem to disappear.

"...cursed with too much money."

Heh, heh. If you are being sarcastic, I'm right there with you. If you're being serious, then I'm quite envious!

Wilson Audio Speakers always sound terribly good, year after year. I'm surprised they feel they need to show their wares.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the Emeralds. Too many people in the room, at the time.

I heard the Merlin's. They consistently sound warm and musical at every show I go to. I especially like the quality and finish.

The only bummer is that I'm not too big a fan of the BAM Module (some type of bass alignment filter, that you put between the amp and preamp). It seems a little bit gimmicky. I prefer the more simple setups... Example (although this could be sacrilege): If an integrated has enough power for the speakers, I would prefer to use integrated amps.

Any thoughts on whether the BAM on the Merlins makes a huge difference, in real world settings?

I really like the Element Fire Bookshelf Speaker at RMAF. It's new bass driver was absolutely amazing. The magnet in a sample, separate woofer felt like it weighed seven pounds.

The tweeter blended seamlessly with it. Totem claims no crossover, so both the treble and bass units are running full range. The speaker had a very dynamic, live quality (like an electrostat with weight). The only thing I didn't like was the price ($6k). Yeah, I know. I'm a cheapskate. It is a little easier paying that amount for a floor stander, but not much easier. I like the bookshelf speaker better than the floor stander in that Element series.