Yes, I completely agree. It has the vibe of the shows that are intended for the public, a kind of neat sense of discovery coupled with recognizable brands and names. Several were new to me and sounded great like Vaughn speakers and AudioSpace amps. The bug guys were making some serious sounds too with an excellent demo from Lumen White and the stand mounted Vivid's. Oh and it was a welcomed change that many rooms were not trying to impress with volume. At many shows I've attended with friends we've entered rooms with anticipation, found open seats, and quickly turned to each other with a wince and a nod saying 'let's get out of here!'. Not so much at this show. In fact, this was a show for hearing music. Very nice! |
A must go to event. You might find a system that might be a perfect match for your wallet and listening taste. This audio show will change your life forever!!! |
Some favorite rooms:
Audio Note
Vivid (On a Higher Note and w/ MSB). These are great speakers
Sonist
Gini (sometimes there's nothing quite like an LS3/5A)
Loved the look of the new Clearaudio Ovation Wood table |
And the MBLs sounded better than any of the few previous times I've heard them. Beautiful and airy stage with tremendous detail and ambience. Plus, they are something in white with their matching white electronics. Oh, and they also didn't crank them. Thankfully. |
A huge thank you to Constantine and all the vendors who showed. I share the opinion this was the best show. It was very possible to end up in a sweet spot seat so necessary for giving many setups a fair shake. Vendors were MUCH more easily approachable with less pressure to rush conversations. Even fellow attendees seemed to have their guards lowered in interacting with each other. Definitely promoted listening for pleasure beyond just the analytical mode. Two of the most enjoyable low pressure days of listening to diverse music. By far more rooms "did it" for me than not. That's never been the case. Lots of computers as servers. There was almost enough glorious analog. Long live California Audio Show! |
I had a great time this year at the show. I concur completely with the other posts regarding the very friendly reception from almost every room. After allowing me to play one of my cd's in one room, I was asked if I wanted to play anything else. I ended up playing songs off of three disks! Of course at the time the room was experiencing a little "lull in the action", but WOW!
My favorite two rooms were:
Vivid and Margules.
Did anybody else like the Margules room? They sounded great even way off axis. Great soundstage, bass(17 Hz) and dynamics. They have an active subwoofer too.
I'm looking for new speakers, but I've never heard of them.
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A great show. I went two days, and will follow up with a synopsis for those interested. A job well done by all involved. Jallen |
How did the new Dynaudio Confidence c1 signature line sound? |
I also went to the show, but thought many of the rooms were too small. As a result, it was difficult to get a sweet spot, the sound was at times not integrated, and there was some bass issues - more than the typical show conditions which is already problematic. I very much like Evolution Acoustics speakers, but I end up listing to the right speaker about 2 to 3 ft from it - and of course, much less than ideal. I thought the MBL room was great. |
My favorite rooms were Audio Note and MBL.
There a couple rooms which I thought had a lot potential but hindered themselves greatly with amps that weren't up to the level of the speakers. |
This was my first audio show. So, I can't say how good it was compared to other events. But, it was a great experience and I look forward to going again. I thought many of the rooms had great systems. But there were 2 rooms that I had a hard time leaving. The first was the Audible Arts/Wells Audio room. The Usher mini II speakers being driven by a Wells Innamorata amplifier sounded fantastic! The second room, was the one with the Vivid speakers and the Luxman integrated. That system was delivering real music!
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Went on Saturday for 9 hours. Had never heard any Magico speakers until then and found the Q1's to be my favorite of the show. They're the replacement for the Mini II, cheaper and have better driver's.
Went to the Margules room and walked out when I saw who they were(a long story from nine years ago. I'll just say that they can kiss my ass).
Chatted with Peter Madnick formerly of Audio Alchemy about his $140k monos, $60k preamp and the lesser range of components that only go for $20k a piece.
The Vivid room was nice, finally got to hear the BADA Dac and chatted with the guys from Music Lovers and Musical surroundings about a former dealer from Sacto that is now out of business because of shady dealings he had going on. |
Do Q1 have better stands look better have better Xover than MINI 2 still a classic. |
The stands look very basic(single leg/no tilt). I was told a deal can be worked out to get the Q1's w/o the stand. They're deeper than high and look better(not sure about the Xover). I have never seen the Mini in person, but with the cabinet being all metal(rapped it with my knuckles),it's probably more inert. |
Great show indeed. Thanks, Constantine & everyone at Dagogo. Much more "relaxing" than the LA show. I was there both Friday and Sunday. Most of the rooms sounded better on Sunday after the systems have been dialed in.
Got a chance to chat with some manufacturers as well, and came home with some new toys! Just broke my own rule that I would never buy equipment at a show. :-)
I'm also impreesed with Evolution speakers. Would love to hear the bigger speakers in their line-up.
FrankC |
