Finally heard Accuphase

@mihorn 

"I hear thick veiled and glare sounds which makes me a headache and blur vision."

Exactly how it was for me IRL. Extremely veiled. 

And in the gryphon room, the guy says, "I'll play this sax solo that sounds really good" and it was so horrendous, the glare was scorching my ears and I had to walk out after seconds. Some of this stuff is worse than sound we encounter in daily life, PA systems, movies theaters bluetooth speakers etc but at astronomic prices.

I've always thought DIY and boutique companies are better than the big names. This show confirmed it.

I went to the last Washington audio show and the Accuphase amps I heard did not sound to me. They were just OK. Now I own 6 integrated, one being an Accuphase 380. In my system it sound very neutral with a hint of warmth in the midrange. It just sounds like it’s name, accurate. I enjoy it very much.

@clustrocasual I agree with you regarding the gryphon room. Something was definitely off there. 

The various Accuphase rooms went from just OK to pretty darn good. 

The Audio Note room was a disappointment, but it may have been the room. Hard to tell.

Almost everything at THE Show was underwhelming. I did like some of the electrostatic rooms, but not all. I do prefer the electrostatic presentation.

The Chesky room was amazing, considering the value. I am looking to buy a pair of the speakers for my son. Add a subwoofer and an entry level audiophile system is ready to go.

@thriftyaudio what did you find disappointing about the AN room? The Snell box designs are certainly very different from electrostatics. 

I've heard accuphase at Axpona, accurate but wasn't musical but again this was a show condition. Didn't stay for more than 2 songs but just did nothing for me. Now Airtight that was very special.