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Some Axpona thoughts

Went on Friday. Always try to find great sounding speakers that are not TOO expensive. Ones that impressed me- Vapor Cirrus Black(4K),Kef Ls50($1500), Rega RS5($1500),Joseph Pulsar(not cheap at 7K but a special speaker),Sonus Faber Veneer 3.0(bargain at $3500), Legacy Aeris(12k), Acoustic Zen Crescendo(16K) and lots more. Two others intrigued me. 1)Newform Research line array.(10K) 84" Tall with about 12 drivers and about 3 feet of ribbons drivers mounted directly in front of the other drivers. It looks odd and you wouldn't think it would work,but it sounded totally transparent and with 4 subs and a cross-over thrown into the package- it wasn't a bad deal. The star of the show had to be the Tad Reference One. It was worth the price of admission alone. At 70K, totally unaffordable for me, but what a treat to listen to. They played a Master Tape on a reel-to-reel of a jazz recording. It was literally like the sax player was inside the speaker. The most accurate reproduction of an instrument and music I've ever heard. That's what cool about these shows. I would like to hear other people thoughts if they were there-especially on the Newform Research(am I crazy?) and the TAD(I can't be crazy).
jackmonster

Showing 3 responses by mt10425

mt10425
1,138 posts
 
Phaelon, I agree with your description of these, very intimate for such large boxes.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
I agree on the Newform but the TAD chased me from the room on Friday. The AZ Cresendo was a favorite. The line array which surprised and was very enjoyable was the tall DIY in the Parts Express room which included a sub. So many only sounded decent in a sweet spot. The best soundstage I heard was in the YG Acoustics (small) room. Most enjoyable in a large room was Orion-4. Best panel-Leonardo. Another interesting sound came from the unique Lowther. Lots of fun sounds in many rooms. The show started out in a terrific manner with a cartridge seminar by Soundsmith's Peter Lederman. Highly entertaining and informative. I've tried to share a few opinions on a couple of threads, both, here and on AA.
mt10425
1,138 posts
 
I'm with Drubin on all but the Kef LS50. Hollow sound in a room too big for them. The Blades however...nice.
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