now that the 2020 Florida audio Expo is in the books, I wanted to recap a bit and once again submit my thanks for the posters which provided a few head’s up on some very interesting gear which I had no thoughts of investigating what so ever.
I did check out several though not every suggestion and am grateful for them. thank you all.
the notes below are all taken from memory so if I’m off a bit here or there my apologies are here in advance.
in the 2020 Expo glass power prevailed or so it seems but that likely is the result of my ambitions for checking out the show. . OTL units from Linear and Atmaspherre were in abundance as well as a few SET amps by Doshi and Avec, Linear tube, Raven, etc, and , Ultralinears from VAC, Raven, Bob Carver, and VTL.
essentially if you were looking for tube power, or tube source devices it was hard not to find them.
for the sand freaks Pass Labs proliferated the event and showed their new INT, Luxman as well was easy to find pushing someone’s loudspeakers.
Vitas brand new 030 Integrated was up and running and a must see demo.
in no particular order…
The raven room was especially intriguing . and as with a couple other exhibits reinforced or underlined the notion one does not have to drop enormous sums into a stereo for it to check all the audio nervosa boxes, although if you do have the budget to acquire a higher state of affairs in the audio arts, any of the brands on hand would certainly accommodate your desires. Quickly.
using either a Brooklyn or Manhattan DAC, raven touted a 20wpc INT amp which fueled a pair of monitors and their presentation was shockingly good given the out the door price. Raven also supplies their own cabling at exceptionally modest costs. I forget the INT cost and their monitors came in at a retail of $3495. they also showed more amps and another pr of tower speakers which go off at $11K.
to date I’ve not been as awe struck by a 20wpc & speaker combo that dug as deeply into the bottom octaves as did the Raven setup. it was as well room filling bass reproduction. stunning and impressive and at an ‘out the door’ cost of $7K. , all in.
Raven offers a great deal in terms of value and performance and as I recall, all is made in house, predominately and curtailed or customized to suit the buyer.
Raven also incorporates NOS tubes as opptions for their power choices as inventories permit.
Raven’s towers and 125wpc amps really set the bar for a setup dwhich presents high value an excellent musical recreation.
Engrossing was the watchword for the various raven exhibitions.
MC Audio Tech presenting their 4010 line source amalgamation will set you back 35 large for a pair of their tour de force conduits to audio nirvana. Naturally this includes delivery and set up.
the presentation at the expo was striking, esthetically and sonically. i was enammored by the fact they were driven by about 60 watts in all as the bottom and top ends were bi amped. I forget the exact size of the amps but seem to recall the top end had a 40wpc amp. their imagery and tonal purity were provocotive.
Spatial’s M3 Sapphire loudspeakers in 605 were proving beyond doubt great to outstanding levels of audio recreation can readily be had without hi jacking an armoured car. again, the sapphire’s were pushed by modestly armed tube amps. At $4995 retail, one would not go far wrong if at all picking up these over achievers. those who must have a presentation with copious bass will surely dig the latest Saphires.
sticking on the loudspeaker tact, Daedalus Audio designer Lou Hinkley was on hand displaying a pair of Apollo’s ($18K) in a suprisingly well appointed exhibition supported by a Lampy Pacifica DAC, Mr. Hayes latest one box solution VAC Statement INT amp, and Wye Wires handled the fully balanced connections between components.
the pair of apollos on display were noted by my friend Evvie as breathtaking, or gorgeous, or some other startelingly positive adjective remarking as she regaled how exceptional was their presence. and how they demanded your attention audibly and visually. . She did go on about the Apollos finish for some time so I’m convinced these were quite special on two fronts and briefly regreted not having the capacity to enjoy the ‘eye candy’ on display.
However, all was not lost as my ears informed me the honesty level on hand was paramount and the demo was utterly absorbing.
i very much wantded to see how the Apollos ran with far less muscle than the VAC Statement power plant was serving up, but it is what it was, and it was, on the whole, fascinating and fun.
Bottom line? Nothing about the VAC, Lampy, and Daedalus Audio room even hinted at disappointment except the total price tag necessary to carry the contents of that room down to the curb and load it all into your SUV or U- Haul.
were I able to pick a room to keep… this one would be almost impossible to pass up.
exaSound Audio Design, Gershman acoustics, and yet more VAC power was definitely representing on the tenth floor. exaSound was doing the digital to analog conversion feeding the VAC Statement preamp and Statement 450 amps pushing along the 2.5 way towers to a lovely rendering of music despite the genre being requested. in fact this roomn possessed enough audible refinement and integrity it ought to satisfy many regardless how critical or varied their musical preffs might be. this was a room that was incredibly difficult to leave.
the Pavillion all analog presentation supplied by Classic Audio T3s, Atmasphere power, P.A.D. cabling provided an utterly sublime intewrlude with Louis Armstrong, and later, The allman Brothers.
Classic Audio’s John Wolff and Atmasphere’s Ralph Karsten were equally engaging though I probably asked too many questions on too many topics. But to their credit, both were paitient, gracious, and illuminating.
ralph informed me the amps in use at that moment were the MP 1, although his Nova Chron’s were on hand as well. last year I heard the Novas and CA T1s incombo and had thoughts of larceny to secure the funds needed to acquire it all. lol
despite the enormity of the room the setup was configured in at the moment, John told me the t3s worked in much smaller environs and only the listening position from them would be the user’s preff, though ten feet or more was the norm for best results.
asking about setup difficulties, John remarked ’No Problem there at all. a modest distance off the front wall, and some slight bit off the side walls, then toe in to suit”. easy peasey.
sitting in the sS for some time I must agree. even getting up and walking about later on demonstrated these transducers yeild a depiction that allows for a good deal of freedom in latitude for listeners and eliminates the head in a vice issue other speakers may demand.
the ensemble created involvement and elicited an emotive response which one could easily argue being magical. to date only the CA T1s and Atmas Nova amps combo clearly rose above the T3s & Atmas MP1s in terms of actual captivation factor.
i missed several rooms this year while concentrating on more specific things of personal concern. however the same atmosphere of graciousness and friendlyness was plainly evident throughout the hotel and from all of the vendors, demonstrators, and designers.
in short, laid back, candid, friendly, and informative would be my watch words to paint both the social and technical side of the affair.
perhaps all shows are as affable as the Florida Audio Expo, but with temps of 70F, a veritable warehouse of audio trinkets and SOTA audio gear, and a myriad of ancillary events and attractions near by, where else would one want to be in February for a week or so?
in just one year the Florida Expo grew about 50% in terms of things to see and hear. while increasing attendance too.
given two shows are now in the books, and the obvious growth in vendors and public interest I can not wait until next year and the 3rd annual Florida Audio Expo!
a huge serving of gratitude must go out to my friends Bart a. and others for birthing the concept and of an Audio show back to Florida not to mention all the hard work that goes into it. bravo!
lastly an immense debt of gratitude goes to Yevette B. for her paitience and incredible navigational abilities during the busiest day of the show helping me find and subsequently irritate the reps distributors, designers, and exhibitors. great job Evie!
Sam Spade remarked in the classic film The Maltese Falcon, “The Maltese Falcon is the stuff that dreams are made of”.
Sam never heard any of the rooms at the 2020 florida Audio Expo or that iconic phrase may have been whispered quite differently.
as for the show experience itself, I will draw on another quintessential film made a dozen years later adding, ”Play it again Sam”.
