Rocky Mountain Audiofest Defies the Odds

[MylesBAstor]

Lots to write about and plenty of pictures to upload. Way, way too many rooms to cover. For any person, any age, any work capacity! At least for someone who actually spends some time listening in each room and just doesn't run around trying to snap as many lousy pictures as possible to post online.

So here are some of my top pics for the show!

The top three sounds at the show were pretty easy for me:

Tied for best in my book.

1) Magico M3/Q-subs/Soulution/Berkeley Audio DAC/Baetis server/Kronos/Black Beauty/Clearaudio Statement/Tara Labs (enjoyed much more than last years S7 demo)
1A) Vandersteen 7As/subs/with Vandersteen amplifier/Audio Research/AMG table and arm/DS Optical cartridge/Audioquest wiring and power conditioner

3) Avalon/Nagra/Kronos/EMT cartridge

Some other top choices at the show:

Kef Blades 2/VPI Avenger/Parasound

On a Higher Note/Kyomi Audio: Vivid Speakers/Luxman/AF table/Graham/Tech Das cartridge

Thrax Speakers and electronics/Dohmann table/Schroeder arm/Atlas cartridges/EnKlein cables (finally a success after two disappointing showings at Axpona and RMAF last year)

Von Schweikert/Endeavor speakers/Skogrand cables/VAC electronics/VPI Classic/J-Corder Technics reel-to-reel

Best value: ELAC U5 Towers ($1000) and ELAC integrated amplifier/DAC ($800) I'd say a tailored but very good sound for the money. The speakers do far more (not just sonically) than any speaker at their price point has any business of doing. Kudos to Andrew Jones!

Biggest surprise: Margules Audio from Mexico (hadn't heard their electronics in a long time and was impressed with the all tube sound)

Sexiest looking product (s): Metronome Kalista CD player (still thinking about others)

Most interesting headphone demo: though limited exposure here liked the sound of the Sonoma headphones+ headphone amplifier/Ampex 102 tape deck playing back one of Chad's 1/2-inch sampler tapes

[tom_hankins]

My top rooms were the
Ypsilen electronics / Wilson Benesch speakers
Nagra / Avalon
Also liked,
PS Audio with Ryan top speakers was good.
Luxman / Vivid

Best affordable speakers I have heard, Elac U5. Called a friend looking for speakers in that price range and convinced him to order a pr.
I liked having the show all on one side of the building. Also had a great time Friday at YG, catching up with old friends, drinking expresso's and spinning vinyl.

[MylesBAstor]

Sonoma Headphones Room

Source was 1/2 inch sampler tape at 30 ips provided by Acoustic Sounds. Heard a couple of cuts including the Dean Martin and it was dreamy. Now far from a headphone expert but sound was very rich, smooth and great imaging. If anything, lacked maybe just a little detail but oh so easy to listen to.

[MylesBAstor]

Aaudio Imports room with Ypsilon, Thales, Ikeda, Wilson Benesch.

[tom_hankins]

My favorite room.

[MylesBAstor]

My third favorite room. Nagra, Avalon, Kronos/EMT, Kubala-Sosna.

[tom_hankins]

In my top three rooms!

[MylesBAstor]

Another excellent room at RMAF this year. Von Schweikert/Skogrand cables/VAC/VPI/J-corder room. Spent a bit of time in there and Leif, Damon and Knut were kind enough to let me play listen to the new Acoustic Sounds tapes in their room. (Bottom pic: Knut Skogrand designer of Skogrand Cables who came here for the show all the way from Norway!)

[MylesBAstor]

Chris Mara, Welcome to 1979 Studios with his all in one turnkey reel-to-reel deck. This revamped MCI studio machine goes for $4000.

[MylesBAstor]

The new Raidho D4.1 speakers and Aarvik integrated amplifier. According to the Lars, the D4.1 is basically completely new and redesigned from top-to-bottom.

[MylesBAstor]

Rogers Hi-Fidelity Room with Rogers Hi-Fidelity integrated amplifier, phonostage, VPI, and Focal Sopras.

[tom_hankins]

Thanks for the pictures Myles!

[MylesBAstor]

The KEF Blade 2/VPI/Parasound room was packed every day of the show. And for good reason since the sound was very good. In fact, probably best sound from the Blades at a show and second best I've heard them to date. Also a sneak peek at the new VPI Prime turntable with wood plinth.

[MylesBAstor]

Norm and Rob from Rutherford Audio, two of the good guys in the industry--showing a number of analog products and accessories in the marketplace area. Among the tables shown was a $12K table and arm from Vertere along with some new turntable models from Thorens. The guys also brought also the Okki Nokki record cleaning machine and the SMARTractor and SMARTstylus cartridge setup tools from Acoustical Systems in Germany.

One of the things that continue to amaze me at shows is the number of people who have never seen an automated record cleaning machine before. Where have they been? It's not my imagination either. There are more record cleaning machines than ever on the market and every manufacturer tells me they are churning out as many they possibly can.

[MylesBAstor]

Almost always a show standout and one exhibit that rarely disappoints is Philip O'Hanlon's On A Higher Note room. This year Philip teamed up with George from Kyomi Audio in Chicago to put together one of the better rooms he has done at RMAF. The system consisted of the $40K Vivid Giya G3 speakers along with Luxman electronics. The analog front-end was the TechDas Air Force 3, Graham Elite and $15,500 TechDas TSD TCd01 Ti cartridge; the digital front-end consisted of the $14,000 Merging plus NADAC 8 channel music server/DAC. Filling out the rest of the system was Magnan cables, Shunyata power conditioning and Artesania racks.

Of course, no visit to Philip's is replete without a music and he played for me two excellent and soon to be released new recordings. Both were DSD256 files played on the new Merging+ NADAC Player.

The first recording was Sibelius' - Sibelius Piano Trio - Piano trio in D major ‘Korpo' recorded on July 2016 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center to be released on the Yarlung Records label. The second piece was Mahler's Third with Ivan Fischer and the BFO recorded on April 2016 at the Bela Barton National Concert Hall in Budapest by Tom Caulfield for Channel Classics. The sound on both was as good as I've heard from digital and that's saying a lot since in my experience it's with classical music where digital falls the furthest from the mark. So these are definitely two recordings for classical musical lovers should keep and eye out for!

[MylesBAstor]

So what albums did I pack into my suitcase?

Grant Green: Green Street, AP 45 rpm
Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth, MOFI
Bob and Ray Throw A Stereo Spectacular, Classic Records/RCA
Elvis '57, AP/RCA 45 rpm
Dean Martin: Dream with Dean, AP/45 rpm
Laurindo Almeida/Ray Brown, Jeton D2D
Super Percussion, Super Analogue
Schuller: Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee, Mercury

[MylesBAstor]

The Audio Union room featuring Thrax electronics and speakers from Bulgaria, Mark Dohmann's turntable and EnKlein cabling (they were introducing a new budget line IC) was after two disappointing showings at last years RMAF and Axpona much, much improved at RMAF 2016. Gone was the thinness, loss of information and lack of bass of previous years (not to mention the horrible AC noise at Axpona). The Audio Union room really sounded very good excelling in resolution, transparency, soundstaging and image palpability.