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Home Entertainment 2007 Show

jrsystems

jrsystems

Super Member
Went to the Stereophile home entertainment show today. It was actually quite good. It's nice to know that there are other people like us out there!

Unfortunately, no McIntosh anywhere in the place, but plenty of awefully esoteric stuff. Some of the demo rooms were actually much better than I expected. However, they were mostly crowded, I could not listen to my own music, and of course the electronics were different in every room. My main focus was speakers, since there was obviously no way to compare electronics. Here's my synopsys:

MBL equipment is equisitely built, but for some reason sounded aweful.
The Magico 3's were excellent.
The Watt/Puppy 8's continue to blow me away at every demo and remain the ones to beat for my next speaker.
I listened to giant, round, very odd looking, $150,000 Cabesse speakers that were good, but no where near that crazy a price.
I saw an awesome looking Continuum turntable that I wouldn't even buy with Ivan's money!
There was lots of interesting and oh so esoteric stuff there.
The longer I spent there, the more I missed my McIntosh!

I also had some observation about Audiophiles vs. McPhiles. I'll share these later.
 
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jrsystems said:
Went to the Stereophile home entertainment show today. It was actually quite good. It's nice to know that there are other people like us out there!

Unfortunately, no McIntosh anywhere in the place, but plenty of awefully esoteric stuff. Some of the demo rooms were actually much better than I expected. However, they were mostly crowded, I could not listen to my own music, and of course the electronics were different in every room. My main focus was speakers, since there was obviously no way to compare electronics. Here's my synopsys:

MBL equipment is equisitely built, but for some reason sounded aweful.
The Magico 3's were excellent.
The Watt/Puppy 8's continue to blow me away at every demo and remain the ones to beat for my next speaker.
I listened to giant, round, very odd looking, $150,000 Cabesse speakers that were good, but no where near that crazy a price.
I saw an awesome looking Continuum turntable that I wouldn't even buy with Ivan's money!
There was lots of interesting and oh so esoteric stuff there.
The longer I spent there, the more I missed my McIntosh!

I also had some observation about Audiophiles vs. McPhiles. I'll share these later.
Click to expand...


What happened to Ryan and the 'merrymen' from Audio Classics?
 
Audiophilia

These hardcore audiophiles are a different breed. I love this hobby, I love equipment, I love the way it looks, the way it's built, and the way things go together. However this all takes a distant back seat to how it sounds with music that I love. This did not seem to be the case with many others at the show.

My goal for the show was listening to Wilson's, Magico's, and SF Elipsa's (which I could not find). I wanted to hear the Magico Mini's, but they were demoing the new, less expensive, full range V3's. Very impressive and a great demo. They played some great tunes very loudly. The owner, Alon Wolf, was very cool and very approachable. The Wilson WP8's were set up in Innovative Audio's very well done room. They were limiting the traffic into the room and they turned the lights out completely during each track. This created great ambiance and limited movement during the track. A very nice touch.

What struck me was during the demo of the Wilson's (with all BAT electronics) was a member of the press joining the demo and 'taking over'. When I got there, they were playing some interesting jazz at a comfortable volume. Then a woman came in and the rep from BAT (the BATman?) announced that this woman did not like loud music and he would be controlling the volume. Thanks for the buzzkill lady! Shortly after John Marks from Stereophile came in and took over. He had a personal recording of some pipe organ music from a church in Florida. It was aweful and BORING! There was a tape-like hiss and he explained that it was the sound of the ventelation system in the church. He also took great pains to point out his voice in conversation in the church to demonstrate the realism of his voice in the recordings versus in the room with us. After two tracks of this torture with painful details of how this was recorded, the Wilson rep hopped on board with his own organ music! Can we PLEASE hear some Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, or ANYTHING professionally recorded!?! Needless to say, I will be visiting my local Wilson dealer with my own CD's for a private session.

My point is that some audiophiles obsess over some pretty bizarre stuff. The esoterica at this show was out there. Unlike some critics of the hobby, I have no problem with state-of-the-art price-no-object exquisitely built pieces like the Continuum table I saw there (very cool). I have a problem when people are more concerned with demonstrating something that I could not identify as good, revealing, or enjoyable instead of just listening to good music!

I also got a vibe from some of McIntosh not being 'worthy'. I asked a few manufacturers about their speakers with my Mc amps and the response was often blase. This may have bothered me when I was younger, now I think it's amusing. I will still follow the audiophilia with great interest, however I am most comfortable in our own little very special niche as a McPhile!
 
McPhile, I like that. Thanks for taking the time to write the report.

Concerning the WP8, what do you like about the sound compared to your B&W speakers? How about the bass, I believe they have 2 8" mid/woofers.
 
jrsystems said:
No I'm too lazy!
Click to expand...
I don't blame you, it gets to be more of a distraction then it's worth. :yes:
jrsystems said:
Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed! One day was not enough!
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They are full weekend events for certain. Thanks for sharing your experience.:tresbon:



Carl
 
Great report. I just don't understand the persistent refusal on the part of some "audiophiles" to give Mac short shrift. I am well aware of the history of this bias, but you'd think that the last 4 years of McIntosh getting top honors from the audiophile press would start to make retailers a bit more comfortable with Mac's place in the world. Snobbery does not respond to rationale, I suppose.
 
chathamdad said:
Great report. I just don't understand the persistent refusal on the part of some "audiophiles" to give Mac short shrift. I am well aware of the history of this bias, but you'd think that the last 4 years of McIntosh getting top honors from the audiophile press would start to make retailers a bit more comfortable with Mac's place in the world. Snobbery does not respond to rationale, I suppose.
Click to expand...

"If they're shooting at you, you know you're doing something right"

Amen.
 
william.keith said:
McPhile, I like that. Thanks for taking the time to write the report.

Concerning the WP8, what do you like about the sound compared to your B&W speakers? How about the bass, I believe they have 2 8" mid/woofers.
Click to expand...

Awesome sound stage. So incredibly open and precise. The bass is what I am most interested in and did not get to really experience. I am interested in kick drums and synthesizers, not pipe organs in churches!

After a day of demo-ing some great stuff, I came back to my system only to be reminded of how good my B&W's really are. They continually impress me. But that dam upgrade bug just keeps biting!
 
I also attended the show and agree with your opnion on the Wilsons. The Buddy Holly cut was truly impressive. I did like the MBL speakers and the Cabesse speakers reminded me of the 1958 classic movie THE CRAWLING EYE.
Thanks
Dan
 
A short video re: this show was on MSNBC internet news this a.m. It's titled "What does a $66,000 cd player sound like" if you want to try and find it. I was able to find it again, just now. It (the video) is somewhat interesting.

Murray
 
skippy_ps said:
A short video re: this show was on MSNBC internet news this a.m. It's titled "What does a $66,000 cd player sound like" if you want to try and find it. I was able to find it again, just now. It (the video) is somewhat interesting.

Murray
Click to expand...

If you go to the MSNBC home page (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/), and put your cursor on "video" near the top left of the page, you'll see it under "Top Stories" It is kind of interesting.
 
SPEAKERNUTT said:
I also attended the show and agree with your opnion on the Wilsons. The Buddy Holly cut was truly impressive. I did like the MBL speakers and the Cabesse speakers reminded me of the 1958 classic movie THE CRAWLING EYE.
Thanks
Dan
Click to expand...

I had really wanted to hear the MBL's and was extremely underwhelmed. Something wasn't right. A few people commented on it. The equipment was exquisite, absolutely gorgeous. I would love to give them another try someday. What I had read was inconsistant with what I heard.

BTW, the new Stereophile gives a terrific review of the W/P8's. I think he nails it.
 
jrsystems said:
I had really wanted to hear the MBL's and was extremely underwhelmed. Something wasn't right. A few people commented on it. The equipment was exquisite, absolutely gorgeous. I would love to give them another try someday. What I had read was inconsistant with what I heard.

BTW, the new Stereophile gives a terrific review of the W/P8's. I think he nails it.
Click to expand...

What was the MBL set- up? 1622 transport + 1611 Dac + 6010 preamp and 9011 monoblocks + 101 alien speakers??

I have heard this combo in a properly set-up room and it really is the bee's knees. Sorry to hear the demo perhaps wasn't set up well (room?)

howie
 
King of Instruments

Being a kid taking organ lessons, the pipe organ is a magical instrument. You had to walk up flights of steps, on at least two of the ones I played, you got to see the church from a completely different angle. The power they have to fill up a church is amazing. The footwork needed to play Bach, man that was tuff.. There is also a delay between what notes you play and the sound coming from the pipes, it is disconcerting the first time you try, but you learn :-)

I even got to have a tier that corresponded to an echo organ. When I used to practice, I would sometimes play Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" I can't tell you how beautiful parts of that sound on a pipe organ.

Not to say it has to be everyone's ball of wax, but just thought I throw a different thought out.

Oops, Glad you enjoyed the show :D

Thanks
 
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