What was your AKFest 2006 audio moment??

[Andyman]

Every year it seems to me that there is one moment when you walk into a room and hear something that stands out. You know, really sort of wallops you with a "Whoa!!!!!!!!!"

Last year for me it was hearing "Stormy Monday" from the Allman Brothers Band "Live at the Fillmore East" on vinyl being played in the Classic Audio Reproduction Hartsfield system.

This year it was hearing "Cry Me a River" from Linda Ronstadt's "Humming to Myself" CD on the Maggie/Audio Research system from Audio Dimensions. I'd listened to it already on about half a dozen systems and it sounded great on all of them, but none imaged it like the Magnepan 1.6s (I'm told that's what the model was). That system not only sounded great, it was the only one that put Linda right smack dab front and center and really set all the instruments in specific places.

Up to that point, the SA speakers that BrianB had hooked up to the Manley Stingray integrated amp really were an eye opener. It was absolutely astonishing at the overall sound and bass output from the 4 4" drivers in those speakers.

Hat's off again to all the vendors and members from their efforts and systems, and to Dave, Nancy, Stephanie and Tim for all their work in making this happen for us :thmbsp:

[Mopic5]

Haven't a clue whether it was the recording or the equipment, or both, but Paul Simon's Graceland with back-up singers in the MacIntosh room was just such a moment.
Then again Andy, the sound of your Ice Cream Maker/Vinyl cleaner was a lightbulb moment. Nice job on that DIY. Betcha it cleans 'em as well as the VPI.
- Mario

[dnewma04]

I had a few, to be honest. The Almarro 3 ways really impressed me for having excellent frequency response and being very non-fatiguing to listen to. I thought they were the most composed speakers I've heard recently and do a good job to dispell some myths regarding cone materials.

I was looking forward to hearing the Zu speakers after a discussion regarding them a couple of months ago. I didn't like them as much as I feared I might, but they did sound pretty good. Not the type of speaker I could live with long term.

The Mc rooms were great just in that they were filled with such amazing gear. Not a huge fan of the attitude from the rep in the room with the XRTs, but the other rep was particularly nice. Both the little monitors with the Bessel Arrays and and XRTs sounded very good to my ears. I think the XRTs could ahve used more space to really shine.

All this being said, the high water mark for me, pardon the pun, was Markus' set up because it's right up my alley. I like to play around with equipment, tweaking, rebuilding, starting from scratch with DIY designs and being generally cheap with my audio purchases. I loved to see such a high quality tube amp based on inexpensive, relatively unknown tubes. That with the JBL/Klipsch hybrids speakers really made my day. Excellent job Markus, i look forward to talking with you more about that tube amp.

One other item of note was Keggers Frankenutah speakers. EPI 200 cabs, utah 8" full range, some random 12" drivers in the 12" whole used as PRs and EPI tweets to plug a hole, and yet, they somehow defied all odds and sounded remarkably good. By far not the best of the day, but they sounded entirely too good for belief. Again, this is the type of project I love to see.

I was happy to meet EW and thank him for the work he did on my G-9700. A heck of a good guy in person as well as online.

Last but not least was the Monster tube amp from Pak Protector, most impressive design gets me excited to start my first tube amp. Visually it was one of the more impressive amps I have seen and I enjoyed meeting/talking with He and Ed.

If I have to pick one, I pic Markus' system as my fav.

[PakProtector]

Hey-Hey!!!,
The *MOMENT*? Plugging in my PP amp and discovering that wall voltage was only 103V. The tungsten filaments were only dull orange, and that's not good...

I expect to see really cool gear, and meet interesting and diverse folks who are also nutsy about audio. I expect to hear some really fine music. All these got met in spades, and I get to do it again next weekend in New Tripoli PA, at Oswald's Mill....:)

Fortunately, for the line voltage fiasco, I'm close by, and my wife knows where I keep my variac.

That my piddling little 15W amp got referred to as a monster was a gas, but that is what Class A and conservative operation costs I guess.
cheers,
Douglas

[Drybasement]

Listening to Jimbecky's vintage McIntosh amp with those Ohm speakers and hanging with Carl and David (dmax99) and Jim and Rich (RichPA) was one large, great big fun audio moment.

Cheers fellas

[dnewma04]

A monster amp only in size and cool factor. ;)

[bolly]

I must admit I liked the XR27 setup... but I really liked meeting some of the chat-gang in person! :thmbsp:

[Sandy G]

The McIntosh room. I do believe, if Lucifer hisself had been sitting outside offering to exchange your Soul for what was inside the Mac room, there'd been a few of us willing to sign up...I just wish I'd brought my "Alvin & the Chipmunks" album & had 'em play "Witch Doctor" on it...Heheheheh...

[Markus111]

If I have to pick one, I pic Markus' system as my fav.


Thanks Dave - that's mighty high praise given what was there, and I'm humbled....... I think the "moment" musically for me was listening to a female vocalist on Jim Salk's speakers. I haven't been moved by a pair of speakers like that in a long time. What a designer that guy is!!!!!

But I think the real high point was finally getting to meet some of the people in this forum, and finding out that they are as fine in person as they are on line. Had a blast chatting "in person" finally with Kegger, dnewma04, reel2reel, squidward, andyman, paul, grumpy, wardsweb, piece-it-pete, richpa, kamakiri, and everyone else that I met. What a riot! I think we have to do whatever we can to keep this going year after year.

Mark

[RichPA]

My top musical moments (not necessarily in order):

Hearing Jennifer Warnes on the big Salk speakers - wow! Let's see, if I sold ...

Keb 'Mo on Grumpy's Audio Notes in the Blue Circle room

Some Norwegian symphonic metal with Carl on the Ohm/McIntosh setup in Jim's room, with visuals provided by the lightning visible through the window behind the speakers - perfect!

A sampler LP on the Harbeth/Nuforce/?? system in the David Michael Audio room

The beautiful relaxed sound in Markus' room on his very sweet DIY setup

Some blues LP in Punker's room through his nice Infinities

mmm, there's more, but as you see the details are fading ... best was meeting so many of the AK gang in person!

[Punker X]

[QUOTE=RichPA]

Some blues LP in Punker's room through his nice Infinities

QUOTE]

When did Retro sneek in with his Infinities? Had two sets of speakers hooked up to my system during the fest. My Ohm I's and for a short while Brian B. Let me hook up the Obelisks.

Think I was impressed most with Retro's Spec rack and Infinity's. Normally not a fan of either, but his setup sounded great.

X

[RichPA]

[QUOTE=RichPA]

Some blues LP in Punker's room through his nice Infinities

QUOTE]

When did Retro sneek in with his Infinities? Had two sets of speakers hooked up to my system during the fest. My Ohm I's and for a short while Brian B. Let me hook up the Obelisks.

Think I was impressed most with Retro's Spec rack and Infinity's. Normally not a fan of either, but his setup sounded great.

X

OOPS! Strike that! Nice OHMS! I told you guys I was starting to forget the details ... :scratch2:

[Drybasement]

My top musical moments (not necessarily in order):

Some Norwegian symphonic metal with Carl on the Ohm/McIntosh setup in Jim's room, with visuals provided by the lightning visible through the window behind the speakers - perfect!

That was quite a light show eh Rich. Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your company and it was a pleasure meeting you.

Cheers

[RichPA]

That was quite a light show eh Rich. Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your company and it was a pleasure meeting you.

Cheers

Same here - it was a pleasure, and I look forward to the next time!

[piece-it pete]

For me, it might have been listening to Ozzy/Randys' "Tribute" at 2 am on the Infinity/Vandy combo after various beverages with great company...

I think a mention of those larger Tetras might be in order on top of the many great systems all over the place.

I've gotta say, the most fun was for me the great folks there, "no attitude", what a laid back bunch of fellows (and a couple of long suffering ladies :) ). Can't wait till next year, and alls yous know if you're ever passing through Cleveland drop me a line.

Pete

[Andyman]

After reading all these pieces, I'm facing the fact that there is one disadvantage to participating in this event; you can't get around as much as you'd like!!
I counted 27 rooms of music and 2 Swap rooms of gear. Do the math. The Fest is open 16 hours, less an hour or two so for drawings and lunch. That makes about half an hour a room if you're not hosting, and much, much less if you are. While I spent a bit of times in almost all the rooms, I did miss a few and spent less in others than I would have liked.

I guess my plan for next year would be to snag a CD & LP as reference pieces and then start beating the feet from room to room. I just don't know if I can handle hearing the same song 20+ times in one weekend :lmao:

[Larry]

There wasn't a moment, but just the totality of it all. I love collecting and playing vintage equiptment. I'm not terribly mechanical, so I post very little. I don't chat much online either. But, I suppose like anything else, it's fun to get together with people from all walks of life with one passion in common. To see and hear such interesting and diverse set up's is what AK fest is all about - and of course meeting the people. As you can see from the pictures posted, there were some awesome systems. Speakers from the common to the esoteric. Each room had it's own character. If you're an audiophile, you owe it to yourself to experience the equiptment and the people that are associated with our hobby. So, to answer your question, the experience was the moment.

Thanks, to Punker who showed me what my Ohm I's could sound like with a few changes.
Thanks to David Michael Audio for exposing some really good sounding speakers.
Thanks to Brian at Venus for his various pieces, and to listen in on a discussion about power cords and interconnects.
Thanks to all the sponsors and AK members who brought in their systems for all us to hear. It's not easy lugging this stuff around - a lot of time was spent wiring and setting things up just right. You all made it a worthwhile day for us rather silent AKers.

and....of course thanks to Grumpy, who with others I'm sure, thought up this crazy idea of an audio gathering. I know a lot of work and worry went into this. So, again, from all of us who think it but may not have said it.....Thanks

Larry

[WhiteSE]

Ok, My main audio moment was at Pak's room.. The amp looked impressive and sounded impressive with the lil' Klipsch.....Smooooth...I agree with Dnewm regarding the Almarro 3 way,,,very smooth for a modern and metal tweeter. Markus III speakers were the best looking, and sounded excellent to boot.

The most dynamic sound with enough smoothness was Rick's Tannoy DMT15's with paper cones...some of the tightest bass. Mr Moore's amps in his rooms also seem like great amps.

But I must say that listening to everyone's stuff made me appreciate my stuff...some setups are (to my ears) quite fatiguing, but I am used to vintage paper cones, so I have the hearing of an old fart.

I had a blast hanging with Dnewm, Carl, Craig, and all the others...! Grumpy as usual did a great job.

[PakProtector]

Hey-Hey!!!,
another way of looking at the 'moment' thing would be the suprise afterwards of having some of the folks who expressed interest in learning the DIY craft actually contact me.

It's easy to be motivated while something neat is playing in front of you, it is quite another to pick up the parts catalogs and commit to the project.

Squidward presented with quite a selection of good speakers, and the synergy with the amp and pre of mine worked out very well. I came in early on Sunday morning just to listen by myself. Played an old Grateful Dead show from Nov. 1985, and then some Cash...then borrowed some Radio Shack speakers...Mach I's, got to find a pair of those...:)

It was really neat getting to visit with the folks I have corresponded with on the board, and having them visit with me. Priceless...when is the next one?
cheers,
Douglas

[Sandy G]

Yeah, the BEST audio moment was gettin' to ACTUALLY TALK to a bunch of GREAT people I've come to know over the past several years...Hell, that even beat The McIntosh Room....<grin> -Sandy G.

[nicksgem10s]

I just wanted to say thank you to all the friendly people I had a chance to meet. I just heard about Audiokarma.org about one week before the show and ended up going on Sunday by myself. I was warmly greeted by everyone I chatted with. Seems like a family environment. I only had a limited time but I did really enjoy the vinyl playing in the David Michael Audio and the Zu speakers room. I had never heard the equipment in either room and enjoyed it very much. I will be back next year and will definitely bring some audio buddies. Thanks for your hospitality

[luvvinvinyl]

Welcome to AK. I'm glad you enjoyed the Fest, and decided to stick around.

[Cosmos]

This year it was hearing "Cry Me a River" from Linda Ronstadt's "Humming to Myself" CD on the Maggie/Audio Research system from Audio Dimensions. I'd listened to it already on about half a dozen systems and it sounded great on all of them, but none imaged it like the Magnepan 1.6s (I'm told that's what the model was). That system not only sounded great, it was the only one that put Linda right smack dab front and center and really set all the instruments in specific places.

Damn! There were Maggies there?? How in the heck did I miss them? I keep hearing how great they are.. I have only ever heard one pair of MG1.6QR In a Cinicinnati dealer that left me asking "is that all?" The pair I heard were standing next to some Martin Logans that left them crying, bleeding and utterly embarrassed. There was no contest and they shouldn't have been in the same room.

Yet, I hear around here how great they are. I can only consider that the setup I heard was just plain wrong for the Maggies and I must need another listen to them elsewhere. Yet, nobody in my area carries them and I get the feeling from some dealers that I need an appointment to listen to some. Here I had a perfect chance and missed it... :tears:

[Cosmos]

The McIntosh room with the Line Array speakers was an Incredible setup. I just wish they had some good music playing.

All in all, it was a great experience. I cannot express enough my gratitude to all of those involved in making this happen. This obviously took a great team of inspired people to pull the fest off with such success.

Now, that was the true moment.. The equipment was great, but it was ultimately the people that made this a great experience. from the vendors to the leaders to the members and non-members alike. Ultimately, it's about the people involved.. WTG!

AK's motto may be "All Audio, No Attitude" I would suggest that it should be "Great Audio with Incredible Attitudes"

[piece-it pete]

Now that I've finally got it back together I thought I'd post something coherent.

I know, I know, it's totally out of character but hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day :D .

One of the greatest things I liked about the fest overall was walking down the hall. It sounded like there was all these different bands playing in all these different rooms. Too cool.

And the quality inside the rooms. I got neck chills at least three times on very different systems. I realize that room acoustics might have caused various negative issues but man, in spite of that (and what does that say about these systems?!), sweet sweet sweet.

After reading all these pieces, I'm facing the fact that there is one disadvantage to participating in this event; you can't get around as much as you'd like!!

Amen brother. It was starting to drive me nuts!!

I've got end with: fest! fest! fest! :banana:

Pete

[Retro Stereo]

I actually have "THREE" AK Fest "Audio Moments"

1) Hearing St. James Infirmary on "reyneman's" system.

2) We had a demonstration in Army and my listening room between a stock Kenwood KT-8300 Tuner and a Punker X modded KT-8300 Tuner. There was a "very noticeable" improvement with Punker X modded tuner. Punker X is now highly recommended by my ears. :yes:

3) Also in Army and my listening room, Army brought his Infinity RS 2.5's and I had already heard those on a few different occasions and knew how wonderful they sounded. I also brought my Vandersteen 2C's which are a very fine sounding speaker in their own right, but not up to the task of dethroning the Infinity's. Something I did not expect though, was Mark Anderson's Allison Two's comimg in and kicking the snot out of my Vandersteen's and giving Army's Infinity's a good run for the money. I believe anybody who heard Mark's Allison's at the Fest was totally impressed with them. The first thing I noticed with them that was an improvement over ALL the other speakers in the room, was how the Allison Two's filled the room with music and basically disappeared. It didn't matter where you sat in front of them, the soundstage was equally impressive everywhere. No sweet-spot neccesary like with the other speakers. I can only imagine what the Allison One's sound like with their larger 10" woofers. :thmbsp:


Retro

[Billfort]

St. James Infirmary, without a doubt.

[piece-it pete]

1) Hearing St. James Infirmary on "reyneman's" system.



I believe this was 'tozes favorite last year.

Agreed on the Allisons. I'm actually glad the SO didn't come along, with all the smaller butt kicking speaks she would have made me replace my mains :yes: .

Pete

[tentoze]

St. James Infirmary, without a doubt.

Hell has officially frozen over.

[gonzp]

St. James and Sota, a combination that just dripped with synergy. I was not only impressed with Ray's TT skills his musical selection was second to none.
The best music I heard at the Fest was St James Infirmary!!!

Although reyneman tried to play a variety of music for his visitors' pleasure, everyone coming by requested this song. I must admit that it was some of the best sounding music I've had the pleasure to hear.

He followed up with some real twangy stuff, but quite frankly the twang was just not doing it for me.

The Infirmary on the analog system, on the other hand, really showed what the system could do. In fact, I sat through several performances of this piece, each one seemingly better than the last.

:thmbsp: Way to go Ray

[DingusBoy]

I didn't hear St. James in that room but that system is something else. Grumpy has put together a fantastic system and that facsimile did a nice job or recreating his magic. Dave's home system is at or near the top of what I've ever heard. Those Audio Note speakers sound fantastic and are drop dead gorgeous.

Larry Moore brought an autoformer attenuator (no resistance in the voluem control) that was subbed for Tubino's Ultraverve preamp. That little box was impressive. Larry explained how standard resistance based volume controls have a capacitive quality (I almost understood it) and this unit avoids that issue. It made the music very open and alive. I was very impressed.

Punker's TT made me drool. The Box of Frogs album on his system was a highlight of the weekend.

[NOSValves]

St. James and Sota, a combination that just dripped with synergy. I was not only impressed with Ray's TT skills his musical selection was second to none.
The best music I heard at the Fest was St James Infirmary!!!

Although reyneman tried to play a variety of music for his visitors' pleasure, everyone coming by requested this song. I must admit that it was some of the best sounding music I've had the pleasure to hear.

He followed up with some real twangy stuff, but quite frankly the twang was just not doing it for me.

The Infirmary on the analog system, on the other hand, really showed what the system could do. In fact, I sat through several performances of this piece, each one seemingly better than the last.

:thmbsp: Way to go Ray

Yea I auditioned both systems in Ray and Grumpy's room with this very same tune a number of times. Just amazing........ I just love grumpy's latest AN speakers and Luther did a wonderful job on the finish.

Craig

[MaxCast]

Hello all. Nice to meet a few of you at the fest. Had a great time and am looking forward to it again next year.
Thanks to the Grumpy's, guys with gear, and some of the manufacturers for allowing me to spend my money.

Oh yeah, my moment....Salk Sound.

[WhiteSE]

Damn...I forgot to walk into the Salk room...great stuff for sure!

I really really wish to request that next AK fest be done in the summer (or anytime after may 31st) so I can drive up with some of my gear.

[Jim Eck]

1) Hearing St. James Infirmary on "reyneman's" system.


Retro

What a coincidence, I too heard St. James Infirmary on Ray's system, my wife and I both agreed it was absolutely incredible!

Jim

[Drybasement]

What a coincidence, I too heard St. James Infirmary on Ray's system, my wife and I both agreed it was absolutely incredible!

Jim

Ya, I almost forgot. That was indeed incredible. St. James Infirmary never sounded so good.

[CarlV]

Here is a 128k link (http://www.redhotjazz.com/songs/louie/savoy/stjames.ram) to hear the original 1928 version of Louis I was telling you guys about. I have this on a reissue LP. somewhere...
It is 1928 in audio quality.


Carl

[Army]

My moment among sooo many, would be when the Big Fella's jaw hit the ground when his name was drawn for the Zu cables!

Grumpy never saw that one coming :no:

Ernie and I had gone into checkout all the great drawings and he told me how much Dave liked as well could use the Zu cables, Nancy also said the same thing and commented on the fact Dave wouldn't buy tickets for himself. She laughed when she saw who's name I put on the tickets and said wouldn't that be karma if Dave won :D

The idea must of taken off from there, I know a number of us thru a few tickets in with Grump's name on them :cool:

Karma is just so cool when it happens to good people and even better when it happens for good friends!

[Wardsweb]

Ok Ok somebody has to fill me in on St. James Infirmary that is being gushed over in this thread. I missed it. :sigh:

[Kamakiri]

Yeah, so did I........ :dunno:

[moondog]

I was really hoping someone would pipe in on Kam's HPM-100's (especially after all the positive/negative opinions on them here lately).

Myself, I don't have an opinion on them one way or another really, (it's been too long since I've heard a set), but I thought it would be interesting to hear what others thought.

Any takers???

[tentoze]

Yeah, so did I........ :dunno:

2 years in a row?

[Kamakiri]

We partied in my room for quite some time listening to the HPMs.....Greg (retrostereo) will chime in when he sees this as he expressed his disdain as he felt they were the worst sounding speaker ever :p

Y'know, a LOT of people came in to hear them, come to think of it......

[WhiteSE]

St James Infirmary was incredible...Thats all I can say....

[Retro Stereo]

I was really hoping someone would pipe in on Kam's HPM-100's (especially after all the positive/negative opinions on them here lately).

Myself, I don't have an opinion on them one way or another really, (it's been too long since I've heard a set), but I thought it would be interesting to hear what others thought.

Any takers???

They were the worst sounding, white van, kabuki speakers I have ever heard in my whole life! I would put Bose, Soundesign, Yorx, chopped up kabuki speakers, and white van speakers ahead of the Pioneer HPM 100's EVERY TIME! If you are unfortunate enough to own a pair of these, burn em now and save the embarrassment of someone else on AK finding out you still have them!!! Just my $.02 :D


Retro

[moondog]

Ah... Come on Retro! Tell us how you really feel about them!!! :D

[Army]

They were the worst sounding, white van, kabuki speakers I have ever heard in my whole life! Those boys up in the northwest had it completely right, no kidding! I would put Bose, Soundesign, Yorx, chopped up kabuki speakers, and white van speakers ahead of the Pioneer HPM 100's EVERY TIME! If you are unfortunate enough to own a pair of these, burn em now and save the embarrassment of someone else on AK finding out you still have them!!! Just my $.02


Retro

You crack me up :lmao:

I heard the HPM 100's for the first time in Tim's room, and if I didn't already own others. I could easily live with a pair :thmbsp:

[Jim Eck]

We partied in my room for quite some time listening to the HPMs.....Greg (retrostereo) will chime in when he sees this as he expressed his disdain as he felt they were the worst sounding speaker ever :p

Y'know, a LOT of people came in to hear them, come to think of it......

Kam, the wife and I were there at length Saturday night, we had a great time with your wife and yourself, as well as Sandy G and Mrs. Reel2Reel, Piece it Pete, (have another Molson) as well as many other, the HPM's sounded great, as you know they do.

Hope to be there again next year and do it all over again. Thank you everyone!


Jim

[grumpy]

They were the worst sounding, white van, kabuki speakers I have ever heard in my whole life! Those boys up in the northwest had it completely right, no kidding! I would put Bose, Soundesign, Yorx, chopped up kabuki speakers, and white van speakers ahead of the Pioneer HPM 100's EVERY TIME! If you are unfortunate enough to own a pair of these, burn em now and save the embarrassment of someone else on AK finding out you still have them!!! Just my $.02


Retro

Ya know you are no better then the member your taking pot shots at......

[Retro Stereo]

Ya know you are no better then the member your taking pot shots at......

Nope, huge difference, I'm kidding.

OK, if I offended anyone, I apologize.

I am a huge fan of Pioneer HPM 100s and Tim's sounded just beautiful.

So, with that, let's get this thread back on track. I can think of one more "audio moment" that happened with me. I was digging through some swap-meet albums that RichPA brought and found one I hadn't seen or heard in over 30 years. It was some early Procol Harum called Exotic Birds and Fruits that my oldest brother bought me for one of my birthdays. It came out before Procol Harum's biggest hit Whiter Shade of Pale. I took it down to Punkers room and Mike was kind enough to clean and play the album for me. That album brought back some great memories, and Mike and I had a great chat as well.



Retro

[CarlV]

Listening to Jimbecky's vintage McIntosh amp with those Ohm speakers and hanging with Carl and David (dmax99) and Jim and Rich (RichPA) was one large, great big fun audio moment.

Cheers fellas
Agreed, it was the best!!! :beerchug:


Carl

[dmax99]

Agreed, it was the best!!! :beerchug:


Carl
I , too had a great time meeting up with all you guys.Can't wait to do it again.David :music:

[piece-it pete]

(have another Molson)

These were courtesy of the Pennsylvania gentleman, RichPA, to whom I owe a large thank you, as I proly would've gotten lost if I had to indeed go out and buy beer.

Pete

[tentoze]

...These were courtesy of the Pennsylvania gentleman, RichPA, to whom I owe a large thank you, as I proly would've gotten incarcerated if I had to indeed go out and buy beer.

Pete

[piece-it pete]

lol Thanks for the quick (and perhaps a bit accurate) editing! I really did NOT want to meet Detroits' finest.

Pete

[tentoze]

lol Thanks for the quick (and perhaps a bit accurate) editing! I really did NOT want to meet Detroits' finest.

Pete

A wise man speaks here...glad y'all had fun.

[BrianB]

The Almarro 3 ways really impressed me for having excellent frequency response and being very non-fatiguing to listen to. I thought they were the most composed speakers I've heard recently and do a good job to dispell some myths regarding cone materials.

I was looking forward to hearing the Zu speakers after a discussion regarding them a couple of months ago. I didn't like them as much as I feared I might, but they did sound pretty good. Not the type of speaker I could live with long term.

This brings up a point that I often make to my customers - namely, the fact that I prefer to carry components that have definite "personalities" over components that have a reputation for "neutrality" (which usually translates into "boring" in my opinion). The upshot of this, of course, is that many of the products I sell are of the "love it or hate it" variety. And the Zu speakers we had at the show are a perfect example of this. Several folks approached me towards the end of the show to say that they didn't care for the Zu Druids at all. But just as many folks told me that the Druids were among their very favorites at AK-Fest 2006 (and one individual who I know to be a high-end audio show junkie informed me that the Druids were the best-sounding speakers he's ever heard).

Which, of course, brings up a related point. In the long run, it doesn't matter one bit what other folks think of your system. All that really matters is that your system sounds the way YOU want it to sound. And because all of us have somewhat different sonic priorities and "listening histories" (what you grew up with has a tremendous impact on your preferences), it is VERY unlikely than any two of us will ever agree 100% on what sound the best.

Happy listening!

[BrianB]

Thanks to Brian at Venus for his various pieces, and to listen in on a discussion about power cords and interconnects.

Actually, this reminds me of some of MY most memorable AK-Fest 2006 moments. On three occasions, a skeptic in the Venus Hi-Fi room noticed the Soundstring AC cords we were using with the amps and the CD player, and wondered out loud how power cables could make any kind of sonic difference. Each time, we offered a little demonstration, where we (a) replaced the Soundstring power cable running into the Manley Stingray with the stock AC cord, and then (b) went back to the Soundstring. And each time, we heard pretty much the same question by the former skeptic: "How can a power cable make so MUCH of a difference?" This was SERIOUS fun in my book...

[BrianB]

AK's motto may be "All Audio, No Attitude" I would suggest that it should be "Great Audio with Incredible Attitudes"

Next year, I think that an "All Attitude, No Audio" room should be opened up on Friday night, so that all the drunkards (myself included) can argue politics and religion and whatever else to our hearts' content into the wee hours...

[Billfort]

Actually, this reminds me of some of MY most memorable AK-Fest 2006 moments. On three occasions, a skeptic in the Venus Hi-Fi room noticed the Soundstring AC cords we were using with the amps and the CD player, and wondered out loud how power cables could make any kind of sonic difference. Each time, we offered a little demonstration, where we (a) replaced the Soundstring power cable running into the Manley Stingray with the stock AC cord, and then (b) went back to the Soundstring. And each time, we heard pretty much the same question by the former skeptic: "How can a power cable make so MUCH of a difference?" This was SERIOUS fun in my book...And that would have been my audio moment as I believe I was one of the skeptics you mention here.

Ok, I already believed in this power stuff to a point - I have dedicated audio circuits in my listening room, keep the digital junk on it's own circuit and certainly believe in receptacles and plugs that have solid mechanical grip but big dollar power cords?

I have messed with them a little in my system and believe I heard a positive affect using the Coincident PC on my SACD player but the effect was certainly subtle and my skepticism remained intact for these expensive jobs.

Late Saturday night however, Brian did this switcheroo thing in front of Ernie and myself and DAMN if the difference wasn't very noticeable. I don't get it from a technical standpoint but then my relying on my own damn ears to decide on audio has served me very well till now so I'll go with 'hearing is believing'.

Thanks Brian, fun parlor trick and a real eye opener.

[hpsenicka]

And that would have been my audio moment as I believe I was one of the skeptics you mention here.

Ok, I already believed in this power stuff to a point - I have dedicated audio circuits in my listening room, keep the digital junk on it's own circuit and certainly believe in receptacles and plugs that have solid mechanical grip but big dollar power cords?

I have messed with them a little in my system and believe I heard a positive affect using the Coincident PC on my SACD player but the effect was certainly subtle and my skepticism remained intact for these expensive jobs.

Late Saturday night however, Brian did this switcheroo thing in front of Ernie and myself and DAMN if the difference wasn't very noticeable. I don't get it from a technical standpoint but then my relying on my own damn ears to decide on audio has served me very well till now so I'll go with 'hearing is believing'.

Thanks Brian, fun parlor trick and a real eye opener.

I'm very sorry I missed that parlor trick.

My personal views on this are fairly consistent with Billfort.

I can understand and would expect to experience benefits from good mechanical/electrical connections, good materials, construction quality, sheilding, etc., but I have difficulty with the notion that you need to spend mega-bucks to realize those benefits.

I remain on the skeptical side of the fence for now...

[luvvinvinyl]

Henry, for all the money on that rack (Stingray, Lector CDP, hell, the rack itself!), the Soundstring retails for $40. It was NOT a subtle change. Look for a review thread, coming soon.

But that is a thread hijack; back to the topic. Last year I trooped an LP into every room that had a TT set up. I learned a lot about what I liked and didn't like. This year, I made a point of listening to every system, on the selected demos, figuring that this is what the owner believes shows off his system at its best. That was an incredible experience, as my preferences are becoming more defined. I enjoyed meeting with so many people, and exchanging ideas about many topics, both audio- and non-audio-related. I renewed old friendships, made new ones, and put faces to names that, till the Fest, were only nicknames on my monitor.

The moment for me, though, was the incredible feeling when Tim presented the Member of the Year awards, to Glenn and me. I just about burst, to be included in the same company with AK's legendary technical guru. I had composed a few words of thanks, and thought I was prepared to deliver them, when the time came. Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I am seldom 'tongue-tied'. (I offer this post in evidence.) When I turned to face you, my friends, I could barely choke out a few meagre words of thanks. That wellspring of emotion will forever be MY Fest '06 moment, audio or otherwise.

Thank you all, for your every contribution to this community. You make AK the place that it is.

[Reel 2 Reel]

Next year, I think that an "All Attitude, No Audio" room should be opened up on Friday night, so that all the drunkards (myself included) can argue politics and religion and whatever else to our hearts' content into the wee hours...


I thought we did a pretty good job of that this year Brian...

I reely enjoyed the late nite conversations I had with you, Ernie, Paul and Ray.. There were some interesting..and informative ...er...stuff we chatted about!.... :smoke:

We'll have to do it again!...:thmbsp:

[Kegger]

I thought we did a pretty good job of that this year Brian...

I reely enjoyed the late nite conversations I had with you, Ernie, Paul and Ray.. There were some interesting..and informative ...er...stuff we chatted about!.... :smoke:

We'll have to do it again!...:thmbsp:

I'm not one for politics discussion or educated banter for that matter but that friday night with you
guy's (what I can remember of it) was a truly wonderful experience, definatly one of my highlights! :smoke:

[Kegger]

Next year, I think that an "All Attitude, No Audio" room should be opened up on Friday night, so that all the drunkards (myself included) can argue politics and religion and whatever else to our hearts' content into the wee hours...

I'm not one for politics discussion or educated banter for that matter but that friday night with you
guy's (what I can remember of it) was a truly wonderful experience, definatly one of my highlights!

Sorry for posting twice, but felt this needed to be said in response to both posts. :thmbsp:

[jcmjrt]

I had a great time listening to all the different systems and meeting so many of the people that come here. I loved the Mcintosh XRT28s (but can only lust from afar with a $19,000 price tag), but found that most of the new speakers left me loving the vintage ones. This whole thread really reinforces for me how individual musical sound tastes are. A couple of the systems that I thought were definitely the worst have been mentioned here as favorites and a couple that were my favorites have also been mentioned. There's quite a range. Sorry that I missed the St James Infirmary. I'll make sure to catch it next time.

[kfa888]

They were the worst sounding, white van, kabuki speakers I have ever heard in my whole life! I would put Bose, Soundesign, Yorx, chopped up kabuki speakers, and white van speakers ahead of the Pioneer HPM 100's EVERY TIME! If you are unfortunate enough to own a pair of these, burn em now and save the embarrassment of someone else on AK finding out you still have them!!! Just my $.02 :D


Retro

Nice Retro. Looks like that was pointed squarely at me. Heard through the grape vine that it was much worse before editing. Not sure why you have issue with people having honest opinions, this only got escalated when you question the validity of the shootout and condition of the speakers which we told you over and over the situation. Not about to sugar coat anything as that would simply be an injustice to AK and simply a waste of space.

If you like them, great, many other do as well. If I don't that should be fine as well. I like Maggies, if you hated them I would not care a bit as that's your opinion. That's why there are more than one model of speaker.

[PakProtector]

Hey-Hey!!!,
The even funnier thing to me is that I enjoyed the 60's Squidward brought very much. I do wish I could have borowed a pair of 100's for comparison. We had the 60's in play when John came by. He still smiled at our presentation, and spoke well of the room in his write-up.

While I like my old horns, the Pioneers did very well, and took up a lot less space. When I have enough power, Maggies are next( or at least in the que ).
cheers,
Douglas

[BrianB]

And that would have been my audio moment as I believe I was one of the skeptics you mention here.

Hi Bill,

Truth be told, you were NOT one of the skeptics I had in mind when I posted this. Yes, I remember you sitting through and being impressed by one of these demonstrations, but our first group of "subjects" contained two skeptics who were initially VERY vocal about how irrelevant power cords are. Not surprisingly (to me, at least), both of them were absolutely stunned by the demonstration, and one of them was still (literally!) shaking his head when he left the room.

Cheers,
Brian

[bigmacc]

In no particular order or logic l have listed below some of the highlites for me.

1. Got to hug Nancy and Steph (Mrs Grumpy, Mrs Kamakiri). I joke about it but the truth is l am constantly amazed, appreciative, thankful, look you pick the words about what these ladies contribute to the successful running of the Fest.

2. Meeting all the different members too many to mention and l would forget so many but damn we have a diverse family and the interaction is amazing.

3. The music and gear three brief examples of what l mean. I was never a fan of the group Boston nothing against them just not that really interested. By accident got to listen on Retro and Army's Pioneer Spec, Infinity and Vanallsteen system and realize that group did put out some excellent music. My point l really get it now how great any well produce music can sound on a quality vintage system.

There as a moment in NOSValves room when (and l do not recall the name of the selection) when the music on Craig's system stunned me it was so perfect. I cannot explain it but sometimes, something happens on a tube system (which l do not owe) that is almost magical.

Ernie (Luvvinvinly) introduce me to some new music (much appreciated) of which l purchased at the Fest and on Amazon for my wife Linda. Never would be exposed to it if not for AK Fest. Getting to briefly know Ernie not to embarass him but not surprise he was honoured this year. Speaking of which Punker X who was so gracious to repeatly play Box of Frogs which l bought off E-bay that Sunday night as so as l got home.

4. Telling Craig NOSValues that l posted on the site that l caught him in Punker X's room listening in a state of rapture to Punker's Solid State system. My wife thinks Craig and l (mainly me) are like big kids. Hopefully she is right and we never change.

Grumpy, well getting Grumpy about drinking around his stereo stuff then l inviting him the next night to a drinking party in the same room.

5. The swap rooms oh my God so much stuff that l wanted to take home did end up with a lot of records and also took home a Yamaha Cr-2020 and a pair of DQ-10's.

6. So many systems that l didn't get to listen to and some l did. Wish l could win the lottery the big McIntosh stuff would have a home alone with NOSValues limited production mono 100 watt aside BIGMACC amps. Heh give me the money l will hire Craig to make them.


Time to get ready for work Take care Mac

Oh one more thing "I GOT THE DEALS " l needed to yell that out one more time.

[gonzp]

Hi Bill,

Truth be told, you were NOT one of the skeptics I had in mind when I posted this. Yes, I remember you sitting through and being impressed by one of these demonstrations, but our first group of "subjects" contained two skeptics who were initially VERY vocal about how irrelevant power cords are. Not surprisingly (to me, at least), both of them were absolutely stunned by the demonstration, and one of them was still (literally!) shaking his head when he left the room.

Cheers,
Brian

Brian, I am not a skeptic but, I am wondering if the wall power was dirty? Did you take a reading on the outlet? I know in Craig's room Friday night, the voltage was a little low. I do not know what it was Saturday and Sunday when all of the systems were running. Just inquiring... PDG

[NOSValves]

Brian, I am not a skeptic but, I am wondering if the wall power was dirty? Did you take a reading on the outlet? I know in Craig's room Friday night, the voltage was a little low. I do not know what it was Saturday and Sunday when all of the systems were running. Just inquiring... PDG

That Hotel would be the perfect environment for the Pro power cord demonstration it has the absolute dirtiest, unstable AC I have ever experienced. I accomplished clean power in my room with the use of step up isolation transformers. A few $50 Isotaps take care of the problem just fine. When your starving a system designed for 117V to 125VAC with 105VAC on the wall the power cord could indeed make some difference I guess? Electricity always follows the path of least resistance. Try the test at a normal electrical enviorment (most peoples homes) where 50 audio systems are not competing for the available juice and I think the skeptics would leave with there skepticism intact :banana: Pull the fuse out of that Manley and lay it beside the garden hose ;).

Craig

[Jim Eck]

Ernie (Luvvinvinly) introduce me to some new music (much appreciated) of which l purchased at the Fest and on Amazon for my wife Linda. Never would be exposed to it if not for AK Fest.

I also need to thank Luvvinvinyl, I stopped in Army and Retro's room late Saturday night and heard Saffire, thank you Ernie, I have since picked up 3 of their CD's and one album on vinyl. without having come to the Fest and stopping in I never would have heard them.

Thank you!

Jim

[luvvinvinyl]

It's ALWAYS about the music, no matter what the specific topic.

Glad you like Saffire. It was my pleasure. Can you post the titles of what you got, as I am trying to back-fill my catalogue? Thanks

[luvvinvinyl]

bigmacc, you are too kind. Linda liked my choices? I'm pleased, and a little relieved. It was good to spend time with you and your lovely wife, this year.

[Jim Eck]

It's ALWAYS about the music, no matter what the specific topic.

Glad you like Saffire. It was my pleasure. Can you post the titles of what you got, as I am trying to back-fill my catalogue? Thanks

On CD:
Deluxe Edition
Live & Uppity
Old, New, Borrowed & Blue
The Uppity Blues Women

On Vinyl:
Hot Flash

Jim

[luvvinvinyl]

Thanks, Jim.

[Jim Eck]

Thanks, Jim.

You are welcome Sir.

Jim

[BrianB]

I had a few, to be honest. The Almarro 3 ways really impressed me for having excellent frequency response and being very non-fatiguing to listen to. I thought they were the most composed speakers I've heard recently and do a good job to dispell some myths regarding cone materials.

Hello again!

I responded to your show comments earlier, but never specifically to your impressions of the Almarro speakers. So here goes:

As many folks here know by now, I am a big fan of Almarro. And while their affordable tube amps seem to get all the press, I think that their speaker designs are brilliant as well. In fact, I have been quite impressed with almost all of the speakers Almarro has introduced during the past few years.

That being said, I think that the M3A speakers you're referring to in your comments are quite possibly the first "masterpiece" speakers from this company! I've been listening to them steadily in my little shop ever since the show, and I've got to say that you'd be hard pressed to find a better speaker for the money - regardless of the type of amp you're using - for moderate-sized listening rooms. Truly extraordinary!

http://www.almarro.com/M3A/M3A.jpg

[BrianB]

I'm very sorry I missed that parlor trick.

If ONLY this could have been dismissed as a mere "parlor trick," but the situation was pretty well controlled, and nothing was hidden from the listeners... :D

[BrianB]

Brian, I am not a skeptic but, I am wondering if the wall power was dirty? Did you take a reading on the outlet? I know in Craig's room Friday night, the voltage was a little low. I do not know what it was Saturday and Sunday when all of the systems were running. Just inquiring... PDG

VERY dirty, no doubt! But see below...

[BrianB]

Try the test at a normal electrical enviorment (most peoples homes) where 50 audio systems are not competing for the available juice and I think the skeptics would leave with there skepticism intact.

Actually, I've done just that twice since the show at my little shop, where the voltage is quite healthy and RFI is minimal, and the results have been just as compelling as at the show. In fact, the last fellow here demanded that I do the switcheroo again, as (a) he heard an increase in volume when the Soundstring power cable was inserted the first time, and (b) said that he had not been watching to see if I had changed the volume setting on the integrated amp. I did it all over again, making a point of standing clear of the controls on the integrated amp, and the fellow wound up purchasing one of these power cables.