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Entertainment 2004
Nelson Brill
A Veritable Sonic
Smorgasbord
To you, my audiophile companions, I begin my
show report from HE 2004 with an apology: I
suffer from a common ailment known as the
“buffet syndrome” which I suffered mightily
while attending HE 2004 at the Hilton Hotel in
Manhattan. I will not bore you with all of the
details but suffice to say that when I hit a
food buffet comparable to this sonic event, I
tend to graze on the most expensive dishes
offered, many times missing the morsels
looking less lavish. Certainly, I usually
never make it to the dessert tables, except
maybe to pluck the fresh raspberries off of
all the miniature pastries, which usually
appear at such buffets. I tend to pile my
plate so high to start that no matter how hard
I try, and how much I hold myself back, I am
satiated before I can sample the full menu and
usually leave slightly worried whether I would
survive to my next meal and wondering whether
I really got my money’s worth after all.
I hope you can appreciate these parallels to
how I approached the sonic smorgasbord that I
encountered at HE 2004. From the moment I left
the taxicab with my buddies Greg Petan and Key
Kim, I committed myself to hearing everything
and seeking out all of the gems to be sampled
from the new lines of audiophile equipment and
accessories on hand. Alas, three days later, I
would be found in a corner of the Hilton,
suffering from my “buffet syndrome” and
longing for just one more plate, one more
chance to return to the Lamm demo and somehow
find a little more cerebral room to
concentrate and enjoy the next table of
audiophile treats.
What I did accomplish was to find and report
here on a few gems which, to my ears,
represented the holy grail, the beluga caviar,
the elusive chocolate truffle, that I sought
at HE 2004: equipment that brought me closer
to musical intention and truth. I must admit
that this search was made much harder at this
event due to the fact that all of the hotel
rooms were monsters to tame and I wondered why
there were so few rooms which utilized room
correction devices, like the wonderful
Argent Roomlens or advances in digital
room correction, such as offered by Tact
Audio and others. A few rooms utilized
sound panels or the Shakti Soundfield
Optimizers to good effect, but most had no
such attention paid to room acoustics, so
fundamental in my opinion to audiophile art
and science today. Without this technology,
most of the rooms suffered from the audibility
of chaotic reflections from walls and hotel
furnishings, resulting in reduced clarity,
detail and soundstage depth from even the best
sounding systems. In contrast, it was nice to
see many new rack and vibration control
systems being utilized and I report on a few
of these below. Of course, when you have tens
of people crowding into the CINEPRO
room where the soundtrack of Blade II is being
demonstrated in high octane fashion, and in a
next door room, a crowd trying to listen to
the gentle shimmer of a harp on a two channel
system, there are always limitations to what
you can hear and experience at these show
events.
With these observations and caveats in mind,
(and my buffet syndrome carefully massaged
away until the next episode), I bring you my
thoughts on some sonic gems that I did
discover and enjoy at HE 2004. Readers should
take note that I consistently tried to play
identical selections from three reference
recordings in each of these rooms, to keep a
consistent sonic benchmark to compare and
enjoy. I thank all of the manufacturers and
dealers who allowed me this small privilege.
The recordings utilized were:
Odetta, Blues Everywhere I Go, [M.C. Records
MC0038]
Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances, [Reference
Recordings, RR-96CD]
Jesse Cook, Gravity, [Narada, ND-63037]
THE APPETIZERS:
One of the pleasures of HE 2004 was taking a
stroll through the area of the Hilton where
various audiophile recording labels were
selling their recent recordings. It was here
that I met Ken Christianson of Pro
Musica, Chicago, who is the energetic
wunderkind behind the unprocessed analog
recordings available on the Naim label.
Their latest sampler, entitled True Stereo, [Naim
cd080] is not to be missed as an absolute
revelation of sonic truth. All performances on
this disc are recorded live with no
overdubbing using AKG 414EB microphones
in stereo array direct to a Nagra IV-S
analog reel to reel. I have since spent many a
soulful hour with this disc and recommend it
to anyone seeking a recording of pristine,
tuneful jazz, instrumental and vocal
selections with near perfect sonics and an
unsurpassed clarity of vision.
I would also be remiss if I did not mention my
grazing around the Chesky booth,
chatting with the grinning and talented Rick
Eckerle, engineer and coordinator to some of
the greatest sessions recorded on this
audiophile label, including the meeting of
Larry Coryell, Badi Assad and John
Abercrombie, captured in all of their musical
companionship on Three Guitars [Chesky
JD248]. Magnificent music making and the kind
of careful recording craftsmanship that makes
our audio equipment such a joy to behold.
THE MAIN COURSES:
THE MBL ROOM:
This German company is definitely at the
cutting edge of audiophile technology and
workmanship as demonstrated in their
outstanding high end room at HE. The room was
fronted by the incredibly looking mbl
Radialstrahler 101E Reference Speakers,
($45,000) a four way radiating speaker system
utilizing a circular vertical arrangement of
“lamellas” or thin alloy plates, which radiate
sound waves in all directions. The sound from
these high priced speakers was indeed in the
stratosphere of sonic detail, dynamics and
soundstaging. Driving these captivating
speakers were a collection of mbl’s reference
amps, preamps and transport/DAC pieces,
ranging in cost from $16,000 upwards. On
Saturday morning, I was fortunate enough to
arrange for a private demonstration of mbl’s
more affordable line of monitor speakers (mbl
311E, $4,000) paired with their entry level
integrated amplifier (mbl 7008, $6,600) and
either their entry level CD player (mbl CDP 2
($4,400) or their top loading player, mbl 1531
($8,000). Jeremy Bryan, Vice President of mbl
of America, and his technical mate, Jurgen,
were kind enough to allow me to let this
system sing all to ourselves and it was pure
sonic pleasure. The mbl 311 E monitors utilize
a woven 170 mm. Kevlar woofer/midrange driver
with a 28 mm. soft dome tweeter and a
magnetostatic super tweeter unit. Their sound
can only be described as accurate, fast and
full, with no compromise as to a sweet spot
location - it was full and precise no matter
one’s listening position. The best sonic match
for these monitors, (we all agreed), was the
mbl 1532 SACD player, due to be on the market
very soon. Build quality of the components and
the luscious piano lacquer speakers was some
of the best I have seen. Jessie Cook’s brew of
startlingly fast flamenco guitar on “Brio”
from Gravity was pure adrenaline, crispness
and accuracy. A major find at the show and one
of the best I heard, regardless of price.
THE SILVERLINE AUDIO
TECHNOLOGY ROOM: A welcoming smile
and hug from Silverline Audio’s owner and
guru, Alan Yun, again confirmed for me that
this business is really about the people who
invent, dream and listen to music, and about
the connections people make with each other
through this medium of art. Alan is clearly a
man of integrity, knowledge and enthusiasm,
and his speaker line and new prototype
integrated amp embodied all that this author
seeks in finding new gems in audiophile
design. Listening to Odetta’s voice through
the Silverline’s Sonatina III speakers,
($5,000) was a treat, as her voice was
portrayed with accurate tonality and pitch, a
very hard thing to for a system to capture.
The Sonatina III, utilizing a 3 way design
with soft dome tweeter, midrange and cone
woofer, was one of the best I heard at the
show in this price range, with a soaring
treble and a deep, articulate bass. On the
Symphonic Dances recording, people crowded
into the room to hear the Sonatinas sing and
convey the large soundstage and full dynamic
slam that this Reference Recording offers in
spades. I would like to spend more time with
the Sonatinas and see how they would
compliment a digital amp with tube preamp
setup, which might take even more advantage of
their sharply delineated dynamics and full
range sound. Alan was also utilizing in this
room his new “Motion in Music” Moto
integrated amp, ($15,000), a four stage
tube amplifier utilizing a combination of a
300B tube with an 805 tube, resulting in a
delicacy and detail which was quite liberating
in this setup. In addition to a Metronome CD
player, all cabling in this system was
provided by Silverline Audio’s proprietary
cable. Talking shop with Alan for the first
time was a great pleasure for me, and clearly
conveyed to me the feeling that purchasing a
Silverline Audio product would be entering a
special and secure relationship with a man who
cares greatly that each of his products should
bring one closer to the natural realism of
music.
 THE
VON SCHWEIKERT ROOM: Arriving early
one morning to this room, I was fortunate to
get my own session with the Von Schweikert
VR4 JR. two-piece stacking speaker system,
($3,995) driven by the latest integrated
amplifier from VAC, the Phi Beta,
($19,000) with a front end composed of an
Oracle Audio CD transport feeding the
always consummate Electrocompaniet ECD-1
DAC unit. Cabling through out this setup
was from Verbatim Cable. This room
struck me immediately with its great musical
presence, even given the difficult limitations
of the small room. Odetta’s unique voice
through the VR4 jr. speakers was uncanny in
its tonal accuracy and depth, and lead me to
conclude that these speakers were a precious
new find in their price range. The VR4 jr.
speaker system really rocked with my cut
“Words of Wonder” from Keith Richard’s Main
Offender [Virgin Records], one of my
reference discs for deep and articulate bass.
The bass from these speakers was fantastic and
the detail and retrieval of sonic information
conveyed through the VAC and the front end was
fully realized. The full function 110
watt/channel vacuum tube integrated amplifier
was a gorgeous piece of equipment milled from
a thick aircraft aluminum plate stock and
provided a wonderful warmth and very good
treble detail to this mix. I particularly
liked this entire system, and would love to
spend more time with the VR4 jr. speaker
system, clearly a stunner to my ears in its
price range in this initial encounter. I will
be reviewing Albert’s VR-1 in the future, and
look forward to experiencing his products’
ability to capturing virtual realism in
musical terms.
 THE
PORTAL AUDIO/PENAUDIO ROOM: My man
Dave Thomas has already submitted in these
pages his typical insightful review of the
Penaudio Charisma reference level
monitor pair ($2995) and Chara free
standing woofer ($2495) combination that was
the centerpiece of this room, fed by the new
Paladin fully balanced monoblock amp
($3,500) from Portal Audio. This was my first
chance to sample this combination and it
immediately lured me in with its directness of
presentation and full-throttled character. If
pushed to compare it in this short, initial
encounter to the Von Schweikert Room, I would
state that this room had a more direct
approach to delivering the music, as opposed
to the Von Schweikert’s feel of a more
enveloping sonic picture. Here, Odetta’s voice
was captured in its tonality spot -on, with a
directness that placed you right there in
front of her on stage, regardless of where you
sat in this small hotel room. The dynamic
nature of the Paladin amps, clearly reminded
me of the power and finesse of my own Portal
Panache integrated
except with even
more grip on the Chara woofer. The cosmetics
of this speaker combination were also quite
appealing, with a thin column resting on a
small footprint - ideal for urban apartment
dwellers with a notion to seek out full
throttle precision in their music. Also on
hand was Penaudio’s Rebel 2 speakers
($1500 per pair), an intriguing two-way,
reflex-loaded monitor that is small enough to
set-up on a desk in one’s office. Look for a
review in these pages in the future.
 THE
HYPERION ROOM: Hyperion’s motto,
“Hearing Is Believing” was the clarion call of
those who were fortunate to venture into this
room, featuring the Hyperion HPS 938
floorstanding speaker ($3,995/pr), combined
with their BEC-P25 preamplifier
($1,495) and BEC -250 amplifier
($1,495). Here was sweetness and power, all
cooked into a fine sonic stew, keeping all
listeners on the edge of their seats. Here,
Odetta’s voice, (which can be very difficult
to deliver accurately) sounded a little less
tonally accurate than in other rooms, but her
crack backing band were on full display,
clearly delineated on an impressively wide and
accurate soundstage. The Hyperion speakers
contain a newly U.S. patented Synchro-Vibrate
Flattop woofer which claims to offer
increased transparency along with greater
precision. I observed how this combination
kicked the blues up a notch on the Odetta
recording, keeping everything focused and
pushing the soundstage further out than I
heard in many other rooms. The small hotel
room really crimped the style of these
speakers to really strut their stuff, and it
would be nice in the future to devour some
musical time with this system in a larger,
more appropriate, listening space. However,
based on my brief encounter with Hyperion, I
would say to keep an eye out for this new
company and its affordable offerings,
delivering impressive soundstaging and
satisfying musical energy at a fair price
point.
 THE
LIVING VOICE ROOM: Speaking of
musical energy at a fair price point, this
room held a bountiful of treats to my ears,
all centered around the Living Voice
Auditorium Series of speakers. The
Auditorium Avatar floorstander ($5,695 per
pair), a D’Appolito design, was driven here by
several components from Exposure
Electronics of England. This combination
got to the rhythm of the music in a hurry in
precise and dynamic fashion, with an
accurate low midrange and bass extension that
was quite impressive to my ears. Jesse Cook’s
flamenco assault was handled with agility with
the Avatars; the only drawback was the
limitation of the room, yet again, as it
closed in the sound of these enticing
speakers. The Exposure electronics were
remarkably quiet, yet held tremendous power
and pace in driving the Avatars. The Exposure
Signature Series amplifier , utilizing a dual
mono construction with bi-polar output
transistors, reminded me of the virtues of the
Paladins heard in the Portal room: dynamic and
precise in their powerful focus. Once again,
keep your eyes and ears on these English
products, as they march forth with what I
perceive to be excellent audiophile value and
built quality, judging from this brief
introduction.
 THE
GOLDMUND ROOM: Listening to
Odetta’s unique portrayal of love and loss in
this room was simply a revelation to my ears.
Regardless of the contortions that this hotel
room played upon the music, the Goldmund
Logos active monitor speakers ($8,850)
poised on the am 30’’ designed stands ($1,700
per pair), driven by the Eidos 18
multi-format player ($7,420) and
Mimesis 30 multi-channel processor ($17,
750) made Odetta come alive. Equipment racks
used were Sistrum Platforms and amp
stands that our publisher reviewed and remains his long time reference. The hidden
details in this recording, of Odetta’s pace of
breathing, her laughs and sighs were all given
life by this system. One of the best I heard
in a monitor set-up, epitomizing the accuracy
of monitors and their precision at getting to
the details in the music, especially if you
find the sweet spot in a listening position. I
liked these and the MBL monitors the best at
this show, for systems utilizing monitors on
stands.
THE THOR AUDIO ROOM:
Although unable to play my reference
recordings in this room, I wanted to mention
to readers the thoroughly musical pace and
quality that I heard in this room, dominated
by Thor Audio’s tube electronics, including
their TPA-60 monoblock amps, ($15,990)
with a rating of 60 watts, but built with a
100 watt power supply. These amps were housed
in Thor’s unique round “toroid” style chassis,
which claims to make possible an inherently
non-resonant layout design which offers a
fully shielded operating area for the tubes in
this amp. Although the glow from the tubed
electronics was hypnotizing, the sound was
anything but, as it flowed effortlessly from
crescendo to quiet passages, without missing a
beat. This brief introduction lead me to want
to hear more offerings from this company,
whose electronics look to be built with
painstaking precision and craftsmanship, and
whose sound is much bigger and bolder than
their measured power ratings may indicate.
THE ESSENTIAL SIDE
DISHES:
Before I conclude this Bacchanalian feast of
sonic delights offered at HE 2004, I wanted to
offer a few insights into some notable audio
rack systems.
EQUARACK IN THE THOR
ROOM: Here was a distinctive
modular rack design, utilizing a “shelf-less”
system which supported components with
perceptible strength and rigidity. The
Model A ($2,850 with four levels) utilizes
a universal isolation and damping device, the
Equamounts. Equamounts come in two
versions, one with an integral ball bearing
and one without. They utilize a single layer
viscoelastic polymer configured in an aluminum
alloy base, which provides damping of
vibratory energy by conversion to low-grade
heat, in addition to greater shock/impact
isolation. Equarack also displayed their amp
stands ($1,050 each), which were also the
picture of stability in cradling the Thor tube
electronics.
 THE
FRAIM, IN THE NAIM ROOM: In terms
of aesthetics of design and utility, I was
taken with this new design approach in the
Fraim, displayed by Naim in their room, with
their new Ariva speaker line and
electronics. The Fraim is a beautiful,
understated piece of audio rack refinement,
constructed from discrete shelf levels stacked
one upon another to be extended or
reconfigured as equipment demands. Each layer
is fitted with isolation units so that each
piece of equipment is isolated as it is placed
on top. The whole concept is one of
simplicity, versatility and beauty, similar to
the incomparable sonic delight and beauty of a
Naim analog recording!
Happy Listening! See you at the next sonic
feast!
PART
THREE
(Publisher's Note:
Photos by Albert Porter courtesy of AudioGon)
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