CES 2014: Staff Report

CES 2014 has come and gone.  It was my eighth time attending in the last nine years. I have seen changes and I have seen stagnation. Living alone, I cherish my quiet times. Stepping into the zaniness of CES and the Las Vegas Strip is culture shock but I somehow morph into a dynamo intent on visiting my hit list plus wherever whim takes me. I enjoy new time with the people I have met over the years and making new friends. To that point, CES 2014 was fun for me.

The part that was not fun was my failed loudspeaker search.  For the fourth year in a row I came home without selecting a clear winner for my new personal reference. Apparently my criteria are too rigid but I think they are valid for the amount of money I am prepared to spend. Admittedly, I am bent toward speakers that are not boxes or are at least boxes with unique features.

Recently my Quad ESL-2805 loudspeakers suffered an electronic failure. My only other speakers were a pair of 35-year old Large Advents stuffed in the closet for over two decades. I pulled them out and plopped them down by eyeball. They were elevated about 8” using stands I had built mainly to protect them from an errant toe or vacuum cleaner. The only speaker cable I had that would work on their threaded-post terminals was zip-cord. I was stunned when I started playing music.  I could not believe how good they sounded—and that was with rotted foam that eventually blew chunks.  Was it tonally accurate?  Hell no!  Was it fun? Did I want to listen to more songs?  Hell yes!

Has the industry not come further in 35 years?  These ancient, diseased Advents sounded better than the majority of the rooms I visited at CES. Manufacturers can try to hide behind show conditions but it does not square with me. I have been around too long and know every year some exhibitors get it right and others DO NOT get it right every year.  One of the most musical rooms I heard was the NFS (Not For Sale) party room at T.H.E. Show. They were using Fritz Carbon-7 loudspeakerswith a 1960’s vintageHeathkit.  The only room treatment was a psychedelic laser light show. Damn, that room sounded good.

A major contributor to poor sounding rooms (besides lack of room treatment)is unwise demo music selection. Exhibitors take note. A piano piece consisting of five middle keys played in endless repetition is coma inducing. I do not need to sit and listen to that for ten minutes.  I will learn nothing about the system and expect the exhibitor is either hiding something or designed the equipment specifically with that limited range of music as a reference. On the other hand if an exhibitor is playing dynamic but abrasive music with a hard edge I also wonder about how they voiced their designs.  And this is definitely a situation where louder is not better. I don’t make it more than three steps into those rooms. Anybody following too closely behind me is going to get trampled on my exit.

As usual, I do not try to cover numerous rooms.  I choose a few rooms for various reasons and try to do them some justice. I applaud those very few rooms that let listeners hear how natural and involving music reproduction can be. They push the boundaries and raise the bar for everyone. Unfortunately those complete systems tend to cost more than my home and leave me frustrated with the more affordable offerings. For those more affordable offerings that also delight I applaud even louder and throw in some whistles and shout-outs. They are the backbone of the industry. They will keep it alive and bring pleasure to thousands. Other manufacturers struggle and fail and then they struggle some more. Sometimes they get it right but frequently not.  I wonder what barometer or compass they are using.

OK, I am grumpy because I did not find new speakers within my budget.  I admit it. That does not make my observations wrong. I offer this advice to manufacturers.  If you are going to build equipment, if you are going to spend thousands of dollars to exhibit at a show—get it right. Get a pair of Advents off of EBay (foam rot is optional). Set them up willy-nilly using zip cord and an old Heathkit.  If you can’t beat that, stay home.

To fellow ‘files, I say this—Don’t stay home. Shows can be frustrating and they may or may not help you make a purchasing decision but they can also be a blast. If there is a regional show near you give it a chance. Audio shows are the new way the industry is doing business so embrace them and enjoy. Hopefully, with experience and feedback, exhibitors will up their game.

ENIGMAcoustics (Venetian Suite 29-330)

ENIGMAcoustics was proudly demonstrating their Mythology M1 loudspeaker system ($14,690) with Ayre electronics.  The price includes speakers, stands, and the amazing Sopranino self-biased electrostatic super tweeters that I reviewedhere.

The woofer and tweeter were specifically designed to complement the transparency and fast transient response of the super tweeter. The laminated-birch cabinet sports an aluminum baffle and a gorgeous piano-grade finish. The integrated speaker stand has a solid aluminum pillar with thick top and bottom plates and tempered glass.

On the introduction to Dire Straights’ “Money for Nothing” the Mythology M1 loudspeakers produced a surprisingly tight and deep bass. I did not hear any breakup or strain.  Later, on a violin piece I was not surprised.  The violins were as extended and engaging as I had come to expect from the Sopranino super tweeters.

B.M.C. (Venetian Suite 30-122)

B.M.C. likes to do things backwards—and forwards. Their latest introduction, the PureVox loudspeaker (estimated price $6,500) is a quasi-bipolar balanced design. Quasi-bipolar balanced means the same driver complement is found on the front baffle and the 45-degree rear-angled top baffle. This design is intended to provide improved soundstage depth at the sides to more closely match depth in the center of the soundstage.

The sealed cabinet has an extruded aluminum exterior of varying thicknesses to reduce internal resonance. Resonance is further reduced by resin layers of varying thickness and strategically placed stabilization bars. Drivers include two AMT tweeters and two 6.9” Kevlar/fiberglass bass/midrange drivers. I did not have the opportunity to hear the speakers set up and optimized. They caught my eye because they are not a typical box design.

No frequency performance specifications were provided. However, the B.M.C. website does indicate the speakers have a sensitivity of 89dB and an impedance of 4ohms. In addition to traditional binding posts, the PureVox include SpeakON terminals. Each speaker has a three-position switch (just like my Advents!) offering the choice of neutral, more air, or more warmth. The speakers stand 39.4” high and weigh 60 pounds. PureVox loudspeakers are available in three color choices—B.M.C. silver, champagne, and blue titanium. Expect a big brother to be introduced later.





 

Prana Fidelity (T.H.E. Show Room 4050)

Following on the success of his widely respected stand mount Fifty90 loudspeaker, Steven Norber introduced a floor standing loudspeaker, the Vayu/fs ($6,950).  Vayu is Sanskrit for wind, and is the Hindu deity, “lord of the winds.”  The initials ‘fs’ are less esoteric and stand for, “floor standing.” The name reminds me so much of Steven’s personality which is an eclectic mix of feet-on-the-ground-engineer and whimsy.

Following Steven’s philosophy of offering versatile loudspeakers, there are two switches on the back of each cabinet. The top switch has two positions for the high frequency roll off.  The lower position creates a -2dB roll off from 16kHzto 20kHz, and the upper position removes this roll off for a flat high frequency response. Steven notes that the most common setting is the lower position for most recordings, systems, and rooms–however there are occasions where the flat response can open up the high frequencies without adding excess. 

Steven further explained that while the top switch makes a quantitative (measurable) change to the frequency response, the bottom switch makes a qualitative change to the character of the midrange because different materials used in three separate resistor networks.  The total resistive values of these networks are all the same (within 0.5% tolerance).  The only difference is in the selection of materials (carbons, metals, and ceramics), and the sonic character each lends to the midrange.  

The bottom switch has three positions.  The lower position is the neutral or natural character. The middle position creates the perception the midrange has been moved forward about 8″ inches, and the upper position adds warmth. Steven confided to me that he originally intended to design the midrange with two tonal options but could not make up his mind and decided to provide more choices to owners. Between the two switches there are six different settings available to suit a variety of recordings, rooms, and personal tastes.

Steven had some of his own electronic creations in the room but during show hours an Atma-Sphere MP-3 MK III.2 preamplifier ($5,600-9,000 depending on options) and M-60 MKIII.2 60wpc Class A triode OTL amplifiers ($7,200) were in use. The amplifiers are fully differential balanced input through output.

The analog source was a Kuzma Ltd. Stabi M turntable with Kusma 4Point tone arm. The digital source was an Aesthetix Romulus CDP/DAC. Wires were from Audio Conductors.

 


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ZestoAudio, WyWires, TAD, Merrill Williams (T.H.E. Show Room 4024) 

Come big or stay home.  Approximately 4 years ago Zesto Audio burst on the scene with their Andros PS1 vacuum tube phono stage ($4,300) then followed a year or two later with the Leto vacuum tube preamplifier ($7,500). Both were received with much enthusiasm. As Carolyn Counnas explained to me, it only took George 30 years to become an overnight success. Her contribution to that success is the artistic design of the graceful and very stylish appearance of the Zesto product line. Carolyn is also George’s staunchest supporter and promoter.  I remember her grabbing my sleeve and dragging me into their room at the California Audio Show when they introduced the Andros PS1.  That was over my loud protestations that I “don’t do vinyl”.

This year they proudly displayed their long-awaited amplifier, the BIA 120 Class-A stereo power amplifier (12,500). Loudspeakers were TAD Evolution One ($29,800). The analog source was a Merrill Williams Audio REAL 101 Turntable ($7200) using a Tri-Planar U2 (classic 10”) tone arm ($6200) and Dynavector XV-1s Cartridge ($5450).

Cables used were WyWires Platinum Series BiWire        speaker cables ($3,999), Platinum Series Single speaker cables ($2,299), Platinum Series interconnects (XLR $1,599-single ended $1,399), Silver Series USB cable ($429) Juice HC Silver Power Cords ($599). Also in the system was a WyWires/Daedalus Silver Series Power Broker AC distributor ($2499), Steve Blinn Designs Reference equipment rack ($1,899), and Acoustimac acoustic treatments ($100-$200).

The participants in this room are all about the music. They get it right every year and at a relatively modest cost.  George Counnas’s philosophy is that engineering only goes so far then the ears and heart must lead the rest of the way.