California Audio Show July 15, 16, 17

They are Mbl 101E MKII Radialstrahler loudspeakers.<br />

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http://www.mbl.de/en/<br />

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J. River Media Center 16 now has support for DSD formats:<br />

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=65161.msg436650<br />

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Did anybody ask when they thought they might release the new ararra gui?

This was my first show and I was excited to check out some of the equipment I have been reading about for the past couple years. Let me say that I know the rooms didnt allow for the best set ups but I was a little dissapointed. A few observations follow:<br />

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1. The big wilsons were more than 20 feet apart and close to the back wall which made for a bad presentation.<br />

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2. The magicos in the lobby were definately closed in. I actually came back to this room 3 times because I thought the source material might have been at fault. Every time though, the soundstage was shallow, small, basically there wasnt one.<br />

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3. I felt the music, in most rooms was being played too soft. no dynamics<br />

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There were a couple bright spots for me.<br />

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1.The Von Gaylord room had great sound<br />

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2. The Salk Sound room was minimalistic but the Salk speakers were very resolving and smooth. Jim Salk got it right.<br />

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3. The chapman T-8 speakers imaged like crazy and I felt had the most natural sounding voices I have ever heard.<br />

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All in all it was definately worth the hour and half drive. I am more convinced than ever that DIY speakers will be my next upgrade so I will be able to taylor the sound to my listening room. <br />

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Brad

Show report is up -> http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/2011-California-Audio-Show-Report<br />

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I got a souvenir:<br />

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<b>HDtracks 15% off code: Legacy15 through 7.31.11</b><br />

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It was my first show too. Very different from what I expected. I thought I would see quite a bit of new-fangled technology, but it seemed like most of it was boutique equipment that I will never be able to afford.<br />

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In two instances, I was surprised to find that I could hear noise that no one else could, given that I am the guy that usually can't hear stuff that everyone else says they hear. In one instance, it was a lamp that emitted a high-pitched noise. I had the same lamp, and had to take it out of my kid's room and take it to work, because it polluted the electrical lines. These guys liked the lamp and brought it with them; it wasn't hotel junk. In the other instance, I could hear noise introduced by a small LCD display thingie and a high-pitched whine in some speakers. After that someone asked me if I was "in the trade" as I had such sensitive hearing. Being almost 50 and with what I think is a low-grade ear infection, seems unlikely.<br />

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Many of the high-priced systems didn't sound particularly good. I imagine it was because of the rooms, but still, it was kind of curious.<br />

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Also, they almost always seemed to use music that I never listen to except involuntarily when strapped to a dentist chair.<br />