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RMAFAttendance was robust in the newly renovated Denver Tech Center Marriott. Maybe it had something to do with the remodel, but after 9 years of attending The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, this was by far the best sound by a Denver mile I’ve heard at the ‘fest. I’ll go as far as to say, the best overall sound I’ve heard at a large venue audio show. As usual Majorie Baumert and her cracker jack team pulled off an event in a professional and effective way. Everything was happening – nightly parties, live music, business for the exhibitors and exciting product debuts. My unwavering conclusion? The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is alive and living in Colorado!
Acoustic Zen/Convergent Audio Technology:
The wonderful Acoustic Zen Crescendo MK II’s along with the CAT JL-7’s were imaging a live-music experience in this exhibit room at RMAF 2017. We played a track from the CD “Let’s Cool One” and as usual, the sound was dynamic, detailed and emotionally engaging. These loudspeakers will please any music lover, regardless of their music preference. Magical, paired with the CAT’s.
GTT Audio & Video/Von Schweikert Audio:
The coming together of Audionet electronics and Von Schweikert was something I was looking forward to at RMAF 2017. Together, The Audionet Max monoblocks power amplifier and the Von Schweikert VR-55 loudspeaker played extraordinarily well on their first date. The combo produced fast, detailed and well-integrated sound. No surprise. We played the track “Nublado” from the album Sera Una Noche on the magnificent Kronos Pro with the SCPS (Von Schweikert’s Leif Swanson called the Kronos the “star of the show”. See vid) with the Black Beauty arm and ZYX 4D cartridge. Sophisticated and emotionally involving. The system was cabled with MasterBuilt cables and included the Audionet Pre-G2 linestage, PAM G2 phonostage with the optional EPX external power supply. Aurender music server and the Lampizator Golden Gate DAC were also among the associated equipment.
High End by OZ:
Lars Kristensen of Ansuz/Aavik in Denmark joined the wizard himself, Ozan Turan of “High End by OZ” at RMAF, this year. In addition to the debut of the new Aavik U-150 Integrated amplifier, Lars treated us to an A/B comparison of the C-2 and D-2 power cords. No surprise when the D-2’s were in play that the soundstage blossomed and the depth of sound bloomed in a significant way. Almost three times the cost of the C-2’s, the Ansuz D-2’s was the star performer. We listened to a female vocalist from Norway and the sound was clear, multi-layered with wonderful tonal quality. Also, the dynamics that energized the room when playing a track from Soundkeeper Recordings’ “Equinox” were profound coming from the Raidho D1.1 two-way stand mount loudspeakers. Both the Ansuz and the Aavik products are the cutting edge in the world of high-performance audio today.
JWM Acoustics:
Proprietor, Joshua Miles along with Believe High Fidelity’s Joshua Masonsong put together an exhibit room at Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2017 that delivered a dynamic, detailed and layered sound. Listening to MA Recordings’ “Nublado” was an emotional experience. The room included Believe High Fidelity’s Aries Cerat pre-amplifier and DAC along with JWM’s Alyson AML II loudspeakers. The esteemed Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue cartridge and the stunning new Karen 6 SE turntable were only two of the compelling components in this room full of exotics. By far, one of the best sounding rooms at RMAF 2017. After all, Peter Breuninger, Kemper Holt and I all agreed, so how could we be wrong! All cabling was by Douglas Connection out of Texas. A must-watch video is coming your way. Lots to see and hear.
Modwright/Skogrand:
Listening to a track from Audio Note Music’s “Pure Cello” was like the very first time. I’ve heard this album repeatedly at home and at audio shows and every single time the needle is dropped I experience a rush of emotion. Dan Wright does a walk-through of this exhibit room in a video which features the brand new Ambrose ONE fully balanced pre-amp. The cabling was the “Vivaldi” by Skogrand Cables, a more affordable series in the line. Everything sounded very clean. The cellist’s breathing was evident and there was a warmth without sacrificing detail. Loudspeakers were the Daedalus Audio Apollo’s – stunning in solid wood contributing to the superior level of musicality in the room and Core Power Technologies to clean up the hotel power.
Nagra:
Matthieu Latour, marketing director for Nagra-Audio Technology Switzerland, introduced the new Nagra HD pre-amp at RMAF 2017. The system included Nagra HD Amplifiers, electronics and the Wilson Alexandria Mk II loudspeakers. The front end spot alternated between the Nagra reel to reel and the Kronos Pro turntable. Rene LaFlamme spun up one of his new masterings,on the tape deck, Sunny Boy Williamson’s “Sky is Bright”. The Nagra exhibit room, no doubt, had one of the best sounds I heard at RMAF 2017. The new pre-amp was a noticeable addition to the system and worked exceptionally well with the amplifiers. The sound of the system was sophisticated with excellent tonal quality and musicality. The system delivered the music passionately with a big soundstage making our listening experience an emotionally involving one.
Raidho:
Raidho’s sales director Rune Skov gave a great walk-through of the Raidho exhibit room at RMAF 2017. You’ll see and hear on the show video all about the new Raidho XT-5’s. Before I go on about the sound allow me to wax enthusiastically about the design. The veneer was Birdseye Maple Burl which is very expensive and drop-dead gorgeous. If these little ballerinas were attending a beauty pageant, they’d get my vote. The Raidho XT-5’s are the company’s latest project. An achievement completed by a team at Dantax Raidio. The titanium drivers and ribbon tweeter are made in-house at the factory in Pandrup, Denmark. Both Peter Breuninger and I thought that the new XT-5’s were very close to the sound of the Raidho D4.1 loudspeakers which we currently have under review at AVShowrooms. Rune played a track for us from the album Let’s Cool One recorded by Rene Laflamme of Fidelio Recordings and a beautiful classical aria, unnamed. The sound of the cool jazz illustrated pinpoint precision in its imaging and seamless integration with a big soundstage. The system delivered clarity of sound with no coloration without compromising the emotional engagement that is expected at the high-performance audio level. I could have spent the entire day in the Raidho room. Both the jazz and the classical tracks were equally impressive. Raidho does all genres of music right. The amplifier was the Aavik U-300 with a Nagra transport.
Synergistic Research:
Ted Denney demonstrates the difference in sound, in his exhibit room, with his active Synergistic Research technology in place and without it. Included were the power cell, tranquility bases and the active ground block. Cabling was the Galileo UEF interconnects, speaker cables and the 25th anniversary power chord. There was the introduction to the new Atmosphere XL-4 which super charges all of the UEF technology in the room. The loudspeakers were Magico and the electronics, Soulution. As I said in the Reviewers’ View video, this was the best sound at RMAF 2017 and folks, this show’s rooms had very good sound this year. With all of the technology in place a track from Dead Can Dance exploded in the room like a kaleidoscope, the imaging was so real and alive that I can still see it in my minds’ eye. Occasionally, I walk away from an audio show with one room that will continue to haunt me and this is one of those times. The sound was viscerally powerful and downright erotic, owning the space it occupied.
The Audio Alternative:
VTL’s Luke Manley walked us through The Audio Alternative’s exhibit at RMAF 2017. The system’s source was a Brinkmann Balance turntable with a Lyra Atlas cartridge; electronics were VTL, of course, and loudspeakers were the Vandersteen Model 7 MK II’s with subs. Cabling and power conditioners were Audioquest. Luke dropped the needle on Anne Bisson’s “Midnight Sun” from her latest album, Four Seasons in Jazz and the sound was clear and detailed with rich tonality. Wonderful sound on the first day of the show, both Peter Breuninger and Kemper Holt of AVShowrooms both agree with my impressions and confirm them on the AVShowrooms’ RMAF 2017 Reviewers View video.
RMAF 2017 was indeed a grand success! See you at the next show.
Terry Eringi
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