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The show shut down right as I was visiting this last room. Huge crates were being wheeled out to waiting vans and trucks at the curb and I had a mixed feeling of satisfaction and sadness to see it end. Upon arriving back home it is always interesting to turn on your own stereo again and listen in the light of all those show system memories. Thankfully I am still very happy with what I hear at home. As I sat listening and writing I mulled over all of the rooms and came up with my Best Of Show list.
Best Sound of Show with full-range speakers: Audio Limits Venture speakers
Runners Up: Aaudio Imports - Acapella Violoncello II speakers
High End Palace Eggleston Fountane Signature speakers
Best Sound of Show with more bass-limited speakers: MBL Corona system with MBL 126 speakers
Runners Up: Magico room Magico Q-1 speakers
Voxativ room Voxativ Ampeggio speakers
Bogdan Audio Creations Bogdan Catalina speakers
Best High-Efficiency System: Voxativ Ampeggio speaker system
Best Affordable Sound of Show: The Clue Speaker with Hegel electronics (two years in a row)
Best Redbook CD Sound: Stahl-Tek CD transport and DAC
Best Digital Sound: Stahl-Tek CD transport and DAC
Best Vinyl Sound: Galibier Design Stelvio II turntable
Best Tape Sound: On A Higher Note, modified Revox
Best Technological Innovation: Schroeder linear tracking tonearm
Best Speaker Cabinet Craftsmanship: Tie between Volti Horn speakers and Teresonic Ingenium speakers
Best Product Aesthetics: Estelon XA speakers
Best Year-to-Year Consistently Good Sound: On A Higher Note
Best Accessory: Nordost QRT power system
Most Overplayed Cut: Nils Lofgren, Keith Don’t Go
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Audio Limits - Venture, B.M.C. Audio, Stage II Concepts, Precision Audio & Video: Okay, the speakers are $90.000/pr but this was one expensive speaker that sounded utterly fantastic. I know, it damned well better! Music selections played either from a computer with J.River media player or from the BMC BDCD1 belt-drive CD transport ($5.990) were Harry Belafonte, Steely Dan and a blues guitar player (Todd Bennett perhaps). The sound was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of everything. I could find no fault. I read John Atkinson’s blog on this room and he was also "blown away". While the speakers are very expensive, the electronics are not quite as breathtaking in cost. The amps were the BMC AMP M1 solid-state monoblocks ($15.580 pair) and the preamp/DAC was a BMC DAC1 Pre (HR) D/A converter/preamplifier ($6.290). A peek under the hood of the beautifully made BMC components was provided on a side table.
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Colorado Springs retailer Audio Limits was filling one of the very large ground-floor rooms at RMAF with sound, courtesy of the massive Venture Grand Ultimate loudspeakers ($90,000/pair) driven by the new AMP M1 solid-state monoblock amplifiers from BMC ($15,580 pair). Source was the BMC BDCD1 belt-drive CD transport ($5990), the BMC DAC1 Pre (HR) D/A converter/preamplifier ($6290), with Silversmith The Silver interconnects and speaker cables, Stage III power cables, and Weizhi PRS-6 power distributor.
I listened to a track I haven't heard in years in this room, Michel Jonasz's "Les temps passe," from the CD La fabuleuse histoire de mister swing (1987), and was blown away by the enormous sound, the huge dome of ambience that was defined between and behind the speakers, and the sheer effortlessness with which the music was presented.
Michael Fremer is reviewing the BMC integrated amplifier early in the New Year given what I heard of the BMC electronics at RMAF, I'll make sure I get some listening done at his place.
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