As you know if you’ve followed me over the years, I give my Beatnik awards based on the price point of the system because I think this gives buyers a better idea of what’s good that fits into their budget, and it gives exhibitors a more level playing field on which to be judged.
One factor that is always difficult to control is room size, and as we all know that can make a big difference in the way the system sounds. The four most expensive award winning systems were in rooms that were very different in size. This made it really hard for me to know which one was best. The Audio Company was in a huge ballroom that many speakers could have sounded good in. The GTT Audio and Video room was in one of the bigger hotel rooms that were more the size of a nice living room. Then, EINSTEIN Audio Components and Gershman Acoustics were in smaller hotel rooms, and it was amazing that their big speakers could sound that good in that space.
Congratulations to these winners at the upper-end of the price spectrum!
The Audio Company – Best Room Over $500,000
I know other reviewers have said that this system was the best sound at the show, and it was certainly the best I heard. The team at The Audio Company are to be congratulated for bringing together this system. There is an art to knowing how to match and display components so that they truly show what they can do.
The system included the ULTRA 11 loudspeakers and V12XS Shockwave subwoofers from Von Schweikert Audio and amplification from VAC in the form of the Statement 450iQ mono power amplifiers (x4), the Statement Phono Stage, and the Statement Line Stage.
The digital source came from Esoteric USA with their Gandioso PI transport, Grandioso D1 mono block DACs, Grandiso G1 master clock and the N-01 network audio player. The Kronos Audio analog source was the Pro turntable with SCPS-1 power supply, a Black Beauty tonearm and the Airtight Opus cartridge. J-Corder Custom Reel to Reels supplied the Technics 1520 tape deck.
The interconnects, power cords and speaker cables were the Ultra Line and Signature Line from Masterbuilt Audio. Critical Mass Systems supplied the Maxxum equipment racks and amp stands.
I am going to do a full report on this system, so watch for the post to come later. The only thing we can’t figure out is why we didn’t discover these guys years ago when we lived in Columbus, GA. In the South, they would have practically been our neighbors.
GTT Audio and Video – Best Room $300,000 – $500,000
GTT Audio and Video had the privilege of introducing the YG Acoustics Sonja XV Junior speakers. The rest of this system consisted of an Audionet electronics all hooked up with Kubala-Sosna Realization cables. The source was a Kronos Pro turntable and mounted on the tonearm was an Air Tight Opus 1 cartridge.
I think this system was the best I’ve ever heard any version of the Sonja speakers sound. I attribute this to three things; first the analog source, second I’ve never heard a system using Audionet electronics that didn’t sound great, and third, these are simply great speakers.
Gershman Acoustics – Best Room $200,000 – $300,000
The Gershman Acoustics room sounded incredible. They were playing their new POSH Statement loudspeakers at $129,000/pair driven by the VAC Statement 450S Amplifier for $46,000 and the VAC Master Preamp with Phono for $40,000. The source was a VPI Titan turntable at $40,000, and the cables were from Nordost.
The sound was rich with wonderful harmonics, a huge soundstage, and a deep and powerful bass. The midrange was transparent, very detailed and not at all etched, and the top end was absolutely beautiful.
EINSTEIN Audio Components: Best Room $100,000 – $200,000
The EINSTEIN Audio Components room had a system made up completely of their components. The system had a very wonderful blend of rich harmonics and great tone. It did seem to sound its best on classical music and jazz. Vocals had a very special quality in that they were very lifelike and seemed to be connected to a real person. The air and the space of the system were superb.
“Best Room Over $500,000” – that’s where I get off this bus
Yep, that’s pricey for most everyone. It’s like at a car show. You have the real luxury models and then there are the models that you look at and can actually purchase. It’s fun to hear the top systems, but I don’t own a system that’s up there in price, and I can still enjoy my system.