The sound in the Zesto Audio room was also something special. They were using a Merrill Williams Audio REAL 101.2 Turntable ($7,200) with a Tri-Planar U2 (classic 10″) tonearm (two, $7,200 each) with a Benz Micro Gullwing SLR mc cartridge ($3,600) and an Ortofon Cadenza Mono mc cartridge ($1,280). The electronics were a Zesto Audio Andros Tessera Vacuum Tube Phono Stage ($12,000), Zesto Audio Allasso Step Up Transformer ($2,995), a Zesto Audio Leto 1.5 Vacuum Tube Preamp ($7,500) and Zesto Audio Eros 300 monoblock Class A power amplifiers ($19,900/pair). The speakers were the Marten Django L speakers ($10,000/pair).
They were also using using a Stillpoints ESS42-26-4 Rack ($10,000), Stillpoints Ultra 6 Feet (under power amps) ($899 each), Cardas Audio Speaker Cables – Clear Beyond ($4,085/2-meter pair), Cardas Audio Interconnects – Clear Beyond ($1,875/1-meter pair), Cardas Audio Interconnects – Clear Beyond ($2,675/2-meter pair), Cardas Audio Power Cords – Clear Beyond ($522/1.5-meter), and Cardas Audio Phono cable – Clear Beyond ($573/1-meter).
There was a lot going on in the MarkAudio-SOTA room. They had the MarkAudio-SOTA Cesti B speakers ($1,895), the MarkAudio-SOTA Cesti T speakers ($3,495), and the MarkAudio-SOTA Viotti 1 speakers ($2,495). They were using a PS Audio Stellar Gain DAC preamp ($1,699), PS Audio S300 power amp ($1,499), and the AR-M2 HiFi Hi-Res music player ($999.99).
They also had a tabletop system with a pair of MarkAudio-SOTA Tozzi 1 speakers ($445) and a PS Audio Sprout ($599) with a U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable ($309).
The MartinLogan / Parasound / MIT Cables room was using a pair of MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A speakers driven by a Parasound JC5 stereo amplifier. The source was an Aurender A10 caching network player. The cables were the MIT Cables EVO One speaker interface, the MIT Cables EVO One interconnects, and the MIT Cables Predator 3 power cables.
The A.R.T. / Pass Labs / Krell / Dynaudio room used a Pass Labs INT-250 integrated amplifier, a Krell Vanguard Universal DAC, and a pair of Dynaudio Contour 60 loudspeakers to let us hear the effect that the A.R.T. cables, cones, damping devices, and power products can have on a good system. I discovered A.R.T. a few years ago and use their products in my listening room.
I saved the best for last, the Muraudio room. Here, they were playing the Muraudio SP1 Electrostatic Loudspeaker. They were being driven by a simple Simaudio Moon 340iDPSX Integrated Amplifier with DAC and Phono stage ($5,800). They were hooked up with Nordost Leif Interconnects Blue Heaven Power Cords (1M – $209.99), Nordost Blue Heaven Speaker cables (pair, 1M – $524.99 USD), and a Nordost Blue Heaven USB cable ($249 USD). The sound of these speakers was simply amazingly lifelike wherever you sat in the room. More to come in the show report coverage…
When I visited the Muraudio room the music was way too loud. An accapella female quartet should not shake the room. The sound was clear as could be though. I had to go rest my ears for a couple of hours afterwards. For me it was the most unpleasant demo at the show. I really should have asked for them to turn it down. I now associate these speakers with pain, which is unfortunate because they might have been very impressive if they had not been set to stun. A colleague surmises that maybe they were trying to show that electrostats can play loud too.
That was unfortunate, and I’m sorry you had that experience. It’s always acceptable to pull the room host aside and ask them to change the volume. Sometimes we have to do that as well.