Show after show, year after year Jeffrey Catalano of New York City’s High Water Sound has one of the best rooms at any show. Not only does Jeffrey have great sound, but he also travels with a great collection of LPs, and I never visited his rooms without coming away with a list of vintage LPs to hunt for. He is a true gentleman that treats everyone that comes into the room with real hospitality.
For this show, this room wins a Beatnik Bongo Award for Best Room Under $100,000. Most years his rooms run well over the $100,000 mark, but this year he combined a great source with some less expensive options to give us a system for a little over $50,000, and it was one of the very best at the LA Audio Show.
The source for this system was his faithful TW-Acustic AC-3 turntable ($20,000) with two TW 10.5 tonearms ($5,500/each), one mounted with a Charisma Audio Reference Two stereo cartridge ($2,800) and the other had an Ortofon Cadenza mono cartridge ($1,280). The tonearms were connected to the TW-Acustic RPS100 phonostage ($18,000). This year he was using the Arte Forte Audio’s Jadeite preamp ($3,200) and either a pair of Due Volte 805 SE monoblocks ($7,200/pair) or an 805 SE integrated amp ($4,000). The speakers were the Horning Hybrid Aristotle Ellipse speakers ($16,000/pair),
This system allowed you to hear the full capabilities of the Hornings, and the sound was incredibly musical and emotionally involving. This was a room I could listen to for hour after hour and just relax and enjoy spinning tunes.
Additional Coverage of the LA Audio Show:
Getting Ready for the Los Angeles Audio Show
LA Audio Show Day 1, Part 1
LA Audio Show Day 1, Part 2
Pictures from the LA Audio Show, Day 1, Part 3
LA Audio Show Day Two, Part 1
LA Audio Show Day Two, Part 2
LA Audio Show Day Two, Part 3
LA Audio Show, Headphones and Other Stuff
LA Audio Show Report #1 – Both Ends of the Price Spectrum
Turntable Eye Candy from LA Audio Show, Part 1
LA Audio Show #2 – Jaw-Dropping Sound at the LA Audio Show
Turntable Eye Candy from LA Audio Show, Part 2
LA Audio Show Report #3 – Rooms That Impressed
LA Audio Show, #4, Best Speaker Under $20,000
LA Audio Show Report #5, The British Sound Still Sounds Like Music
LA Audio Show Report #6, Is $100,000 the New Normal? – System 1
LA Audio Show Report #8, Optimal Enchantment and MBL; Two $100K Plus Rooms that Impressed
LA Audio Show Report #9, Audio Vista Points You Have to See
LA Audio Show Report #10, Systems from $14,000 Down to $400
LA Audio Show Report #11, The Vinnie Rossi/Spatial Audio/Anticables Room Wins the Beatnik Bongo Award for Best Room Under $50,000
LA Audio Show Report #12, VAC/Von Schweikert Audio Wins the Beatnik Bongo Award for Best Room Over $100,000
