In just a couple of days now until the 2018 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest opens, and there are over three dozen companies debuting new products at this show. You can find the latest information in this list on the RMAF website. We have learned of a few more from press releases we received and phone conversations.
There’s just not enough time to get a good look at every new product, but here’s our short list for RMAF. Here’s who made our list of 12 “Must See” exhibitors and why they are on the list.
BRINKMANN will be debuting their “Next Generation” electronics in Room 1103, Summit Tower. Jack always looks forward to seeing and hearing this fine German company.
DeVore Fidelity new apes will be at RMAF as John DeVore introduces his new Orangutan Reference loudspeakers in Room 6025. We will be reviewing the gibbon Super Nines soon.
KLIPSCH will debut their updated La Scala AL5 speaker and will be in Rooms 9014 & 9017, Summit Tower & CANJAM 8. There is a reason everyone recognizes their name. We would love to review something from them, but alas, they don’t seem to recognize our name. We do have a press appointment at the show.
NAGRA will be presenting their new HD DAC X in Room 1030, Summit Tower. We look forward to hearing this most ambitious D/A converter ever! And, the NAGA room always sounds great. The were one of the Big Systems that Impressed at last year’s show.
SOUNDSMITH is a perennial favorite, and at RMAF they are launching their new ES series of cartridges in Rooms 577 & 582, Front Range 5. The Soundsmith cartridges tend to show up in the best systems at any show. At this year’s AXPONA they were in an ELAC system that Jack wrote about in a post called Very Good Things in Small Boxes!
TECHNICS will be showing with J-CORDER in Room 1007, Summit Tower. Technics is introducing their Premium Class OTTAVA™ S SC-C50. We have been enjoying the big sister to this unit and wrote about it in Reviewing the Technics OTTAVA™ f SC-C70 All-in-One Music System.
Tone Imports and Pitch Perfect Audio will be debuting the YONNA loudspeakers by Meyer Tonapparate in Room 563. This is a first time in the United States for these speakers that have built quite a name for themselves in other parts of the world.
VAC will also be in Room 8025. They are introducing their new Statement 450i iQ Integrated Amplifier, and we are looking forward to seeing this vertical amp. VAC was part of The Ultimate System at AXPONA, and it looks like they are bringing something special to RMAF as well.
VANATOO in Rooms 3021 & 2007 will be showing off their brand new Transparent One Encore. We love the Transparent One and have had a pair in our home. Jack also reviewed them here, Vanatoo Transparent Zero, a Breakthrough in Small Powered Speakers.
VAC, Von Schweikert Audio and The Audio Company (in Maroon Peak) are showing their new Ultra Nine Loudspeakers and the VAC Statement 450i iQ Integrated Amplifier, and we look forward to seeing what the rest of this system includes. The speakers look beautiful in the pictures, and we can’t wait to hear them. Von Schweikert supplied their Ultra Elevens that Jack wrote about in his The Ultimate System post from AXPONA. Other equipment in this room is from Esoteric USA (digital), MasterBuilt Audio, Critical Mass Systems, and Kronos Audio.
Voxative Loudspeakers will be debuting their T805 integrated Amp and their 9.87 Fieldcoil Edition System in Room 5000. This is another fine German company with a world-class reputation for design and well worth a listen.
Well Pleased Audio Vida will be in Room 581 with a whole host of new products. We already love Mark Sossa’s Innuos and Audio Hungary Qualiton lines, speaking of which, did you see Jack’s review of the Audio Hungary Qualiton Phono Preamp last week? We’re looking forward to finding out more about some of these new brands. Mark has a good ear, so we’re sure we will discover something here that we want to review. Check it out!