SpeakersWell, this is always my favourite part of going to any hifi show. I am still fascinated after more than four decades being in the trade to see how many people are still designing new - or not so new - speakers of all sorts of technologies, shape, size and colour. i often caught myself inventing new speakers in my head - sometime putting these ideas on paper and more recently going to the prototype phase. Trust me, it is a disease, and it is highly contagious! So you have been warned... This show, I concentrated on a few favourites and also on some brands that I never had a chance to listen to properly. So here they are without further ado. Speakers from OZ
The latest member of the Whatmough family, the Progeny. The founder, Colin Whatmough, passed away in January 2011
SGR Audio newest "babies": Inspired by Wilson Audio
The Loudspeaker Kit proposes components like Dayton and Scan-Speak drivers as well as complete designs. Driven by Weston Acoustics valve amps made in the Mornington Peninsula, more famous for Pinot Noir than Hifi!
The magnificent and mighty Osborn speakers: Monument and Epitome. Well worth a listen!
Philip Vafiadis was his usual self, excellent at demoing his great range of speakers, using his iPad and a Devialet amplifier. I still have a sweet tooth for the Signature i(0, the smallest speaker in the range.
The best speakers at the Show - and they are Australians - Kyron AudioWell, call me biased, but I have watched Lee and Leon for three years now, going about their business of designing the best possible speaker in the World, and I was suitably impressed by their first product introduced here in Melbourne two years ago: the Gaia. Based on the open baffle principle and inspired by Siegfried Linkwittz, it integrated the best techniques of analog compensation for the baas, digital filtering and equalisation from DEXQ, also based in Melbourne, as well as Hypex Class D amplifiers, the best implementation of that technology by its inventor. At 180K$, nobody was expecting to sell hundreds and it didn't! But, Lee and Leon were not going to be stopped by limited commercial success, so they started designing a new product, much less expensive, smaller and with a much better WAF index. Enter the Kronos, a great example of design along the lines of form follows function. It is impeccably manufactured, the electronics have actually improved compared to the Gaia, and it comes at less than half the price! As far as I concerned, it is the most accurate, transparent and musical speaker I have listened to so far. You might have to sell an investment property to afford it, but it is definitely worth your money. Besides, you just need to add a source, CD, Steamer, or a good old turntable and phono stage. Enough talk, go and arrange a listen... We listened to my French percussionist, so I could properly compared to the Wilson Audio, and the Kronos won! 
Two very happy speaker designers: Leon on the left and Lee on the right, the brains behind Kyron Audio.
Best Speakers/System at the Show: Kyron Audio Kronos
Other notable speakers
Vienna Acoustics from Austria
Brodmann, also from Austria
Kaiser Acoustics from Germany. I like these speakers quite a lot! And they look beautiful too...
The Auld Alliance - Ivor Tiefenbrun will be in Oz in December, I have been told...
The gorgeous Vivid Audio speakers
Thanks God for Bryston! Although the Dynaudio Evidence Platinum are supposed to be the "most awesome speakers on the Planet", I am still not convinced. I do like their professional studio monitors, though...
Our next and final episode will be dedicated to valves, not because I am a big fan, but because they can be very beautiful objects...Stay tuned!
SourcesMore and more people were using digital files on iPads, PCs, Macs, streamers of all sorts, so it was quite frustrating to see just a few CD players and a reasonable quantity of turntables. Here is my selection.  SOTA Sapphire turntable, inked by Renae Haak of Diabolik Tatoo. Does it colour the sound as well?  Brinkmann Audio turntable (the Bardo) shows the Jelco 10" tonearm with Arche headshell by Acoustical Systems - the cartridge here is the van den Hul MC-One Special.  Another one with two arms...Brinkmann Audio turntable features the new Axiom tonearm by Acoustical Systems and Brinkmann Audio 12.1 tonearm, the latter with van den Hul Crimson cartridge and the former sporting a Brinkmann Audio EMT Ti.  The elegantly simple but extremely capable Wilson Benesh turntable  The Classic Thorens with an SME arm and Ortofon cartridge  Best vinyl demo of the Show: Spiral Grove turntable with MySonic Labs cartridge, Ysilon amplification a nd Kayser Acoustics speakers  Amazing recording and 45RPM, 180g pressing. A must have in your collection. And I thought I knew that music...  Ypsilon - the only CD player worth a photo  Two for the price of one: Consonance and Audio Aero CD players on the Osborn stand
The British contingent: Naim and Cambridge Audio A treat to finish this post: Wilson Audio, dcs Vivaldi, Clearaudio and D'Agostino The most expensive system at the Show, and second best in my opinion This is - give or take a few components - Ken Kessler's reference system. He calls the D'Agostino suite of products the best amplification in the World. We listened to a French percussionist that I carried around the Show - virtually - on a USB stick. It is a live recording and although it is "only" 16/44.1Khz it is one of the most amazing recording I have heard - period! It was sent to me with my old buddy, Alain Wacquet, who knows the artist personally. There is a passage where there is quite a rolling of drums and the D'Agostino got a bit of a workout...see photo of the power meter below. And I couldn't capture the highest peak 2/3 to the right... It was certainly an amazing rendition and for my first encounter with that combination of two iconic products, I was certainly not disappointed, but...you will have to come back tomorrow for a bit of a surprise!  Jean-Pierre Drouet recorded live March 22nd 1994, Festival Banlieues Bleues  Jean-Pierre Drouet gives a workout to Dan D'agostino power amp The Venue: Intercontinental Hotel at Rialto Towers  One can count on Melbourne for classy architecture! And this renovation is certainly the proof in the pudding. On top, we had fabulous weather and the best coffee - although expensive - and a very decent buffet lunch to break the - long - day... I flew in just for the day on the second Virgin Australia flight - together with Len Wallis by chance - and returned on the last flight - a 16-hour day but well worth the effort. Before I go any further, I would like to apologise in advance for the poor quality of some of my photos. My dear Olympus PEL-1 is showing signs of ageing - well, it is MY camera after all - and its autofocus is very poor in low lighting conditions. Thanks God, Christmas is not too far away!  Where are the French???Not that I was expecting to see a lot of French products here, but it is always good to reconnect with some of my compatriots and French products. The disappointment came from the absence of Cabasse, Triangle and Waterfall Audio. However, it was a surprise to see YBA now distributed in Australia by Audio Heaven and Elipson by Audio Dynamics who are also starting to distribute Davis Acoustics, the company founded by the late Michel Visan and now run by his wife and his two sons. Focal was there as usual in the good hands of Audio Marketing and the big noise was coming from Devialet, also imported by Audio Heaven and Avation. Even VAF was using them for driving their fabulous loudspeakers! Even, Doug Graham from Naim Audio came in for a listen - or did he see the writing on the wall and tried to get a new job? It would be a good way to rekindle the Auld Alliance! Just kidding... French Electronics: Devialet, YBA The Greek Australian French Alliance - Devialet drives the VAF speakers  Devialet Amplifier new look and new models Worked very well with the Vivid Audio speakers in the Avation room  Vivid Audio driven by Devialet and fed with MSB and OPPO CD players  YBA Integrated Amplifier IA350 from the Passion Range and Media Steamer MP100 from the Heritage range  YBA Integrated Amplifier A100 from the Heritage range and the entire entry level Design range French Speakers: Focal, Elipson, Davis Acoustics Focal in the good hands of Audio Marketing  The Planets by Elipson and their fabulous Music Centre  The new "Timber", a joint venture between Elipson and Habitat. A new way to listen to your virtual music via Bluetooth  New to Australia: The Legendary Davis Acoustics speakers - worked a treat driven by Electrocompaniet. The tallest model fom the Olympia range will retail for 3000$/pair Stay tuned for more reviews in the coming days! Melbourne Hifi Show - October 18th - 20th, 2013 - Don't miss Kronos the new baby of Kyron Audio!17/10/2013  The new Kronos from Kyron Audio - photo supplied If you have a tight schedule at the Show, then go straight to Room 312 to listen to the new Kronos by Kyron Audio.
You know of my keen interest for open baffle speaker and having had inside information about this new "baby' - so to speak, compared to the Gaia... - and I have been trepidating for some time in anticipation. A last minute impediment almost prevented me to attend the Show, but I managed to spare Saturday to pay Lee and Leon a visit at the Intercontinental at the Rialto Towers. Unfortunately, there will be no time to try "Vue du Monde" the famous restaurant of Shannon Bennett on top of one these towers. The Kronos are a fabulous contraption with a 300% raise in their WAF compared to the Gaia. It will help that there also a tad less expensive... Another exhibit that I missed in Paris and Melbourne two years ago was the Dan D'Agostino stand. It was static in Paris (go figure...) and ran out of time at the last Show in Melbourne. Glad I waited, though as we now have a full range of products, including the recently released preamp. Ken Kessler reckons this is the best amplification in the World. Let's see if I am trading in my Bryston - don't worry too much Brian! - They will be in Room 440. Bryston will have a big room called "Stock", Another amplifier worth your time is Devialet shown in rooms 403 and 410 and one of the few French companies present at the Show, in good company with Elipson and Focal. Cabasse and Waterfall seem to be absent from the Show Guide, but we might have a last minute surprise! I will tell you all about the Show next week! |
AuthorBorn in France, well travelled, relocated to Sydney in 1997.  Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
