XFI Premium Audio Show September '18
 

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Last Sunday, I went to this event with my audio buddy Jacques (aka Jem 666).
This is the biggest show of the Benelux (Belgium/Netherlands/Luxemburg).
More than 60 rooms, and innumerable brands.
Quite a lot of people, and not only senior citizens.
It seems high end audio isn't that dead after all.

I only want to post the best rooms (to me), and the ones that were nice surprises to me.
Although I have to admit, my choices were often also Jacques' choices.
We didn't have time to visit all rooms.
And we left the rooms that didn't catch us from the first moment sometimes already after half a minute. :D

The first room we entered: Siltech.
We stayed longer than needed, and after that we realised we would have to move on if we wanted to visit most of the outstanding rooms.

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Next: Dan D'Agostino with Wilson Audio Alexx.

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Source: Mark Levinson.

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We listened to music recorded by Dave Wilson himself.
Brilliant recordings, that was clear.
This system had a lot of slam.
But... there was something wrong.
The drivers sounded not coherent.
Tweeter, mids, bass, it was all not too well integrated.
I think these components can shine more when everything is better installed.
The Alexias last year in Brussels sounded better.

Next room that left a good impression, the head-fi room (there were many!):

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Wow, these Abyss sounded good.
A bit strange at first to put them on our head, but they were more comfortable than they looked.

First real highlight: Estelon - dCS - Pass - Aurender.

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Slender, really attractive speakers.

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Very good bass, for such a small concept.
18K a pair.
Good value!

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Soundstage, imaging, transparency, this system had it all.
In our Top 5!

Not too bad: Temporal Coherence

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Bart... great coverage, thank you!

First really nice discovery: Alaudo!

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A one man company.
Three models: the small Alosa, the bigger Alauda, the 3-way Alondra.
You put them against the wall, connect them to an amp, and you listen!
The Alosa already sounded surprisingly full, with a very good soundstage and depth, but the Alondra left us with our mouths open.
11 cm deep and such a good imaging!

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I'm sure this can be a very good solution for small rooms, such as the one we were sitting in.

Amp: Gato Audio.


Prices: very reasonable!

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And next...?
 

Okay, this was the room we were anticipating the most: the YG Acoustics system!
Jacques was head over heels last year with the YG Hailey, and I found the Carmel 2 one of the best rooms in Brussels in '16.
This time: the Sonja 2.2.

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The electronics will be discussed later (they were exactly the same as last year in Brussels with the Hailey).
Suffice to say this was a candidate for sound of the show, and we would be visiting this room again.

XFI Premium Audio Show September '18
 

Dennis van Duppen is the mastermind designer of the alaudo line of speakers. A name to remember.

Very good value, putting many speakers at similar price points (or even more expensive ones) of reputable brands to shame. They are made to order and come in any finish your budget supports.

It was kind of weird as they made the small demo room feel and sound bigger. I’m confident they will handle big rooms without breaking a sweat.

The secret sauce is to be found in the crossover, designed specifically with wall placement in mind. Very well done.

First aha moment of the show.