chessman's (Randy's) visit with Ivan

[chessman]

Our visit on Sept. 13 was my wife and my fourth visit to the audio promised land on Cape Cod. As usual, Ivan and his family were the consummate hosts. And, as usual, the various systems continue to amaze. I don't know how Ivan keeps improving on perfection, but he does.

We started with the Bryston/Esoteric/TAD system. The TAD R-1s are magnificent. I was surprised that their near wall placement was so successful while still yielding tuneful bass. I thought there was a sub running somewhere, but there was none. The Bryston amps were effortlessly presenting a very engaging performance. The Esoteric/Silenzio front end was amazing. I own both and was prepared for it to be great, but the external clock made it better. By the way, I didn't spot the Silenzio for 10 minutes and I own one.

[chessman]

Next up was the Burmester/Aida/Grandioso system. This is a truly magnificent system. If I had ever only heard the Esoteric/TAD rig I would have declared it the state of the art, but the Burmester/Aida/Grandioso rig is better by a significant margin. I have spent several days trying to determine comparisons between the two and can only come up with this: the TAD rig sounds great - the Aida rig sounds profound. Of course that outcome is not surprising given the costs involved.

The rig is audio eye-candy all by itself, but I must give a nod to Ivan as well. Each of these rigs are aesthetically pleasing to the nth degree because of Ivan's sense of visual balance and meticulous cable management. This is not just a camera angle effect - I was walking around looking for cables. They are really hard to spot!

[chessman]

The wall of McIntosh has been pictured many times, as has the catwalk access to the wiring, but they bear repeating. The wiring in the catwalk must be seen to be believed. It is the perfect marriage of form and function. Even the cable ties run in the same direction and are spaced evenly.

[chessman]

Of course, all that technical prowess is behind the scenes. Here is what you see in the home theater.

[chessman]

The last system I heard was the most surprising. The Grandioso/ Canton K-3 rig in the library hits way, way above its weight. The Cantons run about $16,000 a pair if I recall correctly. They sounded much better. The Aerial subs are part of the reason. Each one has an internal electronic cross-over that allowed seamless integration. But you cannot say, oh it was the front end or it was the subs. Yes, it is the whole system (and the room) that you are listening to, but that whole will only sound as good as its weakest link. The fact that the Cantons kept up is the marvel.

[chessman]

I see the photo resolution got crushed by uploading these via the phone. When I get my laptop running I will try to replace these with better resolution copies.

[EfeTe]

Looks like you had a revealing one Randy - exactly what you said/wrote "you don't know hoe someone can improve on perfection, but he does"!

Thanks for sharing.

[bart]

Thank you for sharing Randy!
It's an agreeable place to be for an audiophile, isn't it?!

[chessman]

Originally Posted by bart

Thank you for sharing Randy!

It's an agreeable place to be for an audiophile, isn't it?!

Yeah, it's audiophile heaven. There are many lessons to be learned by talking with Ivan. For example, audio symmetry trumps visual symmetry in speaker placement. Or that your ears are more reliable than measurements. Then there are the unstated lessons, like a system can be technically high performing and still look aesthetically pleasing. Or that little improvements add up. It really is quite an experience to visit Ivan. If you get the chance, you should do it.

[bart]

Originally Posted by chessman

Yeah, it's audiophile heaven. There are many lessons to be learned by talking with Ivan. For example, audio symmetry trumps visual symmetry in speaker placement. Or that your ears are more reliable than measurements. Then there are the unstated lessons, like a system can be technically high performing and still look esthetically pleasing. Or that little improvements add up. It really is quite an experience to visit Ivan. If you get the chance, you should do it.

I've done it, with my family, and can attest that Ivan and his family are incredibly good hosts.