AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > AudioAficionado News > Events & Demos

Events & Demos Manufacturer & Dealer Sponsored Events

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old 11-20-2017, 05:59 PM
bart's Avatar
bart bart is offline
Life is beautiful
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Belgium
Posts: 19,867
Default

The same impression remained.
Although there was more low end grunt here, it all sounded a bit 2-dimensional and flat.
This room was not a contender for our top 5.

The Serafinos, as well as the Amatis, standing unemployed, are pieces of art.

__________________
Stereo: Hegel H590, Grimm Audio MU1, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Burmester 948 - V3 & V6 racks, Vivid Audio G2 Giyas, REL Carbon Special (pair), Silent Angel Bonn N8 Ethernet Switch & Forester F1, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse IC and SE SC, Furutech Digiflux
AV: Hegel C-53, Marantz AV8802A, Oppo BDP-203EU, Pioneer Kuro 60", Vivid Audio C1 & V1w's, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse, SE & E
Second system (veranda): Halgorythme preamp and monoblocks, Burmester 061, Avalon Avatar, Sharkwire & Wireworld cables
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 11-20-2017, 06:13 PM
bart's Avatar
bart bart is offline
Life is beautiful
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Belgium
Posts: 19,867
Default

YG Acoustics






An Acoustic System Grand Stereo amplifier delivered the current.
Plenty of it: 650W into 8 Ohms.
30K.






The YG Hailey is -1 dB at 20 Hz.

__________________
Stereo: Hegel H590, Grimm Audio MU1, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Burmester 948 - V3 & V6 racks, Vivid Audio G2 Giyas, REL Carbon Special (pair), Silent Angel Bonn N8 Ethernet Switch & Forester F1, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse IC and SE SC, Furutech Digiflux
AV: Hegel C-53, Marantz AV8802A, Oppo BDP-203EU, Pioneer Kuro 60", Vivid Audio C1 & V1w's, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse, SE & E
Second system (veranda): Halgorythme preamp and monoblocks, Burmester 061, Avalon Avatar, Sharkwire & Wireworld cables

Last edited by bart; 11-21-2017 at 04:52 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 11-20-2017, 06:22 PM
bart's Avatar
bart bart is offline
Life is beautiful
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Belgium
Posts: 19,867
Default

The Wadax Pre One MkII:




Source: PS Audio:




And the sound?
YES!
YES YES!
YES YES YES!

This system had it all: clarity, holographic image, truthfulness.
It all sounded very real.
The speakers look rather tiny, but they produce the loveliest sound.
Mind you: feed them with top gear upstream or they will reveal all the shortcomings.

We both felt that it would be hard to beat this room...

Stay tuned for more.
Tomorrow I'll post the other rooms we visited.
And I'm sure Jacques will chime in.
__________________
Stereo: Hegel H590, Grimm Audio MU1, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Burmester 948 - V3 & V6 racks, Vivid Audio G2 Giyas, REL Carbon Special (pair), Silent Angel Bonn N8 Ethernet Switch & Forester F1, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse IC and SE SC, Furutech Digiflux
AV: Hegel C-53, Marantz AV8802A, Oppo BDP-203EU, Pioneer Kuro 60", Vivid Audio C1 & V1w's, Wireworld Platinum Eclipse, SE & E
Second system (veranda): Halgorythme preamp and monoblocks, Burmester 061, Avalon Avatar, Sharkwire & Wireworld cables
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 11-20-2017, 06:23 PM
SCAudiophile SCAudiophile is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Greenville SC
Posts: 4,531
Default

Thank you for the show coverage; it's great to see all these different shows around the world and the equipment, speakers and cables that seem that are constant as well as those (and especially) that vary from region to region!
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-20-2017, 06:33 PM
jdandy's Avatar
jdandy jdandy is offline
Merry Christmas to all



 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: North Central Florida
Posts: 53,224
Default

Bart.......Thank you for taking us along.
__________________
Dan



STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 11-20-2017, 09:10 PM
Weirdcuba's Avatar
Weirdcuba Weirdcuba is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,420
Default

I enjoy the hi fi shops in the Brussels area. My friend and partner there shares our sickness and we can always find something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Lots more actual physical dealers than in many cities of similar size I’ve visited.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 11-20-2017, 10:18 PM
cma29's Avatar
cma29 cma29 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Columbia, Missouri, USA
Posts: 4,405
Default

I felt like I was there, Bart.

Thanks for sharing!

Any rooms with Pass Labs, Magnepan or Esoteric gear?
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 11-21-2017, 10:42 AM
JemHadar JemHadar is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Belgium, Europe
Posts: 2,307
Default

Indeed, a fun day it was. It is always satisfying to give the gearhead lurking inside of us free reign for the day and share an adventure with a likeminded soul. For purposes of full disclosure (tongue in cheek), there is somewhat of a Ying-Yang dynamic going on between us; me leaning to the Dark Side and Bart definitely to the Light Side…but hey, there must be balance in the universe and I value the way we connect very much.

Before counting down the Top 3 of the Show, first some Awards.

The Award for “No Brainer If You Can Afford It” goes to the Sennheiser HE1 aka The Orpheus 2.0. It was sharing the stage with a HD800, a HD800S and HD660S (I think), all playing the same track. As I’m in the market for new cans, this was a great opportunity to compare. The 800S is absolutely more my cup of tea than the 800, but the HE1 rules them all. Yes, believe what you read about this marvel, this is not a headphone system, this a “direct brain pleasure centre stimulation dopamine release device”. I’m pretty sure there is some subliminal “euphonics” tube magic going on, but who cares, the experience is overwhelming, intoxicating and addictive. It was fun to see the anticipating looks on the faces of the Sennheiser people, brimming with pride (and rightly so), whenever someone donned the HE1 headset, as they knew what would happen next. And yes, you can add a second headphone to the amp for a measly 25.000 Euro so you can share the magic with a second person. Probably one of the more intense things you can do with your significant other…with your clothes on. Bravo Sennheiser!

The Award for “Out Of The Blue Aha-Erlebnis Unexpected Pleasant Surprise” goes to the Dynaudio Special Forty bookshelf speaker. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t some subwoofer hidden in the room. This anniversary model exploits all SOTA Dynaudio tech but forgoes a fancy cabinet, keeping the price reasonable. If you are in the market for a compact bookshelf speaker, this one surely deserves to be checked out.

The Award for “Yet Another Bubble Burst” goes to the Stenheim Alumine 2 bookshelf speaker. What a disappointment. This was so bad it was embarrassing. I hope the opportunity presents itself to audition this speaker in a different setting with different gear, for now this Brand is moving to the “all hype, overpriced no substance” purgatory.

The Award for “We Are On The Cusp Of An Audio Gear Renaissance” goes to all Brands who offer affordable integrated systems, be it powered wireless speakers to compact integrated streamers/players or the combination of the above. There is a lot of variety in the offerings and people, who grew up with streaming music on their phones, can now expand their musical escapades with systems delivering surprisingly convincing performance without breaking the bank. IMO this is a very good thing and I wouldn’t be surprised if Brands who are most responsive to this change will survive and others who are too late and cannot fall back on a sustainable niche clientele will go the way of the Dodo.

The last Award, the “Frankenstein, What Were They Thinking” award goes to the room playing Aurender, dCS, Pass Labs through Golden Ear speakers. It was loud and it vaguely resembled something called music, ‘nuff said.

Now for the Top 3 Best of Show.

On the number 3 spot: the Wilson Audio, Mark Levinson room. One cannot go wrong with this one, in this league it all comes down to personal preference. Not as much soundstage depth as one would expect (could have been the room and speaker positioning), however, delivering music on a level reserved for the truly high-end. A tad too “grandiose” and “exuberant” in its presentation for my taste, but as Bart mentioned I could be very happy with this system although European pricing relegates the Alexia 2’s to the “Unobtainium” division.

Which brings us to the number 2 spot: Vivid GIYA G4 partnered with Mola Mola Makua pre amp and Kaluga mono blocks. Mola Mola was on my short list, but in the end lost out to Analog Domain. Nevertheless, if I could swing it, I would love to own a Mola Mola system for our Man Cave / She Shed room. These are the brainchilds of Belgian Audio Designer Extraordinaire Bruno Putzeys. Power, slam, definition sans pretence or distracting bling, the whole translating into pure unadulterated joy. Mola Mola delivers very high value for the money as the Vivid speakers deliver on their promise. Starting from a blank slate this beautifully finished combo would be a main contender as it leaves many far more expensive systems in the dust.

And on the number 1 spot, the “Best of Show” by a large margin: YG Acoustics with their otherworldly Hailey speaker. I’m looking into Magico speakers (unfortunately not present at the show) and YG Acoustics seem to be their nemesis of sorts. I had never heard a Magico nor YG speaker before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did read up a lot on both Brands and it would seem to boil down to “love’m or hate’m” without any middle ground; quite polarising stuff affecting both Brands.

Trying to keep an open mind, I can unequivocally say that the sound in this room was the closest to the real thing as it can get, bar none. Width, depth, timbral accuracy, resolution, slam and dynamics made these speakers disappear from the room, only the music remained. For me YG is the antithesis of Sonus Faber, and this is not meant to dismiss Sonus Faber as IMHO both Brands occupy opposite extremes of the same spectrum. I experience Sonus Faber speakers to be unobtrusive, rather polite, offering unparalleled craftsmanship in cabinet finishes, making them highly desirable objects. The YG speakers are “Form Follows Function” all out assaults on the laws of physics, pushing the envelope in engineering design and execution. All things considered, the rather small Hailey’s pressurized the big room effortlessly and provided a wide sweet spot.

“Can you handle the truth?”, because the Hailey’s are brutally honest to a fault. Their whole concept makes them demanding mistresses, once they seduce you, thou shalt listen. I can understand why people would choose not to listen to them as these black monoliths are not exactly acolytes of “easy listening”. I find them to be gateways to new levels of experience. They allowed me to connect instantly to the music on an emotional level that brought me very close to the assumed intent of the composer and performer by removing all veils that could possibly sully the experience.

It would seem, according to the distributor, that YG has hit some kind of sweet spot (no pun intended) with the Hailey. In Euro’s it is a very expensive proposition (the “last speakers I will ever buy” kind of proposition), but within the realms of the possible. Reluctantly they admitted that for most “normal” living room applications the difference with its larger sibling, the Sonja 1.2, is negligible to nonexistent. It reminded me of the McLaren 720s vs P1 conundrum; same if not better performance for less than half the price. I applaud companies that have no fear in aiming for the highest possible performance for all their products, regardless of where they are situated in the portfolio.

In the long game, for sure YG Acoustics has secured a place on my very short shortlist of speaker manufacturers up for consideration.

A big thanks to Bart for posting the pictures and for sharing a great day.

Last edited by JemHadar; 11-30-2017 at 06:01 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 11-21-2017, 12:10 PM
Jerome W's Avatar
Jerome W Jerome W is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 13,240
Default

Thanks a lot Bart for the great report.
__________________
There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats
Albert Schweitzer
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 11-21-2017, 01:12 PM
Antonmb's Avatar
Antonmb Antonmb is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northwest Washington (Mt Baker foothills)
Posts: 9,121
Default

Jacques and Bart, thanks for sharing your show experience. My favorite comment, Bart’s “dematerialized music”
__________________
Tony
D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:31 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video