The Thiel Audio, Audio Research, Richard Gray room
 

 If there was any consensus at the show it was that the Peak Consult / Berning / Continuum room was very interesting, the Lamm room was very competent, as usual, and that this room with the new Thiel loudspeakers was not sounding very good.

In fact it sounded broken. In general, there was a maelstrom of very confused frequencies being generated.

[Yeah, this is crazy and messed up,  but I wonder how many other people also have this innate fear - that hearing a favorite song be totally flubbed will forever change the way they hear the song in the future. It obviously happens when one hears a song played back when it sounded fantastic - never again will one hear that song without thinking how great it once sounded. So it must work in reverse as well, right? Maybe attending shows isn't such a good thing after all. "Oh look, Honey, they're murdering our song."]

More Thiel Audio, Audio Research, Richard Gray room pictures.

 Thiel loudspeaker

 Thiel loudspeaker

 Thiel loudspeaker

Audio Research amplifier

The Flying Mole room
 

 Well, they got a great name, or I like it, anyway. They seem to be going for the home theater market - what with the number of speakers and the source gear being of that ilk - but I admit to being a little confused.

More Flying Mole pictures.

The Sonicweld room
 

A room with equipment that is quite challenging to photograph. They have built a custom camera with 3 flash attachments to try and help them take photos; me I'm stuck with my trusty 20D.

I presume that this room was going for the gold, to be able to do everything well: Enjoyability, Emotionality, Realism, Impressiveness... But I found the sound a little laid back - not at all what I expected of a ceramic driver speaker in aluminum chassis. It was as if they were underpowered or something. But they do not look underpowered, do they? Or perhaps the speakers are just tuned to be 'very laid back' to counter the known forward nature of ceramic drivers. Or maybe it is just all that black cloth on the walls, but in any case, their was not enough microdynamics that is usually associated with detail and PRaT and enjoyability, for my taste anyway.

More Sonicweld room pictures.

 The Venture, Concert Fidelity, Esoteric, Weiss, Sound Application Room
 

Well, this was the best I have heard the Venture speakers sound - much livelier than with the WAVAC amplifiers at CES 2006, which made the speakers seem closed in and hard to drive.

This room also appeared to be going for the best sound possible, addressing each category of sonic goodness - but I think the only one it really succeeded in was Sophistication, though it did have some Enjoyability and Realism as well. But missing perhaps some emotionality. It was nice - but just nice.

More Venture, Concert Fidelity, Esoteric, Weiss, Sound Application Room pictures.

The  Sonics, Ayre, Spiral Groove, Lyra*, Finite Elemente Room
 

I was impressed by the sound in this room. I was repeatedly drawn into the music, it being rendered in an very Enjoyable and Emotional manner. There was plenty of detail with a Sophisticated presentation as opposed to trying to impress by spotlighting details. This was not an Impressive sound with respect to the bass either, but it was a very large room and in a smaller room who knows what Magic might happen. These speakers retail in the $13 - $15K region. Not too shabby.

Neli says: "that's one of those new Immedia turntables that Allen Perkins (Immedia owner) is making -- the one that Norbert showed us with the removable armpod that twists into the plinth at CES. The brand is called Spiral Groove. I don't know if it's the SG1 or the less expensive SG2. The vinyl playback in there was *very* nice."

More Sonics, Ayre, Spiral Groove, Lyra*, Finite Elemente Room pictures.

 Sonics by Joachim Gerhard loudspeaker.

  Sonics by Joachim Gerhard loudspeaker.

  Sonics by Joachim Gerhard loudspeaker.

 Ayre amplifier.

 Spiral Groove turntable

 Lyra Skala cartridge.

 Lyra Skala cartridge.