The Legacy, Valve Audio, EAR, Avid, Esoteric, Shunyata*, SME, PS Audio room
 

This room, this room was meant to display a lot of goodies and that is what it did. Setup-wise - it was a hodge podge. Sound-wise, it was forgettable.

More Legacy, Valve Audio, EAR, Avid, Esoteric, Shunyata*, SME, PS Audio room pictures.

Legacy loudspeaker.

AVID turntable

EAR acute CD Player

Valve Audio preamplifier

AVID turntable, SME IV tonearm

EAR 324 phono preamplifier

AVID turntable

AVID turntable and SME's IV tonearm

The i-deck iPod desktop sound system

The i-deck iPod desktop sound system

The i-deck iPod desktop sound system

 Shunyata Hydra Model-6

The  Ascendo, Karan, Luminance Room
 

I always interpreted the systems built around the Ascendo loudspeakers as going for an open, Emotional, Enjoyable and even somewhat of a Realistic sound with respect to midi-dynamics and separation of images in the soundstage. But I heard none of that here with these new, smaller Ascendo loudspeakers. Perhaps the room was too large for these speakers with this front end.

More Ascendo, Karan, Luminance Room pictures

Ascendo loudspeaker.

The DCM, Jolida, Monster Power Room
 

This room had a mid-fi sound that I associate with my visits to ordinary types of hi-fi dealerships who confuse sound with music. "Good times, good times." (...thanks Phil).

More DCM, Jolida, Monster Power Room pictures.

The Gamut room
 

Nice looking setup. The sound was decent, if somewhat boring. Not offensive, but nothing too difficult was played during my stay and we didn't bring our test CDs by this room.

More Gamut room pictures.

Gamut loudspeaker.

Gamut loudspeaker.

Gamut CD player.

Gamut integrated amplifier.

The Gershman Acoustics, McCormack Room
 

After the raves from friends and comrades for the Gershman Black Swan loudspeakers after the FSI 2006 show in Montreal - I paid special attention to the sound here. Unfortunately, the sound was dull and atonal and sounded underpowered in that there was difficulties with most of the transients and dynamics. With speakers this size, you would think dynamics would be of prime importance, to at least make an Impressive sound. And in Montreal it was reported to be Enjoyable and perhaps even Emotional. But nope, not here in this room at this show.

More Gershman Acoustics, McCormack Room pictures.

Gershman Black Swan loudspeaker

McCormack electronics.

Gershman Black Swan loudspeaker

The Cain and Cain, Almarro, Sherwood Newcastle, Apple Ipod room
 

The sound in this room was hard to pin down. In some sense, a system like this, properly tuned, 'to within an inch of its life' as they say, might be trying to go for the gold - to max out on all aspects of the ways we enjoy the sound of our systems. This particular system did some interesting things in the midrange, but there was something missing - insufficient detail perhaps (possible correctable by vibration control on those electronics pieces). The top and bottom ends were also weak. Not sure if they were using the iPod as source while I was there or not.

Anyway, Enjoyable, and a little Emotional as well. Hope they setup a system like this at the next show.

More Cain and Cain, Almarro, Sherwood Newcastle, Apple Ipod room pictures.

Cain-and-cain loudspeaker

Cain-and-cain loudspeaker