CES 2013 Coverage

The Flamingo

YG Acoustics, Ayon, AVM, Acoustic Arts, Lumenwhite: The same importer represents Ayon, AVM and Acoustic Arts.  Rather than mixing and matching, he chose to set up three systems in the same space, each featuring one of the brands of electronics.

YG Acoustics Anats/ AVM Electronics:  the amps worked very nicely with the speakers.  We listened to two cuts from one of the Burmester Test CD’s, “Fairy Tales” and a flamenco guitar.  The female voice on “Fairy Tales” was nicely portrayed as was the flamenco guitar.

Lumenwhite speakers, Ayon electronics:  the combination produced a large soundstage with superb detail.  The electronics included the Sheris 3 preamp, CD5S and the new Ortho XS  mono amps which produce 300 watts per channel in class A.

Absolare Passion preamp and 845 mono blocks, MSB, Echole cables, Allnic H3000 phono, Rockport Altair II speakers:  when you think of superb tube electronics, the names that normally come to mind would be Audio Note, Audio Research and Lamm; however, there is now a new one to add to that list, Absolare.  In this case, think gorgeous top end coupled with really tight well controlled bass.  On the Liszt, piano was harmonically right with the triangle nicely in balance with the orchestra, neither too prominent nor buried in the mix.  I have also never heard Tracey Chapman sound better.  I found it interesting that an 845-based tube amp did a superb job of driving a speaker that can present a real challenge to a high powered transistor amp.  Normally, I am in and out of a room in 5-10 minutes, sometimes less.  In this case, I spent almost an hour listening.  I should add that part of the real pleasure in this instance was getting to speak at length with Steve Dobbins and listen to his lovingly crafted Kodo reference turntable with the Reed arm and Lyra Atlas cartridge.  He is one of those manufacturers who is self-effacing, even though he has succeeded in building a world class turntable.  This was clearly one of my top three rooms at the show.  Truly superb sound!  I guess that I should add that the MSB three-box digital stack was also doing a nice job.