Hey guys,
Past weekend I visited an audio show in the Netherlands (https://audioshowiear.nl/) and I'd like to share some experiences with you.
There were 30 listening rooms and about 60 brands so it was a very fun day to attend the show. Devialet was not present.
Very high end systems
Kef was there with its Muon speaker. Very nice sound, indeed. But I wonder whether anyone would buy such huge speakers. I really did not find them visually attractive. The amplifier was the top of the line Hegel integrated and it did a great job. These new Hegel amps are really something. Full control on all the drivers, even with very challenging tracks.
But it was the Naim + Focal combination that blew my mind. For me by far the best system on the show. Naim was there with its top streamer, pre-amp, interconnects and with a 300DR power amp. Of course all with separate power supplies. Speakers were the Utopia Scale EVO. Seriously...
OH MY GOD... these speakers are truly amazing. I know the Naim amplification quite well, having owned it myself and always liked it; yet, I've never heared it this good with these speakers. Demo tracks were very well chosen. The sound was fun to listen to, yet very refined. There simply is something with large drivers in a speaker, as Steve Guttenberg recently argued as well in one of his videos. They were so impactful, such a great slam and body in the music. These speakers are for now a bit too expensive for me, €16k each and then an additional €1.6k for the Iso Accoustics feet, but its very likely I'm going to buy them someday. The need is real
High end systems
Dynaudio was also there with its new Confidence 20. Quite a serious speaker. Higher and deeper than the Contour 20 so this is really a big "bookshelf" speaker. One of the big Moon integrated was driving them and the source was top of the line Auralic (streamer and the separate clock). The room was really big and I was a bit afraid on the quality of the demo. But there was no need. These new Confidence speakers easily filled the room. It was incredible. I could not believe that it was not a floorstander playing and other listeners agreed wholeheartedly. At some point in the demo a techno track was played at loud volume. When the track was done the full room remained silent... just stunned by the bass, the detail, the speed... Top speaker, absolutely. Worth every cent of its €10k price per pair (inclusive stands). By a large margin the best speaker in its price range on the show.
The new Michi pre and power was there as well. These are really big boxes. A bit like a Pass Labs or top of the line PS Audio BHK. Nicely made, outside and inside. The top was uncoverd so you could see the layout inside. Very nicely done. Unfortunately they were connected (of course) to the B&W 804D3 and for some reason - cannot exactly pinpoint why - these speakers do not do it with me. So I cannot really tell from my own experience I liked the Michi amps, but many other visitors told me they really liked it. So here you go... Compared to the Moon + Dynaudio system above, though... the B&W + Michi simply was not in the same league. Dynaudio all the way for me.
Hi-fi system
Another system that - again - surprised me was the Cambridge Audio Edge series. A very nice engineer came to explain their design principles (very interesting) and the Edge streamer and power amp were connected to Spendor speakers. Source was the small Lumin streamer. The Cambridge Audio electronics are really nicely made and represent a huge value-for-money statement in the hi-fi world. Well done! Spendor speakers, unfortunately, seem not to have the last word in punch / bass so some of the rock tracks they played were lacking. But i know from other shows and from dealer audition that the Cambridge has power enough to deliver real punch when the speaker allows it. Very worthy mention!!
Baby Hi-fi system
For those looking to enter the hi-fi world, I could advise them to audition the Naim Atom + Focal Chora. The system is about €4k in value and very well received at the show. The small Naim really has some muscle. Should not come as a surprise though... you can indeed tell that Naim is far from neutral; yet, a Naim Watt is really a big muscle Watt. The Chora speakers, although at the low-end of their speaker range of Focal, were very nicely made and they paired great with the Naim. You could really tell that they voiced their speaker with the small Naim. I would guess it can outperform quite some systems with a Devialet 140 (very subjective, I know)
Interesting tracks I did not yet know
For wine-sipping in late evening: Billy Raffoul - Accoustic
For getting swept away by a nice voice: Aha - take on me (Live from MTV Unplugged)
For partying and speaker testing: Billie Ellish -&Burn
That's it. Just wanted to share some info so I hope at least a few of you enjoyed reading it. Of course, all in audio is very subjective so it's just an opinion your reading here.
Past weekend I visited an audio show in the Netherlands (https://audioshowiear.nl/) and I'd like to share some experiences with you.
There were 30 listening rooms and about 60 brands so it was a very fun day to attend the show. Devialet was not present.
Very high end systems
Kef was there with its Muon speaker. Very nice sound, indeed. But I wonder whether anyone would buy such huge speakers. I really did not find them visually attractive. The amplifier was the top of the line Hegel integrated and it did a great job. These new Hegel amps are really something. Full control on all the drivers, even with very challenging tracks.
But it was the Naim + Focal combination that blew my mind. For me by far the best system on the show. Naim was there with its top streamer, pre-amp, interconnects and with a 300DR power amp. Of course all with separate power supplies. Speakers were the Utopia Scale EVO. Seriously...
OH MY GOD... these speakers are truly amazing. I know the Naim amplification quite well, having owned it myself and always liked it; yet, I've never heared it this good with these speakers. Demo tracks were very well chosen. The sound was fun to listen to, yet very refined. There simply is something with large drivers in a speaker, as Steve Guttenberg recently argued as well in one of his videos. They were so impactful, such a great slam and body in the music. These speakers are for now a bit too expensive for me, €16k each and then an additional €1.6k for the Iso Accoustics feet, but its very likely I'm going to buy them someday. The need is real
High end systems
Dynaudio was also there with its new Confidence 20. Quite a serious speaker. Higher and deeper than the Contour 20 so this is really a big "bookshelf" speaker. One of the big Moon integrated was driving them and the source was top of the line Auralic (streamer and the separate clock). The room was really big and I was a bit afraid on the quality of the demo. But there was no need. These new Confidence speakers easily filled the room. It was incredible. I could not believe that it was not a floorstander playing and other listeners agreed wholeheartedly. At some point in the demo a techno track was played at loud volume. When the track was done the full room remained silent... just stunned by the bass, the detail, the speed... Top speaker, absolutely. Worth every cent of its €10k price per pair (inclusive stands). By a large margin the best speaker in its price range on the show.
The new Michi pre and power was there as well. These are really big boxes. A bit like a Pass Labs or top of the line PS Audio BHK. Nicely made, outside and inside. The top was uncoverd so you could see the layout inside. Very nicely done. Unfortunately they were connected (of course) to the B&W 804D3 and for some reason - cannot exactly pinpoint why - these speakers do not do it with me. So I cannot really tell from my own experience I liked the Michi amps, but many other visitors told me they really liked it. So here you go... Compared to the Moon + Dynaudio system above, though... the B&W + Michi simply was not in the same league. Dynaudio all the way for me.
Hi-fi system
Another system that - again - surprised me was the Cambridge Audio Edge series. A very nice engineer came to explain their design principles (very interesting) and the Edge streamer and power amp were connected to Spendor speakers. Source was the small Lumin streamer. The Cambridge Audio electronics are really nicely made and represent a huge value-for-money statement in the hi-fi world. Well done! Spendor speakers, unfortunately, seem not to have the last word in punch / bass so some of the rock tracks they played were lacking. But i know from other shows and from dealer audition that the Cambridge has power enough to deliver real punch when the speaker allows it. Very worthy mention!!
Baby Hi-fi system
For those looking to enter the hi-fi world, I could advise them to audition the Naim Atom + Focal Chora. The system is about €4k in value and very well received at the show. The small Naim really has some muscle. Should not come as a surprise though... you can indeed tell that Naim is far from neutral; yet, a Naim Watt is really a big muscle Watt. The Chora speakers, although at the low-end of their speaker range of Focal, were very nicely made and they paired great with the Naim. You could really tell that they voiced their speaker with the small Naim. I would guess it can outperform quite some systems with a Devialet 140 (very subjective, I know)
Interesting tracks I did not yet know
For wine-sipping in late evening: Billy Raffoul - Accoustic
For getting swept away by a nice voice: Aha - take on me (Live from MTV Unplugged)
For partying and speaker testing: Billie Ellish -&Burn
That's it. Just wanted to share some info so I hope at least a few of you enjoyed reading it. Of course, all in audio is very subjective so it's just an opinion your reading here.
