T.H.E. Show 2019--Vertere Acoustics, Wilson, GoldNote and Rutherford

My latest show report from THE Show 2019 in Long Beach is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. This concerns a very surprising room--not just because Touraj Moghaddam and his amazing turntables were there, but because I finally fell in love with a Wilson Audio loudspeaker! You can read it https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/06/22/vertere-wilson-goldnote-rutherford-t-h-e-show-2019/?fbclid=IwAR10VCvdNWF7bEe_RgVaOrcwulNCiynonDQOSPsdE2jYelIFN4Kxw26akbs.

White Is the New Black...

When it comes to colors in high-end audio, white is definitely the new black. Here is a picture of the latest Opera loudspeakers in white, and they are gorgeous. Over the last year I've attended many audio trade shows, and white components have appeared everywhere.

Traditionally I have resisted white when it comes to decor; I really don't care for white laminate furniture in particular because it always appears cheap, or it looks like belongs in your kids' bedrooms. Plus, this stuff always attracts dirty fingerprints and looks awful in no time. But these latest white veneers are different and look downright opulent when viewed up close.

Some speaker manufacturers have been offering white veneers for many years--think Avantgarde or Wilson for example. I recently wandered onto an audiophile forum where everyone took potshots at some speakers that sported blue, red or even bright green cabinets. While these speakers may not work in your average studio apartment, with the right decor they are nothing short of spectacular. Kudos to hi-fi manufacturers who think outside the speakerbox and come up with something truly different.

Megasystems at CES 2011

The Consumer Electronics Show is all about putting your best foot forward and showing the industry what your company is capable of achieving. As a result, you see some pretty spectacular systems. While nothing quite trumped the Trenner & Friedl Duke/Rowland Research room, a few megasystems came quite close.

This system is from the German company Burmester, and their gear is famous for being very beautiful and ornate (more Italian than German in style). They're also known for being quite expensive. This state-of-the-art system included most of their premium line, and it sounded magnificent. For me, the Burmester sound is very meticulous and detailed and revealing. If you're looking for lush and romantic, look elsewhere.

Speaking of lush and romantic, the megasystem is from Kondo Audio Note and featured the legendary Ongaku amplifier, their new and quite massive turntable and a beautiful set of field coil loudspeakers. In the past, I've been frustrated by the inconsistency in the Audio Note setups at various audio shows...it's either the best sound I've ever heard or the worst. This time it was the former, and I was hypnotized by the gorgeous, fluid sound.

The system is from YG Acoustics. YG caught some flack in the audio press a couple of years ago for announcing in their print ads that their speakers were the absolutely best in the world. After a couple of years, however, people are starting to recognize that these huge aluminum speakers do offer a rarified level of performance. Even though this system was located in one of the big rooms downstairs at the Venetian (where the high ceilings are huge obstacles to achieving great sound), this system really sounded great and captured my undivided attention for quite a while.

One more system offered what I felt was first-class sound...the Wilson and Lamm room. Wilson speakers are not really my cup of tea since I prefer a slightly warm and romantic presentation. Wilson speakers are extremely revealing and often sound a little too relentless to my ears. Lamm amplifiers, however are a different story. I've never heard a Lamm-based system I didn't love, and this time was no exception. The Wilson Alexandria speakers were utterly captivating with the tubed Lamms, so this was easily the best sound I've ever heard from Wilson period.