Part 2 of my report.
The 9th floor had only a few rooms.
I am going to write only a few lines about this as by this time I was almost drained and registered just some of the details.
B&W Nautilus
We entered the B&W Nautilus room by AVI.
I did not get the fuss about them at all. I dont think the snails look too pretty.
They sounded good but did not have the wow factor for me. I forgot to ask the price.
Maybe they could have been setup better or maybe the room was too small for them. Some people on the other hand loved them.
B&W 800s, PM-1 and Jeff Rowland
The other room by AVI had the 800s on display, the tiny PM-1 on stands all supported by latest Jeff Rowland electronics including the new Aeries DAC.
When I demoed it the PM-1s (~2L) were hooked up. And I was surprisingly pleased by the sound, the depth and the stage they managed being so tiny.
I dont know if it's because of the Jeff Rowland backend or not but I was seriously impressed by the PM-1s.
If they can manage that much presence with moderate electronics more suitable to their price then definitely they are winners.
Anybody looking for bookshelves in that price range should most definitely consider.
On display were also Goldern Ear Tritions and the higher end of NuForce electronics. They were not setup to play at the moment.
I am very happy that AVI came out with so much gear but given they represent so many brands I was left wanting for more.
It would have been particularly nice to see the tiny NuForce DDA-110 in action and also maybe the mini Maggie system.
Well I think its definitely worth visiting their showroom for more, specially since the owner (Mr. Cooper) mentioned they have 8 lovely demo rooms.
Jbl Monitors 4312, Marrantz
Then there was a room hosted by Sahil International who had on display JBL 4312 Monitors with Marrantz gear in stereo mode. I think they were cheapest speakers that I demoed overall at 60k.
I am sure they are good in their own right and they have been mentioned on our forum a couple of times as well but in that room they were terrible.
They were sitting directly on a glass top table and the vibrations were killing them.
I have no knowledge of how to setup a system yet I know you can't place speakers directly on hollow glass tables.
We were there a total of two minutes and decided they were not worth the little energy we had left.
It's a pity because I have heard so much about JBL monitors that I really wanted to like them. Maybe in a different setting they will justify their 60k price.
Sonodyne
I was ruing the complete lack of Indian manufacturers. There was no Rethm, no Cadence, no Lithos or anyone else with a Made-in-India tag or at least I did not see any.
Finally then there were three rooms or was it four small interconnected rooms filled with new goodies from Sonodyne.
Impressed, Proud and Happy.
Moreover there was a board outside which welcomed HFV members for a special preview with snacks from 5-7pm.
I had to leave much before that so without waiting Denom and I walked in. By this time we were also joined by Ozzstriker (Ozzie).
On seeing Denom, the promoter of Sonodyne (Anindya, right?) quipped about the thread on Sonodyne in our forum where Denom and others have commented on the lack of enthusiasm and new products by the company.
There was a lot of new stuff around and ill right about what we managed to hear.
Sonodyne is making a big push into Powered/Active Hi-fi market. About time!
I am just going to refer to them as Active speakers as they are all bi-amped/tri-amped but I really don't know if they are truly Active.
First off was the new flagship the Opus 3200 (~3+) floorstanding speakers which have two 8" kevlar woofers, a 4" kevlar mid range driver and a 1" silk dome tweeter each.
Each tower is Tri-amped and has 450 W class AB total power. There is bunch of stuff about DSP and software tuned ports written in the brochure which i dont understand.
Most importantly to us it seemed very flat and boring and highly centered to a tiny sweet spot.
Denom and Ozzie reckoned it was a fresh set and not broken in. So overall disappointing first listen. But an interesting product.
There was also a new DAC in the chain also by Sonodyne, it seemed to work well but any further details about the chip used and other technical details were not known to the sales guy.
Next up I had a go at the new SRP series monitors, specifically the SRP 600 (~90-98k, dont remmeber exactly).
I was very impressed by it and the only drawback was the size, its huge for a 6.5" monitor.
There was a 5" one as well which sounded pretty much the same with a little less bottom end and overall authority.
Then there were a lot of tiny models also and the sales person kept switching between them they all sounded pretty decent.
I dont know the pricing for these but the tiny ones and the 5" one would make good computer speakers if they are priced right.
I was happy with the build quality and the finish of the monitors.
Then the three of us got to the next Sonodyne room with had Active bookshelves the Opus 2200 (1.2L) from the new Hi-fi range.
It was setup with the same DAC and a cd player (Don't remember the brand). We got a demo and it impressed us much more than the floorstanders.
The sound was clean, non fatiguing and they seemed to go pretty loud to me. I seriously would have thought of buying these if they were available for under 1L.
I think they present immense value and a great option for anyone wanting to setup a system for 1L. At 1.2L they seemed a bit over priced, as mentioned by other FMs in this thread before.
It would make for a interesting comparison with the latest AVI 9 RS model.
Also have to note that the red and aluminum finish with a big grill though modern looked a little industrial to me and
I would personally prefer an all red or all black lacquered piano finish with a minimalist grill that does away with the aluminum completely. After all they are Hi-fi speakers.
After happily demoing the 2200s we moved to go out on our way crossing yet another room of small speakers finished in total red or total white,
they were playing something but we did not stop to listen. I would assume they were Active Desktop speakers but don't know for certain.
Overall I am glad Sonodyne is coming out with so many products for the Indian Market.
Hope they are a success.
Dali Epicon 6, Fazon, Arcam
The three of us on Denom's behest went on to listen to the Dali Epicon 6 (7.5L) it was attached to Arcam gear.
Also attached was the Fazon (~2.5L) speakers and one could switch between them.
We started with the Epicon 6 and they were a very very good surprise, I am not familiar with Dali but I was very impressed.
To my ears, They produced a little warm but a very enjoyable sound. Definitely should be on the audition list of people looking for speakers in that range.
One of the top sounds for me certainly and I really did not expect it to come from Dali. The Fazon however were a total disappointment in comparison, only a lifestyle product and nothing more.
The sound coming from Fazon was muddled and irritating.
We switched back to the Epicon 6 and Ozzie used his phone to play a pop track wirelessly through the Arcam rBlink and the Epicon still sounded really nice and smooth.
Triangle, Quadral, Clear Audio, Project
Ozzie, Denom and me headed to one of the last few remaining rooms. These two rooms had been taken by the same company and the only ones that I came across that used TTs as source.
The first was a Clear audio table setup with Quadral (Montan Aurum?) , Cambridge audio phono stage and Primare amplification.
I did not get any of the prices. Just that it was not special in any way.
I could not really make out the difference the TT was making or how it sounded different.
Maybe I was too tired or mostly because my ears are not trained enough.
Right across in the other room was a Triangle Magellan setup with Project TT being demoed by an elderly and very nice gentleman.
He explained the system to me and Ozzie and played a rendition of the classic Summertime. It was an enjoyable experience specially because of the gentleman.
The gear was also good.
I still have to listen to more TTs to really understand them, I even have a Garrard lying at home - out of order,
.
But what i listen to mostly is really new stuff and its near impossible to get records for them.
Anyways, It was past my time to leave and I headed back to the rooms where PMC and Tannoys were there.
There I met with Prem sir and Denom again in the Tannoy Turnberry room and a another quick listen. Classic.
They really are take home speakers for a lot of reasons. With them I headed back into the PMC, listened for one last time to confirm that for the price it really was the best system there.
There is no doubt about that in my mind.
Dynaudio
Finally on my way out I caught hold of Bhagwan for a few seconds and spoke to him, exchanged a few pleasantries and sat down to listen to the Dynaudios.
The bookshelves were playing with Parasound (?) electronics and they were really good.
This is the only time I got to hear a slow bollywood number being played during the entire day and it was a really nice feeling.
The dynaudios were nicely setup and provided the needed warmth to the song.
I am sure Dynaudio had some winners in the same price range as the Tannoy and the PMC but i could not stay and listen to them.
Another audition is a must to decide on that. Or someone who listened to the Dynaudios at length at the show can comment?
MBL
Before leaving I wanted to say my thanks and goodbye to Denom. So I caught up with him and Prem sir auditioning MBL.
It was the MBL Crona standmounter (~7-7.5L) mated with all MBL electronics but from the much more expensive Classic line.
To my ears the sound was good, the vocals specially had something special about them that I cannot put words to.
I would like to say 3D or at least once I felt that the lady singer was present in the room. But it was too short a time to make judgments but over all I loved it.
With the lady's voice still ringing in my head I left the show very happy, satisfied, informed and better prepared for any of my next auditions.
Overall, my trip from Jaipur was totally worth it. I would like to do it again.
Biggest regret was the lack of time, if I had another day I could have really done so much more and would have been able to listen more carefully as well.
I really need to audition most of the things more properly. I also had to skip all the booths across the street that included Genelecs, which I really wanted to audition.
Comments
1. Most importantly, My sincerest thanks to Denom for letting me tag along, for encouraging me to listen, for making me sit in the sweet spot all the time.
Thank you and I really look forward to doing this again with you.
2. Great effort to put up such a nice show. Good job and kudos to the organizers.
3. Two things I really missed were Desktop/Pc setups and more DACs. I think the youth today, me included, only use a PC for music.
Mainstream Hi-fi dealers and brands should address those needs in better ways.
4. More budget oriented setups would have also been nice, though I understand its good marketing to bring your best and wow the crowd.
5. Some dealers did not take time to optimize their setups maybe because they thought people would not be "audiophile" enough to notice.
I think they will realize that they made a big mistake. Good setups made all the difference irrespective of the gear. Even a novice like me got that.
7. Avenue Sound had a pair of Pioneer FS52! (Finally) - Dont know the price but this is good news!
9. Regret the Lack of Indian Speaker manufacturers in the Rooms Section.
I don't know why they were absent but would have really liked them to be there.
8. If I have hurt anyone through my commentary, I sincerely apologize.
IMHO:
Best system of the show (sound and vfm) - PMC & AVM - total of around ~7L
Best Speakers
Best under 3L - 1. Sonodyne Opus2200 2. B&W PM-1
Best from 3-5L - 1. PMC Twenty.23 2. Tannoy Turnberry
Best from 5- 8L - 1. MBL Crona 2. Dali Epicon 6
Special Mention : Revel Ultima Salon 2 - I dont know the price but would definitely be the top pick in its range.
Jbl Synthesis Array : Top sound in HT Configuration
*I was not able to audition a lot of speakers including Martin Logan, PSB T2s, some Dynaudios and many more so this is purely from what I have heard.
I hope this was not boring for all of you. I had a blast attending the show, Hi-fi attracts a lot of nice people and I am happy to be the tinniest part of the group.
Once again it was great to meet all FMs and other people. I learned a lot
Thanks
Arhant
