What HiFi Show Bangalore

[bhagwan]

FM Nikhil is doing a super job.
Post # 115 & 117 to go by.
Just a few pics to add.

KEF Ref Launch with Chord & Electrocompaniet.

A few more...

 

[square_wave]

Great Relay review
It is really impressive that you spotted this. Would have loved to hear this..unfortunately I missed this.

Me too..somehow missed this room. I went looking after Nikhil told me later into the evening, but somehow I couldn't find them. I also had to leave early so my search was a bit hurried. Do they have a website ? The ladder diy dac sounds interesting.

 

[jai1611]

However I was drawn in by the sound of the room at Invention Audio. Listening in from the back of the room, the sound was just right and had a lot of things just flowing musically. Walking into the room I saw what looked liked British style 2 way stand mounts arranged in what I thought was front 3 + rear 2 setup. Sound stage was dead center. I assumed the center channel was on and helping with the strong center channel. I was surprised to be told that it was only the two speakers on left and right playing (Rs 30k/each). Apart from the sound stage what impressed me was the tonality of the setup. Amplifier (Rs 80K) was a single Class A/B operating 80% in Class A. The real surprise for me was to know that the company was a local Hyderabad based outfit. I was even more impressed by his DAC (Rs 1.5L) which did not use a DAC chip opting instead for a R2R ladder design rolling the resistors himself. The man behind Invention Audio is Mr Jawalkar and I would recommend his gear to anyone open to trying out a local player. It would be interesting to see how things pan out for this gentleman and Invention Audio after this show.

...

Nikhil, given that you are also in Hyderabad, can you try the Invention Audio DAC in your system and post a review? Perhaps get some of the other Hyderabad FMs involved as well? I'm sure people will be keen to know more about it

Even I was quite impressed by the Invention Audio gear but hard to make out anything about a specific component in an unfamiliar chain

 

[bhagwan]

Me too..somehow missed this room. I went looking after Nikhil told me later into the evening, but somehow I couldn't find them. I also had to leave early so my search was a bit hurried. Do they have a website ? The ladder diy dac sounds interesting.

I did visit this room.
Spoke to Sandeep @ length too.
2 way with a 30mm tweeter & 3200 X-Over etc. etc.
Brilliant EFFORT !
The Amps impressed me more than the speakers.
The DAC was over priced imho.

 

[captrajesh]

Hope some of Hyderabad FMs throw more light on Mr Jawalkar and his "inventions" sometime soon.
Is he familiar with HFV?

Yes. He was a member earlier with handle as BablooJawalkar & later as Sandyhifiguru but got banned for violation of forum rules.

 

[bhagwan]

Focal 'big' boy !
Massive & Impressive [looking at least] !

 

[Nikhil]

Great Relay review
It is really impressive that you spotted this. Would have loved to hear this..unfortunately I missed this.

This is indeed good news for the Indian audio scene. Hope some of Hyderabad FMs throw more light on Mr Jawalkar and his "inventions" sometime soon.
Is he familiar with HFV?


Waiting....

FM Nikhil is doing a super job.
Post # 115 & 117 to go by.
Just a few pics to add.

Me too..somehow missed this room. I went looking after Nikhil told me later into the evening, but somehow I couldn't find them. I also had to leave early so my search was a bit hurried. Do they have a website ? The ladder diy dac sounds interesting.

Even I was quite impressed by the Invention Audio gear but hard to make out anything about a specific component in an unfamiliar chain

Thanks guys for the kind words. I wasn't really planning to write about my visit to the show but some of the negative comments compelled me to share some words on my visit to the show. I mention this because I did not take detailed notes of the rooms so will rely on others like Bhagwan to share insights on individual rooms.

Innovation Audio is a small operation. I am partial to small boutique shops where the gear is hand made with a passion. My comments may be a little biased as I would like to see these guys grow and do well. I had a business card for Innovation which somehow slipped out of my hands. Will try and get his details but if anyone else has his contacts please post on here.

 

[Orko]

Hang on, I think I kept his card.... Hunting....

Here you go...

Sandeep Jawalkar
+91 99630 67390

Invention Audio
Flat No 302, Plot No 135/A
Road No 6, Western Hills
Addagutta Society, Kukatpally
Hyderabad 500072

InventionAudio

 

[Nikhil]

Continuing from earlier post #117

After my interesting visit to the Innovation Audio room I headed over to the end of the hall where there were two rooms at the end. The room on the left was filled with audio accessories and home theater automation. It was the only room I noticed with some gear addressed towards the headphone market carrying Sennheiser and another brand I did not recognize. They also carried a variety of outdoor speakers and a German amplification I did not know. My main interest was in the PMC room so I left without taking much notice of the room.

My first visit to the PMC room was a little bit of a surprise. There was no one there save for an unsure looking assistant and just one chair in the listening position. Gear was two Bel Canto boxes connected to a Mac Laptop both sitting on what looked like Ikea cutting boards. Both computer and amps were resting on cones as further isolation. Cables throughout were Transparent Audio connected with what I came to learn about later were Jignesh's distribution boxes. Power cords were stout snakes connected to the room AC outlet. Both Analog and power cables were supported by what looked like acrylic cable lifters. Clean almost sparse like in comparison to the other rooms which were stuffed to the gills.

Sitting in the listening position was an experience in audio perfection. The small PMC bookshelfs were from their DB1 Gold Series which sports the Advanced Transmission Line technology. These speakers look tiny from the front profile and visually disappeared from view. They did the same acoustically when the music was turned on. The sound stage was huge - side wall to side wall with all the details coming through in a coherent flow of sound.

I came back later to this room when both Jignesh and KJ were present and I talked a little about the room setup with them. Those familiar with the PMCs in the Bombay show had reported a similar setup. The room was completely bare - not a single piece of furniture, completely bare walls, just the single listening chair (or two) and another on side wall for the room assistant. Everything else was on the floor. Isolation was as described earlier using the minimal approach. The idea clearly here was to rid the room of all shapes or form of acoustic obstructions and let the speakers fill the space with sound. And the sound did just that. Rich tones that were tight and devoid of room nodes interfering with the sound. 2 channel heaven where less is always more!

The ingenuity of the setup is now well known but it was a pleasure to experience. Clearly aimed at small living spaces that are typical of our new urban landscapes PMC speakers will fit into a small room and fill it with beautiful sound. The rub is of course how many are going to have the conviction to take this path. This is the thought I had in mind all through my audition. But if you are an evolved listener with a taste for small ensembles like jazz trios or quintets this would be an excellent solution. Ideal for Mumbai and Bangalore spaces where room sizes are shrinking by the day. Alternatively this would be an exquisite "small setup" for someone with a main big rig. A big negative in my opinion was the price (Rs 6.5L) for the gear on demo.

If you can fault the PMC room at all it would be that they might have sand bagged it a little. Given that it's a show where one wants to experience a brand's full range - there were no other speaker models on display or even brochures for reference. This may not be on KJ or Jignesh but PMC has a fine line of speakers in the Fact and SE series. Perhaps among the best that could rub shoulders with the likes of ATC. The folks at Biggleswade should consider giving the India market a chance to listen to their best of class. ATA Carnet offers the facility to bring in high value items for a show without too much burden. Hard to find fault with this room but I could not help but feel that PMC may have missed an opportunity here to play for something bigger.

Having said all that - the PMC Transparent Audio was one of the best rooms at the show!
Last but not least, very impressed with those Bel Cantos.

 

[Orko]

After my interesting visit to the Innovation Audio room....

Don't mean to nitpick but the name is Invention Audio.

Really enjoying your recap, Nikhil, keep it coming.

 

[Nikhil]

Guys thanks for the comments and PMs on my commentary. Like I said earlier, this was not really planned and it is sorely lacking in details. I will cover a few more rooms as I heard them.

After completing the East Wing I headed over to the West Wing and the first room that caught my attention was the Sonodyne room. As I walked in the room was filled by a few visitors taking in an audition of their active monitors. Clearly this was a focus area for Sonodyne which had setup their main wall with the two of their SRP series active monitors (SRP 204 @Rs35k and SRP 202 @Rs25k) along with what I think was a S8 Subwoofer. Fed by a laptop computer via their own P1 DAC (Rs 28k) the sound at first listen was nothing to be impressed with. They did sound much better when I came back for a second listen on Saturday evening. I'm not sure what changed between first and second listening but it's indicative of how susceptible these show auditions can be.

I switched listening positions to the long wall where they had setup their Avant T1 Floorstanders paired with the DSA 320 Stereo Integrated. A Mac computer was the source. In a near field listening position the speakers defined a sound stage that was well defined about a foot behind the speaker line. Pricing escapes me but I did find their sound very appealing and could not find much fault with the setup given the price point. Sonodyne gear is priced at the sweet spot for most Indian households and more people should give them a listen.

Intrigued by their offerings I asked the well coiffed lady who was running the room a little more about the company. She informed me that the company now employs about 300 people in total and were doing very well in the pro studio market. Sonodyne has been exporting studio monitors for well over two decades now and she explained that their vision has been steady organic growth. Impressed by her sound grasp of the products and nuances of audio, I was pleased to find that she was the daughter in law of Mr. Mukherjee the man behind the Sonodyne brand. Very refreshing to see a lady in the audio industry and I hope that we get more women involved in audio.

I was then invited to listen to their home theater setup in the adjoining room where they had their SRT Series loudspeakers driven by a 5 deep stack of electronics. Centre was a huge 84" TV. Home theater not really being my forte - I still enjoyed taking in the massive screen playing some Bollywood soundtracks. There is no reason I can think of why Sonodyne products should not be in contention for audition in this area considering how much people are willing to spend for much less on consumer brands.

While glancing through the Sonodyne brochure - I noticed a very interesting speaker which was not on display but looked very much in the mold of the ATC type active stand mounts. The SRA 3020 is a tri amped active loudspeaker that looks outstanding on paper. My visit to the Sonodyne booth has opened my eyes to the wide product range on offer from this company. They have established their credentials in the pro active monitor segment and it looks like they have a strong vision to widen their base in the home audio arena. It would be very interesting to see where they go with their current line of products.

Sonodyne offers some very fair products for the Indian market. Given the budget constraints of the average consumer - the product line offers a range of products bang in the middle of the Rs 25k - Rs 75k sweet spot. More people should include them in their list of products for audition in this area.

 

[neo]

Hello! It was a nice show, would 've loved it if there could've been a few more exhibitors.
Comparing with the last show in Mumbai the nos of visitors were at least double or so i'm told. But what's with people taking selfies with the gear even while some one is auditioning , that one seems to be new irritant in the offing)

The rooms that i liked were
1) Harbeth's shl5 + Conrad Johnson + Esoteric: It really shone on well recorded stuff esp vocals & small bands. It didn't play my rock cd's well not sure as to why?
2) Sonus Faber Amati's + McIntosh: It was the best sounding room IMHO if you consider a full range speaker. Also heard the Venere Floor stander connected to same amp & CDP,quite liked it seem like great value.
3) Morel + Marantz: Good sound, but could 've been better placed. Didn't like the Stand mounts but think the Floor standers are super value.
4) PMC + Belcanto: The best install by far & no surprises as these guys know their craft, these guys are the best in the business hands down.
5) Invention audio: Deserves recognition for being a local brand & above all having decent sound . Although besides the amp( Don't know what is the design) not sure if the pricing is competitive? The speakers need much better finishing & not sure if i heard it correctly but the dac was 1.4L???
6) Dynaudio + Belcanto: Heard the 1.4's , was warming up to them & all of a sudden another two demo's started all at the same time in the same room!!! A home theatre & a Big Bluetooth speaker!!! Hope they understand not to shove too many things in one room.
7) KEF Blade+ Electrocompaient + Chord: They had set it up on sat eve for a few hours & i was fortunate to be there. But the rooms was a chaos !! Too many people running around the place. It sounded quite mediocre , the problem IMHO was the electrocompaient amps.

Too many thing in room was a phenomenon in most rooms wonder why? it was really screwing up the placement & sound of the gear. Hope it's a lesson learnt .

The best part of the show for me was meeting up a few of you guys. Nikhil with whom we had a great evening out, interactions with Square Wave & quick hello with soul forged is what i recollect. Ran into the a few more but didn't get hear their names in all the noise.

Last but not the least you bangy guys have some brilliant weather. Hope i could take some)
Cheers

 

[soulforged]

Last but not the least you bangy guys have some brilliant weather. Hope i could take some)
Cheers

We have some pretty decent beer as well...too bad we couldn't meet up for some...that would have been great!

:cheers:

 

[mpw]

neo,

that is a long post from you after a long time ( or is it an all time record ?? )

:lol:

regards

 

[jls001]

Thanks Nikhil, Bhagwan, Neo, and all others who wrote about their listening impressions. Special thanks for the photos

 

[neo]

Could be. Felt like I was writing a novel & I'm really bad :lol:
Wait till I write a review of your newly subed setup hyeah:
Soulforged yeah the beer was good as well,nikhil will Cheers to it.
:cheers:

 

[Nikhil]

Could be. Felt like I was writing a novel & I'm really bad :lol:
Wait till I write a review of your newly subed setup hyeah:
Soulforged yeah the beer was good as well,nikhil will Cheers to it.
:cheers:

Hey neo!

Fun evening had by all. Bier Kellar had some nice brews on tap.
Bhagwan is a man of fine taste in all things - audio, food and drink.

Regards.

 

[bhagwan]

Hey neo!

Fun evening had by all. Bier Kellar had some nice brews on tap.
Bhagwan is a man of fine taste in all things - audio, food and drink.

Regards.

Thank You;
Sir.
Glad you had a nice time time in my company.

Thanks Nikhil, Bhagwan, Neo, and all others who wrote about their listening impressions. Special thanks for the photos

I could post a few more pics...

Shall try...

Focal X-Over Jumper Settings.

 

[bhagwan]

JM Labs
Focal Utopia - X-Over [fine tune] open...

EM Bass Control for the JM Labs Utopia Speaker

 

[Nikhil]

One of the more technical booths at the show was the "Sound And About" kiosk located at the West Wing corner. At first I walked right past the people there thinking it was a group waiting outside the PSB room. Only later I noticed a sizable Diffuser standing right next to the wall and realized that this was a product booth.

On hand was a very polite gentleman by the name of Kevin D'Souza who was busy answering all questions being thrown at him. He was at once knowledgeable and courteous. It was interesting to discuss his various products which pertain to room treatments - difusers, absorption panels, bass traps, etc. A very interesting product I recall was what he called "slat resonators" which absorb low mid frequencies to reduce boom. A very unique product. Sound And About has a complete portfolio for studio and listening room acoustics including acoustic doors, decoupling clamps, hangers and floats that help isolate the listening room from the building superstructure.

Very interesting company for serious room treatment solutions. I did not get pricing info as we spent most of our time talking about the design and function of some of their panels. I am sure those interested will be able to get more information from the company via their website. Highly recommended!

Website: www.soundandabout.com