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Thanks to Charlie Kittleson and Vacuum Tube Valley for presenting an excellent show at a location close to my home of New York City, but thankfully without the headaches usually found with Manhattan’s head-on urban involvement. Held at the Embassy Suites in Piscataway, New Jersey, the East Coast VTV event was friendly, laidback and very easy to maneuver. Exhibitor’s rooms covered three floors, from which you could view the lovely, atrium like settings that encompass a restaurant, fauna and flora filled garden and faux walking bridge. Moving from room to room on the ground floor level reminded me of a beach vacation where everyone roves their turf, drink in hand; that’s how relaxed and enjoyable was the show and venue.
Along with a handful of local distributors and manufacturers (including McIntosh Labs, Powers Audio, Landes Imports, Hudson Audio Imports, High Water Sound, Omega Loudspeakers, Bauls Audio, Advanced Ribbon Technologies), UK and Chinese concerns were very well represented. I saw either Cayin or Consonance amps in practically every other room, and VAS Audio (Cayin) and NAT Distribution’s (Consonance) own rooms were tricked out with all matter of hot looking Chinese hi-fi. “The Chinese are coming” means more than gas prices and political strife; they are coming for our stereos! Over in the conference rooms, presentations on the history of tape recorders, audio component parts, measurements and a flashback to the era of Lafayette Electronics with former Lafayette engineer Ed Duda made for a well rounded menu. There was definitely a feeling of community here, furthered by the presence of our Chinese and UK audio brethren. Accompanied by American Wired’s Michael Lavorgna and soon-to-be Wired head, Steve Cohen, we hit the rooms running, jumping, then standing still. |
First
up, I was seriously floored by the fantastic tubular
machinery in the
Re:X Speakers room, and brother, I ain’t
talking valves. The boXXer7 floorstanding speakers
(factory direct: $4500) delivered some of the tightest,
tautest, and most accurate lower bass notes I have ever
encountered. Using two top and bottom firing 6.5” subwoofers
(powered by a 300W BASH outboard sub amp) aided by two 4”
bamboo-cone midrange drivers and a 1” German made aluminum
dome tweeter, these 6 ohm impedance, 93db speakers were
tactile sounding and very dynamic. It’s no surprise that RE:X
designer Vytas Viesulas is a bass player, but his
bazooka-looking enclosures made mighty music that just
happened to smoke a clean bass line. A Consonance
CD-120 Linear CD player and Consonance M100S Plus
integrated amp rounded out this rig. Viesulas also produces
the Subster/BB multi-media 2.1 system ($899) designed
to turn your iPod into a concert hall experience.
Vas Industries
The VAS Industries room was a candy store for audio freaks, the interior so decked out with gear that it appeared they had expired all available receptacles. Beautiful looking Chinese Cayin amps sat on counters, and I think even some of the components in the main rack were there for cosmetic value alone. The single American entry, a VPI Aries table, was joined by a Cayin A-50T tube amp ($1195), Cayin Audio - Integrated EL34 Vacuum Tube Amplifier ($1195), VAS Audio - Citation Sound Mono Amps ($2495), Cayin CD player, and Aurum Cantus Model V3M and VOLLA speakers. The sound here was full and warm.
Powers Audio
A
newcomer to the audio game (at least they are new to me)
Powers Audio
presented their Model One standmounts ($7900) combined with
-- you got it -- Cayin amplification. A CEC CD player helped
produce a very punchy and accurate portrayal of my Dave
Holland Big Band CD What Goes Around, the Model One’s
Bolenger Graham ribbon tweeters and 6.5” DynaVox mid/bass
drivers literally reaching out and grabbing me by the scruff
of the neck. A friendly 35 pounds apiece, the Model Ones
have a 4 ohm impedance, and boast a 45 – 38,000 Hz frequency
response. Their African Mahogony cabinets blew me away.
Zu Cable and Speaker Company
Zu Cable and Speaker Company was in attendance with their fantastic looking Druid Mk4 speakers ($2,800/pr), powered by Wytech Labs amplification and using an Apple Mac desktop and laptop for source sound. Honestly, I thought that (computer) was a weird choice, but some exhibitors used servers as well, dedicated CD players or turntables be damned. The sound from the Zus was, er, uh, muted. As if not fully broken-in, the Druids seemed rather sleepy, without much upper register info or excitement. An American Wired review of these imposing looking muthas is forthcoming so final judgment is withheld until they enter my personal listening domain.
Always one step ahead of the pack, the Zu clan positioned one of their hot rod Mk4s right out in the walkway, where no one could miss the candy apple red finish. I knocked on the cabinet – sounded as right as rain. Zu continues to shake up the industry with their out of the box thinking.
