Helsinki HifiExpo 2011, grand setups
Approximatelty 14000 men, and two women, attended the major Hifi-Show in Finland, namely the HifiExpo 2011 held in Helsinki early November. The figure is 30-40 % better than the year before (when it was a two-day event). Wheather the high turnout number ever shows up in the turnover of the participating companies, remains to be seen. Despite Creece and other doomsday announcements, let's hope so.
This part of the show-report presents some of the grandest systems with a true-to-life performance such as this luxurous system that travels between New York, Moscow, and now in Helsinki ...
The extravagant system is naturally Steinway & Sons Model D Music System, Peter Lyngdorf as the kibitzer. The system comprises two gigantic active dipole loudspeakers, and a massive pedestal control unit hiding a CD player, DAC and a room correction unit. The piano lacquered speakers have, each, four 12" carbon-fiber woofers, two 5" midrange units, and a Heil ribbon tweeter. Each speaker module has its own DAC-driven 400W digital amplifier module, with an active digital crossover. The output level is controlled by directly altering the gain of the active speaker modules. The bass is DSP corrected. Spatially very realistic and relaxed sound, especially on classic repertoire. Thanks to the room correction, the quality sound was not limited to the main listening position. Nevertheless, it would interesting to hear the speakers and the system without room correction in an acoustically ideal room. The 165 000 price (euro) includes installation, room measurement and EQ.
Ultimate Audio/Sound Factor set the stage for three impressive systems to choose from. In the first one, Audio Note Japan's Kondo Ongaku was assigned the task of running the 107db Avantgarde Acoustic Duo Omega loudspeakers (18ohm Alnico) via Biwire Kondo KSL-SPc cable. The analogue source was Kuzma Stabi/Stogi Reference turntable with Kondo IO-M cartridge and Kondo KSL-SFz Step Up -trafo hooked to Kondo KSL-M7 phono-stage. The CD was EAR Acute II.
This stunning Marten & McIntosh system, exhibited by Hifihuone, presented Marten Coltrane Momento (c. 130000 €) loudspeakers together with McIntosh MC1.2kW Quad Balanced mono blocks, true power mills. The music flowed from the new McIntosh MCD1100 CD/SACD/DAC player, and the preamp McIntosh C2300, all placed on Marten G.A.D. equipment rack. All cables were of the Jorma Prime series. AC treatment with Quantum Qx4 and Quantum QBase4. Leif and Jörgen Olofsson from Marten were there, as well as Jorma Koski from Jorma Design.
In the above setup, the passive ATC SCM50 Tower loudspeaker, as well Avalon's new Transcendent, was wired to massive EAR monoblocks (509 and 861). The EAR 912 preamp, the EAR Master Disk turntable and the EAR Acute III cd player completed the system. Cables from Kondo and MIT. Both systems had their fans. That's exactly as it should be.
This super expensive system belongs to Audio Note UK, tuned by Peter Qvortrup himself, made a lasting impression to many, not least because of the selected demo music. The system - for the first time on the Finnish ground - featured the ANJ UK's Onkagu integrated, Level 4 CD-transport and DAC, the AN-TT Two turntable, M8 RIAA-stage, and AN-E/SEC Signature loudspeakers at the end of AN-SOGON cables. Lots of pure silver. The DAC has no filters whatsoever, digital or analogue. In terms of conventional measurements, the output of the DAC looks questionable. But as Peter said, it's the sound quality that matters.
Loud and clear, the impressive Bowers&Wilkins 802D were accompanied by a heap of ASR quality electronics. The turntable is Brinkmann Balance, and the cd player a modified Sony CDP-101.
In one major system, the speaker was the 50000e Dynaudio Consequence. The manufacturer claims frequency response from 17Hz (-3dB) up. I was told that some respectable instance had measured 6Hz down just -12dB! The speaker was powered by Plinius Hautonga amplifier, Antelope Audio's best model as the DAC.
Finally, Genelec is a regular exhibitor at hifi-shows all over. It was, however, for the first time that the Finnish show visitors had a chance to hear the mighty 1036A with two 18" woofers and 3000W amplification power per channel. Whether music or movies, the powerful sound was room optimized with the in-house DSP. Many were impressed.
The be continued ...