RMAF 2019!


Just got home from a long day at RMAF.  I had a great time!  The venue is spectacular this year but definitely spread out.  Get ready to walk :-)

Some rooms you should check out are (in no particular order):

Vandersteen, Joseph Audio, Salk, Revel, Classe, Jeff Rowland (Vivid Speakers), Kii Audio (Bryston Room), Mark Levinson, YG Acoustics,

There were some I missed and some that I didn’t mention that sounded great but the ones I mentioned above all sounded really nice and are definitely worth checking out.   Hopefully my little list will help someone out Saturday or Sunday.  Enjoy the Show!!
128x128b_limo
@b_limo Thanks for the time to write your feedback. I have narrowed my speaker choice between the Persona 3F and a Vivid Kaya 45/90 (?). You are the second person who liked the Persona a lot but preferred the Kaya a little more. I have heard both but will do another long demo with the Kaya.

One thing that I have to do is place the speaker close to the front wall. The Kaya can accommodate that due to the tube inside the speaker cancelling out the back sound wave (or something like that). This was feedback from Vivid. Interesting that they had the speaker out in the room at RMAF.
FWIW, since the Kayas were mentioned:  I've heard the Vivid Kaya numerous times in a nice set up.  They have that "vivid" sound to be sure: super clear, clean and extended.  A "right there" immediacy and clarity.  And they can rock when turned loud too.

As it happens they didn't grab me musically.  Mostly because I found their sound too analytical and lean in the midrange - missed the richness and organic tone I hear with some other speakers. 


But if you want to hear evertyhing on the recording...
@prof... and everyone else, I do think that it’s much harder for me to get into a musical groove in most rooms at RMAF due to uninteresting music, people talking or those dang jingle bell lanyards everyone has on.  Due to that, it’s difficult for me to say whether certain set-ups are “musical” or have good tone.  Most of the time, detailed, clear “analytical” sound grabs me quickest at the shows.  If it happens to be a great sounding set-up and they are playing good music, I’ll stay for 30 minutes or longer in a room.  Thats happened to me with MBL, Alsyvox, Vapor.  


I haven’t heard a speaker that used Seas Excel drivers that I didn’t like.  I seem to like Accuton and Raal and plasma tweeters also.

@yyzsantabarbara, I hate to sway you from Personas because I do love them, but I don’t know if thats what I’d personally buy in that price range...
@gadios so what did mr. Hegel answer, why are their amps better than competitors!?
b_limo
I haven’t heard a speaker that used Seas Excel drivers that I didn’t like.
 
Same here.


And I'm wary of crediting too much sound to a driver, given all the variables involved in making a speaker.  And yet, speakers I've heard featuring certain Seas drivers seem to have a similar smoothness that draws me in.