Music Matters was welcomed on March 8-9 after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic at Seattle’s Definitive Audio’s near-annual audio showcase. Divided into two sessions of his two hours, the 16th Edition private and ultra-enriched miniature audio show allows invitees to move between his 20-minute presentations in his four rooms and There was plenty of time left to visit his two systems and chat with industry legends.
Music Matters 2023 presenters highlighted the importance of Definitive Audio (in Seattle and Bellevue) to brands in between several national and regional product premieres. David Steven, CEO of Cambridge, UK-based dCS, and Dan D’Agostino, Arizona-based audio legend Dan D’Agostino Master Systems, underlined the importance of dealerships. , with Buffalo’s Mike Latvis, aka Mr. HRS, as the star presenter. , Harmonic Resolution Systems in New York), and Musical Surroundings, which imports and distributes Clearaudio, is Garth Leerer. This highlights the importance of Will Kline of Sonus Faber, Bill Peugh and Dave Ellington of Wilson Audio, Ken Zelin of McIntosh, Gordon Inch who traveled many miles from Linn Audio in Scotland, Bob McConnell of Transparent Audio, John Giolas and Emron. This is not to be taken lightly. Mangelson of dCS, Bill McKiegan of D’Agostino, Brad O’Toole of HRS and Vandersteen, Kathleen Thomas and Russell Warnhoff of Sony, Mike Hickman and Jeff Davis of Bowers & Wilkins, Matt Denton of Cinematic, Tim Schafbuch of Kaleidoscape, Brian Powers JL Audio’s Julie Yepez, Stewart Filmscreen’s July Yepez, and others whose names you probably didn’t catch, but who might get you mad right away.
I started with Definitive’s reference theater space. New squishy chairs are on the way (replaced by folding chairs for now), but I didn’t see any speakers. Instead, a massive Atmos array of Bowers & Wilkins CWM8.3D (7 units), CCM8.5D (4 units), and CWM8.3D and CCM8.5D speakers (starting price of $3200 to $5000 each) hangs on the wall. Hidden in the sealing. Also hidden was his top-of-the-line 10,000-lumen Sony GTZ380 projector (around $90,000), whose X1 Ultimate Processor has since been trickled into other of his Sony models. . Also hidden was the fact that the wall siding by Cinematic can be moved in and out. (I hope I got it right.) Note: All prices are base prices.
Audio is stereomania’s specialty, but Slam in Videoland was a feast for the senses. Recalibrating the projector produced the sharpest, sharpest, and most stereoscopic video I’ve seen. Lauren Allred sang it brilliantly), Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born, and Tom Cruise hitting the 10G in Top Gun Maverick. (Claudio Abbado’s version of Gustav Mahler’s heartbreaking Fifth Symphony unfortunately ended mid-bar after just a few seconds of music.) Hollywood has come a long way since it started dancing to the ceiling. Or is there?
The system includes a Kaleidescape Strato movie server ($25,995), a McIntosh MX180 surround processor with RoomPerfect room correction and 8K video switching ($17,000), two McIntosh MC257 multichannel amplifiers ($11,000 each), four JL Audio IW- Completed by F113. Wall subwoofers ($6050 each), Hollywood on steroids, and who knows what else.
Next up was an exhibit labeled ‘Large Room / Large Footprint / Lifestyle array’ which included two major debuts: Sonus Faber Amati Tradition floorstanders ($36,000/pair) and McIntosh’s MC3500 Mk II amplifiers ($15,000). I was.
Also heard: Linn Klimax Selekt LP12 turntable ($14,560) and Klimax Selekt dual mono Organik DMS edition hub ($12,940), McIntosh C22 preamp ($6500), two JL Audio F113 V2 subwoofers ($6000/each), Transparent Ref XL Series cables and line conditioners.
A penchant for subversive lyrics and a highly discriminating DJ, Kline quickly realized that the eye-catching aesthetic of the Sonus Faber loudspeakers was a side effect of the material’s sonic properties. His new Amati Tradition uses the same natural cellulose/wood pulp, hemp, bamboo and papyrus for both midrange and woofers for greater consistency. This speaker features a redesigned dual voice coil his woofer for better dispersion and control, with identical symmetrical magnetic flux in both coils for improved dynamics.
Zellen said 2023 will mark the 74th anniversary of the McIntosh.The company’s redesigned tube-equipped MC3500 Mk II will take the original version to Woodstock (music festival; I was in the Peanuts cartoon). Reintroduce the driven amp. After pairing with the C22 preamp, Zelen turned the volume up to maximum (indicating that the pairing remained completely silent. It wasn’t a tube,” he said.
The percussion on “Walking on the Moon” was brilliant, clear, tight, colorful and with extraordinary musicality. JL Audio’s subwoofers don’t give small credit. Other tracks from Highwomen and Morgan Hill showcased McIntosh’s legendary midrange. Kline was rounded out by a knockout his track by David Solomon of Qobuz. Subway Gawdz’s “Warriors” has a huge amount of energy at 47 Hz (and probably lower) according to my dB meter. excellent demo.
I was still holding my breath when I was ushered to the Clearaudio/dCS/D’Agostino/Wilson room, the ‘ultimate destination’ that featured the Northwest debut of the D’Agostino Relentless Epic 1600 mono amplifier ($349,500/pair). .
Retaining color and clarity at surprisingly low volumes, the system topped the Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable (~$72,500) with Goldfinger cartridges and the 3-piece dCS Vivaldi Apex Stack (Vivaldi Apex DAC / Master Clock / Upsampler Plus). ) with Rossini SACD transport (total $121,000). Sticking with three, the preamp was a mighty D’Agostino Relentless ($149,500) plus his Momentum phono stage ($32,500). The two D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV mono amps ($79,950/pair) I’m currently reviewing powered a pair of Wilson Audio Subsonic subwoofers ($77,800/pair). Two Relentless Epic 1600 monos put all their power into a pair of gorgeous and one-of-a-kind “Four Seasons Summer” finish Wilson XVX loudspeakers ($349,000+ per pair). Add in a Transparent Magnum Opus Cable/Line Conditioner and a top-of-the-line HRS VXR Audio Rack ($40,000+) and you’re well past the point where money can buy happiness for a while. .
The tones are natural, the bass is ridiculously huge, and the SACD version of the Grand Suite from Stravinsky’s History of the Soldiers, with Paavo Järvi conducting the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. It was all the works of (The record is available 24/96 on his Qobuz.) The midrange of Lady Blackbird’s “Fly Blackbird” sounds gorgeous, and Club for Five’s version of Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms” has natural colors. ‘s bass was wonderful.
Stephen said dCS has a lot of equipment in its headquarters/factory room in Cambridge, but the four companies exhibiting together have no financial ties. Rather, they work closely together because of each other’s desire for excellence. I don’t remember if it was Steven or I that inspired him to say, “I want to get into music as much as possible” in my notebook.
Before playing a well-worn excerpt from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Leerer said he’s been listening to records since he was four years old. Less than 65 years later he introduced his D’Agostino. For those who already own a Relentless amp, this work performed in the field involves modifications to all audio stages. Much of this technology is trickled into Dan D’Agostino’s Momentum M400 MxV, his third iteration of his Momentum mono amp, the amp that started the company.
From there, a small footprint Wilson Audio Alexia V loudspeaker ($67,500/pair) and three Linn Klimax products (LP12 Turntable ($30,970), Organik Streaming Preamp ($42,000), Klimax Solo Mono Amplifier ($29,340/pair)) into the equipped Reference Audio room. pair). Latvis has introduced his new lower priced HRS EXR stand. Available in custom dimensions to suit individual components, EXR stands can be upgraded to the highest level via compatible add-ons. (Prices range from $7995 for a 4-shelf stand to $1575 for an amp stand to $695 for a set of 4 amp stand spikes). McConnell touted Transparent’s “bespoke” cable system. A highlight of the room was the infinitely sweet sound of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s violin on Rey’s theme from John Williams’ score to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
In the “Hi-Fi for Small Spaces” room, Mangelson gave us a head-to-head comparison of the new dCS Bartók Apex DAC ($20,950) debuting in the Northwest to its non-Apex predecessor. We asked Herb Reichert, who reviews Bartók Apex, to provide more details, and I’ll just say that, like Rossini Apex and Vivaldi Apex, it’s a huge improvement over its predecessor in every way. Apex isn’t a “you need a golden ear to tell the difference” upgrade. Even if you have a hearing aid, I think it’s easy to hear the goodness.
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 loudspeakers ($38,000 per pair) made as much difference as a day in Florida and Arizona than in the Pacific Northwest or California this time of year. Unfortunately, we missed the debut of the Hana Umami Blue cartridge ($2500). This cartridge sang on the Clearaudio Ovation turntable ($15,000) universal arm and external power supply ($3500).
We ended the tour at the dCS Lina lounge. So I used a new 3-piece Lina Headphone Amp ($10,750) / DAC ($13,600) / Master Clock ($7700; $32,050 total) to recreate the sound of Rickie Lee Jones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” into four very different sounds. compared with Headphones: Meze Elite, Audeze LCD5, Abyss 1266 and his HiFiMan Susvara. Her two of the latter are much more difficult to drive, so Mangelson upped Lina’s output from her 2V to 6V. I am not sweating.
Jones’ voice and accompaniment treatment was completely different between the bass-heavy Meze Elite and the crystal-clear, voice-enhancing Audeze LCD5. Bonus points for readers who can understand the headphones I’m sporting in the photo. Only the rear view is shown, as the
Back to Lina. A brief hearing of the new dCS cross-feed technology, which addresses the channel separation inherent in headphones, was enough to realize its potential contribution to the head-fi experience. There are 3 settings: Standard, Expanse, Expanse 2.
Did you really do it all in just over two hours? With plenty of time for questions with designers and other knowledgeable company representatives, there’s nothing quite like Music Matters. A big thank you to Sean Skelley, his new CEO and owner of Definitive Audio. See you next year!