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Held at the Hilton Westchester hotel November 6 through 8, the New York Audio Show 2015 wasn’t the biggest or comprehensive show I’ve ever attended, but it definitely had great spirit.
The exhibitors seemed upbeat, a lot of rooms sounded sweet and the audiophiles I met were all having a good time. Here are a few highlights from the show.
First up, the Soundsmith room where Peter Ledermann was holding court playing LPs. Ledermamn designed the speakers, all of the electronics and the phono cartridge, and the system’s sound was truly astonishing.
Ledermann’s Monarch bookshelf speakers had a big, highly transparent sound that brought out the best from every LP he played. The sound was so good that one of my digital-loving friends (who is no fan of vinyl) was enthralled by the sound, and he said Ledermann’s room was one of the best at the show, and I agreed.
The Wes Bender Studio NYC room was also making spectacular sound, and when they played Miles Davis’ recording of “Autumn Leaves” over the Gamut Audio RS3 speakers and Gamut electronics, there was electricity in the air. Davis’ fluid trumpet lines sent shivers up my spine.
The big Volti Vittora horn speaker
Steve Guttenberg/CNET
There was something about the way this system reproduced the brassy bite of the horn, and unleashed soft-to-loud dynamics that made this 57-year-old recording come alive. Looking through the large window behind the Gamut system we could see actual autumn leaves sailing by, which I admit added to the experience.
Next, I made my way to the Volti Audio/Vinnie Rossi Audio room. The big Volti Vittora horn speakers were a little too big for the smallish hotel room, but even so these speakers played high impact music with grace and clarity that’s just not possible from smaller speakers.
At other shows, I’ve heard Vittora play the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street” album at concert volume levels without straining, and here at the New York Audio Show 2015, the Vittora teamed with Vinni Rossi’s LIO preamp and all-new VR120 power amp was no less impressive with rousing orchestral music.
If you’re lucky enough to have a large listening room and crave big sound, try to hear the Vittora for yourself.
Rogue Audio tube electronics, partnered with the big MartinLogin Neolith electrostatic speakers sounded quite powerful together, and that’s not something I normally associate with electrostatic speakers!
Rogue’s Mark O’Brien told me he’s moving his factory to a much bigger space in Pennsylvania — I hope to drop by next summer to check out his new digs!
