SHOW REPORT: Swiss High-End 94
Raymond Maihin Chowkwanyun
across the Montreux High-End Show, held during the four days of
Feb 4-7, 1994. Montreux is famous for its Jazz Festival but I wasn't aware
they had a High-End Show. Turns out the Swiss High-End show is more often
located in Zurich but this time the powers that be (being the Swiss Association
of High-End Dealers with a sponsorship from Sound magazine) decided to try
something different.
And a damn pretty setting Montreux makes too (excuse my Swiss-French).
It's infinitely preferable to gaze through your Martin-Logans and be greeted
by a view of Lac Leman (accent acute over the e) and in the
background, rising out of the mists, Les Dent Du Midi than
to look out of an airport hotel room and be greeted by beautiful,
downtown El Segundo (actually a fine town but home to LA International
Airport and several oil refineries - watch out which way the wind
blows. Well, you notice they didn't name it El Primero).
The Montreux Show provided a fascinating glimpse into the state of the
High-End in Continental Europe, a world that is largely unknown to those of
us across the pond, and even, I daresay, the ditch.
General Impressions:
===================
Admission was 10 SFr (Swiss Francs. All prices will hereinafter be
quoted in SFr) which netted you a neat little brochure with the usual
map to the rooms and, more unusually, instructions on how to judge the
demonstrations. e.g. "The most important thing is the mid-range and
the connosieurs know it. What's the use of extended bass and treble
if the midrange is crass and strident". I couldn't agree more.
They also emphasized coherence of sound, soundstaging, dynamics,
detail, and imaging.
Compared to the 92 LA Stereophile Show, this show was much smaller
with about 40 rooms, much to the relief of your humble correspondent
who only had one day to cover everything. (I understand that when the
show is held in Zurich, there are more exhibitors). There was not the horde
of humanity which one finds at US shows. I was actually able to get
5 minutes of quiet time with some of the exhibitors without some type
thrusting his CD in our faces and asking, "Can I hear track 2, please?".
About half the attendees were women. You know, the invisible sex,
at least at the Stereophile show. Rumor has it that there were
even children on hand. i.e. high-end appears to be a family
pursuit here on the Continent rather than, as in the US, just
something that crazy old dad does in the basement/attic. Caveat:
my miserable French/German was too miserable to allow me to
judge whether the female presence was actively involved in
the sport or simply there for the ride.
There was an almost total absence of room treatment, though
RoomTune was there as an exhibitor. I mean, the first thing
a US exhibitor does is to set up the RoomTunes and
in bygone days, the Tube Traps. And these rooms in Montreux could
have used treating: antique 10 by 15 hotel rooms full of charm
and trampoline floors. A few exhibitors had larger rooms.
On the plus side, 12 foot ceilings. Yum. Also, there were no empty rooms
between exhibitors as at a Stereophile show. But in most cases the sound
leakage was not too bad, a bonus of old-world craftsmanship. Also notable
by its absence was power conditioning.
I'm guessing but I think the exhibitors didn't want to put people
off by giving the impression that the equipment would only sound
good with extensive room and power treatments. In my experience, these
treatments generally meet with a frosty response from the female contingent.
Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF) - it's the same wherever you go.
The speakers tended to be more sensitive than their American
counterparts with better than 90 db ratings. This allows the Europeans
to use smaller amplifers. There were also quite a number of powered
speakers which you almost never find in the US. Again, maybe there
is a priority on saving space. Adding to the general theme of simplicity
and spareness, most exhibitors used single box CD players rather than
a transport/converter combo. The top end Pioneer PD5901 player with stable
platter played the role of generic CD that EAD occupied at the Stereophile
show. I hasten to add that many manufacturers make fancier transport/converter
combos, their dealers just chose not to exhibit them. European manufacturers
also seem more likely to make a full range of products going all the way from
source to speaker. Americans, by contrast, tend to be more specialized in my
observation.
About two thirds of the exhibitors had active LP playback. Yay!
There were few tube amps and no sign of the single-ended
tube amp mania sweeping the English and Japanese speaking
audio worlds. I only recall the Cary 805 in a static display.
(The exhibitor's room had a leaky window and he was afraid
the cold air would crack his tubes).
The average quality of sound at the show was higher than
at the Stereophile show I attended. But then I'm showing
my biases here. I cannot abide a boosted treble in which
some system designers indulge in order to achive a false
super-imaging. There were a lot of these at the Stereophile
show and far fewer of that ilk at Montreux. Perhaps it was
the strong presence of the fair sex, with their reputedly
more acute high-frequency hearing, that influenced the exhibitors
to try for a less top heavy sound.
Prizes, Prizes, Prizes:
======================
What show report would be complete without the obligatory handing
out of prizes? (To be taken with the obligatory grain of salt).
We're talking "under show conditions", folks. You've been warned.
Best Sound at Show:
==================
Goes to Synthese (accent grave over the e) Audio Import of Lutry.
The exhibitor was Yvan Coderey.
He had on display a most remarkable two way speaker from Leedh
of France called the Psyche (accent acute over the e). 3,900 SFr
the pair. Powered by Class A electronics from the venerable
Sugden of England. He used the pre-amp stage of the A21a integrated
with a 25 watt stereo power amp, confusingly, also named the A21 but with
an "ap" designation instead of the integrated's "a". I notice the
British power to confuse has not diminished with the years.
The A21a was 1,400 SFr and the A21ap was 1,900 SFr. Audioquest
Crystal wires. Source was Sugden's Phillips based transport/converter
SDD1/SDA1 (2,000/1,900 SFr).
This Anglo/Franco partnership produced tonal quality that
was this close to being spot-on. We played Accent 9181 D,
a CD of baroque music. The violins sounded so close to
real violin sound. Rickie Lee Jones was startlingly light
and airy sounding. And that mid-range! Still a bit on
the bright side but with a bit of judicious tweaking, who knows?
For me, tonal accuracy is the holy grail of audio rather than
soundstaging and imaging gimmicks.
Leedh is working on a bigger speaker. I must find out if they
have a US distributor.
Most Amazing Exhibit at Show:
============================
The Cabasse Atlantis. Only a Frenchman could have designed
this speaker, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Here is another example of a product totally unknown to the
English-speaking world, yet on the Continent is a big-time
force in the high-end. Cabasse is France's answer to
to the US's Infinity, making widely-distributed
speakers all the way from teeny-tiny bookshelves
up to the no-holds-barred Atlantis.
To the pantheon of truly unique and unusual products (which already houses
the Pods from Mars (MBL 101)) must now be added the Eyeballs
from France. France is, I think, sufficiently off this planet
that we don't need to actually invoke a heavenly body to indicate
something wild and exotic (meant in the most positive way possible
I assure you). Imagine, if you will, a pair of
15 inch eyeballs gazing at you, all the while embedded midway
up a pair of 10 foot tall white pyramids (one eyeball per
pyramid). See what I mean? Only a Frenchman could have
designed this. For a picture, check out Positive Feedback,
assuming the editor sees fit to print this report.
We are all familiar with the theoretical model of a speaker
as a pulsating sphere. Most people try to approximate
this with a D'Appolito array (tweeter in the middle, flanked
top and bottom by midranges and bass in a symmetrical array).
The Duntech Sovereign is an example. Monsieur Cabasse asks,
"Why approximate, when you can have the real thing?" So the center
dot of the eyeball is, in fact, the tweeter. The next ring, which
conforms to the surface of the sphere, is the upper mid-range. The third
ring is the lower mid-range. Hats off to Monsieur Cabasse for an audacious
design. Oh yeah, the bass. A set of conventional powered woofers
concealed in the white pyramid. Can you imagine if he'd been
*really* audacious and included the bass in his pulsating sphere
design. I mean a 12 foot eyeball on a stick, what?
Cabasse had wisely rented one of the larger rooms to house this very
large speaker.
I have to tell you that, improbable as it looks, it works.
If you ever get a chance, do give these speakers a listen.
You get an enormous soundstage. These speakers are fantastically
fast in dynamics and imaging. On the Sheffield Drum Test, the drumbeats
were like explosives going off and each beat precisely imaged.
Bass has tremendous slam and never sounds compressed or strained.
True to their name, these speakers will swallow you up in a sea of sound.
On the dreaded Track 2 of Cantate Domino, beautiful massed voices,
with individuals easily picked out from the choir. On Night on Bald
Mountain, the Atlanti sounded wonderfully quick and effortlessly powerful,
yet they don't pressurize a room the way ProAc's can nor do they put real
pressure on your chest like Tannoy 15's.
My problem with the Atlantis is what I perceived to be an
overly aggressive treble. Not wildly over-agressive but
certainly too hot. Sibilants are not pleassssant on this
baby. I later had the chance to hear a smaller
Cabasse model and it exhibited the same treble characteristics
so maybe this is a family trait?
Too much treble mucks up the tonal accuracy of instruments so they do
not sound like their natural selves. And for all its dynamic bravado,
there was a sense of veiling, almost as if the Atlanti were in another room.
I think the hot treble may contribute to this effect. Nevertheless,
a very promising speaker which, with some tweaking, could perhaps be made
to sound tonally accurate.
OK, a comparison one year apart in different rooms, with different
ancilliary equipment, and different sources. So, take a biiiig
pinch of salt, but I thought the IRS V had more authoritative bass.
I mean earth shaking/rumbling (and living in LA I *know* what
that feels like). But who knows? If I played Dark Side of the Moon
on the Atlanti, maybe they would have made the earth move too.
Both have an overly agressive treble but the Atlanti give a
more exciting presentation than the IRS. I mean more dynamic
contrasts, in comparison to which the IRS seems rather sedate.
If I had to choose between the two, I'd go for the Atlanti.
The most heart-stopping feature of all is the Atlantis' price:
45,000 SFr. Per each. But you will be spared having to buy
megabuck amps, these speakers are self-powered. Monsieur Cabasse
tells me he cannot keep up with demand. He doesn't have a US distributor but
would like to get one without its being a top priority for him.
Most Heartening Exhibit:
=======================
Discover Records of Basel, Andras Bedoe, owner. This man claims
to do one fifth of his business in vinyl. I think in the States,
the ratio is more like 0.01 % of business is vinyl. I'm talking
new audiophile vinyl here. He would order more vinyl if could get
it. I did not escape this show unscathed. He nicked me for a Blue
Note Art Blakey. I once heard the gent in his native setting: a
smoky New York night club. Astonishing drum power for one of his
age. I've been looking for a record that can duplicate that sound
ever since.
The Quick Tour:
==============
I started with Continuo of Utzenstorf who had the Forsell transport/converter,
MAS Opulence 2 Pre and MAS Irakis power amp, Tice Power Block and Titan,
and Eminent Technology 8 speakers. Hey, it was almost like being at home
since I have these speakers myself. As usual, the Eminent Technologies
were sounding very musical with an Argerich CD of Beethoven and Haydn Concertos
(Denon 35C37-7322). If anything, warmer than what I get at home and
he had his tweeter set on high, whereas I use the low setting. Makes
me suspect that the Cardas wiring upgrade to these speakers, which I have,
may not be the best thing. When I told how much I'd paid for the Eminent
Technologies in the US, I was asked to for God's sake keep quiet before someone
heard. They pay heinous prices for US goods and we likewise for European
gear.
We then switched to a Pink Triangle with SME V and the Supreme incarnation
of the Transfiguration cartridge with the MAS Charisma II pre-amp. I listened
to the overture of Figaro on L' Oiseau-Lyre 421 333-1 with original
instruments but I was not as taken with the Transfiguration as the
exhibitor. I remain, for now, a Benz man.
Next up, the Sinaudio room exhibited by Guiseppe Catarella. He was using
a Pioneer PD5901 transport, Toshiba Toslink, Candeias Modelo converter
(3,100 SFr), AM Audio MOS80 50 watt integrated (2,020 SFr) and Chario
Hiper 1 Mark 2 speakers from Italy (990 SFr pr.). Can you say, "Baby Sonus
Faber"? They did the usual imaging thing you get with mini-monitors.
As we moved up the Chario range of speakers, the treble became progressively
less tizzy and the sound warmer and more to my taste. The Hiper 3 Mark 2 is
1,890 SFr with a 390 SFr stand and the Academy 2 is 3,090 SFr with a
490 SFr stand (all prices per pair). On the King James Version, there was
lots of slam but still a tad on the bright side. On Enya's Watermark, the
bass was good but still lacking in extension. I doubt I'll ever warm to a
mini-monitor.
Here, I noticed another peculiar European institution. They would take
the grill off one speaker and leave it on another. I had to repeatedly
ask that both grills be taken off. I must also say that all exhibitors,
without exception, were unfailingly polite, courteous, helpful, and
willing to answer questions. This was on the third day of a four day
stand when most people would start to feel a bit testy. But, no.
You want grills off? OK. You want to hear another pair of speakers?
No problem. You want the other pair of speakers taken out of the soundstage?
Right away. I mean, if only every system came with a helpful setup guy like
this built in.
The Gotham room was manned by Olaf Ryter. They were displaying
the very expensive Genelec powered speakers from Finland, intended
for studio monitoring use. ergo the balanced XLR connectors (they used
their own cables). He was running the speakers off a PDS701 from its
variable output (bad idea) through a speaker selector switch (!?).
The entire long wall of the room was wall to wall speakers. Circuit City.
Given this dubious front end and setup, the model 1038A (7,280 SFr pr.)
produced some wonderful female vocals on Dorian's DOR 90109 with Julianne Baird
singing Come Hither You That Love. Wonderful meaning that the
tone was pleasant and smooth but like all monitors I've heard,
there is a lack of detail. Little Feat's Let It Roll
WB CD925750-2 (great album) also sounded very smooth and controlled, i.e.
like what you'd expect a studio monitor to sound like. I would say
it's a very anti-high-end sound in that there is not the emphasis on
detail, soundstaging and imaging. I really couldn't hear a difference
between the 1019A, 1033A, and 3168 models, all of which were demoed.
I assume the presentation had a lot to do with this. If you've ever
heard Tannoys, you'll know what the Genelecs sounded like in this room.
At this point, I was beginning to despair of finding any Swiss products
at this supposedly Swiss high-end show. And then I came across the
Gassmann Akustik room run by Fred and Monika Gassmann. I thought
their system embodied a lot of the values to which high-enders aspire.
Big soundstage, pinpoint imaging, and a high degree of transparency
and detail. He was running a Well-Tempered turntable and arm with
Koetsu Black, the B1 Phono Basic (2,250 SFr.), B1 Line Stage
pre-amp (11,500 SFr.), the mighty A1 power amp (28,900 SFr.). And the whole
thing was run on batteries. Fred tells me his A1 is a Class BC amp so can run
all day on a single overnight charge. It produces 150 watts per channel.
We listened to his First Reference speaker (3,800 SFr. pr.) and the
Magnetic/LS1 Reference (5,600 SFr. pr.) both assisted by his Sub
subwoofer (1,900 SFr. pr.) that goes down to 20Hz.
We played the Weavers repeatedly. I especially liked the way
Pete Seeger sang/said *flaming* crimson. You could really hear
the way he got his mouth around those words. It's nuances like
this that would escape the Genelec. I thought Fred was going
to hate me when I said I preferred his number two speaker, the
First Reference, to the top of the line Magnetic/LS1, but he agreed with me.
The big one needed work, in his opinion. The First Reference is a
simple two way D'Appolito array whereas the Magnetic/LS1 is more
complicated, with a Fostex ribbon midrange and tweeter. It sounded
harsher and less smooth than its baby brother.
Very rapidly now, Jean Maurer speakers of Switzerland sounded very
full, rich, and musical on Vivaldi's Sonata in E Minor (ACC 9181)
and Weiss Lute Music (E8718). YBA was very high-end with superb
imaging and transparency but a bit harmonically threadbare.
I also had the chance to hear the legendary Sennheiser Orpheus (19,500 SFr)
in the Bluel Electronique room run by J.-L. Pauli. The Orpheus is an
electrostatic headphone with its own tube amplifier that looks like
a glass art deco city in miniature. It was running off a Luxman D373 CD
player with Luxman interconnect. I played Jack Finding Jill with
George Wallington and S'Wonderful by the Great Jazz Trio from Denon's
CD GES 9107. There were floating airy cymbals. These headphones
confirmed my suspicions that my Stax's were colored (in comparison
with speakers). The Orpheus is more delicate, detailed, and precise
in its tones. There is more beat and rhythmic drive on the Orpheus.
The Stax seem to have more bass, or is the Luxman at fault? However,
unless you do a preponderence of your listening on headphones, I don't
think the Orpheus offers enough to justify the price differential with
the Stax.
Conclusion:
==========
In all, a wonderful show. Kudos to the Swiss Association
of High-End Dealers for organizing and to the magazine Sound for sponsorship.
Don't believe the shibboleth that the US is the capital of the high-end.
There's lots of interesting stuff going on on the Continent of Europe and
I daresay in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
-- ray