The Home Entertainment (T.H.E.) Show Newport Beach, CA (2011)

[Big Daddy]

This past weekend, I attended T.H.E. Show: Newport with my wife. The show was held at the Hilton Hotel in Santa Ana/Irvine area across the street from the John Wayne airport. It was not in Newport Beach as it was advertised. Most of the products demonstrated at the show were high-end audio (mostly speakers) with a few video items.

We did not have too much time and had to do a bit of a rush job. As usual, we were impressed by some products and underwhelmed by others. Unfortunately, the place was too crowded and impossible to take good pictures. I have summarized our experience in the following:

SEXIEST SPEAKERS

Vivid Audio:

They looked fantastic, but the sound was not one of the best at the show.

BEST SOUND AT THE SHOW

1. Sony demonstrated their IsoMike Recording Technology done with co-operation of Ray Kimber from Kimber Kables: No Limiting, No Compresion, No Mixing, Recorded in 4-channel DSD and played the same way.
   
   Their room was very large. This is a partial list of the equipment in that room:
   
   1. Four Sony SSAR1 Speakers
   2. Two Pass Labs X350 Amplifiers
   3. Kimber Interconnect and Speaker Cables
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   They played High Alltitude Drums 4-channel SACD and the sound was very loud and impressive. You can read more about the album HERE or buy it from AMAZON.
   
   
   
   
2. MBL 101 - MKII Speakers: The most unusual looking speakers. Their sound was also fantastic.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. This large Legacy Audio Speaker looked and sounded very good.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. PTE Acoustics:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Gradient Helsinki and Revolution:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Vienna Acoustics (The Kiss) speakers.
   
   
   
   

OTHER IMPRESSIVE SPEAKERS

1. The Magico room was large and the sound was superb.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Acoustic Zen Crescendo speakers had perhaps the nicest cabinet finish. I loved the Walnut Burl finish.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Grant Fidelity room was also very impressive. Grant Fidelity is located in Calgary, Alberta and sells their speakers factory-direct at reasonable prices.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   They have already created a slide show of the Newport event.
   
   http://grantfidelity.com/site/2011_n..._Fidelity_room
   
   
   
4. Another impressive sound was created by ESS Speakers and their HEIL Air-Motion Transformer (AMT). Old school people are very familiar with ESS speakers and their AMTs. ESS disappeared for a long time and somehow decided to make a comeback.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. The Hsu Research room had a 5.1 setup and the sound was very impressive. The small Hsu bookshelf speakers are an excellent value. This is the list of the speakers used:
   
   
   1. Four HB-1 Bookshelf front and surround speakers.
      
      
      
      
      
      
   2. One HC-1 Center-Channel Speaker.
      
      
      
      
      
      
   3. One VTF-15H Subwoofer.
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
6. The GoldenEar Technology Triton speakers were good. Unfortunately, the room was too small, noisy, and crowded. It was impossible to really test the speakers. The sponsors were willing to knock the price down at the show by $250. I was tempted, but my wife reminded me that the DIY horn loaded speakers that I built sound as good.
   
   
   
   
   
   

[Big Daddy]

MOST DISAPPOINTING SOUND

1. The YG Acoustics speakers did not sound very good. They had no bass and the high frequencies were a bit harsh.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Von Schweikert speakers had too much bass and the sound was not very good. It could have been the choice of the material they used and/or the placement/adjustment of the speakers, particularly the built-in subwoofers.
   
   
   
   

BEST VIDEO PRESENTATION AT THE SHOW

There was no doubt about who had the best video presentation. The Meridian room was very large with a gigantic and wide screen. The projector was the $185,000 Medridian 810 Reference Video System. They showed the first 5-10 minutes of The Dark Knight. The picture and the sound were awesome. The picture was very sharp and better than the vast majority of movie theaters. During the clip, I was thinking about getting a second mortgage and buying the projector.

You can find additional information about his projector in the following links:

http://gizmodo.com/5030792/meridian-...-no-pixelation
http://www.hemagazine.com/node/Merid...jection_System
http://www.aboutprojectors.com/Merid...projector.html

[Waboman]

Very cool thread, BD. Thanks for sharing.

Did you get a chance to listen to the MBL 101 - MKII's?

I'm drooling on my keyboard looking at your pics.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Waboman

Very cool thread, BD. Thanks for sharing.

Did you get a chance to listen to the MBL 101 - MKII's?

I'm drooling on my keyboard looking at your pics.

Thanks.

Yes, I did listen to MBL speakers. They were very impressive and I wanted to take them home, but they cost $75,000.

I listed MBL speakers under the Best Sound at The Show.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Thanks.

Yes, I did listen to MBL speakers. They were very impressive and I wanted to take them home,
but they cost $75,000.

[ZoetMB]

Sony demonstrated their IsoMike Recording Technology done with co-operation of Ray Kimber from Kimber Kables: No Limiting, No Compresion, No Mixing, Recorded in 4-channel DSD and played the same way.

There's nothing wrong with limiting and level compression when recording if used properly - it actually helps the lower level more subtle material. Without it, if you have music with strong dynamics, you'll be reaching for the volume control all the time.

And there's nothing wrong with mixing either. I suppose you don't need it if there's only four violins and four mics, but the minute you start multi-miking the drums or don't want everything at the same level, you need to mix.

And why oh why would anyone at this point go back to 4-channel playback, when the multichannel standard for the home has become 5.1. It's this kind of confusion that keeps people from investing in a system.
-----

As for the physical look of most of the loudspeakers you've posted, I think they're almost all pretty damned ugly. They'd better sound spectacular to make up for their ugliness. If you look at some of the home theatres on this site, in many cases it looks like the equivalent of having a car parked in one's living room.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Those are the bargain MBL speakers. The MBL 101 X-treme speakers cost $263,000.

Check their website. All the prices are listed there.

http://www.mbl-usa.com/Browse.aspx/392/Speakers

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Those are the bargain MBL speakers. The MBL 101 X-treme speakers cost $263,000.

Check their website. All the prices are listed there.

http://www.mbl-usa.com/Browse.aspx/392/Speakers

Presented by HOURGLASS Lovers everywhere?

Weird design.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

There's nothing wrong with limiting and level compression when recording if used properly - it actually helps the lower level more subtle material. Without it, if you have music with strong dynamics, you'll be reaching for the volume control all the time.

And there's nothing wrong with mixing either. I suppose you don't need it if there's only four violins and four mics, but the minute you start multi-miking the drums or don't want everything at the same level, you need to mix.

And why oh why would anyone at this point go back to 4-channel playback, when the multichannel standard for the home has become 5.1. It's this kind of confusion that keeps people from investing in a system.

Those are not my words. I quoted those from Sony/Kimber publications. There was plenty of bass in the room even though there were no subwoofers in the room.

As for the physical look of most of the loudspeakers you've posted, I think they're almost all pretty damned ugly. They'd better sound spectacular to make up for their ugliness. If you look at some of the home theatres on this site, in many cases it looks like the equivalent of having a car parked in one's living room.

You are being a bit too harsh and critical. The piano finish on some of the speakers was excellent and the sound of most of the speakers was superb.

[crazyBLUE]

I have already decided what I want & can't afford it Some of the speakers are not only impressive looking but cool as well. If you take out a second mortgage & get the Meridian I'm moving in !

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I have already decided what I want & can't afford it Some of the speakers are not only impressive looking but cool as well. If you take out a second mortgage & get the Meridian I'm moving in !

If you buy the MBL speakers, you are more than welcome to move in.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

If you buy the MBL speakers, you are more than welcome to move in.

Fare enough ~ I will sell the condo & get the Mbl 101-MKII speakers & am on my way

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Fare enough ~ I will sell the condo & get the Mbl 101-MKII speakers & am on my way

I will keep the beautiful model.

[Show spoiler]I better say that or else I will have to go to the dog house again. She is really my wife in real life

.

[Waboman]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Thanks.

Yes, I did listen to MBL speakers. They were very impressive and I wanted to take them home, but they cost $75,000.

I listed MBL speakers under the Best Sound at The Show.

I've always been fascinated with the MBLs. Sadly, the closest I'll ever get to having them in my house is pictures on my computer.

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Those are the bargain MBL speakers. The MBL 101 X-treme speakers cost $263,000.

Check their website. All the prices are listed there.

http://www.mbl-usa.com/Browse.aspx/392/Speakers

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Presented by HOURGLASS Lovers everywhere?

Weird design.

And of course you'll need their 9008A mono-blocks at a paltry $33,300

[Show spoiler]each!

to power those bad boys.

[Waboman]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I have already decided what I want & can't afford it Some of the speakers are not only impressive looking but cool as well. If you take out a second mortgage & get the Meridian I'm moving in !

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

If you buy the MBL speakers, you are more than welcome to move in.

Excellent. BD buys the Meridian, cB buys the MBL speakers, and I'll buy the beer & pizza. What time are we moving in?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I will keep the beautiful model.

[Show spoiler]I better say that or else I will have to go to the dog house again. She is really my wife in real life

.

Is that why you hid that in a spoiler tag That speaker is as big as she is

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Waboman

Excellent. BD buys the Meridian, cB buys the MBL speakers, and I'll buy the beer & pizza. What time are we moving in?

Beer and Pizza. That is an insult to the speakers and the projector. Filet mignon and expensive wine are more appropriate.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Is that why you hid that in a spoiler tag That speaker is as big as she is

She was very pleased when I asked her to stand next to the big Legacy speaker and pose like a model. However, I violated copyrights and published her picture without her written consent. It looks like I may have to sleep in the dog house tonight.

[Waboman]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Beer and Pizza. That is an insult to the speakers and the projector. Filet mignon and expensive wine are more appropriate.

Lol. Alright, you got me. For the BD MBL moving in party, I'll spring for filets, a fine Cabernet and maybe a bottle of Johnny Blue.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

She was very pleased when I asked her to stand next to the big Legacy speaker and pose like a model. However, I violated copyrights and published her picture without her written consent. It looks like I may have to sleep in the dog house tonight.

This one

Or this one with the mini Home Theater