Aaudio imports  |  Acapella  |  Audiotop  |  B.M.C.  |  HB Cable Design  |  Ikeda  
Isoclean  |  Metaxas  |  Millennium  |  Stacore  |  Stage III  |  Tandem  
Thales  |  Wilson Benesch  |  XACT  |  Ypsilon  
 
News   |   Buzz   |   Reviews   |   Gallery   |   Pre-Owned   |   Wish List   |   Dealers   |   Contact
 
Home » Aaudio Buzz » Aaudio Imports » Aaudio imports » Audiotop » B.M.C. »
HB Cable Design » Ikeda » Metaxas » Millennium » Stage III » Wilson Benesch » Ypsilon
Aaudio Buzz
Whats all the buzz about
Bookmark and Share
 
Aaudio Imports impresses at RMAF 2016
10/8/2016

Aaudio Imports impresses with Wilson Benesch, Thales, and Ypsilon – RMAF 2016

aaudio-6

by Rafe Arnott

You kind of had to stand there for a second to take it all in… the colors, the fit, and finish, the unique shapes, and then there was the sound.

 

ah-620-x-120-rmaf16-69_edited-1

Once your eyes took a moment to become fully saturated with the visuals that the striking blue, and black Wilson Benesch Evolution P1 ‘Ettore’ loudspeakers ($40,000 USD) had hit them with, the Thales TTT Compact II turntable ($14,500 USD) caught them, and then the Ypsilon Phaethon Integrated amp ($25,000 USD), VPS-100 valve phono stage ($26,000 USD), and MC26L Step-Up Transformer ($6,200 USD) in the Finite Elemente Pagode APS rack ($8,970 USD) snatched them away again. This was an absolutely gorgeous looking, and sounding system that was hard to leave once it had your ears hooked into the deep groove that the Ikeda Kai MC cartridge ($8,500 USD) was pulling from the vinyl of every LP that was spinning. Luke Milnes of Wilson Benesch was showing off the company’s Torus + Amp, a subwoofer ($12,500 USD) unlike any other that I’ve heard or seen, and one that was exceptionally coherent in its linearity, merging seamlessly with the generous lower mids being produced the Ettore.

aaudio-5

From the Wilson Benesch website:
The Torus places an 18” light-weight, super-stiff, multi-axial Carbon Fibre cone at the end of a phenomenally powerful push-pull motor. Unlike a common subwoofer that relies upon a high hysteresis suspension to reset the cone to zero, the cone position in the Torus is dictated at all times by electromagnetism. The result is low frequency sound with absolute precision and integration across the frequency range.

aaudio-7

The Ikeda Kai is a favorite cartridge of mine as it is one of the most transparent low output moving coil cartridges I’ve heard regardless of the tonearm or ‘table it’s paired with. This system was putting out a moving, and emotionally engaging sound that showed off true component synergy.

aaudio-4

aaudio-3

aaudio-2

aaudio-1

 
Link to Product Page »
 
RSS FEED  
 
 
RMAF 2017: Aaudio Imports 11/9/2017

Thales with Wilson Benesch - AXPONA 2017 4/25/2017

Aaudio Imports impresses at RMAF 2016 10/8/2016

Aaudio Imports: December 2015 3/23/2016

A glimpse of hi-fi heaven 10/1/2015

THE Show Newport Beach 2015 Best of Show 6/7/2015

RMAF 2012 Featured Audiophile 11/6/2012

A Visit to Aaudio 10/6/2012

Stuff that dreams are made of 12/14/2011

Visiting Aaudio Imports in November 2010 12/1/2010

Dagogo/Richard Austen CES 2010 Show Report 3/1/2010

Dagogo/Fred Crowder CES 2010 Show Report 2/1/2010

Dagogo/2009 Aaudio Imports Visit 1/21/2010

Dagogo/Fred Crowder RMAF 09 Show Report 11/2/2009

The Audio Beat - RMAF 2009 - Best of Show 10/5/2009

Gary Lea listens to the Acapella... 10/1/2009

BOYS IN TOYLAND: Visiting Aaudio Imports 5/1/2009

Dagogo/Phillip Holmes CES 2009 Show Report 2/2/2009

Dagogo/Constantine Soo CES 2009 Show Report 1/21/2009

Dagogo/Jack Roberts RMAF 2008 Show Report 11/3/2008

© 2008 Aaudio Imports created by dca/dcpr