Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2004 - A Photo Report, Part 2 (page 3)
by Dave and Carol Clark

The other Cryotweak/GR Research room showed off the much bigger tower speakers, the Alpha LS. In use in both Cryotweak/GR Research rooms was the Ack!DAC.

The GR Research Alpha LS speakers ($5890 a pair assembled). 93db with 1 watt/1 meter with a frequency response down into the 20s, these are truly an amazing value for the money as they are available as a kit for considerably less.

The Dodd Audio 50-watt amplifiers ($1650 a pair) which were used to drive the GR towers. Again great value for the money.

The Ayden room with some of the WAY cooler looking amplifiers, the KR Audio Kronzillas.

Another table (Teres) making real music.

Also in the Ayden room was the new Artemis Labs' LA-1 tube preamp next to their phono preamplifier. Both looked really cool and are rumored to be inexpensive. Meaning real people can buy real cool stuff!

Ayden used the Green Mountain Continuum 3 speakers to get the music out into the room. Sounding as good as in the Audio Magic/Green Mountain room, maybe it's the speakers! Nah... has to be the tubes!

Listen Up was all about Classe and B&W, with a bit of Rotel thrown in for flavor. Sounded like B&W driven by Classe.

The serious side of Bert Doppenberg of BD Designs. I will admit that the first day of the show this room was not to my taste, but by Sunday he had it really hitting on all cylinders! The first day, Bert was using the Sophia integrated and well, it just didn't have the magic. Bert got the music off his laptop through a TwinDACPlus. Way cool!

The laptop sitting on the TwinDACPlus.

A Sophia integrated used to drive the DB Oris speakers. Not the best match musically.

On Sunday the little Serious Stereo 1-watt monoblock amplifiers from Dennis Fraker were in use ($11k the pair, and that is for the best 1-watt you will ever need, if you got the right speakers) and they sounded really, really good. Very musical!

The Serious Stereo 1-watt amplifier. Not much to look at, but a lot to listen to! These amplifiers were getting a lot of exposure throughout the show (Cain & Cain room among others) and had generated a bit of a stir. Very expensive, but what music.

Dennis Fraker himself.

The AER driver in the Oris "head-unit" with a bronze phase plug.

DB's custom made 15" bass driver used in the bass unit.

An effective AC block in the DB room, gee what else does Bert make?

Bert relaxing to the music. "I have made too many things! Besides, it is Sunday and now it finally is sounding good!"

Red Rock showed with ESP Concert Grand speakers and their new Red Rock Renaissance statement amplifiers. Looking similar to Blue Circle amps or the Hagerman Trumpet on steroids, they were pretty.

The Renaissance Amplifier is a push pull design with two voltage gain stages driving the modern Russian (Svetlana) 572 directly heated triode audio output tubes, at approximately 50 watts per channel. This was one of the few times I actually liked the ESP Speakers, so maybe they are on to something here. Unfortunately these amps are not for the thin-of-wallet and will cost you around $15k for the pair.

More to come!

POSITIVE FEEDBACK ONLINE © 2004 - HOME

BACK TO TOP