The Dublin Audio Show - November 16/17 2019

[sdiesel77]

For those who heard the KEF Blades today....are you sure the Blades were playing as i was led to believe they were not used today??

Yes they started playing them from around 1pm.

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[Diapason]

100% sure Blades were used, they played each speaker in turn and finished with them. I actually had been looking forward to hearing the LS50 too because I knew their reputation, and I actually really liked them. I'd be tempted to get a pair.

[Diapason]

I was particularly impressed by the little Borresen speakers but more by the Aavik U300 integrated amp with phono and DAC which i discovered later cost about 24K !!!

I don't know what to think about those Borresens. I like listening to them and I think they do a lot of things well enough, but I can hear their limitations and I don't hear the money involved! I really WANT to love them, but...

[Sloop John B]

I’m always a bit apprehensive about these shows in case I hear something fantastic and then become unhappy with my own system at home. Well certainly today I had nothing to fear. Listening to Naim amplification nearly 10 times the price of mine should have made me shiver, but this Naim /Focal mix, as has been said by many, just don’t work and the room probably helped little also. I found the second Naim system with the new Nait and ND5XS2 with Focal Chora had quite good sound for (relatively) modest outlay.

The B&W 802 didn’t do it for me either, I usually detest when people use the word musicality as a description but today seemed to give some credence to this actually being a real thing. Nothing today sucked me in. So much sounded what I derogatorily would call digital.

The KEF blades were the best I heard but the music for the main was undemanding, Nils Logfren Live, Ben Webster, Shelby Lynne. I thought Wish you were hear sounded a little cluttered. But definitely the best sound I heard. Some sounded so poor it must have been embarrassing for the exhibitors. If with my high frequency hearing loss still hearing most systems as bright I cannot imagine what young ears would make of it.

Nice to have a chance to see all this hifi in Dublin though and some very good discounts available if one was in the market.

.sjb

[simonewings]

I popped In this afternoon for a couple hours, lots of very top end kit there with naim statement amps and kef blades etc. I have to agree that the best sound was the kef blade demo. The B&W 802s on the end of those rotel amps were moving a lot of air, but not as refined as the kef demo.

Glad I went although an exhibitors list would have been nice.

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[greygoose]

I spent a couple of hours there , some interesting systems with eyewatering prices.

I was in the KEF room at 2.00pm, I was told that although the Blades were there, they do not use them at demonstrations!! was listening to the black outer speakers (model detailed above)

My first time listening to Linn, was suprised how good both systems sounded.

Also first time listening to Chord Dave / Melco / B&W, very good sound at times, depending on music.
I hung around to pop into each room twice, demonstraters only used a very limited selection of music on each system, at least Esoteric had a good selection of CD'S to choose from.
Great to hear for the first time Devialet/ Esoteric / Chord DAVE / MELCO, for the first time, just need a Euromillions win or two.

[Sligolad]

I was in the KEF room at 2.00pm, I was told that although the Blades were there, they do not use them at demonstrations!! was listening to the black outer speakers (model detailed above)

We must have both got the same guy giving the same story....must be different guys in there running the demo's with different brief!

[simonewings]

I was in the KEF room at 2.00pm, I was told that although the Blades were there, they do not use them at demonstrations!! was listening to the black outer speakers (model detailed above)

I was at the 3.00pm demo and we were told the blades were being used they demo'd each speaker in turn. And there was a good step up in performance from the smaller kef floor standers and linn integrated to the blades being driven by linn mono blocks.

Was a good 30min demo with an introduction to the history of kef to begin with.

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[Sligolad]

I don't know what to think about those Borresens. I like listening to them and I think they do a lot of things well enough, but I can hear their limitations and I don't hear the money involved! I really WANT to love them, but...

WOW just checked price and they are way overpriced, 30k is what I am seeing....that seems way out of whack!!

[halvis]

I was there too for a good few hours.

Started in the Kef room at 1pm where the blades were certainly used. They were making a big deal of off axis listening, which they were pretty special at, but not an issue for me really. The LS50's were very good for a small speaker. The blades, well, I don't like the look of them for a start, a bit Alien-esque if you ask me. I guess they had really good separation, but didn't really do much for me really.

I thought the demos in the B&W / Michi room were good. Played a good selection of music and explained what to listen for and why the track was special. I thought this B&W room was better than the other next to the Naim Statement room tbh. I thought the speakers sounded a little shut in in the Melco room.

I was probably most impressed with the (far) cheaper Naim room. Had a lively sound that hooked me in on several occasions and for pretty reasonable money. Yes, the Statement was better and enjoyed 'Why worry' from Brother in Arms, lost myself for a few minutes there. But it was a fizzy top end when pushed, which wouldn't be on if I was throwing down 6 figures.

I didn't like the room with the small ribbon tweeter speakers at all. In the same room was the Technics TT and big Meridian CHP. I like the Technics TT, but the sound from the speakers was pretty woeful IMO. I don't think I like speakers with ribbon tweeters.

I thought the Spendors in the next room were not great sounding and the finish quite poor for an expensive speaker.

I didn't stay in the Linn room for very long so can't comment on that, but I thought the Rega room was not showing their gear to its best, which is dissapointing.