Exposition Review (Wilson Audio, Krell, Martin Logan...) with Photos

Hi there!

I´ve just came from an exposition celebrated here in Bilbao (Spain) near San Sebastian where I live.

Saturday morning... beatiful day. I received an invitation (I´ve seen that I was one of the few people invited) to an Exposition of new stuff from Martin Logan, Dreamvision, Krell, Sonus Faber, Wilson Audio and Optoma. So I´ve been there with my father.

Tomorrow I´ll post here links to the photos (I´ve got a lot, not very good quality the most of them sorry, I´m not a good photographer).

I have photos too of a comparative (yeah, I know photos won´t help too much on an audio comparative, but at least I have the photos ) between a pair of B&W 603 S3 and a pair of JBL floorstanders using two different amplifiers, cables and cds.

Now I´ll only comment the most important things. Tomorrow, with the photos, I´ll comment them and give more details and prices.

Well they were five different systems mounted on the exposition. Some of them are simply audio and the others are audio/video:

System 1:

Videoprojector: DREAMVISION "DREAMWEAVER 2"
Projection screen: MELER CORSAIR C244W60M
DVD/CD: PRIMARE DVD 30
Previous AV processor: KRELL SHOWCASE
Poweramp: KRELL SHOWCASE
Front Speakers: SONUS FABER CREMONA
Center Speaker: SONUS FABER CREMONA Center
Rear Speakers: SONUS FABER CREMONA Auditor
Active Subwoofer: SONUS FABER CREMONA SUB.
Cables: Van Den Hul

Well... it was really good on image. At least a thousand times better than the plasma screens I´ve seen later. Referring to the sound it was only good... the sub was making an important role because in my opinion this audio system will be nothing without the sub. They played some scenes of Matrix Reloaded as you´ll see on the photos.

System 2:

Plasma Screen: DREAMVISION REVOLUTION 42"
DVD: TAG MCLAREN DVD 32 FLR
Previous AV processor: TAG MCLAREN AV 30R
Multichannel Poweramp: TAG MCLAREN 100X5R
Front Speakers: MARTIN LOGAN CLARITY
Central Channel: MARTIN LOGAN CINEMA
Rear Spekaers: MARTIN LOGAN CLARITY
Active Subwoofer: MARTIN LOGAN SUBWOOFER "DEPTH"
Cables: TRANSPARENT CABLE, VAN DEN HUL

It was a really nice system I think. Those Clarity sounded really good at high frequencies, but I didn´t like the tone really really much. They played a DVD of Laurin Hill singing a live song, so I couldn´t hear the sub too much. Anyway those Martin Logan Clarity were really impressive at high frequencies, at not any bad at lower frecuencies. They´re are really impressive on design too, as you´ll see tomorrow on the photos. The higher frequencies are produced by a eletrostatic screen, working at 12,000v, and helped by a tweeter on the back side of the speaker.

System 3:

DVD: PRIMARE V 10
Integrated AV Amplifier: PRIMARE SPA 20
Front Speakers: TANNOY SENSYS DC 1
Central Channel: TANOY SENSYS DC C
Rear Speakers: TANNOY SENSYS DC 2
Active Subwoofer: TANNOY MX SUB.
Plasma Screen (50"): FUJITSU P50-XHA10ES

Well... Those front speakers are really good! They have what they call supertweeters, and their cut frequency goes up to 77.000Hz (and why I need 77Khz?? don´t know, but their sound at high frequencies was really really good). The plasma looked... well, like a plasma (BAD). Very good envolving sound on the THX presentation of the Monsters Inc. DVD.

System 4:

DVD: KRELL SACD Standard
Stereo Integrated Amplifier: KRELL KAV 400xl
Stereo Integrated Amplifier: T+A "V10" (Valve)
Speakers: SONUS FABER CREMONA Auditor
Cables: Van Den Hul

Wooow!! Super Audio CD men! I love it! And much more sounding through a valve amplifier (and not a simple valve amplifier, a really good and really really beatiful valve amplifier as you´ll see tomorrow). Those Sonus Faber were little, but really powerful and they make a very clear sound (specially with a SACD).

System 5:

CD: Audio Research CD 3 mk II
Stereo Preamp: Audio Research Reference 2
Stereo Poweramp: Audio Research VT-200
Spekaers: WILSON AUDIO "SOPHIA"
Cables: TRANSPARENT CABLE

Well... I said "Wooow!!" on System 4?? Ok then... WOOOOOOOOOOW MEN!!!!!!! (that´s it) I can promise that a tear ran through my face when listening to this audio system. This poweramp was huge!! It was perfect (for me, of course) at high, middle and low frequencies. Specially at high. Really clear and powerful sound. Perfect situation of the instruments and perfect definition of the size of each instrument. Simply perfect for me. And as they said, the "Sophia" is the cheaper speaker of this collection of speakers from Wilson Audio.

WOW!

I´ll post more (I you want of course) and photos tomorrow.

About the comparative and the testing of the B&W 603 (I have photos too)... First of all I tested the 603 using a plain amplifier (not ecualizated at all), a very normal amp (not very good I mean) and I didn´t like the sound. I tested it with my favourite type of music (r&b) with a cd of Eternal and one of Toni Braxton.

After that we take the 603 to another place, connected in Stereo to a 5.1 amp (I don´t remember the manufacturer of the amps) and it began to sound better. There was a pair of JBL XTi80 so I decided to make a comparative of American and English sound (what a silly comparative ).

In my opinion those JBL were too strong and not sweet in bass and too ugly at middle and high frequencies, it wasn´t clear at all.

B&W´s 603 S3 were much more clear in treble (really clear) and its bass was sweeter but softer too, so I think I´ll need to equalize a little the bass, ´cause I´m gonna buy them . In conclusion, a very very good floorstanders at this price (about $720). The JBL cost about $660, and I´ll go again to hear a pair of mission that are moving on this range of prices too.

Much more tomorrow if you want

probably are....I take your word for it :-)