LeBron James could win the NBA’s league MVP every year, but he doesn’t. Yes, I’m talking about Doug White of The Voice That Is! and his extremely consistent and soundly dominating Tidal rooms.
However, this year’s Audiophile MVP goes to the Al Stiefel Legacy Room #2018 of the above mentioned brands.
JWM Acoustics and Aries Cerat along with friends put forth a FLAWLESS room and presentation. Sound was as excellent as anything at the show, including systems that cost nearly a half million. It’s a room I feel that people will be talking about for many years to come. Hopefully, an listening experience I can repeat at AXPONA or Capital Audio Fest in the future (hint hint Josh and Josh).
Many showgoers were visiting the room three or more times during the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest weekend. Doing so almost seems necessary once you start to consider prices of the assembled components at play. Your ears cease to believe what they are hearing.
The Presentation: JWM Acoustics Alyson AML II Large Monitor loudspeakers ($8,500 USD). What started out as a near-field monitor. Now a convincing in every way that you are listening to a large tower when it comes to bass extension monitor, but not as convincing as a “you are there live” tower can deceive you to believe. But as far as large monitors go, it’s as delicious and full as anything I’ve heard with a lower frequency response starting at only 35hz.
The Transmission: Douglas Connection speaker wires, interconnects and power cables. Worth mentioning because without who knows how awry this room might have gone, so better to be safe than sorry. Especially when you receive the price sheet and read that their Alpha 12 PCOCC Speaker Cables start at ($1,478 – 6ft pair) and that everything else seems to go down from there. (Note, Douglas Connection cables were used in the Legacy & Raven room as well).
The Interpretation: Aries Cerat DAC and preamplifier. Utilizing a very stout Kassandra series Ladder DAC, along with their similarly dressed Incito preamp you’d think Aries Cerat might be my new favorite electronics company. When the MSB Technologies room right down the hall has me bouncing back and forth between these two rooms, you know I’m impressed.
The Information: When it came to analog sources, extracting the information was again JWM Acoustics at the helm. Showing three turntables, the KAREN 3 SE ($1,850 USD), the KAREN 6 SE w/ Karen Control ($2,650 USD), and the KAREN 12 w/Karen Control ($6,000 USD) each outfitted with Etsuro Urishi phono Cartridges.
Everything assembled in this room lead to a conclusion that all of the audiophile acrobatics you could perceive were easily capable and on display. Few systems in my mind come as close to projecting a solid checklist of everything the audiophile looks for, then with a quick swipe of the pen, checks it off.
