As John Atkinson (right) and I were saying our goodbyes until the 2009 CES in Las Vegas, RMAF co-directors Al Stiefel and Marjorie Baumert were compiling attendance stats for this year's show. Although the fact that there were far more rooms this year, with exhibits spread over two hotels, left some exhibitors thinking that attendance was down, attendance was actually up just over 7%. Almost 3500 people attended this year's RMAF. The Sunday walk-ins were 407—almost 150 over last year.

RMAF welcomed folks from 47 states, Puerto Rico, and 21 other countries. According to Marjorie, "the big difference for me was that I printed 437 more exhibitor badges than last year." Al knew registration was up when he looked at the line on Friday morning, which stretched much farther down the hallway than ever before.

Yet, despite the increase in attendance, the feeling remained uncommonly warm and welcoming. Thanks to Marjorie, Al, and host of volunteers from the Colorado Audiophile Society, RMAF remains a special show that people love to attend.

Due to booking constraints at the Marriott, RMAF 2009 is scheduled for October 2–4. While this unfortunately coincides with the Tokyo show, Al and Marjorie have no alternative. The Marriott's only other opening is at the end of October, when the likelihood of snow could wreck travel plans of both exhibitors and attendees. Were the show to move to a hotel in downtown Denver, exhibitor and attendee prices would rise to New York levels, and hotel rooms would cost more. So October 2–4 it shall be.

Before then comes CES. The good news for exhibitors and new companies is that the "alternative" T.H.E. Show has just lowered its prices for exhibitors to RMAF levels. I've spoken to quite a number of fine companies who are heading to the Alexis Park and St. Tropez in January. It should be quite the event.

It's been a joy blogging for you, dear readers. May music continue to bring you beauty and joy.

Could be. I saved my visit to the Audio Unlimited room almost for last on Sunday afternoon at RMAF. There was the pair of Focal Grande Utopia EMs that apparently had NY retailer Andy Singer dancing at their launch in France last spring. driven by a pair of Boulder 2050 monoblocks. Front-end was either Boulder's new 1021 disc player/music server or the Clearaudio Statement turntable. Cabling was all Tara Labs, including Mikey Fremer's reference The Zero interconnects. Musical Surroundings' Garth Leerer played me just two LPs for me to become awed by the 580 lb Focals: the Gary Karr transcription for double bass and organ of the Albinoni Adagio, which showed how effortlessly the speakers handled not just the spl but also the scale of the organ's sound, and Iona Brown's performance of Vaughan Williams' A Lark Ascending, which showed how well the speakers did delicacy.

A hand crank on the speaker's rear adjusts the vertical toe-in angle of the drive-unit array, and multiple adjustments can be made to the crossover to match the speaker to the room in which it is used. But check out the small power supply to the speaker'sleft—this supplies current to the field coils of the woofer's magnet. Yes, the Grand Utopia EM's 16" woofer uses an electromagnet to achieve its 94dB sensitivity.

Oh, the price, you ask? $180,000, but you do get two speakers for that.

And how! Spinning the vinyl in the room shared by Musical Surroundings, Boulder, and Focal was the 770 lb Clearaudio Statement turntable with its integral stand. Omigawd! Magnetic bearings, a magnetically driven subplatter, an 80kg pendulum counterweight, an automatic horizontal leveling device including the tonearm platforms...

I admit it. I have found YG Acoustics' hyperbolic promotional material off-putting. But having recently listened to the Colorado company's 4-way Anat Reference Professional speaker system in Wes Phillips' system—he is reviewing it for our February 2009 issue—I made a point of seeking the speaker out for a longer audition at RMAF.

Tucked away at the end of a ground-floor corridor off the Marriott's atrium, where the large room had excellent isolation from other exhibits, the big Anats, driven by an FM Acoustics power amp, and Daniel Weiss's state-of-the-art digital combination of Jason CD transport and Medea DAC, produced sound that was breathtaking in its unforced full-range dynamics and its unexaggerated tonal colors. But with the speaker weighing 400 lbs per side, I am not looking forward to transporting them to my test lab for measurement!

Luxman and Vivid distributor Philip O'Hanlon, of On A Higher Note, always has a great selection of music at Shows, and RMAF was no exception. With a system based on Vivid B1 stand-mounted speakers ($13,500/pair) driven by a Luxman 30Wpc class-A integrated amplifier via Synergistic Research cables, the sound of an open-reel dub of a Reference Recordings Malcolm Arnold orchestral piece was distinguished by an enormous, stable soundstage, and excellent dynamics, with superb resolution of low-level orchestral detail. But I just can't get used to the speaker's alien-pod appearance.

RMAF was my first chance to hear the new McIntosh MT10 turntable ($9500) that had starred in our 2008 CES blog. But after I had listened to vinyl on the McIntosh system for a while—and very good it sounded, too—Ron Cornelius drew my attention to the MCD500 SACD/CD player ($6500) at the top left of the stack shown in the photograph.

Not only does the player have a volume control and digital inputs, allowing it to be used to get the best sound quality from other source components, like the$6000 MS750 music server Wes Phillips reviewed last January (shown here on the right of the photo, with its display on top), it uses a new Sabre DAC chip from ESS. This 8-channel, 24-bit/192kHz chip was developed for use in Blu-ray players, and has been getting good word-of-mouth for its sound quality. In the MCD500, McIntosh uses the 8 channels as two sets (one per channel) of four DACs in paralleled differential mode to squeeze the very last drop of resolution from the part. Data are read from the disc at twice the normal rate and stored in RAM before being clocked out to the DAC chip.

Rest of the system was a pair of the new MC2301 tube power amplifiers ($11,000/pair), the C500C and C500T preamps ($6000 each), and a pair of XRT1K line-source loudspeakers ($35,000/pair).

On Saturday night, Bay Area Audiophile Society coordinator Bob Walters gave me a list of rooms he urged me to visit. Since two were on the 10th floor of the Marriott Tower, on which I had not yet set foot, I resolved to check both out. I'm glad I did. The tenth floor of the Marriott was like a gold mine. All I had to do was walk down the hall to the next room, and more glorious sound awaited me.

That was certainly the case when I reached the Immedia room. The Berkeley-based outfit, spearheaded by Allen Perkins, distributes such gems as Sonics speakers by Joachim Gerhard, Cerapuc equipment supports, Finite Elemente racks, and a growing line of Spiral Groove turntables, tone arms, and electronics. Music is spoken here, not tie-die.

Ella was speaking like I've never heard her before. I own an audiophile gold pressing of her soundtrack to Let No Man Write My Epitaph, which certainly smokes the original commercial CD release. But the Classics Records LP version was something else. Heard on the Spiral Groove SG-1 turntable ($20,000), just debuted Spiral Groove tone arm ($6000), Lehmann audio "Decade" phono stage ($2400), forthcoming Spiral Groove Line Stage DP-1 (approx. $12,000–$15,000), Spiral Groove solid-state 60Wpc class-A amplifier (approx. $12,000–$15,000), and Sonics Amerigo loudspeaker ($5500/pair—an absolute bargain speaker boasting 7 ohms impedance, 87dB sensitivity, and a wide frequency response), Ella seemed right there in the room, singing with all her glory. Not a sound was covered, darkened, or glossed over. I didn't want to take any notes. I didn't want to listen to anything else. I just wanted to sit there and smile.

Perkins' SG-1 has apparently been wowing the audiophile press in Japan. It doesn't look like a spaceship or an ice cream Sunday. There are no flashing lights or Lucite panels. It just makes glorious music.

Within minutes of running into Jeff Wells, new National Sales Manager for Spectron Audio, I found myself on the tenth floor of the Marriott. Playing my own version of pick a number, any number, I decided to check out the first room on my left. There, in a display sponsored by TweekGeek.com, I discovered two Spectron Musician III class-D amplifiers ($7195 each) driving SP Technology Revelation full-range speakers ($20,000/pair).

Wynton Marsalis was blowing on the Examplar-modded Denon DVD 2900, and he sounded fabulous. Given that my previous experiences with class-D (switching) amplification have yielded a disappointing, monochromatic sound that lacked life and illumination on top, I was surprised at how colorful this system could sound. Credit is also due power treatment courtesy of a Synergistic Research Tesla Accelerator ($6000), a Modwright 36.5 preamp ($5000), and Synergistic Research Apex interconnect and speaker cable, Hologram D and Precision Reference AC cords ($15,000 total). I would love to hear this rig in a larger room, where the speakers have sufficient room to breathe.

Something happened in the middle of the tenth floor. In the remaining rooms I visited to the right of the elevator—with apologies to all those systems I unintentionally missed due to the pathetic human limitation of being unable to be in three rooms at once—the sound was darker, less illumined, but nonetheless quite involving. This is actually a sound that large numbers of audiophiles prefer. It's a more seasoned and mellow sound, less apt to sound bright and edgy in live rooms, and closer to the sound in acoustically dampened environments. It's truly a case of different strokes for different folks.

Gilbert Yeung's more affordably priced Blue Circle system did a marvelous job bringing out the rich midrange and zip of baroque instruments on the fabulous Channel Classics Bolivian Baroque hybrid SACD. This is a joyous recording, and Blue Circle's set-up delivered a smaller scaled presentation distinguished by its speedy response and lovely, clearly delineated depiction of instruments and voices. The source was an Alesis Masterlink 9600 ($1995) equipped with an SBC USB to DAC interface ($169–$189). Preamp was a non-AC, capacitor-powered BC109 CP1 preamp ($6690) that can be charged by either solar or wind. (Thank you, Gilbert!) Blue Circle's SB100S 100W solid-state power amp ($3295) and other components made use of the BC6000 power conditioner ($1795), while the DAC used the BL86 PC ($180). Speaker was the surprisingly full-range, 6 ohm Penny ($4700–$6500/pair depending upon finish), whose sensitivity is 88 dB. Cables? Again Blue Circle, including the BC62 power cord ($300/6'), BC99 interconnects ($275/m), and BC92 speaker cable ($475/8').

Coming next year: the Blue Circle phono stage and DAC. With us until the end of time (I hope): the irreplaceable Gilbert Yeung and his fine sonic achievements.

I was surprised not only by the ease to the sound of my hi-rez audio files played on the system in the Wavelength room, but also by the resolution. Surprised, because I am not naturally a tube guy, and not only is Gordon Rankin's gear tubed, it is unshamedly single-ended.

The Wavelength system comprised the Crimson USB DAC ($7500, now available with 6H30 tubes and balanced, transformer-coupled outputs), the Royal 71A Directly Heated Triode line preamplifier ($7500), and a pair of 12W Cardinal 300B SET monoblocks ($8500/pair) driving Vaughan Zinfandel 3-way speakers ($4500–$6000/pair). The speakers were new to me, but use an 8" Fostex driver to cover most of the audio range, supplemented at the frequency extremes by a ribbon tweeter and a 12" woofer. Sensitivity is quoted as a very high 97dB/W/m.

A close-up of the Wavelength Cosecant v3 DAC ($3500) that I used for my hi-rez dems. Using a single 6GM8/ECC86 dual-triode to drive the single-ended, transformer-coupled output, this is one of a very few USB-input DACs on the market that runs the USB link in "asynchronous" mode, whereby the DAC controls the flow of data from the computer and not vice versa, thus drastically reducing word-clock jitter when those data are fed to the DAC chip. I was impressed by its sound, playing 24-bit/88.2kHz files from my laptop, so I have asked for a review sample.

As Jason mentioned earlier, I gave 5 hour-long presentations at RMAF entitled "Hearing is Believing—Is Hi Rez Digital the Future of Audio?" To allow Showgoers to hear the differences between the hi-rez masters of my recordings and CD and MP3 versions, I used a system put together by HiFi+ editor Roy Gregory for his demonstrations of system tuning—Ayre A7-xe integrated amplifier, Avalon Evolution NP2.0 speakers (which I reviewed in July, Vertex AQ cables, Stillpoints rack and speaker stands, and Quantum QX4 "field generator"—to which I added a MacBook running iTunes 8 driving a Wavelength Audio Cosecant USB DAC.

Despite the system's fairly modest price—the Ayre amp costs $3500, the Avalon speakers $2000/pair, the Wavelength DAC $3500—it proved well up to the task of demonstrating the differences. My thanks to Roy Gregory of HiFi+, Gordon Rankin of Wavelength, Steve Silberman of Ayre, and to the other manufacturers for allowing me to use their gear.

Jiang was so excited to see me because the Bay Area Audiophile Society's Bob Walters had done everything but swear on the Bible that I would be visiting the room. Thankfully, I made it just in time before show's closing to hear Eficion's small and large models. Jiang, a former chip designer who resides in Redmond, WA and manufactures his speakers in Seattle, is responsible for his speakers' styling, cabinet structure, and driver selection; his partner does the crossover.

As I entered the room, he was playing "I Thought About You" from Cisco's Steve Hoffman-engineered jazz disc Here At Last on the smaller Eficion F200 ($3400). The music and sound were equally lovely, perfect for the last hour of the show. I was hooked.

I hate to use that word "lovely" again, but the smoky flavor that the speaker imparted to Marta Gomez's vocals on her great Chesky CD suited me to a T.

Peigen Jiang has been building speakers for 20 years. You can tell from how clearly and well defined the F200 presents instruments. This is a 2-way vented box, with 8 ohms impedance, 88dB sensitivity, and a frequency range of 38Hz–40kHz. Associated equipment included the BAT VK-5D CD player (approx. $5000), an older BAT 3i preamp ($3000), and BAT VK-250SE power amp ($6700). Two of the cables, manufactured by Choseal in China, were intentionally inexpensive to demonstrate that this speaker is easy on cables. These included the Choseal XLR interconnect ($250) and speaker cable ($350). Much lower in price than those Ray Kimber chose for his own amazing demo (see earlier post) was a Kimber XLR ($200) that connected the CD player to the preamp.

I really loved the detail, control, and palpable, lifelike presentation the F300 brought to Cookie Marenco's Blue Coast Records first hybrid SACD of all acoustic folk and blues. The sound was clearer and finer than the F200, with superb height differential. When I put on Trevor Pinnock's Gramophone Award-winning recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2, I discovered I was too entranced by the color and timbre of instruments to dissect the sound in the usual audiophile way. Everything was clean and lovely.

On the 6th and final concerto, the speaker absolutely nailed the midrange of period instruments. Highs were a mite brittle, but that probably had to do with the cabling. Given the excellent way in which the F300 enables voices to hang in space, I resolved to eventually audition and review this speaker on my reference system. I urge you to check out eficion.com.

As I walked into the E.A.R./Marten room, Nat King Cole's voice sounded as beautiful as I have ever heard it reproduced. Through the modest-looking Marten FormFloor speakers ($6500/pair) and Marten FormSub ($4500), Reference Recordings' triumphant version of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances was so thrillingly full and colorful that I could not hide my amazement. On Dialoghi, a demonstration-quality CD from Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Records that Robert Levi of the Los Angeles Audio Society urged me to play, the sound of Elinor Frey' cello was as warm and beautiful as anyone would ever want it to be. I was in love.

Of course, the reason the excellent Martens sounded as good as they did had everything to do with the E.A.R. Acute CD player ($5900), E.A.R. 868 preamp ($5300, or $6900 with optional phono stage), E.A.R. 890 70Watt amp ($7300), and Jorma No.1 cables ($3800/m, $1000 each additional meter).

"Those who think your typical SET amplifier has a great midrange need to hear what a real, natural midrange sounds like when it's complemented by a fully illumined, open top and decent bass end," I wrote in my notes. If you want a system that tells it like it is, in fully illuminated living color, the E.A.R./Marten no-frills combo is guaranteed to produce lift-off.

Lou Hinkley's Daedalus Audio teamed up with an old friend, Art Audio/Gill Audio, and a new friend, Manley Labs. Showcasing the Daedalus Audio Ulysses loudspeaker ($10,950/pair), now boasting new improved internal wire, the system's dark presentation was very well delineated, with impressively three-dimensional sound. The midrange was especially mellow and inviting.

Cables were Dynamic Design interconnect ($650), speaker cables ($800), digital cable ($500), and power cords ($750). A Denon 3910 transport was used for people like me who brought their own CDs. Preamp was Art Audio/Gill Audio Designs Alana ($5000), who also supplied the Elise DAC ($6000) powered by a Squeezebox Duet. Manley Labs Model 250 power amps ($9000 each) and Furman Ref 20i power conditioning ($3500) completed the picture.

Boy, is it hard to take a good photo when a company purposely leaves the shades behind their equipment wide open. But given that Darren Censulo of Avatar Acoustics (now relocated to Fayetteville, GA) had tuned the room with Frank Chang's Acoustic System International Resonators so that it would sound great with all that exposed glass, asking him to close the shades in order to snap a clearer picture was out of the question.

The clear picture in this case came from Lou Reed. I had forgotten how young and fresh he sounded when he recorded "Walk on the Wild Side," but here I could appreciate every single bit of his idiosyncratic artistry. Having just visited NYC, and walked through the area where the Warhol crowd Reed sings about used to hang, this recording spoke volumes. At least Reed sounded fresher than most of us looked at my 45th high school reunion! It was a perfect recording to show off the virtues of this well-illumined, colorful system.

Pictured on the window sill is one of Chang's Resonators, which range in price from $250–$2800. Also playing were the Acoustic System International LiveLine RCA interconnect ($995), XLR interconnect ($1450), Tango Plattinum loudspeaker ($27,000/pair), 4-shelf equipment rack ($5500), and Top Line feet ($750). The source was either an AMR (Abbingdon Music Research CD-77 CD player ($11,995) or Dr. Feickert Analogue Twin turntable ($9000) equipped with an Analogue Protractor ($250). AMR also supplied the AM-77 integrated amp ($11,995) and PH-77 phono equalizer ($11,995). The icing on the cake was Avatar Acoustics' own Afterburner 8 wall outlet ($65).

Um, can life get any better than it is right now for Dr. Christian Feickert?

Look at the dude! He is sitting in a massage chair with a set of Grados over his ears, straddled by two beautiful women.

Life is good at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

Remember that trend I mentioned earlier, the one about manufacturers and dealers bringing their kids along to the show?

Here it is in action again.

Truth be told, I moseyed my way on over to Miss Rachael Goldman simply because of that sexy Abbington Music Research compact disc player sitting on the table beside her. I hadn't even noticed her blonde hair, blue eyes, or bright red shoes.

I mean, come on, I am an audiophile.

The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest was Rachael's very first hi-fi show. She had spent the first 19 years of her life pretty much immune to the high end. In just three days, however, she had learned a ton. Rachael realized that hi-fi is a hobby filled with passionate people, and, like Koetsu USA's Gabriel Toro, Rachael was happy to be a part of the event. She may even help out at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Rachael is the niece of Avatar Acoustics' Bonnie and Darren Censullo. In his free time, Darren is an F-16 fighter pilot. (I hear that he and Richard Vandersteen get together on weekends and go out for dogfights.)

Thank goodness Darren wasn't around to catch me flirting with his niece. And his wife.

(I am totally kidding.)

Oh man. You see this record? It was only fifteen bucks. I really wanted it. I mean, it was kind of just there, looking at me, asking me to love it.

I wanted to love you The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman, I really did. But I just couldn't do it.

The problem with vinyl is you can't just buy one album. Vinyl needs friends to go home with. The problem with me is I don't like even numbers. So, I would have to buy at least three, maybe even five new albums, you see.

I am sorry The Shape of Jazz to Come. Someone else will love you, I am sure.