One of things I hate the most about some vendors at high-end audio shows is that they feel the need to overwhelm attendees with a wall of sound. As I have mentioned previously, the only brand that gets a pass on this is Zu Audio.
Sean Casey has a very well thought out plan for his rooms and none of it involves playing audiophile-approved music.
The Zu approach is not for everyone and more than a few people who entered whilst a number of us were listening got up and left completely put off by the music and intensity of the experience.
Definitely their loss.
Linear Tube Audio’s Nicholas Tolson has a rather different approach and that has nothing to do with the quality of the music being played.
Tolson, has a rather solid understanding of what makes their equipment unique and whom to partner with to show it off.
If you are looking for a hard hitting system that is going to beat you into submission or smother you with neverending detail — LTA’s equipment is not for you.
Products like the LTA MicroZOTL Pre-amplifier ($5,750 USD) and ZOTL40 Reference+ Power Amplifiers ($6,800 USD/each) recreate a rather wide and deep soundstage with precise imaging, clarity, timbral accuracy, and delicacy with the appropriate loudspeakers.
They also don’t sound their best when you turn the volume up too high; which is generally how their rooms are run at shows.
Having listened to their equipment at the showroom in Maryland and in my own system — you experience music differently. There is a connection to the music, especially with vocals, that feels more intimate.
It is not a visceral experience as much as a cerebral one and loudspeakers like the Credo Audio EV1202 Reference ($16,995 USD/pair) highlighted that aspect at the show.
Stereophile’s Herb Reichert and I sat together in the room for almost 30 minutes; we both changed seats to experience it differently and there was this intense quiet in-between each track that really made the listening session truly different.
The EV1202 Reference are rather slim looking floor standers that don’t exactly scream $17,000 USD.
Specifications:
- Tweeter: 1 x 1“ Coated textile, neodymium magnet, symmetrical drive motor
- Mid-Woofer: 2 x 5.5“ sliced paper cone, large ferrite magnet symmetrical-drive
- Tuning: Bass reflex (back)
- Crossover: 2-way proprietary filter-design
- Frequency response: 37 Hz – 20 kHz, +/- 3dB
- Roll-off: 36 Hz -2dB, 33 Hz -10dB
- Sensitivity: 86.6 dB @ 2.83V @ 1m
- Linear impedance:
- nominal 4 Ω
- min. 2.1 Ω @ 40 Hz
- max. 10.4 Ω @ 1.2 kHz
- Recommended amplifier: 50 W RMS
- Weight: 20.0 kg
- Size:(HxDxW): 123.4 cm x 22 cm x 18 cm
A Meitner MA3 Integrated DAC ($10,500 USD) filled out the rest of the system which was connected with some outrageously expensive cables from van den Hul.
So how did it sound?
Coming into the room was a serious respite from the outrageously loud systems playing on the rest of the floor.
The loudspeakers were placed rather close to the walls and almost behind the front plane of the equipment rack and angled inward towards the front seats.
One had to listen into the music and allow the music to surround them; which this system did exceptionally well.
Acoustic instruments were pushed only slightly forward of the loudspeakers but the timbal accuracy was spot on and there was just the performer and you in the space.
The bass never really overloaded the space, but I suspect that the loudspeakers are capable of delivering a lot more low end impact than we experienced that day.
Herb stood up, smiled, and looked back at the system before he left.
I could have sat and listened to this system all day.
For more information: lineartubeaudio.com/caf2023
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