Thanks!
I have been remiss in not joining the chorus until now. I have many excuses, but who would believe them (or care) anyway?
I don't feel like I have much to add to those who have so eloquently posted before me. I often remind my wife that we men are only capable of thinking about three things at any given time, and two of them are always allocated to food/drink and, well, this is a family forum so I can't say. Which leaves the third one for hobbies or whatever other shiny thing is in the room.
So, the event neatly divided itself into three themes for me - the venue, the people and the sonic experiences.
The venue was spectacular. I am so grateful to AverageJoe and his family for sharing their home with a motley crew of strangers for the weekend. They have a truly lovely home, and were gracious hosts. I don't know what was more impressive - Joe's theater room, or his unfailing "calm" during the proceedings. I have long loved Lincoln City as a getaway spot, so was very happy to have this excuse to drive the 4.5 hours it took to get there. And what weather! The Rogue Brewery in Newport was a Good Thing.
As to the people, what a wonderful group. I was again reminded that one of the most joyful and invigorating aspects of life is making new friends. Along with our hosts, special thanks to majorloser, tomorrow and their spouses for the time and effort it took to make the event such a success.
Jim and Mary Salk are gracious and generous people, and I thank them sincerely for elevating the event with their presence.
I want to also thank Rich and Bonnie for being such engaging dinner companions. Rich did everything he could to induct me into the cult of the Songtowers, although he needn't have tried so hard. I was already there.
It was great to talk about Klipsch speakers and tube amps, and beer and pizza and all kinds of things with the other attendees. It was a very rich experience.
I don't know that I can offer much in the way of "reviews", but will do my best.
This was a rare opportunity for me, as I had never heard any Salk speakers before. As others have said, the Soundscapes stole the show. I have never experienced such a huge soundstage and could not find any fault with them whatsoever. They did everything that was asked of them very well. I was almost equally impressed with both the Songtowers and the HT1-TL. What fantastic speakers! The imaging, articulation and voicing were simply beyond anything I have ever experienced before. Incredible craftsmanship, too. I cannot say enough good things about all the speakers Jim brought.
While I don't want to infuse negativity into such a joyful event, I do want to temper the comments of a poster in the other thread, who reported that an attendee told him there was consensus that the EMP towers "blew away" the Axioms. I will admit my bias as an Axiom owner, but to suggest that there was any sort of consensus is to vastly overstate the process, and overly generalize the individual perceptions and preferences of the attendees.
I did not have a chance to hear the Onix Ref 3's in the theatre room, which is a pity. Many folks have commented that they really shined there, which underscores again the importance of the room as a critical component. In the smaller room, where they were jammed next to the Aperion, Axiom, EMP and other speakers, the Ref 3's were not remarkable.
I REALLY enjoyed the Aperion tower speakers. They were clear, articulate and authoritative, even in a suboptimal room. Very impressive, and if I had the money to take them home for the show price, I would have done so and been very happy indeed. They looked and sounded very luxurious. And the Aperion folks were there en masse, and were exceedingly generous. They really stepped up to the plate, and I was impressed with their products and their people.
The EMP towers that everyone raves about were quite special. They had a very nice voicing, and unbelievable bass response for the enclosure size. I thought the high end was a little unsettled, but probably only in comparison to other, more expensive speakers and at quite high volumes.
I enjoyed the dual SVS PB12-plus subwoofers in the living room. Whoa, nellie! That whole set of speakers really looked and sounded great. The fit and finish was exceptionally beautiful in person. I was a little surprised at the large size of the monitors (which we were using as surrounds). Great stuff. Great company.
Both the Van Alstine and the Modwright amplification was totally insane. Just clear and powerful all day long. Do want.
Thank you again to Joe, Dave and Bob for making it happen. It was a very memorable event!
- Tom
