Attending a show like AXPONA NYC ("Audio Expo North America," New York City edition) is a lot like dying and going to home theater heaven. Where else can working-class dogs like me and Big Picture Big Sound Editor Chris Boylan be treated to a superlative demo of best-available and coming-soon gear, with friendly faces, zero sales pressure and no embarrassing credit check?
Following our first viewing/listening session of the day, we headed upstairs to another private room where we were greeted and guided by Craig Eggers of Dolby. This time, everyone involved put a strong emphasis on music, as the various manufacturers shared their exclusive space with AIX Records, represented by none other than founder Mark Waldrep, who brought along some of his company's 3D music Blu-rays. These discs have proven quite popular here at the site, as well as a hit with high-end music lovers.
The equipment for this dream theater was another who's-who of high-end audio and video, starting with THIEL Audio's SCS4T high-output two-way tower loudspeakers which were being given a major introductory push at the show. These were driven by five Power Modules Inc. Belles Reference Series MB-200 monoblock power amplifiers. Low end was exceptionally reproduced by the 1,000-watt Thiel SS2 SmartSub.
The source component was an OPPO Digital BDP-95 universal audiophile 3D Blu-ray disc player, which was then connected to a Bryston SP 2 preamplifier. DH Labs interconnects and speaker cables were used throughout the system.
For the video display, they weren't taking any chances, going with the JVC Reference Series DLA-RS60, the company's flagship D-ILA home theater projector. This projector was paired with a brand-new, "experimental" Stewart Filmscreen.
Watching these discs with Mark in the room was like having access to a most welcome Blu-ray commentary, as every performance has a story behind it, and every one is uncannily well-recorded and well-produced. Regardless of the genre, the 720p Active 3D presentation suited the informal "concert" clips quite well, the added visual realism further enhancing the illusion of a live gig.
We alternated between the "Audience Mix" and the "Stage Mix"--both in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 96/24--and each making an appreciable difference in how the music was perceived. The experience was about as close as we could get to being there without buying a ticket or bribing a roadie, either hanging on stage with the artists or feeling like a VIP in the best seats in the house.
This all-star system was an eye-opening/ear-feasting confluence of high-end home theater and audiophile music.
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