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The big show....


maxg

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This weekend is the big Athens Audiophile show. I am planning to head over there tonight and maybe snap anything that looks interesting (with the phone - so they wont be good shots).

If it looks good I will head back on Sunday and try to remember to take my camera with me. They still wont be good shots - of course - I am no Coulter(!) but they will be better quality bad shots.

Now - do I sneak out of work early - I could do - I am the Managing Director after all....(of a crappy one horse tinpot oufit - that was not meant to be showing off).

Cheers all.

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First time I ever got to hear a Cornwall - and it is the Cornwall 3!!!

They had the Corn in the same room with the Khorn and were switching between them. Corn is a big speaker - I never realised how big - big sound too - most impressive. Lousy for photos though - dark room - no flash on the phone.

Did my best.

post-6383-13819276059056_thumb.jpg

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Of course other speakers were easier as they were not all black in a dark room:

These are called Acapella's or something. The big one is a cool 25,000 euros (I dunno $30K?) and sounds - well quite good really. The little one is just bewildering. It is 5000 euros, sealed with 2 3 inch woofers and sounds incredible. It seems to do some kind of reflecting thing with the sound because it was jjust like surround sound with whatever he played. Amazing amount of bass for the size - no cornwall of course - but this thing is dinky.

post-6383-13819276063076_thumb.jpg

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Lots of other dreadful pics but there is no point - I will get back there with a real camera and see what I can do - lots of amazing stuff however:

A monoblock tube amp with 600 wpc and I thnk 16 6550's on board - each side of course.

The new Tsakiridis Powerhouse replacement - also monoblocks

The all new Project TT - with Maglev apparently.

Dozens of bizzare speakers.

Did I mention the Cornwall 3?

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Good to see that they're showing the CWIII across the pond. That gives a lot of us hope. Thanks for the uh, photos Max.

More importantly, we'd like more of your impressiong of what you thought of the SOUND? Did they have Heresy III there as well?

Tell us more....

Michael

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Of course other speakers were easier as they were not all black in a dark room:

These are called Acapella's or something. The big one is a cool 25,000 euros (I dunno $30K?) and sounds - well quite good really. The little one is just bewildering. It is 5000 euros, sealed with 2 3 inch woofers and sounds incredible. It seems to do some kind of reflecting thing with the sound because it was jjust like surround sound with whatever he played. Amazing amount of bass for the size - no cornwall of course - but this thing is dinky.

A EURO cost $1.71 today...so those $25,000 EURO speakers are $42,000 USDollars

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Max,

Thanks for the update and you're right, the pics of the CW and Khorn make them look... other-worldly (right out of X-Files). The Cain & Cain speaker is called the Single Ben. They have variations of that design including the Studio Ben which is twice the size.

http://www.cain-cain.com/IM-BEN/index_clip_image001_0000.jpg

These are full-range drivers (Fostex usually) attached to back-loaded horns with the occasional super tweeter and bass bin/subwoofer. They image like the dickins and the Big Bens go surprisingly low and can be pushed quite a bit without sounding congested.

Aside form the Project MagLev, anything new in vinyl?

Keep up the good work! Have fun, Bryan

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Of course other speakers were easier as they were not all black in a dark room:

These are called Acapella's or something. The big one is a cool 25,000 euros (I dunno $30K?) and sounds - well quite good really. The little one is just bewildering. It is 5000 euros, sealed with 2 3 inch woofers and sounds incredible. It seems to do some kind of reflecting thing with the sound because it was jjust like surround sound with whatever he played. Amazing amount of bass for the size - no cornwall of course - but this thing is dinky.

A EURO cost $1.71 today...so those $25,000 EURO speakers are $42,000 USDollars

Hmm...not quite - you have the sterling rate there. $/Euro is currently around $1.17/1.

With that in mind - they are a steal arent they!!

The Cain and cain were dramatically good - I will be going back on Sunday for another listen. They had a smaller one there too - very long and thin - someone on this site has them in fact - look a bit like a long bow. Not bad either (the little ones) but the bigger models were superb IMHO.

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Max,

The smaller "bow-like" Cain & Cain speakers you referred to were most likely the Abbeys. The entry-level model offers a good taste of the full-range thing if no where near as "filled out" as the Ben models.

I have a pr of them and I know of at least 3 other folks on this forum that have had them at one point or another.

Terry Cain was a cabinet maker/carpenter before he started building speakers. His woodworking and build-quality are top notch and his models offer excellent value.

Have fun, Bryan

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I have the near field Abbys with Moondogs. Love 'em. They won't do everything my Corwalls did as they are a bit bass shy and get a bit clogged on bigger orchestral pieces. But for my purposes (small jazz combos at 6-7 ft. listening distance), I haven't heard anything better. Matching it with the Bailey sub might make it a killer combo. Dream upgrade = IM Bens

im-ben2.jpg

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OK - more pictures tomorrow - met Tony at the show and he had his pro-camera with him.

Spent 2 hours listening to the Cain and Cain big speakers - very impressive but some question over the bass - may have been the room of course - it was a bit small for such an imposing speaker - but the KHorn was not suffering anything like as badly.

Need a proper audition at some point to really be able to tell - certainly worthwhile entertaining - they are a snip at 6,500 euros over here retail (The Khorn here is 16,000).

Now - shocks of the show:

1. The RB75:

These dont get talked about much on this forum and I am left wondering why. It is the first time I have come across them and for my money they have a better and more integrated sound top to bottom than the RF7.

Sensitivity is a bit lower at 97 dB/w/m and they dont ultimately go as low (42 dB @ -3 dB according to the blurb) but for most music that should not be a problem.

Last year it was the RF7 itself that impressed - this year it is the RB75 - someone out there must have them - spill the beans!!

2. Tsakiridis:

Now you know he is my favorite Greek manufacturer. Last year he went into speakers with a single driver unit in a very nice real wood box that was, to coin a phrase - as cheap as chips.

This year he has decided to drop the speakers. Apparently there were a lot of QC problems with the finishes on the speakers and he decided it wasnt worth the aggravation. With that in mind he is selling off the last 12 pairs for a bargain price - 430 Euros - less than $500.

I listened to these last year and was very favorably impressed. Just not sure where I would put them. If we move into the bigger house they would be useful of course - and with 96 dB sensitivity driving them should be a walk in the park.

There's more but I am being summoned by Junior - I will provide further updates with Tony's pics.

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Max,

Thanks for your reviews. I am especially interested in your thoughts on the Cain & Cain's. At one time I was energetic and considering building some single (possibly 2 driver) driver cabinets. There are a number of designs comparable to the C&C Abbeys. Although I am sure these guys have been through a number of headaches getting them right, so I do not want it to sound like it would be a trivial matter. These designs (and I am generalizing) are frequently criticized for their lack of a deep bass (although this is true for many cabinets) and for being able to play at a high volume (since you are asking for a small drived to deliver a great deal of throw). Also there are comments about an "in your face" voicing. However, these comments are second hand since I have not yet had the privelge to hear them myself. However, given these criticisms, the same folks typically have some other very, very positive comments about them. I guess the summaries I have heard are that they are not meant for rock music. I don't condider that to be a show-stopper.

Please tell us more. Some of the home projects of a similar design look like they would be a blast to design & construct.

Good Luck,

Tom

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