Ljubljana Hi-Fi Show 2008 reportage and Visiting Nel Audio:
(20081005)
Dear audio friends,
this year the Ljubljana Hi-Fi Show was in a “minor tone” than the previous years. I have missed at least four companies, in particular Nel Audio, Pear Audio, Hajdiniak and Canyon Audio (the last has probably closed its audio activity). Also, Kuzma chose only a static exposition (no sound at all) while in the Vklop rooms there weren't the usual multimillionair systems. Probably the international crisis has reached also the audio market, at least in Slovenia.
Since we know that Nel Audio was not at the Show, I and four friends managed a visit in his studio, before to go to the exhibition. That was good, because the sound that we experienced there was probably better than in any room of the Show. So the first part of this report is devoted to that visit.
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The Nel Audio system was the following (with sale price): CD player Burmester 001 (on sell for 6.5 kE), ModWright SLW9.0SE line preamp (~2.5 kE), Ear509 monoblocks and Kronzilla SD power amp (the last on sell for only 3.5 kE) and Reference 3a Suprema Corian speakers (on sell for 5 kE). Cables were Acoustic Zen and Dueland. We auditioned it and it was producing a good sound. Then Faber started to play his tricks. First he put his “modified” visit cards above the main transformers and the majority of us had the feeling of a larger soundstage. Then he replaced all the cables with its new reference production. I had a clear feeling that there were much more informations than before, more resolution and better extremes. Then he put two afro ebony buttons on the front corners of the speakers and also Nel Audio, who was in the near room, had the immediate feeling of a larger and more focused soundstage. We were impressed by this simple trick and I would like to have 4 of these buttons (made by an audio guru in Palermo, Sicily) to test in my own system. Lastly, we replaced the EARs509 with the Kronzilla SD that I have brought back after two weeks of review and everyone had to admit that it was far better in any parameters. Only one of us said that the EARs had more shining treble, but, speaking in general terms, the Kronzilla was better also for him. I don't know if without the Faber's cables and tricks we wold be able to appreciate such a big difference among the two power amps. Finally we moved to the M-Hotel, were the LJ Show was going on.
The first big room was the Kuzma one, where there were no music but only a static exhibition.
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Vklop has an expensive system (Burmester top + Gryphon speakers) as static exposition, while the sounding systems (Burmester, Sonus Faber) were of human prices.
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The underground rooms:
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Even the Nordost Valalla was not able to solve the situation. |
The upstairs rooms:
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Nice Nat Se2Se |
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Of course there were also the possibility to buy CDs and vinyls at “better than in Italy prices”, from Intek, Kuzma and Jazz & Blues Records.
Even if the slovenian Hi-Fi seems to suffer the international crisis the “Piazza Italia” gostilna is still making very good soups for tired audiophilers!
Hope
to see you the next year!
Tino © October 2008