A Look Back at AKFest '08

I couldn't make it to last year's AKFest but I'm looking forward to the 2010 iteration that is just around the corner (May 1-2, Novi, MI, akfest.com).  Put on by audiokarma.org, below is my coverage of the 2008 show which originally appeared in the webzine Affordable$$Audio (affordableaudio.org).  I've got a bunch more photos at photobucket.

Spring in Michigan. You can’t always count on the weather, but rest assured that AudioKarma Fest will draw the hibernating audiophiles out of their listening rooms for a weekend of great sounds. Now in its fifth iteration, this annual event brings together manufacturers, retailers and AudioKarma.org members side-by-side and cross-pollinated in rooms at a hotel just outside of Detroit.

It was held in a new location this year, the Livonia Embassy Suites, with what seemed to be much larger crowds and now spanning two floors of fun of instead of just one.

AK Fest is a unique opportunity to experience an incredibly diverse range of two-channel systems running the gamut from vintage resurrections to DIY masterpieces and cutting-edge, state-of-the-art assaults. There couldn’t be a more disparate collection of sytems, but weaving it all together is a palpable spirit of camaraderie stemming from one common goal … making beautiful music. 

I dare say there is something for everyone: tubes, solid state, vinyl spinners, digital streamers, open-baffles, sealed cabs, high-efficiency horns, low-efficiency planars, single-drivers, line arrays, price no object, price is the object and much more. You never know what will turn up when you walk into the next room, and that’s what makes it such a fun weekend. 
Rather than trying to cover everything, I’ll instead provide a wide sampling of the highlights with of course an eye to the more affordable end of the spectrum (speakers of course tend to be my main focus since these are what dominate both visually and aurally when it comes to a show environment).

One of the first rooms I visited was that of AK member Negotiableterms and, in keeping with the friendly solidarity of AK Fest, found it shared by a representative of Wadia digital showing off their new 170 iTransport iPod docking station. This was making some wonderful sounding music feeding uncompressed wave files to much more expensive equipment including the Wadia 581i se SACD/CD player with digital inputs ($12,000) with a McIntosh MA7000 integrated amp ($7000) and a pair of Infinity Prelude loudspeakers. The iTransport is the only product I know of that can output a digital signal from an iPod for use with an outboard DAC, all at a very reasonable $350. He also indicated that a matching DAC is on its way featuring the same form factor so that two can be stacked or placed side-by-side and still fit within a standard component shelf width (~17”).
The idea is to attract the iPod generation with affordable and stylish products that match the iPod aesthetics as a way of introducing them to what good audio really sounds like. Hopefully they will learn the error of their lossy-compression ways and eventually transition to Wadia’s other products, which of course means matching speakers and amplifiers all to the betterment of the high-end audio market… you go Wadia!

Hotels are obviously not ideal listening environments, and since these were all suites, room size was a bit problematic with only the sitting areas being used for demonstrations. Perhaps this gave the diminutive Gini LS3/5a clones an unfair advantage since they seemed to be a better match to this environment and sounded quite good driven by Audio Space tube electronics. These little speakers, available as a kit with prefinished cabinet for just $490 a pair ($560 assembled), sat on top their matching B+ bass stands ($630) which have a small 5” driver in a transmission line enclosure to extend response down to 35hz. Sound was smooth and open, with a surprising degree of punch given that they were pulled a fair distance out from the wall, but without overloading the room with bass like many other systems tended to do.

Perhaps it was not just the size of the Gini speakers that created good bass. Another great sounding room was the Lauritsen Akustics room with Fried speakers and McCormack electronics. The floorstanding Studio 7 ($6800) are also transmission line speakers, so it may have more to do with that design which allows them to blend with the rooms at this venue. They seemed to better load the room and avoid nasty interactions that make the bass sound bloated or heavy.

Likewise, the Hawthorne Audio room was making great music with their big 15” open-baffle coaxial drivers and matching “Augie” bass drivers ($150 each) driven by a plate amp. This was one of the most pleasurable rooms, both in terms of sound and atmosphere, which gave me an opportunity to hear their Sterling Silver Iris ($735 per coaxial driver including crossover). I am very familiar with their eminently affordable Performance Grade Silver Iris ($145 each) since a pair currently resides in my own homemade baffles, so I was curious to hear what improvements this new version could deliver. 

I was not disappointed though it is hard to say whether it was the result of the speakers themselves, the electronics, the warm hospitality of Darrel and Diana Hawthorne, the delicious cookies or the headphone-clad Buddha watching over the room. 

Being a highefficiency design, the speakers were doing absolutely wonderful things with only 1.5 watts from the Vaughn Audio Carina singleended EL84 integrated amp ($1489) and a tubed Dynaco CD player. In this setup, the Sterlings have the same sense of presence and warmth as my Performance Grade versions, yet the top end seemed much more extended, detailed and refined. Either way, Hawthorne speakers represent a great value for those willing to do some basic woodworking, though Darrel’s baffles were a work of art with their gently curved sides, oriental-styled magnet mounts and leather upholstery stitched by Diana.

Open-baffles were also performing in one of the two joint Salk Signature Sound and Audio by Van Alstine rooms. Jim Salk’s speakers are always a treat for the eyes and ears, and his latest creation incorporating an open-baffle midrange was no exception. These were driven by Frank Van Alstine’s new fully-differential solid state electronics, balanced from the DAC all the way to the amplifier’s speaker outputs, which he says create a virtually distortion-free system. Whatever the reason, this room had a clear and powerful sound with a surprisingly deep and wide soundstage for such a small room. Perhaps room interactions were at play once again given that I actually preferred this one over their other room next door with the Salk Veracity HT3 speakers and tubed versions of Van Alstine’s differential electronics.

Similar to open-baffles, the Magnepan MC1 speakers ($850) were doing their dipole planar thing in the Audio Dimensions room with a Rogue Cronus integrated amp ($1795), Esoteric VRDS SACD XO-1 source ($13,000) and a small REL T series sub to fill in the bottom end. The MC1s only go down to about 80hz are really designed to hang on a wall for reinforcement, hinged so you can flip them out when you want to listen. Common sense would tell you that open baffles and dipoles shouldn’t sound good in small rooms with limited breathing area, but here they were mounted on what appeared to be excessively tall metal stands yet the sound did not seem at all compromised or hampered by the room limitations. I was also surprised to learn that the sub was crossed-over at what struck me as a fairly high 120hz, centered between the speakers and pulled quite far out from the front wall. Even so, there didn’t seem to be any problem with integration.

When it comes to dynamic speakers I always seem to like those that utilize the SEAS Excel magnesium cone drivers, and these could be found in several fine sounding locales including the Marantz/Snell rooms. 

The big Snell Reference B7 speakers were playing with Marantz’s top-of-the-line equipment in one room. The other room featured a less extreme offering including the smaller Snell LCR ($1000 each) which I thought were quite good. Though not bottom feeders, they had a full lively sound for such a small package driven by a Marantz PM11 integrated ($3600) and SA11 SACD ($3500). Unfortunately, the Marantz turntable that impressed me so much last year was only on static display.

The Tyler Acoustics speakers are another SEAS magnesium based line I’ve wanted to hear for some time, having seen them frequently advertised on audiogon.com. The gorgeous Woodmere II speakers ($12,500) dominated both visually and sound-wise in one room. But it was their Pro Dynamic 15 ($3000) I found more interesting in the room next door, being a 98db efficient design based on Eminence drivers with a beautiful heavily grained finish. They were powered by equally stunning Art Audio tube amps in polished chrome sitting on a blue edge-lit acrylic stand … a feast for the eyes and the ears.

Jolida is known for affordable tube amps which they demonstrated can easily hang with much pricier partners like the stand-mounted MBL 121 speakers ($16,500). Equipment included the JD801RC integrated amp ($1475), JD100 CD player ($950), JD9 phono stage ($450) and a SOTA turntable. Though the system was being cranked quite loud for my tastes when I first came into the room (a common problem in a lot of the rooms), I got my chance to hear it at saner levels a bit later and found the sound to be outstanding, expansive and able to perform a complete disappearing act even within the confines of a tiny hotel room.

AK Member Rooms had a decidedly retro and/or DIY flavor, and one of my favorites was that of Cosmos featuring JBL 250ti limited and Yamaha NS1000 speakers. I’ve never heard or even seen either of these and found them impressive both in looks and sound. They were powered by a pair of Rogue monoblocks, a Dared tube linestage and Samsung DVD player. 

Army and Retro Stereo had another unique pair of older speakers on display, the Infinity RS 2.5 dipoles featuring front and rear firing EMIM/EMIT midrange and tweeter drivers with a 12” woofer in an unusual cabinet design. These were actively bi-amped through a Behringer crossover using pair of Pioneer Spec monoblocks and matching preamp. 

Pakprotector was playing a bevy of homemade components, including the turntable and a pair of tall Voight-pipes utilizing dual Fostex FE166 drivers powered by mono tube amps based on 4E27 radio transmitters. 

All Altec, all the time, was filling Dgwojo’s room with the big Model 19 speakers playing when I visited along with lots of glowing glass (I’ve secretly coveted these speakers for some time, but seeing them in person makes me realize I’ll never be able to sneak them into the house). 

And Kegger had his vintage Polk 10B speakers singing quite nicely with his own custom tube amp.

I’m not very familiar with the older Klipsch speakers, but AK Fest gave me the opportunity to hear several systems using their classic high-efficiency designs. AK member Rick Flynn had a pair of the Klipsch Chorus II with a VRD tube amp, Juicy Music preamp and MSB electronics. 

VRD amps were also playing in the NOS Valves room, the maker of these amps, powering a pair of naked custom La Scalas affectionately referred to as Franken-Scalas. AK member Squidward was using a pair of modded Cornwalls and his own stack of DIY tube electronics, a transformer-based

One speaker that got a lot of question dues to its unusual up-firing woofer/midrange was the FJ Om in the Venus Hifi room. I built Dick Olsher’s Samadhi Kittens some years back with a similar configuration, which appears to have a characteristically wide, deep soundstage and a broad sweet spot. Electronics included a CEC TL532 CD player ($2290) and Manley Stingray amp ($2250). Manley was also sounding good in their own room running with System Audio speakers using their Snapper monoblocks, Shrimp preamp and a Bel Canto CD player (I also walked away with a Manley T-shirt given as a door prize reading “Made in Chino, California, Not China”).

I have recently begun exploring the joys of Fostex full-range drivers, so that probably explains why Whiplash Audio got my attention with their small desktop 2.1 system called the Mini Rocket ($500), which seems perfect for the websurfing audiophile. This consists of the 4” Fostex FE87E driver in a pair of tiny backloaded folded horn cabinets that would be perfect standing next to my computer monitor since they are shielded and tuned for near-field usage. According to Ryan Mills of Whiplash Audio, the main cabinets are constructed from solid maple with the internal horn path cut from a single solid block of wood. The subwoofer has an 8” driver and a 25-watt plate amp for the bass only (you need an separate amp for the monitors). Unfortunately it was only on static display when I stopped by their room.

Fostex drivers could also be found in the Madisound room once again this year in their fantastic sounding BK-16 back-loaded horn kit ($750 including flat-pack unfinished cabinet) based on the FF165K full-range driver. With a T90a super tweeter filling in the top end, this speaker really impressed me last year and this year confirmed what I had experienced (with the way prices are rising due to the value of the dollar I should have bought the kit when I first heard it). They were sharing the room with Fritzspeakers who makes some great looking cabinets, including several bass reflex designs for use with Fostex drivers as well as higher-end designs with the SEAS Excel units. You can routinely find these speakers offered up for sale by the maker on audiogon and ebay.

Two rooms were also featuring complete audio systems that sounded great and were quite affordable given the performances delivered. Jaton had their RC700P pre-amp/surround processor ($500), Operertta modular amp ($1000 two-channel, $200 per additional channel) and Lyra HD-661DX speakers ($1600). The Lyra speakers are said to be made from “high-density macromolecule boards” to eliminate echo and vibration. 

ASi Teknologies is a Detroit-area company that performs modifications on equipment and offers a “100% Pure Digital System” including a modded Oppo universal player, modded Panasonic XR57 receiver that receives SACD through HDMI and modded Silverline Audio Prelude Speakers for a total package price $3995 and an impressively clear and dynamic sound.

Speaking of Detroit-area audio companies, I was pleased to learn there were several represented at AK Fest, especially given the current economic difficulties of this region. Wadia recently moved to the area and is making use of former auto suppliers to develop and build their highend digital products (though products like the iPod dock and upcoming matching DAC are produced overseas to attain more aggressive price points). Another manufacturer using automotive suppliers is RTM Smooth. Last year I was tricked into lifting a pair of the Role Audio Sampan FTL speakers (which were on display once again in the Audio Two room) and nearly flung them across the air due to their light weight. This year I was challenged to pick up the RTM Smooth Dita ($995) only to find that these egg-shaped speakers are made out of cast iron with an automotive finish. I hate to think what shipping might cost.

In all it was another great year for AK Fest and I’d like to give my thanks to all that worked so hard to put on this fantastic show. My only regrets were that I missed the evening’s entertainment featuring guitarist Latih Al-Saadi and I did not have the wherewithal to search through the numerous bins of albums in the LP Swaproom (coincidence that this was in room 420?). Ah well, there’s always next spring.