terriblepaulz
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2006
- Posts
- 1,227
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- 12
Just got back from a holiday trip to see family in NYC. Two highlights - a visit to B&H Photo/Video (34th and 9th IIRC) which was very cool. On the recommendation of the locals, I had to make a purchase (a backup pair of PX100s for the wife) just to go through the process - you have to get a receipt from a clerk, wait on line, present that to another clerk who calls up your item on this intricate system of conveyors. He shows it to you for your approval, but keeps the item, gives you a receipt and points you to one of the payment lines. You pay, then get yet another receipt which you bring to another counter where all these guys are stuffing bags. You get your stuff and go. The whole process took about 10 minutes (a lot faster if you pay cash).
The place also has a headphone sample wall with a lot of high end phones. but all of them are connected with a security wire, and there is no selection for volume or source. Also, the place is just cacophonous. Not the best testing environment, but they do have good prices.
I was also lucky to see an incredible set-up at a relative's home. I knew this guy was a huge opera fan (or at least a Wagner fan - a self described "Ring-head"), and that he had some "ridiculously large speakers". When I was led into the man-cave, I gulped. I knew by their iconic look that the ridiculously large speakers I saw were Wilson Audio. Not being intimately familiar with the Wilson product line, I had to look at the back to learn that these were Alexandria X-2s. Oh my. I got to spend about 45 minutes listening to a variety of stuff (some Bach fugues, some acoustic jazz featuring tuba, and some other show-off-the-system stuff. Wow. Unfortunately the massive plasma between the Wilsons was in need of repair, or I would have watched some Ring on DVD. With multiple versions of that beast, watching Ring is like his job. I think he likes his job. The coolest thing about the speakers was how good they sounded at low volume. Some of the stuff was some composer he called contemporary, but I can't recall the name. The piece was both very soft and very loud. It blew my mind. He had all the electronics in a separate room behind the speakers and plasma, thus making it the highest WAF system featuring giant speakers that I can imagine. He said he has owned Wilson speakers for many years and has never seriously considered getting a 5.1 or 7.1 system. Hard to argue.
The place also has a headphone sample wall with a lot of high end phones. but all of them are connected with a security wire, and there is no selection for volume or source. Also, the place is just cacophonous. Not the best testing environment, but they do have good prices.
I was also lucky to see an incredible set-up at a relative's home. I knew this guy was a huge opera fan (or at least a Wagner fan - a self described "Ring-head"), and that he had some "ridiculously large speakers". When I was led into the man-cave, I gulped. I knew by their iconic look that the ridiculously large speakers I saw were Wilson Audio. Not being intimately familiar with the Wilson product line, I had to look at the back to learn that these were Alexandria X-2s. Oh my. I got to spend about 45 minutes listening to a variety of stuff (some Bach fugues, some acoustic jazz featuring tuba, and some other show-off-the-system stuff. Wow. Unfortunately the massive plasma between the Wilsons was in need of repair, or I would have watched some Ring on DVD. With multiple versions of that beast, watching Ring is like his job. I think he likes his job. The coolest thing about the speakers was how good they sounded at low volume. Some of the stuff was some composer he called contemporary, but I can't recall the name. The piece was both very soft and very loud. It blew my mind. He had all the electronics in a separate room behind the speakers and plasma, thus making it the highest WAF system featuring giant speakers that I can imagine. He said he has owned Wilson speakers for many years and has never seriously considered getting a 5.1 or 7.1 system. Hard to argue.
