KLIAV 2009 Show Report, Part 1.

I attended the KLIAV Show on Friday, 24th July, which was the first day of the show. And here are some of the exhibitors featured on part one of my complete show report.

First up the Audio Note demo room, was serving some sweet, luscious vocals and very organic music in rather near field setting. Hifikaki's top 3 fav demo, citing musicality for top score. However, I have some reservations that this system is dedicated more towards simple, and smaller scale music.

Can you see how close we're sitting to the speakers! Top photo left bottom corner.

Next up is the Rave System demo room, home of Gryphon, Wilson Benesch and Weiss DAC. Music was pipe through an Apple laptop using loss less and WAV files amongst others. The Wilson Benesch Torus sub was on demo with the full carbon built C-60 Limited Edition floor standing speakers. The sound was refined, well balanced and the bass is room filling, in control, yet, no over hang despite the small demo room.

Weiss DAC and the Gryphon Diablo amp.
Note the Wilson Benesch C-60 speakers with the Torus sub in the back ground?

The rather transparent, if cool and analytical sounding mini Swedish Statement demo room, with the Baldelius Embla memory player as source, Saga pre amp and Ymer power amp powering Marten Bird speakers. This system's got so much more potential.
Yawn!Yawn!

Center Circle Audio featured the rather low key Esoteric x-05 SACD/CD player, Pathos Logos intergrated amp and Amphion Argon2 speaker, said to be rather good sounding.
Esoteric, Pathos and Notingham Analog.

Amphion Argon2


Ong Radio demo-ed the full set McIntosh gear, with the latest XRT1 speakers alone, rumored to be costing a cool RM$160k. One of Hifikakis top 3 fav! He likes the thrilling dynamics and musical scale derived from the system.

The full big Mc set up! note the 1.2KW power amp's full bright panel meter?

Acoustic Arts demo-ed the Creek electronics with Epos speaker synergy to the max! The best real world budget system demo, anytime, anywhere! Total system cost excluding cables and accessories, less than RM$10k. This system did all the fundamental hifi things right and most of all, utterly musical and enjoyable to listen too. This proves you do not need big budget for good sound. The system however, had some help from the Walker Velociraptor Quantum PLC and all Straightwire cables, which together, cost more than the basic system!

The Creek/Epos synergy is real!

Hidden help! The Walker Audio Velociraptor PLC and the Straightwire Maestro II speaker cable.(silver jacket, just below the fore ground)

Woo Kee Hong had static displays, which is disappointing to say the least, but had the full Marantz and Denon range on display, including the 30th Anniversary KI Pearls, my dream SA7-S1 SACD/CD player and a very curious looking modern production of the Rogers Ls 3/5A, BBC mini monitor. The new production LS 3/5A cost a whooping RM$16K plus! My good friend Jo, whom has many, many pairs of the said speaker in his private collection, must be grinning from ear to ear! His investments in to the demure little speaker seems to be a better bet than the KLSE stock market.

My dream machine! Would Woo Kee Hong let my test drive this baby in the near future???

Jo Ki, lunch on you, my friend, your investments are paying off BIG time!

Asia Sound Equipment also choose the "Silence is Golden" route! Rega turn tables on all their full colour glory and irresistible price offer too! Also on offer is the full range of Xindak cables. Where are the Focal JM Lab speakers???

Xindak cables galore on offer!
Micheal and the colourful Rega turn tables. Where's the Utopia?

Perfect Hifi disappointed me when they choose to leave Audio Research on static display! Meaning, I did not get to hear the Reference 5 pre amp and CD8 Reference in action. However, they more than make up for it by showing the DCS Scarlatti 3 piece stack plus Pass Labs amplification and the very latest Wilson Sasha! My friend, Mr. Wilson Wong was drooling all over his next potential upgrade purchase! One word best describes this system's sound, smooth! Some say a little too smooth!
Wilson Wong, you can stop drooling now!
RM$250k worth of musicality???

Perfect Hifi also demo-ed a second system in the same room, the Accapella Musica Horns driven by some sweet Wavac 300B tube jobbies and Reimyo transport/DAC source.

Mickey ears!

Wavac 300B amps.

I'll let you in on a little secret, these unassuming Sonus Faber Toy Tower speakers are one of the best RM$8.6k money can buy! They are simply stunning! My friend bought a pair at the show and was floored, the moment he hooked it up on Monday morning. I heard highly transparent qualities, well defined bass, warm mid range and a slightly sweet treble coming straight out of the box, from this very unassuming l'll package. Once the drivers runs in, you can bet it'll only get better with time.

This SF Toy Tower floored both my friend and me when he brought home! It's damm good!

The CMY flagship demo room, where Franck Tchang of Acoustic Systems held his presentation of the Resonator Cups. The flagship Dynaudio Confidence C4 speakers driven by top flight Jeff Rowland amplification are front runners to our readers choice top 3 fav demo poll!

The system has the help of the RGPC Isogray system (what out for Hifikaki's review coming soon!) and top range Siltech Royal series cables, plus not to mention, 11 of those tiny l'll resonator cups and other Acoustic Systems products.

The latest Jeff Rowland Criterion pre amp. Yummy!!!

More show reports to come, stay tuned!