I've decided to change the format of my newsletters, at least for this one, and then we'll see how it goes. This format is a Constant Contact template and it will be much easier to view on mobile devices, which I think a lot of you are using to view my newsletters.
I'm sorry it has been so long since the last NL, I've been very busy. The new subscribers to this NL must be wondering if they'll ever receive anything from me! Just a reminder, you can view many of my older newsletters by going to the 'newsletter' section of the Volti Audio website and clicking on the links.
We continue to make progress on our new home/shop here in TN, having just completed the installation of the exterior siding (fiber-cement). Next up is getting it painted (no, it won't be yellow, that's the primer they apply at the factory) and then we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we can weather the storms without them damaging our home.
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Currently at Volti Audio, business has never been better! I'm booked out about six months right now at the shop with paid orders. I don't know how just yet, but I'm going to try very hard this summer to spend some time on new product development, so stay tuned.
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The inaugural
Florida Audio Expo
took place in Tampa Florida February 8 - 10, 2019 and Volti Audio was there with
BorderPatrol
Audio and
Triode Wire Labs
making a great sound as usual. I brought the first pair of Type II Rivals to this show and people really seemed to like the new look. For more information about the Type II Rival, go to the
Rival webpage
.
Links to a few of the FLAX show reports:
All in all a great first showing for FLAX, and we'll be back next year.
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AXPONA
has become a very big show - the largest in the USA in fact, but that doesn't mean it's the best show, at least from my perspective. It's great for show-goer's, because you can find anything and everything in audio there. But it's gotten so big that everyone feels rushed to get into and out of as many rooms as possible, so it is very difficult to get people to settle into the sweet spot in our room long enough to really appreciate what they are hearing. None-the-less, it is a show that Volti Audio must be at every year and it is an important part of our marketing.
Once again, we teamed up with BorderPatrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs with essentially the same system we had at FLAX, with two notable exceptions. First, we had the big daddy EXS External Power Supplies with the BorderPatrol P20 amplifier, which grabbed hold of the 'little' Rivals and delivered tight, deep bass that a 100db sensitive speaker of that size should not be able to make. Second, we had a wonderful Innuos music server as our source, and what a nice source it is. Combined with the infamous BorderPatrol DACSE, it was the best digital I've ever heard - and that's saying something, because I've heard a lot of good digital setups over the years.
You might notice the new rack that I built for our gear at the shows. I sold the one pictured above in the FLAX photo and made this new one with exposed plywood edges and a beautiful Bubinga veneer for AXPONA and future shows.
Show reports:
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Lone Star Audio Fest
is coming right up! May 3 - 5, 2019
and Volti Audio will be there with a set of Vittora speakers! We haven't been showing this great horn speaker system for a couple of years now due to the popularity of the Volti Audio Rival, so for those of you wanting to hear a set of these, here's your chance.
We'll be teaming up with Raven Audio, supplying the electronics and cabling, to make a great sound at this friendly and intimate show in Dallas, TX. So why not plan a trip to come see and hear this great speaker system for yourself?
We'll save the sweet spot for ya!
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Volti Audio Is Now Selling Innuos Music Servers
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I just added this great lineup of
Innuos
digital music servers to my arsenal of recommended products. The feedback we're getting from customers is amazing - one profoundly stating that the Innuos/BP combination is so good, that he see's no reason to continue listening to analogue and is selling all his analogue gear. This is something I completely understand, because we have come to the point now in the history of digital music playback, where the sound quality is at or beyond that of the very best analogue setups. When you pair an Innuos music server with the right DAC, the sound quality is natural, clean, clear, detailed, smooth, and musical. These music servers easily outperform the very best CD transports and home-computer based systems in sound quality, and the difference is not subtle.
Call me today and let me help you upgrade the source in your system and improve your music listening experience in a profound way.
Greg Roberts - 207-314-1937
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I’ve had the opportunity to use many different products with my speakers over the years. The experienced I’ve gained in putting together systems that have great synergy is something that you can benefit from. I only recommend products that I’ve used personally, and I’ve arranged to be able to sell these products to you directly, at prices that match the best you’ll find anywhere.
You've got my cell phone number and you should call me sometime so I can help you build a better sounding system.
Check out my 'Electronics and Cabling' webpage to learn more about the products that I represent.
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So you're going to your first audio show. Are you going there to hear music that you like or are you going there to listen to and evaluate stereo systems?
If you come to our room at a show and we play The Rolling Stones 1968 Sympathy For The Devil, it will sound very good, considering the quality of that old recording. We might play music like this because we want you to think we're cooler than all the other exhibitors playing audiophile dribble music. You might even go to an online forum and post about how cool the Volti Audio guys are, playing 'Real Music'.
I've listened to lots of recordings on our system that leave a lot to be desired in terms of high-fidelity. Every time I hear an old Doors, Allman Brothers, or Rolling Stones recording, I marvel at how clearly you can hear exactly how the instruments are captured and the effects were used to create the recording. I often find myself wondering if the performer really wanted his guitar to sound like it was coming from a room down the hall, or if the piano was supposed to sound like a toy piano, or if the vocalist wanted to appear to be singing in a cave, or if none of the people in the recording studio realized there are frequencies below 100Hz. I realize that for many people none of this really matters. They like the sound of the recordings for what they are. But you'll never convince me that it is a good representation of what high-fidelity is all about.
Ok Roberts, so where are you going with this? Well I'll tell you.
Exhibitors at audio shows are often criticized for many things, and two things in particular - playing too loud and playing audiophile music. The first one is easy and shouldn't even be a discussion or issue. There's no excuse for anyone who goes to an audio show to put up with the music being too loud. It is very simple. You ask the person running the room if they wouldn't mind turning it down a little. There should be no discussion about this on internet forums, because if you fail to communicate with the person running the room, you've got nothing to complain about later.
The second critique is a little more involved and it has to do with 'Real Music' versus 'Audiophile Music'. I can tell you that in our show room we are very careful about choosing the music we play because we want each person who comes in to experience what our system is capable of doing. Every recording we play has something about it that shows off the strength of our system. This is really important to do for EVERY song, because on average, a person who comes into our room stays only about two minutes (at a big show like AXPONA - longer at the smaller regional shows). If someone comes in and hears The Doors (as cool as that might be), they will leave our room not having any idea what our system is capable of, and that would be a real shame. Because there's no better way to enjoy listening to ANY recording than to listen to it on a Volti Audio/BorderPatrol Audio/Triode Wire Labs system.
But I've got to
get
you first! I've got to make sure you have that 'moment'. The moment where you realize that there's something special about this room. Something different than the last ten rooms you sat down in. I want you to have that moment where you sit up a little in your seat, and you tilt your head and lean forward a little as you hear 'into' the music and realize that this system is giving you the music in a way that you haven't experienced before. Why is the bass just so . . . right . . . in this system? How are they getting this sound in a hotel room with no room treatments? This is digital? I've only got two minutes to do this to you. Two minutes to make sure that when you leave, you turn to your buddy and say, "that was the best system I've heard today".
That only happens if I'm careful about the recording I play for you in our show room.
Come in after hours, have a drink, and we'll play all kinds of great music that's not so greatly recorded. There's no rush.
Just sayin.
Greg Roberts
P.S. - Do you have any thoughts about these subjects? Lay 'em on me! Send me an
email
, I'd like to hear what you have to say.
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Well that's it for this issue of the Volti Audio email newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and until next time, trust your ears and always Have Fun!
Greg
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