Hong Kong High End Audio visual Show 2015 Part I

Top pic: Best of Show.
Hong Kong High End Audio visual Show 2015 Part I

Part II here.

This year my reporting shall maintain the form adopted last year. In Part I, I am posting the pics and brief comments.

Click pics to enlarge. In order, comments above the pics. To save your time, they are color-coded for sonic merit (Above Average (keep in mind I'm being VERY lenient), good to ok, bad to dreadful):

1. Devialet finally gets good sound from the mighty B&W Nautilus, no doubt SAM'ed. Even their lower end Phantom (with speakers) performed admirably in the vast free space outside the doll's house.

2. French and Swiss don't mix. Focal did not jell with Goldmund. The background lousy pic shows perfectly how the Focal felt, drooping and collapsing
 

3. Candidate for ugliest room of the show. Sound lackluster too. I was neither impressed by MSB nor Rosso Fiorentino. The TT is hideous looking too.

4. What do you expect from these people? But this year's Harbeth 40.1 and Sugden was a trifle better. Still...

5. Finally, reasonable sound from the revamped Audio Alchemy electronics driving PMC Twenty.26.

6. Lackluster showing from Karan electronics. I didn't even want to find out whether they were  driving ASI or the vintage AR's.

7. Kharma never did well at the show, not by YS Sound.

8. Vienna Acoustics was not well served by EMM Labs and Meitner.

9. Lumin could do better, but the B&W and Trigon did not jell.

10. Tidal was anything but in impression.

11. Zu sounds like Zu, not my favorite, but passable with Line Magnetic, which work better with others.

12. Silent display of Audio Valve, but my interest was on the new EAR products.

13. Surprisingly respectable showing from Taiwanese Lawrence loudspeakers driven by German AVM.

14. Silent display of small Swiss Boenicke; small but intricately horn loaded!

15. Vivid is always good, here partnered with Mark Levinson.

16. Better than last year's bigger sibling, but JBL still fails to show off its K2S9900. Again, no decent electronics.

17. Reasonable showing from Electrocompaniet's full system.

18. Hegel fails with Legacy.

19. Full set of Audio Note did not appeal.

20. This has always been one of the better sounding rooms (it is rectangular), and this year is no exception. Elac + Accustic Arts, neither my favorite, but...

21. Terrible looking Acoustic Signature TT. Peak Consult was lackluster with Burmester (what do you expect?)

22. Not as good as last year, but passable Dynaudio driven by Musical Fidelity.

23. Horrid sound from Luxman, as ALWAYS. From the YG, 任劍煇 was UNRECOGNIZABLE.

24. CH electronics barely managed passable result with Ocean Way loudspeakers.

25. Zellaton should sound better than driven by Convergent.

26. Crystal Cable/Siltech must be big money makers to continue to occupy a large room. Only passable performance.

27. With D'Agostino, it is the same, only passable.

28. MBL returns to form this year. Best sound of show.

29. Raidho finally sounds reasonable with Linn.

30. Rockport always managed a good showing.