Day two of our RMAF 2006 visit started with a smile - and not only on Robert Lee's face. A big smile appeared on our faces as well while listening to his new stand-mounted Acoustic Zen Adagio Jr. speakers which Robert unveiled at the Fest. The first impression was overwhelming - such a small package producing such tight and fast lower frequency response. A pair of Bella Extreme monoblocks delivered enough musical power to get the party going. ModWright was in charge of the linestage after his tube-modified Sony CDP.


We finally had a chance to hear why fellow moonie John Potis likes these speakers so much. The ACI Sapphire XL is a remarkable loudspeaker and you get great looks to go with it.


In the large room where a ModWright front end fed into a pair of Red Dragon Leviathan Signature power amplifiers and Daedalus loudspeakers, we talked with Dan Wright about music and the beauty of the French radio stations that invite you to discover so much beautiful new music. Websites where streaming media are broadcast -- and CD titles like the Hadouk Trio -- were exchanged next and then we listened to quite a few tracks of our own CDs. Red Dragon's ICEpower 1000ASP implementation, good for 500 wpc, must have included an extensive amount of work. The result in the setup we listened to was a very dynamic response over the entire frequency band. Whenever there was emotion present on the recording, the system set it free in the room.


Mr. H.H. Mörch of Denmark proudly explained the construction and concepts behind his tone arms. We are getting more and more into vinyl the more we get to know people like Mr. Mörch and our own Eddy Driesen from Holland. These guys all have this combination of a passion for music and a passion for high-tech mechanical constructions - and live for it too. This gives us a warm -- analog -- feeling.


Craig Goff and Kyle Takanaga of Reference Audio Mods were another example of passionate music lovers with a tech edge. In a room where the only Von Schweikert speakers of the entire show played, their demo showed the potential of a cheap CDP. Just mod it and you're off the digital hamster mill. And their amplifiers are a trip as the pictures will tell.