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J: The Jecklin Float successor Ergo headphones could be sampled in an exhibitor room's closet. While the active sample was strapped to someone else's head, I managed a snap shot of this design which is also available in an air-motion transformer model.


Karan Acoustics electronics showed with Marten Design loudspeakers. Quite to my surprise -- I'm usually not fond of these ceramic drivers -- Marten Design speakers featured in one of my three favorite rooms when driven by tubes.

Luca Chiomenti's Kiom exhibit was another of my favorites even though playback volumes and software complexity were limited due to not getting his higher-power amps to Milan in time. "As you know, Kiom manufactures tube amplifiers (moderate power, high quality) and high-efficiency speakers. These kind of systems, in my opinion, give the best results. Unfortunately, it's very hard to mix these components with standard components (i.e. mid-low efficiency speakers with a 300B SE amp; or high-efficiency speakers with commercial 50 to 100-watt power amps). This year the theme of my Kiom room at Top Audio will be the possibility of crossing and interfacing Kiom components with other manufacturers' products. For this reason I will introduce a new line of amplifiers and speakers.

"Amplifiers will have higher power than the usual Kiom standards. At Top Audio I will use 45-watt parallel push/pull 2A3 monos (later also available as 80-watt monos with parallel push/pull 300Bs), and 3 models of speakers: one 2-way bookshelf of about 92dB; one 2-way floorstander, one 3-way floorstander at ca. 93 - 94dB. The goal of these products is to give most of the magic of the Kiom sound also to owners of non-Kiom components. In other words, products for the audiophile not yet ready for the true high-efficiency full-Kiom approach. The name of this product line will be Riviera, derived from the coast of the Mediterranean sea that was, in ancient times, the first way to get in touch with different civilizations. These products are intended to put in contact the high-efficiency and low-efficiency worlds."

With very little money but simple care and ingenuity, Luca had tamed some floor-ceiling reflections with suspended boards and tackled early wall reflections with a few keenly placed thick foam pads. The sound was completely free of electronic artifacts; had a wall-to-wall soundstage uncorrelated to the speakers; amazing depth; and the kind of 'spiritualized' gestalt that goes beyond sound and into emotional energy. Additionally, the vibe of the room was very relaxing, peculiar when you consider how most folks had exactly the same kind of room to work with. I'd suggest that conscious Feng Shui and the personality of the exhibitor have a profound influence on the audition experience. Setting and mood cannot be separated from the sound. This simple fact is far too little exploited. Wanna bet that massive amethyst geode in another room did more than just look good?

Incidentally, the gent who had hipped me to Kiom prior to the show was Silvio Delfino, Italy's Thorens importer whom I'd met at the St. Croix meet a few weeks ago. He'd also served as consultant to Klipsch during their R&D cycle on the Reference speaker below. True to his advance comments and driven from his McIntosh import electronics, these Klipsches did not sound anything like the snooty audiophile attitude would predict. The severe toe-in by the way helped to combat phase anomalies induced by certain room peculiarities. It could be seen in a number of other exhibits as well.

I only knew of Labtek as purveyor of source components. Yet Milan showed the 3 x 6N1P Nautilus preamp and 2 x 300B Atlantix monoblocks, with a brochure adding the Nemo, Nemo Integra and Nub models, all tube based. In short, another Italian brand, another novelty for yours truly.

Add Luxuraudio to that list, with its maxColibry omni on active display, the miniColibry captured passively.

Importer Audio Natali had a clever Wilson Audio Duetta/ARC system playing but walking in, it was this MartinLogan center speaker which first caught my eye .

Mastersound brought a bevy of fine Italian tube amps.

A big surprise was the mbl room, not because it was pitch-black (except for intense red spot lights) but because the sound was truly first-rate. It wasn't at all hard-edged, blistering and, well, Germanic as I'd come to associate from many prior shows. Unfavorable impressions, no matter how relative, tend to move certain components or companies off one's 'list'. When you're booked with review assignments, it's simply human nature to focus on the obvious instead of pursuing second-guess potentialities - even knowing how relative show impressions can be . With mbl's showing in Milan, they've definitely made my list to overwrite past impressions and assumptions.

That big suspended CD player in the middle is by Sigma and apparently weighs in at 250kg if memory is to be trusted.

Though not exactly new, the Metronome Technologie Kallista is always a sight to behold and as a concept, less inherently 'funky' than the Sigma contraption.

While still at 'M', a few night-time shots of Milan's duomo and one farmacia alcoholica.

Lined up like organ pipes against Bonaparte and the galleria, Salvo Giardina, John Stronczer, Mike McCormick, Gabriella Giardina and Dino Pappalardo, of Angelis Labor and Bel Canto respectively were kind enough to include us in their brief cultural excursion to Milan central.

The man who sacked Venice tall on his horse. Perhaps he was kinder to Milan?

And here is the shot of the alcoholic pharmacy, suggesting that imbibed at the correct dosage and time of day (or night), alcoholic spirits are medicinal. I'm sure the captured revelers agreed wholeheartedly if perhaps not on prescribed doses.

As I was told, Top Audio is free to visitors, no cover fee charged. It's the exhibitors who carry the cost. Unless the 40-or-so annual fashion shows here confuse the issue, there's thus no excuse for Italian music lovers not to attend this event.