The first day of RMAF 2012 I spent the majority of my time in the expansive CanJam area. It's always fun to see and hear elaborate headphone systems capable of great sound. I'm also looking for a new pair of headphones thus my interest in this area was even greater than previous years. I spent a considerable amount of time at the Moon Audio booth listening to the Fostex TH-900 Premium Reference Headphones. I like that these phones are closed-back allowing me to listen in areas where the noise from an open-back headphone might be annoying to those around me. Paired with the
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2012 was stupendous. All kinds of new products including DACs and music servers were seemingly everywhere. Almost every room I entered contained at least one server or a device capable of file playback. There was a nice mix of Mac (Amarra, Pure Music, Audirvana), PC (JRiver), and Linux based servers. It's good to see that no single platform is taking over. Several companies were showing customized Mac, PC, and Linux solutions geared toward audiophile playback. The number of companies offering these servers increased greatly this year compared to the last few years combined. I'm unfamiliar with most of these companies and will need to do some homework researching each product. I wish there was more emphasis placed on service and education from the music server vendors rather than questionable hardware claims and misinformation, but I guess the industry must walk before it can run. My favorite sound of
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Orange is certainly a to color this year at RMAF. Maybe manufacturers are showing a little halloween spirit with pumpkin colored loudspeakers. Anyway, here are three simple shots I took this evening. The KEF Blade loudspeaker, the new Wilson Audio Alexia, and the new Peachtree Audio X1 USB to S/PDIF converter. Much more to come from Denver.
This is a great time of year to be a computer audiophile. Both new audio and new computer components are traditionally released between now and CES in January. I'm awaiting arrival of two computer components for C.A.P.S. v3 testing. The release date of these components has been pushed back a bit by the manufacturers. I feel like a little kid full of excitement waiting for these items. I'm also very excited to attend Rocky Mountain Audiofest this week in Denver, CO. In addition to seeing and hearing some new components I'll be conducting two seminars in the Aspen Amphitheater. A DVD Audio and Blu-ray Ripping session as well as my favorite Computer Audio Q&A session. A few weeks after RMAF I'll be flying to Warsaw, Poland. I've been invited to present two computer audio seminars at the 16th annual Audio Show Poland's largest exhibition of audio-video equipment and home theater. The best part will certainly be meeting CA readers at RMAF this week and next month in Poland. It's truly a great time to be a computer audiophile.
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Over the last few years iOS remote control applications for JRiver have gradually improved. Most of the apps went from cumbersome to decent to pretty good but still not that enticing. Everything changed with the release of JRemote from Banjo Media. The app is so good it has increased the value of Windows as a music server platform as much as anything in recent memory. Many die hard Apple users have switched or have seriously considered switching to Windows solely because JRemote has surpassed Apple's Remote application by leaps and bounds. The value of a remote control application can't be overstated. It's the interface to musical enjoyment or untold frustration. A remote app should place the user in control rather than force the user to listen a certain way or enjoy music how the app developer believes music should be enjoyed. Technology shouldn't dictate how one's music collection is enjoyed and certainly shouldn't take the enjoyment out of browsing a vast collection curated meticulously for decades. JRemote's speed enables users to swipe through an entire collection or pared-down playlist with ease. Support for high resolution images and graphics on the iPhone / iPad Retina Display is also a treat for the eyes. JRemote is the remote control app by which all others are judged.
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Several Consumer Electronics Shows ago I remember seeing the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC in a very early stage of its development. If I'm not mistaken the front color display was actually an iPod screen placed in the front window of the chassis. Most high end audio focussed show goers had no clue what PS Audio was doing with this new PerfectWave series of products. As The Computer Audiophile one of my most important stops of the entire show was the PS Audio suite. The PerfectWave DAC was right up my alley and I wanted to extract as much information as possible from everyone in that suite. I must have asked the same questions to five different PS Audio representatives just to see if I could squeeze an extra morsel of information. I left the PS Audio suite thinking the PWD looked very promising based on a nice set of features and that PS Audio as a company was laser focussed on the next phase of high end playback with the PerfectWave products leading the way. Since that show PS Audio hasn't wavered in its dedication to the PerfectWave platform and computer based audio. In November 2011 PS Audio announced the MKII update to its original PerfectWave DAC. Once the dust settled I got my hands on the MKII this summer. After a couple months with the PWD MKII in my listening room I have some strong opinions about the product. The bottom line is the MKII update is a game changer that elevates the PerfectWave DAC to C.A.S.H. List 
status and puts the original PWD MKI to shame.
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