NYAV12: Davone and M-A Recordings





I found Todd Garfinkle of M-A Recordings holed up in a little room at NYAV, fielding questions over his should, changing the music, all while waving a fistful of US cash around in air. Busy, busy. Flying solo for this show, Todd had been expecting to be manning a table down in the entry area, but some last-minute upgrades landed him here. Thankfully, he had his Korg, and Chris Sommovigo, the importer for Davone, was able to hook him up with an amp and some speakers.

I say “thankfully”, because these little suckers are awesome!

Have you met the Mojo, from Davone? No? Well then, let me introduce you to the $2,300 wonder from Europe.

If this looks like an omni, well, aren’t you smart? Yes, that little conical puck at the top is a disperse-er/diffusor. Another driver fires directly down, where the port and binding posts are also concealed.

The sound field is 360°. Which means, you’re gonna want some space. Pull them away from walls, say at least a couple of feet. The more the better, really. But the footprint means that they’re designed for the desk. Lucky for me, I have a desk that sits way out into the room. Perfect! Ahem.

I kept coming back here as it was fun to see poor Todd battling the crowds, but also because of the reactions of the folks leaving the room. “Have you seen …?” “How much were those, again?” “I can’t believe it!” “A micro-priced mbl speaker?”

CNET’s Steve Guttenberg was so taken, he’s arranged to get a pair sent over for review. We should see something in the Robb Report shortly.

As for me, I get nothing. Steve’s important, you see. Me, I’m a shlub with a website. [sigh]. I’m feeling rather Kathy Griffin right about now. Welcome to the D-List.

The Korg 2000 is a nifty piece of gear. It does D-A. It does A-D. It also has storage. And playback. So, here the little unit did everything except amplify. A little bitty Bel Canto amp did that.

Last word — if you haven’t had a chance to check out M-A Recordings yet, do yourself a favor and get on that. I’ve been thrilled with what I’ve bought so far. You will be too. Especially on an omni speaker like the Mojo — one of the things Todd is famous for is his sense of venue, which come through so clearly in his recordings. Astonishingly good sonics!