RMAF12: Robyatt brings out the vinyl, tubes and horns





It has become clear to me that some people, like Robyn Wyatt of Robyatt, are having way too much fun at these audio shows.

Yes, I know — they’re a dreadful amount of work. The hauling, the setting up, the long hours, and the interminable questions from media jackasses (that would be me) — all that conspires to put a not inconsiderable amount of pressure on an exhibitor. And some folks fold under that. Some, like Wyatt, seem to revel in it.

The last time I ran across him (I think it was the last time), he was showing off a pair of reconditioned Quads — and stole the bloody show by pairing those beautiful loudspeakers with some OTL amps. Wow, that was hot.

While nothing is as sexy as a pair of vintage loudspeakers, I’ll be damned if he didn’t give himself a run for his own money with a pair of stand-mount horns from dc10audio, the $6,500/pair Berlin:

The Berlin features an 11-inch hand-turned solid Maple horn loaded with our 1-inch textile dome tweeter. The horn-loaded tweeter also serves as the port (an exclusive innovation).

  • Exclusive horn-loaded tweeter doubling as bass-reflex port
  • Exclusive internal tonewood resonator — the “Instrument”
  • Solid one-piece Sapele baffle set in semi-suspension
  • Shortest path internal wiring
  • 7-inch high-impact carbon fiber composite wide-range driver
  • Hybrid crossover (no sound-depleting circuit boards)
  • Frequency response: 35 Hz-25,000 Hz
  • Sensitivity: estimated 95 dB
  • Impedance: 8 ohms
  • Size: 19″ high x 11″ wide x 16.5″ deep each
  • Weight: 36 lbs each

A Tektron TK2A3/45S-I-REF integrated, which can support both 2a3 or 45 tubes to produce a whopping way-less-than-a-handful of output watts, ran the demo with surprising authority. This never fails to amaze me — 2 watts and concert-level audio? That’s not supposed to happen … yet … there it was.

A Tektron TKPREMM phono stage with Miyajima step-up transformers fronted that amp. A honking big $10,000 dual-arm VPI Classic 4 turntable spun smartly in the center of the setup.

Tel Wire cabling was used throughout.

  • Miyajima Labs Kansui Stereo Cartridge: $3,600
  • Miyajima Labs Shilabe Stereo Cartridge: $2,995
  • Miyajima Labs Zero Mono Cartridge: $1,995
  • Miyajima Labs Premium Mono BEII Cartridge: $1,260
  • Miyajima Labs KSW Stereo Step-Up Transformer w/demag: $2,475
  • Miyajima Labs ETR Mono Mono Step-Up Transformer w/variable loading: $1,995
  • Tektron Italia TK 2A3 integrated amplifier without output tubes: $3,950
  • Tektron Italia TK Phono Stereo: $1,925
  • Tektron Italia TK Phono Mono: $1,625

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1 Comment

  1. I appreciated the hard work that Robin displayed in his room. I sat for quite awhile, being though the Berlin spkrs were on my short list to check out. (1st time at the RMAF) I couldn’t get a handle on them, as far as being a speaker that would surplant my favorites. (Mod Quad esl57, PTE Phoenix, Avant Garde duo’s, etc) The charm of the aforementioned spkrs is very hard to surplant. He is a fun guy…

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