High Fidelity Services of Braintree, Mass. imports a ton of stuff. So much stuff, in fact, that they had two rooms set up to display everything. Their larger room, filled with Audia Flight electronics and large Neat speakers, went by in a blur of handshakes and conversation.
Their smaller room was the one that left the impression.
Forget the Monks RCM that I mentioned earlier. The speakers were pink. Bright pink. The apartment-friendly Neat Motive SX2 ($2400) are an easy 25 pounds a piece, dig down to 35hz, and seemed made for the room. Electronics here were by the always musical Sonneteer, with a Byron disc spinner ($2800) and Orton integrated amp ($3800) pushing tunes.
Sadly — and shamefully — the VPI Scout 2 was left unloved, so I never got to hear the Sonneteer Sedley USB ($1500) phono preamp and Swiss Army knife. This thing will digitize your vinyl and work as a USB DAC. Did I mention that it’s $1500?
The sound here, unfortunately, didn’t highlight the traditional Sonneteer strengths. The room was too much fun, with folks listening to music, talking loudly, and bouncing around with smiles on their faces.
It’s good to be reminded that not everyone sits in a special chair when they listen to music. It’s better to be reminded of that by bright pink speakers.
