Cake Audio, another local Southern California dealer, was showing the perennially popular Alsyvox (website) Botticceli speakers in a room I’m convinced was designed to double as a sensory deprivation chamber. Besides bringing a very literally meaning to the phrase “blind listening,” the Alsyvox room did indeed sound very nice and the friendly staff and dark environment really encouraged relaxed listening.
Words and Photos by Grover Neville
I hopped into the back of the room for a little listening, and while there wasn’t much bass—not a rarity for even large panel speakers like this—the mid-range and top end were indeed holographic and spacious as I’d expect from Alsyvox. This room had some of the better imaging at the show, though it still struggled to represent a full musical picture given the difficult room acoustics. The sound-stage was spacious and had lots of vertical scale, and overall the system had a relaxing and involving sound.
Backing up the Alsyvox were Vitus Audio electronics with Kuzma analog gear, and Computer Audio Design (CAD) as a digital source, which both did a fine job, and though I’m not familiar with the Alsyvox-Kuzma pairing, I got the sense that the folks over at Cake Audio have a sharp ear, as my experience with Kuzma and Vitus has always been excellent. If you haven’t heard Kuzma or Alsyvox yet, they’re well worth a listen.
Speakers
- Alsyvox Botticelli – $92,000/pr USD
- Alsyvox Optional External Crossovers – $30,000/pr USD
Electronics
- Vitus SS-103 Stereo Amplifier – $40,800 USD
- Vitus SL-103 Preamplifier – $38,400 USD
Analog
- Vitus SP-103 phono preamplifier – $38,400 USD
- Kuzma XL DC Turntable – $34,600 USD
- Kuzma 4Point 14 Tonearm – $12,495 USD
- Dynavector XV-1T Cartridge – $9,450 USD
Digital
- Vitus SCD-025 CD Player/DAC – $25,200 USD
- Computer Audio Design CAT Music Server – $15,500 USD
- Computer Audio Design 1543 DAC – $12,000 USD
- Computer Audio Design GC1 Ground Controls – $1,995 USD
Cables
- Purist Audio Design Dominus Cables – (price not listed)
Photos continue below, and more T.H.E. SHOW 2021 coverage can be found HERE.
About The Author
Grover Neville, Contributor
Grover is a recent transplant to Los Angeles, CA, and a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied music, creative writing, and how to wear skinny jeans. After graduating Grover pursued a freelance career in audio, doing professional research in the fields of Auditory Cognition, Psychoacoustics, and Experimental Hydrophone Design.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Grover worked and lived in Chicago, Illinois as a mixing and mastering engineer, working in genres such as Avant-garde Classical music and Jazz. As a recent transplant to L.A., Grover now works in the music, video game, and film industries.
He is also actively pursuing a career as an independent musician, composer, and producer. Grover wrote for Innerfidelity and Audiostream, before finding his forever-home at Part-Time Audiophile.
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