Author Message
mafia boy
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 37
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 11:45 pm Post subject: First impressions of the NWO-SS-1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From South Carolina , i flew to Alex s home in California to have a first listen to his NWO-SS-1. This stands for New World Order Super System one . First and foremost i will state that i am a supporter of his work and own the 3910. I have no other connection other than I find he and his family simply a treasure to know. Im a KFC kind of guy. I like a company that does one thing well. I am skeptical of the guy that spreads himself too thin . Alex contacted me some time ago regarding the Esoteric ux1 he was working on and told me he was showing an entire system : UX 1 , speakers , hybrid amp and his own cables at The Show in Vegas . I was not overly enthusiastic as he is an incredible engineer of digital but come on ... speakers , amps and cables too?? Oh boy... I was polite however and said I was interested in hearing it before CES so I could offer suggestions . I arrived Friday at 7 and left Sunday morning at 7 am . We got 3 hour sleep. First and foremost Alex is outspoken , intollerant of compromise and is focused as a lazer. He dismisses the competetion at will as he explains the different approaches to building the perfect beast. I for one simply have to be shown something before i accept it and must make my own determinations based on real world listening. I was fully prepared to be impressed but I certainly was not prepared for what i descended into once I arrived. The moment I arrived and walked in i was consumed with meeting his wonderful humble wife and kids. i tried not to notice the Diana Krall in the background playing softly but had i been a cartoon character my eyes would nave been bugging out 3 feet and my ears would have been ablaze. It was so obvious something special was happening. Let me explain something first before i go into details . Being a dedicated audiophile consists of years or even decades of reading , studying and listening . We learn the terminology , freely throw words and descriptive phrasing at will and apply our knowledge in our own systems . Its the reason we think we know what we are talking about. We then go to high end showrooms and shows like CES to hear supersystems to gauge our own creations. Very rarely however do we discover magic. Idid for the first time at the Golden Nugget in 97 CES where the Avalon Eidielon -mit - Spectral system set my standard for musical reproduction . The following few CES shows had a handfull of rooms that were excellent but I guess i had forgotten what magic was and took it in stride as I never experienced it again . That is until I heard his system . Mike Lavigne is an audiophile that I know , like and respect. When he tallks to me he often describes the magic of a properly set up system that produces "real music " in real space . You simply know it when you hear it and if you have never heard it , its quite startling when you do . Without descending into hyperbole hell , I will describe what I feel he has achieved . If i had closed my eyes i would have bet my home that the speakers were 12 feet from me. They were 6. The stage was about 20 feet in front of me yet the vocal was immediate and breathtakingly real. I understood for the first time how important depth was . I thought i knew and had it in my own system . I do not. The system reproduced width as natural , as it occurs in life . It seemed to breathe with each recording . The top end was extraordinary. It had an air extension that was clear and seemed to have no constriction . There ws simply nothing to fault. Bass was outrageous for 2 10 inch drivers. I mean serious bass yet it was absolutely seamless. I discovered the meaning of microdynamics. Alex told me to turn it down so low i could barely hear it. He then turned out the lights and left the house for 20 minutes > I sat alone straining to hear it and as i relaxed I began feeling it was somehow making sense. The more i listened the better it sounded and what shocked me was the lightning quick snap of the kick drum in the songs. I could have been quite happy listening at that level I realized . There was no loss of detail and there was a continuous consistency in the frequency response . I could go on and on but i must mention the midrange as it blended seamlessly with the bass and tweeter and i for one could not detect anything but pure linear sound. I substituted his own innerconnects with a pair I brought that cost 3700.00 a meter and I swear on my life they sounded dull and compressed compared to his. I for one have been a part of what I now consider the most involving stereo system I have ever heard in 50 years .To say that it has changed me forever is an understatement . Yes , Alex is irritatingly opinionated and disses inferior engineering companies like a cat swatting at a bee . He also is a frigging genius and we as a brotherhood of audiophiles should give it the benifit of the doubt until something , somewhere proves him wrong . I can only imagine the sneers and snickers fellow poets gave Poe or the scientists of Albert Einstein s time gave him as he scoffed at their conclusions. But Hey , dont take my word for it I suggest going to CES and stopping into his room for yourself. You just may sell your soul to get one.
Back to top
missionpeak
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 82
Location: Fremont, CA
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:03 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mafiaboy,
I guess I am lucky to be in the same city as Alex to be able to hear his various "magical" creations. I had a taste of the newest creation from Alex and hope to hear it again at CES.
MissionPeak
Back to top
mafia boy
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 37
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:56 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Missionspeak. Alex speaks very highly of you and what you have put together . Yes , Fremont is a tad closer to his home . Personally , i just traveled close to 6000 miles or so to get a taste of nirvana and I hear you have to travel 6 miles. Thats not fair!!!!!!! Bet you dont get jet lag swinging by!
Back to top
missionpeak
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 82
Location: Fremont, CA
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:05 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mafia boy wrote:
Hi Missionspeak. Alex speaks very highly of you and what you have put together . Yes , Fremont is a tad closer to his home . Personally , i just traveled close to 6000 miles or so to get a taste of nirvana and I hear you have to travel 6 miles. Thats not fair!!!!!!! Bet you dont get jet lag swinging by!
Mafiaboy,
You definitely have that right, no jet lag but I do have to deal with the crazy drivers on Interstate-880 North to get to Alex's place. Those crazy drivers look like they have severe jet lag judging by the way they drive. My drive is actually closer to 11 miles but who's counting when your unfortunately over 3000 miles away! My family and I do have much enjoyment with our A/V system anchored by the APL Hi-Fi Pioneer 563a. Everyone who has heard and seen the audio/picture quality are amazed. It looks so unassuming but as we all know, it's designed and executed by the best in the industry. Today, I looked at several upscaling DVD players and none of them had a better picture quality than my Pioneer. It is a testament to Alex's design and execution.
Take care.
MissionPeak
Back to top
mafia boy
Joined: 01 May 2005
Posts: 37
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes , the drivers are in fact whacked out in your neighborhood. At 4 am Sat night , Alex and i were standing outside his home taking a break when we saw a drunk driver flying towards his house . He first explodes sideways into his friends front yard at about 70 mph . He then skidded for over 40 feet before crashing into the sidewalk 10 feet from where we were standing. That wasnt you was it ? All you had to do was ask , we would have gladly fixed you a scotch { though it seems you didnt need another } , and let you in for a few tunes!!! hehehehe
Back to top
