Hello Peder
The Apogees don’t fall to one ohm–they are 1 ohm across most of the audio band. The KSA 80-B was designed to pump lots of current into them–as the power doubled for every halving of the impedance. So this baby will dump 640 watts into one ohm/the Apogees. How they would sound? Well I can tell you that they are still on top of the game. I have one of the original pair in my music room. I know them well as I was the founder of Apogee and the designer of the Full Range Ribbons and the Scintillas. I could hear better and better sound from them until I got my ND555. The differences between CD, Hi Res and MQA is quite apparent. Your pic looks like mine.
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Anybody bump into Prince Charles yet? The Munich visit was obviously just a pretext to visit the High End show in Munich 
Given your moniker, he’s not your dad is he?
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Will write a longer show report in the coming hours and days. Might still go again on Sunday. The main system sounded really good today, even while in am always a bit critical about the Focals. But the real experience was the Muso. I wasn’t prepared for the level of i,provemnt which the Muso 2 brings, it’s real far ahead of the old one…more to come
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This was one of the top sounds of the show. It’s the bigger brother of my own speaker called the Verity Audio Lohengrin. It was driven by the own amplification of Verity. The Tocatta of Bach was quite special with magnificent lows…while my own Naim amplification brings some other aspect in addition to the game…
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So the Muso, why did it impress myself so much. In the first place i came in with low expectations and just thought the upgrade was more of a typical marketing thing. Some additional features, slightly improved sound …, but boy I was mistaken. This new Muso is a complete different beast all over. What a soundstage for this type of device, transparency, overall quality of sound. It’s now in a totally different league. And I could even understand that current owners like me would even argue to potentially exchange there current Muso.
Definitely have a good listen at the new king of the pack.
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Beautiful looking speakers.
Jason did in my eyes a good job in presenting the main system. While he had almost studied his text 
By presenting a wide variation of music styles the system was well represented in it’s enormous ability.
The system setup was…
A core with the music
A ND555 with two Power supplies
The statement amplification
Big focal speakers - sorry I don’t recollect the model name…
The show started with a version of the Danse Macabre, which displayed very well how dynamic an orchestra can sound on such a big system.
He explained also the importance of using a professional ripping device like the core as compared to a normal computer drive…
The switched to Tommy Todd’s - Different Ways
Then 911 from John van der Veer - nice guitar music
King Creosote with John Taylor’s Month Away, Jason making the point that this type of song might get lost on a mediocre system, but get’s interesting on a great sounding system. So to say expanding the window of what you appreciate as music.
And then he slammed us away with Ghost Rider Makes us Stronger. Which I belief can only sound that mighty on the Naim system as other systems tend to miss the combination of slam and PRAt.
I was pleased with the demo of Jason, as it’s for me much more authentic close if one of the guys of the core team is doing the job instead of the normal sleek demo people which normally are used for these demos.
The system sounded good. I found it better as the last time when I heard it in the bigger Focals …, also had the feeling the two ps’s on the ND555 added the final element of sophistication.
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Bert, thanks for your report, and I’m pleased you enjoyed the big Statement system. I don’t get to hear it so often so I went up after the show finished to listen for myself. I played Benjamin Clemantine’s Winston Churchill’s Boy - very impressed. The voices almost tangibly real and probably the best I’ve heard the focals. And then the same Ghost Rider track that was pretty mind blowing. Good as the newest Naim for Bentley system is in the new Continental GTC that I had been demoing all day, this was something else altogether. The Statement and 555 together with some careful setup are a formidable team indeed! Highly recommended for anyone visiting the MOC this weekend.
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Yes I agree with you Richard. The song from Benjamin Clementine I think I heard when the new ND555 was introduced and it’s indeed special. A pity that we missed each other, would have been nice to shake hands.
Let’s see if I go on Sunday and if I then go back to the Naim room or only concentrate on missed things.
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Go for a visit to the Bentley, Richard is the Naim for Bentley ambassador.
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One more before going to sleep. The Ultrasone Sapphire was an absolute highlight for the mobile Hifi. It’s pricy but the sound is really also that good. I wrote already earlier about a raving review in a German magazine. But if you are ok to spend 3000 you should give these ones a try, they are that good. Just make sure that the sealing works for you, because they loose a lot of their charm when the sealing in the ear is not 100 percent.
how can you describe the sound? vs naim?
Bert, as Gaza says, I’m downstairs all day near the entrance with the Bentley GTC and latest Naim For Bentley Audio system. Do come by any time.
Something like Boulder or Constellation could power them today i guess?
Hello sir, wow, what an accomplishment the Apogee line was, what a shame it has not survived. My only direct experience was with the “baby” model, roughly 1000 USD at a dealer–truly unforgettable.
Hi french rooster, I’m not great at describing sound, but using the same naim source, I found that the Progression presented an improved sound stage, probably inpart due to the greater control over the speakers and power a plenty. Similar tonal presentation as naim, very refined. It was easy to turn up the volumewithout any harshness. If I could afford it I’d buy one!
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Do most agree with this in that you get a better rip SQ wise compared to a computer and dB poweramp?
If AccurateRip tells you the checksums match, then regardless of how, you got a perfect rip.
I’d agree that a crud drive with naff software that only rips in burst mode (like Windows Media Player) makes that less likely with some discs.
Isn’t there two aspects. The accuracy of the rip, and the delivery of the file to the streamer? I’ve gone from ripping on an iMac to iTunes to a Core, and the later is better (but not by a big margin, but better all the same).
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