This was the best pleasant surprise of the whole show! Not for the show attendees, for the VPI staff and me! Knut Skogrand, owner of Skogrand Cables, has been bugging us to make the Prime Signature in Rosewood since he used the Classic 4 in Rosewood back at RMAF 2016. Knut has great taste just like us and appreciates a good wood finish. We haven't had access to a proper Rosewood for a longtime. We have been trying to find a new source since discontinuing the Classic Signature in Rosewood. We weren't sure if it would happen again until we found a wood worker to step up to the plate! The week before the show our wood worker drove two samples to our factory and we were blown away by how gorgeous they looked.
The moment we saw it we knew we had to show it at Axpona 2017. My Prime Signature artisan Jan, who loves Rosewood, was more than happy to make these two turntables and have them ready in time. Staying in a hotel that was close to the show, we overnight-ed them and I carried them over. It was so worth it!
The LL Banks Room at Axpona
Sporting the JMW 3D-R 10 tonearm, it wasn't long before the Prime Signature was up and spinning away. Great minds must think a like because all partnering companies brought out their wood in both sound and style. As I finished setting up the Ortofon Winfeld on the Prime Signature, I noticed how well it matched the solid wood rack from our friends at Massif Audio Design. Electronics by Modwright Instruments we had the expected warm sweet power of a tubular driving force and amplification. All connected together Skogrand's high-end cable with Daedalus Audio at the end of the chain with their handcrafted flagship The Poseidon speakers. At first the room/system was a bit too polite but after a day of punching it you could hear the system warming up. All respective companies made tweaks and adjustments to the system until we had it dialed it in just right! Except Trevor from Massif, his racks sat there holding us all up and looking sexy! ;) The system combination ended up surprising us with elegance, refinement, but still the right kind of kick. When we were not spinning the Prime Signature we were enjoying some tape time thanks to J-Cord. On Sunday it was an act of sacrilege to take apart this system being stunning both in sound and appearance. This won't be the last time you see this combination at an audio show! Honorable mention to our dealer Viva Hi-Fi who is going through a major move with his store but still found time to help us run this room!