Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2012 Coverage

October 15, 2012

The B.M.C. Audio Room

Friday evening, Brian Ackermann, owner of AAudio Imports, U.S. distributor for manufacturers such as Bergmann, B.M.C. Audio, Hartvig, H.B Cable Designs, Stage III, Tandem and Ypsilon, bused member of the press to his home in Parker, Colorado, the lower level of which is devoted to his showrooms, including two listening rooms and a small home theater, to audition a system comprised exclusively (with the exception of the turntable and cartridge) of components from Germany’s B.M.C. Audio.

Brian’s large listening room has been treated extensively with absorption and diffusion materials from Golden Acoustics. In fact, the room has a decidedly Star Trek look. It is a very quiet space to enter. Arrayed across the front were a full panoply of components on beautiful black and chrome Tandem racks. The B.M.C. Audio Arcadia loudspeakers ($40,300) with ceramic composite enclosures and external crossovers were to either side.

The bipole speakers in a highly diffuse environment threw a very wide, almost surround-sound like soundstage. In order to accommodate multiple rows of seating, however, the speakers could not be pulled away from the wall sufficiently to create a cavernously deep illusion, but it was more than adequate to the task. The speakers were very dynamic. You really just wanted to turn them up. Optimally placed, these speakers would be very good indeed at re-creating a live venue.

The turntable was a Hartvig TT Signature Gramophone from Denmark ($29,700) with Durand Talea tonearm ($8500) and Lyra Atlas cartridge ($9500).

The digital front end was the B.M.C. BDCD1 belt-drive CD player/ transport ($5990).

The phono preamplifier was the B.M.C. MCCI ($3890) sitting atop a B.M.C. DAC1 PRE ($6290), which served double duty as a DAC (including USB) and linestage.

The Arcadia loudspeakers were driven by a pair of BMC AMP M2 monoblocks ($16,780/pair), one of which is shown below.

The fit and finish of these components is extraordinary.

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