David Hyman Event Write-up
Grant Stoner | Published on 8/29/2023
We had a very nice event Thursday Augst 24 at David Hyman’s beautiful home in the Sausalito hills. David is a dealer for Rhapsody audio. Now Rhapsody Audio is not your typical hi end audio dealer. Their showrooms are actually homes in various cities throughout the US. You can all, make an appointment (david@unagiscooters.com), and listen to exquisite gear in their natural environment, the home…. A very novel concept.
The gear and the sound was exquisite. I have to say, one of the best I’ve heard in a home. The gear consisted of:
Taiko Audio Extreme Server, Switch, and Router
Esoteric Digital to Analog Converter
Odysseus Integrated Amplifier (Pilium's Alexander Preamplifier, Hercules Mono Amplifiers available soon)
Alsyvox Caravaggio Full Ribbon Speaker
Lots of great stuff, but for me, the star always seems to be the speakers. And they were a sight to behold and hear. AlsyVox founder and builder Daniele Coen was on hand to explain and answer questions, the Caravaggio’s were truly a bespoke work of art. Excellent bass, especially for a full ribbon speaker, no real need for a sub. The mids were precise yet warm, and the highs were clean and defined, but not at all strident. The imaging was stellar, though you did have to be in the sweet spot, which for me was second row, center.
David played all digital files, no records or cd’s. He didn’t take requests for the main event, but he played such a wide variety, it didn’t really matter. Mainly centered on jazz and classical which typically satisfies most audiophiles. I wanted some electronica, but oh well. I don’t recall all the tunes, but do remember a few standouts, Dvorak’s New World Symphony I think was the opener. The system handled the full breadth of the orchestra with vigor. My favorite though was the Renaud Garcia Fons’ “Berimbass”, one of my favorite test tracks, the guitar and percussion was super clear and the bass, plucked and bowed, extraordinary. During the after listening session, David did take requests and we of course had to play the opening few tracks of Dark Side of the Moon on eleven and were not disappointed. Considering that David’s home is composed mainly of glass and hard surfaces and was completely untreated for sound, it was amazingly clear. Even when we tried to overload the room., we were unsuccessful.
David laid out a very nice spread of snacks. There was much wine consumed. I think everyone really liked the event and are looking forward to more. Special thanks to David Hyman and Bob Visintainer from Rhapsody Audio and brilliant speaker maker Daniele Coen of AlsyVox.
David has graciously offered to hold more events in the future as he has more gear on the way, including a vinyl set up and this was but a taste of what’s yet to come.