Everest II and the 2007 International CES: January 8-11, Las Vegas

[hnm1]

Wow what a speaker ! It reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on the 250 TI in 1986.They totally blew me away.I can't wait to hear and see these speakers in person.

[MJC]

I have to say I'm not surprised by the sales - these things look even better in the flesh than the photographs.

That seems to be the case of most, if not all, speakers as shown on the computer. I know the PT800s and the Studio L890s are a lot better looking than any pics on the net show. Of coarse, both of those speakers are a few ranks down from the Everest.

[Hoerninger]

Video interview on CNET.COM.AU about new Everest
(Soundcheck inclusive? )
http://www.cnet.com.au/special/ces2007/?vid_id=13

Flash needed
____________
Peter

[soundmanshorty]

I was at CES and had the pleasure to experience the Everest II, meet Greg Timbers, and then Magnet3 and I had the most wonderful time meeting Mr. Widget and his lovely wife Mrs. Gadget (according to Bo) for dinner at the MGM Grand's Fiamma Trattoria. I was hoping to meet Bo and his wife, too, but they were coming the next day as we were leaving. I think we saved a life during dinner...more about that later.

The Everest II is everything that has been written here and I'm sure, then some.

What really impresses me about a great speaker demo set-up is the relative simplicity that showcases the speakers and not a half-million dollar collection of amps, preamps, fire-hose cables that you must have to run the speakers.....and a minimally treated room. In this case, a hotel suite at the LV Hilton.

The amp was a Mark Levinson...a Harman Brand...that was 200 watts per channel, don't know what preamp, CD, or cables....I didn't care, although the cables were subtantial....probably 10 guage or so.

Everest II is something to behold. I wish I had the money and the house to put them in. The design is a real work of art and a real nice peice of furniture that harkens back to the moderne Alvin Lustig design era...both curvy and edgey....retro modern with a totally engaging visual. I didn't want to close my eyes while listening because these things are so cool to look at too. These are big speakers, but they somehow manage to disappear from the music....if that makes any sense to you.

The sound...is well... breathtaking. GT played a number of selections from the John Eargle test CD...classical music to some asian influenced pieces to Nora Jones', "Come Away With Me". On this piece, Nora is sweetly singing into your ear... you can feel her warm breath cascading down the back of your neck....very detailed...very resolved...very quick...very real...very neutral. There isn't a horn signature in sight. I was sitting right of center, and was quite amazed at the width of the sound stage. There was still a right and left image with out have to move to the center "sweet spot".

GT told me when they designed the new 476Be driver they got a whole lot more than they ever imagined or intended....this thing doesn't need a tweeter, but the market had to have it....so it got it. This big driver reaches all the way to 40kHz...sure, it gets a little bumpy in that stratosphere but there isn't a filter between it and the super tweeter....it just runs all the way up, with the UHF coming in at 20kHz. Very nice, indeed.

I introduced myself to Greg Timbers, and was flattered to know that he knew my posts from my moniker....that made my day...I felt like somebody important for a few minutes. He'd like to contribute more comments and insight here but the demands on his time are far too great to indulge. He does reference the archives ocassionally though, to look for some things that he might have forgotten over the years...How 'bout that, huh?

This is a very nice guy. He doesn't come off the least bit affected...not arrogant, nor standoffish, nor defensive, nor boastful...he just loves what he does and has delivered some of the greatest audio products ever conceived. He wants things to progress and evolve through refinement, and he'd like to see the dealer network improve, but that's not his arena. As long as these products are showcased, the products will sell...The Everest II is already running behind on orders of something like 300 units around the world and the US.

Mr. and Mrs. Widget. He called me on his way into town and we arranged dinner plans on the fly. What a great couple. We spoke for hours about many, many things until closing the restaurant...last to leave....and continued our conversation out in the MGM Grand's mall. We never brought up politics, except for the mention of health care during dinner. Since CES is very busy, getting a reservation late is a challenge. All went perfectly as we found a table in the bar of a fine Italian restaurant at the MGM Grand.

The four of us were immersed in conversation, laughing carrying on. Then something unusual happened. Mr. Widget had a look of surprise on his face. A gentlemen in town for CES from Charlotte, NC was having dinner solo next to us. He had lost consciousness and somehow found support collapsed against Mr. Widget's back. Widget said,..."uh...help?" I looked over and noticed the gentleman's eyes were open! I said, "Oh my god, is he dead? Mrs. Widget went to check him for a neck pulse while I checked for a wrist pulse....nothing. All of a sudden...and with great relief, he came to while we were checking him out. He said he all of a sudden got real dizzy and passed out with eyes open. After some questions we discovered he was on medication for bronchitis and had a glass of wine with dinner...on top of the fatigue from travel. Security called for medical attention, treated on the scene...we hope he is alright.

Quite a memorable evening for us all. I didn't get any pictures of the Widget's and us but I did take some pics of Everest II....I'll add them a little later.

Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Widget.....look forward to visiting again soon. Sorry we missed you Bo, but good to talk to you on the phone.

There are some great people here. I hope you get to meet some of your forum friends

A Itech digital amp lol;-) Jus kidding

[mech986]

Wow! 600 systems (pairs) at $60,000 = 36 million USD!!! That should look good on the ledgers and cover (hopefully) all the development and marketing costs.

I'll bet other Hi End speaker companies are rather breathless about this.

Best of luck in keeping up with demand and for continued sales growth.

Regards,

Bart

[speakerdave]

The dealers get some of that, of course, but still, it's good to see they are getting the sales.

David

[WTPRO]

Hi All

This report is a little late, but I did want to add that I too had the opportunity to make way over and hear the Everest. Needless to say, I was quite impressed. I just wish I had more time to listen as it was the last day of CES and I was on my way over to meet some Autosound manufacturers. The audition going on at the time was Opera and though Im not much into opera, wow! I just wish I had more time!

Best regards,
Keith Larson

[Titanium Dome]

Is this the thread you're looking for?

[dumdumboy]

FYI,

The Everest II has been reviewed in the latest Edition of German "Audio" Magazine.
It basically blew everything else out of the water and
is now "Audio's" new reference speaker.

According to the review, the Everest II sounds very neutral and totally
uncoloured. Dynamics and sound level are virtually unlimited.

Quite astonishing, indeed! I am not aware that I've seen such a positive
review of a JBL horn loaded speaker in a German HiFi magazine before!

Whatever one thinks of audio reviews, this will boost JBL's Reputation as a
high end speaker brand here in Germany, that's for sure.

Congratulations to Mr Timbers and his design/engineering team!!

[4313B]

The Everest II has been reviewed in the latest Edition of German "Audio" Magazine.
It basically blew everything else out of the water and is now "Audio's" new reference speaker.

It is quite a loudspeaker!

Thanks for the post.

[Jan Daugaard]

The reviewers in German Audio mostly listened to heavy metal, so there is no point in conveying their impressions. The measurements are, however, worth translating.

The text in the upper left corner reads:
"We have measured the frequency reponse at a distance of 1 m: On axis, as well as 30°, 60°, and 90° off axis (the upper graphs). The gentle roll-off in the frequency response at very low frequencies is due to the measurement technique -- the Everest goes lower in a free field. The maximum sound pressure level could not be determined: At 123 dB, the distortion and compression were generally still below the threshold for the equipment, and the measurement amplifier could not produce any more power. The loudspeaker should be turned towards the listener. When placed close to a wall, set the control bars to dampen the bass."

The text below the frequency reponses at various sound pressure levels reads:
"Strong bass, otherwise balanced, clearly beaming. Hardly any visible distortion, only a little in the bass."

The text in light blue and green in the lower left corner reads:
"Small -- Middle -- Large < Room size
Dry -- Average -- Reverberant < Acoustics
Against wall -- Close to wall -- Free standing < Placement
where Small = 15 m² (161 sq ft), Middle = 24 m² (258 sq ft), and Large = 45 m² (484 sq ft)"

[Guido]

I just bought the magazine.

These guys are completely mad about that speaker

They call it the loudest (audiophile) speaker ever!

NO NO NO horn coloration.

It's 50.000 Euro here in Germany. Unfortunately out of budget for me. But let's see what the TOTL 2-Way will bring

[dumdumboy]

Sun Audio will be the official distributor for Germany. I talked to them last
week and they will try to establish a dealer network but currently there is
only one pair of Everests in Europe due to the high demand from the Asian Market.

A Everest brochure (German language) has just gone to print and should be available soon! I will keep you posted!

About the price: Yep, out of reach,that's for sure!

[Rolf]

It's 50.000 Euro here in Germany.

The price in Norway is NKR 450.000.00. You guys can find out using a currency calculator.

[scott fitlin]

They call it the loudest (audiophile) speaker ever!

Really?