AV Guide on WBSNYC: Excellent Sound, Power, Confidence, and a Great Team

The AVguide's Mr. Plus came to the Wes Bender Studio NYC room, played some music, and liked what he heard.

"The sound was excellent - all power and confidence - but the confidence of the team was even better." Mr. Plus came ready to "show 'em" with a James Blunt test CD, but found WBSNYC already had it loaded up on the laptop. He liked that the WBSNYC "collection wasn't limited to little-known British post-dubstep acts; they had a play-anything approach that was a refreshing change to the semi-enforced sound of The Eagles burping out of hotel rooms around the world come showtime."

WBSNYC: One of the 10 Best Sounding Rooms at NY Audio & AV Show 2012

Jeremy Kipnis at Home Theater Review called the Wes Bender Studio NYC room "one of the best sounding rooms" of the whole show at NYAV2012.

"Listening to a Wes Bender Studio NYC system is like putting yourself in the hands of a master. This year's NYC debut of the Hansen Audio Prince E loudspeakers was yet another triumph for him, as the sound produced in the small hotel room was amazing." Jeremy said in his review.

Jeremy noted the exceptional "strong positive reaction to the visual design" of the Hansen Prince E speakers and the Redpoint turntable and the "controlled, well-balanced, and vivid" sound "even during the most monumentally loud moments from the great vinyl set-up."

Men tend to outnumber women in many aspects of the audiophile world. And that makes this observation by Jeremy all the more significant: "These speakers kept drawing cooing sounds from all the women in the room. They simply loved it, petting and admiring the smooth silver surfaces."

NYAV12: The Part-Time Audiophile Finds a "Tour de Force" at WBSNYC

Michael Fremer Listens to Vinyl at WBSNYC RoomThe Part-Time Audiophile had some kind words about his time in the Wes Bender Studio NYC room (and nice photos too!) at this year's New York Audio & AV Show. There, he found more than a room, but rather a "tour-de-force".

In his Confession, the Part-Time Audiophile said, "You have to give credit where it’s due...Bass power. Treble clarity. Mid range draw. It was unreal! Well done."  With such a glowing review, we'll have to overlook the little mistake over the Redpoint turntable. 

Apparently, while the Part-Time Audiophile was there, a full-time audiophile, Michael Fremer, came by and played some of his records on the Redpoint MG. We must agree with the Part-Time Audiophile:  "That man knows his vinyl and he’s a hawk for good sound."  Indeed.

Stereophile's Stephen Mejias: No Limits to Wes Bender Studio NYC

During his review of the New York Audio & AV Show, Stereophile's Stephen Mejias wrote that there are "No Limits to Wes Bender Studio NYC".  True, he might've liked some "limit" on the volume at which he heard ZZ Top's "LaGrange". Even so, he felt that it "showed the showed the system could rock and snarl" and said "the sound was nevertheless clean, clear, and detailed, without being harsh."

Then, Stephen played "a personal favorite, James Blake’s 'Limit to Your Love,'" and noted that "the system had no problem controlling the low bass."

Stephen summed up by saying, "Wes Bender Studio NYC clearly cares about the way things look and sound. The components here shared a clean appearance and worked together for a big, bold sound."

"Immediate Ecstasy" in WBSNYC Room at the NY Audio & AV Show

Earlier this year, Audiophilia's Michael Levy referred to the Wes Bender Studio NYC room at CES 2012 as "audible ecstasy" while listening to the Redpoint Model D turntable.  At the New York Audio & AV Show, Arel Bitran writing for Stereophile titled his review "Immediate Ecstasy in the Wes Bender Room". 

Arel was "immediately impressed" by the "open and relaxed" sound as demo track of Strauss's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra".  But he decided to "really put this system to the test" and played "NR17" (from Syclops's "I've Got My Eye on You") with all its bombastic and frenetic fun. We're glad he did. Arel found that the "Hansen Audio Prince E loudspeakers were fast, spinning the tune into overdrive, with each of those on-the-beat kicks propelling the music forward in a snappy fashion. Bongos bounced from wall to wall. Synthesizers and electronic noises fluttered and zoomed around the room like birds and airplanes." The effect on the room was palpable. As he notes, "Everyone in the room got wild-eyed, pupils dilated. What exactly is going on here?"

In an amusing outburst that continues the association of the sound in Wes Bender Studio NYC rooms being described as "ecstasy", according to Arel, "Wes Bender’s sales partner, Dan Meinwald, screamed, 'If it gets any louder, we’re gonna need some ecstasy!'"  Arel's response was, "Well Dan, as far as I could tell, everyone in that room was already rolling."