It’s been a few years since I last visited Gershman Acoustics at a high end audio show. The last time was the first time, I believe–I had introduced myself to Eli and Ofra Gershman because Facebook kept telling me repeatedly that these were “people you may know.” That system, as I remember, was part of a dealer’s room where numerous brands were tied in with Gershman Acoustics speakers, and I could still hear these speakers shine above all the other ingredients in the mix. At FLAX 2023, however, it was a much simpler set-up, with Gershman Acoustics and VAC sounding great with a little digital help from EMM Labs and Wolf Audio.
Words by Marc Phillips, photos by Scot Hull
Here’s the basic set-up in the Gershman Acoustics and VAC room:
- Gershman Acoustics 30th Anniversary Grande Avant Garde Speakers – $17,000,pair
- VAC Master 300 Amplifier (42K) with an accompanying VAC Master Preamp ($38K)
- EMM Labs’ DA2 DAC ($30K)
- Wolf Audio Streamer ($10K)
- Cardas Audio cabling
The Gershman Acoustics and VAC room was commanded by the new 30th Anniversary Grande Avant Garde loudspeakers, which have new and sophisticated bases that work together with the enclosure to extend the low end from the single 8″ aluminum woofer. These speakers were a big hit at the show for this very reason–they’re fairly petite floor-standers but they can also get right down to 20 Hz thanks to those innovative bases. I heard a lot of buzzing in the corridors about this extraordinary performance.
While Gershman Acoustics and VAC were a truly synergistic match, I couldn’t help but think about the price tag of those Grande Avant Gardes. Gershmann makes a few speakers in the six-figure range, but the fact that they can achieve this sort of frequency response with a speaker that costs $17K and has still such rich and rewarding tonality makes me think they’ve discovered a new muse. I’ve already been hollered at once during this coverage for calling an expensive component reasonable, but let’s face it–value is value. These stunning new speakers from Gershman are a shining example.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
Beautiful grilles