It looks like the Europeans have for themselves some kind of audio festival on regular base. 

http://www.triodefestival.net/

I am not sure what it is, how it organized, who runs it and who participate it. My initial feeling that it was a bunch of the folks of DIY-audio-lever come together to drink bear and do not see own women for a weekend, sort of a Brokeback Euro-Mountain  but with tube rectification and fully regulated. Anyhow, I was not there, have no idea what level of sound they accomplish in there and what level of audio was generally presented at ETF2009. I suspect that sound was not too exiting in there - like at most of the show. It does not look that anyone speaks about the ETF sound but they have pictures. Well, it is what it is – audio it becomes a pornographic discipline, not only pornographic with detail description of what camera was used, what was the lens was used and how it was shot.

I defer to two long series of images post on like:

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/index.html

I looked over them and would like to point a few moment the picked my interest.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0375.html
http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0917.html
http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0919.html

Some has MF driver and ribbon in time-align position and they put this idiotic horizontal board. Without the board everything is fine but with this hugely reflective surface they absolutely fuck up anything.  I have no idea what was in a head of a person who did it.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0419.html
http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0914.html

The Goerlich woofers and some kind of electromagnetic MF yellow driver by Andrejs and Arkadii. I less care about the speaker but I like the idea of the wings around the MF. There was a gentleman from Switzerland or from Austria (I do not remember already) who proposed an interesting idea of reflecto-focused listening. I spoke with the guy and made his experiments. What Andrejs and Arkadii shoew is a derivation of that Switzerland-Austria idea. I would not do it but I like the thinking.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0423.html
http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0916.html

Have no idea who built this amp but I LOVE how it is gone – this is the way how no-nonsense amps shell be built.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0505.html

Again, I have no idea who did it but it LOOKS like the amp uses the unique Russian 1P24B tubes. They are very different tubes from anything ever were done in vacuum tubes world and completely not know in West. They have no screens or grid and the electron flow is managed but very different means. It would be fun to hear what those “rod tubes” can do sonically for Hi-Fi. The “rod tubes” have very interesting history abut so far they were not used in high-end audio.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0558.html

The Ari Polisois preamplifier with 6C33C. I truly would like to know what Ari was trying to accomplish with it and why he need such a powerful current secure out of his preamp. How was the 6C33C coupled with output is not said but this that would be the key. Anyhow, this type or preamp most like would be able to drive my 6-ch Melquiades with its 6 inductive filters. I have less interest in the 6C33C preamplifier but I do have interest in what power amps made Ari to make such a powerful preamplifier. The whole system design idea that 6C33C preamplifier in the middles is somthing that I would like to hear about.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0586.html

OK, ether to paint the MF horns in white or to paint the rest of the speaker in black.  I am not a racist, but this Michael Jackson syndrome in loudspeaker finish I found ridicules.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0623.html

The different MF horns on the right and on the left. It is some kind of statement from Mélaudia? OK, it is two separate MONO setups with different horns and the same tweeter and bass. That is actually is very good way to demonstrate the things. Very good and it shall be very educational.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0668.html

Tell me that Europeans still allow smoking inside? We can only envy to it….

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0892.html

I truly have no idea what this guy is doing. If it is a “new” way to measure the VTF then good luck with that.

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0913.html

Oh, God! The Bud’s idea had swamped over the ocean!!!!

http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/hb/slides/DSC_0781.html
http://www.holgerbarske.com/etf09/album/cg/slides/DSC_0984.html

 … and of course she is the super Pussy.  I am glad that they did have they any stupid dogs but let this beautiful creature to wonder around.