THE AUDIOKEY REVIEWS! MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2023 - ISSUE 13 by audiokeyreviews

AudioKeyREVIEWS! HIGH FIDELITY PERSONAL AUDIO & STEREO MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2023

Best of the Year 2023

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO S T R E A M E R

CAMBRIDGE

SOTA

100 PAGES OF

AUDIO

COMET IV

BEST OF THE YEAR

DAC & NETWORK PLAYER

TURNTABLE

PRODUCTS

PURE AUDIO PROJECT

OBRAVO AUDIO

DUET 15

CUPID

LOUDSPEAKERS

IN-EAR MONITORS (IEMS)

AND MORE…

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E LECTRIFIED S TABILIZATION P LATFORM

The Last Platform You’ll Ever Need

Music is art, art is music.

Welcome

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Claude Monet - Water Lilies, 1905

INSIDE THIS ISSUE… MUSICIANS

250

108 ART

HI-FI REVIEWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 21 EDITOR'S LETTER 48 DR. IRINA KUZMINSKY - MUSICAL MUSINGS 60 RAIN JORDAN - JOAN OF AUDIO & MUSIC 67 INTERVIEW - PETER BARON

INTERVIEWS

36 SOTA COMET IV

82 PURE AUDIO PPOJECT - DUET 15 96 BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO STREAMER 108 THE BEST OF 2023 232 OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE IEM 242 ATMA-SPHERE GEM INTEGRATED - PREVIEW MUSIC

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AUDIO

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER

262

ALLNIC D-10000 OTL/OCL DAC - PREVIEW

268

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

274

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

280

COMING NEXT

282

REVIEWS ON THE WEB

VIDEO REVIEWS

250

Front Inside Cover: Matisse - Flowers (1907) Back Inside Cover: Vincent Van Gogh - Blossoming Peor Tree, 1888

MUSIC REVIEWS

The Other Art. It is my belief that the artist and the musician are not only creatives, but they access heart and soul and experience, perhaps, in the selfsame ways. My own love for art and music are inseparable. And so art, music, and those things which facilitate the music shall share theses pages.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

232

Claude Monet - Wheatstacks (End of Summer)

Joan Miro -Poem Dan Hill

E DI TO R’s CHA IR

he Fourth Annual Best of the Year issue is at hand, in a year that has at times passed quickly, while at other times it has appeared to just amble along. Nonetheless, 2024 awaits us in just over 60 days. I am truly grateful for those editors, columnists, reviewers, and videographers who have contributed to both the US and Canadian editions of the magazine, our fledgling northern enterprise, which adds up to a total of three magazines per issue date. But as a long-ago commercial put it, “You asked for it, you got it…” Well, thank you all for your help and commitment to making this happen every other month! I must certainly thank the good folks across the industry— manufacturers, distributors, retailers, audiophiles, and music lovers— who have made it all well worth the time, energy, and countless hours of writing, production, marketing and sales. Thank you! There are definitely some treats in this issue, in the form of several new reviews of superb to astonishing to formidable components, over 100 pages of awards from our Breakthroughs to Editor’s Choice to Best of the Year, per each editor to the Best Products of the Year. Despite the fierce rumblings of the world, I will focus on better things here—a better world, greater awareness, understanding, peace, compassion, empathy, integrity, and goodwill towards all. God bless. Sincerely,

K.E. Heartsong Editor-in-Chief

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THE CREW Publisher/Editor-in-Chief K. E. Heartsong Managing Editor Dr. Irina Kuzminsky

Andre Marc Oliver Masciarotte Columnists Dr. Irina Kuzminsky Rain Jordan Music Reviewers (Video/Written) Dr. Irina Kuzminsky Photographer K. E. Heartsong Graphic Design Wabi Sabi Design Group

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MASTHEAD

Senior Editor(s)

HermanMiller

Hockney David- Pool with Two Figures

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BRASSAI - Paris Night

Preternatural ability to play all genres of music, including choral and live music, with exceptional technical prowess and outstanding musicality. A giant stalker and eliminator of the first order.

—K.E. Heartsong, AudioKeyReviews

They never failed to please, with any musical source at any reasonable listening level. (Perhaps they really are Shmoos!). —Kalman Robinson, Stereophile

I found the VIVID Audio KAYA 45 speakers to be the most transparent and musical speakers I have reviewed in my more than 10 years of professional reviewing experience. —Jim Clements, Home Theater High Fidelity

Camille Claudel - Self Portrait 1884

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One of the Best Products of the Year and One of the Most Affordable!

SOTA COMET IV By Andre Marc

SOTA COMET IV

OTA Sound Inventions has been one of the most respected manufacturers in the hi-fi industry for over four decades. They have a devoted user base and are rightly known for their high value products and virtually unrivalled dedication to servicing and repairing legacy products. SOTA proudly makes their products in their manufacturing facility in Delavan, Wisconsin. The company is beloved for a good many reasons. Their turntables and accessories are all designed using solid, time-tested engineering. They don’t pivot with every new trend or fad in design. They make products for all budgets, and speaking from experience, they are wonderful people who cater to music lovers. We were very excited to receive for review the latest edition of the Comet turntable, the Comet VI. Many of their products have names related to the cosmos, which strikes a chord with this astronomy buff! We also received the new Pyxi phono stage along with the turntable. audiokeyreviews.com

The Comet VI has a base price of $2,125, and comes equipped with a Rega RB330 tonearm. It is available in Oak, American Cherry or American Walnut wood veneers. The unit can be shipped with no cartridge or with a choice of Moving Magnet or Moving Coil. cartridge preinstalled. The turntable is lovely in appearance and a breeze to set up. SOTA’s attention to detail in the packaging and documentation is excellent. Their attention to matters regarding both vibration and resonance goes above and beyond most manufacturers. SOTA uses several types of energy-dissipating polymer materials throughout. This applies to several areas, including the main platter, the subplatter and the bearing cup assembly. Rounding out resonance control is dampening in the chassis and specially designed feet. The unit is driven by a 24-pole AC synchronous for precise timing and a low tension belt ensures smooth operation, Of course, the Comet IV spins at both 33 1/3

Henri Toulouse Lautrec - A Montrouge Rosa La Rouge

Imogen Cunningham

SOTA COMET IV and 45 RPM. A dust cover is available at SET-UP AND LISTENING additional cost, as is a low mass beautifully Setting up the Comet VI was a breeze. From made clamp, which we did receive with the unpacking to spinning vinyl, barely 20 minutes review sample. SOTA feels the clamp offers a passed. Some minor assembly involving the distinct platter, balancing performance, the tonearm and so we used it setting the with every tracking force was record we essentially all that spun. The was required. The review sample company even we received supplies a level to was outfitted make sure the with the table is on an even Audio footing. Technica The rest of the system was comprised of a AT33SA Moving Coil cartridge. Rogue RP-5 tube preamp, a Simaudio 330A The Pyxi phono preamp retails for $300 power amp, Magnepan 1.7i speakers, and the and does not appear to be just a “me too” aforementioned SOTA Pyxi phono preamp. product. SOTA worked with respected firm Cabling was all Clarus through and through Phoenix Engineering to develop the unit. (REVIEW LINK). Everything was plugged The goal was ultra low noise, a clean signal into Bryston and Audience power path, and a balanced, transparent sonic conditioners. We placed the Comet VI on a character. They paid particular attention to Symposium Rollerblocks and a Svlete Shelf, part quality, specifying 1 percent resistors for which to our ears are the best external consistent performance, highly unusual at resonance control devices we have ever tried. this price point. The unit also has a sleek The first album I spun was a hard-to-find appearance, with a small footprint and pressing of Fairfield Parlour’s one and only adjustments for Moving Magnet and album, From Home To Home. The music is Moving Coil cartridges. A white paper was heavy art rock, with Mellotron, guitars, poetic even produced that details the design: lyrics and amazingly melodic songs. I noticed https://sotaturntables.com/wp-content/ surface noise was far less prominent than on uploads/2023/02/sota-pyxi-whitepaper.pdf previous spins, and the imaging was very audiokeyreviews.com

SOTA COMET IV precise. I could identify subtle background parts in the mix that previously were rather obscured. This is an example of a pressing

and piano chords to “Baba O’Reilly” had the perfect amount of percussive quality and decay, and when the bass and vocals kick in there is superb impact and dynamics. Well done, SOTA. We wanted to throw some curve balls in, so we picked something more contemporary. We picked Music For The Age Of Miracles by one of our favourite modern bands, The Clientele. Their music is ornate chamber pop, with a strong mid-period Beatles influence. We were astonished at how spacious, holographic and immersive this LP sounded with the Comet VI. The songs are lovely, with expansive

that, although musically sublime, was not stellar from a physical perspective, but the Comet VI seemed to dive in and extract the best from the platter. The Who just released a massive archival box set of their iconic album Who’s Next, which was linked to a convoluted project called Life House that Pete Townshend had worked on for several years. The 120-track plus release has the original album remastered, tons of demos and live recordings. I pulled out an original MCA pressing of Who’s Next from the early 1970s and gave it a spin. melodies and breathtaking vocals. The We were simply blown away at how fresh Comet VI shone a light on the grand sweep this pressing sounded through the Comet VI. of the arrangements, yet also provided the We really thought there was nothing new we impact and the guitars and drums. could extract from this record, but we were Up next was an excellent discovery we proven wrong. The opening synthesizer riff made last year on the Night Dreamer label. audiokeyreviews.com

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SOTA COMET IV They produce all analog direct-to-disc recordings of world music, jazz and other exotic genres. The album pressings are of exceptional quality. The Comet VI and Pyxi combo brought all the goodness and

determine how much you enjoy playback, but the Comet VI will likely sound great regardless. The Comet VI worked flawlessly for the months we had it in house. We should also mention the speed was spot on, measured via various iPhone apps. The table was amazingly quiet as well mechanically—zero hum or any other incidental sounds could be detected. We also highly recommend the optional clamp. It really did make a difference, especially in imaging and bass coherency. The difference was obvious from the first use. Now for a few words of caution: if you are a compulsive tinkerer who wants to adjust every parameter for various records, you may want to immediacy that Direct To Disc platters are known for. Percussion, bass and brass had so look elsewhere. No VTA adjustment, etc. We much texture and presence, it was literally the are not one of those listeners and vinyl next best thing to being there. There was also enthusiasts. We are FIRMLY in the Set It And Forget It camp. plenty of recording space ambience. That being said, we trust SOTA has taken We made sure to listen to many more care of all the major parameters needed for records, varying the genre and vintage. The pleasurable listening. They have addressed overall picture we have of the Comet VI is vibration and speed accuracy, and the Rega that it is very good, with both macro RB330 tonearm is an excellent choice with dynamics, the big swings in volume, and micro dynamics, the small, subtle nuances of its low mass rigid design. The last piece of support instruments. Of course, your choice the puzzle to complete the Comet VI of cartridge and other gear will ultimately audiokeyreviews.com

SOTA COMET IV package would be to order the optional dust cover, if so desired. CONCLUSION

There is no other way to put it: we fell in love with the SOTA Comet VI turntable. It offered performance beyond its price point and the pride of ownership is off the charts. The Comet VI made old favourites sound fresh and vital and had us doing internal crate digging, looking for records we have not played in some time. At around $2,500 for the package, depending on the cartridge, the Comet VI is an absolute steal. The same applies to the magical little box called the Pyxi. At $300 it puts itself at the head of the pack for affordable phono preamps. No, it did not outclass phonostages costing ten times more that we had in house, but it sure was closer than we could have imagined. SOTA is exactly the type of company I enjoy supporting as a consumer and enthusiast. They take the quality of their products and customer satisfaction quite personally. They make turntables that any music lover would fall for, and you can rest easy that the product will be supported going forward.Of course, we can surmise unreservedly that moving up the SOTA line gets you higher end performance, so which turntable you choose to audition will depend on your budget and listening habits. audiokeyreviews.com

PRODUCT INFORMATION

https://sotaturntables.com/products/comet-vi/ Comet specifications Weight: 26 lb (12 kg) Dimensions: 6-1/4″ H (to top of dust cover), 18-1/4″ W, 14-1/4 ” D Tonearm: Rega RB330 Sub-platter: White polyoxymethylene precision-machined Bearing: Hardened chrome ball Plinth: 3.125” Medium density fibreboard with constrained dampening material Motor: 24-pole AC synchronous motor. Speeds: 33/45 rpm Pulley: Aircraft grade aluminum, dual speed design Finishes: Oak, American Cherry, American Walnut wood veneer

AKRM

Vincent Van Gogh - Avenue of Poplars in Autumn 1884

MUSICAL MUSINGS REPRISE By Irina Kuzminsky

nargeia, released in October 2021, is the debut album of a stunning new arrival on the classical music scene, ItalianCanadian mezzo soprano Emily D’Angelo, who has just been signed as an exclusive artist with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label. Only 26 years old, she is already the winner of multiple opera awards with an enviable career, and from the moment her evocative mezzo voice enters on the first track it is easy to see the reason behind the accolades. The title, chosen by the artist, comes from Ancient Greek rhetoric and refers to a way of recreating something by using words so vividly, that it “ seems to conjure its subject into existence”, as D’Angelo puts it. enargeia signifies both the arousal of emotion and aesthetic pleasure, and attests to the truth of what is being conveyed.

Quite a tall order, but one that this album certainly approaches, as D’Angelo’s gorgeous rich mezzo weaves in and out of textures both modern and medieval, with exemplary control over legato and dynamics throughout her range. enargeia features music by four female composers, from the 12th century Hildegard of Bingen to 21st century Icelandic composer Oscar-winning Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Americans Missy Mazzoli and Sarah Kirkland Snider. As D’Angelo states, Hildegard’s influence runs through this album like a thread. Certainly, there is a spiritual quality to most of the tracks, as well as the melding of a haunting medieval feel with a contemporary classical idiom unafraid of fusing electronics with acoustic instruments. Also highlighted is the

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Imogen Cunningham - Lily

www.artic.edu

JULY 2022 A PUBLIC SERVICE BY AUDIOKEYREVIEWS vision-ears.de

MUSICAL MUSINGS interesting relationship, even affinity of sorts, between ancient plainchant and modern melismatic vocal lines set against drones and ostinato, with both displaying a certain rhythmic and harmonic freedom which grows organically out of following the text. The acknowledgement of Hildegard’s overarching influence on the music in enargeia is most appropriate, given that Hildegard herself was at the fountainhead of the Western classical tradition. enargeia opens with a haunting track by Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Fólk faer andlit”. This is music with deep roots in a Nordic past which seems to grow into our present. Guðnadóttir uses a style related to plainchant over a drone, with instruments (strings and woodwind) weaving in and out of the texture and cushioning the voice. Two other stand out tracks immediately come to mind, both settings of Hildegard, one by Mazzoli, “O frondens virga”, in which violoncello and voice perform an ongoing duet, and the other by Snider, “O virtu sapientiae”, for voice and string quartet, encasing medieval chant in a contemporary ambience. I could listen to a whole album of such settings of Hildegard and not tire of them. The combination of

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old and contemporary makes for a timelessness that is very appealing. Personally, I love hearing this kind of chant performed by a female voice rich in colour and expressivity, and unafraid to use vibrato. “Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Lidur” is another track that seems to grow out of Nordic landscapes as the singer duets with herself with haunting electronic delay effects. Like the opening track, “Fólk faerandlit”, this encompasses both folk roots and contemporary idioms, with the use of the lower strings adding a special feel to the vocal lines above. Continuing the spirituality theme, Missy Mazzoli’s own work is represented by “Hello Lord”, from her Vespers for a New Dark Age, and by selections from her chamber opera based on the life of the Sufi Isabelle Eberhardt, “Song from the Uproar.” Snider is represented by selections from her song cycle “Penelope,” and a song from Caritas. Each of the composers has her own distinctive style. While Guðnadóttir’s works share a particular evocative Nordic quality, Mazzoli creates fusions of electronica and strings, spilling over into more experimental atmospheric tracks such as “A Thousand Tongues”, or returning to the haunting lower strings and voice interplay with underlying

OCTOBER 2021

MUSICAL MUSINGS pizzicato building tension in “You are the Dust”. Mazzoli’s “Hello Lord” begins as though it might grow into a spiritual, only to flower into a contemporary dramatic operatic number, a style also employed in the extracts from her chamber opera, and one which displays D’Angelo’s dramatic gifts and high register. The selections from Snider’s Penelope are in a different style again and predominantly use a lower part of D’Angelo’s range showing off her range of colour and timbre. The settings here are more in the style of musicals, introducing elements such as drum kits and electric guitars mixed into a contemporary dissonant style. While Snider uses fuller orchestration, she also does not shy away from using the naked voice in the lower register in “The Lotus Eaters” or “Dead Friend”, the violent dissonances of which come as a shock when juxtaposed to the focused intense calm of Hildegard. It is interesting to hear so many classical vocal settings in English, a language which is notoriously difficult to set in the classical idiom, with some saying nobody has yet equalled Purcell in this regard. The tracks here do come pretty close though, I would say, helped by D’Angelo’s excellent enunciation.

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While not all the tracks in enargeia would necessarily be my favourites, all are interesting to explore and each is expressively brought to life by D’Angelo’s gorgeous voice. Jarkko Riihimäki, who conducts Das freie Orchester Berlin, was responsible for many of the arrangements on this album and he has clearly done a superlative job. This is an album to savour both for the artistry of Emily D’Angelo, and for its exploration of 21st century classical vocal repertoire by three women composers, but also, particularly, for its meditative beauty and its ability to look forward and back at the same time. The Hildegard arrangements alone would make enargeia worth having.

AKRM

Vincent-Van-Gogh - RoadWith Cypress and Star

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Kandinsky - Murnau View from Window of Griesbrau

www.qln.se

JOAN OF AUDIO & MUSIC By Rain Jordan

A HIGHER LOVE To be an artist is to believe in life —Henry Moore

PETER BARON

his is my final article for the year of 2023. It’s been a grand adventure indeed! I’ve truly enjoyed discovering and writing about local emergent artists in my column and in the interview segment of the magazine. I feel deeply enriched by the experiences I’ve had with each of the artists. Their work and their humanity have been profoundly inspirational to me and hopefully to many others. To be an artist is to express that which is most authentic to us; to express that which is ever-so-particular to our perspective or vision. As I mentioned many times throughout my writing, we are all artists. We

Painting by Rossetti

have the spiritual and creative DNA of the One Creator who created us. We are each an infinite facet of what can be likened to a boundless diamond. But we must let go of the limited egoic self, the conditioned persona that we have been taught to identify with, so that we may discover the artist within us. And with that said, I ‘d like to introduce the final featured artist for the year, Peter Baron. You will find his interview with me in this issue. Everything I expressed in the above paragraph is in many ways indicative of my meeting with Peter. If there is anyone thus far, that I’ve interviewed, Peter is the embodiment of the true creative. I’m going to take some liberties to describe Peter and his

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Picasso

JOAN OF AUDIO & MUSIC work in ways that he may not describe a mood, a vision, an idea, something he was himself. I think I can do this best by briefly dreaming up in the moment. The band telling the story of my first encounter members who had never played together with Peter Baron’s Jazz Network, The before, and may have never met before, were Backyard Improv. I was invited by a friend to tasked with creating a song together based on attend Peter’s concert a month or so ago. She Peter’s real-time cues. And, just as a sunset explained that the concerts were by invite silently reveals a myriad of neon streaks only. And I should bring a folding chair and across an unsuspecting sky, the musicians maybe some wine. I would need to park on would get started on the song, Peter would the street, and someone would guide me up quietly retreat to his chair, and we would to the backyard where the concert was taking watch the magic unfold. place. When I arrived, there were already at In my eyes, Peter is a performance artist. least 100 people in attendance. My friend He is an integral part of the show. He’s not waved me over to where she was sitting, and I just a music promoter or host. He is settled in. The yard was especially spacious improvisational art himself. Bobby and surrounded with terraced hills and trees. McFerren speaks about improvisational I thought maybe there was even a vineyard performance as being similar to life, growing behind us. The energy of the crowd “Improvisation means coming to the was relaxed yet there was a sense of situation without rigid expectations or anticipation in the air, as the musicians preconceptions. The key to improvisation is were warming up and fine tuning their motion — you keep going forward, fearful or instruments. There was a guitarist, a not, living from moment to moment. That’s drummer, a bass guitar player, and a how life is.” I think Peter’s work and life saxophonist. Soon, Peter joined the musicians mirrors that approach perfectly. I’ll conclude near the center of the stage area and by saying the show was truly an innovative welcomed everyone to the show. I was and inspiring event. Yet, an incredibly immediately struck by Peter’s vibe, his unpretentious, philosophical joy ride. And as openness, his ease, the light and joy in his Peter so candidly says in his interview about eyes. He took his time, he moved to his own his current work, “I found my niche. This is rhythm. He was his own compass. Peter where I want to be.” described the modus operandi for the show to the musicians and the audience. Peter would tell a short story, or describe a scenario, AKRM

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INTERVIEW

Peter Baron The Mind of an Artist and Music Promoter Conducted by Raine Jordan

Conducted by Raine Jordan

INTERVIEW: PETER BARON

y interview with Peter Baron, an artist and the producer of Peter Baron’s Jazz Network, Backyard Improv, was done podcast-style on location at his home and studio in Walnut Creek, CA. Peter felt he was better interviewed off-the-cuff then having to respond to my questions in writing. I don’t disagree. He’s delightfully unscripted. Thus, the link to the original unedited audio of his interview is available below at the end of the written interview. The written version has been edited (condensed) to fit the space constraints of the magazine and for grammatical flow and structure. This is truly a snippet of Peter’s story and essence. To know him is to feel his vibe which is best done in person. Although, I hope this multi-media article showcasing his ideas, his paintings, and

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his music videos convey some measure of his tremendous spirit and his artistry. Raine Jordan (RJ): How would you describe yourself? And how is your work a reflection of that? I know that's a loaded question, so please go wherever you want with it. Peter Baron (PB): OK. Let me try to be succinct, but I may not be successful. It is a loaded question. For almost 40 years now, I’ve been creating art, original paintings, etc. and more recently promoting live music events. From the start, I’d almost always listen to music, all different kinds and genres of music, for inspiration, while I created art. However, when I create art, I know based on my own experience, that eventually I will hit a point where I get frustrated. Whether, I have a predetermined idea of what I want to do, or whether I'm just going off-the-cuff, I will get frustrated. And I will feel like I want to quit at some point. But here’s the thing, I always push through it. So basically, it's a life lesson for me each and every time. If I can push through and get to the point where I'm satisfied, then I feel successful.

Joan Miro - Abstract C, 1935

INTERVIEW: PETER BARON So, I realize I have to deal with some level of RJ: Can you shed some light on how “Peter frustration to get to a point of being happy. Baron’s Jazz Network Backyard Improv” This brings me to the Backyard Improv concerts came into being? concerts. The musicians during my live events PB: Absolutely. I mean, it's weird because at a are creating music spontaneously based on the young age around 19 or 20 yrs. old, when I cues I give them. They have to create on the first started painting, I listened to all styles of spot. As I watch their wheels turn, I know music, everything from alternative to classic they're going through a creative process similar rock, a lot of soul, a lot of Motown stuff. Also, to what I experience when I paint. But, in I found myself listening to a lot of Miles their situation, there's no turning back during Davis, a lot of the old school jazz kind of stuff, a live performance. In my case, I don't look Horace Silver backwards and much either Cannonball because I'm Adderly. And it constantly just put me in a looking certain type of forward. This mood and vibe. is why I'm so It's just keen on something that improvisation I've always because I really enjoyed. Jazz love the has this free process of creating original music or art flowing nature. That's basically what jazz is. extemporarily. So, to answer your question, I’m It’s free. As you know, I have the Jazz an artist who loves creating original work and Network, and a lot of times people that are not I am inspired by the insights that flow with it. familiar with it want to categorize what we call I really champion original music. I would say jazz as a certain type of music. They have a that my former club, The Impulse Room, in certain, idea about it. And they may say, oh, Walnut Creek, CA and my current you know, that's nice. That's what my parents production, Peter Baron’s Jazz Network and used to listen to or, you know, that's elevator The Backyard Improv, which takes place music. Jazz ranges from the classic kind of throughout the San Francisco Bay Area are a stuff or traditional jazz, but it also rolls into the reflection of that championing. blues, into funk, into rock, into all these different things. And that's why we do all these different configurations with the

musicians and instruments, right? So, it's not because there are these stories and insights and always the same. But you know, I just like things that come through. And so, it’s like the music. I like jazz. I found my little niche with notion of storytelling; I present an original the Backyard Improv. As I said, I’m all about idea or story to the musicians and audience original art. I'm not hating on cover bands or and the musicians begin to create a song tribute bands. I just have a tendency to want to impromptu in front of me. The song has never hear the people who originally create it. But I been played or heard before by any of us. And, did notice when I opened up my jazz club, that as I witness these musicians interact with each there are not a lot other to create of clubs or people something totally out there that new and to have that champion original story or idea come music. And as I through in an was struggling to incredible song is just open up the club, cool. And then to I‘d get some old talk about it with the timers who would audience a little, it’s say good luck just really cool. Also, with championing there are many times original music, that my paintings are that's a noble the inspiration thing. But you behind a song. know, people, During the show, I'll they're so take a painting of conditioned to mine, talk a little want to hear what about the mood and they're familiar with. But everybody else is the title of the painting, and then ask the doing that. So that's not special to me. I'm musicians to create music to reflect that. So, very expressive. I hope in a positive way. And that’s how Backyard Improv came about just the Backyard Improv is a way to express out of the desire to champion original music myself. I'm at these shows sometimes and and art. people will come to me afterwards and ask me RJ: I love that answer. I must say that that is if I am planning on being a preacher. I say, no, the inspiration that compelled me to interview no. They say you'd be good at it. You know you. I was struck by your authenticity and ease. audiokeyreviews.com

INTERVIEW: PETER BARON That you are so much yourself. And of course, authentic relationships are “the fruit of life”. the very unifying and profound messages or Really one of the most important elements in life lessons that you so effortlessly weave in. life. And I agree that music does that. It is unifying, and art is a unifier as well. And Peter PB: Thank you. It is very satisfying when the you're up there unifying. You play that role members of my Jazz Network and all those beautifully. who support the Backyard Improv as well as my art, echo what you just said. It feels good. PB: Thank you. I try, you know. I want to. It And also, the relationships that are created sounds a little grandiose and maybe I among the musicians are amazing. We have shouldn't be so dramatic and all that kind of musicians that have never met each other. Not stuff, but I want to be remembered. I want to only do they be not know who remembered they're playing not for having with, but the the most idea that money in the they've never world or not. even met each Here's the other. They put thing. I've a lot of trust in learned me. It’s cool everything's when I see finite. I'm the them eternal exchanging optimist. I am telephone always going numbers and talking about how much fun to be. I'm always going to think tomorrow's they had, and then to learn later that these going to be better than today, no matter how people are forming bands getting together, etc. bad today was or how great. However, I'm also And then also the audience is such a big part a realist. I know things don't last forever, so I of this. It's like meeting you. For instance, what really try to live in the moment and appreciate a cool vibe. What a cool person you are. I have the scene. And the other thing is, I don't want made so many really good friends through the to take too much credit because this is a Jazz Network and the Backyard Improv. communal affair. This is a community. It's a community of musicians that take their time RJ: Yea, that is a topic that we can talk about to come out. You know, I think it's about 6,570 more. But just to comment on it, I think

Room.” Well, the long and short of it is, it's tough making it in the restaurant business or the club business, but we did finally turn the corner. I finally started getting in the black. We finally started doing it and then COVID hits. And even though we had other investors lined up and it was going to carry on, we had to shut down for a prolonged period of time because RJ: We talked a little bit about your jazz club, of the pandemic. It just came to the point The Impulse Room. I want to just have you where it was too tough to navigate, too speak to our audience a little about that financially expensive. So, then I came home, endeavor. and we're all sequestered and living in our PB: Well, let me start off by saying it was houses and not doing anything. Well, I knew brutal. Being a being a club owner is brutal. I could only take that for so long. I thought, I Just dealing with cities and their expectations. know what I am going to do, I don't want to But it was basically born from me being at the get in trouble, but I'm going to have my own Playboy Jazz Festival in 1992 as a special guest. concert outside at a neighbor's house. But I As I'm sitting there with 50,000 people and thought, I can’t tell anyone about it because I I've got my booth filled with all my art and don't want authorities coming in shutting me everybody's listening to music. I had a vision of down and blaming me for the spread of myself opening a jazz club focused on original COVID and all this kind of stuff. But we music. Well, it took 25 years before I started it, didn't. We were responsible. You know, we did but I finally did open The Impulse Room Jazz all the right things. Club in downtown Walnut Creek, CA. It was RJ: As a promoter of music and an artist what a complete one off. It wasn't an extension of do you feel most connected with? something else that had already been built. This was just a vision and a brand I created in PB: I’m going back to the whole relationship, my head. I came up with the name of the club the whole love thing. I think we all need each other on some level. I don't care how much from standing on the corner and watching people watching the construction take place. money you have or how accomplished you are, or whatever. You know, whatever you've As they were going by, they were peering in achieved at some point, you still need the window looking at things, and I said to myself, “you know what? I want people to just somebody. You either needed them earlier on in your life or you will need them when you hear the music and impulsively come in to get older, God willing. We all get older, and at listen. I'm going to call it The Impulse different musicians, top musicians in the Bay Area that take their time to be part of this. And they can probably get paid a little more somewhere else, but they like to help grow this. And all the people that come and support this. It's a community affair. I love it and I'm just blessed to be part of it.

INTERVIEW: PETER BARON vibes. So, to answer your question, I found my some point, you’re going to need a friend, an ear, somebody who's going to listen to you or sweet spot. I want to continue to do what it is advise you or help you. To go it alone is next to I'm doing now. Continue to play at private homes with anywhere from 75 to 100 people impossible. OK, so in my opinion it’s the relationship building. It's like when I'm talking or more if space is available. But, I found on the mic and I say something and II look at where I want to be. I’m good. So, you’re people and they're like, oh man, yes! And they coming to the next one, right? It's on 11/11 by the way. Synchronicity. Those are the angel clap, you know, they're like, yeah, we're into that. Or when the musicians are playing and I numbers. look back at the audience and I see some of RJ: Thank you Peter, I am absolutely there on the people with their eyes closed. That's a neat 11/11 thing. That means they're really into it. They're deep listening. But this is what I feel most FINAL THOUGHTS connected to, creating relationships and music I want to thank Peter Baron for his time, his and art. amazing energy and talent. Both he and his RJ: What are your aspirations for the future? work are truly a gift. And I want to thank our What are you thinking of? mutual friend Jane Tobler for introducing me to Peter Baron, and for her kindness, PB: After COVID, and my club closed, I felt friendship and hospitality. Lastly, I want to like I wanted to carry on with my thank everyone who contributes in some way improvisational music production. When my to Peter Baron’s work. We are all in this club was open, I was doing it on certain nights, together. I am ever so grateful. and I really liked it. So, I initially thought I would get into a local theater in Danville, CA and have performances there. But unfortunately, they too suffered after COVID. So that didn’t work out. One day, my neighbor came to me and said, well, you can use my deck. I don't think he thought I was going to say, “OK great!” But I'm like, hey, dude, that sounds like a great idea. Let's do it. And now we're at Backyard Improv #46. But we've been to 13 or 14 different places now, different backyards, all very cool homes with different AKRM

Pierre Auguste Renoir - On the Terrace, 1881

Vincent van Gogh - Fields with Blooming Poppies, 1890

PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15 By Oliver Masciarotte

PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15

never could make sense of supposedly full range, single driver loudspeakers. They have no bottom to speak of, they roll off at about 4 to 7 kiloHertz, and all their energy is concentrated in the midband. Table

Project, Ze’ev Schlik and his stateside compatriot Thomas Sulentic, add a nice, simple second order Mundorf crossover‡ and 15" driver in an open baffle arrangement employing your choice of a high density

radios are great for informing you of local fiberboard, wood or bamboo baffle. The mid– politics and weather, but they are anything but HF driver is Voxativ’s “classic” AC-1.6, an 8" hi–fi. If nothing, single driver speakers are dark widebander equipped with a translucent and shouty, to a greater or less degree, and thin Japanese paper cone and large whizzer, driven where they shouldn’t be. You can add a sub by a ferrite magnet via an underhung voice and super–tweeter, but then you no longer coil to reduce distortion. Optionally, another have a single driver! What’s a mother to do? Voxativ, the AC-PiFe is available as a voicing The answer? Find a better driver. To a alternative. About that, Schlik told me that German full ranger, the guys at Pure Audio “…In general, the AC-1.6 is a superb audiokeyreviews.com

Vincent Van Gogh - Lallee des alyscamps arles

Joan Miro - Blue

PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15 performer in (the) Duet15 and we don't feel interaction. No enclosure means no internal there are any sonic compromises with this standing waves and reflections, making for a, configuration.” small pun intended, more open sound. It’s “The (alternative true though…open Voxativ) AC-PiFe baffle speakers do features a unique sound different and wooden cone and more unencumbered therefore the sonic that most speakers in signature is just a bit boxes. different, with an So, now you can see extremely realistic that the Duet15 is a feeling of sonic mass two–way design. The mainly in the aforementioned midrange, overall whizzer cone should clarity, and bass narrowcast high definition.” A custom frequencies but, does 15" Eminence woofer it? Is the Duet15 as is tasked with the dark as I’ve come to lower mid and low expect from a full frequency duties. range transducer? There’s a crucial detail Well, yes and no. It in that last sentence; a doesn’t immediately direct radiator for the telegraph “darkness” low midrange and and it’s not noticeably bass. That large woofer beamy, but it is gently more than makes up rolled off at higher for the low frequency frequencies. In my lack that 8" driver room, things start to provides. Because the Pure Audio Project head toward the south pole at around 18k. Duet15 Prelude is of the open baffle That is still significantly more high frequency persuasion, it radiates long wavelength energy energy than another single driver full range impartially into space, resulting in less room model I had in the house until last week. It

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PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15 was the epitome of veiled highs, bleached bass and clamorous midrange. Then again, that creature employed a Chi–fi full ranger, also 8", and it just wasn’t high fidelity. Even modern “smart speakers,” the ones the size of a cantaloupe, put one over in many ways on that particularly poor example. Sulentic explained that “… because of the Voxativ’s light paper cone, the mids and the highs share the same sonic signature with more texture in the highs. It is a full range after all…It might seem to be more forward, but it’s not – it’s just a bit more in focus. These little changes add up to a noticeable, palpable feeling of energy.” That Chinese equivalent I mentioned employs an attractive wood pulp cone and whizzer used in a less expensive Euro open baffle. From the front, the budget competition looks remarkably similar to the Duet15 and costs about $2k less than what PureAudioProject sells. When it comes to

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sound quality however, there is no comparison. The Asian–anchored unit has all those aspects I steer away from; a ragged, mid–forward response that forces me to dislike most entry level, full range loudspeakers. My Duet15 demo arrived in four cartons; two reusable, mostly paperboard and plywood cases with cloth straps, and two much smaller “cardboard” boxes with the base and crossover already joined. The entire front baffle, with drivers installed, was contained in the bigger container. Because there is no enclosure, I could easily wrangle the two pieces out of their packages. Four hex screws was all it took to marry the base to the baffle. The crossover was pre– wired, so after that it was a simple matter to clip each set of “internal” leads onto the corresponding spring–loaded binding posts for each driver,

PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15 is a gem from Mal Waldron’s often and away I went. For a civilian purchasing overlooked œuvre. With Rudy Van Gelder the product, everything arrives flat–packed in obsessively at the controls, and the crack five cartons. The customer mates the base to transfer and mastering team† of Grey and the baffle, mounts the drivers and crossover, Blakemore, this old skool track dips the then connects the drivers to the crossover listener into the cooling jazz waters of this with pre–dressed included cabling. As 1957 recording date. Bandleader Waldron’s supplied to a customer, this process is quite a understated keys, Arthur Taylor’s percussion bit easier than assembling an Ikea bookshelf. and Julian Euell’s double bass underpin the I started my listening with my default track, while the holy horn trio of Jackie lineup of gear; Parasound’s princely JC 5 McLean, Bill Hardman and Saint John power amplifier, driving the speakers via (Coltrane) take a sultry swing for the ANTICABLES’ down to earth Level 3.1 bleachers. The Duet15 is perfectly suited to “red” single conductor cables. Conversion was this piece, lending a relaxed and smooth supplied via Audio Mirror’s Tubadour IV and sound that embraces the listener like an Mytek’s Liberty II DAC. The Duet15 intimate, smoke–filled nightclub. includes a magnetically attached speaker grill Continuing in the genre, Noah Haidu’s for the mid/woofer only. During their visit in 2011 debut Slipstream [Qobuz 44.1k Posimy living room, the grills were set aside. As Tone Records], with Jeremy “Yourpeltness” usual, I surfed through my Qobuz accounts Pelt and Jon Irabagon, heralded a lyric and with the help of Amarra Luxe, cherry picking original force on the jazz scene. The sixth cut, from my rock, jazz, americana and classical “Take Your Time”, showcases what these playlists. Here were some standouts found frisky felines are all about, and the Duet15 during my listening…Penguin Cafe’s proffered a slice of tobacco and cannabis– “Galahad” from his 2023 release Rain Before ladened hep cats jamming that had me Seven…a reverb–dipped chamber rock piece listening, gasp, to the whole album. One of that trots through prog and classical territory my all time favorite pop tunes is Steely Dan’s on it’s way to settling into a space of its own “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, and the [Qobuz 96k Erased Tapes]. Never shrill or Dan’s “Pretzel Logic” has been added to aggressive, the Duet15 felt solid, rich, and Qobuz in hi–rez [192k Geffen]. For this simply there; an unexpected delight for the round of sessions, it was big Roger Nichols at full range uninitiated. the controls and Gary Katz riding herd over This year’s re–release of J.M’s Dream Doll a team of crack studio personnel. Listening from Mal/2 [Qobuz 192k Craft Recordings] audiokeyreviews.com

through the Duet15s, I was transported to afraid of superior EQ and a tasteful amount the planet Fagen–Becker, seamlessly of quality equalization transformed the enveloped in their quirky blend of jazz, pop Duet15s from very tasty to quite and blues…fantastic! At that moment, I was scrumptious. not aware of any shortcomings in the In case someone tells you, “Open baffles loudspeakers. I could not have asked for more can’t possibly do bass,” you can easily disabuse or less. them of this fallacy Another new with the help of the release, the Warner folks at Classics album of PureAudioProject. Mendelssohn: The Take, for example, Hebrides, Montréal-based DJ Symphonies Nos. 3 and artist Debbie "Scottish" & 4 Tebbs, whose album "Italian" - Weber: Origine was released Overtures with this year on Otto Klemperer Quartier Général. conducting [Qobuz The track “Vitamin 192k] highlight D” is a typical dance what some may confection, with consider the what is now an Duet15’s obligatory shortcomings. With bandpassed intro massed power of an and syth kick and orchestra, the bass lines behind Duet15 grow a touch congested. That D–Track’s deadpan rap…turn that sucka up midrange bark that seems to be part and and wave your hands in the air! Through the parcel of all full range drivers also makes its Duet15s, there is no lack of an appropriately presence known. I must stress, however, that solid bottom. In my room, though the low these are minor shortcomings in an overall frequency response started to roll at 42 offering that delivers musical truth and sonic Hertz, it still provided usable response down beauty. As an aside, I will confess that I’m not to 32Hz.

PURE AUDIO PROJECT DUET 15 Earlier this year, the world lost a right quotes, adding that they were also timbrally good musician. Back in pre–COVID times, well balanced. Except for the form factor, Marty Scorcese released The Irishman, with which must always be taken into a cut off Robbie Robertson’s album Sinematic. consideration with an open baffle design, he The track, “I Hear You Paint enjoyed the Duet15 very much, adding that Houses” [Qobuz 88.2k UME Direct 2019], the combination of Tubadour IV and Duet15 features the late great Robertson singing with assuredly conveyed the emotion of the music. Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison about a For me, the combination of the Mytek’s contract killing. The Duet15s disentangles enhanced detail substantially compensated the two artist’s voices while Robertson’s for the full ranger’s rolled last octave response. guitar and the rhythm provided by the As I mentioned, the Duet15 Prelude is not a percussive Jim Keltner lent a pleasantly subjectively dark speaker, but it doesn’t have syncopated sizzle. There’s a lot going on in the sparkle and air that a well–integrated that track, but the PureAudio apparatus tweeter can provide. What it does have is an transmits Gavin Lurssen’s careful mastering admirable naturalness, a “feels right” way of of Martin “Smokey” Pradler’s mix without conveying a wholistic picture of a blur or peaky annoyances. performance, the essence of the music My audio friend Gene came by while the sometimes hidden in a recording. That ability Duet15s were in place. He was interested in to reveal the blood and guts of an artist’s hearing the Tubadour IV while I had it, so I interpretation is, for me, missing from many was able to A/B for him between the Audio very expensive, “high end” loudspeakers; ones Mirror and Mytek’s Liberty DAC II. At that impress with their size, weight and twice the price, he preferred the R-2R complexity but lack vitality, what my Tubadour but, while I had him captive, I mastering engineer colleague David Glasser asked about the speakers. Gene opined that refers to as “bleached.” If I had to pick a he wished for, ”…more snap in the bottom single adjective to describe Ze’ev’s speakers, end,” more toward a tighter, acoustic I’d have to say “organic.” These are suspension or transmission line style of step loudspeakers that combine a genuine lack of response. That said, he found nothing aural artifice with rich, room–filling energy offensive, which he immediately qualified as which kept me immersed in my music. If you being a complement. “They play loud can get past their distinctive physical without an ‘edge,’” emphasizing edge with air presence, you owe it to yourself to take a listen. audiokeyreviews.com

PureAudioProject

THE COMPANY

Duet15 Prelude

PURE AUDIO PROJECT Duet 15 ($6,490+) www.pureaudioproject.com Ze’ev Schlikand Thomas Sulentic ‡ — When asked about crossover specifics, Schlik said pureaudioproject.com that, for the “…Duet15 with AC-1.6 we designed a info@pureaudioproject.com straightforward second order crossover that is US: (646) 797 3147, (877) 927 2233 Starting at $6,490

manufactured to our spec by Mundorf and features audiophile MCAP grade caps, VS140 Coils and HiRes resistors.”

† — Multiple award–winning audio engineer Paul Blakemore is head of mastering for Concord [Concord Jazz, Concord Records, CRAFT Recordings, Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Loma Vista, Original Jazz Classics, Rounder, Specialty & STAX]. When I asked, via e–mail, what was his approach to the remaster, he replied, “Mal is one of the albums that CRAFT is reissuing on both vinyl and HD digital. The vinyl is usually cut directly from the original analog reels by Kevin Grey. At the same time he cuts, he runs a 192-24 flat backup of each side’s cutting master reel. He then sends these flat transfers to me. They all require different things for HD digital reissue. I’m very respectful of the original, full dynamic range, so I don’t compress. I do use some limiting because frequently there are a handful (like fewer than 10) individual peaks that hold the average level down if they are allowed to extend to their unprocessed levels. I let the limiter catch these peaks by between 1-4dB depending on the nature of the program and what is causing the peaks. If the peaks are all percussion hits and very short duration, I’ll allow a tad more aggressive limiting, whereas if the peaks are caused by asymmetrical waveforms like trumpet or other conical brass instruments, I’ll be more gentle with them. AKRM

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO By K.E. Heartsong

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO ver the past several weeks, I’ve been to two jazz concerts. The first concert, at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis, featured the Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet, a jazz ensemble. The second concert was Pat Metheny’s Dream Box tour at the Ordway in St. Paul. Well, there’s nothing like live music…almost.

overpowered or “mugged” the pianist. Kavyesh’s piano had become an afterthought in the music, a bit player in his own ensemble. I strained to even get glimpses of the piano, despite being several feet from the stage, and this was exceedingly frustrating. At one point, early in the concert, when Kavyesh rose from his piano to engage with

The first concert, with the Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet, featured Kavyesh on piano with Omar Abdulkarim on trumpet, Kevin Washington on drums, Jeff Bailey on bass, and Pete Whitman on saxophone. While the music was promising, the mix of the instruments was at best troubling. The drummer was way too high in the mix and was literally overpowering everyone else. It was as if a rock drummer had sat in with a jazz ensemble and believed himself to be in a stadium. And though the trumpet and the saxophone were not nearly as high in the mix as the drums, collectively they completely

the audience, I raised my hand. When Kavyesh acknowledged me, I said, “Excuse me, but your piano is way too low in the mix and the drums and horns are way too high. I cannot hear your piano.” Kavyesh nodded his thanks and immediately motioned to the mixing board to bring his piano way up in the mix above the “supporting” cast. From that point on, the concert went exceedingly well, and I was thanked here and there by concert-goers who no doubt felt the same way. The Pat Metheny concert at the Ordway promised a great show from an exceptionally

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Henri Matisse - Cat with Red Fish

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO talented guitarist, whom I’ve followed from his New Chataqua (1979) album to the present. I have many favourites among his discography, though one of my very favourites is his Beyond the Missouri Sky album, with the late bassist Charlie Haden. This album tells a beautiful story, from beginning to end, by two superb musicians. The concert saw Metheny perform solo and on no fewer than half a dozen guitars and other, well, instrumental contraptions, as the performance approached its end. There were the well known long-time favorites, which were well played, but a solo guitar cannot and did not make up for the lack of bass accompaniment, or drums, or horns, etc. And in a darkly lit theatre, seated in a comfy chair listening to the mellifluous and comforting notes strummed on Pat’s guitar, the “drifting-off-to-sleep” cherub armed with bow and arrow was relentless. Suffice to say, there was a good deal of pre-somnolent head-bobbing and forearm slippage from the arms of my comfy chair. In other words, the concert did not maintain my rapt attention. When, for instance, has the “featured” instrument ever been buried, unheard, beneath the mix in your recorded music? When has a concert lured you into the throes of dreamland? Imagine that! Hmmmm, all live concerts are not created equal and there are times, no doubt, when your stereo system

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provides for a better, more engaging overall performance than a live concert. Note to Mr. Metheny: you’ll probably want an ensemble with you from here on out. Just saying… This brings me to the review of a superb streamer in the form of the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo, which apparently has the ability to actually provide exceptional performances, time after time (see Pat Metheny’s Dream Box). REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the headphones actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SYSTEM

Headphone Reference System • Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo Streamer • Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus Streamer • Silent Angel Forester F2 Linear Power Supply • Silent Angel Bonn N8 Network Switch • Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC • Mojo Audio Mystique X SE DAC • Dan Clark CORINA Electrostatic Headphones • STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones • Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic HPA • Kubala Sosna Cables/Wires/Power Cords

4 Mingo is nothing less than alive, with technical wherewithal—transparency, Two-Channel Reference System resolution, staging abilities—and a beautifully • Grimm Audio MU1 Streamer refined musicality that are outstanding. • Bricasti Design M1SE DAC/Streamer There are a lot of “mores” when it comes • eXaSound s82 MkII DAC/Streamer to the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo. For • Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch instance, there is more atmosphere, • Silent Angel Genesis GX Master Clock reminiscent of a live performance, more • Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII SET Integrated dimensionality, which speaks to the truth of a • Vivid Audio Kiya 45 Loudspeaker given soundstage. There is also a more • Kubala Sosna Wires & Cables • RSX Power Cords natural perspective on any given performance, • Seismion REACTIO 541 Electrified and “more” or better articulation of spoken Amplifier Stand word and lyrics. There is a poignancy, call it • TORUS POWER AVR ELITE Power refinement, that allows for the most minute Conditioner details, microdynamics, as allied to position THE SOUND and movement, to tone and timbre, to reveal Alive! Alluring. Eminently musical. Whereas note and lyric delivery as crystal clear and its sibling— Baetis Audio Revolution X4— “alive.” The Reference 4 Mingo’s distributed unfolded a profound naturalness, “shouldersignal is also imbued with a weight and dropping analog quality,” exceptional solidity that conjures a lifelike palpability. transparency and sweetness, the Reference 4 The only other time the music became Mingo easily and quickly surpassed all that the this real, this present, and in room was with Revolution X4 brought to bear. The Reference the Grimm Audio MU1 coupled to the • Black Cat TRØN Signature Digital Cable • TORUS RM20 Power Conditioner

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO Mola Mola Tambaqui. When a 40-year were together evocative of that same live favourite—Miles Davis, Kind of Blue—is performance and brimming with atmosphere, more real, more alive, and Paul Chambers’ atmosphere, atmosphere! upright bass is more transparent, detailed, In my review of the Baetis Audio and possessed of a new level of engagement, Revolution X4, I alluded to analog and how something rather profound has occurred. well the Revolution X4 recreated the sense— When one considers the various systems, the shoulder-dropping ease and its magnetic some in the six figures, that have played back listenability. The Reference 4 Mingo goes this album, CD, or its digital stream, that is further still and in every respect with the saying something. aforementioned transparency and detail that No, the $25K streamer that shall not be takes analog to a higher level of refinement, named never came close, was not even on the nuance, and naturalness, which together, same continent in terms of overall again, say “alive.” performance, nor for that matter was the Ahhh, and herein lies the peril of $18K streamer. They came a distant second reviewing audio equipment and especially in and third respectively to the Reference this age of rapid technological improvements. Mingo’s much less expensive sibling—Baetis There is always the distinct possibility that Audio Revolution X4 ($6,000). What the you will encounter a more talented, more Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo did to them capable audio component that will surpass is therefore unmentionable in mixed the benchmark set by the previous best, company. seemingly, moments ago. The Reference 4 The “Blatt” of horns via the Reference 4 Mingo dispatched its little brother, as its little Mingo is more “Blatt” than it has ever been. brother had dispatched the much more And Jimmy Cobbs’s brushes across drum expensive streamers that shall not be named. skins, the tap, tap, tap of drumsticks on rims They—that shall not be named—were sent or teasing out cymbals or bearing down on home to their respective manufacturers, never drum skins were exceptional. Bill Evans’ to be reviewed or ever again mentioned. We piano came with a weight and drive and don’t throw poor performing products under tonal/timbral accuracy that easily summoned the bus, nor do we mention them by name, “alive,” as in a live performance. Palpability as thereafter. such was not piecemeal, existing here or The Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo’s there, pertaining to this instrument or that— volumetric cube—its soundstage—is truly it was ubiquitous. And underneath it all, the encompassing. In a like configuration to the Grimm MU1 and the Mola Mola Tambaqui weight and gravitas and effervescent highs

via an AES/EBU digital link, the Reference 4 (“colours”) were more from a box of 120 Mingo and the Mola Mola Tambaqui were crayons as opposed to the Revolution X4’s 64 transcendent. The soundstage was broad and crayons or other streamers’ 24 crayons. It also became apparent that while the deep, falling well beyond the placement of Revolution X4 easily lifted away veils that the speakers. The staging via the duo had denied the other streamers greater provided rock-solid positioning, with separation and layering giving distinct spatial transparency and resolution, its own veils remained. The Reference 4 Mingo representation that was nothing less than superb. Whereas its sibling was outstanding highlighted its sibling’s veils and lifted them away with consummate ease, time and time in respect to soundstaging, the Reference 4 Mingo was extraordinary and more textured, again. The music, now free of any residual opacity, was astonishingly textured and more dynamic, and more real. natural. [Note: The best results were consistently There is a weight and impact never before achieved with the Mola Mola Tambaqui, realized by the Meze Empyreans, or the though truly exceptional results were also Abyss AB1266 Phi TC headphones, or the achieved with the Bricasti Design M1.] Vivid Audio Kaya 45s in the various BASS Reference systems. This can be immediately The bass of the Reference 4 Mingo was attributed to the Baetis Audio Reference 4 tighter, more resolute, the dynamic contrasts Mingo streamer, as everything else remained more beautifully differentiated, and the exactly the same. microdynamics/transient response via the MIDRANGE Reference 4 Mingo were blistering. The A beguiling musicality arose from the Mingo’s talents that the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 deep transparency, its superb resolution, and had so acutely demonstrated with regard to relentless detail retrieval, that together were the bass frequency region, the Reference 4 Mingo eclipsed. The Reference 4 Mingo laid more than reminiscent of exceptional analog. I would go further and say that the Reference 4 bare not only the form or presence of an instrument but the interaction and dexterity of Mingo would sit easily beside an exceptional bassists, from Dave Holland to Ray Brown to analog rig and lose very little, if anything at all Charles Mingus to Charlie Haden, was easily via the comparison. The Mingo’s midrange abilities with followed and beautifully captured. And the regard to vocals—the delivery of spoken Reference 4 Mingo’s tonal/timbral shadings

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO the violin’s external body and the resonances in its internal cavity, unlike it has ever been portrayed before. On Gidon Kremer’s “Preghiera” (Rachmaninoff: Piano Trios, Deutsche Grammophon), the background comes to life like it has not before, exposing a violin and a cello that had scarcely been there, if at all. The Reference 4 Mingo brought this combo from beyond the veil of an obscurant opacity to life via crystalline transparency. Only the Grimm Audio MU1 was equal to the task. Dave Brubeck's “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) rolls in and Joe Morello’s drum kit, its cymbals are energetic, beautifully resolved, and “air-infused.” Together these TREBLE attributes project a palpable presence that is Alive! Energetic. Beautifully extended. As I captivating and wonderfully threehad done with the Baetis Audio Revolution dimensional, with atmosphere to spare. X4 Mingo, I once again bring out several well- Eugene Wright’s bass no longer hides in the known treble pieces to understand the background as an underrepresented “thump Revolution X4 Mingo’s abilities relative to its thump,”—it too is more three-dimensional, sibling and to the various other streamers that with more gravitas, weight, and presence. had made the cut and those that had not. Bravo. Hilary Hahn’s “Chaconne from Partita CONCLUSIONS No. 2 for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004” (The Essential Hilary, Sony Classical) is Alive. Natural. Musical. Transparent. immediately more transparent and energetic Astonishing. The Baetis Audio Reference 4 and bears greater weight via the Reference 4 Mingo left streamers at nearly twice its price Mingo. The Reference 4 Mingo reveals this, on fire, smoking, and begging for mercy, in its once again, through greater transparency, the tracks. Or, at least, as coupled to the Mola Mola Tambaqui, that is how it seemed. And interplay of the violin’s strings, the bowing, word and lyric—with regard to phrasing, articulation, delivery, are easily more intelligible, more accessible, more poignant, natural, and immersive. Perhaps this is one of the ways it lines up so well and easily with analog. Case in point: Rickie Lee Jones' eponymous album and Joan Shelly’s eponymous album are delivered like they have never been delivered before. Every word is more clear and more clearly understood, and the guessed-at words are laid bare. Tens, if not hundreds of listenings, and these albums have never sounded better. Suffice to say that there is even more there there with the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo.

believe possible. The Baetis Audio Reference that would be the kindest thing I could say, given the disparity of its performance relative 4 Mingo very easily wins our DIAMOND to the others. It was perhaps the most decisive Award and moves ahead of every streamer and stark performance gap that I had to date that I have encountered, to date. experienced between streamers. The Grimm Pros: Beautifully musical in the best analog Audio MU1 was the only streamer that was sense, while checking all technical/audiophile kindred in this respect. boxes brilliantly, connecting the listener to Tracks that I have long since known and millions of musical tracks from around the in some cases have played literally hundreds world. Extraordinary preservation and of times over the decades were played back playback of the musical signal. via the Reference 4 Mingo the best that I had ever heard them. The Baetis Audio Reference Cons: None. 4 Mingo breathed life into every recording, THE COMPANY which subsequently, lifted all boats—DAC, BAETIS AUDIO integrateds, speakers, headphones, etc. In my opinion, the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo ($13,000) Reference Streamer would appear to render Joe Makkerh obsolete my own personal affinity for analog www.baetisaudio.com — a very good turntable rig—via its superb 1-888-357-0035 analog naturalness and musicality, its exceptional transparency, and its “aliveness.” The fact of its umbilical connection to literally tens of millions of tracks on demand, from the comfort of your listening chair, is a feat that no turntable rig, regardless of price, can even dream of matching. In conclusion, the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo demonstrated the ability to be more “alive,” more real, and more natural than any digital component should have a right to be. Furthermore, it is the only streamer to have AKRM relegated to obscurity the best of the best CD players, which a short time ago I did not

THE BEST of the Year

2023

eldom, I imagine, does a preface to the Best of the Year Awards issue begin with a message that concerns a painting. Well, this one does, and that painting is Matisse’s Flowers (1907, page 3), perhaps one of my most favorite paintings. I had seen Flowers in magazines and books, on posters and online, prior to actually experiencing it at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. The experience of seeing Flowers up close made it dauntingly clear, as I stood taking it in with rapt fascination, that you haven’t seen art until you’ve actually seen it up close and in person. Only then can art truly speak to you, sing to you. Matisse’s Flowers was now three-dimensional—textured, layered, landscaped—structured of troughs and hills, cast of colored paints. Those colored paints coalesced into an impressionistic capture of a vase and flowers that stood upon a table and conveyed part of Matisse’s soul, his spirit—his music. It was an experience that I will never forget. One of my hopes with the placement of art throughout the various issues of this magazine is that your curiosity may be piqued, that you may seek out paintings in person, paintings first seen here, that touch your spirit and your soul, and then, perhaps, you too may have a similar or selfsame experience.

Over the course of the past year, I have had experiences with certain audio components and the systems in which they stood that provided a truly eye-opening encounter. In many cases they have brought the music closer to me than it has ever been. And in so doing they have made albums that I’ve listened to for decades more available in their totality, revealing details—hidden notes and musicians, indistinct lyrics, opaque soundstage information—that I had never heard before. Curated here thanks to the experiences of my editors and me are the various components that captured our rapt attention. You will find streamers and electrified amplifier stands and integrated amplifiers and DAC, etc. Some have been awarded Breakthrough Component for their daunting abilities, beyond all measure. Some are Editor’s Choice, while others bear the distinction of Best of the Year or Best Budget Product. And then there are those that have collectively merited Best Products of the Year. All of these products and art lie across the 122 pages of awards in the November issue of the Best of the Year Awards 2023.

Please Enjoy, K.E. Heartsong, Editor-in-Chief

Vincent Van Gogh - Wheat Field with a Reaper, 1889

THE BEST of the Year

2023

REVIEW

VIVID AUDIO KAYA 45

REVIEW

BAETIS AUDIO 4 MINGO

REVIEW REVIEW

SEISMION REACTIO 541

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Kermit E. Heartsong, Editor

REVIEW

LYRIC AUDIO Ti 100 MkII

REVIEW

Andre Marc, Editor

CLARUS CABLE LOOM

REVIEW

Oliver Masciarotte, Editor

AUDIO MIRROR TUBADOR DAC

Wayne Thiebaud - Acquavella

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Kermit E. Heartsong, Editor

VIVID AUDIO KAYA 45

FULL REVIEW

Andre Marc, Editor

SONNET KRATOS AMPS

MOJO AUDIO MYSTIQUE X DAC Oliver Masciarotte, Editor

Paul Gauguin - Nature morte aux pommes

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Kermit E. Heartsong, Editor

SHAKTI STONE AIR & ONLINE AIR

Andre Marc, Editor

MEZE AUDIO ADVAR

Oliver Masciarotte, Editor

CLEER AUDIO CRESCENT V1R2

André Derain - Cagnes

J2 DAC & E2 HPA

THE BEST of the Year

2023

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Shakti Electromagnetics

FULL REVIEW

could not have anticipated the level of improvement with regard to the Shakti Electromagnet Optimizers, though given my experience with Ben’s Hallograph Soundfield Optimizers, I assumed that there would be improvement. How much would be determined by analysis and review. Well, the short and sweet of it is that the Shakti Stone Air and OnLine Air work immediately and beautifully together. They took our electrostatic reference system to even greater high-fidelity heights than we could have imagined. MSRP Stone Air: $199, On-Line Air $99

$1000

Meze Audio Advar

FULL REVIEW

he Meze Advars are mini works of art and a captivating display of contemporary industrial design. In the end, we found the sonics to be smooth, rich, detailed, and very engaging. We loved the feel of these IEMs in our hands and in our ears. For us, the Advar is worth the asking price, and well suited for numerous applications. In our estimation, Meze's design is a success. Advar distinguishes itself from its rivals with a wonderful high-end audio experience. MSRP $699

THE BEST of the Year

2023

SOTA Pyxi Phono-Preamp

he Pyxi phono preamp retails for $300 and appears to be not just a “me too” product. SOTA worked with well respected firm Phoenix Engineering to develop the unit. The goal was ultra low noise, a clean signal path, and a balanced, transparent sonic character. They paid particular attention to parts quality, specifying 1 percent

$1000

FULL REVIEW

resistors for consistent performance, highly unusual at this price point. At $300 it puts itself at the head of the pack for affordable phono preamps. No, it did not out class phonostages costing ten times more we had in house, but it sure was closer than we could have imagined. MSRP $300

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Cleer Audio Crescent V1R2

aving auditioned plenty of smart speakers, I have to applaud Cleer for seeing past the ordinary. It stands out from other lifestyle products with an elevated appearance combined with crowd–pleasing fidelity at a nice price. For anyone looking to fill their

$1000

FULL REVIEW

abode with musical enjoyment without excess, CRESCENT lands squarely in the category of solid sound with designer looks. This is one addition to your living space that will receive no push back from your spouse. MSRP $700.00

Aandre Derain - The Red Sails

“

There was more “there, there” with the Kubala Sosna cable loom and in every respect, than any other cable heard to date.

”

K. E. Heartsong AudioKeyReviews.com

Connect to the Performance

“

The Kubala-Sosna Emotion interconnects connected me to the music like no other interconnects I've heard, at anywhere near the price. Robert H. Levi Positive Feedback Online

”

“

The Expressions present music without noticeable boundaries to a stage; sound stages don't erupt from a black background, but from an invisible and expanding one…

”

Larry Cox Positive Feedback Online

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Silent Angel Bonn N8 Pro

he Silent Angel Bonn N8 Pro is a must whether you own other Silent Angel products or not, as it is quite fastidious with regard to eliminating noise at the ‘entry point’ of one’s streaming system via optimized components, build quality, and an internal word clock. Though having experienced the synergy between the various Silent Angel

$2.5k

FULL REVIEW

products, it is easy to comprehend an A to Z engineering/programming, via R&D, that targets optimization among ‘siblings’. A product that will level up most systems and all systems that are not currently using a network switch with a built-in word clock.MSRP $1,599

THE BEST of the Year

2023

SOTA Comet Turntable

t around $2500 for the package, depending on cartridge, the Comet VI is an absolute steal. The same applies to the magical little box called the Pyxi. At $300 it puts itself at the head of the pack for affordable phono preamps. No, it did not out class phonostages costing ten times more we had in house, but it sure was closer than we

$2.5k

FULL REVIEW

could have imagined. SOTA is exactly the type of company I enjoy supporting as a consumer and enthusiast. They take the quality of their products and customer satisfaction quite personally. They make turntables that any music lover would fall for, and there is peace of mind the product will be supported going forward. MSRP $2,125

One of the Best Products of the Year and One of the Most Affordable!

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus

he Rhein Z1 Plus, like its non-Plus sibling, brings exceptional high-fidelity streaming to your system, whether it be two-channel or a dedicated headphone system. And again, its value-to-cost ratio is outstanding, as exemplified by two quite well-known streamers, four to six times its price, which were in-house during its review. Well, the

$5k

FULL REVIEW

Rhein Z1 Plus streamer embarrassed them both. The two much more expensive streamers, which shall go unnamed (we don’t throw products under the bus) were returned unceremoniously to their manufacturers. This, of course, speaks to the tremendous value and high-fidelity bona fides inherent in this relatively low-cost streamer. MSRP: $3,199

THE BEST of the Year

2023

RSX Beyond Cable

oger Skoff says of his three cables—PRIME, MAX, and BEYOND —“Good, better, best.” Well, I am currently reviewing the BEYOND and the MAX and, in terms of ‘better’ and ‘best,’ he is spot on. How does a power cord increase detail? Perhaps, as stated above, via metaphor, by not interfering or diminishing any aspect of the electron

$5k

FULL REVIEW

transmission and providing for their unhindered, undiminished, and happy point A to B delivery—as they are, truly, the life blood of all systems. The RSX BEYOND is an easy award-winner of our highest award. Suffice to say, that it is our first DIAMOND AWARD winner for a cable. There be magic in that there power cable. MSRP $3,600

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Torus Power AVR Elite

ands down, the TORUS POWER AVR Elite is an exceptional power conditioner that provides what every component— streamer, DAC, network switch, word clock, preamplifier, amplifier, etc.—needs:clean, continuously flowing power, while doing no harm. And to date there has certainly been no harm. When a component

$5k

FULL REVIEW

brilliantly does what it was designed to do and gets out of the way to let all the other performers—components—shine, well, it deserves an award. We happily award the TORUS POWER AVR Elite power conditioner our DIAMOND AWARD, well deserved for its exceptional work. MSRP $4,600.

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Silent Angel NX & GX

FULL REVIEW

he Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch and the Genesis GX Word Clock will together dramatically reduce jitter, period. What the switch-in of the Silent Angel NX/GX combo will entail is an eyeopening experience and a real-world introduction to ‘Jitter 101’. What this will mean in practical terms for one’s music is greater focus and resolution and transparency, more detail, and a better overall appreciation of your music. MSRP Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch $3,899. Silent Angel Genesis GX Master Clock $3,699

$5k

Dan Clark Corina

FULL REVIEW

he Dan Clark CORINA is one of the most transparent, resolving, and musical headphones, inclusive of both dynamic and planar magnetic headphones, that I have heard or reviewed to date. The only electrostatic headphone that might top it and by a wee small margin is the STAX SR-X9000. Though given the pedigree of the various other headphones reviewed and lived with, this is no small feat.Further, the CORINA handles the full breadth of the frequency range—bass, midrange, treble—with superlative ease and refinement… MSRP $4,500

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Dan Clark STEALTH

he Dan Clark STEALTH planar-dynamic headphone is a revelation. It exceeds its prescribed edict—to excel in planar magnetic duties—and goes on to become exceedingly familiar with, if not master of the edicts of the other headphone worlds and technologies. Again, there are very few headphones capable of doing this

$5k

FULL REVIEW

and fewer still with such compelling musicality. You and your music, regardless of genre, will be well served. Please note that to date, I have listened to a great many headphones, and these days it takes a great deal to move me. The STEALTH easily wins our DIAMOND AWARD for technical excellence and sublime musicality. Bravo! MSRP $3,999

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Audio Mirror Tubadour DAC

FULL REVIEW

rom hard rock to show tunes, Die Antwoord to The Bad Plus, the Tubadour IV SE had me aggressively nodding in time (if only I had long hair again…) or belting out the lyrics, deeply immersed in the artists’ intent. Merason, Mytek and Ayre have excellent offerings at higher and lower price points, but the Tubadour shares that comfortable

$5k

FULL REVIEW

middle segment of the consumer DAC market with the oversampling exaSound as a worthy rival. Standing head and shoulders above the bottom feeder R–2R imports, the Tubadour IV SE confers a refined and powerful sound. Audio Mirror’s DAC should be on the short list of every audiophile searching for mid–priced conversion bliss. MSRP $3,500

Paul Gauguin - The Swineherd Brittany

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Boenicke W8 Speakers

is slim little gals will compel you to listen, and listen I did; to bottom-heavy dance, solo classical piano, thought-provoking Americana, grating death metal, and poorly recorded pop from the dark days of ADAT and early Pro Tools. In each case, the speakers revealed the peculiarities of each recording. Yet with skillfully produced material, the sprit of Apollo was summoned, enveloping me in a perfume

$10k

FULL REVIEW

of harmoniously presented, simply beautiful music. If I had a magic lantern housing a benevolent and easily amused djinn and asked her for the boon of a high performance loudspeaker in a handsome familyfriendly package…Abracadabra, a pair of W8s would miraculously appear! Not only would my wish be granted, but I’d have to give props to my genie for her astute good taste. MSRP: $8,950

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Baetis Audio Revolution X4

FULL REVIEW

he Baetis Audio Revolution X4 brings a naturalness, an ease, and a sweetness to recordings that will have analog-lovers fully engaged while also providing the high-fidelity technicalities—soundstaging, resolution, transparency, detail retrieval, etc.—for those long wedded to the evolving digital audio world. The Revolution X4 is an outstanding digital streamer that I am certain believes itself to be a synthesis of both digital and analog. At least, that is what it has shown me as it has served my musical collection and every genre therein as such. MSRP $6,000

$10k

Aurorasound VIDA

FULL REVIEW

he Aurorasound VIDA MKII phono stage is simply a wonderful piece of playback gear. It had no flaw that I could put my finger on, sonically or ergonomically. It looks amazing, is built with precision and craft, and has more features than most vinyl enthusiasts are accustomed to. Clearly, founder and designer Shinobu Karak’s 30 years of experience with Sony and Texas Instruments has paid off in his circuit designs. The real wood enclosure, which can also be ordered in black, is the icing on the cake. MSRP $5,999

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Seismion Reactio 541

he SEISMION REACTIO 541 isolation platforms are NOT your un-electrified, passive isolation platforms, not even close. What they represent is the next “quantum shelf,” if you will, that will undeniably give you more of your music, regardless of how “reference” your current system is believed to be. It’s not. There is vibration and

$10k

FULL REVIEW

resonance even now coursing through and haunting your music to various degrees as I write (that is not coursing through mine). A supposed “tweak” that will lift your reference system, regardless of price, to the next “quantum shelf” or “reference level,” which will free your music no end. MSRP $5.995

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Sonnet Digital Kratos Amps

FULL REVIEW

onnet Audio is offering an excellent value here with the Kratos mono block amplifiers, taking into consideration the harmonically rich, and spacious sound. It was essentially impossible to find flaw with these beautifully built amps, and they had plenty of power to drive 4 Ohm speakers. MSRP $5,295

$10k

Acelec Model One

FULL REVIEW

he Acelec Model One monitors are high performance in the truest sense of the word. Their incredible accuracy, over the top build quality, impressive musical focus make it difficult to find any fault. We really could not pick anything in particular we would want more or less of, except perhaps wishing they were affordable for us! MSRP $6,495

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII

here was immediate magic from the Ti 100 MkII, though this was purely from a musical perspective, which was immersive in the extreme. However, after about 100 hours the magic suffused to all aspects of the Lyric Ti 100 MkII’s performance. This was easily witnessed, as it followed an exceptional pair of 200 watt/channel, solid state monoblock amplifiers with dedicated preamplifier with relatively minor

$10k

FULL REVIEW

lessening in overall performance. Remarkable! Twenty watt SET integrated amps don’t move the kind of air or drive the bass the way the Lyric Ti 100 MkII does. Or, at least, they’re not supposed to. Incredibly musical(!), transparent, resolving, detailed, and powerful (especially at its rated 20 watts!). MSRP $9,995

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Mojo Audio Mystique X DAC

FULL REVIEW

have to applaud Zwickel for bringing together a package that had me reassessing everything I knew about digital–to–analog conversion in the home. Until Ms. Mystique slunk in on her sinuous gams, I had held Berkeley Audio Design’s† as the approach to take when looking for accuracy with musicality. Now, I have another more affordable choice among peers. The Mystique X SE combines the eternal precision of digital with the immortal soul of human performance. I concede, Benjamin’s karate is better.MSRP $9,999

$10k

Tri-Art Audio OPEN-5

FULL REVIEW

es, its complement of drivers—two-18” and two-15” woofers, 2-8” midranges, two-1” tweeters, and 2-super-tweeters—allow the OPEN 5 to easily mark all of the audiophile check boxes— transparency, resolution, Pacing, Rhythm, and Timing (PRaT), detail retrieval, soundstaging, microdynamics, weight, etc.—while pleasing music lovers to no end. And there is its finesse, its open air ambiance, its wealth of spatial cues, and the incredible spaciousness… MSRP $7,999, w/tri-wiring $9,999.

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Clarus Audio Cable Loom

o summarize, the Clarus Crimson Cables are quite special. They produce the lowest noise floor we have heard from any cables. They also immediately solidified an already very good sounding system. There was definitely a synergy between the cables and our system, and the power cords, USB cable, and analog interconnects seem to be of a

$10k

FULL REVIEW

piece. Clarus also makes high end power conditioning products, and interestingly, a portable dongle style USB DAC. They are an investment that should last a lifetime. We would highly recommend an audition if considering a cable upgrade. The Clarus Crimson line simply does nothing wrong. Virtually state of the art! MSRP $8,160

Hopper-Edward - El Palacio, 1946

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Baetis Audio Reference Mingo

live. Natural. Musical. Transparent. Astonishing. The Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo left streamers, on fire, smoking, and begging for mercy, in its tracks, at twice its price! Or, at least, as coupled to the Mola Mola Tambaqui. And this would be the kindest thing that I could say given the disparity of its performance relative to the others. The

$20k

FULL REVIEW

Reference Mingo provided the most decisive and stark performance gap, to date, that I had experienced between streamers. The Grimm Audio MU1 was the only streamer that was kindred in this respect. In conclusion, the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo demonstrated the ability to be more ‘alive’, more real…

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Vivid Audio Kaya 45s

FULL REVIEW

he Kaya 45s will beautifully play all genres of music and have you neglecting none, as was the case with this reviewer. The highfidelity touchstones are always scrupulously met and with a naturalness, ease, and musicality most will simply never expect. That said, the Vivid Audio Kaya 45s win our highest award, the DIAMOND AWARD, while making it look easy, and yet they have made it a good deal more difficult for other speakers and components alike to win. MSRP $19,900

$20k

NEODIO Origin S2 CD player

FULL REVIEW

he NEODIO Origine S2 CD player is a breath of fresh air or, perhaps, it is digital as analog in the selfsame way that analog was dismissed as “obsolete,” “inferior,” “anachronistic,” when it was not, as now referenced by the ever-rising growth of album sales. And that it also beautifully decodes streams is a complimentary faucet that, again, says, “endgame component.” The NEODIO Origine S2 is easily a DIAMOND AWARD WINNER… MSRP $20,000

One of the Best Products of the Year and One of the Most Affordable!

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Audionet Pre & AMP Monoblocks

he Audionet PRE G2 preamp and AMP monoblocks are velvet hammers. Should the program material require them to access the stygian depths of the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail, they will take you there swiftly, as it is a path they know well. And in this respect, the Audionet PRE G2 preamp and AMP monoblocks are hammers. Yet should

$40k+

FULL REVIEW

the material require a stratospheric rise to tip-top, treble heights or a most proficient, beautifully resolved, and compellingly engaging vocal, you will be there. Spectacular! Not every day does a preamp and amplifier duo come into your life and raise the “living dead,” figuratively speaking, from their musical graves. MSRP $43,000

THE BEST of the Year

2023

Kubala Sosna Cable Loom

was not ready for the stunning difference that the Kubala Sosna Elation speaker cables made once placed in the system. Night and day, or perhaps appreciation versus bliss, would provide some insight as to the relative differences between the cables. The experience was decidedly profound and another easy confirmation that there are

$40k+

FULL REVIEW

differences between cables. Exceptional in their ability to simply let the music flow while doing no harm whatsoever and while further making the conclusive argument that cables are incredibly important to achieving ever greater levels of high fidelity in your system. Period. MSRP $31,350

Andrew Wyeth - Christina’s World, 1948

One of the Best Products of the Year and One of the Most Affordable!

Thank You

A \

Edward Hopper - Hills South Truro

110mytek.audio AudioKey REVIEWS! I5

JULY 2022

111

OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE Andre Marc

OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE

Bravo, a Taiwanese firm that has been producing high-end personal audio since 2006, has become synonymous with original designs, exquisite form factor and outstanding sonics. They have

a varied portfolio of products that include IEM and traditional headphone models.

The Venus shell looks to be physically similar to the oBravo Cupid, except for larger cable ports. There is only one tiny vent at the nozzle's base, and black and red colour coding indicates Left and Right, thankfully.

The quality of construction is beyond excellent A high-end OCC Litz silver-plated Their models range from moderate to ultra copper cable is included with the Venus luxury product pricing. We were very happy to receive the oBravo standard. The Venus Signature model has a premium gold-plated silver cable. The Venus Signature IEM’s, which retails for updated cable now has a modular twist-lock approximately $950, depending on the interchangeable termination system from exchange rate.The shells of Venus are composed of brass that has been coated with oBravo, allowing you to quickly and simply swap between single-ended (3.5 mm), platinum. These shells have a mirror sheen like stainless steel shells. Venus Signature has balanced (2.5 mm) and 4.4 mm (6.3 mm) connections.The upgraded cable is a pleasure just enough weight for a luxurious, substantial feel without being cumbersome. to work with. It's easy on the eyes and soft to

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Gustav Klimt - The Kiss

OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE the touch. Most happily, it has no stiffness or The planar magnetic drivers have a rapid kinks and is easy to manoeuvre. recovery time and low levels of reverb and The Venus Signature earpieces are a distortion because they are resilient and delight. They are vibrate in time comfortable and with the electrical secure in the ear input. Venus since they are Signature made of brass and combines planar are just the right magnetic driver size and shape to and neodymium fit in the ear cavity. motor magnets for They sit in the ear a unique canal with ease and combination. Note with a relaxed feel.. that our The elegantly loudspeakers of polished shells are choice tend to be seamlessly bonded together, and the metallic Magneplanar. surface exudes great quality. Three differentSET-UP AND LISTENING sized silicone eartips included in the We used the Venus Signature mostly with the packaging are very welcome, since they Klipsch Heritage headphone amp and DAC. provide a very tight seal that boosts sound The music was sent to the Klipsch either via quality significantly. In essence, it is passive Roon or via Audirvana playback software on a noise cancellation. Mac Mini M1. The Klipsch turned out to be a I'll give you a quick primer on planar perfect match for the oBravo Venus Signature. magnetic technology before discussing the quality of sound produced by these high-end It had plenty of juice and tonally, it was amazingly in sync. The low gain setting in-ear-phones. The 8mm planar magnetic drivers in the Venus Signature are built from proved more than enough to achieve excellent impact and plenty of volume. However, we did a thin layer of electrostatic material sandwiching wires, transmitting a changeable experiment with the high gain setting for quieter music. electric signal, as opposed to the standard The oBravo Venus Signature produces an diaphragms used in dynamically driven amazingly smooth, clear sound with tight earphones. audiokeyreviews.com

bass, a generous midrange and beautifully instruments and the ensemble with great detailed highs. There was a natural warmth accuracy. It felt like we were standing in the that was addictive. It was exceptional at middle of the performance space with the soundstaging and presenting the precise musicians around us. As a bonus, the location of instruments in the mix. recording is top shelf too. Highly The Venus Signature also proved highly recommended. adaptable and We were also highly capable of impressed with reproducing even Onliness, the latest the most album from Josienne demanding Clarke, an exceptional musical styles. We Scottish singerfound ourselves songwriter. The listening to a lot production is vivid, of acoustic music, with many interesting jazz and intimate layers of instruments, instrumental including harp and albums at first, harmonium. Clarke and the Venus also produced the Signature passed album, and the sonics these tests with are superb, and the flying colours. songs draw you in like A new album we stumbled upon, the mini pop symphonies. The Venus Signature 2023 self-titled debut by The Optics, is made this a very intimate affair, with no lulls simply remarkable in every way. It features or loss of momentum. nine compositions, all improvised, recorded Classical music filled out the final stretch live, with no edits. The band is from Bern, of the review period. We listened to quite a Switzerland, and the music is chamber jazz at few pieces in several formats, including highits finest, with accordion, bass, saxophone and resolution PCM and DSD. One album that drums, and spoken and sung vocals. The really brought out the strengths of the Venus Venus did a superb job of putting the listener Signature was Introducing the Symphonina: in the room with the musicians and getting Spreading the Joy of Symphonic Music to the timbre and tone of both the individual

OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE Young Audiences Around the World. It appearance or sound. If we had to live with features short modern classical pieces by just one IEM model, the Venus Signature several composers, including Christopher would likely be it. Reed, Steve Locks and David Fogel. The The fit and feel of the Venus Signature music is delightful, and the sound via the was, for us, just perfect. And this is how a oBravo was spacious, with the strings having product at this price point should be. Of a sweet, airy high end, plenty of woodiness on course, others may have a different the cellos, and just the right percussive attack experience, but we are confident the Venus on the piano. Signature will satisfy the vast majority of In the end we felt the Venus Signature listeners ergonomically. It is safe to say the was tuned very smartly, to accommodate Venus Signature will also pair well with most many musical genres and listening habits. audio devices. We strongly recommend There was no listening fatigue, even after checking out the Venus Signature and the sessions that lasted hours. We felt all audio rest of the oBravo line up. bands were represented very nicely and there PRODUCT INFORMATION was no imbalance or sharpness. oBravo Venus Signature: $950 It should be noted that oBravo smartly packages the Venus Signature with a modular https://obravo.life/en/earphone/venus/ connector kit, including proprietary adapters • and connectors of varying sizes to fit into most audio outputs. There are also three pairs of nice silicone ear buds and foam ear tips. A • nice added touch is a zipper-equipped, very solid carrying case. •

Driver configuration: 2nd-generation patented 8mm planar magnetic driver + 9mm neodymium dynamic driver Housing material: Platinum-plated brass housing Impedance: 16ohm

CONCLUSION

• Sensitivity: 105dB

The oBravo Venus Signature are simply superb personal audio transducers— exceptional, actually. At close to the $1,000 price point, they are very much front runners in that market. No audio product is perfect, but the Venus Signature made it difficult to find any significant flaws in its build,

• Frequency response range: 18Hz ~ 40kHz

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AKRM

Paul Cézanne - Still Life with Flowers in an Olive Jar

AudioKey REVIEWS! I4

MAY 2022

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ATMA-SPHERE THE GEM INTEGRATED By K. E. Heartsong

ATMA-SPHERE GEM INTEGRATED

“F

ive watts?” I asked Ralph Karsten, the owner, designer, and developer of Atma-Sphere electronics, a world-renowned manufacturer of amplifiers in St. Paul, Minnesota. “Five watts,” said Ralph with a quiet yet rock-solid confidence. And it will drive your speakers—Vivid Audio Kaya 45s—as well as or better than your current SET integrated. I smiled. “So, you’re saying that a fivewatt amp will compete with, if not surpass, what is a very good 20-watt SET integrated, and power my speakers, which have been said to have an efficiency, depending on who you speak to, as low as 83dBs?” “Yes,” said Ralph, “You’re going to be surprised. It’s also a very good headphone amplifier. And it’ll drive pretty much anything.” “Okay, I happen to have a pair of the Abyss AB1266 Phi TCs on hand in my reference headphone system,” I responded, with a slight and dubious grin. “Okay.” Well, in my experience, with a 5-watt integrated, unless you have highly efficient speakers—high 90dBs—the midrange will most likely be quite good, though the bass will be completely truant—shirk its responsibility—while the treble will be “posing” as treble, with sever acrophobia, and deathly afraid to scale the treble audiokeyreviews.com

heights. So you’ll have a great middle— midrange—and that’s about it. Ralph’s confidence, his matter-of-fact “guarantee,” and his decades of experience in the manufacture of the vaunted AtmaSphere line saw the corners of my mouth go up once again in a quasi smile. “I guess we’ll see,” I said to myself. And so began the process of reviewing the Atma-Sphere GEM ($4,600) integrated and headphone amplifier. The Atma-Sphere GEM produces five watts per channel via three tubes—a pair of EL95s and a single 12AT7—per channel. It’s quite petite, measuring 10” by 7.5” inches, and it has a bandwidth, says Ralph, that easily exceeds 100kHz. Again, despite its five watts, Ralph was more than confident that not only would it drive my reference Kaya 45s, but it would do so much better than my 50-pound, 20-watt SET, which currently reigns in my twochannel reference system. Whereas the GEM, on the other hand, won’t fit in your pocket, but it can certainly be a one-handed carry and place. And after lugging around 50- to 300-pound amplifiers, this in and of itself is glorious indeed. But of course the questions that remain are: how will it actually sound and will it be able to drive both the Vivid Audio Kaya 45s and the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC? Please stay tuned. AKRM

Claude Monet - Irises

Vincent Van Gogh - The Mulberry Tree

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DACMAGIC200M DAC & MXN10 NETWORK PLAYER By Oliver Masciarotte

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER

’m particularly attracted to products in my Goldilocks zone, $1.5K to $12K, but even $3,000 is well outside most people’s budgets. Very high-fidelity gear is available for not a ton of dough… I’m thinking KEF’s LS50 Meta at $1,500 per pair, powered by Orchard Audio’s Starkrimson monoblocks at

$1,600 a pair, sourced by U-Turn Audio’s Orbit Plus platter spinner with optional phono preamp ($480 complete). That tidy package is still too rich for many folks’ blood, so for this instalment I bring you a pair of compact high-value electronics from Cambridge Audio. Back in 2019, I reviewed Cambridge Audio’s $4,500 Edge W stereo power amp for audioXpress, where I stated, “I…have a pair of $10K (each) Class D amps in house

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and, frankly, the Edge W flattens them without even noticing the bloody corpse in the rearview mirror. If you’re on the hunt for upscale performance at an affordable price… then I cannot endorse the Edge W enough… simply highly recommended!” Having enjoyed that product, I was recently talking with Cambridge Audio’s Matt Reilly, their Head of Biz Dev. I wanted to experience something very affordable but high-performance, so he suggested the dynamic duo of their MXN10 Network Player as source, feeding the notable DacMagic 200M DAC or Digital to Analogue Converter. The DacMagic line stretches back to 1995, almost two decades ago, when most of what we take for granted in consumer digital audio these days, such as streamers and USB DACs, did not exist. Since then, the DacMagic’s price has doubled while still being affordable, and the skill set offered has remained almost the same. One big difference is the eventual inclusion of a volume control, and the 2008 introduction of a USB input along with continued refinements to increase jitter immunity. The 200M maintains the unbalanced, and more

Claude Monet - Normandy farm under the trees

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER importantly for me, balanced analog outputs. Balanced outs allow you to employ a long cable run from DAC to amplifier. It also includes three front panel–selectable digital

powered via an external wall wart–style PSU, while the MXN10 utilizes mains power. Both have identical external dimension and similar cosmetics. Each provides a complementary functionality—two great tastes that taste great together. While the MXN10 is certainly a network player, with a wired ethernet input, it can also connect wirelessly using dual band Wi-Fi 5 alongside Bluetooth 5 for ’casting from your phone or tablet. inputs; a USB 2.0 connection plus two AES3 A veritable plethora of standards are ins on either unbalanced (coaxial) electrical or supported within those connectivity choices, optical. That optical input, often erroneously from lossy lo–fi UPnP, internet “radio,” referred to as “TOSLINK,” is really a Spotify connect, Airplay 2 and Chromecast, standard 5mm JIS F05 connector carrying to hi–fi TIDAL and Qobuz. That said, the the same AES3 serial data stream that’s MXN10 has no analog or digital ins from available from an electrical coax source on an another component. Hence the 200M. RCA connector. When in doubt, always Another high-fidelity source choice for choose an electrical connection, as POF or the MXN10 is a USB mass storage device. Plastic Optical Fibre, the “cable” used by AES Plug in your $100 5TB hard disk or fat flash optical, induces very high jitter when drive, brimming with HRA music, and start compared to actual copper wires. playing. Files with sample rates up to 768kHz As part of this digital double bill, the $499 or DSD512 (8x DSD) are supported, which MXN10 network player fits nicely in a stack covers pretty much all the file–based music with the $549 DacMagic. The DAC is you can purchase. On that front, the MXN10 audiokeyreviews.com

will play full fat WAV and AIFF as well as portion of the 200M was in order…From lossless ALAC and FLAC files, not to Michael Fabiano’s 2019 Verdi & Donizetti mention lossy formats like MP3, AAC+, and Opera Arias, the track Rigoletto: La donna è even OGG Vorbis†. For those who are fans, mobile [Qobuz 96k], the JNOG2 exhibited the MXN10 is Roon Ready, so you can as more texture, but with a shallower, slightly they say, “…collate your digital music more in–your–face presentation. At a touch listening, regardless of origin, into a single more than twice the price, the DacMagic laid magazine-style service.” As a fan of another out a richer, deeper stage, with a more stripe, I can happily report that the substantive bootie. Neither held forth with DacMagic will fully unfold MQA, whose the subtle air heard through more costly demise has been greatly exaggerated‡. DACs. The gestalt I took away from the Time for some listening…As always, for British DAC was a more suave, almost R–2R starters I launched Amarra Luxe and listened approach to conversion. A velvet smoking to the 200M all by its lonesome. For this part jacket versus zipper–laden black leather, if you of the process, I stuck with the USB input, will. the balanced output pair and the Kevin Godley and Laurence “Lol” combination of Parasound JC 5 feeding Creme’s deft production touches on I’m Not ScanSonic HD MB2.5 B minitowers fed via In Love from 10cc’s circa 1975 The Original ANTICABLES Level 6 cabling. USB and Soundtrack was not a song I had expected to the unbalanced AES cable between the DAC enjoy. After all, I’ve heard it what seems like and streamer were courtesy of Wireworld ten thousand times, but it happened into my and their Starlight 8 family. playlist and I was surprised by the subtlety I reviewed the Geshelli JNOG2 and polish, which I had not heard on the (ES9038Q2M Sabre + USB edition) DAC crappy audio rigs of my youth. That velvety and ERISH headphone amplifier back in the softness I mentioned didn’t diminish the bite September 2022 issue, No. 6. I thought a of the subtle hard panned rhythm guitar or comparison between the J2 and the DAC

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER the sparkle of the mark tree that appears at 2:00. Of late, I have been enamoured with the period drama Babylon Berlin, with its pitch– perfect painting of that prewar milieu. Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack ain’t too

Let’s pivot to personal listening… The 200M has a capable headphone amp on the front panel. Switching from line out to the HPA is automatic when you plug into that ¼" jack. This happens via relay rather than a noisier and less reliable method. It delivers

shabby either. Along with the binge-worthy theme music, Zu Asche, Zu Staub, one song in particular I returned to over and over was Bitters End. Produced by the legendary Rhett Davies guiding personal fave Brian Ferry and his orchestra, the wholly believable acoustic picture was portrayed by the 200M plus MXN as a jumpin’ lively big band, full of verve and nuance. Tempo, texture, and soundstage were all of a piece.

about 300mW into 32Ω cans, and 65mW into higher impedance 150Ω models. Frequency response for the HPA is a very broadband 10Hz to 50kHz (±1dB). the DacMagic 200M can comfortably drive the vast majority of consumer headphones, and frankly, you probably can’t afford the ones it can’t. Note that I said “consumer,” because it isn’t really optimized for “pro” high

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impedance (600Ω) ’phones. I have a variety of “cans” around the house, from low-cost faves such as Periodic Audio’s Beryllium V3 to high-end examples like beyerdynamic’s XELENTO remote and Westone’s old skool W60. I even tried my workhorse Audeze LCD–3, as well as the queen of circumaural headphones, Meze’s Empyrean because, well, because both reveal the truths that lesser cans often mask. Those spendy and highperformance over–the–ears allowed me to discern elusive differences in the source electronics. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the iOS version of the StreamMagic app, the “remote” for the MXN, runs quite well on macOS. This meant that during my review, I didn’t need to switch between my iPad and laptop. I started my personal listening with a comparison between the headphone amp in my respectable reference DAC, exaSound’s e22 MKII, to the DacMagic’s in-built HPA. How Can I Make It OK? from Wolf Alice’s 2021 release Blue Weekend is a nicely produced pop confection with Ted Jensen at the mastering helm. The track starts with an airy vocal harmony intro, reminiscent of First Aid Kit, and marches along with a solid bass and drum foundation. Not surprisingly, when compared to the e22, the 200M exhibited that same softened detail I mentioned earlier.

Granted, the e22 was a far more expensive DAC in its day, but the HPA is an op ampbased design, not some fancy discrete implementation. Still, it reflected the fundamental differences between the two DACs’ design goals rather than their headphone amps. Back to the DacMagic… throughout my listening, I came to realize that its softened detail is an act of “omission rather than commission”; it’s not rolling off the top end, it simply stays on the soft side of snappy. Not a bad thing and easily compensated for with a moderate Q and gain peaking filter centered around 8K. The MXN10 is great for beginning your personal journey into digital audio, as it has digital-to–analog capabilities built right in. Add a powered speaker or amp/receiver plus speaker combo, and off you go. Later on, you can bump up the fidelity by adding the stand-alone DacMagic DAC, which also has a dedicated headphone output. The 200M employs fancier DAC chips than the MXN10, and doubles their number for lower noise and distortion. It also includes a beefier power supply and those balanced outs I mentioned, in addition to the short throw, unbalanced RCAs. One of the nice aspects of a system composed of components is that you can upgrade piecewise over time as your budget allows. Got college-aged children?

Pierre Auguste Renoir - Le Bouquet

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER With just the MXN10 and a second-hand receiver, a budding music enthusiast could go years without needing any additional sources. During my time with the Cambridge Audio couple, I was repeatedly taken by the sheer enjoyment to be had. It’s been a while since I had Ferrum’s ORR (and HYPSOS PSU) in house for comparison, but one lingering impression I had of that unit was its skeletal, dry, and annoying personality. Sorry, Kermit, I have to side with “perniciously neutral.” The same can be said for most of the AAA amplifiers I have heard, while the 200M is the opposite. At one-quarter of the price of the Oor alone, it has a smooth, fullbodied meatiness that eases your being into engagement with and enjoyment of your favourite music. If you are considering a lower-cost DAC/ streamer from a mass market manufacturer, I’d recommend either a LinkPlay WiiM Pro to save money without sacrificing versatility, or investing in Cambridge Audio’s longerlasting and better built, better supported 200M and MXN10. Given the price, the only serious downside I could find to this wonderful combo was the StreamMagic iOS app for remote operation of the MXN10. It gets the job done but doesn’t conform to my ideal of modern UX norms, making for too much clicking and tapping around. Also, the

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DacMagic’s volume control has a relatively large step size, but it’s not coarse enough to be an issue. Other than that, these two offerings from Cambridge Audio are highly capable together or on their own, with a robust, relaxed sound and a price that will leave some spare shekels for subscribing to Qobuz. † — We are talking “higher-fidelity,” folks, so why listen to lossy–encoded music except as background or audio wallpaper? The beauty of lossy streaming, unlike lossless, is the vast and hyperlocal universe of audio available via “internet radio” and, of course, your phone. ‡ — In September of this year, Pickering ON–based Lenbrook Corporation announced the acquisition of “…the assets of MQA, a UK-based industry leader in high-resolution audio encoding. This acquisition enriches Lenbrook’s intellectual property portfolio with an assortment of significant patents and introduces two prominent audio codecs – MQA and SCL6.” What has yet to be seen is how Lenbrook will differ from the onerous licensing and provenance control imposed by MQA Limited. AKRM

Robert Doisneau

Paul Gauguin - When Will You Marry?

San Francisco

A PUBLIC SERVICE BY AUDIOKEYREVIEWS

JANUARY 2022

151

legionofhonor.famsf.org

ALLNIC D-10000 OTL/OCL DAC By K.E. Heartsong

ALLNICD-10000 OTL/OCL DAC

must admit that while I have admired the ALLNIC products from afar for their exceptional industrial design, their adoption of the Output Transformer-less implementation, and their ready embrace of the glowing glass bottles—tubes—I have yet to sit down and listen to one. Well, that is about to be dealt with in the form of the ALLNIC HPA-10,000 OTL/ OCL headphone amplifier and—the focus of this preview—the ALLNIC D-10000 OTL/ OCL DAC. And given the rather unusual design of the DAC, which removes both the transformers, standard gear for most tube amps, and the capacitors, I can only imagine how the D-10000 DAC actually sounds. John Ketcham, the distributor for ALLNIC, told me that there were a number of people in the industry who said that such an endeavour “couldn’t be done.” Well, it’s been done. But again, how does it sound? Long story short: when the transformer and the capacitor are removed from the signal path, that colouration is lowered considerably, which allows the integrity of the signal to be maintained. This results in a more immediate, grain-free, and engaging sound, which brings the listener closer to the performance of the music in question. Another important attribute is an increase in the music’s dynamic range. Or as summed up by K.S. Park, ALLNIC’s founder, an amplifier or in this case a DAC, freed up from its transformer and capacitors:

• • • • •

No colouration of the musical signal Extremely detailed expression Natural harmonics and subtle musical decay The lowest possible distortion The widest musical dynamics

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AKRM

Suffice to say that I am very interested in undertaking these two reviews and putting the various ALLNIC components to the test during their review period. The ALLNIC D-10000 OTL/OCL utilizes four tubes per channel: • • •

2 - 6C19P 1 - 12AU7 1 - 7258

A brief ampling of the features of the ALLNIC D-10000 OTL/OCL are: •

Waversa custom-built, FPGA-based, 1.5 MHz up-sampling to 384 KHz Waversa proprietary 32bit WAP engine

•

Dual mono ES9018K2M SABRE 32 Reference Audio DACs – no digital processing: final digital to analog conversion only

•

Real-time PCM to DSD 128 conversion using a custom-built 5.6 MHz up-sampler and FPGA DSD converter

•

High-end DSD decoder for better DSD quality

•

One optical, one AES/EBU, and two coax inputs served by a customized S/PDIF receiver accommodating rates up to 192 KHz

THE DISTRIBUTOR

John Ketchum Kevalin Audio 503–292–5592 info@kevalinaudio.com www.kevalinaudio.com

Edward Hopper - Roads and Houses South Truro, 1930-1933

RECOMMENDED

COMPONENTS

elcome to AudioKeyREVIEWS Magazine’s Recommended Components, which will become part and parcel of each of our various issues. The purpose of this section is to acquaint the reader with products—speakers, DACs, amplifiers, preamplifiers, turntables, headphones, IEMs, streamers, portable audio, etc.—that we feel are quite exceptional and rise above their like brethren. There will be three categories —Budget, Mid-Tier, and Top-Of-The-Line. In our Budget Recommendations there will be products that compete far above their respective price point and are, generally, also built to reflect this.Our Mid-Tier Recommendations will encompass those products within arms reach, in terms of relative affordability, that present value and a challenge to the vanguard of their respective product niches. Finally, our TOTL Recommendations will be composed of those products that are at the cutting edge of technological advancement now happening across the world. The three categories of recommendations will rotate across the various issues of our magazine and there will also be a fluidity to the products within the various lists. Things change and especially now given our current technological epoch. The various lists, however, will be fixed on the AudioKeyReviews.com website.

Joan Shelly

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Paul Cezanne - Still life, fruits, jug, fruit dish

COMPONENTS

RECOMMENDED AURORASOUND HEADA $2999: If you’re looking for an endgame headphone amplifier and even if your headphone amplifier is more expensive, try this one, you may be quite surprised. That said, the Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is a top echelon component and an easy DIAMOND AWARD winner.

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 $2299: The Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 combo played far above the league that their combined price would indicate. For many, this $3,900 combo may well represent an endgame streamer/ power supply capable of exceptional fidelity with DACs from entry level to those on the cutting edge.

ABYSS AB1266 PHI TC $5999: I think that I’ve said it all. The Abyss AB1266 Phi TC is a phenomenal headphone. It brings an undying passion for musicality and a ferocity for transparency and clarity and detail retrieval, formerly the domain of the best electrostatic headphones. But this planar headphone speaks that language—electrostatic—fluently and well.

COMPONENTS

RECOMMENDED TORUS RM20 $3999: Can you say pristine, natural, open, and unhindered frequency response? Wide dynamic range? And there were oceans of detail, air, microdynamics, and ambience rendered by the Torus RM 20. It was not subtle. On the contrary, it was stunning.

RSX POWER8 $399: The RSX Power8 clearly holds to the dictum, “Do no Harm,” to the system in which it is being utilized. What it, in fact, offers is pure, clean power, a testament to the meticulous parts selection, research, and conscious minimalism all employed in its design. suffice to say, that it has no competitors at 3 to 4 times is cost. GESHELLI LABS ERISH2 [E2] $219.99, JNOG2 [J2] $249.99: Disinterested in ostentation, Geshelli Labs believes in real world pricing with high fidelity performance. Their JNOG2 plus ERISH2 are a petite and potent bargain. With just enough character to put flesh on bone, the classy little twosome sets your music free without excessive color or dispensable features.

Claude Monet - Water Lillies, 1916

MAGICAL SYNERGIES MID TO HIGH-END Magical măj′ĭ-kəl▶ Of, relating to, or produced by magic.1 Syn•er•gy sĭn′ər-jē▶ The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.2

or us a Magical Synergy represents two components or more, that together make music far above what either make separately. Generally, we’ve discovered Magical Synergies via reviews, where we mix and match a good number of components to determine how one of the components —the component under review—sounds. And while there may be strengths and weaknesses between the various combinations, the Magical Synergy represents that combination which has very few if any weaknesses and a wealth of combined strengths. In this respect, we’ve done the homework for the reader by evaluating numerous combinations to uncover the Magical Synergy, as many of you may not have the time, options, or financial wherewithal to make these determinations. And Magical Synergies are not always uncovered in our reviews and or our research, as they tend to be, well, rare. A note on the various Magical Synergies that we uncover. We are music lovers first and foremost and not professionals who produce music or movies for a living and require different synergies, nor do measurements come into determination for us of what is a good Magical Synergy and what is not. No, for this we determine by ear, heart, and soul, that

which moves us, provides for that “vibrational” comfort food, and a rich and engaging musical experience. The experience should, of course, come with sufficient detail and resolution and fidelity to recreate venue and/or the experience of listening to live music, when appropriate. After a long and trying day in this topsy-turvy world, wouldn’t it be wonderful if some small measure of nirvana could be achieved through one’s music and the components that play it back? In other words, our Magical Synergies do not render music that is dry, unengaging, subtractively neutral (see dry, boring, etc.), flat, or lacking in dynamics, when called for. Please find for your review a number of Magical Synergies below.

1, 2 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

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MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $9k

ABYSS AB1266 PHI TC/AURORASOUND HEADA

hat happens when transparency is, seemingly, exceeded? Realism? Or, perhaps, seeming realism? This is the conundrum raised by the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC and its easy ability to make the best of the best headphones sound dull and uneventful, while it waxes on clear as a well-made bell … Yikes! The Abyss AB1266 Phi TC is a phenomenal headphone. It brings an undying passion for musicality and a ferocity for transparency and clarity and detail retrieval, formerly the domain of the best electrostatic headphones. The Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is musical from ‘Square One’, ‘Jump Street’, ‘Scratch’, or, practically, as soon as you turn it on, though it gets worlds better thereafter. It is a beautifully, carefully designed endgame component to pass down. If you’re looking for an endgame headphone amplifier and even if your headphone amplifier is more expensive, try this one, you may be quite surprised. That said, the Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is a top echelon component and an easy DIAMOND AWARD winner.

JULY 2022

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $30k

LYRIC AUDIO TI 100 MKII & VIVID AUDIO KAYA 45

here was immediate magic from the Ti 100 MkII, though this was purely from a musical perspective, which was immersive in the extreme. However, after about 100 hours the magic suﬀused to all aspects of the Lyric Ti 100 MkII’s performance. This was easily witnessed, as it followed an exceptional pair of 200 watt/channel, solid state monoblock amplifiers with dedicated preamplifier with relatively minor lessening in overall performance. Remarkable! The Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII is, of course, not one of those products as it has easily met our criteria for the DIAMOND AWARD, our highest award, which reflects on its excellence. The Vivid Audio Kaya 45s came in, with little expectation from me. They sat patiently while the other inhouse speakers were put through their paces And when its turn came, well, it astonished and continues to astonish. Additionally, the Kaya raised the bar of performance and award citation for not only speakers but all other equipment aw well. No small task. And this speaks to the profound abilities of the Vivid Audio Kaya 45. The Kaya 45s will beautifully play all genres of music and have you neglecting none, as was the case with this reviewer. The high-fidelity touchstones are always scrupulously met and with a refinement, naturalness, ease, and musicality, most will simply never expect. I certainly did not. That said, the Vivid Audio Kaya 45s win our highest award, the DIAMOND AWARD, while making it look easy and yet a good deal more diﬃcult for other speakers and components alike.

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $8k

DAN CLARK STEALTH & HEADAMP GS-X MK II

he Dan Clark STEALTH planardynamic headphone is a revelation. It exceeds its prescribed edict—to excel in planar magnetic duties—and goes on to become exceedingly familiar with, if not master of the edicts of the other headphone worlds and technologies. Again, there are very few headphones capable of doing this and fewer still with such compelling musicality. You and your music, regardless of genre, will be well served…Please note that to date, I have listened to a great many headphones, and these days it takes a great deal to move me. The HeadAmp GS-X MkII is an exceptional headphone amplifier that not only outperforms its GS-X Mini sibling, but a goodly number of headphone amplifiers that have come my way for review these past years, some being a good deal more expensive. Its attributes are many, starting with its exceptional transparency and resolution, which ferret out both detail and insight in a manner that compels one’s attention. And one mustn’t forget the lickety-split transient responses or the dynamic contrast or the air and ambiance set free. When I wrote of the Mini that, “You can’t possibly be making all of this incredible music”, the same thought, though of a higher order, can now be said of the HeadAmp GS-X MkII.

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AUDIO

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