AudioKeyREVIEWS! ISSUE 1 - OCTOBER 2021 by audiokeyreviews

AudioKeyREVIEWS! HIGH FIDELITY PERSONAL AUDIO

& STEREO MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2021

LTA Z10e THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT STUFF! STAX SRM-T8000 & STAX SR-009S NIRVANA IN A HEADPHONE SETUP? YOU BET! KANDACE SPRINGS A REVIEW OF THE BLUE NOTE SONGSTRESS’ INDIGO MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI THIS IS ONE INCREDIBLE DAC! AudioKeyREVIEWS! BEST PRODUCTS OF 2021!

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www.staxheadphones.com

Music is art, art is music.

mezeaudio

INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

110

HI-FI REVIEWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS PUBLISHER’S LETTER

THE BORDER PATROL SE-I

HOUSE STAX LTD

LTA Z10e

KANDACE & SHAKESPEARE?

MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI

STAX SRM T8000

DENAFRIPS PONTUS II

BEST OF 2021

MUSIC Copyright AudioKeyReviews 2021

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INTERVIEWS

enleum.com

AUDIO

ENLEUM AMP-23R PREVIEW

120

AUDIONET DNP/EPX COMBO

132

TRI-ART AUDIO INTEGRATED

144

FOCAL STELLIA

156

VIDEO MUSIC REVIEW

167

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

184

OUR WEB REVIEWS

MUSIC REVIEWS

Front Inside Cover: Paul Cezanne Ginger Jar and Fruit; Oil on canvas, 73 x 60 cm (28 3/4 x 23 5/8 in); c. 1895; The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania. Back Inside Cover: Paul Cezanne Still life with Fruit Basket, 1888-1890. Oil on canvas, 64 x 80 cm. Musee d'Orsay, Paris. THE OTHER ART. We sought full subscription of our debut magazine, but we did not succeed. Untested, I imagine, there were those who thought to wait for, perhaps, proof of concept. Well, we are music lovers and art lovers as well. What you’ll find across the magazine, in many places, in light of advertising sponsorships, is art. What better way to fill the void, for now. You’ll also find public service ads in which we serve as sponsors for museums, though other nonprofits—symphonies, jazz venues, etc.—will be provided space as well in future issues. These ads will stay. What better way to support the art and music you love. Please share widely maybe that will help with subscriptions and 1.5M views!

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VIDEO REVIEWS

110

INSIDE THIS ISSUE… 120

156

144

161

We offer the finest products available anywhere. Where else can you go and hear products like Audionet, YG Acoustics, Kronos, Kii Audio, Mola Mola, Soulution, Tenor and Veloce under one roof? We have been doing business since 1995 and have been into Audio on either the equipment or music side since 1978. We are located in rural New Jersey (yes there is such a thing) approximately 45 minutes from New York City and 1-½ hours from Philadelphia. Drop us a line and schedule your appointment today. Hours: Monday—Friday: 8:30AM–6:30PM | Phone 908.850.3092 356 Naughright Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853 av@gttaudio.com | gttaudio.com

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Air-Tight

Kii Audio

Screen Research

Audionet

KLIPSCH

Stewart Filmscreen

Auralic

Kubala•Sosna

Soulution

Datasat

KLAudio

TAOC

Devialet

Kronos Audio

Tenor Audio

Genelec

Mola Mola

YG Acoustics

JL AUDIO

ROON

Veloce

JVC Projectors

Sony 4K Projectors

Von Schweikert Audio

KEF

OCTOBER 2021

ACCUSTIC ARTS

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PUBLISHER’S CHAIR

his is my Yellow-Chair-Tardis.

worry about sound waves bouncing off the

Together we go traveling about time

walls or “room tuning” or precise positioning.

and space, figuratively speaking, as

Now, you’ll still be able to connect to

my listening jaunts take us to concerts all

the headphone amplifier of your choice, a

over the world and across time.

turntable, CD Player, Streamer, Reel-to-Reel

Let me explain. As a music lover,

tape deck, DAC, etc. And with the given

concert goer, and, yes, opera attendee

technological leaps and bounds, a Two-

(thought the last opera I attended was Die

Speaker Stereo may be hard pressed to give

Fledermaus!), I want to be moved, engaged,

you what the best of the best Personal Hi-Fi

entranced via my Personal Hi-Fi system as

systems can, though it’s certainly not

though I was at the concert, the event, in the

impossible. Ever heard of planar magnetic

studio, or, perhaps on stage. You’re probably

headphones or electrostatic headphones? If

asking, “Can a Personal Hi-Fi system actually

you haven’t, it’s time to bucket list a few

do that?” The short answer to that question

things as nirvana awaits!

is, yes, to a very close approximation. What

I recently became a Personal Hi-Fi

you will hear with some of the best Personal

convert after decades of chasing the Holy

Hi-Fi or Two-Speaker Stereo systems are all

Grail of Two-Speaker stereo and finding it a

the little cues—pages turning, a singer’s

couple of times. Now, for a fraction of that, I

breathing, fingers across a piano, or strings or

listen to the Personal Hi-Fi Holy Grail almost

the reeds of Woodwinds, the air in a given

every night. Though there are certain things

space, etc. And the better the equipment the

that speaker systems can do—scale, power,

closer one can get to what might be

overall weight, etc.—that Personal Hi-Fi

considered beyond a simulacrum.

cannot.

The good thing, however, about

AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine is here

Personal Hi-Fi or Two-Speaker Stereo, these

to help guide you to that Personal Hi-Fi Holy

days, is that either will cost one a great deal

Grail or to a great, two-channel, stereo

less to get to the pinnacle of playback, which

system that will reach nirvana, if you so

allows one to ‘suspend disbelief’ and

choose. I've got to tell you, that either can

experience the musical event. Thought with

erase the hard-grime of, nearly, any bad day.

regard to Personal Hi-Fi—the systems that

And with millions of tracks to listen to

end with headphones—there are no issues of

24/7/365, in what I've called the Golden Age

speakers two-big or their placement in a

of Music Access (GAMA), it is a rare and

given room. Headphones, on the other hand,

wonderful splendor in these rather

are a lot easier to change, store, and care for.

interesting times. Please Enjoy,

And the tip-top of “headphonedom” will cost you a fraction of a fraction of what the tip-top speakers will fetch. Lastly, you won't have to

audiokeyreviews.com

K.E. Heartsong Publisher/Editor-in-Chief OCTOBER 2021

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

Associate Editor(s) Andre Marc Columnists Dr. Irina Kuzminsky K. E. Heartsong Chris Sommovigo Music Reviewers (Video/Written) My Nguyen Nathan Lathourm Dr. Irina Kuzminsky Photographer K. E. Heartsong Graphic Design Wabi Sabi Design Group

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MASTHEAD

Director of Advertising Sales Rain C. Jordan

1 1

HermanMiller

OCTOBER 2021

AudioKeyREVIEWS! V 1

www.toruspower.com

SOME DEFINITIONS

or those of you who are brand-spanking new to “High-End” Personal Audio (headphones) and Two-Channel Audio (speakers), please find several definition provided via analogy to help smooth the road, so to speak, for your discovery of the new and rather incredible world. Why incredible? Because if you happen to be a lover of music, then via the High-End, whether your choice be headphones or speakers, you will get to know you music—CDs, albums, downloads, streaming caches—those friends, in some cases decades old friends in a new and more fulfilling, exciting, inspiring, and, dare I say, a more intimate way as they reveal themselves to you like never before. But first some definitions to begin the demystification the “High-End.” Transparency. Imagine for a moment that you are standing on the other side of the window, looking in at all the, smiling, giggling, crying newborn babies. What if that window was opaque, dirty, not see-through. Then it would, of course, lack transparency and you would not be able to see any of the babies. Of course, parents would complain that they can't see their kids and the hospital would send out cleaning teams to deal with the non transparent window. As the first team finishes its cleaning, the parents are now able to make out the babies but only barely. The transparency has improved, but it's still not great. However, as successive cleaning teams take turns at the window (the union only allows each team an hour at a time on cleaning the window, breaks you know) greater and greater transparency is noted, until, at some point, it is as if there is no window at all. Now before the parents as seen through the very transparent window are their beautiful babies. While there are very few, if any audio products these days that are so opaque, nontransparent, that the music can barely be heard, there are quite a few that would offer less than the ideal transparency of the window not be there at all. Part of our reviews will provide the reader with an idea of just how see through—transparent—the components that we review will render the music. Detail. Another term often used in audio speak is detail, which is often stated as the “resolution of fine detail.” For instance, and using the same analogy, if the window that looks on to the babies is so clean—transparent—as to be seemingly not there, but despite this the babies are all really fuzzy looking and kind of all look the same, then

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

OCTOBER 2021

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THE BORDER PATROL SE-I The Little DAC That Did…Controversy?

uffice to say, that this little, incredibly musical DAC that can be had for a song, relatively speaking, is quite controversial! All the more reason for me to find out what all the NOISE was about. As I wrote in its review May 24th, 2021: “In my research of the Border Patrol SE-i DAC there were feuds, incriminations, calls of heresy for parts selection, multiple-same-periodical-testings/reviews, etc. heaped upon this “Little DAC That Did” and at times with vigor! The seed that I was able to discern from this research was that the Border Patrol SE-i DAC was musical and simple and old school. And that was enough to write Gary Dews of Border Patrol and ask for an SE-i to review. Soon a Border Patrol SE-i was on its way.”

However, as I reviewed the DAC my experience was quite different from the musical High Priests. As then written: “From first hearing to last, I would smile, shake my head, and laugh out loud, as the detractors appeared not to have found the magical synergies within the bounds of their collective equipment/systems, nor did the testers find the sublime musicality embodied within the Border Patrol SE-i DAC. But then, when has testing ever uncovered musicality, sublime or otherwise?"

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In the ends, it was an easy call and the High Priest of Measurements would not for a moment influence my decision or my experience with Gary Dews wonderful Border Patrol SE-i DAC. No sir, as I wrote: “The Wizard of Measurements, the various high priests of sound, those unable to find synergy with the “Little DAC That Did”will not be happy with this review, for it flies in the face of their pronouncements and beliefs and measurements and therefore it will be found heretical. But then, So What (Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia)…The Border Patrol SE-i DAC is a true gem, that hides its wondrous capabilities beneath a simple, clean, unadorned facade. To look past it though is to look past the tattered, dirt-crusted Van Gough, at a garage sale, posing as nothing more than an amateur's well-intentioned, paint-by-numbers, work. Don’t do that…The simplest thing to say about the Border Patrol SE-i DAC is that it never disappointed or failed to amaze.”

The Border Patrol SE-i would win our High-Nines Award (pictured below) for its “Musical excellence, its incredible ease of use, and its old school, analog-like charm, that extends far above its price point.” And as you'll see later in the magazine it has also become one of the Best Products for 2021 under $2,000.

OCTOBER 2021

DEFINITIONS CONT’D there would be very poor “resolution of detail.” Film and/or photograph are easy parallels here. There are those audio components that can resolve detail, well, okay, which can make one's music or the various things happening across a song more difficult to hear or even understand, kind of like the fuzzy babies. And there are those components that can resolve detail brilliantly, so that all or nearly all that was intended to be heard on a given song, movement, track, etc. is very clear down to the micro-details—the vanishingly quiet sounds of birds outside a recording studio, a musician’s breathing, the movement of a piano’s foot pedals, pages turning, a muffled cough from deep in the audience, etc. Such resolution of detail would give very distinct form to the various babies, allowing them all which to be clearly identify. Transient Speed. Have you ever been startled when listening to music by a musical note that all of a sudden jumps out from nowhere all lickety-split like? Well, that is transient speed and while some components handle these instances quite well, other components might handle them in the way, relatively speaking, similar to how molasses travels down a mildly, inclined plane, not well. So when we talk about lickety-split or light-speed or tachyon-speed transients were talking about components that are exceptional at rendering the “startle factor” when called for and this is a very good thing. Separation, Layering, and Positioning. Well, going back to the baby analogy, separation, layering, and positioning speak to the separation of the various cribs from one another, how there are rows or layers of cribs from the front of the room to the back of the room, and how they are firmly positioned and not moving about as if on wheels. In this selfsame way, when I or one of the writers at AudioKeyReviews write about separation, layering, and positioning we are letting the reader know how well a given component is handling these attributes in a recording. Are the musicians all mushed up together, in a straight line across the stage playing their instruments, and are they moving about randomly, including the guy on the drum kit, as if on skates? If this is so and not intentional, then the system that you’re listing to is doing a poor job of playing back the music. However, if separation, layering, and positioning are being well portrayed by one’s components, and is able to lay things out like the babies in the cribs, then you will, via your system, move ever closer to an accurate portrayal of a live recording or the recording “space” as dialed-in via the recording engineers.

… THE STAFF please see on our webpage HERE. AudioKeyREVIEWS! V 1 22For more definitions

BORDER PATROL Ah, but the controversy continued. As I continued my research for products new and those that have been around for a while, but consistently noted as good, across all the usual suspects—audio magazines, blogs, etc.— I came across a rather interesting thing. Okay a little back story. The High Priest of Measurement via his technological divinations had pronounced the SE-i, in a matter of speaking, unworthy. Even though one of his own wisemen thought it quite good and a “musical pleasure.” There was then controversy in the kingdom and the matter needed settling. The High Priest would call upon another of his wisemen, who would enlist a troupe of noted audiophiles to also weigh in. However, there was a curious matter at hand, as this wiseman would have in his possession a goodly DAC—Benchmark's DAC2 HGC— favored by the High Priest for its nonheretical parts selection. One imagines the High Priest figured this a ‘shoe-in.’ But this was no to be, as the second wiseman and his mate and the troupe of noted audiophiles differed greatly on the two DACs, with both plusses and mines being shared between them. The second wiseman's mate even thought to adopt the heretical DAC for instances where warmth and body and, perhaps, were a bit of soul was needed. Thus the heretical parts selection controversy

would not be solved here. Nor, interestingly, would the heretical DAC’s ability to bring more detail in, by decoupling its tube, be used or even mentioned in the various trials. And this brings us to the present. My research proceeding apace brought me to the magazine of the High Priest of Measurement. As I perused equipment and then DACs, I was taken aback by what I saw. The two DACs in question—the heretical DAC and the nonheretical DAC, despite the unsolved controversy, and the kudos bestowed upon both, were now separated by a chasm of difference! The non-heretical DAC was comfortably placed on Mount Olympus (A+), whilst the heretical DAC (C) was in purgatory, if not Hades itself! I must say, given my time with the Border Patrol SE-i DAC that this was saddening to me. How could such a wonderful little, oldschool, musical DAC be treated so poorly? Can the musical beauty or soul of a component be measured? No. It cannot. For the full review or more information, please follow the link. AKRM BORDER PATROL Border Patrol SE-i ($1950) borderpatrol.net borderpatrolaudio@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2021

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OCTOBER 2021

obravoaudio.com/en

HOUSE STAX LTD

ayashi Notake founded STAX, the electrostatic component company, in 1938. In 1958 Mr. Notake’s company introduced a revolutionary headphone technology—electrostatics—to the world. Electrostatics were different from other speakers in how they delivered the music like no other headphone before. To date, the early 21st century, the revolution continues as STAX’s electrostatic headphones, via continued research and development, continue to be the standard for electrostatic headphones. Stated another way, there are no headphone technologies— planar magnetic or dynamic driver—that can compete with the phenomenal speed, transparency, resolution, and top-to-bottom coherency of well-executed, electrostatic headphones. If you’ve read my reviews on the STAX earspeakers (headphones) and the STAX energizers (amplifiers), then you will know, that STAX has initiated a series of profound musical epiphanies for me, in a way, that I could never have imagined. Four decades as a music lover and audiophile did not prepare me for the experience with the various STAX products. And even now, there are moments of quiet reflection, when I contemplate what was a lifelong search for the golden, musical fleece, the holy-bass-head grail, the scepter of

how they had all eagerly escaped discovery, until now. Apparently, I had been searching across the wrong world, altogether. I led with the HOUSE STAX in direct reference to the luthier houses of old—House Stradivari, House Amati, and House Guarneri —whose passion, extraordinary craftsmanship, and non-compromising nature required that they not make just the best violins, but that they make masterpieces, one after another. And while the STAX engineers would argue this point, in that their offerings are not instruments, but components, there is, nonetheless, the craftsmanship, attention to detail, and longevity of their various products in the selfsame way as those Houses of old. Case in point, STAX has so steadfastly held to a tradition of quality across its various creations, long-term product relevancy, and a staunch determination for quality, that in 1995 it decided to close its doors, rather than offer an inferior product to the world. The old, artisanal masters applauded, I’m certain, from the deepest of sleeps. It is an interesting aside, that during the Great Depression planned obsolescence was championed by a Bernard London whose 1932 pamphlet—Ending The Depression Through Obsolescence[1]—was predicated on creating an artificial lifespan for a given product. It was further proposed by London that the

sublime transparency and coherence, and

government would buy up all those obsolete

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OCTOBER 2021

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HOUSE STAX LTD products and destroy them, so that consumers, of the time, would have to purchase anew. It is an interesting philosophical construct given our planet’s closed system and, at present, its rapidly diminishing, well, everything! But I digress. It is a safe bet, that the masters of old would turn in their graves at the mere mention of planned obsolesce and built-in failure. Testament to this are their centuries old masterpieces highly coveted to this day, that can fetch up to $13,8M (£9.8M-2011) at auction. Perhaps STAX in the distant future, like the great luthier Houses of old, may find its 200 or 300 year old electrostatic creations still working, sounding sublime, and fetching more than one could have ever imagined. STAX’s closure, however, would have witnessed the fall of what might be considered one of the great Artisanal Houses of the modern age. It would take Chinese investor Edifier, a maker of headphones themselves, to understand what STAX represented to the world of headphones and to offer a helping hand. Edifier supported STAX via investments, production and R&D facilities, and a handsfree approach, which allowed STAX to pursue its calling and its passion. As I wrote in the STAX SR-009S review: “Imagine for a moment, entering a world of music playback that meets the expectations the cynic in you did not believe possible. Imagine further, those expectations being

headphone, that would serve as a time machine (Tardis) seemingly transporting you to performances—concert halls, jazz clubs, intimate venues, cafes, recording studios, etc.— across both time and space.” And to this moment, I continue to travel via STAX’s earspeakers and energizers to venues across both time and space, as they continue to place me in the front row of a performance or on stage or directly beside a performer. You’ll understand this a great deal more clearly, once you’ve listened. I have owned countless, high-end, audio systems that ranged into six figures and they have never provided the kind of listening experience—transparency, detail, musicality, three-dimensionality—that I have had with the STAX electrostatics.And the sum total of the investment in its flagship products—STAX SRM-T8000 ($6090), STAX SR-009S ($4545)— $10,635 is but a fraction of what I had previous spent, to get a fraction of a fraction of the music I now hear with STAX, regularly. Suffice to say, that the longtime, audio cynic in me has been ushered in to a world of incredibly transparency, musicality, and engagement via STAX and its electrostatic works. As a result, I have been transformed into a lover of headphone listening— earspeaker/headphonephile—via my STAX experiences. This is yet another thing, I would never have thought possible! The first purpose of this article on STAX comes from a want to share a truly

surpassed by a component, an earspeaker/

extraordinary experience, these past few

OCTOBER 2021

HOUSE STAX LTD months, that I have had with the STAX electrostatic earspeakers and energizers. The second purpose for writing this article is to make the reader aware of STAX, so that you might experience electrostatic earspeakers and energizers for yourself, at your earliest possible convenience and not four decades from now. The STAX flagship components, listed above, are not inexpensive, but there are a number of more affordable options to owning STAX and having the STAX experience. The STAX SRS-3100 Earspeaker system (STAX SR-L300 + STAX SRM-252s), for instance, priced at $1140 would be a very good starting points as recommended by STAX. However, I would posit that the STAX SR-L300 earspeaker and the STAX SRMD50 energizer (with a built-in DAC, higher gain, lower distortion, cool VU meter, beautiful construction) at a total cost of $1655 may well be the better choice. For one, you’ll not have to buy a DAC it’s just plug your computer in via USB and play! Either STAX combo would stand head and shoulder above its like-priced and even more expensive electrodynamic cousins—planar magnetic and dynamic driver headphones. Perhaps verification for you will come with an audition. However, beware for electrostatics are truly addictive. If you are a tried and true music lover, have curated a second audio system, and have not been exposed to the electrostatic earspeaker/headphone world, then you owe it to yourself to audition an electrostatic system.

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Once you’ve listened, you’ll probably want to sell that second system, as it will not, cannot, give you what an optimal electrostatic system— earspeaker and an energizer can. I would highly recommend a STAX electrostatic system. You may never look back. As I write this, I listen to Ólafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Ott’s “Reminiscence” (The Chopin Project, Mercury KX), and it is sublime via the STAX SR-L700MkII and the STAX SRM-700T. Was STAX ahead of its time when it introduced the first electrostatic earspeakers in 1958? Yes, apparently so. Does STAX via its engineering refinements and continuing R&D produce electrostatic components— earspeakers and energizers—that, as of yet, have no comparators in the early 21st century? Yes, and this is something that I can personally attest to folks. AKRM NOTE: I have no ownership in STAX or any commercial affiliation with the company, nor have I or will I profit via commissions or sales or other forms of remunerative devices for my reviews, recommendations, editorials, or from the sale of any STAX products. I have just been incredibly moved by my experience with HOUSE STAX. STAX #2101 The L Plaza 367-375 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong +852 2522 6989 cs@staxheadphones.com staxheadphones.com

OCTOBER 2021

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THE LTA Z10e The Absolute Right Stuff for Headphones of all Kinds!

OCTOBER 2021

THE LTA Z10e

here are signal moments, epiphanies, in all of our lives. They may come as a result of love or hurt, of philosophical or religious insight or, perhaps, of art or music, and they may change one's perception for a moment or for an entire lifetime. Such a moment, of the musical sort, came for me, after having spent a good deal of time and money in the high-end audio game. And it came in a San Francisco apartment building, in the Outer Mission District, in the late 1980’s. I had come to a ‘possible' girlfriend’s home that was styled mid ’70’s funky—bohemian, plants, lava lamps, blacklight posters (and blacklights), diaphanous curtains throughout, candles, and yellow, beanbag chairs. We sat close to the floor in our respective yellow beanbags and laughed and talked, until the subject of music came up. She rose quickly from her beanbag and to a side table, where she blissfully rescued an album—a long playing record. She turned with purpose, intent, and a giddy smile. I looked to where the album was headed and on a short table behind us, closer to the floor than even our beanbags, was a dusty, unkempt, might-be-working, record player. I surmised, that just maybe it was a few steps removed from a Kenner Close ’N Play, just maybe. I chuckled, quietly. Unnoticed and or unfazed she plunked down the record, swung the tonearm over, and dropped the needle. And when the music

working, record player, in waves tactile, sensual, rich, and when the warmth of a woman’s voice wrapped its arms around me, I was stunnedhumbled to stone. This was music! Exactly what I had thought my audiophile CD players, DAC/Transports (back then) had been making, but had not. Billie Holiday’s God Bless the Child filled the room with a warm, nostalgic glow, that remains crystal clear, for me, to this day. I closed my eyes, slowly moved my head back and forth and said quietly to self, “I have been deceived.” She smiled. She had, no doubt, seen this before—a stunned, audiophile-know-it-all not apparently knowing it all. This record player, however, had not been deceiving her, it had always played music for her. This was a signal moment, an epiphany, for me, that I will never forget. I smiled and we sat comfortably back, near the floor, in our beanbags chairs, and enjoyed the music and conversation and laughter. I slowly drifted back to earth from audiophile-fantasia land. It was not long after that, that I would embrace tubes and a turntable of my own, in an attempt to parallel that experience and to, once again, hear the music! This story and that epiphany bring us to the subject of this review—the Linear Tube Audio (LTA) Z10e Headphone/Integrated Amplifier, where the “e” stands for “electrostatic.” The Z10e has issued in yet another epiphany for me, in a venue— headphone/headgear listening—that I, at one

came flowing from that unkempt, might-be-

time, took for granted, if not wholly ignored.

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And to set the record straight, high-end audio and digital audio, in particular, are quantum levels above where they were just a few short years ago, let alone the late 1980’s. LTA was founded by Mark Schneider in Washington, DC in 2015, several years after a forced medical retirement ended his engineering career and after a “remarkable medical recovery” gave Mark back his life and a new calling. Interestingly or karmically, LTA’s mission is to bring music back to life for those of us who love music. Mark’s company accomplishes this through a unique blending of the patented technologies of David Berning’s Zero-Hysteresis Output Transformerless (ZOTL—see below) and LTA’s own unique “Control System Implementation (see Functionality).” REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start, below, with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Terminator, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Queen’s Gambit, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SOUND The LTA Z10e is one of the most transparent

integrateds that I’ve ever experienced. The Z10e renders incredible clarity and detail across the fullness of the frequency spectrum and yet brings a natural musicality, a sunlit transparency, a richness, and a threedimensionality that is truly captivating. The LTA Z10e partnered with a broad array of headphones and played beautifully with them all. No kidding. I listened late into the night, then early the next morning and this became routine with the LTA Z10e. At times, it was difficult to review the Z10e, as it was so incredibly musical. The Z10e’s constructs venue after venue—an intimate cafe, a medium chamber, a concert hall, a stadium—with astounding spaciousness, three-dimensionality, and texture. Regardless of the headphone/driver type—electrostatic, planar magnetic, dynamic — the LTA Z10e always brought a wondrous resolution, though especially with electrostatic earspeakers/headphones, that rendered the simplest things extraordinary. Brushes over ride-cymbals carried a sustained, burnished rise and leisurely fall. The Z10e rendered a single, plucked cello string with dimension and weight, and nuance that brought grins, smiles, and head shaking. And massed, voices were profound and magnificent. Anthony Walker and the Cantillation’s Agnus Dei, Opus 11 (Prayers for Peace - Sacred Choral Music In The Modern Age, Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC)) comes to mind.

and musical tube headphone amplifiers/

OCTOBER 2021

THE LTA Z10e The LTA Z10e’s main squeeze— electrostatic headphones—of course. I had never heard an electrostatic headphone prior to the STAX SR-L700MkII, a very recent review. And then I heard its ‘elder’ siblings— STAX SR-007A, STAX SR-009S and also the Dan Clarke VOCE (review coming). They all stayed for a while and they played and I listened to a lot of great music with them. They were great guests. And the LTA Z10e and the electrostatic headphones brought true magic— transparency without peer, blistering transient speed, and glorious musicality (relative to its technological cousins). The Z10e’s soundstage with these ‘stats’ found players solidly defined on a broad, deep, layered, ambient space. “Hello?” Was my first response. “How is this possible?” Was my second. Please read the STAX SR-L700MkII and the SR-007A reviews, it’ll make more sense, for those unaccustomed to electrostatic earspeakers/headphones. Or you can track down the Z10e, place one of the electrostatic earspeakers/headphones, that LTA carries over your ears and just listen. It won’t take long. However, if the DAC happens to be the Mola Mola Tambaqui, then Eureka! The LTA Z10e’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is vast and this too you will understand immediately. In short, you will realize across your collections of albums, CDs, downloads, streaming libraries, that you have been missing incredible amounts of music and other attendant information as well as ambient space and air. In this respect, the STAX

lining up sublime revelation after sublime revelation. Yeah, there’s that you-are-there, Star Trek, holodeck three-dimensionality going on, which just might freak some folks out. Or, at least, have them shaking their heads in disbelief (Psssst… it really only happens with electrostatic earspeaker/headphones, though it came close with the planars—Meze Empyrean, Rosson Audio RAD-0)!

SR-009S (review up next!) will be merciless in

LTA Z10e with the planar headphones could

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BASS The Z10e and the STAX SR-009S are now paired as Ray Brown’s Swinging to the Girls Come Home (Two Bass Hits, Plaza Mayor Company) plays. There is that electrostatic transparency, that clarity, and those blistering transients, which zealously excavate detail, wherever it can be found. Bass is tight, agile, detailed, and the Z10e wraps it all in a natural tonal/timbral musicality that is beguiling. Difficult it is to pull away from this album or any of my bass-go-to-albums— Marcus Miller’s Power (M2, Concord Records), Massive Attack’s Angel (MEZZANINE, Virgin), Eiji Oue Stravinsky (Stravinsky, Reference Recording)—so engaging is the music via the Z10e and the SR-009S or the SR-007A. These combos bring a coherency that is of a single, beautiful fabric, not a patchwork quilt of distinct, frequency parts. The Dan Clark VOCE and the Z10e bring the selfsame transparency, transient speed, sublime musicality, and sweetness, though its bass was not their equal. And while the pairing of the

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THE LTA Z10e not match the transparency, nor the speed of the electrostatics, the Empyrean’s and RAD-0’s bass rumbled fiercely, was taunt and detailed, and reached, when needed, to subbass depths.

next track from the playlist, specifically for midrange assessment, rolls through. It is Andy Bey’s “Angel Eyes” (American Song,

Let me start by saying that the LTA Z10e’s midrange is glorious and transparent and natural. The electrostatics in the mix, Joan Shelly’s Wild Indifference (Joan Shelly, No

Savoy) a guitar is strummed with a clarity and tonal beauty, that requires an immediate repeat. Andy's voice enters and there is not the slightest inkling of bloat or boom, that can sometimes accompany his resonant, baritone voice. The see-through transparency has unburied the brush of a cymbal, never before heard, in innumerable hearings.

Quarter) is more transparent, textured and more musical than it has ever been. The Z10e and the STAX SR-009S render the tambourine on this track (at 00:1:45) farther into the room than I have ever heard it before

Transparency and transient speed resolve, easily, the texture and tone of Mino Cinelu’s bongo, that has always been an after-thought, well lodged in the mix, in prior hearings. The stage, in terms of air and ambiance is organic,

and it is better resolved, natural, and real. The

natural, and reverberant. Boz Scaggs’ “But

MIDRANGE

OCTOBER 2021

THE LTA Z10e Beautiful” (But Beautiful, Concord) plays and the drum kit comes alive as Hi-hat cymbal and drumstick, via lightening fast transients, richness of tone, and transparency are rendered eerily three-dimensional. Boz’s voice bears the textured rasp of a decades long career. And Billie Holiday’s “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” (Songs for Distingué Lovers, Verve) brings me back to that late 1980’s San Francisco epiphany, at a former girlfriend’s apartment. Though this time I am not deceived, as the music is over-the-moon! The LTA Z10e’s midrange, suffice to say, is glorious with all manner of headphones and an epiphany with the various electrostatic earspeakers/headphones, which should definitely be experienced.

certain that Mark and Nicholas of LTA grow a wee bit impatient, though they've been exceptional to work with. The Patricia Barber sibilance, torture track album—Modern Cool —was putty in the hands of the LTA Z10e and the STAX SR-009S and SR-007A. The album was rendered as I have never, in over twenty years, heard it before. Exalted above all Magical Synergies? Yes, this trio (with Mola Mola Tambaqui) rises above all prior Magical Synergies! CONCLUSION

made so by incredible, next-level transparency and breathtaking treble extension, across the entirety of the album. There are long periods of time when I can only listen. Yeah, I know,

The LTA Z10e is, perhaps, one of the most versatile integrated/headphone amplifiers on the market today. It is certainly the most versatile headphone amplifier that I have ever come across. And it will align beautifully with all headphones types and technologies— Dynamic, Planar, Electrostatic, and even IEMs! And, I understand, it even drives efficient speakers (90dB+) too. I have spent quite some time with the LTA Z10e and have heard it with every headphone in house and those that have come and gone. In this respect the Z10e is a reviewer’s dream for its wide-ranging compatibility with headphones, ALL headphones! And the Z10e will bring to them a profound naturalness and musicality, an air-filled-spaciousness, and a transparency that is, in my experience, astonishing! If electrostatic earspeakers/headphones represent the world in which you live and

I’m repeating myself, but you would too. I’m

roam, then that world via the introduction of

TREBLE+ Addictive in the extreme is how I would characterize the LTA Z10e’s treble response. And, again, the partnering of electrostatic headphones—STAX SR-007A and SR-009S —and the Mola Mola Tambaqui brought a five star rendering with captivating, unhindered, extension, that laid bare treble-rich performances, time and time again and without the slightest hint of unnaturalness. Wynton Marsalis’ “April in Paris” (Standards and Ballads, Columbia Legacy) is sublime,

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the LTA Z10e may well provide ever more bliss and a haunting musicality, with few peers. If you’ve not heard an electrostatic headphone amp/integrated with electrostatic headphones, you may want to bucket-list this experience and to short list the LTA Z10e (and a good pair of electrostatic earspeakers/headphones). We, AudioKey Reviews, highly recommend the LTA Z10e and award it our GOLDEN KEYNOTE AWARD. As I mentioned in the STAX SR-L700MkII and the STAX SR-007A reviews, we did not know it at the time, but it appears that our motto is embodied and beautifully defined by this electrostatic integrated/headphone amplifier as allied to, of course, electrostatic earspeakers/headphones! Bravo LTA! Pros: Transparency, dynamic contrasts, musicality, transient speed, imaging, etc.

Cons: Zero ( reviewed as a headphone amplifier only). THE COMPANY LINEAR TUBE AUDIO LTA Z10e $6950

LINEAR TUBE AUDIO 7316 Carroll Ave. Takoma Park, MD, 20912 301-448-1534 www.lineartubeaudio.com hifi@lineartubeaudio.com For more information and or specifications: LTA Z10e. REPRINT FROM WEB

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OCTOBER 2021

KANDACE & SHAKESPEARE?

MUSIC REVIEW

oes a Shakespearean drama unfold across the lives of singer/musician Kandace Springs and father, Scat Springs, in her rise to fame? You be the judge. A child, 10, plucks away at the keys of an upright piano, a present from her father. Her small fingers consider it a necessity to pluck away, un-melodically, at the keys of this piano. Her mother, perhaps intent on something a bit more melodic, decides that lessons are in order. Her father, agrees. A few short years later, the piano lessons have gone very well and Kandace, 15, and father realize a dream, long in the making—to make a demo together. One day it may serve as a calling card to, perhaps, the Wizard of Jazz Music—Don Was—but only through friends— producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (Rihanna, Shakira, Christina Aguilera). Then tragedy falls. Scat Springs, his adult life borne of singing and music and entertainment, suffers a stroke and has lost that which to him is talent and gift and

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livelihood—his voice. No longer is there the possibility of singing with his daughter, who rises quickly now to the fullness of her talents and abilities. The calling card, demo, fashioned earlier by father and daughter, makes it to the Wizard, Don Was (Blue Note), via friends— Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken and the Wizard meets this “Kandace.” She sings for him a too familiar tune, that the Wizard knows well and he is moved. Kandace, if she wishes, will sing for him. And she wishes it. And as this is not a linear Shakespearean telling, we enter the scene on Indigo, the songstress’s second album, where our drama appears, at least, to come full-circle, between one aspect of father and daughter. Indigo debuts in 2018 with drummer/producer Karriem Riggins at the helm of production, as it is believed that his multi-genre-talents and accomplishments will be most synergistic with Kandace’s multi-genre-aspirations and talents.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE 5 MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART, IF YOU ARE EVER IN MINNEAPOLIS, AS IT IS Q U I T E A S P E C TAC U L A R MUSEUM. A PUBLIC SERVICE BY AUDIOKEYREVIEWS

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Edouard Manet - The Fifer

MUSIC REVIEW

“Don’t Need the Real Thing,”begins and it is a percussion heavy opening which readies the stage for Kandace’s textured, soulful, voice. It is one of three stories, the two others—“Fix Me,” and “Piece of Me”—torch songs all, speak to the enduring vulnerability, incompatibility, and betrayals, and a woman’s malediction to love. They are each beautifully sung, and topically raw storytelling, as in truthful, a rare commodity in this modern age. The title songs, “Indigo” and “Indigo Part II” will roll in, at different points across the album, spacious and immediate and potent. They set the stage for a Rhythm and Blues, soulful, jazz-infused throw down. Or not, as quickly they end, only to leave a lingering

The two covers of the album—“People Make the World Go Round” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” are familiar and engaging. Though they manage to speak to the selfsame time, it is with a fresh and engaging voice, that does not prompt cries of sacrilege or heresy. Our heroine is, apparently, an old soul and her reprise genuine. The mysterious “68” rolls in as a flute, then a piano call forth the rhythmic thump of bass notes which bestride Kandace’s grounded, ethereal voice. The malediction is, seemingly, gone and, perhaps, the realization of the betrayals has not yet moved this one to the state of anger. The mysterious “68” closes as somberly and reflective as it had began.

tease, a promise unfulfilled, but, nonetheless beautifully so. OCTOBER 2021

MUSIC REVIEW MUSIC REVIEW

And one circle closes. The torch songs —“Don’t Need the Real Thing,” “Fix Me,” and “Piece of Me”—are answered in “Love Sucks,” which finds our heroine freed from relationship malediction, though indignant, and fully engaged in the anger state. “Unsophisticated” begins and it is a call and response play from divine, glorious voice to divine glorious trumpet and back and it holds one’s attention rapt. I am reminded of the late, though very young, Roy Hargroves, who I had the opportunity to meet and see in concert at Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA. He channeled Miles Davis, beautifully, that night. One imagines even Miles having been impressed. “Unsophisticated” is a beautiful duo of voice and instrument and the promise of one and the promise that was. “Black Orchid” opens as if a journey to someplace or, perhaps, to some promised love. It is a longing for love or the fear of love or both. Beautifully composed and sung “Black Orchid” is one of the many songs that

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entrance, across this well executed album. “Simple Things” begins and is the answer, the poetic, Shakespearean fine act, that finds a father’s textured, resonant, voice rescued from a demo tape made earlier and reprised here. Father and daughter, earth and air, bring a beautiful close to Indigo. Indigo is, in the end, a Shakespearean drama with its various acts, their closes, character arcs, realizations, and the circular closes to themes and stories, which are all brought to a rather beautiful, cathartic end. It is the rarest of rare things in this age—a story —imbued with a lesson, a moral, a timely karmic end. Highly recommend! K.E. HEARTSONG

M8 7

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MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI An Incredibly Musical Time and Space Machine!

IEAR.NL AudioKeyREVIEWS! V 1 10IMAGE COURTESY

MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI

y god it’s a piano! It really sounds like a piano! The spaciousness, the air, the $#%@& you-are-there intimacy! Wow, I’ve never heard this song (track, concert, album) like that before. So real, natural, tactile. That's palpable! Transparent, transparent, transparent! So musical and so (your two-word expletive here) sweet. Nuance rich!” These are but a few of the phrases pulled from my novel posing as review notes on the Mola Mola Tambaqui. And I warn you, there is an ocean of superlatives ahead. I had once seen a Mola Mola (the fish) at the San Francisco Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park. It seemed more like a spaceship than a fish to me, as it careened about on its side, its one-eyed, left side, seemed as if it were a portal. I was transfixed by the Mola Mola or Sunfish as the aquarium had referred to it. I stood there for at least an hour taking it in and the various fish that swam around it. The memory of the Mola Mola or Sunfish remains vivid and fixed in my mind. When I unpacked the Mola Mola Tambaqui from its rather sturdy flight case, I immediately got the industrial, design reference, which bares the one-eye side or portal on its front face. The convex to concave wave form on its top surface mimics the Mola Mola’s lines and, perhaps, the ocean waves, as well. Its design is beautifully realized and the silver/gray coloring mimics a particular variation of Mola Mola fish. They come in a variety of colors and dual shades. Suffice to say that the industrially designed rendering of the Mola Mola Tambaqui in its rather petite form was, for me, the embodiment of modern, sculptural art. However, the true beauty of the Tambaqui would be realized via its sublime voice and its incredibly transparent rendering of all types of music from classical to rock to rap to new age to folk music to, well, you name it. Literally. The company, Mola Mola, born in 2011 is based in the Netherlands, in the town of Groningen. Mola Mola is a collaboration between cofounders Jan-Peter van Amerongen

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OCTOBER 2021

Mark Rothko - Untitled, 1951, Oil On Canvas

MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI and Bruno Putzeys both skilled and very successful design engineers. Mr. Putzeys, in particular, is the design engineer of the Mola Mola Tambaqui. Mr. Putzeys’ pre-history, as a design engineer, has taken him to Phillips Applied Technologies, Hypex, Grimm Audio, and Kii. His attention to detail is well noted as he will not send one of his electronic children out to the harsh, cruel market, until it has been well prepared and made ready to excel. Based upon this review of the Mola Mola Tambaqui both Messrs. Amerongen and Putzeys should be very proud fathers, indeed, of their prodigious child. The key or driving design philosophy for Mola Mola, in the words of its founders, “Truth is Beauty.” The Messrs go on to state: “Mola Mola embodies the idea that once you've removed everything that isn't the music, that what remains is the music.”

And yet more insight in to the engineering philosophy at Mola Mola in terms of its end-product goal and the expected result: “Is something never before heard of in high-end audio: amplifiers and converters whose output signal cannot be distinguished, by ear, from the input signal. So what does that sound like? In a few words: natural, nimble, rich and musically enthralling.”

There have been very few times over the course of my life, as an audiophile, music

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lover, failed audio store owner (never turn your loves/hobbies into business endeavors), that a product, any type of a product, lives up to its marketing. Well, count this as one of those rare, very rare cases. What does that mean exactly? REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/ or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Queen’s Gambit, In the Shadow of the Moon, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SOUND “Mellifluous (məˈlɪf lu əs) adj. 1. sweetly or smoothly flowing.”

The Mola Mola Tambaqui came fully burned in, so I was able to begin listening immediately! Though I cannot personally relate to you how long burn-in takes. For that I asked Bill Parish at GTT Audio and his response, “two weeks.” So for those who see themselves lovingly adopting a Mola Mola Tambaqui, that's how long to a rather profound musical experience with your new prodigy (considering other parts of the system are in order).

would, nonetheless, elevate the performance of both planar headphones to a level never before experienced and this was more than a little shocking, jaw dropping, but it was very much enjoyed! However, what the Mola Mola Tambaqui via the electrostatic headphone amplifiers and the various electrostatic earspeakers/ headphones conjured was a rendering of music that was on another level or field of excellence altogether! There was a transparency and a naturalness that seemed to render a singer’s intent! This is the only way that I can describe it. There was anticipation and a you-are-there intimacy, that allowed one to seemingly look into the performer's face and know what would follow and the emotion that lay behind. This was a function, entirely, of the various electrostatic configurations. This took a moment or two to digest and then the back arrow was engaged for a rehearing. Did I hear that right? Repeat. Yes, I did. Coupled with this transparency was a naturalness of tone/timbre, a tactile palpability, and nuance that could sit one on a stage/venue/concert hall anywhere in time and space. It was as if I and my yellow-chair —tardis, as attached to the various electrostatics were, indeed traveling through time and space to this venue and that, across the known realms of time and space. Most will get this immediately, I imagine. Epiphany after epiphany came across all manner of music—classical, jazz, choral,

It is a strange thing to encounter, completely, that which you thought was a nearly unobtainable goal or, perhaps, that which seemed an unbalanced equation. How could it be possible, in a digital product, to experience analog musicality, not analog-like, and a transparency associated with the bestof-the-best digital processors? I had long believed this a give-and-take arrangement. The more analog sounding, the less resolving a digital product would be. And the more resolving the less analog sounding. This would be the give-and-take that would allow the aforementioned equation to balance. For my long life as a music lover it has held true. And then confidently strides into my review life the Mola Mola Tambaqui. Its appearance and subsequent hearings have necessitated that the previous balanced equation be completely reconfigured or, at least, brought up to date. As headphone amplifier/DAC the Mola Mola Tambaqui gave a truly exceptional performance with the planar magnetic headphones—Meze Empyrean and the Rosson Audio RAD-0—via its balanced, XLR headphone output and its 6.3mm, singleended headphone output. It does not on its own do electrostatic earspeakers. Both the Meze Empyrean and the Rosson Audio RAD-0 are multiple award winners for AudioKey Reviews, with The Best Product of the Year & Diamond Award and A Best Product of the Year & the Golden KeyNote

vocal, folk, soul, electronica, the ethereal—

Award, respectively. The Mola Mola Tambaqui

OCTOBER 2021

MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI rendered by the Tambaqui and, truly, any of the amplifiers that it was paired with in our listening sessions. I have never heard Patricia Barber’s sound so real, so natural, so completely sibilance free! And microdynamics and nuance were stunning and very often smile inducing. And this was regardless of whether the Mola Mola Tambaqui was utilized as a stand-alone headphone amplifier/DAC or as a DAC feeding an amplifier. The Mola Mola Tambaqui’s strengths, in sum, are its incredible, detail-rich transparency, its astounding dynamic contrasts, and its evocative, nuanced musicality. Further, the Tambaqui’s transients are start-and-stop-on-a-dime swift! Tone/ timbre and texture are so natural, so beautifully realized and engaging. Mola Mola Tambaqui’s top to bottom extension was also truly extraordinary. Simply put, the Tambaqui laid the music bare and it was spellbinding in the extreme! The Mola Mola Tambaqui’s volumetric cube—sound stage—summons whatever is

vast, the ethereal—directly via its headphone outputs (balanced or single-ended). However, in conjunction with the two electrostatic headphone amplifiers and the various earspeakers/headphones, it appeared to transport one through time and space, to sit one at the performance —first row and often amongst the performers themselves —as positioning, separation, layering resulted in you-are-there, virtual reality. And this, mind you, was with headphones! The Mola Mola Tambaqui for the purposes of this review was used as both a headphone amplifier and a DAC. The Tambaqui’ was partnered with the LTA Z10e, and the STAX SRM-700T electrostatic headphone amplifiers, the Bakoon AMP-13R integrated/headphone amplifier, and various earspeakers/headphones—Meze Empyrean, Rosson Audio RAD-0, STAX SR-L700MkII, STAX SR-007A, STAX 009S, Dan Clark VOCE. The cabling, wires, and cords were ANTICABLE and the power was handled by

required—the intimate, the holographic, the

TORUS.

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OCTOBER 2021

MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI To evaluate the Mola Mola Tambaqui’s frequency spectrum as if they were distinct sections is, perhaps, more untrue of it than any component that I have ever owned or reviewed. It is not a patchwork quilt or a hodgepodge of frequencies engineered to a best practices approach. It is a continuous

headphones—SR-007A, SR-009S, Dan Clark VOCE—to easily grasp the Holy-Bass-HeadGrail (with the exception of the STAX SRL700MkII). The bass was potent, rendered with alacrity, tonal richness, and, again, incredible transparency.This was true across a broad playing of “bass-enabled recordings”—Marcus Miller’s Power (M2, Concord Records), Eiji Oue’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording), Ray Brown, John Clayton, Christian McBride Birk’s Works (SuperBass2, Telarc Jazz), etc. In truth, that the Tambaqui was able to bring such weight and potency and rumble to the tubed, electrostatic amplifiers was truly surprising. Bravo! MIDRANGE Meshell Ndegéocello’s “Fool of Me” (Bitter,

whole that was seamless and rather breathtaking. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that it was fine analog masquerading as a digital component.

Songs, Mercury (Universal France)) plays and I

BASS The Mola Mola Tambaqui was readily capable of rendering taunt, thunderous bass in its alliance with the Bakoon AMP-13R. Together the combo rumbled, traveled deeply into the stygian, sub-bass depths, where the HolyBass-Head-Grail was easily acquired. The Mola Mola Tambaqui and the electrostatic amplifiers—LTA Z10e, STAX SRM-700T— would, likewise, enable the top electrostatics

Warner Bros.) plays or haunts. The bass line is taunt, solid, rhythmic. Meshell’s voice clear, palpable, textured, unfolds, somberly, across the track and my attention is rapt, as notes go untaken. Olafur Arnalds’ “Árbakkinn” (Island

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am immediately aware of the fact that the bird songs, that are picked up on the recording, from outside the recording space, actually begin with the first note. The singing birds have always been there, though they have never before been heard, from the first notes, until now. Nor, for that matter, has the fullness of detail from every movement, creak, pedal push been so transparent, so

beautifully resolved, so immediate. Poet Einar Georg Einarsson’s recital bares the rich, sweet ease and resolution of analog. This rendering was more an electrostatic earspeaker/ headphone/amplifier event, I should note. It was impossible to begin the Hilliard Ensemble and Christoph Poppen’s MORIMUR album (ECM) and not listen to it the entire way through. Ethereal would be a start in describing the Mola Mola's rendering of these voices and the violin in the Austrian Monastery of St. Gerold. Holographic would also be helpful in describing the Tambaqui’s rendering but it was more still. It was you as a listener in the Monastery surrounded by musician and Choralists and but a few feet away. I have alluded to the Star Trek holodeck in a previous review—STAX SR-L700MkII— and that type of rendering holds true now. It was, after all, the Mola Mola Tambaqui that aided and abetted the SR-L700MkII for its review. Another of Mola Mola’s statements is “Digital that's as good as Analogue.” The midrange alone would appear to paint that as an observable truth, freed as it is from its digital heritage. The treble, however, goes further still. TREBLE+ Patricia Barber’s Modern Cool (Premonition Records) can be a sibilance torture track for all families of audio equipment—headphones, speakers, DACs, amplifiers, CD players, etc.— with its mix of cymbals and her voice both on constant display. The wrong piece of

equipment and or system synergy and you're wincing, repeatedly. The Mola Mola as system conductor laid the album bare, exceptionally well resolved, and healed of sibilance from Touch of Trash to Let it Rain. Nasties— harshness, stridency, grain, sibilance—were banished to some other dimension. Hazzah! This is a thing as rare as raptor lips. Suffice to say, that the Mola Mola Tambaqui's treble is sublime! It will scale to the highest treble heights with a transparency, a naturalness, and a truth of tone/timbre, that shouts, as it rides the analog waveform, “Analog!” to your “But, you’re digital.” As a perplexed look rides your face. The Tambaqui's was true to all comers—Hilary Hahn, Kronos Quartet—in its rendering of their trebles to a rich, extended sweetness that should not have been, well, so analog. And Carlos Mena, Núria Real, Philippe Pierlot’s Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (Mirare) was otherworldly and necessitated a repeat performance (several actually). You’ll note that entire albums were referenced, as it was far too difficult to just stop the music after just one or two tracks. CONCLUSION A time and space machine, indeed, for the when and where the Mola Mola Tambaqui transports one. Impossible it is, to write the concluding notes of this review, to break away from the spellbinding music or magic that this DAC/Headphone amplifier creates. Max Richter’s The Blue Notebook plays and the music sweeps over me as though my yellow-

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MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI chair-tardis finds its way, through time and space, to this venue and that. And depending on the track of this album, I am at a beach, in deep space, in a room where a typewriter drums out a poem or a verse on white, textured paper. Or, perhaps, I am in a cathedral amidst angelic voices. The Mola Mola Tambaqui is an incredibly musical time and space machine, that some might even consider otherworldly. I consider myself quite fortunate to have had the opportunity to have as guest the Mola Mola Tambaqui, which sang for me whenever required. This, however, made it nearly impossible to complete its review and quite a few others. Sorry guys! I do not know if the other reviewers were equipped with electrostatic earspeakers/ headphones and the requisite electrostatic headphone amplifier, as this, I believe, brought things—the music, the experience, the spellbinding engagement—to an entirely new level. If not, then they have not, in my subjective opinion, heard into heart and soul of the Mola Mola Tambaqui. If you have the opportunity to hear the Mola Mola Tambaqui as allied to an electrostatic headphone amp and an electrostatic earspearker/headphone then please do so. And even if you don’t, I’d bucket list a Tambaqui hearing. Bill Parish at GTT Audio said that the Tambaqui was something special. We’ve all heard this before and if you’ve been in the business, you’ve no doubt said it before. And there were times, I’m certain, when you

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actually meant it. Suffice to say, that Mr. Parish truly meant it and so I convey to you that he was correct in every respect. As I wrote in the concluding remarks of a prior review: “As of late, I have experienced a number of exceptional products that have made the resident cynic (of audio equipment) that lives within confused, elated, concerned. Yes, I have turned away a number of quite expensive components that did not meet our musical expectations, as I refuse to write bad, flame-throwing reviews. What’s the point? But that so many of the products that remain may well be award winners, to varying degrees, or, at least, “highly recommended” is an end of year problem, that already has me most concerned. But I must admit, that audio is one of the few places where advances in technology stand ready to serve the whole of humanity. Why not do my part in this respect?”

Whether yours is a full-fledged stereo system that spans the width of a room’s wall where the Tambaqui is DAC or your system sits on small table, beside your most favorite chair, with Tambaqui as Headphone Amp/ DAC, you will be more than well served. Know that electrostatic earspeakers and their required amplification will conjure magic from air waves and a constant rush of electrons. And planars and dynamic drivers will scale to new heights with the Mola Mola Tambaqui, so has been my experience. Nirvana of the musical sort will peek in, much

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like Max Richter’s “Written in the Sky” (The Blue Notebooks, Deutsche Grammophon) peeks in on me now, another beautiful moment. The Mola Mola like the Meze Empyrean and the Bakoon AMP-13R is a beautiful work of modern sculptural art that belongs in a modern art museum and in the homes of art and music lovers the world over, where such things are greatly appreciated. And like the Meze Empyrean and the Bakoon AMP-13R the Mola Mola Tambaqui joins the rarefied crowd of AudioKey Reviews DIAMOND AWARD winners along with our highest recommendation to date. AKRM

\THE COMPANY Mola Mola Mola Mola Tambaqui ($13,400) Mola Mola Kattegat 8 9723JP Groningen Tel: +31(0)505264993 THE DISTRIBUTOR GTT Audio +1 908 850 3092 av@gttaudio.com http://www.gttaudio.com REPRINT FROM WEB

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STAX SRM-T8000 The Top-Of-The-Line (TOTL) Electrostatic Energizer (Amplifier)! OCTOBER 2021

STAX SRM-T8000

magine a treasure within arm’s reach, but a lack of awareness stops you from reaching for this treasure—a dirt encrusted Van Gogh, a stringless Stradivarius, etc. In this respect, imagine that this treasure renders the music you love in a way that is so sublimely engaging, so compelling, that you may well be emotionally unable to comprehend what is happening. Hyperbole? No, not really. Before I continue, I’d like to provide a point of reference and easy technological information for first time readers, regarding headphone technology. You see, there are, basically, two headphone technologies— electrodynamic (Dynamic and Planar) and electrostatic. Dynamic headphones use cones, magnets, and voice coils like a traditional speaker. A Planar headphone uses a thin film in the place of a cone and magnets and voice coils, again, like a traditional speaker. An electrostatic headphone, on the other hand, does not use cones or magnets or voice coils, which, in turn, make them incredibly light and incredibly fast! The cone is replaced by a thin, electricallycharged membrane, which is placed between two perforated, metal plates—electrodes. When the electrodes receive a musical signal, this creates an electrical field that forces the membrane back and forth, piston-like, from one plate to the other. This movement forces air through the perforations on the electrodes, which, in turn, makes music! STAX LTD, the preeminent electrostatic

(headphone amplifier) maker in the world for nearly 100 years explains their preference for electrostatic technology: “STAX chose the electrostatic technology for its ability to produce transparent sound, and low weight for comfort/ergonomics, both due to the driver design not employing fixed magnets and moving coils, as opposed to other common headphone driver designs. The minimal weight of the driver ensures a very quick response to the signal, creating a more faithful sound reproduction.” And there you have it, as I have discovered now, time and time again, across my reviews of electrostatic headphones—STAX’s SR-009S, SR-007A, SR-L700MkII and the Dan Clark VOCE. This electrostatic headphone technology, however, requires unique amplification— electrostatic amplification. And in this regard, I have also had the opportunity to review two of STAX’s rather incredible energizers—the SRM-700T and the SRM-700S. I now review their Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) energizer—the STAX SRM-T8000. And this folks is where the incredibly good make way for the incredibly great.

earspeaker (headphone) and energizer

a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill,

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REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start, below, with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as

Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Terminator, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Queen’s Gambit, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SOUND “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth…” —(excerpt The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost, 1874-1963)

Understand that there are, indeed, two roads when it comes to headphones, as I’ve referenced above—electrodynamic and electrostatic—and they are quite different. However, unlike in Robert Frost’s poem, it is possible to travel down both roads and while many have already traveled the electrodynamic (dynamic and planar) road, few have traveled the electrostatic road. This, perhaps, is the opportunity of a lifetime. But again, be warned, to travel down the “other road”—electrostatic— is to journey to a place that may be difficult to leave. Shangri-La anyone? The differences between the STAX’s SRM-T8000 and its various siblings— SRM-700T, SRM-700S, etc.—is not at all subtle, nor difficult to differentiate, nor easy to forget. For one, the SRM-T8000’s incredible

excavation of detail (information), the rendering of a black-quiet soundscapes, when called for, place it in a league of its own. When listening to the STAX SRM-T8000 it will often appear as though the music is coming from the room and not the earspeakers/headphones over your ears. This may be a little disconcerting at first, as you’ll occasionally, need to remove the electrostatic headphones to locate where a given sound has come from. You’ll soon realize that it came from the headphones you’re wearing. You will find this quite amusing. Here’s a simple analogy to begin to describe the difference that electrostatics and the SRM-T8000, in particular, introduce to the listening experience. Imagine listening to

music in a small room, a closet. In this closet are speakers that are two sizes too large for it. If, however, the volume is kept low, then the music could be rather decent (as long as the

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sound waves are not bouncing about the room). But the performance venue that your speakers attempt to recreate in this closet is, at best, limited by the room’s overall volume or lack thereof. Now imagine that your room is the size of a cathedral, which your speakers love and all of the previous limitations and compromises have gone up in a puff of smoke. The room, simply, no longer matters. Well, in general, headphones do this and electrostatic headphones do this to a greater degree, as coupled to electrostatic amplifiers. Another thing that you will discover when listening to the STAX SRM-T8000 is how incredibly natural the music sounds. “Natural,” appears across my notes from top to bottom and the term is meant to convey how real and how personal the music sounds. So compelling is the music rendered by the STAX SRMT8000, that it will, seemingly, transport one to the venue in question—small cafe, recording studio, stage, arena, cathedral, etc.—and, in turn, make your listening experience more personal than it has ever been. I speak on this from experience, as my Yellow-Chair-Tardis and I have, seemingly, traveled the world and

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across time and space to hear the greats, rising stars, and those on journey to stardom. The superlatives for the SRM-T8000, and there are many, are its top-to-bottom frequency extension—it can go low, it can go high—the astounding three-dimensionality, the tachyonquick, transient speed, that allows your music to startle you, and the black-quiet background from which music so beautifully emerges. Its siblings—STAX SRM-700T and SRM-700S— were very good at all of the above; the SRMT8000 is better across every parameter in question. I would not have thought this possible, given the talents of its siblings, but the truth is immediately apparent. The SRMT8000 lifts all boats, in that every electrostatic headphone, every DAC, every streamer allied to it was allowed to reach its true potential. The STAX SRM-T8000’s volumetric cube —its soundstage—is immense—as it embodies great depth and width and height (think cathedral). Countless times, as mentioned above, I would look about the room thinking that the sounds had originated somewhere else, when they had not.

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Claude Monet - Blue Nympheas

For its evaluation across the segmented frequency spectrum, the STAX SRM-T8000 was paired to its apex electrostatic headphone sibling—STAX SR-009S ($4545)—and the Mola Mola Tambaqui ($13.5k), the Audionet DNP/EPX DAC ($30k), and the Roon Nucleus Plus ($2,500). Cardas and ANTICABLE helmed wire responsibility and the TORUS RM20 handled power. BASS Explosive and thunderous when called for, incredible transparency and resolution, and tachyon-fast transients, and on another level, altogether compared to, well, everything. The STAX SRM-T8000 handles the crush of multiple, simultaneous, bass explosions across symphonic, rock, rap tracks, etc. with the deftness and ease of a master conductor. So potent are its abilities across the bass realm

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that the STAX SR-L700Mk2 was able to reach bass depths that it, nor I, had ever thought possible. And this, my friends, is synergy. On cue Eiji Oui’s Stravinsky (Reference Recording) opens and the low, deep background rumble draws one’s immediate attention, “this is new,” I think to myself. And when “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” sidles up to be heard, it is the potent, rolling thunder of humid, Midwestern climes, that, literally, shakes the foundation. There is the weight and tautness, the force and captured rapidity of mallet strikes to tympani, the incredible, see-through resolution, and the natural decay of all. Regardless of what I queued up for the STAX SRM-T8000 it rendered the bass with an ease and sureness and then asked for more. And I fed it. This is also quite new, my notes reflect.

STAX SRM-T8000 MIDRANGE

TREBLE+

Incredibly Natural. If you love Choral and are not familiar with Voices8, you may wish to become familiar with them. The song “Prayer to a Guardian Angel” (Lux, Decca) queues.

Extended! Laura St. John’s “Zigeunerweisen” (Gypsy, Well Tempered) queues and the piano enters with a weight and solidity and, again, a naturalness, that is quickly noted as something new. Something that its various

The low, mellifluous voices of the chorus set the stage for soprano Emily Dickens, whose voice enters with control, clarity, and a sweetness that is exquisitely engaging. The STAX SRMT8000 brings a level of clarity, refinement, and articulation that removes all guess work from the soprano’s solo. Tone and texture, staging and positioning, and layering of soloist and choir are superb. The SRMT8000 moves beyond its exceptionally skilled siblings to reproduce this piece in a way that is unequaled! There is also the foundational weight and dimensionality, that conjures corporeal solidity, as if a woman stands centerfront before me, her voice reaching to the moon or, perhaps, heaven. On vocal track after track, from Kandace Springs’ “Black Orchid” to Olafur Arnalds’ “Árbakkinn” to Joan Shelly’s “Wild Indifference” to Andy Bey’s “Angel Eyes,” the STAX SRM-T8000 renders the music ethereal and holographic, then beguiling and intimate, when called to do so. And despite the incredible resolution and detail, which unearths nuance, articulation, and phrasing, the sound is always unfailingly musical and engaging.

siblings were unable to do so well. Proof again of its flagship status. Laura’s violin now climbs quickly skyward, unimpeded by constraints of any form or fashion, its tone and timbre natural and texturally rich, and its transient speed, again, tachyon-like. I queue up many treble rich recordings and discover across them all what I have, apparently, been missing. Is there no end to the discovery with the SRMT8000? Dave Brubeck's “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) rolls in and there is an analog ease that drops shoulders, a broad and well layered soundstage and a fast and easy resolution of this ‘cymbal-rich’ and beautiful recording. I've been listening to this album for over three decades, at least, and as I listen via the STAX SRM-T8000/STAX SR-009S combo, peerless is the one word that continues to haunt.

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Joan Miro - Portrait 2

STAX SRM-T8000 CONCLUSIONS In the review of the STAX SRM-700T and after my review of the STAX SRM-700S, I mentioned that I’d take them both! Well, the SRM-T8000 happened along and has moved the bar, in relation to the STAX SRM-700T and the STAX SRM-700S, a bit higher across all listening parameters. All! The STAX SRM-700T and the SRM-700S are, on their own, exceptional! And for those fortunate enough or wise enough not to have sought out an audition with the STAX SRM-T8000, the far more affordable SRM-700T or SRM-700S will make one exceptionally happy. In other words, do not audition the STAX SRM-T8000, if you are not in a place to adopt (purchase) it. I have sat before two-channel, stereo systems whose price tags were comfortably into the six-figure range and the music that these systems rendered was spectacular and quite compelling. However, I have not heard nor experienced the transparency, the resolution, the one-cloth coherency, and the astounding musicality, that I have experienced with the electrostatics and the STAX brand, in particular. It has been a revelation that has cost a fraction of a fraction of what I once paid for those various two-channel systems. In truth, I was not prepared for the leap in performance that the STAX SRM-T8000 offered. Of course, I though it would better its immediate kin—SRM-700S, SRM-700T—truly spectacular on their own, but this was something else. The one telling factor that I continuously noticed was that in every case,

the music moved along a bit too quickly, was more enjoyable, and was always over sooner than it had ever been. This I attributed to a profound musical experience. The STAX SRM-T8000 is, decidedly, the TOTL of the STAX energizer line, as it incorporates all that its siblings do, in terms of transparency, resolutions, transient speed, etc. and on a level far above them all. The SRMT8000 is an apex musical component that ticks the boxes across, well, all relevant parameters and then provides a near transcendental listening experience. At least, it did so for me. We, AudioKey Reviews, very highly recommend the STAX SRM-T8000 and it joins the rarified pantheon of our Diamond Award Winners, all apex components that embody sublime musicality, transparency, and engagement! AKRM THE COMPANY STAX STAX SRM-T8000 $6090 #2101 The L Plaza 367-375 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong +852 2522 6989 cs@staxheadphones.com FOR THE COMPLETE REVIEW: HERE

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DENAFRIPS PONTUS II Sublime Musicality for the Masses!

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DENAFRIPS PONTUS II

n terms of access to, literally, millions of songs 24/7/365 and a wealth of playback modalities—streamers, computers, phones, DACs, DAPs, USB Dongles, etc—we are, decidedly, in a Glorious Age of Musical Access or GAMA, as mentioned across my earlier reviews. Additionally, we are witnessing the continual leap-frogging of technology that sees rapid improvements on almost a quarterly basis. This is, in turn, bringing truly sublime musical playback to a greater number of people and for a fraction of the cost of just a few short years ago. And these new, much less expensive components are giving cost-noobject components a frighteningly good run for their money! Frighteningly good! This brings us directly to the Denafrips Pontus II ($1700) review and its rather startling abilities as an “entry” level DAC. For all intents and proposes the Pontus II is posing, with exceptional skill and ability, as a cost-no-object DAC, despite its real-world cost. In times past, the Denafrips Pontus II would, no doubt, be considered a “giant-killer.” I would, however, consider it a bit more than that, as it appears to dispense with giants so regularly, that it is more accurately a giant itself, feigning entry-level status. The company DENAFRIPS had caught my attention as I researched other DACs and systems and streamers, in consideration of those to be sought out for review and those to be sidestepped at least for now. I reached out to Alvin Chee, the owner of Vinshine Audio and the distributor of the DENAFRIPS line, to seek

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out a sample for review. Alvin graciously agreed and soon thereafter a DENAFRIPS Pontus II was on its way for evaluation and review. What I would discover after the Pontus II’s placement in my reference system and the recommended ten days of burn-in was something that nearly 40 years as an audiophile could not have prepared me for! And what was that you ask? 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 SOUND Truly spectacular! In terms of pricing the Pontus II was always the ‘baby’ of the various reference systems, as all the other components were multiples of its cost. Despite this fact, the DENAFRIPS Pontus II always held its own and could well be called an extremely high achiever or a prodigy, when it came to ushering out the various bits of musical information and in a rather profound manner. The best analogy for this would be as if a young man sat in the front row of a jazz concert, with trumpet in hand, as he listened to the greats perform. So joyful is he at hearing their music, that the jazz performers can’t help but

notice and they invite him up to play a set. Perhaps as a humorous bid, perhaps just curious. After all, who carries their trumpet to a performance? However, when he hits the stage and begins to play, it is clearly evident that his talents are prodigious, as he finishes out the set with great applause from the audience, and great applause, as well, from the jazz masters on stage. This then is the DENAFRIPS Pontus II, which performs far above its price point and into five-figure territory when it comes to pricing. There is just no other way to speak to the Pontus II’s daunting skills as a DAC across the entire frequency spectrum and how it ties everything together so coherently, so transparently, and so musically. In truth, its performance has been breathtaking! Its voice is exceptionally detailed, rich (texturally and tonally), beautifully engaging, with a soundstage that is, perhaps, one of the deepest that I have heard. And the Pontus II’s incredible holography—three dimensionality— and its phenomenal resolution has found it adopted, as a family member, by electrostatic headphone amplifiers and electrostatic headphones, that are better still for its inclusion! And, of course, it performs beautifully with dynamic headphones and headphone amplifiers and, in particular, with the LTA Z10e that is fluent in both languages—dynamic and electrostatic. The Pontus II’s separation of players across the width and the depths of a soundstage—

recording—is phenomenal, as is the air and the space which surrounds them. This brings a

where they are physically located, in any given

startled time and time again! At one point, I

realism to one’s music, that time after time causes quite a bit of head-shaking. “How is this possible?” I’d ask. And then there is the liquidity. Liquidity? Yes, the unimpeded, analoglike flow, the smooth, natural engagement of the music, that drops one’s shoulders, releases the furrowed brows, and brings a relaxed calm (given one's music, of course). Did I mention the incredible dynamics, wherein the Pontus II reveled in the softest of passages (pianissimo) and easily rode the loudest of passages (fortissimo) as if a skilled bronco rider. This is something that far more expensive DACs have often failed to do. And its blazing, stop-start-on-a-dime transient speed

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DENAFRIPS PONTUS II stopped the music and evaluated what I had just heard. This, dear reader, is rare, as 40 plus years in audio have ingrained a good deal of cynicism when it comes to audio gear, in general, and bargained priced gear, in particular. Some components back one’s process up. Or, more specifically, so good are they, that they command more of your time and, as a result, they hold up the reviews of other components. This completely tweaks one’s review schedule and, no doubt, ticks off manufacturers whose products are in that queue. The Pontus II is one of those products. The DENAFRIPS Pontus II’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is one of the largest that I’ve encountered. Perhaps this is a result of the synergy found with either the LTA Z10e or the STAX SRM-T8000 headphone amplifiers, the Roon Nucleus Plus streamer, and the various headphones—STAX SR-009S, SR-L700MkII, Meze Empyrean, etc. And across its soundstage, as mentioned above, there is superb separation and layering and a three-dimensionality, that together conjure a truly convincing stage and surprising realism. Realism is a word that I don't use much across my reviews, but it is more than appropriate here given the Pontus II’s ability to transport you to the musical venue —cafe, stage, opera house, symphony, etc.—in question. The DENAFRIPS Pontus II DAC for the purpose of the review was allied with the electrostatic/dynamic headphone amplifier—the LTA Z10e—the electrostatic headphone amplifier—the STAX SRM-T8000—the various

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electrostatic and dynamic headphones—STAX SR-009S, STAX SR-007A, Dan Clark VOCE, MEZE Empyrean— the Roon Nucleus Plus, and the TORUS RM20. BASS Foreboding. Transparent. Detailed. Fast! These are the words taken directly from my notes with regard to the DENAFRIPS Pontus II’s portrayal of the bass across, literally, every bass track that it rendered. And while there were those systems that did not provide the synergy necessary to usher the Pontus II into the stygian bass depths, there were certainly those that did. Synergy. As Eiji Oui’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording) begins, it is dramatic, formidable, and startling. The Pontus II as allied to the STAX SRM-T8000 and the STAX SR-009S descend easily to the sub-bass regions and take hold of the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail, a confident smile shared between them. Thunderous is the pummeling of the timpani and the various kettles (7) that have been assembled for this movement and foreboding is what lies just ahead. And when it comes, via the rapid pummeling of all seven assembled kettles, there is little to no difference between this and the tumultuous thunder, just beyond the walls, that rumbles across this Midwestern, rain-soaked clime. Beautiful! Marcus Miller’s “Power” (M2, Concord) powers in to join the fun and helps to further define the Pontus II's bass not only as potent and thunderous but also lickety-split quick (as in its transient response), beautifully

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transparent, textured, with screaming dynamics! Regardless of the amount of bass thrown at the Pontus II, in this system it is always up to task and a willing traveler to the stygian bass depths of what any track called for. Synergy. MIDRANGE Transparent. Detailed. Luxuriant. Compelling. Real. Often these descriptors, again pulled from my notes, would be mutually exclusive, as they do not normally exist within a single component and certainly not at this price point. The Pontus II embraces a phenomenal Ying/ Yang portrayal of the music. Olafur Arnalds' “Árbakkinn” (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)) queues for play and the palpability, the realism, the immediacy is stunning, as Icelandic poet—Einar Georg Einarsson—recites his poem. There is no digital artifice with the Pontus II that puts one on edge or makes one uncomfortable or that will soon fatigue. The DENAFRIPS Pontus II excels at vocal realism and clarity, articulation and diction, that more often than not removes the guesswork of trying to determine what a singer or a chorus is actually singing! This consistently brought on momentary reviewer catatonia or shock! How is

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this possible? And all that was left for me to do was just listen, as I could neither review nor take notes. Tone, timbre, and texture were outstanding, as was the ability, via the Pontus II, to see deeply into the stage and across its breadth. The birds, I forgot the birds. In Olafur Arnalds’ “Árbakkinn” the birds that are outside the recording venue always come in at some point, as the mikes are able to pick them up. Though what I did not realize, until much later, was that the birds come in and can be heard, with the proper DAC—Pontus II, Mola Mola Tambaqui—from the very beginning! I was even able to gain further insight into Shirley Horn’s “Beautiful Love” (You Won’t Forget Me, Verve) a song that I have been listening to for over 30 years! Shirley’s voice inflection, her breathing, the pursing of her lips, the subtle, slight vibrato, an indrawn breath, her diction were all laid bare. The Pontus II would repeat this talent across an array of vocal tracks, regardless of genre. What all of the above speak to is a transparency coupled to a rich and engaging musicality, that allows the Pontus II incredible insight to any and all recordings. But how is this possible in a DAC at this price point?

DENAFRIPS PONTUS II TREBLE+ Incredibly extended. Detailed. Unencumbered! I smile now and shake my head, as Hilary Hahn’s “Sonata for solo violin No. 1 G minor, BWV 1001: Adagio” (Hilary Hahn Plays Bach: Violin Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Partita No. 1, Decca) plays. It is vibrant, energetic, transient quick (start and stop ability), transparent, with a richness of tone/timbre that is exceptionally engaging. It is as if I am on stage immediately beside Hilary, so real is the Pontus II’s portrayal of this movement. My Yellow-Chair-Tardis and I take these kinds of trips across time and space, figuratively speaking, that place us at many past musical events and, especially so, with the electrostatics (headphones and amplifiers). The LTA Z10e (electrostatic headphone amplifier) and the STAX SR-009S (electrostatic headphone) as coupled to the DENAFRIPS Pontus II have powered up things for this trip to hear Hilary Hahn and others. To the jazz fans, do you think that you've ever, truly, heard Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, ColumbiaLegacy) CD? Well, I thought I had until I engaged the electrostatics and the Pontus II. What you will realize very quickly, if you are inclined to do the same, is that you've not really heard this CD, despite its 60 plus year lifespan. What the electrostatics and Pontus II (and the Mola Mola Tambaqui prior) do is to make things, entirely, three-dimensional, alive, vibrant. Three dimensional in that the stage is now layered with musicians at different depths across it, as opposed to all of the musicians lined up in a row, across the stage—flat. This, generally,

doesn’t happen in performances (see orchestra, etc.), any performances. And there was never harshness or grain or stridency or sibilance with the Pontus II in the mix, regardless of the system employed. The Pontus II’s treble extension easily shot past the moon to points beyond (Alpha Centauri?). One day, of all things, my Yellow-Chair-Tardis, the electrostatics, and the Pontus II even took us past a barn on the way to a concert! There was music playing and a

guy was well, hanging from the rafters! Don’t quite know who he was or what that was about. I imagine that we crossed wavelengths, or some such thing though, for a reason. However, with regard to the DENAFRIPS Pontus II, this is not a $1700 DAC though it is priced as such. Amazing! CONCLUSION The DENAFRIPS Pontus II’s talents are prodigious and when its price is considered, relative to the incredibly expensive DACs and

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“I can say without hyperbole that in my experience this is a headphone amplifier with few peers at this price point... Highly recommended.” — Rafe Arnott | Inner Fidelity

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the way-over-the-top, incredibly expensive DACs, it is, decidedly, in the mix and on stage with the best and a giant killer! No doubt, its performance sends shivers down the spines of the makers of the way-over-the-top, incredibly expensive DACs, as well it should. I can't even begin to imagine what its big brothers—Venus II, Terminator II, and Terminator Plus—are capable of. Double yikes! The Pontus II is a champion of resolution and detail, a champion of dynamics, transient speed, and staging, and a champion of a realism and musicality that is so engaging, so texturally and tonally rich, as to present a rather mystifying conundrum. How could all of this, coupled to an elegant, beautifully constructed, and rock-solid case come in at its current price point? STAMPEDE! Or, at least, the DENAFRIPS Pontus II conjures images for me of people stampeding to purchase one.

repeat myself, which I do not like doing, with its big brothers.

The DENAFRIPS Pontus II is a three-star Michelin meal, that continually remakes itself, depending on the music played, into another, quite delicious, different three-star Michelin meal. My only fear now is that I may well have to

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We, AudioKey Reviews, highly recommend the DENAFRIPS Pontus II DAC and award to it our GOLDEN KEYNOTE AWARD for superb musicality and resolution and spellbinding engagement, so far above its price point as to present a dilemma for the makers of the way-over-the-top, incredibly expensive DACs. Finally, technological innovation delivers superb musical playback to a much broader audience than ever before. Suffice to say, that one of the DENAFRIPS DACs, if not the Pontus II, will find a loving home here at AudioKeyReviews. Bravo! AKRM DENAFRIPS DENAFRIPS PONTUS II ($1700) support@denafrips.com VINSHINE AUDIO Singapore 408868 sales@vinshineaudio.com Wechat: vinshineaudio Whatsapp: +6588534576 OCTOBER 2021

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store.roonlabs.com OCTOBER 2021

THE BEST

s 2021 began, despite the roiling world outside our doors I began to ponder how difficult it might be to choose those components that provided solace, peace, and a quiet escape via music. The difficulty came in there being so very many incredible components—DAPs, DACs, headphones, IEMs, headphone/amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, etc.—and me, not wanting to provide awards willy-nilly, looked to tighten the awards process further. The further being only two awards given per price category, though this year there would be honorable mentions. The above said, we are living in a Golden Age of Music wherein millions of songs are, literally, available at our beck and call 24/7/365. Our most recent ancestors would be wide-eyed-stunned at the possibilities, that most of us now take for granted. And

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T OF 2021 hand-in-hand with this Golden Age of Music is the progress of technology, which now plays back our music better than we have ever heard it before and in many cases spectacularly! If music is a love, if it is a balm in challenging times, a refuge, an avenue for pure enjoyment, a time machine, when needed most, then we understand each other. Please find below in Best Product of 2021, Best Products of 2021, Editor’s Choice, and Best Budget Product of 2021 a few components that can lead you to your comfort spot. And that a good number of these products happen to be electrostatics, should be very informative and curiosity invoking. AKRM

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THE BEST PRODUCT OF 2021

he Mola Mola Tambaqui ($13,400) is, by far, the best DAC that I have ever had the experience to listen to over an

extended period of time. And it continues to help me rediscover the totality of my music, across numerous media. As I wrote in the review of the Mola Mola Tambaqui: “The Mola Mola Tambaqui is an incredibly musical time and space machine, that some might even consider otherworldly… The Mola Mola Tambaqui’s strengths, in sum, are its incredible, detail-rich transparency, its astounding dynamic contrasts, and its evocative, nuanced musicality. Further, the Tambaqui’s transients are start-and-stopon-a-dime swift! Tone/timbre and texture are so natural, so beautifully realized and engaging. Mola Mola Tambaqui’s top to bottom extension was also truly extraordinary. Simply put, the Tambaqui laid the music bare and it was spellbinding in the extreme!” It is thus very easy to name the Mola Mola Tambaqui the Best Product of the Year Award for 2021, it earned it flat out! It is a definite shortshort bucket list item for the music lover! AKRM

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EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD 2021

he STAX SR-009S ($4,545) may

represent, for many, a transcendent listening experience. It may move you beyond expectation to that which you never imagined possible in a earspeaker or headphone. And should its stable of playmates be capable and up to task, then you will find yourself in another world of music altogether, and, like me, traveling across time and space, from venue to venue, experiencing sublime enjoyment. This is the magic of the STAX SR-009S and had I not experienced it, I would never have imagined it possible. Flagship? Yes, the STAX SR-009S is a true flagship earspeaker/headphone in every sense, with no rival, no peer, no successor to the throne, currently, and for the foreseeable future. In truth, the STAX SR-009S has transformed me into a dedicated headphone listener, as several decades of two-channel listening with systems into the low six figures, have never made this kind of a mark on me or revealed the music and its inner workings or summoned the magic to this degree. Never. This is a very easy Editor’s Choice Selection for 2021 2021!OCTOBER AKRM

BEST MUSICAL VALUE 2021

he iBASSO IT00 ($79) is quite the

impressive entry level IEM for what it brings to the table relative to its price point. It is well constructed, its graphene-coated dynamic drivers handle the frequency spectrum exceptionally well and coherently, from bass extension to treble extension. And the IT00 also plays well with smartphones, entry level DACs, and scales with a couple of the best DAPs on the market, though quite impressive synergies were had with the AudioQuest DragonFly line. The IT00 is both detailed and musical and it brings weight across the frequency spectrum, that will find no region lacking or impoverished of musicality or thin. Though at the highest treble frequencies resolution is quite good, but not great. Its bass response, though, is very impressive. And the IT00 will project a goodsized soundstage with quite good depth, imaging, and layering. Its match will not be found within its price range, but at, perhaps, a three to four multiple of its retail price. This, of course, speaks to the fact that there is quite a lot packed within these tiny shells. This IEM should absolutely be on the short list of all those looking for a great starting AudioKeyREVIEWS! point to begin enjoying their music! AKRM V 1

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BEST PRODUCTS The Meze 99 Classics ($309) is primarily for music (and movie) lovers, in our quite subjective opinion, as it gets to the heart of the music, but with a transparency that nicely defines the venue, The whether Meze 99intimate Classics jazz ($309) is symphony, primarily for music (and movie)etc., lovers, inalso our providing quite subjective club, arena rock concert, while great insight opinion, as it gets to the heart of the music, but with a transparency that nicely defines thewill into the performer(s) and performance. And most important of all, the Meze 99 Classics venue whether jazz club, symphony, arena rock concert, etc., whileDAPs, also providing perform its magicintimate with smartphones, computers, DAC-dongles, DAC/Amps, etc. And great don’t insight to the performer(s) and performance. And most important of all, the Meze 99 forget the movies or you’ll be missing out entirely on another of its wonderful Classics will perform itsClassic magic is with smartphones, computers, DAC-dongles, DAC/Amps, strengths! The 99 musical, transparent, engaging, with great bass, superb DAPs, etc. And don’t forget the movies or you’ll be missing out entirely on another of aesthetics, and good sound-staging! its wonderful strengths! The 99 Classic is musical, transparent, engaging, with great bass, superb aesthetics, and good sound-staging!

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S OF 2021 TO $500 The FiiO FD5 ($299 ) from a design, aesthetic, build, and operational perspective is, indeed, a flagship product. It also provides a wealth of accessories that few flagships have, to date, matched. If you’re looking for a flagship IEM but don’t have the money traditionally associated with owning one, then your journey may well end with the FiiO FD5. And one listen, after it is properly burned in, will find you with an IEM of tremendous value and impressive, musical talent. We very highly recommend the FiiO FD5! The FiiO FD5 which consistently performed far above ITS price designation often competing with products at multiple of its respective cost and thus the designation.

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BEST PRODUCTS The Shanling M8 ($1,659) is an extraordinary “Portable Music Player” more detailed and extended than the DX220 AMP1 MkII, more musical and engaging than the Cayin N6II/A01, and it is as powerful as some desktop systems (and more transparent). The Shanling M8 also proved outstanding as a digital transport to the Border Patrol SE-i DAC. The iBasso and the Cayin are both quite good, highly rated DAPs, the M8, however, is on another level altogether in what it brings to the rendering of one’s music. If you are a music lover, and for me, I imagine that in every music lover there is a bit of the romantic, the artist/poet, habituated realist, and the lover of all things beautiful (art, architecture, design, etc.), then this may well be your last DAP.

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S OF 2021 TO $1,750 The STAX SR-L700MkII ($1,649) electrostatic earspeakers are something quite new, at least to me, as they represent my first hearing of an electrostatic earspeaker/headphone. The experience has been, at the very least, a revelation and, at most, magical. As I write the conclusion, I am still listening to music. Sophie Hunger’s Headlights (Rules of Fire, Two Gentlemen) plays and I am fooled again, as I turn to see where a particular sound has come from. It’s on the track %$&*@! The STAX SR-L700MkII will also bring you closer to your music than you may have ever imagined possible And in so doing, you will rediscover that which you believed you knew, over and over again. It'll take your breath away! A Best of 2021!

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BEST PRODUCTS The STAX SR-007A ($2,205) is magnificent! They do that thing that electrostatic earspeakers do with transparency—they bring it like no other headphone technology can (planar, dynamic driver)—and they marry that transparency to incredible musicality, free of distortion in all its forms. Suffice to say, that transparency, clarity, speed, soundstage are all next-level plus with the SR-007A. Further, the STAX SR-007A weaves a naturalness and a coherency across the frequency spectrum, coupled with all of its other talents, that induces, as mentioned above, a quasi-conscious ecstasy. When I drafted our motto—transparency, musicality, engagement, and naturalness—I had not then listened to an electrostatic earspeaker. Easily one of the Best of 2021.

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S OF 2021 TO $3,000 The Border Patrol SE-i DAC ($1,950) is a true gem, that hides its wondrous capabilities beneath a simple, clean, unadorned facade. To look past it though is to look past the tattered, dirt-crusted Van Gogh at a garage sale, posing as nothing more than an amateur's wellintentioned, paint-by-numbers, work. Don’t do that.The simplest thing to say about the Border Patrol SE-i DAC is that it never disappointed or failed to amaze. However, to carry on about SE-i DAC is to speak to its whole-cloth coherency, its top to bottom frequency reach (dependent on system configuration/synergy), its natural and wholly transparent rendering of the music, and its beguiling, analog ease across the entirely of the frequency range. A best of 2021!

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BEST PRODUCTS With regard the STAX SRM-700S ($3,400), count me twice surprised by a tubed electrostatic headphone amplifier—STAX SRM-700T—sporting 6SN7 tubes in the power role—and now by a solid state electrostatic headphone amplifier that stands at the doorway of two worlds—tube and solid state. Though bereft of a single tube it can, nonetheless, speak both world’s languages rather fluently. The STAX SRM-700S is an extremely capable earspeaker energizer that, simply, must be heard! I don’t know what to tell you. Apparently, STAX’s nearly 100 years in business has taught it a thing or two about electrostatic audio components and earspeakers.

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S OF 2021 TO $5,000 The STAX SRM-700T ($3,400) is a superb electrostatic headphone energizer (amplifier) that The STAX SRM-700Twell ($3,400) is a superb electrostatic headphone (amplifier) that worked exceptionally with every electrostatic headphone that itenergizer was paired with! Prior to worked wellaswith every electrostatic it was paired Priortoto hearingexceptionally the SRM-700T, mentioned above, I didheadphone not expect that much, having hadwith! exposure hearing thesporting SRM-700T, mentioned above,power I did not amplifiers the as 6SN7s in a primary role.expect Theremuch, was nohaving need,had whatsoever, exposure to amplifiers a primaryispower role. There was no to worry. The summarysporting effect ofthe the6SN7s STAXin SRM-700T wondrous musicality, very need, whatsoever, to bass worry. The summary effect of the STAX SRM-700T is good control of the regions, exceptional detail and resolution, and incredible wondrous musicality, verymix good of the bass regions, detail dimensionality. And this of control these traits contributed to aexceptional rather fascinating and resolution,realism, and incredible this mix my of these you-are-there which I dimensionality. have mentionedAnd throughout notestraits and in my contributed to a rather fascinating you-are-there realism, which I have reviews of, literally, everything STAX. mentioned throughout my notes and in my reviews of, literally, everything

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BEST PRODUCTS The LTA Z10e ($6,950) is, perhaps, one of the most versatile integrated/headphone amplifiers on the market today. It is certainly the most versatile headphone amplifier that I have ever come across. And it will align beautifully with all headphones types and technologies— Dynamic, Planar, Electrostatic, and even IEMs! And, it even drives efficient speakers (90dB+) too. I have spent quite some time with the LTA Z10e and have heard it with every headphone in house and those that have come and gone. And the Z10e will bring to them a profound naturalness and musicality, an air-filled-spaciousness, and a transparency that is, in my experience, astonishing! The LTA Z10e is a GoldenKey Note award winners and a Best Product of 2021!

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S OF 2021 TO $8,000 The Bakoon AMP-13R ($6000) is much like a great leader or coach or a superstar athlete in that its inclusion with any combination of capable components will lift all boats to levels that they may not have previously experienced. Please don’t take my word for it, seek out the Bakoon AMP-13R and discover this for yourself. The truth in this case will be in the listening and the subsequent lifting of all boats/components in your respective, head-fi systems.The Bakoon AMP-13R is a form-follows-function work of modern art. Further, the AMP-13R is incredibly transparent, of a natural/ organic musicality, and wondrously engaging. It is on of our DIAMOND award winners and it is easily a Best Product of 2021!

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BEST PRODUCTS O AudioNet DNP & EPX’s symbiosis is incredible! In truth, I can scarce believe that someone would hear them together and not take them both immediately, after, of course, hearing the AudioNet DNP without the EPX. Let me state clearly, there is a world of difference when one splits the twins and takes the DNP home without its sibling. And though the DNP will make music and make it rather enjoyable, it will be but half, if you will, what it makes in tandem with its twin. I thought the DNP quite good, a possible award winner on its own merits. However, when the EPX came home too, game over and the twins walked away with two awards—a Golden KeyNote and a Best of the Year!

OF 2021 TO $15,000+ The Obravo RA-C-CU ($10,000) is a TOTL IEM not unlike the TOTL super cars—the Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari 488 Pista, Koenigsegg Jesko, Lamborghini Veneno, and Pagani Zonda Revolucion. Though one must make sure to take care of its very specific needs (see TOTL super cars). The price of admission is substantial in the extreme, however, those able to indulge, like the owners of the super cars listed above, will find next-level musicality, transparency, and engagement, from which it may be difficult to escape. Perhaps not unlike the goddess CIRCE’s island—Aeaea. Another DIAMOND award winners and another Best Product of 2021!

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A PREVIEW OCTOBER 2021

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kay, a bit of history first. I reviewed designer Soo In Chae’s Bakoon AMP-13R integrated/headphone

amplifier earlier in the year. From its external packaging to its inner components, the AMP-13R was exceptionally well designed from an industrial design and engineering standpoint, and the music that it made was exceptional (see review). The Bakoon AMP-13R won our highest award—the DIAMOND AWARD. It has also been selected as a product of the year for 2021, as featured in this debut issue of the AudioKeyREVIEWS! magazine. Soo In Chae’s Bakoon AMP-13R was premised on “efficient simplicity”—just that which is necessary for the music, via the shortest signal path and the best available parts, to render music with the highest fidelity.

This was achieved in the Bakoon AMP-13R. As I wrote in its review: “The Bakoon AMP-13R is much like a great

leader or coach or a superstar athlete in that its inclusion with any combination of capable components will lift all boats to levels that they may not have previously experienced. Please don’t take my word for it, seek out the Bakoon AMP-13R and discover this for yourself. The truth in this case will be in the listening and the subsequent lifting of all boats/components in your respective head-fi systems. Finally, the Bakoon AMP-13R performed flawlessly over the course of its entire stay! … The Bakoon AMP-13R is a form-follows-function work of modern art. Further, the AMP-13R is incredibly transparent, of a natural/organic musicality, and wondrously engaging. It is our latest DIAMOND award winner.”

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Borderpatrol.net

Borderpatrolaudio@gmail.com

Superb Music Made Here

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ENLEUM AMP-23R

Several months ago when Soo In Chae, via a very cryptic email, alerted me to the fact that something new would soon be debuting, something even better than the Bakoon AMP-13R, I was very interested. Shortly thereafter, Soo In Chae sent the very first pictures of the new amplifier— Enleum AMP-23R—that I found very intriguing. The world Enleum, by the way, represents the synergistic coupling of

“Enlightenment” and the Korean word “Eum,” which means “sound” or “note.” Soo In Chae also noted that all the performance benchmarks set by the Bakoon AMP-13R had been surpassed by the new integrated amplifier. My question, “So when do I receive my review sample?” I was told by Soo In that I would receive my sample of the Enleum AMP-23R prior to the debut of the AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine, with sufficient time to write a full-

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ENLEUM AMP-23R

blown review. Well, the best laid plans often come up against unforeseeable events. While the new amp did arrive prior to the magazine’s debut, there was hardly enough time to do a full review. So what you read now is but a preview of the Enleum AMP-23R with the full review scheduled for the second edition of the AudioKeyREVIEWS! magazine. If the Bakoon AMP-13R has, indeed, been bettered either marginally or significantly by the Enleum AMP-23R, then I will absolutely reveal those details in my upcoming review. We, AudioKeyReviews, are, after all, passionate music lovers, who are incredibly supportive of the talented designers and engineers who push the envelope to bring forward components which offer the highest fidelity and musically engaging solutions. Solutions which allow for

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the enjoyment of the millions upon millions of songs that we all now have access to 24/7/365 via the various streaming services. I refer to these times as the Golden Age of Music Access (GAMA). AKRM Stay Tuned! K.E. Heartsong

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AUDIONET DNP/EPX A Potent, Dynamic, Incisive Duo! 120

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AUDIONET DNP/EPX

had spoken with Bill Parish of GTT Audio about theAudionet DNP, as it seemed quite the robust overachiever of a DAC and I was definitely interested in hearing and reviewing it. However, after completing the review of the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, a Diamond Award winner and the Best Product of the Year for 2021, let’s just say that I needed a bit of sherbet or seasoned ginger to clear the palette. Thereafter, a number of non-DAC products would be the subject to review. Palette sufficiently cleansed it was time for the Audionet DNP review. The Audionet DNP is a quite different species to what we are accustomed to here at AudioKeyReviews, though not entirely. It is incisive, in terms of its ability to excavate detail and bring clarity. Its “color” is neutrality, though not subtractively so. And it is extraordinarily dynamic! We have reviewed neutral and very dynamic DACs, integrated amps, etc., but none that have come as near to the neutral zone as does the Audionet DNP and also none as dynamic. My initial impressions were that it was quite good. Though something I could not yet put my finger on was missing. The DNP was inserted into numerous configurations with solid state, tubed, and electrostatic tubed and solid state headphone amplifiers and in some it was, again, quite good, while in other configurations something appeared to be missing. Warmth, air, engagement, that last iota of detail which the

Mola Mola Tambaqui rendered so beautifully, so competently. I discussed this all with Bill and his recommendation—cleaner power. The cleaner power that he was referring to was the Audionet EPX external power supply. Yes, clean power can do and has done wonders for my systems over the years, so I am definitely a proponent of well executed power generators, transformers, etc. I asked Bill to send the EPX along. Mind you, it too is quite the robust, as in large, component. There would now be two Germanic leviathans set upon the listening desk. When the Audionet EPX eternal power supply showed up, I removed it from the selfsame, gargantuan box that its kin had come in, delivered the box to the basement, and set to connecting the EPX to the DNP, and to the system. Well, from the first few notes, things got very interesting, very quickly, but more on that below. REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the components 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, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Queen’s Gambit, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. By the way, please watch these movies/series, as they are all very good!

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THE SOUND Imagine for a moment the Audionet DNP/EPX combo as, say, a boxer. Then the combo would be a young Mike Tyson (prior to criminal offense)—lightning fast, knockout powerful, incredibly deft footwork, and fearless to boot. Yep, that just about sums up the synergy of these two kindred electronic components. The Audionet EPX merged with the DNP in ways both commanding and rather spectacular that I would never have imagined. The pairing carried its weight and then some, in every system in which it was employed, with none of the earlier concerns. In fact, they had all become reversals—complete opposites of what they had been with just Audionet DNP. Meaning? The level of detail was now extraordinary and what was excavated by the Audionet tandem made easy work for the electrostatics and the electrodynamics downstream to serve up for audible consumption and enjoyment. “Yeah, yeah,” some might say, “you heard things that you’d never heard before on very familiar music. Right…?” Well, yes, as I’ll happily describe below. And it was not at all subtle. No sireee! I also can’t forget the blazing transient speed, which turned those anticipated, here-itcomes, ho-hum moments, across track after track, to startling, what-the…(!) moments. Yes, there will absolutely be those kind of “what-

was-that” moments with familiar recordings with the Germanic dynamic duo allied to one’s system. And air and engagement, crystal clarity and, yet, a wonderful naturalness were present across every recording, fortunate enough to have been well recorded and not tweaked and or compressed to imminent musical death (for mass appeal). The Audionet DNP/EPX DAC’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is massive, offering great depth, width, and height that would best be described as ‘Cathedral’ like. Further, there is excellent separation, pinpoint imaging, and layering, which allows eyes-on performers across stage depth and width. Suffice to say, that all downstream equipment fell in love with combo and were anxious for its company (as was I). The Audionet DNP/EPX DAC for the purpose of the review was allied primarily with the TOTL electrostatic headphone amplifiers— LTA Z10e, STAX SRM-T8000—and the various electrostatic and other headphones— STAX SR-009S, STAX SR-007A, STAX SRL700MkII, Dan Clark VOCE, MEZE Empyrean —to tease out its incredibly resolving power, incisive detail retrieval, drive, clarity, and its naturalness. BASS Thunderous! Eiji Oui’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording) plays and the first notes rendered

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via the Audionet DNP/EPX duo via the STAX SRM-T8000 (review coming— AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine) are potent, driving, dynamic, and thunderous! Can electrostatics dive deeply into the sub-bass regions and take control of the Holy-BassHead-Grail, with the proper accompaniment? H. E. Double Toothpicks, yes! I cannot stress enough what the proper synergy is capable of and with the Audionet DNP/EPX duo conducting the digital bits and bytes, well, see declarative statement above. And as the explosive crescendo of “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” arrives, well folks, it’s a doubleyikes(!), a truly explosive moment. Is there precedent for a DAC, in my experience, to be so incredibly propulsive? Well, not really. Christian McBride, Ray Brown, Marcus Miller, and Mezzanine’s bass test tracks were handled

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with confidence and poise and, thereafter, were asked by the duo to take a seat and chill. You’ll hear more about this musical, take-noprisoners, throw-down in conjunction with the STAX SRM-T8000 that came loaded for T-Rex bits and bytes and anything else brave enough to show up. Even the fiercest dynamic swings were ridden by the trio with a wide, bugcatching smile, and uber-unshakeable confidence! I’m keeping ‘em! Well… MIDRANGE Fecundity. A fecundity and richness of detail are available on Olafur Arnalds’ Árbakkinn (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)) via the duo, previously unheard. Einar Georg Einarsson, Icelandic poet, recites his familiar poem, whose lyrics I have come to know and it is captivating via a wealth of new detail. Yes,

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there are birds just outside the recording venue, and their songs begin with Einar’s recital and continue throughout Árbakkinn. The level of transparency and resolution and clarity via the DNP/EPX is extraordinary. Andy Bey’s “Angel Eyes” (American Song, Savoy) cues and it is a tight, detailed, yet natural portrayal, that has illuminated every inch of the soundstage and the various players arranged therein, with pinpoint accuracy. This combo will wake a sleeping, lethargic, dynamically restrained system, like a large, in-room, fire engine’s siren would wake those sleeping, in a very small, thin-walled room. Joan Shelly’s “Wild Indifference” (Joan Shelly, No Quarter) cues now and the two opposing guitars—stage left and stage right—are farther apart than I have ever heard them and there is greater weight to them than I have heard before.

Joan’s voice is centered, word and phrase are clearly articulated, and sibilance rides the “A Train” to some other continent. There have been more musical and analog renderings of this track and on this the Mola Mola Tambaqui comes to mind. The Audionet DNP/EPX combo, however, lends a weight, a gravitas, and a propulsive, dynamic flow to each of the above tracks that has, to date, not been matched. TREBLE+ Laura St. John’s “Gypsy Nocturne” (Gypsy, Well Tempered) cues and what is immediately perceptible, again, is the weight that now attends each strike of the piano keys. Enters Laura’s violin which soberly tells its story in a tight, focused, and treble-high manner, where these notes, seemingly, reach for the moon. Did I mention how the Audionet DNP/EPX OCTOBER 2021

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combo so easily dispenses lickety-split transients, that most other DACs can only daydream about equalling? Did I mention the air and the quiet, the spaciousness between notes and the astonishing transparency? Vilda Frang’s “Allegro Molto” (Veress: String Trio Bartók: Piano Quintet, Alpha) cues and the weight and speed of each pluck, knuckle rap, and atonal staccato render a compelling and distinct listen. Transparency and detail illuminate a deep, wide, and air-filled soundstage with players solidly positioned. Texture and timbre are exceptional and allow for the easy differentiation of instruments. However, if a wee bit more richness and sweetness are what you seek, in addition, then, again, the Mola Mola Tambaqui will guide you there, happily so. In sum, this Audionet DNP/ EPX duo excels in extended treble reproduction that is suffused with air, attendant weight, incredible transparency, and world-class, transient speed, that together are addictive in the extreme. And the duo’s overall

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portrayal of music moves one past enjoying a simulacrum of a performance to, simply, being there. Beautiful! CONCLUSION I had listened to the Audionet DNP for several weeks, if not longer, and thought it, decidedly, good, though not great. And given its price and its abilities, I had contemplated sending it home. “You’re a good, talented kid, but…,” would be my parting words. Bill, however, upped the ante. “Why don’t I send along its outboard power supply, the EPX?” I remember hesitating a moment, as the DNP was a beast, in terms of its mass and volume, and other equipment would now happily reside in its rather large footprint. “Okay.” And then the Audionet EPX arrived and was plugged into the system. The best way of describing things from that point on was “Game Over.” Everything improved! Everything!

AUDIONET DNP/EPX When I took the Audionet DNP/EPX duo out of the system, the changes could not have been more apparent. Entire songs or parts of songs lapsed back into ambiguity and guesswork was, again, at play. “What did she say?” The duo sorted out mass voices, dense symphony passages, riotous rock concerts, a singer’s phrasing, words, and their articulation with the ease and finesse of a master. Yes, the change was as subtle as a 50ft, spinning, exclamation point! I have had many audiophiles and music lovers pooh, pooh the idea that a power supply, in terms of the benefits it provided to one’s system as being nothing more than snake oil in a different bottle. You, my friends, could not be more wrong. And for those owners in possession of just the Audionet DNP, it is as though you’ve purchased a very expensive, front-row ticket for a performance and yet listened to that same performance from the lounge! You are missing VAST amounts of musical information! We, AudioKey Reviews, highly recommend the Audionet DNP/EPX combo and award it our GOLDEN KEYNOTE AWARD for synergistic brilliance, which was responsible for a quantum leap in performance across all parameters— soundstage volume, transient speed, weight, transparency, texture/timbre,

frequency extension, etc.—and that beautifully raised the level of engagement and propulsive potency. Bravo! AKRM

Audionet Audionet DNP ($20,300) Audionet EPX enhanced power supply ($10,100) Audionet Brunsbütteler Damm 140 B 13581 Berlin Germany en.audionet.de service@audionet.de Distributor GTT Audio +1 908 850 3092 av@gttaudio.com http://www.gttaudio.com

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TRI-ART AUDIO INTEGRATED Exceptional Musically, Environmentally Conscious, Integrated/Headphone Amp! OCTOBER 2021

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was unfamiliar with Tri-Art Audio, until it was brought to my attention by a friend. I immediately got the conservation approach, via the bamboo enclosure, and thought that, entirely, commendable. Tri-Art Audio produces, perhaps, one of the most

Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Tri-Art Audio is unique, as mentioned above, in its use of bamboo, soaked in hemp oil, to house its electronics. Additionally, sheep’s wool is used within to dampen the internal noise, that Steve says, “is one of the main culprits of the music’s

demonstratively environmentally friendly components that I’ve yet come across. This, of course, speaks to its bamboo enclosure, which is a great deal more environmentally friendly than a majority of audio products and certainly most entry-level products, and this should be applauded. Tri-Art Audio is the brainchild of Steve

degradation.” And each of Tri-Art Audio’s components also comes with four Sorbothane® feet to defeat external resonance, kind of a one-two punch in regard to delivering a pure signal. The level of detail extends to the included components—capacitors, power supplies, etc—which are not typically found in a product at this price point, but in much more

Ginsberg, artist and painter, and is based in

expensive products. These steps give great

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insight to Tri-Art Audio’s intentions with regard to fashioning an efficient, environmentally-friendly component, that is extremely quiet, exceptionally musical, and very engaging, as it will easily hold a listener’s attention, for hours on end. When asked if there were other reasons for the bamboo than environmental conservation, Steve’s reply was, “Bamboo is dense, porous, and fast. It’s nature’s carbon fiber, but it doesn’t have the dry sound typically associated with carbon fiber. On the contrary it’s effortlessly musical and provides for great fidelity and microdynamics (inner detail). So our desire to do our part from a planetary perspective actually enhanced our product!” Further, Tri-Art Audio’s down-to-earth pricing is truly a breath of fresh air. The pricing, Steve says “Is set to make our products available to Everyman/Woman, who labors with their hands—construction workers,

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painters, artists, etc—as they too deserve an affordable, high-end audio component.” This you’ll discover, is clearly backed up by how the Tri-Art Audio P-Series Integrated/Headphone Amplifier (Tri-Art P/I/HA) actually sounds. Again, very commendable, which as you’ll discover, is clearly backed up by how the TriArt Audio P-Series Integrated/Headphone Amplifier (Tri-Art P/I/HA) actually sounds. Note: The Tri-Art P/I/HA was used as a headphone amplifier in my reference systems. REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Queen’s Gambit, In the Shadow of

TRI-ART AUDIO INTEGRATED the Moon, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. SOUND Steve was absolutely right in terms of sound! In truth, I am surprised at the level of performance, the sheer amount of music that this integrated/headphone amplifier provides. It’s quite astonishing really. And its overall performance is one of “coherent synergy.” Meaning? Its frequency response is coherent, meaning it is more of a single, woolen blanket as opposed to a quilt. I love quilts, my aunts and my grandmother made me some very lovely quilts, by which they are loved and still very much remembered. However, you don’t want your music to come across as, well, pieced together—non-coherent—like a quilt. You want it to be of a whole-cloth—coherent— from bass response to treble response. And the synergy part of that term, it brings everything else together—transparency resolution, clarity, musicality, PRaT—Pace Rhythm and Timing— beautifully. The funny thing is that if your system is non-coherent, you may already be aware of it. Listen much? And when you listen is there a certain uneasiness, an almost immediate onset of listening fatigue, or is it simply uninvolving? There may, of course, be other reasons contributing to this, but a lack of overall coherency is a big problem. The Tri-Art P/I/HA Integrated will not cause any of the above anomalies—it will not

put one on edge, will not drive fatigue, and it will not be un-involving. As I’ve written above, it will do the exact opposite and its coherency is one of the reasons why. The Tri-Art P/I/HA’s ability to scale to performance heights once reserved for components twice, if not three times its price (or more) is itself an attention grabber! The Tri-Art P/I/HA provides music that was not attainable at this price point a few short years ago, and even for systems that reached into five figures! And believe me on this one, I’ve been there. There are no discernible weaknesses, no missing notes, no opacity that actually hides the music, and no digital nasties—stridency, sibilance, harshness, etc., nothing that would make you wince. This goes a long way to explaining its incredible performance as witnessed by a beguiling clarity and musicality, which together easily engage the listener like no component at its price point, in my long experience, has been able to do. The Tri-Art Audio Integrated was partnered with the Border Patrol SE-i DAC or the DENAFRIPS Pontus II DAC, and the Shanling M8 serving as a digital streamer. The headphones used were the SIVGA PII, the MEZE 99 Classics, and the MEZE Empyrean. Cabling was ANTICABLE. Power conditioning was handled by the TORUS RM20. BASS Detailed. Transparent. Tight. Transient Quick. Marcus Miller’s “Power” (M2, Concord) cues

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It is, perhaps, the most incredible, if not the best IEM that I have ever had the opportunity to review, let alone listen to. —Kermit Heartsong, AudioKeyReviews.com

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and powers through with alacrity, startling transient response, and a deep well of taut, convincing bass. In the trueness of synergy, its mid-bass will always be potent, however, it will only travel to sub-bass depths with those headphones that are themselves up to the task. The Tri-Art Integrated performed exceptionally well with the MEZE 99 Classic ($309) and the SIVGA PII ($399). However, when allied to the best of the best, in terms of dynamic headphones, like the MEZE Empyrean ($2999) the Tri-Art P/I/HA scaled beautifully, covered the entire frequency spectrum and all relevant criteria—dynamics, transparency, natural tone and timbre—exceptionally well. The Tri-Art P/ I/HA pacing, rhythm, and timing (PRaT) is also very good! With Eiji Oui’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording) depending on the headphone in question, the rendering of the lowest bass notes is thunderous and detailed and dynamically swift. And the Tri-Art P/I/HA is always incredibly resolving, spacious, and

open. In truth, it was crazy good musically and may well step all over some of the entry-level brands, that we all know, that are in very wide distribution, and are highly touted. Many of these brands will not be able to hold a candle to the Tri-Art P/I/HA. MIDRANGE Clear. Open. Natural. Engaging. The first thing that one notices about the Tri-Art P/I/HA is how wonderfully musical, engaging, and natural it is. It will meet you in that place, if the ancillaries are up to task, where the music is both rich and beautifully transparent, detailed and captivating. For many, it will be as comfort food to heart and soul, in the best of sense. Its musicality will wash away the grime, tumult, and craziness of the current times, while it drops shoulders, eases brows, and calls forth a deep, exhaled breath. Yeah, I know. But it’s true. Of course, listening to Voce8 and Olafur Árnalds and Ludovico Einuadi has a way of making real the “soul” part of that mix. If

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you’re not familiar with Voces8 and consider yourself a fan of choral music, you may wish to add a number of their CDs to your listening cue. The Tri-Art P/I/HA will not provide for a flat playback of one’s music, where all performers seem as if they are in a straight line across the stage. No the Tri-Art P/I/HA will bring depth and space between the various performers and give them form and realistic positioning both across the stage and from front to back on the stage. And at its price point this too is rather exceptional!

of simply listening to one’s music with the TriArt P/I/HA, though as a reviewer, that can sometimes prove problematic, as more listening is done than note taking. It is definitely a music lover’s component. That said and as earlier mentioned great amounts of detail and microdynamics will be lifted from the background, which will help establish where the musicians are across a given soundstage, regardless of genre. This is, of course, very helpful in an accurate portrayal of one’s music. Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) cues up and plays and

TREBLE+

the first sounds heard are a beautifully clear portrayal of the music. The tone and timbre of Hilary’s violin are rich and musical and yet there are copious amounts of detail, and a warmth, that does not, at all, diminish overall

it is the same all over again. For decades I have been treated to a flat stage with this recording across many of the systems that I have owned and many of which were priced far above the Tri-Art P/I/HA. The complete system, inclusive of the Tri-Art P/I/HA, the DENAFRIPS Pontus II DAC ($1700), and the SIVGA PII headphones ($399, review soon) comes in at $3094 and it will easily challenge systems at a

resolution! There will be many guilty pleasures

multiple of its price point, if not several

Hilary Hahn’s “V. Chaconne from Partita No. 2 for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004” (The Essential Hilary, Sony Classical) cues up and

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TRI-ART AUDIO INTEGRATED multiples. In fact, this is a system that would easily have challenged, if not clobbered several of my earlier, mid-tier systems, which stretched from the low five figures to the mid five figures in price! Technology and innovation, it appears, scream forward. COMPATIBILITY (SYNERGY) If ever there was a system that allowed one to relax into the music and allow it to beautifully wash over you with or without a libation, in a sunlit room or the still-quiet dark of one’s listening room, this is that system—Tri-Art P/I/ HA, SIVGA PII, DENAFRIPS Pontus II ($3099). Though, regardless of what system the Tri-Art Integrated was connected to it always brought the music. Isn’t that what this is all about, listening to our favorite music or newly discovered music and being wholly engaged if not enraptured by it? Yes.

access to millions of songs 24/7/365 at home, here is a solution that will provide the musical bliss that we all deserve amid these most tumultuous times. We, AudioKeyReviews.com highly recommend the Tri-Art Audio P-Series Integrated and award it our HIGH NINES award for all around excellence in a sweet and affordable package. We suggest that it find the shortest of your short lists for adoption into your family if, of course, you are a lover of music. AKRM Pros: Incredible musicality, resolution, imaging, dynamics, and transient response. Cons: Zero.

THE COMPANY Tri-Art Audio

CONCLUSION

Tri-Art P-Series Integrated ($995)

If you’ve got the scratch—money, loot, bingbings, dollars, coin—you may want to avoid some of those time-honored brands, whose parts are nowhere close to the parts or thought or environmentally friendly approach envisioned and employed by Tri-Art Audio in the Tri-Art P-Series Integrated/Headphone Amplifier. It is a component made by a music lover and artist and, in truth, a visionary, who sought to provide more for the Everyman/Woman, whose hard-earned dollars deserved more than

4 Harvey Street, Kingston ON K7K 5B9 www.triartaudio.com

cost-cutting topologies, inexpensive parts, and a compromised musical presence. And with OCTOBER 2021

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X X

FOCAL STELLIA An Incredible Dynamic Headphone!

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FOCAL STELLIA

have been aware of FOCAL for many years. It was FOCAL’s speaker line, however, that first got my attention. Their various designs and technical implementations were always impressive and ‘next-level’ in terms of applied technology. When I learned of FOCAL’s venture into the headphone space, I was very

intrigued. FOCAL, no doubt, had the engineers, the R&D capabilities, and the financial wherewithal to step-in and to stepin big to the headphone space. For a long time I admired them from afar, as it is no easy thing to gain a review audience with a headphone line that was doing so well.

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It would be patience and a very kind Wendy Knowles who would send off my first pair of FOCAL headphones for review. And wouldn’t you know it, they would be one of the most beautiful, if not gorgeous headphones that I’ve ever seen. They, of course, being the FOCAL Stellia, the subject of this review. “But how do they sound,” you say? “Does form follow function?” We are dessert first here at AudioKeyReviews.com and as the refrain says below, “Sound or dessert is served.” REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie— Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Queen’s Gambit, In the Shadow of the Moon, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. SOUND The FOCAL Stellia is another component that, perhaps, sits a bit closer to the neutral zone than we are used to reviewing. It is by no

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means subtractively neutral like some components that literally steal the life from music. The Stellia, instead, is kissed with an informing warmth, that is quite endearing. And yet the Stellia serves up great volumes of detail, helpful in the resolution of musicians and singers and everything else across a soundstage and in the unearthing of micro details necessary for rendering positioning cues, space, and an emotional connection.

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The Stellia was most congenial and played well with all comers, though, in truth, it excelled with its high-end brethren from DACs to headphone amplifiers to integrated amplifiers to streamers, etc. Given the Stellia’s price point, it was the latter who I would consider its natural bandmates, not smartphones. The Stellia found great musical synergy with the Astell&Kern SE180 and the combo composed of the Tri-Art Audio P-Series

FOCAL STELLIA Integrated, the Border Patrol SE-i DAC, and the Roon Nucleus Plus. However, the Stellia as allied to the two, in-house, reference systems (see The Systems below) excavated vast amounts of information and scaled greatly in its ability to resolve and retrieve the information contained with the media. In terms of detail retrieval, across the breath of the frequency spectrum (bass to treble) the Stellia is expert. It will lose many veils from performances that you believed familiar, only to discover buried gems, sweet touches, and those details which give shape to the ‘personality’ and the ‘emotionality’ of one’s various media. Further, the buried details of a conversation between performers or performer and audience or a muffled cough or a previously unheard turned page, will now be front and center. The FOCAL Stellia’s volumetric cube —sound stage—is of moderate volume, that is to say it is relatively broad. Positioning, separation, layering are, however, very good. The Stellia will also shine a light that apparently unearths more than sufficient detail to map a soundstage from front to back and left to right and top to bottom. The FOCAL Stellia was partnered with Astell&Kern SE180 DAP, Tri-Art Audio PSeries Integrated, the LTA Z10e, and the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC as a headphone

amplifier via its XLR headphone output. Cabling was ANTICABLE. Power conditioning was handled by the TORUS RM20. BASS The Stellia’s bass is taunt, incredibly detailed, and dynamically swift. It will not, however, plumb to sub-bass depths, nor will it grasp the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail, at least, this is true across all the systems with which it was aligned at AudioKeyReviews. Its bass is that of the refined, highly resolving, transient-quick variety, that has the easy ability to startle and get one’s toes tapping. The Clarity of the FOCAL Stellia across the bass region is remarkable, as are its positioning and layering talents, born of a wealth of microdynamic cues. On a track like Massive Attack’s “Angel” (Mezzanine, Circa) what became immediately apparent was that the rhythmic, thumping bass was not really there, but what was there was greater resolution and clarity and insight and, simply, more information across the entire track. Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears, ECM) queues and the Stellia is deft, again, at rendering the cat-like quickness of Mr. Holland’s fingers, the lickety-split, transient rise and fade of bass notes and all of the attendant microdynamic cues. However, when I attached the balanced

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cable to the Mola Mola Tambaqui’s headphone output, the Stellia was able to somewhat breach the sub-bass region with all of its aforementioned talents and some that had improved via XLR—dynamics, transparency, resolution! A balanced implementation will, indeed, see you to, at least, the fringes of the sub-bass regions. MIDRANGE Joan Shelly’s “Wild Indifference” (Joan Shelly, No Quarter) sidles up to be heard and immediately there is commanding transparency and resolution that allows one to see into the performance and it is that sweet kiss of warmth, that allows for a rather beautiful engagement with this song, which is soon over. Andy Bey’s “Angel Eyes” (American Song, Savoy) follows and it is a decidedly clear

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portrayal, rich with detail, and far from any consideration of voice bloat or overhang, which can and does happen. Shirley Horn’s “Beautiful Love” (You Won’t Forget Me, Verve) completes the trilogy and any hint of stridency or sibilance or harshness has been banished, entirely. It is, perhaps, one of the most transparent renderings of this track that I have heard in over 30 years. In this respect the Stellia would have easily joined the very short list of components to consider for purchase. Suffice to say, that the Stellia excels across the midrange with explicit clarity, excellent positioning cues, and a very nice modicum of warmth to tie it all together. TREBLE+ Vilda Frang’s “Allegro Molto” (Veress: String Trio - Bartók: Piano Quintet, Alpha) enters with outstanding clarity and dynamics that sets the stage for a beautifully rendered performance via the FOCAL Stellia. Imaging and positioning are superb given the wealth of freed microdynamic cues, which make the performance also one of the most transparent to date. And the Stellia’s ability to parse the complexity of tone, timbre, and texture across knuckle raps, plucks, the drumming upon one’s cello or violin or viola, and bowing,

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FOCAL STELLIA without the slightest hint of sibilance, harshness, or other treble-high nasties is truly exceptional. Laura St John’s “Gypsy Nocturne” (Gypsy, Well Tempered) queues, a piano’s somber notes are hypnotic in the ease that it creates. A moment later the piano summons Laura’s poignant, yet brooding violin, that will, at times, reach for the treble heavens and land there safely, every time. This rendering is tight, focused, exceptionally transparent and especially so for a non-electrostatic headphone. The FOCAL Stellia is very much at home in this frequency region, like the midrange, and appears to toy with treble-high playback that might cause anxiety for lesser dynamic headphones. Bravo! COMPATIBILITY (SYNERGY) Every system below with the exception of the Astell&Kern SE180 was fronted by the exceptional Roon Nucleus Plus as streamer/ server and powered by the TORUS RM20 (review coming). Astell&Kern SE180 | The Astell&Kern SE180 (review coming) proved a strong synergistic partner for the much more expensive Stellia and together they made music on a level that was truly astounding! Yes, the Stellia, by price and performance, is without doubt a TOTL component. The SE180, on the other hand which at its price

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point shouldn’t be, is doing a rather incredible job of acting like a TOTL component and would be a formidable contender for desktop systems anywhere near its price point (and even a good deal above). Border Patrol SE-i DAC | Tri-Art Audio P Series Integrated | A very good musical synergy was had with this combo, which, price wise, was a match to the FOCAL Stellia. There was more warmth, more texture, and yet the resolving power of the Stellia was undeterred. This was, decidedly, a music lover’s combo with a few kisses more of warmth, that did not dissuade the Stellia from performing its magical acts of transparency and resolution and its double-quick dynamic prowess across track after track. DENAFRIPS Pontus II | LTA Z10e | A stellar synergy was had with this combo in that it allowed the Stellia to shine across both the midrange and the treble regions, far above the other combos, but even it could not escort the Stellia to the sub-bass to capture the HolyBass-Head-Grail. Mola Mola Tambaqui (as Headphone Amplifier/DAC) | This was the synergy that got the FOCAL Stellia to shine above the previous combo and, at least, to the fringes of the subbass region, while improving, as mentioned above, overall dynamics, transparency, and resolution! And one imagines a balanced

headphone amplifier known for its potency across the bass region, providing greater exposure for the Stellia to sub-bass depths. CONCLUSIONS The FOCAL Stellia, from wrapping box to speaker cups to headband, is gorgeous! FOCAL has done a magnificent job in designing every aspect of this decidedly highend headphone, which, as I’ve mentioned above, should never be worn on the street and certainly not in a big city. Unless, of course, you are a thrill-seeker and don’t mind the prospect of your headphones and DAP going missing (read: being stolen after your mugging). This is a headphone that belongs at home, beside similar TOTL products, which will allow the Stellia to speak, sing, with its full voice. While the Stellia played extremely well with the Astell&Kern SE180, it was the other TOTL products that welcomed it home and allowed the Stellia to truly sing. In terms of its bass response, well the Stellia could not reach into the sub-bass regions. Its XLR affiliation to the Mola Mola Tambaqui brought it to the sub-bass door, though it could not enter. This is not to say that it could never enter. I had believed that the STAX SR-L700MkII would never be able to enter those stygian sub-bass depths, but with the STAX SRM-T8000 it got there! I would

imagine the Bakoon AMP-13R or, perhaps, its successor the ENLEUM AMP-23R, which arrives shortly for review, escorting the FOCAL Stellia to those depths and to the grail. It is all about the synergy. So, I will not cast off the Stellia’s aspirations to reach deeply into the bass regions, it just could not do so with our assembled gear. Synergy. The FOCAL Stellia is truly impressive in a great many ways and, most definitely, warrants an audition. And should you have synergistic companions for the Stellia then you will be home free and, dare I say, quite happy. We, AudioKeyReviews, highly recommend the FOCAL Stellia. AKRM Pros: Transparency, resolution, dynamics, transient speed, imaging Cons: Sub-bass reach, very short single-ended cable

THE COMPANY FOCAL FOCAL Stellia ($2,990) FOCAL 1.800.663.9352 focal.com

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Stereophile’s Herb Reichert says the Z10e “might be Linear Tube Audio's finest achievement so far.”

lineartubeaudio.com

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Stereophile’s Herb Reichert says the Z10e “might be Linear Tube Audio's finest achievement so far.”

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here are roughly thirty-two million seconds (31,557,600) in a year. At second 1 or 15 or 50,000 seconds one may chose to stream a particular track,

play a CD, an album, an analog tape, etc. Suffice to say, that the options for music and music playback are many. And, as mentioned multiple times across my various reviews, we are living in a Golden Age of Musical Access (GAMA). Our intention with the various music reviews found within this magazine or at our website is to bring to the attention of our readers music across a rather vast timespan, music that we find compelling, beautifully done, truly engaging, and magical. Like our component reviews, we don’t write bad reviews. What’s the point? If we don’t find a component up to our subjective criteria or expectations, we send it back, unreviewed. Our thoughts on this, with regard to components, is what if something in our system was responsible for the lack of a good synergy? Then the negative review may well reflect our inability to find the proper mates and this would be our, quite subjective, mistake. Likewise, if a song is not up to our subjective expectations, why pen a bad review? Further, a negative review serves no one, as it does not move the process forward of finding good music (or a good component) for one to enjoy. Please find video music reviews below as recorded by our various reviewers, whose bio’s can be found on the audiokeyreviews.com website. Thank you. AKR

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Joan Shelly

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Jackson Pollock - Composition

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MAGICAL SYNERGIES Magical măjʹĭ-kəl▶ Of, relating to, or produced by magic.1 Syn•er•gy sĭnʹər-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 topsyturvy 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, which start at a price point under $200 and go to $5,000.

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

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he DragonFly Black ($99) represents a beautiful solution for those wishing to rescue their computers and ‘smart devices’ from the purgatory of ‘unmusicality’ to the ‘garden,’ if you will, of musicality, plain and simple. Imagine, with this bite-sized headphone amplifier/preamplifier/ DAC, a goodly pair of headphones, and/or a computer or a smart device we, collectively, have access to a literal world of music! And that music via the DragonFly Black will now engage heart and mind and soul. The iBasso IT00 ($79) is quite the impressive entry level IEM for what it brings to the table relative to its price point. This IEM should absolutely be on the shortlist of all those looking for a great starting point to begin enjoying their music. Together these two products— AudioQuest DragonFly Black and the iBasso IT00—at $178, will rise to challenge any computer and its branded wired or wireless buds and even at double or greater than their collective price, they will win more comparisons than lose. AKRM

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MAGICAL SYNERGY UNDER $500

he iBASSO AM05 ($299) brings a sweet, detailed, musicality to midrange and treble, and while its bass may be just a hair’s width south of neutral and absent the sub-bass rumble, together its attributes facilitate a very engaging and detailed listen. That is has bested some very expensive IEMs can be evaluated in two ways 1) the other IEMs were poorly implemented/ defective or 2) the AM05 is, indeed, a giant killer, perhaps, only across certain wellknown brands (which shall go unnamed). The iFi Hip-Dac ($149.99) is, indeed, a smooth, musical operator and though not the last word in transparency, it will not embarrass itself in any genre or over any piece of music and that is indeed saying a lot! Further, the Hip-Dac will decode MQA, DSD, DXD, and other high resolution files and that ability, at its price point, I’m afraid, is as rare as raptor's teeth. Bonus! The AM05’s transparency gives extended voice to the Hip-DAC powerful musicality. And the combination is south of the $500 mark! A definite Magical Synergy. AKRM

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MAGICAL SYNERGY BELOW $1,009

he IFI Neo iDSD ($699) was able to parse the differences, subtle and distinct, between the various DAPs to which it was paired. This spoke to a “neutrality” that passed signals along with but a sweet kiss. The Neo iDSD was also quite dynamic and faceted with quite good transparency, treble extension, and an edible musicality. The Meze 99 Classics ($309) is another beautifully designed and appointed headphone, where, once again, form follows function follows technological wherewithal. And again, like its brethren the 99 Classic has been created as a musical instrument intent on letting the music flow in order to engage, enthrall, and entertain. A true Magical Synergy in that this few dollars over a thousand dollars system is a combo wherein one lifts the other up to a level neither could attain individually, perhaps. We happily list it among our growing list of magical synergies. AKRM

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MAGICAL SYNERGY UNDER $2,500

he Cayin Audio N6ii ($1099) abets a broad synergy with IEMs and Headphones alike, in that it is able to tame the screech monsters, breathe fresh life into the living dead, and find symbiotic musicality with its kith and kin. Coupled with nearly class leading battery life, quick charging capacity, bit-perfect playback via Direct Transport Audio (DTA), sufficient power for all but the monstrously inefficient. The RAI PENTA’s ($1099) are beautifully tuned, balanced, textured, and exceptionally detailed works of art. They provide a very natural, airy, and fluid listening experience with captivating musicality and superb tone and timbre. The sum of this is fatigue-free, longterm, listening, that, again, is quite addictive and, dare I say, with the proper music maker is seductive in the extreme! Together, these two incredibly well-made components, offer sublime musicality, flagship-level transparency, and captivating engagement. One need only listen to get this synergy and why it is so magical. Our highest recommendation! AKRM

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www.artic.edu

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Paul Cezanne - Still Life with Fruit

MAGICAL SYNERGY UNDER $5,000

he Shanling M8 ($1,659) is an extraordinary “Portable Music Player” more detailed and extended than the DX220 AMP1 MkII, more musical and engaging than the Cayin N6II/A01. The Shanling M8’s many features, its voice and outstanding musicality, the transparency, and its ability to bring forward enough power to drive the oBravo RA-C-CU (93dB, 182Ω), are astonishing! The Obravo EAMT-2C ($2999) offers remarkable top to bottom coherency, truly breathtaking tonality and truth of timbre, stunning transient speed, and near peerless top to bottom extension. It is, perhaps, the most incredible, if not the best IEM that I have ever had the opportunity to review, let alone listen to. The Obravo EAMT-2C and the Shanling M8 are yet another sublime combo that bring a beautiful, natural tonality, wondrous transparency and an analog-like rendering of the music that very few pairings can match. Whether Audiophile or Music Lover, this may well be a full stop for IEM listening. AKRM

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Wassily Kandinsky - Upward

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

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IN THE NEXT ISSUE

JANUARY 1, 2022

1. Sonnet Morpheus DAC & Sonnet Hermes Digital Bridge (They’d be so good to come home to?) 2. STAX SR-X9000 Headphones (“A Road Diverges in the Woods…”) 3. DENAFRIPS Terminator II DAC (I’ll be DAC!”) 4. PS AUDIO PerfectWave SACD Transport & DirectStream DAC Combo (Long Live CDs!) 5. MEZE Elite Headphones (“And the bar has been lifted!”) 6. NORDOST Sort Kones (A component in tweak clothing) 7. Enleum AMP-23R (“We, the members of the jury…”) 8. STAX 500T Amplifier (The Little Brother of Tubed Bliss?) 9. ZMF Atticus Headphones (“There’s a New Kid in Town”) 10.SIVGA P-Series Headphones (An incredible bargain) 11. AntiCable Cables (Improvements across the boar ‘R Us!) 12. Interview: Singer Dominique Fils Aimé 13. “Diary of a TweakAholic” Column 14. “Joan of Audio” Column 15. Video Music Reviews, Magical Synergies, 16.

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Henri Matisse - Flowers 1907

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If someone should ask, “What brings you to (store name here)?” And should that visit be directly linked to your exposure to AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine or our website please tell them that OCTOBER 2021 AudioKeyREVIEWS sent you. Who knows, maybe they’ll give you a Beignets! KEH

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VISION EARS EVE2020

MEZE EMPYREAN

STAX SRM-700T

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ROON NUCLEUS PLUS

VISION EARS ELYSIUM

SHANLING M8

STAX SR-007A

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Mola Mola “Truth is Beauty”

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