AudioKeyREVIEWS! ISSUE 21 - MARCH 2025

AudioKeyREVIEWS !

HIGH FIDELITY PERSONAL AUDIO & STEREO MAGAZINE

HIFIMAN

ISVARNA HYBRID HEADPHONES

ATMA-SPHERE

MP-3 & S-30

PREAMPLIFIER, AMPLIFIER

GRIMM AUDIO

PW1

PHONO-PREAMPLIFIER

TRAFORMATIC

HEAD 2

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

GRIMM AUDIO

LS1C

LOUDSPEAKER

AND MORE…

E LECTRIFIED S TABILIZATION P LATFORM The Last Platform You’ll Ever Need

Music is art, art is music.

Wayne Thiebaud - Orange Grove, 1966

HIFIMAN ISVARNA

INTERVIEW

ATMA-SPHERE MP-3 & S-30 AMPLIFIERS

GRIMM AUDIO PW1 PHONO PREAMPLIFIER

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4 STREAMER

PASS LABS HPA-1 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

Front Inside Cover: Vincent Van Gogh- Blossoming Peor Tree, 1888

Back Inside Cover: Doisneau, Ballerinas

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

Claude Monet - Water lily and Reed

EDITOR’s CHAIR

My current two-channel reference system represents the symbiosis of two distinct high fidelity approaches--oldschool technology of the 20th century and the cutting edge of digital technology in the 21st century.

The old-school technology is represented by Ralph Karten's AtmaSphere MP-3 Preamplifier and his S-30 Stereo Amplifier. Their performance across the recently concluded review found them head and shoulders above the competition regardless of price. In this respect, they bested amplification duos at two to three times their cost! And had more expensive separates been at hand, I've no doubt, that they too would have been bested as well! The Atma-Sphere duo's ability to render performances as opposed to the stereo playback of its competitors was consistently mind boggling. How could this be and for so little relative money? And why wasn't the Atma-Sphere brand more well known?

The other approach comes via Eleco Grimm and Guido Tent of Grimm Audio and their most recent product, the MU2 Preamplifier/ Streamer/DAC. It too has banished the competition at multiples of its price with such ease, as to have barely lifted a finger ,while the competition bling-enabled huffed and puffed but to no avail. For AKRMedia the MU2 is a multiple award winner—Diamond Award, Best Product of the Year 2024, and the winner of our vaunted Breakthrough Award. Suffice to say, that its performance is spectacular!

The combination of these two very different technologies and technological approaches have enabled, by far, the best two-channel reference stereo system that I have ever owned and they have together rendered performances time and again instead of mere stereo playback of its competitors.

Yes, I simply had to express this revelation and symbiosis with regard to high fidelity audio and to where it has come—a higher state of musical reproduction and engagement—in the Editor's Letter. Please do read the Atma-Sphere review in this magazine and the review of the Grimm Audio MU2 (January 2024 issue).

Sincerely,

K.E. Heartsong Editor-in-Chief

THE CREW

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

K. E. Heartsong

Managing Editor

Dr. Irina Kuzminsky

Senior Editor(s)

Andre Marc

Oliver Masciarotte

Senior Copy Editor

Kathe Lieber

Columnists

Dr Irina Kuzminsky

Rain Jordan

Kathe Lieber

Music Reviewers (Video/Written)

Dr. Irina Kuzminsky

Photographer

K. E. Heartsong

Graphic Design

Wabi Sabi Design Group

HermanMiller

Claude Monet - The Promenade

HermanMiller

Mark Rothko - Red, 1964

Wayne Thiebaud - Flatland River, 1997

By K.E. Heartsong

TRAFORMATIC HEAD 2SE

This is my second review of a Traformatic product. The first was the Traformatic Rhapsody 300B, a beautifully designed integrated with a wonderful voice that was also technically astute in its reproduction of music. It was, truly, an enjoyable experience. This review is of the Traformatic HEAD 2SE Headphone Amplifier. Out of the box the voice of the HEAD 2SE was quite good and spoke to a wonderful upcoming review once it had settled in and was ‘optimized’ for its evaluation. Over the years I have reviewed a great many headphone amplifiers and I had good feelings about the HEAD 2SE’s voice.

There was one thing, however, that troubled me right from the start. This was the fact that this nearly $5.0k headphone amplifier, also built to double as a preamplifier, only had one input! At first seeing the XLR and RCA inputs I thought that they were two separate inputs, but they were not. The HEAD 2SE’s internal circuitry would select one of the two modalities—XLR, RCA—the one first connected and would utilize it as the input.

streamers/DAC, even analog radio and tape players?! This was and remains baffling to me, especially given Traformatic’s fine line of preamplifiers. Why short the headphone crowd?

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component 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 nonlinear 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.

I thought as I examined the single input headphone amplifier and preamplifier. Why limit the number of sources to just one? Especially when so many these days are going back to turntables, CD players,

THE SYSTEM - HEADPHONE

• Grimm Audio MU1 Streamer

• Baetis Audio Revolution X5 Streamer

• Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Streamer

• Silent Angel Forester F2 Power Supply

Paul Cezanne - The House of Dr. Gachet in Auvers sur

TRAFORMATIC HEAD 2SE

• Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch

• Silent Angel Genesis GX Master Clock

• Bricasti Design M1SE DAC

• Border Patrol SE-i DAC

• Aurorasound HEADA Headphone Amplifier

• TRAFORMATIC HEAD2 Headphone Amplifier

• HIFIMAN ISVARNA Headphone

• HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED Headphone

• HIFIMAN SUSVARA Headphone

• ZMF Atticus Headphone

• AntiCable—cabling and wires

• Kubala Sosna—cabling and wires

• RSX Beyond Power Cables

• Audience Hidden Treasure CAT7 Ethernet cables

• TORUS RM20—Power Generation

THE SOUND

There was good music immediately from the Traformatic HEAD 2SE, as straight out of the box, a bit chilled (Minnesota Winters), and plugged into the system its voice was beautifully engaging and technically very promising.

Over the weeks of its optimization and its participation in multiple setups, its performance got better. And there were thoughts that the HEAD 2SE might make for a good reference headphone amp. However, those thoughts would quickly fade away in light of this one-input, $4,700 headphone amplifier.

I did mention this failing to Gary Leeds at Hear This, the US distributor for Traformatic, and he informed me that he had discussed this with Sasa Cokic, founder of Traformatic. Apparently Sasa said that it was

not a problem to make the change. I, therefore, was under the impression that I would have this new version soon for review. However, by the time of the review, there was no further news on that change. Thus this review reflects the current one-input version of the HEAD 2SE

The HEAD 2SE handled the entirety of the frequency with aplomb and like its kith and kin—Rhapsody 300B—bass was transparent, tight, and impactful, the midrange textured, palpable, beautiful, and the treble extended, exceptionally well resolved, and airy. Suffice to say, that there was a whole lot to like about the HEAD 2SE.

The HEAD 2SE’s volumetric cube was deep and fairly wide. Soundstaging—width, depth, layering, spacing, and volume—overall was very good, though not as pristinely layered as the very best, but it was quite good.

BASS

Eiji Oue’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recordings) serves as my reference for determining the bass response of a given component and as I know my system well, changes are easily determined. The HEAD 2SE as coupled to the HIFIMAN Susvara

Unveiled, Susvara, and the Isvarna drove them all exceptionally well as they all probed the sub-bass depths with relative ease. Even the very inefficient Susvara was driven very well by the HEAD 2SE, though at 1:30 on its volume dial. The other headphones

bass depth a bit more easily. In all cases the various tympani were represented via the Traformatic HEAD 2SE exceptionally well. And as this is, no doubt, the most potent sub-bass track, all other bass tracks— Delfaeyo Marsalis, “Secret Love Affair”, (The Last Southern Gentleman, Troubadour Jazz Records) and Patrica Barber’s “The Moon” (Verse, Koch Records)—were rendered beautifully as well. There was the required weight and depth and transparency, resolution, and detail were all superb.

MIDRANGE

Andy Bey’s “Never Let Me Go” (American Song, Savoy) was singularly impressive as his wisened, textured voice was rich, transparent, and emotive with every word clearly rendered, easily understood. Shirley Horn’s “Beautiful Love” (You Won’t Forget Me, Verve) was so good that it was almost edible. Toots Thielemans’ harmonica was tone/timbre superb, palpable, and a beautiful accompaniment to the naturalness, warmth, and three-dimensionality of Sarah’s iconic voice. I did hit repeat on this track, as its playback via the HEAD 2SE was gorgeous.

Like its sibling, the RHAPSODY 300B, the Traformatic HEAD 2SE has a rather outstanding way with the midrange and vocals, in particular, as a result it was incredibly difficult not to be enthralled with vocals and to want more.

TREBLE+

Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia) via the HEAD 2SE presented Joe Morello’s drum cymbals—hihats, ride, etc.—with exceptional treble resolution detail, and wonderful air/ambiance. The HEAD 2SE even went a step beyond the RHAPSODY 300B in this respect, which is saying a great deal. Vilde Frang’s “Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 15: II. Vivace” (Korngold, Warner Classics) was rendered beautifully, as the treble-high notes soared freely and were well detailed, well resolved, and sweet. Beautiful.

DESIGN—LOOK AND FEEL

The Traformatic HEAD 2SE Tubed Headphone Amplifier/Preamplifier is a clean, modern, beautifully designed, and minimalist product that would sit well in any headphone

headphone amplifier.

The HEAD 2SE’s front face features, at the far left, a metal dial for impedance matching of headphones. Centered on its front face are two headphone outputs—a balance output (XLR) and a single-ended output (RCA). At its far right is a second metal dial, which determines volume level. The selected materials and their positioning speak to a well thought out industrial design for its front face.

The HEAD 2SE’s back face is very minimalist, perhaps too minimalist, as it sports a single input(!), wherein one may utilize an RCA or XLR connector. It also sports a single preamplifier output(!) wherein an RCA or XLR connector may be used (more on this extreme minimalism below in Functionality). The Traformatic HEAD 2 SE is well designed, clean, and embraces modern industrial chic.

I’ve reviewed many headphone amplifiers for a fraction of the HEAD 2SE’s cost, that sported multiple inputs and thus the freedom to utilize multiple sources—streamer(s), CDPs, a turntable, etc. And I am completely astonished at a one-input headphone amplifier or, for that matter, a one-input preamplifier and certainly at the HEAD 2SE’s $4.7k asking price.

And as a reviewer, having to switch out the HEAD 2SE’s single input to accommodate, listen to, and/or to evaluate another product is both inefficient and inadequate. Especially when there are headphone amplifiers, again, for a fraction of a fraction of the HEAD 2 SE’s cost that provide multiple input options. Headphone amplifiers such as—HeadAmp's GS-X Mk2 ($3,299, 3-inputs), iFi Audio’s Pro iCAN Signature ($2,249, 4-inputs), Auris Audio’s HA-2SF ($2,199, 3-inputs), HIFIMAN’s

GOLDENWAVE GA-10 ($1,599, 2inputs)—that are below its price range.

The HEAD 2SE’s functionality in its attempt to be both a one-input preamplifier and/or a one-input headphone amplifier, certainly for this reviewer, is very problematic at best and, in short, fails and especially at nearly $5k!

CONCLUSIONS

Musically, the Traformatic HEAD 2SE is superb, as it handles the entirety of the frequency range with aplomb, is highly transparent and resolving, beautifully detailed, and it brings the midrange to life in a natural and very refined manner. Bravo.

At this point, I can only make a conditional recommendation based on a second input being enabled in a future version of the Traformatic HEAD 2SE. When that occurs, the HEAD 2SE moves into vaunted headphone territory, receives our highest award, and places either first or second in our Top Components— Headphone Amplifier category. Hopefully, that change will be made soon, so that I might contemplate the HEAD 2SE as a reference headphone amplifier for Casa Heartsong.

Pros: Exceptional musicality and technical abilities, drives the most inefficient headphone in the world—HIFIMAN Susvara—easily, well, and beautifully. Cons: A single input.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

TRAFORMATIC HEAD 2SE

• Power Output: 2W into 50 ohms

• Class of operation: Push Pull class A

• Gain: 26dB

• Tubes complement: 1x 6N30P and 1x ECC88 per channel

• Inputs: 1 x XLR/RCA

• S/N Ratio: 88dB

• Frequency Bandwidth: 10Hz (-1dB) – 80KHz (-3dB)

• Dimension & Weight: 400 x 310 x 100 mm, 10kg

THE COMPANY

TRAFORMATIC

Sasa Cokic

TRAFORMATIC HEAD 2SE: $4,700

Učiteljska 15 11400 Mladenovac Serbia www.trafomaticaudio.com/ Tel. : +381 (0)11/8236-258

THE DISTRIBUTOR

HEAR THIS Gary Leeds www.hearthis.us/ gary@HearTis.us

Tel. : +1 (949) 467-9808

MUSICAL MUSINGS

By Irina Kuzminsky

For this review

I thought I would turn to my own instrument, the piano, and a recently released double album by Víkingur Ólafsson, an Icelandic pianist who has been hailed as the “new superstar of classical piano” (Daily Telegraph). He describes this release, From Afar, as his most personal yet, and it is easy to see why. The repertoire chosen ranges from pieces connected to his childhood to the enigmatic miniatures of his musical hero, Hungarian composer and pianist, György Kurtág, whose piano pieces provide the leitmotif for the albums. Even the title, From Afar, is inspired by Kurtág’s Aus der Ferne. Ólafsson recounts his inspirational meeting with the 96 year old Kurtág at the Budapest Music Centre in September 2021. It had a profound impact on him, returning him to his musical roots and initiating a reset in his approach to music. In Ólafsson’s words, “Talking with him and playing for him genuinely gave me a different perspective on

life and on music.”

From Afar is both a tribute to Kurtág and a thank you.

The reason behind the double album is that Ólafsson recorded the programme on two different pianos, the first a grand piano, and the second an upright. This once again harkens back to his childhood when he would practise on two pianos, his parents’ grand and the upright in his bedroom. Having both owned and played on both uprights and grands, the whole concept is intriguing, for each instrument certainly opens up a different soundworld, the one more resonant with a greater palette of colours, the other more intimate, at times more muffled and more percussive. For pianists the appeal of such an exercise is obvious, but I imagine you could also have a lot of enjoyment as a non-pianist comparing and contrasting the grand and upright albums using hi-fi equipment, seeing what new nuances and details would be revealed. How does decay compare? Resonance? Colour of top and bottom registers? Depth? Sustaining

MUSICAL MUSINGS

pedal effects? Plenty to explore in the listening.

by Bartók and Birgisson, a world premiere by Thomas Adès and a moving “Ave Maria” by Sigvaldi Kaldalóns, with seven piano miniatures by Kurtág from his Játékok (Games) serving as the underlying constant. Most of the pieces on the albums are short, and each sets the next off in a beautifully judged way so that a kind of conversation develops between them across time and across musical styles. Binding them all together, apart from the pianist’s intention, is his deep sense of “Innerlichkeit” or inwardness, a deep musicality and purity which does not play for virtuosic effect but gives a sense of constant rediscovery of the music. And the eclectic mix keeps your interest constant with unexpected juxtapositions which nevertheless somehow ‘work’.

The album opens with a transcription for piano of a work by Bach, this one originally for organ. It is the first of several transcriptions, which include another Bach organ work and solo violin sonata, and Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum”. These sorts of piano arrangements would have been very popular in pregramophone pre-recording days, when the only way you could recreate an orchestral performance for yourself, or an opera perhaps, or even chamber music, was through piano arrangements. Ólafsson proves this artform lives on and deserves rediscovery and renewed

listening even in our recording rich times. In his hands the arrangements bring new insights to the music. Bach’s music has always lent itself particularly well to transposition to different instruments – there is a kind of universality about it that does not bind it to any one medium and these arrangements reinforce this. It is interesting to compare the Bach pieces on grand and upright pianos: on the upright you immediately hear more mechanical noises, the pedal creaking (creaking pedals tend to be a mainstay of older uprights!), the sense of the felt covered hammers hitting the strings, the pianist’s breathing – all are more pronounced. The sound is somewhat mellower and thinner at once, with less depth of colour and resonance – the Bach sounds somewhat more percussive for instance – but the soundworld has its own charm.

The arrangement of Mozart’s vocal solo, “Laudate Dominum”, is one of the highlights of the album for me for the sheer beauty of the music and of the playing. Particularly on the grand Ólafsson makes the vocal line sing, while on the upright the vocal line comes across as more pianistic.

The three Schumann pieces interspersed in the programme once again bear witness to a profound musicality. The pedal points are beautifully recreated for piano in the first of the Studien für den Pedalflügel (arr. for solo piano). I love the unevenness and the rubato of “Träumerei” – it helps one to rediscover this

well known music afresh in all its subtle rhythms and colours. I have long thought that classical music was getting too enslaved to a metronome, and to speed and virtuosity at the expense of musicality and soul, and it is a relief to find myself being proven increasingly wrong of late. “Vogel als Prophet” again displays subtle musicality and a sense of sheer enjoyment of the music. The Schumann pieces transpose just fine to an upright, though the study has a decidedly more muffled sound: there is less articulation evident but a greater wash of colour.

The two Brahms Intermezzos from op.116 give another example of Ólafsson’s beautiful sense of rubato. He is able to bring out the inner soul of these pieces revealing inner landscapes with a freshness and a sense of renewed discovery of music some of us might be very familiar with. The decay of piano notes is very well captured on the recording, particularly of the grand, and very evident here. There is no heaviness to Ólafsson’s Brahms, more a whiff of melancholy. On the upright the Brahms is pianistic and intimate, if not as rich in tonal colours. And, it goes without saying, the sustaining pedal overall is not as sustaining as on the grand.

Bartók comes up at his most melodious and plaintively beautiful, with Ólafsson’s sensitive rubato picking up on an authentic folk element and whimsical feel so often missed in interpretation.

The Kurtág miniatures weave in and out of

the album, following on seamlessly from Bach or Brahms or leading into Mozart or Schumann. Their soundworld and use of the colours of the piano is quite different, an exploration of different registers and mysterious soundscapes of note clusters and glissandi, some seemingly evocative of snow and ice in the best Debussyesque manner (think “Les pas dans la neige”), most exploring the far reaches of the piano and the sonorities of the damper pedal and of note decay. All intriguing and enigmatic and dense in content. Listening to them I think they must be a lot of fun to play and I am tempted to get a score. By the way, the first Kurtág piece comes up as a revelation on the upright, opening up a different soundworld to the grand. The top high register is drier and more percussive, something born out by the next Kurtág offering. The bell-like quality achieved in yet another Kurtág piece once again compensates for any loss of colours. The haunting quality remains intact though on the upright, even though you can hear more of the mechanical aspects of piano playing, including the fingers executing glissandi. All these extraneous noises become integral to the performance.

At the end Kurtág returns enigmatically to round the album out sotto voce, with decays and pedal playing a huge role.

In short, a soliloquy for piano rendered open for others to share in. And to see how seamlessly the whole fits together you will simply need to have a listen.

Vincent Van Gogh - Rest after Millet

HIFIMAN ISVARNA HYBRID HEADPHONES

By K.E. Heartsong

This is my third go with a HIFIMAN headphone and it’s been a blast, I must say. For one, its Susvara Unveiled and its Susvara headphones are in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the Top Components List for AudioKeyReviews. Tis is no small task as the competitors stacked below them were exceptional contenders in many ways. Tere is just something so wonderfully natural and musical, technically superb and aesthetically pleasing about the Susvara and the Susvara Unveiled. In this respect, I am always interested in the opportunity to review new HIFIMAN headphones and am on the ready lookout for what the next reviewed product might be. Well, I didn’t have to wait long as HIFIMAN’s new Isvarna Hybrid headphone recently made its debut.

The Isvarna Hybrid is unique in that it utilizes HIFIMAN’s nanometer thick diaphragm for speed, dynamic range, frequency response, and minimal distortion. Collectively, the traits have come together in the previous headphones that I have reviewed in sublime naturalness, outstanding technical abilities, immersiveness, and a truly wonderful musicality. But there’s more. In addition to its nanometerscale diaphragm, a dynamic subwoofer driver has been added to the Isvarna’s design to help it more easily and accurately portray bass response. This represents a first in terms of a hybridized headphone and not an In-EarMonitor (IEM).

And my initial impressions, I must say, are very good. Not only is the Isvarna

Henri Matisse - Flowers, 1907

HIFIMAN ISVARNA HYBRID

aesthetically beautiful and clean, its voice, straight out of the box and hooked up to my Aurorasound HEADA HPA was very good. I imagine that there are other headphones quite worried on the Top Headphone list and based upon this one short listening, they should be.

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Tink of this review, then, as a non-linear movie— Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

THE SYSTEM - HEADPHONE

• Grimm Audio MU1 Streamer

• Baetis Audio Revolution X4 Streamer

• Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Streamer

• Silent Angel Forester F2 Power Supply

• Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch

• Silent Angel Genesis GX Master Clock

• Bricasti Design M1SE DAC

• Border Patrol SE-i DAC

• Aurorasound HEADA Headphone

Amplifier

• TRAFORMATIC HEAD2 Headphone

Amplifier

• HIFIMAN ISVARNA Headphone

• HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED Headphone

• HIFIMAN SUSVARA Headphone

• ZMF Atticus Headphone

• Kubala Sosna—cabling and wires

• RSX Beyond Power Cables

• Audience Hidden Treasure CAT7 Ethernet cables

• TORUS RM20—Power Generation

• RSX BEYOND, MAX Power Cords

• SEISMION Amplifier Stand (powered)

• TORUS AUDIO Power Conditioner

THE SOUND

Tere have been about 15-18 pairs of headphones sitting about Casa Heartsong with most gathering dust, because you simply can’t listen to that many pairs of headphones even if you wanted to. Tat

said, once an exceptional headphone hit the Casa, it was necessary to reduce the crowd. Who wants multiple pairs of headphones pouting and moping around, when you’re not listening to them? Not me, so I’ve either given them away or I’ve sold them. Done.

And thereafter, it’s the cream of the crop —Susvara, Susvara Unveiled, Abyss—that remain and/or those you’ve just taken quite a fancy to—ZMF Atticus (love the camphor

smell), Dan Clark STEALTH. And, of course, there are the electrostatics.

Well, the new HIFIMAN Isvarna has quickly found itself among the cream of the crop. It’s very first audition and my first listening was impressive. It wasn’t nearly broken in yet and still it easily left many of those 15-18 pairs of headphones sobbing in the dust. And then after a few weeks of break-in, it had sidled up to its brothers— Susvara Unveiled, Susvara—like it belonged with them and it did in more ways than one would like to believe given the price disparity.

Suffice to say, that there have been many long nights spent listening to the Isvarna on this system and that system and always the music was splendid, regardless of genre. Its naturalness, its musicality, its technical aptitude across all relevant areas— transparency, resolution, detail retrieval, soundstaging (relative to a headphone), its refinement—was superb. And in terms of its tone/timbre what the Isvarna heard was passed through or ‘sung’ with scarcely an edit at all.

And what its hybrid nature—the coupling of a bass driver to its planar magnetic diaphragms—brought about was a decidedly extended lower frequency response that brought bass-rich recordings to life. Yes, to life far beyond what one would expect for a planar magnetic headphone and even a dynamic headphone! Eiji Oue’s Stravinsky

(Reference Recordings) had never sounded this bold, tight, or explosive with another headphone. Not even its sibling could muster this and not even the Abyss. Yikes!

the Isvarna’s bass response, which won the day against both!

It really didn’t matter the album played and I played a great many over the months from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (Blue Note) to Arne Jansen’s The Pilgrimage (Traumton) to Elina Duni’s Lost Ships (ECM) to the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Take Five (Columbia) to Sophie Hunger’s 1983 (Two Gentlemen Records) to Eiji Oue’s Stravinsky and all were superbly ‘transduced’ by the HIFIMAN Isvarna headphones. All the albums became the truly captivating music that I have known them to be over long years or relatively short meetings. What more can one ask for?

But the hybridized coupling also appeared to maintain a musicality that was incredibly immersive and right, refined and natural, so as to, again, mount a challenge to its siblings. However, given the pedigree of the Susvara Unveiled and the Susvara it was a challenge that always fell short, with the exception of

The Isvarna’s are not openbacked headphones, which generally throw a more expanded staging of one’s music. However, I never thought about the fact that they were closed-backed when listening, as everything was there and in a staging that never limited the performance or the music’s magic. The HIFIMAN Isvarna is truly, if not on the same level, then in the same league as its exceptional siblings and for a great deal less! Don’t have the scratch, bingbings, lettuce, moulah, benjamins, coin for the

Susvaras, then know that the HIFIMAN Isvarna is a very good place to land. Bravo!

COMPARISONS

The Isvarna is exceptionally good and outside of its big brothers—Susvara Unveiled and the Susvara—it’s going to be very difficult to beat by any other headphone.

Of the 15-18 headphones that have sat about at Casa Heartsong there’s not a one that comes close with the exception of the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC and even that’s a very close call. The Isvarna is that good and, in truth, its comfortable fit, its lightweight nature, and its non-Frankenstein-like feel edge the Isvarna a wee bit ahead of the Abyss. And the Isvarna is more natural than the Abyss.

In terms of its brothers, well, they’re just more natural, more detailed, more refined, though they are also much harder to drive. You’re probably 70% there with the Isvarna for half and a good deal less than half depending on the Susvara.

DESIGN—LOOK, FEEL, AND TECHNOLOGY

The HIFIMAN Isvarna features lines and angles and subtle curves not unlike certain vaunted, battery powered vehicles. It embraces a modern industrial design that speaks both to stealth and minimalism, while incorporating unique hybridization beneath

its ‘hood’—headphone cups. Said hybridization allows the Isvarna to nicely extend its frequency response relative to many if not most planar headphones and match or outdistance dynamic headphones.

THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

HIFIMAN ISVARNA

• Frequency Response: : 6Hz - 60kHz

• Impedance: : 16Ω

• Sensitivity: : 93dB

• Net Weight: : 462g

DRIVABILITY

Unlike its revered siblings—Susvara Unveiled, Susvara—the Isvarna is exceptionally easy to drive and can even be driven by portable digital players given its 93dB/16Ω specification. So, it’s a piece of cake to drive.

CONCLUSION

The HIFIMAN Isvarna is a truly exceptional headphone with great technical aptitude, extended frequency response, via its hybridization, a sublime naturalness in line with its brethren—Susvara Unveiled, Susvara —though not quite at their level, and it too is truly immersive. I’ve listened for long hours via the Isvarna late into the night and was alway happy and content.

Given my experience with multiple headphones over the years, housing upward of 18 pairs here at Casa Heartsong, the

HIFIMAN ISVARNA HYBRID

Isvarna represents the very top echelon of those headphones. And from time to time it even gives its siblings—Susvara Unveiled, Susvara—a run for their money, while moving a wee bit past the outstanding Abyss AB1266 Phi TC.

HIFIMAN has done it again with the Isvarna as has, like its siblings, won the DIAMOND AWARD for excellence and considering its relative cost to other Top-ofthe-Line headphones, it is an excellent headphone. Bravo!

Pros: Exceptional technical acumen, superbly musical and natural and incredibly engaging. Will definitely plumb to sub-bass depth

more easily than most planar headphones and even a great many dynamic headphones. Cons: None.

THE COMPANY

HIFIMAN

ISVARNA ($2899) customerservice@hifiman.com 1-201-HIFIMAN (1-201-443-4626) https://store.hifiman.com/

Vincent Van Gogh - Sunset at Wheat Field, 1888

DeVORE FIDELITY

John DeVore

Conducted by K. E. Heartsong

INTERVIEW: JOHN DEVORE

For the longest time the DeVore Gibbon 3X standmount speakers had been on my radar. Suffice to say, that things never quite worked out the way that I wanted them to. The experience was but one in a series of lessons learned.

Nonetheless, the experience kept me very much interested in Devore Fidelity, but on the periphery of the goings there, as I kept up with their line and their developing speakers. The Gibbon floor standers were now in my sites as the inevitable prize for my system at the time.

The experience also set me on my most recent path—reviewing the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96s—which found the cover of our Best of the Year November issue and several of our top awards. Long story short, they are now the speakers of my two-channel reference system. If you’ve not heard the Orangutan O/96s in a system optimized for them—relatively low-wattage tube amps (though they can pair exceptionally well with solid state)—well, then you 'ain’t ' heard them.

In my system the Orangutan O/96s are paired with the Grimm Audio MU2 DAC/ streamer and the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 amplifier and it is nirvana and one of the best stereo systems that I have owned.

I have long been familiar with and a fan of John DeVore for his aesthetically beautiful and consummately musical loudspeakers . They also happened to be a great deal more real-world priced and more often than not able to pair with a range of amplifiers ,which made them more flexible than a great number of speakers.

This review represents my quest to get to know John DeVore free of the business technical and more so about who he is , his early beginnings , and how he ca me to be a respected and admired speaker manufacturer.

THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

K. Heartsong: Did you grow up around music—a record player, a stereo system, a radio? Did your family enjoy music or listen together? What type of music?

John DeVore: There was music in my childhood home all the time. My mom was a pianist who loved to perform chamber music. The rehearsals were always at our house (piano being impossible to transport, obv). If it wasn't live music it was the HiFi: an all in one Kenwood with Advent speakers. Lots of records--classical and jazz, she loved Nina Simone and Betty Carter. Often we would have the classical music radio station playing and my sister and I had to guess the

INTERVIEW: JOHN DEVORE

KH: What was your first stereo or headphone system then? When/How did you listen to music (day, night, all the time)? How did music make you feel?

JD: A BIC turntable and a Pioneer receiver with Realistic Optimus 10 speakers from Radio Shack. I LISTENED ALL THE TIME. From as early as I can remember I loved listening to recorded music and was very interested in getting the best performance. My speakers were carefully mounted on wall brackets, records meticulously cleaned. When I got a JVC

cassette deck I made high quality mix tapes for friends through middle and high school.

KH: Was there a singularly important moment with music, live music, or a concert for you?

Setting aside the classical and jazz greats my mom appreciated and digging into my own childhood journey: I first loved the Banana Splits, then I became a Kiss fan. Kiss was the composer. Music has always been a fundamental part of my life.

JD: There was one moment, in addition to my constant exposure to music at home that was really ear-opening. I must have been in 4th or 5th grade so maybe 1976. The school principal announced over the PA that there was going to be a "Rock And Roll performance" in the auditorium and we were to proceed there in an orderly fashion. It was a rock band from 9th grade called Rapid Transit, and they played a cover of "Smoke On The Water". I was awestruck. I couldn't believe the power and intensity of live amplified music. The experience is more vivid in my memory than nearly anything else from the time.

KH: What musician(s) did you admire as a young man? Why?

JD: Growing up in the home of a professional musician meant always being aware of the musicians, not just the music.

INTERVIEW: JOHN DEVORE

first band where I payed attention to the individuals (they were such characters). Then it was The Cars (local Newton band!) and their drummer David Robinson. Then Led Zeppelin (John Bonham). I put in a lot of afterschool hours perfecting air drums, while dabbling in the other air instruments.

KH: Most memorable epiphany that has come from listening to music with friends or turning other people on to music?

JD: It's very hard to narrow this down. I've been gleefully sharing great music nearly all of my life--from those teenage mix tapes,

college, blowout parties in my tiny 475 sq ft foot NYC apartment, to Monkeyhaus events I have here at the factory. Hooking others into great music has always been a major part of my HiFi life.

KH: What catalyzing event put you on the road to high-end audio?

JD: While I've been a HiFi nut since childhood, the first time I really heard a High-End system set-up was a little shop in Providence RI while I was in college. I don't remember the name of the shop, but it must have been around 1986. The system was a

turntable I don't recall, with a B&K preamp and ST-140, and little Wharfdale Diamonds. It was a first true revelation that neither size, nor bells and whistles had anything to do with High Fidelity.

KH: Where did your interest begin for what you do now?

JD: Hmm, always. My love of music and music reproduction, combined with an insatiable curiosity about how things work, and why. I designed and built my first pair of speakers while still in school--1987--and never stopped.

KH: How did DeVore Fidelity come about?

JD: I entered the HiFi industry sort-of by accident. I came to NYC right out of school in 1988. I was broke and walking down Broadway, saw a help wanted sign in a HiFi shop window and worked part-time selling high end audio off and on for the next dozen years. All the while doing other things, illustration, music, and working out new speaker designs. In the late 90s I built a pair of small two-way speakers for a friend incorporating everything I'd learned mixed with a couple of new ideas I'd been mulling around and named them "gibbons". They came

out sounding really very good and for the first time I realized there were aspects of my designs that outperformed the name brands I was selling. The preference could no longer be easily attributed to pride or taste.

KH: Biggest mistake you ever made at DeVore Fidelity? What did you learn from it?

INTERVIEW: JOHN DEVORE

JD: Really the only thing that comes to mind is not grabbing more space from the Brooklyn Navy Yard 23 years ago when we moved to our current location. This was very early in the history of the company, and our sales were scant and tenuous. Ten years on we were out of space and getting very cramped. It definitely limited our ability to produce more speakers and inhibited our growth. It wasn't until 2023 that more space opened up where we wouldn't have to uproot everything.

KH: What do you believe sets DeVore Fidelity apart from the other high-end loudspeakers?

JD: Two things in my opinion. First, and this goes back to my founding principal, our speakers are much easier for an amplifier to drive than a "normal" speaker, yet behave like a normal speaker in-room by being relatively compact with no horn shout or difficult driver integration. Second, our aesthetic stands in contrast to many other brands who ascribe to what you might call Tech-Bling.

KH: What is DeVore Fidelity's driving philosophy, its ethos, and its goals for the future?

JD: The founding principal stated above, to make speakers that are kinder to amplifiers, and still work well in normal living spaces both sonically and visually remains and will continue onward. This underscores an ethos of musical communication above all else. Everything we do here is designed to make it as effortless as possible to connect as deeply as possible to music as often as possible.

KH: What is your current reference system or your best high- end system of all time?

JD: Oh I am spoiled. Having been in this industry as long as I have, I have, though both bartering and buying, amassed a system the likes of which I still find hard to believe. It changes and transforms depending on what is happening here at the factory, but the "reference" system here would have to start with my Koetsu Coralstone (currently off for

a retip) mounted to an Origin Live 12-inch Agile on my heavily modified Garrard 401 with a Shindo platter and bearing and my own suspended plinth. This feeds an Auditorium 23 Homage T2 step-up transformer to my EMT JPA-66 Mk2 preamp. Digital is from Totaldac: their Streamer/Re-clocker and a D1-Six Tube DAC playing files via Roon. This feeds a number of different amplifiers, all of which I love. The variety is an essential part of my speaker design process, but if I had to choose one for this "Reference" system it would be the Komuro K300S amp. This drives our own O/Reference speaker system. Interconnects are a mix of Shindo silver and Auditorium 23 copper. Speaker cable is usually AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero.

beamed from another dimension into the early 19th century that still stands apart from everything else before or since, as played by a group so honed, gifted, and in synch it is a very special experience. Du Pre & Barenboim: Brahms Sonatas from 1968, just one year into their marriage, this is incredible music played exquisitely by two people madly in love, and it's all there in the grooves.

AKH: What are your five favorite albums of all time and why?

JD: Impossible question! Led Zeppelin One because it is simultaneously so down and dirty, and so virtuosic, and to me quite haunting. Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life, has there even been a more perfect album? John Coltrane: A Love Supreme, okay, this is perfect too, but it is less an album and more an exploration of the spiritual universe that we all inhabit but largely ignore. Budapest Quartet Beethoven OP.131, the latter recording from 1962 (though the '52 recording is incredible too). This is music

KH: I agree. There are, literally, millions of tracks, no doubt hundred of thousands of albums and to select five is, indeed, a nearly impossible task. But those five records, the ones that we ultimately select, can tell a great deal about who we are. John, thank you for a wonderful and informative interview and thank you for taking the time to complete it, greatly appreciated!

AKRM

Vincent Van Gogh - The Saint Paul Hospital, 1889

Cezanne - Still Life with Curtain and Flowered Pitcher

ATMA-SPHERE MP-3 & S-30

PREAMPLIFIER & AMPLIFIER

By K.E. Heartsong

In the past two reviews of Atma-Sphere’s products I have evaluated its newest amplifiers—GEM, a 5-watt, fit-in-thepalm-of-your-hand integrated, and its Class

priced and of exceptional quality, relative to its competition. This has been true with the GEM, the Class D Monoblocks, and the MP-3 Preamplifier. All have excelled far

standing, products—the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and S-30 Stereo Amplifier combo.

I had previously spoken of how AtmaSphere both designs and prices its products to a formula. It is a formula that finds the Atma-Sphere products very reasonably

results in extraordinarily high prices and often moderately performing products. The what-the-market-will-bear ‘formula’ can also be seen in the prices of real estate and rentals, unfortunately, and has nothing to do with build quality or even location, in some areas. I digress.

Claude Monet - Poplars along the River Epte Autumn, 1891

ATMA-SPHERE MP-3 & S-30

My most recent experience of Ralph’s formulaic approach was the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and Class D Monoblocks in combination. The MP-3 and Class Ds at a combined price of a little over $12k easily out

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.

dropping as the gap in pricing continued to widen between the Atma-Sphere combo and its competitors.

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component 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-

• Air Tight ATM 1E Amplifier

• Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier

• Atma-Sphere S-30 Stereo Amplifier

• Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblock Amplifiers

• TRAFORMATIC RHAPSODY 300B Single-Ended Integrated

• LYRIC Ti 100 Single-Ended Integrated

• Devore Audio Orangutan 0/96

• Fern & Roby Raven III Speakers

• Kubala-Sosna Realization Interconnects, Speaker Cables, Power cords

• Grimm Audio SQM Interconnects (XLR, RCA)

• RSX BEYOND, MAX Power-cords

• SEISMION Amplifier Stand (powered)

• TORUS AUDIO Power conditioner

THE SOUND

I gave great praise to the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and Class D Monoblocks and they deserved every word. Their combined abilities set benchmarks time and again that no other preamplifier/amplifier combo or integrated that I have owned, reviewed, or auditioned had ever met. The MP-3 Preamplifier and Class D Monoblocks made listening to music fun, enjoyable, and a wonderfully engaging experience. This, as you can imagine, is saying quite a lot with 45+ years experience as an audiophile, music lover, and, as of late, a reviewer.

However, what the Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 combo did, relative to the MP-3 and Class D combo, was better in, literally, every respect. There was greater clarity—transparency, resolution, detail—dimensionality, which heightened the in-room presence, spatial acuity, and the palpability of performers, which together infused an incredible sense of aliveness. This ‘aliveness’ continually lifted the music well beyond stereo playback. The Atma-Sphere

combo, in fact, staged performances time and again, regardless of genre, dynamics, scale, etc. The very word ‘performance’ appears across my notes countless times, as this was no aberration, no exception, this was the rule with regard to the MP-3 and S-30.

This was music beyond any Single-Ended Triode (SET) that I have ever owned, reviewed, or even heard. The music was more dimensional, palpable, more nuanced, real, alive, and always more alive. The combos rendering was also far beyond any push-pull amplifiers that I have heard, owned, or reviewed, to date. No doubt, this owed to the MP-3 and S-30 combos’ Output Transformerless (OTL) design relative to amplifiers utilizing transformers. Regarding the OTL amplifier versus the transformer coupled amplifier, Ralph had this to say:

“Any transformer in the signal path does two things. It limits bandwidth and adds distortion. Distortion tends to obscure detail. How much

bandwidth and how much distortion is a different matter; generally the smaller the transformer, the greater the bandwidth.With no transformer you hear more of what the tubes are doing.”

In comparison, other preamplifiers and amplifiers and even SETs, fitted with transformers, sounded distant, opaque, and even lifeless. This I would never have thought, but listening confirmed it time and again. And as I mentioned in a prior review, Ralph had let me know that his amps would easily surpass SETs, but I quietly scoffed, finding this a very bold statement. Well, in the end, it was truer than I could have imagined, with the latest proof—the AtmaSphere MP-3 and S-30 combo—staring back at me from across the room. Incredible!

It has since become very clear why owners of Atma-Sphere amplifiers hold on to them

for decades, if not their entire lives. In truth, I began planning, shortly into the review, on how this combo would remain a permanent member of the Casa Heartsong reference stereo quartet.

The Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 combo’s volumetric cube is exceptionally deep, given its match to the Orangutan O/96, exceptionally wide, broadening the stage far out to the sides, and in depth. It has diminishingly few competitors in this regard.

Soundstaging—positioning, layering, relative spacing, and volume—was spectacular and one of the reasons for performances in place of just good stereo reproduction. The performers were never tightly clumped or, seemed, to perform on top of one another, unless the recording itself dictated that. And I truly don’t remember the stage begging me to walk into it or staring slack-jawed into the space where the performers seemed so demonstrably present. Bravo!

BASS

Prodigious. Which begs the question, how is it possible for a 30 watt, tubed, OTL stereo amplifier to go deeper in the bass region than all other amplifiers and integrated amplifiers in house, including 100 and 400 watt monoblocks? This was, of course, a mind boggler. So, I emailed Ralph for his expertise on this matter.

“The S-30, SETs in general or any tube amp will attempt to make constant power with respect to load impedance, which is a very different behavior from a Voltage Paradigm device…Most box speakers have a low frequency resonance… Some speakers are designed to use that resonance to take advantage of this extra energythereby extending the low frequency reach of the speaker a bit. Such speakers (DeVore Fidelity 0/96) are meant for tube amps with a high output impedance like the S-30.”

Suffice to say, that the AtmaSphere MP-3 and S-30 Stereo as allied to the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan 0/96 Loudspeakers, and the Grimm Audio MU2 rocked Casa Heartsong, when called for, to no end. If I had been concerned that Eiji Oue’s Stravinsky (Reference Recordings) with the MP-3 and Class D Monoblocks was giving my next door neighbor fits, what the MP-3 and S-30 combo was doing went far beyond that! In deference to my neighbors, I kept late night listening sessions to a minimum and relatively free of dynamic music and large scale orchestras. That said, those seven assembled tympani for the “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” never sounded as powerful or as resolute or as commanding with the MP-3 and S-30 combo. And the inner detail, the ‘timbre’ of the drum skins, their internal resonances/voices, and the clear discernibility of the rapid-fire mallets striking

the tympani never came to life like this. Not even 400 watt preamp and amplifier combinations were their match in this respect.

Ralph maintains that the DeVore Fidelity

Orangutan O/96 Loudspeaker, optimized for tube amplifiers, is a perfect choice for the S-30. He also speaks to the fact that a Voltage Paradigm speaker, the majority of the speakers of the market, would not necessarily be a perfect choice for the S-30 and this might cause its playback to be less than optimal. So one would need to choose loudspeakers wisely to optimize this combination.

MIDRANGE

Yes, there was more detail, greater resolution and transparency, more ambient information. And coupled with exceptional spatial definition and weight, the performers were more dimensional and more palpable than

performance. If you’ve experienced this, then you know well what I refer to and it is no easy thing to find. I’d list the various reference albums, that I use to discern a component(s) midrange capabilities, but that would be pointless, unnecessary. The Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 combo pushed all these albums to the level of a fidelity and rendering that was, at the very least, far above how they had been previously rendered.

What can one say, when every benchmark, every well known album or track used for reviews surges past earlier renderings and fastens one to the listening chair for hours, day after day. This was my experience with the Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 combo. And it was an experience for which I had not been prepared, nor for which there is precedent, currently. Amazing!

TREBLE+

Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) came alive with the Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 combo. Joe Morello’s drum kit was more fleshed-out, palpable, and standing in space more so than

moon and beyond, which is to say, that it was always natural, beautifully resolved, and detailed.

Emmanuelle Bertrand’s “Tout un Monde: Énigme” (Dutilleux & Debussy: Works w/ Cello, Harmonia Mundi) via the MP-3 and S-30 combo surpassed the abilities of its siblings, again, turning what had been an exceptional rendering, into one that was riveting. I cannot tell you how many times over the course of this review that I listened to this album and a host of others that were now more real, more alive, more engaging than they had ever been. My listening time increased rather dramatically during this review. Exceptional.

DESIGN—LOOK AND FEEL

The Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 Stereo Amplifier are ‘old school’ in every way, when it comes to the look, the feel, and as I speak to below, their functionality.

The Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier comes in a very straightforward rectangular, metal box, its patina is that of black ‘Wrinkletex’, which is supposedly very hardy

and darn near scratch resistant. The MP-3 incorporates seven 12AT7 tubes and two 12AU7 tubes. Even its front panel controls are ‘old school’ represented by five toggle switches and three rotary knobs.

The Atma-Sphere S-30 Stereo Amplifier features an open design with its various tubes exposed on its top face. The S-30’s tube complement consists of 10 6AS7G output tubes and six 6SN7 driver tubes. On its front face the MP-3 features toggle switches like its MP-3 kin, as well as balanced and singleended amplifier inputs. It’s definitely an ‘old school’ thing to have the amplifier inputs on the front face as opposed to the back and some might find it concerning. I must say that initially I did. However, when it came to plugging the MP-3 to the S-30 it was a very small thing, indeed, and was soon forgotten. What might be considered the S-30’s back face, which sits on the plane of the tubes, is an old school meter. The meter is pretty cool and gives the S-30 the feel of times past. The S-30 like the MP-3 is wrapped in Wrinkletex.

While many may consider the AtmaSphere combo ‘no thrills’, I find it decidedly appealing as it harkens back to an early age where straightforward simplicity was the reigning theme.

FUNCTIONALITY

Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier

Front: As mentioned above, the AtmaSphere MP-3 Preamplifier five has toggle switches and three rotary knobs. The toggle switches from left to right are for two auxiliary balanced inputs, two single-ended

tape monitor inputs, and an inversion toggle. The front panel rotary controls from left to right feature a small diameter left-channel gain control knob, a larger diameter volume knob (centered), and a right-channel gain control knob. The smaller gain control knobs to ‘trim’ the volume in the left or right channels to taste. The larger volume control knob is a “precision 23 position stepped volume control built with 96 resistors on a custom built switch”.

Back: The MP-3 features from left to right an IEC two sets of balanced outputs. Next are four-sets of single-ended inputs for taping/monitoring that transform the signalended signal to a balanced signal internally. And at the far right are two balanced inputs, three if you have opted for the built-in phono-stage, which this MP-3 has and it is rightmost positioned.

The MP-3 is a fully Balanced Differential Design, which means it’s balanced through and through and doesn’t have, well, fake balanced inputs or outputs. Those for whom optimum quiet is essential or long cable runs, there is, perhaps, no better design. Ralph also mentioned that with this design, regardless of the balanced cable used or its cost, it will make little difference relative to the MP-3’s design (this also goes for the S-30).

Atma-Sphere S-30 Stereo Amplifier

Front. As mentioned above, the S-30's front face features two toggle switches, with one on the leftmost and one on rightmost side of the amplifier. At the S-30’s center are a balanced and a single-ended amplifier input. It should

Henri Matisse - Interior with Goldfish

be noted that one begins with turning the leftmost toggle on first, waiting a minute or so and then turning on the right most— standby—toggle switch on.

Back. From left to right one finds a set of Cardas binding posts for the left speaker, an IEC socket in the middle and another set of Cardas binding posts for the right speaker. It’s a very straightforward procedure for plugging it in.

The S-30 is very light for a 30 watt tube amplifier, but this owes to its OTL design and the missing mass of metal that normally comes with transformer based amplifier designs. It does make one wonder to what extent that the missing metal frees the sound and, well, elevates it to a performance instead of just a stereo rendering.

However, one should abide most carefully when powering up the Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30. The procedure should follow the input to output power up, that is powering on one’s system from source to preamplifier to amplifier.

The MP-3 has two DC offset lights above the power light that come on briefly as the preamp warms up. The tubes are then locked in at zero volts at the output. Turning the amplifier on first and then the preamp will find those offset light searching, momentarily, for balance before they go off.

The Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 Stereo Amplifier are designed in a ‘old school’ and very straightforward, clean, no-nonsense way, and functionality is easy, when following the above guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

Outstanding! Consider every technical benchmark—resolution, transparency, staging, dynamics, tone/timbre, etc.— checked, along with musicality, and the ability to present the music beyond stereo playback to that of a performance, checked. The sum total of this with the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 Stereo Amplifier combo is one of the most engaging listening sessions that I’ve ever had. This moves the Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 Stereo Amplifier combo beyond a great many integrated amplifiers and amplifier combos currently on the market and for a fraction of a fraction of their cost.

You’ll pay many thousands more for an integrated amplifier alone, not to mention the tens of thousands that you’d pay for other manufacturers’ top-of-the-line amplification combos and still not achieve this level of performance. This pretty much says it all regarding the ability of this Atma-Sphere combo, its real world pricing, certainly relative to its competition. Incredible!

The Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier and the S-30 Stereo Amplifier combo wins easily our highest award—DIAMOND AWARD—for its ability to outperform other integrated amplifiers and amplifier combos, regardless of price tag (some gargantuan) and by a fair margin. Bravo!

Note: If your speakers are of the Voltage Paradigm you may be well served by the Atma-Sphere MP-3 and Class D combo. This combo may even take you to where the

Matisse - Interior with Goldfish

Atma-Sphere MP-3 and S-30 took me. Ralph has a pair of Voltage Paradigm speakers (or adjustable Power Paradigm speakers) and he believes the pairing is on par with the MP-3 and S-30. Mileage may, of course, vary.

Pros: Outstanding musicality and technical bonafides which together render performances and not simply stereo playback. This combo has diminishingly few peers at any price and they are the entry-level babies of the Atma-Sphere line! Though you’ll need a Power Paradigm speaker—meant for tube amps with a high output impedance—for optimal results.

Cons: None.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier

• Line stage input impedance: 100KΩ single-ended/200 KΩ balanced

• Gain: 15 dB

• Auxiliary Inputs: 2 - Balanced (XLR)

• Differential Inputs: 2 - Single-Ended (RCA)

• Tube Compliment: 7 x 12AT7, 2 x 12AU7

• Frequency Bandwidth: 1 Hz-200 KHz, +0 dB, -2dB

• Phono stage input impedance: 47 K Ω, adjustable

• Phono stage gain: 55 dB

• Phono bandwidth: 0.5 Hz-90 KHz within ½ dB

• Dimension & Weight: 13"x 17" x 5.5” (33 x 43 x 14 cm) 19 lbs (8.6 kg)

Atma-Sphere S-30 Amplifier

• Power Output: 30 watts per channel into 8 Ω  45 watts per channel into 16 Ω

• Gain: 23dB (for 8 Ω)

• Speaker Outputs: 0, 4, 8 Ohms/per side

• Tube Complement: 10 x 6AS7G output tube, 6 x 6SN7 driver tube

• Frequency Bandwidth: 1Hz-200KHz within 3 dB

• Dimension & Weight: 13"x 17" x 8" (33 x 43 x 20 cm) 24 lbs (10.9 kg), without tubes

THE COMPANY ATMA-SPHERE

Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier (line stage only): $6,450

Atma-Sphere MP-3 Preamplifier (line stage & phono stage): $7,700

Atma-Sphere S-30 Stereo Amplifier: $5,100 www.atma-sphere.com ralph@atma-sphere.com

Tel. : +1 651-690-224

Henri Matisse - Interior with Goldfish

Connect to t Performance

“ The Kubala-Sosna Emotion interconnects connected me to the music like no other interconnects I've heard, at anywhere near the price.

Robert H. Levi

Positive Feedback Online

”

“ ”

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

Larry Cox

Positive Feedback Online

Claude Monet - Nénuphars, 1905

GRIMM AUDIO

PW1

PHONO PREAMP

By Andre Marc

GRIMM AUDIO PW1 PHONO PREAMP

Grimm Audio, based in The Netherlands, has built a reputation for precision engineering and exceptional sound quality, particularly in the realm of digital audio. With products like the MU2 preamp/ DAC/streamer, the MU1 streamer, and LS1 playback system, the company has demonstrated an ability to push the boundaries of high resolution digital playback. One listen to a system with Grimm based sources will make this abundantly clear.

resolution PCM and DSD. I’ve been told by several industry professionals that Grimm ADC’s are second to none. Grimm also makes master clocks, cables, and loudspeakers. Interestingly, they also made a bespoke power supply for high end tube based and vintage microphones. Their professional products are not inexpensive, but are state of the art.

Grimm also made a name for themselves in the world of professional audio, with their Analog To Digital converters used by world class discerning engineers to master recordings in high

With the release of their first-ever phono preamplifier, the PW1, Grimm is making a bold statement: Analog and digital are two sides of the same coin! The PW1 was announced at the end of last year and retails for $4900. As surprising as this product is, apparently, Grimm Audio’s roots run deep in the world of vinyl. According to Creative Director Eelco Grimm, the company’s founders were deeply inspired by vinyl decades ago. This inspiration led them to dedicate their time to developing high performance audio equipment. Even in an era dominated by high end digital systems, Grimm acknowledges that vinyl remains magical. The PW1 was conceived as part of their vision to build the full analog signal

Edgar Degas -Ballerina

GRIMM AUDIO PW1 PHONO PREAMP

chain, ensuring that vinyl lovers have access to a reference-level phono stage. But to be worthy of the Grimm Audio name, it had to be something truly special.

cartridges output incredibly small signal levels.

To put it in perspective: A deep bass signal from an MC cartridge may be as low as 50 nV (nanovolts).To bring this signal up to line level, the preamp must provide a whopping 90 dB of amplification.This means the PW1, and every phono stage, must handle microscopic electrical signals while remaining dead silent, preserving every nuance without introducing noise or distortion. You can imagine there is a lot that can interfere with this task.

The PW1 is named after its chief designer, Peter van Willenswaard, one of Grimm Audio’s co-founders. Peter has spent his professional career designing, analyzing, and refining phono preamplifiers, working with both solid-state and tube-based designs. He understands, after a lifetime of experience in all stages in the amplification chain, that the phono preamplifier presents the greatest engineering challenge. One of the main reasons for this is that Moving Coil

MINIMALIST DESIGN, MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

Grimm Audio says that Van Willenswaard’s FET based phono stage matches the warmth and musicality of his best tube designs, an impressive claim about the oftendebated sonic differences between solid-state and tube amplification. Having reviewed tube based phono preamps in the past, there is no doubt about the bloom and harmonic richness they produce, possibly at the cost of slightly higher signal to noise. To achieve this, Van Willenswaard followed a purist design philosophy.

This approach was achieved by using minimal active components, with only the

most essential transistors and circuitry to preserve the signal integrity. Each part was hand selected, and each component was carefully chosen for its electrical and sonic performance. Optimized circuit layouts were used with the goal of ultra low noise, low distortion, and a wide dynamic range Finally, there was a goal of dispensing with unnecessary complexity.

An overview of the nuts and bolts gives us RCA inputs for both Moving Coil and Moving Magnet carriages. There are RCA and XLR outputs, and an IEC inlet. Grimm says the internal power supply is shielded in such a superior way, there is no need for an external PSU. Lastly, there is a slide away panel underneath the PW1 with DIP switches to make custom adjustments for MM and MC cartridges. A handy tool is

provided for easy toggling of the switches. The whole thing is an elegant, rectangular shaped box, and the quality of the fit and finish is first class.

SET UP & LISTENING:

The Grimm PW1 was used with three different turntables. These included a Rega Planar 8 with Ania cartridge, a SOTA Comet IV with an Audio Technica AT-33s carriage, and the heavy hitting Transrotor Bellini table with an Accuphase AC-6 cartridge. The Transrotor / Accuphase combination will be getting a full review. The rest of the system consisted of A Rogue RP5 preamp, a SIM Audio 761 power amplifier, Magnepan 3.7i speakers, and Clarus cables. We started off with an LP we had used to review numerous turntables and their peripherals, namely Joan Baez’s 1970

GRIMM AUDIO PW1 PHONO PREAMP

masterwork, One Day At A Time, on the Vanguard label. After several spins of both sides, the descriptors that came to mind were Natural, Spacious, and Addictive

We heard aspects of the mix we honestly had never perceived as accurately. For example, the reverb tails on the snare drum, the distinct sonic space that the dobros, lap steels, and acoustic guitars inhabited was so accurately framed, it was thrilling. Baez’s fantastic version of the Rolling Stones’s “No Expectations” was a stunner through the PW1, and especially with the Transrotor table.

Really Want To Do” were a goosebump inducing time capsule

Fast forwarding to the 21st century, we were really surprised how much we enjoyed

An original Columbia pressing of The Byrds Greatest Hits really came to life with the Grimm. The jangle and ring of the Rickenbacker guitars, the harmonies of David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and Gene Clark were nothing short of angelic. The production values common to Columbia studios, including the trademark reverbs, hard stereo panning, and overall even balance were shown in the best possible light. The Dylan classics “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “All I

the vinyl remaster of U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, originally released in 2000. It was likely either tracked or mixed digitally, but Bernie Grundman’s vinyl cut is nothing short of superb. The guitars sizzle, the bass and drums have excellent impact, and Bono’s lead vocals are rendered on a scale not heard on the original CD.

The tracks “Walk On’, and “New York” have tension and release and the dynamics were explosive through the Grimm, as it seemed to get inside and out of the way of the music. Our favorite track, “Elevation” brings the band's punk and new wave roots

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

GRIMM AUDIO PW1 PHONO PREAMP

to the forefront with an arena ready sing along chorus and fuzzed out guitars. The PW1 shone a light on how crafty the band’s interplay can be, and the texture was “reach out and touch it”.

A summary of the overall performance and character of the Grimm PW1 Is not easy, as it seems not to have a “sound”. However, the soundstage is wide and deep, with a sense of air and realism. It was detailed and open. Every micro and macro detail is revealed effortlessly, yet never harsh, unless the pressing has that encoded in the grooves

Other descriptors that come to mind, over the course of many listening sessions, are rhythmically addictive, and highly Involving, It doesn’t just reproduce sound, it draws you into the music. One of the most significant accomplishments of the PW1 is that it disappears into the system. Instead of making you aware that you’re listening to a” highly sophisticated” phono stage, For those who have spent time comparing tube vs. solid-state phono stages, the PW1 brings the best of both worlds: The richness

and texture of tubes, and the clarity and control of solid-state The effortless musicality that vinyl folks live for is there in it’s also incredibly versatile. Grimm Audio ensured that it can accommodate a wide range of cartridges, thanks to adjustable loading settings via the cleverly situated panel on the bottom of the unit. This thoughtful design keeps the front panel clean while allowing audiophiles to fine tune the impedance and capacitance, and gain for optimal performance. We were able to dial in the best settings for three separate cartridges effortlessly.

This compact, integrated design makes the PW1 more convenient while purporting to maintain the same level of performance as external power supply designs. While Grimm

Audio has been widely celebrated for their digital innovations, the PW1 marks their growing commitment to analog.

CONCLUSION:

The Grimm Audio PW1 is a new reference for us in phono stages under $10,000. It simply checks every box imaginable. Its virtues are many, and its flaws are nonexistent to these ears. Superb transparency and spaciousness, and a perfect balance between tube-like warmth and solid-state clarity are it’s calling cards.

In addition, Grimm seems to have nailed their goal of low noise performance, even with the lowest-output MC cartridges,The minimalist design includes a power supply so quiet it doesn’t need an external chassis. For those looking for the ultimate phono stage, without spending a small fortune, one that reveals the full potential of their turntable and cartridge, the PW1 is a top tier contender. Grimm Audio has once again delivered a masterpiece, proving that whether in digital or analog, their mission remains the same:

“Creating audio equipment that makes you forget about technology and simply fall in love with the music seems a noble goal, but it is one that is not easy to achieve. This less-is-more approach is part of what makes the PW1 so appealing. Rather than brute force engineering, Grimm Audio seems to

have opted for balance, and purity, a choice that pays off in the final analysis.”

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

• Grimm Audio PW1 Phono Preamplifier: $4900

• MC and MM cartridge inputs

• RCA and XLR outputs

• Gain and load settings under bottom plate

• Internal silent linear power supply

• Copper shielded interior

• 100 x 100 x 250mm (WxHxD)

• 5 year limited warranty

THE COMPANY

Grimm Audio BV

Zandven 6

5508 RN Veldhoven

The Netherlands

VAT: NL858297978.B01

info@grimmaudio.com

+31 40 213 1562

Vincent Van Gogh - Irises

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4

By K.E. Heartsong

Streamers are an interesting lot. Some would say that streamers are strippeddown computers freed of all the “noisy bits.” Others would add that, “Yes, the noisy bits are gone, but also added are some high quality bits, with a singular purpose—the delivery of a pristine signal that is virtually electromagnetic interference, etc.”

sent a few big name, very well-known, highpriced streamers packing of late. And I have kept a few relatively bereft of reputation and name, etc. that have proved quite remarkable. This brings me to a small Canadian company based in Montreal, Baetis Audio, run by Joe Makkerh.

Well, I have encountered an array of streamers that have adopted the former approach, the latter, or a combination of both. Suffice to say that there have been “wins” on all sides and “losses” as well. This discovery, in the end, appears to point to how well one actually engineers the streaming component, regardless of the approach. And some, despite their size, their lack of an industry name, or their lack of so-called reputation, can apparently do a far better job than those with size, a name, and a sterling reputation. I have

Audiofest in 2022, I believe. The first thing I noticed about Joe is how genuinely nice and how kind he is. And given Joe’s academic bona fides—PhD cell and molecular biology, MBA—his humility is quite a refreshing surprise and, indeed, rare. Suffice to say that I wanted to work with him immediately. It would take a bit of time to arrange for our first review of a Baetis product. The trials and tribulations and dislocations that beset us all in the preceding years had turned upside down, at least for a while, parts procurement, supply chains, etc.

Paul Gauguin - Still Life

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION

17

However, when the tumult diminished and normalcy began its slow, tentative return, I would have a Baetis Audio Revolution X4 streamer ($6,000) in-house to review. And so began the journey with a no-name, nononsense, “moderately-priced” streamer from a small Canadian manufacturer run by a consummate gentleman (of whom there are few in the audio industry).

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the headphones actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

THE SYSTEM

• Baetis Audio Revolution X4 Streamer

• Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus Streamer

• Silent Angel Forester F2 Linear Power Supply (LPS)

• Silent Angel Bonn N8 Network Switch

• Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC

• Mojo Audio Mystique X SE DAC

• Dan Clark CORINA Electrostatic Headphones

• STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones

• Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic HPA

• Kubala Sosna Cables/Wires/Power Cords

• Black Cat TRØN Signature Digital Cable

• TORUS RM20 Power Conditioner

THE SOUND

The first thing that grabs you is the Baetis Audio Revolution X4's naturalness, its shoulder-dropping analog quality, its sweetness, engaging you immediately. Did I mention its naturalness? Yes, and it is there to a degree that spells out refinement and nuances, air and ambiance, which few components embody. The lack of these and its, well, “digital on parade,” which speaks to a marked diminution of naturalness, nuance, and refinement. In the end, this can result in soul-sucking transparency and resolution and often little else. Have you ever attended a concert or musical event where the music being played was soul-sucking and entirely un-engaging?

I have attempted to review “digital on parade’’ components, be they streamers or DACs, etc. You’d wonder how their respective voices could, in truth, engage anyone. And here we experience the very subjective nature of this musical/audio pursuit. This type of “voice” is quickly eschewed at AKRMedia in favour of the voice that synthesizes both technical ability and engagement/musicality. People do indeed have a preference for bitter dark chocolate, exceedingly sweet milk chocolate, or “interestingly” flavoured white chocolate. Go figure.

The Baetis Revolution X4 proved itself exceptionally talented at rendering transparency and resolution, whole cloth, while zealously unearthing detail regardless of where it attempted to hide. Perhaps in the Revolution X4’s case this was just the signal being exceptionally well preserved, free of artifice, with greatly reduced jitter, etc. Regardless, its abilities gave additional insight and dynamics, life and sublime naturalness to recordings that compelled me to listen for many hours. A component that can do this despite a reviewer’s looming Sword-ofDamocles deadlines is very rare indeed!

In comparison, the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 streamer proved more dimensional, more natural than the Mola

however, were remarkable together, coming just a hair behind the Grimm Audio MU1 ($12,500) and Mola Mola Tambaqui duo, both DIAMOND AWARD winners.

The Baetis Revolution X4’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—via the AES/EBU or SPDIF configuration with Mola Mola Tambaqui, Blue Hawaii Special Edition HPA—projected beyond the plane of the various electrostatic headphones, which was a first and quite astonishing. That is saying something, as the reference electrostatic headphone configuration has always provided an exceptional soundstage in terms of great width, depth, height, and layering. And this was new, which often resulted in surprised looks to determine where “that sound” had

Tambaqui’s secondary mission. Given that, it must be said that as a streamer the Tambaqui performs incredibly well. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 and Mola Mola Tambaqui,

soundstage that happened to fall well beyond the plane of the electrostatic headphones. And to date, it has been an exception tied solely to the Revolution X4. Suffice to say

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4

that staging—positioning, separation, layering—with the Revolution X4 was outstanding. mono blocks. If the goal in the design was no frills sonic purity, it has been achieved with flying colours. Highly recommended.

BASS

I began the Bass review medley with Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears, ECM). Once the music began, the “dynamic contrasts” between the various bass notes was the first descriptor that came to mind. It would be followed by superb tonal/timbral shading, generous inner-detail, and tight well resolved bass notes. “Emerald Tears” seems a rather sparse piece of music, though a good reference system will quickly ferret out the subtleties and intricacies that most systems cannot see. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 rose to the occasion, unveiling micro-detail and the most subtle tonal shadings, often obscured or buried beneath the noise floor.

Malia and Boris Blanks’ “Celestial Echo” (Convergence, Boutique) then opened with daunting stage depth, sumptuous tonality, and a mad, energetic “echo” wrapped in a pristine, black-quiet envelope. Malia’s gravel-esque voice at center stage, her ethereal tone/timbre are captured to great effect. There is a whole-cloth rendering via the Revolution X4 that brings whole-cloth

fullness, with power and nuance and engagement.

MIDRANGE

I cue Khatia Buniatishvili’s Schubert (Sony) via the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 and the movement comes alive with superb resolution, a sweetness, refinement, and nuance that much more expensive streamers have been unable to match. The Revolution X4 renders a natural musicality and a profound sense of engagement that weaves its magic through the entirety of my midrange vocal collection—Joan Shelly, Andy Bey, Kandace Springs, Elina Duni, Sophie Hunger, Malia, etc.

Everything is there: there is no part of the performance, any performance, that is not summoned, that does not participate fully, regardless of whether it lies in the most expansive soundstage or the least. Transparency, air, ambiance, detail are consistent players, and when coupled to the Revolution X4’s natural way with music, immersion is immediate and long-standing. There were many moments when I sat mesmerized by the performance, the music. Understand: I have had all manner of equipment reviewed through the electrostatic headphone reference system—which is uncanny at getting to the truth of things— but the beauty of this performance is something new.

The Revolution X4 technical bona fides saw it again and again, bettering much more expensive, quite well-known streamers at multiples of its asking price. The differences were not at all subtle: they were in fact remarkable, and with vocals even more so. Splendid.

CONCLUSIONS

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 brings a naturalness, an ease, and a sweetness to recordings that will have analog-lovers fully engaged while also providing the highfidelity technicalities—soundstaging, resolution, transparency, detail retrieval, etc. —for those long wedded to the evolving digital audio world.

The Revolution X4 is an outstanding digital streamer that I am certain believes itself to be a synthesis of both digital and analog. At least, that is what it has shown me as it has served my musical collection and every genre therein as such.

In truth, I had been a holdout on digital as my absolute and only means of rendering/ reviewing music/audio components. I had planned with much deliberation and research to reassemble a dedicated analog system to both enjoy and review other analog components. I am no longer searching for that which is analog, as my assembled systems— two-channel and headphone reference systems—have fully come into their

own as headed by the best of the best streamers. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 entirely cements that perspective, and with its sibling—Baetis Audio Reference X4 Mingo —soon in for review, I imagine it may well call Casa Heartsong home.

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 easily wins our Golden Key Note Award for exceptional musicality, high fidelity, engagement, and superb naturalness that few other streamers, at any price, have been able to match.

Pros: Natural to no end and beautifully musical, while confidently ticking off all the audiophile technical check boxes. Exceptional preservation of the musical signal.

Cons: None.

THE COMPANY

BAETIS AUDIO

Revolution X4 Streamer ($6,000)

Joe Makkerh www.baetisaudio.com

1-888-357-0035

Vincent Van Gogh - Wheat Field with a Reaper, 1889

PASS LABS HPA-1

By K. E. Heartsong

PASS LABS HPA-1

Quite some time ago, I owned a full PASS LABS system, complete with its XP-30 preamplifier, XP-25 phonostage preamplifier, and XA200.5 monoblock amplifiers, if I remember correctly. The balance of the system was the Transroter Fat Bob Special turntable, a pair of Eggleston Works Andra II speakers, and the Audio Aero Capitole CD player. I don’t actually remember the cartridge.

I believed it was a good system at the time, though wholly dependent on the proper setup of the Andra IIs, which were more musical than accurate and which could be problematic if not set up properly, not unlike most speakers. Though once dialled in, the system was very musical and engaging. It did, however, heat up the room by at least 15 to 20 degrees, making it nice and toasty in my San Francisco digs. Too bad I wasn’t living in Montreal or Minnesota then.

In the interim, I have owned many twochannel stereo systems, from the quite simple, with a pair of stand-mounted speakers, to the quite kitted-out, with speakers standing nearly six feet above the floor. In recent years, I have discovered the headphone world in its many flavors— electrostatic, dynamic, planar, In-EarMonitors and the amplification that favors them. It has been a wonderful education,

and I have discovered some true gems—the Blue Hawaii Special Edition electrostatic headphone amplifier, the Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier, the Dan Clark CORINA electrostatic headphone, Meze Audio Empyrean planar magnetic headphones, the ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC planar headphones—that still top our “Best of” categories.

The topic of this review represents a return to PASS LABS and its long-standing headphone amplifier, the HPA-1. It is kittedout as one would expect of PASS LABS, in a simple, clear, straight-to-business way that is neither kitschy nor overly serious, but very practical. But how does it sound?

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component 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, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

THE SYSTEM

• Headphone System

• Baetis Audio 4 Reference Mingo Streamer

• Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Streamer

• Silent Angel Bonn Pro Network Switch

Eduard Degas - Ballerina

PASS LABS HPA-1

• Bricasti Design M1SE DAC

• ALLNIC OTL/OCL DAC-10000 DAC

• ALLNIC OTL/OCL HPA-10000 Headphone Amp

• Aurorasound HEADA Headphone Amp

• Abyss AB1266 Phi TC Headphones

• Meze Empyrean Headphones

• ZMF Véríté Headphones

Ohms), which presented a far easier load for the HPA-1. This was a test of sorts to see the HPA-1 sailing easily in an efficient sea, as well as the HPA-1 in a roiling storm on an inefficient and tumultuous sea.

Audience Front Row Cables/Wires

• Kubala-Sosna Cables

• Black Cat TRØN Signature Digital Cable

• TORUS AUDIO RM20 Power Conditioner

THE SOUND

The PASS LABS HPA-1 is rated to have 3.5 watts into 20 Ohms, which I believed sufficient to drive the, well, inefficient ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC (88 dB/mW, 50 Ohms) planar headphones. I also utilized Meze Audio’s Empyreans (100 dB/mW, 31.6

When initially placed into the system, before any burn-in, I took a “sounding” of the HPA-1 and was concerned as to its abilities. However, once it was burned-in, those concerns evaporated quickly and completely. The HPA-1 had risen to the level that I indeed expected of PASS LABS.

I began with the ABYSS AB1266 and my various treble, midrange, and bass playlists, with which I am very familiar. The volume knob of the HPA-1 was set to 2 o’clock, which provided the necessary juice to power the AB1266, though far above where the Empyrean would be set (9 o’clock). Suffice to say that the PASS LABS

The HPA-1 then proceeded to move beyond a great number of headphone amps with skill, technical chops, drive (see PRaT— Pacing Rhythm and Timing), and unquestioned musicality. As an optimistic skeptic, I often downplay the praise heaped upon a given component until I have had the opportunity to personally review said product. I have returned far too many products over the past several years that were highly touted—some quite expensive, but they did not cut it, so to speak. However, in the case of the PASS LABS HPA-1 it appears that the high praise over a good number of years since its introduction still rings true.

performance. Further, the PASS LABS HPA-1 will draw you in as the very best headphone amps tend to do.

The PASS LABS HPA-1’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is nicely wide and deep when called for, with very good height. Positioning and layering are exceptional. Detail is easily unearthed and when combined with the HPA-1’s other technical abilities, its musicality, and its gravitas and refinement, there is a very natural and engaging presentation.

BASS

Let it be said that the HPA-1’s musicality is unquestioned and compels one to just listen while not taking the notes when one should absolutely be taking notes! As Delfeayo Marsalis’ “The Secret Love Affair” (The Last Southern Gentleman, Troubadour Jazz Records) rolls in, its dynamics are alive, HPA-1 could drive the ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC, and it drove them well. Not only did the HPA-1 drive the AB1266 but it was perhaps one of the best pairings I have experienced. Again, I did not at all expect this.

There is a beautiful musicality embodied by the PASS LABS HPA-1 that in many instances rivals the best of the best headphone amplifiers. The HPA-1 also possesses exceptional holography relative to electrostatics, and while its layering does not match the best electrostatic amplifiers, it does give them a good run for the money. That said, its transparency and resolution are truly superb across the entirety of the frequency range, as is its ability to dig deep while unearthing a surfeit of detail and air in every

Charlie Haden and Chris Anderson’s “CC Blues” (None But the Lonely, Naim Records) is beautifully rendered by the HPA-1, with a surprising transparency, attendant resolution, and heaps of detail that look deep into Haden’s play in the opening moments. The HPA-1 lays Haden’s performance bare as fewer than a handful of headphone amps have even attempted. In this respect, the HPA-1 competes confidently and easily with our current in-house reference amplifier, the Aurorasound HEADA.

PASS LABS HPA-1

beautifully resolved, and driving, while the bass notes are taut, clearly differentiated, and piano and trombone are presented with natural tone and timbre, which suffuses the presentation with dimension and texture and palpability.

MIDRANGE

I listen to the entirety of Joan Shelly’s

HPA-1—listenability. That I know this album so well allows me to easily pinpoint the HPA-1’s many abilities. Shelly’s voice is natural, imbued with emotion, and the articulation of her every lyric is clear and easily discerned. Tone and timbre as well are easily differentiated and well rendered.

Andy Bey’s “Angel Eyes” (American Song, Savoy) via the HPA-1 has more weight and texture and truth than many a headphone amp has given this track. Did I mention the superb transparency that lends rather incredible insight to track after track? While the HeadAmp GS-X MkII headphone amplifier is better outfitted for balanced inputs and balanced headphone outputs, the musical and technical acumen and the transparency presented by the PASS

TREBLE+

Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) cues and there is drive, energy, a wide openness, and goodly amounts of air to Morello’s cymbals that are very well resolved by the HPA-1, as Paul Desmond’s holographic alto sax sings at center stage, clear and prominent, its tone/timbre natural and textured superbly resolved.

PASS LABS HPA-1

Camille Thomas’ “Orfeo ed Euridice” (Voice of Hope, Deutsche Grammophon) is portrayed via the HPA-1 with all of the musical beauty and insight into the performance that easily draws you into the performance. From a technical perspective, detail is easily freed, resolution and transparency easily available, and the performance somber yet beautiful. Above all, it is organic and natural.

CONCLUSIONS

I did not expect to be as impressed as I am with the PASS LABS HPA-1, given its 2016-17 introduction and the various technical improvements that have come to other headphone amplifiers made in the interim, but time has not touched the viability, technical prowess, or wonderful musicality of the PASS LABS HPA-1. In truth, it has few rivals among those I’ve reviewed in recent years, regardless of price.

As mentioned earlier, the HPA-1 paired with the ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC beautifully and with more of a synergy than nearly all amplifiers that have driven the ABYSS to date. Again, I did not expect this and was curious as to whether the HPA-1 would drive the ABYSS at all. Indeed it did. The Meze was a breeze and the two also paired beautifully, though the HPA-1/ ABYSS were, well, transcendent.

The PASS LABS HPA-1 is an easy

GOLD KEYNOTE AWARD winner and a prize even for those who plan to spend a good deal more on a headphone amp. No, it does not have remote control or balanced inputs/outputs, but it more than makes up for those functionalities in its refined and truly inspired technical capabilities and exceptional musicality. Highly recommended.

Pros: Exceptional technical abilities— transparent, resolving, detailed, and dynamic, with superb musicality and refinement far above its price point. The HPA-1 is as competitive today as when it was introduced. In this respect, it has lost not a whit of its overall and competitive capabilities.

Cons: No balanced inputs or headphone outputs or remote control.

THE COMPANY

PASS LABS PASS LABS HPA-1 Headphone Amp ($3,675) info@passlabs.com (530) 878-5350 www.passlabs.com

Claude Monet - Red Water Lilies

GRIMM AUDIO

LS1C SPEAKERS

By K.E. Heartsong

GRIMM AUDIO LS1C SPEAKERS

Grimm Audio’s growing line of products has not only covered the pages of our magazines but they have also gathered numerous awards that speak to their formidable technical acumen and a wonderfully inherent musicality that few products, regardless of price possess.

Grimm Audio’s MU2 preamp/DAC/ streamer easily earned all of our top performance awards, a Best of the year for 2024 award, the Best Product of the Year award for 2024, and a Breakthrough award for 2024 as well, which is no small feat. This while the MU1 in a prior Best of the Year November issue likewise won our highest performance award and an Editor’s Choice award. Already, with the review of the Grimm Audio PW1 phono preamplifier complete, the awards continue for Grimm Audio products and this time an analog product!

This brings me to the Grimm Audio LS1c speaker system, which, in fact, preceded the Grimm Audio streamers. The LS1c loudspeaker system contains within one of the speaker’s legs a digital processor, a DAC, a CC1 master clock circuit, a 180W Class D amplifier, and a subwoofer for each speaker. Simply connect the MU1 streamer and one’s two-channel reference system is set and ready to go. It is an aesthetically beautiful, compact, and, dare I say, a very potent system. This I gathered with but a single listen!

I listened to the Grimm Audio LS1c system while it was being dialed in and was immediately impressed by it s ability to scale and to fill the room with the choral music of James Stevens ' “Nearer, My God, To Thee” as sung by the BYU Men’s Chorus. The piece was wonderfully layered, clear, and commanding. This was followed by one of my favorite reference tracks for determining treble resolution and transparency, tone, timbre, texture and detail. Again, in the midst of setup “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia) and Joe Morello’s drum kit were beautifully rendered, textured, and alive. This set expectations quite high, but the Grimm Audio gear has always surpassed the expectations set.

Needless to say, I very much look forward to the full review of the Grimm Audio LS1c Loudspeaker system.

SPECIFICATIONS

• unidirectional down to 250 Hz

• DSP controlled frequency curve

• well-behaved off-axis response

• digital and analog audio inputs

• filtered analog subwoofer output

• fail safe due to excursion and thermal limiter

• remote control of volume and settings

• super low distortion NCore class D power amps

• audiophile quality Seas drivers

• 5 year limited warranty

Vincent Van Gogh — The Mulberry Tree

Gustav Klimt - The Kiss

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

Edgar Degas - Dancer (1878)

COMPONENTS RECOMMENDED

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

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

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

COMPONENTS RECOMMENDED

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

RSX POWER8 $399: The RSX Power8 clearly holds to the dictum, “Do no Harm,” to the system in which it is being utilized. What it, in fact, offers is pure, clean power, a testament to the meticulous parts selection, research, and conscious minimalism all employed in its design. suffice to say, that it has no competitors at 3 to 4 times is cost.

GESHELLI LABS ERISH2 [E2] $219.99, JNOG2 [J2] $249.99: Disinterested in ostentation, Geshelli Labs believes in real world pricing with high fidelity performance. Their JNOG2 plus ERISH2 are a petite and potent bargain. With just enough character to put flesh on bone, the classy little twosome sets your music free without excessive color or dispensable features.

Paul Cezanne - Still Life with Peppermint Bottle

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

MID TO HIGH-END

The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.2

For us a Magical Synergy represents two components or more, that together make music far above what either make separately. Generally, we’ve discovered Magical Synergies via reviews, where we mix and match a good number of components to determine how one of the components—the component under review— sounds.

And while there may be strengths and weaknesses between the various combinations, the Magical Synergy represents that combination which has very few if any weaknesses and a wealth of combined strengths.

In this respect, we’ve done the homework for the reader by evaluating numerous combinations to uncover the Magical Synergy, as many of you may not have the time, options, or financial wherewithal to make these determinations. And Magical Synergies are not always uncovered in our reviews and or our research, as they tend to be, well, rare.

A note on the various Magical Synergies that we uncover. We are music lovers first and foremost and not professionals who produce music or movies for a living and require different synergies, nor do measurements come into determination for us of what is a good Magical Synergy and what is not. No,

for this we determine by ear, heart, and soul, that which moves us, provides for that “vibrational” comfort food, and a rich and engaging musical experience. The experience should, of course, come with sufficient detail and resolution and fidelity to recreate venue and/or the experience of listening to live music, when appropriate. After a long and trying day in this topsy-turvy world, wouldn’t it be wonderful if some small measure of nirvana could be achieved through one’s music and the components that play it back?

In other words, our Magical Synergies do not render music that is dry, unengaging, subtractively neutral (see dry, boring, etc.), flat, or lacking in dynamics, when called for.

Please find for your review a number of Magical Synergies below.

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

MAGICAL SYNERGIES UNDER $12k

HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED/AURORASOUND HEADA

The absence of the window-shade grill in the Susvara Unveiled has led to decreased levels of distortion —reflection/refraction—that are easily heard and heartily enjoyed. It offers up music of pristine relative quality and in turn frees greater detail, ambient cues, micro-dynamics, transparency, and resolution not previously imagined. The result is more intimacy and immersiveness and naturalness to a far greater degree than even the Susvara. I had reckoned on improvement, but I did not imagine that making the original Susvara seem noisy in comparison was a possibility. It is. The Susvara Unveiled is a towering improvement over the Susvara. Further, the Susvara Unveiled is also easier to drive and thus able to work with, dance with a greater variety of headphone amplifiers.

The Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is musical from ‘Square One’, ‘Jump Street’, ‘Scratch’, or, practically, as soon as you turn it on, though it gets worlds better thereafter. It is a beautifully, carefully designed endgame component to pass down. If you’re looking for an endgame headphone amplifier and even if your headphone amplifier is more expensive, try this one, you may be quite surprised. That said, the Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is a top echelon component and an easy DIAMOND AWARD winner.

MAGICAL SYNERGIES UNDER $30k

LYRIC AUDIO TI 100 MKII & DEVORE FIDELITY O/96

There was immediate magic from the Ti 100 MkII, though this was purely from a musical perspective, which was immersive in the extreme. However, after about 100 hours the magic suffused to all aspects of the Lyric Ti 100 MkII’s performance. Tis was easily witnessed, as it followed an exceptional pair of 200 watt/channel, solid state monoblock amplifiers with dedicated preamplifier with relatively minor lessening in overall performance. Remarkable! Te Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII is, of course, not one of those products as it has easily met our criteria for the DIAMOND AWARD, our highest award, which reflects on its excellence.

Te Orangutan O/96s had me planted on the sofa listening to tunes for many hours at a time and as happy as an officially protected turkey on Tanksgiving Eve. It was wonderful. Impeccable transparency, resolution detail? Check. Wide top-to-bottom frequency extension? Check. Beguiling tonal/timbral accuracy? Check. A staging envelope—front to back, right to left, deep, high—to die for? Check. Tis is a reviewer’s dream speaker, no doubt, and why so many reviewers have adopted the Orangutan O/96s. And while I don’t know the numbers, I feel as though there are too few audiophiles and music lovers who are familiar with these incredible speakers. To them I say, if you want a system whose voice you can radically change without replacing the speakers, then look no farther than the Orangutan O/96s.

MAGICAL SYNERGIES UNDER $10k

DAN CLARK STEALTH & HEADAMP CFA3

The Dan Clark STEALTH planardynamic headphone is a revelation. It exceeds its prescribed edict—to excel in planar magnetic duties—and goes on to become exceedingly familiar with, if not master of the edicts of the other headphone worlds and technologies. Again, there are very few headphones capable of doing this and fewer still with such compelling musicality. You and your music, regardless of genre, will be well served…Please note that to date, I have listened to a great many headphones, and these days it takes a great deal to move me.

Te HeadAmp CFA3 is a truly exceptional headphone amplifier and, dare I say, there are no other such headphone amplifiers that can compete at easily twice its price, if not far more. Its impressive 15-watts of power into 50ohms allow it to easily drive even the most cient headphone on the planet, with headroom to spare. In terms of its technical abilities, which are vast, it provides the depth of stage, the meticulous separation and layering of performers, across any given stage, the daunting transparency, resolution, and detail retrieval for which electrostatics are known. Couple this with superb tone/ timbre, musicality, and naturalness, and it easily becomes the anchor of a TOTL reference headphone system.

Minor White

AUDIO

1. BLACKCAT TRON AES/EBU DIGITAL CABLE

2. GRIMM AUDIO LS1c LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM

3. SHANLING ET3 CD/DIGITAL TRANSPORT

MAY 1, 2025

4. PSVANE HORIZON CV181-AT/6SN7 VACUUM TUBES

5. TRANSROTOR BELLINI TURNTABLE

6. AUDIENCE FRONTROW RESERVE CABLES (not pictured)

7. AND other reviews, columns, interviews, videos, etc.

VIDEO REVIEWS

MUSIC

GRIMM AUDIO MU2

HIFIMAN SUSVARA

SALUTE YOU!

ABYSS HEADPHONES

ANTICABLE

ATMA-SPHERE

AUDIO ART CABLE

AUDIENCE

AUDIONET

AURENDER

AURORASOUND

AXXIS AUDIO

BAETIS AUDIO

BOENICKE SPEAKERS

BORDER PATROL

BRICASTI DESIGN

DAN CLARK

DEVORE AUDIO

GRIMM AUDIO

HEADAMP

HERMAN MILLER

HIGHEND-ELECTRONICS

KEVALIN AUDIO

KUBALA-SOSNA

LYRIC AUDIO

MEZE AUDIO

MOJO AUDIO

MYTEK

PARASOUND

PURE AUDIO PROJECT

RSX TECHNOLOGIES

SILENT ANGEL

SONIC ARTISTRY

THE VOICE THAT IS

TORUS POWER

VERDANT AUDIO

ZMF HEADPHONES

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