AudioKeyREVIEWS! ISSUE 8 - JANUARY 2023 by audiokeyreviews

AudioKeyREVIEWS! HIGH FIDELITY PERSONAL AUDIO

STEREO MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2023

NEODIO O R I G I N E S 2 C D P L AY E R

A CD player Alive, Well, and Thriving!

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC PARASOUND JC3+ PHONO PREAMP WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA HPA SYSTEM ACELEC MODEL ONE SPEAKER SILENT ANGEL Z1 MUSIC SERVER

Music is art, art is music.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

MUSICIANS

114

152 ART

HI-FI REVIEWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 15

EDITOR'S LETTER

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM

ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES

DR. IRINA KUZMINSKY - MUSICAL MUSINGS

INTERVIEW - JUSTIN WILSON, HEADAMP

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC

NEODIO ORIGINE S2 CD PLAYER RSX BEYOND POWER CORD

114

ACELEC MODEL ONE

126

RAIN JORDAN - JOAN OF AUDIO

138

CLEER CRESCENT V12R

INTERVIEWS

102

MUSIC

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AUDIO SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2

164

PARASOUND JC3+ PHONOPREAMP- PREVIEW

170

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS - UP TO $1500

178

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

184

COMING NEXT

186

REVIEWS ON THE WEB

VIDEO REVIEWS

152

Front Inside Cover: Paul Cezanne - Pears Back Inside Cover: Joan Miro - Gaudi 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.

MUSIC REVIEWS Copyright AudioKeyReviews 2023

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - SEND HERE

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

138

164

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E DI TOR’s CH AIR

he previous year was interesting, indeed, though I am absolutely grateful for it, with over 22 million views, 375,000 reads (a read being over a minute or so, I believe), and our now constant crowd of 225,000 faithful (and growing!) for the AudioKeyREVIEWS! Media. Thank you! Another wonderful benefit of a magazine that’s “taken off” far beyond what you’d have ever imagined is that our website’s views are growing very, very quickly, no doubt, on the coattails of the AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine. Suffice to say, that our year-long, PR Campaign directed at the wider world and not, per se, at our beloved high-fidelity enclave, the choir so to speak, has allowed us to grow exponentially or seemingly so. How does an industry grow and remain vital without new adherents? It does not. And the coming year will see all of our marketing efforts doubled, at the very least. Now begins the music in the actual pages of the magazine! The various artists, their music, their stories, and interviews, via embedded video, will come to you in every issue of AudioKeyREVIEWS! Magazine. I do think that if you’ve enjoyed the magazine to date, you will enjoy it even more as it grows and matures in the coming year. And finally, we’ll be introducing AudioKeyREVIEWS! Canada March 1st, 2023. It is purposed for those who run audio boutiques and dealerships and online shops in Canada, for those who distribute in Canada, for the various Canadian manufacturers, and last, but certainly not least, for our Canadian Kith & Kin—our family—up North. This is going to be a lot of fun! I do hope that you join us. Cheers,

K.E. Heartsong Editor-in-Chief

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

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

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MASTHEAD

Senior Editor(s)

HermanMiller

Welcome

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Edward Hopper - Gas (1940)

AudioKey REVIEWS! I5

JULY 2022

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM

By K. E. Heartsong

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM

o date, I have become very familiar with the electrostatic world of headphones and headphone amplifiers, whereas previously my ‘knowledge’ was confined to electrostatic speakers—Quad ESL 57, Martin Logan, etc. Over the course of the past two year I have heard, almost literally, the entire STAX line of electrostatic headphones and its electrostatic

listening. Electrostatics also provided the most transparent window to the music I had ever heard, which was an astounding revelation. Detail long forgotten or ignored by other component or headphone types was now laid bare by the electrostatics. And their ability to scale easily the treble heights to ‘treble’ Asgard and beyond were without peer. This, of course, called for the rediscovery of one’s complete

energizers (amplifiers). I have heard the Dan Clark VOCE electrostatic headphones and all manner of electrostatic amplifiers—Trilogy H1 to the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition to the VIVA Audio Egoista STX. And in every listening there was an ‘electrostatic-ness’ with regard to the components in question that was, to varying degrees, exceptional. Electrostatic-ness? Yes, the components were lightning fast in their ability to handle transient responses of any given piece of

library of music and it was and continues to be sublime. That said, while there is a defining trait associated with electrostatic components, in general, there are also ‘flavors’ of difference that distinguish the various electrostatic components one from the other. And with regard to one line in particular—STAX—there are various flavors even among its own line. The electrostatic ‘system’ under review today is the Warwick Audio Bravura System,

music, which provided an added realism when

which encompasses the Bravura electrostatic

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Joan Miro - Dutch Interior

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM headphones and the Sonoma M1 electrostatic headphone amplifier. A quite interesting thing, however, about this system, relative to other electrostatic systems, is that it does not pair, nor play, nor interact with any other electrostatic system. It thus represents a standalone on the world of electrostatics. Or more accurately, it is a self-sufficient, standalone system that has brought together

some of the best elements of its electrostatic brethren. But how does it sound? REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start, below, with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill,

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Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Transcendence, The Terminator, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Queen’s Gambit, etc —that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SOUND As I mentioned above, the Warwick Audio Bravura & Sonoma M1 system is different from its brethren in that it will not physically connect with them or be connected to them. All other electrostatic components share a five-pin socket or a five-pin plug referred to as a ‘Pro Connection.” The Bravura System utilizes a miniature, multi-plug (8) connector and socket system completely incompatible with all current and former electrostatic systems. But how does the Bravura System sound? Well, like an electrostatic system it sounds exceptional. More to the point it embraces the classic electrostatic sound first embodied by the Quad ESL-57, certainly one of the pinnacles of achievement for its time (and even now) and the Martin Logan CLS both of which had me gaping in wide-eyed-wonder as I listened to them. Closer to home, its sound is very reminiscent of the Dan Clark VOCE electrostatic headphone.

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM All of the aforementioned speakers and headphones had a love affair with the midrange (human voice, in particular) and the treble regions, but a number could not descend beyond the perimeter of the sub bass region. Though, perhaps, only the ‘BassHeads’ would miss this. The Bravura System handles the upper bass and the mid bass regions very well. Other than that you are clearly on the wonderful world of electrostatics

ANTICABLE was tasked with wires/cables duty and the TORUS MAX with power conditioning.

and all of the talents that they are known for. The Bravura System’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is both wide and deep with quite good height. The Bravura system’s tone/timbre, staging, and ambiance were exceptional. But as I mentioned in the various reviews of the STAX headphones, which facilitate a broader soundstage in, nearly, every respect. The Bravura System was paired with the

pushes the momentum forward while being supremely engaging. As mentioned the Bravura System dived expertly to upper bass and mid bass depth and would touch only upon the perimeter of sub bass depth, but would go no farther. Christian McBride’s “Fat Bach and Greens” (Conversation with Christian, Mack Avenue Records) and Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears,

Silent Angel Rhein Z1 and the MacBook Pro, which served as streaming sources.

ECM) were beautifully rendered via the

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BASS Cued for play was Marcus Miller’s “Power” (M2, Concord Records) and like the Dan Clark VOCE before it, the Bravura System’s bass response is tight, quick, and beautifully transparent. There is also a driving force that

Wassily Kandinsky - Luminosity

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM Bravura System and were left wanting for nothing. MIDRANGE There is magic in the Bravura System’s midrange, much like the Quad ESL-57 or the Martin Logan CLS electrostatic speakers or the Dan Clark VOCE headphones. It is a see-through quality that brings the entirety of the midrange into sublime focus, whether it be the beauty of a human voice to the rich and exacting tone/ timbre of a host of musical instruments. All are laid bare and beautifully so. This is, after all, what electrostatics do and the Bravura System does it exceptionally well. Andy Bey’s Angel Eyes (American Song, Savoy), which I had played with the Dan Clark VOCE headphones and now play with the Bravura System brings a couple of things into focus. The Bravura System appears more efficient than the VOCE, though the VOCE more comfortable to wear. audiokeyreviews.com

Both, however, are wonderfully musical and immersive and detail liberators of the highest order. And Andy’s voice is again rich, detailed, natural. I saw Andy Bey in San Francisco at Pearl’s Jazz Club. We sat but a few feet away from Andy and his piano and were treated to a wonderful, intimate, and beautiful evening of music. The Bravura System brings me there once again. TREBLE+ Here also like the VOCE, the Bravura System extends the treble ladder to a very good degree, but it does not follow STAX’s Top-of-the-Line headphones—SR-X9000 ($6,200), nor the SR-009S ($4,545)—all the way up. But most, having never heard either of these headphones, would believe themselves near the pinnacle of treble height and resolution. There are very few dynamic and planar headphones capable of pulling off this feat of treble resolution wherein cymbals and the air about them are so well resolved, so real. Laura St. John’s brooding, melancholy rendition of “Gypsy Nocturne” (Gypsy, Well Tempered) is

WARWICK AUDIO BRAVURA SYSTEM passionate and enchanting and, of course, beautifully resolved. CONCLUSION The Warwick Audio Bravura & Sonoma M1 represent the classic and well sought after electrostatic sound, like the transducers—Quad ESL 57, Martin Logan CLS—that began this rather exceptional modality!

That said, the Bravura & Sonoma M1 system will not plumb to the sub-bass depths for the “Holy-Bass-Head-Grail” again like the VOCE and the speakers mentioned above but, in truth, only a few electrostatic headphones do and they tend to be quite a bit more expensive. And the Bravura & Sonoma M1 will not scale the treble peaks of Mt. Olympus as other electrostatic headphones do, but if you’ve not heard the best of the best electrostatics, you will not miss this and will count yourself very fortunate to have in your possession the Warwick Audio Bravura & Sonoma M1 system. I highly recommend the Warwick Audio Bravura & Sonoma M1 and award it our HIGH NINES AWARD for exceptional high-fidelity reproduction. Pros: Intuitive operationally—plug and play, wonderfully musical and transparent with a rich and intoxicating midrange, a well resolved treble, and stout upper and mid bass. Cons: Sub-bass reach

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THE COMPANY WARWICK ACOUSTIC Warwick Audio Bravura & Sonoma M1: System in Black: $6795 System in Silver: $5995 Mira Technology Park, Unit 3, NW07, Watling Street,Nuneaton Warwickshire, CV10 0TU United Kingdom warwickacoustics.com/headphones

AKRM

www.metmuseum.org

A PUBLIC SERVICE BY AUDIOKEYREVIEWS

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

ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES By K. E. Heartsong

Reprint

ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES

he Chinese ‘curse,’ “May you live in interesting times,” is apparently at hand, as we most certainly live in interesting times. And, I imagine, that one holds onto the keys to sanity during these times—by finding some amount of joy, something to be grateful for, someone to help, every single day. Of course, pulling oneself free of the TV (the Boob Tube) may in

and of itself bring a much needed balm of ease and quiet and peace. There is also, of course, music, wherein one can find joy, connection, peace, and memories perhaps, reflective of the times when our lives were a bit less “interesting” and fond memories which live beside our favorite music. Music has alway been transportive for me. It has taken me often to my very early years— as a five year old sitting on a sofa, affixed to his mom. We listened to jazz greats and sometimes the greats of blues, as my feet

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dangled high above the carpeted floor. Then there was rock when in Santa Barbara at my cousins’ home, where the Doobie Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Airplane, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, and others were all the rage, and those memories too bring a release of angst, a peaceful ease and comfort. The philosophical and heartfelt meanderings above bring me to my review of the ZMF Véríté headphone which I believe is an exceptional component for connecting with those aforementioned times, the music, the memories, and the finding of bliss and connection and peace. This is my second go round with ZMF. The first was with their entry level headphone— the ZMF Atticus—that was truly an ear-opener! Though its elder sibling—the Véríté—currently under review—is more capable, in, literally, every respect. How much so? Hold on to your seats folks. REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrements, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,

Claude Monet - Normandy Farmhouse Under the Trees

ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES The Queen’s Gambit, In the Shadow of the Moon, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning. THE SOUND Suffice to say, that what the ZMF Atticus did, the ZMF Véríté does a good deal better and in every respect. I will not repeat what I’ve said about the Atticus, but I could with more passion and enthusiasm and it would be true. But then this would not be a review, so much as a facsimile, a simulacrum. So… The ZMF Véríté appears to be the first iteration of a hybridization of dynamic and planar technologies. Its beryllium coated driver provides the requisite stiffness and speed, sufficient to move at planar magnetic speeds, whilst excavating entire lost civilizations of detail across soundscape after soundscape. The Véríté is fast, fast, fast reminding one, at times, of electrostatic speeds and their energy and aliveness. In truth, after listening to how electrostatics rendered live music, choral arrangements, and symphonies, I simply did not choose to listen to this music via other headphone types. It just wasn’t the same. The Véríté has changed that somewhat and now I venture into that area again, selectively. While the Véríté does not match the electrostatics in every way, there is not another dynamic or planar headphone that I have experienced to date that comes as close.

that it is as if the sound, the music rendered by the ZMF Véríté moves directly into one’s heart and soul, while keeping the left brained—the technologists/engineers/audiophiles—fully engaged. For those who may not have experienced this sensation with music, or with, perhaps, a headphone attached to an extremely capable system—Accustic Arts Player II, LTA Z10e—a listen is, indeed, in order. And it will

not be necessary to access the heights of such component combos to gain an understanding of the prowess of the ZMF Véríté. It will deliver the ‘emotionality’ of a musical experience and all the attendant informational cues via even DAPs and it will be spellbinding. Like its sibling, the Atticus, I listened to everything I could get my hands on and purchase (CDs) and load into my Qobuz file via ROON. And yes, like its sibling, voices were stunning and yet, there was more there, in terms of copious amounts of detail which

And then there is the emotion, emotion, followed in the wake of greater resolution and emotion. So incredibly immersive, so beguiling

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ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES transparency. And the coupled warmth did steal one away from doing or wanting to do anything else or even thinking about doing anything else. And as I mentioned in the review of the Atticus, “…Every single moment with the Atticus was enjoyable! Every. Single. Moment.” This goes double for the Véríté and the choice between them would be an easy one.

brings intimacy on the level of planars and, dare I say, at moments, on that of electrostatic headphones as well. And this I would never have thought. Imaging, separation and layering are truly superb and again far beyond the Atticus. And where the Atticus peeked in or touched down for microseconds on the world of electrostatics, the Véríté stares into that world and lingers a bit longer. I cannot think of a dynamic or planar headphone that combines its talents or its electrostatic-like delivery. Nor has the whole-cloth coherency of an electrostatic ever been so close at hand with a dynamic headphone. I have listened mouth agape on many an occasion to the Véríté and I relish continued listening after a review piece. The ZMF Véríté was partnered with the Accustic Arts Player II CDP (review coming), ROON Nucleus Plus, the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC Yes, I played the Véríté with the Accustic as both DAC and balanced headphone Arts Player II, the LTA Z10e, as mentioned amplifier, the Bricasti M1 DAC, the LTA Z10e above, and what it conveyed of its up-line HPA/integrated, MEZE Empyrean, MEZE partners was revelatory, defined by one’s mouth being agape more often than not, being LIRIC, Rosson Audio RAD-0, ZMF Atticus, entirely lost in the music, being aware of all the ZMF Atrium (review coming). Cabling was Audience Front Row and power conditioning spatial cues, and experiencing a sense of joy and astonishment time and time again. Please was handled by the RSX Power8 and the TORUS RM20. know that this is a most rare occurrence for a ‘jaded’ music lover. BASS The ZMF’s Véríté volumetric cube— Tumultuous. Propulsive. Eiji Oue’s V. Infernal soundstage—is more vast and encompassing Dance of King Kashchey (Stravinsky, Reference still than its little brother’s—the Atticus. It Recording) opens and there is the portent of audiokeyreviews.com

INNOVATIVE HIFI STREAMING Audio-Grade Network Switch. Roon Music Server. Roon Ready Streamer. Linear Power Supply.

Sil en tA ngel .c om

ZMF VÉRITÉ HEADPHONES power in the low rumblings of the orchestra, where often there is not. The stage is deep and wide, the layering and positioning superb. Tone and timbre are rich and natural. Enters the assault of “Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” and via the massed tympani it is tumultuous, propulsive, beautifully resolved, and fast! Interestingly, its streamed version does not carry at all the same weight as the CD via the Accustic Arts Player II, nor the resolution! The CD brings tremendous bass weight and easily reaches to sub-bass depth and on to the HolyBass-Head-Grail with the Véríté. Further, no detail is missed or obscured right across the frequency range, so refined, nuanced, and capable is the Véríté. And when power is called for the Véríté summons it easily. It is impossible to stop listening to the entirety of this CD and the next. MIDRANGE Spacious. Resolving. Natural. Immersive. If the ZMF Véríté’s midrange were a wine, it’d be a 2018 Harbison Estate ‘The Trail’ Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville. In other words, it would be “full-bodied, opulent, and sexy.” Olafur Arnalds’ “Árbakkinn” (Island Songs, Mercury

“Prayer to a Guardian Angel” (Lux, Decca) follows via CD and it too is compelling and induces an eyes-closed, peaceful, momentary catatonia. It is hard to rouse oneself from this playing. The Lux album plays through and then the Voces8 Enchanted Isle album plays through, and, though contemplated, the hour is late, and an overlong day holds off play of the Eventide album. Again this is an area where dynamic and planar headphones often fear to tread—choral—so accomplished are electrostatics here, but the Véríté shows no fear. The ZMF Véríté is faster than its immediate brethren—dynamic headphones—faster even than planar headphones, and as fast, at times, as electrostatics, and it brings a weight and palpability and a richness that electrostatics themselves, save the STAX SR-X9000, cannot match. Shocking! The ZMF Atticus was exceptional. The Véríté is better still and in every respect. Truly shocking!

TREBLE+

(Universal France)) is given perhaps the most moving rendition via the ZMF Véríté and the Accustic Art Player II (not available for the STAX SR-X9000 review) and the LTA Z10e that I have ever heard. Poet Einar Georg Einarsson recites his poem with warmth and richness, and yet there is exacting resolution

Fast. Extended. Transparent. Air-infused. Across the treble region the Véríté’s transients and its handling of dynamic swings are fast, fast, fast as though lightning flashes, which make the Atticus seem slow in comparison. Few headphones could, however, keep pace. Its transparency, its ability to bring finely resolved focus and thus detail to track after track brought discovery and a newness to the very familiar. This, coupled to its analog richness,

and detail that place him or, perhaps, me in Iceland, listening but a few feet away. Voces8

made each experience immersive and captivating. And the Véríté’s ability to infuse air

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into live performances and choral pieces and symphonies once again posed a challenge even to electrostatics! Though the air that the TopOf-the-Line (TOTL) STAX SR-X9000 provides on choral arrangements, live performances and symphonies goes, to date, very much unmatched. Vilda Frang’s “Allegro Molto” (Veress: String

exceptionally talented chameleon able to meet the task at hand with all its best skill forward! The Véríté is a TOTL headphone that will sound marvelous with a DAP, but it will be at its very best with top-flight, read, TOTL components of uncompromising abilities— Accustic Arts Player II, Mola Mola Tambaqui, Bricasti Design M1, Enleum AMP-23R, LTA Z10e, etc. Trio - Bartók: Piano Quintet, Alpha) and its The ZMF Véríté is, undoubtedly, a step rapid, transient pulses—knuckle raps, plucks, drumming upon violin or cello, and bowing— above its sibling in every respect— transparency, resolution, transient speed, detail and dynamic shifts are handled with aplomb. retrieval—whilst not for a nanosecond being And again there is weight and detail and anything less than extraordinarily musical. This resolution—as though sunlight crossing over then is another salute to ZMF with regard to and exposing a dark intricate mosaic. The Véríté’s rendering is also visceral and startling. its ability to produce gorgeous, heirloom quality headphones that happen to sound even Far too many headphones, regardless of modality, do not appear to curate these various better than they look! And that is no small feat. Without further ado, we award the ZMF Véríté combined traits. Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) saunters in our highest honor—the DIAMOND AWARD for all that it embodies. And a heads up, its with air-infused drum cymbals that are alive, well, and pulsing. Paul Desmond’s sax weaves recently debuted big brother—the Atrium— listened to side by side with the Véríté is, texture, tone, timbre in an entrancing dance well…!!! You’ll have to wait for that review. that, via the Véríté, the Player II, and Z10e, is, no doubt, the envy of snake charmers the ZMF world over. Meanwhile, Brubeck and Wright, spotlit and layered, provide gravitas and drive. VÉRITÉ $2,499 Bravo! www.zmfheadphones.com CONCLUSION Gorgeous. Incredibly transparent, resolving, detail rich, fast, fast, fast, and astonishingly musical. The sum of the Véríté’s talents speak to something other than a dynamic headphone, something imbued with a good measure of the planar magnetic tribe, and, at times, the electrostatic tribe as well. An

André Kertész - Walking

Where Art Meets Music

OPEN 5

HermanMiller

MUSICAL MUSINGS By Irina Kuzminsky

or this review I thought I would choose a classical composer completely unknown to me. And yes, I have to admit that this particular composer’s name appealed to me – Still. Still-ness is something we could all use in a world that seems to be rapidly spinning out of control. I know that I certainly could. In any case, I am glad that this thought led me to discover William Grant Still (1895–1978) and some of his music on the very recently released album, Summerland. As recently in fact as May 27, 2022. Summerland features a selection of Still’s

What stands out straight away about the music is the kernel of optimism, hope and faith it contains, and this despite the difficulties and discrimination Still had to face as an African American classical composer. His success was a testament to his talent and to him as a human being. "With humble thanks to God, the Source of Inspiration”, Still wrote on his scores. And his music is infused with his faith, his love of God and of his heritage and country. Still wrote close to 200 works, including symphonies, ballets, operas, choral works, art

orchestral music performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Avlana Eisenberg with Zika Schiff (solo violin), who are actually a mother and daughter duo.

songs, and chamber music, and was part of the Harlem Renaissance. His career was littered with firsts for an African American composer and conductor, and he was the recipient of

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Wassily Kandinsky - Composition (1910)

MUSICAL MUSINGS

numerous awards including honorary doctorates (eight) and Guggenheim Fellowships. The earliest work included on this album is from 1918, “American Suite”, and the latest from 1965, “Threnody in Memory of Jan Sibelius”, but most of the works featured are from the 1940s. This is a period when much of the classical music scene was infested with mechanistic industrial overtones and many classical composers were experimenting with atonality and dissonance. Still’s works on the

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other hand are strongly anchored in melodic principles and tonal reflections. He often creates evocative ‘visual soundtracks’ and each piece seems to have both time and space to unfold. The opening track, “Can’t You Line ‘Em”, is American frontier music, leaving you searching for the panoramic shot of a landscape out of a Western from the Golden Age of Hollywood. And for a simpler time when good and evil were clearly defined, as the trumpet announces the triumph of good at the end and puts a smile on your face. “Summerland” (No. 2 of “3 Visions”) follows, and Zika Schiff’s violin enters with a yearning melody. This is music painting, a visual soundtrack which has you imagining stars in a clear sky over a wide prairie. “Quit Dat Fool’nish” ushers in a change of mood and tempo, while “Pastorela” (arranged for violin and orchestra) is once again more sombre in feel. Beautiful lush orchestration provides the background for the solo violin in this piece that sounds like a movement from a violin concerto. The “American Suite”, an early work from 1918, is in three parts, the atmospheric “Indian Love Song”, followed by the toe-

OCTOBER 2021

MUSICAL MUSINGS tapping rhythms of “Danse”, and ending with “Lament” in which Still’s irrepressible optimism continues to shine through, even here. The triumphant “Fanfare for the 99th Fighter Squadron” is a stirring tribute to the Black Tuskegee airmen who fought in World War II. “Serenade” follows, another visual painting with clear sections and moods, its calm pastoral unfolding using the colours of the full orchestra. The “Violin Suite” (arranged for violin and orchestra), again featuring the beautiful impassioned playing of Zika Schiff, is a personal favourite. Its three movements were inspired by and named after three pieces of art by artists of the Harlem Renaissance, Barthé, Johnson and Savage. The first movement, “African Dancer”, returns to driving syncopated rhythms interspersed with more sinuous sections as the violin leads us through the steps of the dance. “Mother and Child” is a lullaby that captures the gentleness and focus of a mother on her child. Schiff’s violin soars in a melody of sustained intensity. “Gamin” returns to syncopated cheeky

rhythms rounding out a very satisfying listening experience. The album concludes with the “Threnody in Memory of Jan Sibelius”, himself a great atmospheric musical painter of the landscapes of Northern Europe whose music bears in this regard a certain affinity to the visual landscapes of Still. William Grant Still is clearly a true American classic, and this recent release is a good reminder of this fact. AKRM

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www.artic.edu

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

ABYSS AB1266 PHI TC

“W

O RL D’ S

AD PH O N E”

Edward Hopper - Automat

INTERVIEW

Justin Wilson

HEADAMP

Conducted by K. E. Heartsong

INTERVIEW: JUSTIN WILSON, HEADAMP

eadAmp was always on the periphery of my awareness, but it did not come front and center, decidedly so, until I reviewed my first HeadAmp amplifier—the Blue Hawaii Special Edition (BHSE) Electrostatic headphone amp! It represented a true revelation, I purchased the BHSE, and a strong want to find out more, review more of

your dive into high-end audio, etc. This is not a technical interview it’s more of a personal and the inspirational.

the various products that were being made by the HeadAmp company and its founder Justin Wilson. To date, I have reviewed three products (third review posting in March) and I have no doubt that I'll be reviewing more, as Justin has brought both incredible high-fidelity and a wonderful musicality to all of the components —GS-X Mini MkII, GS-X MkII, BHSE. Of course, I had to find out more and scheduled an interview with Justin who was happy to oblige.

suburban middle class upbringing but with more home exposure to electronics and computers through my dad’s career and HAM radio interests. I also wasted a lot of time playing video games, particularly ones that were online.

KEH: Where are you from? How was it growing up"as a child? JW: I was born in New England but have lived in Virginia for most of my life. I had a typical

KEH: Was their music in your home? Record Player? CD player? If not how do you think that affected you? JW: I had a Fisher-Price record player as a toddler in the mid-80s and that was the last

Justin, I’d like know, via this interview, more turntable I owned until two years ago! I had an about you, how you grew up, what motivated AIWA (the brand you wanted because it was

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Henri Matisse - Flowers (1907)

INTERVIEW: JUSTIN WILSON, HEADAMP cheaper than SONY) cassette player and those cheap over-ear headphones that used to be included. Being that I was a kid with no money, I had very few cassettes to listen to so I would mostly just listen to FM radio,. That was most of my exposure to new music. We didn’t have

watching VHS tapes of rock concerts. I had absolutely no musical talent, so I was destined to work on the design or engineering side of things.

cable TV, so MTV was a whole world that I didn’t know. What really raised my interest in music was Napster in the late 90s because I could explore what I wanted, at any time. Without Napster I doubt HeadAmp would have existed.

How did you listen, in terms of Digital or

KEH: How did music affect your early life? Was there a family member or sibling or another person, who inspired your love for music (art, aesthetics, design) and/or audio? JW: I used to bang on a Fisher-Price Xylophone early in the morning while

KEH: What was your very first system then?

Analog How did it make you feel, think? JW: The first thing I ever had that I would describe as a “system” would be as a freshman in college when I built my first headphone amp. I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD600, and then an AMC CD player which I think was similar or identical to a NAD player. The sound quality was mind blowing and anyone who tried it agreed. I’ve never been able to duplicate that experience – the closest was when I had an extended loan of a Sennheiser Orpheus (HE90) headphone to use when

INTERVIEW: JUSTIN WILSON, HEADAMP designing our Aristaeus electrostatic amp a few headphone) but started investigating even years later. Everything since then has just been better headphones. slightly better or worse. It’s hard to be KEH: How did HEADAMP begin and what surprised anymore. were the initial motivations? KEH: What musicians did you admire then, JW: After I picked up a pair of Sennheisers enjoy, love as a young man? Why? and built one or two headphone amps, I was

looking for more projects from the old anxious teenager you’re supposed to like Thom HeadWize DIY library. HeadWize was the main headphone related discussion forum on Yorke a lot. the internet until about 20 years ago when KEH: What catalyzing event put you on the Head-Fi was born. HeadWize was very DIYroad to high-end audio? centric. There was a designer named Kevin Gilmore who had published a few amazing JW: Other than the previously mentioned designs, but they were higher difficulty to experience being able to discover music through Napster, it was when I was a freshman build than most projects. I saw this as a in college and had too many complaints about challenge and after successfully building his amplifier design for dynamic headphones, I listening to music through speakers. I had a decided to produce several more for sale and pair of SONY MDR-V6 (a very decent the rest is history. JW: Thom Yorke, because when you’re an

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KEH: Biggest mistake you ever made, personally and then with HEADAMP? And

focusing our energy in our own products to make them as special and unique as possible.

what did you learn from it?

KEH: Great. What is your current reference

JW: Probably not placing a high enough value

system or your best high-end system of all

on my time, and handling too much of the actual assembly work myself, though it was a good learning experience and I became very skilled at this type of work.

time? Why? And how do you listen?

KEH: An important lesson. What do you believe sets HEADAMP apart from the other high-end audio manufacturers? JW: In addition to being an amplifier

JW: My current system is definitely the best I have experienced so far. The Mytek Empire DAC/Streamer paired with our Blue Hawaii SE and the new STAX SR-X9000 flagship electrostatic headphone. I prefer to listen late at night, after work, when the environment is quiet.

manufacturer, we are also a store for many brands of high-end headphones, digital sources, and other amplifiers. We can help customers put together the complete personal audio system of their dreams.

KEH: Sounds great and I can concur on the

KEH: What is HEADAMP’s driving

that I have, to date, had the opportunity to

philosophy, its goals, plans for the future?

Blue Hawaii SE, it is truly an incredible electrostatic headphone amp. I’ll bring this part of the interview to a close and thank you for your time and the exceptional products review. Thank you.

JW: We want to continue to strive to being a one-stop shop for personal audio while

AKRM

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Minor White

AT R I U M

MAY 2022

zmfheadphones.com

Vincent Van Gogh - Trinquetaille Bridge in Arles, 1888

Tamara de Lempicka - Autoportrait de Lempicka

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC By Oliver Masciarotte

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC Cast your mind back a few months, when our intrepid hero was testing the Pegasus DAC from the folks at MUSICIAN Audio. In that piece, I mentioned that, “…the Pegasus represents a solid investment in mellow digital audio conversion. The overall careful construction, effortless ease of use, plethora of input choices and ability to upgrade the

For this installment of OMas Learns Something New, I bring to your attention the MUSICIAN Audio Phoenix, a $1,699 “digital interface” being the middle child in the MUSICIAN Audio interface hierarchy. The Phoenix accepts a wide variety of digital input types, reframing and reclocking those streams before transmitting on a wide variety of

performance via I²S all make for a compelling package.” Noticed that I did not dwell on its sound quality, only stating that it could be upgraded to a higher calibre. Since the Pegasus was the first DAC I’ve had in house that includes an external I²S in, I was very curious to hear if that input choice was worth more than double one’s initial investment…

outputs. By all appearances, the Phoenix is a wide version of Pegasus. Only self–colored aluminum buttons and red LEDs grace the spartan front panel, which is half again as wide as the DAC. For those used to fancy plain English displays, LCD and most other display technologies generate electrical and radio frequency noise which must be suppressed elsewhere in the design. No display, so no

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Henri Matisse - Interior with Goldfish

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC additional noise. That said, one of the main issues I have with the whole MUSICIAN design approach is that lack of a plain text display! Yes, it is quite difficult to incorporate a display In an audio product without adding a significant noise source inside the case. Thing is, other manufacturers manage to include a readout I can easily parse from my listening position. For my tests, I needed an up–to–date HDMI cable and, after going through my inventory, I decided to purchase a 0.5m Silversonic HDMI cable from DH Labs. That particular interconnect was recommended by my vendor representative Rob Fritz at Audio Art Cable as it cleanly delivers the bandwidth needed for current and future HDMI connections. Once I had the proper cable in hand, setup was a snap…simply connect my Mac mini server to

front panel, then select Phoenix as the playback target in Amarra Luxe. The Phoenix is a capable and future–proof box, able to cope with sample rates from the “Red Book” or CD rate of 44.1kHz all the way up to 32 times 48kHz or 1,536,000 samples per second. [SR Choices.png] That’s over four time higher than even the extremely high 8x rate (352.8kHz) of DXD or Digital Extreme Definition. It appears in macOS’ Audio MIDI Setup with the same label, “MUSICIAN USB HiRes Audio,” as does its Pegasus brother. During my listening, I always had either the Pegasus alone as one of two references, or the Phoenix feeding the Pegasus. With the Pegasus alone, one would never mistake that you are listening to canned music, even at very high sample rates. Call it linearity or distortion, call it what you like, but the Pegasus by its lonesome does not possess the chops to

the Phoenix via USB, select “I2S” on Pegasus’

decode a data stream without placing its own

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stamp on the outcome. Phoenix + Pegasus removes a scrim of distortion, a sort of ersatz unreality. With Pegasus alone, instruments are presented as wrought from polymer instead of wood and metal. Phoenix strips away that prominent artifice, restoring a sense of corporeal players with their genuine instruments. The MUSICIAN combo brings the listener closer to that audiophile ideal of a “straight wire with gain” we all long for. Mind you, the combo will still never fool you into mistaking the output for other than a recording, but the Phoenix significantly lowers the distortion, while adding a touch of welcome warmth. Long ago and far away, I once visited the Bay Area development home of Sony’s Sonoma project, a rather dark and dreary subterranean crib where their best and brightest toiled away on the original SACD authoring system which, not long after my visit, was mothballed forever. While there, a colleague and I were discussing higher rate Direct Stream Digital, that single bit delta modulation encoding scheme employed in the Super Audio CD format. I mentioned to those present that double speed DSD, referred to as DSD2 or the confusing DSD128, had just appeared on the market. In reply, one of the folks gathered in our discussion mentioned, with a sparkle in his eye, that their tests indicated “something magical” happens at

resemble reality rather than canned audio. Phoenix can handle sample rates higher even than DSD8, if there were commercial music releases in that format. Maybe there are but, unfortunately for me, I had “only” DXD recordings and MQA packed files which, when completely decoded, would also be at DXD’s 8 times the CD sample rate. I seem to remember that there are double DXD releases available, at 705.6kHz, but I have been unable to locate any for this review. Fortunately, during this review period, Apple Corps released my fave Beatles album, the incomparable Revolver. That allowed me the distinct pleasure of curling up with the expanded 96k track selections while studying the hirsute filigreed cover art by none other than the visual artist, producer and bassist Klaus Voorman. Transitioning from classic pop into popular classical territory, I cued up Gautier Capuçon’s 2022 release Sensations [Qobuz, 96k Warner Classics/Erato]. On track two, “Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights” from “Romeo and Juliet”, Capuçon’s brash and assertive cello subjectively sits well in front of Jerome Ducros’ piano. Listening solely through the Pegasus, I was brought back to that unprepossessing presentation; a fairly shallow soundstage with a veil of vagueness as to details, not in the 4 to 7k crispness sense, but the “air around the notes” and spatial cues

DSD8. He said the audio subjectively begins to sense. With the Phoenix feeding the Pegasus

MUSICIAN AUDIO PHOENIX DAC via USB (this entire review utilized only USB inputs), a credible reverb returned, and the cello became less a caustic annoyance and more a romantic gut–on–strings. A pure plastic confection of cheesy synth delight, Donna Summer at 192k [Love To Love You Baby, Qobuz, 1975 Island Def Jam] is a bumpin’ thing of beauty. The dynamic duo of Pegasus + Phoenix got my good woman up off the couch and dancing, with a big grin on her cute little face. The prominent synthesizer stylings of Giorgio Moroder are smeared all over this track like digital butta’, and that bass line; four on the floor kick and sequenced rhythm line make for a compelling reason to get up off that thing; not something I heard or saw with winged Pegasus alone. For a more classy, contemporary approach, I turned to the 2022 Gondwana Records release of Matthew Halsall’s Changing Earth

Halsall and his sextet of high skill sidemen and women. Translating the bits and bytes through the Pegasus + Phoenix union, I could discern that the star attraction, Halsall’s trumpet, was given its own reverberation, setting it perceptually “back” in the mix while keeping the amplitude and timbre prominently “forward.” While listening to the MUSICIAN combo, I thought that all players were clearly outlined, and the harp and percussion possessed a clean transient snap. Switching to my competitively priced exaSound e22 Mk. II DAC, I wasn’t too surprised to hear that each instrument was more distinctly defined in the now more expansive artificial soundstage that the engineer had created, but also that those same percussive elements were more snappy and alive. Yesterday, I was listening more for pleasure than analysis, and came across Brendan Benson’s latest (2022) Schnitzel Records release; Low Key [Qobuz 44.1]. When a cover of

[Qobuz 88.2k]. The third track, “Yogic Flying", is a smooth, almost ECM–styled jazz piece,

Gerry Rafferty’s “Right Down the Line” came on, I thought, “You know, that’s a pretty good song!” In the way that streaming services

with a lovely balance between bandleader

facilitate, I immediately jumped to the

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reference 1978 release of the tune [Qobuz, Parlophone UK] to compare. Having heard that song waaay too many times on the radio during my formative years, I was frankly shocked at how enjoyable and expertly crafted it was. Pleasantly engaged by its analog warmth, I listened with a whole new perspective. Even through Pegasus + Phoenix, the Benson cover exhibited undifferentiated players inhabiting a shallow, all–in–a–line soundstage painted with a sadly crunchy Pro Tools brush, whereas the Rafferty benchmark was deep, lush and velvety even though it was also streaming at 44.1k. Oh yeah, did I mention the modern cover is LOUD as only bad production can be. The Scot’s AOR City to City version had me singing background harmony vocals right along with the studio musicians. Factoid: I used to play at being a pop vocalist before I went off to engineering school. At least the Benson version replicated the double tracked vocal style of the original. Although I mentioned that, at no time, was I deluded by my rig into thinking I was listening to flesh and blood musicians, frankly I wasn’t expecting to. As with all things in audio, every piece of the playback puzzle contributes to the overall sound quality and, in the case of my quite modest systems, that was not an anticipated outcome. Also like its brother, Phoenix’s fit and finish are not quite up to what I would expect at its price but the gaps and slight misalignments are only noticed on close inspection. What I have concluded is

that Pegasus + Phoenix is a solid option for those who cannot commit to a highly resolving R-2R DAC due to budget constraints. Purchase a Pegasus then, at a later date, add on a Phoenix which brings the total base cost to $2,798. If all you need is USB in, then Pegasus + Pisces comes in at a far less painful $1,618. You can start with Pegasus alone, then later kick the performance up two notches with Pisces. Phoenix Digital Interface $1699 Baiyun District, Guangzhou City Guangdong CN +86 20-39293669 https://www.musician-audio.com/ US Representative: Audio Art Cable San Diego CA +1 619-417-3035 https://www.audioartcable.com/

Silversonic HDMI 2.1 (0.5m) $95 DH Labs, Inc. Alachua FL +1 386-418-0560 https://silversonic.com/

AKRM

LS1

These are the most immersive, dynamic, detail-rich, nuanced, elegant, engaging, emotional, and yes, musical speakers I have ever heard. By far. Timothy Roth, Positive Feedback

www.grimmaudio.com

By K. E.Heartsong

NEODIO ORIGINE S2 A CD Player - Alive, Well, & Thriving!

NEODIO ORIGINE S2

recently had a conversation with a placing a computer keyboard under a door distributor, who shall go unnamed, who as a makeshift doorstop. The ‘internet of all outright assaulted, figuratively speaking, things’ has gone ‘kerplunk’—crashed with a the languid and unhurried return from the thud—and Information Technology (IT) is ‘dead’ of CD playback. He then went on to, defunct and computers obsolete. Got well, curse its very existence. I listened quietly traditional HiFi, a CD player, a turntable?” as I had heard a similar rant before, long years Or eight-track tapes or even cassettes for ago, when it was turntables being lambasted, in that matter. However, the fact that “between the the selfsame manner. Little did they know, little years of 1983 and 2020 there were 15.1 billion does he. CDs sold in the US” alone should itself speak In a prior review of another CD player— to the premature demise of the CD player, Accustic Arts Player II ($22,500)—I alluded to regardless of the pontifications of some folks. the beginning of the movie Transcendence

where the internet of things was no more. “The 2013 dystopian Sci-Fi film Transcendence, which features Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall, opens with a man

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And for those of you with, literally, warehouses of CDs, ‘there be gold in them there CDs,’ as technology moves ever forward. In some respects, given my time with the NEODIO Origine S2, I may have been

Frederic Leighton - Flaming June (1895)

NEODIO ORIGINE S2 premature in stating that the Accustic Arts Player II was “at the forefront of this renaissance.” It is very possible that the current CD player under review may, indeed, be at the forefront of the rebirth and resurgence regarding the playback of the shiny plastic discs and at a much lower price.

ease is insisting on not being called ‘analoglike.’ I want with all the intertwined fibers of my being to comply. In truth, long term listening is complying as the ‘aliveness,’ the ease, the sublime naturalness, and the holography compel one to say… “butter, not margarin.” Suffice to say, that, to date, no highresolution stream—96kHz, 192kHz, 384kHz— REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review has stood toe-to-toe with the Origine S2 and will be non-sequential, as it will start with how prevailed. Astonishing! the components actually sound and not the The NEODIO Origine S2’s sound is process of physically “undressing” them and/or elegant, commanding, powerful when need be, laying out their various parts, specifications, and exquisitely transparent and ‘alive.’ I am etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear reminded of the parsing of tone and timbre movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal that is very much like the exceptional French Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, integrated amplifier—the Audiomat Opéra Transcendence, etc—that, likewise, starts at the Référence. While a good number of end and winds its way to the beginning. components work with say a box of 64 crayon THE SOUND colors, in relation to tone and timbre, the Alive! Natural. High-Fidelity at its best. I listen Opéra Référence works with a box of 128 to the classic—Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (Blue crayons. The difference is immediately apparent, remarkable, and difficult to forget. Note)—CD and it is alive like it’s not been This then is the NEODIO Origine S2 with before, across the, literally, hundreds of times regard to tone and timbre and the ability to that I’ve listened to it. Could it be the bring them out, unlike, almost, no other NEODIO Origine S2, the VIVA AUDIO component. Egoista STX, the STAX SR-009S? Yes, all the other high-fidelity buzzwords— Undoubtedly. But I’ve had the latter resolution, detail, staging, transient speed, air, components hooked up and, well, ‘cooking’ palpability, richness—apply, but then there is before, when I listened to this CD, but it did so much more. And coupled to the VIVA not sound like this. AUDIO Egoista STX electrostatic headphone There is an ‘Aliveness’ in the sense that there is more ‘dimensionality’ and ‘ambiance.’ amplifier and the STAX SR-009S electrostatic headphones all was made easily available. That The three-dimensional nature of things has is not to say that there wasn’t a similar or selfrisen to another level and that ‘analog-like’ same magic with the non-electrostatic worlds,

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there was, but just a wee bit short of the electrostatics. And that I’ve reviewed the Origin S2 with headphones also removes the various anomalies of one’s room and speaker placement, interaction, etc. and turns the experience into, perhaps, a straight shot into those ‘veins’ called ears. Did I mention that the NEODIO Origine S2 also decodes streamed tracks/packages/data

24/7/365. However, for the connoisseur of music as a passionate and engaging experience the Origine S2 should, absolutely, be considered. The NEODIO Origine S2’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—is prodigious. Like the Accustic Arts Player II it is also quite “vast with cavernous depth, great width, and substantial height.” And as mentioned above, the Origine

to 24-bit/192kHz resolution? Well, it does and admirably so! And though this is a review, primarily, of the Origine S2’s CD playback abilities, its way with streaming does tend to make it an ‘endgame’ component. Yes, my CD cache grows day by day, but then so too does my streaming cache, as there is great practicality and convenience in,

S2’s staging ability is phenomenal. Likewise is its ability to lift the micro-details and transients necessary to bring one’s awareness to the space beneath the strings on a fingerboard, the reverberating space inside a drum, the microdynamics of a singer’s mouth forming and then releasing words, phrases, lyrics to the world is phenomenal! It is the

literally, millions of songs at one’s disposal

combination of these things that bring truth,

NEODIO ORIGINE S2 ‘aliveness,’ palpability to performance after performance. The NEODIO Origine S2 CD was paired with the VIVA AUDIO Egoista STX HPA\E, the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition HPA\E, the HeadAmp GS-X Mk II, and the Aurorasound HEADA HPA. The headphones used were the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC, the

(Stravinsky, Reference Recording) plays and the

STAX SR-009S, the Dan Clark VOCE, Meze Empyreans, and the ZMF Atrium. Wires were Audience’s Front Row Cables and RSX’s BEYOND AC power cords (review coming) and AntiCable power cords. Power conditioning was handled by the TORUS RM20.

stygian sub-bass depths like they have not been able to before. And tone and timbre via the Origine S2 are as though flesh and blood in their verisimilitude and we are back to 128 shades of color as opposed to 64 shades of tonal/timbral color (see most streamers). The soundstage volume of this recording via this trio is voluminous! Does this CD player have ‘agency’ in regard to high-fidelity? Yes, it does.

BASS Dramatic. Articulate. Commanding. Eiji Oue’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey”

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drama, the potency, the palpability are more real than any stream, regardless of its highest resolution, to date, save the Grimm Audio MU1 via the Mola Mola Tambaqui in AES/EBU digital out mode (combo: $25,000). The Origine S2 as source allows for the Egoista STX and the STAX SR-009S to reach into the

And this rendition of Stravinsky’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” with the NEODIO

Origine 2 as source provides the bonafides as it captures high-fidelity to the treble heights of Mount Olympus and the bass depths wherein resides the “Holy-Bass-Head-Grail.” The overall drama conjured by the Origine S2 is stunning. CDs are what, dead? No, they are not. I immediately play Stravinsky a second time all the way through and I’m on a deadline! Bravo! MIDRANGE Shirley Horn's “Beautiful Love” (You Won’t Forget Me, Verve), a favorite track on a favorite CD, accompanied me for years to equipment auditions, as the arbiter of how well a system renders this very track. Throughout those years only a few systems passed muster and fewer still were acclaimed. Toots Thielemans’ harmonica now sounds with an ethereal clarity, textured holography, and timbrally rich, just above the very distinct guitar of Charles Ables. Has Ables’ guitar always been there and has it always been that distinct? I think back to the many years spent searching for just this, to have found it now in my home and with the Origine S2. There is a moment of anticipation, a twilight of in-between, then Shirley’s voice rises, the lyrics, “Beautiful love…” are heard and understood from their formation to their articulation. Have I ever heard it with this much clarity, information, detail, nuance? I don’t believe that I have, though I do listen to it regularly. And I have employed the VIVA Egoista and the STAX SR-009S—the electrostatics—for this very song, but then not

with the Origine S2. Hyperbole? No. I very recently sent back a much noted, five-figure streamer that could not cut the mustard, so to speak. It, the streamer, provided an undifferentiated, uninteresting wall of sound, comparatively. The NEODIO Origine S2, however, is its opposite, in every respect and brilliantly so. Yes, CDs are alive and well and, apparently, thriving. I play Voces8’s “Prayer to a Guardian Angel” (Lux, Decca Music Group Ltd.) for further ‘clarification’ of the Origine S2’s talents and am quickly rewarded by the ability to discern, easily now Eleonore Sian Cockerham’s every word. Only the Accustic Arts Player II was able to successfully meet this challenge. The very expensive ‘streamer of note,’ earlier mention, failed miserably in this respect as well. TREBLE+ Natural. Transparent. Musical. Air-filled. Immersive. Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) rolls in and is rendered anew! Joe Morello’s drum kit has never been so alive, so palpable, so ‘there.’ And Eugene Wright’s bass so potent and apparent in its layered space represents another quite unique moment. Yes, Joe’s cymbals shimmer with an air-infused brilliance and sweetness that has been, to date, unheard, unmatched and this CD I have heard, literally, hundred of times as well. This realization comes with every CD played via the Origine S2 revealing in many cases and for the first time fidelity as well as a

NEODIO ORIGINE S2 musicality that seemed, well, absent. CD playback is decidedly not dead, but alive and dancing up a storm! Bravo! CONCLUSION Alive! Natural. Elegant. Substantive. Delicious. Its facade is elegant in a form follows function approach that says “beauty” all the while singing with one of the most ‘analog like’ and delicious voices imaginable. One may find their shoulders dropping, the furrows across their brow diminishing, a stepped exhalation, and then a welcomed ease. The unfolding event will be the NEODIO Origine S2 player spinning your CDs. For those who should know better, before they signal the end to yet another very viable and steadily maturing format, will you ever learn? And to the distributor who pooh poohed the rebirth of CDs, you do understand that a component capable of rendering an additional format and rendering it well, is yet another viable product to be distributed and sold? Perhaps not. The NEODIO Origine S2 is a breath of fresh air or, perhaps, it is digital as analog in the selfsame way that analog was dismissed as “obsolete,” “inferior,” “anachronistic,” when it was not, as now referenced by the ever-rising

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growth of album sales. And that it also beautifully decodes streams is a complimentary faucet that, again, says, “endgame component.” The NEODIO Origine S2 is easily a DIAMOND AWARD WINNER and destined for AudioKeyReviews year-end award status. Pros: Alive, Natural. Elegant. Delicious in both appearance and musicality. Substantive in its build and industrial design. Intuitive operationally—plug and play. Cons: Heavy, large, the standard desk will not accommodate the Origine S2, nor will flimsy racks. THE COMPANY NEODIO ORIGIN S2 ($20,000) www.neodio.fr/en NEODIO SevenAudio 7 rue Joseph Bonnet 33100 BORDEAUX FRANCE

AKRM

AudioKey REVIEWS! I4

MAY 2022

www.porsche.com

RSX BEYOND By K. E. Heartsong

RSX BEYOND POWER CORD

ately, I have had epiphanies with the entirety of the electrostatic world— headphones, amplifiers—DACs, cutting edge streamers, and CD players. Now, it appears that another epiphany has waited patiently for me in a rather unanticipated guise —that of a power cord. Yes, I know. It’s a power cord. Current or electrons travel a power cord’s length from one end (receptacle) to the other (plug), said electrons exiting into any number of devices, which allows the devices to, well, function. Perhaps the ‘quality’ of the depositing electrons comes in the quality of that journey—First Class or Coach, screaming children, quiet— metaphorically speaking. Well my friends, in that metaphor are a great deal of knowns and unknowns that crisscross numerous math and science disciplines. I got some idea of current and electrons and voltage and resistance (V=IR) in college via physics—electricity and magnetism —a whole bushel of engineering courses, and far too many math courses. Then there were the various materials science courses that exposed me to the differing characteristics of materials—conductance, resistance, ductility (the ability of a material to have its shape changed), etc. But interestingly things never got, well, multidisciplinary.

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What I mean to say is that the electricity and magnetism courses never got their chocolate into the peanut butter of the materials science courses or the engineering course. If so, I believe that a good number of us would have a much better idea of just how different and complex wires and power cables can be and not think them ‘snake oil.’ Case in point, I had a noted manufacturer of amplifiers tell me that cables don’t make a difference in sound, at all. Though he later confessed to having a personal cable favorite that was better than everything else. Ahhhh… clearly he got the math and engineering courses, he did not, however, appear to have gotten the material science courses. THE SOUND IN METAPHOR For those of you falling asleep, I’ll stop there with the maths and sciences and engineering and I’ll mix my metaphors, if you don’t mind, in order to speak to my latest high-fidelity epiphany—the RSX BEYOND power cord. Okay, I’ve begun the metaphor of a power cable as a conduit of travel ranging from First Class to Coach. But there are two other elements of import—electrical conductivity (the degree to which a specified material conducts electricity, Oxford Online

Brassai - Retrospective in the Netherlands

RSX BEYOND POWER CORD Dictionary) and impurity—that will be woven into my metaphorical mixup. A group of electrons leaving the insanity of the outside world’s electrical mesh enter my apartment and subsequently journey to the plug of the RSX BEYOND power cord. Now there are a number of possible ‘carriers/ wheeled-metalcoaches,’ depending on the power cord, that will take the electrons to the other side of the power cord, receptacle. However, depending on the material makeup of these ‘coaches’—silver, copper, gold, lead, etc. —the journey will be smooth and fast or slow and ponderous or stop and go, etc. The chart below gives some indication, if you consider the number on the right and equate it to, say, the number of quickly rotating, self-powered wheels beneath each coach. Ever had a really smooth trip to your intended destination? A horrible trip? And the effect on you was? Exactly. Well, electrons, I imagine, can likewise be affected by their trip or so I’ve come to believe. In the case of the RSX BEYOND power cable it’s a smooth, fast, and unencumbered journey for the electrons traveling on an “ultrapure Laboratory Grade™ copper” coach (high electrical conductivity—many wheels (see

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thermal conductivity for number of wheels)), inside a tube with “Teflon-variant fluoropolymers” walls which shields noise and other kinds of interference (“capacitance and inductance”) from our electron passengers. Teflon (not on the graph) makes for a very poor coach as it has very few wheels, one fifth of the wheels of Palladium, but as a result forms a good barrier. Well, it’s time to ‘mix the metaphors’ again but all to bring a wee bit of clarity to how I see things. Impurities. I’d liken impurities, metaphorically, to potholes, or say microwave ovens, couches, or chairs that lay discarded, dab smack on the highway, having escaped their owners’ vehicles. Now, imagine a journey from point A to point B wherein there’s a whole mess of stuff having escaped an 18wheeler, its doors coming open on the highway, as it traveled from point A to point B —impurities. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to navigate the four rooms of furniture spread across the highway while on route to point B. While there are many power cords chock full of impurities, the RSX BEYOND is not one of them. It, on the other hand, has its various electrons traveling in a speedy, manywheeled coach, inside an interference defeating Teflon tube, on a pristine and quiet highway to point B—power cord’s receptacle, component of choice. So, how does all of this relate to the ‘sound’ or ‘unsound’ of the RSX BEYOND? The realization that this cable is something special

comes immediately, despite whether or not it has been burned in, as there is always consistently more music. Or, perhaps, an unfettered flow of happy electrons which, in turn, provides the ‘life’s blood’ for all components, bringing them to their highest state of performance. All that I truly know is that when the BEYOND power cable was inserted into a system there was more…music, always. There’s a lot to be said for well treated and happy electrons. This translated into copious detail being floated up from the interplay of transparency and resolution that was smile inducing, time and again, when I was not shaking my head in disbelief. Yes, the high-fidelity technicalities— staging, microdynamics, tone/timbre, air, quiet, etc.—were all better and they were married to a musicality that was natural, beguiling, immersive. Yes, a power cord had made it all possible. Question. Have you ever been around someone wherein you are more ‘yourself,’ more natural, more at ease, happier, perhaps, than with anyone else? CONCLUSION Roger Skoff says of his three cables—PRIME, MAX, and BEYOND—“Good, better, best.” Well, I am currently reviewing the BEYOND

and the MAX and, in terms of ‘better’ and ‘best,’ he is spot on. I’ve had some fairly profound epiphanies with various components but the experience that the RSX BEYOND power cord unfolded was hard to get one’s head around, unbelievable really. How does a power cord increase detail? Perhaps, as stated above, via metaphor, by not interfering or diminishing any aspect of the electron transmission and providing for their unhindered, undiminished, and happy point A to B delivery—as they are, truly, the life blood of all systems. The RSX BEYOND is an easy awardwinner of our highest award. Suffice to say, that it is our first DIAMOND AWARD winner for a cable. There be magic in that there power cable.

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ACELEC MODEL ONE

By Andre Marc

ACELEC MODEL ONE

wo way, high performance monitors seem to be quite abundant in this day and age, but few actually stand apart from the crowd. One such monitor, to our ears, that does pull ahead of the pack, is the Acelec Model One speaker, designed and made in The Netherlands, by none other than Sonnet Digital Audio. We reviewed their wonderful

specialized internal damping. Each speaker is a beast, weighing in at 35 lbs. The Model One makes use of a Mundorf tweeter, a 6 inch Scanspeak driver, with a rear port, and two way, extremely high quality binding posts. The speaker is deep, and luckily we had a solid, sand filled Atacama stands to accommodate the pair. The speaker is rated at a nominal 8 Ohm impedance, 84 db sensitivity, and produces bass down to 45 Hz. We received our review

pair in black, but silver is available upon request. The workmanship of the cabinet is stunning, on par with much, much more expensive products. The Model One retails for $6495 a pair. The US distributor is none other than Rob Fritz, of Audio Art Cable, who also handles Sonnet Digital Audio, as well as many other excellent brands. We have heard many speakers with enclosures made of highly rigid materials, including aluminum, but we have never had a pair in our own system. With that in mind, we digital streamer and DAC combo here: https:// approached his review with great curiosity. We www.audiokeyreviews.com/the-reviews/sonnet- also had high expectations based on our experience with Sonnet’s digital stack, and also morpheus-and-hermes. considering we have reviewed several excellent Acelec is the brand under which Sonnet markets their speaker designs. Aside from the monitors over the past year. Model One, designed for “domestic” use, they SET UP & LISTENING also produce a professional monitor called the The Acelec Model One was set up on sturdy Model Two. According to Acelec, the Model Atacama stands as noted above, in a medium One is designed with very specific goals in sized room. We drove them with the wonderful mind: extreme transparency, enclosure inertia, Parasound Halo Hint 6 integrated amplifier and life like scale in a small footprint. (review link when available), with built in The cabinet is made of bituminized phono stage, and DAC. A Roon connected aluminum, for ultimate rigidity, with audiokeyreviews.com

Wassily Kandinsky - Untitled

ACELEC MODEL ONE Sonore microRendu fed the USB input of the Parasound, and a Rega Planar 3 was used for vinyl duties. Cables were both Audio Art, and Transparent. The pair I received had plenty of hours on

and Dio’s vocals called out like a clarion. Impressive start for the Model One! We also enjoyed, perhaps, too much, the debut self titled album by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, which also features Dio on vocals. The album is masterwork of classically

them, so it did not take long at all for them to settle in. During the period we had the Model One, we were listening to quite a lot of early heavy rock, including Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio, and many more. The Model One was clearly not teetotaler, in fact it was up to the task of making Black Sabbath sound downright sinister, as they should sound. The recent Deluxe 96 kHz remaster of their “comeback” album, Heaven And Hell,

influenced hard rock. The Japanese SACD reissue is superb, and the Model One not only brought every detail of the recording, but it also put you right at the mixing desk. The flip side of that is that the Model One also let the listener hear the somewhat dated production. However the tone of Blackmore’s stratocaster, and the earthy Mellotron (!) flourishes, and Dio’s powerful vocals came through with flying colors. After Dio’s departure from Rainbow, the from1980, is a sonic tour de force. Ronnie band went into a more streamlined, radio James Dio joined the band on vocals at this point, and proved to me a magnificent fit. The friendly direction with Graham Bonnet on lead vocals. The album Down To Earth, from 1979, title track, an epic mid tempo statement of purpose for the band, indeed sounded epic. hit hard, with two huge singles, “Since You Toni Iommi’s guitars had a menacing crunch,

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Been Gone” and “All Night Long”. Blackmore still managed to sneak in some classical prog

references. The Model One was along for the ride here, with Blackmore’s mesmerizing guitar riffs, late 70’s synthesizer sounds, and thunderous drumming having not only focus, but weight and drive. We also spun vinyl pressings of later Rainbow albums, including, Straight Between The Eyes, and Street Of Dreams,

one could actually visualize their perceived positions on stage or in the studio. A recent recording we have been enamored with, WIthin This Stone by guitarist

extraordinaire Lionel Louke and musical cohort Ziv Ravits, is a must hear for lovers of modern creative jazz music. The album offers and the analog goodness came shining meditative, hypnotic, trance inducing duets for through, with superb focus and clarity. guitar and percussion. Yet the music seems Switching gears completely, we called up almost orchestral. The Model One was able to Carnival Fantasy, a classical album by Salut track the syncopated rhythms and the Salon, a small German ensemble. The 88.2 kHz interesting tonal variations. Louke’s guitar is download sounds immaculate. The music is an buttery smooth, and takes the listener on many twists and turns. Played at high volume adaptation of Saint-Saens’s Carnival Of The through the Model One, a number of listeners Animals for piano and strings, as well as a few other shorter pieces by various composers, and were astounded at the realism. Some noted, quite rightly, the utterly black backgrounds it is spectacular. The Model One made it during quieter passages. appear as if the musicians were surrounding We concluded our time with the Model the listener, with the tone and timbre of the One with old favorites, the early albums of the piano and violins incredibly life like and rich great John Denver. His catalog received a very in texture. Breathtaking, actually. It was hard not to marvel at the tonal richness, even while nice 24 bit remastering a number of years ago, and the beautiful, panoramic production of enjoying the music! these records has been beautifully preserved. The Model One handled jazz music with On Take Me To Tomorrow, from 1970, Denver both delicacy and rhythmic precision, it was dazzles with a mix of originals and well chosen hard not to get lost in hours of both modern covers of songs by James Taylor, Jacques Brel, and classic recordings. Three new 24 bit, 192 kHz remasters of three Miles Davis recordings and Tom Paxton. His voice soars with sympathetic accompaniment from his own just recently released, were the perfect illustration of the Model One’s way with tonal acoustic guitar, and a magnificent studio band. correctness. Quiet Nights, E.S.P. and ‘Four’ And His own song, “Aspenglow” is majestic, and the depth and beauty of this song really More: Live In Concert, were all transportative. Davis’ trumpet spat, and purred, and his iconic highlighted what the Model One does best, backing band from the period all got their just which is to provide a very direct connection to the music. And how. due via the Model One. The musicians were laid out across the soundstage so wonderfully,

ACELEC MODEL ONE A John Denver listening session would not be complete without the iconic Rocky Mountain High, with the soaring title track, a cover of Lennon McCartney’s “Mother Nature’s Son” and multi part “Season Suite”. The purity of Denver’s vocal, his earnest delivery, and the pastoral backing arrangements was served on a silver platter through the Model One. It’s ability to provide real depth, back to front, really shone through. CONCLUSION The Acelec Model One monitors are high performance in the truest sense of the word. Their incredible accuracy, over the top build quality, impressive musical focus make it difficult to find any fault. We really could not pick anything in particular we would want more or less of, except perhaps wishing they were affordable for us! The Acelec Model One will pair with any high quality amplifier, regardless of topology, and it will expose weakness in lesser gear, that is a fact. If I were building a pro studio, I would run, not walk, to purchase a pair of their “professional” version of the One. There are other speakers, far, more expensive, that use aluminum enclosures, but to our ears, they miss the mark in musical satisfaction, bringing a certain sterility. Quite the opposite here. Every listening session was a window into the playback system, and recording, with very little, if any, room interaction. We highly recommend an audition with your favorite music, which may sound more lifelike than usual, which allow you to suspend disbelief.

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The Acelec Model One, in our opinion, is a major breakthrough for under $10,000 speakers. Acelec Model One Speakers: $6495 https://acelec.nl/Model_One_.html US Distributor Rob Fritz, Audio Art Cable audioartcable.com/collections/acelec-speakers Associated Equipment Amplifier/DAC/Phonostage: Parasound Halo Hint6 Streamer: Roon/Sonore microRendu Turntable: Rega Planar 3 Cables: Audio Art, Transparent

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Paul Cezanne— Still Life with Jug

JOAN OF AUDIO By Rain Jordan

OUR CREATIVE NATURE (PART 2) “Once you accept that it is natural to create, you can begin to accept a second idea – that the creator will hand you whatever you need for the project.” ~ Julia Cameron

n Part 1 of this article, I proposed that our true nature is inherently creative yet so many of us have difficulty discovering our gifts or creating the art that yearns to be expressed through us. As an antidote we are looking at the array of influences that inspire the artist who consciously creates. Our first peek was at jazz artist, vocalist and songwriter, Lizz Wright. In Part 2, we will uncover the inspiration and creative process of popular musician, songwriter and singer, Ed Sheeran and Matisyahu, an alternative musician, songwriter, vocalist, and beatboxer. Again, it is my hope that the beauty and originality of their creative genius reveals in some measure our own. Ed Sheeran is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, so most of us will know his music. He is a singer/songwriter, and guitarist from England, who started to write songs as a young teenager. Born in 1991, he began recording music in 2005 at age 14, and independently released 8 extended plays which began to capture mainstream attention. In 2011 he was signed to Atlantic Records. Since then, he has recorded 6 albums and 60 singles, and has

Painting by Rossetti

earned innumerable awards in the U.S and Britain. At 14 years old, Sheeran attended a concert by Damien Rice, an acoustic folk-rock musician, and was fortunate to meet with him backstage. After the concert, Sheeran was so inspired by Damien he went home and began writing songs. This marked the beginning of his work as a songwriter. Sheeran said this about his serendipitous meeting with Rice, “He was unbelievably cool. That night literally changed my life. The time he spent talking to me after the show made all the difference. It inspired me in a way that I only hope to do for someone else. If he had been a jerk, I would not be doing what I am doing today.”[1] Today, Sheeran wears a tattoo of Rice on his arm and excels at writing indie-based acoustic songs with a story to tell, much like Rice. Sheeran’s other significant influences include his Irish heritage, his parents who were both in the arts, and decidedly supportive of his interests and talents. His grandparents also influenced his music. Sheeran’s song, “Supermarket Flowers” is a tender eulogy to his deceased maternal grandmother

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Camille Claudel - Portrait 1884

JOAN OF AUDIO and her impact on his life. The song, “Nancy Mulligan", written as a traditional Irish folk song, is a tribute to his paternal grandmother and grandfather’s marriage in Ireland. Some of the musicians that influence Sheeran’s music and songwriting are Eric Clapton, who inspired Sheeran to learn to play the guitar

Yet, there seems to be a creative process that inspires Sheeran’s flow. He says, “when you turn on an old tap, muddy water runs out for about a minute and then it starts flowing clean water, songwriting and doing a gig is like that.” He goes on to describe his songwriting process further:

after he watched him perform the song “Layla” on television, Ray La Montagne, Foy Vance and lyrical artists like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. Sheeran also found inspiration across genres. His love for rap and hip-hop began when his dad bought him Eminem’s, Marshall

I’ll try to write 4 or 5 songs in a day and just write them as fast as possible. If I am in the album making mode; it’ll be 4 or 5 songs a day and there will be no thought process. It’ll be just get a guitar and write a song. And 12 out of 100 might be good and that’s all you really Mathers LP at the age of nine. Sheeran learned need for an album.[4] During the process of writing his mega-hit the lyrics for every song on the album and found that he could rap the songs without the in 2017 “The Shape of You”, Sheeran stutter that had plagued his childhood. A little collaborated with producer/songwriter Steve Mac and songwriter Johnny McDaid. “If we later he immersed himself in the London, had gone into the session writing a song for Ed “grime” scene where hip-hop and rap were Sheeran, I don’t think we would ever have prevalent. One of his closest inspirations and recorded “Shape of You’.” Says Mac. They had friends today is popular British rapper, Stormyzy, who says this about Sheeran, “Even intended for the song to go to someone else. with his rapping he can execute it well. When Sheeran imagined it could be a duet between Ed raps it’s Ed rapping. It’s not a carbon copy. Rihanna and Rudimental. The first few minutes into the process Mac played the It’s his truth.”[2] Sheeran believes that improvisation and originality are foundational opening notes on a keyboard, “Literally the first thing he did was he went over to the to the creative process. He alludes to keyboard and played. I was like, ‘Well that’s a songwriting as a flow or a stream that can good start.'” says Sheeran. At that point, happen at any time, “Songs are weird things they just come and go they never give you any Sheeran began to add percussion. “I honestly believe it’s because Ed is so impatient that he warning”, he says.[3]

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JOAN OF AUDIO can’t wait for me to get a drum sound up, so he just did it on the guitar. This is fifteen minutes into meeting him and we’re away. We’re off [to a good start]” says Mac. They then played around with the sounds and lyrics for the track. “I’m always a fan of keeping it more stripped.” Sheeran says. “I’m an acoustic artist, first and foremost”. After the original demo was done, the three went back in to rework some of the lyrics. They also added more guitar, bass, and claps to give the song more weight. Finally, Sheeran played the song for the head of his record label. He asked, “Why are you wanting to give this away?” The rest is history. Sheeran kept the song. It became one of the biggest hit pop songs of the year.” I don’t really know what it means to choose a hit,” Sheeran admits. “I just like writing songs.”[5] Of course, most know that Sheeran has had many hit songs and accolades and continues to create extraordinary music. Sheeran says that his primary inspirations for songwriting come from love, life and death, and examining other people’s circumstances. He believes our ordinary lives are full of beauty and heartbreak. He writes, “A heart that’s been broke is a heart that’s been loved.”[6] And he believes that we experience that beauty and heartbreak in our own unique way, and that is what he shares with the world. Sheeran has a remarkable sensitivity and tenderness in his

songwriting. He touches the universal or collective heart of humanity in a simple and enjoyable way. His voice is almost angelic. Of course, this is just a glimpse into some of the elements that influence, inspire, and create the music of Ed Sheeran. For a deeper dive into Sheeran’s creative process, I recommend watching the 2018 music documentary, “Songwriter” by Murray Cummings. It chronicles the creation of Sheeran’s album, Divide through real-time footage of his creative process. It is an intimate and personal look into the life and creative work of this extremely talented popular artist. MATISYAHU Matisyahu, born in 1979, grew up in White Plains, NY. He is a singer/songwriter that defies genre classification. His given name is Matthew Paul Miller, but he performs under his Hebrew name, Matisyahu. It is difficult to classify his music because of his penchant for the unconventional. He has roots in reggae, rock, hip-hop, beat-boxing and traditional Jewish music. Since 2004 he has released 7 studio albums on various labels. Beginning with 2004’s Shake off the Dust/Arise and a brand new self-titled album in 2022, Matisyahu has created a niche for his music which is uniquely his own.

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19 His teen years were mostly defined by his rebellion against a rigid orthodox upbringing. In his search to find his own way, he dropped out of high school to travel the U.S, after returning from a program abroad in Israel which helped young students get an up-close understanding of their Jewish heritage. Along the way, he experimented with drugs, spent some time in rehab, and finally graduated from high school at a wilderness program in Oregon. There he began rapping and became “Matt the Jewish rapper”. He immersed himself in the Jewish religion and simultaneously started playing and writing reggae music. His spiritual quest was the impetus for his music making. Matisyahu recalls attending a concert in his late teens featuring the Roots, Common, and beatboxers, “That was the first time I took hip-hop seriously”, he says. Since then, it has become a mainstay in his music. Around the same time, he also attended a Phish Concert. It was there that he experimented with LSD. For Matisyahu the experience was significant. He contends that it completely changed his concept of what music could be. He realized that music can be much more than just a “cool or exciting thing to do.” It had the power and capacity to be a spiritual or religious experience.

In an interview with Scott Burton of KTOO, Matisyahu describes his creative process as “all about improvisation.” I am always more interested in sort of not doing the thing that I know will get a reaction, or that will be good. But, holding back from doing that, and seeing what new things can happen. And that’s sort of a risk because sometimes the songs might just go into nowhere. And nothing happens. But I feel if I keep trying, that throughout the course of a show, at some point there’s some kind of like -something, like, breaks open, and then I’m actually able to have a really unique experience with the people that are there. Matisyahu’s unfettered improvisational style also involves considerable collaboration with “the right musicians and artists” to achieve the spontaneity and unprocessed creation he intends. From an interview with Bill Kopp of Musocribe (9/2017) Matisyahu explains his creative process with other musicians: For me it’s all about trying to get the right players involved so we can improvise within the hip-hop or reggae feel. It’s all about the risk and reward when it comes together. Having top notch musicians is critical. Without them that’s where all the cliches of bad jam bands come into play, of just noodling around on the same notes and not actually having the

JOAN OF AUDIO music tell a story and go someplace. To me that’s what it’s all about. There is nothing interesting to me whatsoever in painting a picture that I’ve already painted. Matisyahu also talks about the shifting nature of his inspiration: Just as inspiration changes during the song-writing process, it also evolves during performances. The songs themselves are inspired by ideas and every night when I sing then I’m not necessarily always able to immerse myself in that moment where I’m reliving the inspiration from when I wrote the song, Inspiration changes, based on the place, the mood, how I am feeling, how the music is going. You know, all those different things are affecting the outcome of what’s happening during the music. His newest album entitled Matisyahu was

song, “I’ve always been able to shed my skin to fit with whatever I wanted to be part of” And finally, he gives us a hint of what the introspective and joyful parts of the album are about, “throughout my life so much of my music has come from struggling with a sort of existential loneliness, even though a lot of my music is very joyful. I ended up in a place where I’ve found the person who is my soulmate and made a beautiful life with her, and that’s the place where this record was born.” Matisyahu’s evolution as an artist and as a human being continues to deepen and amplify his work. His artistry is truly chameleon-like and improvisational, always reflecting the myriad of influences and inspirations that shape, shift, and color his life and music.

released in early 2022. In my opinion, the album is contemplative, genuine, and quite joyful. It is described on his website as “fueled by authentic storytelling during an intense period of enlightened music-making.” He talks about the track Chameleon, a collaboration with Salt Cathedral, a Colombian-born, Brooklyn-based pop and electronic duo who co-wrote and produced the track and the album. The song is a bit of departure but has his creative DNA all over it. He says of the

[1] 95-106 Capital FM, January 2015 [2] From an Interview on BBC, www.bbc.co,uk, May 2017 [3] www.shazam.com, 2018 [4] From an Interview on BBC, www.bbc.co,uk, May 2017 [5] Taken from an Interview on BBC www.bbc.co,uk, May 2017 and Billboard Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ Explained: Singer Breaks Down Smash Hit in New Interview | Billboard – Billboard [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfGu95mPO4

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Imogen Cunningham - Agave Design 1 (1920s)

CLEER CRESCENT V1R2 By Oliver Masciarotte

CLEER CRESCENT V1R2

he Golden Horn is the primary inlet of the Bosphorus, and defines the northern boundary of ancient Byzantium and Constantinople, now Istanbul. A significantly smaller golden horn has graced our house of late, one with no water whatsoever but byzantine looks and many fine features… Cleer Limited, based in San Diego, is a company better known for their rugged and

modules. It also includes Google Assistant but, for me, that’s more a liability than a feature. Multi–room support for multiple units can only be accommodated, from what I was told, through Google Home Multiroom. Apple Home may also be supported but I did not have multiple units to test that function. A nice nod to privacy is a physical button to mute and unmute the in–built microphone. Being “smart,” it includes spoken feedback. I like the

well regarded headphones and mobile speakers. A newer addition to their lines is a more sedentary product, the $700 CRESCENT, designed for compact, quality audio anywhere around your house. Being mains powered, you can’t take this model with you wherever you go, but it is light enough to easily relocate it should you desire. CRESCENT is a modern smart speaker, with AirPlay 2, Chromecast and WiFi support

verbal prompt you get on power up that declares whether the mic is muted or listening. More interestingly, it leverages beamforming‡ to shape the directivity for three different listener scenarios. In brief, beamforming employs active manipulation of both amplitude and phase of multiple transducers to “steer” the aggregate directivity. Smart speakers use beam steering, in conjunction with an array of microphones,

to direct their “attention” or pickup pattern

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Pierre Auguste Renoir - Tulips

CLEER CRESCENT V1R2 toward someone speaking. This method works for both transmitting and receiving but, in the case of home hi–fi, it’s all about directing audio output to a specific listener location situated in space. When designing a beamforming system, more transducers result in better control of the directivity and wider options for “aiming.” For CRESCENT, an array of eight custom 40mm full range drivers plus a pair of 84mm mini– woofers are driven simultaneously to produce the desired effect. Eight wide bandwidth amplifiers power each full range driver, while

unwanted sonic resonances are reduced “… thanks to a glass reinforced substructure and geometrically vaulted design.” That decidedly curvy shape contributes to the enclosure’s overall structural stiffness. I heard no rub, buzz, chuffing or cabinet resonances during my listening sessions, even at full volume. The Cleer web site covers the gory details of the product specs, but the main points are an analog line in on a 3.5mm TRRS, along with AES3 optical, Bluetooth 4.2, and wired Ethernet. Power is supplied by an in–line, “brick” style switching supply. Supported file formats include MP3, WMA, FLAC, and ALAC. Note that the new version 5 of Bluetooth with higher resolution audio transport is not supported, which isn’t really a detriment for a smart speaker/lifestyle product. As we shall see, this golden sickle isn’t meant to replace a high fidelity component playback rig. As an AirPlay device, CRESCENT appears as “Cleer_Crescent” with a two bass amplifiers handle the pair of LF unique ID appended to the root name. This is drivers. one more feature absent from lesser products, The bottom front of the speaker has four where network names often appear as the full color LEDs in a horizontal row. These act subsystem vendor rather than the company as status indicators, and also volume control and product name you’d expect. Another indicators whenever gain is changed. subtle but well thought out feature is the way Physically, CRESCENT’s dimensions are firmware updates are accomplished. 660mm x 184mm x 119mm, with a weight of CRESCENT will automatically update to the 5.6Kg. Much of the speaker that is visible to latest firmware version when it is connected to the eye is wrapped in perforated stainless steel. the Internet. All smart products are designed A bronze tone finish completes the clean, to always be powered, in case you have a modern good looks. According to Cleer,

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sudden urge to blurt out, “Hey Google, play My Pal Foot Foot by the Shaggs!” This means CRESCENT has no power switch, and it will not drop into low power listen–only mode after a period of inactivity, which I found a bit surprising in this Anthropocene Age we find ourselves.

would not appear as an end point in my tiny, trusty iPhone SE. Cleer support repeatedly insisted that one can only connect with Bluetooth, and I quote, “…in the following ways:

When feeding CRESCENT from Qobuz or TIDAL using AirPlay 2, the hardware’s play/ pause button is not fully functional. When I do press Play, it dutifully launches the Music application in macOS. Curiously, pressing that same button while playing in Music causes the stream to pause, but pressing it again does not resume playback. As I mentioned, CRESCENT supports Bluetooth. However, for the longest time I was

Google, Bluetooth pairing’. OR II. Enter Bluetooth pairing mode by using the Google Home app. OR III. Enter Bluetooth pairing mode by using the physical buttons.”

unable to use Bluetooth as the device simply

and two. After attempting the physical pairing

I. With Google Assistant, by saying ‘Hey

Since I try to keep all things Google beyond arm’s length, I rejected methods one

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Henri Matisse - A Vase with Oranges

CLEER CRESCENT V1R2 pas de deux a half dozen times and failing epically, I simply gave up using Bluetooth. Recently, while reviewing LinkPlay’s low cost and capable WiiM Pro streamer, that unit’s user manual suggested that, for the best AirPlay 2 experience, Apple users employ a simple HomeKit–based setup. You know what? After adding the Home app for iOS to my phone, CRESCENT miraculously appeared as a Bluetooth target…So much for Cleer’s “tech support”! CRESCENT has three playback modes, with beamforming shaping the energy in the room for full coverage or a more intimate presentation. Green LED Mode, a.k.a. “Room

by a blue idiot light, really solidifies the phantom center, focusing localization on the speaker itself. It addresses a nearfield equilateral geometry where the listener is situated on the speaker’s centerline, and is looking for a more old skool “stereo” soundstage. Blue mode has the most neutral voicing of the three choices, and would be perfect for nearfield listening. You can think of red mode as midfield mode and green for freefield or enjoying at a distance. We tended to stay in red mode when in the living room, and green mode when I take the CRESCENT outside for full patio coverage. (Our neighbors hate us) In a nearfield

Fill Mode,” provides a scooped mid and warm tone tilted toward the upper bass. The phantom center is de–emphasized in favor of diffuse, room filling coverage all ’round. Red mode or “3D Mode” is more mid–forward, a higher fi version of what you’d expect from a lesser smart speaker. Red Mode brings back a phantom center while still maintaining a wide

environment, the Room Fill or green mode, heavily relying on beamforming, tends to make the phase manipulation timbrally apparent, eliciting a hollow slightly boxy sound. 3D or red mode pushes vocals forward a skosh while boosting the mid lows. Regarding soundstage, CRESCENT provides much better stereo separation that any smart speaker that I’ve heard in its price

soundstage. Stereo Widening Mode, indicated

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CLEER CRESCENT V1R2 range. Separation–wise, it approaches premium smarties like Naim’s long and low Mu-so, T+A’s Teutonic Caruso and Sonus faber’s Danish modern Omnia. No, it doesn’t play really loud without crossing into ragged territory. Since I brought that up, I should provide a comparison between CRESCENT and my first generation Naim Mu-so Qb. The Qb or “Cube,” in its modernist, classy livery,

my guess is it’s a good bit better than the first iteration in all aspects. In its favor, CRESCENT has those different directivity modes. It’s also plenty high fidelity enough for all but deep pocket, die hard audiophiles. Plus, CRESCENT’s rather fetching design relegates most other smart speakers to the drab, juvenile or even hideous visual category. For about the same cash outlay,

has a much more compact footprint and understated appearance. For the extra money you would spend on a $1200 2nd generation Qb, you get a cleaner, more extended top end, better transient response and less mid congestion. Due to their size, the low end of both products are comparable though different. While Naim employs custom passive radiators, Cleer chose the related ported bass reflex design. Naim goes for an understated, very linear LF approach while Cleer leans into a more pop, crowd pleasing sound overall. I do not have access to a second generation Qb, but

you can pick up a set of Klipsch’s THE FIVES, which may be better for those who require actual bookshelf placement or where you want physical channel separation. Appearance–wise, the Klipschs are unabashedly old skool, with a homespun vibe directly in opposition to Cleer’s more contemporary design language. For an even lower cost, Vanatoo’s Transparent Zero proves that a utilitarian appearance can have exceptional sound quality. Being Cleer’s first full range smart speaker, I was interested in the design process. CEO Patrick Huang at Cleer replied via e–mail that they strive to push the limits of design and

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audio performance. “CRESCENT is an example of how we stepped away from the monotonous styling of the speaker landscape and created a simple, iconic form factor that delivers distinguished sounds, complements the interior of the living room and maintains long-lasting relationships with the users.” Seamlessly blending into home décor, this compact appliance takes a page from furniture designers. Focused on a timeless technical aesthetic, the speaker is eye catching yet blends

good thing as its looks command pride of place. A pair of mini bookshelf speakers are more easily squeezed into tight spaces, especially front or bottom–ported ones which are less picky about boundary conditions. Having an independent left and right speaker also allows for more options of image width and separation, along with the potential to overdue it. I’m sure you’ve all been to someone’s house where a left speaker is in one room while the right speaker is in another.

nicely into its surroundings, enabling the owner to situate it in a variety of environments. Clad in that stainless-steel grille, the machined aluminum interface demonstrates the exceptional attention to detail that gave CRESCENT life. Its crisp edges and iconic arc remind us that some speakers are meant to be seen as much as heard. Having auditioned plenty of smart speakers, I have to applaud Cleer for seeing past the ordinary. It stands out from other lifestyle products with an elevated appearance combined with crowd–pleasing fidelity at a nice price. That said, one may ask if this is a

Last leg up that a few wireless speakers allow is the option to include a sub, making the package into a 2.1 system. For anyone looking to fill their abode with musical enjoyment without excess, CRESCENT lands squarely in the category of solid sound with designer looks. This is one addition to your living space that will receive no push back from your spouse.

legitimate replacement for a pair of equivalent–cost wireless stereo speakers? In a word, no…for several reasons. For starters; cost. You can pick up a pair of Transparent Zeros for a bit more than half the price. For another; placement; Although the CRESCENT’ depth is reasonably shallow, its overall width is quite wide for a “desktop” product. It demands some space, which is a

https://www.cleeraudio.com/

Cleer, ltd. Cleer Crescent V1R2 $700 San Diego CA

AKRM

Claude Monet - Le Pavé de Chailly in the Forest of Fontainebleau_

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2 By K.E. Heartsong

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2

xpectations can, indeed, fulfill our hopes or dash them, if we let them. And often setting our sights too low is the path to dashed hope. One experience comes to mind in which I had set my sights relatively low and that was a recent search for a new home. I searched out a new home in what would soon be the ‘Winter Wonderland’ of Minneapolis, MN. And as Winter was, certainly, nearing, the rush was on to find abode before the freeze and flurries and ice-turned lakes. My expectations or ‘want’s were a lightfilled home, a decent view, a nice, open floorpan, and a Midcentury Modern motif. Well, I found that or thought that I had found it in an older complex of buildings in St. Louis Park, MN. The complex and the home, specifically, seemed to encompass what I wanted. ‘Seemed’ being the operative word. Sometimes my expectations can cause me to be rash and to overlook the most obvious things. I would soon learn that closet space, sufficient water pressure, a microwave, and an elevator, when living on upper floors, after decades of sports

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had left me with battle-weary knees and a ruptured achilles tendon, were more important than my ‘wants.’ Yes, my one expectation of Midcentury Modern had been met, but all of the most important had not. And I was about to accept my quite low expectations, when my knees said otherwise, as they would be unable to handle the weekly climb-and-carry of heavy audio equipment up several flights of stairs.

The cover of the book—Mid-century Modern—did not give insight to its contents or my expectations. However, long story short, looking past the book’s cover to its contents— my needs not being met—facilitated a continuation of my search for a new home. Shortly, I found a rather brilliant home replete with needs and wants and more. Nonetheless, I once again set my expectations low. I’m learning. I may not have

Vincent Van Gogh-Almond Tree in Blossom-

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2 been fair to the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 streamer or the Silent Angel Forester F2 Linear Power Supply as I had read only their ‘covers (read price).’ And there were several quite formidable streamers in-house, at the time, all multiples of the Silent Angel's combined pricing and they were in various stages of review.

with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Terminator, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Queen’s Gambit, etc—that,

That presumption, low expectation, however, would last only until the first few notes were imparted from the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 and then the combo to the Border Patrol SE-i DAC through the various systems (see Systems). As I listened for the next several hours, my ‘expectations’ cause a wee bit of consternation and they began to change.

likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start, below, audiokeyreviews.com

THE SOUND Wow! It did not take many notes to understand that the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 was special. After several hours of continuous music, I was amazed at what this petite, black, metal container was capable of. And after several days, it had banished all in-house

computers to the basement, where they could do no further musical damage or expose their comparative weaknesses. And it put the ROON Nucleus Plus in the corner, its face to the wall, where it too could do no comparative musical damage. Yikes! What did this translate to in terms of performance? Unimagined high-fidelity, replete with all the touchstones —resolution, transparency, nuance, air, breadth of soundstage, overall staging— and a rather profound and immersive musicality. And it all came from these small, relatively nondescript, black, metal boxes. Wow! Silent Angel came to me, seemingly, from out of nowhere. I was not familiar with its history, its accomplishments, its ‘bonafides’ but they were quickly burned to heart, as I placed the Rhein Z1 at the head of literally every system in house with every DAC in house— DENAFRIPS Pontus II, DENAFRIPS Terminator II, Border Patrol SE-i, Bricasti M1SE, Mola Mola Tambaqui, etc. And the resulting music was always exceptional, always immersive, wonderfully natural, beautifully

detailed. There were more than a few occasions when I thought to myself, “How is this possible?” Yes, there were much pricier streamers inhouse and one, in particular, that was multiples of the Rhein Z1’s price and very wellknown to boot. I had, likewise, paired it to the various DACs and systems in-house and in every case the resultant music was… less than expected. It was not engaging, nor musical, nor able to surmount the Rhein Z1’s high-fidelity talents when coupled to the Silent Angel Forester F2 ($1,590). Their combined cost was still but a fraction of the ‘well known streamer.’ This too was shocking to me. That component will, of course, go unmentioned and unreviewed. It’s all about the music, not the name. The best of the best streamers will provide more of the high-fidelity wants—more transparency, resolution, nuance, refinement, perhaps, a more varied tonal/timbral palette— but at a much, much greater cost than the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 combo. Regardless, a great many may be blissfully content with the Silent Angel combo as their main streaming source. It will be difficult to

Pablo Picasso - Violin and Grapes

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2 part with the combo, that is if I part with it at all. The Rhein Z1’s volumetric cube—its soundstage or how it recreates the original venue—is such that it can take on great width, when there are no limiting components in the chain of playback. And as our reference systems are vetted for not limiting any aspect of high fidelity reproduction, there were no issues here. However, when coupled to the Forester F2, the overall volume expanded and allowed for the combo to capture details buried at the depths of a soundstage, in a lesser system. This was one of the many ways that the Silent Angel combo continually rose well above its price category, its competitors therein, and my expectations. The combo’s soundstaging abilities—spacing, layering (front to back positioning)—were outstanding. And tone, timbre, refinement, ambiance left me wanting for nothing. Surprise? Yes and especially at their price point. The Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 were paired with DACs from the Border Patrol SE-i to the Bricasti M1SE to the Mola Mola Tambaqui and the Silent Angel combination rose to the occasion with every DAC. The headphone amps employed were the Aurorasound HEADA, the HeadAmp GS-X MkII, the Blue Hawaii Special Edition, and the VIVA Audio Egoista STX. Headphones used were the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC, the ZMF Atrium, the STAX SR-009S, and the Dan Clark VOCE. Audience Front Row wires and AntiCable and

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RSX power cables connected the system. The TORUS RM 20 provided service as the power conditioner. NOTE: You’ll want to pair the combo with very good cabling to get the best out of them, as poor cabling will stifle their abilities and price should not necessarily be a factor. I’m happy to provide recommendations. BASS I run a packet of digital information in the form of Mercedes Sosa’s, Misa Criolla (Universal Music Argentina S.A.) from the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 as allied to the Silent Angel Forester F2 to all manner of DACs— Border Patrol SE-i, Bricasti Audio M1SE, Mola Mola Tambaqui—to one of the aforementioned amps—Egoista STX—and the bass is potent, tight, fast. Further, the bass is wonderfully differentiated as talented fingers slide across the fingerboards of upright basses—Christian McBride “Fat Bach and Greens” (Conversation with Christian, Mack Avenue Records), Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears, ECM), or Marcus Miller’s “Power” (M2, Concord). Tone and timbre are wonderfully represented, when paired with the Silent Angel combo. MIDRANGE Beguiling. Transparent. Dynamic. In truth and, perhaps, at this price point, I did not expect the midrange to be handled so beautifully and with such refinement. Again, all the high-

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 & FORESTER F2 fidelity wants are there. The Silent Angel Rhein Z1 is transparent and resolved and the music is delivered up with bountiful details. Music passes quickly, until long hours have themselves passed, unnoticed and quickly. The Elina Duni Quartet’s Lost Ships (ECM)

skyward climb to the stratosphere of the treble regions. Yet her playing is always delicate and sweet, there is always air and ambiance, as she dances with and then discards the piano’s wanting, melancholy notes. The Silent Angel combo handles this piece beautifully as would begins with Ms. Duni singing “Bella Ci Dormi” a much higher priced streamer with levels of and would end nearly an hour later with “Hier refinement and nuance that should not be. Bravo. Encore.” There is an ease replete with detail I put the Silent Angel combo through a and ambiance and a naturalness that the phalanx of treble tortures with Silent Angel Rhein Z1 should Patricia Barber’s Verse not be able to conjure. Yet conjure it does. (Premonition Records) And when leading the pack. again allied The Combo to the must deliver a Forester coherent and F2, the well-resolved combo package to the moves into top DACs— ‘big streamer’ Bricasti Audio territory, sporting a M1SE, Mola Mola ‘little streamer’ price Tambaqui—and via the tag, relatively speaking. The unbiased HeadAmp GS-X Mk stage expands, there is better II (review coming) and the seearticulation, greater refinement, and through electrostatics—Viva Egoista more air. The Roon Nucleus’s wall-wart STX, STAX SR-009S, Dan Clark VOCE—less power supply is clearly no match for the they be mercilessly unveiled. Their Forester F2 linear power supply. performance, however, in each and every case is exceptional. Raise the level of participating TREBLE+ components, wires, and cables and the Silent Haunting, deliberate, evocative is how Laura Angel combo’s performance rises as well. St. John’s “Gypsy Nocturne” (Gypsy, Ancalagon) opens with her violin on its

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CONCLUSION Wow! These grooved, little, metal, black boxes carry a wallop of high-fidelity goodness and compelling musicality that clearly sets them far above their combined price. And I must admit, having reviewed, auditioned, and owned some very high value/cost streamers, I am very impressed by the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 and the Forester F2 combo. Your computer doesn’t stand a chance and the ROON Nucleus Plus doesn’t either. That blur that just passed them both by on the high-fidelity road to nirvana, well, it was the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 combo moving at hypersonic speeds and the combo is miles ahead! The Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 combo plays 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. And they give, without exception, notable performances across the board. Like I said, ‘Shocked!’ Hands down the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 wins the High Nines Award for a truly exceptional streaming product. However, when coupled to the Silent Angel Forester 2 the combo moves things up to the next level and wins, collectively, the Gold Keynote Award for excellence. I am truly impressed with the Silent Angel brand and these two products

that have brought Silent Angel to my attention. Bravo! Pros: Performance far beyond expectation and price range. Cons: None THE COMPANY Thunder Data, Co., Ltd. Silent Angel Rhein Z1 $2,299 Silent Angel Forester F2 $1,599 Thunder Data Co., Ltd www.silent-angel-audio.com

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JANUARY 2022

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PREVIEW

PARASOUND JC 3+ PHONOPREAMP By Andre Marc

PREVIEW PARASOUND JC 3+ PHONOPREAMP

he most recent edition of Parasound’s highly acclaimed phono stage, the JC 3+, includes parts upgrades, and new loading adjustments. The specifications, previously impressive, are even better, with lower signal-to-noise ratios, and some tweaks

JC3+ should work with virtually any cartridge on the market, regardless of specifications. It would be a safe bet to say the Halo JC3+ will elevate the performance of any commensurate turntable, and even far more expensive models. With the JC3+ in the

to the circuitry, designed by the legendary John Curl whose designs grace a number of Parasound products. Special attention was paid to improving the power supply as well. At a hair under three grand, the Halo JC3+ may be one of the best bargains in analog components. The transparency, other worldly detail retrieval, and focus are unparalleled at this price point. Paired with worthy turntables, familiar old pressings reveal themselves anew. The added dimension, bass articulation, and overall tonality is addicting. The build quality and workmanship on the Halo JC3+ exceeds even high expectations. The rugged casework, streamlined retro-modern aesthetics, and the gold plated connectors inspire confidence. In either black or silver, the Halo JC3+ is easy on the eyes. Of note, the

system, it is hard not to have stacks of vinyl ready to spin, even pressings previously written off as sub par. The amount of new information the Halo JC3+ can extract is stunning assuming the rest of the system is on par. Full review forthcoming.

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THE COMPANY PARASOUND PARASOUND JC3+ $3,199 2250 McKinnon Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124 https://parasound.com/ Sales@parasound.com

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

RECOMMENDED

COMPONENTS

elcome to AudioKeyREVIEWS Magazine’s

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

Joan Shelly

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COMPONENTS RECOMMENDED 30 29

UP TO $1500

1. ASTELL&KERN SE180 $1499: A DAP that travels and that does not leave one yearning for one’s home-based desktop or even one’s HiFi system! I would have thought the SE180 the TOTL DAP when judged by its abilities, but it’s not. 2. BURSON AUDIO CONDUCTOR 3XP $1399: The Burson Audio Conductor 3XP delivers a transparent, natural, and highly engaging, musical experience, well beyond its price point. The Burson Conductor 3XP is highly recommended! 3. STAX SRM-500T $1340: For those new to electrostatics the SRM-500T may serve as a beacon to a world that is immensely charming, musical, and communicates as if a breath of fresh air. It’s a great starting point. 4. ZMF ATTICUS $1099: Absolutely gorgeous in aesthetic, prodigiously musical, mesmerizingly transparent, offering an immensity of soundstage second to very, very few. And then there is its beguiling camphor wood aroma… 5. TRI-ART P-SERIES $995: It is a component made by a music lover and artist and, in truth, a visionary, who sought to provide more for the Everyman/Woman, whose hard-earned dollars deserved more…

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Paul Cezanne - Flowers in a Rocco Vase

Award-Winning Products Designed by Roger Skoff, founder/designer of XLO

BEYOND™ AC Power Cord Best at any price

MAX™ AC Power Cord Superlative performer

PRIME™ AC Power Cord True High End Affordably Priced

BENCHMARK™ AC Power Cord “Benchmark is a price-performance killer!” Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Positive Feedback Online

Every RSX cable shown has been honored by the audiophile press for performance and value

COMPONENTS RECOMMENDED

UP TO $1500 (CONT’D)

6. SCHITT FREYA for $899: The Schitt Freya+ gets our highest recommendation. For $899 you get a triple mode line stage, with a 128 stepped attenuator, rarely used but beautiful sounding 6SN7 tubes and a nice metal remote control. 7. FIIO FD5 IEM $299: The FiiO FD5 from a design, aesthetic, build, and operational perspective is, indeed, a flagship product. It also provides a wealth of accessories that few flagships have, to date, matched. 8. iBASSO AM05 $299: The AM05 is very well made, aesthetically quite beautiful, and provides for one of the most easy to place and most comfortable fits for an IEMs that we have ever reviewed. 9. AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt $299: Music via the DragonFly Cobalt will very much engage heart and mind and soul, above that of both its brethren, with a rich, natural, and transparent musicality that is highly addictive. 10. Clarus Audio CODA $299: The Clarus CODA is much more than anticipated, For the price, its decoding Strengths, its musicality, solid build, the CODA has few if any competition at its price point., very highly recommended!

MARCH 2022

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Brassai

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

or us a Magical Synergy represents two foremost and not professionals who produce components or more, that together music or movies for a living and require make music far above what either make different synergies, nor do measurements separately. Generally, we’ve discovered Magical come into determination for us of what is a Synergies via reviews, where we mix and good Magical Synergy and what is not. No, for match a good number of components to this we determine by ear, heart, and soul, that determine how one of the components—the which moves us, provides for that “vibrational” component under review—sounds. comfort food, and a rich and engaging musical And while there may be strengths and experience. The experience should, of course, weaknesses between the various combinations, come with sufficient detail and resolution and the Magical Synergy represents that fidelity to recreate venue and/or the experience combination which has very few if any of listening to live music, when appropriate. weaknesses and a wealth of combined After a long and trying day in this topsy-turvy strengths. world, wouldn’t it be wonderful if some small In this respect, we’ve done the homework measure of nirvana could be achieved through 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

one’s music and the components that play it back? In other words, our Magical Synergies do not render music that is dry, unengaging, subtractively neutral (see dry, boring, etc.), flat, or lacking in dynamics, when called for. Please find for your review a number of Magical Synergies below.

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

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MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $9k

ABYSS AB1266 PHI TC/AURORASOUND HEADA

hat happens when transparency is, seemingly, exceeded? Realism? Or, perhaps, seeming realism? This is the conundrum raised by the Abyss AB1266

JULY 2022

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

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MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $17k

ZMF VÉRÍTÉ & MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI

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orgeous. Incredibly transparent, resolving, detail rich, fast, fast, fast, and astonishingly musical. The sum of the Véríté’s talents speak to something other than a dynamic headphone, something imbued with a good measure of the planar magnetic tribe, and, at times, the electrostatic tribe as well. An exceptionally talented chameleon able to meet the task at hand with all its best skill forward! The Véríté is a TOTL headphone that will sound marvelous with a DAP, but it will be at its very best with top-flight, read, TOTL components of uncompromising abilities A time and space machine, indeed, for the when and where the Mola Mola Tambaqui transports one. Impossible it is, to write the concluding notes of this review, to break away from the spellbinding music or magic that this DAC/Headphone amplifier creates. Whether yours is a full-fledged stereo system that spans the width of a room’s wall where the Tambaqui is DAC or your system sits on small table, beside your most favorite chair, with Tambaqui as Headphone Amp/DAC, you will be more than well served. An internet connection to the Mola Mola Tambaqui, a USB cable from your computer, plug in the Véríté, and bliss! A simple TOTL system with few peers!

MAGICAL SYNERGIES

UNDER $25k

STAX SR-X9000 & VIVA EGOISTA STX

id I mention how extraordinarily immersive the STAX SR-X9000 is? Well, you will experience the sounds, the emotion, the ambiance, the ease, and even the ‘sights’—silverware and dishes clinking, the muttered voices of the inconsiderate, a waitress taking orders, muffled coughs, miscues, etc. It will all seem tangible and will be incredibly new to a great many. It was new to me and I have ‘mad’ years and much experience in this hi-fi thing. One listen. “You-are-there” describes succinctly my experience with the Viva Egoista STX electrostatic headphone amplifier. And it is an experience that will not soon be forgotten. As mentioned, the Top-Of-the-Line STAX SRM-T8000 is not a contender, though at approximately one third the price, it shouldn’t be. It isn’t. As I write this, there is no competition for the Viva Egoista STX electrostatic headphone amplifier. Where that contender may come from has yet to be discovered, but then competition is good, especially when the competition provides a different yet compelling perspective. Sublime musical playback from these two components that will challenge easily systems at twice their price if not more. In my experience there isn’t a better headphone system, to date, than this combination with TOTL components.

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